28 Weeks - We have a Chinese Cabbage!

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

So, the waddling has begun. Today was the first day that I really don’t feel like I have any control over it, and feel like a toddler! I thought I was doing ok, but had two different people comment on it first thing this morning, so I gave up trying to be discreet. You know what? I’m huge and pregnant! Everyone here knows it, so they’ll just have to deal with me waddling up and down the halls, too!

I also broke down and went to the doctor yesterday about the sinus crud that won’t go away. They had told me they would give me a decadron shot if I came in, but when I got there they couldn’t. One of my ears is red and my lymph nodes are swollen, so they called in a z-pac instead. They also told me to stop taking Sudafed, and instead take Mucinex to help with the sinus headaches. I’ve tried to stay really hydrated, and have been sleeping a lot the past two days. It’s the only time my head doesn’t hurt. I’m hoping I feel like a new person tomorrow, because if not, I’m calling them back and begging for the shot.

Upside to going in yesterday was that my blood pressure is great (106/73), I haven’t gained any weight in the last two weeks (which is good since I was up 10 pounds at my last appointment!), and I got to hear her heartbeat. I’ll never turn down that opportunity, and it was definitely the highlight of my day.

I’ve now reached the point that it hurts to breathe, hurts to sleep, and nothing tastes right. Nothing sounds good to eat, so I’ve been eating just because I know I need the nutrition. Also, anything I eat makes me have to live off Tums, so that’s making everything even less appetizing than it was before. I’m sure that the sinsus crud has something to do with it, but I can almost guarantee that stupid pregnancy hormones are playing a part, too.

I have my next appointment in 2 weeks, then go to TX the week after that. I’m so excited, and can’t wait to actually have baby stuff at my house!!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Baby heartbeats
2) Baby stuff!
3) Mucinex (if it will kick in)
4) Decadron shots (if it doesn’t)
5) Good check ups

Cute kid items

I wanted to shamelessly plug two online sellers I know, and brag for a minute on their really cute stuff! One is a friend of mine who owns Sew Pink and Blue, and she makes the cutest little girl and boy outfits, along with a few other kid-related items. The other is my cousin, owner of The Pink Bulldog, which specializes mainly in baby items.

Sew Pink and Blue is owned by a friend of mine, Emily, and she makes everything herself. She started with making clothes for her son and daughter, and it’s expanded to include a few baby items as well as these awesome things called Tot Spots. They are basically these really awesome, machine washable place mats that you can use at home or at restaurants, and have these really cute designs on them. They are non-slip, can be thrown in the washing machine, and are awesome! I’ve done some design work for Emily, and instead of money, asked to be paid in these instead. They are so useful, and so very cute! If you have little ones, go check them out, and take a peek at some of her awesome clothing and other kids items while you’re there! You can also check her out on facebook, here.

The Pink Bulldog is owned by my cousin, Kahla, and she specializes in baby items and girly things like tutus and bows. I can’t wait to go to TX in September to see her, because she’s promised to make the new little one some burp clothes and pacifier clips from some fabric and ribbon I already have. Her stuff is SO cute, and she uses her daughter as the model - so again, absolutely adorable! For girly or baby items, (and a few things for mom as well!) check out The Pink Bulldog on Etsy, or on facebook by clicking here.

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Things I'm thankful for:

1) Creative friends and family

2) Cute girly and baby stuff

3) The internet

4) The rain that came in today

The “glamorous” side of pregnancy

My poor husband. I might be the one going through the physical changes of pregnancy, but he’s having to put up with quite a lot as well. Not only am I going through the obvious physical changes - clothing doesn’t fit, I have a stomach that can now take out small children if I’m not careful, the waddling is starting -  but there are a ton of not so obvious changes taking place.

First, I can’t sleep. I’m waking every hour and a half or so at night, either to go to the bathroom, to roll over or because I’m hot. We have the air down and a fan on, and I still sleep under nothing but a sheet - with a foot hanging out most of the time - while Mike is beside me under the sheet and the down comforter. If I even THINK of putting that comforter on me, I start sweating. The plus is that we’re not fighting over blankets at the moment. But when I wake, if it’s to go to the bathroom, I have to stretch and get my right hip moving or I’ll fall when I try to stand up. So I spend a few minutes stretching (which really wakes me up, and I’m sure bothers him), then go to the bathroom, then it takes me 15-20 minutes of tossing and turning to get comfortable and finally back asleep. Neither of us are getting much sleep at the moment.

Second, the stupid sinus crud. It won’t. Go. Away! For the last two weeks I’ve lived off of Sudafed and Tylenol Cold and Sinus, and have to get straight in the shower when I get up in the mornings (the steam helps slightly.) Then, once the meds wear off, I’m not much fun at night either. I know he has to be almost as tired of me complaining about the headaches as I am with having them!

Third, the dreams. Oh, the dreams! I’ve woken up a few times because a dream was so vivid that I was crying or angry in it, and it translated to me crying or being angry in real life. Last night there were two that I really remembered. In the first, Sarah wanted me to go on a Disney Cruise with her, because they were having an awesome deal. However, she couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t come up with the money on such short notice, and why there was no way I was going in OCTOBER - when i was due in NOVEMBER. We ended up fighting over it. In the other Aarti, Tom and Herb from The Next Food Network Star had to make dishes based on the names we were considering for the baby, and that challenge was what determined who won. Yeah, after telling Mike about the, I know he thinks I’m crazy.

