Week 32

Week 32

How far along?  32 weeks
Maternity Clothes? I've actually outgrown a few things.  That makes me sad.  I'm also getting strangely sensitive to how things fit.  I really don't like having anything tight fitting.  I basically run upstairs when I get home from work to change out of my work clothes and put on my "fat man" t-shirt and cotton shorts.  I mumbled to The Pilot that I might have to go pick up another giant t-shirt.  I had to wear a different one the other day when my favorite was in the laundry and my belly was poking out the bottom.  Some might be ok with that, I am not.  No one needed to be seeing that business back when I wasn't pregnant and they certainly don't need to see it now!
Have you started to show?  There is a baby the size of a squash (nearly 4 pounds!) in there...you can't hide a squash!
Symptoms: The heartburn has come back.  As did some nausea last week.  My doctor thinks it is the combination of the heartburn and the baby squishing my stomach that is causing it.  I've started trying to eat smaller meals more often and that seems to help a little though my schedule doesn't always allow for that.

Weight gain.  Sigh.  My pregnancy weight gain was pretty gradual at first.  I think I only gained a pound in the first trimester.  Even as I appeared bigger each week throughout the second trimester, the weight gain was pretty gradual.  And then I got to the third trimester.  I'm trying not to get on the scale too much (for my mental well-being) but I've certainly noticed the pounds are increasing more rapidly.  It doesn't help that I'm at the doctor every other week now so I'm seeing the number more frequently.  I also recently read that it's common for women to start gaining about a pound a week in the last couple weeks of pregnancy.  Say what?!  I keep trying to tell myself that I'm still well within the normal range of weight gain and that I've got a pretty good reason to be gaining weight but as I quickly approach my "number," I'm getting more self-conscious.  The "number" I refer to is something that every formerly overweight person has.  Their heaviest weight.  The weight they vowed to never see again.  I lost and kept off about 30 pounds six years ago.  I've worked hard to keep it off.  And now as I start to get closer to that number, it is certainly a head trip.  Just like with the other symptoms and general uncomfortableness, I try to keep my eye on the prize as it will all be worth it in the end.  I'm still eating healthy.  I haven't turned into a complete couch potato.  My baby is still growing and is healthy and I'm doing everything I can to keep it that way.  I'm also trying to convince myself that it will make the work I'll put in once I've recovered from delivery even more rewarding.  I've already started plotting my "comeback."
Activity:  I would say that laundry and cleaning the house are the biggest workouts I'm getting lately.  And while those are most definitely a challenge due to being exhausted, awkward and big, it's not the same as getting in a sweaty workout outside.
Best moment this week:  The Pilot's family threw me a beautiful baby shower!  The majority of his family lives out of state so we don't see them as often so it was great to see them before the baby arrives.  Even better was that The Pilot's cousin-in-law was a co-host and made all the yummy food.  She's also the one who made our wedding cake.  The wedding cake that some of our guests (The Pilot and I included) still comment on and dream about.  It was sooooo good.  So when I walked into the shower and saw one of her cakes sitting there, I knew it was going to be a good time!  She also made biscuits with strawberries from her garden.  I nearly died and went to heaven...and then stole some for the road trip home.
Miss anything?  I'm definitely really missing my workouts.  I miss my bike.  I miss my training group.  I miss being able to move around without feeling so awkward.  It's certainly all worth it but for someone who is used to being really active, it's been a challenge to just listen to my body and chill out.  Relaxing has never been one of my strengths.  Even though I have a pretty good "excuse" right now, it's still difficult.  Especially when working out was my primary stress reliever.
Movement:  I was cracking up the other night while I was sitting on the couch.  I looked down and there was a little round bulge in my belly.  I poked at it (because that's a natural reaction, right?) and it moved.  I think it may have been baby boy's little butt.  It was round and big...and I know for a fact that it wasn't his head (the doctor confirmed he's still hanging out head down).  So naturally I poked at it again and it moved.  He's not even born yet and getting annoyed by his mama.  The Pilot wasn't home but I knew he was on the ground and still awake so I had to call to tell him about it.  :)
Food cravings:  While the strawberries are still pretty dang tasty, nectarines are now rocking my world.  This is probably more due to the fact that strawberries are starting to come out of season and nectarines are in full force.  I've also noticed an increased craving for junk food like potato chips and french fries.  I try to curb those cravings but sometimes a pregnant woman just cannot be denied!
Gender:  He's all boy...bouncing boy!  He's still wiggling up a storm in there.  It's working out great for us and we have a lot of friends/family with boys.  The Pilot has a male cousin (in high school) who passed down some Legos to us.  A cousin-in-law is letting us borrow some "boy" cloth diapers that her son used as a newborn.  And one of my besties had a boy recently...except he was monster baby (he came out nearly 2 feet long!!) and couldn't wear any of the newborn or even some of the 3 month clothes that someone had passed down to them.  So she shipped the clothes to me!  Now, I'm on target to have a monster baby but we'll see what fits when he gets here!
Looking forward to:  In the last week or so I've started to get really excited to meet him.  Of course I want him to bake for a little longer in there but I'm looking forward to meeting the little human who has been jabbing my internal organs.  I'm getting more curious as to what he will look like and what his personality will be like.
Not looking forward to:  I'm in a constant state of HOT right now.  And summer just started so I assume it will just get worse.  I'm going to be a sweaty mess for the next 8 weeks.  Please don't judge me if you see me in person and I look a little (a lot) disheveled.
Milestones: The Pilot experienced another rite of passage when it comes to being a parent.  We received one of the car seats we registered for.  It's the seat we intend to use once little man outgrows his infant seat but we wanted to make sure it fit in both of our cars.  And so The Pilot experienced the joys of installing a car seat.  I've actually already done this a couple times.  I used to keep a seat in my car for my niece when she was little.  It was always like wrestling a bear in the back of a small car.  I wasn't in the garage when The Pilot was working on this but I didn't hear any cursing in the house so it must not have been too bad.  I went out and checked out his handy work and he did great.  That seat didn't budge when I gave it a shake.  While the seat fit in both cars,  I will lose the entire back seat in my car.  We plan to keep the seat in the middle for as long as possible (they say that is the safest) but because I have a small car (Honda Fit), it eats into the other two seats so much that I think the only person that would fit back there is my skinny 5-year-old nephew.  And that wouldn't even work because he still needs a booster seat.  I can see why people end up getting bigger cars when kids come along!  We are going to do our best to make do with the cars we have though.  Especially since both are paid off and run great!

