36 Weeks - The 9 Month LIE!!!

Hi Everyone!

     36+ weeks down, and less than 4 to go!  As I sit here staring at a blinking cursor, wondering what to write (there's a million thoughts going through my head), I reflect back on my decision to start this blog back on week 13, and I'm so glad I did.  This journey is truly amazing ... but it is FREAKING long, I'll admit.

Here's my problem.  Everyone talks about pregnancy lasting 9 months ... but they lie.  Everyone LIES to first-time preggos.  It's not 9 months.  It's 10!  So, why ... WHY do they LIE?  Guess what ... I have a few theories:

~ My Angry Preggo Theory ~ It's completely psychological (hey, I was a psych minor in college!). The reality of going from one-digit months, to a two-digit month, is too much for a hormonal, potentially suicidal pregnant person to handle. By the 9th month, you've lost all ability to think like a rational individual.  EVERYTHING is annoying, and EVERYONE is an a$$hole. Yup, I can say a$$hole at 9 months pregnant, as long as the S's are replaced with dollar signs $$.  It lessens the blow.  If everyone said the gestational period was 10 months long, then all reproduction would cease and we would die off as a species. Two digits, is too much.

~ My Thoughtful Preggo Theory ~ with the one rational brain cell I have left, this is what I've come up with.  The gestational period is typically 9 months and 'X' days long.  On average, the baby comes out before hitting the 10-month mark ... so they can't say 10 months ... they must revert to leaving it at 9 months.  Reminds me of when I was in college and I had a 3.67 average in marketing, but my jerk professor wouldn't give me a 3.7 ... (which kept me out of qualifying for the 5-year graduate program by .02 of a grade, no less), because ... "If I gave you a 3.7, then I would have to do it for everyone." Such a BS reason!  But ... "almost doesn't count" ... right?  So, we are stuck with the 9-MONTH-LIE, and no masters degree. 

It is really long, though.  It doesn't seem as long when you watch someone else go through a pregnancy ... but when YOU'RE the one going through it ... it's long.  On my pregnancy tracker, it says that I've been pregnant for 257 days.  257 DAYS!!! Yup.  It's funny, though, because eventhough I've been pregnant for 70.4% of a year, I still sometimes forget that I'm pregnant.  Not in a dangerous way ... ("Yes, bartender, please pour me a vodka, straight up, and keep 'em coming! ... and yes, and I'll have the filet extra-rare with a side of ham and cheese sandwich and a hot dog ... thank you!")

No, what I mean is ... in my head I still feel thin, trim, and agile.  I sometimes forget when I'm laying down that I can't get up by sitting straight up.  It's sort of funny, too, because I attempt to get up by sitting up straight, and I just flop back down on my back. I then remember that I have to roll over to the side and prop myself up sideways ... oh yeah!  And, I sometimes put on a shirt I THINK I can fit into because it used to be one of my "bigger" shirts, until I put it on and it doesn't even cover Isabelly. In my mind, I still think of myself as this skinny, sun-kissed, beach-bum girl:

Until I catch my reflection in a mirror or window and, "AHHHH! Who IS that?"  haha it's true!  Ahhh ... will I ever be that little athlete again, or is my fear of becoming a washed up, "once upon a time" athlete inevitable?  I'll let you know post-baby.  If I remain in this forever-pregnant body, I will change my name, move to Oklahoma, and become a gypsy.

In the meantime, we had our 2nd of 3 September weddings this past weekend.  Our friends Mark and Daniela got married in Boston at the State Room and it was AWESOME.  We had so much fun! Dave was their Best Man, and for the last ... oh ... year, he's had some anxiety over giving his best man speech.  He worked very hard on preparing, and rehearsing his speech over and over again, but when it was time for him to get up there and speak, I think I was more anxious than he was.  I soon realized that this is what it must feel like to watch your child perform. I'm thinking ... at the free-throw line with .2 seconds left on the clock in a tie game.  Or in a spelling bee or something ;) You have absolutely no control over the situation, and there is nothing you can do but hold your breath, cringe, and hope to god that your child will succeed.  I all of a sudden had some serious respect for Ally Raisman's parents from the Olympics Gymnastics team:

In this case, I just hoped that Dave would be able to deliver the way he had done over and over in practice ... and thank god ... he did it!  He got laughs where he had hoped to, and he got the "aweeeeee"'s where he had intended them to be.  Phew!

In baby news this week, our little guy is the size of a FREAKING WATERMELON.  I can't say "watermelon" without the word FREAKING in front of it.  Because ... I AM GROWING A FREAKING WATERMELON INSIDE ME! Yesterday, at the grocery store, I saw a mom and a daughter tapping the whole watermelons to see which one they wanted to "take home", and now I am thinking ... I HAVE ONE OF THOSE INSIDE MY BELLY ... WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAP MY BELLY, TOO? IT KICKS BACK!!!  or, "Hey Lisa, how are you feeling?", "ohh, good, good, thanks ... just growing a FREAKING WATERMELON inside me".  jeez. 

Anyway, Bob is about 6.5lbs, but we will know a more accurate weight after next week's doctors appointment when we get our last ultrasound done :) At yesterday's appointment, the doctor measured me, and where she measured him having dropped last week, he was back "up" this week.  She said it could just be how he is positioned, but that he's "right where he should be".  I'm starting to get annoyed with that answer, hah. 

My blood pressure was a little higher than usual this week.  Because of how far along I am, she had me get some blood work done to rule out preeclampsia. She doesn't think that I am at a risk for this, but she wants to be sure.  I am not worried, either. I feel pretty good, and I think this was just a day of running around that led to a raised BP.

