Still pregnant...

Not that i expected to have this baby by time i was 38 weeks...but for anyone wondering the baby is still nice and comfy but running out of room with the quickness!

I finished my entire first week of not working. It was a bit hard to get used to i will admit, but once i started working on much needed house projects the week flew by. I finally organized the mess of a room that we call the office. I tackled the closet inside the office as well, which was an absolute disaster. It's so nice to walk by there now and see order. I also did some house cleaning but it turned out to be too much since I've been having more hip trouble since then. Oh well - the house is clean now and ready for baby!

I also had the chance to do lunch with some friends which was great! I also got a pedicure (because pretty feet are a must when you're having a baby), and i got my eyebrows done. I was determined to do these two things before the baby arrived. I know it sounds so strange - but i just couldn't got to the hospital with ugly feet and eyebrows. Once i got my eyebrows done i felt like i was finally ready whenever the baby decided to arrive.

I have my 38 week appointment today at noon. She'll check again for any progress and we'll schedule our next appointment for next week - my due date week! I can't believe it. For as slow as it goes by, it does go by fast as well. I know that makes no sense whatsoever - but some days i look back and think "i never thought i would make it to a week from my due date." Other days it's more like "Wait, what? The baby is coming any time now?!?!" When you think about it, it is almost one year of your life - that's pretty long (when you're growing another human being anyway). When i compare this timeline to when we were getting married i remember that week just flying by. And if this week goes by as fast as last week, I'll be blogging about my 40th week of pregnancy in no time!

No...i still haven't loaded any pictures from 37 weeks but i did take one on St. Patrick's Day. Trust me - it's more green than anyone should have to see. I still need to take one for 38 weeks...such a slacker but hey - as you can see from above I've been a busy girl...getting pedicures and all ;)

The Albano's arrive a week from Thursday! That means April is only days away...again...so hard to believe. Then my Dad and Lisa arrive on the 14th. By that time we'll be half way through the month...and hopefully have a little one!

Off to get ready for the doctor's. More to report soon!

xoxoxo

Full term!

This is going to be a pretty boring post...



I'm officially 37 weeks which means we are full term! The baby can come at any time now and be just fine in the outside world. My due date is only two weeks from this Friday which is unbelievable.



I started getting things together today for the hospital bag. I've been hesitant to go too crazy packing a bag because i feel like the more prepared we are the longer it will take for the baby to arrive. Stupid i know, but either way i have started to wash my hospital clothes, get things together for Nathan and put toiletries in the bag. I'm sure I'll unpack it and re-pack a few more times before it's time to go to the hospital.

That's about it for now...boring as i promised.

I don't have a picture for 37 weeks right now. I'm so fricken lazy these days it's ridiculous. I will take one though, i swear.

Tomorrow is my next doctor appointment. If there is anything worth posting i will be sure to do so!

Hope everyone is well.

xoxoxo

I knew it wasn't sciatica!

So this whole hip thing has been getting worse - and worse and worse. Although I kept thinking that this had to do with my pre-existing hip issues, the doctors kept saying "oh it's sciatica," and "welcome to pregnancy," whenever I would tell them about the pain. It did start to get frustrating when they would brush me off as another whiney pregnant girl with your run-of-the-mill hip pain, but i just learned to live with the pain and deal with it.

At one point, one of the doctors i see, did give me the names of some orthopedics since it had gotten so bad. Needless to say, not one orthopedic will see you when you're pregnant. They all said "you're pregnant - hip pain happens." Again...very frustrating since i felt that this just wasn't a sore hip due to the baby, but whatever. I went about things just living with it.

As i said in my last post, the pain has been getting pretty bad. Although i kept chalking it up to sciatica it had gotten so bad this week that i could barely get to work. In fact, it took me two hours longer to show up for work on Thursday. Between not sleeping and how bad it hurts, i just feel like poop in the mornings. And that continues throughout the day lately. Friday rolled around and it was even worse - i couldn't even get myself out of the chair. So, reluctantly i called the doctor. Now i knew there wasn't anything they could do for me, but Nathan kept saying "just call them so when you go in on Monday they have it documented that it was so bad you couldn't wait for your next appointment." My co-worker suggested the same thing so i thought "what the hell." I was working from home so i gave them a call, they put the nurse on who in turn tells me she will talk to the doctor and call me back.

Two hours later my phone rings. The nurse (who was very nice) says "Dr. Cernandas says that sciatica is normal and if you're having some pain to go to a chiropractor. Mmmm...really? Some pain? Oh...and we're assuming, yet again, that this is just sciatica? Not that I'm down playing sciatica at all - but as i keep saying, i had this feeling something else was wrong. At this point i was really upset. I've never been a huge fan of chiropractors and i was just aggravated that the doctor basically tells me my only choice is alternative medicine - you know - since I'm just another complaining pregnant girl.

Anyway, the nurse gave me the number to a chiropractor that they use often, who thank God, accepted my insurance. By this time i am in tears because I'm thinking my only chance for the doctor to believe me at this point is to go see this guy who might not even take my insurance. And what if he doesn't take my insurance??? Then i have to spend my entire Friday finding someone who will: A) accept my insurance and B) see me that day so i can report back to the doctor at my Monday appointment.

