30 Weeks Pregnant

I’m 30 weeks pregnant!

Wow. When did that happen? I had planned to write a lot more throughout my pregnancy but life happens. Our last couple of weeks in Bruneck were quite busy with playoffs and then before we knew it we were packing up our 4th hockey home and shipping out to the USA. Since being home we’ve been busy with seeing familiar faces and I Jumped right back in to work. The week we returned home I turned 25. Yep. That happened. I turned 25. My mom, little brother, grandparents, Jerry and I had dinner at my favorite pizza place – Buddy’s. My mom surprised me with specially made cupcakes (because I hate Birthday cake). I had a carrot cake one because my mom is the best and remembered me saying a few days earlier that I was craving carrot cake? I didn’t even remember. But, totally something my mom would remember. She’s pretty awesome. Jerry also had a birthday right before we moved home, the big guy is officially 29!

So much has changed in these last ten weeks since I last wrote about my pregnancy.

22 weeks!

22 weeks was about the first week I even looked slightly pregnant. Unless people knew themselves, no one had any idea I was carrying a baby around in there. I could still get away with pretending that was not a human baby but a “food baby”. At 22 weeks I was still hitting the weights and cardio with Jerry. It has really helped with my pregnancy (or so I believe). My dreams were getting more and more crazy/vivid at this point. I was waking up almost every night around 3 or 4 in the morning to eat, because I was starving. Baby Kuhn and I would sit up in bed, enjoying a bowl of whatever cereal I craved that week, watching soon to be daddy and big sister snore away. There was something about that hour in the middle of the night that I secretly loved. I felt like the whole world was asleep, everything was so quiet. It was just me, the baby and this bowl of cereal. I’d look over at Jerry and Miika snuggled away in dream land and think of how lucky we all are and how awesome life is about to get. My cereal addiction/late night waking up to eat ended at about 24/25 weeks.

Around 24 weeks I really started feeling baby kuhn kick me. I had a little before but this little baby really started making a move around then! I could never get Jerry to catch the moves and kicks at first. The first time he did was so funny. Like, we actually laughed really hard. Jerry had his hand on my stomach and the baby kicked… and Jerry goes, “WOAH!!!!” and just started giggling. Baby was moving A LOT at Jerry’s hockey games, I’m assuming from all of the noise. Also, when I’m working out. At this point I was still feeling pretty amazing, not many complaints. One of the only things I can remember from this time frame was cooking Jerry’s lunch made me so sick. The smell of cooking chicken/pork was killer! So strange. Miika and I were enjoying our last weeks with our mountain views on our morning/afternoon/night walks.

16 vs. 24 weeks!

Around 26 weeks, right before we left Bruneck I started to show more. There was no question that I was pregnant now! I started getting more smiles from strangers at the gym when they would look down and see my belly. Baby Kuhn was showered with a lot of gifts from our friends in Italy before leaving. Our last Sunday in Brunico we spent up on the ski mountain with friends. The sun was shining so bright and it was so warm. The perfect last day on the mountain!

Flying home at 26 weeks was hard. I thought with how easy going my pregnancy has been it would be much easier. I wasn’t worried a bit. WRONG. It did not help that it was the worst travel day we’ve ever had. Delays, almost missed planes, stress. I had to get up almost every 30-40 minutes and walk the entire plane once we were on our long haul, 10 hour flight. My legs and feet kept falling asleep after sitting too long. The flight attendants were so helpful and ended up just giving me giant bottles of water for my flight. I was doing yoga in the kitchen areas and probably peed 155 times. Poor Jerry couldn’t stay asleep because I had to constantly get up. By the time we landed in America, I was just happy we made it home safe after all the flight/weather complications in Germany. But, the thing I will never ever look forward to in the future: flying pregnant.

28 weeks!

Finally home. Obviously our family and friends were patiently waiting for me to get home so they could see and/or rub (UGH!!) my belly. I hate when people touch me. I’m not an affectionate person so this has been difficult. I have pretty much let everyone touch once and then I say, “okay that’s enough”. My family probably expected this from me.  Adjusting to home this spring has been harder than past years. I’m not sure why. All of the food I was craving and so excited to eat, was much less appetizing than I thought. It’s funny how much our taste buds change while overseas. I’ve been to my doctor twice now since being home. She wanted to see me for a full exam and to get all my paperwork from Italy. Then my second appointment I had to get the Rhogam shot because I have 0- blood. In two weeks I start my every two-week appointments and stress tests two days a week. I think the means we are “in the final stretch”! I’ve had a couple of people make comments, “oh aren’t you so ready to get that baby out of there”? Which I find annoying. I’ve loved being pregnant (I know I still have 9-10 weeks left and don’t know if I’ll be saying that when I’m closer) but I am in no way rushing the rest of my pregnancy or “want this baby out”. You are only pregnant the first time ONCE. So, I’m really trying to love every second. It actually makes me sad that in 10 weeks I won’t be pregnant anymore. It’s crazy when you stop to think that this will be the last time I’m ever “alone” in my life.

People are SO nice to pregnant people. That has been so funny too me. I’ll catch random strangers when I’m shopping, just smiling and looking at my stomach. No one at work let’s me pick up or move ANYTHING. Lol! You pretty much get a free pass from anything that requires “work”. I’m embracing my weekends with Jerry and Miika (possibly only 10 more left, on our own)! Saturday’s Jerry and I like to go out to dinner and maybe see some friends after. Sundays are for Tim Horton’s and grocery shopping, enjoying the sun when it decides to come out.

I have to say that I’m really disappointed in how a lot of people have acted towards me wanting to keep the baby’s gender a secret. I don’t know when it became a necessity for everyone to know what a couple is having or why it’s so hard for people to understand that I think it’s just special for Jerry and I to know. I thought it would be so fun for everyone to find out when baby Kuhn decides to make his/her debut to the world but I guess I was wrong.

