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41 Weeks.....

Since some are wondering...... I am still pregnant.  I would not be making this up at this point.  If there is still doubt, please refer to the link on the left side of this page.

40 Weeks!

Today is our due date!  Obviously since I am posting this update though, you can deduce that it means Baby has not felt the need to start making an appearance......

Size of baby: still anywhere from 6-8 pounds
Movement: still moves just as much as s/he ever has
Food cravings: still loving my English muffins with peanut butter and honey.... I've also really been into orange juice
What I miss: now that the weather is turning really nice here, I miss running more than ever!
Sleep: this past week has seriously been the BEST week of sleep, with each night being better than the last
Symptoms: honestly, I have been feeling GREAT this week, like myself, just with a basketball attached to me
Best moment this week: it was a good week, nothing in particular stands out... though yesterday when we were walking Bailie, a lady in the neighborhood said I looked "radiant" when I said my due date was the next day, that was pretty nice to hear, especially since I didn't even have makeup on.... and oh yeah, it was nice that our millionaires in Congress decided to keep the government in business
What I am looking forward to: having a baby!!!  Chris and I are both so ready to know which we have, a son or a daughter

Well...... I can't believe I'm 40 weeks today!  It does not seem like it has been EXACTLY 36 weeks since I was waking Chris up at 4:30am to ask him if he saw the same 2 pink lines that I saw.  I also would never have guessed that at 40 weeks pregnant I would be feeling this good (though let me go 2 more weeks and I might have a different answer!).  Sleep has been amazing this week.  I've taken Bailie on 2-3 walks per day each day, which has been really enjoyable since the weather has been so nice.  We were finally able to turn off our heat today and switch it to air.  Its nasty outside for now (rain), but with most of the snow gone, we'll take it!

This was my first week officially not driving.  Chris and I talked about it, and he really feels more comfortable being the one with the car at all times now, so I agreed to being car-less.  I was still out and about quite a bit with my friend Amber, which was really nice.  She kept me busy up through Thursday, which was great.  Then Friday we went to our weekly OB appointment, which was routine as usual.  Given that my weekly checks of blood pressure, weight, and urine are always great, there is nothing to worry with being in a hurry to induce or anything like that.  So while we are starting to await our baby a bit IMpatiently, we still have time to just wait things out naturally.  I trust my doctor, so I am fine with going with her thoughts right now.  So, we will see her again at the end of the week, assuming Olive doesn't show any signs of appearing before then.  While I am dying to meet this baby, I am incredibly thankful for the uneventful pregnancy I have had and the fact that I haven't even started swelling or retaining water at this point - all healthy indications that we can afford to wait a little while longer before forcefully evicting the baby.

Other than just wondering when Baby's going to get here, we've really been enjoying a nice lazy weekend.  Other than walking Bailie a few times yesterday, we mostly spent the day on the couch.  Poor Bailie's really not been herself today though.  We feel like she must REALLY know more than ever that a big change is coming.  The other day, I took her out for 3 walks (so 3 miles total), and she still didn't want to eat one bite until Chris came home that afternoon.  She didn't even come to beg for my food throughout the day.  Usually she'll eat after her morning walk, but not that day, and not today.  We've been trying to make sure and give her lots of extra attention, but she still has her off times.  We even let her lay in the bed for a while yesterday with us.

I can't think of much else to report for the week..... we were slightly stressed with the ridiculous threat of the government shutdown, and thankful that it didn't happen.  It was really looking like Chris would be out of work for at least a few days, with no promise of back-pay.  Every office under the Embassy had made plans that employees would come in for no more than a few hours on Monday to close things up in anticipation.  Oh well, at least it will be business as usual come Monday morning.... still could have done without the possibility though.  It made me extra thankful that Chris spent his years before me (and still now) being VERY good with money, meaning we would have been fine for a few months, even with the baby coming, but still.... our friends who are military may not have been quite so fortunate.

I know everyone is anxiously awaiting news of the baby, but no one more so than us!  It would be nice if a "due date" actually carried more than an estimate.  We would have been happy for Grandpa Jim's prediction of 4-7-11 to be accurate.  We would have been happy with Grandma Laura's general prediction of the baby coming "some time" in the past week, and we'd take Grandma Cindy's prediction of 4-11-11 (honestly, I would need to start having some labor signs NOW for that to be statistically likely, and I am telling you now I haven't had so much as a backache or a cramp as of right now)..... only God knows when this baby is going to be here, so here we wait, mostly with good patience because there's no point in getting worked up about it.  The body does not truly progress under stress, so I am trying to be as relaxed as possible (which really hasn't been hard given how great I have been feeling).  My best friend assured me that it will "be soon" because of how fantastic I have been feeling.... we're hoping so.

We're just ready to meet this baby who we already love so much :-)

Just for fun.....

My best friend Andrea from back home in Illinois sent us a super cute baby shirt and coordinating apron for me, just thought I'd share pictures because they're so cute!!!

front

back

and my apron

Okay, are these not the cutest?!  Thank you Aunt Dra - we can't wait to see you for your wedding in September!!

39 Week Bump....

Here I am today at 39 weeks and a day.  I would love it if this were my last bump picture, but we'll see. :-)

39 Weeks!

T minus 7 days until the (estimated) D-Day.....

Size of baby: according to the growth scan on Friday, anywhere from 6-8 pounds
Movement: I have read and been told that movement really slows in the last several weeks, but this baby still moves just as much as s/he ever has
Food cravings: still loving my English muffins with peanut butter and honey
What I miss: back to hard workouts on this one..... I miss running hard and racing, especially with the big race weekend coming up next month
Sleep: I've had a couple of pretty decent nights of sleep these past few days, but earlier in the week was awful
Symptoms: other than sleep issues and sciatica, not much else.  Very little reflux and I can breathe better, so I'll take it.
Best moment this week: there are 2 - our growth scan on Friday, and the lunch that followed. 
What I am looking forward to: having a baby!!!  Chris and I are both so ready to know which we have, a son or a daughter.

This week was normal (I may not be able to say that much more), though I was very tired.  Monday and Tuesday night were awful for sleep, but as the week went by, things got a little better.  I've actually felt really good overall in the past couple of days, which makes me think its just the calm before the storm!  But hey, that's fine.  Any decent night of sleep for now is a great night of sleep!

