32 weeks!

I got a bit freaked out today when I was looking at the website I use for tracking baby's growth and saw that the next row was full term- eek! It's still a few weeks away, but darn it if it isn't sneaking up on me! I feel completely unprepared. We didn't make as much progress in the nursery as I was hoping (although we did get our carpet fixed in the living room), but it should be well on its way after this coming weekend. Jony is almost finished with the shelves and only has a few more steps left to complete the picture frames. Our mat for the main picture is supposed to be ready tomorrow, so then we can get them all framed! The walls are so ridiculously boring in there right now that I cannot wait to add some color. Another REALLY exciting aspect of this weekend is that it's our first shower- a couple's shower thrown by my sister and mom! I can't wait!! My mom will be revelaing the quilt that she's made for Jeffrey, which will definitely make a huge impact on the nursery. I'm not sure who's more excited about it- me for getting it or my my for giving it to me. She's starting on our window valence this week and she should be able to pop that, 2 crib sheets, and the crib skirt out pretty quickly in the next few weeks. Then, she's going to make a smaller quilt and a doggy bed to match the nursery decor. lol. Can you tell that she's a little excited that we asked her to do this? She's crazy, but at least it keeps her out of Babys R Us. We just need a reason to stop my MIL from going. Jeffrey is going to be so ridiculously spoiled...

I have my 32 week appointment on Thursday and the shower on Saturday, but it's a pretty boring week otherwise.

# of things left to do in the nursery: 12

# of items left to buy: 8 (still open for suggestions on a lamp)

31 weeks!

It seems like the weeks are flying by now! It's so weird to think that I'm entering my 8th month of pregnancy now. That seems way too close to the end. Even stranger? Christmas decorations are being put out! I'm going to have a baby at Christmas!! We did take up on a deal, though, and bought ourselves an artificial tree. We didn't have one since we lived in an apartment last year, and I refused to allow Jeffrey to go through his first Christmas without a tree. It's still odd to see it sitting in our living room, though (in a box, no worries. It's not being put up until after he's born/after Thanksgiving). I'm worried that time is going to keep going by super fast right now since I'm still busy and then slow down to a halt next month and in November when I don't have nearly as much going on and will be just waiting around for labor.

In exciting nursery news, I finally kicked my lazy butt into gear and started working on some of my projects! I finished the letter that will go on his door and am about halfway through the memo board (just need to put the ribbon and pins on it). I also got his name all painted. Jony is all finished with the door/wall project he's been doing the last month, so he's starting on the frames and shelves for the nursery this week. It may actually start coming together this next weekend!

# of things left to do in the nursery: 12

# of items left to buy: 11- anyone have any suggestions for a lamp?

7 wonderful years!

Today, Jony and I celebrated our 7th dating "anniversary!" They've gone by so quickly, and I couldn't imagine my life without him. It's so cute to think about how we got started...

7 years ago today, I was SO excited when he asked me to officially be his girlfriend. It sounds young and dorky, lol, but that's because it was. Keep in mind- we were in 11th grade. He had already gotten up the nerve to ask me to the homecoming dance a few days before and then decided that he was ready to take the big plunge. We'd been best friends since ninth grade and knew everything about each other (for the most part- we just didn't know that we liked each other, lol)- stayed up late on AIM every night, etc. He had decided that he wasn't going to just date girls just to date them; he wanted to make sure that there was actually a chance at a future before he started anything. This sounds weird, I know, but it's good to note that both of us are a bit mature for our age. I think it has to due with having older parents and growing up with older siblings. So, the summer before 11th grade, things got interesting. I finally got the nerve to admit to him that I liked him, and I got no response from him about it at all. He left the next day for a 10 day vacation to Cape Cod. I figured that I knew what that meant and decided that I would move on, so I started talking more to another guy that I was really good friends with who I knew had a crush on me. We had our annual band kick-off pool party a few weeks later and I had still not had any communication with Jony. Meanwhile, things were starting to progress with boy #2, albeit slowly since it was understood that I was still "getting over" Jony. Seeing me talking/flirting with boy #2 obviously lit a fire, and I heard from Jony that night saying that he had been thinking about having a relationship with me all vacation and wanted to see where it could go. About a month later led us to the day that ironed out our forever dating anniversary! We've since graduated high school and college together, gotten married, bought a house, and are having our first child! There's never been any regrets or any questions- we've never broken up in any regards. I'll always look upon 9/19 with a smile :)

As far as boy #2 goes, I let him down easily. He was hurt, apparently, but we remained good friends throughout high school. We lost touch when we went off to college, but he's a pretty darn successful journalist now. We chat every now and then, and he's super happy for us.

My baby boy!

We had our 30 week ultrasound this morning, and I'm so happy to say that everything looks perfect! No more CP cyst-yay! It was insane seeing how much bigger he is than he was at 19 weeks. There was still all that open space at 19 weeks but not so much anymore. He's out of room, so I guess I should expect to grow a bit more. ;) I was pretty thrilled to find out that he's head down and in perfect position. Let's just hope he stays there. Now I know that the little pokes and bulges I've been getting on my right side are his little feet- so cute! We got a fairly decent picture of his face (as good as you can get with a regular u/s), and I think he looks like his dad. She even pointed out that the has some hair already! He weighs a whopping 3 1/2 pounds now (as opposed to 1/2 pound 11 weeks ago!) and is measuring at 31 weeks and 2 days- five days ahead. The technician said that we should expect about 1/2 pound growth each week, so, if we make it to 40 weeks, he should be about 8lb. I can handle that!

