34 weeks

Last Sunday we had our Baby Care Basics class.  I must say, I rather enjoyed it.  It was from 12pm-3pm and it went over most of the basic baby care skills that you can think of.  A lot of this information I already knew but it was nice to think of it in a different way... a way that I've never really been exposed to before.  Sure, I've changed a diaper, I've fed a baby, and I've even seen a baby delivered in a hospital setting... but I've never been on the other side of the story.  I know what to expect but it was nice to get a refresher on what I'm going to be doing day to day.  I am the second oldest of 6 sisters and 1 brother, and I've had my share of helping with the babies... but my husband has not.  I think it was especially comforting to have him with me to learn and participate.  He's a smart guy and I think we will be a-okay.  I rather enjoyed watching him put a diaper on a baby doll and pretend to bathe him... not something I thought I would ever see.  Hehe.

Today, he celebrates with his friends.  He is currently at his "Man Shower".  His buddies decided that celebrating a new baby is not just for the ladies and gathered together tonight for an evening of fun.  No baby games for them, they will be playing cards and doing man things (so I hear).

34 weeks: mmm, cantelope!

How far along? 34  weeks
Maternity clothes? Pretty much the only thing I can wear.  Even my regular sleep pants are uncomfortable with the waistbands.  I've resorted to primarily night gowns (which I'm not a fan of) and I have 1 pair of all cotton long johns that I purchased at Target just recently to sleep in.  I'm thinking the pants won't fit me much after the baby arrives. 
Stretch marks? None as of yet...
Sleep? Still the same, up every so often but not having any trouble falling back asleep.
Best moment this week?  Spending Saturday with my hubby at our Baby Care Basics class and then stopping for BBQ ribs on the way home.  It was nice having that time together, focusing on the baby and enjoying eachother's company.
Miss Anything? Warmer weather but I suppose this happens every year, haha.
Movement? He's still going strong.
Food cravings? Lemon cake.  I love it!
Anything making you queasy or sick? No.
Gender? Boy.
Labor Signs?  Braxton-Hicks here and there every so often.
Symptoms?  Still tired but keeping busy.  Trying to get everything ready.  Baby's furniture comes next week!!!  CAN'T WAIT!!  We are painting the baby's room tomorrow, neutral beige.  I am so ready to get rid of those charcoal/neon-green/pink&White striped walls!!  Oh jeez... don't ask.  It's a mixture of many rooms before.  Believe me, it's got to go!!
Belly Button in or out?  What belly button? ;o)
Wedding rings on or off?  Still on.
Mood? Excited.
Looking forward to? Having the room painted, the furniture arriving, and getting everything set up, FINALLY!

33 weeks

This week has been uneventful with the exception of today.  My friends (aka my work family) had me a baby shower.  We all met at Tres Potrillos in Galloway earlier this evening (yum Mexican food).  They had the table decorated ever so cute, party favors, games, and all of their smiling faces there.  It was so awesome and made me feel super special.  We had good talks and laughs.  It was so nice to see everyone outside of work.  I think the funniest moment of the night (and I'm sure they will agree) is when I accidentally opened a gift for another friend from work.  Funny thing is, she had a little baby girl.  Just imagine the look of confusion on my face when I was holding the cutest baby girl gift in my hands, a super cute mint green onesie with a pink cupcake on it and a denim jumper/skirt with ruffles!  ADORABLE... but is this for me?  Haha... every laughed hysterically when we realized it was for Lucy's sweet baby girl.  That is a moment that I will never forget.  I love laughing like that, so hard that tears are running.  It's the best feeling.

