baby bump: 29 weeks

How far along:  29 weeks.

Size of baby:  Acorn squash.

Maternity clothes:  I feel pretty great about the one day, one store, one purchase maternity shopping that I did back in September.  Between the two pairs of jeans I got ("skinny" and boot cut), countless short sleeve and long sleeve v-necks, a few dressy shirts, and two sweaters, I think I did a pretty good job.  I'm still able to squeeze fit into my work out pants/capris for exercise which is nice. 

Weight gain:  Why do I put this question on here every week?  Yes, I've gained 20 pounds or so.  I'm right on track and I need to be happy about these 20 pounds!  

Sleep:  My sleeping positions aren't very different than my non-pregnant sleep positions.  I do miss sleeping on my stomach though. 

Exercise:  Yes. 

Best WORST moment(s) of the week:  It just wasn't the greatest week in the books.  I took the 1 hour gestational diabetes test on Wednesday and failed.  Womp, womp.  I got really bothered and upset about it.  I know it's common for people to fail the 1 hour test but pass the 3 hour test but it still made me obsess over my "failure".  When the nurse called to tell me I failed, her tone seemed like I had just failed at my entire pregnancy thus far.  "Well, your blood sugar was a little hiiiiigh.  She might ask you to watch your carbs and sugars".  Then I began thinking about my diet.  I've had ice cream like 3 times and try and stay away from junk food.  My typical daily diet consists of mixed berry smoothies made with plain greek yogurt, whole wheat toast with natural peanut butter, greek yogurt and almonds for lunch with apples, clementines, and carrots, and then dinner plus a huge dark green salad.  Where else could I possibly cut?  (Minus the occasional weekend splurge).  So basically I worried about that the rest of the week and was paranoid about everything I ate.  

Ehren went out of town Friday after work  and the next morning I was at the hospital before 6 a.m. to do my stupid fasting 3 hour gestational diabetes test.  I just wanted to get it over with so I could eat again.  After consuming what seemed like a concentrated Sprite and getting blood drawn 4 times, I was done.  But could they tell me my results?  No, of course not.  I would have to obsess wait until Monday to find out.  I looked like a heroine addict with bruised antecubital fossas.  By the way, I'm still not sure if I passed or not. 

Movement:  Feeling her move was the best part of the week.  Despite being an emotional wreck because of other things going on during the week, she reminded me that all of this testing and worrying is just to make sure she will be okay.  She's pretty good at keeping me in check. 

Cravings:  Thinking I could never have carbs or sugars again made me crave… carbs and sugars.  But I still behaved and ate pretty well. 

Belly button in or out:  I just hope it goes back in someday...

Wedding ring on or off:  Occasionally my hands get a little swollen but washing them in cold water usually helps.  Otherwise, I take my ring off as soon as I get home so that it doesn't bother me. 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  It's so funny to read on message boards and pregnancy websites about the drinks you have to consume in 5 minutes for the GD test.  Reading all those women complain about how horrible and nasty they are started to make me worry that I wouldn't be able to get them down without throwing up.  Mind you, I've been lucky and haven't had any aversions or morning sickness like most women have.  Honestly?  The one hour drink tasted like fruit punch with a hint of cough syrup - not bad.  The three hour drink tasted like Sprite that sat out and evaporated leading to concentrated lemon-lime pop - still not bad.  I mean, I wouldn't drink any of these drinks for fun but they weren't anything to write home about.  Wait, does blogging count as "writing home"?

What I miss:  Carbs.  Just kidding. 

What I am looking forward to:  Finding out my results (pass or fail) so I can move on with my life.  That and going to our 3D ultrasound on Monday!  I hope she cooperates so we can see her face. 

What I am not looking forward to:  Playing the waiting game. 

Labor signs:  I have contractions here and there but they aren't labor signs.  My uterus is just practicing.  It is a weird feeling though when all of a sudden I have "abs of steel" (I guess more like uterus of steel) and I have no control over it.  I guess that just means this little girl is already taking over my life whether I like it or not. 

Symptoms:  Every emotional symptom happened this week.  

Nursery:  Trim and walls are painted!

