Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween and it's Friday. I should be all festive and fun but I didn't even feel like going to work this morning because I'm all achy and congested! Not to mention there are no cards, no cupcakes and no costume! Oh well. They'll understand, I'm sure. And actually, no one else wore costumes anyway so I don't feel too bad. I even thought of an idea for a costume... but it was too late to execute my plan. So the only thing on my list that I actually did myself was: make the chili. Brent was the one who went to get the groceries. And the other things just didn't get done. I told Brent my costume idea and he said, "Maybe you could do that next year?" Now, I understand that it's quite possible to have kiddos that are only 12 months apart... but Lord help me if I'm 7 months pregnant again by next Halloween!! ;)

We got to the Trunk or Treat event a little late so we decided not to hand out candy this time. The chili was delivered and we also donated a few giant candy bars for the Candy Bar Walk game they were doing. Other than that, we stayed inside and visited with folks... kind of a nice change from years past. And it was fun to see all the kids' costumes... can't really see them too well when you're outside, in the dark. Brent said he liked my chili the best! I thought he was just being nice... but when I looked again, my chili was all gone! Woohoo! All in all, it was a fun night!

Achy and Tired

This whole day I've felt like I could just curl up on my desk at work and take a nap! Only thing is, I've been working the front desk this week and the people walking in to see the doctor might think that was a little weird. I wasn't able to get a nap during my lunch hour today so I got comfy on the couch when I got home. Well, my intention was just to rest for 20-30 minutes... but I actually slept for about 2 hours! Brent got home and even made dinner while I was still sleeping! Aww. What a guy! Then he asked me to help him make a list of what we needed for the chili and he went to the store for me!! When he got home, he said he forgot to get orange juice (for me, not the chili) and asked if I wanted him to go back. I told him it was fine and that I could just pick some up tomorrow... but I was sounding so awful at that point, he grabbed his jacket and was out the door again! Such a sweetie! I'm glad he went back for it though. I'll mix it up in the morning to take some to work with me. So much for Halloween cupcakes though. There's no way I'm up to making those to take to work tomorrow! And I haven't even found an easy costume yet. I don't think that'll be quite ready for tomorrow either. Oh well. There's always next year, I guess. :)

Belly Week 28

Belly week 28 - Notes: This has been a busier week than usual as Brent's Uncle Hep passed away recently and with the coming of Halloween. We went to Hep's viewing on Monday night and we reminisced a little with his family. Then Tuesday was the graveside service. I wasn't able to go to that as I had to work. Brent was a pall-bearer... he said that service was fairly small. I don't know if too many folks knew about it. Today was the memorial service at the church they attended. That was such a nice service. There were a few songs, a slideshow of his life, and some testimonials from family and friends of how Hep impacted others. I don't know if the pregnancy hormones had any effect on how much I was crying but my face and eyes looked so red and puffy when all was said and done. Uff-da. Although, I'm pretty sure everyone got a little teary at some point or another.

Halloween. It'll be here this Friday. I have so much I'd like to do, however, I'm not sure how much I'll get done as I'm starting to feel achy and my throat is sore now. Why do I always get sick around this time of year? Here's my list of things to do:

1. Make festive cards to send out.
2. Bake and decorate cupcakes to take to work.
3. Buy groceries for the chili I volunteered to make for the Trunk or Treat event at church on Friday night.
4. Make the chili.
5. Find a quick and easy costume for Friday... possibly incorporating my preggo belly. ;)

Wish me luck!

I know this didn't really have anything to do with my belly... but that is what's going on around here this week. :)

Baby Stretch and Flu Shots

Last night, as we're getting all situated in bed, the lights are off and Brent's almost asleep, I think the baby decided to stretch out as far as he could!! It really felt like he was the entire width of my torso! I felt him pushing on both sides of me, simultaneaously! It shocked me so I said, "Whoa!" in a louder-than-normal voice. Well, that pretty much jolted Brent right out of nodding off and he said, "What?! What happened?!?" So I told him what I felt and that I didn't mean to alarm him. It was really quite humorous. I couldn't help but crack up while I was apologizing. :)
Also, I got my flu shot at work today... finally. That was pretty much unremarkable. It didn't hurt at all but I did walk away with a pretty cool band-aid on my arm. Oh yeah, and they found one that didn't have the preservative that preggo women aren't suppose to have... I think it was the last one in their stash so YAY for me!

