Hiatus
21 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: Domestic Bliss, Family Fun, Holidays!, Me, Urijah
Well, it’s been just over 2 months since I deigned to show my face around these parts. I thought it was high time to let you all know that I am still alive and that we are doing well over here. Thriving, in fact! We had a great, low-key Christmas, a successful New Year and are now forging headlong into spring. Where, oh where to begin? I’ll start with where we left off, I suppose. Our Christmas was very nice. We stayed home and took it easy. Grandma and Grandpa Jim came to see us, which was so nice, and Urijah slept through most of the festivities, which was also so nice, since he really couldn’t actively participate anyhow. I was a little bummed this year since I could only manage to squeeze out the barest of Christmas decorations, but I’m really hoping that next year, with a 14 month old!!, that I’ll be able to get back to my normal level of Christmas oomph. That being said, we only put the Christmas tree back up in the attic 2 weeks ago! And my fake poinsettias are still on the front porch. What? They’re winter decorations…not just for Christmas. Pfffftttt.
Scott and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary with dinner and a movie. The grandparents came to babysit and we caught an early showing of ‘Hugo’ in 3D, which was excellent – highly recommended, and then came back home and got all dressed up for family Christmas pictures and then we headed out for our fancy dinner downtown at Trio at the Four Seasons. Oh, it was so good. We talked and drank and laughed a bunch, and definitely ate too much, but oh man, was it worth it. It was just what we needed. Happy Anniversary to my husband of one year and my partner for the last ten!
We were determined to so something for New Years and not be those people with a new baby that just hole up at home. We….sort of….accomplished it. We have some friends that always have a New years shindig, and it’s kid friendly, so we loaded ourselves up and went. We stayed for about…2 hours? Someone was particularly fussy and required walking and bouncing the whole time in order to stay calm, and pretty much didn’t want anyone other than Mom or Dad to speak to him, so it was sort of a flop in that regard. But, it was still good to get out of the house and do something that we would have done pre-baby. We made it home in time to crack open the celebratory bottle of wine that Scott found online (the same vintage that we had at our wedding that was fantastic!), and we watched the ball drop in our living room, with Urijah on Scott”s lap and me standing close enough to give kisses to both of my boys. So, the New Year celebration was a success after all.
And after the holidays, we’ve been taking it day by day. On February 13th, Urijah celebrated his 4 month birthday with a trip to the Dr’s office and some shots. Yay! The weekend prior to that, he had his first “sickness”. An unexplained fever that lasted about 36 hours, and never got higher than 101.9. I still don’t know exactly what caused it, but he weathered it well, and we’ll jut assume is was some viral infection he successfully fought off. The stats from his 4 month appt are as follows, for anyone who is interested. Weight – 15.8 lbs, length – 25 1/4 inches, head circumference was about 17 inches if I remember correctly. For weight and length he was in the 50th percentile but his noggin was up into the 75th percentile. He got an all around A+ and will go back in 2 more months. He is generally getting more and more awesome. He is smiling all the time and sometimes will do a few chuckles if you hit just the right spot with your silliness. He loves it when you hold him under the arms and swing his body back and forth like a pendulum, and will give you huge open mouth smiles if you lift him up over your head and bring him back down over and over again. He has recently decided that he hates his once much loved baths, so that’s a mystery since nothing has changed about them. I’m going to try getting him a little tub that will let him sit reclined rather than laying flat, and we’ll see if maybe that is the problem. He still also strongly dislikes having clothes pulled over his head, but usually recovers pretty quickly from that trauma unless he is already overtired. But hands down my favorite new development is that when he wakes up in the morning, or from a nice solid nap, as soon as he sees me coming to get him, he gives me a huge smile and starts his whole body wiggling around in his swaddle. It seriously makes me swoon, no matter how tired I am.
(Side note because I really need to wrap this up: he did fantastic on his first flight. He and I went to Portland to see Lisa, Josh and Ada in January, and he was an absolute perfect baby the whole time. The flights were a breeze and he slept a ton in Portland! The trip was too short, but he and I are making another venture in the beginning of March- this time to Jacksonville to see Gram and Grandpa. Fingers crossed that those flights go as well as the first ones. Hopefully the flights being half as long will help.)
