My Weekend (08/30/11)

So I had a hectic weekend to say the least. After work on Friday and for a majority of Sunday DH and I prepared ourselves for our first hurricane, hurricane Irene. We got food and water, candles, lighters and a few extra candles. We brought all loose items from the patio inside to the garage. We started to pack an over night bag incase we had to evacuate. We we declared state of emergency and the next town over from us had to be evacuated. We live about a 15 minute walk from the beach so we had to keep an eye on the news closely for updates. It was estimated to hit us around 9:00PM Saturday night and we were never evacuated so we just hung tight. We weren't hit with the hurricane until late Saturday night. DH and I went to sleep Saturday at around 10:00PM and woke up several times that night from the heavy rain and winds. We didn't get any flooding or damage on the house though. Yay! We didn't even lose power! Just about everyone I talked to after the hurricane lost power. We were so lucky!

DH and I have been discussing getting a 4D u/s since we found out we were pregnant. I found a place that does them that is about 30 minutes away from me. About 3 weeks ago I made an appointment for Saturday, August 27th at 8:20AM. I got the "Standard 4D" package for $150.00 which includes:
- 10 minute DVD set to music
- 5 Black & White thermal images
- CD ROM of 10 to 25
- Color 3D images for printing or e-mailing to your family and friends
- Gender determination
- Discount of 20% on all return visits**
- Includes a CD and DVD
Score! However, the appointment is only 15 minutes long with absolutely no wiggle room. On Saturday morning DH and I went in for our elective 4D u/s. We were super excited about this appointment and then quickly bummed once we learned our LO would not cooperate. We saw her for about 15 seconds with her hands in a fist up by her mouth and nose. How beautiful! The u/s tech immediately told us to get up and walk around for 10 minutes. We did that and tried again. LO was facing my back so we couldn't see her precious face and the u/s tech immediately asked me if I ate. I said yes and she said "Well, you can get up and walk around some more or just re-schedule. Your call." She was so rude! DH and I decided to walk to the bagel shop next door and I got a coffee and orange juice. I chugged those and went in for round 3. No such luck. LO was still facing my back. Ugh! This little girl is something else. Every time we go in for an u/s she gives us problems...never fails! Gotta love her anyway though! So DH and I made another appointment to try again this Friday the 2nd at 5:00PM. Wish us luck!

So tomorrow is my last day at work before I get laid off and I don't think I could be more excited. I'm ready to get the house ready for the baby's arrival. I've been putting it off because I just don't have the energy to do it after a full day of work. No more excuses now!

30 Weeks! (08/26/11)

I'm 30 weeks today! Ekkk! Only 70 more days to go! Next week I'll hit 31 weeks and then have 9 weeks remaining. *Panicks* Baby is still about the size of a squash; 15.2 - 16.7" long and weighs 2.5 - 3.8 lbs.

At 30 weeks, your belly’s doing more than just making it tough to find a comfortable sleeping position. It’s made itself a conversation piece. Everywhere you go, someone seems to have a comment about your physical appearance, which isn’t always so fun. And no doubt, you’ve encountered quite a few people who don’t think before they speak and say something embarrassing or hurtful (what’s up with that?) Try not to take those comments seriously, but know which ones should be taken to heart. Like when they tell you you’re glowing, believe them! And take advantage of some of the perks (when someone offers you their seat on the train -- take it!) At week 30, your dreams might be getting even weirder -- if you’re actually sleeping, that is. That could be a result of anxiety, so consider doing some prep work to help you rest easier. One idea? Do a test drive to see exactly how long it really takes you to get to the hospital. Then maybe you’ll stop having nightmares about giving birth in your car.

- Her skin is getting smoother.
- But her brain is getting wrinklier -- to make way for all that essential brain tissue.
- She's now strong enough to grasp a finger!

I've been doing my kick counts nightly after dinner as that's usually when she's most active. Last night it took her awhile to get going and that worried me sick to the point where I felt nauseous. I even had DH put his hand on my belly and start talking to her, which usually gets her going but nadda. Once I went bed it was party time for her in there. Oh joy! Is this a sign of what's to come?