And the best part? The hormones. Saturday I spent the day rearranging, cleaning and working on the crib, only to discover that I'm missing some bolts and others don't fit. It's really not that big of a deal, and something that is easily fixed by a trip to Ace. I got Mike to look at it when he got home, and when he couldn't fix it, either, I dissolved into tears. The crazy thing is, I KNEW I was being irrational. However, once the tears started, I couldn't stop them, and every time he would try to get me to tell him what was wrong, they started up again. I spent probably close to 20 minutes just crying and crying and crying. He finally looked at me, said "I love you" (in that "you're acting like a total emotional girl right now, but I know you're going to bite my head off if I say anything so I'm keeping my mouth shut" voice), gave me a hug and walked away. Eventually the tears stopped and I felt much better, but I hate just breaking down like that. It's so crazy, for both of us!

I can't wait for this yet-to-be-named little one to arrive, and know things are going to be great when she's here. But why I have to go through this roller coaster to get her here is beyond me!

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) The new baby
2) Kicks - even at 3am
3) Baby furniture
4) Dreams - because that means I'm asleep
5) Sudafed

Cecily was on the local news!

Momma took her yesterday to move in to college, and while they were there, there was a girl interviewing people moving in. Turns out, the girl graduated with Sarah, so when she saw Momma and Cecily, she insisted that Cecily get on camera and the clip made the news there! I was able to find it online, so if you want to see it, here she is! You can read the article, or click on the video on the right to see her. She shows up about 50 seconds in, and then again at the end!

http://www.wdam.com/Global/story.asp?S=12977187

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) Family
2) A great move-in experience
3) Great scholarships
4) A new beginning

27 Weeks - We have a Head of Cauliflower!

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle

The sinus crud is back, and I can’t wait for August (and this crazy heatwave!) to be over. I don’t enjoy having a heat index over 100 every day (it’s currently 106 at 4:45 pm), and I’m ready to be able to breathe again. I bought a fan for my office, though, so that has helped a lot. At least it’s not stuffy in here now!

I hope to get to TX by early September to get all the awesome stuff Kahla is going to let me use, and Momma has agreed to go with me. I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine, but I think we’d both feel better with another adult there, especially since I’ll be 30+ weeks at that time. I can’t believe it’s so close!!!

I think I’ve ballooned again, because I feel like I’m leading with my stomach everywhere I go. I also updated the registry, because I’ve been asked by a few different people what we still need. My answer? All the little stuff! I’m so not ready for her to arrive! 27 weeks down, 13 more to go!

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Free baby stuff
2) The fan in my office
3) Free maternity clothes
4) Vicks and Tylenol Cold and Sinus
5) Ice water

Kindergarten, here we come!

Today was the first day of school!! She was very excited, and was fine with me taking her in this morning (thankfully!) I’m glad I did, because the entire school was chaotic (duh! it’s the first day!), and she walked into the room and looked at me like “What have you gotten me into??” She picked a flower for her teacher, and settled in pretty quickly. I love her teacher (so far!), and really hope Cadence has a great first day!

Before we left. She's so excited!!!


In her room after I got her to settle some. Let's hope she stays this happy!

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Things I'm thankful for:
1) School starting
2) That she's so excited
3) Her teacher
4) That I get to take her every morning
5) Adorable uniforms

The Mysteries of Communion

Cadence and I decided to try out a new church this weekend as part of our mission to find a place the entire family can feel involved. In June, when the United Methodist Conference played “fruit basket turnover” with it’s pastors, one of the ones from the church I work at was assigned to a smaller church not far from where I live. He had been telling me that it’s a smaller church (a plus!), has an older congregation, and feels like a “small town church” even though it’s right in the middle of Jackson. Since Mike and I both grew up in very small churches, this was a huge draw for us. This Sunday, Cadence and I went, and I forgot that it would be Communion Sunday since it’s the first Sunday of the month (growing up  Baptist, we usually just did Communion for special occasions. Methodists are much more diligent about it!)

Cadence has been at my in-laws church for Communion, but it’s been a really long time. Because of that, she wasn’t really sure what to expect. At this particular church, you go to the alter, get the piece of bread, drink the little cup of juice, then go back to your seat. She freaked when she thought we might have to go up front, so I told her we didn’t have to go (and growing up Baptist, it felt a little weird letting her take Communion, anyway.) She apparently heard more of the sermon beforehand than I thought she did, because she was really confused (and slightly grossed out) by the references to “the body and blood of Christ.” I spent most of the time answering questions in the best way I knew how, and trying to explain to her that no, it’s not really Jesus's blood and body, yes, they are eating it but they are pretending that it’s Jesus, no, we wouldn’t really drink blood in church, and yes, we do this to show how much Jesus did for us, and that we are a part of him. I know she still doesn’t understand, but she was at least relieved to find out that all the adults in the place weren’t crazy and they were actually eating and drinking juice and bread, “because drinking blood and eating skin would be GROSS!”

It was rather fitting that she was asking these questions (and was thoroughly confused by my answers) because the pastor was talking about what a weird practice it was, and how bizarre it must look to someone not familiar with the church or Communion. Having her around constantly reminds me how entrenched I am in the church, how normal it all seems, and how crazy it must look when you’re someone who isn’t “churchy,” or a 5 year old who hasn’t “learned the lingo” yet. It’s teaching me to really ask why we do things, and find new ways to explain them instead of the answer being “because that’s how it’s always been.” Both of which I think are great things.

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Things I’m thankful for:
1) Hard questions
2) Warm, friendly people at the church
3) A place in this city that feels like home
4) Cadence not being afraid to ask questions
5) What Communion means