Week 34 conclusion: "The Happiest Place on Earth"

Currently, I'm sitting in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Hotel at Disney, waiting for Colt to finish with his gig. He was asked to play the reception after the wedding of some friends of his who were getting married at the Wedding Pavilion. He had to leave early this morning to set up, so I opted to sleep in a little bit, instead of spending the morning/afternoon waiting in the lobby. The parents of the bride put us up at a lovely Disney hotel called Coronado Springs last night, so we didn't have to make the trip up from Tampa this morning. We met Colt's cousin, Scott, who works for Disney at the gates to Magic Kingdom last night, and he gave us free park hopper passes! Colt and I had a great time walking around the parks, looking at the Christmas lights and people watching. We rode two rides at Epcot...the ride that's in the Epcot ball (forget the name) and the "Norway ride". Haha! I had never been on it before, but I think Colt knew the dialogue word for word to my amusement. He did a lot of acting when he was a child, and filmed a few commercials at Epcot, hence the freakish knowledge. :) We agreed if I had gone into labor on the Norway ride, we would have changed the name of the baby to "Sven". Our trip to Disney got me thinking of my last trip to the parks with my family. I think I was about 17 or 18, and my parents took the family to Disney for Brian Jr.'s birthday. We had a great time together. As I sit here in the lobby, reminiscing about family vacations gone by, and watching happy families round up their children, and wrangle their strollers and backpacks up, I think about how quickly time passes by. When you're young, time moves so slowly. Imagining yourself with a spouse, and a family of your own seems like a fantasy, or something in the distant future. I can remember my last Disney, family vacation like it was yesterday, and thinking how romantic it would be to go there with my husband someday. Walking through the park last night with my husband, I was thinking how strange it would be that next time I come to Disney World, I will be the mother, in one of those families that I watched when I was younger. Its even stranger (if thats a word) to think how our parents must feel! It probably feels like just yesterday that they were walking around the park with their small children, which makes me aware of how quickly time will pass by before Colt and I are the ones hearing about our children's family vacations to Disney with their new families! We didn't come here a lot when I was a kid, and perhaps that's why the trips that we did make, mark a certain time period in my life. There is a family sitting close to me right now, with a couple of daughters who are about the age that I was at the last time I was here with my family. I sit across the room from them today, hopefully a little bit wiser than I was at 17, and I know that although they may be grateful for a vacation together, they almost can't help but take it for granted. When you're 17, the only vacations you really know are family vacations. You take it for granted that you won't always be travelling with them. It may seem silly, but this trip was the first time I've ever been responsible for getting myself from my hotel to the parks! I had to take a Disney bus from my hotel, to Magic Kingdom, and then take the monorail from there to the Grand Floridian in order to wait in the lobby for Colt. I am 24 years old, and almost 9 months pregnant with my first child, and I was worried that I would get lost, or someone would "steal me" as Colt likes to phrase it. I guess no matter how old I get, or what milestones I hit, there will always be a little girl inside me somewhere. That in itself is an interesting thought, knowing that now, I am actually going to be responsible for a child. There are still so many things about life that I know nothing about, and so much advice that I don't have to give yet. I know, I know, you learn as you go, but its still a daunting thought at times to know that there will be situations as a parent where I won't know what to do. I know my parents must have come across these circumstances when we were younger, as I'm sure all parents do, but they did a good job of not letting us know that they were clueless. I guess part of being a parent is putting up a calm, secure front, even if you are scared out of your mind.

If I'm going to take the time to write something, I would prefer it to be something that is profound in some way, or an original thought. I'm not necessarily trying to be "different" but if I'm going to invest the time, why would I want to echo the same old thoughts and ideas? I realize that the "coming-of-age story" of a person finding out they have more in common with their parents than they ever realized, is not original at all, but it is profound in its own way. It may not be profound to everyone, but it is for the individual. Anytime you can understand someone else better on a human level, you gain wisdom. Up until a certain age, you view your parents as "the answer havers", or at least I have. Don't get me wrong, I still go to them for advice all the time, and I still think they know everything, but the older I get, especially on the cusp of becoming a parent myself, I've realized that a lot of the advice I've gotten over the years has probably been their best guess. This is strangely comforting to me, because in the coming years, when our children are expecting Colt and I to be the "know all, be all" of the family, we can give them the knowledge that we have, and then, hopefully be wise enough to give them a good guess. :)

So far, throughout this pregnancy, I have been pretty confident in my parenting skills. I really wouldn't describe myself as a worrier in any aspect of my life. My philosophy has always been, if I make the wrong decision, I can deal with the consequences. Roll with the punches. It will be interesting to see how I feel when I hold the baby for the first time, and it hits me that we (Colt and I) are solely responsible for this human. If he falls down and skins his knee, he will run to us. If he disobeys or is disrespectful, we are the ones that have to decide how to discipline. I was telling someone just the other day, sometimes I feel like saying, "Who is allowing me to have a child?!? I am still a child!" No one seems to be alarmed, so obviously I'm doing something right. Haha! I think this is a pretty normal thought, even for people who are much older than me, having their first child. When you've never been faced with this type, or this much responsibility, you wonder how you'll rise to the occasion. I'm confident that I will, and I'm looking forward to discovering the ways I'll grow as a woman, and as a human in general. I can't wait to see Colt as a father. I expect that will be one of the greatest joys of my life. Well I think that is enough introspection for one post.

I wrote 3/4 of this post on Tuesday, and the other 1/4 today (Wednesday), and today marks week 35! The rest of week 34 was uneventful, other than Disney. I suppose one new thing to report would be that when I sleep on my side now, I can feel body parts moving inside me, and it can feel as though I'm laying on the baby, which is weird! I think he has run out of room in there. Also, the baby may have "dropped" due to all of the walking at Epcot, although I'm not sure. I don't know what its supposed to feel like.

December 23rd is a special day in our house because today, three years ago, Colt proposed to me! It was one of the happiest days of my life. Being married to Colt has proven to me that it IS possible to love someone more and more each day. He has made marriage and my life in general better than I could have ever imagined. As I've told him in the past, even if nothing particularly happy or extraordinary ever happens in my life again, I would be content and satisfied, knowing that my marriage to him has been happy, and extraordinary enough for a thousand lifetimes, and expecting anything more would be greed. So I will sign off this post wishing you all a happy and extraordinary holiday with your loved ones! Thanks for reading!

Week 33 (and half of 34): Waiting for the "drop"

Hello again friends and relatives! This week was slightly confusing for me, because I kept thinking I was in week 34 already. I was jumping the gun a little bit! Anyway, I got a lot done this week which I'm happy about. I've still got a lot to do before he arrives, but the list gets smaller everyday. Without further rambling, here is this week in review...

Thursday night (Dec. 10th-33 wks, 1 day), Colt had his regular gig at Cantina Laredo, and instead of going like a good wife, I decided I needed to get some Christmas shopping done. I went to my favorite store...ROSS! Yes, Ross. Jest if you must, but it has some great stuff for really cheap! It truly is like a treasure hunt. Anyway, I walked out of there with a majority of my Christmas shopping done, and I only spent $100! I resisted the urge to buy myself some really cute flat, brown boots, for tis' better to give than to receive!

On Friday (33 wks, 2 days) I made a trip down to Babies-R-Us to order our glider. We had a lot of trouble choosing one, but we finally decided on a big, fluffy, chenille armchair. Its so comfortable, but we're not sure how its going to wear. It got rave reviews online, but like I said, we're not sure how well the material is going to hold up. We have a throw blanket on it now, so hopefully that will help. Its a little bit more cramped in our living room now, but at least I'll have a really comfortable chair to nurse the baby in! Colt is using it now, and loving it. I wish I could take a picture of him right now because he's sitting in it, reading a Paul McCartney biography. I told him he looks like an old Grandpa because of the throw blanket.

