Happy Birthday to ME!

So, we're 28 on the 28th. That has to mean something, right? lol... No big plans today. Probably going to clean my house tonight. Maybe I'll bully R into picking out a name...you know, since it's my birthday and all. :-)

30 Week Update!

Me and my lovebug, Marley


How far along? 30 Weeks and 3 days.
Total weight gain: 30 pounds.
Maternity Clothes?: Yep. And, even my maternity shirts are starting to be too short.
Stretch marks? A couple on my hip. So far, this is still it.
Sleep: I don't understand the question.
Best Moment this week: My parents and aunt coming to visit!!
Miss Anything? Sleep
Movement: Yeah, he's a very active baby.
Food cravings: Everything I can get my hands on.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope.
Gender: IT'S A BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: Still Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: Burning, searing pain at the top of my bump. Apparently it's smooshed nerves.
Belly Button in or out? Still flat
Wedding rings on or off? Back off. :-( The hormone induced dermatitis made it's return.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty much have reached the of my rope with un-necessary rudeness and bullshit.
Looking forward to: My birthday this Thursday, and a weekend running around with R.


Holy.Shitballs. I cannot believe I am already 30 weeks. That means there will be a baby in 10 weeks. TEN!!!! I'll be full term in 7 weeks. I have a ton of shit left to do. Cue panic mode, now. I still have not found a daycare, I still have not found a pediatrician...I am nowhere near done with the nursery... And, we still don't have a NAME!!!!

I know that it seems like 10 weeks is far away, but when you think about how fast 10 weeks times three has gone by for me...you can appreciate my freak out.

I'm still trying to get thank you cards written, for pete's sake. That being said, I better get off here and hop to it.

A letter to my son

Dear Sweet Baby Boy,

   There was a video that went around on the internet (something you’ll learn about many years down the line) about a group of kids who bullied a grandmother on a school bus.  I didn’t watch the video.  I was too afraid of what I would see.  I heard about it, though…and it prompted me to write this letter to you.   As a mother to be, I can sometimes seem consumed by the things that we need to do to get ready for your arrival.  Clothes, diapers, crib…  But, I also think about the things that come later.  The lessons that I want to teach you.  The values that your father and I want to instill in you.    It’s hard to think of you beyond a tiny crying baby…but one day, you’ll be a big kid…then a teenager…an adult…a father yourself, someday.   (Someday FAR FAR FAR in the future.)   It’s a mighty big responsibility to prepare you for that time.  But, it’s what we signed up for when we decided to bring you into this world. 

There will be times that you will hate us.  You’ll tell us how miserable we are…that we’ve ruined your life.   That’s okay.  It means we’ve done something right.   You won’t always understand this.  It’ll come later…when you’re older and you see “kids these days” and wonder where their parents are.   But, when you tell us that we are “totally lame”…we’ll know that we’re raising a good kid.  

There will be times that you’ll feel frustrated or mad. Sad…confused…embarrassed.  That’s ALL okay.  I’m sure you hear me being ALL of those things while you’re in my tummy.   You probably hear a lot that I’ll have to explain later.   But, no matter how bad you are feeling…it’s never okay to be mean to people.  Always treat people nicely.  Always have respect for your elders. And your brothers and sisters… all of them.  Not just the ones related to you.   And, for your girlfriends  and, one day, wife.   Always treat other people with kindness and graciousness.  Even if they aren’t doing the same.   Trust me, you’ll always end up being the bigger person.    That being said…always stand up for what you know is right.  Don’t be a doormat.   

Always say “please” and “thank you.”  And everyone is “ma’am” or “sir.”   Hold the doors for ladies.  And, a smile goes a long way to brightening someone’s day.    Share.  Share your toys, share your thoughts,  share your sandwich.   Everything is infinitely better when you’re sharing it with someone else.  

Be nice to animals.  You’ll learn that pretty early on.  They will be the most loyal friends you’ll ever have.   They will love you unconditionally and all they ask for in return is a belly rub and some kibble. 

