Another productive weekend

I love feeling like something was accomplished when the weekend is over.

Friday night we had a date night and went to see the Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston movie "Just Go With It".  Very cute and funny in my opinion. And I made it all the way through without having to get up to pee. Yay me!

Saturday we got up and drove 40 mins to go watch his goddaughter play basketball in a tournament. Um yeah, middle school girls basketball - not thrilling.  These girls have not grasped the concept of traveling since they were called on what seemed like every other play.  At least they won and I made it through the whole game without having to interact too much with his cousin (the girl's mom).  I did find it extraordinarily annoying that Elizabeth kept yelling across the court to the coach to "Put Renee in!!".  When we left and were in the car I told J that I don't want us to be one of those parents when our son is playing sports.

Yeah - about as exciting as it looks

When we left there we stopped at the outlets because we needed a new deep skillet with a lid. I LOVE the kitchen stores at the outlets.  For some reason looking at kitchen gadgets makes me happy. Plus they have free samples there. Yum!

After that we headed over to Sam's Club to join figuring it will save us some money down the line with diapers and wipes and stuff. We then proceeded to spend waaaaaaay too much money there.  Never go to Sam's when you're hungry.

That afternoon we finished the crown molding in the guest room and got the first coat of primer on the ceiling and walls.

All ready to paint!

Yesterday J got up to go watch another basketball game, but he didn't make me go to this one. Thank god because the game was at 8:00 AM and I really didn't want to go.  While he was gone I trimmed out the ceiling and the top of the walls with the primer. After he got back he went for a bike ride with a friend so I sat out on the deck enjoying the gorgeous day and read while I soaked up some rays.  I got a little pink, but I'm so happy to have some color.

We gave the dogs a bath after he got home then he went and put the second coat of primer on the ceiling while I went to work cleaning out the inside of my Sequoia.  That dog hair is next to impossible to get out!  J armor-alled the entire inside while I cleaned the windows so now my car is all nice and shiny and clean - yay!

After all that we cooked a little dinner, did a little laundry, and crashed on the couch to watch some TV.  I love having productive weekends. Now if only we could get the walls and ceiling painted so we can get the carpet in the nursery and I can finally set up the furniture.  Fingers crossed we are feeling just as motivated this coming weekend...

Whoa babies!

This morning I logged into thebump.com like I do most mornings to check and see what's going on with my fellow April mommies.  Lo and behold there was another April baby born yesterday.  I'm not sure how many that makes total, but I know it's the second this week. Holy....

Sitting here thinking about it kind of terrifies me. I am not ready for our little man to be here.  Hell, we haven't even decided on a name yet!  The nursery isn't near finished, we haven't had the shower yet so there is lots of gear we don't have, and in general I am not prepared for his arrival - mentally or emotionally.

So, little guy, as anxious as I am to meet you and finally hold you in my arms, I do NOT want you to make an early appearance.  Stay right where you are, kicking me in the ribs and punching my bladder, for at least another 5 weeks.  Please?

33 week check-in

How far along? 33w3d - he's 17 inches and 4.25 lbs according to the app on my iPhone.  Kinda like the heft of a pineapple.

Weight gain/loss: I've been at +24 the last few days.  There's still hope I can keep my 30 lb goal.

Maternity Clothes: Still 50/50.  I have one pair of maternity jeans and still wear my regular ones.  Tops are half and half.  I got away with wearing a non-maternity dress on Saturday at my parents party.

Symptoms:  Leg cramps, stubborn colon, shortness of breath sometimes.

Labor Signs:  None yet (thank god!)

Gender:  It's a boy!!!

Sleep? Not all that great. Between him having Dance Party USA in my ute at night, my leg cramps from hell, and my miniscule bladder I am not getting very good sleep.

Best moment this week? My pre-natal massage on Monday. Absolute heaven.  That and feeling baby's hiccups for the first time - so cute.

Movement: YES.  He's an active little bugger.

Food cravings/aversions: I love sweets.  Particularly hot tamales and Mike & Ikes.

Belly button in or out? My innie is still holding on for dear life.  Really hoping it stays where it is.