She also measured ... errr ... things downstairs, and I am not dilated at all at this point.  Looks like we're in for the long haul.  Hopefully, next week after our ultrasound, I'll have more info!

How far along? 36 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 3 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 23 days!!!)

Total weight gain: at the doctor yesterday, I STAYED THE SAME WEIGHT! YAAAYYY!  Down to the ounce, baby! No weight gain this week.  Thank god!
Maternity clothes? yup!  Still mixing in some non-maternity outfits.  The dress I'm wearing in this picture is actually a regular dress, but I find that wrap dresses are easy to maneuver around the bump.
Stretch marks? No, thank god
Sleep: Sleeping okay ... last night was tough.  Lots of tossing and turning and mind racing.
Best moment this week: MARK AND DANIELA'S WEDDING! And also going to watch my SHOCKERS co-ed softball team play a game. It was nice to see all of my teammates and cheer them on.  Luckily, I still fit into my jersey, so I was able to sport that from the sidelines!
Miss Anything? yes ... everything! This fall-feeling weather makes me want to go for a run so badly.  Unfortunately, it's going to be a while before I'm out there running the streets :(  Oh ... and wine ... and a ham and cheese (again).  Oh ... and playing with the SHOCKERS!
Movement: Yes!!! lots! He is always rockin' and rolling!! I love it!
Food Cravings: a ham and cheese CALZONE. Yeap, I've upped the anty ... a regular ham and cheese sandwich won't do anymore ... it's gotta be a CALZONE.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!

Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: still feeling the "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains, mostly when I'm walking Charlie, or when I get up too quickly.
Isabelly Button, In or Out? fairly flat ... sometimes (like when I'm full), it seems more out ... but I'm starting to think it may never pop out.  Oh crap, now that I've said that I'm going to wake up with the biggest outtie ever.
Wedding rings on or off? very unfortunately off.  Probably not worth buying a replacement at this point.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy! but definitely "done"!
Looking forward to: next week's doctor's appointment, and SEEING OUR LITTLE MAN on the last ultrasound!!!!  YES!!!

35 Weeks - The Pregnant Dancing Queen!

Hi Everyone!

     35+ Weeks, and officially 30 days to go! And bring on our 'wedding season'!  We haven't had any weddings all summer (when I could have fit reasonably into a dress), but this month, we have 3 weddings!

This past weekend was wedding #1.  My friend and Dave's friend got married .. yup! It was a perfect wedding, and the happy couple looked so beautiful and happy!!!  I can't tell you how jealous I am that while I type this, they are in Hawaii.  Augh!

I did learn something at this wedding, though ... and that is ... that there is absolutely NO graceful way to dance when you are 35 weeks pregnant.  Nope ... none.  You can't even fake graceful dancing.  It didn't start off all that bad ... but it quickly went from 'not that bad' to just horrible. 

Let me try to describe it for you .... and for fun, I'll do it in a way that I think you'll enjoy.  Some of you may be familiar with the "What People Think I Do / What I Really Do" pictures that have been all over facebook.  Here is an example ... I chose the "Teacher" one because I know I have a good number of teacher readers!  You should appreciate this:

Here's my version explaining how I looked through the progression of the night. 

I was only able to link them through videos ... so I hope you enjoy them ... click away :)

How My Friends Think I Dance While Pregnant

How My Mom Thinks I Dance While Pregnant

How Society Thinks I Dance While Pregnant

How Kids Think I Dance While Pregnant

How I Think I Dance While Pregnant

How I Really Look While Dancing

Judging from the last video, you'll see that there is really no way to dance gracefully while pregnant!

By the end of the night, I was basically standing in place, but just moving my arms :)  My mind said "Go ahead, SHAKE THAT BOOTY!" but my body said, "yeah ... if you can find your booty, you can shake it ... go ahead ... try to find your booty ... I DARE YOU".

Needless to say ... we had an AWESOME time at the wedding, but my cankles were so bad by 1130pm or so, that we called it a night.  

We get to do it all over again this coming weekend when our friends Mark and Daniela get married! I am so exciteddddd!  

In other news, everyone has been so great ... Always asking me how I'm feeling.  Overall, I am feeling good! I'll say it again ... I'm so fortunate to have had such a great (dare I say ... easy?) pregnancy.  I am, however, starting to have some strange symptoms.

Here's your "that's too much information" warning ... if you don't want to know the gory details, then skip this paragraph ... this is your last warning.  Ok ... I'm starting to have some serious pain down ... well, ... downstairs.  In my ... hoo-haa ... it honestly feels like a knife, err ... inside.  It is NOT in my uterus, and as I understand it, it is NOT a Braxton Hicks contraction.  It seems to happen when I'm doing a lot of walking around. Today was tough ... I was walking with my boss and my bosses boss into a meeting.  They were walking fast, so I had to keep up.  All of a sudden I started feeling my "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains, but I had to keep a straight face, as I didn't want to show signs of weakness!  I figure, it's good practice for pain management in labor.  If I can walk, talk, and keep my poker face going while the "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains are happening, then I should be able to handle labor without so much as a wince, or drop of sweat ... right??  Why do I feel the need to share my experiences of "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains with all of you?  Well, because if I were reading this, I would want to know the TRUTH.  The doctor says that this is a "normal symptom" due to the pressure of him dropping.  Well, NO WHERE I've read is there any mention of "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains in the common 9th month symptoms.  So ... you've heard it here first, folks! It's normal, and it's all part of this wonderful journey we call, "the miracle of life" ...