Bigger and better
02 Nov 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: breastfeeding, Family Fun, Me, Urijah
We have weight gain! As of Urijah’s 2 week check-up he was back to his birth weight. I felt like we had been cramming for a test for days leading up to that appointment – as soon as the scale registered those numbers, I burst into tears. It was such a relief to know that all of our effort was paying off. Heather, the midwife, gave me a good long hug, and let me cry for a minute, and told me I was doing a great job, and I was doing everything right. It was just what I needed to hear! I had had so many days of worry and stress, and disappointment in my body that it wasn’t fulfilling its obligation to this little boy, that to get the news that between my body, Lisa’s body and the Enfamil corporation, we were making it happen. Go team!
Urijah commemorated the moment by promptly peeing all over the sling they use for weighing. An appropriate indication that he is getting enough food, I suppose.
The lactation consultant brought her fancy scale back over on Sunday and we did a couple of pre and post feeding weighs over the next 2 days, and we’re up to getting around an ounce or ounce and a half from a nursing session, which is a HUGE improvement. Still not enough to sustain him, but it’s progress! The last weight I took of him today was right around 6.5 lbs, so he’s starting to chunk up. His cheeks are definitely starting to look fuller, even if his legs are still scrawny.
Look! I'm starting to get wrist rolls!
In other news, there’s been a bunch of grandma love going on around here. My mom came to town and stayed for 5 days, and the day after she left Scott’s parents came to town to help me out, since sadly, Scott had to go back to work. My mom was Urijah’s first ever babysitter! We took advantage of her capable hands and we went to dinner with some friends while she and the babe stayed home and bonded. I actually put on makeup and wore my hair down for the first time in weeks – it felt great! And, if I may pat myself on the back for something that I had absolutely no control over? I was able to wear pre-pregnancy jeans. There was sort of a muffin-top situation, but whatever. They zipped! The were pretty comfortable! They looked great while I was standing up! All in all, it was a success.
My mom also gave Urijah his first bath while she was here. We thought it would be nice to actually bathe the poor kid before we took him to his 2 week check up. Honestly, he just wasn’t really dirty! It was just a water wipe down, but he handled it pretty well. He did pee during it, which we fully expected, but right as he started, he sort of rolled to the side and crossed his leg over in a very gentlemanly fashion, so she was saved from the spray.
Mom cooked up a storm while she was here, and Scott and I ate it up. It was such a nice treat to have someone make food for us that we haven’t eaten, like, 20 times before. We have been in a food rut, so Mom showing up with new recipes in hand was just what we needed. She made tons, so we’ve got a stuffed fridge to keep working through. Such a luxury to have prepared food that just needs to be heated up!
Scott’s mom took up the torch and she’s been cooking as well. As I type, she’s working in the kitchen and it smells great! It really is so nice to have an extra pair of hands (or two!) around the house to hand the baby off to, or to pour up a bottle or to make dinner. I was even able to make a solo run to Target yesterday while Karen stayed home with Urijah. Between Ali, Mom and Jim and Karen, we are so, so lucky to have had such amazing and supportive people around us to help out. Everyone is just smitten with Urijah, and we couldn’t be more pleased to see how happy he makes them.
Next week will be my first real week ‘on my own’ while Scott is at work, and while I’m a bit nervous, I’m also excited to see how we do. Hopefully we can settle into some sort of normalcy (notice I didn’t say routine – I’m not that naive) and both get through the days fed and somewhat rested. If I can manage to accomplish both of those tasks for us, it will be a roaring success!
But can everyone please keep your cell phones handy in case of a meltdown?
Thanks.
Introducing!
15 Oct 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Family Fun, Me, Urijah
Urijah James King
10/13/11
10:52pm
5lbs and 15oz
20 1/2 inches long
I have a crazy birth story to share, but that will have to wait a bit, as we sort of have our hands full right now! Urijah and I are both doing well, and recovering from a very long week. He’s pretty much the cutest baby ever (and the spitting image of Scott, if you ask me) and his head smells amazing. 🙂
Guess I can get rid of that pregnancy ticker that still says I have 20 days to go. Ha!
Tiny baby!
I will update things as soon as I can. Once we get the hang of what we’re doing!
