31 Weeks

31 weeks

The Belly:

Hi Point: Several really good things happened this week. I got a prenatal massage which was Wonderful! I have had back pain with this pregnancy that is unlike what I experienced with either Colson or Lilly-Belle so this was quite a treat. We even talked about her working with me during labor if possible (fingers crossed!).

I also had a baby shower at work that was given by the team of teachers I worked with. It was such a blessing and I enjoyed it so much. They planned everything around the colors of the nursery (gray and yellow) and they even incorporated elephants into it as well. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such kind and caring people! Thank you so much!!

Yummy Cake!

Sweet Picture Kortney made for the nursery!

Lo Point: Paranoia. I felt like I was willing myself not to go into labor this week. Did I have contractions? No. Any other signs or symptoms? No. Just straight up paranoia...mostly because the full moon was coming, as was Hurricane Sandy. It would be me that delivers under these circumstances, but it wasn't. Thank goodness.

Siblings: Lilly-Belle was super excited when I brought home the goodies from the shower. As soon as I opened up a pack of the diapers, she had to have one to put on her baby. She is getting to be such a big girl...she also got her ears pierced this weekend. She'd mentioned it several times because her friend, Tori, at school has her ears pierced. I had kinda talked her out of it because I told her they would pinch her ears, but then when we had the opportunity I changed my mind. We went by the place twice and she decided to do it. She picked out pretty pink earrings and she was so brave. She did cry for just a minute when they did it, but was quickly distracted by the sucker they gave her. Doesn't she look fancy?

Cravings: Old fashioned cherry cokes from the drug store and pecan pie (which my Mama so kindly delivered to me at 9:30 on Friday night)

Lbs: +33

Looking Forward To: Just continuing to cook our ButterBean.

Nesting...or I might just be losing it?

So, anyone who's been pregnant or has been around anyone who's been pregnant knows that pregnant women are crazy. Certifiable. But it's okay, because we're making a baby. Or as one of my favorite co-workers said, "You're growing a head. Right now, you're growing a head." So it seems to reason that we'd lose a few brain cells along the way.

Coupled with my insomnia, the nesting instinct has kicked in full force which makes for some pretty fun late night "thinking". Here are a few things that have been on my mind lately...

1. I need to do my Christmas shopping. Like yesterday. And I need them wrapped and in a closet just waiting for December to arrive.

2. I need to stockpile food. You'd think it was the Great Depression, wartime, or that a catastrophic event was about to occur, so great is my need to "hunt and gather". I not only want to fill my pantry, but I want to have a good supply of toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, etc. *Maybe I just remember how "fun" shopping with a newborn can be.

3. I have a great desire to sell my belongings. Who knows where in the world this came from (maybe just to have extra money in the bank), but I have recently thought of selling my Louis Vuitton purse, several pieces of furniture, and a good bit of my wardrobe which it seems like I will never fit into again.

4. I want things organized...drawers, pictures, toys, books. This makes me want to buy an abundance of baskets (which I'm resisting at the moment).

There's only one problem. When you're up all night thinking of all of these ideas, you lack the energy or motivation to actually do any of them when morning comes. Such is life. :)

30 weeks

30 weeks

The Belly:

Rounding Out!

Boots...the perfect accessory for a big belly!

Hi Point: Spending some time with friends who share in my joy and let me talk about little ButterBean as much as I want...debating names (if it's a girl, we've come up with about 3 different versions of the same name to consider), sharing my feelings, and feeding my face with yummy food.

Lo Point: There have been a few nights this week where I slept better, but last night just put a kink right back in that. I dozed off and on for the first few hours, but then I kept waking up with strange sensations. I felt like my heart was pounding in my chest and that my arms and legs were the size of tree trunks. If I stopped moving them, they felt like they weighed a hundred pounds. I finally moved to the couch...where I proceeded to google my symptoms (bad idea) and it led me to "panic attack". Which I guess it could have been. The strange feelings led to me worrying about labor, but I never had any contractions, and then I had the craziest dreams. I finally slept from about 5:30-8:30 this morning, but it has left me exhausted today.

