So much to be thankful for

We had a lowkey Thanksgiving.  Really, is there any other kind when you are nine months pregnant?

We had big plans to go into Philadelphia for the big parade but when we heard that the weather was supposed to be extra chilly and possibly so windy the balloons couldn't go up.  So we made the executive decision to skip the parade in favor of have Isaac pile into the bed and watch the parade from under the covers while gorging ourselves on cream cheese covered cinnamon rolls.  

We picked up Ryan's parents and headed out to my parent's house.  Football was watched, pie was eaten, and belts were loosened.  

We checked in with family near and far.  Here is my cute pregnant sister in law and Ryan's brother Patrick.  It is only a few more weeks till my first nephew arrives!

We were completely stuffed and tired when we arrived home.  We had just collapsed in bed, utterly exhausted when Ryan realized we had left his keys at my parents house: keys that he would need for work the next day. Because this is our life:  missing keys.  We called my parents and my dad agreed to meet us halfway, so we didn't have to drive a whole hour back to Leola.  My parents are so kind to us.

Since the meeting spot is a Walmart parking lot and things didn't look too crazy (it was about ten at night) we decided to stop in and see if they still happened to have a deal we had seen advertised.  They were out of Disney Xfinity but they were having a great sale on another item on Isaac's Christmas list, so we snatched that up.  Isaac's shopping is officially done!

It was a good time to relax, enjoy family and to think about all that we have been blessed with.   In no particular order:

• My wonderful family.  Especially my parents who have helped me so much this year (and every year).
• My extended family and in-laws.  Ryan's family remind me a lot of my own-- we are both the oldest of four.  I have really enjoyed getting to know his siblings and parents better this past year.  
• Our cozy townhouse.  Although sometimes it seems like it is positively bursting at the seams, it is the perfect place for us to call home.   
• Two fairly reliable cars.
• Ryan's job.  It was a rough year with a few really lousy jobs.  It is nice for him to have a job where he feels appreciated, that he really enjoys, and where is making good money.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

How far along: 34 weeks! Actually, 35 tomorrow, because I am putting this up so late.

How big is baby: Fruit and veggie scale says cantaloupe.

Weight gain: Eh.  Fine I guess.  I feel bigger every day and this was confirmed at my doctor's appointment.  I have gained 4 pounds since my appointment last week.  I did keep my boots on when I weighed myself, so I am telling myself that is why and not because I am eating pints of icecream for dinner.   My mom saw me Thursday and thought I looked bigger than when she saw me on Sunday.

 Sleeping:  I am exhausted and have fallen asleep very early several nights this week.  I am not resting very well but it could be worse.

Food Cravings: McDonald's.  Gross I know but I want it.

Food Aversions: Anything from the deep fryer still.

Other symptoms: Pelvic pressure and achiness.  Braxton hicks contractions.  Absentmindedness (I left a ricecooker on last week and left for Scouts.  When Ryan came home the house was filled with smoke and the smoke alarm was going off.  Scary!).  Weird dreams-- I dreamed one of my parents at school stole the baby.  Moodiness, tearfulness, etc.

Miss Anything? Energy.  Bending in half.  I'm a broken record I know but that is life right now.

Doctor’s appointment: I had one yesterday.  Not too exciting.  I have also started seeing a chiropractor to help with the painful "locking up" thing that keeps happening each night.  She adjusted me and I felt instant relief.  I had some stiffness that night and the next morning but definitely improved-- no more Frankenstien walk.  I go back next week for another adjustment.

Wedding Rings: Off.  I am scared to put them on now.  

Clothes: Same boring five outfits and I don't even care.  Cuteness is no longer a consideration.  Is it clean?  Does it cover the belly?  That's really all I need.

Movement: Lots but it feels more like squirming and less like kicking.  She is cramped.'

Best moment of the week: Lots of nice moments this past week but the best would have to be getting some spa treatments as part of my Pregnant and Glowing spa treatment my sister so sweetly arranged.  It was such a surprise to open that gift card in the mail.  She is the SWEETEST.  The massage and pedicure were heavenly.  I am saving the facial for closer to the baby's arrival.

What I’m looking forward to: some time with family for the holidays and a few days off of school!

What I did / Got for baby:   I got started packing my hospital bag.  It isn't finished, but I could survive off of what I packed I think.  It made it seem a lot more real!  Baby girl will be here one month from today!

Family Blurbs

Isaac came home with this:

which I thought was adorable.  He was so excited and proud.  If I ever end up in third grade again I will be stealing that idea for sure.

Earlier this week Ryan was able to go with Isaac to his Fruit with Fathers breakfast.  It happened to fall on his day off and during American Education week when parents are invited to stay and observe classes.  I have always wanted to go, but obviously, have never been able to make that happen **insert crushing working mother guilt here**.   Isaac convinced Ryan to stay for Social Studies, gym class, and the book fair..   

