Yet another baby post...

I really don't want this blog to become solely dedicated to all things baby, but I can't ignore the needs of my fans. So here's some baby info:

1. My dear friends Shari and Kari (with the help of Nana-to-be Marsha) threw me an amazing baby shower on Sunday. It was fun, and totally "Karen-ish." We had a chocolate fountain, played games involving candy, and had a children's book raffle and trivia game. I only wish that we could have had some kittens on hand to cuddle with and it would have been heaven on earth. I will post pictures of the shower soon.

2. I had my 32 week check-up last week, and everything is looking perfect! Her heartbeat is wonderful, my blood-pressure and weight-gain are right on track, and she's moving around like the dickens. My midwife informed me that I have to get more blood taken next month, and I didn't even freak out. I am such a grown-up now!

3. Steve and I signed up for baby and child-birthing classes. Our first one is all day on Valentine's Day. Pretty romantic, eh?

4. We have been BLESSED beyond goodness knows what by the generosity of our friends and families and pretty much have all the big items that we need. This includes our crib, car seat, stroller, and enough clothes to sink a boat.

Now, just a few pictures:

I'm 33 1/2 weeks along. Wow. Brundibar is so excited that he can hardly contain himself. That's his excited face.

Steve is posing with our dream stroller, The Quinny. It's orange and black, so my dad is thrilled (OSU Beaver colors). Sorry dad, no decals are going on this bad boy. Our stroller was a gift from Steve's late Grandpa John. We were given some money and told to purchase something for the baby in his memory, and because he loved to walk we all felt like the stroller was the way to go. Thanks, Grandpa!

The Day of Man

This past Saturday was our self-proclaimed Man Day at the Dunlaps. We are eternally grateful to our dear friends Cheston, Mike Rodrigo, Mike D, and Papa Dunlap who took time out of their busy schedules to get all manly and help Steve with some projects. Like always, what we wanted to get accomplished is taking 100 times longer than expected, but we're getting there. Here's a few pictures to view for those who care:

Cheston and Rodrigo putting up sheetrock

Rodrigo putting up sheetrock with Mikey as the foreman

Papa Dunlap...the brains behind most of our house project endeavors. Steve and his Dad framed in a door that led to our bedroom to give us more room and privacy.

This is what the ceiling looked like with half the ugly ceiling tiles removed. The original ceiling was cracking so some genius thought that installing 80's office ceiling tiles would be a great way to fix the problem.

Men and women alike quake in the presence of Mikey. He's pretty intimidating.

Here's a picture of Steve pretending not to be annoyed with me...but someone has to document the progress, right?

Get On Your Boots!

There are not many things in life that excite me, but a new U2 album turns me into a giddy little kid. It is 12:30am on Monday, and the new U2 single just premiered on their website. I have listened to it about 7 times, and I love it. I cannot wait until the full album is out; March 3rd. If you haven't heard the single yet, you can check it out here. 

Man Day

We are, once again, asking our friends for a little help with some house projects. We need to dry wall, frame in a door, and add a whole house fan. We have a lot to do and a limited amount of time to accomplish our goals (see creepy floating baby countdown). On Saturday, January 31st, Steve has proclaimed Man Day here at our house. Yes, very sexist, I know. If you are a girl and want to help, I will not be here. Instead, I'll be sewing with my mother-in-law. Yes, very traditional, I know. Anyways, Steve is promising beer, pizza, and a day full of memories. If you are interested in helping out, let us know.

The Boy Who Lived...with us once

This is an old picture of one of my favorite people in the world, Matty. I don't think that he reads our blog, but I came across this picture and couldn't resist. Matty is such a good friend that he even put on my Harry Potter glasses and posed as my favorite wizard (other than Gandalf, duh) just to humor me. Matty used to live in Riverside and even lived with us for awhile, but now he's residing in Colorado and we miss him big time. How could you not miss and love a guy like this? 

The Last Hurrah

For the past 5 years, Steve and I have been proud Disneyland Annual Passholders. I pretty much believe that Disneyland is a magical place and that when I'm there, I have that same magic inside of me. Seriously, a Disney Cast Member once told me that I had a true Disney smile and that compliment sort of made my year. However, keeping in mind that our lives are about to change exceedingly, we decided to let our passes expire this year. Call it growing up, call it a new chapter in our lives, call it trying to embrace reality. So, we ventured out to the Happiest Place on Earth one last time last week or so. Apparently everyone else had the same idea, the park was super busy. So while we didn't get to go on any rides, we did get to people watch, admire the Christmas decorations one last time, and end our trip with a special yummy treat...that's why you go to Disneyland anyways, right?

I look like a gremlin! A hungry, pregnant gremlin, totally excited to eat me some ice cream!

Baby Update

Consider this picture a belated birthday present for my dear friend Christina. She's been asking for an update, and I've been slacking. This picture was taken today, and I'm 29 weeks along. I had my 28 week Dr. appointment last week, and I had to face 2 needles in one day. My mom got to come with me and I was so happy to have her there. My goal was to prove to my mom that I could now face a needle without passing out. I was victorious! Yes, there were tears and numerous warnings by the nurse to calm down and not hyperventilate, but I did it! So, if you're keeping track, the score would be Karen: 2  Needles: 0

When my parents were in town, they got together with Steve's parents and suprised us by taking us crib shopping. We picked out such a beautiful crib, one that we never would have been able to purchase if the Grandparents hadn't intervened! Here are some pictures:

I just finished her bumper. I think it's quite pretty! Thanks again to both Grandmas for helping me cut out the material.

Extreme close up! Camera one...

Camera two