End of 27 weeks

We've reached the end of the 2nd trimester. Kumquat is doing his thing and growing. Way to go pal! Time is flying by...in three fast months we will be responsible for a little person. Very scary.

Some interesting things to note:
1. I'm trying very hard to stay illness free. I got the h1n1 vaccination today!!! I'm staying away from all the germ-filled and sick people :). Lots of hand-washing, disinfecting, and not touching things in public places that get touched by a million different people: door knobs, grocery carts, drinking fountains, kiosks. Instead I use a barrier like a tissue or a napkin!
2. Brain has turned to mush...this is according to Curt, but I would agree. The other morning I picked up my cell phone, but for no apparent reason I let go of it and it dropped to the floor. And I sometimes forget what I am going to say just before I say it. very frustrating.
3. Kumquat is totally active and moving. My stomach may be as hard as a bowling ball, but it jiggles like jello when the little guy decides to give me some muscle! The other day I had one hand on the computer mouse and the other resting on the belly. Kumquat kicked so hard that my hand lifted up...I was so startled myself!
4. We tried shining a flashlight to the belly to see if we would get a reaction...nothing yet.
5. I've officially gained 15 pounds! Very excited about the growth!
6. I tend to just wake up naturally at 2 or 3 am now...I'm trying not to overstimulate the brain so that I can sleep through the night.
7. We registered for three classes: Breastfeeding 101, All about Baby, and a Birthing class...woohoo. This whole thing has hit me like a ton of bricks, i get a little bit anxious. Curt is really excited about the classes because it will help him to get in the "right frame of mind". fun fun.

cow joke screw up (part 1 minus sound)

Corrected with sound.

cow joke screw up 2 from Curt Wood on Vimeo.

So we don't have sound, but Curt will fix that later I'm assuming. But it's kind of funny to try to figure out what we are saying :).

Cow joke screwup from Curt Wood on Vimeo.

getting ready for kumquat the christine and curt way

we had an action packed, but nice weekend. i had a wedding and then an engagement shoot, both of which I was totally excited to be a part of. for halloween we decided not to pass out candy this year as we normally just get 3-5 doorbell rings a year. so sad. so we decided to see the movie Paranormal Activity instead. It's really good, yet super freaky. My eyes were closed 80% of the time, but I was able to follow the plot just from the audio. Curt was really spooked by the movie too as he had problems sleeping through the night! yikes!

something we are both excited about is the purchase of another camera body, the Canon 7d. for the past few weeks we have been exploring video options on the Canon DSLR bodies (7d and 5d mark II). we've seen some amazing videography done with both of these and became addicted to the possibilites of combining photography and videography all in one package. but the hard part was deciding which to get.

Pros for the 7d: $1000 cheaper, faster frames per second, newer technology in a sensor, more focus points, better video options, weather sealed body
Pros for the 5d: full frame versus a cropped sensor. I have the "old" 5d and once you shoot full frame, it's really hard to want to go cropped. plus full frame maximizes some of the wide angle lenses we currently have.

after dwelling on this for two weeks and then a 1hr+ conversation in the store, we went with the 7d, even though it was hard for me to let go of the idea of getting another full frame body.

the video option on the 7d is really truly amazing. having the option to use it with a fast prime lens (or any current lens we own) just opens up a whole new world of videography, something we wouldn't be able to do with Curt's pro video cameras. and this means a lot more options for us to document things happening in our lives!

the biggest thing we are anticipating is the arrival of baby kumquat in january. we are pretty excited about documenting the start of a new life through video and photos! right now, i'm thinking it would be cool to document parts of the birth!

photobooth fun

Kumquat and I had some fun shooting a wedding yesterday. They had a photobooth and I couldn't resist! I love those things. Everybody should have a photobooth at their next event!

a bit of insomnia (at 26 weeks)

hello internet world...
i would like to introduce you to a dinner Curt made for us recently. he helps me out by sharing in the cooking duties. i appreciate all the extra help now as time is very precious.

i'm trying not to neglect kumquat's growth by taking a few minutes to take some pictures of his existence here at 26 weeks...
the belly seems to be really shiny...wow.

side profile for impact...boom.

self-portraits can be fun

and lastly...a few nights a week i have problems falling asleep or wake up suddenly at night, there must be a lot running through the mind, but i try to dull the imagination by reading, knitting, or staring at the ceiling...

26 weeks

kumquat is getting stronger and stronger everyday. i have officially been kicked in the ribs (kind of hurts) and he remains really active when I'm completely at rest.

this morning I've been carbo loading him to prepare him for what looks to be an awesome day for another wedding!