27 1/2 Weeks and Doing Fine

I had my monthly doctor's appointment today and everything is checking out.  My stomach is measuring 27 1/2 inches and I've gained 22 lbs.  It's scary to think how much more I"m going to gain in 3 months.  Yikes!  I also had to take the glucose test this week.  I should know on Monday if everything is ok.  I'm also starting the biweekly appointments in August.  I can't believe we're getting that close.  So next time I go I'll be 30 weeks.  

While in the waiting room, I was looking through a magazine and came across a small invention that would solve a problem I'm starting to have.  Looks like an odd little contraption but I can imagine at  8 months need it.  It's call the Razor Reach.

Today we're going to pick up the crib.  That should be interesting.  It's the only piece we have to put together.  Luckily the room is ready for it.  But first, I'm heading to the pool to attempt to get a little more sun before the big wedding weekend.  I'm looking forward to seeing my big brother marry such an awesome girl.  It's hard to believe it's happening.  I'm so happy for him.

Good Luck J & N!!

Maternity Support Belts and Art Work...

This weekend I got a recommendation that could quite possibly be the best purchase recommendation to date.  It's called the maternity belly support belt.  I know it sounds cheesy but I've heard that it could help alleviate one of the problems that has caused me to curb my running.  So I bought it and had an opportunity to try it out tonight.  All I can say is that I ran for 20 straight minutes.  Something I haven't been able to do since the fourth month.  It wasn't fast but I'm not winning any races any time soon.  I was so excited to be able to run, even for a little bit. 

I've also been thinking some more about what to decorate the little guy's room with.  I've looked at paintings online that are mass produced and while they are nice, I don't feel like I'd be spending money on anything that he could be proud to own.  Then I remembered a few local artists that might have some possible options.  I've reached out to them to see what might be available but here are some samples of their work.

Charles Houska

Jeff Kapfer

Craig Downs

What a Busy Weekend

To say this was an action packed weekend is an understatement only to be outdone by the events of the coming weekend.  This weekend was all about baby where next weekend will be all about my brother and N.

Let's start with Friday...the only thing truly eventful was the fact that the movement I've been feeling in my belly became more substantial.  I literally felt like I could feel and see his elbow or knee running up and down the left side of my belly.  It was the most bizarre thing to be able to feel.  It's only going to get stronger too.  As S and I were watching TV that night, little boy was so active, you could visually see it from the other side of the couch.  I think we're in trouble.

Saturday, I got a little taste of what life would be like with a little one.  I watched Baby M for my sister while she did some work.  We went to the mall and babies r us and I quickly realized just how much work it is just to get in and out of the car.  During the day, I went with a girlfriend and her two small girls to the pool for a little while.  We were a sight.  Did I mention she's 34 weeks pregnant?  So picture it, 2 pregnant ladies, one 27 and one 34 weeks, 2 little girls (one three and one 1 1/2) at the pool.  You could tell people were trying to figure out which little girl belonged to who.  Then it turned into the candy bar scene from Caddy Shack as the lifeguard was spotted roaming the water wearing a plastic glove.  Unfortunately, this was not a candy bar that she found.  Our day at the pool was over!  Saturday night I got to be the pregnant lady at a bar.  We went to a birthday party for a short time and could feel the looks.  I'm probably just paranoid but oh well.

Today was my first baby shower.  It was great!  Low key and easy.  It was nice to talk to my girlfriends and listen to some of their stories.  They are so candid and will tell you the things the books won't.  While I was gone, S worked on moving clothes around, preparing to make room for the baby furniture that's ready to be picked up.  We can now put the crib in place and will hopefully be able to have room for the dressers too.

I'm looking forward to a short work week and wedding festivities.  The remainder of the month of August will be a blurr.  I'll be traveling extensively as my project comes to a head on 08/23.

Uh No It's Happening...

My brother and his fiance are getting married next weekend and I'm a brides maid. The dresses are a pretty shade of pink which I think that I could highlight a little better if I had a tan. So I've been thinking long and hard about putting a swimsuit on this weekend (something I'm not looking forward to) and getting some sun. That's when I realized...

This might be TMO for boys reading this but my line of sight is starting to diminish. In the shower yesterday, it occurred to me to make sure I was safe to possibly put on a swimsuit tomorrow and when I went to look, my view was obstructed. I was hoping that wouldn't happen till maybe the 7th month or so but no such luck. I can only barely see the parts that I needed to see. Not sure if pregnant women can wax but I'm afraid I'll have to look into it. If for no other reason, peace of mind.

