favorite things :: 6-12 months

I can't say that we had a lot of must-haves over the past six months. Soon after Coop's six month birthday, we put away the swing. Once he began crawling at seven months, he was not at all interested in the exersaucer or anything that contained him, either.

Of course, it's been all about the food!

We absolutely could not have lived without our Ninja! As I've blogged, I made all of Cooper's baby food. This worked so well, and was super easy to clean.

To go along with this, of course we needed ice cube trays, and plenty of little bowls with lids to send to daycare. I liked the Nuk and munchkin brand ones from Walmart.

Around 9 months, we began working on the sippy cup. Honestly, we never found one we really liked - they all seemed to leak! Then again, Mister has been teething like a monster, so he has done a lot of chewing on them. We got some Munchkin ones, and his sitter bought a Playtex one. We had a Nuby, but he chewed it open ... now he has a 9+ month Nuby one, as well as the cheapy Take & Toss. So far, we prefer the Take & Toss - the spout is a hard plastic, so he can't break it with those teeth. The only bad thing is that the lid pops on instead of screwing on, so if he throws/drops it on our tile floor, it typically pops off as well.

Of course, we've done lots of the Gerber and Parent's Choice puffs. He loves them all. And parents- they are GOOD!

For snacks, these Munchkin snack catchers work well! Coop had snacks in it while we were at a craft fair last weekend and I had a ton of questions about where to get them. They are at Walmart too :)

When Coop was about 9 months old, we upgraded to his convertible carseat. This was definitely more of a mama thing - he could still fit in the carrier, but it was getting really tough for me to tote him around. I did a LOT of research, and we decided on the Graco MyRide 65. They were reasonably priced, and hold a kiddo backwards for quite some time, according to the height/weight restrictions.

In Missouri, it's required by law that kiddos be rear-facing until they are 1, but recommended until they are 2, so I wanted to find the safest seat possible without breaking the bank.

Once Coop began cruising, we wanted to get him a toy that would help him walk. We looked at Walmart and ended up with the Playskool Rocktivity Walk 'N Roll Rider. You can put the seat up for them to push, or down to ride on. Coop still enjoys pushing this, but is also learning to sit on it and move his feet. Oh, and it's also a great jungle gym for the little monkey man.

For his other toys, he mostly likes things that make noise or with wheels. One of our favorites is the Fisher Price Cookie Shapes.

 On another note, I would totally recommend any parents of babies/toddlers invest in an ottoman to replace their wooden coffee table. It's a lot safer once they begin cruising, and much better in terms of storage :)

Also, I had a horrible time finding socks to stay on Cooper's fat little feet. If anyone has the same problem, try out the Faded Glory ones at Walmart - they are basic and inexpensive, yet a great quality and stay on his little feet!

Around six months, I tried out the Target Up & Up diapers - and we like them just as much as the Pampers - at half the price! Plus with the Target debit card, I get free shipping and 5% off :)

And there you have it! Some of the things that have made life a lot better for us over these past six months!

And now looking ahead - what have been any of your favorites from 12-24 months? Anything I really need to get for my little booger's stocking?



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Bumpdate: 40 weeks

Well, my due date is here. Now I don't feel so bad about all my misery over still being pregnant.

At the beginning of my pregnancy (and still now) I told myself that I would stick it out to the 41 week mark, which my doctor supports and actually advocates, if need be. However, around 30 weeks, Baby R began to grow like a weed and I started measuring two weeks ahead. At one point, his/her weight was about a pound bigger than average. While the weight gain seems to have tapered off a bit (thank goodness, I really didn't want to have to push out a toddler!) he or she is still a big (likely tall) baby and has continued to measure one to two weeks ahead. This, combined with others' comments about how big my belly had gotten, really had me thinking the baby would be born a week or so early. So still being pregnant isn't the end of the world, but it is frustrating!

Add to this that I was having one minute contractions three to five minutes apart for about two hours last Friday, while up and moving around. Then we lay on the couch and nothing. I really thought a baby would be coming that night. I'm beginning to think that not knowing the sex is much easier than not have an appointment scheduled for this baby to come out! The not knowing when truly is the hardest part.

However, everything is ready. The bags are packed and loaded, other than the last-minute things like my makeup and straightener. I'm as mentally prepared as I can be. Hubby and I are hoping for the baby to be born today, so he can have today-Thursday off work, go back on Friday for a semi-easy day, then have three more days to use - likely that first week of December.


Last week hubby looked at me and said I better get the turkey out of the oven soon, my timer was about to pop!

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but at last week's appointment, my blood pressure was pretty high, so they made me lie on my left side and did another check in five minutes. Luckily, it looked perfect after that!

As of last week, I was still dialated about a 1. Hoping that's different by now with all the cramping/contracting I've been feeling.

No real cravings. My weight is actually down, and I'm at the 22-23 lbs. range for weight gain right now. I wish my stomach didn't look like I'd gained 50. But the belly is so big, I'm down to just a few outfits that I can wear without constantly tugging my shirt down. Lucky for me, we are off Thursday-Friday and if the baby isn't born by next Tuesday, we'll come up with a plan to get him/her out.

