Nursery Furniture Sneak Peak!

Because I can't contain my excitement...now that we actually own and have our crib and dresser in our possession...here is a sneak peak of the nursery furniture! (This is for you Aunt Sis -- I promise to post pictures of the actual nursery once it is completed, but this at least gives you an idea of the furniture!) :)

This is the crib (pictured below). It's part of the Suite Bebe Hampshire collection. The color is a dark cherry color (which has a much richer look in person). We opted not to get the long, short dresser pictured next to the crib, as we most likely will not have enough room for it in the nursery once we add in a changing table and glider/ottoman.

To the left in this picture, is the tall, skinny dresser we went with. It's actually quite large (appears small in this picture). It's incredibly well made and sturdy. And the bed pictured is what the crib will convert to when baby boy is no longer a baby. The crib converts to a toddler bed, then a small day bed, and then the full size bed shown above.

We've decided on a changing table and glider/ottoman that we want...now it's just a matter of purchasing them both. Then there's the painting, which my sweet mom has volunteered to do...and the chair rail that I want to put up, which I'm trying to convince my sweet dad to do ;) (hint, hint dad!). And hopefully between Christmas and baby showers we can rack up on nursery bedding/accessories, in addition to all the other 923498098234 items that babies require!

Hello 3rd Trimester!

Can you believe it? When we found out I was pregnant, right before Father's Day this past June, I kept thinking "February is so far away...we have so much time". And now it's almost December, and I'm a mere 12 weeks away from being a first time mommy. Granted I already consider myself mommy to Whinnie...but I'll be a first time mommy to a HUMAN BABY! Scary, but OH so exciting :)

(I admit...these pictures are a teeny bit misleading, as they were taken at the beginning of week 27...but I feel as though my "ballooning" has slowed a bit, so I'm about this same size. Plus these two pictures were taken very late at night, after I'd spent the day swelling...so they are pretty much on target for my current size at 28 weeks.)

This week, according to baby center, baby boy weighs about 2 and a quarter pounds...roughly the size of a Chinese cabbage.

(yes, I had to google this because I wasn't sure what a Chinese cabbage looked like. now that I see it, I'm craving salad. Or coleslaw.)

He is also now measuring about 14.8 inches from the top of his head, to his heels. There is a baby over a FOOT LONG in my belly! He can also open and close his eyes, which now have eyelashes. And I'm seriously hoping he ends up inheriting my mom's/brother's eyelashes.

So here's what's been happening this week:

How far along: 28 weeks. Welcome to the 3rd Trimester, the home stretch, the whole shebang...you get the picture.

Maternity clothes: obviously. I wore one of the very first shirts I purchased after I found out I was preggo in the photos below. When I bought the shirt it was so very huge, I tried it on and giggled at the thought of ever being able to fit in to it. Lo and behold, now it's one of the most suitable items I own. Everything else is starting to shrink up just a bit. That, or I'm just expanding...

Sleep: Surprisingly, sleep is getting better. Granted I still swear by my snoogle, and that's probably why my back no longer hurts when I get up in the morning. But the past couple of days, I've been ditching the snoogle after my last wee-hours-of-the-morning potty break (around 3:30 or 4:00am) and sleeping all on my own for about 2 hours or so. And I actually can't wait to be free of the snoogle. Yes, it helps immensely...but it is so restricting, and I feel like a contortionist trying to get back in a pretzel shape every time I get up to pee in the middle of the night.

Best moment(s) of the week: Thanksgiving feasting! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with too much food and a lot of special memories with my family on Thursday, and then drove down to have more deliciousness and bonding with Todd's family on Friday. And while all of the Thanksgiving yummy-ness made baby boy and I very happy, no food items could beat the delicious Mexican food we ate in Hampton, VA at Plaza Azteca on Saturday night. I shall have dreams about that enchilada until our next visit.