How far along? 33 weeks
Maternity clothes? Most definitely!!
Stretch marks? None yet
Sleep? I'm up every 1-2 hours making at "pit stop".  Starting to get used to the lack of sleep.  Guess it's my body's way of saying "Hey lady, get used to it!... your sleeping days are OVER!"
Best moment this week? Having a baby shower with my work family!  Talk about feeling LOVED! <3  It was so nice to getting together.  Great girls, great laughs!!
Miss Anything? Nothing to mention.
Movement? Always... gettnig more rolling around and pressure from extending arms and lets now.
Food cravings? Yes.  Food please, haha.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope. Just the continual heartburn.
Gender? Boy.
Labor Signs?  Just the Braxton-Hicks (I'm assuming since I have nothing to compare to).
Symptoms?  Still tired.
Belly Button in or out? Stetched out! I'm thinking it's not going to pop at this point but it has pretty much disappeared.
Wedding rings on or off?  Still on!
Mood? Loved!
Looking forward to? Seeing his precious face.

Ultrasound 11/24/12

I made a visit for a 3D ultrasound.  The little guy didn't want to move his hands from his face.  Looks like I will be getting some good use out of those newborn mittens. Here is the one shot we were able to get of his face.  Check out those lips!! From what I can see, they look like Ray's.

Face

 Feet

 Hands (in his face) :o)

Look at all that hair!!

Well folks, we have about 8 weeks left.  It's hard to believe that it has went this fast (and yet it feels so far away).  I know he will be here before we know it.  I'm still so excited.

32 weeks

Happy Thanksgiving!!  Today, I spent my Thanksgiving taking care of families that were not mine.  I am thankful for the time I do get to spend with my family.  Yesterday, and every Wednesday before Thanksgiving that I can remember, was spent with my Grandma and Grandpa Wellman.  It's nice to have Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday because I never miss it.  I have been fortunate to have every Wednesday before Thanksgiving off so that I can spend the evening with my family.  This year, we had smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cauliflower salad, macaroni and cheese, and rolls.  I finished my meal with a delicious piece of homemade apple pie and Ray had chocolate pie.  Yum!

We left early to see White Christmas at the Palace Theater.  I enjoyed the show but I must say it was HOT!  I removed my coat, my jacket and my shoes because it was so hot.  For the first time with this whole pregnacy, my poor feet swelled.  They swelled so much that I could barely get my feet back into my dress shoes.  Was it all the food I ate or the heat? I have no idea!  Fortunately for me, my feet returned to normal size once I returned home and propped them up.  I do not like that feeling, at all.

Tuesday I had a checkup, the normal stuff.  Baby's heartbeat is around 145 and doc says I'm measuring normal size and my weight gain is right on track.  For those of you who continue to ask me if there is more than one in there, the answer is still no. ;o)  Unless, the second baby is a ninja and they just can't find him... or her.  Hmm.

Here I am at 32 weeks in my Thanksgiving dinner/theater dress:

How far along?  32 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Most definitely

Sleep?  Here and there, trying to get my naps in when I can.

Miss anything?  More naps, lol!

Movement?  Constantly, except when a friend or family member wants to see/feel him move, then he rests.

Food cravings?  Water (mostly Aquafina), pumpkin delights, and grapes.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  No.

Labor signs?  I think I may have had my first run in with Braxton-Hicks, although I'm not entirely sure.  My belly firms up temporarily and then relaxes.  It's not painful but it is uncomfortable.  I tend to notice it mostly when I am up and moving, especially while I'm at work or working around the house.  I talked to my OB-Gyn about it and he agrees.

Symptoms?  Still heartburn like crazy.  No particular rhyme or reason for it.  It's worse than my normal heartburn where it burns in my throat and the recommended Tums do not work.  I'll live.

Belly Button in or out?  Can you believe that it's still in? I can't!  It's hanging on for dear life.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on, even after the theater swelling incident.

Mood?  Much better now that the carpet has been installed and the bathroom project is coming to a close.  What's next?  Painting baby's room.  :o)  PS, have I mentioned how happy I am now that we have new carpet? I love it.

Looking forward to?  My ultrasound tomorrow!! And we are getting closer to delivery date for the baby's furniture.  We must get that room painted!!