He Keeps Glaring At Me

WTF?  Did I swaddle him wrong?  Is his diaper in a bunch?

The Pilot and I took a "Baby Basics" class over the weekend.  I like to think that after years of babysitting and spending lots of time with my neice and nephew that I've got the gist of baby basics but The Pilot doesn't have much baby experience so it was off to a 3- hour class on a Saturday afternoon (jealous?).

There is nothing more surreal than sitting in a room with 7 other pregnant ladies and their partners, a Rubbermaid bin full of anatomically correct baby dolls and a nurse.  Moving on....

Naturally I was poking The Pilot as the class was getting started to take a picture of the baby doll.  It was freaking me out.  Especially when The Pilot would randomly grab its foot during the class, which would make it stand up slightly and I swear it was looking right into my soul with that creepy baby doll glare. 

We learned how to diaper, bathe, burp, swaddle and clothe said creepy baby.  It was a great refresher for me but I was quick to inform The Pilot that ALL of those activities are exponentially more difficult when the baby is actually moving.  I'm sure we'll be fine though.  Best way to learn is by doing, right?  There was even a "competition" to see which couple could swaddle the fastest.  That just added to the surreal experience as when we were done swaddling, you had to wave the baby in the air to let the nurse know you were done.

Hopefully we have a laid back baby who doesn't start glaring at us if we do get his swaddle wrong....or if we wave him in the air once he's been swaddled.

Week 31

Week 31

How far along? 31 weeks
Maternity clothes?  Funny story about the top I'm wearing in the photo above.  It's actually a dress.  A dress I wore on our honeymoon.  I will say that it was a little on the short side then and I only ever wore it on our honeymoon.  Something about being at a beach resort on our honeymoon that made me feel more appropriate wearing such a short dress.  And now?  Not so appropriate unless I wear pants.  It's just now starting to get a little less comfortable in the waist but I did get some use out of it during the pregnancy so far.
Have you started to show?  There's no hiding that business!
Symptoms:  Squished internal organs.  Obviously there was the kidney stone over the weekend but when they did the ultrasound of my kidneys, they also looked at my bladder.  Which was completely squished by the baby's head.  His head is already really far down in my pelvic area already which explains the hip pain and frequent bathroom breaks.

