Week 38 Bumpdate

I think a little part of me cries inside when I take the Christmas tree down. The dread to put it up is offset by the pretty lights that I stare at which is then wiped away by the once again dark corner that once held such pleasure. And then we have the whole "shove it in the box that appears to be way too small" moment and you feel like your just literally crushing Christmas into said box. Crush. Smash. Push. Ergh. Am I the only one who feels this way? ...however this corner now holds the swing for our Baby Girl which I guess makes it an equally happy corner once again.

As fabulous as our Christmas was, it would of been made better with a little  or a lot of snow but we were greeted with 60 degree temperatures.  However, I will not complain that on Christmas Eve I had a window and door open as I did some Spring cleaning...ahem nesting? I was given the "slow down and don't push yourself" speech by a lady at the Auto Parts store on Christmas Eve. I assured her I was but then I starting recalling everything I got accomplished before 1pm that day and I realized I lied. Oops.

I also have to share a quick-ish story that happened yesterday when I went to get gas.
Scene: I'm at pump 9 and the old man is at pump 11 which was in front of me. I come out from paying for my gas (yes we still pay-before pumping with cash)

Old Man: Well have a nice holiday
*was that to me? is he on the phone? I should probably respond and be nice right?*
Me: Thanks you too
*continue to pump gas*
Old Man: So how much longer?
Me: Not much. 13 days
Old Man: Oh I should of known, I do so much with the number 13, you have no idea
*what does that even mean?*

He then proceeds to ask me where I'm from and tells me he's from a similar area...works with some guy since 1962...something something about Richard Nixon. I totally have no idea when he was talking about except those few things.

*pause in conversation him talking and me nodding*
*"come on gas pump, go faster so I can leave"*

Old Man: So..have you ever seen a UFO?

*I.Kid.You.Not*

He then proceeds to tell me how he's seen one, he should of been dead 25 times now, he has 23 people under his belt (still no idea what that even means) and how people ask him if he's an alien because of the things he does.

*seriously can this pump go ANY SLOWER?*

Finally a break in the conversation appears and my pump clicks off. I wish him a good day, get in my jeep and lock the freaking door. But he continues to talk to me through my vehicle and I just smile and wave. He also asked my name to which I replied with  a fake one, just in case the aliens tell him to take me with him...ok officially creeped out now. I'm never getting gas alone again. And when Baby Girl comes we are switching to paying via the bank card so I can just swipe and stay in my vehicle. I attract the weirdest, creepiest, oddest characters. You have no idea....well you do now since I just told you that story. You should just hear my hippie stories...I got em.

Let's do the bumpdate so we can get our mind of creepy alien old men

How far along: 38 weeks

Gender: Girl        

Weight gain: 20lbs+

Maternity clothes: I resisted buying two more pairs of maternity jeans at Goodwill this past weekend. Apparently my mind is so consumed with maternity wear that it’s all I think about when I shop for clothes. But no more. I will wear out each piece I have and then store it all away for if and when we have another child.

Best moment this week: Can this be proving lots of people wrong saying that baby Girl was going to come on Christmas? I swear that a little anxiety has left my body now that we’ve passed Christmas day.
Worst moment this week: The alien guy basically tops the list this week

Miss anything: Not being the center of attention

Movement: Ok so she sometimes moves in such a way that is so slow and huge that it almost makes me stop breathing. I have to just stop what I’m doing and wait for her to get into place. I don’t even know how to explain it but it’s the worst. It’s like she’s doing huge body rolls in there.
Cravings: probably chocolate and cereal

Queasy or sick: nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs: I think I had a contraction the other day but nothing since. It showed all the signs of a contraction but since I’ve never had one before I cannot confirm it was one.

Looking forward to: Meeting our daughter!!

Belly Button in or out:  Out for the count
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy happy happy

Happy New Year my friends, all the best to you in 2016!

Week 37 Bumpdate

Are you ready for Christmas? We certainly are! Although it seems like we had our shopping done and wrapped and yet we still say "Did we get so-and-so something?" and then have to travel back to the crazy stores to find something.

I love Christmas. I will be completely honest and say I'm still like a 5 year old at Christmas. I love staring at the tree. I love the Christmas music, Christmas movies and wrapping presents (although at 37 weeks pregnant wrapping on the floor is just plain not happening) I can't sleep the night before. I get up at the crack of dawn just waiting for the magic of the day to start. And it's even more magical this year because my husband is home with no plans to leave me after the holiday is finished! I love this holiday so much I even get a little depressed when it's over. But this year we have Baby Girl's arrival to look forward to so I bet my post-Christmas depression will get slightly over shadowed by that!