All week I really thought that we would be having a baby this past Friday.  I told Chris that we needed to be ready.  But then we talked about it on Thursday night and neither of us felt that way anymore, and I felt that way even less on Friday morning when my appointments had to get shifted around.  I was mostly nervous for the ultrasound because I was afraid we would find out that the baby hadn't grown enough since the last scan, meaning s/he would need to come out that day for sure.  Since around 31 or 32 weeks, my belly has consistently measured several weeks behind, which is the reason for each of the last 2 ultrasounds.  Thankfully, the baby looked great and everything was measuring exactly where it should be.  Baby was also still head down which was equally great news.  While babies can still flip at this point, it is statistically unlikely, so I was glad to see that.  My weight and blood pressure are still just fine, so those were pluses too.  My next appointment is for this Friday at 2:30.... you know, unless the kid wants to make an appearance before then, which would be okay with us, but, in case you're wondering, nope, there are no signs as of yet that that might be happening, other than the fact that my due date is a week away.

I know a lot of people would not want their child to have an April Fool's birthday, but it was kind of a special day to us.  A year ago Friday we got officially engaged.  That night we had dinner at the Melting Pot in Hershey, PA..... there's definitely no Melting Pot here (closest is in Buffalo, NY), but Chris found a place a few minutes from the hospital, the Lobster House.  I kept asking him where he wanted to go for lunch (figuring it would be an Arby's day), and finally he made the face he makes when he has a surprise but doesn't want me to know yet (it's a really cute face).  So I shut up.  We both ate steak, lobster, and shrimp for lunch that day, and shared a molten chocolate lava cake that was delicious!  This is where I will be sending Chris for my first post-partum meal.  It was so good.  I wish I was eating it right now.  So I got a special lunch on Friday, and yesterday I made Chris one of his favorite desserts, red velvet cake.  The last time I made it I was in the early weeks of being pregnant and overnight I went from really liking it to being completely repulsed by it, so its been quite a while since he's gotten to have it.

Since there's really nothing else to report, as we are just in wait-and-see mode, I should take this time to publicly say that Chris should get the best gold star award available for how he has handled pregnancy.  Pregnancy is generally all about the mom and baby, and the father is a bystander.  BUT, I could not have gone through this with anyone else, nor would I want to.  Pretty much anything I have wanted, he has provided.  When I called him at work to tell him that I NEEDED that cheeseburger, he came home with a double.  When I needed those sweet potato fries and the first restaurant was out of them, he went elsewhere to find them.  When Dairy Queen a block away was out of the ONE thing I wanted, he drove further to go to another one.  When I was 14 weeks, sick (not morning sickness, cold sickness), and ALL I wanted was apple cinnamon tea, he went all over the place to find it (to 4 different places I'm thinking)..... At 8 weeks, when we got to see our little bean-sized baby for the very first time, as we drove away from the hospital and I saw the tear rolling down his face..... yeah, that was a good moment.  No matter what has happened in these last 9 months, Chris has been wonderful.  And while I have had an extremely easy pregnancy, I KNOW that there are plenty of times during which I have been no peach (most meltdowns involved food, but not all).  I have had to accept Chris's biggest fault - he can't read my mind.  So unfair.  And one of my biggest faults is that I always find myself expecting him to read my mind (you'd think that they teach them that in spy school, but no).  He has always come through for me and never let me down, and I know he will be a great father.  I am thankful for everyday that we have had together in our lives so far, and I know just how blessed I am to have him as a husband.

That's about it for now.  I personally would be happy if this were my last real blog post (except for the bump photo that I will probably have on Tuesday), but we'll see.  Once we have the baby, I'm not planning on doing the blog anymore.  Instead, we will probably set up a Flickr account (or something) so that we can share photos en masse.  For anyone wondering, the plan for when we do have the baby is 2 phone calls initially - my mom and Chris's mom.  We'll start there and then make more phone calls as time and energy allows while we're in the hospital.  So until then or next Sunday........

38 Week Bump....

Here I am today on about 3 hours of sleep.....  I know not to expect sleep once the baby is here, but its really unfair that no one tells you it will be like that when the kid is still cooking.

38 Weeks!

Size of baby: probably anywhere from 5 to 7 pounds, we'll find out another estimate this Friday
Movement: Still tons, which I love.  I'm not sure you can actually see it, but I think I feel like the baby is dropping down a bit because I didn't have the pressure in my lungs these last few days, and my reflux hasn't been so bad the past couple of days, and it was pretty rough earlier in the week
Food cravings: I said last week that if I could eat peanut butter and honey on an English muffin for all 3 meals, I would..... well, it's been breakfast and lunch most days this week.  It was the only thing that wasn't giving me awful reflux earlier in the week.  I had it for dinner one night when I knew there was no way I could eat tacos with Chris.
What I miss: not having back pain and pregnant lady walk.... and I am not ashamed to admit that I am looking forward to a good stiff drink!
Sleep: I at least got one good night of sleep this week.  My OB gave me the okay on some sleep meds and I wish I would have asked her months ago, especially at Christmas.
Symptoms: horrendous reflux earlier in the week that seems to have let up in the last 2 days (thank you, God), and sciatic pain on my right side... its like sciatica mixed with ITBS (illiotibial band syndrome, something runners get).  When I used to run like a mad woman, I had ITBS in my left knee that could be very painful.... that's nothing compared to mixing it with a little sciatica - talk about something that stops you dead in your tracks!
Best moment this week: really enjoyed the pre-admission and hospital appointments on Thursday, especially because Chris was just as involved as I was, and that is something that is very reassuring.  He will probably never know how much it has meant to me that he has been there for EVERY aspect of pregnancy.
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time

This week felt like it went by really quickly, though I definitely feel like, physically, I am really slowing down.  I am getting to the actual gym less, and opting for walking Bailie more.  Monday was a gym day..... and that was it.  On Tuesday I got together with some Embassy ladies to make cards for Operation Write Home.  It was nice just to be out socializing.  Wednesday was a homebound day by default, as we had someone coming to fix a part on our dishwasher door.  Thursday was my weekly OB appointment, which was probably the fastest one yet.  Everything was routine as usual, and I weighed half a pound less!  That half pound can probably be attributed to normal weight fluctuation, but I'll take it!  Afterward we went over to the hospital for our maternity stuff.  On Friday we took Bailie down to a vet in Ogdensburg to get her shots updated (she was good, but was hating life at that point), and this weekend, we have just been lazy as usual for a Saturday and Sunday.

