We have lost our minds.

So, with only 8 weeks to go, you would think that we were about ready to clear out the last of the miscellaneous stuff from the baby’s room, and start putting together the crib and folding clothes, and hanging pictures on the wall, etc.  However,  on Scott’s birthday yesterday, clearly dementia began to set in for both of us, and instead, this is what we decided to do:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We thought it was a great time to put in a  new floor!  And really, it needed to be done – the floorboards underneath the existing (gross) carpet were really squeaky, and it was bothering both of us.  And since the whole room is getting a decoration overhaul, it makes sense to go ahead and replace the floor and the baseboards and give it a complete fresh start all at the same time.  Thankfully this is not Scott’s first flooring replacement rodeo, so at least we know what we are in for.

We are sticking with the laminate flooring that we have used throughout the downstairs, since it it easy to install, and doesn’t dent or scratch.  Easy to clean, too!  Which will be handy in a  little boy’s room, when you consider the likely “pee” (or other bodily fluid ) events that are going to happen, and later on, the throwing and dropping of toys, etc.  We chose a relatively neutral color so that it will (hopefully) blend with any future wall and furniture colors. For the time being though, we’ll just put down an area rug that coordinates with the room colors, for a nice soft spot to play or hang out.

We’ll Scott’ll have this flooring project done in no time, and together we’ll have all the details completed by the time everyone is in town for the shower on the 25th, so you can rest assured that you will get to see a cute, finished nursery if you will be here in person.  But, if not, don’t worry, I’ll make sure to post lots of pictures!

And just a quick snippet to say Happy Birthday to the best husband ever.  This will likely be our most eventful year so far, but I am sure it will also be our best.  I’m so happy to be bringing this baby into the world with you.  I love you!

32w2d

32 weeks!

What’s going on this week:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You’re gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she’ll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

My Update:

Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 56 days to go!

Weight Gain: +20 lbs from pre-preg weight.

Symptoms: Excessive snoring – is that a pregnancy symptom?  Sorry Scott, I know that one affects both of us!  And aching hips after I’ve been sitting for a while, and a touch of sciatica again.

Cravings/Aversions:  I just want food.  It all sounds fine – whatever you’ve got.  I’ll eat it.

Sleep:  Meh- this week was a little hit or miss.  The above-mentioned snoring has been an issue – poor Scott’s bearing the brunt of this one, unfortunately.  But getting comfortable is getting more and more challenging, and changing positions is an effort.  When I am asleep, I’m sleeping hard, though, so I guess that’s good.

I am loving:  That the cleaning company is starting today- this makes me so happy!

I miss:  Sleeping on my stomach – still.  Again last night, there was nothing I wanted more than to flip onto my stomach and just sprawl out!

Movement:  Good…on Wednesday it was a really quiet day – not a lot of action, but he made up for it on Thursday with non-stop action for most of the afternoon and evening, it seemed like.  He is very fond of my right side, and of jutting (what I am guessing is) his butt out just to the right of my bellybutton.  It’s funny to see how the shape of my stomach shifts and stretches.

Nursery progress:  Mostly we just organized and moved some stuff around in order to make it easier for the cleaning people to access the space.  I think we’ll gt the dresser this week, and hopefully a small bookshelf, too.

Exercise: just walking this week…I have Stevie Nicks contractions (as Scott called them) pretty regularly now as we walk – they come and go, come and go – and the best way I have been able to describe it, is that it feels like a bowling ball inside my stomach and it’s being pressed forward towards my bellybutton.  Lots of tightness and pressure and weight, but no real pain.  Then  it just subsides and I’m good for a while.  I can keep walking through them, but sometimes we’ve stopped for me to sit to take a break.

Looking forward to:  Baby shower #2, and all the family visiting!!  Only about 2 weeks left.  Guess we’d better get on that nursery progress since that’s what everyone wants to see!

Belly Shot:

Representin' for the Saints vs. Packers game last night. I think they knew my shirt was being stretched to the max, and they lost.

 

Houston Shower Recap (FYI…this will be very detailed becase that’s how my mom likes it.)

A roaring success!  Thanks to Aunt Frances and Aunt Marilyn for hosting and for Karen and Kim for helping out.  (Well, and for Douglas and Jim and Scott for also chipping in, against their will, and assembling sandwiches and whatnot.) We had a great time, and I will always be glad for the reminder of how many good people there are in the world.  In this instance, good people that have never met me before (although most knew, or had at least met, Scott before), but still came and wanted to shower us with gifts for this baby – they were just happy to be there and to ooh and ahh over all the baby stuff.