Stretch marks?  None that I have noticed yet.  The skin on my belly feels tight and I have been moisturizing the hell out of it. I know they are genetic and if I'm going to get them I'm going to get them, but I'll do what I can to minimize them anyway.

What I miss? Being able to go more than 30 mins without feeling like I have to pee. Being able to sleep through the night. My old wardrobe.

What I am looking forward to? Next week's doctor appt since we get another u/s.  Can't wait to see the little guy again.

Milestones: Less than 50 days!

What I'm nervous about: The fact that in approximately 46 days I will be responsible for this little baby and I have no clue what the hell I am doing.

And this week's bump pic taken yesterday morning:

Busy Day

Yesterday J and I were both off of work for President's Day. Actually - I was off work and he decided to use a vacation day.

Anyway, we got a lot done on our day off.  First we went and picked up the bookcases that we ordered. One for the nursery and one for the office. Both of them will need to be stained, but we haven't started on that yet.

Then we spent an hour sanding the ceiling and the patched areas of the walls in the guestroom and removed the old carpet:

Then I showered and got ready to head to the spa to enjoy my 60 min prenatal massage that J got for me for Valentine's Day. It was heaven!  Especially getting to lay on my stomach for 40 minutes.

It's kind of dark, but this was my massage room

On the way home I stopped at the store for some groceries and had the displeasure of standing in line behind a man who had apparently not discovered the wonders of deodorant.  After trying not to gag and paying for my groceries I headed home to help J with the crown molding:

We were finished (well 5/6 of the way finished - there's one more piece to put up) in time to enjoy a lovely sunset and have a delicious dinner of pork tenderloin that had been marinating in our homemade marinade all day.

Hopefully during this week we can get that last piece of crown put up and he can caulk all the cracks so we can prime the ceiling and walls this weekend. Once things are painted we can get the carpet installed in that room and the nursery and I can FINALLY set up the crib.  I need to keep my fingers crossed that we get motivated this week.



Happy anniversary!

Today is my parent's 40th anniversary.  Somehow they've made it through four decades without killing each other.  It's nice to have that kind of role model for our own marriage. J's parents celebrated 41 years this past November - so we have it good on both sides.

My sister organized an anniversary party for my parents last night so we got to celebrate with family and friends. Great food, good music (I was in charge of downloading songs from 1971), and a cute slideshow of family pictures made for a nice night.

Here are some pictures from the evening:

J and I before everything got started. The pattern on the dress helped disguise the bump.

A picture with my sisters. We didn't intentionally color coordinate.

Something my sister put together with my parent's wedding pictures and wedding announcement

Mmmmmmm..... cake

They cut the cake with the knife they used at their wedding 40 years ago

My niece LOVES cake and was "patiently" waiting for my parents to cut it

My sister (not Kayleigh's mom) gave her cotton candy at 9:00 PM - after cake and M&M's.  Not sure when they got her to sleep. Or if I trust her to watch our little man now!

At our table as the night was winding down

A picture of the whole clan.

Happy anniversary mom and dad - here's to many many more!

The renovations continue

Last night J decided to get a head start on this weekend's project since we have to drive to Myrtle Beach today for my parent's anniversary party.  So he dragged out all the things he needed to start scraping the ceiling in the guest room.   For the record, we need to get this ceiling scraped and painted before we get the carpet installed in it and the baby's room.

He poured the water in the sprayer he uses to wet down the popcorn (and yes, that is a weed sprayer)

He wet a section of the ceiling and let it soak in

Just about ready to start scraping it off

I was surprised at how easy it was coming off

He was making some fast progress

Look at him go!

A little more water and we're good to go

In the meantime, all of the furniture from this room is piled into our back room. It used to be the master bedroom before he built the master suite upstairs. Now it's supposed to be the 'man room', but it rarely ever gets used.  Good thing since it's not exactly usable at the moment.

Hopefully soon we'll be able to move the furniture back into the guest room.  At least step one is done and the entire ceiling is scraped. It should be dry enough for us to sand on Sunday when we get back.  We both have Monday off of work and I am being overly optimistic that maybe he'll start working on the crown molding, but I'm not holding my breath.  At least it's progress...



