30+ Weeks (New Questions!)

Wow, I look like I haven't slept in weeks.  Which, if you combine all the time I've spent NOT SLEEPING at night lately, it probably would add up to weeks.  I feel like I don't even recognize my face anymore :(  it's so fat and puffy all the time, will it ever be the same again??  This was also the latest we've taken the picture at 30weeks 4days!  This week definitely escaped us.

Oh Em Geee!  30 weeks!  I just don't know how this happened!  In some ways it feels like I've been pregnant forever, in other ways, I cannot believe how fast it's gone!  We are three quarters of the way done!  I could TECHNICALLY have her starting in 7 weeks!!  That is just so crazy to think about!  Though I know most first timers go late, and I have a feeling I probably will, and I definitely want her fully baked.  I say this now (when I'm not quite the size of a house yet), but I'd rather go a little late so she's not so close to Christmas, New Years, and Dano's birthday (December 30th).  But we'll see if I change my mind about that in December.  There's another pregnancy lesson for you, I always said I'd NEVER want to have a Christmas baby, cuz they will always get jipped on presents and missing out on celebrating their birthday.  BUT anything can happen!  Including getting pregnant on basically your first "try".  We might do something like celebrate half birthdays for her in summer.

The nursery is coming along AWESOME!  Carpet is in and we both love it, actually all 3 of us do...after some hesitation (documented on video) Clyde LOVES the carpet.  It's the ONLY carpet in our house, so it's kind of a big deal.  The dresser is also put together, only took us THREE hours!  And we were busting our butts and I'd work ahead while Dan would be screwing, it just took THAT long.  (check out the pic of the bag of hardware, which really doesn't even do it justice) I think the nursery is easily going to be my favorite room of the house.  Pretty soon all we're going to need in there is a baby!

      Giant bag of hardware.                        Cly enjoying the new carpet.

And because you can never have enough kitten pictures; Cly in his pumpkin shirt, very angry that I put it on him and trying (unsuccessfully) to escape it.

And finally, mixin it up this week with some different questions I found!

Age when you found out you were pregnant: 28

Did you experience any pregnancy symptoms?: Bloating was first, followed by "morning" sickness (without actual puking), tiredness, headaches...

 How far along were you when you found out?: 4-5 weeks

Was your little one planned or a surprise?: 50/50.  Weren't "trying", but weren't "trying not to".  LOL.  Never thought it'd happen that fast!

When is your EDD?: 1/2/13

How many weeks are you currently?: 30.5

Is this your first child?  If not, how many do you have?: First!  And BOTH grandmas' and grandpas' first!

What was your first reaction when you found out you were pregnant?: Could not believe it.  Took one test on 4/20, it was negative.  Then proceeded to go to a Brewers game, drink beer, go SKYDIVING, drink a little more beer, and go on a work trip.  When I got back, Dan asked if I was gonna take another test.  I was planning to wait until morning, but he told me to just do it now.  So on 4/24/12, our 7 month wedding anniversary, is when we found out!  Dan was just waking up from his nap and I yelled from the bathroom "Ummm, Big P, you better come here..."  I had been feeling extremely sick most of the weekend, but was in denial that it was really from being preggo.

Who was the first person you told that you were pregnant?: Other than Dano...a bartender at a friend's wedding....hahaha.  Then his parents, then mine.

How far along were you when you felt baby kick for the first time?: 18ish weeks.

What month did you find out the sex of your baby?: August

Are you having a boy or girl?: GIRL!!

What cravings have you had?: Sweets, sweets, sweets, apples, pineapples, cereal, waffles, ice cream, cupcakes.

Have you/are you planning on attending any Lamaze classes?: No, but reading and studying the Bradley Method.

Do you have a name picked out?: Sort of.  We have one we both like, but Dano just won't break down and say "yes this is it!"  I think he just likes keeping me in suspense and is eventually going to say yes to it.  Meanwhile he is still reading his "Book of 60,000 Names" and thinking he's going to find one.  Even though he's on "L" and hasn't written down ONE option!  BUT we are keeping the name a secret til birth, so you'll just have to wait!