While watching Jersey Shore last night in bed I got to thinking about the things I'd miss once she joins us.
- Movement. Even though waking up from a deep sleep due to a kick in the ribs is uncomfortable I wouldn't trade it for the world.
- My OBGYN appointments. Oddly enough, I love going in and getting my blood pressure checked, getting weighed, listening to her heartbeat, asking my questions, bringing up concerns, etc. After each appointment I feel comforted.
- DH's loving and caring ways. Not that he's not loving and caring when I'm not pregnant but he seems to go a bit further and beyond than he normally does. Every time I stop dead in my tracks from a pain or an ache he immediately says "ARE YOU OK?!" "Yes, dear. I'm fine." He's been stepping up to the plate and helping me out any way that he can.
- Watching DH with other children and imagining him with Sophia. His Sister and 3 cousins have children of their own. It's absolutely priceless watching him interact with their children. He claims he's not scared of what's to come but I can tell that there's something there. He may not be scared but he may be nervous. I know he'll be an awesome Dad, no doubt in my mind. I actually fear that she'll be a Daddy's girl. No fair!
- Feeling the constant 24/7 bonding feeling. I'm carrying her with me 24/7 right now...I have been for 30 weeks now. There's no closer bond than that. I know when to expect her to start kicking, she kicks when I start getting hungry, certain foods that I eat make her go wild, I know when she gets the hiccups just by feeling them, loud noises scare her and she jumps, etc.

Yes, I may have cellulite. Yes, I may have stretch marks. Yes, I feel like a beached whale. Yes, I'm sick of the rude comments from some friends, family, co-workers and strangers. Yes, I hate being tired all the time. Yes, I hated throwing up for the first 16 weeks of my pregnany. Yes, I hate being so darn paranoid about this pregnancy. But you know what? I'm thankful and I wouldn't change it for the world. <3 Momma loves you Sophia Marie! <3

Sniss (08/24/11)

Who knew you can sniss right after a pee break? Literally. Seconds after a pee break. Ugh! Luckily I was at home and about to hop in the shower.

Road Maps & Randomness (08/22/11)

Yesterday was my lazy Sunday so I was laying in bed on my left side watching a movie. DH slips his hands between my belly and the bed and kept them there for a good 3 minutes or so. I said "What the hell are you doing?!" "I'm holding my little girl." and gives me the biggest smile. Awww!

Last night at around 8 o'clock I changed into some fleece pants (I was freezing!) and DH spotted some stretch marks on the upper part of my thighs. "Are those scratches or something?" "No dear, those are called stretch marks." Wonderful! I recently discovered a road map on my ass, on the back of my thighs right below my ass and on my sides by my hips...but my belly is all clear. WTF! I guess I'll never wear a bikini again. *Sighs*

Breastfeeding (08/19/11)

This may be a random post but I follow Roxanne's blog and she recently posted a great article on breastfeeding. This article made me cry. Why? Maybe it's nerves? Maybe I want to breastfeed so badly and I fear that I'll fail? I'm not exactly sure but I've read some stories that women have problems lactating. I know there are a handful of things you can do to help but it doesn't always work out.

I know formula fed babies don't instantly grow 2 heads or an extra toe but it's proven to be healthier and better for your child. Breastfeeding helps fight:
- Ear infections
- Diarrhea
- Respiratory infections
- Meningitis

Breastfeeding also may protect your child from:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Breast milk can be easier to digest for your baby and it's obviously cheaper than formula. Breast milk can taste different on a day-to-day basis depending on what you're eating so your baby isn't drinking the same tasting formula at every feeding. Breast fed babies have a slightly higher IQ than a baby that was formula fed too. Some studies have found that breastfeeding may help prevent obesity. Read this article for more info. The pros and cons for breastfeeding definitely outweigh formula feeding. Some women just don't want anything to do with breastfeeding. Me? I'm going to give it my all.

29 Weeks! (08/19/11)

As of today I'm 29 weeks along! 77 more days to go and only 8 more weeks until I'm full term. Ekkk! The baby is approximately the size of a squash, 15.2 - 16.7" long and weighs 2.5 - 3.8 lbs. She'll be about the size of a squash until week 33. She'll be gaining some baby chub until then.

Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

Nothing new to report here since yesterday. If you're interested in my currents symptoms check out yesterdays post.