 I had a nice lowkey birthday.  This was a present from Ryan:

I am still getting the hang of a Droid but I am loving having my own tablet.  We had a nice dinner at Bahama Breeze and then went to a concert.

Megan Tonjes is one of my favorite singers and she was coming through town at a little coffee shop in Ardmore.  We also had a really nice family dinner with my brothers at my mom's house and my Mom and Dad drove in one night and met us at Olive Garden.

I came back from the bathroom to find these two on their phones and talking NBA and Isaac on his iPad.  Definition of a modern family I guess.

 My parents gave me a gift certificate for People's Light and Theater to take the kids to their Christmas Panto.  So of course I pestered Ryan incessantly to figure out the schedule until we were able to book tickets for a Saturday in December.  My parents have always taken us to the theater growing up.  It is fun to keep the tradition alive with Isaac and Ryan's girls.  It does make me feel a bit better that even with me being grossly pregnant, I don't have to miss out on all of the Christmas traditions and I really am looking forward to taking Allison and Gabby.  We don't ever get much holiday time with them, and I am trying hard to think of traditions we can include them in. 

 

Bumpdate: 32 Weeks and 33 weeks

I accidently didn't hit publish for last week's bumpdate. ???   So here is a double update.

How far along: 33 weeks/eight months. I will be delivering at 39 weeks, so the end is near!, but not near enough!!

How big is baby: Nearly four pounds!

Weight gain: Still doing okay I guess.  I haven't noticed any stretch marks yet, so I am thinking I am doing okay.

 Sleeping: Sleep has been okay.  It is a big, painful production to roll over from side to side and I have to go through this whole pillow positioning routine before fall asleep.  When I get up at night I am so stiff and painful that I literally have to give myself a pep talk to get upright and across the room the bathroom.  But once I am asleep I have been resting pretty well-- I am SO tired by the end of the day.

Food cravings: ALL the sweets.  Seriously.  Halloween candy.  Icecream.  You name it.

Food aversions: I don't drink coffee so I guess it is not an "aversion" but the smell of it in the faculty room makes me want to gag.

Other symptoms: You name a symptom and I have it and most of them probably fall into the TMI category #justsayin.  The baby has all of a sudden dropped and I feel like she is seriously hanging out of my crotch-- there is so much pressure on my pelvis.  I am farty.  I have heartburn and indigestion.  I have to pee all.the.time and when I get the feeling, it is urgent but then hardly anything happens.  Lower back and sciatic pain abound and I am exhausted from carrying around all of the extra weight. My feet are swollen.  I have to get my students to pick up things I drop on the floor because I can't bend in half.  People comment multiple times a day on my hugeness and waddling.

Miss Anything? Already sort of missing some of our holiday traditions.  We have gone to DC the past few years to do a Smithsonian Museum and to see the lights at the temple.  This year I won't be able to go because I need to stay close to home in the month of December.

Doctor’s appointment: We had one Monday.  It wasn't too noteworthy.  I am still measuring right on track. I have gained a little more weight, but nothing crazy.  My blood pressure is still good. We also got me registered at the hospital, so that is all set.

Wedding Rings: Off.  I am scared to put them on now.  

Clothes: Same old, same old and I could care less.  Sweat pants?  Maternity dress?  Sneakers?  As long as I am comfortable I don't care about being stylish right now.  Ryan came home from work today, took one horrified look at me in a too small sweatshirt and leggings and was like "WHAT happened to you?".  So that's where I am at these days. Don't really care. 

Movement: Lots! Still a lot of movement up high on my right hand side, but I am not so sure it's her head.  Lots of sharp rib kicks too.  Poor thing is running out of room in there. Sometimes her movements don't feel like kicks as much as just stretching or trying to change positions.

Best moment of the week:  We had another nice Sunday dinner with my parents.  As we were pulling away Isaac said "They are so nice.  You would think they would be sick of us by now."  Made me laugh, cause it is so true.

What I’m looking forward to: My birthday this weekend!  Ryan is making secret plans, but I know I am getting a tablet of my very own, and we are having a nice family dinner at my parents with both of my brothers.  Should be a great weekend.

What I did / Got for baby:   Ryan and I did a lot of work in the nursery.  We cleaned out the closet.  We set up the second crib, that was given to us by a couple at church.  The crib I used with Isaac is missing pieces, so it is no good.  When we were googling the manual for the new crib, we discovered that this one had been recalled, because it has a drop side.  Tomorrow I can call to see if we can still get a converter kit that fixes the problem.  If not, we will probably just give in and buy a new crib, since going the frugal route has turned into a lot of trouble.  We also cleaned out the closet, got her clothes organized, inventoried and put away, and sorted through a huge bin of bottles, silverware and other baby "kitchenware" given to me by a coworker.  There is still a ways to go in there, but we made some good progress.  We also picked up a little snowsuit for her to wear home from the hospital.  

