Callum Conroy Steenbergen

Monday, August 22, 2011, 2:34pm Greenwich Mean Time

6 lbs 14 oz, 20" long

Welcome to the world, Sweet Baby!

24 -25 Weeks

24/25 Weeks!
 (Won't be doing a second post this week and missed the last few...)

Total weight gain/loss: At 24w5d, the verdict is +16...

Maternity clothes? Basically all maternity except for a few regular shirts

Stretch marks? Nope, not yet

Sleep:Waking up 2 or 3 times to pee and starting to find it hard to get comfy

Best moment this week: Finding out all the anatomy scan results were normal.

Movement: Lots of wiggling and kicking; he always gets a big burst of energy right before bed.

Food cravings: Nothing really in particular actually.

Gender:BOY!

Labor Signs:Absolutely not!

Belly Button in or out? Stretching/ flattening out. If I try and stretch it more, it starts turning into an outtie!

Wedding rings on or off? I don't where them at the gym but other than that, still wearing them as usual.

What I miss: Being my normal flexible self- pregnant woman are not meant to twist whatsoever!

What I am looking forward to: Is it too early to say "meeting my little man"?

Weekly Wisdom: Don't wish the short and sweet moments of pregnancy away

Milestones: Great/normal results on the anatomy scan!

We took a trip to Stone Henge and Bath this past weekend. It was fun but the walking everywhere was a struggle. I ached so much- feet, back, legs- and I'm still sore. It was quite frustrating. It was a good trip aside from that though. The picture above was taken at the Roman Baths. You get the idea of how big the belly is getting. 

Today I haven't quite felt oh so fantastic due to getting up early, funny eating habits, etc that comes along with travel. Oh, and did you have to see the weight gain??? Yeah... having some personal issues with that. But as long as Mr CCS is happy and healthy, that's all that matters.

14 Weeks!

14 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I only use the dr's scale so we'll know on March 18

Maternity clothes? Nope, but I have them ready and waiting for the day my jeans just don't fit!

Stretch marks? Nope, not yet

Sleep:Still getting up in the night due to my expanding uterus pushing on my poor bladder (and I will be for a few more months)

Best moment this week: Getting a bunch of stuff for Jumping Bean!

Movement: Not yet but I'm hoping JB will start wiggling soon!

Food cravings: Sweets and Chinese food.

Gender:Still a mystery.

Labor Signs:Absolutely not!

Belly Button in or out? Same as always

Wedding rings on or off? I don't where them at the gym but other than that, still wearing them as usual.

What I miss: Hands down, its a big yummy deli sandwich from the commissary :(

What I am looking forward to: Feeling movement for the first time and finding out if its a little girl or a little boy!

Weekly Wisdom: Babies don't need the most expensive items you can find!

Milestones: Just getting through another week complication free :)

Oh, and if you are wondering where the 13 weeks post is, here's the scoop. My 12 Weeks post was actually done at almost 13 weeks if I go buy the Aug 31 due date, which I am. So I didn't really see a need to post a 13 weeks post 2 days after my 12 week one.

And yes, those are the same sweat pants as the last photos. What can I say? They are my fav!

The Autumn

It has officially changed seasons since my last post. I saw my first tree with leaves changing color today. It was absolutely lovely. Have I ever mentioned my favorite season is Fall? Not to copycat Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail but it really does make me want to buy school supplies. Something about the cool crisp air, damp air, shorter days, blue jeans and lightweight jackets, homework... I always go back to elementary school days. Fall meant that school was starting back, meaning new schools supplies, new shoes, new clothes, new jackets. In my photographic brain, I see out of the back seat passenger window that we're driving down Convington back in BG, heading towards Small House Rd, with my little red bag of piano books, some homework, and usually a snack of goldfish or M&M's. The huge old trees lining the avenue are all shades of brilliant reds, yellow, and oranges with a dusting brown crunchy leaves over the front yards and sidewalks... Somehow I don't think England Fall will be able to compare to with the Kentucky Autumn I hold close to my heart.