DH and I are having a date night. We're going to a dine-in theater to see 30 Minutes or Less. We spotted the theater a few months ago and have been wanting to check it out since. We might as well go now before Sophia gets here because we wont get many date nights once she's here. Then tomorrow we may go on a double date with DH's friends to Medievil Times for dinner. DH isn't much of the "date-like" person so to me this is a big weekend. Two dates in 1 weekend. Yay! I couldn't be more excited about it either! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

1st Trimester AGAIN?! (08/18/11)

As of recently I feel like I can sleep the day away if someone let me. Yesterday I went home from work early due to someone pouring bleach all over the floor to clean them. It wreaked of bleach for a long time and my throat was starting to burn, my eyes were watering and my nose started to run. I went home at about 9:30AM. I rested my eyes for a bit and went to my 11:15AM 28 week appointment with DH. DH and I had lunch at Panera's and I passed out for 3 hours, literally. Woke up and watched a bit of TV. I then had dinner and passed out AGAIN for an hour. I took a shower and went to bed. I slept like a rock last night. Is this what I'm back to? The 1st trimester? I've been in bed and passed out by 8:00 at night now. I have that general "yucky" feeling too. You know...that 'Am I going to throw up?' feeling. Ugh! The baby rolling around, punching and kicking me makes the nausea even worse than it should be.

I'm getting laid off on August 31st due to my building closing and my contract ending. I was going to try and collect unemployment until January and treat that as my maternity leave. Once January comes along I'll start looking for a new job. But while on "maternity leave" before Sophia gets here I wanted to do some nesting and get her space set up. How on earth can I do this when all I have the energy to do is sleep?! Haha!

My 28 week appointment went well. It was the usual turn in your pee cup, check your blood pressure, get weighed, measure your belly growth and listen to heart beat. The nurse talked to me about kick counts. I now have to pick the baby's most active time of day for two hours and must count up to 10 kicks daily. Once I reach 10 kicks I can stop counting. If I don't get 10 kicks I need to call my OBGYN and get a non-invasive stress test done. I was in and out of there in 20 minutes as usual.

Addyson Olivia (08/16/11)

A close friend of the family, BJ, had her second little miracle baby on Wednesday, August 10th, 2011. She had her about 3 weeks early and she couldn't be more perfect. She weighed 4lbs 15oz and measured 17" long.

Addyson Olivia

Once BJ and her baby were released from the hospital they came to visit us. I snatched that precious little girl and got to hold her for the first time. She was so tiny and so perfect. She was making little baby noises, she smelt like "baby", moving her perfect little arms, feet, fingers and toes. At that very moment I fell in love. How can you not fall in love with something so small and so precious?

BJ started talking to me about a few of her birth story details just to warn me about what may happen so I'll be prepared. It scared the living daylights out of me. But you know what? Holding that beautiful little girl in my arms staring at her as she's telling me about it and feeling the love I have for her new little girl would totally be worth it to me. Even if I had the worst labor experience I could ever imagine it would totally be 100% worth it to take my baby girl home and hold her like I did with Addy.

I went to visit my parents in Connecticut over the weekend and they surprised me with the travel system DH and I wanted. We registered for the Chicco Cortina Travel System Stroller - Midori . I never thought I'd be so excited over a stupid carseat and stroller. I mean who does that?! I guess things change the moment you find out you're pregnant, huh? DH and I went home on Sunday late afternoon and immediately put it together. I had a strong urge to take it for a stroll babyless around the block but it was raining. Go ahead - make fun of me but DH already beat you to it! Since it was raining and I couldn't I just took it for a stroll around the house. I freakin' love this travel system. I love the colors, I love how it drives so smoothly, I love the large basket, I just love everything about it! Thanks Mom and Dad! Sophia sure will love it!

Registries!! (08/09/11)

So I'm bored at work and to kill time I decided to snoop around on my registry and see if anyone purchased anything from it yet. To my surprise there have been 2 purchases so far! The Kolcraft Step Starter 2-in-1 Walker - Woodstock and Chicco KeyFit & KeyFit 30 Child Restraint Base - Anthracite (an extra car seat base for my travel system)! Woohoo! I've asked DH when my shower was and he claims he has no idea. Between you and me I think he's lying. I still haven't gotten all the addresses to the guest list yet. Yikes! I better get on that!

