32wks & The Sweetest Gifts

 

 

How far along? Turned 32 Weeks on Halloween

Total weight gain/loss: +16lbs
 

Maternity clothes? Most of the time. Loving leggings and sweats.

Stretch marks? Nope
 

Sleep: So much better lately! Not as uncomfortable, and not as much insomnia! I hope it lasts!
 

Best moment this week: Read story below. Also, I went to my new practice for the first time and met my midwife. Very overwhelming switching doctors at 32wks, but I feel good about the switch, and I know that our desires and hopes for a completely natural labor and delivery will be beyond honored here!

Miss Anything? I really miss my workouts, laying on my stomach and being able to breathe on my back!
 

Movement: Still nonstop. He's big enough now that the kicking is not as much "thumping" but more rolling. Rolling in the rib cage is a pretty unique feeling...

Food cravings: I need chocolate ALL THE TIME
 

Anything making you queasy or sick: All of the movement.
 

Have you started to show yet: I am a whale
 

Gender: Boy
 

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks all the time
 

Belly Button in or out? What belly button?

Wedding rings on or off? On, still no swelling anywhere

Happy or Moody most of the time: Ive been in great moods lately since I am getting more sleep!
 

Looking forward to: My baby shower SATURDAY!!

 

  ****

 

Last night, my cousin and aunt drove in from St. Louis for the baby shower. My cousin insist I open a gift from her last night, which I am glad she did because I cried (duh) and I'd rather do that at home than in front of 30 friends.... She handed me a little white bag, and I pulled the card out and it said, "You probably don't remember this blanket, but it was yours when you were a baby." Let the tears begin... "The morning you all left St. Louis to move to Atlanta you guys came over to our house to say good bye, and you gave me your blanket. I've saved it all these years for this very moment!" OMG are you dying?? Inside the card was the picture below (wasn't I cute ;)), and inside the white bag was that blanket. I still can't believe it! I can't believe she saved it all these years, and I can't believe I, as an upset 2yr old, gave away my blanket! What a sweet and special moment. I can't wait to wrap my baby in it!

I'm not done. There are more tears to be shed. We proceeded to eat dinner, then my cousin chimes in again "Hey, I have another gift for you!" And I'm thinking, "quit torturing me!!" But, again, I am glad she let me open it at home. My 90yr old grandmother sent a gift for the baby that I opened. It is hand knitted cap that is absolutely beautiful, but my favorite part was her note that she wrote to the baby:

 "To Michael Andrew" (His name is Andrew Michael...things like this make her letters so great) "Wear this cap to keep you warm, cozy, safe, and far from harm. Here's hoping you will always be happy and healthy as can be. All my love, Great Grandma."

 

 

Her handwriting is getting harder and harder to read, she can hardly see any more, and she had some friends of hers knit the cap for the baby. It is so special for me to be able to cherish this letter and save it for him to read when he is older, as he may never get a chance to really know her. Man oh man, I hope Saturday isn't this emotional! I can't handle much more!!

Here's a peek at the nursery. I took this Friday night after my rocker was delivered (thanks mom!). We worked on the room this weekend, but there is still more to do. I'd rather wait until its all finished to post more pics!

Eight more weeks (I hope) until little bambino is here to play!!!

30 Weeks

Maybe I should have been blogging this week-by-week thing throughout pregnancy.....? Oh well.

How far along? 30 Weeks (I took the pic at 29wks...Im sure not too much has changed in the last week)
 

Total weight gain/loss: +15lbs
 

Maternity clothes? Probably about 50%... t-shirts still fit, and my jeans still fit with the Bella Band...but maternity pants are much more comfortable in the belly region!

Stretch marks? Nope
 

Sleep: HA!
 

Best moment this week: Seeing baby on the 3D/4D Ultrasound (thanks to my boss who got us that for a gift:))

Miss Anything? Sleep. Intense exercising. And I would really like to enjoy just one Terrapin Pumpkinfest beer...tis the season...
 

Movement: NONstop!! Baby is laying sideways right now, so when he stretches out I feel his little head on one side and his feet on the other at the same time. Its pretty crazy. He also gets the hiccups about 3-4x/day.

Food cravings: Still haven't had any. Enjoying chocolate and lots of cold cereal!
 

Anything making you queasy or sick: All of the movement.
 

Have you started to show yet: Duh
 

Gender: Boy
 

Labor Signs: Do Braxton Hicks count?
 

Belly Button in or out? Um....its pretty funky looking...in, but pretty shallow.

Wedding rings on or off? On (no swelling anywhere...yet)

Happy or Moody most of the time: That depends on how comfortable I'm feeling and how much sleep I got :) Sorry Drew
 

Looking forward to: My baby shower and seeing family from out of town in 3 weeks! AND...I only have 2 more weeks of work left!!!!!

I am slowly making progress on the nursery. I've had the trim taped off for a few weeks and am slowly getting it painted. The walls are painted, the trim is in the process of getting painted, the free crib we got is getting refinished by a friend of mine (thank goodness I didn't have to do it myself!!!), the dresser and nightstand are assembled, and I am waiting on the rocker. It will definitely be ready before baby comes, but my goal was to have 90% of it finished before my shower so that I can just spend the rest of the time getting things put together and organized.