Each week it gets harder and harder to reach anything below my waist....putting shoes and socks on is a chore.  Trying to reach something on the floor?  Ha!  Feeding the cats has become a challenge.  One that those fur balls have no patience for.  Reaching into our dryer when doing laundry isn't so much fun.  The door opens down, meaning I have to reach over it to get to the clothes.  Even reaching over my head is a challenge now.  I tried to reach into the cabinet above our microwave and darn near turned on the stove burners with my belly when it ran into the knobs.  I tend to forget where my belly is in space and run into things with it.  Poor baby boy!
Activity:  After the weekend adventure, my energy has been drained.  Between just being 7 months pregnant and then not getting much sleep over the weekend, I've been pretty useless.  Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep and I'll start to feel a little better.
Best moment this week:  It was a pretty rough week but there was a bright spot.  My co-workers threw me a beautiful baby shower.  They even catered to my love of strawberries by having a big bowl of sliced strawberry goodness for dessert...along with cupcakes...and candy.  Yum.  It was a wonderful break in the middle of our work day.  And it's so nice that my company is so excited and supportive!
Miss anything?  Feeling human?  Feeling like I'm in control of my body?  Right now, neither of those things are happening!  It's all worth it but I will certainly welcome not feeling like my body has been invaded by an alien.  :)
Movement:  Dude is running out of space so his movements are impossible to ignore.  There have been a few jabs that have made me stop in my tracks.  During my hospital stay, when they would monitor him, I could not only see and feel his movements but also hear them through the monitor.  So bizarre yet wonderful at the same time.
Food cravings:  There weren't any cravings for fish that's for sure.  I only ate a couple spoon fulls of strawberries at the work shower.  My appetite comes and goes.  Sometimes I'm ready to chew my own arm off I'm so hungry.  Then there are meals I have to make myself eat.  And then there are times when I start to eat because I'm hungry only to feel full really quickly because the baby is putting the squeeze on my stomach.  Such a strange experience!  I'm trying to roll with it though! 
Gender:  Baby Boy!
Looking forward to:  The Pilot's side of the family is throwing me a shower this weekend.  While it will mean a 4-hour round trip road trip, it will be nice to see everyone.  Since they do live out of state, we don't see them as often.
Not looking forward to:  Not being able to see my feet?  The heat of summer that is on its way.   I won't lie, the lack of sleep which both The Pilot and I experienced over the weekend left us pretty zapped.  And that is scary because I just know that the sleepless nights once the baby arrives will be way worse.  It's going to be a challenge for sure!
Milestones:  He's the size of a pineapple now.  I'm not sure if that's with the top or not.  Life's greatest question right now.  Not really.  He's about 4 pounds already which is mind boggling to me! 

A trial run

Always trust your instincts.  If I learned anything over the last weekend, it's to trust your instincts!  While I knew something was wrong, it took a phone call to my mom (a nurse) and then a call to my OB's after hours emergency line before I was convinced that I wasn't just being a weenie and that something was really wrong.

After my OB appointment last week, I started having pretty bad back pain on my right side.  I've obviously been plagued by back and hip pain throughout this pregnancy but this was different.  It woke me from a dead sleep.  I walked it off, googled some symptoms (not something I usually do and not something I'll ever do again) and went to work.  The pain got better.  But then I had another incident 2 days later and thought it was weird.  I sort of suspected a kidney infection.  But I didn't want to be a hypocondriac, first time prego lady so I brushed it off.

Until the symptoms came back on Saturday morning.  It was like a switch was flipped.  The pain went from 0 to 10 in about an hour.  I was in severe pain by the time I called my mom in tears.  She told me to call the doctor's after hours line.  My doctor knows I'm not exactly a wimp when it comes to pain but I think she could hear it in my voice that this was different.  She told me it was time to make a trial run to the hospital.