Evil Chili

So my chili goodness the evening before turned into heartburn from the devil!! I woke up at about 3am for the calling of nature. I felt a twinge of that esophageal reflux so I consumed about 4 Tums and a sip of water to ease the inner distress before lying down again. Well, I don't know if that combination was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back... or if I just went horizontal again sooner than I should have... but shortly after lying down, I burped. And what I thought was going to be a small, insignificant burp ended up being this fiery evilness from hell!... Or maybe just from the pit of my gut... At any rate, IT BURNED EVERYTHING that stood in it's way!! From my stomach to my throat!! I felt like I'd spew fire if I opened my mouth!! And I almost vomited again because of the nasty grossness I felt in my mouth. Nevertheless, to my feet again, I go to the kitchen (so as not to disturb Brent with my coughing and hacking from the residue that was left in my throat from the fiery bile) to pour myself a nice tall glass of milk! Although quite refreshing, that wasn't cutting it completely so I grabbed the only thing I could bear the thought of noshing on at 3:15am: a plain ol' piece of white bread! Finally, some relief!! It may have been about 3:30am before I was able to get cozy (and pain-free) in my bed again.
Mental note to self (in big bold letters): Nothing to eat with a tomato base for the remainder of this pregnancy!!! The end.

Great Friends, Great Fun!

Today was a fabulous day! It really was! This morning I decided that I wanted to make some homemade chili and cornbread to take to our Bible Study group tonight. I also baked a couple loaves of banana bread... one to take to Steph's open house/ housewarming party... and one for us. We went to the open house party first. A great time was had by all! It's fun to hang out with friends from work, in a non-work environment... especially if everyone gets along! Plus, there was some super yummy food there. ;) From there, we went to our group. It was decided that we would go visit a friend who recently had back surgery... I think everyone was blessed by that. We must've spent more than an hour visiting! It was close to 9pm when we got back to the house where we had our chili and cornbread. So yummy!!! Definitely worth the wait! Then for dessert, Jamie made an awesome cake (that I probably shouldn't attempt to spell because I'm sure I'll butcher it... but I'll try anyway) called Trés la Leche (please tell me I'm at least close to the correct spelling?) and some hot spiced cider. Lo-ho-hoved that rich yummy goodness! Well, after all was said and done, we ended up getting home way past our bedtime! :) I just hope we can get up in time tomorrow to make it to church... G'night!

Yay for Long Weekends!

It gives me a chance to regroup and... well... catch up on some dearly missed sleep. :) And whatever else may need completing: cleaning, baking, organizing, scrapbooking. Today was mostly a sleeping/ cleaning/ cooking sort of day. I even had dinner on the stove when Brent got home! I know, I know! It's ok to say it: WHOA! I really do enjoy doing that... I'm usually just too worn out from the workday. Especially now. I'm just hoping that I won't be too exhausted to do more of that when I'm home on Maternity Leave. Guess we'll see.

Belly Week 27

Belly week 27 - Right now my husband is feeling a little:
a) Overwhelmed... not quite yet, but maybe starting to. Feels like he should start looking for a better job, etc.
b) Overprotective... mostly cautious.
c) Left out... just that baby bump can put a damper on getting intimate... occasionally.
d) Ecstatic... yeah! Definitely excited about finally being a dad!
e) All of the above... Ok, so this is the most locigal (and shortest) answer. But I asked Brent about each individual item and these are the answers he gave me. :)

Other notes: I'd really like to NOT feel tired... for just one day. Or maybe a week. It feels like my joints are kinda sore. And I think I'm really starting to waddle more than walk normally these days. Plus, it's getting harder to do simple things like: put socks on or bend over to pick something up off the floor. It really doesn't get any easier from here on out, does it? ;) It'll be so worth it though!