Anyway onto baby stuff we've been nesting a bit this past week. I took advantage of my husband being home for 2 weeks to have him help me deep clean. We've worked our way through the bedroom and living area and all we have left is the kitchen and bathroom which are rooms I can do mostly myself.
Also the idea of Baby Girl's Nursery Nook has gone to the way side. We cannot find a decent used bookshelf so my fabulous Pinterest-inspired ideas to make her section of our room all cute and cozy has left the building. Such is life.
I've also been getting baby Girl's things more organized like putting her clothes, towels, blankets, washcloths etc into plastic bins that slide under her crib and hanging up a few outfits that still have the tags on them that I'm not sure I'll be able to use or if she'll grow too fast. I sure hope she doesn't grow too fast for her Easter dress because I love it so much. I'm also getting all her toys in one place and let me just vent for a second to those big kahunas at the toy companies...do you get a nickle for every single clear plastic t-tag thing that you use on a toy? I've worked in retail but I do not remember what these things are called. I think we called them T-tags? No? Anyone know?  *OK they are called "fabric fasteners" oh how innocent sounding...*

The little buggers.....

 But these plastic pieces of the devil are a thorn in my side. I have to be close to a trash can every time I take the tags off a toy, an outfit, a pack of blankets, towels, the car seat. The toy CEO's are out to make my life a living heck with these things....ok end vent. I guess this is just huge preparation for when she gets bigger toys that are held in by 10 dozen twist ties right? Hashtag oh the joy a child brings.

Anyway the joy of Christmas is upon us so let's move on to this week's bumpdate

37 Weeks

How far along: 37 weeks

Gender: Girl        

Weight gain: 20lbs+

Maternity clothes: Yes, however my favorite jeans to wear are from Gap and non-maternity. I still wish I could fit into regular shirts but even my husband’s shirts are more like tens on me than anything else. I am however glad that I have a bunch of large sized shirts for after she is born when I’ll still look pregnant just not huge. I’m so anxious to wear them.
Sleep: Sleep has been so much better these past few days since she’s dropped a little. I still wake up to shift positions or hit the bathroom but when I sleep it’s solid sleep and I’m feeling more rested these days.

Best moment this week: Hearing that I’ve dropped!
Worst moment this week: The anxiety that hearing said thing brought.

Miss anything: Nothing from the norm. Regular clothes. Raw cookie dough. Margaritas. So on and so forth

Movement: Movement has lessened since she dropped which I’ve heard is normal since she is sleeping more but man when she’s active…she.is.active!
Cravings: Cereal. I could go for a bowl of cereal almost every night 

Queasy or sick: nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs: Pressure of her pushing down. Some cramping. Lower back pain but no contractions. I will get checked for dialtion next week. 

Looking forward to: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years and then…let the single digit countdown begin!
Belly Button in or out:  Out for the count

Wedding rings on or off? Off until she is out. I could keep them on but they are just a smidge tight and uncomfortable
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy happy happy

Merry Christmas my friends. May you soak up every minute with family and friends and remember the REAL reason for the season..Jesus.

Week 36 Bumpdate

Comfy pants on? Check

Feet elevated? Check

Fluids near by? Check

Nap completed? Check

Dinner prepped thought about? Check

Ok. Let's start this weeks blog

This week has been a doozy for me and it's still early. Sunday not-so fun day provided me with a hump in this pregnancy I had yet to face - swelling. It started Sunday morning as I was getting ready for church and peaked with a crying session to my husband about how I felt so fat and I was tired of being fat and now my body is physically looking even more fat and my wedding rings don't fit anymore...welp. (I only sit and write this so that my future self can look back on this entry and remember how bad of a morning it was. I do not write this for sympathy or compliments.) I was basically on the verge of crying all day but hey look it's Tuesday as I type this and I survived. I'm happy to report that after elevating my feet and drinking a days worth of water in a few hours my swelling went down substantially. I will however say that my ankles are still a little on the puffy side and my wedding rings are still off but I'm doing a lot better today. Mentally if anything else.  

I was reminded today by a "celebrity" the last Duggar girl to have a baby that a girl only has one first pregnancy. Sometimes it's the pregnancy from heck. Sometimes it's a breeze. And we girls don't know which deck we'll be dealt but we should really cherish each moment whether it's proudly displaying your bump for all to see or hiding your puffy ankles and pretending they don't exist. 

