Potty Training Champ

 Maybe I'm not the normal kind of mom.

But, potty training has made me sad.

Let me start from the beginning...

Kie learned about the potty pretty early.

I'm going to guess, around 15 months or so? (maybe earlier, not entirely sure)

His dad taught him how to pee-pee in his sand bucket.

Don't ask WHERE they got this idea!

So before every bath time, or anytime he got undressed--

Kie wanted to use his bucket.

He would hold it up himself,

use it..

then dump it in the big potty.

Well, during our remodel fiasco---we took a hiatus on the potty training.

When we started back up late August...Kie started using the toilet.

He used his kids potty (the one I got for him to USE--as a STOOL!)

so he used his potty as a stool to stand up and PEE in the big potty.

He would be so excited!

Well, as a lax mom--I wasn't enforcing the potty training.

I mean, I just didn't care to.

It doesnt bother me to change his diapers...

and to be honest, seeing cute baby butts in diapers is cute to me.

I love how it pads it...

the swish-swish sound it makes when Kie runs...

yep, diapers to me...

are precious.

Of course, it makes PERFECT sense to have him trained before his brother arrived...

but, at this point in my pregnancy...

potty training is NOT on my mind.

Luckily, I have a smart son.

Who INSISTS on tee-teeing in the potty,

He says "BIG POTTY! BIG POTTY" and we make a mad dash for the bathroom.

  ::Alright, so I waddle::

He stands on his stool, pulls open both lid and seat and goes! (During this time I'm pulling down said pants/jeans and diaper)

After he is done,

he wiggles his lil body, closes the lids (he's a gentleman) and flushes!

And the hardest part is flushing, since we have the button toilets.

Then we wash hands and we're done!

(The only thing we haven't DONE is the poo.)

I'll explain.

Well, my son is like clock-work.

He poos every AM--

sooooo,

he sleeps in a diaper.

I change him when he wakes.

Put a new one back on, 

he poops...

and then he either wears a diaper (since I'm lazy) or nothing.

But we decided this weekend--after him telling us he needed to use the "BIG POTTY!" that it was time for underwear.

Yep,

my lil man is wearing big boy undies now.

I think I'll still be relaxed about the diaper thing, because I don't mind them.

And he'll DEFINITELY be sleeping in diapers and napping in them...

but during the day he'll wear his undies!

Today he wore them and NO ACCIDENTS!

Tho, I am afraid of poo time.

I think he'll keep the normal routine of wearing an AM diaper until his deed is done

and then we'll switch to one of his many cool SUPER HERO undies.

Yep, I'm sad.

Washing and putting away such tiny little undies was a bit bittersweet.

But, he still is pretty cute in his tiny little underwear.

With his tiny little hiney.

I got TONS of underwear pictures...He was posing in them!

Btw, my husband FIRST put the pair on his head--and told Kie they were a hat.

Soooo for the longest time Kie was confused why I was wanting to put them on his BUTT instead of his head....

Kie kept pointing at them saying "A hat, a hat?" 

So Justin had to explain they were BIG boy undies... and indeed, not a hat.

AHh, my husband ;)

Anyway, since 

this IS the Internet--I won't be posting all the underwear pictures.

Never know about people!

BUT here's one I can share-- of his BATMAN undies.

Too cute....

too cute :)

Until next time,

-HK-

Post Baby Concerns & Wishes

As much as I love being pregnant,

experiencing all the kicks, movements and just watching this massive stomach grow...

And not to mention, the countless kisses Kie gives my stomach and the bear hugs he gives his "brud-doo".....

There are things I am looking forward to post-delivery

As a mom whose experienced a c-section,

I must say from my own account,

it wasn't easy.

Maybe I was just the kind of gal that doesn't do well with massive surgeries.

Maybe it was because I labored for 16 hours beforehand...

pushed for 3...

and then wound up with a c-section.

Maybe that's what made it harder?

Regardless,

healing took awhile.

And even 3 months out of surgery I was back in the ER--I thought I was dying.

 I had countless sonos, tests and x-rays done to figure out the excruisating pain I was experiencing.