Also evites for my baby shower have gone out.  Woohoo!  It feels so close now, and yet, still kind of far off.

updates

Ryan and I went and registered at the hospital finally. We also finally got registered for a breastfeeding class: two major things that have been hanging around the to do list forever.  I watched them print off all of the bar codes for my hospital bracelet and all of a sudden it felt very real. This baby will be here soon!!

In other baby news, I receive about 4 comments a day about my waddling.  Yes, I am waddling.  I am aware.  I am carrying this baby so much lower than I carried Isaac.  With Isaac I felt like I was choking on him, he was so high, but not so with this one.  I don't know how I can be expected to walk with a four pound baby in between my legs and not have any sort of waddle.

Ryan's store was the top performer in his region again and the vice president sent out a company wide email giving Ryan and his manager a shout out.  It has been nice for him to have a job where he makes good money and his talents are appreciated. 

I started in on Christmas shopping and I am getting our Christmas cards done next Monday.  I am stuck with the annual dilemma of what to get Isaac's daycare workers.  There are about five of them, and I want to recognize them, but also don't want to spend a ton of money or just get them something silly that they don't even want.  Suggestions?

I have been having phone issues the past few weeks.  My camera stopped work completely and I went to get it replaced (I paid extra for the appleCare warranty when I first bought the phone).  After nearly three hours in the store I walked about with a new phone, and the screen stopped working TWO DAYS later.  I have really been unimpressed with the iphone and am ready to try a droid when I am ready for an update. 

It's almost my birthday weekend and Ryan is full of secret plans.  I don't think he can top last year's surprise Justin Bieber concert (and 30 was a pretty epic birthday also) but I am looking forward to him having three days in a row off from work and also a big family dinner on Sunday at my parents.  I haven't seen either of my brother's in a while, so this should be nice.

That's all for now.  Happy Wednesday!

Bumpdate: 31 Weeks

Sorry I haven't posted much lately beyond the weekly pregnancy updates.  Things have been busy, but not especially noteworthy.  Just the same old, same old--- soccer, laundry, Cub Scouts, errands, school, work, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Soccer is officially over for now, which will free up quite a bit of time.  His team took first again, which was really exciting.  Isaac's coaches have been great, and it has been a good season.  

I also don't have a preggo pic.  I look about the same as last week.  I did replace my iPhone, so going forward, none of my pictures will have those annoying black flecks on them.

How far along: 31 weeks/seven months. Getting closer and closer!

How big is baby: 3.75 pounds.  Fruit and veggie scale says a "large jicama" but I have no idea what that means!  She is going through a big growth spurt in the next few weeks, according to my app.

Weight gain: Still doing okay I guess.  I feel very large in the middle, but not especially swollen which is good.  I was so swollen with Isaac my calves had stretch marks. 

 Sleeping: Sleep has been okay.  I am up several times a night to pee, but at least lately, I have been able to get back to sleep.  

Food cravings: Icecream!!!!  And really all sweets.  I have a secret stash in my desk at work.

Food aversions: Still potato salad and anything made in the deep fryer.  The deep fryer still makes me sick. 

Other symptoms: The usuals--  mood swings, crying, waddling.    I also just feel a lot larger and it has been taking it's toll on my lower back.  I am so tired at the end of the day and several people at work have commented that I look "very uncomfortable".  I am also having some Braxton-Hicks contractions which are so weird and I am always hot.  

Miss Anything? Being able to bend over.  My students are always asking me to tie their shoes and I just look at them like, "Really?" And Ryan has been helping with my shoes and socks in the morning.  

Doctor’s appointment: Next week!  They are becoming more frequent now.  

Wedding Rings: Off.  I am scared to put them on now.  

Clothes: I bought another pair of pants and a few long sleeved tops and that should be it. The pants were supposed to be capris on super clearance, but they actually fit me like regular pants, so that is a bonus that I don't have to send them off to be hemmed.  I have enough work clothes to get me through a whole week at work, which is sufficient, even though it doesn't provide a ton of variety.  

Movement: Lots! I have been concerned because the hardest kicks have been on my right side, almost near my armpit.  The doctor says that could be her head there, but at this point she isn't concerned.  She may still flip herself around yet. 

Best moment of the week: Having Ryan home for a few days, as well as taking a few hours off to be home to help with Halloween. 

 His kids came over to show us their costumes. Allison is a vampire, Gabby was a fairy, and Justin was a bee.  Isaac was Ray Mysterio his favorite wrestler.  

What I’m looking forward to: My birthday!

What I did / Got for baby:   We went to set up Isaac's old crib and discovered it is missing LOTS of pieces.  I posted on our Relief Society (church women's group) facebook page asking if anyone had a crib to sell to us and within 20 minutes someone had offered us a crib for free.  You can't beat free!  One of my coworkers has also given us a space saver high chair too. We are definitely willing to accept any and all hand me downs!  

My aunt also sent us a huge package of clothes, shoes, and accessories, we were so pleased and thankful!  Baby H will be one well dressed baby.