Off i went to see the chiropractor. Nathan was able to bring me, which was great since i couldn't even sit in the car on my own. When we arrived the doctor was shocked to see how hard it was for me to move. The first thing he said was "Well, at least i know it's not your neck that hurts you!" He gave me a full evaluation and come to this conclusion: I have major issues with my hips, especially the left one ( i knew that - but in an effort to please my OB/GYN i needed him to determine that). It's NOT sciatica (mmmm...what do ya know?) - i have something wrong (which can't be determined until post pregnancy with x-rays and MRI's) with my sacrum and hip bone. It also seems to be effecting the top of my pelvic bone. He also said he's willing to bet that this will not be going away once the baby arrives - which really stinks since i was hoping it would and i could just go about life. He felt around and had me do a bunch of things so he could evaluate things. Apparently I've also done some muscle damage at this point from straining it so bad. When he asked me why i hadn't come sooner i said "The doctor kept telling me it was normal, so i lived with the pain."

After checking me out, he gave some strict instructions:

1. No more stairs. Period. This wasn't surprising and Nathan saw this coming by Wednesday night based on my condition. He moved all of our bedding to the bedroom downstairs. So...we've moved for now. He did say if i had to go up and/or down - that i was restricted to twice a day so choose my daily routine carefully.

2. No more grocery, or any other, shopping. If i do go i need to go with someone.

3. No sitting in the same position for too long - especially in the car. Oh...good thing my commute is only 1.5 hours one way!

4. No more house chores unless i can do them while sitting (can't think of many!). This is the point where Nathan announced "That's it, we're out of here!"

5. I'm supposed to ice my rear/hip every hour. Yeah...ok.

6. No standing while getting ready in the morning - doing hair, make-up and brushing my teeth.

7. There are some others - but you get the point.

So...as i was leaving he said "By the way, be sure to tell your doctor you're not just another whining pregnant girl." HA! Ok...i will!

I knew it. Jerks.

Any who - sorry, but i had to get that out. I go to the doctor tomorrow, so we'll see if they choose to believe me now, or continue to classify me as someone who can't handle some normal growing pains due to pregnancy.

So that's my life in a nutshell since the last time i blogged. We also hit the 4 week mark this past Friday! I think i have something like 28 days until my due date. INSANE! I just can't believe it.

Here's a 36 week picture (can you tell i didn't even bother to do something to my face today?!? Hey! I'm following doctor's orders!):

(Jesus, I'm enormous).

It was 66 degrees here on Saturday. It was so beautiful. Nathan got a chance to get out and golf which I was so happy about. I hope he gets a couple more chances between now and when the baby comes. It can't be fun to sit at home with your fat and mobility challenged wife all weekend. Poor guy.

I have my first training event this week for work. Becky and Lynn, my co-workers, are coming along to shadow me as they will be running some of my programs for me while I'm out. They're usually 12 hour days so we'll see how that goes. After this week I'm supposed to start working from home until the baby comes - unless the doctor decides to pull me out altogether when i see her tomorrow. I find that doubtful since they think I'm faking.

OK, I'm done now, i swear.

Hope everyone is well!

xoxoxo

Next month!

We can officially say we're having a baby next month! Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and have one at the end of THIS month?!

It's been a fairly uneventful week or so. I turned a year older (yuck), put all the baby goodies away, and we just got 8 inches of snow today. So uneventful, but busy i guess you could say.

I also went to the doctor for my 34 week appointment. My next one is next Monday which will be my 36 week check up - then we start going every week. It's crazy!

Oh yeah - our glider arrived too! Now we just need to put it together.

The only other thing i have is more of a complaint. Let me tell anyone who doesn't already know this from personal experience (and i hope you don't know personally)...sciatica hurts like a son-of-a-bitch. I can't even walk up and down the stairs to get to our bedroom. Sitting on the toilet is a chore which usually involves some grunting while in the process from the pain - it makes for an interesting time in the bathroom at work. Between the sciatica and my already existing bad hips things have slowed down a bit for me. I've scheduled my pre-natal massage (thank you Nathan) for this Saturday. I'm not sure if it will help or not, but it will still feel good I'm sure. It's been about a week and a half since I've been walking with a limp (my pregnant pimp walk), so I'm just used to it now. I basically look like a knocked-up 90 year old. GOD am i attractive!

Here are my 35 week pictures. I did take a bare belly shot, so don't scroll down if you're easily faint!:

And just for fun, this is what i found in my bed the other morning...:

Here's to hoping for warmer weather very soon!

xoxoox

For the Love of Blog!

First off...I'm fat. I just uploaded my shower pictures (which i will share in a minute) and man o' man...I'm huge. People keep saying that my face hasn't changed at all. Really? So my face has been this round and chubby my whole life? Then why didn't someone tell me!?!? Sheesh. Help a girl out.

On a happier note - my shower was this weekend and it was SO much fun and so nice. I had so many people there to help me celebrate, had some delicious food (including my favorite eggs benedict), and got amazing gifts for the baby. It's so odd to open up gifts for a new little person that's going to be coming home with you in a few weeks. I guess when this little person hasn't made it's debut, it's just surreal to have all these great things for him/her.

Here are some pictures of the shower, as well as me at 34 weeks in my dress - which had i tried it on in the store i would have known how round and clown-like it would make me appear:

Here are some pictures of other fun gifts once we got everything into the baby's room:


My cousin Jessie and Aunt Nancy made me the most adorable diaper cake, which had so many fun things on it, including the cutest little pair of baby crocs:

And here's a shot of the nursery with all the goods, including our stroller in the background which is now also known as the "Cadillac":

And thanks to my wonderful husband, i started off my morning before the shower with a manicure and pedicure! It was a great day - and i was exhausted when it was all over.