Other than that, I'm feeling great, relatively speaking! This week we had a doctors appointment, and from here on out we will go once a week.  The doctor measured me and it looks like Bob has dropped a little!  That is a good sign! He's getting ready!  

He is about the size of a coconut!  He is somewhere in the 5-6 pound area, but we will have more of an idea in two weeks when we get our next ultrasound.  I'm really looking forward to that visit!  Most of his systems are mature, except for his digestive system.  This won't actually mature until after birth when he begins life on the outside, without the help of the umbilical cord.  

How far along? 35 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 4 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 30 days!!!)

Total weight gain: gained another 4lbs at the doctor yesterday.  I'm starting to think their scale is broken.  It's gotta be, right?  That puts me at the big 40.  I really hope I don't join the 50+ club.  I'm starting to realize that my body is no longer my own ...
Maternity clothes? yup!  Still mixing in some non-maternity outfits.  The dress I'm wearing in this picture is actually a regular dress I found in a bigger size.
Stretch marks? No, thank god. How this is possible, I do not know, but I am going to whisper when I say 'stretch marks' now in order to not wake them ...

Sleep: Sleeping okay. I've been SO THIRSTY at night that it's contributing to my number of pee breaks, though.
Best moment this week: LISA LU'S WEDDING!!!!
Miss Anything? yes ... everything.  It was a little difficult watching everyone drink, dance, and  generally move without so much as an inkling of a waddle at the wedding.  I sniffed a few drinks just to enjoy the vapors.  I wonder if the lack of use of my sense of taste has helped to improve my sense of smell?
Movement: Yes!!! lots! He is constantly pushing and stretching out! Since he's dropped, it's gotten a little weird, though ... I feel him wayyyyy down low.  Ladies ... think about where your ovaries are .... imagine feeling little fingers moving down there.  Very weird to feel.

Food Cravings: nothing really ... I wish I had something fun to put here, but I don't! I just WANT TO EAT EVERYTHING.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: swollen feet! and ... "stabby-stabby-hoo-haa" pains
Isabelly Button, In or Out? fairly flat ... sometimes (like when I'm full), it seems more out ... but I'm starting to think it may never pop out.  Oh crap, now that I've said that I'm going to wake up with the biggest outtie ever.
Wedding rings on or off? very unfortunately off.  No replacement ring yet.  I'm too picky ...even with my cheap replacement ring!
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy! but definitely "done"!
Looking forward to: MARK AND DANIELA'S WEDDING!  Can't wait to give my dance moves another go!!!

34 Weeks - Bend ... and SNAP!

Hi Everyone!

     Happy Labor Day!  .... if only the LABOR in this case was in reference to our little man coming out early!!!  ahhh, a girl can dream, can't she?  I keep hoping that he will come out a week or two early, and there are two reasons why.  First, I am CONVINCED that this guy is going to be huge.  My doctor says he's measuring "right on track" to be a 7-8lb baby, (insert eye rolling <here>), but I just don't believe her.  I can feel myself growing by the minute, practically.  Plus, Dave was a big baby with a giant head, so if there is any chance that he will take after his daddy, then I would like to cut the 'baking' period a bit short.  I like my steak medium-rare, so why not my little babe, too?

The second reason why I'd love for him to come out a little early, is because it's getting a sort-of ... uncomfortable around here. It's becoming more and more difficult to find a comfortable position to lay in, and I feel like Bob is stomping all over my internal organs anytime I shift from one side to the other.  I am also finding it harder to get around.  Dave has to rent a commercial grade crane in order to help me out of a seated position.

The problem, is that in my mind, I still feel as swift and agile as I used to be pre-giant-preggo-bump.  So, I have it in my head that I can do things a certain way, but when I go to actually accomplish these plans, reality is proving to be quite different! 

Take, for instance, picking something up off the floor.  Sure, no big deal.  Just bend over and pick it up. Everyone have visions of the "Bend-and-Snap"?? .... "Just beeeenndddd ..... and SNAP!" Exactly! But, ohhhhh no ... Bob has other plans for me.  Bending is becoming a virtually non-existant move for me, and snap? You've got to be crazy.  In leiu of being able to perform typical human movements, I have been working hard to perfect three different ways of picking things up off the floor:

1 ~ The Squatter ~ this move is the go-to, and consists of me separating my feet/legs as far out to the sides as possible, and lowering at the knee into a Sumo-wrestler-like position.  Once I have a solid balancing foundation, I slowly lower down, down, down, and reach for the object.  The kicker here, is that I am usually left patting the ground all over, feeling blindly for the object, because if I lower and attempt to look down at the same time, I risk toppling over like a very drunken Sumo wrestler.

2 ~ The Belly Swing ~ this move begins similarly to The Squatter, with me separating my feet apart.  In this case, however, I am separating them so that I can have room to swing my belly down.  I usually have to hold onto something sturdy with one hand, and then I bend at the waist, situating my belly in between my crotch, while I grab quickly for the item!  (Without separating the legs, my big 'ole belly jams into my thighs, and Bob does NOT like that!!!!) Hey ... it 'ain't pretty, but it works!

3 ~ The 'Take a Load Off' ~ this is not my favorite, but in certain circumstances, is my only option.  This move consists of me collapsing to the ground (there's no graceful way to lower myself down to the floor anymore) and picking up the item.  The challenge with this move is figuring out a way to get back up! 