I am more thankful than I have EVER been to have had The Pilot home that day.  He got me to the hospital and kept calm as I winced over every bump in the road.  I also made a comment that we might need to find a different route to get to the hospital because I just knew that if I was in labor, I would NOT have the tolerance for that particular road!

We went up to the labor and delivery floor where they put me a triage room.  Right away they realized my blood pressure was elevated but the baby was doing just fine.  Again, maybe it was instinct but I really wasn't too worried about the baby.  He was moving around the entire time I was in pain and that was reassuring to me that while I was miserable, he was doing just fine.  When they monitored him at the hospital, they just confirmed that all was ok with him.  Then the real fun started.
First they started this:

And gave me some pain medication (orally).  It was slow to work but it did finally start to help while we waited for them to find an ultrasound technician to do an ultrasound of my kidneys.  It was late on a Saturday afternoon so I figured this might take awhile.  I did not however think it would take so long that the pain meds would wear off, leaving me to sit in agony for an hour and a half while The Pilot tried to comfort me.   The nurse was nice and mentioned that he was trying to find a doctor to give the ok to give IV pain meds.  Once that happened, it was a longer wait for the pharmacy to send up the drugs.  At that point, I was ready to walk to the pharmacy myself and hook up my own IV.  I kept trying to think of times I've been in pain before.  Certainly I had been in that much pain before, right?  I channeled how I felt during the Goofy Challenge.  Not even close.  Burst ear drum?  Nope.  Second degree burn on my foot (that's a long story).  That seemed like a splinter compared to the pain I was in. Getting a tattoo?  That was like stubbing my toe compared to this pain.  It felt like ALL of those painful events combined.  Once the drugs finally came though, I got relief.  Not in the sense that I couldn't still feel the pain but  more that I just didn't care.  I was pretty loopy.  I was also getting IV fluids.  While I was slightly incapacitated, I was still able to tell The Pilot to start documenting for blog purposes. ;)  In reality, it was  just really boring once the pain meds kicked in.

I'm going to skip some of the overnight details because they were mostly boring and to preserve some of the modesty I have.  It was bad enough that my backside was hanging out of my hospital gown most of the time I was there.  (Seriously, there has GOT to be something better than those gowns!)

By morning I was able to go for a fairly long stretch without pain meds.  So while the physical pain was subsiding, the waiting around was awful.  To make things worse, I was quickly going on 24 hours without any food.  I'm a cranky B without food on a normal day.  While pregnant?  That's dangerous.  I basically complained to anyone who would listen.  And nearly choked a nurse who told me that the baby was a little "sleepy" during the last time the monitored him.  Of course he's sleepy, he hasn't eaten in a day!  Mama bear instincts kicked in and told me that baby boy was fine for now but if they didn't feed me soon, there was going to be some drama coming from my room.  Luckily my OB stopped by and ordered they feed me.  An hour and a half later (I wish I was kidding), I got a big plate of...

Fish.  Seriously?  I don't even eat fish.  I was too emotionally and physically exhausted at this point to ask for anything else.  The green beans, potatoes and apple were enough to wake baby boy up during the next time they monitored him.  Then The Pilot made me a happy woman by bringing me a cookie from the cafeteria. 

Blah blah blah...more waiting.  Some crying (I was THAT hungry).  A residence urologist came to see me (about 22 hours after arriving with symptoms) who treated me like a talking exam...just running down a list of questions but then didn't really listen to my answers.  I wanted to punch him in the face.  I held back.

Blah blah blah, more waiting.  More crying...the other person in my semi-private room was Susie Sunshine.  While I give her credit for being optimistic despite her situation (bed rest at 24 weeks prego), she was grating on the last nerve I had.  The nerve I was trying to save so I would be cordial to not only The Pilot but also the nurses.

Finally, with no additional information from any of the doctors, a nurse came in with discharge papers.  They were letting me go.  While I asked about the doctor and the additional tests they ran (the nurse didn't really know), I wasn't about to question the discharge.  I felt better and wanted to get home.  Other than some "evidence" that I won't get into and a hunch from my OB, we are pretty such it was in fact a kidney stone and not just the baby pushing down on all my parts (while that certainly wasn't helping matters).  And I suspect that I passed that kidney stone while sitting in the triage area before they even did the ultrasound.

