Friday, October 2, 2009

October!

It is FINALLY October, if all goes according to plan Liam will be here this month! Oh my goodness that is so exciting :-) I can not wait to finally meet this little guy and hold him!!!!!!!!!!!

9 months - 36 weeks

How far along: between 36 and 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +28 pounds at my appointment yesterday
Maternity clothes? Yes, many of which don't fit anymore
Stretch marks? nope, even the doctor mentioned that yesterday, lucky girl so far
Sleep: is getting bad again, last night was up every hour to go to the bathroom and between bathroom breaks with contractions
Best moment this week: Liam likes to stick his feet so far out on my right side between my hip and last rib and i love feeling his little feet. I also had my work baby shower yesterday which was a ton of fun. We also got the pack n play out of his nursery and there is so much more room, we reorganized downstairs and have it all set up for his arrival. Last weekend i packed my hospital bag so i am ready to go! Alex was nesting last weekend and shampooed our carpets and cleaned the whole house, awesome!!!!
Food cravings: not really, i did really want to go to the mall downtown yesterday for a cinnabon but alex said no and that we could go this weekend
Labor Signs: Nope, got checked yesterday--starting to efface but no significant dilation yet, i have been getting more intense BH contractions and come minor cramping. Last night walking to the bathroom was almost impossible a few times because of the pressure he was putting on me.
Belly Button in or out? In i don't think it will every POP
What I miss: wearing regular clothes, i can't wait to go shopping, for christmas all i want is gift cards to Ann Taylor Loft and The Limited :-)
What I am looking forward to: My last day of work is next Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my goodness i am SO excited!
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy the last few weeks of it being just the 2 of us, well 4 if you count our furry little ones.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Lots of updates and things to remember

There are a few things i wanted to write down so that i wouldn't forget the next time i am pregnant...
1. Round ligament pains happened from weeks 14-24ish, it was predominantly on my lower right side and hurt the most when trying to get off the brown couch, also started hurting if i went out shopping for a long time or was cleaning around the house for a long time.
2. Sciatica pain came on around week 28ish and was bad for two weeks, subsided with LOTS of yoga stretches-spent a lot of time on the couch!
3. Braxton Hicks contractions started around week 24 (yes, early) got them mostly at night when trying to fall asleep noticed because it got hard to breathe or had to go to the bathroom because of bladder pressure, around week 28 would get them when Liam would kick very hard, around week 30 got them from moving or bending too far. At 34 weeks i am getting them from all of the above reasons but also sporadically--still feels like pressure and gets hard to breathe.
4. Week 28-30ish is when sleeping because very hard, need a crane to roll over at night, woke up throughout night with a lot of middle back pain and lower abdominal pain, woke up every morning with stomach pains, around week 34 there was no position that was comfortable and i could no longer sleep on my back because of pressure on lungs and bad stomach and back pain.
5. Weight gain: gained 6 lbs between 5 and 6 months (big jump) and only 1-2 lbs between 6-8 months, hit 23 pound gain (average is 22-25 at that point) at 33 weeks.

Updates:

