49 Days

Little Miss and I hit 33 weeks today! We've got 7 more weeks to go, or 49 days! We had a check up on Monday, and I am now measuring 35 weeks! The belly definitely feels like it is about to pop at times, and poor Hazel is running out of space faster than I am sure she would like. She let's me know she's not happy about it by the kicks to the ribs I get and stretching until it feels like she is gonna bust through. Sorry kid, this 5'1" frame ain't getting any bigger. Because of the explosive growth, our doc scheduled a sonogram for our next appointment to check on Little Miss' growth. I am really excited about that since it's been forever since we've seen her :). We were getting them pretty regularly for a while, and I'm going through withdrawal. I'm sure she'll be measuring just fine. I really think I'm measuring large because there is no where for this thing to go but out! As I said, I'm only 5'1".

On a super happy note there was no weight gain this appointment! I actually lost 2lbs. I was pleased with that. Now calm down, folks, I'm not on a  mission to lose just yet, but I did make a conscious effort over the past two weeks to get my act together. So, to celebrate, I bought Oreos and Chips Ahoy cookies on my shopping trip last night.

Hazel and I took our first spill last night, and to be honest I am shocked it didn't happen sooner. All I can say is eggs went flying, and my rump is more sore than I would like. I called the doc in a panic after it happened, and he assured me that everything was fine with the baby. She was moving and shaking last night as usual and has been moving and shaking all day today. I may need to invest in a pair of shoes, as you may have read, I only have two left, and they are not very winter friendly.

Well here are some updated pics of Little Miss and myself!


Cheers!

Busting a gut, literally...

Sweets is not impressed with the photo shoot....

Hazel's Fortress of Solitude

What a weekend this was! Hazel and I had a beautiful shower on Saturday. My dad came in to town and set up the crib for us, and helped complete the nursery! The shower was beautiful. There was plenty of delicious food to eat (made by my talented family), some pretty amazing cakes (made by my awesome mother-in-law, Sharon), and terrific company to schmooze with. I had a great time, and Joe and I received so many fantastic gifts for Hazel. We are so grateful for everything we got, and thankful to everyone who came to celebrate Hazel. Here's a few snapshots I was able to take of some of the shower :).

I know Joe is most grateful for my dad coming into town to put together the crib. "Assembly required" are two words Joe is not fond of. I am even more in love with the crib now that it is in our house than I was when we decided on it :). I am also so pleased with how the room came together. In my opinion, I think it is one killer nursery! 

Here are pics of the finished product! All we have left now is a bit of washing and finding space for all the gifts we got! 

Cheers!

I thought I'd add a shot of my dad and Joe hard at work :-). 

Joe and my pops putting the crib together :-) 

Chubalub

We hit the 31 week mark today, wahoo! Only 9 more weeks to go, and it still feels like an eternity, especially after my appointment yesterday. The doctor called me a fatty yesterday. Now in my doctor's defense, I did ask her about the dreaded weight gain, and she answered honestly. To give a direct quote, she said, "Yes, Fatty McButterpants, you've put on too much weight." Haha, I only kid, she did NOT say that at all, just that I needed to slow it down. More protein less carbs, yada yada. Where's the fun in that? Not in her defense, though, her effing scale is way wrong! According to the docs I've gained 28lbs so far.... My scale at home says 24lbs, so I will be going with I've gained 24lbs and say that I'm doing just fine in the weight department  :). I mean 4lbs is a huge difference! I will be letting them know it might be time to update their 1920s scales before my next weigh-in :).

Other than that, it was a pretty good appointment. I'm measuring a little above 32 weeks, which is probably due to the fact that I'm officially a fatty, or the fact that big babies run in the fam. I weighed in at a sensible 9lb 7oz at birth. If I'm still measuring a little a head, at my next appointment, we'll get to take a peek at Little Miss and get an estimated weight on her :).

Other than having to starve myself for the next 9 weeks, things have been going well. Hazel's room is practically finished. The cityscape is painted, and looks absolutely amazing, and all the artwork is hung. I've washed all her clothes (the ones we've received so far) and her diapers are washed and waiting for a cute little rump to fill them. We're just waiting on the crib to be set up, and then her room will be ready and waiting for her arrival :). No updated pics on the room, or of the cityscape, till the crib gets here. Sorry, folks :). The good news is, the crib will be set up this weekend, so only a little longer :).

Thanks to this lovely snow fall, and a planned extra long weekend from the county, I feel like I have finally caught up on some sleep! I don't want to jinx anything, but after about 3 weeks of little to no sleep, I've gotten a solid 6 hours a night since Friday!!! I can honestly say that 6 hours of sleep feels amazing! I was getting about 2-3 hours..... Not so fun.

