How Cute is this Baby?

...I know I have to say that, because I'm the mom and all, but seriously, how cute is that little face? I'm convinced Bean has my nose (the Kampmeyer tradition carries on), and Tony's chin (because that is not my chin). My kid is finally cute!!!!

Thanksgiving Shenanigans

Holy cow, its almost Christmas! I came back from my long Thanksgiving weekend and put a countdown on the front board of how many days there are until the start of winter break...according to my sources, there are 13 (school) days. That's nuts!


~'Cause he's an intergalactic superhero~


~Lydia, being goofy~

On a completely different note, Tony and I had a great, albeit REALLY hurried, Thanksgiving. We drove down to his parents' house on Wednesday night, after we figured the traffic would have died down. Tony hung Christmas lights with his dad all day Thursday while his mom cooked delicious yummies, and I did some reading for my class. Dinner was around 4-4:30, with about a dozen guests (including our adorable new nephew). All in all, it was a fantastic day, with great food, and even better company. The only bummer was the fact that we had to turn around and drive back to L.A. on Friday morning so that Tony could work all day. Bleh! Such is the life of working for "the man", I guess. The upside was the all day opportunity I had to work on my final paper for my grad school class. I guarantee all of you, there are NO distractions sitting in someone else's empty office on a holiday weekend. Now all I have to do is finish writing the stupid paper....

Not much else to report. Tony and I will be having our 5th annual holiday party this Saturday that we are both really looking forward to. After that, its Christmas shopping and Charlie Brown specials as far as the eye can see.

To make up for a rather dull post, though, I am including a really cute video of our nephew, James, providing a monologue about...I'm still not sure what. In any case, it was REALLY stinking cute to listen to his schpiel.



Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Growing Beans and Santa Sightings

Greetings folks. Well, its been a month, and I have yet to post the ever-promised five month belly pics. What's even worse, is that Tony took the six month belly pics last night. Can you believe it?!?! Six months! Its going to be the start to the holidays in a week, and before we (well, mostly I) know it, Bean is going to be here! Yipes!

Speaking of Bean, s/he is doing swimmingly. Kicking up a storm now, and within the last few weeks, I have taken to turning on the TV when I get home from work, and then spending hours watching my belly move, allthewhile ignoring whatever is on the tube. It is the WEIRDEST thing watching your tummy move as if by magic, knowing that in no way are you the one making yourself twitch and jump. Bean has also taken to what I think is stretching as long as possible, and pressing him/herself into my diaphragm when I sit too long in what apparently is an undesirable position (this usually occurs about half way through my CSUN classes on Tuesday nights...I'm the student shifting like a four year old at my desk). Taking a complete breath is almost impossible, and I end up panting--for lack of a better phrase--like a fat kid. Totally hot. Aside from the respitory malfunctions, I am doing great. Still lots of energy (well, compared to the first trimester, and considering I never seem to have a moment to sit and relax...ever), and doing my best to stay up and active. Tony and I started Bean's registries this weekend (what else were we going to do when everything south of us was going up in flames?!?!?). We have starter lists and Babies R Us and Target, for those of you who have been asking, or who might be interested. My growing belly is very reminiscent of Santa Claus, although at my last doctor's appointment I was charted as having gained only 7 lbs, and my doula insists that my limbs are shrinking (maybe I'm imploding...everything is being sucked to my middle...that would be weird...). In any case, if anyone knows of any malls in their area that are a Santa short this year, send them my way! :)


*Lydia~Tony~Baby Max. Seriously, SUCH a cutie!*


*I'm not sleeping, in case you are wondering. How can you not melt at this though? Look how sweet!*


*Baby Max. He looks like his brother, James...only the pirate version. I want to smoosh his face!*

Tony and I are looking forward to the holidays. We will be spending Turkey Day in San Diego this year with his family, which is very exciting, due to the brand spankin' new nephew we have waiting for us down there. I have three weeks after Thanksgiving before Christmas break, and then about six weeks of work before I start my maternity leave. Like I said, time flies when you are baking a Bean!