Other exciting moments include getting our nursery dresser and crib (the actual crib! There was a bit of a snafu in that the store gave us the wrong crib on the loading dock the first time around. Mom pointed this out to us on Thanksgiving, and I spent much of the day panicking that the crib we really wanted was going to be sold out by the time we got back to the store. Fortunately my parents rock and went to put the correct crib on hold -- and lodge a complaint! -- and we ended up with the correct crib...thanks to Todd and my Dad for their hard labor!)

Movement: Baby boy is a kicker AND a hiccup-er. He moves most of the day. Lately his favorite move has been lodging up in my ribs, so I feel short of breath and pant like I'm going to pass out while I tell stories.

Food cravings: I love it all. It's really getting out of control. I finish one meal and think about what I'll eat at my next meal. This is not helping the double chin. I'm also still craving that enchilada from Plaza Azteca.

Stretch marks: None. I start to feel pretty confident that I won't have many (or any) stretch marks...but then I remember what my mom told me about her stretch marks coming in after we were born. I'm knocking on wood that this won't happen...

Gender: Still boy! Last night I asked Todd if we were "set" on baby boy's name. He said yes. Very confidently. So I asked if we should start calling the baby by his name when we're alone (because we want the name to be a surprise). He also said yes. I have yet to do this...I feel sort of silly calling my belly by a little boy's name. But I think it will help with being used to his name when he arrives.

What I miss: Aside from not having to pee 15 times while watching a movie...or while sleeping...there's really not much that I miss. I am sure this will change in the next 12 weeks, though.

What I'm looking forward to: Christmas! and baby showers! and getting the nursery pulled together! So much to look forward to! :)

(Love this picture so much, I'm considering using it for our Christmas cards!)

Weekly wisdom: Be sure to write down the dates of your OBGYN appointments. And then be sure you wrote down the date correctly. (Yes, I wrote down that I had my glucose screening appointment on Friday the 3rd. I got a call today from the office reminding me that in fact, my appointment is tomorrow. Pregnant brain strikes again!)

27 weeks (last week)

This post is clearly overdue, as I'm 28 weeks today. So I will post what I started last week, and then follow with another post for 28 weeks.

We hit the 27 week mark (last Tuesday). Which means baby boy will be here before we know it!

I posted a facebook status last Monday that said how even though I'm almost in the third trimester, it is still weird to see my belly move as baby boy kicks. It's surreal! Like that scene in Alien. Although I best remember the scene from Spaceballs...which totally freaked me out when that little alien popped out and started doing a chorus line-esque routine of "hello my baby!" Totally freaky...


(I'm pretty sure this scarred me for life...)

In week 27, baby boy is about 2lbs...and roughly the size of a head of cauliflower. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and possibly even sucking on his fingers. I so desperately hope we get to have another ultrasound soon so that I can see this! His brain is very active now, and while his lungs are still immature, if he was born now, they would be capable of functioning (with a lot of medical help). This gives me a little sense of calm about baby coming early...although there are no signs of him showing up anytime soon, fortunately!

Also, any repetitive quick rhythmic movement can now be chalked up to baby boy having the hiccups. Which he definitely does pretty often. Adorable!

I'm going to jump in to the 28 week post now, so that I'm all caught up...

Belly and Rings (not belly-rings)

It's been about 3 weeks since my last belly pic, so here's the bump in all it's 26 week (and 2 days) glory! My apologies for not including my face, but in taking the picture myself, it was nearly impossible to get the belly AND face in one picture, hence why you just get the double chin. Awesome.

And, due to my nicely puffed up fingers, as of today, my wedding and engagement rings have taken up residence on my necklace. This is mostly because I was afraid of losing them today, since I wore them in to work, but had to remove them as my hands gradually swelled. I probably won't wear them like this for the next 3 months and instead lock them up. Oh how I'll miss them. And oh, how I'll enjoy the judgmental looks I will be receiving. :)

And lastly, just because she's cute, and was the last picture I took on my iPhone...a picture of the oh so sweet big sis. I'm pretty sure her world is about to be rocked in a few short months, and she has no idea. Lord knows I'll still love that muffin face just as much as I already do. She is my first baby -- always will be! ♥

yeah, but she has a Facebook page!