I’m officially 30 weeks today and feeling pretty good! Some things I’m experiencing:

My weight gain is healthy (but really really difficult to watch go up every week). The baby is healthy (hoping he/she isn’t as big as me – 9 lbs! yikes!). Just a few days ago my ankles started to swell a little bit. My legs and feet fall asleep really quickly if I sit too long. Sleep… what is sleep? Lol! Kidding. I do sleep but I’m about every hour peeing. Probably because I drink at least a gallon of water every single day. I have to switch sides while I’m sleeping each time I wake up. Most of my weight is on my hips and I can only sleep on my sides so, after a while my side that I’ve been sleeping on starts to ache! If Jerry catches me on my back he rolls me over. Haha! I can’t remember S***. Jerry says I have mashed potato brains. I thought that was all a fluke but pregnancy brain is for real. The emotional part of pregnancy hit me this trimester. Nonetheless, I’m still feeling good and h-a-p-p-y! Miika and I walk 40 minutes every morning and at night. We aren’t quite as fast as pre-pregnancy but hey, as long as we are getting those miles in! I’m still doing a little bit of weights but not quite as much as a few weeks ago. I bought my first pair of pregnancy jeans and a couple of tops to get me through these last ten weeks. Why are maternity clothes so expensive? I guess the good part is I can fold them and store them away for the next pregnancy.

Some of my favorite things: ice cubes, slurpees, fruit and long warm showers.

The baby shower is only 5 weeks away! So excited to have my family and friends there and shower baby Kuhn! In a couple of weeks we will do my maternity photos. Hoping it warms up by then. Until then, enjoying these last 10 or so weeks as being my own person.

Jerry and I are so excited!!!! XO

I hope to update at least one more time before baby comes. I love having all of this too look back on.

Until next time,

Amanda

Baby Kuhn – 20 weeks!

I’m officially “half way” – 20 weeks and some odd days, time flies!

For the most part I’m still feeling great. I’m starting to experience minor pregnancy “woes” – back pain, up every hour of the night (some nights all night), and my appetite is through the roof, especially on the days I work out. I’ve gained a healthy ten pounds so far and I’m definitely feeling it! I’m finally feeling this little alien doing somersaults in my stomach all day long. However, Jerry has yet to catch it! I’m sure he will sooner or later but until then I’ll keep joking with him that baby Kuhn likes me better. My pregnancy has been so easy and I’ve really loved the experience so far.

AND I finally have a baby bump! I’m loving my new accessory…..

Today we had our 21 week check up! Doctor checked all of baby kuhns organs – brain, heart, kidneys, stomach and also the babies legs, feet, arms and hands. Everything showed up just right and baby is measuring right on time. I will only have one more appointment with my doctor here in Brunico before we head back to America. I’m torn! Part of me wishes I could stay here with him and have the baby, part of me is excited to see my amazing doctor at home whom I’ve grown very close to.  Baby Kuhn is SO stubborn (and CONSTANTLY on the move)! We hardly have any good photos because baby constantly has it’s hands/arms covering the face! This is the best we could get today….

I’m still working out with Jerry 3 days a week, light lifting and cardio. On my other days I swim and I’m obviously walking Miika every morning and night and then some! It’s nice to spend time with Jerry at the gym and doing our workouts together – I definitely cherish it right now. I do a lot of yoga and stretching at night before bed… I have a trusty companion to make sure I’m doing my stretches just right…

I’m craving everything American and nothing that I actually eat every day (fruits, veggies, chicken… and an occasional pizza). Once in a while I will crave chocolate and then 5 minutes later I’ll want potato chips! My pregnancy dreams are absolutely insane. The other night I was having a dream and in my dream I had my hands over my face crying and I woke up in my bed with my hands over my face crying, haha! That’s not even a touch of the crazy, sometimes I feel like someone slipped me drugs before bed time!

We have yet to buy baby Kuhn anything until yesterday! We headed to Innsbruck for the afternoon to do some shopping…. and eat Subway (I had three cookies in honor of Fat Tuesday!!!!!). Baby Kuhn officially has 3 onesies!

After every ultra sound Jerry and I get a little more excited! I can’t believe in less than 20 weeks, we will have a tiny human here with us!

Baby Kuhn, we can’t wait to met you. ❤

Until the next bump update……

XO

Second Trimester – Baby Kuhn

I’m well into my second trimester of pregnancy, in my 17th week to be exact!

While Megan was here we had to explain trimesters to Jerry. But he wasn’t the only one that had questions! Apparently “months” in pregnancy are a really confusing thing and my aunt (whom works at my gynecologist that will be delivering baby Kuhn in America) told me to give up on months and just use weeks. It’s really confusing to go off months and everyone does it differently. I was assuming I was going into my 5th month which is technically true… if you go off “lunar months” and 10 months of pregnancy. Which, lets face it. Pregnancy is 10 months.  But, technically I’m in the middle of my fourth month if you do it off 9.5 months? I don’t know. Who is counting anyway!