Saturday morning (33 wks, 3 days) I met the Murphy family at Riverhills Park to take some family portraits! It was my first photography gig since Josh & Suzanne Dickey's wedding in September. I love working with family because its so easy going! We got some really good shots and it only took about 45 minutes. Its so strange to see how fast their kids are growing up. Ethan was born a few days before Colt and I's wedding, so he is literally a walking and talking timeline of our marriage. Its also strange, when I stop and think about it (which I did on my way home from taking the pictures), to remember Tara and Lauren when they were pregnant with Sydney and Ethan, and how they started off as just a couple of cells, and are now developed into little people with personalities, and senses of humor. Its weird to think of Cash having a sense of humor since I can remember him being a blob on a sonogram screen.

Sunday (33 wks, 4 days) started a new phase of this pregnancy which was stronger, and more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. I noticed them starting to "pick up" a little bit, and decided to keep an eye on them just in case.

Monday, (33 wks, 5 days) Emilee met Colt and I at our house to take some pregnancy pictures for us. As always, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day, and wasn't ready by the time she arrived at our house. I had been at the mall trying to find a shirt to wear for the photoshoot, and checking out the sale at The Children's Place. When I got home I quickly changed clothes and tried to spruce up a little bit. Colt and I were laughing at my new shirt, which I liked, but probably wouldn't have chosen if I wasn't pregnant. We agreed that it looked like something Liza Minnelli would wear during a performance. Haha! Whatever. By the time we got down to Ybor (my favorite photographic location), there was very little light left. We only got a couple of good ones, but hopefully we'll have some time to take a few more before he arrives. Later that night we went to dinner with Emilee and Nathan to a Greek restaurant in Ybor called, Acropolis. I have to pat Colt and myself on the back for branching out and trying something new, because we always go to the same few restaurants. If its dinner time, and we're not at home, we're either at Outback, Chilis, Mellow Mushroom, Carrabbas, or we have ordered Papa Johns. After dinner, Colt and I were exhausted so we rented a few documentaries and crashed on the couch. If you haven't seen "The Cove", you must rent it. Its a documentary about how the Japanese are capturing and killing dolphins for meat (although they're dangerously high in Mercury, and the Japanese are marketing it as whale), or selling them for a huge profit. Its so sad! Rent it! Anyway, here are a few of the pregnancy pictures...Emilee did a great job!

Tuesday (33 weeks, 6 days) was my Nephrologist appointment. It was an uneventful appointment, which is good! She said my proteins had gone down drastically. The OB started to worry when they went over 300 (they were 354) last visit, but this time they were 184! This is a significant improvement, although no one knows why it improved so much. The doctor said sometimes it just changes day to day. She did say that I had some signs of having a minor infection (none of which are anything that I would notice), but they will give me some antibiotics that will clear it right up! She wants to see me back in 3 weeks. I could potentially be bringing a baby to my next appointment at her office!

I know that Wednesday is the start of week 34, and this post is for week 33, but oh well! Colt and I went down to Clearwater on Wednesday afternoon so Colt could get the H1N1 vaccine at my mom's office. He got it for free which was great! On our way down there, Colt stopped at my favorite restaurant so I could get take out. If you're ever in Safety Harbor, you must stop in at Green Springs, which is a little artsy house turned into a restaurant on Main Street. Order the Beneli. Its a mixture of Greek cheeses, roma tomatoes, and portabello mushrooms on flatbread with a spring mix side salad. Its not pizza, but its pizza-esque. So good, and actually really healthy! I have been eating there since high school, and as I was standing at the counter waiting for my lunch, it hit me that this would probably be the last time I would be eating there without a child! This notion has been hitting me a lot lately! After the appointment, we went to the Babies-R-Us in Brandon to pick up the glider before church. Its seriously one of the most comfortable chairs that I've ever sat in. I can't wait to rock the baby in it! Wednesday night after church, Colt, Brian Jr. and myself went to see 2012. Its been a really long time since we've seen a movie, and we figured we better get them in before we are confined to our home! I liked the movie, but then again, I'm a sucker for movies about destruction and natural disasters. Just call me an old romantic. :) I had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions during the movie. Maybe the baby liked it so much he was trying to come out and see! The doctor told me to call her if they were more frequent than 4 in an hour, but I knew I would see her the next day, and didn't think it would be a big deal to mention it at my appointment the next day.

Thursday (34 weeks, 1 day) was a day I had been waiting for for a long time! I had an ultrasound appointment at the doctor's office, and a regular OB checkup. Our appointment time was at 1:30pm, and we were informed at our previous appointment that they would be moving offices. Colt called (while I was getting ready) about 45 minutes ahead of time to make sure we were going to the correct office, and they informed us that they couldn't find us on the schedule! I was so upset. As I said, I had been looking forward to the ultrasound especially, for a long time! Colt explained that we did have an appointment, so they "fit us in" at 2:15pm at the South Tampa office. The office building was in a somewhat "shady" area of town, but you wouldn't know it when you set foot in the lobby. It literally looked like a lobby in a five star hotel. When I got called back for the routine blood pressure check (116/72 by the way), urine sample, and weight check, they asked me if I had any concerns to discuss with the doctor. I told the nurse about the frequent Braxton Hicks, and she said she would pass it on to the doctor, and she would decided if she wanted to do an exam. After about 5 more minutes, Colt and I got called back to the room. We had never seen this doctor before, but we heard she had broken her ankle, so a nurse was helping her get around. She and the nurse arrived a few minutes later, and we got to meet Dr. Roush. She didn't seem like she was in the best of moods. I re-explained the Braxton Hicks situation, and she decided to do an exam to see if I was dilated at all, which I wasn't. She said the baby still hadn't "dropped", but that the Braxton Hicks were a good sign, because they could be helping things along. She explained that even if I was to go into labor at this point, they would try to stop it, but they wouldn't be very aggressive in their attempt because the baby would probably be perfectly fine if born now. By 35/36 weeks they don't even attempt to stop it. This was somewhat exciting news, knowing that the baby is big enough to be healthy out of the womb. I think I will keep him in there for a few more weeks though! :) One thing I wasn't very happy about was after the exam, the doctor, who was on one of those stools with wheels on the bottom (she couldn't stand without the help of the crutches), wheeled herself over to the door to call the nurse. I'm sitting there with one of those paper blankets over my lap (immediately after the exam) and she leaves the door open and wheels herself down the hall to find the nurse. There I am, sitting on the doctors table, undressed from the waist down with nothing but a paper blanket over my lap, and the door is wide open! I didn't think that was very courteous or professional of her. I had a few questions after the exam, and she seemed annoyed by them. She almost made me feel stupid for asking them. After she would answer one, she would say, "What else?" Nice, huh! When I asked her about my sonogram, she said I wasn't on the schedule to have one! After all that I had been through with the mis-scheduling, and the rude doctor, I was NOT HAPPY to hear that they had mis-scheduled my sonogram that I had been waiting for! The doctor that I usually see (same group of doctors, but a different woman) told me that having a sonogram at 34 weeks was standard procedure. This doctor told me that they didn't do them until 36 or 37 weeks. I explained that the baby has measured big at every ultrasound, so the baby's size was one reason that my doctor wanted me to have one, as well as the fact that he has been breech at every ultrasound. Again, I was told they would see if they could "fit me in". Thankfully they could, and the ultrasound tech was very nice. She made up for the doctor's bad behavior. We found out that the baby is measuring at about 36 1/2 weeks, and is about 6 lbs. 2 oz.! He is also head down, which was great news! His little lungs and heart were working perfectly. If I make it to 40 weeks, I could be on track for a very big little boy. He is in the 80th percentile for growth! At my last doctor's office sonogram he was in the 70th percentile. I kept telling my doctor that at my sonograms with my mother's friend, Jennifer, the baby was always measuring about 2 to 3 weeks ahead of schedule, but they couldn't just take my word for it, as it wasn't the office's ultrasound tech. Now they believe me! Haha! Anyway, they said everything looks great. She tried to turn on the 4D ultrasound machine, but he had his little arm in front of his face again! Bummer! After the ultrasound, I had one more question for the doctor regarding induction. At my previous appointment a few weeks ago, the doctor said that induction could be something we had to talk about it my blood pressure didn't get better, and my proteins didn't go down. I wanted to make sure this was no longer a concern. The nurse called the doctor back in the room, and she didn't seem happy about this! Colt said we were so sorry to call her back, and she said, "Its fine, its just my husband is driving me everywhere now because of my ankle, and he is downstairs waiting, saying he has to go." Needless to say, we were made to feel bad, and rushed to ask the question. I hope we don't have her on "D-Day"!