The pre-admission portion of the appointment was mostly just going through paperwork - things we would otherwise have to get through once "it's time" and this way we have it taken care of.  Part of me had to laugh because Chris was not allowed to come back for the first portion of this, and at first I couldn't figure out why - I was thinking, uh I wasn't told I was getting some intrusive exam at this appointment!  Then it was very clear.  The nurse has to ask about home life and potential domestic abuse situations.  I laughed when she asked me if I am afraid of Chris, and then I felt bad because I thought, wow, if they have to ask, then there are some women who come in and answer yes, which is awful.  I thought maybe they were going to ask if I was unsure of the baby's father, or something like that, but nope!  Just wanted to know if I'm afraid of Chris.  I think the most heated argument we've ever had was this morning.... over whether or not he was snoring this morning!  (For the record, he was, though he denies it.).  Still makes me laugh.

The rest of the pre-admission went through things like getting the baby's birth certificate, do I have a birth plan (in case you're wondering, I do - it's called Have a Baby in the Safest/Healthiest Way Possible, pretty simple), who will be coming to the hospital with me (just Chris), etc.  Afterward, we had the tour of the maternity ward.  The rooms are quite a decent size, there is a patient kitchenette, private showers in each room, tub with jets, and a pull out sleeper long enough that Chris's feet will not hang off the end.  While in the hospital, Chris will be provided 3 meals a day, and after I have the baby, I get a "menu" to choose from (probably just a menu of hospital food, but it sure sounds nice).  We met a few of the nurses and they all seemed very nice.  It was also nice to learn that on pretty much every paper in our chart it says "they drive far", so the staff knows that we're a little different from people who live just 10 or 20 minutes away.  For example, it's been a baby boom there lately, and they just recently had to double up a room, which they say rarely has to be done.  Chris was (half) joking that if I have to be doubled up (meaning he can't sleep in the room with me), he will just go sleep in the car.  One of the nurses laughed and said she was sure they could "figure something out" for him.  Hopefully it won't be an issue, but it was nice that they seem very accommodating, especially given that home is an hour and a half away.

We left the hospital feeling very glad that we did those 2 appointments.  Now we just wait!  We're so excited to finally meet our baby.  Statistically speaking, first time babies are late more often than early ... but not 100% of the time.  Each day we wonder if today is THE day.  We are both at the point where we feel as ready as we're going to be, and we just want to finally meet the baby.  I wouldn't say that I'm at the point of just being done with pregnancy - I know very well how lucky I am to have had a very easy pregnancy, with only a couple of hiccups that turned out to be nothing.  Once full term status hit, that's when I started to get a bit uncomfortable, but overall I'm still doing really well.  This Friday we have (what should be) our last ultrasound to check weight and position, and our weekly appointment will follow.  I'm so in awe to be rounding out the finish.

I will probably take a bump picture on Tuesday, but for now, here are some nursery photos (I know, finally).... and please enjoy the couple of pictures that include snippets of my toes!

My mom made this one

Chris's mom sent this one

The pattern on the left came from my mom, and the larger pattern on the right came from Chris's mom.... how did both of the grandmothers manage to pick out almost the same blanket patterns?  I don't know, but we love them, and each is just different enough.  We LOVE monkeys!

Pack-n-Play set up in our bedroom, which will be Baby's home until s/he sleeps through the night.

And some random Bailie and Bailie/Chris pictures:

Chris calls this the "face of depression." .... Poor Bailie has been acting a little off, even for her, in the last couple of weeks... it makes me wonder if she'll continue to be extra restless as D-Day approaches

the occasional allowance in the bed.... she never wants to sleep there though, just roll around and get her belly rubbed

she is 100% Chris's girl.... she used to be my dog, not anymore.... :-(

37 Week Bump.....

Way late posting, but this is from early in the week......

37 Weeks!

Today I am full term!

Size of baby: anywhere from 4.5 to 6.5 pounds
Movement: Tuesday and Wednesday were quieter days, then Thursday picked right back up to the constant rolls
Maternity Clothes: I feel like I wear the same things all the time, but I quit caring a long time ago.  Comfort is where it's at right now.  My few non-maternity items, like my gym tops, are just going to make it. 
Food cravings: If I could eat peanut butter and honey on an English muffin for all 3 meals, I would.  That was breakfast and lunch yesterday.  Not much else sounds good these days.
What I miss: sleep, not having heartburn, and my belly button...... at least I can still say there are no stretchmarks and no swelling (I am still comfortably wearing both of my rings), so I am happy about that
Sleep: I don't even know why I have this on the list.
Symptoms: almost everything gives me heartburn
Best moment this week: even though it instilled a lot of fear in me, probably my doctor's appointment this week, which came with the realization that this baby really is coming soon.... terrifying, but really exciting
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time

This week went by really quickly, and its hard to believe that 30 weeks ago I was having my first doctor's appointment.  And now here I am with my, medically speaking, fully-cooked baby.  If pregnancy goes by this fast, I can't imagine how quickly the baby will seem to grow up.

Monday through Wednesday were uneventful days.  We were supposed to have our pre-admission and hospital tour appointments on Thursday, but we aren't having those until this week now.  Still, we had our weekly OB appointment.  My weight and blood pressure are "perfect" according to the nurse, and I'm GBS negative, which means no antibiotics necessary once labor starts.  We talked in much more detail about several birthing aspects .... what if the baby flips back to breech, when would we talk c-section, what kind of epidurals are available, how mobile will I be during labor, what kind of monitoring do I have to be under..... My OB is awesome though.  She never makes us feel rushed and she always answers all of my questions.  Everything else was pretty routine.  We have an ultrasound scheduled for next Friday, April 1, to check position and estimated weight since I still measure small.  I will be a day shy of 39 weeks at that point, and it will mark one year since Chris and I got officially engaged!  Our doctor felt my belly and said she thinks the baby is still head-down, but we will check, and I'm guessing that since growth looked fine a few weeks ago, its going to be fine next week too.  Our doctor isn't worrying much about it, so neither are we.

I got another "you're about to pop" comment on Thursday.  Let me tell you how awesome that made me feel, especially since it came after my doctor's appointment, and thus after finding out that I am still small.  Had we not been handing over our very expensive bedding and Chris's suit and tux to this lady to dry clean, after the third time she said that comment to me, I would have asked her just how long she had to spend cracked out to achieve that nasty red color in her hair, and then I would have asked her if she has always had a half-inch gap between her two front teeth.  BUT, I said nothing of the sort.  After she told me 3 times that I looked like I was about to pop, she then told us that she has 3 kids and they are just awful..... hmmmmm, when your mother is such a prize, no wonder....