16 Week gym selfie:

So far:

I’m feeling amazing. Not here to brag at all, just here to talk about my pregnancy! My doctor says, “I’m having the perfect pregnancy”. I told him to never say that again. Lol! I can see it now… the worst last few months of a pregnancy ever. I’m having a great pregnancy and I’m so thankful for that. The first 3 months I experienced being exhausted but that was basically the only thing I experienced. That went away literally after my 12th week passed. My boobs are popping out of my bras and my face is full of acne (worse than when I first hit puberty). I mean seriously, this baby is making me ugly. My hair is thinning, not getting thicker… and is so dull. The girl that had the thickest head of hair is now lacking in that department! Isn’t is supposed to be the other way around? My feet get really tingly when I’m tired and it’s so uncomfortable. It just started recently and I have no idea why. I’ve gained 2 KG (4.5 lbs) in my first 16 weeks. The weight part of pregnancy has been my only struggle. This is just the truth.  Having my ups and downs in the weight department and struggling with eating problems since I was a teen has made it a little difficult to watch myself gain weight. Don’t worry, I know that this is for me and my baby and to keep him/her healthy. So hold your comments. Also, I eat like a moose, even more than Jerry does. So, there is no issue! Just something I am and knew I would struggle with. My doctor has assured me my weight gain is perfect. So, I’m on the right track. I still like French Toast.. a lot. Fresh fruit and chocolate. Somedays, I swear I’d drive the hour to Innsbruck just to eat Subway (if I had an automatic car, a blessing I don’t, I’d say). I don’t cry, like I thought I would. I’m not emotional. I’ve realized what matters and what doesn’t and I worry about the things that do, the rest I’ve completely dropped like a bad habit. My taste in music has changed? Is that a pregnancy symptom? My favorite part of my pregnancy? Miika sleeps with her head on my belly at least 6 nights a week, it’s so so sweet. The one other night she is usually mad at me for some reason…..

I believe that the reason I have felt so great is because I have stuck to my normal routine. I mean, on an average day Miika and I walk at least 2-3 miles. Sometimes more depending on what I have to do that day. Wednesday & Friday are always mine and Jerry’s gym day together and on Thursday’s I picked up aqua cycling with swimming. I ride my bike or walk almost anywhere I go (Well, I can’t drive a stick so… I have no choice, HA!) Most days I forget that I’m even pregnant because I have yet to really “feel pregnant”. I know those days are coming….. soon. Any day now we could feel a kick! I’m glad I’ve been able to stick to my routine and feel good enough to do all the activities that I do. I’m slowly but surely starting to notice a little bump! Jerry wakes up every morning, “is it there yet!?!?” haha! Pregnancy isn’t really going by fast for me, at all… I hear that will change soon?

Today:

If I have one more person tell me: “Ohhhhhh stop wishing for that belly! It will come and you won’t wish that once you see the stretch marks” or “You’ll regret wishing for that belly!” … I’m going to scream. I mean, you do realize I’m pregnant right? Your belly is a part of your pregnancy. I’m sure at 38 weeks I’m going to want to take that wish back but that is different. I can’t wait for my belly! I think women and their baby belly are so beautiful! It’s such an amazing thing to see.

We had a 16 week check up a few days ago. We may or may not know what the sex is but as I’ve stated, we aren’t telling! I didn’t want to find out period…. but God, are men so impatient. If that man slips…. so help me! The baby’s name is “Sam” (just a nick name while we are pregnant). It’s unisex and will help us to not slip! A girlfriend gave me this idea and I thought, why didn’t I think of that! Great idea. The baby has two hands, two feet, two eyes. So, were pretty happy. As, healthy is what we are worried about. It was so hard to get a good ultra sound photo last week because baby was on the move! “Sam” always has it’s hands up, like a boxer… or maybe a goalie? Haha! We did get a good one of the face and all Jerry and I could see was…. NOSE! We both have such “distinct” noses. I mean, it’s so cute but it really sticks out in all the photos! After I sent the photo to my girlfriend she said, “Amanda, the baby has your chin and big cheek bones! Oh my god!”…. and I realized I didn’t notice until she said something.

Have a look:

Watching Jerry while we are getting an ultra sound is almost as thrilling as seeing our baby up on a big screen. He is so happy and full of smiles the entire time. I swear pregnancy has made me love my husband more than I could ever imagine. I can only imagine what it will be like once the baby arrives. He’s going to be such a wonderful dad. He’s a great person in general, so I was never worried about that. We are so happy and just really trying to enjoy our last few months “alone” before that changes forever!

Our next appointment is not until February 18th but time is flying (not complaining). You know, it’s that time of the hockey season where I’m craving America. I want to go home and work, eat at our favorite places, see our friends and family, sleep in my bed and go shopping at target. Soon, very soon.  Aside from updating (very rarely on here) I’m keeping a pregnancy journal. It has been so fun! I always think… will my kid read this 40 years from now? How cool. So on some pages I put “don’t read this”. Lol! I’m literally writing about everything in there, so I can remember exactly what was going on in my life at this exact moment. Plus, there are a lot of things I’d like to write about on here but can’t and won’t be able to until after hockey. I’ve been writing things down for the past couple of years before. I decided to do that a long time ago, that way I won’t forget a thing I wanted to write about on here and wasn’t able to at that exact moment. All the good, bad, pretty and ugly.

Anyways, that’s all I got over here!

Until next time,

Amanda XX

Milly Goes to Europe

We were super happy when Megan (AKA: Milly) sent us a text with her flight confirmation. She had been talking about coming for awhile but it wasn’t real until I saw it for myself.

Megan, for those of you who don’t know her, is one of my best friends. We’ve actually known each other since the super star basketball days but we became really close through college and especially after. My husband sort of loves her too. Whats not too love?

We drove to Munich to pick megan up. I was supposed to go alone but Jerry said he was “worried” about me driving alone. AKA: He wanted to sleep in a comfortable hotel bed. So, we left late at night and slept in a hotel. We planned on staying in Munich for the day but it was um, -18 and snowing and Miikas paws were freezing to the cement. No joke! Ugh, one day I will experience all of Munich. Megan came with LOTS of christmas gifts…….

Megans first full day in Europe was a “game day” for Jerry. In the morning I showed her around Bruneck, lots of walking with Miika! We met with some of my friends before the game and Megan got to enjoy her first Hugo! Then we headed to the hockey game. I was happy she got to see Jerry play! That was the only home game he had while she was here. For the away games, we cheered from home!