As of now, I have another Nephrologist appointment in 3 weeks, and another OB appointment on January 4th. I will be 36 weeks, 5 days. We have our last ultrasound with my mom's friend, Jennifer, on December 28th. The weeks are dwindling down. Thanks for reading everyone!

Week 32: "Full of Cash"

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house this week! Week 32 came and went, and left my house looking and feeling cozy! We finally bought a Christmas tree, and got it in the house. Although I was not impressed with the tree initially, and only agreed to buy it because I could tell Colt was getting aggravated at Lowe's looking at all of the trees, I have now come to accept it for its imperfections. I can't remember if I shared this last time, and I'm too lazy to go back and check previous posts, so I will share it again! I had a dream a few weeks ago about my upcoming 34 week appointment. I was telling the doctor how excited I was to see the baby after all of these weeks, and she said, "Well, do you want to take him out for a little while?" I was thrilled, and of course, wanted to see what he looked like! She "took him out" and let me hold him. He was so cute, and very chubby with big, dark brown eyes, and a lot of dark brown hair that stood up in a cowlick on top of his head. After holding him for a little while, the doctor said I needed to put him back. I woke up shortly after this. All of that to say, the reason I came around to liking the Christmas tree we purchased (besides the fact that it was 50% off when we got to the register) was that when I put it up, and put the lights and ornaments on it, I noticed the top of the tree looks like it has a cowlick. It reminds me of Cash, or at least, what I imagine Cash will look like. Our wall is now adorned with one large snowman stocking (Colt's), one large snowflake stocking (mine), and one small snowman stocking (to match Colt's stocking) that Cash and Moe are sharing. I like to buy a new ornament each year that represents something important that happened in the year. This year I bought a little picture frame ornament, in which I put an ultrasound picture from 20 weeks. My mom bought a cute teddy bear ornament that says "Parents-to-Be" and 2009 on it. I love it! Our house is now completely ready for Christmas!

"Cowlick" at the top of the tree

On Monday night (32 weeks, 5 days) Colt and I met Matt and Christina Reif at Starbucks in Clearwater. I went to high school with the two of them (before they were "The Reifs"). She is only about three and a half weeks behind me in her pregnancy, so it was nice to get to talk with them about all things baby and pregnancy related. They are having a little girl. I can't even count how many women I know who are pregnant right now, and all of them that know the sex of their baby are having boys except two. Baby Reif is one of the two girls! Its too bad they live in Hawaii, or I'm sure we'd have many fun play dates in store for us!

Another fun holiday activity this week was the annual ornament exchange party for the ladies at church, hosted by L'Von Qualls on Tuesday night (32 weeks, 6 days). A few weeks ago she asked if she could combine the ornament exchange party with a baby shower of sorts for me! It was so sweet of her to organize & host it, and so sweet of all of the ladies at the party to pitch in, and present Colt and I with a money tree! We played a party game where we were all asked to write down something about ourselves that we thought no one else would know. I had such a good time getting to know all of the ladies better! I should have taken pictures of all of the food that everyone brought. It was INSANE! One of the highlights of the party was when Cash decided to kick for Sharon (Colt's mother). He is a notoriously shy kicker for anyone but Colt and I, but during the ornament exchange he let his Grandma in on his secret! :) At the end of the night, I left with a money tree, a to-go box of cookies and miscellaneous sweets, and a cookie jar shaped like a fat penguin (which my mother said I resembled, as I was wearing a black shirt). It was a lovely party!

I know its probably silly to have installed the car seat this early, but that was another major accomplishment of week 32. With our car situation, it was necessary that we figured this out ahead of time. I don't remember if I mentioned it in a previous blog, but about 4 weeks ago (November 12th) Colt and I bought a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Colt needs a larger car to fit all of his equipment that he brings to his gigs. We had to figure out a way that he could fit all of his equipment in the car, without having to take the car seat base out every time he loaded it. We figured it out. My car may be a different story. I haven't tested it out yet, but I've been reading about car seat installation in a Mustang, and many of the women say they can fit the car seat, but not the base. Hopefully this week I can give it a whirl! Speaking of my car...I had quite a scare earlier this week. Saturday night (Dec. 5th), when Colt was at his gig, I got bored sitting in the house, so I decided to go down to New Tampa to do some Christmas shopping and get Starbucks. My car had been acting up two days prior, but Colt changed the terminals on my battery, and it was working perfectly all day on Friday (Dec. 4th). I should have noticed when I got in the car on Saturday night that something wasn't right, but I think the urge for a Starbucks "Solo, Grande, Two-Pump, Mocha Latte" was too strong. Actually I did notice something was a little bit strange when I got in the car, because the lights on the radio and dash board were slightly dimmed. I thought that if I drove it around for a little while, the alternator would charge the battery, and everything would be fine. I started out of the neighborhood, and decided I would take back roads to New Tampa instead of jumping on I-75 like I usually do, just in case I had any problems. I got all the way up to 56th and Fowler when I noticed that my CD started skipping, and the man's voice on my book on tape was distorted. I decided to turn back around and head home. As I made my u-turn at the light, the car started trying to die on me, but I wouldn't let her! I prayed all the way that I would make it back to the house, or at least the neighborhood. Did I mention it was one of the coldest nights we've had in a while? I hit green lights the entire way home, and I made it all the way back to the light at Temple Terrace Highway and 78th Street before she died. I was turning into my neighborhood when I realized that I couldn't accelerate, and that I was basically just coasting. The brakes still worked thankfully, but I had my hand on the emergency brakes just in case. She conked out two streets before my in-laws house. I called Buddy and Sharon around 8:30pm, and they were there to rescue me in a matter of minutes. I have had alternator problems before, and I knew that's probably what it was. Buddy and Sharon pushed my car over to the side of the street and Buddy took the battery out so he could have it charged on Sunday afternoon. Long story short, my car has a new alternator. I'm thankful that Buddy and Sharon were there to rescue me!

I know I've mentioned how different the baby's movement has been in recent weeks, but I feel the need to mention it again. Of course, it was cool to feel the baby kick earlier in my pregnancy, but his movement is so different now, its amazing. It used to feel like a quick little nudge from some shapeless blob inside me every now and then, but now it feels like a human...like a baby. I can feel it all over my stomach, not just in one area. I feel like my belly is "full of him". I'm full of Cash. :)

I feel as though I should address my weight gain. This is something I'm sure people are curious about, as I would be curious if I were reading this about someone else. It will also be helpful in judging my progress in future pregnancies should they ever happen (Lord willing). Ok, here goes... So far, I've gained about 26 pounds, according to the doctor last week, but probably 27 pounds by now. Weight gain has NOT been something I've been particularly worried about for a while now. In the beginning of my pregnancy I was worried about it, but as I've progressed, I've realized there is nothing I can do about it, short of starving myself and being a bad mother! I've been eating normally, not gorging myself on junk food, but I'm also not eating salads at every meal. I'm pretty pleased with 27 pounds at this point. If I can keep myself from gaining 20 pounds in these last 7 weeks, I'll be a happy Mama! That's all I have to say about that. :)

I have a feeling these next few weeks are going to be the longest weeks of my life, thus far. As I type this, I have to take short breaths, and gently try to nudge the baby down because he is so far into my ribs its insane. Its beyond annoying trying to propel myself out of bed, about four times throughout the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I can't lay on my back for very long because my ligaments start pulling and began to hurt. When I wake up in the morning, I have to be careful not to stretch my calf muscles, which I used to do almost instinctually, because I will get horrible charley horses and have to jump out of bed and walk on it to make it go away. This has happened many times. I've never been plagued by so many problems at one time...but its never been more worth it. I can deal with this for as long as its necessary. The reason these weeks are feeling so long is due more to the fact that I can't wait to see his face, and hear him cry for the first time. I think that will be amazing. Hearing the voice of the baby that has been silently curled up inside my body for the last 9 months. The good news is, I'm still wearing my wedding rings, and haven't really had any swelling so far...knock on wood.