*No more weeks pregnant, and Urijah is about 43 hours old.*
Picture Round-Up
05 Oct 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, baby shower, Family Fun, Me, pregnancy
It really feels like everyone was just here a minute ago, but really – it’s already been a week since the last of the family left after the Great Baby Shower Weekend. It was a great visit, and while chaotic at times, it makes me even more aware of how fantastic my family is, and how truly excited and happy everyone is about this baby. The family time was fun, the baby shower was great and my feet only barely swelled up one time during it all!
My mom is a picture taking machine, which comes in really handy for a time like this – even though we all grumble while she’s snapping shots, I’m always glad we have them later on.
Lisa and Ada got into town first (Lisa and I may have both cried when we saw each other at the airport. We’re calling it pregnancy hormones for me and postpartum hormones for her. Ada, the BABY, was the only one who managed to hold it together emotionally). Mom and Dad arrived a couple hours later. Ada wowed everyone with her ability to sit up totally unassisted at only 4.5 months! And she’s been doing it for weeks now. But she still needed the pillow fortress for the occasional topple-over, which was, really, so hilarious every time it happened.
Reading with Gram. Look at those rubber-band wrists!
This trip was extra special since Dad came – it was a good opportunity to see all three girls, one son-in-law, 3 granddaughters and one great-grandson all at one time, so he couldn’t pass it up. He was a hit!
On Saturday morning Ali, Grace, Meredith and Tripp arrived and we had some good visiting time around the house. With Tripp being quite mobile this visit, it was a good chance to get a baby’s-eye-view of what things drew his attention that Scott and I will eventually need to relocate out of reach once our little one reaches the investigating stage. It was sort of like a baby-proofing home inspector!
Tripp and Ada's first meeting
The Oklahoma bunch
Later that afternoon though, I had a friend’s baby shower to go to for a bit, and it actually worked out perfectly, since my mom and sisters and nieces wanted to do a little shopping without me present, so we left Dad in Scott and ESPN’s capable hands, and the girls headed out to spend money and I headed out to drink punch and watch someone else open tons of baby presents.
At this time, I would like to state for the record, that apparently I excel at baby shower games. Maybe it’s my one true calling in life. (If that’s the case, though, I need to find a lot more friends that are having babies and baby showers, because a true talent is a terrible thing to waste.) Anyhow, I won the game at the Saturday shower (and at my own shower the next day!), and if I can manage at some point to get a copy of the story I wrote that won the game, I will post it here for you all to enjoy. The game was a take on the old standby of writing down some advice tidbits for the new parents-to-be, and you had to use as many candy bar/candy names in your advice as you could. They provided the list of candy names to choose from, and I think I used about 23 or 25…something like that. Enough to make me the winner – and enough to prompt them to tell me to read my advice out loud in front of the whole shower, which made me start to sweat and made my throat close up a little bit, so that I had to keep swallowing in order to finish, and I KNOW without even looking, that my cheeks were probably bright pink by the time I was done. I’m such a dork. Not a fan of speaking in front of groups, that’s for sure.
After the shower on Saturday - am I indicating how wide I am? I don't know.
A friend of mine that was supposed to come to the shower on Sunday ended up not being able to make it due to a really bad sickness, and sadly that also meant no baby shower cake, since she had offered to bring it. I was sad to not have her there, and I know she was so upset to miss the shower and to not be able to give me the cake, but thankfully I have a professional baker for a sister and she took control of the situation on Saturday and whipped up the cutest baby shower cake in no time at all! Both Scott and I just stared at her icing job and couldn’t believe that she got it so smooth so quickly – we’re used to my cakes, where I ice and ice forever and it NEVER comes out like that. We were impressed, to say the least.
The finished product - Welcome Baby Boy!
Not my most flattering angle, but it was a mid-cake decorating sisters moment. You can see the piping bag in Lisa's hands!
On Sunday it was baby shower time!! Scott’s parents drove up and we left Jim and Dad and Scott at home and all the girls (and Tripp) headed out to the shower. I can’t say thank you enough to Kristi and Elizabeth for hosting and to Martha for welcoming us all into her home. It was a great shower and we had a blast!
(Sorry – a lot of the shower pics are blurry, but they are the only one we’ve got!)
My lovely hostesses!
Ali, (Ada), Mom, Me, Lilly, and Elizabeth.
Look at all that loot! Thanks everyone!
There was lime sherbet punch (YUM) and I do believe that Kristi said that every single food item they served was vegan, expect for one, which was so great – Lisa was so excited! We ate and had cake and opened presents, and played a word scramble game (winner winner chicken dinner!) and just sat around and chatted. A good time was most definitely had.