Now, seeing as I had never met ANYONE at this shower, except for the above mentioned family members that helped out with it, I will now wow everyone with all of the names that I can remember of the guests as they appear in the pictures.  Bonus points for remembering how everyone is related to one another. (If I mix anyone up, I’m sorry, I did my best!  I’ll be sure to get it right on your thank-you note.)

The theme of the shower was monkeys, and the ladies didn’t disappoint in the execution.  (Lisa, I told them all you would be jealous!)  There was an all-chocolate monkey cupcake-cake..it was very tasty!  (oh look…guess I should have cropped out the tips of Scott’s feet from the bottom of the picture – oh well…keeping it real.)

And lots of monkey table decor to coordinate:

The punch in that bowl was called 'almond tea' and it was amazing!

We started off on the right foot with all the introductions….here is Marilyn giving me the run-down.

From left to right:  Marilyn, (me-hidden behind her), Delaine, Carol, Jeanine, Geneva and Lucille (I think).  Lucille is Jeanine’s Mom.

From left to right:  After Lucille, Peggy Wise (she’s a cousin), Doris, Gina (?) and Yevette (mostly hidden – daughter of the lady sitting next to her, I think it’s Gina?)), and the back of Betty (Geneva’s Mom), and just the very edge of Peggy (daughter in law of Gina.)

After all the introductions were complete, we got down to the important stuff!  Presents – and lots of good ones!  By this time, my picture-taker had removed himself to the kitchen with his Dad and Uncle, so there is only 1 picture taken near the end of the presents, but that’s OK, because I can just tell you what we got!

Lots of stuff off the Babies R Us registry, which was so nice, plus some extra bonus items thrown in for fun! Lots of clothes, of course, and quite a few that were monkey-themed, to match the shower decor.  🙂  2 very soft and cuddly blankets, several crib sheets, the “womb-sound” teddy bear for the crib, sun-shades for the car windows, a tummy time playmat (with music!), a reclining bathtub, digital ear thermometer, and the Red Cross healthcare kit, several bibs, the breathable crib bumper, baby spoons, some diapers and wipes and my (much anticipated) stroller!  And there were several cards with money and giftcards included, (even some from people who couldn’t make it it to the shower, but still wanted to give something!)  Seriously, we were feeling the love.

Opening/fighting with the stroller in the background:

This picture also includes Karen (white shirt) and Frances (black headband), who are both leaning over to help me wrangle the stroller.  Also, there’s Kim standing up behind the couch.  She’s Douglas and Frances’ daughter.  We wore the same dress, but hers was black and white striped, and might I say, definitely more flattering on her  than mine was on me.  Maybe horizontal stripes weren’t such a good idea.

Posing with one of the table-decoration monkeys.

The food was excellent, and plenty of it…chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, chips, olives (black and green!), fruit salad, cupcakes, a cheese-ball with crackers, punch, and some seriously delicious deviled eggs.

More monkeys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The loot!

All in all, it was a great shower….thanks again to the ladies that put it all together for us.  We are so appreciative of the thoughtfulness, and are so glad that this baby will be welcomed into a family that is so excited to meet him and be a part of his life.

31w2d

 

31 weeks!

What’s going on this week:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

My Update:

Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 63 days to go!

Weight Gain: +19 lbs from pre-preg weight.

Symptoms:  Can’t think of any for this week!

Cravings/Aversions:  Nothing.  Please feed me.

Sleep:  Still good, amazingly enough.  Some nights I am aware of every time I have to adjust and change position, but other nights I sleep like  rock, so it all balances out.

I am loving:  All the smiles I get in public…people are finally starting to ask me about when I’m due, what I’m having, etc.   Everyone seems to love a pregnant belly!

I miss:  Not much.

Movement:  The movement has  changed recently…much more fluid and smooth movements…I can very often feel the curve of a butt or a back pressing  out against the front of my stomach, and sometimes something harder and more defined, like a knee or a foot.  And then just as soon as I can feel it, he shifts and the landscape changes again.

Nursery progress:  No change this week.  The next steps are:  clear out the last remaining things of Scott’s out of the room, then paint touch ups to the walls, and then, once that is done, crib assembly, and dresser assembly (once we buy it, that is) and all the rest of the set up and organizing and arranging.