It's amazing to me how this once-athlete is not agile enough to even pick up something off the ground in a graceful manner.  Here are some other things I can no longer do well:

                                    * Glory Day Moves I Can No Longer Do*
~ Put Socks On ~ first, the idea of being able to actually put socks/shoes on from a standing position is out of the question.  I try to still do this by lasoo-ing the sock onto my toes, but usually end up toppling over.  I have to rely on The 'Take a Load Off' move mentioned above.

~ Painting My Toenails ~ this usually ends up in me making a mess.  I manage to almost do this by sitting on the couch and putting my foot up on the coffee table, but Bob kicks me angrily the more I try to reach my toes.  My recent attempts at painting my toes look like a 3-year-old enjoying a good fingerpainting session!

~ Blow Dry My Hair Upsidedown ~ the women reading this are familiar with this move.  Hang your head upsidedown and blow dry to generate more volume.  I begin to lose my balance, and get very lightheaded doing this move.  Now I'm stuck with flat hair!

~ Shaving My Legs ~ okay okay, I have an out on this one .... our WONDERFUL shower has two spa seats that fold down from the wall, so I am able to sit on the seats to shave my legs.  ahhhh wonderful (ahem ... someone buy our house, please!!) Anyway ... I would NOT be able to shave my legs without these seats! How do other women do this?

~ Take a Deep Breath ~ I haven't enjoyed a full breath in months.  I loose my breath when I present at work, have a conversation that requires me to speak more than one-word answers, or move in any way faster than a sloth's pace.

~ See Anything Between Isabelly and My Knees ~ ok ... this might be too much information ... but it's the truth and that is what this blog is all about.  I can't see anything ... south of the equator.  I have a theory about this, though ... I think god makes preggos have a big belly while pregnant so that they DON'T have to witness what will be going on 'down there' ... helps alleviate the anxiety :)

I could go ON AND ON with this list, but there are a few to give you an idea of why I am encouraging Bob to make his debut a bit early.  We're all ready!! (our nursery is another story .... but soon, I promise!)

This week, Bob is the size of a "large cantaloupe".  I don't know why they feel the need to put the adjective "LARGE" in there, but yes, that is what I have learned.  He is no ordinary cantaloupe ... he is a LARGE cantaloupe.  He is around 19-22in long and about 5.5lbs! At this point he is just working on getting fatter and fatter ... just like his mummy!!!

How far along? 34 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 5 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 37 days!!!)

Total weight gain: 36lbs as of our last appointment.  Our next appointment is on Monday ... then we start going once a week!  I'm not looking forward to the scale on Monday ....
Maternity clothes? yup!  still managing to find a few non-maternity outfits here and there in my closet, but mostly in maternity clothes.
Stretch marks? No, thank god. How this is possible, I do not know, but I am going to whisper when I say 'stretch marks' now in order to not wake them ...

Sleep: Sleeping okay. My shoulders get cramped from sleeping on my side, though.
Best moment this week: Enjoying the LONG WEEKEND and catching up on some rest.  Dave painted more in the nursery, and WE GOT OUR CHANGING TABLE IN! It was supposed to be 8-12 weeks out, but came in after ONE WEEK! It is beautiful!
Miss Anything? yes ... my old clothes, my old body, my old athletic ability, my old workout regime, my old drinking habits ;)
Movement: Yes!!! lots! He is constantly pushing and stretching out!

Food Cravings: hmmm ... nothing really in the last couple of weeks, but I am constantly hungry ... even when I'm full.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: swollen feet! But only on my right foot!  And my fingers have started to swell, too.  Other than that, I am continuing to lose my breath.
Isabelly Button, In or Out? She's still mostly in ... but despite my yelling at her, she continues to work her way out.  She's just not a full outtie yet, thank god!
Wedding rings on or off? very unfortunately off.  Still don't have that replacement bling yet, but I'm going to look for one this week.
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy! Excited to meet this little creature!

Looking forward to: LISA LU AND ANDREW'S WEDDING THIS WEEKEND!  Our two best friends are getting MARRIED!  I am so freaking excited for this ... I can't wait to swing this belly all around the dance floor! Look out, bumper bellies!!!



33 Weeks - Shower Time!!

Hi Everyone!

     Another week down!! I can't believe it!  This past weekend, we had our baby shower, and anyone reading this who is not already in my family ... I will take this moment to apologize to you.  We've been lucky enough to have been granted the best families in the world ... so ... sorry ... someone has to have the best family, and it's us :)

In all seriousness, Dave and I are so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and generosity that we have experienced this entire pregnancy ... but this shower really threw us over the edge! 

My mom made homemade limoncello as a favor to the guests.  The bottles had little poems on them that read:

                               "This limoncello is great, for sure,
                                But as Baby Rodger, it must endure,
                                A baking -- per se, in order to cure,
                                Don't taste until the birth, be sure!"

Hopefully, everyone can have a celebratory drink on us when the baby is born!

A HUGE thank you goes out to my Aunt Julie and Uncle Bo who opened their beautiful home to us for the shower.  Everyone was comfortable, and the setting was gorgeous.  Also, to my sister in law, Nicole, who arranged the flowers and carved an AWESOME fruit bowl ... picture below!


But to me, the funniest thing, was that we got a number of cards made out to "Lisa, Dave, and BOB!"

Here are some pictures from our great day:

The Beautiful Tables:

The Homemade Limoncello Favors and an Example of the Flowers:

The Before Shot:

The Aftermath!:

Look at all of the adorable clothes!!!!