IN CONCLUSION, for all of you that are so over reading this everlasting post by now, I thought I would talk about my birth plan. My birth plan is to have a baby. :) A lot of my friends that are having babies around this time have awesome birth plans, that are geared toward a natural delivery. I wish I was strong enough to say that I was going to go au naturale but I know myself to well. If there's a pain reliever available, I'll take two, thank you! I don't want to get too caught up in a birth plan, only because things can change so quickly. I could go into labor with a natural birth plan, but change my mind and beg for the epidural and I wouldn't want to feel bad about that. I could go into labor thinking that I'm going to get an epidural, but arrive at the hospital to late, or miss my window of opportunity, and I wouldn't want to be thrown off by that either. Both of those options could be thrown out the window if I need a c-section, which is obviously not preferable, but sometimes a necessity. All of that to say, I don't want to expect labor to be any certain way. I think I'll just plan to take it as it comes. But like I said, I'm totally jealous of my friends who have made up their minds to do it naturally, and are sticking with it. More power to you ladies!

Week 32 was lovely! I am now 33 weeks, 2 days and going strong. Jamie Keller (also pregnant with a little boy, 9 days farther along than me), sent me a recipe for eggplant parm that is "guaranteed" by the restaurant that makes it, to induce labor. I'm going to give it a whirl around week 38! Thanks for reading everyone! Sorry this was so long.

Weeks 30 & 31: "Freshly Showered"

Yes, I know, I've been slacking lately, so I will try to catch you all up!

Saturday the 21st (30 weeks, 3 days) was my baby shower! Grandma Dee and my mother hosted it, and with those two in cahoots I knew it would be a lavish affair! It was WAY MORE than I ever expected. It was a safari theme, to match the theme of his nursery, and there were animal prints, stuffed animals, and other kinds of themed decor everywhere! And then there was the cake...It was on par with my wedding cake!!! It was a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and just as delicious as it was beautiful. For the "food-food" there was a Thanksgiving-esque buffet set up. There was a honey baked ham, honey baked turkey, corn souffle, brie cheese tray etc. etc. etc. Needless to say, no one left hungry. I got so many great gifts also! Everything from strollers, to carseats, to bouncer seats, to clothes, to gift cards! I couldn't believe the "haul". This kid is going to be the best dressed baby in Florida! Like I said, the shower was way more than I ever expected. I'm so thankful for those of you that came, and to Grandma Dee and my mom for throwing such a lovely party! I'm sorry I couldn't include more pictures, blogspot doesn't let you upload very many without it distorting the page.

The rest of that week was filled with miscellaneous appointments. On Monday, the 23rd (30 weeks, 5 days) we had an ultrasound with my mom's ultrasound tech friend, Jennifer. I look forward to our ultrasound appointments with her for weeks in advance! The baby was perfect. She measured his head, belly and femur, and concluded that he was measuring at about 34 weeks! That's about 3 weeks ahead of schedule! He was weighing in at 4 lbs. 8 oz. An average baby at 31 weeks weighs about 3.3 lbs. At this point, babies usually gain about a half pound a week, so he could potentially be a pretty big baby. She also said he has a lot of hair, and full lips! I know I always say this, but I really am getting antsy to see him in person!

On the 24th (30 weeks, 6 days) I had an appointment with my OB. She had requested to see me weekly to monitor my blood pressure. In the office, before my appointment, it was 138/82. I was very nervous going into the appointment, that it was going to be high, and of course, it was higher than normal. When I met with the doctor, she said, "Have we ever discussed the possibility of bedrest?" WHAT!?! I felt like saying, "SLOW DOWN! My blood pressure is only high before I get it taken in your office!" She said if it went over 140/90, bedrest would be "prescribed". Thankfully, its never been that high. We also discussed my upcoming Nephrologist appointment which was to take place about an hour after my OB appointment on that day, and what I should expect. She ordered blood work on my liver also. I'm not quite sure now why she did this, but I knew why when I was in the office. Haha! They didn't find anything "interesting" or they would have called by now. I wanted to keep her up to date with my out-of-office ultrasounds, so I asked her about the baby's weight being so high for a 30 week, 6 day old baby. She said he was definitely a, "larger baby", but she wasn't concerned. She didn't mention that I was going to be getting another ultrasound, but my cousin Lauren informed me that they usually do another one around 34 or 36 weeks to track growth and development, so I figured they would investigate more at that time. We had to get out of there pretty quickly to make it to our NEXT appointment with the Nephrologist...it was a fun-filled day.

The Nephrologist's office was gross. It was in a rough section of town, and the office itself smelled like soup. Yuck! Colt was making me laugh so hard, because he is such a germ-o-phobe. Of course, with his luck, got seated next to a woman wearing a medical mask! Everytime she coughed, Colt would lean over to my chair and say, "I'm not going to breathe, I'm not breathing." Haha! We waited for about an hour in the waiting room, which was ridiculous. We got to see a bunch of characters walk in and out the door. Not exactly the kind of people that a healthy person would want to sit next to. Finally, we got called back to see the doctor. They tested my blood pressure, which was 120/80! This was significantly lower than it was at the OB's office only a few hours earlier. To me, this is proof that I am just getting nervous about it being high at the OB's office, so it is. After my blood pressure was taken, we were taken to our room to wait another 30 minutes! The total wait time was an hour and a half! I guess it was worth it, because the doctor was really nice, and helpful. She asked if I knew what my protein levels were before I was pregnant, and what they were at the time of my last 24 urine test. Before I was pregnant it was 184, and at my last urine test, it was 354. She said the increase was normal because of the pregnancy, but anytime the numbers go over 300, Obstetricians tend to get nervous. She said since I had higher levels of protein in my urine before, I'm most likely just fine. In her field, anything under 1,000, "isn't usually something to worry about." The only problem is, because I'm pregnant, any tests that she would do on me at this point would have skewed results. She asked if I had ever had any kidney stones, urinary tract infections, or anything out of the ordinary. My answer was "no" to everything. She said that when the kidneys start to have a problem, they can get inflamed, and swell a little bit. Sometimes this doesn't go away. I could have had a problem several years ago, and the slight swelling and liquid in the kidneys which is causing the protein leak, could be old damage that hasn't gone away yet. She didn't seem worried at all. Just in case, I have another appointment with her the third week in December.

I know that all of this medical talk is probably totally boring to read, as I would be bored out of my mind reading this if it weren't about me. I'm trying to document everything as best as I can, so if I run into any similar problems in future pregnancies, I will have a resource to turn to for information. So...sorry for all of the boring parts!

In slightly more interesting news, feeling the baby move is different than it has been in past weeks. Instead of just a sharp kick, I can actually feel him move around. I can watch my belly, and see one of his body parts move from the left side of my stomach to the center, or right side. Of course, its not clear what body part it is, but its still fun! I can also feel him move a body part really low in my abdomen, and feel him move another body part on my left side, and another one on my right side, all at the same time! Its strange, because I tend to think of him as teeny tiny still, but he's really filling out! A 32 week (where I'm at now) old baby is supposed to be roughly 16.7 inches long from the top of his head to his toes, and about 3.75 lbs., but again, he was about 4 lbs. 8 oz, at almost 31 weeks, so he's probably taller than 16.7 inches as well!

The third trimester has proven itself to be significantly more uncomfortable than the second, as expected. I've started experiencing back pain for the first time in my life. I've never had a problem getting comfortable when I sleep, but now I have to switch from my left to right side frequently to prevent back pain. I'm also waking up every hour, to every two hours to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which really disrupts the sleep cycle. I guess its just my body's way of preparing me for those late night feedings! Shortness of breath is a new, and unwelcome symptom that surfaces occasionally. They say its because the baby is getting so big, he puts more pressure on your lungs, which makes sense. I don't experience this all the time, so its not a big deal. I feel so out of shape when it does happen though! I am out of shape! Haha! Its getting harder to do everyday things like paint my toenails, zip up my boots, and fold my jean legs into capri pants. I hate dropping things because picking them up isn't fun. I think it has a lot to do with the baby's position though, because if he's lower, bending over doesn't really bother me, but if he's higher, it feels like he's cutting off my air supply! Another interesting symptom is what I like to call "facial hot flashes". My face and ears get really hot and start to turn slightly red for a few seconds. Its all hormones, and it doesn't really bother me. Its not ALL bad though. For the most part, I am enjoying the last part of my pregnancy, and being able to feel him move around inside my body. I'm sure I will miss it when he's out in the real world.