Exercise:  I went for a swim this week….the pool was totally empty for the whole hour I was there, and it was wonderful!  I swam laps, and it was nice because I felt like I got my heart-rate up, and got to really work out all my muscles with some cardio, but it wasn’t jarring at all, so it was the best of both worlds.  I’m definitely planning on doing that some more.  And since it seems like we will have an endless summer, I don’t have to worry about the weather changing and ruining my plans.   Scott and I have also walked several more times this week, as well.  Those walks usually last for and hour or so, and they wear us out!

Looking forward to:  My first ever baby shower tomorrow!  It’s so crazy to think about…I’ve been to my fair share of baby showers in my life, and it’s a bit hard to think that this one is for Scott and I , and OUR baby.

Belly Shot:

30 weeks! It’s a milestone!

What’s going on this week:

Your baby’s about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it’s not very keen; even after she’s born, she’ll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she’ll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

My Update:

Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 70 days to go!  (in other words, exactly 10 weeks…wonder if he’ll come sooner or later?)

Weight Gain: +16 lbs from pre-preg weight.

Symptoms:  I can pretty much pee on command.  Even if I just went.  I can go again.  And I think I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction!  Scott and I were out walking one evening and my whole belly got very tight and then after about 15-20 seconds it started to relax again.  That’s the only one I think I’ve had so far….at least that I’ve noticed.

Cravings/Aversions:  Still crushed ice.  And the other night, just as we were laying down to sleep I wanted orange juice really bad.  I didn’t get up and get it though, because drinking OJ right before laying down sounds like a recipe for heartburn if you ask me, and I’ve managed to avoid that uncomfortable symptom completely, so far – no need to tempt fate.

Sleep:  OK….I notice that on Thursday nights, after we’ve gone to our childbirth class, and talked and discussed a lot of baby-related things for a couple of hours, (both in the class and then Scott and I by ourselves at dinner afterwards) my mind is buzzing, and I fall asleep fine, but tend to wake up after a couple of hours and have trouble turning my brain off.  Thankfully we’ve only got one more childbirth class left, and so I expect that after that, my normal sleep habits will resume.

I am loving:  Working from home has been great so far.  Especially since we’ve been having record breaking heat day in and day out….not having to go out in it every single day has been so nice.  I’m feeling very lucky!

I miss:  Being able to take a full breath without really concentrating on it.  This baby is definitely getting bigger and sometimes he is positioned in such a way that I can barely catchy my breath if I am sitting or all all scrunched up.  It’s a really strange sensation.

Movement:  Still good!  Lots of kicks, and I *think* he’s still head down, considering where I feel the hardest and most frequent kicks (off to my far right side).

Nursery progress:  No change this week.

Exercise:  We branched out and went for a bike ride this week instead of walking.  As Scott said about 3/4 of the way through, “Try to enjoy this ride, because it’s your last one.”  I think he was feeling pretty nervous about my bike riding abilities while pregnant and was envisioning a bad crash and towards the end of the ride was fully convinced it was a bad idea to begin with.  I don’t have that great of a track record with bike riding, but it was a pretty easy ride and I did fine.  The worst part was kind of being hunched over on the bike…the belly doesn’t smush like it used to, so  that was kind of uncomfortable.  All in all, I’m not upset to not get back on the bike until after this kiddo is born.  We’ll stick with walking , or the stationary recumbent bike that’s in the air conditioning.

Looking forward to:  Still the Houston baby shower!  And on this Sunday I’m having a girls day out that should be a blast!

Belly Shot:

29 weeks!

What’s going on this week:

Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you’ll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby’s hardening skeleton each day.

My Update:

Due Date: November 4, 2011 – 77 days to go!  (I’ve started going in for midwife appointments every two weeks now!)

Weight Gain: +15 lbs from pre-preg weight.  No change this week.

Symptoms:  Nothing particularly new here.

Cravings/Aversions:  Still crushed ice.

Sleep:  Pretty good the last 4-5 nights.  Scott and I have been going for walks still in the evenings, and I think that is making is even easier for me to fall asleep and stay asleep really well.

I am loving:  My belly.  I really do love it.

I miss:  Not feeling winded after going up the stairs.

Movement:  Still really good!  Lots of belly-shaking kicks.  I like it especially when someone else gets to see them..it’s fun to share.  🙂

Nursery progress:  I spackled the nail holes!  Hurray!

Exercise: Still walking most nights…although I skipped yoga this week.

Looking forward to:  The baby shower in Houston on the 3rd.

Belly Shot:

Thanks to Lisa for the hand-me-down dress. This was the first time I wore it and got 2 compliments!