Last week after I watched the L&D video on my pregnancy app, I put the phone to my belly and replayed it in case Tuff needed some direction. Yes, I closed my office door to do so.

According to my app, during week 39, Baby is like a mini watermelon right now - and people continue to tell me I look like I swallowed either a watermelon or basketball. Doctor still guessing about 7.5 lbs at last week's appointment, so I'm going to say he/she will probably be about 8?

Tuff continues to build a layer of fat to help control body temperature once born, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

No picture today. Not feeling it. 

Bumpdate: 39 weeks

Yes, I'm still pregnant.

Not that I should really be surprised - after all, I still have a week to go and most babies (especially first) are a few days late. I'm just anxious/disappointed/frustrated. People keep commenting on it, my feet look like they should be painted green (like Shrek!) and it's hard to move. I'm maybe dilated to a one. Sigh. I've pretty much consigned myself to the fact that Tuff is obviously very comfortable and may enjoy Thanksgiving through his/her umbilical chord.

There has been a lot going on, however. Thursday I was kinda crampy all day and had several contractions all night, so I hoped I would end up with my 11-11-11 baby after all. Nope, when I moved around they went away.

Saturday night/Sunday morning, I woke up around 1 a.m. due to the pain of a contraction, so I thought maybe that was triggering something. But when I took a bath (at 2 a.m., mind you) they went away - until I'd been back in bed for about 10 minutes. I don't think hubby or I one got a lot of sleep that night, as they were quite painful and he was timing them - all under a minute and again, every time I'd get up and move, they went away. I finally got up for the day around 6:30 a.m. in hopes that hubby would get some sleep. By the time he got up around 8:30 I realized that I probably had a bladder infection or something of the sort, so I got in touch with the on-call doctor, who said we should come in to L&D, mostly due to me being so far along. After talking to my doctor yesterday, it's still pretty unclear what is going on, but it looks like it's not an infection, but irritation stemming from my kidney stones. Anyhow, while I was there they hooked me up to a couple monitors to keep an eye on baby's heart rate and see if I was having any contractions. I was actually surprised to see how intense some of the contractions were, as I didn't really feel them!

Nothing to report from yesterday's doctor appointment. My blood pressure was kinda high at first, but it leveled off. Still a good, strong heartbeat in the 130s and measuring around 40 weeks. She didn't really think baby had gained much weight in the past week either. While she was checking me, she noticed I was having another contraction - which I didn't feel. Please, Lord, make sure I know I'm in labor and can deliver at the hospital!

Since I felt quite a bit of activity last Thursday, both of our bags are packed. Once I get my sweet husband to hang the art on the walls, the nursery will be done and we can get pictures :)

Anyhow, here's what my weekly email says about week 38. At that point, they are typically about 6.8 lbs and 19.5 inches. By this time, they have mastered a firm grasp and organs are mature and ready for life outside the womb!

No cravings or anything to report this week. Weight gain still around 24 lbs.

And here I am. I was thinking I still hadn't dropped, but comparing this week's bare belly shot to last, I think I may have slightly?

Wednesday randoms

• THERE IS AN END IN SIGHT! Ha! Yesterday we went to my weekly doctors appointment and I found out that while there is no dilation, I am about 70 percent effaced (thinned). There's been a big change in barometric pressure here and there is a full moon beginning tomorrow, so I'm still hopeful to go into labor at some point over the weekend.
• If not, I have an excuse not to drive the hour to our main campus for work Monday/Tuesday. And my mom also offered to drive me if need be.
• I'm also measuring like I'm already 40 weeks pregnant. In my mind, that means my job is done! Haha. I'm actually not that miserable, I'm just anxious and impatient. I want my baby HERE!
• Last night we set up the pack and play. I hope it's not that hard to disassemble and set up every time we transport it. If so, it will not be packed :)
• We planned to come straight home after seeing the doctor, but decided to make a trip to Sears instead to check out the treadmills (we've both been wanting to make this purchase!) and I told hubby to look through the tools, etc. to pick out a few things he might like for Christmas/his birthday. I now have several photos on my phone - including item numbers - so I'll probably just wait for a good Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale and buy online.
• Online shopping will be the death of me someday. Thankfully hubby and I keep our money separate so it's not something he can get too upset about :)
• The fall color is beautiful right now. Love the orange leaves. Definitely worth the wait.
• The weather hasn't been too bad either. Highs were in the 70s yesterday and should be in the 50s today. I can't really get socks on at this point, so I'm very hopeful we'll have decent weather until Tuff decides to arrive.
• I dreamt the other night that we were surprised with twins. Scared the crap outta me.
• Hubby and I are discussing selling my car (a 2003) very soon. We could really get by with just one vehicle, especially while I am on maternity leave. Since my car will just sit for awhile, we figure we may just sell it, earn a little interest off the money, then use it toward a newer vehicle with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive in late December, before I go back to work. That way too, we will save on insurance for a month or so - not too expensive, but it adds up!
• I am "nesting" at work today. So far, I've cleaned out all the desk drawers and am working to get them organized. I've already filled one trash can - ha!
• Since I haven't had time to decorate the house for fall, I am super-excited to get out all my Christmas stuff SOON. I usually don't pull anything out until after Thanksving, but that's only about two weeks away. However, there are a few craft sales in town this weekend and I plan to hit those up. Walk, walk, walk :)
• I could spend an entire weekend catching up on the DVR and probably still have shows to watch.
• I'm in the mood to bake, but don't have the energy. Sigh.
• I think that's all for today. Happy Wednesday!