I made my trip up to NYC on Wednesday for my interviews. They were all really nice people. We'll see what comes of it, but I'm remaining positive. I also took a picture of myself wearing a suit jacket that used to actually button up in the front. This is me at 33 1/2 weeks...

Needless to say it didn't button last week for my trip. I'm pretty sure it was obvious to the Bank of America people why it wasn't closed for my interviews.

So, we're down to about 6 weeks. I'm really hoping the baby doesn't bring me past 40 weeks - but I'm bracing myself for that reality.

I head to the doctor again this Wednesday for another check up. I'll have another one two weeks from then, and after that we're down to an appointment every week! It's getting close and we're getting very excited to meet this baby and know if it's a girl or a boy!!!

That's about it for now. Hope your weather is better then ours is today: raining, windy and freezing.

xoxoxo

P.S.

Peanut butter M&M's are like a party in my mouth.

That's all.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Friday marks week 33! We bought the crib mattress and put the linens "on" the crib. We also ordered our glider which we are waiting to arrive.

We went to Ikea this past weekend to buy some shelves which look pretty good. I also came across a set of three pictures that have a bird in them, and also include "girly" colors like reds and pinks. I wasn't in love with this set of pictures, but since i haven't had much luck anywhere else i figured why not just get them (they were cheap being from Ikea anyway). Nathan hung them above the crib. Errr...I'm not that crazy about them at all, but every time i go into the room i test my ability to like them. I change on a day to day basis. Not sure if they will last or not. Until then, my search for cute bird prints continues.

Things at work continue to be stressful and mysterious all at once. Anyone who knows me wouldn't be surprised to find that I've been very worried about the whole situation. Then last Wednesday i landed myself at the doctor's office with horrible shooting pains from my belly into my legs, as well as the mother of all back pain. It started the night before, but i went to bed thinking i would just let the baby move positions. It didn't really help, but i didn't want to make a big deal about it. The next morning the entire drive to work (all 1.5 hours!) i had shooting pains into my thighs again and the damn back pain lurking. When i got to work i was talking to someone who just had a baby almost a year ago now. I asked her if she ever experienced that before and her response was "Yeah, when i went into early labor."

Mmm. Ok. So i called the doctor, who asked me to come down the office. Once you're this close to your due date (although it's a ways off, people do have babies this early for different reasons), they don't like to take any chances. Loooonnnng story short, i had to get an internal exam and get hooked up to the monitor to look for contractions, etc.

A couple of braxton hicks contractions later they sent me on my way chalking it up to the baby enjoying itself best when it's positioned on nerves that cause the pain.

Fine with me! I felt so dumb for even calling, but i know too many people at work who had horrible things happen to them during pregnancy that i just thought it wasn't worth it to not be cautious. Since that day I've decided that i can't worry about things at work anymore. It's out of my control, therefore i need to let it go. It's not worth mine or the baby's health. So...as Nathan would say...I've turned a new leaf. Things are still worrisome, of course, but time will tell what will happen.

One more thing on work (just as an update): I think i mentioned we had to turn in our resumes a couple of weeks ago, and we did go through a process called talent review. Now next week we have to go to NYC (that's super easy and fun at 8 months pregnant!) to do "meet and greets" with people who haven't been identified yet. Since they like to assume we're stupid - the translation for "meet and greet" in this environment is: interview. Yup, that's right. A 15 minute interview to justify to some stranger why they should keep you over someone else. So I'm thinking I'll just pretend to go into labor and ask if we can reschedule for when I'm back from maternity leave ;)

On the bright side of things, I've been obsessed with a few favorite things lately, that i just thought i would share:

1. Lolli pops - mostly Blowpops and Tootsie Pops. I have been considering writing a letter to the maker of Blowpops to suggest a longer lasting bubblegum.

2. Caffeine free Coke!!! Whoooweee! I mean i LOVE it. Don't know what it is but i can't get enough. I have, however, managed to control my urges.

3. Corn. There's nothing better right now then some good hot corn with melted butter on it. Yum.

5. Garlic hummus in a pita. This has been my lunch for the past 4 days, and I'm still going strong on the likeness. It's so good and a great alternative to lunch meats. Tomorrow marks a sad day as it will be the last pita we have in the house before i need to go out and get more.

6. Foot rubs. Thanks to all the sock rings i get around what Nathan likes to call my "cankles" (calves and ankles running into one) I've been scoring myself some great foot and cankle rubs. Honestly, i still have ankles...but we laugh so hard at the mere sight of how swollen they get these days. It's ridiculous.

7. The warm weather we've been getting. I know it won't last...i mean i live in NJ. But today it's 58 degrees out! Saturday's forecast: Snow. Dare i say more about NJ?

Mmmmm....i guess that's all i have for now on my list.

I did have my 32 week check up today. Everything sounds and looks good. The doctor measured my belly and then felt around and said "Well, you're not going to have a very big baby!" So, i called Nathan and told him we're having a Peanut! I won't say the weight she gave me, as some people who read this are involved in a pool of gender and weight guesses. I wouldn't want anyone to have an advantage ;)

I also asked her how far past my due date they let me suffer for. She said generally one week, unless my cervix hasn't done a thing, and then they will let me go a little longer...more like 10 days. She said they never let it go past two weeks. Well that's good, since i would jump off a bridge by then anyway.

