merry christmas!

christmas in bellingham. a white christmas!! unbelievable. the first white christmas i can remember in a long time in bellingham. beautiful but i think the folks in bellingham are ready to welcome the rain and warmer weather (for not regularly getting snow the town is totally unprepared to clear the roads and so the roads are... dangerous). needless to say we had a great day being together. here are a few pictures.

here is dad and i explaining our white elephant gift card game. i don't look this pregnant all the time but as the day goes on my belly seems to expand. fun anyways to see the baby saying hello.
tk and me.

defense and jacob. i got them matching shirts - i think they like them. we are so happy to welcome jacob into our family. it was pretty funny yesterday hearing tim explain to jacob the intricacies of the latimer family christmas. :)

beautiful mom. working hard. she puts so much time and energy into christmas - it certainly is extra special because of her!!

we hope you all had a wonderful christmas. a yearly reminder of the goodness of a Father who sent His Son for you and for me.

thank you!

thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. super helpful!! and if anyone has any other thoughts please pass them along. last night i slept great! the first time in a few days. i tried not to stress too much about wandering onto my back but i am also on the hunt for a good pregnancy pillow.

sleepless night - need help :)

to all my pregnant or have been pregnant readers - i have a question for you!

sleeping positions. early in pregnancy i read up on different ideas and shortly thereafter began sleeping with a pillow under or between my legs. well recently i read that as i progress in my pregnancy it is bad for the baby to sleep on my back - something about there being a possibility of limiting blood to the baby. and so for the past few nights i have tried to only sleep on my side, but i am not loving not being able to sleep on my back. or maybe it is just knowing i can't that makes sleeping on my side seem uncomfortable. i will for sure talk to our midwife about this at my next appointment but i am needing some insight here. did i just read an over-zealous article? or should i seriously commit to sleeping on my side? thoughts, please!

i also don't think my sleep was helped any last night with all of my christmas excitement. still a kid at heart and i love christmas!

ps - i do believe the Lord can and will keep us up at night for different reasons - and i do try to take advantage of the time i am just laying awake. but still... a pregnant girl has got to sleep and i know jesus agrees :)

a walk down memory lane

well many of you have not heard the story of me passing out in a walmart - so i thought i would entertain you with a re-telling.

it was spring break of 2002. my dear friend nicole and i were out in bakersfield, california staying with her family. we went to the beach, the movies, ate out at some amazing mexican restaurants and relaxed by the pool. the break was going very well. we were even expecting a brief visit from our crazy guy friends who were driving to california from indiana for their spring break (one of which was my future husband - he has his own stories to tell from that spring break).

until... i think it was a sunday. we went to church and on the way we stopped by starbucks. i believe i got a grande non-fat latte, my standard starbucks drink at the time. i may or may not have gotten anything to eat. i probably just had a piece of toast or something small before we left the house. during church i began to get horrible cramps. i knew that if i didn't get some pain medicine in me soon it was not going to be a pleasant day. and on the way home we stopped at walmart (for some other necessary items). and on the way to walmart i took a few pain pills... (note to self: not a good decision to take pain pills on an almost empty stomach).

we quickly found the necessary items and headed to the check out. as we approached the check-out i began to feel a little light headed. and i remember thinking... something doesn't feel right... i also remember looking over at the gum and candy to try to distract myself from the dizziness i was beginning to experience and i remember beginning to black out. and poor nico - probably got very little warning. for the next thing i know i am on the ground in the check-out line. (i think she caught me to help break my fall, what a good friend!)

and walmart employees are surrounding us asking all kinds of questions - mainly answered by nicole, who i believe is near tears (or at least in a state of freaking out) -

"are you pregnant?" (nicole answers - no)

"have you girls been drinkin?" (nicole answers - no, we have just been to church)

"are you her mother? (addressing nicole)" (nicole answers - no...!)

somehow in the midst of this craziness nicole or i - i don't really remember - pay for the items we came in for - or who knows maybe they gave them to us for free because of the scene... and for some reason we were also able to escape. i think the walmart employees were happy to not have to call 911 or didn't think of it fast enough or were simply too stunned that someone who hadn't been drinking, wasn't pregnant and wasn't with her mother could pass out in the check-out line.

nicole draped my arm across her shoulders and helped walk me to the door. where her sister kristin was waiting with the car - apparently i went down and kristin sprang into action and ran to get the car. so nico helped me into the car and i think i barely made it home. because unfortunately when i do pass out the aftermath isn't pretty either - usually involving getting sick and needing to stay in bed for the rest of the day (which unfortunately both occurred on this occasion). i think i actually might have gotten sick in the car... again the memory is a bit fuzzy here.

