18 weeks pregnant

Here is my bump at 18 weeks!

Getting a little bigger! We had the BIG ultrasound this week and found out Ava was a little girl and healthy to boot. Here are the ultrasound pics from that day:

Ava's little foot:


Profile of my baby girl:


And of course, Skelator!!!


Here is Cartoon Ava:

18 Weeks Pregnant

If you click on the cartoon, it will give you more information about this week.

So far, I had lost 12 pounds, but will start gaining weight from now on. Cravings are still PB&J and Smoothies, but also milkshakes. I am feeling pretty good and have been the healthiest that I have been in a long time!

11 Weeks pregnant

Okay, here is a pic of me at 11 weeks along:


I know, not much there but it looks like I had a little too much pasta! Here is what Ava looked like in cartoon form:

11 Weeks Pregnant

Pretty dang cute!

I was still losing a lot of weight (so far around 7 pounds) but the doctor seemed fine with it. I was still healthy and surprisingly...NOT ANEMIC! for the first time in my life. I am craving Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches and smoothies galore. Pregnancy ain't so bad!

Now I can start posting more!!

I only have 4 more weeks of work left!!! Yay!! I am now officially 30 weeks pregnant with little Ava Muriel and life is pretty good now... except for the back aches, pelvis pain, hip pain, swollen feet and hands and the exhaustion. But it is all for a good reason!

Our condo is STILL on the market but Nick and I aren't worried. We will keep it on the market until Thanksgiving then take it off to await Ava's arrival. Nick and I are going with the flow, which is all we can do at this point!

I am working on setting up an online photo album and also working on some photo montonges so hopefully I will have more to post over the weekend. And once I am done with work, this page is going to be Rockin'! I pinky swear! So the next posts are going to be about the pregnancy so far...at least what I can remember!

Love-
Nick's Wifey

On to week 13!

Today, I am officially 13 weeks pregnant. According to Babycenter.com, our little peanut now has fingerprints! Peanut is 3 inches long, now (new name, maybe shrimp?) and it is starting to grow into it's big head! So this is the last week of my first trimester and I couldn't be happier, for it was a rough one.

13 Weeks Pregnant

I had a lot of nausea and vomiting. I lost a total of 10 pounds, although my doc says I am still OK. I gained to pounds this week because I can finally eat without feeling sick. It is a wonder feeling! I am still exhausted, but that is normal. I can't wait to start feeling great (and then feel horrible again in the 3rd trimester). Even though I am losing weight, I still can't fit into 80% of my clothes. Time to shop! :)

Here are some Ultrasound pictures from our 9 week visit.





I have an appointment next Wednesday. We will not be having another Ultrasound, however we will be able to hear the heartbeat. We are so excited! I will take some pictures of my belly tonight and post them on here.

Now we just need to focus on selling our condo...need a nursery to put this kid! Here is our new listing, pass it on if you know anyone who is looking in the Belltown area.
http://www.cbbain.com/Pages/PropertyDetail.aspx?ListingID=32621358&CSPS=v1-XQAAgAD4AAAAAAAAAAAAAFIKQAi1wBkNCfslBM3iXfSyCAkxe1eZCy6wsybFbj8u2tKy8hn8EJyOMZHInurzvr7BAstP6BFpX5P4RPs9V2cTsYdusnI0CfRu8GwzbPNUG734Z3ma8K9ILQTzFexFFDNkmV3yrOVzzL7tBkTrZ-yZLpweRAQt4YZNSvkZAAA1&TR=39&SPN=4&SL=PriceHighestFirst&ST=3&NAV=1
Much love to all!
Katie and Nick

4 Weeks Pregnant

So I am now only 4 weeks pregnant. The little baby is just a cell, floating around in my belly. Kind of a strange feeling, but wonderful nonetheless. Baby Knutzen is the size of a poppy seed, but is making me feel exhausted! Who knew that something this small could make me eat 5 slices of pizza and still be hungry? Crazy how the world works.

I have been feeling okay, I am sleeping a lot more, not too sick, just get a little lightheaded if I don't eat. My hips are already getting huge, as if they weren't big enough to begin with. I am smelling things that I have never smelled before. Nick thinks my body is going crazy, although he hasn't seen nothing yet!

Here is what the baby looks like:

4 Weeks Pregnant

Not very exciting. I know. But soon it will look more like a tadpole, then an alien, then finally, a little baby!