31 weeks

This last week I haven't slowed down.  I've cleaned, and cleaned, and cleaned some more... it's never ending.  I guess you can say that I have reached that nesting phase.  I can't keep up!  We have so many things to do and I've reached panic mode.  I'm driving myself crazy, I'm driving Ray crazy, and I must be driving my friends crazy too.  I need a break (I know you are all laughing right now, right? "I need a break" says the lady that will never get another break once the baby comes, haha.  I've been hearing that a lot lately. "Get your sleep while you can".)

Thursday I saw the latest and final Twilight move.  It was bittersweet.  Not my favorite of the 5 but it was still a lot of fun.  This time the premier opened at 10pm, nice.  My party of 8 arrived to the Movie Tavern theater at around 8pm, got great seats, and enjoyed a few snacks too.  It was nice to have our group together again to enjoy the last show.

Yesterday, we had carpet installed!!  Whoo hoo!!  It looks so good and it's so soft.  You won't believe how happy this carpet makes me.  What a relief it is to have nice, fresh, new carpet before the baby comes.  I also joined my friend Katy at Sew to Speak sewing shop for a stocking class and it was SO fun.  I made the cutest little stocking.  I want to make several more but I'm afraid I will have to put it aside until I can finish some of these home projects.  I'm also in the process of completing the baby's nursery quilt and decorations.  First things first.  Check out my stocking:

So sorry to mention, I do not have a profile pic for 31 weeks.... camera error.

How far along?  31 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yes

Sleep?  About the same, less and less.

Miss anything?  The ability to touch my toes without having to pull my leg up, haha.

Movement?  All day and all night, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Food cravings?  Pizza.  Especially Dante's.  They have great pizza.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  No but I really don't like the smell of the handsoap that Ray is using.  It's not a gross smell, it's just overwhelming and it gives me a headache.

Labor signs?  No, not yet.

Symptoms?  Same issue with heartburn, a bit of backache, and generally tired all the time.

Belly Button in or out?  Still in and holding.

Wedding rings on or off?  On!

Mood?  Stressed.  So much to do and no time to do it.  I need 3 clones of myself, preferably non-pregnant ones so they can do all the lifting and hard work.  I'm beat!

Looking forward to?  My doctor's appointment on Tuesday, Thanksgiving dinner, and going to the Palace Theater to see White Christmas with Ray.

30 weeks

This week has been a week to remember.  I started off Monday by waking up sick.  Ick.  At first I thought I wasn't feeling so bad, so I went to work... but as the night went on it became 10x worse!  Turns out, I had a nasty stomach bug.  8 hours into my shift I had chills, diarrhea, horrible nausea and stomach pains,  I was pale and I felt weak all over.  I wasn't able to eat a thing all day long but I did continue to sip water and keep my fluids down.  Fortunately, I was able to end the night at 8 hours so I could go home and go to bed.  I was in bed by 8 and didn't wake until 8am the next morning.  Tuesday (election day at that) I awoke feeling 80% better.  I was able to eat and decided to head into work for round 2.  Fortunately, as the night went on, I felt better and better.  On the flip side, my poor husband picked up my bug... glad it only lasted 24 hours for the both of us.

As Friday rolled around, I had my long awaited 3 hour glucose test to deal with.  I started my special diet on Tuesday (which didn't go so well considering my deal with illness) and continued it until Thursday night until 10pm.  I ended up having to call my doctor on Wednesday to discuss this crazy meal plan.  This diet consisted of more food than I normally eat on a regular basis, let alone when my stomach is not up to par.  The nurse told me it was OK and that I just needed to do my best.  And that I did.  By Thursday I was closer to following the diet than I had started.  Friday morning, I arrived to my OB-Gyn's office (starving), had my blood drawn, drank that nasty orange syrup, stuck it out for another 3 hours having my blood drawn each hour, and I survived that horrid 3 hour test!  I could've ate an entire cow by the end of it.  Worse part is, by the time it was over, everywhere was packed with people needing lunch.  I eventually found my way to Chipotle (go figure) and had a fulfilling lunch.  Here's to next week when I find out the results.