Well, that's it for now, here's an updated pic of Hazel and me.

Cheers!

Little Miss and I, 31 weeks

Little Miss and I,  20 Weeks

Painting a Dresser-The Easy Way

I figured since I didn't go into too much detail about painting Little Miss' dresser, I would write a little post about it. It was an extremely easy project, and it only took a few hours. Unlike our bedroom dresser, there was no sanding involved, no spray paint, and no hot sunny day :). Since I'm preggers, spray painting is a huge no-no, so to avoid any harm, I chose to paint the dresser the old fashion way. I had originally thought I would need to strip the dresser, sand it, then paint it, but (thanks to the black hole that is Pinterest) I found a much easier way.

Some of you may have heard of Glidden's Gripper Primer and Sealer or Kilz Primer and Sealer paints. They are amazing, and save hours of work. Joe and I made our usual trek to the Walmart to gather supplies. I bought a gallon of Kilz primer and sealer, I am planning on using this on the kitchen cabinets later so I thought I'd save myself the second trip, a small sponge roller, and brushes. We were set to go.

The process was so simple, I just painted the primer directly over top the existing paint on the dresser, waited until it was dry, about 30min, and painted the second coat. The primer covered every stain, filled in small cracks, and gave the dresser a rough finish for the new paint to adhere to. I was pretty impressed. Once the second coat of primer was dry, it was time to add color :). That's it, the whole process. Two coats of primer, two coats of color. For each type of paint, I used the small sponge roller brushes. They help avoid those ugly paint lines you can sometimes get from using a brush. I stuck with the original hardware, as I did with our bedroom dresser, except I did not make any changes to it. The hardware for this dresser was simply too beautiful to mess with. I am very pleased with the outcome of this dresser, and I cannot wait to tackle the kitchen cabinets. I'm told I need to wait on those since there is a little something arriving in March :).

If I find the time, I may add a coat of shellac to give the dresser a more finished look. This is not something I am going to really stress about though. I really enjoy the look that it has right now :).

Unfortunately, due to pregnancy brain, I did a terrible job of taking before and after pictures. I did get a few, so here they are for your viewing pleasure.


Cheers!

Dresser, before. Don't fret, we saved that beautiful mirror :)

Making progress. 

View of that beautiful hardware. 

Done!

A Review and a Room

I won't be starting this new post with any "New Year, New Me" BS. That saying, in my opinion, is dumb. I'm quite happy with the current/old me. I will, however, look back a bit on this past year and reflect on the things that occurred to make 2013 one year I know I will never forget. 2013 was the year I was exhausted beyond belief, the year I thought I wouldn't make it through, and the year I was pregnant. Not just nine months of the year, but the entire year. The year started with Joe and I receiving the exciting news we were expecting a little bundle. We found out our baby-to-be was a little boy, and we also found out that we would not be given the chance to meet that little one. Joe and I found out just how much we need each other to get through tough times, and we found out just how strong our relationship is. It's not perfect, but it is very solid. Soon after our loss, we found ourselves knocked up again. This time with a little girl, who is making her way through this pregnancy with flying colors. I am hopeful that this will keep up, especially now that I am entering my third and final trimester with her. So for me, 2013 will always be the year I was pregnant.


Today marks my 28th week with Little Miss, and my 44th week being pregnant, but who's counting? We've got 12 more to go; and I'm finally starting my third trimester. All I can say to that is, "It's been a long time coming!" Frequently I get asked how I'm feeling, and to be honest, I'm feeling pretty good. I have a lot of, almost constant, back pain that has been plaguing me since about week 12, so it really just feels like an old friend you're ready to get rid of, but won't take the hint. I've got some pretty serious heartburn, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before, thanks to the acid re-flux that I was diagnosed with at the ripe ol' age of 15. But all in all I do feel quite well. Now, this is not to say I don't have the occasional hormonal breakdown and complain about how miserable I am -- I am sure Joe can vouch for how few and far between those are :).

We started Little Miss' room this past weekend, and I am so happy with the outcome. Originally I had intended to go with a steel blue color, but after further consideration I wasn't really as into that color as I thought. So, I went with a soft sage green. In fact the color is called Soft Sage, and I absolutely love it. To me it feels fresh, and light, and just plain relaxing. I enjoy relaxing colors. Joe's mom, Sharon, graciously donated her amazing antique dresser she used when she was a kid and I love it! You all know my obsession with old furniture. In a possibly shocking decision, I painted the dresser pink. As I said in my post announcing Little Miss was in fact a Little Miss, I am not opposed to the color pink in any way. I do enjoy the color, I just don't need it covering every space. I think the pink jives well with the walls, and adds a little pop of color. Her crib will be white as well as the little bookcase we have in the room. We've got some great artwork hanging on the walls that I think will keep her entertained. There are a few more pieces we need to make the room complete: a crib, the cityscape, and a few more pics need hanging. Those all will be coming in the next few weeks.

