February Cara Box Reveal

My box came yesterday!!!!!!!!!!

It was so much fun to receive the box and see what Tammy had picked out for me.  She has a blog at http://tammy-bostonmom.blogspot.com/. I thought maybe she was from Boston, but it turns out she just really loves Boston Terriers :)

We have been emailing back and forth all month getting to know each other.  I think she definitely picked up on the fact that I like shimmery/sparkly things :)  I got a great nail polish (which I have been trying to keep my nails done for when baby comes).  I two lip glosses, some candles, eye shadow that I'm in love with and her card was really really nice to read.

I definitely want to do the exchange again and I would highly recommend it to EVERYONE who wants to try it.  It is nice getting something in the mail just for you!  I may wait until after baby, because who knows how busy life is going to get, but this definitely won't be my last Cara Box Experience.

33 Weeks

So you tell me.....have I dropped?

Chris and I woke up Sunday morning and were like, WHOA!  My stomach definitely seems a little lower.  It's also easier to breathe and bend forward.  I wonder how much of that is in my head though.  So I also decided to do a side by side comparison.



Does one look lower than the other?  The one on the left is from about 2 or 3 weeks ago.  I can't remember.  Well, hopefully this is a sign that things are moving forward and just maybe I won't have to have that scheduled c-section in April :)



How far along? 33 Weeks and 2 days
Total weight gain: lets just say 30+ lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes Please, they are even getting a little tight....
Stretch marks? I'll just answer that with a YES
Sleep: Awful.  My hips hurt so bad, I have to roll from side to side about 3 times and every time I roll I have to get up and pee anyway.
Best moment this week: Saturday Chris and I had a little day of fun where we just did things that made up happy, like going to the Casino for a little bit.  We had a delicious lunch at Joe's Crab Shack.  We went grocery shopping and made homemade broccolli soup (which was AMAZING).
Miss Anything? Wine, Sleeping on my back/stomach, running
Movement: Lots, I feel a lot of movements in my pelvis area, which is a weird feeling.
Food cravings: Not really.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not these days (knock on wood)
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Well, i have been having braxton hicks from time to time, but I don't really think that counts and the whole dropping thing maybe.
Symptoms: ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN,  rib pain from time to time, tired
Belly Button in or out? I'll go with flat.  
Wedding rings on or off? On, but if I'm in a hot room, or just get hot, it gets pretty tight.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: BABY SHOWER ON SATURDAY! AND Holding my baby girl and telling her how much I love her in person.

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 Weeks and 4 days
Total weight gain: lets just say 30+ lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes Please, they are even getting a little tight....
Stretch marks? I'll just answer that with a YES
Sleep: Last night was a great night sleep. I stayed up a little bit later, so maybe I'll try that in the future.
Best moment this week: Having some girlfriends have a surprise little shower for me and Julie :) We had cakes and cookies and tea. I loved it.  
Miss Anything? Hot Baths, Wine, Sleeping on my back/stomach, running
Movement: Lots
Food cravings: More like food aversions.  It's kind of hard to find something I really want to eat right now.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not these days (knock on wood)
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN,  rib pain from time to time, tired, moody, shortness of breath
Belly Button in or out? I'll go with flat.  Looks like it may be popping out one of these days.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but if I'm in a hot room, or just get hot, it gets pretty tight.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I did freak out at some construction guys yesterday. Totally my fault and I apologized.
Looking forward to: Holding my baby girl and telling her how much I love her in person.

32 Week APPT........Oh Emma!

So before I get into my 32 Week Appointment just want to fill you in on a great weekend we had.

DH's parents came down on Saturday and we went to church together, then out to dinner.  They also brought down our baby shower gift, so one less thing to take back with us from PA.  Our High Chair!!! So excited. It was funny though, Chris and I both were like, "how old does the baby have to be to start using this?"  We have no idea. :)  We'll learn though.

Then Sunday we had dinner at my grandmom and Aunt Mad's house.  For Christmas the grandchildren decided each would take a month and have dinner with them and give each of us some quality time to spend with both of them.  It was very entertaining... here are our pics:

  Loved the time spent together :)

Now on to my appt......

SOOOOOO Emma is measuring what the average 34 week baby is measuring, which means she is in the 96% percentile for weight for her "age". Wanna know how much she weighs???? 5 POUNDS!!! ALREADY!!!!  My friend just had a baby that was 5 lbs. 6 oz.  and I'm supposed to cook this baby for 8 more weeks????  We'll just see about that.

Doctor said we will probably be having a C-Section.  It was a very interesting conversation because she was definitely talking to me like I was going to get really upset.  I'm not upset, maybe i'll get upset, but now, not so much. How can you be upset when you get to see this...