When did you decide on a name?  Who picked it?: Still in the process of that, but I'd like to say we arrived at it together (if in fact we use the one we picked so far).  Once we have her and tell the name, I'll explain more ;)

What kind of birth plan are you considering?: Planning and hoping to go as natural as possible.  Realizing it's going to probably be a challenge in a hospital setting with an OB.  But I'm reading up on the Bradley Method and plan to have a detailed birth plan to avoid as many interventions as possible. 

What pregnancy discomforts have you experienced?: Oh my gosh: "morning" sickness, bloating, peeing a lot, hips hurting, headaches, pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome, exhaustion, heartburn/acid reflux, shortness of breath...I'm sure there's more.

What pregnancy related books have you read/are you currently reading?:Oh boy...Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth; What to Expect When You're Expecting; Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way; Belly Laughs, The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth...Still planning to read...Breastfeeding Made Simple; Changing Diapers; The Happiest Baby on the Block; What to Expect the First Years...hmmmm I'm sure there's more, or will be :)

Any weird pregnancy dreams?: Oh yes, but can't really describe any.  My sleep is so light that I'm not sure what's dreams and what's reality sometimes.

Who do you want in the delivery room with you?: Probably just Dano...but not completely decided yet.

Are you planning on breast feeding?: Yes, exclusively for as long as possible.  HOPEFULLY a year.

Do you plan on having any more little ones?: Oh yes :)  I used to want 4, Dano says no.  I'll settle for 3 :)

29 Weeks

 How far along? 29 weeks on the dot

Maternity clothes? Yup yup.

Exercising: Whoa this week sucked for that!  I skipped yoga because I was EXHAUSTED that day, and I don't think I did much else all week :( Booo.

Stretch marks? Still nope, hang in there belly skin!

Sleep: Pretty terrible.  I have a love/hate relationship with sleep right now; I'm so incredibly tired during the day that I just can't WAIT to go to bed.  But then the minute I do, it's disastrous.  Pees per night are ALWAYS 3, sometimes 4.  My dreams are so ridiculous and so real, and since I'm really only half asleep sometimes, I have no idea what's going on.  My hips are hurting worse and worse, so I constantly have to flip from one side to the other, which is no small task, so then I'm awake, and then I have to pee!  Also acid reflux has been waking me up more and more often.  One night, Dan was snoring so loud I thought I was going to lose it, then Clyde started walking on my head, THEN the baby joined in and started kicking the side I was laying on to the point that I thought a foot might be popping out!  All 3 of them are out to get me!!  I guess it's good preparation for when she's here and I'm sleeping even less!

Best moment this week: Hmm nothing really stands out, but I did start another project for the baby's room.  Some cute "poufs" to hang from the ceiling.  And they are not like the ones your are thinking that are made of paper, they are MUCH more time consuming than I originally thought, but they are looking AWESOME!

Crazy kitten LOVES plastic bags, so he was in heaven with the huge ones I brought home from JoAnn Fabric.

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? I guess other than alcohol, I'm not taking that many of the "rules" super seriously; I'm still drinking one cup of coffee a day (SOME days a coke or something too), which my doc said is fine.  I still eat some sushi occasionally, but only the stuff I know is cooked, which I generally like better anyway.  And I'm also dying my hair next week, which pretty much everyone agrees is probably ok, especially since I'm in the 3rd trimester.  So I guess call me a bad mom if you want, but everyone has to decide what's right for them.  And having my glass of wine or beer be the only thing I truly gave up, makes for a happier mama!

Movement: Yup, I was at the store last week and I was feeling kicking and I put my hand on my belly and SOMETHING was sticking WAY out!  That's the first time I've felt it like that, I mean it was an entire head or butt or foot!  Kinda freaky.