Something else started breaking my heart this week..... Bailie is spending less and less time sleeping on my side of the bed.  It's becoming her ultimate rejection.  I think she really senses that the baby is coming soon because she wakes up, restless, at 4am, just like me, and she is much more clingy to us in the evenings.  She used to only spend a little bit of time laying beside the couch on a given evening, but now she seems glued to this spot.  On Friday, her old foster mom Nadine, and her son Alexy, came to visit us for a couple of hours.  It was very sweet to see her playing with Alexy, who is about to turn 7, because she behaves with him very differently than an adult.  Even though Alexy would rough-house with her exactly the way Chris does, she responded much more gently with him than she does with Chris.  It was nice to see that she knows the difference.

This has been a very lazy weekend.  On Friday, Chris told me that it was quite likely that he would be called in to work over the weekend, but it didn't happen yesterday, and I think we're out of the woods for today, so we have just been laying around the couch.  I was glad he hasn't had to go in - we only have a few weekends of calm left together, and I want to savor every one of them.

I made it to the gym 3 times this week, and I've also been able to get out and walk Bailie since everything is finally melting!  Its been warming up a LOT this week, and while 28 degrees may sound pretty chilly, it was very comfortable when I walked Bailie just an hour or so ago!  I know that my days of actually going to the gym are numbered, and soon I will just be down to walking Bailie a few times each day, which I suppose works out because I was SO exhausted this week.  I have also been ridiculously hungry, which makes me think the baby's packing on a bit more weight right now.

That's it for now.  In theory, since I am full-term now, the baby could come any time, BUT I'm pretty sure s/he is going to keep cooking for a while.  I remind myself and Chris of this only so that we know to be extra prepared, or at least as prepared as we can be.  I ordered a few things online yesterday that should be here in a couple of days, and after that, we will have done everything that we know to do as first-time parents to get ready for this baby.  We at least have diapers, bottles (should formula-feeding be necessary), and clothes.... babies don't need any more than that, right?  Oh, and if anyone reading our blog finds themselves wondering at any point in the next 3 weeks if we have a baby yet, just go to this website and it will answer your question:

http://haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

Trust me, you will know when the baby comes!

I will probably have a bump picture on Tuesday, and I will try to remember to take and post some nursery pictures then too.

36 Weeks!

36 weeks exactly...... Holy expletive we're down to 28 days to go!  This week's highlights......

Size of baby: probably about 5 pounds, plus or minus 1
Movement: lots.... still sometimes a bit painful.... but always welcome
Maternity Clothes: I'm adding this one back at least for this week to say that while maternity pants are sooooo comfy for when you're not super pregnant, I hate them now that I am carrying a basketball.  When getting ready to go out to dinner last night, I tried putting on jeans, but I really cannot stand anything around my belly right now, so yoga pants it was.  The pants fit fine everywhere, its just the belly that's uncomfortable.  I told Chris that I was sorry, I just couldn't do it, and of course he didn't care!  It just seems that yoga pants and maternity shirts are what I live in when we're out of the house, but inside, I'm in Chris's t-shirts and old sweatshirts, except when I really want to white-trash it up and wear the one stretchy tank top that almost covers my belly with the lounge pants that fall below my belly... I'm a blond wig away from being Britney Spears in her K-Fed days
Food cravings: still loving peanut butter
What I miss: being able to put to put away a man-sized meal..... definitely losing my bottomless-pit reputation.  The pressure of the baby on my stomach makes it hard to eat much at one time
Sleep: sucks 90% of the time
Symptoms: same.... fatigue, an aching back, TONS of braxton-hicks this week... I'm sure this won't be getting better for another month or so..... no swelling or stretch marks yet, so that is a victory!
Best moment this week: probably a tie between Chris picking out baby clothes and dinner last night.... I'll explain below....
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time

I guess this was a slightly busier week than usual.  I made it to the gym 3 days this week.  My goal was 4, but I had to skip out on Tuesday (and my doctor's appointment was on Friday, so no time).  That morning I went to an events meeting (embassy community), really just to get out.  Everything that was being planned is scheduled for next month, so I knew I wouldn't be committing to anything.  I was doing okay, but I was SO tired, and I started having a ton of braxton-hicks.  I decided just to rest and I felt a bit better.

The braxton-hicks calmed down, but came back on Thursday.  I just was running around too much.  I started the day at the gym, and when I came home, instead of going back to bed, I got to work putting the nursery together, which included putting away clothes, burp cloths, crib bedding, etc...  I also decided it would be a good idea to whip up some pumpkin bread - nothing wrong with that, except when you're bread overflows out of the pan while baking (which is has NEVER done before) and you have to clean clumps of batter out of a hot oven.  I was so mad!  When I picked Chris up that day, I told him that I was sorry in advance if I got cranky.  On top of the oven fiasco, when I turned the bread out of the bundt pan, it broke.  That really made me mad!  Even though it was just for me and didn't need to look nice for anyone, I was so aggravated.  I don't even know why it made me mad, but it just did.  I'm laughing at that now, but it was frustrating, and combined with a lot of extra activity that day, probably the reason I was having so many braxton-hicks.

Friday's appointment went routinely as usual.  I talked to my OB about all of the contractions, and she wasn't concerned at all.  I only need to worry about them if I get 6 in an hour for 2 hours without being able to stop them with rest and water.  So nothing to worry about there.  I will see her again on Thursday, and we also have our pre-admission appointment and birthplace tour that day.  I'm kind of excited for the latter, just to get to see what everything will be like.  After the appointment on Friday, we made a quick trip over to Watertown since we had just gotten a nice Kohl's coupon.  This is the part about Chris and baby clothes.  I had decided we were done buying anything for the first couple of months unless we found a stellar deal on something we really liked.  Cue one of Chris's weaknesses when it comes to baby clothes - puppies! (the other weakness being monkeys, and God help us when its a combo of those 2 AND footies!)  He found some really cute onesies on sale with puppies on them, so we left with those.  I love seeing him get excited about stuff like that.  Its so sweet, and I never thought HE would be the one losing it over baby clothes, with me saying, no, we don't need that.... its really cute though and it makes me even more excited to see how he will be when the baby is actually here.

Last night we went to The Works, our favorite place for a burger and a chocolate peanut butter shake.  We went with my friend Amber and her husband, and it was Heaven!  They have the BEST shakes there, the burgers are awesome, and the sweet potato fries and poutine are awesome!  I couldn't finish my burger though (so not me!).  Half of it is currently sitting in the refrigerator, probably because I ordered a small shake, but everyone else ordered mediums, which confused the person making them and they ended up making me a medium too - uh, no complaints here, that was Heaven in a glass!  Then this morning we got up and went out to one of the maple farms here for their annual brunch buffet.  If you can remember us talking about this last year, NO we did not have to follow the syrup bottles this time since it wasn't very busy.