She's gonna be my little fatty.  I love her so much.  I must say fortunately my sister had, what seemed, like a great experience with a C-Section.  Everyone was healthy and happy and breast-feeding seemed to go wonderfully!  That's my goal.

Secretly I'm hoping to go into labor early, but she'll come when she is ready.  As of now, looks like April 14th would be right around the day.  There is still plenty of time for things to change though.

Another positive note, is that I have lots of fluid in there.....LOTS as the nurse said.  It's normal, just on the high end, which is also part of the weight gain.  I'll take anything I can get.

Oh yeah, and I asked about 2 things:

#1 I've been lightheaded from time to time and Dr. said - Completely normal, could be dehydrated or could just be because I am so pregnant.

#2 I've been having this pain on my lower right side of my belly. and Dr. said - That is Round Ligament Pain.  I've been reading about that, but never knew what is was, glad I got to find out (sarcastically).

:)

What a great day!  It's getting closer.................

Valentine's Day

It's funny how things change the longer you are with someone.  Valentine's Day used to be very stressful about what to get the DH.  It was also right around our "anniversary" (of dating - Feb. 22) so you had to buy gifts for that too.  In college, when we had no money we would buy some expensive stuff and now we buy what makes each other smile.

I must admit, I'm spoiled.  Chris hasn't missed a Valentine's Day yet and I know a few people who can't say the same.  This year I woke up to the cutest card and a box of chocolates, but not the weird kind, snickers/twix/milky way kind   :)  I got him a card and a box of Crunch and Munch (1 of his favs). It was nice to read the cards together because both had the same theme of just loving each other for the simple things.

Right now in our lives we are both freaking out about how much life is going to change and becoming parents.  I am so happy to have someone that I can talk about those fears with and we can comfort each other.  I know we'll be fine, but it's still SCARY!!!!!!!!!!!

After work Chris took me to dinner...

We went to a French/Asian fusion restaurant.  The food was very interesting, but the atmosphere was perfect. There was even a piano player taking requests.  I got to have a glass of champagne (i'd been saving my glass for a special occasion - hahaha).  I was light-headed by the end of it, but just enjoyed the conversation and the desserts were delish.

On another note, I sent my Cara Box away.  Shannon at Shennanigan's Rose wrote to me and said she loved it.  I hope so! Now I'm just waiting for mine, I'll let you know as soon as I get it.

Baby Shower is in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!! I can't wait.

DH's parents come for a visit tomorrow.  I haven't seen them for a few weeks, so it should be fun :) Then we head up to PA to have dinner with my grandmother - that is always entertaining!

I must admit sleep has been getting better.  I went back to good ole faithful with the long twisted pillow and my hips haven't been hurting as much.  I am definitely getting more moody when I'm uncomfortable.  DH has been handling it very well so far, I hope he can keep it up!

That's all for now...........

31 Weeks

Here is the NURSERY!  DH picked out the mirror and it is a perfect fit!  Now we just need a baby to put in it.  And a few other things like sheets, clothes, diapers, etc. :)

I just got home this morning from my LAST WORK TRIP BEFORE BABY....YAY!  Couldn't have come soon enough as we got done our meeting and to the hotel about 930pm and I was up pretty much all night with the worst heart burn of my life.  It just keeps surpassing how bad it can get with this heartburn....At about 230am I almost called down to the front desk to ask for some milk.  It was my own fault i didn't have any tums on me at the time.  I had to wake up at 5am to catch my flight home and honestly I didn't even care, because I wasn't sleeping.  Good thing that came out of it was falling asleep on the plane because I was so tired, so it made the trip fast and as people were boarding I was just staring at my stomach as someone decided to do summersaults all morning in there.  I got home about 915 this morning and slept until noon.  My boss wasn't even upset when I told him I was going to do that....I wasn't the most chipper when we were driving to the airport this morning. It's 4pm now and I feel much better, although I have this really bad feeling that the heartburn may make a return later.

Now back to the regular updates...

How far along? 31 Weeks and 2 days
Total weight gain: 32 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yes Please, they are even getting a little tight....
Stretch marks? I'll just answer that with a YES
Sleep: I miss you oh so much.  I'm sorry for whatever I did. Please come back to me.
Best moment this week: Going to my friend Nicole's baby shower. It was a great day with some really fun girls.  Also making an appointment for next week to have an ultrasound and measure baby....I'll keep you posted.
Miss Anything? Hot Baths, Wine, Sleeping on my back/stomach, running
Movement: I feel like she moves more than she doesn't these days, which I love, but it still feels weird when the big movements come
Food cravings: Cereal. Cold crunchy stuff. Milk
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not these days (knock on wood)
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Nice dark line down my belly, rib pain from time to time, tired, moody, heart burn, oh yeah and she has started taking up lung space so I get lightheaded from time to time. I love her though, so I'm not mad :)O
Belly Button in or out? I'll go with flat.  Looks like it may be popping out one of these days.
Wedding rings on or off? On, but if I'm in a hot room, or just get hot, it gets pretty tight.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but not afraid to share my discomfort with good ole DH.
Looking forward to: Holding my baby girl and telling her how much I love her in person.