Bumpdate - 38 weeks

I'm crossing my fingers this may be the last Bumpdate. But realistic enough to realize I probably have one or two left to go.

Believe me, this baby can bake as long as he/she wants to (up to Nov. 29, that is) but I am SO READY to meet this little munchkin. Not to mention there is a big lunch meeting on Nov. 19 with my work that I'd love to be able to attend, but am pretty sure there is no way I'm going unless the babe is at least two weeks old. At about 8 pounds, don't you think he/she is ready to come out? I mean, it's getting to the point where I feel pressure from the babe on my hip and ribs at the same time.

On to the recap from last week.

During Week 37, Tuffy ...

• Was finally considered full term. Meaning while it wasn't quite due date, his/her lungs were mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb.
• Weighed 7-8 lbs. according to the doctor - generally, it's 6 1/3 lbs at this time.
• Gave mommy lots of heartburn. Does this mean we may have a head full of hair?
• Chubby baby with a head full of hair? I die!

Mommy ...

• Believes she has experienced some Braxton Hicks contractions. And a lot of cramping.
• Continued to drink all the time. Chocolate milk, grapefruit juice and KoolAid ... yum.
• Went through about half a bottle of Tums.
• Realized her belly button is now flush with the rest of the skin. Not an innie or an outtie.
• Feels like the baby is trying to rip apart her skin at times! I have very sensitive skin and will probably never wear a bikini again :( But I'm sure Tuffy will be worth it.
• Thinks the baby has dropped some based on how the bump looks.
• Continued swelling.
• Gained about 24 lbs.
• Gotten up 2-3 times a night to use the restroom. But other than that, very blessed when it comes to being able to sleep.
• Is constantly hitting her belly on something. Most often while opening the refrigerator door. Reason 416587341 this baby needs to come out soon!
• As sure as I was that baby was a boy for such a long time, I now have that same conviction Tuff is a girl. We shall see soon :) It seems like most of you all are thinking boy though. If you haven't voted yet, please do!

Now that we've reached the 38 week mark, Mommy plans to ...

• Walk every day, even if it's just up and down the stairs
• Eat spicy foods!
• Spend lots of quality time with Daddy :) Including a date night on Saturday if the baby has not decided to grace us with his/her presence.
• Pray for some sort of progress at today's dr. appointment!

Over the weekend, we did some "nesting" projects. We got Tuff's "Just Born" onesie all ready to go, and I packed the majority of our things for the hospital. We gave the nursery another good cleaning and painted the frames for the artwork. Did all the laundry. Cleaned most of the house (including the trim and finishing the deep clean in the spare bedroom, finally!) Cleaned out the truck and installed the car seat and mirror. Finished thank you cards and got them in the mail.

So, I'd say I'll definitely be ready for a baby later this week. Are you listening, Tuffy?

You Challenge - Week 10 :)

I remember starting this challenge back in September and thinking that by the time I finished, I would either have a baby or be very close.


Sixteen days from my due date, I'm still sitting here with a very big belly. I hoped I would have a family photo to show off, but that's OK, Baby apparently needs a little more time to grow. So, I'm going to share the next best thing:

Happy Sunday! Maybe next Sunday I'll have baby pictures to post? After all, I've said all along I'd love to have 11-11-11 as a birth date :)

Bumpdate - 37 weeks

I did a bit of a happy dance this morning - it's November! Usually I dread the cold, winter months, but this will most definitely be Tuffy's birthday month, as my doctor will not let me go past Nov. 29 without an induction.

Anyhow, here's a recap of Week 36:

• First off, at my dr appt last week, the nurse said I was down to measuring just one week ahead and the doctor guessed Baby was about 6.5 lbs. So by now it should be 7 lbs. and who knows how tall.
• Also had the Group B Strep test. Hopefully I'll find out the results of that today.
• It looks like the kidney stone is out of my system. Praise the Lord!
• Since they did the GBS, I also had an internal, which showed absolutely no progress. Ugh! I'm going to decline one this week.
• Baby was in the head down position, hopefully it stays that way!

During Week 36:

• Baby continued packing on the pounds, at the rate of about an ounce per day or half a pound a week.
• He/she is now shedding most of the downy hair that covers the body as well as the waxy substance that protects the skin during the nine months in amniotic fluid.

Mom is...