I meant to blog about this earlier this week.

Monday night when I got home from work, Todd was on the computer up in the loft.

I went upstairs and sat on the couch and started chit-chatting with him about our days, bills, life, etc.

At one point we were discussing moving the bed out of the guest room (which will be the nursery) over to Keith's house.

I suggested Todd call Keith right then and there to sort out plans.

Todd picked up his phone and had a strange voicemail message. After playing it for me a few times, we couldn't figure out what it was regarding, or even if it was intended for him at all, so he deleted it.

After he deleted the message, the phone defaulted to his "favorites" page -- a list of his most called/favorite friends.

He smiled and happily said "look honey, you're my only favorite!" as he showed me my phone number next to a picture of me on the display screen of his phone.

I thought that was adorable and replied "aww, how come I get to be your favorite?"

and without missing a beat, he grinned even wider and said "because the dog doesn't have a cell phone!"

At least I know where I stand in our household rankings... ;)

Week 26!

I can't believe I'm only 2 weeks from the third trimester. This pregnancy is moving along faster than I originally expected. The other day a friend told me that the mommy-ing comes easy and naturally...it's the pregnancy that is the hardest part. That was possibly the most uplifting statement I've heard lately. It was sort of "relieving" to my stress levels. I go back and forth every day between "I can't wait to have my baby here!" and "holy sh!t, I'm about to be a MOM. And have to take care of another human BEING!" I know the reward will be more amazing than I could ever imagine, so I try to keep reminding myself of that.

So this week, baby boy is about the length of an English hot-house cucumber. If he is comparable in length to the English cucumbers at my Giant, then he ought to be quite cramped in my belly, because those suckers are LONG. And in other great developmental news, this week marks the start of baby boy's testicles beginning to descend in to his scrotum! I'm sure he'll be grateful that I posted that when he reads this someday. :) You're welcome, son!

Wow...Son...that seemed so weird to say/type...weird, but exhilarating.

Anyway, on to the survey:

How far along: 26 weeks today! I'm back on track with my postings.

Maternity clothes: yes, and I was just commenting the other day that I'm already tired of all of my maternity clothes. BUT, I will NEVER tire of leggings. I hope they never go out of style.

Sleep: Oh how I miss sleep. I am on a nightly peeing schedule -- once before bed, then 11:30pm, 2:30am, 4:00am, and again when I get up at about 6:00am. In addition, it's practically impossible to get comfortable. My awesome hubby bought me a snoogle (see below), and it's helping a bit...but I have to strategically position myself in and around the snoogle before falling asleep, and it's a bit of a pain to have to attempt to re-create my comfort level after a 2:00am pee break. Not to mention, I'm pretty sure Whinnie keeps one eye open all night to see when I get up to pee, because without fail, every time I come back from the bathroom, she's curled up inside the snoogle. I have a feeling it might become hers after baby boy is born.

Best moment of the week: This is equally divided amongst several factors -- 1) Hubby buying me the snoogle; 2) Registering for our nursery bedding (as in, I finally picked a theme!); 3) Deciding on Nursery Furniture; 4) The sweet pre-natal massage I will be getting on Sunday afternoon. Oh how my back can use it right now!

Movement: He's still super active. I had a moment of internal panic on Sunday because Todd and I spent all morning planting flowers and mulching our front and back yard. Around 12:30pm, I realized I hadn't felt baby boy kicking me all day. Fortunately as soon as I sat down on the couch to rest, he started kicking up a storm. I think he was displeased with me for taking a break from yard work, and wanted to get me moving again.

Food cravings: Anything. Although I could REALLY go for some Red Robin, but Todd is trying to curb my desire to eat out all the time, so I don't think we'll be visiting any time soon.

Stretch marks: Nope, still none. Though the belly button is getting flatter and flatter...

Gender: Hopefully still boy, because we've registered for a lot of boy stuff!

