Additionally

Baby has been getting the hiccups more often - not sure if I mentioned that. Probably 3 out of the last 4 days! This morning when I woke up, Baby must have woken up, and shortly thereafter he got the hiccups. Can't wait to see them instead of just feel them!! 33 days till due date!

35 weeks and counting

So yesterday was 35 weeks! It's hard to believe that Baby could arrive in just 2 short weeks! We are still getting some things ready, and I think the next thing will be the car seat. I'd like to have it installed by next week, so we can have it checked and are ready, just in case.

My work had a baby shower for me last night, which was so thoughtful! People brought some snacky type foods (taco dip, fruit salad, veggies), and there was a cake. We got a lot of nice things - some clothes and blankets, swaddlers, bottles, a couple of books and stuffed animals, baby monitor, bouncy/vibrator seat, and lots of diapers and wipes! It was just so great of them to do that for me and Baby. The gifts filled my back seat and the available space in my trunk. I unloaded them all last night (Adam is out of town), but didn't really get anything put away. I did get some of our Christmas decorations out, put new Christmas sheets on our bed, did some laundry, put other laundry away, took the trash out to the curb, and did dishes! So I definitely got some things done yesterday, although not as much as I had wanted. But I was starting to get worn out, and I was getting some Braxton-Hicks that weren't going away, so I figured it was time to call it quits for the day. I took a shower and they went away, but I still decided that was enough for one day. It was nice to get the new sheets on the bed! And Jasp was a good snuggler.

I've been getting more heartburn, but my acne is starting to get better! Still there, still not great, but I can see improvement. I think it's because I have been washing my face only at night with this very mild all-natural soap and I haven't been touching my face and messing with pimples as much. I'm sure I won't see things go back to normal until after Baby arrives, but in the meantime, it's nice to see a change for the better.

Doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon, then I think I may start going in weekly... Baby will be here soon!! I also go to the chiro on Monday morning. The other day I did something and it really put my back out of whack, it was very uncomfortable. I don't know if he will want me to start seeing him weekly, but I will probably want to! I'll keep you posted...

34 weeks and job update

So, I almost made it...

I almost made it my entire pregnancy without throwing up once. Then Monday night I got sick. I have no idea what caused it. It must have been something I ate (I have to assume), even though I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary. I got maybe 2 and a half hours of sleep Monday night, getting up to throw up about once an hour until 5:30am. I didn't go in to work yesterday, which was a good thing, because I was finally able to sleep. I couldn't eat very much, but I ate what I could and made sure to drink water (and a small amount of 7up in hopes of calming my stomach). I also ate some ice, which was nice. Like sneaky hydration. Anyway... I was able to actually sleep last night, and this morning I felt much better. I'm still a little iffy, so I'm trying to take it easy on my food choices (not a whole lot sounds appetizing, but I'm eating) and staying hydrated.

Last night, Adam and I started getting things put in Baby's room. Adam painted and put in new carpet (that old carpet was just... wrong), and now it looks so much nicer! It's cozy, feels more roomy and homey, and it looks like a bedroom, not just a room with a bed in it. I will have to post pictures either later today or possibly tomorrow. Still no crib, so it doesn't look like a "baby's room" per se, but it looks really really nice :-D

Now, on to 34 weeks! I can feel (and see!) Baby move a lot more. Adam was even able to see him moving last night. I don't think he's exactly resting on my bladder, but sometimes I think he leans on it or elbows it, because I'll be fine and then it's like "yeah I guess I have to go to the bathroom!" haha. He is definitely growing. I've had a few people say that I he looks even lower than he did (and I was already carrying low), so I wonder how much longer it'll be! At least three more weeks, that's what I keep telling him - "I'm really excited to meet you, but you have to wait at least three more weeks, got it Kid?" (well, I usually refer to him by the first letter of his name, but that is still under wraps :-D)

So, it is official... I have accepted the post-baby part-time position! I think it will really work out well, because I won't be away from Baby too much, and we'll still have a little extra coming in. And I'll have 4 day weekends every week, making trips easier to coordinate. And Grandma and Grandpa will be excited to have Baby-time every week, so it's a win-win-win situation! And definitely an answer to prayer, since what I originally wanted was to come back to my position part-time (if I came back to work), and now I am doing just that!

See you on the flip-side! Six weeks till due date!

33 Weeks, awesomeness, and an answer to prayer!

So... now that I'm almost at 34 weeks, I'll give a quick update!

I didn't sleep that great on Wed and Thurs night, so I stayed home from work on Friday. Had a doctor's appointment Friday afternoon. It was another quick appointment. BP was normal, gained more weight, measured right on at 33 cm (at 33 weeks 2 days). Doctor said Baby doesn't seem too big and that I seem like I'm in good shape and will handle labor just fine. He also said Baby is still head down, and his heart rate was 150 bpm. I go back next week for my next appointment.

Friday night, Adam and I went to the B&B in Mayville, which was awesome! The building was really old (I think built in the late 1800s) and you could tell there was a lot of history. We had dinner and dessert at the restaurant on the first floor, the Beaumont. My steak and the garlic mashed potatoes they came with were delicious! Adam wasn't crazy about the batter on his fish (he got the fish fry) but everything else was just great! Saturday morning, we had breakfast and then explored a little. Mayville is a pretty small town, so we cruised up and down a little bit, and then went to nearby Theresa. We stopped at a candy store that had all sorts of crazy things made out of chocolate - calculators, cell phones, iPods, tools, chocolate Santa's sleigh filled with chocolate covered nuts, a veterenarian kit, a fire department kit/gift set, a mailman's kit/gift set... and much, much more!!! I just got some honey sticks and Adam got his favorite cheese that they happened to sell. After that, we went to a cheese factory, where I got some 1 year cheddar and Adam got some 11 year cheddar (it was 10 year cheddar that just had a birthday, according to the cashier). Then we headed to the largest antique store in Wisconsin. We got through most of the first floor and didn't even see the second or third floors! We found an amazing picnic basket for $18, some nautical bookends for $20, and a few books (my favorite being a Golden Book titled "We Help Mommy." I will be reading that one to our child(ren) regularly!! :-) Then we headed home, and I made chocolate chip cookies for Adam to eat while he was deer hunting the next day.

