32 weeks and counting



I am actually kneeling... it's a long story

 So here I am at 32 weeks! I really do feel like these pictures make me look bigger than I am. I know I'm big, and it's a good thing because I want my child to keep growing, but I just want this to be an accurate representation of what I look like! Well, this is what you get.

I didn't update about my doctor's appointment last week. It was my shortest one yet (I didn't have any questions). Gained a little more weight, measured 31 cm (at 31 weeks + 2 days, so I was right on), Baby's heartrate was good and Doctor said he was still head down. I go back next week (~33 weeks). Then, after my appointment next Friday, Adam and I are going to stay at a B&B in Mayville (shower gift from my dad and stepmom)!! We are very excited. We had such a fun time on our Adventure Day last month, and I'm looking forward to more adventures! Apparently, Mayville has the largest antique store in the state. AND I was in a play in 8th grade called "Mayhem in Mayville," so it will be fun to visit an actual Mayville :) I wonder if I'll be able to find my cast windbreaker before we go there...

I love my husband

I woke up this morning and got a CRAZY leg cramp. It literally took my breath away. Thankfully, it went away quickly, but Man! That hurt. So I got up to tell Adam about it (he was up and making himself some eggs), and he said "Oh, I was going to make you breakfast in bed!" So I managed to get back in bed with the Jasp and my best husband ever brought me breakfast in bed! Scrambled eggs and cinnamon raisin toast. He is so wonderful :-) I just love him.

Borrring...

So I really only have a couple things to say. The first thing is that last night I saw that I have a slight linea nigra! Weird!! I showed it to Adam, who had just read about that for our childbirth class, and he said, "That's really common, it occurs in about 75% of all pregnant women." He wanted to reassure me not to worry about it! How great is he? :-)

Also, my hips started hurting. Mostly when I'm sleeping and shortly after I wake up. I am pretty sure this is normal, but what a pain! (Figuratively and literally). I am going to talk to my chiro about it on Friday, but in the meantime, I'm trying to figure out if I should try sleeping with a pillow under my hip, or what I can do to help alleviate this pain...

Also, Adam and I are trying to get away for a night while it's still just the two of us. Maybe this Friday - we are looking at doing dinner to celebrate Adam's birthday (we still haven't gone!) and then a night at a B'n'B near the restaurant. Then the next day, we'll explore whatever area we're in, or a nearby area, because there are some cute little downtowns that need exploring! So that's the plan.

That's about it for now. 26 weeks tomorrow! My little guy keeps growing and growing! I probably won't update until Friday, so hold tight until then :)

Love

So Saturday, I went to Cheese Days with Michelle and Popp. We had fun, and we got the famous cheese curds before the line was crazy long!! But I was pretty worn out by the time I got home, and I hadn't really eaten a lot, so I was frustrated, tired, and hungry. So Adam says, "What do you really want to eat?" And I said "Potatoes." And he said "Do you have potatoes? Do you want to make some?" And I said "well I have them but I don't want to make them, I just really need a nap." So I went to the fridge and got out tortillas and cheese for a quick "cheater quesadilla" as I call it (in the microwave as opposed to the stovetop). But then I saw that my maybe one-week old tortillas had mold on them. Are you kidding me. So I was just done at that point, I threw away the tortillas and just went to bed. So while I was napping, Adam made me mashed potatoes and garlic toast. I think he's made food for me once, maybe twice, ever. It was so sweet of him, and the potatoes were very good! (He used garlic salt instead of garlic powder on the toast, so that didn't turn out as well, but he gets an A++ for effort.) It was just what I needed. As I have said before, he is a wonderful husband and I am so thankful that he's mine :-)

Hogwarts and a torn meniscus

So my little sister just turned 11 (Happy birthday!!) and I decided that what I wanted to do for her birthday was to send her a Hogwarts letter. She is totally into Harry Potter - she has read the entire series at least twice, has a poster or two up in her room, wants to get a wand... you get the idea. So Adam got some parchment-style paper from Joe, I practiced my fancy writing, and got the letter all ready. Adam found a Hogwarts seal and a Platform 9 3/4 ticket. I cut out the seal and put it on the top of the letter and included the ticket instead of a book/equipment list. Rob happened to have some leather punches and we used an "H" as a seal for the letter. I also stained the envelope with tea to make it look more parchment-y. Maybe later I will put up a couple of pictures. ANYWAY I thought it turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself, and my only disappointment was that it didn't get there in time for her actual birthday. If our kids are into Harry Potter, we're totally going to do Hogwarts Letters for them as well :-D

Also... Adam found out that he tore his meniscus! Which explains the pain and swelling in his left knee. He is supposed to stay off of it for two more weeks, to give it time to heal (hopefully), and we'll see how he's doing then. He said that the pain and swelling are already getting better, so I am praying that he heals quickly and does not need surgery (depending on the severity of the tear, he might need surgery if it doesn't heal itself). So he's still taking it easy. I'm also hoping he's well enough to come to the next Bradley class with me on Thursday.

