Merry Christmas!!

From our house to yours...

Baby Sonneman Update

I’ve been hounded with emails and comments about what is going on in the life of my pregnancy and the baby. And to fill in those who are getting one word answers form Kyle, here are the details!

I’m doing great! Unlike the first 13 weeks (3 months) my eating is pretty much back to normal. I don’t really feel pregnant except my regular clothes don’t fit well, if at all. My hair and nails are growing like crazy, which I have heard and read that’s normal and I’ve finally come to terms with sleeping on my sides, not my back or stomach. I’m still not eating chicken. This has become a huge loss in Kyle’s life, I had to purchase pre-cooked and chopped chicken for him!

We had another doctor’s appointment at the beginning of the month which went well. We heard the baby’s heart beat and it sounds like a swish, swish sound, so amazing. Up to week 26 we see the doctor every 4 weeks, then to every three weeks and so on.

The Answer is YES, we will find out the sex of the baby! I’m a planner, it’s not me to not have things ready exactly as we want. We have a boy’s name picked out and a few girl’s names, but you will all have to wait for the birth to find out!

How far along: 17 weeks (4 months, 3 weeks)
Total weight gain: 9 pounds
Maternity clothes: some
Sleep: some good nights, some bad nights
Movement: nothing yet, but it could be anytime now!
Gender: ?
Belly Button in or out: in
What I miss: skiing
What I am looking forward to: feeling the baby move and finding out the sex

Our “anatomy” appointment is on January 5th. My mom is going with us and we are hopeful that Randy can make it down for a quick visit to attend. Neither of them have seen an ultrasound so it will be very exciting on many levels.
For those not accustomed to counting your life by weeks, here is a timeline of my pregnancy in months…(Rich)

Week 1 – the last week of August
Weeks 2 – 6 month of September, 1 month
Week 7-10 month of October, 2 months
Week 11-14 month of November, 3 months
Week 15-19 month of December (where we are currently), 4 months
Week 20-23 month of January (find out the sex and half way point), 5 months
Week 24-27 month of February, 6 months
Week 28-32 month of March, 7 months
Week 33-36 month of April 8 months
Week 37-40 month of May (Due May 26th), 9 months

In other explanations of pregnancy terms, each week is associated with a fruit or vegetable so you can relate something we all know to the size of the baby. Hence in my first post, that was the approximate size of the baby. This week we are the size of an onion.

I have a little belly, I think we’re moving out of the awkward stage. It’s definitely bigger than, “she ate too much or has gained weight” because my belly is going straight out. From the back people have said they can’t tell I’m pregnant let’s hope it stays that way.

That’s all until our appointment on January 5th!

This is a terrible picture, the next one will be better!

Happy Holidays

It’s been a month I realize….and after many requests about what is going on in our life here are all your answers. You have to understand Kyle is of the thought that no one cares….apparently you all do. (Pregnancy update to come)

Mid November I found out I was getting laid off. My last day was November 13^th, and I have to say while it was sad to leave and for it finally to be my turn in the world of layoffs, it was a sigh of relief! No more stress, worry about when was it my turn, pretending to look busy with really nothing to do….ah, it was over. The same day I found out a former co-worker of mine, who I had worked very closely with for 4 years, had committed suicide. I’ve never had anyone close take their life and it hit hard! I just couldn’t get it together! We were also under contract on a house and had been through the inspection process and we had to walk away. It was a rough day.

After my last day of work, I took the following two weeks for myself. It had been a long stressful ride in the last year and a half at work, so I thought it was time for me to de-stress. I had a couple massages, lunched with friends, baked for Thanksgiving and had a great time. It’s amazing how my days fill up!

Thanksgiving is my all time favorite holiday! This year the Broncos played on Thanksgiving night. To include Kyle on some eating festivities, we had a big breakfast of which Kyle decided the menu: Biscuits and Gravy, eggs, and fruit. It was awesome. Kyle left for work around noon and My mom, Kel, Dan and I made a Thanksgiving meal to eat before we left for the game. We had field passes and it was so much fun. The players were really pumped up, hoping for a win after a miserable loss, and win we did!

Friday morning we packed up and headed to Aspen, our traditional place to celebrate Thanksgiving. We did Thanksgiving all over again on Friday, it was delicious! I’m the only skier in the group and being with child that is on the list of “can’t do activities”. This is only the third season I’ve missed in my life…until next season!