Emotions:  Just like she kicks me when I start worrying and stressing, on Monday she's going to remind us that she really is in my belly (and is really going to make an appearance in March) when we see her face on the ultrasound screen.  And then of course when she's really here, she will be reminding us every 5-10 minutes by crying and pooping and eating and burping and making our lives miserable joyous.  :)

Week in review:

I hope our child has our dog's eating habits as opposed to mine when I was little.  Cozy loves all things healthy.  When we're eating dinner we'll give him edamame, kale chips, baby carrots, bits of apples, etc.  He practically begs for these nutritious foods like they are hot dogs.  One time I had a Cheeto (a craving… don't judge) and I tossed him one.  He inspected it, sniffed it, licked it and then looked at me like, "what the hell is this processed, hydrogenated, neon orange crap?"  Lesson learned: if a dog wouldn't eat it, I probably shouldn't be eating it.  

Anyway, at 11 o'clock at night one night, I decided I needed an apple.  Cozy cozied right up to me to guarantee a few bites.  See how he's trying to give me a shoulder rub to persuade me?  

We started painting our stairs (more on that in a later post) and we had to paint every other stair.  The paint we used requires 16 hours between coats and then 3-5 days before setting anything on it  - as in our feet and Cozy's.  Since Cozy exceeds my lifting "restriction" Ehren had to be the one to carry him up and down the stairs every morning and night.  Cozy was so confused.  (Pardon Ehren's thigh, it was 6 in the morning and I made him get out of bed to start working on projects he just rolled out of bed).  I don't know if I've ever laughed this hard, this early in the morning. 

For Christmas I got my mom a scone baking pan and a scone cook book.  She had my sister and me over for scones and addressing baby shower invitations on Sunday morning.  

Blueberry scones… a hit!

I've got my own Dooms Day Prepping going on at my house.  We are using our Home Depot gift cards we got for Christmas to buy a deep freezer.  I plan on hoarding making lots of dinners so that when we're exhausted and hungry, we won't have to wonder "what's for dinner?" in a hypoglycemic rage.  What?  Don't you have those?

That's a lot of meat. 

Ehren made little pouches for star anise and cloves for one of the crock pot recipes.  It looked like he was doing arts and crafts. 

The polar vortex came to visit so we just set the food out on the deck to freeze. 

Cozy brought his friends (Kermie and Marbles) up to the nursery and then looked at me like, "Oh, you're painting... again?"

We went to the dog park which was either muddy or icy depending on where you were walking.  For some reason Cozy was rolling in the snow like it was a dead animal.  There was no dead animal.  Except for the 2 foot long dead squirrel he came out of the woods with in his mouth.  He looked so proud. 

See what I mean about the mud? 

Bath time!

baby bump: 28 weeks

How far along:  28 weeks.

Size of baby:  Eggplant.

Maternity clothes:  I feel like my shirts are getting shorter and shorter everyday due to my belly getting bigger. 

Weight gain:  Yes.  And I'm hoping it comes off quickly after I push this little cutie out. 

Sleep:  I look forward to bed time and I'm very thankful that I'm sleeping well.  I sleep until I have to pee and then I immediately fall back asleep.  I feel rested when I wake up and I'm hoping this continues all the way through.  Did I just jinx myself?

Exercise:  Yes.  But I'm really excited to step up my game when I'm not pregnant anymore.  I'm hoping I will have motivation and energy to do so.   

Best moment of the week:  Officially starting on the nursery!  I removed the wallpaper border on New Years Day.  Plus, it's officially 2014 which means it is the year our little girl will be born!  Oh, and having a day off in the middle of the week. 

Movement:  When isn't she moving?  She is more consistent now which is comforting. 

Cravings:  After heavy eating during the holidays, I'm craving salads and fruit. 

Belly button in or out:  It's out in full force and when I cough or sneeze I instinctively put my hand over it so it doesn't explode.  

Wedding ring on or off:  On. 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope. 

What I miss:  Being able to stay up a little later.  I missed midnight on New Years for the first time since I can remember.  And it's not like I missed it by 10 minutes or anything, I missed it by about an hour and a half.  I'm guessing this won't be the first one I miss.  

What I am looking forward to:  More progress on the nursery. 

What I am not looking forward to:  Being patient while we work on the nursery.  I'm such and all or nothing person (i.e. clean the entire house on Sunday, do all laundry in one day, grocery shopping one time a week, etc.)  It's going to be hard to wait until the weekends to work on the nursery.  That and waiting for paint to dry so I can start the second coat.  (The trim paint I'm using requires 16 hours between coats.. ugh.)

Labor signs:  Nope. 

Symptoms:  Slight pubic symphysis pain but nothing that makes me scream out expletives without warning (like my SI joint).  Because of the laxity I have when I'm not pregnant, I'm not surprised this is happening.  I was pretty prepared for it. 