My Sixth OB Visit

More of the same today: Another weigh-in. Only +3 today... which means 11 lbs total. Woo! BP today was 125/76 which they still said was good. Gave inevitable pee sample. Gave another blood sample an hour after drinking that horrendous glucose drink. YUK!! I had to have my breakfast completed by 7:30 this morning and then couldn't eat again until after my blood was drawn. I then drank that grossness by 9:50am which meant my blood was to be drawn by 10:50am. Which worked out perfectly since my appt was at 10:30am. Nothing like having super-sweet, flat, orange soda on an empty stomach! By the time I gagged that stuff down, I really felt like I was gonna hurl. I certainly hope I don't have to do that again any time soon. After all that, Velma came in to answer any questions, check the baby's heartbeat (142), and measure the belly. She measured differently though... she just used her fingers. Dr King used a tape measure last time. Whatever works, I guess. I don't remember her telling me what my measurements were though. Hmm. I vaguely remember something about 4cm?? Maybe that's how much we've grown since last time... which would make me 28cm. That sounds about right.
Some questions we had for Velma:
Q: What does it mean when heartburn turns into back pain?
A: Watch it. If it doesn't go away with Tums, it could be a gall bladder issue.
Q: I have a fairly large vein in my right leg that tends to get slightly painful at times... I've read about blood clots, could that be an issue?
A: It looks like a varicose vein and those can get painful during pregnancy. Blood clots tend to get red and hard. Elevate legs above your heart for at least 20 mins a night. Showering at night is best and at the end of your shower, run cool water over legs. There's also support hose that can be worn.
Q: Baby movements seem very low at times. Is that normal?
A: Should be fine.
Q: Had some cramping on left side. What does that mean?
A: Discussed round ligament pain which could worsen as uterus grows.
Q: Will I get a 3rd trimester ultrasound?
A: If your other ultrasounds looked good and there were no concerns, probably not... unless something unusual comes up.

The estimated size of baby today is about 2 lbs and 14.5" long (about the size of a head of cauliflower).

I Made It!

The women's retreat weekend turned out to be just fine... as I knew in my head it would be. The video sessions with Beth Moore were fantastic! She is such a dynamic speaker! I learned a lot about loving well. And there was so much free time on Saturday that I was able to escape to rendezvous with Brent for lunch. When the Sunday morning session was done and it was time to go, I decided to stop by the Motherhood store in the mall to try to find some preggo jeans. I did find one pair of jeans, although, they were slightly long. And I found two t-shirts that I just had to have as well. As for the super-long jeans... I'm wondering: do the makers of preggo clothes assume that all pregnant women are extremely long-legged?? Or that they desire to wear 4-inch heals all day long?? These are the things that were coming to my mind. Because I am neither of those things. I do think I'm above average for a woman's height... but, my goodness... there's no way, especially at 5'9.5" and pregnant, that I'm going to be trapsing around in high heals in order for my jeans to fit. I may have to succumb to one of two options: either roll up the pantlegs OR make some modifications by cutting and sewing. Hmph. Oh well, at least I have jeans I can (sorta) wear now. And it was good to get home to Brent and my own bed again. :)

Yay For Weekends!

It's Friday!!! The workday is about finished and I'm excited and a little bit apprehensive about spending this weekend at a Women's Retreat. We're not going too far away... just to the Hyatt in Boise... but I like to be able to decide my own schedule and have my own free time to do whatever, whenever. And I like to spend time with Brent. Plus, he gets to go to a cooking 'class' led by a co-worker who makes really yummy Thai food. It sounds like that will be super fun! After they cook the food, they'll get to have their own little party and chow down on the food they made. Yum!! I wonder if I could sneak away for a little bit on Saturday... a retreat from my retreat, so to speak. ;) Anyhoo, I'll be computer-less until Sunday evening. Until then...

