Another Edition of Randomness

I feel like I need to sit down and write, but once again only random things come to mind from throughout the past few days.

Saturday was filled with errands and balancing the checkbook. It’s always nice when you find an error and end up with a surplus! I also watched the Illinois game with Jacob when he got home. I had planned to watch Iowa, but Big Ten Network was airing the Michigan game instead. Illinois is 4-0 though! Figures…the year we give up our season tickets! Not that we needed to be spending the money on them anyway.

I also took my 32 week pictures. Little mister has dropped. The first picture is this week and the second one is the past 3 weeks side by side.

Sunday was another busy day. Jacob had to leave in the morning for the Millikin Vocal Fest, so we didn't go to church. In fact, that's a whole different blog in itself. I was getting tired of my hair, so I decided it was time to go get a haircut. I ended up having her take about 3 inches off. It was long overdue. I think the last haircut I got was in April or May!

I got home and did a bit of cleaning and folded and hung up more of Daniel's clothes. I've been slowly working on organizing his dresser and closet. This kiddo is going to be dressed well for awhile!

Around 1:30 Ashely came and picked me up for a co-workers bridal shower. We were a little afraid we'd get lost in the country trying to find the house where the shower was being held. I could totally have seen us ending up in another state. We found it pretty easily though! I tried to hold back on my snack eating, because I knew I was headed to Olive Garden after the shower, but I still had to sample everything. We played a couples of games, Jenni opened her gifts, we ate and played one more game before calling it a day!

Ashely's little girl Charleigh really enjoyed the frosting on her cupcake.

Jenni opening her gifts

Ashley and I. I don't know what I would do without her! After 2 years, I finally feel like I found my best friend here!

Dressing up our model bride

All of the brides. Jamie (in the middle) was the winner.

After Ashley dropped me off, I headed to Decatur to meet up with Jacob and 4 of his high school students who were all at the vocal fest. I met them at Olive Garden to get us a table. I ended up getting a table right away and then had to wait another 20 minutes before they got there. It was a good time though and I enjoyed getting to know some of his kids!

Afterward they went back for a concert and I went to Target for just a little bit before going home. I stacked coupons for the first time...meaning I used a $3 off store coupon and $1.50 off manufacturer coupon for the same products. I paid less than $7 for a little less than $12 worth of diapers and wipes. Pretty happy about that one!

Today I got off work at 1:00 and for that I am thankful. I had my OB appointment, but I just had no patience at work today, so it was nice to get out for a breather. My appointment was at 1:50 and usually I end up there for almost an hour with having to wait for the doctor and everything, but today I was done in 25 minutes! I love my doctor. She takes the time to ask questions and let me ask questions. I just have to have them ready because otherwise I forget and she talks as fast as the Gilmore Girls!

Daniel was all over the place as per usual. My doctor had a hard time getting him to stay still to check his heartbeat. We were both laughing because you could see my stomach moving all over the place, like he was trying to run away! She confirmed that he has dropped down a lot more and said I might start experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions pretty soon. We shall see. We discussed getting a flu shot. It's highly recommended in pregnant women and I declined it last spring. She offered it again today and talked about the pros and cons. I opted to wait until my next appointment to decide. She said that I shouldn't get sick from getting it, but since I've had the flu shot twice and have gotten sick almost right after it both times. I didn't want to take the risk of being sick this weekend! Now I have another 2 weeks before I have to decide.

I'm heading to Iowa on Friday as soon as I can get off work, which will hopefully be noon or a little after if  no one calls in sick! I'm really excited to see so many family members and friends for my baby shower. I even found out today that my grandma ( mom's mom) is coming and usually she doesn't come to things like this. It really made my day and means a lot to me that she's coming! I can't wait!

Baby Supplies

I'm getting really excited for next weekend. It's my baby shower in Iowa! There are a lot of people that I'm looking forward to seeing that I haven't seen in awhile. We're having it in the morning and having some brunch-y foods. I think it's going to be a lot of fun! Random people have been asking me what we still need or want. I usually just direct them to our registries. I know not everyone likes to shop off of registries, but half the time I just can't think off the top of my head. Thankfully because of family, we've basically received all of the "big ticket" items such as the furniture, swing, travel system and pack n play. I couldn't be more thankful!