Me and Mom ... she did so much to pull this together!!!  xoxo

                                                  The Awesome Fruit Bowl:

Before the shower, I felt like I couldn't quite invest in baby preparations.  We weren't sure what we needed (and arguably as important, what we DIDN'T need!), and with the house recently going on the market, our main focus was getting things out of the house, not purchasing new things!  Our plan was to wait until after the shower to begin our baby shopping. Well ... LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!

I am so excited to buy little outfits, and things for Bob's nursery.  Right now, the nursery looks very staged, but little by little we intend to warm it up.  We are waiting on our changing table to come in, and we are going to go with a blue/white/red theme!  I even found this adorable Red Sox storage box that I've become obsessed with:

Once the room is done, I will be sure to share pictures.  I think you'll all like them, or at least, I hope you do!

In other news, we had our 33 week doctors appointment this week.  We had a lot of questions for our doctor now that we've had our birthing class about the labor process, medications, etc.  She was able to answer everything for us, and at this point I'm feeling pretty good about the next 6+ weeks!

This week, Bob is the size of a durian!  Ok, everyone together now .... "What the 'bleep' is a durian?" ... I have no idea.  Here's what it looks like:

 

I have NO clue why they would pick this out of everything to compare my unborn child to ...  The best thing about this, is that the blog editor program doesn't even know what a durian is.  It keeps underlining it in an angry, squiggly RED LINE indicating that I have a misspelling.  I have confirmed with Google (who knows everything), that the spelling is correct.  Apparently, a durian is grown in Southeast Asia, where it is referred to as the "king of fruits"! It is "distinctive for its large size, unique odor, and formidable thorn covered husk". God good, let's hope Bob doesn't come out measuring, smelling, and LOOKING like that thing!  

Bob could be up to 20 inches long now, and could weigh in at approximately 5lbs already!

How far along? 33 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 6 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 44 days!!!)

Total weight gain: 36lbs as of our last appointment.  I gained 5lbs in a week!  I hate seeing the scale go up, but the doctor said it is normal, and that our little guy is only going to keep gaining in these next 6 weeks ... oye!
Maternity clothes? yup!  still managing to find a few non-maternity outfits here and there in my closet, but mostly in maternity clothes.
Stretch marks? No, thank god.

Sleep: Sleeping pretty well.
Best moment this week: S.H.O.W.E.R. and seeing all of our close family and friends. I loved hearing about how so many of you are reading this blog and following our journey!
Miss Anything? yes ... my old clothes. Also, being able to have a conversation without losing my breath.

Movement: Yes!!! lots!
Food Cravings: hmmm ... nothing really in the last couple of weeks.
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: swollen feet! But only on my right foot!  And my fingers have started to swell, too.  Other than that, I am continuing to lose my breath.
Isabelly Button, In or Out? She's definitely not in anymore ... but I can't say that she is completely out yet, either.  Sometimes she looks like she's out, but then I give her a little poke and she goes back in ;)
Wedding rings on or off? welp ... I've taken my rings off officially.  I made dinner the other night and took them off to cook, and had so much trouble getting them off, that I was afraid to put them back on.  I am still working on that replacement diamond ring with Dave, but he keeps telling me I need to focus on buying diapers ... sheeshh!!!! what's his problem ;)

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy!

Looking forward to: meeting BOB!  Also, this is our last free weekend before we have back-to-back weddings of Lisa Lu and Andrew, and then Daniela and Mark!!! We can't wait to see our wonderful friends get married!!! 

32 Weeks - Graduates!!

Hi Everyone!

     I'm happy to say that Dave and I have graduated from Childbirth Class, yay! .... but I'm not sure if I feel any different about labor and childbirth than I did before the class.

Pre-Childbirth Class, I was naive to everything.  Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.  Labor really doesn't scare me very much ... I don't know why. I feel as though I have a decent threshold for pain, and at least if I'm in labor, then I know that the end is near. Every contraction is one contraction closer to seeing this little man for the very first time.  It all seems like a decent trade off, if you ask me.   

So, here we are in this class, and though I found it interesting to learn about delivery and birth and how the baby travels out, etc ... I couldn't help but get distracted by one thing ...

Looking around the room, I realized that there were the typical characters that you might see in any "couples" class that you're forced to go to; Childbirth, Pre-Cana, etc.  It almost seemed scripted, to me, in a funny way.  What I mean, is, there are certain people/couples who you know will be there:

The "She's-Way-Too-Hot-For-You, Dude" couple ~ she is dressed to the nines and looks like a pregnant model, and he is wearing a t-shirt with a stain on it and flip flops with socks.  

The "We-Totally-Don't-Want-To-Be-Here" couple ~ can be detected immediately from their constant synchronous eye-rolling and slouched posture.  He tends to nod off to sleep every now and again.

The "Over-Achieving" couple ~ He's wearing glasses, and she is feverishly writing in her notebook.  During the breathing exercises, they're always serious and ALWAYS louder than everyone else.

But what I found most hilarious of all, was the totally stereotypical instructor we had. She was EXACTLY what I had imagined she would be. 

The "Totally Earthy-Crunchy Instructor" ~ donning black pants and a white, linen button-up, hammock-looking shirt that was 10 sizes too big for her.  She, of course, had shoulder-length, frizzy/curly hair, pushed back from her face with the help of an '80s plastic headband ... but her hair was never "in place".  In her headband "bump", there were always a few strands pulled out a little too far.

What made her even better, though, was how willing she was to demonstrate the pain management labor positions for us.  This includes getting on all fours, and sticking out her butt and waving it from side to side in front of everyone, including the "We-Are-Way-Too-Immature-For-This-Class-And-Have-The-Constant-Giggles" couple (... may or may not have been Dave and I).