Belly Week 26

Belly week 26 - Notes: I received my free "Special Beginnings" books and DVD from my insurance company this week. Apparently, I have my very own Maternity Health Coach that I can call or e-mail any ol' time I have a question. How handy. And now that I'm in my 3rd trimester, everything I read discusses creating a birthing plan. Who knew? We get to choose all the details of how we'd prefer the birth to go. Everything from pain meds and who we want to be present during the whole affair... to holding the baby right after birth over having him cleaned off first. We can opt to have the baby in our room the entire time... or not. If I decide to breastfeed, I can request that pacifiers and supplements be avoided. Whew! Lots to think about! I hope they go over all of this in our birthing class. :)

A couple of other exciting things to report on: First of all, the baby countdown ticker says "99 days to go" today! I'm finally out of the triple digits!! Yay! Also, Brent was able to see the baby move today! Baby was moving around a lot this evening so I went and sat down by Brent on the sofa and had him stare at my belly for a minute or two. He finally saw it move and asked, "Was that a kick?" Yep! He was able to see a few more kicks before the baby settled down for the evening. How exciting!!

My Second Preggo Gift!

I just have to say... the gals I work with are so nice!! Debbie brought me a gift today. It's a cute little blanket in a bag... and it's so soft! She said, "You can never have too many blankets!" I'd have to agree with that! :)

*The gift bag * The blanket bag * The blanket!

More Baby Stuff

Well, Gayle dropped by the office with more stuff today! I think she must've been cleaning and came across some extra things. Just another box full of clothes, diapers and toys... oh my! :) She's so darn nice! I would say we've saved at least $1000 with all the stuff she's given us! We are so blessed! p.s. The cat did not come with the box of goodies. ;)

What Is Going On Here?!?

I've had this pain in the middle of my back that started last night and has continued into today. It's the weirdest thing... kinda like my rib is out of place but I don't think it's that. I can usually tell when that happens. It's more of an odd 'heartburn-y' kind of feeling. I'm wondering if I ate too much sugar last night. Although, honestly, all I had was a brownie with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of milk. Maybe too much dairy? Oh, I guess I did have a couple of chocolate covered bing cherries earlier in the evening. You know, it's weird... even with this hugest sweet tooth that I have, I really haven't been jonesing for sugary sweetness during my pregnancy. I think I've mostly craved meat, produce and carbs. Which is probably a good thing since I'm sure I'm at a greater risk for gestational diabetes. Anyhoo, after attending our small group this evening... where we prayed for each other and had some fabulous home-made Thai chicken curry soup, I might add... I felt much better! I was afraid the spiciness of the curry would make my heartburn feeling worse but it didn't! YAY!

Where's the Kitty?

To get ready for this evening, Brent had placed some miscellaneaous baby clothes -that I still had sitting out- on our bed to get them out of the way. Before bedtime, I reached to grab them in order to find a more suitable, out-of-the-way place to house them... and I had to do a double take! Henry was sitting right in the middle of everything! Now the trick was: to grab my camera and get back to take a picture before he decided to move. Cute widdo kitty! :)

Sleepin' In

You know how yesterday was an exhausting day for me? Well, it carried over through the night and I tossed and turned all night! I knew I wasn't going to be able to function at work so I called in "late." It was nice to have the extra couple of hours to sleep! Plus, I had a little bit of time to do some straightening up around the house since we're having Jodi and kids over tonight.

We're celebrating Jacob's 6th birthday this evening... which was actually on Sunday (10/5) but he was at his dad's house that day. Here's the b-day scoop: Jodi drops everyone off at our place (except the birthday kid) where we make/have our own dinner, bake and decorate a cake, decorate the room (if time allows) and wrap a gift or two. Meanwhile, Jodi takes the b-day kid out to Red Robin for a free birthday dinner... I signed everyone up for the R.R. Birthday Club when they moved into town a couple years ago, so each kiddo could have some quality time with their mom. Then, when they return, everyone gets to have some cake and ice cream for dessert. So, a couple of days ago I asked Jacob what kind of cake he likes. He said: Chocolate-Peanut Butter. Hmm. Well, I'm sure there's a recipe out there, somewhere, for Choc.-PB cake but I opted for Choc.-PB brownies instead. I even decorated the top just like it was cake - so cute! - Halloween style. :) You'll never guess who didn't like the "cake." Mmhmm. Jacob! Actually, he ate the topping but left the rest. Typical 6 year old, I guess. Well, then he didn't like the card we got for him because it had a train on it... and we should have known that he didn't like trains anymore! Silly us. But the gift wasn't much better... He had been whining and crying about getting a Webkins so that he can play on the computer like the other kids. Well, we bought one for him and he quickly learned that you really need to be able to read a little before you can really have fun with it. So, needless to say, he was more interested in playing Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii than having the other kids "help" him with his Webkins. I think the only thing he really got to be in charge of was picking out his user name, password, and the naming of his Webkins pet. Not too thrilling, I'll have to agree. The thing he did like? The Spiderman decorations: cups, plates, and blow-outs. Go figure. At least birthdays only come around once a year! Thank goodness!