Breastfeeding

We had our class last night to learn about how we're going to feed little Jeffrey. It was mostly review for me (which never hurts), but Jony got a lot out of it. It was nice to get some information on easy-to-read paper/pamphlets, as well, since that'll be a heck of a lot easier to go through after birth than a book is. Plus, the movie we watched was great since I'm a visual learner. I feel a lot more confident in the positioning and how it's supposed to look now. We also got to touch and play with some different pumps. I'm inheriting the Pump In Style from my sister (whose sister-in-law used it after her), so we knew that we were going to have to buy a new set of the actual pump things. We learned, however, to hold off on buying that in case I need to use a pump in the hospital. The ones that they give me there will work on my pump since Medela made all of their parts interchangeable. So, that's nice of them. I'm pretty excited about breastfeeding and can't wait to see how it all pans out.

30 weeks!

I cannot believe that there is a 3 involved in my week update. Pure insanity. It's crazy to think that he could be hanging out in the very living room that I'm in right now in just about 7 weeks (granted, it could also be in 12 weeks). I guess we should really start getting ready, huh? Jony has almost finished his remodeling project of replacing a regular door with a pocket door; he just has to finish putting up the trim and then do the aesthetic portion (caulking, re-painting, etc.). Once he's all done and cleaned up the huge mess that he's made in our dining area, we can get the carpet fixed (from the flooding that occurred like 6 months ago...) It just has to be re-stretched, so it's not a big deal. I just want it done so that we can clean this house and get it suitable for a baby to be brought into! I have a feeling the nesting instinct is starting to sneak in.

This week is an exciting one: we have our breastfeeding class tonight and our ultrasound Friday morning, after which we are pre-registering at the hospital! I'm not working very much at either job, which is great since I think I'm getting a cold. I need all the relaxation I can get to kick it out as quickly as possible. Also- no weekend plans! YAY! That means that we have all weekend to work on cleaning up this house and starting to finish up our nursery projects (this is mostly Jony). I should be feeling a lot better about the home situation come next week. Oh, my big shower invitations went out on Saturday! People could start recieving them today.

# of things left to do in the nursery: 12

# of things left to buy: 13

Maternity Tour

We made it all real today and went and took our tour of the maternity floor of the new hospital that we transferred to (due to our doctor switch). When it comes to just looking at it, many people would probably question our switch. We were going to be at a doctor with a brand spankin' new maternity floor (as in it just openened a few months ago) and is all glitzy and glamourous, but now we're just at a run-of-the-mill location. However, it's got everything that we could need/want (besides birthing balls, but I feel like we can handle that one on our own) as well as having the fabulous nurses/staff that are completely open to any type of birth. We're going to remember our experience based on the people more than how fancy the room looks, so we're extremely happy with our choice! We feel super confident that we'll have a great birthing experience. It's pretty exciting and strange to think that the next time we'll be there is when we're actually going to be utilizing the rooms! Eek!

We'd hoped to do our pre-registration while we were there, but they're not open on Saturdays. Bummer. Apparently, it only takes about 15 minutes, though, so we're just going to get it done when we go for our ultrasound on Friday (yay for seeing Jeffrey!). That'll be even more exciting and strange- the hospital would actually be prepared for us!

29 weeks!

Happy Labor Day!

How far along? 29 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lb
How much does Baby weigh?: approximately 3 pounds!
Maternity clothes? Besides a few random pieces that still work- completely.
Stretch marks? Nope, but my Linea Negra has appeared
Sleep: Besides weekends away when I forget my Snoogle, it's been alright. Even without it, it wasn't too bad.
Best moment this week: getting our cloth diapers in the mail!
Movement: Tons.
Food cravings: none
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: I've started having Braxton-Hicks contractions (don't worry- completely normal. NOT actual labor contractions; they're just practice!)
Belly Button in or out? For the most part, it's out. Sometimes it takes a trip back in, though.
What I miss: I'd say not having my back hurt, but it did pre-pregnancy, too...
What I am looking forward to: the maternity tour this Saturday!
Milestones: taking the glucose test (which I haven't heard anything back from yet, so I'm guessing I passed!) and making the decision for our pediatrician

# of things left to do in the nursery: 13

# of things left to buy: 15

Lookin' Good

Today was my 28 week appointment- yay! It's always fun to hear that everything looks great, but I got to take a day off of my long-term sub job for it. Woo-hoo! Although, tomorrow could quite possible be my last day. Thank goodness. Anyways, the Dr. said that I'm measuring right on and that he "sounds happy." I managed to gain 4lb, so I'm right on schedule. I was starting to get concerned about my size since I keep hearing that I'm so small and can't possible be as far along as I said, so it was nice to get the extra reassurance that he's doing great in there. He said that the combination of me being so tall, thin, it being my first child and having strong, in-tact stomach muscles that I'm right where he'd think I would be. I also had the fun of having my glucose test done. I was horrified when they handed me the cup when I saw how much I had to drink! However, it has a much worse reputation than it deserves. It just tasted like kool-aid with WAY too much sugar in it. Nowhere near the worst list of drinks I've ever had. If I don't hear anything by next Tuesday, I can be assured that I'm good to go!

We met with the 2nd pediatrician last night, and it went alright. He's a nice guy and all, but he wasn't open to new ideas and hearing our input it seemed. He's very against an alternative vaccination schedule which completely put me off. We'll be going with our first pediatrician that we met, and I couldn't be happier about it! I'm 100% positive that Jeffrey will be getting fantastic care and that we'll be treated as his parents, the ones who know the best for him and his health.