Food cravings: Sweets, sweets, sweets and apples!  On Saturday I just had to make some kind of treat.  So I was going to make Rice Krispie treats, but then I remembered seeing TRIX treats on Pinterest, well I one-upped that and made FRUITY PEBBLE treats!!!!  Rice Krispies just weren't sweet enough for me :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, tuna, and cold cuts/subs.  We did have ham and rolls on Sunday, which is SORT of like a sub, so maybe that one is on it's way out too!

Have you started to show yet: Yup!  It's funny to see people checking out my belly all the time.  Like when I'm walking through a store, I see people look at my face and then their eyes go right down to my belly!  Or when I see someone I haven't seen in awhile, the FIRST thing I see them look at is my belly!  Haha, it's pretty funny.

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? Ugh, my belly button is just disgusting!  I think it depends on her position and mine whether it looks like it's in or out.  Plus it's oddly discolored.

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but now sporting my garnet ring Dano got me :)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Feeling fairly moody lately.  It doesn't take much to annoy me and then I'm crabby very easily!

Looking forward to: Carpet going in the baby's room, wearing my Halloween shirt, finishing baby crafts, and my SHOWER!  November is going to be a CA-RAZY month for us!  I just started thinking about it last week and kind of freaked out.  We have

• Infant CPR Class
• Birthing Classes (3 nights)
• A Health Assessment through Dan's work (necessary for insurance) 
• Maternity pictures
• My shower
• A bowling party for work
• Dan's hunting 
• 2 Birthdays
• Thanksgiving
• An Anniversary party
• Sewing Class
• Breastfeeding class
• Yoga (if I can ever make it)
• At least 2 doctors appointments

OMG!!!!  That just freaked me out even more!  Plus organizing and putting the finishing touches on the nursery, assembling baby gear, washing baby clothes and diapers.  Ahhh!!!!!!  I better start on my Christmas shopping now!  She is for sure going to be here in NO TIME with all that happening!

Not loving: Acid reflux still pretty bad.  Pretty much EVERYTHING gives it to me, I mean even bland things.  But the biggest offenders are fruit and apples (which I love), chocolate (which I love) and WATER (which I love!)!  How crazy is that?!  There are times it's so bad I can't even take a sip of water without being in pain.  Other than that, just general largeness and uncomfortableness!  It's definitely a task to get my socks and pants on and off.  I still just can't believe I'm going to get bigger!!!

And because I know everyone loves to be overloaded with kitten pictures (right?! ;) )...  He just absolutely loves me and my belly lately.  It's kinda hard to tell, but the first 2 pics are of him cuddling with my belly.  Whenever I lay on my side on the couch he comes and curls up next to me and cuddles with my belly, one time he even put his hand on it :)  Aww.  The last pic is him cuddling with my leg, he just couldn't get close enough to me.  Goofball.

Thanks for reading!

~Michelle

28+ Weeks - Third Trimester!

 How many chins and necks do I have in this picture?!  Geeze!

 How far along? 28weeks 2 days  THIRD TRIMESTER!!  Cannot believe we are here already!  It's getting more and more real that I'm going to be a MOMMY!!!  There is actually a tiny little lady inside me, soo incredibly crazy.  I'm still not sure I totally grasp all of this!

Maternity clothes? Yup, pants all the time, shirts as much as I can.  Got a few more cheap shirts from Old Navy.  I just love trying on a good preggo shirt over my belly :)

Exercising: We went to the actual GYM one day!!  Woo-hoo!  It felt...weird...I did the eliptical, verrry slowly.  And lifted some weights.  Both of which were quite a task.  But I hope to go back some more before I get too tired and giant.

Stretch marks? Still nope, but I won't be counting my chickens on that one until a few weeks after I've had baby girl!

Sleep: Same as always; up a lot from hips hurting, peeing, acid reflux, Clyde, hurting thumbs, sleeping hands (which the doctor has told me is in fact pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome, yay).  As much as I really am enjoying being pregnant, I have found myself recently thinking "MAN I can't wait til this is over and I can sleep comfortably and on my TUMMY!"

