Hump Day Giggles

By dumb luck, I stumbled across this gem from the Huffington Post this morning and I nearly died laughing.  I immediately sent it to Brandon because (1) I knew he was in a meeting and checking his email and would have a hard time containing his laughter and (2) I felt like this was basically made for him.  If you are pregnant, have ever been pregnant, know someone who has been pregnant, are living with someone who is pregnant, etc. you can probably relate to some, if not all, of these things. 

Please enjoy a little mid-week laugh:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/03/pregnant-husband-tumblr_n_3195489.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

33 Weeks!

How far along: 33 weeks today!  I just need to make it another 4 weeks until I am term and then I am really hoping we can get the ball rolling on getting this little friend out.  I have absolutely loved being pregnant, I haven't had any of the terrible symptoms you commonly hear about but I miss my wedding rings and really hate the numb fingers.

Baby is the size of: a durian... whatever that is. Some people also still say a pineapple which still sounds quite delish to me.

Weight Gain: since beginning this whole thing - I am up 26 lbs.  If you need to visualize this, it's 104 sticks of butter... gross. However gross my butter visual may be, I am okay with gaining 26 lbs in 33 weeks - it's about 1.3 lbs a week which isn't terrible. I still have about 9 lbs to be within the normal range and I am really hoping that I don't gain 9 lbs in the next 7 weeks, but the reality is, I totally will.  I am interested to see just how much weight I lose when Natalie is born.  According to WebMD - if the baby weighs 8lbs, I gain about 2.5 in placenta and 2.5 in amniotic fluid.  So, if all goes according to plan, I should drop 13 lbs just by giving birth.  Right now, that's half the weight I have put on.  Seems okay to me.

Maternity Clothes: I am in basically all maternity clothes at this point.  I can still wear Brandon's basketball shorts to bed which is a bonus since they are super comfy.  I have some shirts that I wear that aren't maternity, but for the most part - it's all maternity.  I have been very fortunate that I had not had to buy too much thanks to my fabulous co-workers, Elizabeth and Nydra.

Symptoms/Sleep: I have been super fortunate in the last couple weeks.  Not only have I been able to get really great sleep, I have stopped having to get up to pee during the night.  I am really hoping that this keeps up!  However, over the weekend when we were in Williamsport, I got the worst sleep ever.  The mattress was terrible and I didn't have my snoogle.  I was so happy to get home to our memory foam mattress and that jumbo pregnancy pillow.  I am still having the numbness in my hands when I wake up, but it goes away within 5-20 minutes. Sunday morning when we were driving home from Williamsport, my finger tips on my left hand were completely numb.  It's really frustrating and a little bit scary. Brandon does his best to help me cope with all of this numbness and weirdness.  He really is some kind of wonderful. 

Food Cravings: I can't say there has been one thing that really stands out.  If I go to the grocery store lately, I always seem to buy skittles which I never really had an interest in before, but I don't ever go out of my way to get them. I have been eating pumpkin everything, but I do that every fall so it's not really coming as much of a surprise.  When I get home at night, I really do not have much of an appetite so I have started eating more oatmeal but I would hardly say that I crave it so much as it's filling and easy.  I was really disappointed with my lack of cravings - my mom had crazy cravings when she was pregnant with me (like grilled cheese and pickle sandwiches - oddly enough, one of my favorite snacks) and so I was really hoping to be able to share those fun details with my little girl, but nope - she is relegated to the fact that when I was pregnant I loved chicken nuggets, plain jane grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and, of course, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  All things I loved before getting pregnant.

What I miss: my dang wedding rings.  I hate not having my wedding band on.  It has been absolutely killing me.  I can still get my engagement ring on and off, but I am scared it will get stuck and I will have to have it cut off and since it belonged to Brandon's Nan, I don't want to take any chances!  I bought a band at Khol's over the weekend, but it just isn't the same.  It's not pretty and it's not mine. UGH.

Wedding Rings: see above :(

Movement: She is one active little human.  She keeps a somewhat normal schedule, which is nice.  She wakes up around 4:15 or 4:30am and is done for the day around 10pm.  I haven't had any nights where I wake up with her because she is too active which, rumor has it, is nice.  She really responds to certain people like Dr. Levy and my co-worker Jessica.  The other day my co-worker Monica was talking to her and rubbing my stomach and I guess Natalie had had enough of it because she let out a kick that startled Monica so bad she jumped. 

Best Moment of the Last Week: Getting to watch Greg and Terra say "I do" and to celebrate in their special day was pretty friggin awesome.  It was also really nice to get to see some of our best friends that we don't get to see often.

What I/We are most looking forward to: Maternity pictures this weekend!! I am so excited about those!  I am still not sure what I am going to wear - even though I thought I knew a couple weeks ago when I was picking out clothes at D Torr in Madison.  I probably won't know for sure until Friday afternoon when I get home from work.

32 Weeks and the Sye Wedding

Ok - so I don't have a 32 week post for your entertainment, but we did take the picture!

8 weeks to go!