So Exhausted!!

I'm wondering if I'm getting enough sleep. Before pregnancy, I could get by on 6 or 7 hours a night. Now, I have to get at least 8-9 hours a night to be able to function normally. Well, I don't think I got enough z's last night because I'm certainly feeling the effects today. Yawn!!

My First Preggo Gift!

I get to work this morning and there's a gift on my desk! What could this be?? It's not my birthday. I only had a couple of options as far as who could've placed it there because there were only 2, maybe 3, people who were there before me. It was wrapped in some cute Winnie the Pooh paper... so I go inquire. "Alright, who put this on my desk?" It was Steph! She's so sweet! I unwrap it to find a cute little 'Cherished Teddies' frame with a preggo bear in front. So adorable! I have yet to figure out what picture to put in there. Maybe I'll do one of Brent and me... when I'm a little farther along. How fun!

Belly Week 25

Belly week 25 - I feel compelled to talk about my pregnancy:
a) Anytime, with anyone who happens to be around
b) Only with other pregnant women or new moms
c) Not much at all.

I'd have to say: a - but really, I think it's the other way around: Women are compelled to talk to me about things... whether it's their own stories, or just asking me how I'm doing. I'll always talk about things with whomever is interested though. If I say that I can really feel you moving a lot today, I think it takes the moms back to that time in their own lives, and it seems like they miss that, which is cool.

Other notes: I can tell that your dad is really excited about meeting you! He'll look at my belly and say, "Guess what?" I'll say, "What?" and he'll say, "You're pregnant! Isn't that cool?" Yep, that is so totally cool! He's also said that he can't wait to meet you and he wonders what you look like. And I whole-heartedly agree!

I Forgot to Mention...

I've finally selected and registered for a birthing class! It'll be at the Meridian St Luke's location on Saturday, November 15th. It runs from 9am-4:30pm and it's just the one Saturday. We preferred that over 4 weekday/evening 2.5 hr classes. The class description is as follows:

Become more physically, mentally and emotionally prepared for the birth of your new baby through a variety of coaching, breathing and relaxation techniques. Topics include: the birth process, pain management of labor, decision-making, unplanned cesarean birth and transition to parenthood. Spouse, partner, or support person is encouraged to attend. Please bring 2 bed pillows to each class. Saturday class participants should bring a sack lunch and a camera.

What?? A camera? What will we be taking pictures of, I wonder? Hmmm... Anyhoo, since the class is in Meridian and I'm delivering in Boise, we'll have to pick a separate time to go in for a Birth Information Tour... to kind of get a feel for where things are and where we'll need to go, etc. Wow. Things are moving right along, aren't they? Our excitement grows! :)

New Background

So, I've had a couple of requests for a new background since the sunshine on the previous background made some of the words hard to read. A friend told me of this website: http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/ where I could find fun backgrounds that are easy to download. I'm likin' the frogs. They're very boyish. Who else likes the frogs?... Raise your hands. ;) Hopefully, this is easier to read.


Well, today was my 1st day of wearing an "official" maternity outfit. You know, the stretchy belly panel on the pants and the "baby doll" style top with a tie back. It's kinda cute. I'll have to wear it to my next Dr appt to get a picture under the sign. :) My next appt is in about 2 weeks... my how time flies!