Well that was depressing

I went during my lunch break today to try to find something to wear for my parents anniversary party tomorrow night. I had tried on most of the dresses that I already own and it wasn't pretty so I decided a shopping trip was in order.

I didn't want to spend too much money on something that I may never wear again, so I headed to Ross. They generally have some pretty inexpensive things and if you're willing to look you can find some cute stuff.

It must've been hillbilly day at Ross because there were some of the most rednecky white trash people I have ever seen/heard.  This one toothless woman kept yelling across the aisle to her daughter that she needed a "14 wide".  Umm - I think that's 14 Women's - not wide.  Shoes come in wide - dresses do not.  But whatever.

I found 8 possible dresses and headed off to the fitting room.  I began to get undressed to start trying them on.  Let's just say that 33 weeks pregnant + fitting room = depressing.  That lighting and my pale ass skin made it a sorry sight.

Before I could even pull the first dress on the toothless woman was in another fitting room yelling out to her daughter that she needed to be zipped up.  "Where you at?  I need zipped up!  I can't get this thing on!"

I kept mumbling under my breath as I tried on dress after dress and looking in the mirror.  Ugh.  This sucks.  Between the gigantic boobs that give me waaaaay too much cleavage to be appropriate for a 40th anniversary party and my pale arms and legs it was enough to send me running from the fitting room.  It doesn't help that J put too much salt in last night's dinner and I feel like a poofy whale today.

Anyway, I did decide on a dress that hopefully doesn't make me look like something that should be harpooned tomorrow night.  I hauled ass out of there before toothless granny could spout any more words of wisdom, paid for my dress, and headed back to work.  Now I get to go try to find shoes that won't kill my feet after a few hours...

Measuring small

I had my 32 week appt this morning. I met with the 5th doctor that I have seen so far at the practice since mine is out this week. She was very friendly and I liked her a lot - I'm so glad that I've liked almost all of the doctors there since there is no guarantee that mine will be available when the time comes.

Anyway, everything was good with me. BP was 100/60, weight gain was on track, no protein in the urine. All good.

The doctor was trying to feel what position he is in and was having a little trouble distinguishing, but she thinks that he is already head down.  His heartbeat popped right up and was nice and strong between 140 and 150.  I always love hearing that sound.

Then she measured me and I am only measuring 30 cm - I am almost 33 weeks so that is small. She scheduled me for a growth u/s at my next appt in 2 weeks just to check and make sure everything is growing properly. She said she wasn't overly concerned or she would've had me go get an u/s right then and there. 

I'm excited that I'll get to see him again since I haven't had an u/s since I was 21 weeks, but I am also upset that it's necessary.  I feel like I'm a bad mom and that maybe me continuing to exercise is causing him not to grow.  What if I have been so concerned about gaining weight that I have done him harm?

I was almost in tears as I drove to work from the doctor's office. As if to reassure me that he is ok I got a bunch of kicks from our little man as I was driving.  Thank you baby - I love you so much and I promise to do whatever I have to to make sure you are growing and healthy.  Mommy loves you.

Because I'm cranky and irritable today

I tend to peruse several message boards during the day, especially when things are slow at work. Plus right now I have the attention span of a toddler after a 12 pack of Mt Dew, so I do lots of looking around.

Over and over again I see some of the worst grammar/spelling/word usage.  Now I know that I sometimes have typos and I am nowhere near perfect, but some of these just drive me crazy.

1.  Loose vs. Lose.  Why is this SO hard to get this right?  Loose = not tight, lose = not win.

2.  Wonder vs. Wander.  I can't tell you the number of times I see people say "I was wandering about something".  I then picture them wandering around aimlessly, lost in the desert.

3.  Supposed to/used to.  So many times I see someone say that are suppose to do something or use to do something. 

4.  Past vs. Passed.  If you did something previously you did it in the past, not in the passed.

5.  Whether vs. Weather.  It's 'I don't know whether I should go or not' - not weather.  Weather is what's going on outside.

Those are just some of the things that annoy on a regular basis.  Again, this is just me being cranky today because I feel bloated and I'm tired. That, and stupid people irritate me...