What I miss: Sleeping through the night, and being able to wear my wedding rings all day. Hello puffy fingers! Oh, I also miss not sweating in the winter. I think it really is true that baby boys make their mommies 10 degrees hotter than baby girls.

What I'm looking forward to: Holding my baby boy. Cheesy as it may sound, that's really all this is about...the end product -- him. I can't wait to kiss his little cheeks and see if he has Todd's dimples. I cried watching an episode of 16 and pregnant the other day because the girl gave birth to a baby boy, who was absolutely precious, and all I could picture was my little guy.

Weekly wisdom: To the woman in the elevator this morning, who (after I told her I was due in February) cocked her head to the side, raised an eyebrow, and said to me "is it twins?!?" you are lucky I wasn't in a mood this morning. I would have really enjoyed giving you the finger as I stepped off the elevator, but instead I smiled and said "nope! just a baby boy :)" but I hope you know, the next time I won't be so friendly. Mind your business!

Yikes! Slacking!

I completely missed my 25 week post :( boo!


But I'm not going to post it now because I'll be 26 weeks tomorrow, and to be honest there weren't a lot of changes in ME between weeks 25-26. And since the survey mainly asks questions about ME, there's no sense in posting.


I will, however, let you know that at 25 weeks, baby boy was measuring 13.5 inches (over a foot long!) and 1.5 lbs. According to baby center, this is the size of an average rutabaga. Considering I have never eaten, nor even seen, a rutabaga before, I will just trust their judgment.

Also last week, baby was growing more hair, and if I could see inside my belly, I'd be able to discern the color and texture of his hair. Judging by the insane amount of heartburn I've been having (if the old wives tale is true), baby boy is growing a mop-top in there. And I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it's a pretty safe bet that baby boy is NOT growing dark hair. I may not be a super natural blond anymore, but my hair is not super dark by any means, and well my husband was a toe-head until he was about 13 years old. So I'm betting baby boy will take after his daddy.

In other grand news, we finally decided on a nursery theme (hooray!), and we think we've decided on his name (to be kept secret until birth). I've also been told about 2 showers, which is incredibly amazing and generous of the hosts (which I'll reveal more about once invitations go out) and I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives that want to do these special things for us.

Next things on my list that are semi-stressing me out are:
-pick out and purchase nursery furniture
-research day cares
-pediatrician visits

And surprise, surprise, I have heartburn again! :)

26 week survey tomorrow!

Some not-so-glamorous details

• Baby boy is sitting in my ribs. Thus, he's pressing on my lungs. Yes, this makes it difficult to breathe.

• It feels to be about 105 degrees in my office. I have on short sleeves. I'm sweating. I read once that baby boys make their mommy's 10 times hotter than baby girls. Thanks, buddy!

• My fingers are getting puffy. Due to my 900+ bathroom trips per day, which equates to 900+ hand washings per day, water has been getting trapped under my wedding rings, causing a rash. So puffy fingers + water irritation = me looking like an unwed preggo (with a sweet finger rash). **no offense to any unwed preggo's out there...it's just not my style.

• Sleep is getting worse and worse. So now I look like an exhausted, unwed, preggo with dirty hair (because I'd rather have 15 more minutes of sleep than have to think about blow drying my hair), and a finger rash.

• My armpits are still sweaty. Told you this post wouldn't be glamorous!

24 weeks

I'm totally late in posting my 24 week update. My back hurts, my emotions are wacky, and I'm so tired from the 6 different bathroom trips I take each night.

On the plus side, I feel baby boy kick ALL THE TIME and it's super cute. Mostly because I picture him in there, with his little fists in the air, beating on my belly, demanding to be fed. Granted I'm sure this will lose a bit of luster when he comes out with his arms flailing, red faced and screaming. But picturing him with Todd's dimples makes him oh-so-cute and definitely worth it :).

That being said, I'll let you know that baby boy is just over a pound now, and is about the length of an ear of corn. This comparison oddly makes me crave popcorn. But as we all know, popcorn = salt. Ok, that's not a proven equation, but it is the way I make, because I feel it should be doused in salt.