This week should be pretty normal, except my appointment is on Thursday instead of the usual Friday.  I packed my hospital bag yesterday, which was kind of bizarre.  Last year when I took my first pregnancy test, I was exactly 4 weeks.... now we're down to 4 weeks to go!  I'm having more days of feeling at peace with everything than feeling terrified, so I guess that's good.  I'm definitely getting antsy to have this baby, but not because I'm in too much discomfort.... I just want to meet the kid!  I will definitely miss all the baby movement though.  That has been more amazing than I could have ever imagined, and while I will enjoy owning my body again, there is nothing like that reassuring feeling, even when it hurts, of a tiny little baby rolling and kicking all over the place.  I think both Chris and I are starting to feel like, okay baby we're ready to see you now!

That's about it.  As I said in the last post, the Lady Gaga show was just that.... quite a show!  I learned that sitting in a balcony seat at 35 weeks for a concert like that is a bit uncomfortable, but she was really good live - so good that I thought to myself, there's no way she's this good live - and right then her mic broke and it was very obvious that nope, she doesn't lip sync!

Well, when you read next week's post, I will be full term, and the kid fully cooked...... wow.

35 Week Bump

This picture is from 35 weeks exactly, taken right before leaving for the Lady Gaga, which I might add was QUITE the show!  That sweater is non-maternity, and looking at the picture, I just noticed that the side seems are a little off from where they should be!  Hang in there, size XS sweater..... not much longer :)

35 Weeks!

We are at the 35/35 mark, meaning I am 35 weeks pregnant, with 35 days to go..... where has the time gone?!  This week's highlights......

Size of baby: probably about 4.5 pounds, plus or minus 1.  I read that the baby gains about a half pound per week right now.
Movement: lots.... sometimes a bit painful.... but always welcome
Food cravings: really been into peanut butter for a few weeks now, especially on toast, with honey
What I miss: not losing my breath so easily
Sleep: not.  getting.  better..... pretty sure my nights of good sleep ended for good several weeks ago.  Oh well.
Symptoms: Fatigue, an aching back, and reflux.  I feel the way I would imagine it feels to weigh approximately 350 pounds. 
Best moment this week: several great times this week, but my favorite was probably having Chris watch my belly jump.  He has seen it before, but what he saw this past week was a lot of huge movements.  I know its bizarre to him to see it, but its so funny for me to watch his face as he sees my belly jumping all over the place.
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time...... and going to see Lady Gaga tonight!

It was a pretty typical week for us, and while we are incredibly excited about Baby getting here, we are trying to be grateful for every "typical" day that we have right now.  This morning Chris came downstairs and we laid on the couch for at least a half hour, TV off, just talking, before I made breakfast and we figured out that we have between 4 and 6 more Sundays of just us, of just the quiet.  Our usual Sundays (when its not football season) usually begin when Chris gets up (since I'm generally up before him).  He gets up, we watch the Today show if its still on, I ask him if he wants his usual Sunday breakfast (a chocolate chip waffle, the answer is always yes), we eat, and then lay around doing nothing.  How our world will be changing VERY soon.....

I spent Tuesday in the kitchen preparing some treats for a Wednesday morning breakfast for one of the Embassy offices.  I made pound cake muffins and pumpkin scones.  It really wasn't that much work, but my back was killing me afterward, and I was exhausted.

I was able to get into the gym 3 days this week.  I've been so, so tired, and I can really feel the weight of this belly.  I can only imagine how I would feel if my belly were closer to the average size of 35 weeks, instead of being behind!  I've also been having some lovely moments of nausea which seem to disappear quickly, but they are no fun when they happen.  I also get some fantastically radiating pain from my hip down to my knee when I've been on one side for too long at night...... BUT, none of that is meant as complaining, its just the honest truth of how I'm feeling.  We get a baby out of it, so its completely worth it.  I'm not "done" with being pregnant yet, but I am feeling like I'm ready to meet the little person responsible for all of these lovely symptoms!  I count myself very lucky to have made it this far without any of the swelling I usually hear about.  So far, my feet, ankles, hands, and wrists are all normal size, and I can wear my wedding rings just fine (I'm hoping not to jinx myself with that statement).  I definitely feel huge though, especially after going up and down the stairs a few times.  In the last 2 weeks, I have also outgrown my pajama t-shirts, and have switched to a couple of Chris's t-shirts that make great nightgowns. 

This week should be pretty typical of now.  My goal is to make it to the gym 4 days, and we have the first of my weekly doctor's appointments on Friday.  Sometime in the next 2 weeks, we will do our pre-admission appointment with Labor & Delivery at the hospital, and we'll have a tour of the birthplace.  Its all exciting to me, but also terrifying because this is all really happening.  We can now say that next month we will have a baby.  I have to put together our hospital bag soon, but I keep putting it off, subconsciously I think.

That's about it for now.  If I remember, I'll take a picture before we leave for the concert in a couple of hours and get it posted soon.  It should be quite a show, and I'm sure the baby will go crazy for the noise :-)

34 Week Bump

34 weeks, 4 days

34 Weeks!

We are at 42 days to go (tentatively)!  Wow!  This week's highlights....

Size of baby: according to our ultrasound on Friday, about 4 pounds, plus or minus 1
Movement: lots.... sometimes a bit painful
Food cravings: I really wanted ice cream this week
What I miss: not peeing all the time .... feeling attractive.... my skin looks worse than when I was in high school
Sleep: not.  getting.  better.
Symptoms: the same - so tired, but no sleep, a belly I feel like I need to carry with my arms, and some heartburn/reflux.... and oh yeah.... peeing.  ALL. THE. TIME.
Best moment this week: Friday's ultrasound and doctor's appointment - a relief!
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time...... right before we got married, I asked Chris what was one thing he was looking forward to about being married, and he said, without hesitation, "having my own family."  I will never forget that, and am so happy that I get to be the one to give him that.