As an alternative to putting on the bathing suit, I've debated spray tanning but can't bring myself to do it without knowing what it's going to look like. How bad would that look, an orange, 6 month pregnant lady walking down the longest isle in St. Louis in 3 in sexy stilettos. What a sight!

I've got my first baby shower this week. I can't believe it. It's going to be a shocker to open baby things. There are days that I feel like I'm still going with the theory that I'm just eating too much.

My niece had her baptism this past weekend too.  She is such a good little girl.  She didn't crazy at all and even came out of it smelling like Eucholyptist. 

I also want to brag for a minute about the fact that my kitchen is finally DONE!!  We had it painted this week and it made a huge difference.  It looks great and we found a good painter that we hope to use from now on.  No more do it yourself for us.  Because it's actually become "S does it" and I'm not allowed close to the paint.  I guess I should've take a picture of the backsplash and cabinets with the paint color. More pictures to come. 

26 Weeks...Objective This Week...Solidify Childcare

S and I have been discussing what our childcare will be when I go back to work after maternity leave. We've been thinking about in home care but after going to lunch with my buddy C, it occured to me that I need to explore all the options. He provided some day care names that I've added to our search. It's such a big decision. It's not like finding someone to walk your dog (even though I love my dog very much). I've made a couple calls and put ourselves on some waiting lists but don't feel comfortable that we've found an option that fits our schedule and budget and objectives. I'll be so relieved when we've figured out this puzzle. It's probably one of the biggest decisions we'll make. The other will be finding a pediatrician. Unfortunatley, whoever this ends up being will have some pretty big expectations to meet.

I Hate When That Happens (this is a long one)

Do you ever log on to MSN or Yahoo, knowing there's something(s) on your mind that you're looking to escape through news, pop culture or movie clips of monkeys imitating people but when you log on, you're inundated with stories or news related to your issue? Well that's exactly what happened today. It's lunch time, I actually have an hour to unwind from a morning of meetings and so I decide a little mindless reading will be nice when the two biggest fears I have reared their ugly head right there on the scrolling MSN news. My first thought was to ignore it but by that point, I'm interested. So I click...

"I love my children but hate parenting"

I think I've been pretty vocal about my fears and one of them has always been will I enjoy being a parent? In my mind up until this click, there was no separation. If you had a child you were a mom, a parent and you were supposed to LOVE IT. That never jived with me. I'm a very independent person which is probably why S and I work so well together. We both enjoy our time to ourselves. Part of my fear has been that I will hate being a mom because now every moment I had to workout, go have a drink, or whatever is GONE. Life is no longer carefree and I would somehow resent my child for that affect. What I realized in this article is they aren't mutually exclusive, you can LOVE your child but dislike the task of childcare. Maybe I'm stretching but at the moment it's comforting me to know that I don't have to love every moment. I'm fully preparing myself for the not so good moments but maybe I need to be reminding myself that with those come a few moments that I'm assuming are priceless (the first smile, every time he gives me a hug, or says "I love you mommy"). I've been looking at this in a Dooms Day type of approach. I know it's wrong but it's how I tick. I see that it's wrong so I'm going to make a valiant effort to work on my perspective.

The second fear was that I'd never be back to my pre-baby form. I'd never be able to run a marathon or do a triathlon or ever go to the gym as consistently or even look as good (not that I was a rockstar before). It's a superficial fear I know but the need to compete and push myself is so ingrained in me that without an outlet to exercise that need, I get depressed. The article that came up next was one about that point. It's point was to accept the new reality. Life will be different, you will be different. This article doesn't give me the warm fuzzy feeling that the first did. This one seems like an excuse to me. An excuse I'm not willing to accept. I've got a couple things going for me that I'm hoping will allow me to break the mold.

First, S has the same motivations and understands my desires. We've discussed having to manipulate our lives a little bit to make it work but he's extremely supportive (which I'm very lucky to have).

Second, an almost obsessive mindset that won't accept it. I'm going to have to make some personal sacrifices I know that I'm going to be doing it for a reason that goes beyond any excuse. In the pool yesterday I also had a thought. A lot of articles I read said mothers who are into certain things, tend to come back stronger, etc. I couldn't figure out why. Then in the pool something hit me. I'm going to have to plan every minute I'm away from Alex (Baby Mac). I better maximize the outcome of that time. If I've got 45 minutes at the gym, I better get my "money's worth" (i.e. no slacking, push harder). I do seem to gain some motivation from that theory even before he comes. I know I can only push so hard right now but I did think about the laps I was doing yesterday in a slightly different manner. I thought about my form, thought about doing drills instead of laps, etc. It gave me the warm and fuzzy I was looking for.