Also, baby's body is starting to fill out, and soon he will be plumping up. Good! Get chubby! I love baby rolls! (Just don't get TOO big for me to push out). His brain is continuing to grow, taste buds forming (how's that amniotic fluid taste, bud?), and his lungs are forming the respiratory "branches".

I don't have much time to fill out the survey right now, so I'll just let you know that I'm 24 weeks along, still clearly wearing maternity clothes, having a bit of a rough time sleeping, can feel him moving all the time (LOVE THIS!), want to eat anything and everything available to me (my buns don't love this), still don't have any stretch marks, still have serious baby brain (aka I forget everything), he is still a boy, and my best moment this week was getting to have Chinese food after a bit of a hormonal breakdown earlier in the week. Thank God for my hubby.

Weekly wisdom? This is for non-pregnant people: If one more of you says "WOW! You already look like you're ready to pop!" I will pop. Pop you in the nose! :)

Happy weekend!

Oh hormones.

I have to post my 24 week update, but before I work up the creativity to do so, I just wanted to document my mini emotional break-down that occurred last night.

I thought I was fine. Thought my emotions were in check. Todd and I were standing in the kitchen, as he made dinner, discussing our days and things going on over the next few days/weeks/etc. I told him I had been craving Chinese food but knew we shouldn't spend the money and he heartily agreed that we should be saving and that the salt content would be bad for my water retention. Then he said something about how he was going to have a fire in the fireplace later that night, and while I knew he meant he was going to have the fire and watch football, I suggested "wanna watch a movie by the fire?" -- because we haven't spent any one-on-one time together in the past 5 weeks. Knowing fully well that he wanted to watch Monday night football, he responded to me with a smile and joking tone "but Gossip Girl is all new tonight! you don't want to miss that!" So I dropped my head, said "never mind" and walked out of the room. I sat down on the couch and felt the lump in my throat expand. So I walked upstairs, laid down on the bed, and proceeded to cry my eyes out.

About 10 minutes later, Todd yelled up "honey, dinner's ready". So I dried my face, and came downstairs. Todd was staring at me as I loaded my plate up with spaghetti. Finally he broke the silence and said "honey, what's wrong?" and I of course responded like a typical girl and said "nothing, I'm fine." He said "then why are your eyes and face all red?" And I started to cry again.

Poor guy. Didn't know what to do, or what hit him. He said "did you have a bad day at work?" and I sobbed back "noooo". He said "did I do something??" and I hiccuped back "no *hiccup* you *hiccup* didn't." So he sweetly said "what's wrong then?" and all I could say was "I'm pregnant!!" And then a flood of things poured out of my mouth. How I feel stressed and overwhelmed and scared and nervous and we haven't had any time for just the two of us in over a month and I'm tired of cleaning the house and changing all the guest room sheets every weekend for new company and I feel like I'm getting huge fast and people feel the need to comment...and while none of it was really important or detrimental, it just all added up to one big stress ball that needed releasing.

And I've now decided that Todd must have read at least a couple of notes in the "Idiot's pocket guide to having a pregnant wife" that's sitting on his nightstand, because for the first time in over 3 years, instead of feeling like he needed to "fix the problem" and ask me questions to hash out a solution to my crying (as he usually does)...he just hugged me, and kissed my forehead, and told me it was ok. And he let me leave mascara and snot stains on his t-shirt sleeve. Now that's love. And magically I felt better. We ate spaghetti, and I felt relieved.

After dinner, Todd wanted to clean up. Which he rarely wants to do when he cooks (we do the "you cook, I'll clean" trade off). He scrubbed pots and put dishes in the dishwasher. All normal things -- but I could tell he was doing them out of care and concern for me...and to prevent a follow-up melt down on my part.

This morning as I was still snoozing away and Todd was heading out the door for work, he bent over and kissed me goodbye (as per the usual) and said "we can have Chinese food for dinner tonight. I love you!"

Man, I'm a lucky girl. :)