I had my appointment with my doctor today who confirmed the pregnancy. I told her that I wanted to deliver at Swedish and she gave me the name of a OB/GYN group that would deliver there. She saw them for the birth of her child and said they are fantastic. I will see them when I am 8 weeks along then we will be able to have an ultrasound and hopefully hear the heartbeat! That appointment is May 22.

An Easter we will never forget

So on this Easter Sunday, April 12th, Nick and I found out that we are going to be parents! Now I have something exciting to blog about! Here is how it happened:

Well, obviously you know how we got pregnant, I am NOT going to give the details, that would be for a whole different website! What I will tell you is that Nick and I stopped birth control March 17. I ovulated March 28-April 1. You do the math. Right out the gates, BAM! We're pregnant. We were so worried about being able to get pregnant because of my past health history and the fact that we have several of our friends who have had difficulty getting pregnant.

I took a pregnancy test on April 9th, thinking that I could know by then, and it came back negative. No worries, we just would have to keep trying. I didn't really think about it much, except for the fact that I was eating like a horse and I slept all the time. Oh yea, and I was super cranky.

Then comes Easter morning. We woke up and Nick decided he was going to work out. I stayed in the condo and was getting ready for church when I saw a pregnancy test in the drawer. I decided to take a test just for kicks and giggles. I took the test and quickly forgot about it. I was getting ready for church when I walked by the test and saw it...two lines. Positive test. I freaked.

I took another one...again it was positive. I was so shocked! I called my friend Michelle and left her a message. Something to the effect of "oh my god oh my god oh my god...". And then I waited for Nick. Very impatiently. I was grinning ear to ear when he came in.

I grabbed him and said, "Guess what?!?!?" I held up the pregnancy test and he was stunned! We hugged and laughed and were so happy that it happened so quickly! Now we have to sell the condo!

At church, we were both beaming and looking at all the Sunday school children and imagining our little boy or girl in the group, leaning about Easter. I was an emotional wreck!

Then we had an Easter Brunch at Trilogy with the family. Grambear was there and I knew I wanted to tell her first (even though Ellie knew because, of course, I had a ton of questions to ask her!). We have her an Easter card that was signed, "Love, Nick, Katie and Baby Knutzen". The look on her face was priceless! Everyone was stunned that it happened so quickly! So were we!

When we got home, Nick called his parents and told them. I was sitting next to him and could hear them cheer loudly on the phone. Their first Grandchild! They are very excited.

That was how we found out we were pregnant! Now the real fun begins!

So since we don't want to blab to the world about our pregnancy yet, we are going to delay our posts a little bit. I have continued to write about this journey that Nick and I are taking together, but will be posting them later. So, I will try to post a weekly update, however, there will be some catch up time until we are at the current week.

Wow...not so good at keeping up!

So I guess I am not very good at blogging. Nick and I have been so incredibly busy, I don't even have time to blog! And I miss it! I promise I will get better. I think I said that before, but I promise double time!

Our condo is on the market!!! Yay! Click here to see our ad on Redfin. Hopefully, it will sell more sooner than later. I can speak for the both of us that we are going to miss Belltown, but are ready to get out! Apparently, there was another beating about 4 blocks from the Condo. Of course it was at 2am, and Nick and I never stay out that late anymore, but it is starting to get to me.

I used to ignore all the homeless people and drug dealers who would try to talk to me, but now, I seem to be yelling back. Some guys were trying to pick me up the other morning (yes I said morning, 6:30am to be exact). They looked like they had been up all night and the old Katie would just laugh and ignore them, but the new Katie...oh boy. I chewed them out!! I dropped a couple F bombs. I know, not very lady-like, but seriously? I can't stand it anymore! My patience has gone down the tubes.

Nick is working a lot, and No, he hasn't gotten laid off (Thank God). He has been enjoying snowboarding and getting ready for golf. Me? Haven't picked up a club in a year, but since we have to spend a lot of time out of the condo for showings, I will be hitting up the driving range to touch up my skills. Watch out, Tiger!

Looking at houses!