32 week check

I still can't believe that my due date is less than 8 weeks away. Yikes!

How far along? 32w2d - he's 16.7 inches and 3.75 lbs according to the app on my iPhone.

Weight gain/loss: It's been fluctuating. Sunday it was +20 lbs even and this morning it's +22.5.  I blame last night's steak dinner that's still sitting in my gut.

Maternity Clothes: Still 50/50.  Almost all my work pants are, but I can still get away with regular jeans with a hairband and bella band. My longer shirts are working, but some are getting a bit short/snug.

Symptoms:  The little dude is making it harder to breathe now due to squashing my diaphragm.  And I hate my colon still.

Labor Signs:  None yet (thank god!)

Gender:  It's a boy!!!

Sleep? So-so.  I'm sleeping, but with waking up every few hours to pee I am not getting "good" sleep so I'm still always tired.  Lots of yawning throughout the day.

Best moment this week? Watching how excited J is getting as the due date nears.  He has become more and more protective as time goes on and it melts my heart.

Movement: Yes - especially after I eat and in the evenings.  The other night J had his hand on my belly and was surprised at the strong kick he felt. He thought it was me hiccuping, but I told him no - that's your son  :)

Food cravings/aversions: Still enjoying peanut butter - and cheerios.

Belly button in or out? My innie is still holding on for dear life

What I miss? My old clothes. Wearing the same stuff over and over is getting slightly depressing.

What I am looking forward to? Finishing the nursery.  We picked out the carpet and bought the bookcase that we need to stain.  Unfortunately it will be probably two more weeks until we can pick it up (it's being built).

Milestones: Less than 2 months to go!

What I'm nervous about: Making it through these last 8 weeks. My level of discomfort has gone up considerably lately and it makes me wonder what I'll feel like in another month.

And of course a bump picture:

Best husband ever!

Today was Valentine's Day. Generally I hate Valentine's Day. To me it's a made up holiday. And I don't need Hallmark to tell me when to show someone that I love them.

Anyway, it was an uneventful day, but when we got home after work and the gym I walked in to find a little giftbag on the counter with this homemade card:

He always makes me these cute cards and I love the thought. 

In the giftbag was a giftcard for a 60 minute prenatal massage.  Aaaaaahhhhhh - just what I need!  Now I just need to figure out when I can go get it.

I love my husband so much - words can't even express it  :)

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Just a little photo documentation of the changes this body has gone through over the past 16 weeks.

You can click on it to make it bigger - to give you the full effect of just what's going on here  :)

2 more months!

Holy...  How did we get this far already?  I know for some the 3rd tri drags on,  but not for me.  I can't believe that this little guy is going to make his appearance in 2 more months (give or take a few days). 

I feel like we still have a LOT to do.  Like finishing the nursery. Although to be honest he is going to be sleeping upstairs with us for the first couple months so for all intents and purposes it doesn't really matter that the room isn't done.  I'm just impatient and want to see it complete.

Then there is the issue of picking out a name.  J has vetoed some of my top contenders (Owen and Wesley) so we still haven't come to a decision.  Right now I think the top choice is Andrew. I love the name, but I know my sister will be slightly upset if we choose it due to her previously being engaged to a douchebag named Andy.  For the record I detest the nickname 'Andy' and if we go with Andrew he will either be Andrew, Drew, or AJ.  There are still some other possibilities on the list, though. Maybe we should sit down and discuss it again.

I also still need to call the prospective pediatrician.  We're going on the recommendation of several friends - there's not going to be an extended interview process where we meet with half a dozen different practices.  Even my OB said this wasn't necessary.  If we go to a doctor and don't like them - just switch.  My sister (the pediatrician) also said that they hate doing the "interview" meetings because they are generally scheduled during their lunch time which cuts into the small amount of time they have to grab something to eat.  No point in irritating the doctor before we even see them.

Oh, and I got a letter in the mail from the hospital since I pre-registered and it says something about how they expect everything to be paid before the expected due date. Umm - what?  You want me to pay for the services that haven't even been rendered yet?  How about send me a bill once the kid is here?