Anyway, it got me thinking of some of the stuff on my registry that I really do want or need, so I thought I'd share...because I think there's some cute stuff. Haha!

1. A diaper bag. That one is for sure a must and I am in love with this one:



2. Bottles. I plan to nurse, but I also want to be able to pump so that Jacob can feed him sometimes too!


3. A Boppy Pillow...and I love the colors and design on this one:


4. This baby book. Every baby needs a baby book and this one had lots of room to write all of his milestones.



5. A Grooming Kit. Just because it's one of those things you just gotta have.



6. Bath towels and wash clothes!




7. Security Blanket...because what baby doesn't need a cute little "lovey"?


8. Diapers and Wipes galore! When in doubt, buy diapers!


9. Bath time Supplies. Although I do have some already, we'll need more in the long run!


10. Toys and Books!





Of course there are plenty more little things we will need for baby. Safety plugs and latches, baby gate, more feeding supplies.

I just love having 8 years of baby room experience behind me. It's helped me to figure out what all of my favorite products are!

Success!

What a LONG and exhausting week! Not to mention stressful. I can't even pinpoint just one stressful moment. They were just flying at me from every direction. I love my little daycare babies, but we had 2 new ones start this week and we just couldn't win. If one wasn't crying, another one (or 5) were. Wednesday and Thursday night I was in bed before 9:00. I'm starting to understand the exhaustion that pregnant women talk about and I'm beginning to consider asking to drop to part time within the next few weeks.

It has been nice to have some cooler days. It makes meeting Daniel seem that much closer. I'm down to 9 weeks now! I'm hoping that he comes before Thanksgiving so that Kendra can meet him. The craziest thing to me is realizing that if for some reason I should happen to go into labor really early most hospitals won't try to stop your labor once you hit 34-35 weeks! I could potentially have a baby that soon. I don't have any reason to  believe that he'll come early, but it just shows me how much closer this is to reality. I'd prefer he keep "cookin'" in there until after the musical at Jacob's school in November. Once we get beyond that, he's welcome to show up whenever he'd like.

Today while Jacob was at musical practice I decided to be productive while watching the Iowa game. The game was stressing me out anyway! They were awful. I saw the season slipping away...but then a miracle occurred and they came back in the 4th. My Hawkeyes won!

I folded some laundry. Took out the garbage. Then I decided to try and put the baby swing together. I am not handy. I do not do well reading instruction manuals. I felt determined though and this is the final product:

It took me almost 2 hours (although I took a lunch break at one point), but I was going to succeed. My greatest obstacle were the screws I had to use one of those blasted Allen wrenches with. They did not want to cooperate. Of course I managed one screw up and put a piece together backward. So frustrating!
In the end though, I won! I plugged it in and everything works! I had planned to keep it in Daniel's room until he was born...but I couldn't get it through the door. Oops!

I'm looking forward to my Iowa baby shower which is 2 weeks from today! I was getting a little nervous that only 2 people had RSVPed, but my mom let me know that several others have responded now and I can't wait! I need more baby stuff to organize! Plus I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and family as well!

Excitement and Fears

Last night while we were lying in bed, we enjoyed watching our little boy morph my stomach into different shapes. I've seen him do it before, but not that much! He was all over the place, and then he settled on the left side of my stomach. Jacob loved being able to feel him. We're not sure if it was a leg or his bottom we were feeling, but it was really cool. We'll talk to him at night too, and love it when he kicks back in response. He gets the hiccups a lot now too. Like his mommy, if he gets them once during the day, he's bound to get them a second time too.

I feel bigger today and my stomach has that stretching feeling. No actual stretch marks yet, but I'm sure they'll come. I know I've gotten bigger in the past week because I keep bumping my stomach into things!

I'm starting to have a harder time sleeping now. My body's thermostat is all thrown off. I'm hot all the time at night...and usually I'm the one huddled under the covers while Jacob has 2 fans blowing on us. Now I can hardly stand to stay under the sheet at night. I wake up frequently. Last night wasn't enjoyable. I had a hard time falling asleep and then was up for an hour in the middle of the night.