*Bean-month five. I'm not so much a fan of this phase...mostly, you (well, I) just look thick...and REALLY tired.*


*Bean-month six. Whoa, momma! I'm soooo totally pregnant here!*

Bean, Doing a Headstand

Hi folks! Here's the 5 month sonogram as promised. Not the cutest yet, and I'm pretty sure that I am going to eventually give birth to Skeletor, rather than an actual human that looks like either Tony or myself. Hmmm...maybe Skeletor is a distant cousin of one of ours that I just didn't know about. That would be weird...



I apologize for the wackadoo position for the picture, but my computer refuses to let me rotate the picture. Apparently, Mac seems to know more about picture posting and saving than I do. Whatever.

To talk you through this a bit, Bean is on his/her head, with both hands tucked up next to the left side of his/her face. The two big dark spots are the eyes, and the smaller spot is the nose. Cute, right???

Month five belly pictures are still pending...stay tuned!

Yogurt and the Traveling Freckle

Once upon a time, there was a pregnant lady named Laura who woke up one day and couldn't keep her brain straight anymore. After some time of getting used to this pregnancy, however, Laura thought that maybe she had the whole pregnancy thing wired...she had told all of her students that she was pregnant, and was even getting used to her growing belly. Enjoying it, even. Then, out of nowhere, a young girl stopped Laura when she was in the office of her high school one morning. Laura carried her lunch bag in one hand, some letters to be mailed in the other, and her burgeoning belly poked out a bit from beneath her top (but not in a tacky, white trashy sort of way...she was at school, after all). "What are you having?", the girl asked, pointing to Laura. Due to her unstraightened brain, Laura had a hard time processing the difficulty of the question. She thought about it for a bit, thinking it was strange that the girl would ask her about her lunch bag (because what else could the girl POSSIBLY be asking her about???). Without another thought, however, Laura confidently replied, "I'm having yogurt". The girl looked at Laura like she was a crazy woman with an unstraightened brain, for obvious reasons.

Ok, enough with story time. On a completely different note, I have a deep and meaningful observation that I wanted to share. I have a freckle. Not just any freckle, mind you. This freckle, for as long as I can remember, has lived in the deepest, darkest depths of my belly button. This freckle was the keeper of my belly button, I suppose, as there is very little else in this world that has had such an up-close and personal relationship with this particular part of my anatomy. Low and behold, however, sometime last week I noticed that Mr. Freckle (I don't know how I know that the freckle is male, but it is) was no longer residing in the depths of my belly button. Over the course of the last couple weeks, Mr. Freckle has been taking a little road trip, and now lives just outside and to the right of his former home...belly button adjacent, if you will. Isn't that weird? Pregnancy is strange. It even makes belly button freckles jump ship and find new homes. Interesting...

The Much Anticipated Belly, as Promised...

Alright...my camera and laptop finally made up and I am now able to post the pics of my ever-expanding belly. Woo hoo! Be warned...I look a little skaggy in some (well, most) of these pictures. They were always just before bedtime. Well, without further ado...



month one...I want to qualify that I had only just started back to the gym at this point!



month two...although I think I looked more pregnant last month!



month three...bean is maybe starting to make a cameo???



month four...there's no denying it! there's a bean in there!

P.S. From the looks of these pictures, I need to buy a new tank top! It looks like I've worn the same clothes for 3 months. Always the fashionista...

Updates!

Just a quick note for those of you who might have been curious. Tony and I went to our (almost) 5 month sonogram appointment on Friday, and everything looks great! It took FOREVER, and the doctor was very thorough making sure that all of the Bean's bits were present and accounted for. After over and hour's worth of scanning, we've got 2 hands (with 10 fingers), 2 feet (with 10 toes), 2 ears, 2 eyes, 1 brain (with all of the relevant parts), and 1 heart (with 4 chambers). Yay! Bean was nestled into my pelvis, and lying on his/her left side, so it took awhile to see everything. Bean also had his/her hands up by his/her head, and the legs were politely crossed for the entire appointment. If Bean turns out to be a girl, I think daddy will be pleased at his daughter's modesty! And if Bean is a boy, then mommy is thrilled to see he is already such a little gentleman! In any case, there was no money shot, which is nice, because then I couldn't be tempted to sneak a peak at the screen.

I will post the latest picture once I scan it. Stay tuned!