December 1^st was a big kick off to the job search for me. I have to admit I wasn’t motivated, and started on Dec 2^nd. I’m motivated on some levels, buying a house, getting a nursery ready, having space for friends and family to visit, but the real struggle is what to do for a career? I’ve been in design for 8 years and had three layoffs. It’s such a rollercoaster ride and I’m ready for a change! What I really want to do, plan weddings for the rest of my life. But, for now that’s doesn’t bring in the money, so I’m looking for something else. The great part is that I’m really up for anything, a new adventure. As of today, I have applied to numerous jobs and am pretty excited about them. There’s a lot of crap out there right now, but I have heard and believe that as of the first of the year, there are going to be a ton of jobs opening up. Let’s hope for that!

As for the Christmas, there are going to be many celebrations this year. Christmas falls on a Friday, and Kyle will likely have a delayed schedule so we’ll be able to celebrate in the morning and then he’ll go to work. In my family, Christmas morning is when we do our celebrating with breakfast. This year we’ll have my mom’s youngest brother and family, Mom, Kel, Dan and us and maybe a few football friends. We are also celebrating with my Dad and his wife a few days before Christmas, Andrew two days before and my grandma after the New Year. It’s an unusual year, but will be fun!

That’s the latest on us…

Diary of the 1st Trimester

The long awaited "we're pregnant" blog...

Week 5 - My boobs have been killing me for about 4 days! Kyle calls and says he’s done some research and he thinks we need to take a test. On Wednesday September 16, 2009 at about 7:30pm we take a pregnancy test…there are two lines = pregnant. We can’t believe it and take another test, two lines = pregnant. A couple of days go by and the news is sinking in. We take a third and final test, two lines = pregnant. Its official, we’re pregnant and elated! It’s so amazing…

Week 6 - We made our first purchase, What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I’m starting to feel like some of my pants don’t fit so our second purchase, a Bella Band. My boobs are still killing me so much that I can’t even sleep on my stomach. You don’t realize how many shirts you have that are fitted until you don’t want them to be fitted. Still haven’t told anyone, waiting until after Kelly & Dan’s wedding and if we can hold out, until after our Dr. appointment on October 12^th 9:00am. I’m feeling great!

Week 7 - I could swear I’m showing and can’t seem to find anything to wear that isn’t fitted. We still haven’t told anyone and we are holding out until our Doctor’s appointment…one more week. I have a vicious cold, and haven’t been feeling great. Not sure if it’s morning sickness or the cold. Feeling worse, truly a terrible feeling, it’s a nauseous feeling that comes and goes throughout the day. For now Decaf Mint Tea, Ginger Ale, sugar and citrus are doing the trick. The “I’m soooo tired” feeling is still 100% with me, I just can’t get enough sleep! The one thing I didn’t expect was the level of hunger! It’s not like I’m getting hungry and will need to eat soon, more like I’m hungry and need to eat in the next 5 minutes. I’ve had three nights this week that hungry has woken me up about 4:00am. I’ve gotten up to eat all three nights and then can’t get back to sleep, so I’m now eating a snack before bed and that is working great!

Week 8 Dr. appoint #1 went well. We were there for nearly two hours and it was amazing. We had an ultra sound to “confirm” the pregnancy and there was our tiny little Baby. We saw the heart beat which was this little flutter. Proud as a mama peacock, we told our immediate families. They were first surprised and second excited. Kel and Dan get home on Saturday and then the cat will be out of the bag to close friends. I’m feeling much better this week, still have a cold, but not feeling so nauseous. Can’t stand the thought of eating, looking at or preparing chicken.

Week 9 We kicked this week off with not sleeping well. I’m waking up around 4:00am to go to the bathroom and then can’t get back to sleep. My cold is nearly gone, thankfully. My mouth tastes like there is a battery in my throat, disgusting! No cravings, but certain food always sound good: bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, crackers…anything plain. I’m hungry all the time and kind of getting tired of eating, the hunger just doesn’t go away.

Week 10 The word is getting out that we have a bun in the oven. I’m still eating like a high school football player, but I’ve been told it gets better in the second trimester. Feeling great and starting to think about maternity clothes, still no chicken!

Week 11 I can’t believe the first trimester is nearly over. I’m getting used to the tired feeling, maybe it’s going away? My lower back has a tiny ache, which I’m sure is just the beginning. Battery taste still in my mouth.

Week 12 It’s been a great week, started with an ultrasound. Baby S moved, wiggled and bounced during the ultrasound, it was really cool! It amazes me that with all that movement I can’t feel a thing! The exhaustion is noticeably better and in the last two days I’ve noticed my hunger decreasing, thankfully! I have a little belly, more of an awkward stage “is she pregnant?”