Latest Appt.

Well,

I'm still gaining weight. hahaha  My hope was it would just stop once I reached a certain weight...wishful thinking I guess.  I'm at about 32 lbs. now.  At least I don't have gestational diabetes :)  My mom gained over 50 lbs. with each pregnancy if my memory serves me correct and she looks great now, so not all is lost.

Let's shoot for less than 40.  Sounds like a good goal to me :)  I just had a panic attack thinking about losing 40 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Slow and Steady!!!

Anyway,  no ultrasound today. Apparently they have to schedule it or I was supposed to call someone or something, but now they are going to try and schedule it around my next appt. which is the 19th.  After measuring my belly with a tape measure the doctor said I'm either carrying a really big baby at 30 weeks orrrr a regular sized baby at 32 weeks orrrr anything in between.  As long as she is healthy I'm ok with it.

It was a little scary when he started saying, "if she passes 10 lbs. we'll start thinking about maybe a c-section"
PASSES 10 LBS.????? I'm gonna start pushing at about 8 lbs. :) hahaha

That's all for now.  All good news.

YAY

I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST!

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY

I PASSED MY GLUCOSE TEST!

YAY YAY YAY YAY YAY


:)


That is all.....

30 Weeks!

DH took my pic before work today :)

How far along? 30 Weeks and 3 Days

Total weight gain/loss: About 26 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes.  

Stretch marks? Oh Yeah Baby, but at least they are only on my stomach

Sleep: I've had better

Other symptoms: The dark line down my belly isn't getting any lighter.  Rib Pain and just being uncomfortable sometimes :)

Best moment this week:  Getting my Cara Box match.  I'll explain more later. Oh yeah, and the Glider came in!

Movement: Yes! Lots. 

Food cravings:  Smoothies, fruit, Cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not Really

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: GIRL!

Labor Signs: I don't think so.

Belly Button in or out?  It is still in but getting A LOT flatter! 

Wedding rings on or off? On

Happy or Moody: Happy!

Looking forward to: Baby shower still. MEETING EMMA! 

Glucose Test Situation = You had to get below 135 to pass........ I got 135.  So yesterday I had my 3 hour test starting at 9am.  Again I chose the fruit punch and again, it wasn't that bad.

Had to get my blood drawn 4 times and since I hadn't eaten anything since dinner before (which was cereal) I have to admit I was getting a little light headed by the end.

I can say I do feel lucky that needles don't really bother me.  I could hear some ladies in there and they would be like "Don't tell me when you are doing it"....I watched the whole thing like a hawk, I find it a little fascinating.

Sooooo to occupy myself I decided to download a movie to watch that I can only assume DH wouldn't want to see... Can you guess what it was?

Magic Mike! - Although I was definitely entertained, I wouldn't put this on any oscar lists. 

I should be getting results back tomorrow.  I'd say wish me luck, but that didn't work last time, so I'll just wait and see.

Now I know this is getting to be a long post, but I also wanted to talk about CARA BOX!  I am a blog obsessed person. I love reading people's blogs and I came across this one....

http://www.wifessionals.com/p/cara-box-exchange.html

I decided to give it a try for February.  I've already gotten an email from the person I'm sending to and I've sent my email to the person who is sending to me.  I can't wait to what comes of it and I'm hoping to make a couple new friends along the way.

Until Next time..........

SHOW US YOUR SINGLES - My Friend Rebecca

Kelly's Korner hosts Show Us Your singles and I decided, although I have several friends I would love to talk all day about, there is one in particular whom I would like to dedicate this year's post to - Rebecca.

Here she is:



Rebecca is 30 years old and lives in Baltimore, MD. She went to high school with my husband, so I've had the pleasure of getting to know her and building our own friendship over the past decade. By day she is a physician's assistant, but by night and weekend she is so much fun to hang out with and can always make me laugh.

This is us at our house party a few weekends ago:



I love the fact that she can find random things at thrift stores and yard sales and turn them into beautiful pieces of art/furniture/accent pieces. She is a true interior designer at heart. She loves to laugh is always willing to try something new.



5 random things that I know about Rebecca: 1. She makes the most delicious gluten free lasagna I have ever tasted. (and many other delicious dishes) 2. she loves the Steelers (just like me) 3. she loves to go out on the town and dancing is never far behind 4. she loves being with her friends and either playing kickball or softball or whatever league we decide to join that season 5.She's confident and independent, which makes her all the more attractive :)