Straight A Student

Well, to cut right to the chase, I aced both my glucose tolerance test and the BP re-check.

The glucose tolerance results came back perfect – my glucose was 81 (and they want it to be under 140), I’m not anemic, and my hemoglobin was behaving just right, as well.  Yay!  Cookies and desserts for everyone!  Well, everyone that took a glucose test and passed it, that is.  🙂

And despite being worried about it for most of the day, my BP was 118/63 when I went in for my quick re-check.  Heather, my midwife, was very pleased, and said to keep doing what I’ve been doing.  So, whew.

And, that’s about all the updates I’ve got for you today.

So, here, have a picture of my belly, in all its glory.

28w6d

For the good of the baby….

This was my breakfast yesterday…before my blood draw to check for gestational diabetes.   It was a hard job, but it was my responsibility to do my best.  With Scott’s encouragement  of “you’d better pour the rest of that syrup on that pancake”, I was successful.  I should have the results back tomorrow.

The rest of my check up was fine, except that my blood pressure was high again.  So, I’m on an increased protein diet (100 grams a day!), extra hydration and lots of taking it easy and I go back on Thursday for them to recheck me.  I’m hoping that it was just that I was a tad anxious about the glucose test (not that I could do anything about it one way or the other…I just want everything to be fine and to be free of the concern of it, you know?) and that by Thursday my blood pressure numbers will be back to an acceptable range.

Other than that pesky BP, my urine checked out fine, weight gain was good, and the baby’s heartbeat sounds perfect.  Also, I noticed this past week that I started feeling what I am pretty sure are baby hiccups!  I can feel them really low down by my pelvic bone, so I was *hoping* that meant the baby was now head down. (he’s been pretty much transverse as far as they can tell at each appointment so far.) The midwife agreed that she thought he was in the head down position while she did all the palpating of my belly, so that’s good!  I know that he will probably change his alignment a time or two again between now and delivery, but at least I now know he knows HOW to get into the right position when the time comes.

28w4d

 

27 and (bonus!) 28 weeks!

Since I was out of town last week when I would normally post the weekly update, you get both weeks 27 and 28 rolled into one this time.  You’re welcome.

Here we go!

What’s going on this week (27):

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

What’s going on this week (28):

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

My Update:

Due Date: November 4, 2011 – as of today, 82 days to go!  (Wow. That sounds…short.)  Also, we’ve now entered the 3rd trimester!

Weight Gain: +15 lbs from pre-preg weight.

Symptoms:  My belly really has made some impressive leaps and bounds in the last few weeks.  It shocks me when I catch a side glimpse of myself in the mirror…but I still love the way I look!  With the bigger size, comes a more noticeable ‘waddle,’ as they call it.  My feet are turning out as I walk and my goodness, it just feels so much better that way!

Cravings/Aversions:  Lisa and Meredith were right – the ice chewing/crunching is seriously addictive.  That’s what I want all the time.  A cold drink with crushed ice for constant chewing.  I know it’s bad for my teeth, and outside of pregnancy I don’t usually do it, so I’m not beating myself up for it for these few months, when it makes me so happy right now!

Sleep:  Not bad…I’m waking up about 2 times a night to pee, on average, which is annoying, but I was expecting it, so it’s bearable.  Plus, I am really lucky to have the ability to fall right back asleep with almost no effort, so it doesn’t seem to disrupt me too much, overall.  However, the maneuvering from one side to the other in bed is getting to be more and more challenging as the belly gets bigger and bigger.  It involves some heavy breathing and usually a pause in the midst of all the shifting to sort of catch my breath, before settling back down.  That part I could do without, if we’re being completely honest.  And, seriously, I would really, really love to sleep on my stomach.  Sometimes in the middle of the night, while I’m doing my flopping around from right to left and back again, I glare at Scott for a minute, when he is peacefully sacked out flat on his stomach.

I am loving:  My last ‘baby-free’ trip to see my parents was great!  Mom and I did lots of shopping, and we all did lots of eating.  And even squeezed in a short beach day.  The flights were nice and easy, and I met another pregnant girl in the Houston airport during my layover and we walked and talked together for a bit.  All in all, a good success.

I miss:  Mom and Dad.  The beach.  Sleeping on my stomach.  I think that about covers it.

Movement:  Excellent!  The trip to Jacksonville seemed to be the trigger time for more constant and active movement.  He seems to go to town with the kicking  the most when I lay down in bed at night, or when Scott and I settle in to watch a movie or TV.