Last week was a little bit crazy so I didn't really get a chance to write a post.  Work was pretty nuts last week and then Friday we left for Williamsport and Saturday was the Sye wedding that I have been anxiously waiting for and I will say, it was absolutely perfect.  The groomsmen all looked so incredibly handsome and the bride was gorgeous. I would use another word because gorgeous does not even do Terra justice, but I don't know another word.  Here are some pictures from the wedding :)

Mayne, Ant, Greg and Brandon - so handsome :)

the bridal party during pre-ceremony pictures

Terra was seriously stunning!

The first dance as husband and wife :)

My handsome husby - love that man to pieces 

A little pre-photo booth fun.

the boys

Stay tuned because tomorrow I will actually be posting the 33 week picture at 33 weeks!

31 Weeks!

So we didn't have a picture of 30 weeks - but I have a good reason.  My mom came into town last Wednesday for my baby shower and I have been go-go-go since the moment I picked her up from the airport.  Needless to say, I am beyond pooped. I have yet to recover from last weekend.  I need like a three day nap to get over this.

How far along: 31 weeks, 3 days [9 weeks to go - single digits!!]

Baby is the size of: a pineapple. YUM.  At our appointment with Maryland Perinatal on Thursday we were told that Natalie weighs 4lbs!  If we gain the typical .5lbs a week for the rest of the pregnancy, we're looking at around an 8lb baby. WHOA.

Weight Gain: At my appointment on Tuesday I learned that I am up 23lbs from when we started this journey.  Twenty-three pounds in 31 weeks - I think I am ok with this. I feel like I have gained like fifty pounds so seeing such a small number was a big boost to my self-esteem... or at least, it would have been if I had been awake enough to appreciate it. ALSO - my appointment was in the afternoon which means if I had gone in first thing in the morning, you know I would have been lighter... just sayin'

Maternity Clothes: yep... just about everything I wear is maternity.  I am very lucky though.  Last week... or was it two weeks ago... everything runs together these days... I got two clothing deliveries in the same day.  My friend Nydra gave me her maternity clothes and my friend Elizabeth dropped off another bag of fall apparel.  I will not go naked. Thank God.

Symptoms/Sleep: I have had a VERY easy pregnancy.  I did not have any morning/afternoon/evening sickness.  I never felt crummy. I slept a lot during weeks 6-8 but I was ok with that.  I haven't had the bloating, constipation, bad skin, etc that people tend to complain about.  I have had swollen feet which resolve themselves within five minutes of putting them up.  But in the last week I have developed pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome.  Lucky me, right?  I wake up and my hands are so stiff.  I have to open and close them a thousand times or sometimes run them under warm water before they feel normal.  It's only in the morning, so I can deal with that, and reality is, if that's the worst of it - I will definitely take it.  Sleep has been pretty hit or miss.  I either have REALLY awesome sleep or I toss and turn.  There are no in between nights.  Lately I have been so tired that I have been dead to the world... unfortunately, when I wake up, I do not feel well rested.

Food Cravings: Nothing really.  I haven't had much of an appetite for anything. On nights where I have no appetite, I find myself eating bland oatmeal for dinner just so that I get something in me. As much as I love all things pumpkin during the fall - I haven't had any desire to eat anything pumpkin.  Brandon is beginning to worry.

What I miss: waking up feeling well rested. I am sure when I catch up on sleep this weekend I will be singing a different tune.

Wedding Rings: I have my engagement ring on and my wedding band on my necklace.  The days with my engagement ring are limited though.  My OB said I need to keep a close eye on it. I have no doubt that the day I cannot wear my engagement ring will be an ugly one filled with lots of crying and cursing the world.  I basically had a beat Brandon to get him to give me the dang thing and I am freakishly attached to my rings so the idea of not wearing them devastates me.

Movement: I am carrying a monster. She is constantly moving.  At the OB appointment, Dr. Masiky was surprised at just how active she is.  Thankfully, the little girl maintains some semblance of a schedule and sleeps when I sleep for the most part.  Let's hope she keeps this routine up when she makes her grand appearance.

Best Moment of the Last Week: My baby shower was Saturday and it was wonderful... overwhelming, but wonderful.  It was so nice to see my family and Brandon's mom. The little girl is definitely quite set when it comes to clothes and supplies.  Brandon and I are very blessed to have such wonderful and generous people in our lives.  I also got to spend some quality time with my college girls which was really nice.  Also, last week we found out that our friend, Ilona, has accepted a position with Marriott headquarters and will be moving down here from NJ.  Needless to say, I am over the moon excited about that.  The last couple weeks brought only good news and good things which is nice.

What I am most looking forward to: sleeping this weekend.  My parents bought us a closet organizer for our anniversary and it is everything I have ever wanted and more.  Brandon promised me that he would install it this weekend so that I can rearrange our closet and organize it which makes me freakishly excited... but then a little bit sad because it's pathetic how excited I am about a new organizational system in the closet.  I am also REALLY looking forward to Greg and Terra's wedding next weekend.  It will be a little bit weird to be back in Williamsport at Lycoming while pregnant, but such is life. I have big plans for room service for breakfast and I am far too excited about it.

