Pregnancy - Week 29

Hi.  I can't believe I'm posting this picture. It is quite possibly the worst picture yet.  But, I had been out shopping and was hot and tired and wearing what might be the most unflattering shirt known to man, but you know what? It's comfortable so I love it!

I always tell myself I need to start keeping nightly notes on what happened that day because every time I sit down to write one of these I go completely blank.  I will start that tonight.  (maybe). 

I'm starting to feel really worn out. I've been trying to get in a walk after lunch because by the time I get home from work I want to do nothing but sit in my glider and close my eyes.  Luckily that got a bit easier this week because Zach started a new work schedule. He's now home on Tuesday and Wednesday night, as well as Saturday and getting home earlier on Friday!  So we get to spend a lot more time together. I know it doesn't sound like much but when I've only been seeing him on the weekends for the last couple years, it is so awesome. And perfect timing!  He's really helping me out with the house stuff and making sure I "relax" when I'm supposed to be.

The weekend was pretty busy too.  Friday I went to my very first "Just Between Friends" (JBF) consignment sale (shh, don't tell my mother....) :)  It was pretty insane. There was SO. MUCH. STUFF.  It filled the entire John Knox Pavilion for those of you in the area.  Anyway, there were a few things that I was there looking for and while I didn't find those few things, I did find some other stuff that I snapped up.  Some things were even brand new with the tags still on!!  Then there were other items that I did NOT even touch, like used diaper pails. Who in their right mind buys (or tries to sell) a used diaper pail? Seriously. People. That's gross.  But, all in all it was a success and I'll probably go back in the spring!

I do think I overdid it though.  By Friday evening I think I was having my first round of Braxton Hicks contractions. I was SOOO uncomfortable and my stomach would just get hard as a rock!  I grabbed a really tall glass of ice water, sat in my glider and watched the entire Chiefs preseason game. I felt much better after that! Thank goodness! I was getting nervous! Now if only we could win...

Saturday was childbirth class!  We signed up for the all day class to just get it done in one shot.  I'm glad we went. While I didn't particularly learn anything that I didn't already know, it felt good to be hearing the same thing at the same time Zach was.  I'm still not sure I have a definite "birth plan" lined up but I have a good idea of how I'd like things to go.  With that said, I'm not marrying myself to anything.  Stuff happens during labor and as long as the end result is us going home with a healthy baby, I'll do whatever I have to.

Sunday I went out shopping.  I've gone and putzed around many times but I haven't had a full on shopping outing in a while!  I have started stocking up on my post-birth supplies and some baby stuff. I even bought our first bottle of baby laundry soap!  I plan on starting to wash clothes and everything else here pretty soon! I want to be READY about a month before he's due.  I also got the baby some things. I haven't bought him much on my own until then so it was nice to feel like I have now. 

Otherwise, that's week 29! I'm starting to feel that urge to GET IT ALL DONE NOW including all our house projects we still have not started, so I've been feeling a bit stressed, but I know it will all be ok.  There's still 10 weeks to go! 

Pregnancy - Week 28

Week 28 pretty much marks the time where I think I can say I really "feel pregnant".  There is no more forgetting about this big ol' belly anymore.  Getting up from the couch or heaven help me, out of bed requires much more effort than it used to, that's for sure! I walk terribly slow, think twice about picking up whatever I drop and have welcomed back my old friend, exhaustion. 

 

Now let's talk about what I have been enjoying this pregnancy, shall we?
~ My hair is super full and not falling out all over the bathroom like it normally does. It also doesn't need to be washed nearly as much as when I'm not pregnant. Prior to pregnancy I had to wash it every day, or else. Now I can even get away with 2 days of no washing! It's great! My hair has thanked me for much a needed break.
~ My complexion is nice and clear.  While makeup doesn't quite stay on like it used to, I feel like my skin looks really nice right now. I don't even really mind being as pale as I am!
~ My thin, normally non-existant lips are slightly more full!
~ I have learned how to "relax".  I'm a constant do-er, so being pregnant has allowed me to really appreciate doing nothing and just enjoying being still.
~ People are a lot nicer to pregnant ladies!  I get lots of random smiles and hello's in the hallway now.
~ Zach will give me a foot rub whenever I ask!
~ My dogs have calmed down around me considerably. Perhaps it's age, but they are much calmer when it's just me at home and they seem to know that I need to be taking it easy, so they take it easy right with me.
~ Having a totally new summer wardrobe is pretty fun!
~ Guilt-free ice cream eating!
~ Not feeling like I have to "suck it in" all the time.
~ I don't have to clean the litter box!
~ Shopping for baby things is a ton of fun!
~ Two words - Baby. Kicks.

So yeah, while I might moan about some things more than others, I really am happy to be pregnant and am trying to soak it all up.   I feel lucky and blessed and just so grateful to be pregnant every day and I need to remind myself that not everyone gets this and I should happily take every ache and pain and sleepless night and be thankful. 