The Pilot and I tend to find humor in just about everything.  Even if its not a funny situation, humor is a defense mechanism for both of us.  There was basically one funny moment of the entire situation.  It came in the last 30 minutes when the nurse was listening to the baby's heat beat one last time before discharging me.  She was using a dopler and rather than just picking up the heartbeat, we could also hear a radio station.  I'm not kidding, it sounded like she was picking up a radio station through my belly.  The Pilot and I couldn't stop laughing.  I'm fairly certain the nurse wasn't able to get an accurate heartbeat on the baby that last time but she must have gotten something good enough because she laughed and moved on.

So that was my weekend adventure.  I will add one last thought.  I certainly hope that the couple women who shared with me that kidney stones are more painful than childbirth are right.  That pain was no joke.  I told The Pilot that if that was anything like childbirth, then I wanted the epidural right then.  A difference with childbirth I suppose are that there are short breaks in the pain.  This pain was non-stop for hours on end.  We'll see what happens!

Week 30

Week 30

How far along? 30 weeks
Maternity clothes? I had purchased a maternity swim suit a couple weeks ago and was all set to wear it over the weekend.  Only to find that my belly had already outgrown it. :(  I may or may not have cried.  But I sucked it up, returned the suit and got a different one.  But by then I was too tired to actually get into the pool. Oh well.  I'll try again.
Have you started to show? The Pilot superimposed this week's photo on top of one from a couple weeks ago to show me how much I've changed (like I'm not feeling every little change, hehe).  And it became pretty obvious why I get so short of breath so easily.  My belly is sitting much higher these days than it was.
Symptoms:  We went to my 30 week appointment on Monday which included an ultrasound.  My blood pressure was a little higher (still within the normal range but slightly high for me) so she's going to keep an eye on that.  I'll be seeing her every other week for the next month and then will go weekly until the baby makes his arrival. 

She said the tightness and uncomfortableness was all normal.  Again, it was basically suck it up, buttercup.  Sigh.  It might be a long couple weeks!

We did have a funny moment at the doctor's office.  Normally The Pilot is pretty quiet during the appointments but right before she started the ultrasound, he stood up and asked her if he could take a picture.  I was stunned.  One, I had no idea what he would have wanted to take a picture of in that moment and two, the fact that he jumped up pretty quickly.  She started to laugh while I laid there, clueless.  This was what was humorous and photo-worthy to The Pilot:

A prego belly covered in an ultrasound goo smiley face.  Not sure if I should be amused the my doctor has a sense of humor...or annoyed that the "joke" was on me since I couldn't actually see my belly from the angle I was laying at.  :)
Activity:  The Pilot and I walked around our neighborhood for a couple hours on Saturday (garage sales!).  It was a beautiful morning and it was nice to get some exercise.  But boy did I pay the price.  I hardly slept Saturday night and could barely get out of bed on Sunday morning because my hips were so angry.  Then I got frustrating news from the doctor on Monday.  While I sort of suspected what she told me, it was still upsetting for me to hear.  It really seems like the hip pain is just made worse by walking any measurable distance (I'm talking miles here).  There isn't anything I can magically do to make it better other than avoid anything that makes the pain worse...like walking.  Sigh.  The doctor suggested I try swimming more to keep active if I wanted.  I do have access to a pool (and now have a swim suit that fits) but it's just not the same.  I'm trying to tell myself that I can still get a great workout by running and walking in water (the pool I have access to, at my parents' house, isn't really conducive to swimming laps) and that it will feel great to feel weightless...especially in these last weeks as my weight slowly (or not so slowly) increases.  I keep reminding myself to be thankful that baby boy is doing well and I really am having a pretty uneventful and healthy pregnancy.  But the part of me that is still trying to hang onto at least a little bit of my pre-baby life is frustrated.
Best moment this week:  Baby boy got hugs from his cousins last weekend.  My 9-year-old niece always hugs me when I see her but she now hugs the belly too.  She gives "me" a hug first (sort of from the side) but then moves around in front of me and hugs my belly.  It's so cute. She rubs my belly too.  While she doesn't talk to him yet, I swear it's like she communicating with him somehow by how deliberate her belly rubs seem. My 5-year-old nephew also "hugged" the baby.  More like ran at me while I braced myself for impact and then he kind of bounced off my belly.  We're working on toning down the "violence" of his hugs. :)
Miss anything?  Triathlon season.  The tri that I did last summer was over the weekend.  It made me a little sad that I'm sitting this tri season out.  Hopefully I'll be able to get back at it.  Even though I've always considered race walking and running/shuffling distance races my "A" sport, I really have enjoyed the triathlons I've done.  I miss mixing things up.
Movement:  The doctor wants me to start counting his movements twice a day (to make sure I count 10 movements within one hour).  I'm sure this won't be a problem.  Even though he's getting bigger, he's still really wiggly in there.  The movements certainly aren't flutters anymore.  He's rearranging my internal organs some days.
Food cravings: One carton of strawberries put away...and no fewer than 6 nectarines. 
Gender:  A monster boy apparently. According to the ultrasound he's measuring in the 86th percentile.  The doctor estimated that he'll be well over 8 pounds at birth.  Say what??  So much for having a tiny baby like I was at birth (just under 6 pounds).
Looking forward to:  Slowing down.  While June is still pretty busy, I have done my best to keep July mostly free of commitments.  I knew that I probably wouldn't be up for too much by then and I'm looking forward to spending even more time with The Pilot as a family of two before our world changes completely.
Not looking forward to:  At this point I'm kind of looking forward to everything.  Being done.  Meeting our baby.  More baby showers.  Stuff like that.  I'm trying desperately to focus on those things because I'm growing more uncomfortable by the day.   I'm trying not to think about just how uncomfortable I'm most likely going to be towards the end.
Milestones:  The 30-week growth scan...to tell us he's a monster baby.  :)