I want to be mentally prepared since i have a feeling this baby knows how horrible my patience are, and therefore will most likely test them by coming out late.

That's it for now. Sorry i don't have any pics to post this go around. I will take more of the room and the ever growing belly this weekend!

xoxoxo

It's February!

I'm so glad it's February. I felt like January lasted FOREVER. These last weeks are dragging on...slower then i could have imagined. I'm hoping that with February being a short month it will help it move along faster.

We've made major progress on the nursery. Nathan worked so hard this past weekend. I kept saying "wait until tomorrow to paint that, or put that together," but he just kept going on Saturday and didn't stop. When we woke up on Sunday all that was left was the changing table to put together which he did after he ate.

The bird decals also arrived this week so i started putting some of them up. We need to go get a crib mattress and the glider. I have a shopping trip planned this weekend to buy some shelves and other decor to start bringing it all together. All in all i really like how it's coming along.

Here are some pictures:

I'll take more of the final product once i decorate more. Still lot's to be done, but it's definitely a big change from when we started!!!

I'm 31 weeks now. I can't believe it. That feels pretty far along. Once you're in the "30's" it starts to feel more real for some reason.

Things at work are getting a little scary. We had to turn in our resumes last Friday so they can start a process called talent review. It's where they go through a group person by person and basically decide if there is a position for you in the newly formed organization. The worst part (although there are many), is that they are hoping to make their decisions by March. That means that i could potentially be laid off before even going on maternity leave. I am FREAKING. I do have some days that are better then others, but it's such a horrible thing to go through no matter what - so i think the pregnancy just escalates it. Ugh.

Anyway - here's a couple of 31 week pictures:

Swelling in my hands and ankles has ensued big time. I can't even wear the loosest pair of socks i own without having painful, dark red rings around my ankles and shins. It's so strange because i don't look like I'm retaining water anywhere else - but sometimes i can't even get my wedding rings off. Sleeping also sucks lately - i don't get much each night. I toss from side to side about once every hour. I just keep saying it's God's way of preparing me for no sleep.

I think that's all for now. Sorry it took me a while to get this one up. I've been distracted with work i suppose.

My next doctor's appointment is Wednesday the 11th. After that i start going every two weeks until I'm 36 weeks...then it's every week. Hopefully this baby won't make us wait longer than 41 weeks. Anything after that and i know I'll go insane.

xoxoxo

Woot woot!

I passed my glucose test! I'm so relieved.

I know people thought i was crazy about worrying - but with pregnancy you never know what's in store, and considering I've developed a mean sweet tooth with this little one i wasn't not at all confident that my diet had contributed to a "pass" on this test.

I LOVE being wrong in this case.

Someone get me a milkshake...STAT!

Oh yeah...finished the trees! Will post the finished products this weekend. Maybe by then the birdies will have arrived as well.

xoxox

My Weekend Project

Well we've been working full speed ahead on the nursery now. My goal is to have it done (for the most part) about a month before I'm due. This way all we have to do is put things away and wait...and wait...and wait.

I've been really struggling with this project. The bedding, as i posted a few weeks ago, is about as gender neutral as i could find without going the route of characters that i just don't like. I just couldn't do a nursery with Pooh or Zoo Animals. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that decor, but i was hoping for something simple and modern that would suit either gender just fine. It's been easier said then done so far! I had my aunt come over earlier in the week and we chatted about some ideas. Then i got online and started searching for cute nursery items to give me some ideas. That's when i came across this:

http://www.wallcandyarts.com/item/Season/232/c56

I just think it's so cute and perfect to add some neutrality to the walls. I figured i wouldn't add in the butterflies or flowers until after the baby arrived. The only catch is we decided to just paint over the ugly paneling in the nursery, and with these you need a smooth surface. Grrr.

SO after much contemplation i figured to try and give it a go myself with craft paint and a little imagination. These are from yesterday after i had just gotten started on the leaves:

I stopped half way through this one to go watch the football games for the night. I ended up finishing them both this morning, but haven't take more pictures yet.

To go in the trees, and around the room, i ordered cute little birdie decals that work just like that tree decal above does. I can use these on the paneling since they are small enough to fit in between the ridges. I plan to stick some in the two trees, as well as on top of the window and around the room just for some kind of theme - and to tie all of it together.

As you can see we painted the walls with white on top, chocolate in the middle, and the iced sage (to match the bedding) on the bottom. The wall actually imitates the crib skirt with the chocolate stripe going around it. My mom keeps saying it's a little boys room - which i agreed with until i added the trees. Now I'm starting to see the girl potential as well. I'm hoping once i get the birds and other decorative elements that i can really neutralize the whole thing.

We ordered the carpet today which is being installed on Friday (yay!) as well as two new windows to keep the baby warm. Only a couple more things to do before we can put the furniture together and in the room!

I had my doctor's appointment this past Wednesday but won't know my diabetes results until this week i guess ( I forgot to ask how long it takes to get the results). So I'm either going to be really happy or really pissed. Not sure yet. I gained 3 pounds since December 17th and the baby was lying sideways when the doctor went to measure my belly and listen to the hear beat which was 156. My next appointment is February 11th then i start seeing the doctor every two weeks until 36 weeks at which point i go every week.