Natalie's Nursery Tour :)

It has been a heavy few days on the blog opening up about a really tough time in my life and, especially, my marriage, so I decided to lighten the mood with something a little bit (a lot a bit) happier - a tour of the little girl's nursery.  

I am obsessed.  It really came out perfectly and exactly how I had always envisioned my child's room to look.  I had the bedding picked out since long before I got pregnant.  It was the same bedding I had as a child.  I remember sitting around the table at Brandon's aunt and uncles house, before I was ready to admit that I wanted a baby, and showing his family the perfect little nursery bedding.  I always knew that I wanted classic Pooh.  I have always loved Pooh.  The newer Pooh is cute, but the classic Pooh just never goes out of style and it's not overly cutesy cute so it is something she can really grow up with.  I remember my childhood best friend, Jessie, still had all her classic pooh stuffed animals in her room when we were teenagers - like I said, it's like the little black dress, it never goes out of style.

My older sister, Michelle, and I took to the internet and we found a website that matches nursery bedding to pregnancy friendly paints.  This was awesome because when Brandon and I bought our townhouse in 2012 we would be able to paint the nursery the right color green from the get-go.. yep even before we were pregnant.  I am obsessed with the neutral green color.  I did not want to paint the room after the new carpet was installed and I did not want to have to paint the room more than one time so it was critical to have the perfect color picked out for the nursery before we moved into the house which, like I have mentioned, was about a year before we actually, finally got pregnant.  Like I have said before, I have been planning for this child FOREVER.  Brandon, being the saint that he is, just rolled with the punches and, while he probably thought I was bat shit crazy at the time, he now understands the method to my madness.

I absolutely love how her name came out on the wall.  Brandon did an awesome job hanging up the letters.  He really is an incredible man and an even better husband and I am so fortunate to be going through this crazy life with him by my side. [I know, I know... vomit.]   

I didn't take pictures of them on the wall because it would have been weird to take pictures of outlet covers, BUT we found absolutely adorable Classic Pooh outlet covers on Etsy at a shop called Busy Mom Outlets. It's the little details like these that I think really make the room for me.  I didn't want a lot on the walls or a lot in the room - I really wanted the space to be open and not cluttered, really simple.  I wanted it to be a calming space.

I am seriously obsessed with these.

Brandon made it perfectly clear from the very beginning when we talked about having a baby that he wanted the nursery to have a Cracker Barrel rocker.  As soon as we got pregnant, Brandon's parents knew exactly what to get us for the nursery: the Cracker Barrel rocker.  Lori and I found the pillow on the rocker at a shop at the Hagerstown outlets and we absolutely fell in love with it.  It fits the chair and the room perfectly. 

Even though Evan hates it - I absolutely adore the corner bookcase that Evan made for the baby :)  He is SO incredibly talented and I love how it matches the furniture and style of the room so perfectly.  On top of the bookcase I have 2 mason jars: one for cotton swabs and one for her pacifiers.  I am sure as time goes on and I have other little things I want easy access to we'll have another mason jar up there - but for now, that's what we have.  The basket in the corner has all four of the classic stuffed animals: Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Tigger. The lamp is a classic pooh lamp from Buy Buy Baby.  It's simple but really produces a lot of light. As you can see, her bookcase has no shortage of children's book already.  I have been buying books for the little girl since before we knew we were having her.  Buying children's books was my way of coping with every negative pregnancy test. I would buy another children's book and sit on the floor in the what would be nursery and read to Gemma.  I don't know what I would have done without that furry little friend.

The changing table is an antique chest of drawers that my mom used as a changing table for my sisters and me.  I absolutely love that detail.  It was much more cost effective to simply buy a pad for the changing table than it would have been to buy a new changing table.  This one fits the room and our style so much better than something new.  Along the wall over the changing table we have three classic Pooh pictures that I found on Etsy at Pretty Petals Papers.

And finally the little girl's closet.  Instead of buying a big new dresser for her - Brandon and I opted to get something from Ikea that would hold her over for awhile until we really figured out what we wanted.  It fits perfectly in the closet. And, as you can see, we have already done some shopping for the little girl :)  I wish I had thought to take a picture of them - but I bought these adorable closet dividers on Etsy (of course) at a shop called Potato Patch.

I am so ready to get her home... at least on paper.  It will be exciting to bring her into her room for the first time and to have that moment where it becomes real.  To sit in the rocking chair, holding her, reading her stories... I know she won't be sleeping in her room anytime soon, but I am so happy to have it done.  It's been so nice to be able to come up the stairs and see her crib in there with the bed made and to go in there and sit in the rocking chair and just take it all in. From the moment we moved into the house, that room has been meant for a baby.  It's so incredibly overwhelming to know that thanks to a little miracle, that room will belong to our little Natalie Grace.  I am so thankful for everyone who made that possible.