I can't believe I'm 34 weeks pregnant.  Its really crunch time!  This week was pretty uneventful leading up to Friday's appointments.  I was a little nervous going to the ultrasound.  At my last appointment 3 weeks ago, when the OB measured my belly, she said that I was a little small, so she would order a growth scan to make sure everything was fine.  She said she wasn't worried about it, but we would take a look to check.  I managed not to worry too much, just made sure to keep up my fluid and protein intake.  A lot of factors can influence your belly measurement other than a problem with the baby.  As it turns out, I am just a small-bellied pregnant girl.  All of the measurements indicated that Baby is right where s/he needs to be, and my fluid level was great. (So IN YOUR FACE to the guy who told me last weekend, that I looked like I was about to pop!).  Apparently my belly is only about the size of someone around 27 weeks, but with the baby looking perfectly healthy, I am more than fine with that!  I'm just now getting to that uncomfortable stage, and I can only imagine what it would feel like if I added 7 more centimeters to this belly.  We were told that our baby weighs around 4 pounds, but that could be off a pound in either direction, but either way, our doctor said that everything is great, so much so that she is letting me wait 2 weeks for my next appointment instead of coming in next week already.  Although, after the next appointment, we will begin weekly appointments until D-Day.  She also said that she would not let me go more than a week past due before we talk induction, which means that we will for sure have a baby before Easter - crazy! .... though, I am hoping this baby decides to come on his or her own and that I don't need to be induced.

When we were having the ultrasound, the tech tried to get some face shots in 4D of the baby.... we told him that more than likely, the kid wouldn't cooperate, and guess what - we were VERY right.  We could see a hand and that was about it.  What made me laugh though (and feel super good, not gonna lie!) was when the tech called me skinny.  He said that I am the perfect pregnant body type for 3D and 4D views - great fluid, skinny, baby in perfect position - hey, I feel bigger and bigger every day, and that was a great comment to get.  And side note - at least for now, baby is head down, not breech.  But, as our OB said, we'll worry more with that when I'm 37 weeks.

So that was Friday.  It was kind of a nasty day, but it was great to see how much better the car handled with good, NOT bald tires.  We did a little grocery shopping and came home.  Then Saturday night, we went out with some friends from Chris's work to a pub we went to last summer when a night out was planned in honor or our upcoming wedding.  Most of the group is pretty nice, but some are just flat out strange, including the guy who is the ONLY person I have ever heard Chris make a negative comment toward (and by negative comment, I mean he probably only said that he finds him obnoxious.  Chris never says mean things.).  Chris likes everyone! .... Except this guy, so there's definitely something wrong with him.  He asked me if the baby was kicking, saying, "has it started kicking yet?  I wanna feel it."  He didn't actually try to feel anything, but all I could think was - try, just try and see what happens.  All the while, Chris is laughing at the thought of this guy trying to feel our baby, knowing full well I would have knocked the guy out.  Ahhhh.... some people.  After dinner, everyone else headed out for more drinking, and we of course came home.... and crashed.

We spent a bit of today putting together our baby swing, attaching the wheels to the stroller, and washing baby items.  Here's a picture of the swing all finished, with our baby giraffe strapped in:

I strapped the stuffed giraffe in because I was confused at first how a couple of straps worked.... plus it looks super cute in there.  And here is Ms. Drama Queen Neglect herself after we got done doing this:

That's one of "her" spots - a corner on the back wall of our living room.  As the baby stuff piles up, the more depressed she acts sometimes.  We try to make sure we give her extra attention, but we can tell that she knows things are changing.  She refused to eat one evening when we had brought home a handful of baby items.  It took Chris sitting down with her, some coaxing, and more sitting as she ate to get her to eat.  That's how I know he'll be a great dad - he cares enough about the dog to practically hand feed her.  And he's slowly gotten her to play more.  Its so funny and cute to watch the two of them.  Bailie was definitely more mine when we first got her..... she is 100% Chris's girl now.  But its sweet.  We also moved our pack-n-play to the bedroom so that Bailie can get used to it being in there.  Its extra strange to think that we'll actually be using it very soon.

That's about it for now.  As if they weren't before, things are REALLY coming quickly now.  After tomorrow, we will be able to use the words "next month" when referring to our future baby.  Wow.

33 Week Bump.....

33 weeks, 5 days

33 Weeks!

We are officially under 50 days to go!  Wow!  This week's highlights....

Size of baby: my pregnancy book says that the average length is around 16 inches long (head to toe measurement) and average weight is about 3.7 pounds.
Movement: baby is constantly rolling all around..... I'm convinced the baby's been transverse a lot because so many times I can feel s/he on both sides at the same time
Food cravings: no cravings to report.... eating very much in general is getting pretty uncomfortable
What I miss: walking and breathing like a normal person
Sleep: still sucks
Symptoms: so tired, but no sleep, a belly I feel like I need to carry with my arms, and some heartburn/reflux.... and oh yeah.... peeing.  ALL. THE. TIME.
Best moment this week: Valentine's Day.... Chris's face was really sweet looking at his football buddy onesie.  I love seeing him get excited about our baby
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time......

Another fairly uneventful week for us, which is fine because all of that will be changing VERY soon!  We had a low-key Valentine's evening consisting of one of Chris's now-favorite meals (homemade chicken strips) and of course, his favorite dessert, chocolate peanut butter pie.  On Wednesday, Bailie's old foster mom, Nadine, came to visit.  She is such a sweet lady, and I love having her over.  Bailie was so excited to see her.

On Thursday night, we took Bailie over to Carole's, our go-to pet sitter, so that we could leave on Friday to spend the night in Watertown to take of some errands.  The weather finally allowed us to get down to Syracuse so we could pick up our baby swing from Babies R Us.  Then Saturday we took our car over to the Kia dealership for its 60K miles check.  Everything was mostly fine, but we learned exactly why we've been sliding all over the road this winter - apparently, when your tires are "very nearly bald" as it was put to us, you get no traction!  It was pretty terrifying to hear that our tires were in such a horrendous condition, but at the same time, it explained all of our spin-outs.  As soon as we heard this, Chris called a car care center that we've used before (that would also be cheaper than the dealership prices) to see if they had the tires he wanted and if we could get in the same day.  THANK GOD this place was able to get us in, and we now have MUCH safer tires.  It scared me so much to think of us driving around on those tires, but at the same time, it made me SO very grateful to God that He has TRULY been watching over us and keeping us safe.  There is no other explanation.  So even though it was a much more expensive day than anticipated, it was a HUGE blessing.

The rest of the day was spent doing a little baby shopping.  I feel so lost right now when it comes to how many of various items we need.  I wish there was some special way of calculating just how many onesies, sleepers, blankets, etc that we need.  Plus, it makes it even harder because we know the kid's not going to wear things for very long in the beginning months anyway, so we find ourselves being kind of cheap when it comes to a lot of these items.