needless to say i think that if our friendship wasn't already solidified for life after a semester of being together in israel - walmart sealed the deal for nicole and i. such a good friend. something i think we both will never forget. lessons learned: do not take pain pills on an empty stomach, it is always important to remember that i have a sensitive body and can pass out easily, and always be with a dear friend in walmart just in case.

just another day being me

this morning tim and i went to get my blood drawn - the midwife had some normal things she wanted my blood tested for and so i had to go to a lab near our house to get it done. she gave me vague directions but we ended up finding it just fine.

i had a really nice lab tech draw my blood and as we were talking about baby names i began to feel... well... light headed.

not a good sign. i have a tendency to... well... pass out. i have passed out in all kinds of places - english class, my aunt's hair salon, my parent's bedroom and walmart (ask me or my dear friend nicole later for those of you who haven't heard the funny story).

so when i began to feel a bit light headed and could feel my temperature rising i looked down and noticed she was just beginning the last of 5 or 6 viles of blood. i asked her, "are you about done? i am not feeling well all of a sudden."

well she snapped into recovery action. she took my coat, closed the arms of the chair (so i didn't pass out and fall to the floor), quickly got me some juice and then put two cold clothes on my forehead.

i kept apologizing but every time she said, "it is no big deal. this actually happens all of the time."

i asked to go lay down and so she helped me to the nice recliner chair just a few feet away. she then went to get tim. tim came in and just smiled. he held my hand as i drank my juice. and slowly but surely i began to feel better.

within about 10 minutes we were on our way home. and i was feeling much better. thankful i didn't actually pass out. thankful also for a husband who loves me in spite of my crazy, sensitive body.

walking in a winter wonderland

more snow fell on vancouver last night and it continues to fall outside. in an effort to avoid bad drivers and protect myself and our unborn child i opted to not drive to work today. so i took the sky train, which involves, what used to be a 20 min walk, a now 30 min walk to the station. i never imagined how much carrying a baby in just the very beginnings of the second trimester would effect my breathing so much. oh well. i march on. i know there are buses that could take me there but walking is more fun, especially today. i loved every moment of walking in the snow. the snow was falling softy, big huge flakes, and i listened to amy grant sing christmas songs (thanks janae for the cd!). it was amazing!! i felt like a little kid singing to myself and marching down the snow covered streets.

one of my favorite moments of the walk was seeing a mom of two little boys in an all out run as she pulled them in a sled down a hill on their way to school. the boys squealed the whole way down. what a cool mom?! i want to be that kind of mom. a crazy for your kids kind of mom.

should i be glad that my pants don't fit?!

yes!! this morning i wasn't feeling all that pregnant and then i went to put on a pair of pants and found i couldn't even get the zipper up - yeah!! who would have thought one would rejoice in one's pants not fitting :) well thankfully my sweet mother in law sent me a handy piece of spandex so that i can wear my pants a bit longer. so on came the spandex and to work i went with half zipped pants (thankfully no one can tell and thankfully brooke was pregnant before me and asked for such a piece of spandex herself - i must give brooke credit for her amazing pregnancy find). so thank you vickie - i am putting your gift to good use. and this way i can continue to wear my clothes and not be worried about... well... anything embarrassing...

also tim turned in his paper yesterday afternoon and is now in full rest mode!! i think he needs it because we both were fast asleep by 8:30 last night.

a date

tim and i went on a date last night. on one of the many pregnancy websites i read suggested husbands take out their wives to celebrate the coming of the second trimester and hey, i thought that was a pretty great idea. and plus i haven't felt up to going out in a while so it felt so so good to go out and have a meal. we walked and found this cute Japanese place on commercial drive. and let me tell you - it was AMAZING!! all day i have been thinking about it. and i hope we will be able to go out again soon. it was hard going to a Japanese place and not eating raw fish or drinking Japanese beer - but i had some delicious prawn tempura, avocado/cream cheese rolls and california rolls. yum, yum, yum. and some warm tea. even writing about it now makes me smile. so good. so good. did i mention it was good?! and tim and i loved being together. recognizing times out and quiet are something to treasure with life changing around the corner.

hope you all had a great weekend.

it's snowing in vancouver!!

yes, that is right. snow is falling as i write. i can't see it because my office doesn't have a window, but i know that it's falling out there. so great. so fun.