Usually I can shut my thoughts off when I'm tired enough, but last night it wouldn't stop. I was more or less thinking of the baby. I'm getting so excited, and yet at the same time I have my fears as well.

I'm excited to meet my little man and hold him in my arms. I'm excited to see him in Jacob's arms and watch him bond with him.

I'm scared of labor! I've read up on everything that I can. I've talked to close friends about their birth stories, but in reality I know that every single woman's experience is different. I don't want to get to the hospital too soon when I'm in labor, and yet I'm afraid that I could end up being one of those few women who have their baby in the car if I wait too long. I'm scared of the pain. I'm undecided on the epidural. Some days it sounds like a good idea and other days I want to do it naturally. Then there's the fear of complications or having to get a c-section.

I know these are all completely normal fears. I'm sure almost all women experience them. The rational side of me also knows that labor doesn't last forever and there's a huge reward at the end!

I'm also wondering what to do with his crib. There are a lot of warnings out there about using bumpers in the crib. They're so cute though! I don't understand why bedding sets come with them if you aren't supposed to use them. I want to keep them in, and yet there's this fear nagging at me. If something happened because I chose to leave them in, I would never forgive myself. On the other hand, all 3 of us had bumpers in our cribs and nothing happened to us! Are we just an overly cautious society? Same goes with the blanket that the bedding set comes with. They say you shouldn't use blankets or anything soft in the crib. What am I supposed to do with it?  I do plan on purchasing the Angelcare Baby Monitor though for peace of mind. Not only can you hear the baby, it also has a sensor you put under the crib mattress. If it doesn't detect any movement for 20 seconds an alarm will sound on the receiver. That's something that worth the extra money just for peace of mind!

I'm sure in the coming weeks I'll write about more excitement and fears. 68 days until my due date!

10 More Weeks!

For being a short week, it sure seemed to drag on!

My 30 week appointment was yesterday. I also had a growth ultrasound scheduled since I've been measuring small.

I actually ended up staying home from work yesterday all together. I had noticed some spotting again the night before and decided that I would just address it with my doctor at my appointment since I didn't think it was too bad. I kept waking up during the night though and felt really crampy. I decided rather than go to work and be worried and miserable I would just stay home. It was a dreary day, and I felt tired and out of it all morning. I hate that feeling.

My ultrasound was scheduled at 2:00 and I got right in. Saw my little man again! I also found out the reason for my "cramping". His head was crammed right into my pelvic bone. Talk about some major pressure. The tech couldn't believe how low he lies. I told her he's been down low through the entire pregnancy...never wanted to move up I guess! He wasn't quite as wiggly as normal, which worked out better for her! I found out that the big lump that I feel moving around most of the time besides feeling his kicks, is his butt!

He is measuring perfectly. Before he measured about 4 or 5 days ahead and now he's only measuring 1 day ahead. He is guessed to be weighing in around 3 pounds 1 ounce and my doctor told me that if his growth stays at the same rate he will probably be around 7.5-8 pounds at birth. Amazingly that is only the 45th percentile. I can't imagine giving birth to a baby bigger than 8 pounds! I'm liking his size.

I'm getting treated for yet another bacterial infection. Never had any in my life until I got pregnant, but my doctor says that happens to a lot of women, so I'm on my 3rd round of antibiotics this pregnancy. The good news is that she checked everything out and I'm not starting to prematurely dialate or efface.

30 week picture:

Last night I went with Jacob for music night at the football game. His kids sang and then we stayed for just a little while before heading home. I was really achey from standing up for over an hour. We came home and watched TV until I kept dozing off. I was asleep before 10 and slept until almost 8. Apparently that was too long, because I've been tired all day today too.

I just finished watching my beloved Hawkeyes lose to the stinkin' Cyclones in Triple OT. A sad, sad day. 

I was going to wash more baby clothes today too, but I've been washing bedding all day. I washed our sheets, and then decided they've seen better days so instead of putting them back on the bed, I opened a brand spankin' new sheet set and I'm washing them. Plus I washed our comforter, which takes forever to get dry. I finally gave up and have fans blowing on it!