Best moment this week: Pinterest night!  Had the girls over for a night of eating and crafting (and wine drinking for some of us)!  I made 3 recipes I found on Pinterest and everyone picked a project they were going to make and we actually all completed (or mostly completed) them!  It was a fun little gathering and we plan to have many more!

Here's my craft from the night :)

We also got pumpkins for daddy, mommy, and Baby P :)

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? Nope, it honestly really didn't even phase me when some of the girls were drinking wine during Pinterest night!

Movement: Oh yeah.  She's still performing acrobatics on my cervix once in awhile, which is never fun.  But the rest of the kicks and movements are!  Most of the movement I feel is on my lower right side.  From where the doc found the heartbeat this week, she guesses that she IS head down, but that doesn't make sense to me since where the doc thinks her feet are, I don't think I've felt ONE movement there.  But, it's still early and she's got room to flip and roll, so we'll worry about her position later.

Food cravings: Sweets and apples!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, tuna, and cold cuts/subs.  Coffee is off the list!  Yay!  And, wow, did I miss it!  I finally busted out my coffee maker (after putting it away months ago, cuz even looking at it made me ill) and I am LOVING my morning coffee again!!  AND I had a tuna sandwich this week!!!  It was from Culvers, and I think those taste better than ones made at home, so I'm not convinced it's completely off the list, but it was delicious!  Still can't think about subs though.  Dan asked the other night if I thought I could do Cousin's, and I definitely could not!  Ick!

Have you started to show yet: Oh yeah, no denying it now!

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? Sometimes it looks like it's still in and sometimes it's completely flat.  All of a sudden one night I looked at it and it was FLAT and weird things were happening!  I'm getting worried the pop IS going to happen!

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but now sporting my garnet ring Dano got me :)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but been a little moody with Dano occasionally ;)  And it doesn't take much to get me irritable.

Looking forward to: Carpet going in the baby's room next week.  And a WONDERFUL friend of ours was able to pick up our dresser for us from Ikea!!!  Saving Dano and I an extra trip and headaches if they were sold out again!  It definitely feels good to have that crossed off the list!  As soon as the carpet goes in, we'll be getting it put together.

Here's a little sneak peak of the nursery!  Excuse the Clyde protection on top of the crib, we do NOT want him thinking he's gonna be sleepin' in there with his sister! :)

Also looking forward to my shower!  It's already a little less than a month away and invitations went out last week!  I'm so excited to get together with family and friends and...who are we kidding...get lots of cute {pink} baby stuff!!! :)

Not loving: ACID REFLUX!  Ahh!  I have had some bad days of this recently!  The most frustrating part is that all these symptoms just come and go as they please; Saturday, I thought I was literally going to die or my entire neck was going to start on fire from acid reflux.  Then Sunday, NOTHING.  Not that I'm complaining, but it's just so crazy how things are so different from day to day.  And what's funny is I actually ate a lot of the same things these 2 days because I had a lot of leftovers from Pinterest night!  So sometimes there just is no culprit other than straight up pregnancy!  

Then there's my officially diagnosed pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome.  Luckily, so far it isn't actually PAINFUL (besides when my thumbs seem to dislocate in my sleep every night), but it is fairly annoying that my right hand is asleep/tingly/numb almost all day.  All the cleaning, baking, and chopping for Saturday (PLUS my craft) made for an extremely numb hand all day long.  I pretty much can't do anything without making my right hand numb, which is hard since I'm right handed!  I'm constantly trying to shake out my hand to wake it up.  BUT, I'll take it as long as it doesn't get painful.

And of course the coughing, I won't even get into it.  Yes, I still have it, it's marginally better, but still there.

Thanks for reading!

~Michelle

27+ Weeks

How far along? 27weeks 1day

Maternity clothes? Yup, I'm really trying to make things work, but my belly makes things so short!  I may still have to get more shirts.

Exercising: Did a bit of walking, but not much.  FINALLY back to yoga this week; I missed 3 weeks for various reasons and my hips can tell!  I can't wait to get back in there, though I'm sure I'll be struggling.

Stretch marks? Still nope.