Bottom line, I know I'm not alone in these fears but knowing how to work through them is going to be what makes me grow as a person and that in turn, will hopefully translate into a more confident mom.

WOW, that was deep! Sorry if you were looking for ramblings about baby furniture and burp clothes but today wasn't the day for that.

Look Out Boys...Momma Can Hit!

S is playing golf on Saturday so he wanted to go hit golf balls. I thought I'd humor him and go. Besides, I wanted to test out Mom's theory that she played her best golf while pregnant. Turns out, there must be something to that. At 6 months, I'm no longer slicing it. With my three wood, I can consistently hit 150+ yards. S was pretty impressed. I should have stopped while I was ahead though. I wasn't that successful with irons or pitching. It was fun though. I'm thinking I might go to a course and hustle some good ole boys out of some money. :)

I also went and swam which was a good decision seeing that it was one of the hottest days of the year thus far. I'm still fitting into my speedo which is an accomplishment in itself. I need to think about signing up at a club with a pool preferably one that provides childcare as well. Maybe for Christmas I'll ask Santa for a YMCA membership.

I had to laugh at myself tonight after my shower. I was putting some of this belly balm stuff on my ever growing stomach and realized it seemed like I was shining a bowling ball. It's just as round as it can be. You might think I had stuck a basketball under my shirt if you didn't know any better.

We ordered the baby furniture last night. Now we just need to get that room cleared out to make room for the three new pieces.

I'm Never Wearing Empire Waist Again!

Once this little guy is out (15 weeks or so from now), I am banning all empire waist clothing from my house. I won't be able to associate them with anything else other than pregnancy. So sorry, this is one fashion trend I will not partake in, that and probably leggings (just not pretty on an athletic build, or I use to have an athletic build). They are cute on my brother in law's girlfriend, who is a size 0 and fabulous.

Yesterday was a pretty amazing day for one reason, I swear Ian was working out in my stomach all day long! I couldn't believe how active he was then after my spinning class and dinner, it's like he went to sleep. I couldn't believe how in tune we were. I'm not sure if I've felt any hiccups but definitely lots of movement.

My spinning class has become a sort of support system for me. It's nice that I do it with my girlfriend who is 32 weeks pregnant (yep, that will be me too). The group that always rides on Monday night seems to know just what to say to a pregnant lady. Last night I heard that I'm the smallest pregnant woman they've seen given my stage in the pregnancy. True or not, I took that compliment and spun happily uncomfortable for an hour.

Wednesday night we're swimming again (Baby and I). I do enjoy doing that and need to do it more regularly. I need to keep that swimming fitness up to some degree or triathlon training post baby will really be killer.

Oh, one other thing. I need to remember to upload a picture that my girlfriend took of me and her baby. I couldn't believe it was me. From the neck down, I could be a regular playboy bunny. I need to learn how to cover those things up. I'm definitely not use to having them and forget to make sure they are tucked away. The last thing I want is to give everyone a peep show. After looking at that picture, I thought about what I did at work that day and realized, I probably showed my boss more than he wanted to see too. Oops! Too bad I'm not getting into swimsuit anytime soon. It would be fun to see what they look like in that.

25 Weeks and Still Pregnant

It is a little crazy to think that I'm past the half way mark. To date, I've gained somewhere around 15 to 17 lbs.

I'd like to say it's closer to 15 lbs but I'm thinking 17. I'm not going to confirm it though because I've refused to step on a scale for the once a month mandatory visit at the Dr. Office. This approach, stepping on a scale only once a month, is not necessarily the best either because when I finally do see that number it seems pretty big. As I understand it, it's only going to get worse. Baby Mac is somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 lbs now which is a little comforting to know it's not all me. What I understand of the 25th week is that he will start using his nose which means hiccups can occur which I will be able to feel.

I'm also starting to notice my back is trying to take the brunt of the extra weight which means a sore back all the time. S was nice enough to give me a back rub which I couldn't figure out how he was going to do till I went into the bedroom and found this piece of engineering miracle.

It might not look like much but to a pregnant woman who use to sleep on her stomach, it's a small slice of heaven. My growing belly fits in that little slit in the middle. It was so nice to be able rest that way even for just a little bit.