a small belly

well not the greatest picture - but hey, we still don't have a viewfinder. we knipps are going for a family ban on good cameras (brooke and gabe's is struggling as well). but a new camera is on the horizon... the slightly distant horizon but on the horizon none the less.

i am off to bed - going to read east of eden and fall asleep.

ps. i just asked tim if i look pregnant in this picture and he said, "not really." so use your imagination :)

sleeping

i have been doing a lot of sleeping lately. i find about 7:30 my eyes begin to feel very heavy. sunday night i attempted to read in the living room while tim studied for hebrew... and within 10 min i was fast asleep. last night wasn't much different. the hard part about last night was i got home from work at 8 - had dinner - and went straight to bed. no time for much else. and still when i woke up this morning i felt like i could have slept for 5 more hours. oh well. little and big reminders that life is changing.

on a fun note - i am wearing a maternity shirt today that came in the mail over the weekend and am loving how it shows off my small but growing tummy. i was so excited about it i had to go show my outfit to drew and bekah before i left for work :) small victories. big joys.

we're going on a christmas tree hunt...

Dad ready to pick out an awesome Christmas tree - lots of trees to look at - here i am with d and jacob
jacob and dad bring the tree home and get it set-up
d and tk decorating the tree - tim's favorite part of the day was decorating the tree :)
sisters
tim and jacob love hanging ornaments :)
we're going to have a baby - smile.
the tree is now decorated and it looks pretty good if i don't say so myself. and i continue to be filled with thanksgiving for a more settled tummy and lack of intense nausea. second trimester here i come.

ps - the reason mom isn't in any of the pics is because she was busy making chocolate balls while we decorated the tree. what a wonderful mother?! one requests something and she makes it happen. i haven't had one yet but defense, jacob and dad boast that they are amazing!

tk's bday

tk's birthday was yesterday. we were in bellingham for the celebration. here is tim showing of his first gift of kitchen ware - a pan to cook eggs.
the above pic tim is opening a 2,000 year old oil lamp found in jerusalem (dated from the time of Jesus). my parents got it for him in israel and he was super pumped about it! tim requested a pumpkin pie for dessert. he loved blowing out his candles. and below is dad and defense. excited to be celebrating with tim.
tim has been so great these past 6 weeks (taking care of me, running our house and doing full time school)- life has been very full for him! he has one more week of school - full of class, tests and a big paper. he will be thankful to be done but has loved his first semester at regent.

christmas break here comes tk! :)

due date

well i just got off the phone with the midwife who was happy to tell me that our due date is June 21st. sounds like a nice time to be born - although i secretly hope the baby is born on an even number day :) i am also sure, however, that i will be happy and excited and ready for the baby to be born whenever he/she is ready.

here's to a summer of new life.

Ultrasound

I LOVE ultrasounds!! today was amazing. i loved every moment of it. we had a very friendly technician - who pointed out everything. he also printed a number of pictures. from the measurements he said i am 11 weeks and 5 days along. so right about where we thought. that would put my due date sometime in mid-june. i imagine we will get a firmer date on thursday at our next appointment with our midwife.

all day i have reflected on the amazing experience. i am so in love. i just keep thinking about the little one and looking at the pictures.

tim took a video from the time (thanks bek for the suggestion and use of your camera). the password for the video is Baby Bud.


Ultrasound Take 1 from Kristi Knipp on Vimeo.

small victories

in life i try my best to appreciate small victories. like being able to do two loads of laundry on sunday without needing to take a nap or staying up until 8 pm to hang out with friends. small victories. well yesterday i had not a small (although it might seem like that to some) but a huge victory.

i road the sky train to work!! i have not been able to ride the sky train to work in 6 weeks. the last time i did was before i knew we were pregnant and i cried as i said good-bye to tim because i was so nervous 'this anxiety i was experiencing but not knowing where it was coming from' would cause me to throw-up on the train. thankfully that time i made it to work, barely. well yesterday i did great!!

i enjoyed the 25 min walk to the sky train station and relaxed comfortably on the train for my 20 min ride. and the way home my trip was just as enjoyable. i wasn't even tempted to call tim to come and pick me up with the car but loved every moment of the rainy walk home - just filled the thankfulness for the ability to do so without fear of dramatic consequence.

so folks - i tried not to get my hopes up that these wonderful feelings would continue indefinitely - but really, lets be honest, it is too late - i am not looking back to my 5 weeks of constant yuck. i love the second trimester and its lack (at least up until this point) of extreme constant nausea and frequent needs to be sick. and i am praying it continues.

and in just a few hours tim and i will get to see our precious baby. so excited!!