Week 13 Graduation week to the 2^nd trimester, time goes by fast when you’re counting weeks! I’m feeling like myself and not nearly as tired. My hunger is much better as I’m back to three meals with a couple of small snacks. Chicken is still repulsive! The first maternity clothes have been purchased.

My last day

I'm not sad, I'm on cloud nine. Today is the beginning of my future. A new door will open that will be better than where I've been.

I'm going to take a few days, relax, get a massage, organize and then start looking for a job. I'm optimistic that the right thing will come my way.

Cheers to be leaving OLC and the last 16 months of misery! I'm celebrating with a blizzard tonight!

The time has come...

That was the subject line of an email sent to all my contacts and colleagues in the last four and a half years at OLC. I was informed on Monday that it was finally my turn in the world of layoffs. It’s been 16 months of stress, walking on egg shells, layoffs, pay cuts, unpaid holidays and I have to say I’m glad it’s over! This chapter in my life is closing which means I have the world ahead of me. I’m looking forward to the next door that opens and the opportunities that come along.

Here’s to the future!

the last four weeks...

It’s been nearly a month since I blogged and I’m finally getting back into the swing of things.

Four weeks ago my best friend and sister got married. The day was beautiful, relaxing and fun, filled with laughter, excitement, nerves, beginnings and dancing! A fantastic time was had by all. And now, Mr. & Mrs. Steinke have been married for one month and three days. They are working to transform Dan’s bachelor pad into their home, organizing all the gifts and writing thank you notes.

The week of Kel’s wedding I began feeling the slightest hint of a cold. The minute the wedding was over, it hit me….hard, exhausting and long! I fought it for three and a half weeks, which is the biggest reason for the absent blogger. I’m finally over it, thankfully. It was probably the worst cold I’ve ever had, and all I wanted to do was sleep.

The Bye week is one of my favorite weekends of the season because Kyle and I get to actually do something! Our annual trip to Nashville changed this year since we will see the entire gang at Rich and Penny’s wedding in February. We were invited to spend the weekend with our friends Chris and Courtney at her parent’s ranch in South Dakota. I was very excited about this trip, because it was a state I hadn’t been to (only 10 to go). We had a fabulous time and Mr. & Mrs. Ward were incredible hosts.

They have a real working ranch, like nothing I’ve ever been to. There are hundreds of acres of rolling hills, cows and barn after barn of horses, indoor arenas and people. It was so much fun to see all that goes on, on a ranch. The guys went pheasant hunting two days and the ladies relaxed, shopped, rode horses, got my boots dirty and enjoyed a evening out to Sutton Bay. Her parents belong to this hunting and golf club that was spectacular. The views are amazing, and the golf course looks beautiful. The guys had a great time hunting and Kyle killed 7 Pheasants. We came home with four and I have no idea how to make a meal out of this meat….so if you happen to have a great recipe that includes pheasant, pass it my way! I did have the opportunity to taste it, and it was pretty good, more flavor than chicken.

On the way home we drove through the Bad Lands, the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. It was pretty cool, although the weather didn’t cooperate. A great weekend with many memories!

A couple of weeks before BYE week, we decided to start looking for a house. After a few trips to look at some bad ones….we found one. It was a bit of a whirl wind and 24 hours after we saw it for the first time, we were under contract. We have the hurdle of the inspection to get through tomorrow. Other than that, we are over the moon about this house and I’ll post pictures as soon as we feel it’s official. We have purchased furniture, have a growing “to do” list and are ecstatic to be in a house before the holidays…that was our goal.

That’s the latest from Denver…

Mr. & Mrs. Dan Steinke

It was an amazing day! Congrats to Dan and Kel!

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2-0

What a great way to finish a season opener...we are 2-0!!! Can't believe we pulled out another win! Are the browns really that bad?

Shannon Sharpe parachuting into the stadium!

Regular Season Home opener


So cool!

The fly-over

Shannon Sharpe's induction into the ring of fame!

Pret-a-Porter

This was the 5th year and it turned out to be the biggest and best! This is the annual fashion show in the design world where a design firm is paired with a manufacturer. The design team then has to create a “ready to wear” outfit out of some material from the manufacturer. It is a five month process, from design development to the runway.

This was our second year participating and we had a great partnership, SourceFour. They are a furniture showroom and also have upholsteries!!!! It all turned out great and the event was sold out!

Our outfit was called City Luxe and had three parts.

• The dress: made of upholstery, hand woven vinyl strips, and hand punched sequins.
  