Venting (08/08/11)

In this post I'll be venting about something that has been bothering me through out my whole pregnancy so far. Out of DH's generation, between all his cousins, this will be the 7th pregnancy to start the next generation. Well, yesterday I attended a family get together at DH's Grandma's house for a BBQ. One of Ian's Aunts looks at me dead in the eyes and said "Oh you're much bigger than --------- and she's got only 5 weeks left!" Really? Really?! Thanks. I think I'll go to the bathroom and shove my finger down my throat now. I'm so sick and tired of the "Oh you're getting huge!" comments. Well I am almost 7 months pregnant and growing a baby inside my fucking uterus, did you expect me to have a flat belly still? Ugh!

In My Daughter's Eyes (08/7/11)

I'd like to share a video with you all that my Mom dedicated to me since I'm carrying my first child, which happens to be a girl. If you're expecting a daughter get your tissues ready. You wont be able to make it through the first 30 seconds with out crying...just warning ya!

New Layout! (08/06/11)

The title of this post says it all! I put a new layout up and I hope you like it. It's a little more simple but I like it. I added a new "Purchases" page. Check that out too while you're at it. Enjoy!

3rd Trimester!! (08/05/11)

Today I am 27 weeks along and still about the size of an eggplant; 13.6 to 14.8" and 1.5 to 2.2 lbs. I am so delighted and so damn scared to announce that I am in the 3rd trimester now! I'm delighted for obvious reasons because that just means we're getting closer to meeting baby girl. I'm damn scared because that means in just a few more weeks our lives will be turned upside down but in a good way. We'll now be 100% responsible for a tiny living human being. That includes making important decisions for her until she's old enough to make them herself, care for her, tend to her, kiss the boo-boos, heal broken hearts, etc. That is enough to scare me to death. I want to be the best Mother a woman can be and that's a lot of pressure.

People ask me all the time what my biggest fear is being pregnant and all. I'm not going to lie - everything. There's still that slight chance that something can go wrong up until I give birth to her. It could be a medical issue, umbilical cord accident or even I just go into labor prematurely and she wont make it. I'm scared to death of giving birth to her for obvious reasons. I'm scared of the pain, things wont go as smoothly as I hoped, I'm scared of tearing, scared I'll end up having a c-section when I want to give birth naturally, the baby's heart rate might drop during delivery, etc. I fear that I'll fail as a Mother. I fear that she'll turn into a wild child in her pre-teens and I wont know how to handle it. My fear list can go on and on. But as a new Mom I'll have to face these fears and push through them.

Right now I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep. I watched Project Runway and the Jersey Shore premire last night so I didn't get to bed until 11:00 o'clock last night. I was over tired, couldn't get comfortable and go to sleep. Once I finally did it was about 2:00 in the morning. My alarm went off at 5:00. Needless to say coffee is going to be my new best friend and I'll be one miserable bitch today. Look at me the wrong way today...I dare you.

Blech! (08/04/11)

I'm such a horrible blogger. I don't update nearly as often as I should. For the past few days I've been feeling "yucky". Not M/S or anything, just "yucky". Like stomach cramps - the kind you'd get with a stomach ache or some kind of food poisioning along with some gurgling. The rest of this paragraph may be TMI so if you don't care to read it just skip over it. Everything I've eaten since Tuesday has went right through me. Yup, I'm talking about diarrhea. When I say everything I mean soup, veggies, crackers, etc. Last night I decided to scarf 2 bananas down when I got home from work and make homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner. That was the trick. So far so good. I even packed up a container of it for lunch at work this morning. The runs while at work is no fun. Trust me! If you'd like the recipe I plan on posting it in the "Recipes" tab.

As I approach the 3rd trimester, which will start tomorrow (Ekkk!), I'm getting more and more tired. Worse than the 1st trimester. Awesome! This is when I planned on getting the house ready for baby the most. I'll have to suck it up and deal with it and get DH's help as much as I can and hope that things get done on time. He doesn't seem to worry but I'm a planner and a worrier so that's just my nature.

I hope everyone is doing well!