• Holding steady at gaining just under 23 lbs.
• Yet still feels bigger and bigger every day.
• Experiencing lots of exhaustion and back pain, some cramping at night.
• Feels stretched to the max! I don't feel kicks anymore, just stretches and such. Daddy enjoys feeling baby (especially while applying cocoa butter!) and trying to figure out what body part it is.
• Still loving drinks! Water, grapefruit juice, chocolate milk and KoolAid are all musts around our house.
• Stressing about the littlest things, like making sure the dishes get washed every night and some household tasks get done every weekend, just in case.
• Still debating names with Daddy.
• Hating the stretch marks
• Experiencing some swelling in my hands
• Wondering what I'll wear when my maternity clothes are too short
• Loving rocking in the glider every now and then :)
• Still guessing whether we have a cowboy or princess on the way. Most everyone thinks cowboy, by the way, but I'm still not sure.
• Kinda wanting a boy because the going home outfit we've bought for a boy is just too precious!
• Needing about one more week to get my house/mind/work ready, but thinking a Nov. 11 birthday would be perfect. But feeling for the first time like I may make it to/go over my due date for some reason ...

And here I am last night (nope, the baby isn't growing in my chubby arms!)

I was trying to pull up my 19 week pix, where I was wearing the same cami, so we can all laugh. Well, I can't get the pictures to load, but here is the link. No big difference, right?

Bumpdate - 36 weeks

Today, I turn 36 weeks pregnant! One more week and I am full-term, but I've been trying to talk Baby R into waiting until the second week of November to make his/her appearance, as I have a hair appointment on Nov. 4. Ha!

On to recap Week 35.

According to my pregnancy app, at over 18 inches, Baby was running out of wiggling room (I've felt this way for awhile) and was weighing around 5.25 lbs. Tuffy exceeds both of those figures. The kidneys became fully developed, and his/her liver can process some waste products. For the most part, development is pretty complete, as his/her main job in the next few weeks is to put on weight (and be that cute chunky babe!!!)

I begin my weekly doctor appointments today and should get a good idea of his/her weight and size :) Also today I am supposed to have the Group B strep test.

I'm getting tired easily and swelling most every night. My belly is *very* heavy, and it's sometimes difficult to roll over.

I'm sort of having some "evening sickness" in that I don't really want anything to eat. It's not as bad at the first trimester, but I definitely have times that I have no idea what I want to eat - but that could just be laziness when it comes to cooking!

Still loving my drinks though. This week, it seems to be grapefruit juice and chocolate milk. I'm still trying really hard to get 80-100 ounces of water daily, so I've been going through about a half gallon of KoolAid every two days to help get water but give it some extra flavor.

I also continue to like string cheese, anything pasta, cookies and spicy foods. But I've been getting some indigestion, so I'm trying not to have too many spicy foods.

Although I know my belly is getting bigger and hoping the baby continues to grow, I somehow haven't gained any weight in the past week, and I'm still between 21 and 22 pounds of weight gain.

I'm curious if I'll have an internal today and find out if I'm progressing any - but then again, I don't know if I want to get my hopes up/dashed. I've been having cramps at night (I notice them mostly on my bathroom breaks) for about a week now, and read that can lead to dialating/effacement. I've also noticed a few other things but will spare the details :)

The house is ready for a baby, but mommy would still like a little more time to prepare. The closet in our spare bedroom is now cleaned out, I just need to finish organizing what goes back in and finish cleaning the rest of the room, which I hope I can tackle in one night. Our carpets were re-cleaned yesterday to get the paint out. 

What I'd still like/need to do: put all the baby gear together/back together, pack our hospital bags, wash the coming home outfits (they are freaking adorable!), buy the last few necessities (I think we'll be doing this after next week's doctor appointment), finish the spare bedroom, wipe down the trim/clean under the bed in the master, organize/mop the basement, put together the accent table and bookshelf in the nursery once they come in, get some art on the walls, buy baskets for the changing table, and decide for sure on a doctor. Oh, and have a nice "date night" with hubby, considering how thanks to my hormones, we've been pretty ugly to each other here lately.

That's not too ambitious, right?

No time for a picture last night/this morning. I'll try to update later, even if it is just a cell phone one.

Bumpdate - 35 weeks

I know these posts have all included some variation of this intro for about the past two months, but I seriously cannot believe I am 35 weeks pregnant! In 35 days, give or take (probably take, according to the doctor) I will have a sweet little baby in my arms and know if I can go crazy buying lots of pink or blue!

Week 34 was productive and miserable - ha! I got my flu shot at the doctor last week and pretty much reacted with every possible side effect. Today, a sinus headache is killing me and my nose continues to be runny. Sigh. I'm sure all that cleaning and stirring up dirt and dust didn't help matters any, either, nor the fact that they are harvesting corn in the field just behind our property.

It's hard to be too miserable with this beautiful, healthy baby growing inside of me though, so I'm going to stick with happy thoughts :) And continue to hope for some good days before munchkin arrives.

Anyhow, babies usually weigh about 4 3/4 pounds at 34 weeks (about an average cantaloupe) but this one continues to be on the big side, as the doctor guessed about 5.5 lbs. at my appointment last week. It amazing how they can just feel and have a pretty educated guess of the baby's size! During last week, fat layers were filling out, making babe rounder, and the skin was smoother than ever! The central nervous system matured, as well as lungs.