Here's a few shots of Hazel's digs and the growing belly.

Cheers!

28 weeks

Hazel's new pink dresser with her baby blanket 

Closer view of the pretty hardware. 

Killer Wonder Woman poster

Crib and cityscape coming soon

Autographed comic books by a few of our faves

Signed Mouse Guard, The Will & Lying Cat, & Daredevil prints.

Inadequacy

I love research. I thrive on documents, books, articles, or any other type of resource that provides information on some kind of study done. It doesn't matter what the study is, if you say to me there has been some research done on the effect lady bugs have on the weather, I will run off to learn more about it. I don't know if it's my need to know it all personality, or just genuine curiosity, but I love learning about unknown topics as much as I love spreading what I know about them. Maybe that's why the scientific field I chose was teaching and not biology. I don't stick to one type of research either, I do make sure to look at all sides of a study done so I can come up with my opinion on the matter.

Most of my studies these days involve babies, obviously. I'm finding that as I research, and read, and study, it's getting easier and easier to see why so many women in this "great" country of ours feel so inadequate as mothers. I'm not a mother yet, and yet I already feel like I have failed.

Ain't that the truth, kid! 

I've recently been reading about breastfeeding. I have two mindsets on pregnancy, the first is that women have been doing this for millions of years, so it is a very natural thing, and what ever happens will happen. The second being, I should probably learn some basic skills, like breastfeeding, before the baby comes so I'm a little prepared. I'm not concerned about delivery, again millions of years, or caring for Hazel. I've changed many diapers, and provided some kind of care for children of all ages. I'm not even worried about getting the nursery ready. If it's ready when she arrives, great, if it's not, she won't know the difference. What I do worry about is things I don't know, like breastfeeding, and how to incorporate that into my full time working life. A full time working life that does not have the option of changing into a part time, or stay at home, kind of life.

From all my research, I've been feeling like I will be an inadequate mother because I won't be able to give Hazel the actual time and care she needs in those first crucial months, let's be honest, for her whole life! When I go back to work, Hazel will only be 8 weeks old. I find myself getting more and more upset at that fact the closer we get to having her. I'm mostly angry that we live in a country where women are treated as princesses while they are pregnant, and then left to the wolves once baby comes. Pregnancy is the easy part. The hard part is what comes after. In this country women are expected to pop out a kid, have their 6 weeks of healing because that's how long it takes to recover from having a child, and get on with their lives. There is no support given to provide bonding time between mother and child, no support given to the emotional healing and growing time that mother and baby both need after birth.

I know that I am not alone in this struggle. It's the nature of the beast living in a developed nation like our own. There are many mommy blogs, books, groups, and forums out there discussing this same fact, yet nothing changes. I know that this will be a life long struggle of mine, and I, as all working mothers, will have to work very hard to find that balance between caring for my child, and providing so we have food on the table. Please don't think I am being selfish and forgetting that I have a very loving and supportive husband because I know I do, and this life I lead would not be possible without him, but as a woman, and soon to be mother, these are the struggles I will face.

So, to end this little post, I will continue my research, so when Hazel arrives I will be prepared. I will cherish every second of my maternity leave, and be thankful that when I do return to work, it will only be for a short while before summer kicks in :).






Images provided by, Google

24 Weeks and Counting

Today we hit the 24 week mark, wahoo! This means two things, according to medical research, if Little Miss were to be born now she would have the ability to survive outside the womb, with lots of medical support, and we have 16 more weeks to go! It still feels like a lot to me, so I'm not terribly stoked about the second stat.

As far as the rest of our lives go things are pretty much the same around here. I've got the usual pregnancy symptoms for this stage of the game, we've registered for items Miss Hazel will need to survive, and Joey is doing an awesome job of putting up with me, so it feels like a win win for all involved :-). 

Little Miss' new thing this week is, hiccups! I have to say I feel a bit sorry for her in there because I hate when I get hiccups, so I can only imagine how miserable it must be to suffer from them multiple times a day! Good thing they're helping her diaphragm grow :-). 

As promised from last week's rant here's an updated pic of Hazel and me :-)

Cheers! 

24 weeks, and yes, I feel as tired as I look....