I'm thinking tonight is going to be the first chili and cornbread night of the season!

Daniel Has A Room!

We were able to sell our mattresses, and thanks to a friend we got them sold fast! They got picked up tonight and I finally got to set up Daniel's room!

I'm in love with it and now it becomes even more real. Only 75 days until my due date!

I started washing some of his clothes last night and I'm going to try and start getting them all organized. I put a little in the dresser tonight and I need to go buy some baby hangers tomorrow night.

I'm pretty excited to meet our little man! I love feeling his kicks and squirms each day. I know some people don't enjoy it that much, but even though he occasionally hurts me, I want him moving around. It lets me know that he's doing okay. I was a little worried this morning because I barely felt him at all. Even the things that usually get him moving weren't working. Finally on break I laid down on the couch for awhile and he started going crazy again. He's been moving around all night now. That's just the way I like it.

Labor Day Weekend

My Labor Day weekend started early. We were really low at work on Friday, so I got to leave at 9:00! I came home and was actually productive. I finished cleaning the house up and did a bit of organizing in the basement. It amazes me how much stuff we accumulate in our lives. Drives me nuts sometimes, but other times I'm glad I have those things. Then I spent the afternoon being lazy and then waiting on my parents to arrive. They would have been here sooner execept they got lost in Springfield looking for Babies R Us!

I made spaghetti for supper and then mom and I went shopping for some groceries for the weekend and then we just hung out for the rest of the evening.

On Saturday we started hanging up pictures in Daniel's room. It started to feel a little bit more real when I saw things up on the wall. We stopped by 11:00, because Saturday was the start of football season! Thankfully both the Iowa and Illinois games were aired. I must say, I was glad that I was at home and not at either of the games. While both of our teams won (YAY!!), it was pouring rain and storming in Iowa City and it was 100 degrees in Champaign and people were passing out from heat!

That evening mom made a mexican dish for supper while we continuted to watch the Illinois game. Right after we finished eating, I saw a flash...followed by thunder! It was the first time it's really rained here since July! Mom, dad and I drove to Target through some of the rain and even saw a rainbow. I needed to return a baby swing I had already received, so I could order a different one. Worst customer service ever! I had the invoice that came with the swing since it was a gift. The lady made me go print my purchase log, which by the way took forever because the kiosks were running super slow and there was a line. Then the swing didn't even print up on it. She was annoyed with me, I could tell, but whatever. It's hard to be nice to a person who isn't being nice to you! In the end I got the money back on a gift card, which is what I had expected.

I knew the Target baby sale was starting the following day so on Sunday I ordered the swing I really wanted. It was normally over $40 more than the one I originally had, but I got it for about $10 more with the sale!

Sunday, Jacob and I were both awake early and my parents were both still sleeping. We ended up leaving the house early for church and stopped at McDonalds for coffee/frappes and then took a drive through the corn fields of Central Illinois. Then we went to Sunday School which was okay. We've honestly been struggling A LOT with our church and our Sunday School class is one thing that we do really enjoy. We love the people in there and they understand our struggle.We had already planned not to stay for the service, but ended up talking with another lady from our class for a bit before we left. I shed some tears, and I was thankful for her understanding.

Came back home and helped mom work on starting lunch. Ate lunch and then Jacob's parents arrived. We all spent the afternoon/evening together. Both grandmas were able to feel Daniel kick and squirm. He moved a bunch for Grandma Brenda! Jacob grilled burgers and hot dogs for supper and I made a cake for dessert to celebrate Kent and Brenda's 30th anniversary. I have a picture, but it's not letting me upload tonight!

Yesterday morning, my parents left for Iowa just after 8:30. Jacob put together Daniel's baby furniture. He now has a crib, changing table and dresser. Picture will come tomorrow night once we get our full sized bed out of there. Happy we were able to sell it so quickly. We watched Rain Man...which Jacob had never seen before, and National Treasure...which I had never seen before. Both were great! Spent the rest of the night being lazy and then had to head back into the real world today.