Kansas City Baby Shower #1

This past Saturday was my first Kansas City baby shower.  I come from such a large family (Italian/Catholic!) so instead of one big shower I'm having a couple smaller ones. This one included my mom's side of the family and a few friends. It was at my mom's house but was hosted by my Aunt Joann, Aunt Theresa and my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Sheena.  They really did an amazingly beautiful job.  Everything was perfect and we had such a great time.

Sheena really did a fabulous job with all the decorating and my Aunts took care of all the food. I even tried Chicken Salad for the first time ever!  I'm so grown up now!  The cake was absolutely adorable and there was this really fancy ice-cream punch that everyone loved as well.

The one game we played was "guess the baby food". I was doing really well until I mistook bananas for chicken.  Oops. I apparently have a bit to learn.  The baby was spoiled again with all the wonderful gifts everyone gave us.  We even get to borrow a cradle that my grandpa made for my cousin 18 years ago! I'm so excited to use it! 

Thanks so much everyone! We are so lucky to have so many people who already love our little guy just as much as we do.

Sioux Falls Baby Shower

Last weekend my mother-in-law, Kim and sister-in-law, Amanda threw me a lovely little baby shower.  It was a last minute decision for Zach and I to make one more trip to Sioux Falls before the baby comes, so they didn't have a whole lot of time to pull everything together but it turned out great! We all had a really good time, played some fun games, ate some amazing cupcakes and the baby got spoiled rotten. Amanda is also pregnant so we spent a lot of time swapping pregnancy stories and are so excited that we'll have our babies so close in age. I hope they become great cousin friends! We had a really fun weekend up there and I can't believe the next time we go up we'll be taking our kiddo with us!!

I suppose I forgot to mention...

Yes, I caved.  At 20 weeks.  We I kept it to myself for a little bit, but then just couldn't contain my excitement any longer :) 

 

We are thrilled!!

Pregnancy - Week 27

Hello 3rd Trimester!

Week 27 started off with a monthly doctor appointment.  It was the first time Zach couldn't make it so that was a bit weird, but the whole appointment lasted all of 10 minutes so it wasn't a big deal. I had my glucose test and have apparently passed because as they say "no news is good news"!  Hooray!  The test wasn't really that bad either.  The drink didn't bother me too bad and I only got shaky and nauseous for a few minutes before I ate lunch. After that, everything was fine! No big whoop!  Baby's heartbeat was great and I'm measuring exactly on track!  I only have one more "monthly" appointment and then I start going every two weeks in September!

Physically, I feel like I'm starting to get really huge. Especially when I look at pictures.  I feel like I'm starting to show it in my face (Dread! Horror!) and that's just not cool.  But it's all for a good reason, right?  I'm definitely trying to stay as active as I can. I walk after lunch for a little bit every day, "work out" a few times a week and do some light weights here and there. I'd really like to try water aerobics, but the class times are funky.  I get pretty achy at night and my feet still really hurt (don't worry, I'm wearing "more supportive" shoes now, it's helping) but otherwise I'm doing alright. So far.

Food-wise I think I'm pretty much back to my old self.  Sometimes I wish I would lose my sweet-tooth again because now chocolate is all I want.  Chocolate and milk.  I've never been a big milk drinker, but right now I just can't get enough! That's a good craving, right?!

This weekend we went on our last trip to Sioux Falls before the baby comes! I had a lovely shower which I will write about later and spent some quality time with Zach's family. It was nice! The weather was amazing too! Mid-70s and sunny!! I couldn't have asked for more!  I also got some of the best sleep I've had in months!  I must have been really relaxed :)

The nursery is still in complete disarray. Zach's putting the crib together this weekend and then once that's up and the dresser is in place, I can really get cooking!  I just need to finish painting my alphabet letters!

So here we go. The home stretch. There's so much to do and so much going on! I just hope I can get it all done!

Pregnancy - Week 26

The weeks are flying by now!

I really don't have a whole lot of different things to say about week 26 than I did about week 25. I suppose that's a good thing.  Everyone always says you want a "boring" pregnancy!  I did start feeling much stronger movement though.  There have even been a few times where I saw my whole belly moving around all crazy-like. Previously it had just been little tiny bumps that I'd see, but this was definite wiggling and pushing.  So crazy! Of course there are still days where I don't feel much of anything and actually find myself questioning if I felt anything at all. Then out of the blue, whammo, big kick!  It just blows my mind that sometimes I can't feel anything, then other times it's so obvious. 