Nesting is in full swing, and a lot was crossed off our to-do list last week. I should probably update our list soon. Really, the two most important things at this point are finding a doctor and confirming the babysitter. Oh, and buying a coming-home outfit and finding a baby book.

I feel bigger every day and it's a wonder I don't topple. I don't even want to think about what the largest part of my waist measures - I know it's at least 40 inches - and I am all baby! I'm not really sure on the weight gain ...

A lot of my cravings are still drinks. Which may explain why I've been waking up about three times a night to use the restroom recently. I really hope my love of cooking comes back once the baby is here, because I miss it. Hubby said he misses the yummy smells when he walks through the front door, too.

Anyhow, I am scheduling this post so I took some iPhone pics at work so you can all see how huge I am right now. Sorry for the icky quality yet again. These were taken Monday, so I was 34 weeks, 6 days.

Weekend wrap-up

First off, how are all of you? We unhooked our router last weekend because it was in the baby's room and haven't had the time to start it back up yet, so I've been relying on my iPhone to stay in touch with the outside world and was incredibly busy during fall break. So I haven't read blogs since about noon last Wednesday. This morning I attempted to get caught up but quickly gave up, especially since I have lots to do after 2 days off and will be on our main campus for meetings, etc. the next 2 days.

Anyhow, on to the business of the weekend ...

We started with a 1.5 page to-do list. Which quickly grew to two pages. Originally, I had planned to prepare some meals with mom's help and stash them in the freezer. But over the past few weeks, I've decided my house was a dirty mess and I wanted to deep clean. I can always double recipes a little at a time, I figured, plus I didn't have a lot of room in my freezer.

So on Wednesday night, hubby and I stayed up until past midnight getting things ready in the nursery. We put together the crib (a nightmare!) and set the dresser in place, plus put things back where they belonged, like light switch plates and blinds.

The next morning, Mom arrived and I put in a load of laundry then we went to work in the basement, cleaning out my deep freeze and working on the little items we bought at yard sales - wiping/vacuuming them and cleaning the fabric.

Also that day, we cleaned out the dining room portion of the kitchen, which still had some bags with baby shower items. Then we moved everything and cleaned the walls, trim, windows, etc.! Every nook and cranny, plus about half my cabinets. You really don't realize how dirty things get over 2 years until you start cleaning. We finished up in the kitchen the next day (let me tell you, it was a job and a half!)

We also got all of the baby clothes washed/folded/put away and the other things organized. So many people are afraid Baby R won't have any clothes since we don't know the gender, but let me assure you, he/she has plenty to last until the 6-9 month size hits.

Before Mom had to leave on Friday, we got started in the bathroom and she helped me organize the closet to make a shelf for baby stuff as well as space for the bathtub. We didn't completely finish the room, but I wrapped it up later that night.

Also over the weekend, I deep cleaned the living room, including vacuuming furniture, wiped everything down in our hallway, and J and I finished several other small things, like painting and mounting the fan blades for baby's room, putting together the glider, checking the smoke alarms (that weren't even hooked up!) and more. On Saturday, we also spent most of the day in Cape for the childbirth prep and other classes.

In all, I'd say we crossed about half of the items off the to-do list. And lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders. As I explained to hubby, there are a lot of things left on the list, and while some are necessary (like ordering the monitor) others (deep cleaning the master) are more wants. I think if we just tackle one task a day, we'll be done right at Nov. 1, which is when I want to be all ready. Regardless, if I went into labor today (which I totally don't want to happen!) I would feel a lot better about my house being ready not only for a baby, but also visitors!

Right now, my biggest thing is to figure out what pump is best for our needs, and to clear out the spare bedroom, which has become the catch-all for things that were previously in the nursery.

And I promise a nursery reveal post soon, I just want to wait until everything is in place!

About 36 days to go. EEEEK!!!!

Bumpdate - 34 weeks

Six weeks to go! And I'm definitely feeling it. I've got the wobble, the swelling and all that.

Anyhow, during week 33, Baby R was about the size of a honeydew, and likely grew about a full inch. Weight at this point is typically around 4 lbs., but doctor said the baby is bigger than that at my 32 week checkup. The bones are hardening, and Tuff's brain is developing like crazy. Skin is becoming softer and losing the wrinkled, alien look. At this point he/she can coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.

As of 34 weeks, we are in a pretty safe territory. According to my pregnancy app, babies born between 34 and 37 weeks with no other health problems generally do fine, although they may have some shart-term health problems.

My kidney stones are not bothering me anymore, thank goodness. So hopefully we'll have a good, routine checkup today.

Cravings this week have been mostly in the form of drinks. I've wanted chocolate milk so much that we bought the huge container of Nesquik at Walmart. We'll probably still be using that stuff when Tuff is old enough to drink chocolate milk. Sunny D is delish. And while grocery shopping yesterday, I spotted grapefruit juice in the cooler and HAD to have it. It was so delicious. I've been keeping a glass of water or Koolaid by the bed too, so I can have a drink before coming back to bed after using the restroom.