All of his clothes, blankets, extra sheets, towels, washcloths, etc. are washed and ready for use! I'm going to hold off on washing the bedding until after my 34 week ultrasound, when they'll have a better idea of when he'll be born. I can't seem to get the house clean enough or organized enough. We put the finishing touches on the nursery last week (31 weeks). We're still deciding whether or not we're going to put my old TV on top of his chest of drawers, or buy one (Colt wants a small flat screen for the nursery). Now we just have to get the carseat installed in my car, and our bags packed and ready to grab in a hurry!

Well that's about it for weeks 30 and 31. I am into my second day of the 32nd week now. I will try to be more diligent about posting! Thanks for reading!!!

P.S. I had doctor appointment yesterday (32 weeks, 1 day). It was very routine, and my blood pressure was 120/82, which is normal! The doctor said she wasn't concerned about Pre-Eclampsia after seeing the results from the Nephrologist appointment. My next appointment is December 17th for my ultrasound and routine checkup. My appointments are every two weeks now, until 36 weeks and then they'll be weekly! We're getting close!

P.P.S. I forgot to mention my birthday was November 30th. My sweet husband surprised me with a manicure/pedicure appointment at Somers & Company Salon and Day Spa in Safety Harbor. Its getting hard for me to paint my own toenails! He even went with me and ran errands while I was being pampered. I don't know how I got so lucky with him. He is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Week 29: Childbirth Class with Bloody Mary

The beginning of week 30 has left me wondering, where is this baby going to find anymore room to grow. We still have at least 7 weeks left, and 10 more until 40! I guess this is the part of pregnancy that everyone warned me about. The third trimester backaches, inability to get comfortable at times, heartburn, and a backlash of nausea! Granted, I don't feel these symptoms all the time, so that's a step in the right direction. I have been rockin' the pregnancy waddle as Colt likes to point out, but this is usually only after I've been walking for a long period of time, or I'm wearing my cute winter boots. Anyway, the close of week 29, and the beginning of week 30 have been nothing if not eventful.

Last week, as you know, I was called into my doctor's office for another ultrasound to determine the size of the baby. As they concluded, he was about 3 lbs, 1 oz. at 28 weeks, 6 days, and in the 70th percentile. This is not all together uncommon, and larger babies do run in my family, but we're still not sure what that means in terms of when he'll come. I got a call on Monday morning with the results of my 24 hour urine test...well sort of. One of the office nurses called me and asked if I could come in either that day, or on Tuesday to meet with the doctor and go over my results. I told her that I was already scheduled to come in that day (Monday) to get the H1N1 vaccine, and inquired about any appointment openings that she had around that time. Unfortunately, the doctor was already double booked for that day, which made me wonder why she even mentioned that as an option in the first place, but that I could come in at noon on Tuesday. I was a little bit perturbed that I would be going back to the doctor's office the next day, which would make it 4 times in 3 weeks, but I obliged. At my ultrasound appointment the previous week, I had them take my blood pressure, which was at 122/80, and I had them test it again on Monday's H1N1 vaccine appointment, and it was at 118/80. Both of which are good numbers! Tuesday I waddled into the office with Colt following, loyally behind me (he hasn't missed any of my appointments with the doctor). They did all of the preliminary testing, and checked my blood pressure once again, which was at 122/82, still normal. Colt and I were escorted back to our room to wait for the doctor. When she walked in, she looked a little troubled. "Alright, we have to talk," she said. In my experience, these words are almost never followed by good news. She received the results of my urine test, and my protein levels were at 354. Normal protein levels should be under 150, but in the mildest form of any kind of problem, the levels are between 150-500. She was concerned about this because two of the markers of Pre-eclampsia are protein in your urine, and high blood pressure, among other things. My blood pressure is normal now, but for several appointments previously, it had been slowly escalating. She was worried about the combination of those two symptoms, and said that if the problems continued down this path, that they might have to deliver the baby a little bit early to ensure that everything would be ok. The only "cure" for Pre-eclampsia is to deliver the baby, and then the condition clears up. After hearing this, I was thinking, "Well lets just hold our horses for a few minutes here before you slice me open and go digging for baby." I explained to her that even before I got pregnant, I had had some issues with protein in my urine. In fact, about 5 months before I got pregnant, I had to do my first 24 hour urine test for my general practitioner. She too said that I had elevated levels of protein my urine, but that it was normal for some people to have more protein than others. My OB disagreed. She explained to me how the kidneys work to filter out proteins, and when, for whatever reason, they aren't filtering out what they should be, there could be a problem. She said this could be considered "good news" for my pregnancy though, as it didn't sound like Pre-eclampsia if I've had this protein problem even before I got pregnant. Also, since my blood pressure was normal at the last several visits, that gave less credibility to the Pre-eclampsia diagnosis as well. She referred me to a Nephrologist (kidney doctor), to have them run some tests and find out what the root of this problem is. If its not related to my blood pressure, which I'm sure its not, then its not Pre-eclampsia, and that can be ruled out. On the other hand, if its not related to my blood pressure, then I'm not sure what it could be related to, and we need to get to the bottom of it! My OB said it could be a neph-something-or-other, but that it shouldn't affect the pregnancy. She didn't seem to concerned with the alternative, which made me feel a little bit better. Hopefully if we discover its not Pre-eclampsia, and there is some other reason that my kidneys are slacking on the job, they'll be able to do something, preferably non-invasive to fix the problem! Anyway, she gave me the number of a Nephrologist, and told me she wants to see me back in a week (11/24) after I have been to see the Nephrologist. Of course, when I called to make the new patient appointment with them, the first availability was on December 2nd, so I had to take that appointment. I called my OB back, and told her that the new doctor informed me that there would be no way to get in before my next OB appointment, but that I had another OB appointment on the 3rd of December, and wanted to know if that was ok. SO NOW my OB is calling the Nephrologist, trying to get me in with them before my November 24th OB appointment. I know...CONFUSING! So many doctor appointments, so little time. As of now, I have an ultrasound appointment with my mom's friend Jennifer, on the 23rd, an OB appointment on the 24th, a Nephrologist appointment on the 2nd, and another OB appointment on the 3rd. To top it all off, my December 3rd OB appointment marks my 32nd week, at which time they start increasing your appointments to every other week until about 36 weeks, and then it goes to weekly! I'll probably be living at the doctor's office for the remainder of my pregnancy. Better safe than sorry I suppose.

In happier news, my baby shower is TOMORROW! I am so excited! My mom and my Grandma Dee have put so much time and planning into it. I can't wait to see the final result. I will post pictures as soon as I have some. Trying to find something to wear to the baby shower has been...fun. Since the beginning of my pregnancy, my ambition was always to look pregnant, and not just fat. For the last several weeks that I have been REALLY "showing", I have been buying regular, non-maternity shirts in bigger sizes, so I can look pregnant, be comfortable, and still feel cute. This has become more of a task in recent weeks. I think I've come to a point where the non-maternity shirts aren't going to cut it much longer. Although I have come to terms with the fact that I may have to buy some maternity shirts, I refuse, REFUSE to wear a mu-mu for the next few weeks. I will not do it. My Grandma Jan and Mama picked out some really cute maternity clothes for me at Kohl's, and my shower ensemble will most likely come from their findings. Cute, and not a tent!