Siblings: We had some friends over for dinner last night and they brought their little girl, Stella Gray, who is 7 months old. The kids got to spend some time with her and both of them were just so sweet with her. Colson swears she liked him best, and Lilly-Belle loved that she took a nap in our baby's bed. She has been taking care of her babies today, wrapping them in blankets and putting them to sleep in the cradle.

Cravings: I think we're all craving milk, it's not just me anymore. We went through 4 gallons this past week. I've also craved hot tea and blueberry waffles.

Lbs: +32

Looking Forward To: Getting my prenatal   massage this week! Every pregnant lady deserves one. :)

Halloween Craftiness

I could really title this, "Cheap Halloween Craftiness", but it's all the same. I have to admit, I sometimes have high hopes of being this awesome crafter (they kind worthy of an actual craft room), but I'm usually disappointed.  I lack the follow through to complete many projects and if something doesn't turn out just right, I'm likely to chuck the whole thing in the garbage.

That being said, I was inspired by Pinterest and Etsy into taking on a few projects. Being on a stricter budget is hard when you have a diehard nesting instinct induced by pregnancy, but I simply couldn't afford these lovelies.

 Just these three things would cost me about $60

So...I decided to make a few Halloween decorations of my own.

First were painted pumpkins which turned out quite nicely and only set me back $6 ($3 for black spray paint, $1 for the glitter puff paint, and $2 for the mini pumpkins).

Then I used a black 8x10 frame and simply inserted this free printable...no cost since I had the frame.

My last project was the most time consuming, but it was fun. I found these cute vintage-style Halloween stickers at Walmart (of all places) so I bought three $1 wood plaques, sprayed them with some gray spray paint I had, painted over them with green and orange,  gave them a rough sand to distress some spots, stuck on stickers and then Mod Podged the whole thing.   I think they turned out quite cute!

Cost: $10 for the three--$3 for the plaques, $1 for the two acrylic paints, $3 for the stickers, and $3 for the sanding block (I already had the spray paint and mod podge)

The kids also joined in and decorated their own pumpkins.

Hard at work

Pumpkin Masterpieces!

There's my Halloween Craftiness for $16 dollars!

Fall Family Fun

This past Saturday we had Monkey's last soccer game of the season...which was good because it is starting to get pretty chilly in the mornings.

Listening to Coach/Dad

Chasing the ball!

After the game, we grabbed some lunch and then headed to the Corn Maze at our local nursery. My mom and Nick's brother and his little boy also came too. It was so much fun! We got to walk the maze, sample fresh pressed apple cider, play in the corn pile, ride the pumpkin train, and pick out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch.

Cousin Love!

A priceless smile

It's raining corn!

Riding the pumpkin train

They had a blast! I think this will definitely become a fall family tradition! 

29 weeks

29 weeks

The Belly:

Hi Point: Getting this precious gift in the mail for our little ButterBean! Thank you Wendy!! It is too precious...I can't wait to use it!

Lo Point: Still fighting to sleep...my aching back has been the main culprit, but there's not much I can do about it so I usually end up sleeping on the couch where I am most comfortable.

Siblings: Nothing much to share this week.

Cravings: Ugh...I should just stay away from food for the next 2 months. But seriously, I can't get enough milk and I've had just a couple chocolate bars from Monkey's school fundraiser sale. :)

Lbs: +32

Looking Forward To: Getting through this week. I actually turn 30 weeks tomorrow, and I have this anxiety because Colson was born at 30weeks 5days. I told Nick that once I pass that day I will breathe a little easier with each passing day. This time just brings back too many memories of NICU days that I do not wish to relive.
Here's a bit about Colson and Lilly-Belle's births.

Top Five Friday

Top Five things I will be doing this weekend:

1. Completing some Halloween crafts...some for me and some for the kiddos! There will be pumpkins, paint, glitter, and mod podge.