So with all that said I've decided to document a few of my looking-forward-toos and will-not-misses of this pregnancy and post pregnancy

Looking forward to: Sleeping without 3 extra pillows propping certain body parts at certain angles for 2 hours before having to re-prop and re-position them when I flop to the other side.

Will not miss: The dread of going to bed at night

~~~

Looking forward to: Seeing baby Girl kick and squirm in my arms, in her bassinet, on the floor etc. 

Will not miss: Being painfully jabbed when I'm least expecting it. 

(I do know however that I will miss terribly the feeling of her within)

~~~

Looking forward to: Working out and working up a sweat. 

Will not miss: Running out of breath while putting on my pants

~~~

Looking forward to: Wearing regular shirts. I'm so glad that I took the advice I was given early on not to starting wearing maternity clothes too early. They make up about 90% of my wardrobe now and I'm very ready to say good bye

Will not miss; The feeling of crumbs under my shirt, irritatingly rubbing against my belly

~~~
Looking forward to: Being up at 2am for a legit reason

Will not miss: Being up at 2am for no reason

OK so a calling bird right? A calling bird is a song bird. I looked at the average size of a common singing sparrow which is 4.5-6.5" long. Times 4 = 20 inches...give or take. Don't quote me on this. We have no idea how big baby is anymore but I do know she is taking up every inch of space she can!

How far along: 36 Weeks

Gender: Girl        

Weight gain: 20lbs+

Maternity clothes: Absolutely positively
Sleep: No changes here

Best moment this week: Getting away for a night with my husband!
Worst moment this week: Learning that I’m technically full term and could go any day now. I thought I had 3 more weeks…I guess I should get prepared now?

Miss anything: My regular clothes

Movement: Tiny dancer is still dancing
Cravings: Just food in general…I’m hungry all.the.time

Queasy or sick: nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs:  no

Looking forward to: see everything above

Belly Button in or out:  Out for the count
Wedding rings on or off? On for the moment
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

 Happy ONE WEEK until Christmas my friends!!!

Week 35 Bumpdate

I sit here staring at my glass of lemonade. It's the frozen concentrate stuff but I'm pretty sure it's the nectar of the gods and that I could finish the whole pitcher before my husband gets home. This is the strongest craving I've had since tomato soup.... the upside is I'm getting my fluids in for the day. The downside is lemonade isn't exactly a thirst quenching beverage.

Exactly 30 weeks ago I found out I was pregnant. I peed in a cup and used a dollar store pregnancy test and received 2 very dark lines in return. I hurried to my closest friend's house before even telling my husband because I needed confirmation that this was real. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a fluke. It wasn't something I was making up. Her words "girl you are really pregnant" hit me hard. I cried. I shook. I kept saying "really?!". I eventually took a real test a few weeks later just for the heck of it but other than that I relied on a dollar store test to reveal our fate. And since that day it still hasn't sunk in as much as I need it too. I think a part of me isn't letting it sink in because then I'm setting myself up for what could still be a loss. I'm trying harder each day to make it feel real but sometimes the 1% of me that is terrified is strong enough to take over the other 99% that is ecstatic. 

Week 35

I never thought a tent-like maternity shirt would be something I'd CHOOSE to wear but at 35 weeks I need to be comfortable. 

How far along: 35 weeks

Gender: Girl        

Weight gain: 19lbs+

Maternity clothes: Absolutely positively
Sleep: Insomnia is my middle name.

Best moment this week: Buying baby girls car seat. It was on sale!
Worst moment this week: My baby checkup appointment where her heartbeat was in the 180s and the midwife was concerned and wouldn’t let me leave until we got a lower reading. I didn’t mind staying there or telling baby Girl to calm down but it was a second or two or “should I be scared yet?”

Miss anything: I must be missing wine because I had a dream the other night that I was leisurely enjoying a glass until I remembered that I was pregnant and should probably not be drinking. But that dreamy glass of wine was the best thing I ever did taste.

Movement: Pushing towards the exit. Shoving fists and feet into my sides. Rubbing elbows down the side of my torso. Shimmy. Shakes. Rolls. And yes still having a butt next to my diaphragm.
Cravings: If you missed the first part of this entry I’m craving lemon everything and I’m also craving pizza. I wonder if I can convince my husband to have pizza tonight instead of tacos.