No Dumping

We recently finished up the nursery so The Pilot documented the final product.  Now all we need is a baby!

I knew I didn't want a "cutesy" baby nursery.  I also didn't want to wait to start on the nursery until we found out the gender so we opted for a neutral gray and yellow theme that we could accessorize once we found out the gender.  When we bought the house, my brother and sister-in-law gave us an extra twin bed they had.  I found an inexpesive sheet set at Target that was yellow and gray.  Once we found out we were having a baby, we decided to leave the twin bed in the room and run with the yellow and gray color scheme.

The Pilot painted the room, and helped my Dad install a ceiling fan.  I bought an extra set of the same sheets, determined to make my first sewing project...7-foot long blackout curtains.  (The sewing machine was a gift from The Pilot for Christmas.  I had to promise to learn to sew and actually use it!).  Not sure what I was thinking when I decided to make such large curtains for not just one, but two windows with my minimal sewing experience.  Go big or go home?  There were calls and emails to both my mom and my mother-in-law, some cursing and a whole lot of tangled thread but the curtains are on the wall and are actually functional!

Again, knowing we wanted something unique that didn't scream nursery, we decided to hit up  an antique store to look for some things to decorate the nursery. The antique store proved to be the mother load.  We came across some Volkswagon hub caps first and thought they were cool.  And then we found the road signs.  The Pilot spotted the directional signs and I liked that they were yellow.  If I wasn't going to get my nature themed nursery, anything we did decide to go with had to match the curtains that I spent DAYS making.

We made the decision if we were going to get the signs then we had to go with the whole car theme completely.  When we saw the No Dumping sign, we both laughed at it..... then seriously considered it.  It would be pretty darn funny.  Plus, it was pretty inexpensive "art" for the size (about 4' x 2.5').   We wandered around the store for a while thinking about it.  I think it may have been finding the small Herbie car that made me realize that it would be a pretty cool room for a boy.  One that would grow with him.  We commented that he could take the No Dumping sign to college to decorate his dorm room.  Now, can't you picture that??

As much as I love Disney, I didn't want a Disney themed nursery.  But having a small tribute was the perfect touch!  Herbie rides again!

We also found a yellow European license plate and a street crossing sign....which found a home right above the light switches.  There's also a cat photo bombing the picture above.  Little did he know that he was about to get kicked out of the room.  We've been letting the cats sleep on the twin bed but it's time to make the nursery a cat-free room.  So sad.  They love sleeping on the twin bed, but I certainly don't want to find a cat sleeping in the crib.  Maybe when the kiddo is bigger (and not allergic to cats like both his parents), we can let the cats sleep in there if they want.