Friday I went to see my girlfriend who has just come home from having her little girl. She's so sweet and makes you realize that all this discomfort does come with a priceless payout. Good things come to those who wait I suppose. After doing that, I went to the mall to get the shoes for my brother's up coming wedding. The shoe salesman brought them to me then proceeded to watch as I attempted to strap them on. I did use the word "attempt" right? Finally after just a few seconds of struggling the salesman noticed my frustration and came to help. It really is shocking when you realize you can't do the simple things that you used to do like put on a pair of strappy heels. Damn it!


This week I marked our home calendar with the weeks so S could be reminded of where we are in this process. I didn't realize that you're actually gestation period is 42 weeks until I did this. My 40th week is actually two weeks before my due date of Oct 26th. How cruel is that?

A Couple Firsts Today

Two things happened today that I had yet to experience.

1. First Time Someone asked when I was due before thinking twice - While at work in the elevator a lady got in and I saw her eyes go immediately to my belly. There was an awkward silence that I'm pretty sure was her trying to decide to ask. And then it happened..."when are you due?" "October 26th" I said. After which she proceed to tell me about her boys.

2. Similar situation but I was at the gym lifting weights next to a guy. He looked at me, did a double take then said "I admire you working out the way you are in your condition." huh! I said "Thanks, you gotta just keep going." To which he said, "I wish someone would've told my wife that, maybe she wouldn't look like she does now." Ouch!!

Saturday night I went to dinner with some girlfriends (the wives of all of my husbands friends). We are all close and enjoy getting together and venting a little bit. 9 of us went and this was the first time that almost half of us were pregnant in various stages. Girl 1 is due any day, Girl 2 is due in September, Girl 3 is due October (me), Girl 4 due in February. What a sight that was. :)

We will hopefully be ordering baby furniture soon. We've picked it out and I'm thinking ordering it will prompt us to spend more time reorganizing things and in an effort to make room for the additional pieces. We're going to get the convertible crib, changing table and 5 drawer dresser. We are also debating if we want to get a glider. It wouldn't fit in the bedroom unfortunately but it would be nice to have for the den.

I do have to complain a little bit that it's getting harder to sleep through the night. I don't like constantly sleeping on my sides and find myself waking up on my back, which I feel bad about since the doctors recommend not sleeping on your back. S has had to deal with arms constantly swinging around trying to find a good place to land. Sometimes his head takes a hit.

What A Productive Weekend!!

S and I have been in one of those moods lately that causes us to go crazy working on the house. This weekend's project, paint the patio set that we got from Mimi. In my pregnant state, I was confined to paint stripping duty which I only did while wearing a mask. S did all the spray painting. Then we worked on the landscaping a little bit. We have one more big project in the back that we need to do but won't be completing until the fence is complete. Our neighbors are working on that now.



At 24 weeks, this is what "What To Expect When Expecting" is saying about our baby. "Your baby is about eight and a half inches long and weighs one and a half pounds, gaining steadily at a rate of six ounces per week. Much of that weight comes from accumulating baby fat, as well as from growing organs, bones, and muscle. Those little ears of hers are getting sharper and can hear very loud sounds, from a yapping dog to a jackhammer. Also by now, that fabulous face is almost fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. Is your baby a brunette, a blonde, or a redhead? Actually, right now her locks are white since there's no pigment yet."

Second Ultrasound Coming

I had a Dr. Apt yesterday. It's so crazy to have them take out a tape measure and measure the size of my belly. The total size should equate to the number of weeks. 23 1/2 inches, pretty spot on. He also mentioned that they are scheduling another ultrasound for the 30 week mark. Evidently, our little guy has a slightly enlarged left kidney and they want to keep an eye on it. It's nothing to be alarmed at says the doctor most babies with this issue will outgrow it before birth. What that does mean though is that we'll get to see how big he's gotten.

I went to they gym tonight and was looking in the mirror and it really did look like I had a volleyball under my shirt. It doesn't look so much like that in work clothes. I wonder why that is. If I remember, I'll have S take a picture on Saturday at the 24 week mark.

Sleep has also become challenging lately. If I'm not getting up several times to visit the bathroom, I'm hot and can't cool down.

We've also been busy at home. We've finally found a painter so soon we'll have the kitchen painted. We've also bought some new shelves and TV stand for the den which helps make that room feel like less of the dumping ground for mismatched furniture and more like a put together room. I still need to add some finishing touches and the room really does need a new paint color but we'll see. One thing at a time. This weekend we have a big weekend of sanding and painting patio furniture, looking for a console table for the front room and some Adirondack chairs for the front porch.