On Monday, Mom and Dad and the Oklahoma crew all left to go home – but Lisa and Ada and I had one more day to pal around. We took advantage of the time and finally managed to satisfy the sno-cone shaped emptiness in our tummies (Tiger’s Blood for Lisa and Lemon-Lime for me, in case you were curious) and checked out a thrift store in town and took a nice long, leisurely stroll through the BabyEarth retail store.
On Tuesday afternoon, the house felt SO empty! But Scott and I both know that now it’s only a matter of weeks until the house never feels empty again, so we will enjoy it while we’ve got it!
35w5d
Houston Shower Recap (FYI…this will be very detailed becase that’s how my mom likes it.)
04 Sep 2011 7 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 3rd trimester, baby shower, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, pregnancy
A roaring success! Thanks to Aunt Frances and Aunt Marilyn for hosting and for Karen and Kim for helping out. (Well, and for Douglas and Jim and Scott for also chipping in, against their will, and assembling sandwiches and whatnot.) We had a great time, and I will always be glad for the reminder of how many good people there are in the world. In this instance, good people that have never met me before (although most knew, or had at least met, Scott before), but still came and wanted to shower us with gifts for this baby – they were just happy to be there and to ooh and ahh over all the baby stuff.
Now, seeing as I had never met ANYONE at this shower, except for the above mentioned family members that helped out with it, I will now wow everyone with all of the names that I can remember of the guests as they appear in the pictures. Bonus points for remembering how everyone is related to one another. (If I mix anyone up, I’m sorry, I did my best! I’ll be sure to get it right on your thank-you note.)
The theme of the shower was monkeys, and the ladies didn’t disappoint in the execution. (Lisa, I told them all you would be jealous!) There was an all-chocolate monkey cupcake-cake..it was very tasty! (oh look…guess I should have cropped out the tips of Scott’s feet from the bottom of the picture – oh well…keeping it real.)
And lots of monkey table decor to coordinate:
The punch in that bowl was called 'almond tea' and it was amazing!
We started off on the right foot with all the introductions….here is Marilyn giving me the run-down.
From left to right: Marilyn, (me-hidden behind her), Delaine, Carol, Jeanine, Geneva and Lucille (I think). Lucille is Jeanine’s Mom.
From left to right: After Lucille, Peggy Wise (she’s a cousin), Doris, Gina (?) and Yevette (mostly hidden – daughter of the lady sitting next to her, I think it’s Gina?)), and the back of Betty (Geneva’s Mom), and just the very edge of Peggy (daughter in law of Gina.)
After all the introductions were complete, we got down to the important stuff! Presents – and lots of good ones! By this time, my picture-taker had removed himself to the kitchen with his Dad and Uncle, so there is only 1 picture taken near the end of the presents, but that’s OK, because I can just tell you what we got!
Lots of stuff off the Babies R Us registry, which was so nice, plus some extra bonus items thrown in for fun! Lots of clothes, of course, and quite a few that were monkey-themed, to match the shower decor. 🙂 2 very soft and cuddly blankets, several crib sheets, the “womb-sound” teddy bear for the crib, sun-shades for the car windows, a tummy time playmat (with music!), a reclining bathtub, digital ear thermometer, and the Red Cross healthcare kit, several bibs, the breathable crib bumper, baby spoons, some diapers and wipes and my (much anticipated) stroller! And there were several cards with money and giftcards included, (even some from people who couldn’t make it it to the shower, but still wanted to give something!) Seriously, we were feeling the love.
Opening/fighting with the stroller in the background:
This picture also includes Karen (white shirt) and Frances (black headband), who are both leaning over to help me wrangle the stroller. Also, there’s Kim standing up behind the couch. She’s Douglas and Frances’ daughter. We wore the same dress, but hers was black and white striped, and might I say, definitely more flattering on her than mine was on me. Maybe horizontal stripes weren’t such a good idea.
Posing with one of the table-decoration monkeys.
The food was excellent, and plenty of it…chicken salad sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, chips, olives (black and green!), fruit salad, cupcakes, a cheese-ball with crackers, punch, and some seriously delicious deviled eggs.
More monkeys!
The loot!