Life updates: We placed third in the Crud tournament last week. It was still fun regardless of the end results. I'm still on the job hunt. I met a wonderful woman at the A&FRC today. She is helping me to revamp my resume and also helping scout out potential job opportunities. On that same note, I am meeting with one of my crud teammates/friends who has offered to share her work experiences since being in England with me and help me to find a job.

Life has been rather rough the last few weeks, to say the least. Hence, the blogging hiatus. Hopefully, things will continue to improve as the leaves progressively change into bolder and brighter colors.

Stupid Volcano Ash

Seriously? Right when its about time for me to fly back to the states, a volcano's gotta belch out a great big cloud of ash and delay all the flight in and out of England??? Gah...

I am supposed to fly out on Wednesday...

The ash was supposed to hit around 5pm yesterday... then midnight last night... then 1pm today... still no ash!!!

All flights are canceled til sometime tomorrow (Saturday).

And I can't find a stinkin' phone number that will help me figure out what to do about my flight!

If the darn ash would just drop already, it would dissipate and then flights can resume back to normal!!!!

I'm a little stressed out but I really don't think it shows ...

Mixed Emotions

Today is full of mixed emotions.:

A year ago today, I kissed my husband good-bye for 8 and 1/2 weeks. Two days before that was the day he proposed....

The emotions I feel at this very moment are every bit as strong as they were a year ago. But they are more complex, deeper. Trying to put them into words is almost agonizing and I am actually typing this with tears in my eyes.

I remember waking up with Gerrit on his couch where I had cried myself to sleep the night before. We'd had dinner with his and my parents the previous day. And in preparation for his leaving, I had buzzed off all of his beautiful hair in the kitchen of his apartment. I remember opening my eyes and the wave of emotion hit me, the realization that he was leaving that day. I cried and begged him not to make me go to class, to let me spend the day with him. But my stubborn Gerrit, the same as ever, put my education before everything else, drove me to my dorm to change, and then drove me up the hill to my first class. I don't even remember any of my classes that day except for a single instance. I commented to my lab partners that I was going to have to leave lab early and could I get the data from them later? A friend commented how "lucky" I was to be leaving early. I remember just looking at her and saying, "I'm lucky? I have to go say good-bye to fiance for 8 and a half weeks. He's leaving for the Air Force."

So I kissed him good-bye and sat in my car, crying sobbing out of control, determined to watch him drive away with the recruiter, to see him just one last time. To see him blow me a kiss as he left. A dozen letters, a handful of phone calls, and 8 and a half weeks later, I watched him march in at BMT graduation. The entire plane ride down, with his mother and sister, I had been excited, nauseous, terrified. How much different was he going to be? Will he still be the same man I fell in love with? Will he still love me?

I had been terrified to touch him, to look him in the eye, to really talk to him. Once alone, I got my answers. He was different for sure but he was definitely still the same man who was still in love with me. Different in that he was more mature, less goofy and carefree but only when in uniform. I remember crying when it finally hit me that he was still "My Gerrit".

I am so proud of my husband. I have been since the day he graduated BMT. Though it was hard to be apart for 8 months, every minute of it was worth it. The Air Force has been a blessing in that it helped him to grow in to the man I finally got to marry. The man who would walk through fire for me. The man who would risk his life for his country. Some days I absolutely love the Air Force, and some days.... not so much. But without it, I would not have the life that I have with my husband today. I don't have always love it, but I will always love what it has made my husband become. I am so proud of him and always will be.

Hello from England!

I decided to start an every day blog for myself to accompany the one I made for George. It really never occurred to me until yesterday when my best friend made the comment that she would really like to see what I'm up to everyday but she'd settle for following George. Then, when I actually got to thinking about it, I realized there actually are people out there who just might want to know what I'm up to! Who'da'thunk, right?


So I have spent the better part of my Tuesday (with the exception of unwrapping my brand new couch!) setting up this blog for myself. Here ya go!