The only thing they could determine was that maybe scar tissue was the problem...

Or that I had been over-doing it.

Then there was 6 months down the road,

and I still had no feeling in my lower stomach.

And by 8 months, I was wondering if I'd ever feel everything again?

However, I am happy to say I did regain my feelings and nerves...

It just takes time.

A little over a year or so.

Well,

I have no doubt recovery this time will be hard because I will have TWO babies now.

And now that one is a toddler--(which means he's WAY harder to handle)

then I have my work cut out for me.

I may just lose my sanity.

I know I'll have to give myself some time.

No pushing a stroller 4-5 miles two weeks out of surgery (yea I may of been stir crazy last time).

And I am aiming to give myself till first of January (if all goes well with everything)

Before I really begin a workout.

I know I'll be nursing around the clock,

sleeping very little,

and on top of that dealing with a toddler that is wild and crazy.

And this is all things I'll have to do a lone.

Yes, last time I had the blessings of having Uncle Carter live in Austin--

he would come over once a week to let me shower or take a break.

But this time I'm all on my own.

Some are blessed to have their moms there or live close by. (Blessed women!)

My mom will be here for the intial delivery but she has a career and her job is important--

and she's 6 hours away.

And with a husband with NO paternity leave--

and who has to provide for us--

also means he won't be taking off much.

Maybe just the days I'm in the hospital.

I just am hoping he can cut back his hours so I can maybe have a helping hand by the end of the day....

AND with that--

I do look forward to the slow,

and possibly depressing road back to getting fit again.

With this pregnancy (and still the next 4 weeks I have left)

I am bigger than ever.

I am carrying a LOT of weight on my 5'3" frame. (I round up)

I am ready to not be so big,

so tired,

so huge...

and I'm ready to workout.

I miss the endorphins.

I miss the sweating.

*Not pregnancy sweating where everything makes ya sweat*

I miss running.

I miss lifting weights.

I miss working out.

I miss being strong.

Actually tho, this pregnany I do think I'm stronger.

I still have abs (I can flex my stomach and you can see definition...somewhat lol)

and I lift a 30 lb toddler everyday numerous times.

I also spend a little time every week researching workouts and exercises I can do post-surgery.

And of course, I want to document it ALL!

The good, the bad AND the ugly.

And yes, also from experience,

I know it is UGLY.

Mommas who know,

know it takes awhile for things to feel....

normal again.

I mean, your body goes through a lot after a delivery.

I guess I'm just ready for the AFTER healing part of delivery.

Don't get me wrong.
Pregnancy has been really great
and relatively easy until now.

I find myself surprised by how much I can do and get done being this b i g WITH a toddler.
However, I do look forward to the days I can run again with Kie,
where I can fit down the slide with him at the park...
or when I'm able to carry him easier 
or have him fit in my lap better...
lol

Those days will be here soon enough,
I just know it may take  EFFORT on my end to get back to that point.
Nonetheless, I do like challenges...
and this may be my biggest one yet to come.


Ok, enough of that...
Here's a few more phone shots from the past weeks.
Oh and I have to give an update on Kie's potty training in a post soon.

I'm amazed at how easy it is for him.
Seriously, whoever said boys are the hardest to train didn't have boys-OR they didn't make their husbands show em how to do so.
(I didnt do a thing!)

Hope everyone is having a great Friday!

-HK-

Kie listening to the Mariachi band

Dancing to the music 

 Kie giving "the look" to the waitress, lol

watching cartoons

My two loves 

 night out

my couch cuddle bug

my life & loves in phone shots

Just a few photos of the past few weeks... More to come and an update soon! 

I've been out of commission this past week because PREGNANCY has taken it's toll me. (I may or may not share the ugly details, ha!) I don't want to scare anyone that has yet to experience pregnancy and/or child birthing.

Anyway, enjoy and I can't wait to post more!

-HK-

Love this photo.
lazy Saturday :)

Kie dressed himself 
Batman cape, no pants and his cool hat 

our typical morning snuggles
Kie and his brother :)

Crying Kie man...mad that I wasn't giving him my phone

sleeked back hair (daddy's doing)
love that face 
ready for his friend's party

Shopping at Costco....enjoying a berry slushy and watching the rain

Kie loves his apple-dees (that's what he calls them)

Love my boys

beautiful birthday flowers from my sweet friends,
 Nic and Shon,
love them!