All in all, it was a great shower….thanks again to the ladies that put it all together for us. We are so appreciative of the thoughtfulness, and are so glad that this baby will be welcomed into a family that is so excited to meet him and be a part of his life.
31w2d
27 and (bonus!) 28 weeks!
14 Aug 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, Family Fun, Me, pregnancy, Working Out
Since I was out of town last week when I would normally post the weekly update, you get both weeks 27 and 28 rolled into one this time. You’re welcome.
Here we go!
What’s going on this week (27):
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don’t bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.
What’s going on this week (28):
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She’s also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.
My Update:
Due Date: November 4, 2011 – as of today, 82 days to go! (Wow. That sounds…short.) Also, we’ve now entered the 3rd trimester!
Weight Gain: +15 lbs from pre-preg weight.
Symptoms: My belly really has made some impressive leaps and bounds in the last few weeks. It shocks me when I catch a side glimpse of myself in the mirror…but I still love the way I look! With the bigger size, comes a more noticeable ‘waddle,’ as they call it. My feet are turning out as I walk and my goodness, it just feels so much better that way!
Cravings/Aversions: Lisa and Meredith were right – the ice chewing/crunching is seriously addictive. That’s what I want all the time. A cold drink with crushed ice for constant chewing. I know it’s bad for my teeth, and outside of pregnancy I don’t usually do it, so I’m not beating myself up for it for these few months, when it makes me so happy right now!
Sleep: Not bad…I’m waking up about 2 times a night to pee, on average, which is annoying, but I was expecting it, so it’s bearable. Plus, I am really lucky to have the ability to fall right back asleep with almost no effort, so it doesn’t seem to disrupt me too much, overall. However, the maneuvering from one side to the other in bed is getting to be more and more challenging as the belly gets bigger and bigger. It involves some heavy breathing and usually a pause in the midst of all the shifting to sort of catch my breath, before settling back down. That part I could do without, if we’re being completely honest. And, seriously, I would really, really love to sleep on my stomach. Sometimes in the middle of the night, while I’m doing my flopping around from right to left and back again, I glare at Scott for a minute, when he is peacefully sacked out flat on his stomach.
I am loving: My last ‘baby-free’ trip to see my parents was great! Mom and I did lots of shopping, and we all did lots of eating. And even squeezed in a short beach day. The flights were nice and easy, and I met another pregnant girl in the Houston airport during my layover and we walked and talked together for a bit. All in all, a good success.
I miss: Mom and Dad. The beach. Sleeping on my stomach. I think that about covers it.
Movement: Excellent! The trip to Jacksonville seemed to be the trigger time for more constant and active movement. He seems to go to town with the kicking the most when I lay down in bed at night, or when Scott and I settle in to watch a movie or TV.
Nursery progress: No change since the last update, what with me being out of town and all. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I’ll get the nail holes in the walls spackled and covered and we can move on from there.
Exercise: Since I am home now when Scott gets home from work each day, we’ve gone out walking around the neighborhood some of the evenings, which I love…last night we went a bit farther than normal, and I think it might have been too much. I took a couple of sit-down breaks during the walk when I felt like I needed too, but after we were back home my hips and back were aching, and it felt like a little sciatica might have been kicking in. I feel better today, if just a little tired, so I think it’s just a matter of getting used to how this extra weight feels on my body and keeping on exercising so I can build up my strength.
Looking forward to: Oddly enough, my GTT (glucose tolerance test) on Monday morning. Most OB/GYNs have pregnant ladies come into the office, drink this super sugary glucose drink concoction and then wait for a hour and draw their blood to check for gestational diabetes. My midwives, however, are the most awesome people ever, and they disagree with this method, as it can tend to give inaccurate results, and feel that a much more realistic testing method is to have me eat a big breakfast of (and she listed all this stuff specifically, so you’d better believe I was taking very careful notes since I am a rule-follower): pancakes (with syrup!), a glass of juice, eggs, potatoes of some sort, toast and a breakfast meat (sausage/bacon, etc). Um…YES, PLEASE! Then 2 hours from the time I finish eating, I have my appointment for them to draw my blood to see how my body handles all those sugars. As you can well imagine, Scott was very put-off by the fact that he would just have to go in late to work that day in order to go out and have a huge breakfast with me. It’s for my health! And the baby’s heath! For science! Pregnancy is hard on the dudes, I tell ya. 🙂
Belly Shot:
OK – two weeks worth of belly, just for you guys!