Tuesday night was our first child birth class at University Community Hospital, which is where we plan to deliver. Neither one of us was expecting this to be a blast, but we had heard that they were somewhat helpful. We were in a class of 4 couples (not including us). Although the teacher was very sweet and helpful, I can't say that I learned anything new. I come from a HUGE family, and it seems like every year, someone is having a baby. This has proved to be very helpful during this pregnancy, and knowing what to expect. Before we left for the class, we were running late, as usual. Colt really wanted to shave before we left, as to make a good first impression. In an effort to be speedy, he wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing, and he cut his ear, and his nose pretty badly. It was bleeding, so he put some paper towel on the wounds, and we left for the class. The kept the paper towel on the whole way there, but when we parked at the hospital, he obviously had to take it off. It started bleeding profusely! His ear had pretty much dried up, but the scratch on the bottom of his nostril was pretty bad. We made it to the class with a few minutes to spare, so he ran to the bathroom and grabbed a few hand fulls of toilet paper to stop the bleeding. It was HILARIOUS! The teacher asked us all to answer a few "get to know you" questions, and Colt was holding a bloody wad of toilet paper in his hand, and blotting his nose every few words. I couldn't help but laugh so hard (not while he was talking of course). We both got a huge kick out of it. It didn't stop bleeding until we took our first break about an hour later! Poor guy!

Side note: I had a cup of coffee this morning, which I haven't really wanted almost the entire pregnancy. I used to be an avid coffee drinker, but the thought of it during this pregnancy has kind of been a turn off. Anyway, as I type, I am watching the baby squirm and dance in my belly. He must like the extra caffeine kick! HA!

Well I suppose I will leave you with a few pictures. I didn't post them on Facebook, but I thought since this was my "personal" blog, that it would be ok to post them on here. Aunt Heather (my go-to photographer) is down for the shower so we took some cool "belly" photos. I had been trying to figure out a way to use my curtains in my room, which are such a cool orange color, and some low lighting to take some cool shots, but I don't know how to set the timer on my camera. She was a big help, and they came out great! Just to preface this, I don't think these are immodest, and if you are having lustful thoughts about a 7 and 1/2 month pregnant belly, you're a weirdo. Thanks for reading!!!

Week 28: The Arrival of Mr. Braxton Hicks

FINALLY! Week 28, the beginning of the third trimester! Where did the second trimester go? Colt and I were just talking about how quickly the weeks are passing. We only have 12 more weeks until we reach 40! This week we spruced up the nursery a bit more, had my 28 week doctors appointment, discovered some of the baby's preferences, and I caught the beginning of a nasty cold. I suppose if you were looking for a quick summary, you don't have to read any further. Ha!

I would estimate that the nursery is about 95% complete. There are still a few things I have to pick up and hang on the walls, but its almost there. We bought a little pacifier basket this week to hold extra pacifiers, and another one to hold socks. You have no idea how much I enjoy organizing things. More accurately stated, you have no idea how much I enjoy having things organized. I'm still trying to figure out how I want to store all of his clothes. He has a pretty big closet, as well as several large drawers in his chest of drawers. I bought some clear, plastic containers to store clothes that are too big for him right now. I got a good tip from Megan Ciampa, to wash new clothes in 3 month increments (0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.). It makes sense because it saves you drawer space, as well as the hassle of digging through things that don't fit him to find something that does. Good tip, Megan! Anyway, the nursery has turned out exactly how I pictured it. I can't wait to post pictures...but I will! :)

My 28 week doctors appointment was actually eventful this time. I don't know why but I always get a little bit nervous going to my appointments. I know that the baby is doing fine, but I just can't seem to shake the feeling of queasiness when I go. For those who know me well, you know that feeling queasy is my response to nerves...every time. I hate it, but I suppose its better than a few other physiological reactions to nerves I can think of. Yikes! Anyway, the 28 week appointment is when they conduct the Glucose Tolerance test. A few minutes after I arrived I was called back for the routine urine sample, weight check, and blood pressure check. After all of the routine testing, they asked me to spit out my gum and drink an orange liquid, which resembled Pedialyte, but tasted very sweet. I had heard mixed reviews on the drink, so not wanting to take my chances, I held my nose and chugged it down. Not bad. After the initial drink, you have to wait exactly an hour, and then they take a blood sample to see how well your body is filtering out sugars, or something like that. I had asked about fasting before the test at my last appointment, and the said it wasn't necessary. I always have a Coke or Diet Coke in the morning when I wake up to prevent caffeine headaches, but I wasn't thinking of the effect my morning Coke might have on the Glucose Test later that day. Thankfully I passed with flying colors! Anything under 139 is passing, and I was at 120! During my hour long wait, I was called back for my normal doctors appointment. I loved our doctor at this appointment. I had seen Dr. Polender once before at a previous appointment, and she really seemed to care about how I was doing. Not only that, but she seemed genuinely excited for Colt and I, and even remembered who I was when she walked into the room at this appointment! Impressive! I hope she's on call at the time of delivery! She measured my "fundal height" and said I was right on target. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which has stayed between 130 and 140 beats per minute every time, which is good! I had a few questions for her regarding my due date. For a myriad of different reasons, I am beginning to question if I am farther along that I originally thought. He has measured almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule at all of the ultrasounds, and has reached several milestones, like opening and closing his eyes a few weeks ahead of schedule as well. There are other more "scientific" reasons, which will remain undisclosed. :) Anyway, she wanted to do another in office sonogram to check and make sure we are still on schedule. He could just be a large baby. We'll find out on Tuesday. I'm hoping they'll turn on the 3D ultrasound for us again! Another issue brought to my attention was my blood pressure. It has been slowly escalating since my first appointment, although still within a "normal" range. She said it was normal to have higher blood pressure in pregnancy, but she wanted to do a 24 hour urine test to make sure there was no protein in my urine (or at least a normal amount). I am thankful for her precaution! She didn't say the words Pre-eclampsia, but I know that is what she's checking for. I would like to rule that out as quickly as possible! I start the urine test on Monday, and will turn it in on Tuesday when I come in for my sonogram. Hopefully everything will come back fine.

There must be something wrong with the left side of my body, because the baby likes to steer clear of it. He is ALWAYS curled up on my right side, which I think is so cute. I have to wait to see who he'll resemble, and what his personality will be like, but its nice to get to know some of his preferences while we wait to meet him. He loves to kick at my right rib cage and sometimes heads up there just to hang out. There have been a few times this past week where he will position himself on my right side, and I can see the outline of his little body. Its obviously not in detail, but its a huge lump under my skin. It looks like something out of an alien movie.

This week I realized that the tightening and "hardness" I've been having in my belly are really Braxton Hicks contractions! I've heard of them before, obviously, but for some reason I thought they felt more like a cramp. They aren't painful. They kind of feel like all of my insides are twisting and tightening and my stomach gets harder for a few seconds. They don't last very long, but I can always tell when I'm having one because sometimes my face feels like its getting slightly hotter and I can feel my heart beating in my face and throat! They haven't become annoying yet, but I've heard they get old fast! Guess they're just one of the joys of the third trimester!

Saturday night Colt played a wedding for some friends of the family (on the Iannetta side). It was a gorgeous event! Grandpa Tony and Grandma Jan came down to attend the wedding and we got to spend some time with them. Mama and Grandma Jan went out and bought me some accessories and really cute maternity clothes! I was so thankful, because I'm getting to the point now where my cute little non-maternity shirts aren't cutting it anymore! Grandma Jan also bought us our changing table!!! I am SO excited to get that in the house. Its being shipped right now. The next time we'll see Grandma Jan and Grandpa Tony, I will have a three month old baby (Lord willing). So surreal!

UPDATE: Today is Tuesday (28 weeks, 6 days), and I wrote most of this post earlier in the week. I just got home from my doctors appointment where I had my sonogram to tell me if they were going to change my due date. First off, I had my blood pressure checked and it was 122/78 which was great, and down from my last appointment (138/80). I may just be getting nervous about appointments with the doctor. Weird. ANYWAY! We waited for about an hour to get called back for the ultrasound, which was ridiculous because she admitted that we got shuffled around, and they basically forgot about us. I laid down on the table and had to explain to her why we were there. She started measuring his head, belly, and femur to check his measurements. He was measuring big, of course, but the only way I knew this is because I was reading how many weeks he was measuring on the screen, not because she was telling me. She was doing all kinds of stuff and not telling us what it meant. His face was towards my back, so we could see his spine, but no face shots. She hardly even tried to turn him around. She just said, "I don't think you'll be able to see his face." She said I have the perfect amount of amniotic fluid. I had to ask how much he weighed, which was 3 lbs. 1 oz. She said he is in the 70th percentile. When I asked her if that meant he was going to come earlier than we thought, she just looked at me for a few seconds and said she didn't know. When we were all done, we left with a blurry picture of his "boy parts" and his foot. She put no effort into getting any good shots of him, or explaining anything to us! I was so mad when we left this appointment, especially because we only have one doctor's office ultrasound covered under our insurance, and we are most likely going to have to pay for this! We were kind of hurried out the door. I guess she just wanted to go home since it was about 4:40pm. We were in the room for less than 10 minutes. Oh well, the doctor wanted us to have it done, so I will probably call at the end of the week to see what the doctor thinks. Although I am frustrated with the ultrasound tech, I am VERY THANKFUL that we have such a healthy baby! He is breech again, but she said he has plenty of time to turn around. We go for an ultrasound at my mom's office, with our favorite ultrasound tech, Jennifer, on November 23rd. We are so thankful for Jennifer and for all of the detailed (and FREE) ultrasounds she has given us! This week has been great! The shower is less than two weeks away and I am SO excited! Thanks for reading everyone!