Speaking of bathroom, I can tell my bladder is being squeezed. I've been getting up 2-3 times at night! I'll tell you what, no one warns you that your toilet paper usage will double when you become pregnant. It seems like I just emptied a 12-pack in the bathroom I typically use, and this morning I ran out of darn toilet paper. Grrrrr....

I'm just under 20 pounds of weight gain. Considering how hungry I was late last week/over the weekend, I'm surprised it wasn't more.

We have our nursing and childbirth/infant prep class this weekend. I'm so excited to be on the road by 7:15 a.m., lol. That's earlier than I am leaving for work most mornings!

I can't wait to finish the nursery and want to hire someone to help me deep clean the entire house.

I've been trying to make a point to spend as much time as possible with my fur baby Hank before we turn his world upside down. I typically try to get him to kiss my belly with no luck. Well, last night I was just sitting in the chair playing on my phone and he walked up, licked and nuzzled out of the blue. Baby kicked - I think he/she already loves big brother Hank.

We had maternity pictures on Sunday and she had a sneak peek posted last night. Here are a few of my faves. If you want to see more, let me know and I'll give you the link to her facebook page.

I changed my Facebook profile picture to the top one, and let's just say people were very surprised! Haha, facebook world - you can't stalk me!

We took a profile shot last night, but I forgot my memory card. And they aren't near as good as the professional ones.

That's it for this week! Fingers crossed for a GREAT appointment today.

Bumpdate - 33 weeks and a trip to the hospital

This is two days late, I know. Sadly, I even typed up some notes on Monday, but I've been a bit preoccupied.

I mentioned in Monday's post that I was experiencing quite a bit of back pain on Sunday. Well, it continued on Monday - in the same spot, on my right ribs. And again Tuesday morning. I'm talking so bad it makes you cry pain.

I wasn't really sure what to do. I mean, back pain is normal in pregnancy, right? I was just being a wimp. But I couldn't shake the feeling that it may be something more - after all, nothing would make it go away and it was in the exact same spot. Plus it was making me nauseous and pretty much taking away my appetite.

So I called the doctors office later Tuesday morning and they carved out an appointment time for me. Hubby absolutely could not come with me. So I'm driving 45 minutes, freaking out. Praying that my baby is OK - telling God I can handle this pain another seven weeks so long as Tuff wasn't affected by it.

Luckily, my mom happened to be in the town where my doctor is, as my dad had a doctors appointment that morning. So, I met them and she came with me. It was very nice to have someone there to keep me from googling like crazy.

Once I got into the room after giving my pee sample, it was apparent that I had some sort of infection or problem with my kidneys, as my urine was pulling a lot of blood. I have a history with kidney stones - but never thought the pain could be related to them! - so the doc ordered an ultrasound on my kidneys. They were very surprised I toughed it out 2.5 days before coming to the doctor.

Luckily, my doctor's clinic is a hop skip and jump from the hospital. And they had an opening immediately! So mom and I headed over for the ultrasound. Of course, the technician wouldn't tell me anything. And when I was leaving, she said it would be around an hour until the results were ready! GRRRRR.

Once we finally got called back to see the doctor, she told me I had at least one kidney stone. With a baby in there, it's kind of hard to see anything. So from there, she had to decide whether she needed to admit me to the hospital or let me try to manage the pain on my own - I've never had an infection due to the stones and just passed them with drinking LOTS of water, so she was fine with letting me go home if I preferred pain pills rather than an IV.

This is the part that was really hard for me. Lots of times this pregnancy I haven't even had a Tylenol or Claritan, and here my doc wants to put me on some high-powered pain meds? It took some convincing that the baby would be OK, as I am 33 weeks, and my mom telling me to do it, before I said OK. I'm now on percocet, as that is how I typically treat the pain of kidney stones.

So right now, I am just drinking lots of water, taking as few pain pills as possible (she said 1-2 every six hours, I've been averaging one every 8 to 12 hours) and hoping it passes. We'll talk more in depth about it at my appointment next week.

Anyhow, here's the usual recap:

During week 32, baby's average weight is 3.75 pounds - about the size of a jicama (whatever the heck that is!) - but Tuff is a bit larger than that, the doctor estimated at my 32 week appointment. Right now, I should gain about a pound a week, and roughly half of that goes straight to the baby.

He or she now has toenails, fingernails and real hair. Skin is becoming soft and smooth and he or she plumps up in preparation for birth.

I'm getting to a miserable stage, I believe. Earlier this week, hubby told me that he already has a totally new respect for me after seeing how much pain I've been in, especially with the stones.

I think I already told some of you - but per the doctor last week, Tuff is "very tall" and probably weighed about 4.5 lbs. Average at that time is more like 3.5 lbs. So I guess I am delivering a toddler?