We also had childbirth classes on Saturday. It was very informative and humorous all at once. There were many things i didn't know and some that i just didn't want to. I also learned how to breath - including the: hee-hee-hee-hooo move. We learned that we have to fill out our admissions papers now so we are prepared when i go into labor, and that we have to have our pediatrician picked out before we get there!!! I have no idea where to start on that one. Most people were around the same time frame as me, being due in late March and early April. We had one couple due in February and one couple having twins. It was, by far, way more enjoyable then our pre-cana experience!!! Even at the end Nathan said "that wasn't that bad at all."

I turned 29 weeks on Friday. I don't have a good picture as it was taken last night before i went to sleep - literally seconds before i crawled into bed. Nonetheless, here it is (bare belly this week):

My eyes are closed - Nathan snapped it when i was mid sentence. Anyway - it was nice to see from class that i was the same size as most everyone else there who was due around my date. It's always nice to be able to compare!

11 more weeks to go!

Hope everyone is well!

xoxox

Do These Stripes Make Me Look Fat?

Kidding, kidding. I already know the answer to that.

This is my 28 week picture. I know it will sound like crap, but i really don't look this big in person. Don't get me wrong, i have really started to feel "pregnant" these past few weeks. I can't lean over to pick up the dog, bending down is impossible and i lose my breath from going up 4 steps. But I'm serious when i say that the camera really makes this belly look bigger.

I went to the hair salon yesterday to get my hair did and every one's guess there is that it's a boy. Mostly because they say my butt hasn't gotten bigger (yet) and that my face looks the same. One girl just kept saying "you're all belly, that's it."

I'll take it, thanks!

I have a 27 week picture but i had been lying on the couch all day being lazy and my face looks disgusting. Therefore, i will not be posting that one. Don't worry - it's just another big belly shot. I do, however, have a picture of Nathan and i from New Year's Eve. He held the noise maker to my belly so that the baby could get in on the action:

We're working on the room full speed ahead now. I'm taking progressive pictures of it but think it will be more fun for everyone if i post them at once so you can see it from start-to-finish all at once. We did add some flavor to the paint this weekend by adding another color around the middle of the room instead of putting up a chair rail. The furniture was delivered too! We just need to get the carpet put in first before we put it together.

All in all it's coming along.

Going back to work this past Monday was hard since having off for almost a full two weeks. It felt like it always did in school coming back from winter break. Things are off and running and i was in New York on Monday to meet with Bank of America people. They were all very nice, and we're hoping that this all turns more into a "partnership" for our group and not a massacre of our jobs. Time will tell.

I'm keeping this one short and sweet tonight. There's only so much time before Desperate Housewives!

My doctor's appointment (and glucose test) is Wednesday. More on that next weekend.

xoxoxo

More fun to blog about

Ok, we've been very busy over the past couple of weeks with my Dad and Lisa here, as well as Natalie and Jason. We've had such a great time finishing out the year that i'm almost a little sad that it will be over soon.

I'm also dreading going back to work to see what my future holds there - I can't lie. It's scary to not know what's going to happen with work, and i can only hope and pray that i at least get to keep my job long enough to go on maternity leave. How about everyone who reads this hopes the same?!?!? Thanks.

Anyway, we had many adventures while Natalie and Jason were here and so little time to squeeze it into to. Friday (after Christmas) we headed into Philly to eat Jim's famous cheesesteaks on South Street. Nathan and I had only been to Pat's, but my cousin's husband Ronnie insisted that we go to Jim's this time...so we did. Here are some shots:

This is Nate and Natalie standing in line. Yes...a line. It wrapped around the side of the building and then wrapped around twice inside. Insanity. It was very much worth it - and Natalie and i were both glad that we decided not to share one - especially since sharing with a pregnant girl would have no doubt resulted in Natalie getting less.

The next day (Saturday) we were off to NYC for some sights. We saw the tree, Central Park, Times Square and much more. There were craploads of people there. At one point Nathan had to walk in front of me with his hand blocking my belly because loads of people just come at you. I hadn't seen it like that in a couple of years - but that's probably because i had learned the last time that it was way too crowded right after Christmas to go and haven't since. We did have a lot of fun, and did a ton of walking.

Right after we were in Rockefeller Center to see the tree we stumbled upon the best discovery ever...they put a Magnolia bakery in!!! There was a line (yes, another line) outside the building to get in, but as soon as Natalie saw what it was we were standing in line with drool coming out of our mouths. Here are some pictures of us enjoying our prizes for waiting in the cold:

(Please note Jason in the background looking at Natalie like's she insane)

The whole time i was eating my cupcake i kept thinking about my upcoming glucose test and how i know i'm going to fail. I guess i should just prepare to take the three hour test that comes after you get the phone call that you suck and failed the first one. Ugh.

Anyway - it was a great few days with Natalie and Jason. Until now Nathan and i hadn't spent much time with Jason, so it was great to get to know him better. We absolutely love him and we're so happy that he's a part of the family. Nathan was so happy to have him around. It was like they were old buddies. The four of us were like old couples who had been hanging out forever. Everytime we went somewhere the men would sit up front and Natalie and i would sit in the back just shaking our heads at the things they would say. I only hope that we didn't scare Jason away to much by having him spend Christmas with my family...which can be a bit overwhelming. His memory was great (far better then Nathan's) since he seemed to remember everyone from the wedding - their names and all! If he learned anything from being here for the holidays it was this: Just drink, and you'll get through it.

This was before the festivties really started on Christmas Eve:

On Christmas Day i wore this red sweater that made me look gigantic (yes, i'm blaming the sweater). Since i matched the chair i was sitting in, Natalie took a picture:

Tonight's New Year's Eve. I have to run to the store so i can make a chocolate cake to bring - and it's snowing outside. Again. Sucks.