Nursery progress:  No change since the last update, what with me being out of town and all.  Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I’ll get the nail holes in the walls spackled and covered and we can move on from there.

Exercise: Since I am home now when Scott gets home from work each day, we’ve gone out walking around the neighborhood some of the evenings, which I love…last night we went a bit farther than normal, and I think it might have been too much.  I took a couple of sit-down breaks during the walk when I felt like I needed too, but after we were back home my hips and back were aching, and it felt like a  little sciatica might have been kicking in.  I feel better today, if just a little tired, so I think it’s just a matter of getting used to how this extra weight feels on my body and keeping on exercising so I can build up my strength.

Looking forward to: Oddly enough, my GTT (glucose tolerance test) on Monday morning.  Most OB/GYNs have pregnant ladies come into the office, drink this super sugary glucose drink concoction and then wait for a hour and draw their blood to check for gestational diabetes.  My midwives, however, are the most awesome people ever, and they disagree with this method, as it can tend to give inaccurate results, and feel that a much more realistic testing method is to have me eat a big breakfast of (and she listed all this stuff specifically, so you’d better believe I was taking very careful notes since I am a rule-follower): pancakes (with syrup!), a glass of juice, eggs, potatoes of some sort, toast and a breakfast meat (sausage/bacon, etc).  Um…YES, PLEASE!  Then 2 hours from the time I finish eating, I have my appointment for them to draw my blood to see how my body handles all those sugars.  As you can well imagine, Scott was very put-off by the fact that he would just have to go in late to work that day in order to go out and have a huge breakfast with me.  It’s for my health!  And the baby’s heath!  For science! Pregnancy is hard on the dudes, I tell ya.  🙂

Belly Shot:

OK – two weeks worth of belly, just for you guys!

27 weeks

I don't know why I look so smug.

28 weeks

 

Nursery progress to date

Well, as far as putting together the nursery, there isn’t much actual progress, but I’ve got lots of pieces that will eventually come together in there, and so I’m going to document those for you today.  Because who loves baby stuff?  WE DO!

In all our infinite wisdom, years ago, we painted the baby’s room a nice bright yellow – that room used to house all of our workout equipment, and yellow seemed like a nice energizing color to workout in, so we went with it.  (It turns out we liked that color so much we also painted the laundry room the same shade.  And then when we moved the gym downstairs during a fit of rearranging the house, we used the exact same color all over again.  So yes, we have 3 rooms in our  house that are this color.  We like it, OK?)

I believe it is called ‘Chilled Lemonade’ by Behr, and it is the backdrop for most of these pictures, and shows up pretty true to life, I think.

So, to start with, an overview of what I like to refer to in my head as the ‘small loot.’  As opposed to the ‘big loot,’ which is the furniture and stuff.

Clothes, blankets, diapers, carriers, diaper bags, etc...

Crib mattress and changing pad. Necessary, but kind of boring.

My Ikea lamp has a home on this black shelf.  Along with baby’s first and second piggy banks, a piece of wall art still in the mailing envelope and some random screws…to the changing pad, I think?

Then came the special delivery from Oklahoma with with all sorts of ‘big loot.’

It has storage! And a removable Moses basket!

And the cradle that my Dad made about 20 years ago when Meredith was born.  Still in pieces, but that sucker ain’t light, so we’re going to wait a while to put it together since we’ll likely need to keep moving it around until it’s time for it to move to its final home downstairs.

Once it's on the stand, it can rock or be locked into place.

And for more big loot, the recently acquired crib (un-assembled, but you get the idea) , glider and ottoman!  Scott actually put together the glider in about 5 minutes after we opened all the boxes, so I wasted no time testing it out.  It glides, or can be locked into place and it even reclines!  All it needs is a cup holder.  (Just kidding Scott – I do not need a cup holder on the glider.  A side table will do just fine, instead.)

So comfy and cushy!

(Side note to my mom – those are the black pants you bought me!)

And last, just for some Awwws…tiny baby clothes hanging in the closet!  (I think I will paint the clothing rod white, so just imagine it that way for now.)

These are just the clothes that were ALREADY on hangers - not everything, by a long shot.

So, there you have it – that’s pretty much the extent of what we’ve got going on so far.  The glider is temporarily living in our bedroom, just so it’s out of the way, and the crib pieces are hanging out in the hallway, but soon and very soon it will all find its way to a very cute room for a soon to be arriving baby boy!

26w5d

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