The next day (new years eve) we headed to one of favorite little cities, Brixen (Bressanone). We went shopping for new years eve dresses and had a really nice lunch. The Christmas market was still up so I was glad we both got to enjoy that before they took it down!

We had an amazing New Years Eve dinner at a beautiful hotel up in the mountain – Hotel Petrus! It was an all out celebration. So happy Megan got to experience true european dinner. AKA: 6 courses, lots of presecco and a midnight cheers! After midnight the entire dinner party lit chinese lanterns with all of our new years wishes on them and let them go. It was so fun and so beautiful!

I couldn’t let Megan leave Europe without visiting one of my absolute favorite cities: Innsbruck!

It’s true, I made her eat Subway while we were there. However, I don’t really care much for austrian food anyways lol! I was going to take her to Vapianos but we let ourselves get “hangry” (so hungry that your angry). So, Subway was closer. Megan is a great friend. She didn’t even judge me for eating 3 subway cookies.

I took her shopping and too one of my favorite little pubs that’s tucked away on the shopping street in Innsbruck. An old Irish Pub that I visited with two of my girlfriends last year. The same bartender was behind the bar but somehow didn’t remember me and those 2 crazy blondes from last year ;). We met some really funny Aussie’s who said: “Every American we meet is so nice!”… I wish I could have tapped that and let some people listen to that.

Megan loved Innsbruck!

I knew of an outdoor winter classic going on in the Austrian league (the league Jerry played in the last two years) and wanted Megan to experience a Winter Classic in Europe! So, we jumped in the car with two friends and headed to Klagenfurt, Austria for the game. It was F’ing cold but so worth it! I think she enjoyed it once we got the feeling back in our toes. It was great watching a game and not really caring who wins. Just wish I could have enjoyed some hot wine to keep me warm!

Can you believe we’ve lived in Brunico since August and never went to the top of our ski hill (Kronplatz)? With megan here it was finally time to experience it. Especially with the beautiful snow! We took our friend Claudia and Jerry with us. They all enjoyed a nice drink and I had a nice hot tea! The joys of being the pregnant person 🙂 The views were amazing and I was so happy we finally made it up there to see the views. We all had a lot of fun!

Claudia and Megan enjoyed a shot or… three once we got down to the bottom again!

It’s safe to say Milly made some good friends while in Bruneck!

Jerry finally got a free day from hockey so we got to drag him on a day trip with the girls! We headed to Bolzano to do some shopping, eat and watch our friends hockey game. Megan got to get her first taste of Zara! That’s right, us Michigan girls have no clue what Zara is until someone tells us about it…… not cool! She loved it. The Christmas Market there was also still open! We had lots of fun shopping and then I took them to my favorite restaurant in Bolzano for a nice lunch before we headed to the hockey game.

We spent the last day in Bruneck saying goodbye to some of Megans new friends and visiting some places she wanted to see before we packed her up! Squeezing in a few more Hugos before she heads back to USA was a must!

Milly’s European trip would end with an overnight stay in Venice. My FAVORITE city in Europe! I haven’t seen them all but this one will always be my favorite. You’ve heard me say this before but it’s just so special. Anyways, it was Megans first ever train ride!  Exciting! Minus the getting up at 5 AM part, haha! We checked in to our hotel and were immediately upgraded to a suite right on the canal! OH MY GOD. Amazing! Ugh, I could just die! We headed out and stopped at one of my favorite little lunch places, where I also took my nane last December. Nothing special just a good spot for lunch and the name is slipping my mind right now. Then we headed out after fueling up and grabbing a cappuccino to go. TIme to get lost! The city was dead … preparing for Carneval as it starts in about two weeks!

I think were ready for carneval!

I told Megan to drop her maps because were getting lost in Venice baby! The best way to see Venice is to “get lost” and see everything. Even the side streets, the residential area, just everything.

We found our way to a gondola, as that was obviously at the top of Megs list of things to do! We ended up hitting the “jackpot” …no we didn’t get a gondola for less than $60 but our gondolier was amazing! His name was Andreas and he made the $60 so worth it. Let me tell you first, that a gondola ride for $60 does not come often and that was only for a 15-20 minute ride! He told us about all the building in Venice and gave us so much history, things even I didn’t know.

I was so excited to get on the gondola and show Megan exactly where Jerry proposed! It was so fun and we had lots of laughs with Andreas. We finally decided to take a break and sit down for a little before we found a place for dinner. I assured Megan we’d be walking into a random place and hoping for the best. That’s what I always do in Venice! And guess what? I’ve NEVER had a bad meal! I won’t lie, we were nervous at first….. and it’s hard because there are so many things I cannot eat right now because I’m pregnant. It can be frustrating but we found stuff and made it work… and our dinner was amazing! When we left you couldn’t get a seat in the place, so obviously we did something right!

A few extras from our trip:

It was a beautiful trip! We ended the night at our hotel with a drink and a nice hot shower (in a BIG shower) something I haven’t experienced in 5 months! I stayed in there for a half hour. Megan had to be up at 430 AM to catch her plane, my train didn’t leave until 8 am but I was up since Megan left. Of course! I had quite a long travel day back to Bruneck but it was so worth it to spend time with one of my best friends in my favorite city ever!

Jerry and I were so happy to have a slice of home here in Bruneck and she couldn’t have come at a better time. It was good to have a good friend here to remind us of how loved we are and remind us that we have so many people at home who love and miss us. I’m so glad that Megan took the leap and came to Europe. Traveling at our age is so important, there is no better time. It’s always so nice to open our doors to visitors so they can see our life over here and what it’s like for us. Instead of being a tourists, they are locals like us, which my grandma said was one of her favorite parts of visiting us last year.