Tomorrow we're off to NYC again to meet Quincy and Tierney who are flying in today to spend New Year's Eve in Times Square. We're having dinner at Rosa's tomorrow (yay) and then we're all headed back here where they will be staying for a few days. Something tells me i'll be eating another cheesesteak soon.

Happy New Year! Hope it's a safe and enjoyable one.

As Kerri pointed out in my last blog - we have less than 100 days to go until the baby arrives. I can't believe it. Next week i'll be 7 months pregnant. To that point i almost forgot...i ordered the furniture two days ago. I'm so happy it's done with and i just got an email that it's on it's way! Now Nathan needs to finish painting so we can get the carpeting put in! So much to do in so little time :)

More to come soon!

xoxox

Another Christmas Over...

I know. I'm really bad at this lately. The holidays took over and we've been really busy. It's not an excuse, but just my reason for not updating in a couple of weeks.

First off, we totally forgot to even take my 25 week picture on that Sunday. I remembered the following day, so I'm including a front bare belly shot for you Since Sunday is really three days after i turn another week along, and this was taken on a Monday, this was only 4 days before 26 weeks...so there's a little inconsistency here:

As a little follow up to my last blog, i made monkey bread and the delicious pasta dish that Sue had given me the recipe to. It was DELICIOUS. Of course by that time i was running around like crazy with company so I didn't remember to take a picture (pregnancy takes away your memory, by the way). Here's the monkey bread:

Also, Nathan and my dad got a start on painting the baby's room. Here are some before pics of the room. I'll post more soon. The first coat is on, but with Christmas and the company we've had, Nathan hasn't gotten around to the second one. I can't be around it, or else i would do it:

Lastly (for now), here is a picture from Christmas Eve, one day before i turned 26 weeks pregnant and officially entered my THIRD!!! trimester:

And my normal 26 week picture taken tonight:

Natalie and Jason drove up from North Carolina to spend Christmas with us! We had such a great time. I have so many fun pictures to post from their visit, but will have to do that another time. I'm using Nate's computer (mine appears to have a virus...yay!), and he needs to do some work.

More soon, i swear.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a safe and memorable New Year!!!

xoxoxo

Pictures

Ok, I'm finally posting belly pictures for weeks 23 and 24. I will be 25 weeks on Friday.

23 weeks:

24 weeks:

I had my 24 week check up today. Everything seems to be moving along fine. I heard the heartbeat right away this time. Nice and strong! I got my belly measured for the first time, although i didn't ask what the measurement was. I wouldn't really know what is normal, etc. anyway. The doctor gave me an A+ for this visit.

I've gained 15 pounds so far in almost 25 weeks. When i asked her if that was ok she said "Oh yeah...you can gain lot's more weight!" Ummm...no thanks, but at least i know i have some wiggle room still. It is pretty amazing to think that next week I'll be 2/3 of the way done with this pregnancy.

My next appointment i get to take the glucose test for gestational diabetes. I have a bottle of orange fluids to drink an hour before getting my blood drawn. Yuck. It looks like Traiminic that i used to take when i was sick as a kid. I have a feeling there will be a lot of gagging the morning of January 14th (my next appointment).

I have monkey bread cooking in the oven as i type for my Dad and Lisa's dinner visit tomorrow! They just arrived this morning so Ellie and i are off to see them in a little while. I leave Lou at home because he's grumpy around other dogs. Ellie needs to burn the energy, lord knows, so she'll come along and hopefully refrain from raising hell once we arrive.

I'm using a new recipe i got from Sue Brunton tomorrow. I hope it comes out as good as when she makes it - but it's doubtful. I usually have bad luck with those types of things....but we'll keep our fingers crossed. There's always monkey bread for the main course ;)

Finally...we got snow yesterday. It lasted a while and did stick. There is still some on the ground but it's starting to melt. Good riddens! I don't enjoy the snow unless it's a weekend where we have nothing to do, and need the excuse to stay in. Katie also told me they had snow in Sacramento yesterday. What is going on?!?!

Anyway, that's all for now.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Ohhhh yeah....i pulled a dumb move on Sunday and fell down our entire flight of basement steps. It does sound funny, i know, but at the time i was scared shitless. I felt so bad for putting the baby in danger. We called the doctor right away but there wasn't much they could do. She just told me to take it easy and feel for kicking, etc. and keep an eye out for bleeding. Thank god I fell on my side and NOT my belly which the doctor said is good. I have a sore hip (nothing new there) and hurt my arm, but was so thankful that the baby seemed to be ok. Apparently pregnancy causes you to lose your sense of gravity as well. I just chalk it up to another one of those things that nobody bothers to tell you about when it comes to being pregnant.

xoxoxo

Updates

Ok, I've been bad again about updating this. We did take a picture last week for 23 weeks, but of course i haven't loaded it yet. I will admit we almost totally forgot to even take one! I'll load it so i can post it next time around with my 24 week picture.

Speaking of, i will be 24 weeks tomorrow...which makes me 6 months pregnant. Where does the time go?!?!? Anyway, there are a few updates worth mentioning...