Nursery:  Progress!  No more wallpaper and I will start painting this weekend!  Eeek!

Emotions:   This is the first time I haven't had that "refreshing" feeling of the new year.  This year I don't have the usual resolutions that I would normally have like being more consistent with work outs and eating healthier.  I've always loved that feeling of starting anew but it didn't happen this year and that's okay too.  Not that resolutions are a requirement but I like setting goals and working towards them.  My "official" resolution is to make myself a priority after I become a mom.  I hear and read about moms who completely lose themselves in their kids and neglect themselves.  I know I'm going to be out-of-control in love with our daughter but I need to be in love with myself as well.  If I can take care of myself, then I can better take care of our little one.  Obviously I'm going to lose sleep and be so fatigued that I can't see or think straight.  However, I will take advantage of my mom (or whoever) coming over so I can take a power nap or a shower.  I will make exercise a priority - not just for my physical wellbeing but my mental wellbeing.  The benefits of exercise aren't just to lose baby weight; exercise is a magical drug that will keep me happy and energized.  Plus, I want her to see that exercise is just a normal part of life - like eating and sleeping.  I want to continue doing things I enjoy like home projects (obviously) and cooking.  I want to make my marriage a priority so she will see a healthy relationship to strive for when she is at that age.. ya know, like 35.  I feel like if I'm happy I will be a better mom.  Happy wife, happy life, right?  

Week in review:

So, my sister and I are huge Jenna Marbles fans.  Yes, she is crass and perverted and inappropriate but my goodness she can be hilarious.  She has two dogs, Kermit and Marbles, and she is now selling them as toys online.  My sister got Cozy his own Kermit and Marbles for Christmas and now they are his favorite toys.  

But let me go back.  We have "Cozy cams" set up in our house so we can see what he does during the day.  You think we're crazy now, don't you?  It's actually really fun and uplifting while we're away at work.  I like to check on him on my lunch break and see what he's up to - he sleeps 99% of the time and looks out the window 1% of the time.  (We use an app called "iCam" and watch him through an old iPhone and laptop.)

One day at work, I checked on him and saw he was sleeping up in our bed.  (Don't judge me for not having a made bed.. I just. can't. do. it.)  

On the other camera which is downstairs, I could see his "friends" all alone.  

When I got off work I checked to see what he was doing and saw that he brought his friends upstairs to cuddle with him.  How cute is that?  He loves them!

Now, everyday we find him upstairs in our bed cuddling with Kermie and Marbles.  He also likes to carry both of them around in his mouth.  He knows them by name and will get the correct one when we ask him to.  If we ask him to get his "friends" he finds them wherever they are in the house and brings them both to us.  It's quite hilarious.

And then we will find him cuddling with them.

The cutest part is that he takes care of them like they are his babies.  He's never had a dog-shaped toy and he treats these differently than any other toy.  He literally licks them all over like he's cleaning them (I've never seen him do this) and he even purposely licks in their ears and their crotches.  It is the funniest thing I've ever seen.

We put them on a shelf one day when we were gone when he first got them because we didn't know if he would destroy them or not.  As soon as we got home he went over the the shelf, begging for us to let his friends play.

As a huge KU fan, it was hard to take this wallpaper down.  However, it was the first step towards getting her room ready so it wasn't that hard.  This wallpaper was put up when our friend Derek (who used to live here) was little.  It actually came off easier than I thought.

One of my New Years resolutions was to learn how to take wallpaper down.  I did this on NYD, so… check!  What a great start to the year ;)

And while I was on a ladder with very hot water removing this wallpaper, oh, and 28 weeks pregnant, this is what my husband and fur child were doing.  Cuddling/sleeping and watching stupid man shows on Netflix.  He wanted a day to just veg out before we go all turbo on our house and I gladly agreed that he needed that.  I had my own fun listening to music and removing wallpaper!

So, you probably think I'm a crazy pet parent considering I spy on Cozy and think that he has stuffed animal friends.  But you know what?  He entertains me.  And I know our daughter will do the same.  I love that I'm going to have funny stories to tell about our daughter just like I do our dog.  Yes, I know dogs and children are not the same but they both bring/will bring more happiness to my life than I ever thought possible.  

baby bump: 27 weeks

How far along:  27 weeks.

Size of baby:  Rutabaga.