Kie loves to "cully" :)
And he's left handed!
Oh and I love his hair wings. 

Typical Saturday night @ the Knuth House
btw, my husband has some nice legs. ow ow lol

Daddy J and Kie man out for my birthday 

34 weeks

(Howdy y'all, This is a week late!)

How far along?  

34 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yes and no. I still wear my regular yoga pants.

Total weight gain/loss?  38 lbs. Yep, you read that right. I don't know where I can put the blame--besides, I'm a good cook. Yep, I'm tooting my own horn here.

That and I love ice cream...and I should never bake again. Because I generally eat anything I bake (in it's entirety in 12 hours or less).

Stretch marks? None so far. Surprisingly! Then again I oil myself up twice daily.
Sleep? Not sleeping great. But that's due to getting up to pee every 40 minutes. Seriously, it's way worse this time. I wish I had an adult diaper...yep, eww.
Best moment this week? This week has been great. The other night I had two girlfriends over for dinner and it was fun to have a level playing field with the women vs. men.  Plus, dinner was great and healthy. And I love having friends over to host. And all we pretty much do is gush over Kie man and his hilariousness.
Movement?  Yes he moves a lot at night. And it definitely looks like an alien has taken over my body.  He rolls his feets and legs over my stomach and Justin sits in amazement of the belly waves.  The only time I mind is if he lodges himself into my ribs.
Food cravings? None really. I just generally like food :)
Gender? Boy
Labor signs? Braxton Hicks. And I cramp every now and then.
Belly button in/out? partially in. It's kinda flattening out.
What I miss: Sleeping well :) Not that I ever slept great, but oh well. That and being a bit more flexible than I am now.

Milestones: Well, I will be seeing my dr every week soon...

and my c-section has STILL yet to be scheduled. But, we're aiming to have this baby either the DAY before Halloween or the Day after. Papa J doesn't want a pumpkin baby lol.

my sweet lil man

my big boy

my lil man

Dear lil man,

How I love you :)

Your personality gets bigger and bigger by the day.

And SO does your vocabulary.

You make sentences now--and always tell us what 'Kie is doing.'

For instance,

"I make mess."

"I clean."

"I broke,"

"I scared."

"I silly."

"I funny."

"I cully" (I color.)

Sure, they're not perfect. But they're adorable.

Right now you're obsessed with puzzles and numbers.

All your puzzles are educational (of course)

and you know your numbers up to 8!

I'm so proud of you!

It also helps we have a big playmat with all the numbers and fishes of the sea.

So you seem them often and can point them out in different orders.

I may be biased, but to me, you're pretty smart.

You also love your football and soccer ball.

And constantly ask for them.

Another one of your many favorite things to do is talk on the phone..

and whoever I call or calls us, you try and guess who it is.

"Madoo?"'

"Big Daddy?"

"Elmo/Oma?" --Elmo and Oma's names are so similar.

I don't really know how you know Elmo, because we don't watch him.

But, it's cute nonetheless.

You are also obsessed with animals.

You make all the sounds.

The cutest is the cat and bird noises.

"Me-OW" 

And

 "tweet, tweet".

You also love cars,

anything with wheels really.

Trains, planes and cars are some of your favorite things.

You can hear a plane and motorcycle MILES away and tell us what it is.

It's a bit crazy how great your ears are.

I'm guessing you're a bit sensitive to sounds...

Everyday is an adventure--

you're always getting into something, climbing something, finding something...

and you REPEAT everything.

You're like a parrot.

But cuter, with no feathers.

One of my favorite things to do with you is when you climb into our bed and we go over different animals, cars and other various vocabulary words.

We use a lot of different apps on the tablet--that are 'yours'.

It's amazing how fast you adapt to technology!

We also use a lot of different coloring and drawing apps (not to mention the countless stacks of paper and coloring books we have).