To The Mall We Go

We finally took a trip back to the mall today to return the preggo pants that didn't work. I did pick up another pair of the stretchy pants from JCP that I like. We even broke down and went into the Motherhood store. They were actually having a sale on a lot of things. I found a pair of Khaki preggo pants and a couple of cute tops that should work nicely. Yay for fitting rooms and being able to try things on before purchasing them. :)

The rest of the day was nice and relaxing. This morning at church was the 100-year celebration for the Nazarene denomination... quite an event, for sure! It was fascinating to hear from a few of those who had pastored our church in years past. Then there was a scrumptious turkey dinner that was provided for everyone after the service. YUM! A good time was had by all. :) Now I get to relax with my honey... a perfect way to end a great day. ;)

Can I Just Say...?

Our trip to Gayle's house - my friend who said she had lots of stuff to give me - proved to be quite a haul!! And she wasn't lyin'... there was LOTS of stuff!! Probably at least half of a garage space full of baby stuff! She was so generous! We came away with a crib (with matress and bedding included), a bassinet, a car seat/stroller combo, a Baby Björn carrier, an infant tub, and bags and bags... and bags of clothes!! Brent's pickup was filled to the brim with all these goodies! We even had to shove some things behind our seats inside the cab! So, if we didn't feel prepared for a new baby before... there certainly is evidence that a baby's on the way now!! Our friends, Brian and Jamie, came over to help us sort through and make sense of it all. Talk about a productive day!! Brent went down to the basement to consolidate things and make room for more storage. The guys took the doors off the closet to make more open space for baby items and then they took all the stuff that we had stacked in that closet to the basement. Can you believe we can actually still get around down there?!? They did a great job!! All the while, we girls were going through those bags galore, pulling out clothes and separating them into size categories. Then we realized that we needed the guys to go buy storage totes for all the different sizes and to go ahead and grab lunch for all of us while they were out. ;) By the time we got done sorting, Jamie said, "This kiddo will be set with a full wardrobe through the age of 4!!" And it's true!! We literally had one tote for each size: 3-6 month, 6-12 month, 12-18 month, 18-24 month, 2T, 3T, and 4T! I kept all the preemie/ newborn/ 0-3 month items out so that we could wash them and get them ready for day of arrival. Now we just have to go back over our What-We-Need-For-Baby List and update our registries. I think we also have to schedule a car seat check with the hospital to make sure we're good to go. This certainly is quite an experience! I'd have to say, the coolest part of it all is feeling this little one moving around inside of me. I love that. It makes this other stuff: cleaning, sorting, rearranging, etc... all worth-while!

Pants!!

I need some!! Desperately! There's a question in my preggo journal that says: Record number of days in a row I wore the same heinous pair of stretch pants: And I'd have to say 6!!! With resounding disgust! At least they're a fairly nice pair of pants... and I bought them recently just for this purpose, in case I couldn't find comfy preggo pants yet. And thank goodness I get to wear sweats or pajama bottoms on Saturday so that my ONE pair of pants can take a much-needed break and go through a wash cycle, for pete's sake. I may need to go back to JCP's this weekend and buy another pair of these stretchy pants that I like... in a different color... or two. :) And I may check out this other store, called Motherhood, to see if I can find some pants there. I've heard there's lots of good stuff to find in there but that it can be pricey. We'll see.

In other news... I was so bummed that I had to go to work today because, for some reason, all day yesterday I was thinking it was Friday. Now it's Friday... again. Don't you hate that? ;) At least tomorrow is really Saturday this time. :D

Belly Week 24

Belly week 24 - This week marks the end of my second trimester!!
Reflections: I'll still feel nauseous every once in a while. I also know what they mean now by feeling dizzy and lightheaded at times. I try to brace myself so I don't lose my balance though. I feel baby moving around a lot more. And I tend to get nervous when I don't feel him move. The wedding ring removal has been a "full-time" thing now as my fingers tend to get quite puffy, especially at night. Brent and I don't really like it at all but it's better than the alternatives. Oh yeah, and I tried on the preggo pants this morning... they're not gonna work. Way too long. Kind of a bummer. Now I have to return them. Hmm. Oh well. Back to square one.