Queasy or sick: nope

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs:  The pressure of her pushing down…oh crap the pressure

Looking forward to: meeting my daughter

Belly Button in or out:  Out for the count
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy

I was bored the other day and scrolled through Pinterest and found these gems on pregnancy

Out of bed, off the couch, off the floor etc etc. 

Or shirts of my own for that matter.

Enough said

No dancing on the tables for me but I'll definitely be drinking the lemonade

And finally a "toes" picture from a different angle. Tis the season to be comfy...at all times.

Week 34 Bumpdate

Well helloooo December. Since when is it time for you to show up? You know what December means? Cold. Snow. Christmas. Family. Food. Cozy. Cocoa. Fires. Six months until Summer?
But what does December mean to me? That next month I'll have a baby. NEXT month I will have a baby!
Waaait...I'm not ready! I need more time! I need more preparation! I need...to take a chill pill.
I have a tendency these days to let my mind wander to "oh crap this baby has to come out of me and oh crap..it's going to hurt. The anxiety is slowly creeping up on me but I'm still so excited about labor. I truly cannot believe how fast these 36 weeks have gone. It's been insane and I keep thinking "wait I need to cherish this time more!".

The husband and I have a one night getaway planned in a few weeks as a micro "babymoon"/3rd anniversary trip. Going to Amish country is one of our favorite places to go and I'm super excited. I'm even more excited that this trip is being paid for by spare change. Yep we've saved up our spare change and extra dollars each month since January to pay for this trip. We have enough for 2 nights away but we're only taking one and using the remainder of the money for baby Girl. I love that my husband is so wise with money and I'm constantly learning things from him.

Meanwhile our Christmas tree is up and our Christmas shopping is 90% done.

You can't see it but there is one lone ornament on this tree. Decorating was done after this was taken.

This also means that the shotgun shells ("batman smells, robin laid an egg" - does anyone else remember singing that as a kid??) lights are hung. Over my kitchen window. Aren't I the luckiest?

I found a set of 4 awesomely vintage oldie goldie ornaments at the Habitat for Humanity Restore store today for $2.00. You might say their ugly but I think their just plain amazing!

Well now that you see Christmas has hit our house, here is the bumpdate for week 34

Week 34

A blurry, tired looking momma right there

How far along: 34 weeks down, 6 weeks to go…woah

Gender: Girl        

Weight gain: 19lbs+

Maternity clothes: Absolutely positively
Sleep: I still dread going to bed each night. I wake up every two hours to flop to the other side. Such is life.

Best moment this week: Girls night at Wine and Canvas was pretty ah.maz.ing! Baby girl must of loved it too because she was kicking almost the whole time.
Worst moment this week: The Wally World clerk who said “I’m sorry baby but you’re chances of making it to January with that baby are slim.”

Miss anything: Shaving my legs in half the time it takes me now.

Movement: The black belt Kung Fu master likes to keep life interesting…knees and elbows are finding their way into all sorts of places and her butt is comfy cozy next to my diaphram.
Cravings: Lemon anything 

Queasy or sick: I never acknowledged it before but I guess I am pretty darn blessed to never have gotten stick-to-the-toilet, cannot-leave-the-house sick in this pregnancy. People still ask me if I’ve gotten sick yet and I still reply no. Sure I get nauseous sometimes but now it’s simply because my stomach is up to my ears (figuratively speaking). I thank the Good Lord that I was never super sick.

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Labor Signs:  Still just random pressure. Which sometimes happens at the same time that she is practicing her kicks and punches. Which as you can imagine is an uncomfortable experience.

Looking forward to: Saying good bye to the runny nose that set up residence in my nose 8 months ago. It’s time to say good bye and good riddance! Also looking forward to saying goodbye to heartburn. This nasty unwelcome guest has got.to.go and I’m very very ready to say good bye!!

Belly Button in or out:  Out for the count and it's causing every stranger who looks at me to automatically assume I will go into labor any minute.
Wedding rings on or off? Currently off because they are turned in for their 6 month inspection and I’ll get them back in less than a week. I truly hope my fingers don’t decide to become sausages during this time.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but when I broke the bowl to my antique mixer the other night I cried. A lot. 

And lastly as I mentioned above we had girls night at Wine and Canvas. A place that teaches you how to paint a picture while you drink wine. Seems like the two don't go hand in hand at all but we all had a good sober time and everyone's finished canvas was beautiful!

Happy 21 days until Christmas my friends!!