Once we found the Herbie car, we decided we needed at least one more Volkswagon model to tie the room together.  The Pilot found this little guy on eBay. 

I had some fabric leftover from the curtain so  I decided to make a skirt for the crib.  When the mattress is in the highest (infant) position, you could see into the storage drawer under the mattress.  I knew it wouldn't be seen for long (until we lower the mattress once the baby gets bigger) but since I had the fabric, I figured I'd give it a try.  All went well until I started to hot glue the velcro to the mattress frame.  I figured it would hold the velcro long enough but would be easy to peel off once we didn't need to skirt anymore.  Sounds easy enough until I somehow managed to burn my finger.  Badly.  Being slightly crafty, I'm not stranger to hot glue burns.  But usually you just rub the glue off, it stings a little but then it's no big deal.  But for some reason this was a bad burn.  Requiring lots of cold water, and eventually the first aid kit for some burn cream because I couldn't seem to get the heat out!  The things I'm going through already for this child! ;)

At my shower last weekend, my sister-in-law's mom gave us a GENIUS gift!  Long story short, she ended up with a Lion King crib mobile on her hands.  Then she found out we were pregnant and hung onto it.  Then she heard about the nursery theme and she got crafty!  She printed some funny road signs and made little pillows out of them with some ribbon.  She gave me both the little pillows and the Lion King mobile, knowing we'd get crafty ourselves and make a custom mobile that matched the nursery.   So The Pilot took the existing fabric and little baby Simbas off the original mobile and added the little road signs.  Not only was it extremely thoughtful but The Pilot and I both love the final product.  There is a 4th pillow that isn't pictured....it has a plane on it as a warning to watch for low flying aircraft. :)

That one in front cracks me up...watch for falling cows??

So that's the room!  The closet still needs a little work as we slowly start accumulating more and more baby gear.

A Lost Disney Marathon Post

So The Pilot reminded me of a post I intended to write...in January.  Ooops.  While spectating at the Disney Marathon this year (for my amazing support crew who did the Goofy Challenge), The Pilot and I noticed another moment of Disney magic. 

The full marathon goes through Disney's Hollywood Studios in the later miles (somewhere in the 23-24 range).  Routing that many extra people through a theme park, especially once it is open to guests requires some creativity so guests can still get around the park (can you imagine showing up for a vacation only to find masses of marathoners running and walking around??).  The Pilot and I were spectating and waiting for our friends Lisa and Mary to come through.  I wondered how we were going to get across the course to where we wanted to be when we saw there was a cross walk.  I assumed a Disney cast member would wave us through when there was an opening between runners.  But leave it to Disney to get a little more elaborate than that...

Watch the video and see if you can figure out what's happening...



Genius!  They would let the park guests congregate, the cast would wait for an opening and then briefly re-route the course and let the park guests go on with their magical day.  Not only did the park guests not have to dart out in front of the athletes (which is SO annoying when you are in the race!) but the athletes probably didn't really notice what was happening.  I was fascinated by this and made The Pilot record some of it.  Notice me in the yellow shirt ringing my cow bell....clearly amused.  And this is just one of the many reasons why I love Disney World and the Disney races!  They do their best to put a lot of thought into everything they do.

Week 29

 Week 29

How far along? 29 weeks
Maternity clothes?  Shoot...yes.  And I feel like I'm pushing a few of those pieces to their limit.  Some things are getting a little snug. 
Have you started to show?  I might stop answering this one each week because it's obvious.  I've had a few people tell me I look small.  And then a few have said I look big and they don't think I'll even make it to August before baby boy makes his debut.  We shall see!
Symptoms:  Hip pain that will not ease up.  That's probably the most annoying.  I'm also having Braxton-Hicks contractions which aren't painful but aren't comfortable either.  I keep reminding myself that they are just my body "practicing" for what's to come.  I also think baby boy is stretching out and/or getting a little big for his current surroundings.  I've noticed A LOT of tightness across the top of my belly.  I think he might be sitting high and sideways.  Which may also be the reason I get winded really easily. 
Activity:  I got in the 3-mile walk over the weekend.  I've also been doing yoga stretches before I go to bed with hopes that it will ease this hip pain. 
Best moment this week:  Baby shower!  Putting the finishing touches on the nursery...pictures soon!
Miss anything?  I never in a million years thought I'd say this but I do miss running.  I've run a few steps here and there but for the most part, it's uncomfortable.  Not really because of anything painful but more because I can't run more than a couple steps without having to pee!  I'm glad I'm still able to enjoy some walking, though I had hoped to be getting in longer workouts still at this point.  That's ok though.  Some is better than none!
Movement: I think this past Monday was his most active day to date.  He was kicking and rolling for what felt like all day.  Now he seems to be back to just rolling and punching me around meal times and when I lay down at night.  I still can't get over it!  I saw and felt him move the other night...and then there was a little bump in my belly.  I think it was either his back, head or maybe backside.  It was definitely a baby part sticking out!
Food cravings:  My in-laws were in town over the weekend and my father-in-law brought some strawberries from his garden.  