Somehow you know how to color within the lines.

I could never do that--

so it's fascinating to see that you KNOW to do that.

Muchless do it.

Coloring and drawing is a big part of the day.

We definitely encourage it.

Luckily, washable markers are amazing.

You have colored on the sofa, but it comes right off.

You also know this--so you always have baby wipes ready to clean up after you say, "I make mess!"

Then there is cooking.

Cooking is so fun for you.

Since I cook most nights, you like to help.

You go to the island in the kitchen, 

grab your spoons and random utensils 

and I hand you some pots and pans to use.

You also pull up the ottoman or stool to reach what you need.

you're a bit independent.

You make me 'taste' your creations.

It's pretty cute.

As for eating, some days you eat like there's no tomorrow...

Your favorites are pastas, apples (appa-dees) bananas, broccoli cheese soup and tacos.

(Really you eat the chicken out of a soft taco and then the "tia" -tortilla)

Then there are days you're only into your yogurt and cheese..

and that's it.

You're too busy to eat.

You have things to do...

places to go and people to see.

Speaking of, we often have play dates.

We do at least ONE a week, but then there are weeks like this when everyday is filled with friends.

We also try to get you to one or two swim lessons a week.

Since we're in Texas where West Nile has ruled this summer--we have been avoiding the outdoor play.

But, we're crossing our fingers that a cool front comes and knocks out those suckers soon.

You do mow with your dad every week and I take you out dressed fully in long sleeves and pants (it's a sight to see on warm days) most early mornings.  I gotta be careful with you!

Oh and did I mention you locked me out of the house the other day?

We were coming back from Town Lake and I took you inside and left the keys in the door.

I went back to the car to grab our things,

and you had shut the glass door and the heavy door...

and bolted it!

I heard you on the other side saying, 

"I lock, I lock Momma!"

Yep, you did lock alright...

luckily for me, the keys were still in the door.

So I unlocked you quickly.

Now I know to keep the keys on me at all times.

Yes, I'm going to miss those quiet, solo moments we have together.

Those moments when you first get up and we snuggle on the couch while you eat your waffle and drink your milk.

You just want me to hold you.

Or those moments we lay in the bed together,

and you tell me to 

"Sleep momma, sleep!"

Or when you pat my back,

cover me with a blanket, 

or kiss my face a million times for no reason.

You're a sweetheart.

You're loving and caring.

(Albeit, a bit bossy)

When we take walks together as a family,

you always wait on me and yell for "momma, momma!"

Like, maybe I'll hurry up and catch up with you.

You also love your dad,

that's obvious.

Dad can cater to your wildness.

For now, momma is slowing down and tired.

(Pregnancy these last few weeks has me a bit slow.)

But, you know when you're scared or need love to come to momma.

You're my angel.

You're my love.

And I'm so blessed to be your momma.

I look forward to all the many more memories we can make together...

but for now I just want to write them down.

So I can forever re-visit them.

Until next time,

-HK-

riding the train

best buddies

beautiful Austin, Texas

one of your favotire outfits--you dressed yourself this day

weekend update, birthday & more

Hey lovelies!

This weekend was pretty great.

Justin threw me a surprise birthday dinner with close friends on Friday night (though my actual birthday isnt until tomorrow).  He figured since my birthday fell on a weekday it would be easier to do things on Friday.  It was a relaxing, nice night with great friends, food and board games. And Justin knows I'm not big on surprises (ok, some surprises are welcomed--like a new diamond or new shoes) but if you're going to have company over--it's nice to have at least showered. So he gave me a heads up so I could at least have finished up on my work and showered beforehand.

Saturday we spent the early evening at Kie's buddies 2nd birthday bash. It was too cute and lots of fun. So many kids and babies and parents!!

It was a great party and my friend JUST had a new baby a few weeks before. I honestly don't know how she got everything together.

Saturday night we watched my Horns play and it was a late game.

 So Sunday we slept in (the rain didn't help) and we spent the early day getting errands done.

Sunday was so lovely because it actually felt like FALL outside.

We loved the rain (that poured ALL day) and the weather was in the 60's.