Thanks Meg for putting up with my pregnancy hormones & crazy goalie wife superstitions. I wish we could have enjoyed more vino but I know you and Jerry did! We hope this was an experience you will never forget and that you get to come again , another hockey season! It was so good to laugh until our stomachs hurt (watching home videos from college) and have someone to talk to on my walks with Miika so I don’t look crazy talking to myself. You made new friends, tried new food, shopped in new stores and visited cities people can only dream of! We can’t repay you for all the things you do for us and what a great friend you are but I hope this experience helps a little. Everyone you met here in Bruneck LOVES you and has had nothing but good things to say about you, of course. We love you and see you in THREE months – Redwing play off hockey, birthday celebrations with all of our friends, DETROIT food, and a summer of excitement! (minus over consumption of alcohol at Luke Bryan)!

#millygoestoeurope

As for me, school is back in session and I’m back to full weeks of English Tutoring! I’m going to be so sad to say goodbye too all of the kids and families, I’ve gotten so close with.  I’m in my 16th week of pregnancy. Still no bump, still no sickness, and I have gained 3.5 lbs! I guess this is where all my good karma is kicking in? I’ll take it! Tomorrow I go to the doctor but just to be weighed, blood pressure and all that. I’m not supposed to have an ultra sound but Mr. Kuhn plans on asking if I can because he’s dying to know what we are having. I’m planning on him finding out and not telling me. As for hockey, We are a few games shy of playoffs starting. Playoffs?! Crazy! Hoping for the best for Jerry and the team. Good luck and good vibes our way! Before we know it, it will be time to head home to our amazing families and friends. We are looking forward to this summer more than all the last summers by a long shot! (…. I’m dying for American food and too get back to work).

Until next time – Peace + Love,

Amanda xx

Baby Kuhn coming July 2015

Soon there will be two of us “traveling between the pipes” and cheering in the stands.

The day I found out I was pregnant:

It’s actually pretty “funny”. I took a pregnancy test and it said negative. So, I threw it back in the box and was going to tell Jerry later when he got home from his workout. Well, when jerry got home, I pulled the stick back out of the box and it had a positive sign. Guess I didn’t wait long enough….

Um, oops. I thought it was negative and now I’m here with a stick in my hand in front of my husband … and, it says positive. I kept rubbing my eyes and shaking the stick. Jerry just kept smiling like a kid in a candy store. I called my girlfriend here (she’s like my big sister I never had) and said, “um, does this mean I’m pregnant”? She said, “Amanda, are you kidding? Yes. It does”. So off to the pharmacy I go to get another test. Yep, it was positive. Did I mention this was a game day? Jerry was so excited but was trying to remain calm because he had a game and needed to stay in “the zone”. We even said, “can we do this all over later and relive this moment tonight”? The best part? Jerry went to his game and got a shutout! I feel that was the best response to finding out your pregnant on the day of a game. And then, he got a second one the next game day.

PS: I might have taken 4 more pregnancy tests.

PPS: FOUR people had told me they had a dream I was pregnant. One girlfriend (that I’ve actually never met in person) messaged me on Facebook a couple of weeks before I found out and told me that she had a dream I was pregnant. She was actually one of the first people I told, I felt it was only fair to tell her that her dreams were right! (hey hey chelsea rae! <3)

How did we feel:

Jerry and I were not planning to get pregnant. I mean, we weren’t trying or worried about it. We were not preventing it either, I had stopped taking my birth control back in February because I have been on it since the age of 14 and if you go on the internet and read about it for long enough, you would had told me to go off of it too. However, the only reason I was on it for so long was because it regulated my Endometriosis. Which brings up another topic. After a few surgeries and a doctor telling me “Oh … well… it might be pretty difficult to get pregnant”. I never thought I’d get pregnant so quickly or without “help”. My biggest fear the past few years, actually since the day I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with Jerry and have his children, was that I wouldn’t be able to have kids or that it would at least not be done on my own. I’ve had friends that have had to go through hell and back to get pregnant and friends that have lost their precious babies before they got to meet them. So, finding out I was pregnant and now seeing our baby in 3D has taken that weight off my shoulders.  I know how blessed and fortunate Jerry and I are for being able to do this on our own, with no stress or complications.

My husband has had baby fever for quite sometime, so to say that this is the best christmas present of all time is an understatement.

Keeping this a secret has not been easy. Especially because I found out at 3 weeks! To keep it a secret from everyone in America was fairly simple because I don’t have to see anyone. However, now I live in a village where I see the same people every single day. When I’m ordering a coffee with no caffeine and I don’t have a glass of wine in hand at a hockey game, it’s pretty much a dead give away! Being the worst liar ever, doesn’t help. For a while, I was starting to feel like I was living a double life. So many people here knew and only our family and a couple of friends back in America knew. I can’t lie, we told all of our friends in Slovenia while we were there visiting this week. Jerry was bursting at the seams to tell all of our friends and was pretty much telling anyone who cared to listen to us.

My european doctor experience: 

My first appointment to find out if I was indeed pregnant was… interesting. I’ve had a girl doctor my entire life, and now I had a male looking at my lady bits and my husband sitting next to me. The scariest part? Or well, the… funniest? My doctor said okay, pants off and get on the table! Um, I’m sorry…. “is there a sheet to cover up with”? Nope! :just get up here and put your feet in these stirrups with everything hanging out: Lol! I grabbed my sweater…. and tried to cover up what I could. I told him that in America we have little sheets that cover our bottom halfs while the doctor is examining. See the things I have to go through on a daily basis over here? 😉 Everything is a learning experience and usually ends up in us laughing at ourselves.