It took me longer to clean and slice them than it did to eat them...all of them.  I really hope The Pilot didn't want any.  If he did, it's his fault for leaving on a 4-day trip while these were still in the fridge. :) My nectarine and popsicle consumption increased 2-fold this week also.
Gender:  Everyone has told me that boys are much more active than girls.  They are always jumping, climbing, skipping, rolling, etc.  And I think this baby boy has already mastered all of those activities.  At least that's what it FEELS like. 
Looking forward to:  More baby showers to see my great friends and family!    And while it is a challenge to schedule all these doctor appointments around work, I start my every other week OB appointments next week.  That's a sure sign that things are moving right along!  It's not that I really enjoy the doctor's office (or waiting!), but hearing his heartbeat and getting some extra reassurance from the doctor that everything is going ok always makes me feel good!

And this one might seem a little strange (and premature) but I just got an email from the local library system about their summer reading program for kids.  I remember participating when I was a kid and I loved it!  I've always loved to read and hope that my offspring enjoys it also.  And so I just had a flash forward moment of taking him to the library to sign up for the summer reading program.  I'm a nerd. 
Not looking forward to: Growing more uncomfortable!  But I know it won't be much longer until he's here so it's all temporary!
Milestones:  I had my first baby shower over the weekend!  It was so much fun!  Best parts?  My grandma was there for a little bit.  Her health has been declining so to have her there meant the world to me!  Also, 3 of my bestest friends were there as well.  Two of whom live out of town.  And even though my other bestie that couldn't make it (something about living 6 hours away and having a 2 year old and 2 month old...), she shipped a gift to my parents' house.  Part of the gift was this gem.  Pearl Jam songs turned into lullabies?  GENIUS!

The Pilot also experienced a parenting rite of passage over the weekend...putting together a stroller. 

I'm sure this will embarrass him to no end but I think he looks pretty hot behind that stroller.  Looks like a natural to me! :)

 

Still waddling

I got in a swampy 3-miler on Saturday.  It was nice to get out and get a decent workout in but it was hot and humid.  I've never liked either but now that I've got a built in furnace, also known as a baby, I overheat in a hurry.  I had to back off the pace for not just the heat but the baby is also taking up more space...and putting the squeeze on my lungs.  I've noticed I get winded a lot easier now too.  But, I'm still waddling along!  And 3 miles is better than none at all!

Between the 3-miler and my first baby shower on Saturday, I was pretty much useless on Sunday.  I was exhausted.  I managed to get the laundry done and we went to the grocery and picked up a Craigslist purchase but there was a lot of sitting around in between.  I was in bed by 8:30.  I've struggled with sleep more than ever over the last several nights because my hips and other joints are crazy achy.  I went to bed early with hopes that between the multiple times I knew I'd wake up, I'd collectively get a decent amount of sleep.  Not so much.  I even tried some yoga stretches and still no relief.

So today, between the horrible sleep, unrelenting hip pain, and a crazy tight abdomen, I had to take a sick day.  Sigh.  I can't sit in one position for more than a couple minutes so I knew sitting at my desk at work all day was not realistic.  I did call the doctor's office just to make sure there wasn't anything else I could do...and to make sure everything sounded ok.  While the nurse was super sweet, the scoop is....suck it up buttercup and welcome to the third trimester! :P  One reassuring sign was that baby boy is doing jumping jacks and as long as he's still bouncing around in there (and there aren't any other symptoms), all is well.