A fat little foot!

Week 26 & 27: The Nesting Begins!

For those of you who know Colt and I well, this post may be shocking to you. We are probably two of the biggest procrastinators in the world, but with a little help from my "nesting" instinct, we've actually completed several baby related tasks this week!

Week 26 was a pretty busy week! We had Uncle Josh come to stay with us from Tuesday (last day of Week 25) until Friday morning. Colt loves it when Uncle Josh comes to town because it brings the added bonus of having a drummer at a few of his gigs! They always enjoy getting to "jam" (I hate that word--Haha!) together. I went to Meridian to hear them play on Wednesday night after church, and the baby was moving all over the place, listening to them play. Thursday night they played at Colt's regular gig at Cantina Loredo in Wiregrass Mall. Aunt Brenda, Chase, Tara, Peter, Lauren, all of their kids, and Buddy and Sharon came up to hear him play also. Uncle Josh gave Sydney and Ethan some drum sticks to take home, and they thought that was the coolest! Its so cool to watch those two grow, and see their different personalities develop. Uncle Josh and Colt were commenting later on how much natural rhythm Ethan had. He was drumming on a nearby chair, on beat! Sydney was staring at Uncle Josh's hands, and watching Ethan to get a handle on the technique, to find out the best, and most efficient way of learning to drum. They are the cutest! Uncle Josh left on Friday morning. We were glad to get to spend some time with him before the baby comes. I can't wait to see Aunt Heather in November for my shower! Ryan was in town last week as well! He played with Colt and Uncle Josh at Meridian, and Cantina Loredo as the bassist, although he is a really good guitar player as well. We always look forward to his homecoming and getting to spend some time with him. Poor Colt was exhausted by the end of the week as he had a gig every night except Tuesday, and he "jammed" with Uncle Josh and Ryan on that night! He even played on Sunday afternoon, which he never does. Thankfully he still had a little bit of time to take a nap when he got home from his gig, before church. He was so thankful for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off!

Monday kicked off our nursery rejuvenation project. It took me a while to choose a paint color. I kept putting it off because I didn't want to make the wrong decision, and then have to re-paint. Colt HATES to paint. I mean, he really, really hates to paint. Thankfully my parents agreed to come over and help him. They say pregnant women shouldn't paint due to the fumes as well as the chance that any paint on your skin could be absorbed and affect the baby. To tell you the truth, I don't know what they (the people that made this rule up) think is going to happen if you smell paint, or get it on your skin. I'm not really sure of the adverse effects that participating in the painting would have on the baby, but I abstained anyway. On Monday night, we met my parents at Outback and took them out to dinner, and then returned to our house to begin the painting. Colt had already primed the room with white paint before their arrival. While he was busy doing that, I decided to clean the windows on the outside of the nursery. I, being the bad housewife that I am, have never cleaned the outside of those windows. It showed. I had to use Lysol to break up all of the grime first, and then go over them again with Windex to leave a streak free shine! I think I used about a million paper towels. Al Gore would be very disappointed in me. Anyway, after dinner, Daddy and Colt got started on the painting while Mama entertained me in the living room. Later on, Buddy and Sharon stopped by to check on the progress and chat with us for a few minutes. The painting was done by 10:30pm, but there was still much more to do. The next day, we decided that we would re-paint the white border on the bottom of the room. This meant another trip to Lowes! We got the white paint, as well as a sample can of the paint we used in the living room to do some touching up and some new outlet and light switch plates! We also used Tuesday to shop for some new carpet for the nursery. By Tuesday night we had completely finished the painting which not only included the walls, but the white border on the bottom, then re-edging with the brown, as well as touching up the bookshelf that goes around the top of the bedroom. I am SO THANKFUL to have that behind us! I always think that I like painting, until we start doing it again. Ugh! So much to clean up! We found the new carpet yesterday (Wednesday) and it will be installed either tomorrow or Saturday. I know I'm nesting because I can't wait for the carpet to be installed so I can do a really "deep clean" on the room! My goal is to keep it clean enough so that I can just do a quick wipe down before we go to the hospital (assuming I have some warning of when that will be). I can't wait to start moving everything back in the bedroom, and getting it all set up the way I want it. Its hard to believe that there will be a baby in there in a few weeks, Lord willing. Below is a picture of me at 27 weeks (well, 26 weeks and 6 1/2 days) in the nursery with the new paint color.

The baby has continued to be really active at night, although I wouldn't say he is a super active baby. I think he "hides" throughout most of the day and surfaces around midnight. Not to say that he never kicks throughout the day, he does, its just not as frequent as it is at night. I can't remember if I shared this in my last post, and if I did, feel free to read ahead. Colt loves to feel my belly when the baby kicks! He was playing with the baby a few nights ago, and when the baby would kick, Colt would poke back at him, and the baby would kick his hand again. It was like a fun game of tag. Colt decided to lay his face down on my belly, and the baby started kicking his cheek. It was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. It seems that the baby kicks for Colt and I all the time, and although other family members have felt him kick too, he seems shy to move around for anyone other than his parents.

Last night (Wednesday-27 week mark) the baby got the hiccups for the first time! I was sitting in Ray Madrigal's class at church, and all of the sudden I started to feel what can only be described as a rhythmic movement, almost like a faint kick that was on beat. I think I've felt this before, but I've attributed it to my pulse or just several small kicks. Nope! Little man must be drinking that amniotic fluid too fast. This could be why he's so fat! He got them twice last night and I love it. I'm told this gets more annoying with time, but for now I think its sweet. I keep picturing his little chest jumping with each hiccup. I can't wait to see him do this out in the real world!

Week 26 was busy, but lovely all the same. Next on the agenda is getting the carpet installed, and moving the furniture back into the baby's room! I have a doctor's appointment next Thursday at which they'll give me the dreaded glucose test! Ahh! Thanks for reading!

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAUREN!!! Love you!

"Love Man"

"Life is always a rich a steady time when you are waiting for something to happen, or to hatch."

-E.B. White, Charlotte's Web

I think this quote proves to be very true, although I think they should modify it to say, "During the second trimester, life is always a rich and steady time...". The first trimester, ehh. Rich, yes, steady, no. I was sick as a dog! I'm beginning to discover that there is truth to all the advice I got about how the symptoms that went away during your second trimester start to resurface during your third trimester, although they are different now. I think I would choose anything to throwing up 3 or 4 times a day though! Oh well, only two more weeks until my third trimester starts! Bring on the backaches!

This past week (Week 25), Colt and I bought a chest of drawers from Ikea for the nursery. We bought it on a Wednesday before church, and came home straight after to put it together. I was pretty impressed with how well it turned out, as neither one of us are born carpenters. Ha! During the final stages of putting the drawers in, I noticed some blood on my hand after wiping my nose. Turns out my nose was bleeding! I've heard this was a symptom of pregnancy, due to the increased amount of blood in your body, but I had never experienced this before. I didn't even get nose bleeds before I was pregnant. Of course, Colt and I got a good laugh out of my finishing the project with a bloody paper towel in my hand. Gross I know, but just reporting the facts. :) Anyway, it turned out great. I will post a picture for all of you non-Facebookers. The brownish paint is going to be the new color.