Here (at least in brunico) they are able to a do blood test that tells me that if I’m able to indulge in the things we all think we can’t eat while pregnant (but actually you can as long as you don’t carry the gene/chromosome). Sushi, red (bloody) meat, salami, etc. It’s a good thing I don’t eat red meat and I’m not so keen on sushi places over here because I tested positive and cannot eat any of that! All of my other blood work came back  great.

My last doctor’s appointment was at about 6-7 weeks, that was the first time we saw the baby and then yesterday. We had been waiting for yesterdays appointment, for what felt like, forever! We wanted to just get there, make sure everything was okay and finally announce to the world that we are expecting!

Yesterday’s appointment was amazing! My doctor is so wonderful. All the doctors over here are wonderful. He let us see the baby in 3D images, which was insane. The heart beat was so strong and the baby was moving all over the place. I got my “mother book” that they give to all expecting mothers and it tracks everything. The size of the baby, my weight, pictures, everything! It’s great to have.

BOY OR GIRL!?!?:

We don’t know yet. We aren’t telling. Don’t ask.

As for now, don’t ask for names either 😉

My body:

Maybe this is God finally paying be back for all my good deeds? I haven’t been sick once, barely nauseous and for the most part I don’t even feel pregnant. Minus my… tatas. Those hurt, and have already outgrown my bras. Ouchie! The ONLY other symptom I have had is exhaustion. Holy crap. Like, can’t get off the couch, would lay here all day long, exhaustion. It hits you hard. For an active person, who is always on the go, it was rough at first. But, I can slowly feel it wearing off, at least I think so…

Still no bump. Just starting to look like I ate too many donuts at Tim Horton’s! But, I’ve only gained 1 pound…. I’m sticking to all my same routine. Gym a couple days a week, my daily walks with Miika and now I’ve even added in Swimming one day a week!

Miika:

Miika knows. She doesn’t know specifically that I’am pregnant but she knows that my body is changing. Dogs amazing sense of smell leads them to know usually before you even do, that something is changing in your body. For the past 8 weeks Miika has been sleeping on me, every single night. Not just on my feet, on my stomach, and if I’m on my stomach, she sleeps on my back, or in my armpit. We are going to start preparing Miika for the baby now, we already started talking with Alenka from Slovenia who is our go-to for all dog questions. We want Miika to be the best big sister she can be and that has to start with us!

In the next weeks:

These next few weeks I hope to just be sticking to my routine still! I have a couple of weeks of school and I’m finished (and passed) my german course. I’m busy with work but now my kids will also have off of school and be on holiday for Christmas. So, I won’t be seeing all of them and will have more free time. My friend Megan is coming from Detroit after Christmas and we can’t wait to have her! My next doctors appointment is only for a check up with blood pressure, weight, and all of that. Then a few weeks after (around 20 weeks) we get to have another ultra sound. We will probably be able to know the sex by then. Now that I’m almost over with my first trimester, I’ve decided to start a pregnancy journal. One that I can write in every day or every other day and look back on whenever I want. I want to remember this journey every step of the way.

I had a view wise owls tells me that I’m going to receive a LOT of advice, most of that advice will be unwanted. Boy, they weren’t kidding! People find out a woman is pregnant and suddenly have a PHD in pregnancy! Everyone relax. So far the best advice I’ve received? “Crack babies are born everyday” and “Do whatever your body tells you is okay”.

For once, I’m wishing the hockey season away. I want to share my pregnancy with my parents, siblings, family and friends. But by the time I get home I’ll be almost 7 months! Aside from that, I’m really trying to enjoy this moment as much as I(we) can. Now it…for the most part… feels real. I’m kind of waiting for my belly to pop over night, then I think I’ll actually feel pregnant!

So it’s true:

Baby Kuhn coming early July 2015! 

Alright baby Kuhn, you be good to me! Here we go…. 

Florence // Firenze, Italy

It’s been a while! Honestly, I’ve been so busy but I’m ready to catch you up on our life in Brunico. The good, the bad, the fun, the travels, oh.. and the hockey.

For this years November break we decided to head to Florence, Italy. Everyone has told us to see Italy while we are living here, everything else can wait.

We took the “fast train” from Bolzano to Florence. I can’t say that Miika absolutely loved her first train ride but she did wonderful! I’d let her sneak up on the seat with me when no one was watching. We know that princess does not like sitting on the floor!

We arrived in Florence around noon and took a taxi to our beautiful hotel! A very typical, italian (not updated) style hotel right on the side of the river. Let’s be honest, I picked the hotel based on the fact that it said “dog friendly, pets free!”. However, the staff was absolutely amazing and I knew that they only thing we’d be doing there was sleeping. I would recommend the hotel to anyone who isn’t looking for something fancy and a clean, quiet, walking distance hotel in Florence. The name of the hotel is, Hotel Silla.

We were extremely lucky that our first day there it was nothing but sunshine!

We spent the our first day hitting a lot of important sights and things to see. Not without stopping at Subway of course.

Must see’s while you are in Florence: The Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Museums, Churches, we saw as much as we could in two days.

Piazzale Michelangelo was my favorite sight and view, don’t miss it if you ever visit Florence. I loved that we were just a nice walk away from the this sight as it was on the same side of the river as our hotel. It is a lot of stairs but it’s great exercise and was perfect for getting a good walk in with Miika. However, the view should be enough persuasion to make you go! You get to see the entire city of Florence.

Jerry and I had two amazing dinners. Our first night we had Hard Rock Cafe and the second night we ate a highly recommended restaurant that I would recommend to everyone as well. It’s a must while in Florence but a small hole in the wall so I doubt you would find it if someone didn’t recommend it to you. The most popular dish to eat in Florence is a Florentina Steak but since I don’t eat steak I checked to make sure there was a lot more on the menu! The pasta was amazing and Jerry’s Florentina steak with blueberry sauce was a big hit.