I'm just in a cranky mood today.  And it doesn't help that I glanced at tonight's TV listing and f-ing American Idol is screwing up my schedule.  I hate that show.

Clearly I am overly hormonal today. Must go get coffee...

Slowly but surely

We are making progress on the nursery.  This past weekend while I was in Dallas with my family, J was at home with his parents working on the room.

Friday night he and his dad got two pieces of the crown molding up. It wasn't easy - getting the edge to match up in the corner is a pain in the ass. J refuses to take the easy way out and use the prefabricated corner pieces that make it easy because he thinks it looks too cheap.

On Saturday he dropped me, my parents and my sister off at the airport while his parents went to get the paint for the walls.  During the weekend he sent me some pictures of the progress saying "It's brighter than you think".  I thought the color looked good.

When I got home Monday  night I went right in to look and I have to say I am very pleased with the results. He's right - it IS bright. But I love it!

I think the crown molding looks fantastic

And I love the blue against the white trim

The view looking out into the hallway

Now we just need to get the baseboards painted and the carpet installed and we can actually put some furniture in there!

And now for this week's check-in:

How far along? 31w3d - 16.25 inches and 3.3 lbs for this little guy.

Weight gain/loss: This morning I was at +21.9 lbs.  I might just be able to keep to my 30 lb goal.  Maybe.

Maternity Clothes: 50/50.  Most shirts are maternity except for a few long tunic tops and sweaters. The majority of work pants are maternity, but I'm still sporting regular jeans.

Symptoms:  My uncooperative colon, leg cramps at night, painful spot on my right knee - you know, all the usual stuff.  Oh, and I'm noticing that gross linea nigra starting to appear. Damn.

Labor Signs:  None yet (thank god!)

Gender:  It's a boy!!!

Sleep? So-so.  I did not sleep well at all when we were out of town, but I'm doing a little better in my own bed. The little man was pretty active last night, though.

Best moment this week? Coming home to a painted nursery. Yay!

Movement: Yes - and getting much stronger. I think he's getting testy with being squished because I am feeling hard body parts poke out. It's both cool and creepy as hell.

Food cravings/aversions: I have a new found love for peanut butter.

Belly button in or out? My innie is holding on for dear life

What I miss? Being able to sit in my chair and not feel like something is being rammed up under my ribs.  basically I miss general comfort.

What I am looking forward to? Making even more progress on the nursery. I can't wait to get the carpet installed so we can get the furniture in there. Unfortunately we need to get the other room emptied, the ceiling scraped and painted before we get the carpet installed. Sigh.

Milestones: Hitting 31 weeks I guess.

What I'm nervous about: Pushing something the size of a watermelon out through something the size of a cheerio.

And here is a pic for you:

What a weekend!

Phew!  Back from the whirlwind trip to Dallas for Super Bowl XLV.  What a weekend!

It started out Saturday with the flight from Charleston to Dallas. Thankfully  my sister booked me on a non-stop flight so I didn't have to deal with any layovers and dragging my bag through airports. Of course my flight was delayed an hour, but that gave me time to grab some lunch:

I got into Dallas around 3:00 and found my sister. She had just spotted Ron Jeremy and tried to inconspicuously snap a picture:

Eeeewwwww!!

Then we headed to the rental car place to get our ride before my parents and other sister landed.  We scored a Dodge Nitro and headed back to the airport to get them.  After the quick drive-by to pick them up so we wouldn't have to pay for parking, we headed for the hotel: The Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville.  We checked in and freshened up before heading to dinner at a tex-mex place - Centro:

I think I look huge in this picture - oh well

We stuffed ourselves with apps, fajitas, and desserts before heading back to the hotel for the night.  Everyone tried to get some sleep even though we were all excited about the next day.

In the morning we ate some breakfast at the hotel:

Then set out for Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  On the way we passed some fellow black and gold fans:

After a few wrong turns and some battles with the GPS we made it to the parking lot where we had a parking pass. I had bought it prior to going out there so we knew we for sure had a place to park:

Then we set out on the walk to the stadium, stopping to take some pictures along the way:

With the whole family

With Nic - the one who arranged this whole trip

Getting through security - or actually finding where to go through security - was an absolute cluster$#&%.  I give the people who organized this thing a big huge 'F'.  Nothing was clearly  marked, the security people either ignored you or didn't know the answer to anything, and it was total chaos.  Here's a tip for you, NFL, if you are trying to set an attendance record maybe, just maybe, you should hire some extra security people who know what the hell they are doing!