2. Enjoying Colson's last soccer game of the season...go Cyclones!

3. Drinking lots of coffee with Pumpkin Spice Creamer.

4. Watching more of The Tudors. I've become addicted since I've been staying home...it makes staying off my feet more bearable when I have something good to watch. Thank you Amazon Prime for supplying me with four free seasons!

5. Possibly (not sure yet) taking the kids to the Corn Maze at our local nursery. I think they'd love it!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

28 weeks

28 weeks...well, I'm actually 29wk2d since I have been really slack about posting this week's update.

The Belly:

Hi Point: Words of affirmation from family, friends, and co-workers that I am doing the right thing by staying home now. Having the support of others means a lot. Another high point is watching our little ButterBean perform acrobatics in my stomach. It's quite entertaining (if a bit disturbing as well).

Lo Point: Heartburn that never goes away and insomnia...no wonder I'm tired, I am usually awake for about an hour and a half to two hours each night. Sometimes it's in small bits, other times it's for one long stretch.

Siblings: Lilly-Belle has been more attentive to the baby belly since I've been home the last week. She has copied a few of her brother's moves and likes to kiss my belly and tell the baby good night when we put her to bed and good bye when I leave.

Cravings: Hummus and pita chips. I also got my fix for fair food (just not at the fair); I had a funnel cake and caramel apple.

Lbs: +29

Looking Forward To: My doctor's appointment tomorrow, just for security that things are okay. I'm also looking forward to washing up our cloth diapers now that I have some of my favorite diaper detergent. I can't wait to use them again...there is something so cute about a puffy cloth diaper baby butt!

Fall At Home

Aside from Christmas, Fall is my favorite time to decorate at home. The season just lends itself to decorating as we're provided with pumpkins, mums, gourds, and candy corn (of course!). Here are a few snapshots of fall around our home.

Kitchen Cuties

I love apothecary jars! And yummy wine (that I can not drink).

Dining Room Centerpiece

Breakfast Table Decor

The Entryway

Baby bathroom Pumpkins...Also, Yankee Candle has some competition with the Walmart brand $1 cider candles!

The mantle (which clearly needs a bit more). 

Now we can enjoy this through Thanksgiving...then it's time to break out the seven Christmas trees! What does fall look like in your home?

Things Change Quickly

Yesterday morning, I woke up feeling glad that it was an Early Release Day at school. That meant I'd only have students until 12 and then I could "relax" a bit as we just had professional development in the afternoon.

I was helping present the prof. dev. (with my assigned job as "master clicker" on the computer so I wouldn't have to stand and talk) and after just a bit I went to go get a cushion to sit on because my back started killing me.  As I walked to my room and back I felt more pressure and tingly twinges.

As soon as the session was over I decided to go ahead and leave. I called my mom and Nick, and somewhere between the two calls I went from "thank goodness I only have 2 weeks" to "I can't do this another day".  I had a lot of guilt after Colson was born at 31 weeks. I felt that it was my fault, or that I should have been more in tune with what was happening to my body.  Now I am listening to every feeling because I can't bear to go into labor all because I wanted to tough it out for a few more weeks and overdid it. So,  I thought it would be a good idea to go in and be checked and I headed on to the doctor's office.

Once I was there, they asked me what symptoms I had experienced.  I explained what I felt and they decided to do a non-stress test and exam.  The non-stress test showed that the contractions I was feeling were very mild, nothing more than Braxton Hicks and definitely not productive at this time. It also showed that the baby is doing very well...she explained that the monitor showed "accelerations"(?) which indicated that our little ButterBean is neurologically intact and thriving. The exam revealed that my cervix is still closed, but is presenting as "soft" which can be normal, but they suggested that I limit my activity. The increased pressure I was feeling was likely to to the baby being so low. She said that the baby was very low and a lot of the bumps and kicks I feel are "down there" and the position will naturally create more pressure.

This visit changed my last day from next Friday to yesterday. Now I can focus on resting, nesting, and growing this precious baby.