Sleep: What sleep?  The numbness and tingling in my hands and painful thumbs are pretty much a constant at night, as well as peeing of course and just general uncomfortableness.

Best moment this week: Getting most of the stenciling done and REGISTERING!  Ok the registering wasn't much of a "best" moment what with me stressing and eventually CRYING on the floor of Target over breast pumps (yes that actually happened).  But I think I'm just working myself up, we did get a lot accomplished, it's just SO overwhelming!  WHY are there like 300 different types of bottles?!  Do you really need a different bottle and nipple at different ages??  And which breast pump is best?  (Can I really breastfeed for a year working full time?!)  Which stroller and carseat are the safest?!  I want like 3 different types of strollers (regular/full size, jogging, and "umbrella"), but is that dumb?!  And I'm obsessed with colors of things (should this be pink or neutral?  should this match the livingroom since that's where it will reside? should this match this or this?).  I know this is all ridiculous, but I can't help it, it's the "designer" in me and wanting things to be perfect and cute.  And thinking about how many pictures get taken in her carseat or swing or whatever...I don't want that to be ugly!  Ugh I need to get over it, there are obviously more important things!

Have you told family and friends: Yup!

Miss Anything? Nope nope!  I really do not feel that deprived of anything at all!  Ok, yes I've had my (few and far between) moments of "MAN I need a drink!", but other than that, I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything.  Being pregnant and having a baby is THE most important thing in the world to me right now, and no glass of wine or night out partying is going to change my mind about that or make me regret being pregnant for ONE second!

Movement: Tons.  For a few days (and nights!) she would not lay off my cervix!  Eww, it's so horrible!  I absolutely love feeling her kicking, so when she kicks there and I hate it, it makes me sad.  But then all of a sudden her kicks were back on my right side, thank goodness!  Stay away from the door, baby, it's not time yet!  She still likes to do it from time to time, but I found that if I put my hand at the top of my belly, it gets her to move up there, so that helps.

Food cravings: Sweets, fruit, and cereal...OH and waffles!!  Had to bake some chocolate chip cookies over the weekend cuz I just HAD to have them!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Coffee, tuna, and cold cuts/subs.  Coffee is off the list!  Yay!

Have you started to show yet: Yup, things are growin' now!  Even looking back just a few weeks ago, I can't believe how much bigger it is!  One morning Dano lovingly told me "it looks HUGE today!"  Then I got to work and someone else made a comment about how I'm "really growing", so I guess me and baby had a growth spurt.

Gender: GIRL GIRL GIRL, IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!  :)

Labor Signs: Nope
 

Belly Button in or out? Still in and red. 

Wedding rings on or off? Off, but now sporting my garnet ring Dano got me :)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, yet clearly stressed.  But I'm loving how the nursery is coming together!

Looking forward to: Wearing my Halloween shirt that I ordered online!  It is SO STINKIN' CUTE!  I'll post my pic that week in it, I just love it!  Now if I only had any Halloween plans....

Also finishing the stencil in the baby's room, getting the carpet in, and hopefully getting our dresser soon!  Things are slowly coming together.  The stenciling turned out AWESOME!  Unfortunately it doesn't show that well in pics because the "pink" is so close to the "gray/mauve/malt" (whatever) color.  But I'll try to post some when the nursery is closer to done.

Not loving: Still coughing and congestion; I have come to terms with the fact that I will be coughing for the rest of my life, it has just become a part of my life and I accept it.  But seriously.  Other than my cough, I honestly feel great!  The only other constant thing is some acid reflux, but since I've basically been living on Pepcid, I mostly keep it at bay.  There are still days that I have to remind myself "OH YEAH!  I'm pregnant!"  We'll see if that feeling lasts through the 3rd trimester.

Also NOT looking forward to my Rh (whatever) shot it's called at my doctor's appointment this coming week :(  I still don't 100% understand it, but I think I mostly do, and I know it involves shots...which I do NOT do :(  And I've heard it burns...booooo.  

Thanks for reading!

~Michelle