First of all, i think I've mentioned on here before that all the baby dreams I've had so far, even before i knew i was pregnant, were dreams that involved me having a boy. Well, that went out the window the other night when i had a very vivid dream that we had a baby girl. The dream was very funny and strange but we had a little girl and even named her the name that we have chosen should we have a girl. Apparently, after telling my sister, i come to find out that she had a dream that we had a girl on the same night. Doubt it really means anything but it is fun to see how things can change during your pregnancy - and how your brain will play tricks on you like that.

We did get the baby bedding, which i think is perfect considering we have no clue what we're having and i was trying to avoid any characters, etc.

Here's a link to the bedding:
http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/rhbc/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=rhbc_prod142239&navCount=1

I will warn you that it tends to look blue on most people's computers for some reason, but the color is a sage and is very pretty. They have it displayed on the site in both a girls room and boys room - so that really sold me. So depending on what we have i can either add blue or pink and i still think it will look good. Most of the accents I'm going to add in the meantime will be white and silver.

I also created a registry on the site since there are some cute things that would be great to add to the nursery.

Now we have to paint the walls, get carpeting put down and then deal with the furniture. Speaking of...I'm hoping to order that in the next week or so. We're going with an espresso color. Something that we can use for any gender and many more babies to come (the word many is up for debate - I'll get back to you once this one arrives).

We also went to Babies R Us this past Saturday and created our main registry! It was fun, but quite overwhelming since you really don't know what you need if you've never done this before. Nathan had a lot of fun scanning everything he saw...i mean everything. I had to regulate a few times, but we managed to get through the store without making a scene. It took us about two hours.

Here's a link to their website. You can look us up by name:

www.babiesrus.com

I have to admit, the things that you really need for a baby are expensive. I felt so bad (and a bit nervous) about choosing certain things, even though i know we need them. BUT i had a few people tell us just to add what we need and want and see what happens. So that's what we did.

I'm a bit annoyed with the Babies R Us site and how they listed our items. There aren't images for everything, which is fine, except that there are some main items at the bottom without a picture and who the heck wants to sort through something that doesn't give you a visual?!?! I, myself, enjoy a visual and will admit that i may not pay attention to something on a long list of items if it doesn't catch my eye. So...our infant car seat is lost in that list without a picture, along with some other necessities, but whatever. I'm over it...kinda.

So at this point in my pregnancy the baby is a little over 11 inches long and weighs one pound. They say that sometimes Daddy can even put his ear to your tummy and hear the heartbeat. I had also just read that at this point the baby's moves are strong enough and the baby is big enough where you will probably see your tummy move when the baby does. We just tested that theory before i logged in to update this - i felt the baby moving pretty good so i lifted my shirt and you could see my belly jumping like crazy. It's so much fun.

Tonight after dinner Nathan put his face on my stomach and started talking to the baby...he kept saying "are you in there?" and all the sudden the baby kicked him right in the face! It was so funny! I have to say, finally feeling the baby move more, and knowing it's not just gas, has made this experience so much more real and fun.

Well i guess that's it for now. My Dad and Lisa arrive on Wednesday for a few days. I can't believe the holidays are upon us, and Christmas will be here in a couple of weeks.

Work has continued to be dreadful, but i have 7 1/2 days of vacation still and those start next week when my Dad and Lisa arrive. Then I'll take off the day after Christmas and the entire following week. When i get back to the office I'll officially be a Bank of America employee. We just got a firm wide email before i left today letting us know that Bank of America will be cutting 30,000 to 35,000 jobs in the future. Nice. Someone forgot to add in "Happy Holidays" at the end of that email. Jerks.

I promise there will be pictures in the next one! We're slackers lately.

Love to all!

xoxoxo

P.S. Happy Birthday Auntie Laura!!!

Long Overdue

This blog is way overdue...sorry. We had our appointment a week and a half ago where we got an ultrasound and got to see the baby. Our appointment was at 8 a.m. I did this thinking that we wouldn't have to wait - but boy was i wrong. They didn't take us until 8:50 a.m. By that point i was pretty pissed off, but also excited to see the baby again.

We had no idea - but the ultrasound process at 20 weeks takes an hour. They go through and measure all sorts of things to make sure the baby is growing how it should, and to see if your due date is still accurate. Apparently I'm right on target since the doctor didn't say anything to us. She also said that the baby looks great!

And yes...we managed to NOT find out what we're having. When she got to the "goods" she told us to look away. We did, but it was hard to not just look over real quick. I did say to her "if i look, would i be able to even tell?" Since i don't have a trained eye i thought maybe i could look and just guess....but she said "It's quite obvious to me what it is right now, so if you don't want to know then don't look." Not sure what that means, although most people are translating that into it being a boy. A part of me, and i think Nate, wish we would have found out, but now we have no choice but to be surprised which is still exciting.

At one point Nate did sneak a peek, but he said he had no idea what he was looking at.

Next was our trip to California. We had such a good time. It went by way too fast, as i expected, and now with work looming tomorrow I'm wondering why we even came back.

It was very interesting to see what everyone out there had to say about their gender guess. Since they hadn't seen me since getting pregnant i figured they would be better at guessing since they would notice changes in my face, etc. The consensus for the most part is boy, but a couple of people said girl. People still say my face hasn't changed and that i don't look pregnant from the back - but man when i look at pictures i think i look so fat. I really do think the camera adds weight - but maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better.

There were a couple of people who also said that my stomach is pretty big for 5 1/2 months (you know who you are). Until those comments i didn't think i was doing that bad in the size department...but I've now resorted to being a little self conscious about it. I mean i love having a belly (what the hell is the point of being pregnant?), and i don't' think i look that big, but you can't help but let it bother you a bit when people tell you you're big already. Either way, according to my doctor, I'm right where i should be, and there are a lot of people that are much bigger then me at this point in the pregnancy. So there.