I can't believe in about 10wks (give or take) I will be holding my sweet baby!!

Bradley

Last night we had our first of 12 "birthing" classes. I'd like to think of them more as just educational rather than just birthing. Yes, we will learn all about the gory details, but we're going to learn waaayyy more than a hospital-offered class will teach us. Hubs is actually pretty excited about the whole thing, as am I. We hit the jackpot when it came to instructors, as ours can (if we pay her more) serve as a Doula if that is a route we go, she is a lactation consultant, and she's willing to be on call at all times throughout labor or for anything else.

If nothing else, I hope and pray these classes will ease my mind a bit, because the majority of the time, I get pretty dag-gone nervous about this whole giving birth thing!

Babymoon

Hola amigos! This past week, Drew and I headed back to Punta Cana to celebrate our "babymoon" - our last vacation without a baby (doctor's orders). Not that we won't travel without kids in the future, it will just be different I'm sure. Another couple who we have gotten super close with over the last couple years came with us, and we all had so much fun. I loved having another woman with me, and I know Drew is so glad he had a friend to "play" with!

With everything going on, all that we have coming up in the next couple months, this vacation was so perfect for recharging my batteries and feeling completely refreshed! I am ready to finish up my last couple months of work, finish the master bathroom project, start/finish the baby's room, and NOT pack a suitcase again until 2012!! I am so very thankful and feel so very blessed to have been able to take this trip and for a husband who can do things like this for our family.

Please excuse my girth in this last pic :/

In house project news, the painter is coming this week to get rid of wall paper and paint the bathroom!! I CANNOT wait! I have basically been waiting a year and a half to get this bathroom finished since it is nearly impossible to remove the 1988 wall paper. I am so so excited. I cannot wait to take a bath for the first time in my own home :) yay!

In baby news, I am currently being kicked so hard my skin is jumping out of control... I don't know how I feel about this. I do love feeling him, but sometimes it's non-stop-can't-sleep movement. This week, baby is the size of an ear of corn...hard to imagine an entire ear of corn hanging out in my midsection. I have a doctors apt this week, and I'm preeeeetty nervous about stepping on the scale... The all-inclusive resort may or may not have contributed to this fear. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage, but we'll find out. Yike.

Pregnant

I cannot believe I haven't done this since February. I have no excuse. I haven't even been busy. NOT!

I figured since I am getting nagged, since I am cookin' a kid, since I am about to start/finish several projects around the house, AND since I will have absolutely NO excuse once I am a "stay-at-home-mom," I might as well start back up.

Yes, I am pregnant. 23 weeks to be exact and little bun-in-the-oven is due December 26...I know I am a horrible mom already and that is the worst birthday EVER. So this holidays this year will be interesting, but we are more excited than we can even describe. Baby Holley is a little boy and we cannot wait to meet and hold him...and Andrew Michael is his name. Yes, I am the traditional type of gal, and Andrew is daddy's name, and Michael is a family name on my side, and also my brother's name. It is special to me to be able to name my son after two of the most important men in my life. And their legacy can live on. And Drew is ecstatic to say the very least. There has been lots of fist-pumping going on around here.

The experience of pregnancy is unlike anything else, and as much as I want it to be over sometimes (because it can get pretty daggum uncomfortable), I am so blessed and thankful beyond words to even experience this miracle. Little booger is growing, and growing fast! And kicking HARD. I guess that is what I should expect with a boy.

So as pregnancy progresses, and as our house projects start coming along, I will post more. On the to do list is the master bathroom - which is currently under a bit of construction, the baby's room - which is currently a big mess, and a list of 5,000 things that are making my head spin that are probably unnecessary but are a result of nesting.

It's good to be back!

1st Demolition

We've just about painted every surface in the house, added new light fixtures, hardware to cabinets, bead board to walls, etc etc...however, we have not (until this weekend) used a sledge hammer to demo an entire room. And it was awesome. And about time.

Here is our guest bathroom remodel, we completed it in 3 days and spent about $550...not bad for a bathroom. Everything is new except the tub/shower. And it tiled my first floor!

 this is what the hallway looked like for 3 days...give or take a few more power tools

 tile demolition

 thankfully, we found this awesome wallpaper behind the mirror. not.

 i'm thinking about keeping the old toilet there. any suggestions?

so sexy

 tile gone

 painted hazy sage, same as laundry room

 new light fixture installed

 tile tile tile

tile complete

 toilet hooked up

 vanity installed (don't ya love the knobs?!)

awesome cabinet hung

 bathroom beautiful

 he cant wait to get a drink of water outta here

now we just have to install trim......

i'm ready for a week long nap.

Christmas Time!

Wow...it has been forever since I have blogged. I guess I feel like I don't have much to say, but since it's the season we all love, I thought I'd write about and share some pictures of the fun time I had decorating this year!

I got everything from my mantle from Hobby Lobby, and it was mostly little sprigs and clips that I clipped onto the garland. I found some other garland at Garden Ridge that I really liked that looked like Magnolia leaves but spray painted with gold and a shimmer. We got a real tree from Home Depot and our house smells wonderful...especially when my favorite candle is lit. Winter, by Bath and Body...so good.