The restaurant is called: Acqua Al 2

The next day was a rainy one, might I add that every November break it rains on us? Haha. Rain doesn’t stop us though, that just means shopping time! You could shop for days in Florence.. it never ends!

Towards the end of the day the rain seized and we went out for a long walk, miika included!

While in Florence we witnessed an engagement! Super cute and Jerry took pictures of them that we later sent to them. I would have been so happy if someone was able to capture mine and Jerry’s engagement so quickly like that! They were so happy we took photos. Yes, I cried.

Two days wasn’t quite enough in Florence, I’d say three or four to see absolutely everything.  I’m not really into galleries and art, so we didn’t even see a lot of that stuff. Which is why I know you would probably need another day or two! Florence is beautiful, the people are nice, there are a lot of Americans there, especially students who attend the University. The food is amazing and there is so much too see! It is definitely a favorite of mine but didn’t top Venice! If you are in Florence for a couple of days there are a lot of organized tours to see near by places such as, Pisa or even do a wine tour in the vineyards of Tuscany!

Florence: Check!

Stay tuned, I have a lot of catching up to do!

Until then,

Amanda

Oktoberfest 2014 – Munich, Germany

Yes, I finally checked Oktoberfest off of my bucket list.

I don’t even know what is on my bucket list but Oktoberfest was for sure. I’ve been wanting to go but we’ve never been so close to Munich or in a situation where it was simple to do a day trip there.

This year? We were in the perfect location to get there! Apparently the team here makes the trip every year so I was all ears when I heard the boys were starting to make a list for who was going!

First, we needed to fit the part. I borrowed a Drindl from a girlfriend and one of the boys made sure Jerry had his Lederhosen.

Oktoberfest, ready.

We all met at the bus station at 6 AM where we had a bus waiting for us. The bus would take us and bring us back at the end of the day. Poor guy! 😉 Unfortunately not everyone on the team could make it but there was about 15-16 of us that made the trip!

First stop? Mc Donald’s to fuel up. Mc Donald’s is a big deal to us peeps living in Brunico because we don’t have one, the closest one is about 45 minutes away but just so happened to be on the way to Munich. Yes, it was delicious. Mc Donald’s in Europe is always delicious.

Our group:

I thought that Oktoberfest was literally a huge beer tent where people sat at tables, drank beer and danced. Nope, I was totally wrong. Well, that is part of it but not all of it. There are a ton of different beer tents, the most popular being the Paul Laner tent – the fresh brewed beers? They are the company that makes it. We actually ran into some of our hockey friends in this tent,  who also had Sunday off and took advantage of getting to Munich! It’s a small world, even over here.

I was a little worried since I’ve drank a total of two beers my entire life (no exaggeration) but I sucked it up and ordered my first $10 Oktoberfest beer. Later I found out that they have Radlers…

The beer tents are crazy and wild, even at 10 AM. Yes, that’s when we started drinking. A “tradition” in the beer tents … people will stand on their table and chug their entire liter of beer! They either get a big “WOO HOO!” or… “Boo!!!!!!” Depending on if they actually get the beer down their throat or all over their shirt.

The weather was awesome.

Oktoberfest isn’t just beer/liquor tents ….. it’s a full out festival/carnival. Wondering if we got on this after 6 hours of drinking? The answer is, yes we did. You know how much Jerry and I love rides and roller coasters! However, one ride was enough for me… back to the tents.

Oh and the food, the food is amazing. I just didn’t take a second to take a photo of it. Chicken, pretzels, sausage, everything.

We ended up here for the last few hours of our day:

No $10 liter beers just a lot of liquor! I’m glad we saved this for the end of the day because I would have never made it until 8 PM. Looking for $20 Jack & Colas? This is your spot! There was a live band playing, lots of dancing, and the food people were ordering looked amazing!

You aren’t supposed to leave Oktoberfest without a famous Gingerbread cookie. They all have different, cute sayings on them. I didn’t get one but I did get a photo of one? That counts.

Ich Liebe Dich = I love you.

Would have loved to be able to show my great grandma this photo and all of my adventures through Europe.

The day went by SO fast but it’s safe to say we all had a blast. Oktoberfest is such a cool experience. If you EVER get the chance to be in Munich during Oktoberfest, it’s a must GO. It’s hard to explain how much fun it is, so I hope you go see for yourself!

A big thank you to this guy:

I’ll never be able to repay him for all the things he makes sure we/I experience while living in Europe.

 Germany, I love you.

We survived Oktoberfest 2014

Ich Liebe Oktoberfest! xx

Fresh Start

After two hockey seasons of major ups & downs, we have finally found a happy medium.

I’m happy to say that Jerry and I are really loving Brunico.

 We are experiencing a lot of things for the first time this hockey season. Team gatherings, organization and Jerry’s experiencing a lot of different things at the rink – just to name a few things. We did experience a lot of great things in Krefeld but our time there was so short (too short)! Nonetheless, we are happy to be doing all of these things now. It’s nice to be on a team where we can all get together, families included and talk about happy things. Instead of talking about, not getting paid, the boys not having equipment and all that other stuff we dealt with for two years.

I think the best part of everything we’ve been through, is the fact that Jerry and I don’t expect much. We know we are always going to have good and bad days. Things aren’t always going to be perfect here or anywhere. For now we are going to embrace the fact that things are going well and I might run on top of a mountain and tell everyone I’m happy.

My german lessons start next month, I’m a bit nervous but excited. Also, I’ll be teaching private English lessons to a few different children! So thankful to have met someone who is helping me with finding the jobs and meeting the children. Not only is it a bit of income for me but it will also be a great experience. I’m finishing up my summer semester of classes tomorrow and start my fall classes at the end of the month. So, for all of those that wonder what I do all day? There ya go! Don’t forget walking Miika 4+ miles a day. 😉

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 This past weekend was extremely nice – in general and the weather!