One of the greatest parts of our visit was a baby shower tea party that my mother-in-law, Vickie, threw for me along with Sarah and Natalie. It was at the cutest little tea house in Lafayette, and we had such a nice time. I got to see so many people i hadn't seen since the wedding (!!!), and we got so many cute things for the baby.

Since i didn't take an official 21 week picture while we were there, I'm using the following as that, as well as a chance to show off some cute pics:

And for the 22 week picture:

I want to comment again on the size this week...but i won't.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We had three!

xoxoxo

Kickin' It

This weekend was my sister's Sweet Sixteen party. We had a lot of fun. My brother stayed with us from Maryland and since the theme was Hollywood we all got to get somewhat dressed up for the occasion. I'm not usually a fan of dressing up much, but when you're getting fatter by the day you'll take any excuse you can get to make yourself look somewhat attractive.

Here's my 20 week picture, dressed up for the party last night:

It took us three hours to decorate on Saturday morning. I literally went in my pj's thinking we would just drop off the centerpieces i made and the 76 cupcakes i did. Once we arrived the decorating ended up taking a little longer then anticipated.

Here are a couple more shots worth including:

The Birthday Girl.

John dancing to his signature song: TNT - by AC/DC

Mikey - wearing a pair of glasses that the DJ gave out, and lookin' good.

All in all it was a good time. Today we've been really lazy just recovering. First we went to the diner for breakfast where i devoured eggs benedict (eggs poached hard of course). Then it was back home to nap and watch football.

I got the title of this blog from the baby who has been movin' and groovin' all this week. I can actually say that i feel the baby move now. There is no guessing with these movements - it is definitely the baby. Friday night i was laying on the couch and started feeling kicks - pretty strong ones in fact. So i had Nathan come over and put his hand on my belly. He got a bit impatient, but i told him to just sit there for a minute. Sure enough the baby kicked Nathan's hand nice and strong! I'm so glad that he finally got to feel it for himself, since I've been talking so much about how i can feel it.

We have our next doctor's appointment this Wednesday. We get our ultrasound (where most find out the gender), and then I'll get weighed and meet with the doctor. Since my appetite has kicked in since my last appointment I'm curious to see what the total pounds will be this go around. I also have something that i have never had before - a sweet tooth. Almost anything sweet makes me happy these days, which i still have to be careful with since i will eventually get tested for gestational diabetes, something i don't want!

Other than that we're gearing up for our California trip. I can't wait - as I've mentioned in my past two posts. The weather got really cold here all the sudden, and I'm ready for a break from work. I'm also ready to be home since it's been too long.

So...the next post will be from California!

This Thursday marks 5 weeks until Christmas. Where does the time go? This past week also marked my half way point for this pregnancy. On Christmas, I'll be officially in my third trimester. Amazing.

That's it for now! More to come from the Golden State :)

xoxoxo

19 weeks!

Well i'm doing better this week with posting my picture more on time...kinda. I guess since i just blogged, even though it was late, i kept feeling like it wasn't time to post anything yet.

Here's my 19 week picture:

it's not the best picture...but you get the idea. It's hard to tell which part is my gut and which is a shadow from my black shirt. Oh well. Better luck this week with my next one.

Speaking of this week - on Friday i will be 20 weeks pregnant! That's half way done. Not only that, but i'll be a week away from flying home to California for a week. Woot woot!

Nothing new otherwise. I took this funny picture of Ellie. She actually slept like this on Nathan:

A week from tomorrow is my next appointment. We'll get another ultrasound and i'll get weighed in. More on that next week!

It's cold here - hopefully not everyone is suffering from winter weather already.

xoxox

18 Week Picture...Finally!

Once again - sorry for the delay, but the long awaited 18 week picture has finally made it's way to my computer:

I'm definitely showing to the point that strangers can tell. I catch people staring at me like I'm a freak all the time. I think sometimes it's because i look about as old as a 16 year old on the weekends. Sorry - but i do my hair and makeup 5 days a week...Saturday and Sunday are my days off even if i do look like a teenager.

Anyway - apparently in the pregnancy world, 18 weeks also means I'm in my 5th month. Don't ask me why - this is my first time too - but it sure is nice to move up one in the month bracket. I came across this nifty little chart online and thought it was helpful. I should be clipping this out and posting it on our fridge:

Two and half more weeks until we're off to California! Yah - freakin' - hoo. I can't wait.

Sorry for the short blog. Hopefully i'll have more for the 19 weeker.

xoxoxo

Insanity

Insanity. It has ensued at work and has no end in sight.

This is my excuse for not yet blogging for my 18th week. I do have a picture but it won't be posted tonight. Sorry.

Unfortunately, my 5th finance fire drill of the week (kindly note it's only Tuesday) has me working yet again at 9:30 p.m. at home, after working at the office all day.

They keep saying this Bank of America merger is a good thing. Those are the people who clearly aren't pulled into these fire drills.

Anyway, hopefully i can come up with something a bit interesting to write about when i do post my 18 week picture. I hope to make that tomorrow night. I'll be sure to ask Bank of America for permission to devote time to blogging from now on.

Good night!

xoxox

P.S. I hope you all voted. Seriously - if you didn't don't complain. Period.