After lots of walking and much frustration we finally found out where we needed to go:

We were in this line for an hour or so

And we finally made it through the checkpoint and made it to the stadium:

Time to head up to the Silver level and make our way to the suite:

Riding the escalator

Inside our suite

There was plenty of food for us to snack on and drinks all around. I of course stuck with water, but there was plenty of beer and wine and mixed drinks for everyone else.

Pre-game snack of salad, fruit, and bbq beef brisket

And desserts!  Mini moon pies, blueberry tarts, and some caramel things.



After eating my fill for the time being we went and walked around a bit so I could buy a program. As we were walking around we passed Christian Slater, but I wasn't quick enough with my camera to snap a pic. Damn!  It turns out he was in the suite two down from us.

Then it was time to settle in for the festivities:

The view from our suite

Christina Aguilera botching the national anthem

Team introductions

Coin flip.  There was some dude that bet $3200 on it and won.  Idiot.



The first half of the game was pretty rough. A pick six by Ben and another INT that ended in 7 points for the Packers.  Luckily right before halftime my team scored to pull within 11 (21-10).  Either way we were still enjoying ourselves:

Then it was time for the halftime show. I'll admit that I didn't sit around and watch the whole thing.  We did some walking around, but we were back in the suite to catch half of it. I will say that I was not impressed.  I don't know if it was the mic issues or if their songs are just really sound edited, but they kind of sounded shitty to me.

Some people seemed to enjoy it. Then again, some people were drinking heavily...

The second half started out promising with the Steelers holding the Packers and then getting a score on their first possession of the half to pull to 21-17.  But then Mendenhall fumbled and the Packers got a score to make it an 11 point game again.  Pittsburgh scored and succeeded with the 2 pt conversion to pull within 3 and the place went nuts.  Unfortunately Green Bay then had a 5 minute drive that ended with a fieldgoal to pull ahead by 6.  There was still 2 minutes left and we had a time out. I was sure that Roethlisberger could pull off another one of his last minute drives and march down the field to score, but it didn't happen.  So my team ended up losing 31-25, but it was still an awesome game and an amazing experience.

Congrats to Green Bay - we'll get you next year  :)

We then made the walk back to the car and headed back to the hotel.  Surprisingly we did not get stuck in a ton of traffic, so that was a plus.  At least Dallas got that part of it right.  We later learned that 400 fans got screwed out of seats because they were deemed unusable prior to the game.  I cannot even imagine how pissed I would have been had that happened to us.  Another fail for the NFL.

Monday morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel then checked out and headed into Dallas. We wanted to do at least one touristy thing before we left.  We headed to the site of the JFK assassination and did the tour.

That white painted X marks the spot where the limo was when the fatal shot was fired. I kinda thought it would be marked more impressively.

View up to the Texas School Book Depository

Grassy knoll

 



I also took some pictures of the surrounding buildings since they were kind of cool:

After we were done at the museum (no photos allowed in there) we hopped in the car and headed towards the airport with a quick stop for lunch.  We dropped off my parents and sister and then went to take back the rental car. Then Nic and I took the shuttle back to the airport and checked in giving us plenty of time to do a little shopping in the airport.  I picked up this for Baby W:

A cute little armadillo to commemorate his first trip to Texas (albeit in utero)



We hung out until it was time to catch our separate flights and then parted ways.  My flight was a nice quick 2 hours back to Charleston, but the last 20 minutes were so turbulent that I thought I was going to cry. I'm a nervous flyer to begin with and I was by myself so I didn't have anyone to calm me.  By the time we landed I was feeling sick and covered in a cold sweat.  I don't think I'll be flying for a while.

J picked us up at the airport and ended our whirlwind Dallas adventure. Even though our team lost we still had a great time and it was an amazing trip that I will never forget.  Thanks Nic!!