labor jam

for the past three weeks, i've been working at a client site that is a little further from home. the drive there in the morning takes about 40 minutes and the drive back takes at least that long, if not more (especially on a friday). this longer than usual commute means a lot of listening to the radio and the songs that come on. it's given me a chance to think about what music i want during labor.

i haven't decided if i wanted music that is more relaxing or music that will pump me up so my coworkers suggested two playlist, one that is more relaxing while another one that is more energetic. i thought that was brilliant and have come up with two lists. any songs that i should add to my playlists?

chill labor
1. lead me to the cross - hillsong
2. all of me - john legend
3. let it go - idina menzel
4. who am i - casting crowns
5. i will follow - chris tomlin
6. dust in the wind - kansas
7. push - madonna
8. angel - sarah mclachlan
9. with arms wide open - creed
10. one last breath - creed

active labor
1. am i wrong - nico & vinz
2. bailando - enrique Iglesias ft. sean paul
3. shower - becky g
4. i will never let you down - rita ora
5. new divide - linkin park
6. what i've done - linkin park
7. can't remember to forget you - shakira ft. rihanna

clearly, i need more help adding additional music!!! suggestions welcome!

-kaolee

a quick minnesota trip

we were able to sneak in a very quick trip to minnesota to visit my grandma, stepmom, stepbrother and son and my brother. my grandma has been in and out of the hospital so it was nice to spend some time with her and talk with her. due to our short trip, we didn't get a whole bunch of sight seeing in, but rather just hung out with family which was perfect, given my situation. we did get to see hmong village and mall of america.

 

my stepbrother and his son waiting for some bubble tea. we don't get to see my nephew a lot so it was a real treat to spend some time with him. he is so cute and such a funny guy. he's super talkative and loves showing us what he's doing on his ipad.

of course we had to walk through the foodcourt. there were so many vendors with all sorts of goodies laid out and ready to go. pho and papaya salad. 

i think these are papaya salad. i can't tell from looking at this picture now whether this is papaya or noodles. looks yummy though.

broiled fish in herbs. 

super colorful rice cakes. 

baked eggs.

 



all the asian skincare a girl could only dream of. 

super cute traditional hmong clothes for kids. 

 

a modern take on a traditional outfit. 

 

harem style pants with a hint of traditional style.

 

anyone missing a headpiece?

 

super cute.

 

the aisles remind me of a storage unit. each vendor has a space where they can sell all sorts of goodies, including clothes, movies, toys, etc.

 

bd checking out this vendor.

 

i spotted this bright outfit. super cute.

all the hmong movies and music you can dream of. 

herbs, medicines and so much more. 

 

 there's even a produce section in hmong village.

 

it was good to see my grandma smiling. she's lost a lot of beautiful long hair, but that smile is always continuous. 

 

us with my stepmom. she was an absolutely fabulous hostess and cooked me so many yummy food and also baked us some of her yummy rolls. best tasting rolls ever.

 

-kaolee

the last homestretch

this last month and a half is going to go by so fast. i've been putting a little more time in working, trying my best to get things wrapped up. i am hoping he doesn't come early, but better to be safe then sorry.

i'm seeing some stretch marks under my belly. i'm keeping at it with the creams that i talked about in this post. a friend told me about an after birth cream that i will most likely look into after all is said and done.

@ 33 weeks

 

it's definitely not as comfortable sleeping these days. according to my what to expect app, this little booger is 19 inches and 4.5 lbs, and the size of a honeydew. and honeydews aren't tiny either.

 

-kaolee

origins high-potency night-a-mins mineral-enriched renewal cream

 this last trimester, my skin has been especially dry (see article here). my favorite moisturizer needed a little something extra. instead of changing my daytime moisturizer, i opted for something a little more moisturizing at night. ever since i started using origins last year, i've been loving a lot of their products so when i needed something extra, i decided to look into a moisturizer from their line.

 

when i told the origins lady my dry skin concerns, she recommended this cream. i love the smell of it and the consistency is perfect. it is definitely a lot more moisturizing than my day-time moisturizer. i've been using this at night time after cleaning and toning and i am loving it. it definitely restores the moisture and i'm less dry during the day and can use my regular daytime moisturizer.

 

i love the packaging. it looks fancy and looks good on your vanity.

 

because it's thicker, this will definitely last me a while. i'm actually worried that my skin will go back to being more oily and i might not be able to use it all before then.

you can see here how thick it is, but by morning time, it's all absorbed into my skin and my skin feels super soft.

 

-kaolee

family fun

is it really june already? this year is just flying by. and this weekend flew by as well. we had family in town for my baby shower and it seems like just yesterday i was anticipating them coming and today they are all gone. after looking at these few pictures that i have of the whole trip, i realized how much more pictures i need to take. it's a double edge sword, to capture pictures that will last forever, and to always feel like every moment needs to be captured, and thus missing the point of living in the moment. however, i have never regretted taking too many pictures because they make me remember all the little things that happen. and these pictures make me happy.

my little niece was so excited for some pool time. it started raining 40 minutes after we went down to the pool so that was a little bit of a bummer, but I'm glad we got to dip a little in the pool. 

this is their silly face pictures.  

my little brother teaching me some ab moves. these will definitely come into handy after baby boy is here. 

two of my brothers. i'll get to see another two brothers this upcoming week, which i'm ecstatic! 

my sister in law is also preggo. and due in july as well!  

my brother's daughter and the first grandchild in our family.

 

missing them already but can't wait to see them all again soon!

 

-kaolee