Don't get me wrong ... she was a FANTASTIC instructor ... She really did go into detail with everything, she could answer everyone's questions, and she knew a lot about the process.  It was just ... sometimes hard to look past all of the tree-hugging to focus on the information.

She DID, however, continuously comment on how labor "isn't as bad as everyone says". She kept saying that it is socially frowned upon to talk about labor being easy, so everyone talks about how horrible it is, thus scaring all of us who are going through it for the first time.

Well, whatever happens during labor, as long as Bob and I are OK, then I figure it's a victory.  Bring it on!!!  Anything to get through these last 7+ weeks!!  It's been getting more and more difficult just attempting to act like a regular human being, so I'm ready for the end.


This week, Bob is the size of a Honeydew Melon! He is about 19 inches long and somewhere around 4-4.5 pounds!  He is in the head-down position at this point, thankfully, according to our doctor, but that could change.

How far along? 32 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 7 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 51 days!!!)

Total weight gain: 31 lbs as of my appointment last week.  I go again next Monday. Gee, I can't wait to report on this next week. I'm so excited .... grrrr...
Maternity clothes? Spent a crapload of money at Old Navy over the weekend. Clothes that fit 2 weeks ago are now too tight.  Bah-humbug.
Stretch marks? No, thank god.

Sleep: Sleeping fairly well!
Best moment this week: getting the childbirth class out of the way!!
Miss Anything? yes ... my old clothes :(

Movement: Yes!!! lots!  Everything I read says that his activity will slow down as he gets bigger ie: more cramped ... but I'll tell ya ... I feel him more now than ever!
Food Cravings: hmmm ... nothing to report on for food cravings right now. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: strangely, gum has made me a little grossed out. 
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: having trouble with deep breaths, and exhaustion ... and still peeing every 20 minutes. But the biggest symptom change this week is SWOLLEN ANKLES/FEET.  My right, worse than my left, and it comes and goes, but it is nasty looking.  My foot looked like a pig foot with little sausages hanging off.
Isabelly Button, In or Out? oh boy ... any day now she will be out completely.  She's still mostly flat, but I can feel a change in her texture.  She's definitely on the MOVE.  GROSS.
Wedding rings on or off? on, but I've talked to Dave about getting another ring to wear.  He thinks it's just an excuse to try to weasel a new diamond out of him (might be true), but honestly, I don't know how much longer I can wear my rings.  Like my feet, I am suffering from some swelling in my fingers.  I don't want to be ring-less ... then I'd just look like a little girl in trouble!!

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy!

Looking forward to: Our SHOWER!!!! This Saturday we have our shower, and I can't wait to see all of our family and friends!!!  

31 Weeks - Indecent Exposure

Hi all,

     Throughout this pregnancy journey, I have used this blog to share with you our experiences along the way.  While most of my posts here revolve around the crazy and funny things that have happened, I feel as though we have grown closer.  By "we" ... I mean, you, and I.  I have shared some fairly personal things here, and I would like to take this opportunity to warn you that things are about to get even a bit more personal with this week's post.

It's no surprise that there are some crappy symptoms that come along with pregnancy.  I've been lucky to miss out on some of the worst so far (morning sickness, hemorrhoids, and my favorite, LEAKY BOOBS), but I have had to learn to deal with this transforming body, exhaustion, and I'm pretty sure I notice a path engraved into the carpet at work connecting my office with the bathroom.  

Along with these annoying, and sometimes painful symptoms, there are a few not-so-bad symptoms.  My nails are looking GREAT, and feeling those kicks and swirls in my tummy makes me LAUGH!  One of the other symptoms/side-effects that I'm not so upset to have to deal with, however, is the new addition of ... ahem ... my ... errr ... uhhh ... well ... my girls.  Yeap ... my ... upper-half.  I am pretty much the only girl in my family to have missed out on these ample genetical *gems*, but NOW ... they have appeared with a vengeance like I've never seen before.  It's like they have decided to make up for lost years of womanhood in an attempt to make every outfit I have look 100% better (well, from the sternum up, anyway).  

I have always had a modest 'landscape' consisting of two very humble mole hills, so to speak.  Nothing to write home about, for sure.  I never really cared, because they were at least something, and, frankly, they didn't get in the way of my sports, and they never hurt or caused any problems for me.  But ... now I am finding that I have to be on constant alert, and I have had to adjust to these new 'growing pains'.  I'm not used to having to worry about covering anything up! Now, I am finding that I have to constantly do a 'booby check' to make sure that I am at least socially acceptable, and more importantly, work appropriate.  I definitely don't want to be THAT GIRL.  Ahem, eyes up here, buddy.

Anyway, this past Sunday night, we visited our sweet niece, Hannah, and on the way home, our car miraculously ended up in the Kimball's parking lot.  I'm not quite sure how that happened, but since we were there, I felt compelled to get an ice cream ;) Dave and I began enjoying our chocolate sprinkled, mint chocolate chip ice creamy libations as we relaxed into the summer breeze.  All of a sudden, I felt this little ... trickle of sorts, between my two new "friends".  At first, I didn't think anything of it.  I figured it was a stray hair that I had shed, and to be honest, I was WAYYYY more interested in my ice cream to be bothered.  

But then, things got weird ...