27 weeks
I don't know why I look so smug.
28 weeks
Sisters! And a whole heap of pictures.
01 Aug 2011 4 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Family Fun, Me
Last week/weekend, Scott and I had a female invasion (until Josh arrived, that is)! Lisa and Ada arrived on Wednesday and Ali and Grace showed up that same night a little later on. I am so, so glad that my sisters and I get along so well as adults. We truly love to hang out together, so an occasion to get together is always something to look forward to.
We hit it off!
This trip included a lot of firsts for Ada, who was only 11 weeks old at the time. First plane rides, first swim, first wedding, and first bath in a bucket. She is such a happy, adorable baby and won us all over!
She loved it!
Lisa, Ada, Ali, Grace and I did lots of shopping and even got in a pool trip while Ada slept at home with Scott on duty. It was SO SO hot here during the visit (as it is every day all summer!) so the pool was such a nice escape.
Ali brought us a bunch of goodies for the baby and I’ll include those pictures on my next nursery update post, but included was a bassinet for us to have for when the baby arrives, and it worked out perfectly since Ada used it the whole time for sleeping and napping. I think she might have been sad to leave it behind when she left.
Grace and I had the fun adventure of working together to clean up a blowout diaper while we were in a restaurant, and I was so impressed with how adept she is…I think she’s gotten a lot of baby practice with her nephew Tripp. By the time I got Ada’s outfit unbuttoned, Grace already had the wipes and a fresh diaper out of the bag and ready to hand to me. I think she’ll make a killing in a few years bringing in the babysitting cash!
Josh arrived Friday night, and on Saturday morning early Ali and Grace had to leave, so not much overlap time there, but Saturday night we had a wedding to go to, and, you know? It’s true what they say about everything taking longer with a baby. Who knew?! But, we all made it to the wedding, and everyone was dressed well, so it was a success.
Don’t you love how color coordinated Lisa and Josh are? And Lisa made Ada’s dress!
This was practice for Scott and I.
After all the activity on Saturday, we were able to relax for a bit on Sunday and got in some gaming time in Scott’s recently revamped home arcade. We had a bunch of games going at once and apparently, while possibly seizure-inducing, the lights and sounds of all those games at once is also a fantastic baby-sleep inducer. But, before she fell asleep, Ada worked on her high-score on Pac-Man a bit.
Lisa also worked on her scores:
And then…Monday morning Lisa and Josh headed down into Austin to do some visiting and it was back to work, as usual, for Scott and I. And we were sad. BUT! They are all coming back soon! And even more of them! In September! That’s only weeks away! I’m counting down. 🙂
26w2d
Busy Bee
27 Jul 2011 3 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Family Fun, Gearing Up!, Me, pregnancy
Work has been so, so busy lately, and what with family visiting and my packed social calendar (heh.), I just have not had the extra time to post anything other than the standard weekly update progress reports, and I know that can get kind of old after a while, with nothing else to break it up in between. SO! Here I am to announce that today marks the official ‘100 days left’ portion of this pregnancy. After today, we’ll be in double-digit territory!
We have baby furniture on order, two (2!) baby showers in the works (how lucky are we, I ask you?), and the other day I went through the accumulated clothes that this baby already owns…and let’s just say, he won’t be going around naked, that’s for sure. Everyone is very excited about this baby’s arrival, and I can’t help but feel so amazed that someone who is not even here yet, can have such a huge impact on so many people.
I mentioned before that my friend Kristi is throwing us a local shower here in Austin, and now also the ladies in Scott’s family have also offered to throw a shower in Houston for all the Houston family/friends! The Austin shower will be on Sept 24th, and the Houston shower will be on Sept 3rd. I sort of feel like I should start to see if I know anyone in Dallas and San Antonio that also needs to throw a shower, so that my tour of major cities of Texas will be complete. 🙂 Honestly, though, I am so excited for these get togethers with all my family and friends. I don’t get to see everyone nearly enough, and if you offer me the chance to get to hang out and visit with them all, AND you serve me cake and punch, it’s pretty much the best thing I can think of.
I’ve got another post brewing for sometime in the next several days…sort of a recap of the visit Scott and I just had with some of my family, and there should be pictures included. I know everyone loves pictures! Also, I’ll include my most recent midwife appt update. (Spoiler: it went fine).