I seriously can't wait till we have 50's and low 60's ALL DAY.

(I'll be breaking out the crock pot for chili, soups and more!)

**Not to mention, I've already had my fall candles burning**

Sunday night we had another surprise dinner with our good friends, Shon and Nic.  The men grilled the steaks outside under the patio (it was still raining) and us ladies, Nic and I, spent the evening on the sofa being entertained by Kie.

Seriously, he's a ham bone!

Afterwards, we concluded the night with a movie and our first pumpkin pie of the season.  It was so good...Justin nearly finished the whole thing himself.

Also, it's not your typical SMALL pie. This one is HUGE!

It's probably 2 1/2 pies...

Too bad I didn't take a picture.

As for this week--I am a bit worn out--

I have a lot of work to complete and then there are days when I'm just not motivated.

Ever get that way?

I just want to play with Kie--and lay in our big, comfy bed.

These last few weeks of pregnancy have been more tiring.

Maybe because this go around I have a lil man to keep up with.

(How do moms with lots of kids do it? And stay sane? lol)

It was definitely a lot easier last pregnancy sans toddler.

But then again, I'd not change a thing this go around!

This pregnancy has gone by faster--

and not to mention I have everything I need this time.

AND having Kie makes things a lot more special and real.

Like, I know what to expect sorta...

That regardless the labor

or the delivery,

that it will be totally worth it.

(Remind me of this later when I'm in recovery!)

I see the doctor on Wednesday so I can give a FULL account on my weight gain (oh my!) and everything else.

And hopefully, we can schedule the actual surgery.

(They keep putting it off--I believe because my doctor doesn't want to admit I may be delivering sooner than he originally thought.)

We'll see.

Stay tuned for BIG updates and pregnancy post soon...

Oh, and my new darker do.

Hope yall have had a great weekend!

-HK-

Kie trying on his new Broncos jersey from Oma.
He likes what he sees :)

does it fit?

early morning 

my beautiful UT wreath, made by Miranda Johnson
love it! (and her!)

My DIY headboard

I know I've mentioned this a few times in previous posts, that we have been looking for a head board.

We checked out Pottery Barn, West Elm and Nest Modern and countless other places for the PERFECT head board.

There were some beautiful ones! But, they all were pretty expensive. Some $1,200 or more. And most of the ones we really liked, had to be special ordered and so did the fabric. All the stores said it would take 4-6 weeks to get in.

Justin wasn't sure about the quality of most of the items we looked at...because, regardless if the price is high DOES NOT MEAN the quality is good.  Plus, shelling out that kind of money for something that you can only see online (most had to be ordered in store) or something you couldn't return (and the hundreds of dollars in shipping) meant we needed to check out more options.

Justin mentioned he could make me a headboard--and though I KNOW he is talented and can do and make pretty much anything, however I know he doesn't have the time.

Well, this weekend he got BUSY! My parents were in and they took Kie for a few hours on Saturday to let me get my hair done (pictures to come) and let Justin get to finishing up on our headboard.

He started buying materials and fabric two weeks ago (he was particular about what fabric he wanted.)

He spent the majority of Friday night doing the measuring and tracing---

and he spent Saturday morning making the buttons and cutting out the foam---and then he finished the rest of the headboard Sunday.

It did take some time prepping and measuring the wood, foam and cuts he needed to do.

But since he has a lot of experience in upholstering--it was only a matter of finding the time to get it done.

It is SO beautiful!

And for us to have something like this store bought would mean easily a $1,000+! Plus we would have to wait another month or more.

I'm so happy with it. The material is so nice and the color goes great with our room.

I love being married to such a talented and giving man. 

He gave his weekend up to do this.

And he really goes above and beyond on ANY work he does.

Also, it is a thousand times more special to me then anything we could of ever bought. It will definitely be something I cherish forever.

(I'm going to count this as my early Birthday gift ....)

Now I have a comfy place to rest against when reading and most importantly, during night time nursing sessions that are soon to come.

I have a post to come on this past weekend plus lots of pictures and a few more house pictures.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Until next time,

-HK-

notice the baby bottom on the left side?
no edits, lol