Last night, Michelle and I went to see Jersey Boys in Madison. It was awesome! I loved the music, and so did Baby!! There were a couple of songs (Sherry, for sure) that he was really rocking out to! I couldn't believe how active he was. I think I just might buy either the Jersey Boys cast recording or a Four Seasons CD for him!

I also realized something - I think that the reason I think I look "bigger" in my pictures is because except for certain moments (primarily turning over in bed or trying to get out of bed, or getting out of low chair or sometimes my car), I don't feel that big. I still feel relatively normal, (which is why it still surprises me when my stomach bumps into things) and I think that's why I'm still surprised to see how "big" I am in my pictures! It makes sense to me, at least. Not sure if that's the real reason or not! :)

And, I got some great news today that is really an answer to prayer. I have been trying to figure out my work situation for after I have the baby. I did not want to return to work full-time, but there were no part-time positions open in the area. My interim plan was to take my full maternity leave, come back for a few weeks at part time to transition back to work, and then either go back full time, or see if any part-time positions had opened up that I could pursue. I talked it over with my manager, so he knew what I was looking for and what I wanted to do. He told me initially that my position is a full-time position, so I couldn't come back part-time. Well, he called me into his office today to say that they were now able to offer me a job-sharing position with someone (same position that I have now), that I would work Mon-Wed, 20-24 hours a week! It is basically perfect, and truly an answer to prayer. While I would like to stay home full-time, it would make money a little tight (we could get by but it will be nice to have a little extra income) and we would have the added expense of health insurance for me and Baby (with no extra income to cover it). So... it's not official, but I think I'm going to take it. In addition to insurance and a little extra income, it will also give me "grown-up" time a few days a week, which I will probably appreciate (although I know I will hate to leave my baby!!!). I am still going to pray about it, and discuss it with Adam, but I'm hoping to let my manager know pretty quickly if I'm going to take it.

So that's my news for now! I will be sure to keep you updated :-)

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...

Halloween Variances

I thought I'd do a little post about the differences between Halloween in California and Halloween in Wisconsin. Let me preface this by saying I'm not a Halloween expert by any means, so my brief post is based on general facts that I have observed.

In Wisconsin, costume choices must take the weather into account... because Halloween is pretty much always cold. Not as cold as December - February, but too cold to go around in a t-shirt weight costume. In California, you may need a coat, but you probably don't need to wear long sleeves and leggings under your fairy princess costume.

Also, in California, everyone trick-or-treats on Halloween. Makes sense, right? Apparently, here in Wisconsin, they schedule trick-or-treating by town, and it could be any day in the last week of October, not necessarily on Halloween. I'm not sure if that's just a Southern Wisconsin thing, or if that's all over, but I think it's a little weird! They publish in the local paper when each city or town will be doing trick-or-treating. I only went trick-or-treating probably twice in my life (twice that I remember... once when I was about 10 and once when I was about 15)... but both times it was on October 31st!! Crazy Wisconsin-ites!!

Another coincidence...

31 weeks on the 31st!

My mom got to feel Baby move!! Not a lot else to update yet. Doctor appointment on Friday afternoon :) We'll see how we're both growing!!

Crazy/cool

Today I saw Baby moving through my shirt. Sitting there at work, and I look down, and I can see his little knee/elbow/heel/whatever sliding along the outside of my belly. It was amazing :)

30 weeks (woot!)

Does anyone even still use "woot?" Wow, I am out of the loop.



Adam says I look smaller in this picture than I looked last week...



So... 30 weeks! Approximately 75% of the way there! Give or take a mere ten weeks before we meet our little one! I can hardly believe it :-D

Baby is moving a lot. Some days more than others, but he is definitely strong! I feel most of his kicks up above my belly button (thankfully, since I'm carrying so low, he hasn't been bothering my rib cage... yet!).

My mom is coming out next week (one week from today) for one of my baby showers. I'm excited to see her, but I think she's mostly excited to see my belly :) I was able to schedule my next doctor's appointment while she's here, so she can go with me.

Annnnd that's about it for now!!

Quick and Chiropractic

Ok - going to keep this short (if I can!!)

Met with Denise (our Doula) this weekend. Getting more prepared for the birth of our little one! Next project: work on and finalize our birth plan.

Had a chiropractor appointment this morning. I always feel better after he adjusts me, with one exception - my pregnant tailbone! It is always tender after I am adjusted. I think it's because it's off and he puts it back in place, and I think it's off because I tend to sit on one foot (kind of like half-cross-legged) when I'm at work. I put a note on my computer that says "Don't sit on your foot!!" which will probably make anyone who reads it think I'm a weirdo, but as long as it actually helps me not sit on my foot, I don't care! So my chiropractor did his little "test" things of what I'm missing or doing wrong, and once again came up with NOTHING! Yeah!! So my twice-daily regimen of vitamins and supplements, trying to stay active, and doing excercises and stretches is all working! And I hope that the end result is a not-crazy-long labor and, above all else, a healthy baby!!

Ha! I did it. Short and sweet.