I'm wondering if babe will have hair. I had a ton of hair - my mom was curling it in sponge rollers when I was about a month old - and hubby had some when born too. But I really haven't had a lot of heartburn - even when eating Mexican, my fave - and that's an indication of hair, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I'm also feeling pretty nauseous, which I guess is maybe my belly just running out of room? I pray that Tuff comes as soon as possible to still be healthy. But we do have little talks where I ask him to stay out of my area and that I want her/him to be comfortable, but not make mommy uncomfortable at the same time!

I think I'm pretty much right on with the 1 lb/week weight gain. Hoping that continues, I don't want to have too much weight to lose in combination with the holidays.

I'm starting to have weird pregnancy dreams. And really wonder what the baby will look like.

There is some talk of possible bed rest with the stones, so I'm really on hubby about finishing the nursery now. I have a big work event to coordinate on Saturday, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed he'll finish the painting that day, then start setting up furniture soon. I can't wait to see/reveal the finished product!

My feet/hands were swelling a lot last week, but that seems to have subsided.

I'm drinking even more water - I think I finished off about 100 ounces yesterday! And I'm about to 50 so far today.

I'm loving Mexican food, spaghetti and soups right now!

VERY tired these days - but I know I can blame the pain and meds for a lot of that.

And here I am today. Gotta love bathroom pictures.

I find it funny that even though I'm measuring two weeks ahead, people still say I look tiny. Guess that's something to love about being tall and having a long torso!

Bumpdate - 32 weeks

I'm eight months pregnant people! Even though I did double check the number of weeks I am, haha. With eight weeks to go until my due date! Craziness, let me tell you. It seems like just yesterday I was thinking I'd never have a big preggo belly, and now I'm quite visibly pregnant and wondering how this babe will put on another four or so pounds while inside me.

Anyhow, during his/her 31st week, Tuff measured about 16 inches long and weighed just over 3 pounds. Baby is now able to turn his/her head from side to side and the arms, legs and body are beginning to plump out, as fat accumulates under the skin.

I can tell baby is running out of room, because I feel more pushes than kicks/punches at this point.

Mama is getting very tired. I feel like I need a nap every afternoon, much like I did in the beginning. He/she is also a pain in the ribs. Ha! Yesterday I had to leave the office early and finish working from home, as I was practically in tears.

In all, I'm up about 17 pounds from my starting weight. If I keep at about a pound a week, like they advise these final eight weeks, I'll be right at 25 pounds, which is ideal for a woman built like me.

I've learned that grocery shopping alone isn't smart. I spent entirely too much at Walmart yesterday. But then again, I ended up with lunches to have at work, string cheese, bananas and apple slices, so it could be worse. Right now, I feel like I'm on a kick for salads and down-home cookin', like potatoes and gravy, meatbells, chicken and dressing, dumplings, etc. Maybe I should talk hubby into going to Lamberts before the baby is born?

Tuff is just the best baby. This morning around 7:30, I realized I hadn't felt much, if any, movement, which is odd, because I usually feel him/her start moving around 7 a.m. I looked down and said "Tuffy, would you please move? You are worrying mommy." Less than a minute later, I felt him/her! It was quite amazing. Hopefully the baby will listen that well when he/she is out in the real world.

We head back to the doctor today. Going every two weeks sure speeds this thing along.

Here we are this morning. Gotta love office bathroom pictures, ha! I'm including the straight on shot because I think in this shirt, you can barely tell I'm preggo if you look from the front. The side is a much different story. I'm also wondering what happened to my butt, haha!

Have a great Tuesday! And don't forget to vote to guess the gender in the poll at the top left of my page!

Baby R is a ...

No, we didn't slip and find out.

Instead, I want to know what YOU think! I've added a poll to the upper left corner of the blog. I think it's fun to guess the baby's gender, and my thoughts on it change every day. Especially now that I can feel the booty shaking - daddy definitely isn't a dancer, so that could mean we have a sweet little girl in there, who will totally melt daddy's heart and probably get him to do things like play with dolls.

The poll is open until my due date. And if you want to tell me why you voted a certain way, leave it in the comments or send me an email - I love hearing all the reasonings and these old wives tales.

Bumpdate - 31 weeks

Holy cow. It's crazy how quickly time is flying by!

Baby Tuff has been growing a lot these past couple of weeks. During Week 29, he/she weighed about 2.5 lbs. and was around 15 inches from head to toe, with muscles and lungs continuing to mature, and the head growing to make room for the developing brain.

Over the past week, he/she grew to about 15.7 inches and weighed in around 3 lbs. Eyesight continued to develop as well.

At the doctor last week, I was measuring a bit larger than normal. All along, I've been measuring right on schedule with one centimeter per week - for example, a 20-week pregnant woman's uterus should measure at 20 centimeters. Well last week I was 30 weeks 3 days and measuring 31.5 centimeters. I knew I had really popped out in the last couple of weeks! According to the scale at home, I hadn't gained much, if any in those two weeks though ... and I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I'm using the scale at home as my guide, because I wear the same thing and do it at the same time, which I think makes a big difference.