• The Necklace: made of table hardware (Each ball was just under a pound….a very heavy necklace) and vinyl.
• The Coat: made of upholstery some of which had a Crypton backing which made it a very stiff and heavy coat.

I modeled for the second time and it was a blast. We did my hair and makeup here in the office and by 5:30 I was ready to go. We had to be dressed for pre-judging and then waited hours for the event to start. There were about 1600 people attending, and the line to get in was a few blocks long. Until next year…Our Original Sketch and concept design

On the runway!

The reversible jacket

Me with Crystal, Our sponsor and a view of the dress

Labor Day in Aspen

It’s a tradition, and as usual, we had a blast. Unfortunately, Kyle missed out on the fun due to cuts. Mom and I headed up early Saturday morning and made it in time for a loop around the farmer’s market, I picked up the “family size” kettle corn and mom bought a lazy-susan for her table. I had to work on the dress for Pret-a-Porter…more on that later, and mom went to see Julie & Julia. When she got home we had a few hors d'oeuvre and waited for Kel and Dan to arrive. We immediately left for the Cantina, we never miss it, and then came home. Kel and Dan had spent the previous 24 hours painting Dan’s house, so they were exhausted.

Sunday was pretty chill, we had a list of wedding items to get taken care of and Dan went for a ride. He is training for a 206 mile ride this weekend….amazing! After hours of wedding stuff, we headed up to watch volleyball. The Motherlode beach volleyball tournament is the largest in the country and it’s a blast to watch. We’ve been for so many years that we have our favorite girl teams. We didn’t last long due to rain, so we headed home after a few shopping stops. Mom’s birthday was the end of August, so we celebrated Sunday night at Bruno’s. It is a fabulous little Italian spot, and the word seems to be getting out. Dinner was delicious and we had a laughter filled dinner.

Someone always has to carry mom

waiting at Bruno's

Celebrating mom's birthday

Monday morning we did a few more wedding things and then went in to watch volleyball. We weren’t sure when the finals were, and we got there just in time to watch the semi-finals. They were great games, and we are glad, ahem, a certain team lost! These great girls from LA moved on to the finals along with the reining champs. We ran home for a quick bite to eat with an hour in between and made it just as the girls were warming up. A great match and the end of another Labor Day weekend.

Sunday at the sand courts

The Finals

Kel's Bachlorette weekend

Two weekends ago was packed full of fun wedding events that took days to recover from exhaustion and I’m finally blogging about it.

Friday night was the Bride, maids and MOB. We started at Encore for happy hour. It’s a relatively new place in Denver that is still a bit unknown and a great spot! We had apps and drinks and laughed on the patio. I wanted to take Kel somewhere she hadn’t been for dessert which is how I decided on dBar. Kyle had taken me there for my birthday and I thought right away, this would be so fun for a girls’ night. Just as I remembered, fabulous desserts! Jenn was the only one who couldn’t make it, but we, Kelly rather, had a drink for her.

I had been preparing food, décor, favors, etc all week, so when Saturday morning finally rolled around, I was ready! Kate and Melissa came a little early to help with a few “morning of” to-dos. The shower was beautiful, we had 12 people and everyone had a great time. The theme was Kitchen, and it was a lot of fun to see all the creative gifts.

Saturday early evening, the bachlorette party started! We did a wine tasting that was so much fun. Carly designed these adorable cards so everyone could write down the wines, and rate them and on the back was how to taste. We tasted 6 wines in total and in between the wines we asked Kelly to answer some questions we had asked Dan. After the wine tasting Kel opened girly gifts polished off the wine and headed to dinner.

I made reservation at Osteria Marco which is an Italian restaurant downtown. The food was great, company was hilarious and overall everyone had a great time. Some handled their intake well and other, not so well.

Good friends, good food and good wine….and Kel had a fabulous time!

The wedding count down

Sunday was the first wedding event before Kelly’s big day. A family friend hosted a beautiful shower honoring Kelly. It was a great time, and Kelly looked amazing as the bride-to-be.

Let them eat cake

I had a delicious invite from Kel and Dan to taste wedding cake with them. The cake lady, Renee, came to Kelly’s house with six incredible flavors. The wedding cake is Dan’s thing, so mums the word on opinions. No problem here…..I just kept eating….my favorite, peanut butter chocolate, deeeeelicious!!!!!!!!!!!

Six weeks until I find out which two flavors they picked.

The Bride and Groom

Six little cakes waiting to be opened and devoured

They are so beautiful

yummy yummy in my tummy!