Nick and I will be looking at houses this weekend in Burien. Here are the Redfin listings:
http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.488201&long=-122.336197&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2869581&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.441135&long=-122.345741&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2141354&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/search#uipt=4,1&status=1&max_price=450000&num_beds=3&num_baths=2&v=4&lat=47.484485&long=-122.3286005&zoomLevel=17&listing_id=2928516&market=seattle

http://www.redfin.com/WA/Burien/16507-Maplewild-Ave-SW-98166/home/334302

The Epidural Shot aftermath

Well, I got my steroid injection in my back last night. Interesting enough, the doctor had a really difficult time with injecting me. For those of you who know me, everything that has to do with my health is never simple. I just went to the orthodontist to have a consultation about getting braces for my teeth...not that simple. My teeth aren't just crooked, I am missing a tooth on the bottom. It never grew in.

I wanted to switch some meds because I was feeling fatigue. Wasn't that simple. Had blood tests and found out I was vitamin D deficient.

And the list goes on.

Here is what happened with the infection. I laid down and the doctor injected the numbing medicine. That was fine (well, it stung a little, but not as bad as I thought it would be). Then she had to insert the contrast so she could see where she was going. She needed to find a spot that didn't have any blood vessels because you don't want that stuff in your blood stream. So she was looking, and looking, and still looking. Mind you, looking means taking the needle and moving it around inside my spine. Even though I had the numbing medicine, I could still feel the needle and I swear it was hitting nerves because my right leg kept twitching. It was painful. She told me, "Wow, I have never seen someone with so many blood vessels here before!". Thanks lady, but hurry up and take the needle out of my spine! It was almost 10 minutes of this and I could tell the Doc was getting frustrated because she was laughing about it when really, on the inside, she was probably saying "Gosh Darn it!" or something to that effect.

After she found the spot, the pain of the needle in my back was gone. She injected the steroid, then I went into the recovery room. Remember how I said everything is difficult with me? Here is another example. I had to stay in the recovery room longer because my Blood Pressure was too high. I think that maybe, just maybe, it was due to the fact that I just had a NEEDLE IN MY SPINE!!! But I am not a doctor.

So the results? So far, the only difference is no cramping and the pain down my legs has decreased. However, it is still difficult to move my back. Putting on my socks is a little painful and walking Bella is still near impossible. Although it has only been 19 hours since my injection. I was just hoping for a quick fix. So, I have a follow up in 2 weeks and I should be starting physical therapy next week. I guess I have to be patient! Not one of my strengths when it comes to my health.

Ciao for now!
Mrs. Knutzen

Wedding

View Project at Shutterfly

Katie is falling apart at the seams

I went to the Bone and Joint center at UW yesterday, had a MRI and here is what is wrong with me. I have a budging disk in my lower back that is causing Sciatica. SO I get to have a very large needle full of steroids injected into my spine on Monday. Yay. Then I have to do physical therapy. Yay again.

The bottom line is....I still can't put on my socks without being in excruciating pain. How come we can't have a quick fix???

WEDDING PICTURES!!

Well, we finally got all of our pictures and we posted them on Picasaweb so everyone can upload the ones they want! Yay! I put the link below...
http://picasaweb.google.com/ngk1101?feat=email

Now for the bad news. I (Katie) have hurt my back...bad. MRI results are not in yet but it is a possible herniated disk and it is causing Sciatica. Boo. So, I am on pain killers, muscle relaxers, and I STILL cannot handle the pain. Tomorrow I go to the Back Specialist to find out what the deal is and what is the next step.

So keep us in your prayers, especially Nick since he is picking up the slack with me basically glued to the bed! He is doing an amazing job with laundry, dinner, Bella...I think I may milk this for a little bit! Just kidding!!! He hasn't complained once. What an awesome husband I have!

xoxoxo
Mrs Knutzen

In memory of Jackie Nance

As most of you know, last Tuesday, my cousin, Jackie Lynn Nance (AKA Quackers), lost her battle with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 26. It was a long battle and we expected this to happen soon, however, it was still a shock to us. Jackie never acted like she was sick. She came to our wedding, even though she had to be put on oxygen several times a day. I feel truly blessed that God helped her though that day so she could enjoy time with family.

This loss has been a blessing for Nick and I, in some ways. I know that may sound awful to some people, but Nick and I have realized that we do not want to take life for granted, our own or those around us. We want to enjoy every moment. So instead of stressing about our future, we are enjoying the present. I believe that was Jackie's purpose in life. To show everyone that living for the current day is more important then stressing about things beyond your control.

I know that Jackie is looking down on us with a huge smile. She left a legacy on this earth and Nick and I will try our hardest to pass that legacy on.

If you would like to view her obituary, please go here.

If you would like to learn more about Cystic Fibrosis, check out this site.

We love you Quackers!