I started to notice that this "hair" kept bothering me.  My next thought, of course, was that I must have dropped a precious chocolate sprinkle down my shirt.  So, in an effort to salvage this 'fallen soldier', I took a quick glance down, but I couldn't see anything.  So, with a heavy heart, I put down my ice cream cup and examined my "canal" to see where this mischievous sprinkle may have migrated off to.  Of course, I can't see under these friends, so I have to reach in my shirt, being very careful with how I 'grab-and-shift' so that I don't give anything away to the innocent people passing by.  

All of a sudden, I notice that this is no sprinkle.  This is an EVIL, perverted bug that went straight for the girls and ended up in the middle, stuck in my top.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT OK with bugs.  This, coming from the girl who used to keep a terrarium filled with ticks and ladybugs and anything I could get my hands on.  Something must have happened in my childhood with bugs that I have shoved into the deepest, darkest recesses of my memory, never to be thought of again.  I HATE BUGS. 

So, once I realized that I had a 'bug touching skin' situation going on, I completely freaked.  I didn't want to scream because there were people around, so I just looked at Dave and said, "Oh my god ... it's a bug!!!!".  I started 'scooping' into my cleavage the best I could, but my "friends" were too squished in there that the scooping was not working.  The spastic motion caused this bug to slide under, and to the side so that I could no longer see it.  At this point, I am in FULL PANIC MODE.  This bug is obviously more than a pervert ... it has now become a baby eating insect, as far as I am concerned, and I needed to do anything in my power to save my baby from the searing teeth of this flying pest!

The next thing I know, I completely forgot the rules of civility and I am practically undressing my top half in front of all of the kiddies in the Kimball's parking lot.  When my public display of nudism uncovered just about everything EXCEPT the killer bug, I knew I had to take this fight to the next level.

I had to empty from underneath.  So, up goes the shirt as I feverishly try to 'scoop' from the underside.  No thinking was occurring at this time.  It never occurred to me that, not only had I already exposed my new 'jewels' for all to see, but now my HUGE PREGNANT BELLY was eye-balling everyone in eyesight! I am now beginning to sweat as I try to turn to hide my belly, but there is no place to hide it.  People are walking by and seeing both my belly, and an occasional peep show from up top.  

Mind you ... I look over at Dave and he is staring at me with a smirk on his face, happily spooning ice cream into his mouth and LAUGHING at me.  

Angels were looking down on me ... by the grace of God, I won this fight and was eventually able to get the bug out of my shirt.  It is a miracle I didn't get arrested for indecent exposure.  There was a family with a few older kids that walked by and laughed after they passed, but oh well, I guess I deserved that!

As for Bob ... he's doing fine.  The bug did not get a chance to burrow through my belly button and into the amniotic sac in an effort to eat his brain.  Thankfully!!!  This week, Bob is approximately the size of a pineapple!!! He is almost 4 pounds now, and somewhere between 15-19 inches long!

 

How far along? 31 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 8 Weeks, 2 Days (or, 58 days!!!)

Total weight gain: 31 lbs as of my appointment yesterday.  Yes, that would be 9lbs since my last doctors visit a month ago. 9LBS IN A MONTH!  I would jump off of a bridge right now, but I'd probably end up floating down stream and that's just more work than its worth.
Maternity clothes? Nothing new ... still a combo of both maternity and non-maternity clothes.
Stretch marks? nope, but I did have to buy my next bottle of stretch mark cream!!!

Sleep: sleeping alright, but still getting up a few times to run to the bathroom.  I am tired today, however.
Best moment this week: Having a well-attended open house on Sunday!  Also, hearing my niece, Hannah, say "BOB!" over and over again.  Cutest thing ever! Hah!!!
Miss Anything? yes, WINE ... but I'm missing everything, lately ... especially being able to stand up straight.

Movement: Yes!!! lots!  At my appointment, the doctor felt my stomach and said that he is in the head-down position.  Though this could still change, it's nice knowing where he is.  I'm pretty sure the bump I keep feeling pushing out is his bum :)
Food Cravings: blueberry muffins this week.  Toasted ... with butter ;)
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope!
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: having trouble with deep breaths, and exhaustion is more frequent lately.
Isabelly Button, In or Out? Isabelly is still mostly flat ... but I've noticed a little pokeage when I try to get up from the couch/bed. Seems when I initiate my stomach muscles, it migrates out a bit! Uh Oh ... it's only a matter of time.  aughhhhh....
Wedding rings on or off? on, but it is getting harder to get them on and off. I'm not sure if it is the weather, or the pregnancy.

Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, but feeling stress as I get further along. Not knowing where we will be living makes me a little nervous, but excited!

Looking forward to: Saturday we are taking a birthing class.  I think I'm looking forward to this ;)

30 Weeks - Are We Crazy?

Hi all,

     Happy 30 weeks!  Only 10 more, give or take, to go!  I am happy to say that the nursery is PAINTED!!!!  PHEW.  But ... here's the thing ... we are not designing the nursery exactly how we had planned.  The truth is ...

... we are putting our house on the MARKET!  ... ok ... say it all in unison, please ...

"WHAT ARE YOU, CRAZY?"

... and the answer would be ... yes ... yes, people, we are.  Let me explain a little bit as to how we came to this idiotic plan ....

Dave and I have actually been thinking about putting our house on the market for about a year or so now.  Don't get me wrong, I love our place.  We are currently living in a 2400 sq. ft. townhouse that is fantastic.  We have granite in the kitchen and in each of the 3 bathrooms, we have a steam shower, a jacuzzi, two gas fireplaces, and a finished basement.  What more could we want?  But the truth is ... we want our own home with our own yard and our own driveway.  And for me, I'd love a place with a more open floor plan.  The 2400 sq. ft. is spread between 4 floors ... oye the stairs ... stairs are not so good for a preggo marshmallow woman.  Dare I say my grandfather was right?  When we moved in 3 years ago, the first thing my grandfather said was, "you're going to hate these stairs when you're pregnant" ... yup, he was right.  Darn life experience ... beats me every time!!!