There is SO much that I want you to know…that I want to teach you.   This little letter barely skims the surface.    Most of it will be learned through life lessons. Some easy…some very very hard.   But, through all of it…I want you to know that we love you SO much and are already so proud of you.   I can’t wait until you are here so that I can finally tell you that while looking into your eyes.    Until then…I’ll continue telling you through my belly and hope that you feel how hard my heart beats for you. 

Love,

Mama

29 Week Update!

My sister and I at my baby shower.


Baby is the size of a Butternut Squash!
He is weighing around 3lbs and is 15.5 inches long!
His head is getting bigger to accommodate that growing brain!
His Skeleton is also starting to harden up.


How far along? 29 Weeks...4 days
Total weight gain: About 28ish? I didn't weigh myself today and I'm too tired to get up.
Maternity Clothes?: Yep. And, I'm hooked up thanks to my sweet friend, Rico.
Stretch marks? A couple on my hip.
Sleep: I'm never gonna sleep again...
Best Moment this week: Seeing all my friends and family back home!
Miss Anything? Nope.
Movement: Oh, yeah...I think my baby is part puppy. He keeps doing that "chasing bunnies" thing that the dog does. Or at least that's what it feels like.
Food cravings: Cabbage. Don't ask.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope...caught another tummy bug, but that's it.
Gender: IT'S A BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: Still Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: So.Freaking.Tired. AND, I waddle. Yep.
Belly Button in or out? Still flat
Wedding rings on or off? The ring is still on. We'll see how much longer this happens.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Easily irritated by stupidity.
Looking forward to: My parents and my aunt coming up to see us! They will be here tomorrow!!!!

Sorry for such an abbreviated update. I'm exhausted. After a great weekend, I flew home Sunday night in time to be completely taken down by a stomach virus. I was sick all day Monday, which left Tuesday and Today to get the house completely cleaned and ready for my parents and aunt to come visit. I feel this should have been a monumental post considering it's my last week in the 20's...(coincidentally...it's my husband's too! lol...I'll be 30 weeks on Saturday, he'll be 30 years old on Sunday!) I still have to write out thank you cards for all the gifts that I received. If you gave a gift...I promise, your thank you is coming! It's just going to be a few days longer than I like to get them out. Anyway, I'm going to decompress for a few and then I'm crashing out. Got a big HUGE weekend planned!

28 Week Update!

Pay NO atention to my face! This is an awful picture, but it was taken after putting together the crib. So, you can understand my slovenly appearance, right? P.S. You're welcome for the sneak peek of the nursery. ;-P


How far along? 28 Weeks...and 4 days. Seems like Wednesday is the magic day for these posts.
Total weight gain: 26 pounds.
Maternity Clothes?: Yep. Unless it has like...150% lycra, it ain't fittin'.
Stretch marks? Still can't tell. I have blotchy belly skin, so I don't know if it's just uneven or if I'm striped.
Sleep: Sleep...oh, sleep. Maybe one day.
Best Moment this week: BAM! Nursery painted, crib together, dresser project done-zo!
Miss Anything? My feet bones. More on that below.
Movement: Yep, my belly is a bowl full of baby nowadays and jiggles like crazy.
Food cravings: Chick Fil A, BBQ, Mexican, US Pizza. Getting all four this weekend.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: IT'S A BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: Still Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: Yeahhh...swelling, boob leakage...nice, huh?
Belly Button in or out? Flat still...but starting to do a little poking out. Not much, though.
Wedding rings on or off? The ring is still on for now, but unless I can control this swelling, it's coming back off. I'm pretty upset by this.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I can no longer be held responsible for the reactions I may have to rudeness. Or kindness. Or happiness...or any type of interaction.
Looking forward to: GOING BACK TO ARKANSAS THIS WEEKEND!!!!! SOOO freaking excited to see my friends and family. Ughh... And of course, this week has dragged ASS.



SO, as you can tell above, I have started to experience some of the more embarrassing symptoms of pregnancy. My feet look like anvils and I can no longer go braless without some sort of extra bulk (as if I needed MORE attention brought up there) stuffed in there. I also had a moment today where I seriously thought I might pee myself in the car on the way home. All I could think was...well, at least the seats are scotch-guarded. *sigh* 11.5 weeks to go. I can dooo this. I'm actually loving being pregnant and I sometimes feel like I'll always be pregnant. Sometimes the reality of there actually being an end to this and a baby coming just sort of...escapes me.