Baby Shower
On Wednesday August 19th at 5pm we began our long drive back to PA. We listened to 6 hours of the last Harry Potter book which made the drive go so much faster-alex and i were both surprised how much we got into the audio book. We arrived at my parents house at 3am (just as Alex alarm went off from the night/morning before because he had to go into work super early--ALex was awesome on the drive home and drove everything but 2 hours :-) he is wonderful! The drive there was rough for me but manageable. At my parents house we had the luxury of a king sized bed which was heaven!!!!!! I hadn't slept as well as i did on that night in months. The next day (Thursday) Alex and i had breakfast and then went down to the mall to get his aunt a birthday present and card and to just simply go to the mall since it had been almost a year and a half since we had been there. It was really nice to drive around in such a familiar place. I swear i would have given an arm to stop at Philly Subs for a small E but i didn't--next trip! That afternoon we went over to Alexs house quick to see his parents who had just gotten back from the air show in AC, then we went to dinner with my parents at the club house. My dad and i had a bucket of crabs and it was a lot of fun. After that we went back to their house and Jer came over to watch sports with Alex and my Dad while my mom and i were upstairs going though scrapbooking stuff and looking at old family pictures which was so much fun! The next day Friday Alex went golfing in the morning and my mom and i put togeher the favors for the shower then that evening was Andrew and Rachaels wedding. We left at 2:45 and ended up missing the turn pike exit because we were yapping. My Dad then proceeded to drive 80+ MPH in the pouring rain, fog, and traffic to get their on time (we are supper anal about being early so running just a few minutes late puts he and i in a panic).... let's just say half way there i had to go to the bathroom and this bumpy drive was not helping but i didn't say anything cause i didn't want him to get mad LOL so i just held it in until we got there. The wedding was really nice, it was awesome to be at the first wedding with Alex as my husband :-) It was outdoors in a tent and it rained and was super hot and humid but we all had a wonderful time talking with family that we hadn't seen in a while. On Saturday Alex went over to his parents house fairy early and i went to sushi lunch with my mom which was amazing!!! We had a great conversation about L&D--mom thought that an epidural was just for pushing and didn't know it was for all of labor--but she was an inspiration once again to try and go natural. After lunch we went to the grocery store and i got stuff to make PB pie for the cookout at Alex house that evening. My mom dropped me off at Alex's house after that. We had a cookout that night with a lot of his family and Jer was there too, mmm and we had clams yummy! That night we watched the Nascar race then went to bed. That night i thought i was going into labor. We slept on a full size bed, one smaller than the one we sleep at at home and i was so hot and uncomfortable and had zero room. At one point i woke up with the most horrible stomach pains but did not have to go to the bathroom, i was scared to death i was going into labor in PA and ended up crying for almost an hour--i finally fell asleep after 2 hours and felt better the next morning PHEW no baby yet. Sunday was the shower and Alex went golfing with Jer and Kennedy. That morning i went over to my parents to hang out and get ready there. At 12 we headed over to the club house to set up. It was wonderful to see everyone that i had not seen in so long, many since our wedding. We had a wonderful lunch of strawberry salad, tortellini in a vodka sauce, and asparagus quiche--it was all amazing!! After that my mom and sister played cruise director with a few games. FYI baby showers are great because you get to sit and watch while everyone else runs around :-) Then we opened presents, Ash was my recorder and Kerri did SO much she was my gift giver and runner --Alex's mom jumped in to help about half way through which was great. We got a ton of stuff, little man is so spoiled already! My favorite thing was a dinosaur outfit that has little socks that look like dino feet, i am just so in love with it! After the shower we packed the car and headed to my parents to say goodbye--it was so odd because they said next time we see you Liam will be here Ahhhh :-) that is so exciting!!! Then we went over to Alex's parents to have dinner of pizza and wings (mmm so good) and repack the car with presents and our stuff then started our venture back to Indiana. I was so happy to be going home because i missed out little ones so much. Speaking of them on Thursday and Friday Erin was nice enough to stop by and take care of them and then Saturday Matt came down and stayed over night with them. It was such a relief knowing that they had someone here with them overnight. The drive back was rough to say the least. I was so uncomfortable and was having a ton of braxton hicks contractions so i had to have my seat as far back as it would go. I was exhausted from no sleep the night before and was never so happy when we pulled in around 4am. The little ones we so happy to see us it was just a wonderful home coming. The next day we unpacked the car and got to look at all the wonderful stuff we got for Liam and went to breakfast at Cracker Barrel.


Doctors appointment updates:
Since week 28 i have been going to the doctors every other week. Things are going great, appointment are quick and straight forward. Weight, BP, is the baby moving good for you (yes), listen to the heartbeat and do the fundal height measurement. As of my last appointment at 33 weeks i was up 23 pounds which was hard to see, even though i know i am in the target zone it is still hard to see that big of a number on the scale.