So for the last year or so, Dave and I have watched the market and thought about putting our house up for sale a few times.  The problem we have run into is getting it assessed right now for what it is worth.  The "comparable" units (though, they are smaller and do not have the upgrades mentioned above), have been selling for much less than what we need to sell for, thus affecting our resale value, (I sound like I know what I'm talking about, but I'm word-vomiting what Dave has tried to explain to me a zillion times).

However, the market has turned slightly, and we figured we would give it a shot!  Worst case, no one wants our place, and we continue to live there for a while longer.  Best case, we sell, and find the perfect home to raise our family.  .... annnnnd maybe stay with my mom and dad for a few months in between ;)  Did someone just say live-in nanny?  Whooo ahhh!! I could use the help, that's for sure.

The other reason we are looking to sell, and arguably, the best reason, came from David.  I asked him if this was the right thing to do and he said, "... well ... this is what we do! ... we moved into this place 6 weeks before our wedding, so it only makes sense that we would try to sell right before the baby comes!" .... ohhhh ... I didn't realize that ... ;)

Our original plan was to replace the carpet in the nursery room ... it is HORRIBLE ... the owner before us installed this brand new wall-to-wall carpet before we moved in ... but of all colors to put in there ... she installed a PINK carpet!!!! This wouldn't have been so bad if we were having a girl, but it's going to have to go for this little man.  Next, we planed on painting the walls with a 3 color palette, but in an attempt to get everything done for pictures and before our open house next week, we've had to settle with one color on the walls, and a Pepto-Bismol puke carpet. HURRRLLLL!

So, here we are.  With a half-assed nursery, but a nursery none-the-less.  The only piece of furniture we have so far is a crib!  But we are lucky enough to have a wooden rocking chair (until we get a sweet, comfy one!), and a mismatched dresser.  We have no decorations yet, but we are hoping to get a few this weekend!

Here are a few pics of the house, and of Dave putting the crib together!  Go Dave!

 Our Kick Ass Bathroom:

 Our Dining Room:

Kitchen:

Living Room:

As for the little man ... Dave has started to call him "Bob".  This will not be his real life name, but it has become his 'In Utero' name ... so much so, that our friends and family have now begun referring him to BOB!  Anyways, Bob is now about 18 inches, and approximately 3 pounds! He is about the size of a head of lettuce.  Here is what I look like with a head of lettuce stuffed up my shirt:

 

How far along? 30 Weeks, 5 Days

Countdown: 9 Weeks, 2 Days

Total weight gain: 22lbs at my last checkup.  Next checkup is Monday, and then we start going to appointments every other week!!!
Maternity clothes? Nothing new ... still in a lot of regular clothes, but more and more maternity clothes every day it seems. You should see me trying to squeeze into my regular pants. I hold the belt buckles and swing my hips around like I'm hula-hooping to try to squeeze them, inch-by-inch, over my huge butt!
Stretch marks? nope, but I did have a strange rash/mark after getting out of the shower the other day ... I almost keeled over and submitted to the stretch mark devil ... luckily, it went away!

Sleep: the AC has been fixed in our bedroom, so I'm back to sleeping great!  My only problem is figuring out how to actually get to bed earlier ... no matter what, I can't seem to get everything done and get in bed before 11pm.
Best moment this week: getting the NURSERY painted and getting the crib in there! The crib has been in our basement for 2 years, (yes, for our phantom baby ... we bought it with a Jordan's Furniture credit that was expiring!!, we aren't crazy baby people, I swear!). It's so nice to see it put together!
Miss Anything? WINE ... and ... guess what ... A HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICH. The sandwich craving is back in full steam.

Movement: Yes ... lately it's been funny ... he'll do some crazy baby-ninja moves ... but then sometimes all I'll get is this feeling that an elbow is nudging it's way through my stomach.  Like, "errrrrr ... If I could only get ... a little more .... space...in....herrrreeeeeeaahhh"
Food Cravings: I've been loving pasta with both sweet and hot sausage, red and green peppers, onions and lots of cheese!  It's soooo yummyyyyy ... even Dave said, "You can make this anytime you want to!". The other thing is buffalo chicken on a salad.  I HATE BUFFALO CHICKEN, but apparently these days I like it on a salad.... so strange ... hot sausage and buffalo chicken ... can you say SPICY FOODS????
Anything making you queasy or sick: no ... how I've managed this long without any real nausea is beyond me ... thank you symptom gods!
Gender: BOY!

Labor Signs: Nope!

Symptoms: I've noticed that it is getting harder to breathe.  It's funny in meetings when I try to explain something to a group of professionals and I'm wheezing like a 90 year-old with emphysema! (yes, that is the correct spelling of emphysema ... I had to look that one up!) 
Isabelly Button, In or Out? oh boy folks ... we are still mostly flat, but I swear at night this thing pokes out and does a jig in my bedroom and before morning, runs back to home base like nothing ever happened.
Wedding rings on or off? on, but it is getting harder to get them on and off. I'm not sure if it is the weather, or the swelling.

Happy or Moody most of the time: mostly happy, but getting nervous!

Looking forward to: this sunday's open house and hopefully getting some great offers!