We bought the crib this week and put it together tonight. I am so excited to have a crib in the house. It sort of makes it more real. It looks beautiful and works so well in that room. I was so afraid it would be too big but everything is starting to really come together. All I really need to finish off the nursery decor is some artwork, my decals,curtains, and a rug. Oh, and of course, baby stuff and a baby. But, all in due time. Actually, I have a few baby things that two of my best friends got me before I moved away. I couldn't resist setting those things up in the nursery and putting diapers and washcloths in the dresser.

Well, that's all I've got for tonight. It's 10:30 and I need to hit the sack. I've got work tomorrow and then a million things to do here before I leave town. Not only do I go home for a couple days this weekend, but next week, my parents and aunt are coming up here to visit me!!! lol...Time to really get the house in order...people are actually coming to see it!

Dresser/Changing Table: Before & After

As usual, I'm running late on my weekly updates, but I felt like I needed to give you something different. You know...to break up the monotony of posts about my ever expanding waistline. We had a VERY busy weekend. We got our asses in gear and got some stuff done to the nursery!! YAY!!!

First and foremost, gone is the yucky eggnog shade of paint on the wall. In it's place is Bermuda Bay, a beautiful aqua/turquoise color. It has immediately changed the vibe of that room. Even with no furniture in there and a drop cloth sprawled across the floor...the room went from boring to calming and lovely.

We also bought our crib this weekend!! YAY!!! It's all coming together and we are thrilled!

I can't really show you pictures of the full nursery just yet, as that will be a different post for when everything is done in there. BUT, I CAN show you the pictures of our completed dresser renovation!!! I am so excited to have this project done. R and I worked so hard on making this $15 dresser new again. So without further adieu...I give you the before and after!!




Looks nice enough, right? It actually wasn't a terrible piece of furniture, but we wanted dark furniture to balance out the room.














Now, here is what WE did to it!















Close up of the drawer lining. LOVE these little owls!



Now, I can't wait to fill the drawers with little baby clothes and get the changing station set up on top of it. I already put some diapers in the top drawer. lol...I might be just a bit over anxious. So, readers...what do you think of the dresser's new 'do?

27 Week Update!!!

(Because Marley wanted to be in the picture, too....)


Seriously...I've reached an all-time low. I'm 2 days away from 28 weeks and I'm just now posting the 27 week update. If the picture itself says anything...I've been super tired and just plain lazy. I thought about just holding off and doing a 27/28 week update...but then I figured I was only kidding myself if I thought I was going to get Week 28 out on time. Oh well... All info is based on 27 weeks, so it may not be quite accurate for the current day.


How far along? 27 Weeks! THIRD TRIMESTER!!!
Total weight gain: 25 pounds. This is as of today, actually. I did not gain 3lbs in one week, I SWEAR.
Maternity Clothes?: Yep. Sadly, I outgrew my favorite pair of PJ pants. I didn't know you COULD outgrow PJ pants!
Stretch marks? Not that I can tell...I'm probably covered in them, but too pastey to tell...
Sleep: What is that?!
Best Moment this week: Almost having the nursery cleaned out.
Miss Anything? Bending over.
Movement: Yep...He's hiccuping, and apparently working on his army crawl. Feels like all knees and elbows in there.
Food cravings: Cake.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: IT'S A BOY!!!!
Labor Signs: Still Braxton Hicks.
Symptoms: crankiness and super emotional
Belly Button in or out? Flat still...I'm not sure if it's ever going to pop.
Wedding rings on or off? THE RING IS BACK ON, PEOPLE!!!! No more dermatitis and for the time being, I can still get it on and off.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Kinda emotional and cranky the last few days. <--Still this. Looking forward to: Getting the nursery done. Hopefully we can start painting this weekend and get everything ready cause NEXT weekend is my SHOWER!!!


I'm a bit too tired today to go into full updates and details, so I'll save that for 28 weeks. I apparently skipped right over the 2nd tri "energy rush" and into 3rd tri "energy crash." Good times.