But for now…back to work!
25w5d
Keep reading for cute baby sightings…
15 Jun 2011 5 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: Family Fun, Home Improvements
So, not too much has been going on here recently. The biggest excitement is that we are now the very proud new owners of a sprinkler system. This has been on our wish-list for years now, and Scott finally made it happen. Meaning that he made the calls and dealt with the sprinkler companies (I say multiple companies because despite what the news would have you think about the economy, apparently small sprinkler businesses in Texas are SO overbooked with work that they cannot return a phone call about a job) and got it done. It only took them 2 days to install it, minus one flower-bed drip line that we are still pending. We’ll see how much hassle it will be to get them back out to finish up that one little detail, now that the rest is done.
Our front and back yards (and flowerbeds!) will now be showered with live-giving water on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, (with essentially no effort on our part!) and we expect to have a beautiful, fluffy green lawn in no time. This is going to be SUCH a huge time saver for Scott during the summer months. No more hours and hours of moving sprinklers around.
And I’m pretty sure that I never wowed you all with the really cute pics from my recent trip to Portland to meet Ada, so with no other big news to report, now’s the time!
Pre-bath
Looks like she fell asleep while bored.
She loves me...clearly!
19w5d
Remember…there are no right or wrong answers. Just do your best!
01 Jun 2011 9 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: 2nd trimester, Domestic Bliss, Family Fun, pregnancy
So…I’ve got all sorts of tidbits today. Here we go!
*My midwife appointment yesterday went well…they really are so great there, and I feel like I’ve already got a good rapport with both midwives. Heather and I click a little more so, but I think that is just because she is closer to my age. She was so understanding yesterday and read me very well during my appointment with her, and I was so, so appreciative.
I guess I was feeling a little anxious about not knowing what was going on in my belly since I haven’t felt any movement yet, so I was really ready to hear the heartbeat again and get a good report. Before we did that fun stuff though, she asked a bunch of questions and took my blood pressure, which was high again, around 140 something. She seemed concerned (as she should be!) and asked if I was feeling ok, etc, and I fessed up that I was feeling a little nervous about how the baby was doing in there. She let me know that we could totally do the heartbeat listening first at each appointment, and to let her know if I was ever feeling anxious about it – no biggie! So she went ahead and poked all around and was very pleased about how great my uterus felt and how nice and big it was getting and that I was measuring a week ahead still, and that the heartbeat was good and strong and there were lots of movement ‘sounds’ of swishing via the doppler and she finished up with “nope – I’m not worried about this baby at all.” WHEW.
So then we sat and chatted for a bit and she told me a funny story and we talked just about stuff in general and then she walked me through a bit of relaxation techniques before taking my BP again, and BOOYAH. 128/82.
Huh. Guess a bit of nervousness DOES make a difference. Thanks to her for being so patient with me. I have a feeling that if I had been at a Dr’s office, and they had another appointment waiting behind mine, that they might not have taken that extra time to chill out with me to really make sure that I was feeling calm and confident and that they got an accurate read on my BP. I have a full hour allotted for every appointment with these midwives and they use it!
*Tomorrow I head out for Portland to get in some baby snuggling time! Scott will be staying home this trip, so a bummer that he doesn’t get to go and hang out too, but MORE BABY FOR ME. (And an added bonus is that Lisa told me yesterday that her neighborhood-wide garage sale will be this weekend, so we can hit it up.)
*There has been MUCH progress made on the Future Room of the Baby. Scott has been working like crazy organizing and selling and cleaning out. Every time I walk by the room it makes me so excited!
*We were watching a TV show this weekend, and while it was only the second episode we had ever seen (so I was not particularly attached to any of the characters yet), when the scene came for the Dad to have to compassionately kill the pet wolf/dog, I lost it. There was sobbing and blubbering about “why did they have to SHOW that part?” Scott gently reminded me that it wasn’t real and that the wolf didn’t actually get killed, but man…that was rough. These hormones are tricky.
*So, can we take a vote, just for fun’s sake? The time is growing nearer to finding out (hopefully) what we are having. I’d like to know everyone’s guess ahead of time. What say you all?? BOY or GIRL? Leave your guess in the comments (even those of you that have never left a comment – now’s your chance to make your voice heard!)
17w5d