Movement has definitely changed! Instead of feeling kicks and punches, I just feel squirming now - I'm guessing baby is already running out of room? The doctor pointed out where all the body parts are right now, so it's funny to know that he/she is stretching out the feet or shaking a booty just like mama. Ha! It is SO FUN to feel all the movements these days, even though I sometimes have to get onto Tuff for not being gentle or ask the baby to get out of my ribs.

My pregnancy app indicates that baby is in for a growth spurt. Umm, where is it going? Because let me tell you, Tuff loves to stretch out!

The nursery is *almost* cleaned out, and I plan to make my husband help me finish it tonight, since most of what's left is his or too heavy for me. I also shouldn't lift above my head, so he has to wipe down all the walls. Tomorrow, I think we will buy the paint so he can get started on that Thursday night and hopefully finish by Saturday or Sunday. We have so many boxes sitting around the house just waiting to be opened and assembled (I'm super excited about the glider that was delivered yesterday. And the dresser is in, just waiting for us to come pick it up. I'd love to have a lot of the things put together and in place by mid-next week, but that will also depend on when the carpet cleaning is scheduled.

Here's the best picture I got last week (out of focus, but hey, work was crazy!). I was 30 weeks, 2 days:

And the text message that followed :)

What the "dead corner" of our living room looks like after Sunday's shower (can I please have a baby to put in that carrier SOON ... just not before 37 weeks and the nursery is done) 

Here I am last night, at 30 weeks, six days. Big bump! But still no water retention, thank goodness.

And just for fun, here is a picture of my new license plates that I got yesterday. This was totally random, the girl just pulling the next plates off the stack ... but I totally had to laugh at it :)

That's it for this week! I have about 63 more days to go, give or take, and items are slowly but surely being marked off the to do list :)

SURPRISE!!!

So yesterday afternoon we had a housewarming party to attend.... or so I thought.

It turned out that my friends and family decided to surprise Baby R and I with a baby shower! And hubby was in on it! The stinkers.

The best surprise? My friend Bel drove all the way from Alexandria, Va (almost 14 hours one way!) for the shower. Unfortunately, she was in town since Thursday and having to sneak around and I only got to see her during the shower and maybe an hour afterwards because she had to get on the road at about 5 a.m. today.

I'm going to wait for the big recap until I get some pictures sent to me. But I'm sure my face was priceless when I saw Bel. I could also kill my husband for not making sure I washed my hair (it was third day, usually second day looks best) and letting me believe it was a garden party so I wore a summery hat, flattening my hair. Ha!

Also, a couple of people almost ruined the surprise, but these girls did so good (even my mom didn't let it slip) that it really was the best surprise ever. It actually left me speechless.

Seriously though, it was amazing. I can pretty much count on one hand the essentials we still need for baby and a few people who were unable to come have already told me that they are sending/bringing something by to welcome baby Tuff into the world. My bestest friends all got together to buy us the stroller/car seat, and one of their husbands even put it together for us, for which hubby was *very* appreciative.

One of the games was guessing whether Baby R is a boy or girl ... and girl actually won! My mom, bless her heart, voted for "a healthy baby" and other than that, I think girl won by two or three. Even Tuff's daddy guessed girl ... and his note to the baby had me in tears. I think I'll share it, too. 

Tomorrow, I'll post a poll on the blog so you all can guess the gender. Now I'm incredibly confused as to whether I have a stinky boy or sweet girl growing inside me ...

What I'm Loving

{1} I'm LOVING that this is a four-day work week! Thank you Labor Day!

{2} I'm LOVING the cooler temperatures. But I'd like to ease into fall with highs more in the low 80s than these 70s. Although my pocketbook will certainly like the lower electric bill this next month or two!

{3} I'm LOVING Dove chocolates. I bought a couple bags last week when I was having a bad day and needed an escape. I grabbed a handful for J and I to share the other night and ended up with an uneven number. We decided to share the last one. And this was the ever-so-fitting message in the wrapper:

I can't get it to flip, but it says "share a chocolate moment with a friend." :)  

{4} I'm LOVING our new kitchen faucet! Our old one leaked and had ugly wooden handles so we've been wanting one for awhile but couldn't justify spending over $100 for something we already had. I spotted one of the styles with the pull-down nozzle on the clearance rack at Lowe's, but no sticker. It rang up regular price when I asked the cashier to check, but a manager was sitting closeby and said she thought they should be clearanced (it was the last one in the store!) and gave it to us for 75% off. So we bought this beauty for $27, and J had it installed the next day! LOVE.



 {5} I'm LOVING that I have such a handy hubby who can tackle all the projects I dream up.

{6} I'm LOVING that my sinuses have eased somewhat. Enough for me to function without meds, which is good, because Tuff didn't move near as much when I was taking the Tylenol and it scared me.

{7} I'm LOVING that today is payday at my old job! Between using up my accumulated vacation hours and a couple of freelance jobs, it will be a very nice paycheck. So the "extra" will go toward my camera fund.

{8} I'm LOVING this sweet guy, who took great care of Tuff and I while I was sick. And who massages my belly with tummy butter every night. While hubby is already a daddy, I can't wait to see him with a physical baby to love on!

What are you loving today? Link up with Jamie to share!