Saturday in downtown Brunico was the presentation of the hockey team. It was so nice to see the fans and kids gather downtown to see the guys get introduced.

[photo credit: optic rapid]

On Sunday we had a BBQ at one of jerry’s teammates place. Guys, families, dogs, all of us! We couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Meet our big Brunico hockey family:

 Meet the babies of the family:

Miika slept all day Monday after her fun in the sun with the kids.

Our hockey season starts this weekend! So excited. Here’s to a healthy and successful season for Jerry!

Let’s go #35!

 “There are so many beautiful reasons to be happy”

– Amanda

Brixen, Italy

Yesterday we took a quick trip to a nearby city – Brixen (Or Bressanone). It’s hard living in a part of Italy where everything is in German AND Italian, I never know which one to chose! Haha. 

Brixen is only about 25-30 minutes away from Brunico and a perfect little get away city for whenever we want to see something different and get a change or scenery. Yesterday was a beautiful day, pure sunshine, didn’t want to waste it!

Miika, the traveling dog, has sat in yet another city! She does it with such grace, too. 😉 

Brixen is SO lovely.

We hear there is an awesome Sushi place in the city – so next time we will be trying that for sure.

How cute is this apartment building? I LOVE it. 

I’m giving Brixen a big thumbs up and marking it down as a special little gem to see in Italy!

You should too. 

Until next time – Ciao! xx 

Spouses In Sports – Europe

I was recently asked to write a blog post for Spouses In Sports (a private community for professional sport families).

I wanted to share it with all of you who are not a part of the community.

 

Leaving Pieces of my Heart in Europe
by Amanda Kuhn, wife of Jerry Kuhn, Goalie for Olimpija Ljubljana of the EBEL League, Austria

The past two hockey seasons we have lived in Ljubljana, Slovenia and Krefeld, Germany. I’m often asked, “Where is your favorite place you have traveled to in Europe”? This question is always difficult for me, considering I’ve been to many beautiful places in Europe the past two years. There are still so many places and things I want to see overseas. I’ve made a memory in every place I’ve been – they are all special to me for different reasons. It could have been the food, the people, the atmosphere, or something fun I did while I was in that place. Whenever I visit a new city, I like to stop for a few minutes and take it all in. I don’t want to bring home a pamphlet or a post card – I want that memory to stick in my head forever.

When you play overseas, you usually get a “November Break” and an “Olympic Break” (and maybe some other odd breaks thrown in there). This gives you time to head out with your boyfriend/hubby and venture out to somewhere new! During the season I always like to catch a few away games – at least if they are in a city worth exploring but sometimes even the atmosphere of a new rink is worth the drive. I don’t do this often because my husband is a goalie, and let’s just say my traveling on game days isn’t in his, “routine” (he’ll tell you he’s not superstitious.) Anyway, I’ve been quite a few places the past two years. Probably a lot of small towns most people haven’t heard of. I’ve never been to Paris or Rome but to be honest, I don’t think those places compare to the “hidden gems” of Europe.

When I was asked to write this post, I started thinking of my two favorite places I’ve “traveled” to in Europe. There was no way I could write this post and not choose Ljubljana, Slovenia as one of my favorite places, I just couldn’t. It holds such a big piece of my heart because it was our first “home” in Europe and a place that changed me in ways I never thought possible. Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia, and a beautiful one at that. My first week in Europe was one of the hardest weeks of my entire life. I cried, I cried and I cried some more. I hated it, I wanted to go home, I wanted someone to speak English to me at the grocery store, I just wanted to fall apart. Time went on and I started to adapt, I started to love my new home. I realized I lived in one of the most beautiful countries in the entire world and I embraced it. I became close with a lot of Slovenians, on our hockey team and outside of hockey. Jerry and I started volunteering at a children’s center, where underprivileged children go after school, twice a week, sometimes more. I fell in love with the fact that a good bottle of wine only costs me $3 and that I could live off both that and cheese. I fell in love with the people that took me in as family (I didn’t love the cranky grandmas, but that’s all over Europe!). Ljubljana itself is a beautiful city and good for any expat/tourist. It’s a huge city – there is shopping, there is good food, there are a lot of sites to see (the castle, the river that runs through downtown, the “pink church”, the dragon bridge) just to name a few! If you ever get a chance to go to Slovenia you will want to see Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, Postjona Caves (seriously look them up!), and the sea side of course. I feel sLOVENia!

My second favorite place would be Venice, Italy. It could be because I got the surprise of a life time there – my husband proposing to me on a gondola! However, I’ve been back three times after that surprise and fell in love all over, each time. Venice has such character, and is so different than what you picture it to be. I always feel like I’m in a movie when I’m walking the streets of Venice. I used to dream about going to Italy when I was younger, and then somehow my life put me just a short two hour drive away from one of the most well-known cities in Italy. While in Venice you have to have a cup of coffee or glass of wine in St. Marks Square! If you are able to travel there during The Venice Carnival, you must (usually held in late January-February)! It is a tradition held every year in and it is definitely something to see/take part in! You can’t leave Venice without taking a ride on a gondola in the Adriatic Sea. The people, the food, the sights are truly something special. My advice is to drop the maps, and get lost! You definitely won’t have a hard time finding a hotel, and almost everyone can speak enough English to get you where you are trying to go. Venice should be at the top of your list for a place to see.

I can only hope that everyone gets to see the beauty of Europe at least once in their lifetime. Living in Europe and traveling has definitely shaped me into the person I am and the person I’m supposed to be. For that, I am thankful. “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry”

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To anyone who is part of a professional sport family or collegiate sport family you can register and join Spouses In Sports by clicking this link > SiS

It is a great community, and I was delighted to share a little of my story with them.  Thank you again!