 My family baby shower was yesterday.  It turned out very nice.  I had a lot of family and a few close friends come to celebrate our little bundle of joy.  I started off the day by getting my hair cut and styled (I love that) and running a few last minute errands.  It was so nice to have everyone together again and even more exciting to show off my baby bump.  Last time I had everyone together in the same room was the day I was married.  I was a bit thinner then ;o)  I'm so thankful for the friends and family that came to help set up and clean up as well.

Here I am at 30 weeks!

(sorry, no chalkboard this week)

Delicious cake, compliments of Shanna Browning

My dad built the cradle on the left for me when I was a baby

Sweet and Salty Snack Station

 

How far along? 30 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Oh yes, and barely anything else!

Sleep?  Not so much.  Waking up every hour to make bathroom breaks or roll over.  I've been trying to sleep on my sides but I continually wake up on my back.  I think I'm making the effort to roll over but I just can't get there.  Hehe.

Miss anything?  Wearing my pants below my belly button on purpose, ha!  Seems like any regular pants (and I'm talking elastic waist sleep pants) I have just end up rolling down on me.

Movement?  So much!  Especially at night when I'm trying to rest.

Food cravings?  Food! I can't fit much in there but I feel like I'm always hungry.  I've also been keeping myself super busy so I think that I'm burning a lot of energy too.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  No.

Labor signs?  Not yet.

Symptoms?  Heartburn and pressure.  Numb spot seems to have faded, hooray!

Belly Button in or out?  It's still in, I can't believe it.  It looks and feels like it is on it's way out.

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on and hopefull they will stay!

Mood?  Good but stressed.  I have a lot on my plate right now... so much to do.

Looking forward to?  Sorting through all of the wonderful gifts that we received, putting all of it away in it's place, and sending out thank-you's!

29 weeks

Happy Halloween!!  I will be dressing up this year as a nurse! ;o)  I decided to work this year on the 31st and allow those with kiddies to take their children out during Beggar's Night.  I'm not exactly sure how it will work out tomorrow considering Hurricane Sandy has been wrecking havoc and causing such bad weather.  It has been cold, windy, and rainy.  It's crazy when just the other day it was sunny and 75.  Break out your winter coat... I am ready with mine.  I was able to get a great clearance deal on an actual maternity coat.  It's a little big but I have made a few changes to it and it will work out great.  I also have some room to grow, just in case.

Well friends, I have some not so good news to share.  Yesterday I received a phone call from my OB-GYN that my glucose test came back positive.  What does this mean besides my emotional level sky-rocketing?  It means that I have to go back for additional testing to determine if I have gestational diabetes.  Next Friday, November 9th, I will have to go for a 3 hour glucose test (which actually will take 4 hours total) to determine if I am able to process sugar adequately.  My doctor told me my results were only about 6 points out of the normal range but it was still elevated enough.  Please keep me in your thoughts next Friday... I'm hoping for good results and trying to keep positive.  I, most likely, will not find out the results that day but hopefully soon after.  I'll keep you posted.

How far along? 29 weeks.

Maternity clothes? Yes.
Stretch marks? No.
Sleep? Trying to sleep in most days, unless I work.
Miss Anything? Caffeine again.  It's rough seeing the signs for Pumpkin Latte's from Starbucks and walking away.  I know I can get them caffeine free but now I'm worried about the sugar.  :o(
Movement? Oh yes.
Food cravings? Candy... now that I'm trying to avoid it, it seem so tempting.
Anything making you queasy or sick? No.
Gender? Boy.
Labor Signs? No.
Symptoms? So tired... I just want to sleep all day.
Belly Button in or out? In but I'm thinking it will be out soon.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Mood? A little bummed about my test results but trying to keep a positive mind.
Looking forward to? Getting carpet!! We finally decided we are having the carpet replaced.  Now, we just need to decide on where to purchase and what color.