This weekend Zach painted the nursery.  I'd post pictures, but you really can't tell much of a difference in them.  We went with a pretty light beige (Behr Sandstone Cove - now that I think about it, it's almost the same color as my blog background...) since I want to add a bunch of color with the Alphabet wall and whatnot.  Also, we wanted something that could easily be painted over. Our goal isn't to really create a "baby room" but a room that baby can grow into and we can easily adjust it to whatever the kid ends up liking.  I'm really trying to stay away from anything too "baby".  I hope it works.  Once Zach gets the crib assembled I can really get started on putting everything together. Right now it's all just in piles on the floor and in the closet.

We also got a glider for the room. We totally weren't planning on getting one but were going to get a nice recliner for the living room instead (and still plan on it). However when I found one for cheap on our Hallmark "want ads" I couldn't pass it up. I actually think it's going to go well in the room and it's pretty comfy too.  It will be nice to have a spot in the room to sit so I don't have to go out to the living room at night. I think it was a wise purchase!

Physically I'm feeling alright.  Two gripes. 1) I can't sleep for the life of me.  I wake up multiple times a night and have the hardest time falling back asleep. Last night I was up from 1:30 until almost 4!  I need to start getting out of bed and reading or something.  This cannot continue! 2) My feet are killing me!  They have definitely "expanded" both in width and length. I had the nicest thinnest size 8 feet before this now I don't even know what size I wear. I'm officially down to two pairs of sandals that fit and even my flip flops don't work well anymore. My heel is starting to come over the edge. I might have to break down and get some new shoes soon.  They also hurt quite a bit when I walk.  I just really hope they go back to somewhat normal after this, but I have my doubts... *sigh*.  Otherwise I'm doing great! I still think the morning sickness is trying to creep back in but I have found a big glass of ice cold water really helps nip that right away.

I can't believe this ends the 2nd trimester. I feel like this pregnancy is speeding by but when I think about when I first found out I was pregnant, it seems like ages ago.  It's just still so surreal to me. I have my first baby shower this coming weekend. I think that's when it might really hit me.  Maybe. We'll see.  It's just all so exciting!

Bring on the temper tantrums!

He's really good at preparing us for total meltdowns.



Ted was just chilling out on the bed until Missy brought in another bone to chew.  He had one already, but really wanted hers.  Bad.  And don't worry, he's just "talking". Please note the constant tail wagging. Ha!

Pregnancy - Week 25

Things are about to start getting real busy around here and my memory is not quite the best these days (ah, pregnancy brain - it's real) so in order for me to try to capture everything I want to remember it's time for weekly updates! Hooray!

Week 25 brought with it a lot of growing.  I felt like I was suddenly huge! It looks like the pictures prove it too.  Hard to believe I'm only going to get bigger!  Wowzers! I don't mind though really, it's just another reminder that everything is going as it should and baby is healthy and growing.

 

Fun aside: I bought this shirt probably 5 years ago.  It was $2 at NY&Co during a sale. I didn't try it on and had no idea what a tent it was. I never once wore it until I was pregnant. I almost threw it out numerous times but never did because I thought it would be a great maternity shirt! See, hanging on to random articles of clothes pays off, Zach! ;)

The big news for week 25 was that my sweet tooth returned!!  Oh boy have I been loving it!!  I'm still being careful to not over-do it, but I am so excited that the thought of cookies no longer makes me want to hide my head.  Chocolate seems to be the favorite right now. Chocolate ice cream to be specific. And the pecan sticky buns at work. Whoo baby, those are a once a week treat though, they are so terrible for me!  The new no-go? Mexican.  You win some, you lose some. 

Friday night Zach and I went and rounded out our registries.  This baby is one lucky duck and is having several showers. I got my first invitation this week and we are just so excited!!  I can't wait to have all these little baby things around.  I've really been holding back on buying anything so I'm so excited to actually get some baby goodies and it feels really awesome that so many other people are just as excited about our wee one as we are.

Saturday during the day I worked more on the alphabet wall and we just relaxed before heading out to the Sporting KC game.  Luckily Saturday wasn't too hot and I felt fine during the game. No swelling or anything!  I was a bit achy when we got back, but a nice foot rub and tall glass of water fixed that right up.  We also had BBQ before at Arthur Bryants. If there's one food that's been a consistent winner this whole pregnancy, it's BBQ.  This kid will be Kansas City through and through :) 

Sunday I spent shopping with girlfriends for Erica's wedding shoes!  It's always nice to take a baby break and focus on wedding stuff! We actually have a lot of weddings coming up in the next year!  Unfortunately Erica's is 3 days before my due date, but hopefully baby will hold out so I can go!

And just for the record, it is still hot. Really, really hot.  I know this is annoying but I did it for posterity sake.  This was the temperature as I drove home from work today.  I'm going to come back and look at it this winter when I'm complaining about the cold, don't you worry!

So that's week 25!  It's hard to believe I'm getting ready to close out the second trimester.  We have a lot of stuff coming up in the next few weeks, a trip to Sioux Falls, baby showers, child birth class, hospital tour, daycare visits and lots of nursery prep!  I have a feeling this is when it starts getting really fun :)