Maternity clothes:  My wardrobe consists of Ehren's t-shirts and sweats, scrub pants, some of my sweats, and my trusty Gap maternity shirts.  Some days I look like a billowing cloud of baggy cotton.  I couldn't be comfier.  

Weight gain:  Yes, and I don't want to talk about it.  I'm focusing on eating right and staying active.  Besides the necessary weight gain (blood, placenta, baby, boobs, etc.) I've really only gained (noticeable) weight in my butt and thighs.  Ain't nothin' wrong with a little junk in the trunk. 

Sleep:  At 8:30 I'm heading up to bed.  I'm usually asleep by 10 or shortly after.  Ehren is now able to watch all his man shows after I fall asleep.  I think he's enjoying it. 

Exercise:  Puttin' some miles on the treadmill and watching I Love Lucy while I do so.  

Best moment of the week:  Celebrating Christmas again and again!  Ehren and I had some Christmas time alone for the first time and it was lovely.  We went to the dog park on Christmas day after I got done working (boo) and it was refreshing and energizing.  Plus Cozy loved it.  

Movement:  She's a wiggle worm, that's for sure.  I can feel hiccups now!  I can tell her head is down in my pelvis because that's where I feel her hiccuping away!  It's so cute. 

Cravings:  What don't I crave?  Everything sounds good. 

Gender:  She better be a girl because every piece of clothing that we've bought her is pink. Sike!  Yea right. 

Belly button in or out:  It sticks out about a centimeter.  When I have my compression hose on, it helps smash it down but when I don't have them on, you could poke your eye out. 

Wedding ring on or off:  On.  Except when I exercise because my hands get kinda swollen. 

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nope. 

What I miss:  Exercising without having to pee so frequently.  Another good reason to walk on a treadmill in the basement with a bathroom nearby as opposed to out in the elements.  I think if I had to squat I wouldn't be able to get up. 

What I am looking forward to:  Starting on the nursery next weekend!

What I am not looking forward to:  Wearing compression hose for 13 more weeks.  They are getting more and more difficult to put on.  However, they are helping and my legs don't ache when I'm standing all day so I should probably keep my mouth shut. 

Labor signs:  No labor signs but maybe a contraction the other day?  It's normal.  My uterus is just practicing.

Symptoms:  I'm feeling pretty darn good.  I keep waiting for the "honeymoon phase" of the 2nd trimester to end but so far so good.  Getting out of bed is getting more difficult.  Also, I'm starting to have pubic symphysis pain but it is nothing like the SI joint pain I had earlier on.  

Nursery:  Getting anxious to finally get started.  We decided we would go into hardcore DIY mode the first weekend of 2014… that's next weekend!  I'm so excited!

Emotions:   It's crazy to think I have just over 3 months until she is supposed to arrive.  Usually I get into a funk after the holidays are over because they are my favorite time of year but now I have something incredible to look forward to.   I feel like once we start working on the nursery, it will start to feel very real.  

Week in review: 

Cozy was a big help with wrapping presents, so much so that he "recycled" the cardboard tube that was left over. 

This is why I have a hard time taking down Christmas decorations.  We don't put up a lot but when we do, it is so cozy and the lighting is so warm. 

Ehren and I exchanged Christmas gifts Christmas morning after I got done at work (boo for that).  Our daughter got Ehren a gift and it made him cry.  Cozy licked the tears off his face.  I win.

Cozy is a big help with not only wrapping presents but with unwrapping them as well!

The Coz is always trying to be the center of attention.  And likes to make family pictures difficult.  I'm just going to think of this as good practice for when we have our little one. 

Cozy looks pissed and bored.

After we opened presents, we went out to the dog park.  It was snow covered but warm enough to walk around with our coats open and gloves off.






Cozy had a blast and probably sprinted ran 10 miles.  I was worried about the snow making his feet hurt but I don't even think he noticed.



From "Despicable Me 2": "I'm so haaaappppyyy!!!"

My dad got Ehren/us the original rules of "basket ball".  We're pretty pumped to put it in our future KU basement.

Why, yes, we got Cozy a 3+ foot long candy cane shaped bone for Christmas.  

For Christmas dinner I made Beef Burgundy with a salad and bread and then homemade strawberry shortcake. 

The shortcake had to be heart-shaped of course. 

I even made whipped cream for the first time.  

Aaaaaaaand I think I have a new favorite dessert.

After my pregnant self slaved away in the kitchen, my Mr. Claus washed the dishes.

It was a good Chrismas(es).  Can't believe the new year is just around the corner.  It's the year our daughter will be born!