Well that's it for now. More to come later this week!

23 weeks and then some

I'm a little behind on my update. :) So as of Wednesday, I am at 23 weeks.

Updates: Tuesday I went and saw a customer that I haven't seen since probably December, whom I used to see every week at my old branch, to let him know my news. He was very excited for me, and asked how everything's going at my new position. It was good to see him; he's a nice guy.

Wednesday was 23 weeks! That afternoon/evening, I wasn't feeling great, so I stayed home from work on Thursday. I'm glad I did. I think I was having either Braxton Hicks contractions or round ligament pain (I think they were Braxton Hicks). They weren't painful, per se, although they were uncomfortable, so I'm glad I stayed home to handle them. I am still having some discomforts today (Friday), but so far I think they are better than yesterday. Walking helps.

Last night was my first Bradley childbirth class. It's an entire class of first-time parents! Adam couldn't make it (he injured his knee and has been dealing with it since last Thursday :( He took this week off but wouldn't have been able to sit through the class), but other than that, it was good. We did some stretches and exercises (all of which I have already been working on, holla! Thanks for loaning me the book, Denise! I'm way ahead of the game), and got to know the other couples. It went a little late, and it's in Middleton, so I didn't get home until 10 last night. But I think the class is going to be very beneficial. Oh also, we were practicing relaxing at the end of class, and when I got up, I saw a spot on my shirt - I had leaked! That was kind of weird! Thankfully, my friend Ashley just gave me some breast pads that I will be able to use. I probably won't start using them every day unless it happens again. I will probably wear them to my Bradley class from now on, though, assuming I remember!

So that's about it for now... next doctor's appointment is a week from today, so expect another update then!

14 weeks!

So today I am 14 weeks, 1 day! Today is 7/5/12 - 7+5=12, which is also my favorite addition problem! What a great day! :-D

I think the aloe is helping. Still not great, but I think I can see a difference. We'll see if it really helps if I use it consistently (every day or every other).

I have also noticed that I am more sensitive to heat. I'm not sure if it's because this summer is especially hot (like, record-breaking for Wisconsin hot) and I've been getting more used to the not-as-hot Wisconsin summers, or if it's because I'm pregnant! Usually I wait and wait before turning on the air, but these days I have been giving in a lot more easily.

We spent our 4th of July at home, watched a couple of fireworks shows from our yard, and used snaps, bottle rockets, and sparklers (the good, old-fashioned, metal kind that they don't sell anymore!) to have our own show! Jasp did not like the bottle rockets or these other ones that sound like gunshots that Adam had. I didn't like the "gunshot" ones, either! But we had a very nice, relaxing 4th.

I think that's all I have for now!

Natural Childbirth

Thanks to those of you who took the time to read my whole LONG announcement post!

I thought I'd do a whole post updating about where I'm at with natural childbirth. My goal is to have an unmedicated/no interventions birth, and I mentioned this to my doula, who is very supportive. She has loaned me a few books, including the Bradley birth book. I have just started reading it, but so far it seems really good and informative. I have looked into taking the Bradley class, and the only downside is that the closest one to me offering a class at the right time is in Madison, which would be about a 40 minute drive. Doable, although not ideal. That is what we will probably do.

Adam is also very supportive of me having a natural childbirth, which I think will be helpful when the time comes.

For now, I'm trying not to look too far ahead (I know I will need to plan ahead for the class) just so I'm not overwhelmed with too much information all at once. I will probably read through most of the Bradley book sooner rather than later, though.

Speaking of where I am now, Baby has fingerprints and is about 3 inches long! Isn't that amazing?

**I also wanted to say that 2 years ago today I married the man of my dreams, the love of my life, Adam! Time flies when you're in love! We have many adventures to look forward to!! :)

BHE

aka Best Husband Ever :-) My husband is amazing. He is so knowledgeable and skilled. He has done so much work around the house/yard that it's 2/3 new house. This weekend he hooked up our water softener (last weekend he installed it). He has also painted, installed (a lot of) trim, installed wood floor by himself, built an entire shed without blueprints or a real written plan, repiped our basement, built a dog pen, built multiple shelves (1 large one in our living room, in the front closet for shoes, above the stove for storage, above the washing machine/dryer, and our back storage room in the basement), replaced/installed 2 new toilets, and before I got here, had remodeled or mostly remodeled both bathrooms, not to mention all the things I didn't list here. I am so God-lucky to have him as a husband! :-)