I got 2 comments yesterday that I have not yet received.  When we were getting our new tires, the guy there was like, "wow you look like you're about to pop!  When are you due?  Oh, April?  Yeah, I don't think you're going to make it that far."  I wanted to say, actually, my doctor says I'm considered small for this stage of pregnancy, so thanks for that reminder, and also do you think I want to "not make it" to April?  ...... but, this was the guy making our car safer, so I really didn't care.  He could have said whatever he wanted.  It actually made me laugh because I know for a fact that I'm not big for 33 weeks, and the majority of first time babies come, on average, at 41 weeks and 3 days.

We got home at a fairly reasonable time last night, around 10:15.  Carole kept Bailie for an extra night for us for free because she wasn't going to be home when we thought we'd be back, which worked out so perfectly since we ended up needing to do the extra car stuff.  We were both able to sleep in pretty late (without Bailie waking either of us at her usual times).

In general, I'm still feeling pretty good.  I'm still very tired, yet unable to sleep, but I'm sure that's pretty normal.  My appetite's been pretty insatiable during the last few days, which makes me think Baby's been going through a growth spurt.  I've definitely learned that I have to watch how much I eat in one sitting though because if I get full, it's really uncomfortable.  And if I have to walk around after being full (like going to Babies R Us after dinner on Friday), its extra uncomfortable.  But overall, pregnancy's still being pretty good to me.  I made it to the gym 4 times this week.  I didn't go Wednesday because I was just horribly tired, the kind of tired that you can't fight through, at least when pregnant anyway.  The other days were decent.  It doesn't take much anymore to cause a spike in my heartrate when exercising, so I have found that I have to slow down even more.  It takes right at 45 minutes for me to do 3 miles on the elliptical.  I always make my goal 2 miles, knowing that if I make it there, I can generally do the third one.  It is such a far cry from what I was doing pre-pregnancy, but I'm grateful to be able to do anything right now.  I have to remind myself that there are plenty of women with various issues that prevent them from doing even what I am right now, so I have nothing to complain about.  I would much prefer being limited to my current activity level than limited to nothing at all.  Fortunately, I haven't noticed any more BH contractions while working out.

Tomorrow is President's Day, which is awesome because it means Chris will be home with us.  Then Friday we have our next appointment at 1 to see our baby, and then we go for our regular doctor's appointment right after.  I will post a bump picture sometime later this week.  Until then...

32 Week Bump and Happy Valentine's Day to Us!

It's crazy that this is our one and only Valentine's together as a married couple, just us.....

this bump picture makes me laugh because I think my belly looks lumpy from the ruching on my shirt

Chris's present to me, so sweet

my present to Chris - it's green and says "Daddy's Football Buddy"

Following tradition as set from last year, we will be having Chris's favorite dessert - a peanut butter mousse.  Its the simplest thing to make, but oh so delicious!

Happy Valentine's Day!

32 Weeks!

OH MY GOSH, I'm 32 weeks!!! ......... Here's the highlights:

Size of baby: my pregnancy book still says that the average length is 15 inches long (head to toe measurement) and average weight is about 3 pounds.  Still feels like the heaviest 3 pounds of my life.
Movement: baby is constantly rolling all around..... this morning it felt like a ball in my belly just rolling from side to side
Food cravings: no cravings to report 
What I miss: other than feeling skinny, not having to pee a zillion times
Sleep: one word: awful.  I had 2 good nights of sleep in the last couple of weeks, but that's it.  I guess its just my body prepping me for a lifetime of no sleep.
Symptoms: no sleep, a belly I feel like I need to carry with my arms, and some heartburn/reflux
Best moment this week: Chris seeing my belly jump... he has seen little spasms here and there, but one night this week, he saw a big jump and the look on his face was hilarious!  It was very alien to him I think, but so funny.
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time...... and for this week, our one and only Valentines as a married couple, just the two of us

Not a lot going on this week.  I can't believe I am 32 weeks pregnant.  This time last year, Chris was working a few weekends, it was cold but not too snowy, and I was still running like a crazy person.  Its funny to compare now to only a year ago.

It was a good week, though I witnessed a really rude pregnancy/baby comment.  On Tuesday, I went to an events planning meeting with a bunch of ladies from the Embassy.  I was talking to a friend of mine here who is also pregnant, about 3 weeks behind me.  A lady I hadn't seen since I was 13 weeks started talking to us, and was making guesses as to what each of us are having.  Then she added, directed at my friend, "...and a BIG baby for you!"  I'm sure she said this with the logic that if you're a bigger person, that automatically equals a bigger baby.  This girl has not even gained 10 pounds, whereas I have gained, let's just say, more than 10 pounds.  I was in shock for her, but she handled it really well.  I felt awful for her though because I know she's had some complications, had to be on bedrest for a while, and has to be extra careful in general, more so than say, someone like me, who has had a very low-risk pregnancy.   Then I felt really angry for her because it does NOT matter what your intention was with a comment like that, you do NOT say something like that to a pregnant woman!

I think I've been pretty good about letting things roll off my back, but I'm not going to lie, it really hurts when someone says something to you other than, you look wonderful!  Some of my comments have included: you're looking pretty porky (yes, porky.  I could have cried.), I think you're bigger than I was at that many weeks, wow that's going to make you gain at least 10 pounds (as I'm about to eat my dinner), and quite a handful of my own "you're baby's going to be huge" comments.  The huge baby comments really hurt my feelings because I know that the people who have said them did so because they know that I'm no small-appetite girl.  Guess what, people, that does not make it okay to say.  My doctor says my weight gain is perfect (no matter how much I don't like it), and that everything I've done in this pregnancy as far as diet and exercise is great.  Comments like these make me really, really self-conscious to eat in front of anyone other than Chris, and I haven't felt like that since the days of purposely starving myself when I was in undergrad.  So thanks for that.

So, all of that to say, I think most people know what is not okay to say to a pregnant woman, but to be on the safe side, even if you don't mean it, just tell them they look awesome!  The other day on my way to the gym, I stopped in to see a woman at the Embassy, who always make me feel so good because she tells me I look wonderful even when I feel like I look awful.  Not only was I in gym clothes, but my face these days is so washed out with makeup, and my skin is broken out in a way I've never experienced (I was always one of the lucky ones in high school who rarely had a pimple).  She told me I was glowing and looked wonderful, and all I could think when I looked in the mirror was, I look like garbage!  But she is very sweet to say that.

Okay, off my soapbox.  That comment this week to my friend just really aggravated me, and made me think of all the snarky things I'd like to say back to people who say things like that.

