33 weeks (7 weeks to go)!!!

     Well, it is a bit delayed, but I have a new update for those of you dying to hear about my pregnancy!! ;) I am 33 weeks pregnant or, more importantly, 7 weeks from my due date! YIKES!!!  Baby Steckler is approximately 4 lbs and 17 inches long!  It seems that the baby/fruit professionals have deemed her a pineapple this week (better than a kumquat)!  It often times feels like baby Steckler is doing Tae Bo in belly, and I have to admit it is a bit weird to see my stomach move through my clothes, but very cool all the same!
      As for me....I am still feeling great.  Our house is pretty much finished from the remodel (pics on the way), I am still able to walk with Rocky most days and make it to the gym.  I seem to be much more hungry, and I have started waking up around 4 a.m. and, of course, I start thinking about a big bowl of cereal!  I was a bit sad yesterday because I had trouble putting on my socks.  Granted, i was wearing skinny (maternity) jeans, but I like to tuck my jeans into my socks and then pull on my boots.  I was sad because I was struggling to reach my feet, and my first thought was "oh no, danny will never be able to tuck my sock in the way i like it"!! 
     The baby showers have begun, and they are sooo fun!  Baby Steckler has gotten some great gifts, and I am so excited for my next one in Leitchfield!  All in all!!! It has come to my attention that I am a very blessed mom-to-be, and I pray that things continue to stay the same.  Our pastor just happened to preach about "parenting" this weekend at church, ironic I think not, so I will leave you all with a passage that I hope I can impress on baby Steckler...

Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.

26 Weeks

26 Weeks: Baby Steckler

Food Cravings: Anything goes in pregnancy, and I would like to say that I have some kind of amazing, funny, or delicious food craving...Unforutnately, it is just cereal!  I almost always start my day with a big bowl of cereal with strawberries (you can imagine my sticker shock for strawberries as we creep into Dec.) and I have also been ending my nights with a bowl as well!  I will try to get more creative.

What I MISS: Red Wine (on a daily basis), Running, Sushi, Sleeping 6 hours or more w/o a bathroom break, and most importantly!!! RED WINE!

Symptoms: (thank goodness the acne finally went away! I was channeling 8th grade). mild low back pain, yep, that's it! 

Movement: WEIRD!!! She is kicking up a storm.  Danny is the only person to feel her so far,but I am noticing peoples hands and eyes seem to be attracted to my belly.  It is like a magnet.  Last week I actually saw my stomach moved as she kicked.  She is pretty active early in the morning and late at night!

She is the Size of A: 

English hothouse cucumber (WHAT???)

Renovation Update 12.4.2011

Celebrating the UK win over UNC!  Rachel at 6 1/2 months pregnant.  

Dining room with wall knocked out.  Column still needs dry wall, trim, etc...

Another view of the dining room.

Dining room view into the kitchen.  Plastic is up to attempt to keep dry wall dust in one area...That stuff in messy!

Rocky insisted on being in this picture. Color and trim work painted.  Just need to add the shutters.

View of the back of the house.  The deck and porch is almost done!

Another view....

Can't wait for the screened in porch!

Kelley building has done a great job on design and trim work!

Stair case exposed and ceiling beams taken out.  New stairs and railing coming soon!

View looking up the stairs from living room

Master bedroom

Master bathroom tile...Love this stuff!

Master bedroom dormer

View looking downstairs.  I wanted to put a fireman's pole but Rachel doesn't like that idea! 

Upstairs guest bathroom shower tile.

Another view...

Nursery

Rocky waiting for the mailman

Updated 11.12.11

The house renovation is coming along!  We settled on a paint color but the trim and shutters are not complete.

Primer on the hardy board...still needs to be painted!

Rocky seems to want to be in every picture! The composite decking is looking really good!

Another look at the back of the house.

Another view of the back of the house.

We can't wait to spend some time on the back porch.

Yet another view of the back deck

The bio-spray foam insulation before the drywall is installed.

Spray foam insulation.

Drywall starting to be installed.

View of the deck from the upstairs window.

We ran out of spray foam and decided to just use marshmallows!

Oh by the way, baby Steckler went to her first UK basketball game!!

Updated 10.16.2011 "Rocky's 4th Birthday"

Cedar shake and primer added.  

We are most likely choosing between the 3 color blocks you see.  We are open to suggestions on which to choose from!!

I love the cedar shake!

Kelley Building decided to vault our front porch ceiling! Great idea!

Hardy board added to dormers

More cedar shake! Love this stuff

Back porch deck framing.  This will be tied into the main back porch deck.

This deck will be partly screened in.

Another picture of the back deck.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROCKY!

9.27.11 Dormers added and framing continued...

 The demo on the deck has begun! Get ready screened in back porch...Danny will be spending a lot of time with you!

 Another view of the deck demo

 View from the the deck of the shed dormer.

 The demo to the dining room has begun.  The wall straight ahead will be completely gone except for a support column.

 View from front of the house at one of the dormers almost completed.

 The right side dormer being built.  Pretty cool to see how all of this is done.

 Self explanatory....

 View of both dormers.  Nice way to get some natural light to the upstairs while creating some extra room.

The small deck off of the breezeway has been removed.  There will be another deck that is tied into the big deck.

 View from the nursery toward where the guest bathroom will be.  You can see the tarp covering the dormer on the front of the house.

 Dormer in the master bedroom.

Not a good picture but you are looking from the master dormer into the master bathroom.

 Better picture of what was described above.

 View from right side dormer into the house.

 Looking into the nursery.

 Picture of the front of the house.

Ditto...