Thursday (the 15th) was the date of Colt's annual gig at his old high school. One of his former teachers who organizes the homecoming festivities calls him every year to ask him if he can get a band together and play for them. It always turns out to be a lot of fun! A bunch of the school clubs perform different skits, and the crowd judges the winners. Most of them are pretty lame, but every once in a while, you'll see a good one. I think its fun for Colt and the band, because the kids act like its a real rock show. As soon as they start to feel comfortable rockin' out in front of their teachers, they'll rush the stage and jump up and down to the music. This year it was Greg Ciampa on the drums, Warren Curry on bass, Danny Moody on guitar, and Colt on guitar and lead vocals. They sounded great! My friend Megan (Greg's wife), and I drove up to Ocala together, which made for a fun ride! For those of you that don't know she and Greg, they were married about a month before Colt and I, and have a sweet baby girl named Mia. Colt and I are in the process of arranging a marriage between Mia and Cash, as she is a very Godly, and stylish young lady. :) Its so nice to have friends with a baby that we can solicit for advice! While waiting for their show to start, Colt and I were sitting in the band room talking, and I felt my first kick to the ribs! It was actually more like he maneuvered a limb under my ribs because it was a constant pressure. It was painless, just uncomfortable and only lasted for a few minutes. It went away after I stood up. You'd think I would hate having that happen, but its kind of cool knowing how big the baby must be to be able to do that!

On Saturday afternoon we got to spend some time with the Venable side of my family. We all met at GiGi's Italian Restaurant in Pasadena, an old Venable haunt for years now. Our cousins, Eric and Mike were in town from Georgia, so we decided to get together and celebrate their arrival, as well as Uncle Clay's birthday! If you've never been to GiGi's, you must go. Order a pepperoni pizza and an antipasta salad. Tell them Aubree sent you. I'm just kidding, don't do that, they'll have no idea who you're talking about. HAHA! My mouth is watering just thinking about their pizza. We'll be back soon enough though as GiGi's is always my birthday restaurant of choice. GiGi's, Starbucks and a drive to look at Christmas lights is always my birthday wish!

Lately, we have been pretty lazy about playing music for the baby, so we decided to remedy this problem on Saturday night. I think we were up until about 4am playing with him! From what I can gather, he seems to be most active right around 3am on most nights. We started out with some of his favorite songs, "Love Man" by Otis Redding, "Return to Sender" by Elvis Presley, and "Bring It On Home to Me" by Sam Cooke. He loves "Love Man" so much, Colt has started refering to him as Cash "Love Man" Clark. As previously stated, he seems to really dig "60s Soul" music. "He's got the feelin', baby baby he's got the feelin'!" Haha! He seemed to really get into The Rolling Stones this time, and was movin' and shakin' to, "Start Me Up" and "Time Is On My Side". Hands down, his favorite song of this little experiment was "Shake a Tail Feather" covered by Ray Charles. He was all over the place during that one! At one point, he seemed to be kicking on beat. After a while, I started getting sleepy, so I told Colt to pick one more song, and then we'd go to sleep. He chose a song called, "Alright For Now" by Tom Petty. Its such a sweet song that could be about a baby, or a spouse. I love it. Colt had his arm on my belly, and the baby was very still during the whole song, but at the end, he kicked Colt's arm really hard. It was a nice way to end the day.

Week 25 was lovely. Its hard to believe that we only have 14 more weeks from today (26 week mark) until we reach the 40 week mark. Its cool to see my little pregnancy ticker in double digits! Keep those prayers going up! Thanks for reading!

24 Week Ultrasound

Colt and I went to our 24 week ultrasound (almost 25 weeks) at my Mom's office today and met with Jennifer, our ultrasound tech! We hadn't seen the baby in about a month, and couldn't believe how big he's gotten! She checked all of his major parts, including his stomach, bladder, kidneys, heart, brain, pancreas etc. He's running like a well oiled machine. Next she checked his heartbeat, and she said its still good and strong. She made sure that my placenta, uterus, and cervix were looking good as well. I'm so thankful that she's so thorough.

Now, on to the fun stuff. I'm happy to report he's still a boy. Ha! Our baby is not shy, and seems to enjoy showing his boy parts off. She measured his femur, which is how they determine how big he is measuring. From his femur measurements, he's at about 25 weeks, 5 days. I was 24 weeks 5 days at this appointment, so he's measuring exactly a week ahead of schedule. She measured his head which was about the same as the femur in weeks, but his belly was measuring at 26 weeks and a few days. :) He's a chunk. I love that about him. We got a few good views of his face in the office, but sadly, the pictures didn't turn out super clear. We got a really great picture of his nose and mouth, and she ruled out a cleft palate. I asked her if she could see any hair yet, still thinking it was a little bit to early. NOPE! She showed us his scalp, and said, "You see the fuzzy area...that's hair!" I'll post a picture of what she was showing us below. Its a picture of his head from the back, and his ear is on the left. Anyway, that was cool to see. Just as we were wrapping it up, we got another good view of his nose and mouth, and he started to eat! It was so neat to see his little mouth drinking the amniotic fluid. We've seen him move around before, but never something as "human" as eating. She said his little bladder was getting full and he'd probably be needing to go to the bathroom in a few minutes. That would have been cool to see! Haha!

So as of now, little baby Clark is measuring about a week ahead of schedule, and about a week and a half, ahead of schedule in his belly. He's weighing in at 1 pound 15 ounces, so almost 2 pounds! Jennifer (the ultrasound tech) said a lot of boys can go two to three weeks early, especially if they're big. I can't wait to see when he decides to make his entrance. Thanks for reading!

Picture of the back of his head (ear on the left). The fuzzy area around his scalp is hair!

Picture of his cheek, mouth and nose. His arm is covering the rest of his face on the right side of the picture (his left arm).

Profile shot

24 Week Doctors Appointment

TWO POSTS IN TWO DAYS! I probably should've just waited to write one really long post today, but oh well! As the title suggests, today I had my 24 week doctors appointment. It was pretty standard I suppose. All of the appointments start with a urine sample, weight check, and blood pressure check. After that I go and sit in the waiting room again, and wait for a room to open up. Today I got to bypass the wait, and Colt and I were called right back. My blood pressure was slightly elevated, as it has been creeping up the charts since I've been pregnant. I think I have relatively normal (maybe on the low side of normal) blood pressure when I'm not pregnant. My doctor says I'm still within the normal range at 136/84, but I think they start to worry when it reaches 140/90. Supposedly the diastolic (bottom) number is the most important. I started out with the diastolic somewhere in the 70s. Anyway, my doctor isn't worried, so I'm not worried.

I asked her several questions about the swine flu vaccination, which has been a subject of controversy lately. There are so many differing opinions on whether the vaccine is completely safe, if it causes long term effects, etc. My doctor says I should definitely get it when it comes out. I'm still collecting information, and I'm going to consult a few other physicians before I make any decisions. I have previously been staunchly opposed to getting the shot, but now I've got some thinking to do. There was a news release the other day about doctors who were frustrated with the huge following of people that are not getting the vaccine, and telling their friends that its not safe. They say that it isn't much different than the regular flu shot, and it has been studied, and perfected, and is now ready for use. We'll see. I'll let you know what I decide.

We talked a little bit about the Glucose Tolerance test that I'll get at my 28 week appointment. This will tell me how quickly glucose is cleared from my blood. This should also tell me whether or not I have gestational diabetes. I hear the best part is drinking the super sugary drink before hand. YUM! I keep joking with Colt that I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I have gestational diabetes, because our baby is ginormous! :)

After the questions, she felt for my uterus, which is supposed to be about 1.5 to 2 inches above my bellybutton. It was higher than that, but the doctor said that's normal as well. In fact, the baby has measured "farther along" at almost every appointment, and at almost every ultrasound. Maybe I'll deliver earlier? She hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor and said all is well with his little heartbeat! Its steadily been around 135 throughout the entire pregnancy!

All in all, it was a good appointment. I always look forward to my doctors appointments, although I leave almost every time thinking how uneventful it was. I guess its better to be uneventful than "eventful". Thanks for reading!!!


P.S. Did anyone see The Office wedding tonight? LOVED IT!