On Friday night, we went out for Mexican food for an early Valentine's dinner.  We had never been to this restaurant, and while the food was good, it was weird.  I got a veggie burrito, and when I see "grilled vegetables" in a burrito, I think of peppers, onions, etc.... you know, normal burrito ingredients.... My burrito had broccoli and green beans in it!  It tasted surprisingly good, but I just thought that was bizarre.  Maybe its just a Canadian thing.

I spent a portion of yesterday baking some heart cookie pops for the Embassy bake sale tomorrow, and then Chris and I got out to shop for some new dining room furniture, something we'd like to have before our baby comes.  It was nice just to get out of the house.  Today I'll be decorating cookies, and we'll probably just be lounging around.  Not sure what Chris will do without football, haha.  Other than not sleeping, I've been feeling good, and don't have any real complaints.  Although, I noticed something funny last night.  I was getting dressed after a shower, and after I got my t-shirt on, I noticed that a little section of belly now goes uncovered.  I'll probably be stealing some of Chris's shirts soon......

31 Week Bump....

....and in other noteworthy news, we are officially under 60 days to go, and today marks exactly 2 months until our due date!!!!

31 Weeks!

Here's the highlights:

Size of baby: my pregnancy books says that the average length is 15 inches long and average weight is about 3 pounds.  Feels like the heaviest 3 pounds of my life.
Movement: since Thursday, this baby has NOT.  STOPPED.  MOVING..... which is fine with me, even when it hurts a little!
Food cravings: still have a smaller appetite
What I miss: this is probably going to stay the same - hard workouts.  And I am likely about to start missing the gym even more.  This past week, I kept getting an intense tightness in my belly when I would workout (not painful, just tight).  I honestly couldn't tell if it was just the baby changing positions, or my bulging belly making me a bit more uncomfortable, but when I described the feelings to my OB, she confirmed what I thought it might be but was hoping against - Braxton Hicks contractions.  If I go to workout, and start feeling them, I have been instructed to stop.  While they are mostly harmless, and just "practice" contractions, they're not something you're allowed to work out through.  That order sucks, but oh well.  So I'm hoping my uterus gives me a break this week and lets me have a few workouts.  I guess I'll settle for walks on the treadmill, if I can even at least have those.
Sleep: not too bad up until around 5am, then I have to get up and switch to the couch.
Symptoms: just the sleep issues, and a few BH contractions
Best moment this week: probably when my OB was trying to find the baby's heartbeat and s/he kept rolling away from her.  She would catch him/her, and then he/she would roll to one side of my belly.  It was really funny to watch and feel!
What I am looking forward to: this won't be changing from here on out - everything.  Getting our baby here and being a family.... hearing the doctor say, "it's a ____!".... and seeing the look on Chris's face when he gets to hold him/her for the first time.

This week was okay.  On Wednesday we got our share of the blizzard-like weather that so much of the country got, though really we were very fortunate and were not hit as badly as a lot of the Northeast.  Things didn't seem too bad on Tuesday.  The forecast called for the nastiness to roll in around 3am Wednesday morning here.  At 3:07am, I had woken up and looked outside.  Nothing.  At 5, when Chris's alarm went off, nothing.  By 6, SNOW!  And a LOT of it in such a short amount of time.  We had already discussed that if it was looking pretty bad before it was time for him to leave, he would stay home.  I really didn't want him driving when we were going to be getting so much snow and ice, and really I don't think he cared to chance it either, given what we've already been through this winter, so it was a snow day for all of us.  By Thursday, things were better, and by Friday, MUCH better.  It was bad, but could have been SO much worse.

On Friday we went to my rescheduled doctor's appointment, where I found out that I didn't gain any weight since my last appointment.  I told the nurse I didn't want to know what the number was before she weighed me, that I only want them to tell me from now on if it becomes a concern.  After she weighed me, she said, well you didn't gain anything anyway!  Both she and my OB said it was fine, which made me happy, but probably means I'll be in for a bigger number next time.  My weight gain has seemed to come in spurts, so I'm sure I'll be unhappy with the number next time, but for now, I'm good.  They also confirmed that I passed the glucose test just fine (which I figured, given that their office has a no-news-is-good-news policy, and its been a few weeks since I did the test), and my anemia bloodwork came back in the normal range of being anemic (meaning that, I'm "a little bit anemic", but given that I'm pregnant, that's normal), so I was told to keep doing what I'm doing as far as diet.  Our next appointment is in 3 weeks (usually you go every 2 weeks right now, but the doctor said she was fine with 3 for the next given our drive, and I haven't had complications), and we also will have an ultrasound that day to check position to see if this little guy or girl is still hanging out in the breech position.  The doctor said she won't be super concerned with it until around 37 weeks, so we'll see.

Overall, I've still been feeling pretty good.  I'm just tired a lot.  Yesterday I took Bailie for a walk, and halfway through, I was feeling exhausted.  Even though my energy is really draining, I'm disappointed to know that most of my planned workouts may not go the way I want, but I figured that would come at some point.  At any rate, I am very thankful to be in a position right now where I can stop and rest any time I need to right now (though its too bad I can't bank this for later!).  Also on the bright side, I LOVE how much Baby has been moving like CRAZY.  I keep reading that around this time period, movement slows down, and maybe that's right around the corner for me, but for now, this kid is definitely practicing for a career in martial arts.  S/He especially likes to hang out on my right side.  If I had to guess, I would say that baby's head is under the right side of my ribs, with feet pointing to the left.  Several times throughout the day, I can watch my belly dip from side to side, like waves.  Its pretty amazing and funny.

We really can't believe that we are down to 9 weeks to go (if our baby were to come as scheduled for now).  Sometimes I feel really good about where we're at in terms of prep, but sometimes, like the other day, it starts to get really overwhelming.  I made a list of everything we still need to do or buy, and it surprisingly didn't look as bad as I expected.  We've been very fortunate to have a few baby items given to us so very generously from friends and family, but we still have progress to make.  Our last "big-ticket" item that we still have to get is our swing, but that will have to wait until we can get down to Syracuse at the very least.  Today I'm going to inventory our clothing items and try to decide what we still "need" in that area, except that I don't really have a concept of how many onesies, blankets, etc that babies need for any given time frame!  Oh well, I suppose that everything about having your first baby is a learning experience.

I think that's about it for this past week.  I'll have a picture in a couple of days to post probably.  So far, our weather doesn't look too bad, and our high today is 36.... we never knew we could be so happy to see temps in the 30s!  We don't really have anything going on this week that I can think of.... so, that's all for now! :)