Right now i am 34 weeks and so ready for Liam to be here! Sleeping is horrible, i dread it every night. I know once he is here i won't be sleeping but at least i will be up taking care of him and not up and in pain. Last night i was so uncomfortable i just wanted to cry which is not like me at all.

This past weekend was labor day and major nesting hit me. On saturday i cleaned out and organized the "horder" closet aka guest room/office closet and put everything from Liams closet (old apartment stuff) into the guest closet, it was very hard work but felt so good to see it all done and YEAH little man finally has a real closet all this own, well plus Daddys cds. Then on Monday i cleaned the baseboards with a tooth brush, washed the walls in the bathrooms and kitchen, and washed the bathroom floors by hand. A few people have told me that this normally happens right before the baby comes, i am okay with that LOL--well maybe in a week or two. But i still feel like i have so much to do to our disheveled house! UGH!

As of yesterday 9/9 i have one month left of work, can a get a hallelujah! Oh i am so ready to be done with work. The pain of sitting at a computer all day is enough to put me in tears. There is so much pressure against my lungs and ribs from sitting up straight that i need to recline every 20 minutes--it also gives me intense braxton hicks contractions plus little man is very smart and knows that if he sticks his feel all the way over on my side i will move because of the pain so whenever he is squished he does that, which is so painful...but it is cute because you can feel his little tootsies :-)

Oh i also started my pregnancy scrapbook which will be Liams first year memory book. I am loving the way it is coming together.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Spread

4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a small bowl, beat softened cream cheese, sugar, and syrup til creamy.
2. Add pumpkin, spices and vanilla and beat til smooth.
3. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
4. Enjoy!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Bargaining with my son ,...

Dear Liam... if you move off my sciatica i promise to buy you a pony! Please dear child shift your head you are killing me.....

For the last three days i have been experiencing excruciating back pain--sharp shooting pains down my tail bone down my legs, every movement send a shock of pain, plus intense pressure in my spine. Over the weekend i would estimate i did around 5 hours of stretching and yoga to try and ease the pain...no luck. Honestly i just sneeze and screamed because of the intensity of the pain--and i have a pretty high pain tolerance. WOW i can't wait for October! I didn't want to call the doctor to ask if this was okay because i don't want to sound like a wimp and i figure back pain is so common late in pregnancy i should be expecting it but after talking with Erin today i think i may call tomorrow morning just to see if they have some tips.

Friday, August 7, 2009

28 weeks - hello 3rd trimester!!

28 weeks
How far along: 28 weeks 2 days, measuring 29 weeks at doctors appointment
Total weight gain/loss: +18 pounds
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? nope, even the doctor mentioned that yesterday, lucky girl so far
Sleep: :-( i miss it.....oh to be back and hip pain free!
Best moment this week: after failing my 1hr glucose test two weeks ago i had to go in for a three hour test last Thursday. I went to the doctors yesterday and found out i passed with flying colors, would have passed at hour 1 this time.
Food cravings: soda...awful i know, and this summer salad i made up
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? In i don't think it will every POP
What I miss: cute cloth and being skinny!!!! walking without pain
What I am looking forward to: going to PA in two weeks!!!!!!! i am not officially the next one due in the office both Sheree (both) and Danielle had their babies within the last three weeks
Weekly Wisdom: started kick counts this week, i am also starting a pregnancy scrapbook which will turn into Liams baby memory book as well. Pretty excited about this project.

Two weeks ago my parents and brother visited us because Matt moved to Muncie!!! We had a wonderful time. My mom and i made some cloth diaper inserts for the lil gpants which came out really cute and also got the pattern to make the curtain for this room.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Chickpea Summer Salad

1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1/2 pint tomatoes halved
1 cucumber peeled, seeded, chopped
1 avocado chopped
1/2 cup broccoli
2 large mozzarella balls cubed
handful of basil sliced

1/2 lemon juice
drizzle of olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder