Chunky monkey and what I like to call STTN!

STTN=Sleeping through the night and while we aren't there yet, we are well on our way. I took Emily for a weighed feed on Tuesday because I was worried when her eating times were only 10-15 mins. Plus, it was taking me over an hour to get those 15 mins since she kept falling asleep. Ultimately, I wanted to know if she fed for 10 mins, how much she was taking in and I really wanted to make sure she was gaining weight appropriately. Little did I know, we had NOTHING to worry about. Emily gained 1 lb 6 oz in 14 days. WELL over the 1/2 oz to 1 oz per day the ped wants to see. She is now up to 8lbs 9 oz. Almost 2 lbs up from her birth weight. Woot woot! So we talked to the dr. and she gave us the ok to no longer wake Emily at night to feed. We will just feed on demand at night. We still have to wake every 3 hours during the day if she doesn't get up before then, but sleeping at night is going to be AWESOME! Of course the first night after we were given the OK, she woke up at 2 after only 3 1/2 hours, but last night she slept a full 5 hours, waking me up at 4:15. Yep, I got 5 hours of straight sleep. Then she slept again till 7:30. Bliss. I hope she keeps up the good work!


So the reason for my lack of posts over the last few weeks was due to the holidays and because my sister was in town. She came and stayed with us for a full week and it was AWESOME. Probably boring for her, but I loved getting to just relax and hang out with her. And she was more help than you will ever know! I love when our family just comes over and hangs out. We don't do anything, but having the company is awesome. I love having them over and wish I got more visitors! Here are some pictures of Em, Koley and of course Kiki!



























With Uncle Rich













And here are some 1 month pictures. She is definitly filling out.














He he...I love this one

1 month old...

And I have been slacking on the blog! Last week my sister was here and I just wanted to spend time with her, then the holidays hit. I spent most of my spare time online shopping since going to the mall was out of the question (for sanity purposes). I promise, I have not forgotten about my blog and I will try not to neglect it any more.

Emily is 1 month old today. We had a mini photo shoot. I will upload the pictures and get them posted as soon as possible!

2009...

What a truly amazing year! Sean and I are so blessed. 2009 was a year of a lot of change. Some was good, some was hard, but overall we are in such a good place right now. Both personally and professionally.

In March, we found out after almost a year of trying that we were expecting our first child. This was something we both wanted and we were so so thrilled to find out that in 9 months we would be parents.

In early 2008, Sean took a huge leap and changed careers. It was definately for the best. Work doesn't have to be work and he finally realized what he was doing was not what he loved. He switched jobs and is now an assistant Project Manager for a local construction company. Zig is so hands on, this is perfect for him. Plus, it keeps him on his toes. For me, learning something new everyday is what keeps your job interesting. Having no experience, the owner of this business really took a risk on Zig, but he saw something in Zig, that those who really know him knows is true. He is so dedicated and such a hard worker. He would do everything it took to learn the ins and outs and be successful at what he does. This year, Zig's boss encouraged him to take the LEED exam and become LEED certified. This is a pretty challenging exam, but it allows him to oversee "green" building projects. Something that is huge these days. Zig studied his butt off and passed the exam! He is the only employee at his work who has this certification and it is such a great thing to have!

In May of 2009, Sean and I ventured out of the country and took a vacation with Jenn and Dan (our brother in law and Zig's sister) to Ireland. Neither of us had been to Ireland and really the only travel out of the country either of us had done was either on a cruise or to Mexico. We had a such an amazing time. Ireland is beautiful and it was a once in a lifetime experience. While I didn't get to enjoy a pint of Guiness while I was there, and my monring sickness made meal times interesting, I am so glad we were able to do this. I can't wait till Emily is old enough to enjoy a trip like that! We are definately not done with our traveling. We both would love to tour more of Europe!

Also in mid 2009, our Dad went through a major surgery battling cancer. We are very happy to report that Dad is doing great and feeling better than ever! His strength and motivation to beat this disease is truly admirable.

We received some very sad news late July. We lost Nana after a long battle with lung cancer. We all know she is in a much better place, but we miss her everday. We know that she is watching over us from Heaven and keeping an eye on little Emily!

After 4 long years of trying (and likely several thousand dollars!) I finally passed the CPA exam. I am now a Certified Public Accountant. It is so crazy, because it was something that I worked for on and off for so long. I am so glad I didn't give up because let me tell you, there were days when I felt so defeated. This exam is tough and I was so busy with work (and life) that I just didn't put in the time that I should have to study all those years. Emily was definately my motivation and that motivation finally paid off!

You all know our biggest news! We welcomed Emily to the family on November 28, 2009! Just one day shy of my due date. Here we are almost 3 weeks later and life could not be better. We are so happy and so in love with our little girl!

To round off the year, I recevied some great news from work while on leave. I got a telephone call letting me know that they decided to promote me to Manager! After 5 years with the firm, I am so excited to start this new chapter! It feels good to know that your hard work has paid off and that there are people who work with you who have faith in you and appreciate the work you do.

So much happened in 2009, I hope I haven't left anyting out! It was a great year. Though we don't have high expectations, we can't wait to see what 2010 has in store for us!

Hats Off to the Most Amazing Woman!

So I can't tell you how many people have given me the "Oh your whole life is going to change" speech, or the "good luck with getting any sleep" comments. Well here is what I say to that, "This is the most awesome experience of my life, and I am sleeping just fine thank you". Here is why, first, I have a ridiculously awesome wife. She is a natural mother, maybe a little paranoid, but still rocking awesome. Some time between the pushing and first feeding her maternal instincts kicked in. Michele, my hats off to you. You are already a fabulous mother. Second, we have a pretty sweet system in place. I do everything during the day, and I mean everything. I try to make sure that Michele and the baby have everything they need. I don't complain, I don't make excuses, I don't take turns. No whining, I just do it. Reason...she lets me sleep at night. When we give Emily her last feeding of the evening (about 10:30) I help with the burping and changing. Then I am off to bed. I don't hear a peep until 6:00 when the alarm goes off. That's right, my wife, in all her amazing ways, gets up at 2:30 and feeds our little one without me. What have I done to deserve such a wonderful person. Her reason is that I don't have boobs (thank god) so why is it necessary for me to get up to feed her. Thanks babe!!! This trade-off, has allowed me to be fresh all day, which allows me to take care of anything that Michele or the baby needs. I love my wife, I would lie in traffic for her, and her 7 hours of broken sleep is such a selfless act, it makes me feel so blessed.

And about the previous post...and my crazy sleeping habits, it is important to know that the wad of blankets I was cradling did have something there, it was Bodhi, and it was probably the best sleep that dog ever got. I must have held him for three hours...lucky little sh*t...so when he finally moved, that's when I woke up, and with a half-asleep arm, naturally I thought it was Emily...so don't judge...I was doing the right thing!!!

Take the baby Michele!

This is what I woke up to at 1:30 in the morning. My half asleep, sleep talking husband had convinced himself that he was holding Emily. He woke me up and at first I too was convinced he was holding the baby. Here is how I recall the hysterical event.

Zig: Babe, take the baby please! My arms are tired. I can't move.
Me: Why are you holding the baby?
Zig: I don't know, take her Michele
Me: Honey, why is the baby in bed with us? (I swear at first I thought he was holding her and I was getting freaked out that she wasn't moving)
Zig: I don't know, Michele take the baby
Me: How long has she been in bed with us?
Zig: Since you fed her last
Me: Why? She was asleep, why did you bring her to bed? How long has she been here?
Zig: Only for a half hour.
Me: But it's 1:30 and I fed her at 10...(this is when I realized the baby was NOT in bed with us. He had the blankets all wadded up and was cradling them in his arms.
Me: Babe, you are not holding the baby.
Zig: YES I AM, TAKE THE BABY MICHELE. I AM SERIOUS.
Me: Honey, you are not holding the baby. Wake up.
Zig: Please my arms hurt

At this time, I took the wadded up blankets and pulled them out of his arms. He FREAKED out.

Zig: Michele! You just pulled the blankets over the baby's face! What are you doing?

Then he realized. The baby was not in bed with us and he finally woke up enough that we both laughed for about 15 mins.

HYSTERICAL! I actually did panic at first. My husband is one funny sleeper.

Another week down and lots of pictures

The last 2 weeks have flown by! Things are going really well. According to the doctor we have a very "calm baby." Let's hope it stays that way. Emily has put herself on an eating schedule, eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours everday and then every 4 hours at night. We really can't complain. Sleep has not been bad and even the 2:30 feeding isn't a big issue. I still get about 7 hours of broken, but good sleep. I usually set my alarm for 2:30 and the little miss will wake up just before then with her little grunts in the other room.

She still sleeps like a champ in her crib. For the most part during the day, she likes to be where the people are, and tends to fuss a little after her 7:30 feeding when we put her in her crib, but after her 10:00 feeding she is out till about 8:30 during the day, dream feeding for her nightly feedings.

Her first bath was a huge FAIL! She pooped in the tub and I cried. I felt so bad for her. I am sure we will get the hang of it. Afterward I think she was way over stimulated because she proceeded to projectile vomit all over me right after she finished eating. It was a little traumatizing.

I feel great! Feedings are so much easier. She still can be hard to wake sometimes. The only time it gets hard is if she decides to start her nap too close to the next feeding time. Then she is my little comatose baby and is nearly impossible to wake up. Physically, I have recovered really well and even managed to squeeze into some of my pre pregnancy jeans. SCORE! I have lost all the weight, plus a little more, but again, I attribute it to the fact that I was a little pudgy before and didn't really gain that much to begin with.

Overall we are doing good. Here are some pictures! Some are from the hospital when she was brand new and some are through today. We love this little girl so much! We just can't get enough! Enjoy!

Weight Check

So we are paranoid parents. I have been worried because our little miss sleeps ALL.THE.TIME and when I can actually get her to wake up, she only feeds for maybe 10 mins. Night time feedings take over an hour and again, she only eats for a few minutes. We called the doctor yesterday and she asked us to bring Emily in for a weight check today. The result: Emily has gained 10 oz in the last 7 days. She is definately eating and eating good. They typically like them to gain 1 oz a day and she gained more. We are pretty happy. The doctor told us not to worry and to start waking ever 4 hours at night instead of just doing 1, 4 hour stretch. She said she is just a calm baby. It was nice because we were able to ask her some other questions we have had lately too. We really like our doctor. So we go back again next week for her 2 week check up.

Then I thought I jinxed myself. We got back from the doctor at 10 or so and she was due for a feeding at 10:30 (we have been asked to feed her every 3 hours from start of one feed to start of the next if she doesn't wake to be fed, which she usually doesn't). Well she ate at 10:30, stayed awake till 1:30, ate and stayed awake and fussy till 4, when I decided to feed her again. She finally fell asleep at 4:30 and has been snoozing since. I just hope she stays being such a good sleeper at night. Here is to hoping...

It's amazing how much you learn...

Seriously. Looking back to last Monday, I am truly amazed how much we have all grown together. So far Emily has been a really really good baby. I am still waiting for the hurricane to hit. She is still in a very sleep stage. It's like you worry if they cry and fuss and you worry if they don't. Right now she doesn't. We still are having to wake her every 2-3 hours to feed her and still checking to make sure she has enough wet diapers so we know she is eating enough. It has been really challenging to feed her because I am constantly trying to wake her to make sure she is getting what she needs and not sleeping through meals. Every day, the amount of time she is alert is getting more and more. Today she actually took a meal and stayed awake till the next meal. She just hung out with dad, while I went to run some errands. I am not going to lie. I needed to get out of the house. Not to get away from her, just to get some fresh air. I am still too scared to take her anywhere with me. Anyway, she did really well last night. I have been setting my alarm so I know when it is time to feed her at night and it seemed like whenever it was time, I could hear her starting to fuss in her crib. It is almost a relief to hear her on the monitor, because then I don't have to wake her from a deep sleep to feed.

One of the things Zig and I were pretty firm on before Emily came was that we really wanted her to sleep in her crib. Her room is right next door and we literally had no room in our room for a bassinet or pack and play. Bed sharing is also not an option. Zig is a very deep sleeper and we are both worried we may roll over on her. Everyone laughed and wished us luck on that. Even the first day home, it took everything in me to not ask to borrow my moms pack and play for a few weeks. I am really glad we have stuck to this so far. I am not saying that we won't adapt if it is not what is best for our family, but right now, it works really well. She is a relatively quiet sleeper, but I know that any noise she made that is too quite to be picked up on the monitor, would wake me from the dead in a panic if she was in our room. I think we would sleep less and worry more often. I am not going to lie though, there are times when I leave the video monitor on and just stare at her for several minutes to gain comfort that she is ok, but it is going really well so far and I hope we can keep it up.

As for feeding, other than the waking to feed and worring that she is not getting enough, it is like night and day from a week ago. A week ago, I was still using the shield. I decided one day that we just needed to wean off of it because I knew she wasn't nursing as efficeintly as she would be if we didn't use it. It was not as hard as I thought. And everyday, I am getting better at the different positions to feed her in. It seemed so hard at first and I thought I would never catch on, but we are doing good. I was literally at my wits end and ready to just start pumping to feed her, but now I am getting a good routine down. Night time feedings are hard. I have to wake her up if she is asleep and we literally try everything to try and make sure she gets a full feed in. I undress her, rub her feet, her back, her hair. I try and burp her or change her, and have even used a cool cloth, but she sleeps like the dead. It sometimes takes me an hour just to get her to nurse for 15 mins. The ped said as long as she gains her weight back at the next appointment, we will no longer have to wake to feed. I am sure by that time, she will up all night instead of sleeping. Kidding (I hope!). What I do know is, she seems to be eating much more efficiently now. It would take her over an hour to eat before and now she is down to about 15-25 mins.

I feel so much better. Last week, I couldn't get off the couch and all I could think was I would never be able to do this by myself when Zig goes back to work. Slowly I try and do more by myself. I getting pretty good at doing things one handed now. I also got some reference books to help ease my mind. I still worry a lot and I honestly don't think that will go away any time soon, but it has gotten better. Physically, I feel great. Even though I am getting up every couple of hours, it is almost like I am used to the broken sleep since I was getting up to pee a hundred times a night before anyway. I let Zig sleep through the night feedings, mainly because there is nothing he can do. I wake up, start to feed her, if she falls asleep I change her, and then try and feed her again. It doesn't make sense to wake him up in the middle of her feeding when I am capable of changing her myself.

Let's talk Zig. He is amazing. He has been so helpful and supportive. I was really emotional the first few days home and he was so good at comforting me and easing my mind. And he makes a mean sandwich. :) I let him sleep at night and he helps me so much during the day. He watches the baby while I shower and get ready and makes sure I am eating enough and nutriously. I love him more and more every day.

I am looking forward to next week now. I am sad that Zig has to go back to work Monday, but so excited because my sister is coming into town on Wednesday for an entire week. It will be so good to spend that time with her, since she won't be here for Christmas this year. This is the first year I have not spent the holiday with her and I am so sad about that. I am already counting down the days till next Christmas.

Sorry for the long posts. Ok so here are some pictures from the last week. I still haven't gotten them off of my fancy camera, so the quality isn't great because the are from my phone. Enjoy!

Emily is 1 week 2 days old.

She's here!

Emily Alice was born on Saturday morning at 10:25. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and is 19 3/4 inches long. We are so in love with her already!

She is asleep now so I just wanted to post a blog update. Sorry, this is going to be long. I was not feeling too great on Thanksgiving, still having tons of back pain. We went to my aunts house for our annual Turkey Day celebration and after eating I was so exhausted that I just layed on my Aunt's couch and am a little sad I didn't get to socialize with my cousins who were in from out of town. I was just exhausted. Anyway, after that we went to Mom and Roberts and again, all I really was up for was laying of the couch, but I did get to have a nice visit with Zig's sister and our cousin Alice. Later that night we went to bed. My back pain was starting to get worse as the night went on. I woke up several times, trying to adjust and get comfortable, to no avail. I finally woke up Zig around 7 friday morning (Due date day!) and we started to time them because at that point they were moving into my lower abdomen. They weren't really timeable, so we decided to go to breakfast with my Family. Little did I know, that would be my last meal pregnant. I am so glad I ordered the pancakes. ;) I was still in a lot of pain all through breakfast and afterwards we went to my moms to just relax and watch movies. Throughout the movies, my contractions started to get closer together, coming ever 5-6 minutes and lasting over a minute. They did hurt really bad and several times made me cry, but looking back, they weren't as bad as I had always thought they would be. Fast forward a few hours and I was in pain and just not feeling myself. We left my moms around 4 and went straight to the hospital. I had been putting it off because I didn't want to be sent home. We got there and they checked us into triage. I was 4 cm and 80% effaced. My contractions were now consistently 5 mins apart and lasting a minute. They admitted us and around 7:30 I got my epidural. HEAVEN. Seriously. I had no pain from that point on until delivery. Our families are such troopers...Everyone waited around for several hours and our parents even spent the night in the waiting room. At one point we had 12 people in the waiting room. Thinking about it now makes me so emotional. I love that they were all there and that everyone was so excited even though it would be SEVERAL hours before Emily actually came. Everyone thought for sure that she would be there before midnight..my due date and grandmothers birthday. Around 11:00 the doctor came in and checked my dilation again and I had only progressed to 5 cm so she broke my water. I was so glad for the epi, because it allowed both Zig and I to get some sleep. Fast forward to 6:30am on Saturday and I was ready to push. At one pint during the night my oxygen levels had dropped and I had to get oxygen, which totally dried out my throat. Since I have asthma, they ordered me an inhaler, which took almost 2 hours to come. I was really excited though because my doctor started her shift at 7, which meant she was going to deliver me. I started pushing around 9:00 and little Emily was here at 10:25. During that time, I wasn't able to feel my contractions because of the epi, which made pushing difficult, so they decided to give me pitocin and turn of the epi for a short time. That short time made a ton of difference (even though it was only 5 mins or so) because I was in some pretty bad pain towards the end of the pushing. I was super emotional and honestly I don't handle pain well. Zig is such a trooper. He was so encouraging and supportive. I feel bad because I know there were a couple of times I told him to stop touching me. When I am in pain, I just want to be left alone, but he still stood there and took my crap and I love him so so much for all he had done over the last few days. Again, I am so lucky. Some time during the night I also started to run a low grade fever. They gave me some tylenol to try and bring it down before delivery, but it was still there when Emily was born. Here is where it got crazy. Since I had a fever they were worried that I had an infection and that I passed it to Emily. This required her to be taken to the NICU for a mandatory 48 hour stay. I was so crushed. I was still in a lot of pain and I had a 2nd degree tear. After Emily came, they immediately put her on my chest and I held her and Zig and I both cried. It was really amazing, but then we found out that they were going to take her, about my possible infection, I wasn't clotting so I required a huge shot in my thigh and all the while there were nurses everywhere trying to tell me what was going to happen next. It was too much. I felt like I couldn't really enjoy the moment and I was super emotional. Everything is better now. We both were put on antibiotics and Emily was monitored 1 floor down from where we were. This made feeding very challenging. We were called every couple of hours to go downstairs to feed her (which was and is a huge challenge all in itself). I am a little sad it turned out to be that way, but I am so so glad that Emily was being closly monitored and didn't show any signs of infection. I have to say, I am very very happy with Pres. All our nurses were AMAZING. The NICU people are the most incredible people I have ever met. That made the very difficult experience so much better.

Anyway, we are all home now. We were discharged Monday afternoon and are enjoying our time as a new family.

So how do I feel? Like I got hit by a truck. I am still in a ton of pain, and was told I may not feel "normal" for several months because of the tear. I take each day at a time. I am super emotional too, but I am sure it has something to do with the change in hormones and the fact that I feel like I have NO clue of what I am doing and just praying I am doing the right thing. I told myself during the pregnancy that I wsn't going to read a book because what works fro one person, may not work for everyone and I didn't want to get too caught up in one person's opinion and that I wouldn't get too worked up if things didn't go as planned. I kind of regret that now, but am lucky because I have lots of people I can turn to with questions. I feel SO paranoid all the time though. I worry that I am not feeding her enough and that something that I am doing could hurt her. My milk came in on Monday, but we are still having some latch issues. The pediatrician told us to look for 4-6 very wet diapers a day and 1-2 poopie ones. It seems like she is only having the poopie ones, which sends me into panic mode since it is not the norm. I think I am driving Zig crazy, but I can't help it. As we all know from this whole pregnancy, I am a huge worrier. I am amazed at how well my body has tried to bounce back. With in the first 2 days my uterus had almost completly retracted down and my tummy, while very jiggly is started to really go back to the way it was. It may never be exactly the same, but I was worried I would have giant gut that would just hang there. It is amazing what a women's body can go through and its ability to recover. I am just taking each day at a time.

Anyway, I know this is super long. I wanted to write it all out more so that I would be able to remember it all, but to share my experience with all of you. I love my daughter so so much. Just thinking about her brings tears to my eyes. She is absolutely perfect! Keep checking back for update. I know I never really posted my 39-40 week update. Maybe if I feel brave, I will post those pictures, plus my 1 week post partum ones. People always seem interested in that. I know I was when I was pregnant. And you can expect tons and tons of pictures of our little bit. Here is one for now. She is only 2 days old here. Many many more to come and we now embark on being parents. Tomorrow I will try and post on how things have been going since we have been home.

Woo hoo!

So for the past 2 years or so, I have been bugging Zig about getting a really nice camera that had a fast shutter speed. I love to take pictures of the pups (they were our first babies you know) but found my Cannon ELPH (which I truly love) was not fast enough to capture the shot. Bodhi and Abby HATE the camera. It's like they have a camera radar and will be sitting looking all adorable, but the second I get the camera, I can't get their attention. Not like buying a super fancy camera will make it any better, but at least I can take a million pictures in a few seconds and pray for a good one. Anyway, so the bugging began again when I got pregnant. I have been reading some photography blogs for a really long time and about a year and a half ago I fell in love with the Canon Rebel XSI (Do you see a trend, I am a Canon girl). I got home last night and sitting there begging to be opened in a carefully wrapped package was my Rebel. My very sweet and thoughtful husband had been paying attention to my subtle hints (ok nothing about any of my hints is ever subtle) and he bought me what I have wanted for so long. I am so FREAKING excited. I messed around with it a little bit last night, but can't wait to really get to play with it in different lighting this weekend. I got some great shots of the pups and my sweet love, but I am really looking forward to taking tons of pictures of Emily once she arrives. Between my brother and I, (he just bought an awesome camera too), I am pretty sure Emily will grow up to loathe the camera, but it is really important to me that we take lots of pictures of all our memories. This is something that Zig and I have been terrible about during our relationship. We lack in the photo memory department, but not anymore! So thank you Sweetness, I love you so much and who knows, maybe I will find a new hobby in photography. :)

On another note, I know I have not posted pictures of the nursery yet. This is because it is missing one final touch. Zig is going to build a frame for the picture my mom bought us when she was in Seattle this weekend, and once that is hung, I promise I will post some pictures. It is really coming along and I am happy with the way it all turned out. Now we are just missing the baby!

Let's get this family started!

We had our ultrasound yesterday, and while we didn't get to see our little girls precious face, we did get really good news. She is not as small as we thought! Emily is measuring in the 42nd percentile. Everything looks great and she looks very healthy! She is measuring 7lbs 2 oz on the u/s, but the margin of error is a pound, which is a pretty big margin considering she only weighs 7. So basically she could weigh 6lbs 2 oz or she could weigh 8, however the later is very unlikely. So that is great!

We saw the doctor today and I am only 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. That basically means nothing. I could stay 1 cm dilated up until 41 weeks, so it isn't a true sign that labor is in the near future. She did say that it appears that baby is between 0 and -1 station. Which means she is in position. She is anterior too, meaning she is not sunny side up! Whew! Doesn't really explain the back labor I am having, but whatever. She told us again this week to start timing the back pains if they don't go away by laying down, but so far, they really are not timeable. Just painful. As far as I know, I am not having any contractions and everyone I talk to says I will know, so I am just leaving it at that. She did strip my membranes, which is pretty much horrifying and something I don't want to really describe, but basically they separate the bag of water from the uterine wall and it could stimulate labor. Operative word is could. It really means nothing either. So that is where we are for now. We go back next Wednesday for our next appointment if she doesn't come before then. My doctor is the doctor on call throughout the whole holiday weekend, so it wouldn't be a bad thing if Emily came on time, because then maybe she will be there for the delivery! We love our doctor. She is seriously awesome. We did set an eviction date if Emily gets too comfortable. If she is not here by December 3rd, it will be time to induce. I pray she comes when she is ready and that it doesn't come down to an induction, but we will see.

I will never forget the look on Zig's face when she asked today about the membrane stripping and told us that it could induce labor. It was sheer panic. I think he had a little bit of anxiety as it is finally setting in that in 2 1/2 weeks at the most, we will have our little girl. My husband is going to be such an amazing father, he has nothing to worry about. I seriously got so lucky when I found him. I could not have asked for a more supportive, loving and committed person to share this experience with. I am so excited to see how we will all grow together as a family. I honestly think that he is more worried about the whole laboring process and not about actually being a father. For me, it still hasn't set in. I am not anxious about what is too come, I am not scared of labor, I am just ready. I have been preparing for well over a year and a half when we decided to embark on the crazy journey. But ask me again when the contractions start! I may tell a completely different story then!

Here are some pictures. Maybe the will be our last! I am 38 weeks 2 days in these pictures. Today I am 38 weeks 5 days! Where did the last 9 months go!

Irrational fears and a weekly update

So I went to the doctor this morning. She did not check for dilation or effacement, mainly because I think her theory is, you can be dilated for weeks and it doesn't mean the baby is going to come tomorrow. I think she would rather wait and see how things progress naturally without the constant checking. At first I was disappointed, but now that I think about it, internal exams sound like a pretty shitty thing to have to do weekly. She is going to come when she is good and ready.

Everything is still looking good. She measured me today and I am measuring at 35 weeks. Here is where I start to freak out. I know that it is very possible that I am measuring behind, because it is likely the baby dropped a little bit. It is pretty common for women to measure small after they have dropped. But I ask a lot of questions (which is not bad) which led to the big weight gain discussion. Insert irrational fear. All I can think of is that she is measuring small because I am still not gaining weight. I try and try, but nothing seems to stick. Now I know what you all are thinking, "why is she complaining about not gaining weight, she should be happy." Here is why. I am afraid that I am going to have a very small, scary small baby. And I am worried that is because of something that I did wrong. When I first got pregnant, my doctor told me that she wanted me to gain between 25 and 30 lbs. I am no where near that. But here is the thing, I was slightly over weight before baby, and ended up losing quite a bit of weight in the first trimester because I was so sick. Deep down, I wish she would calculate my weight gain from my lowest weight this pregnancy to now, instead of my pre preg weight to now, but that is not how it works. So we started discussing weight gain and she mentioned that my gain was not ideal, but it could just mean that since I am not a big person, that my baby is just small. She looked at my last u/s and said that we would just schedule another one to check on her progress for next week. She didn't seem worried and I am hoping that she is just doing it to calm me, but she could also be one of those doctors that doesn't show the concern till after it has been confirmed. That is the worry wart in me. My very supportive husband says that if she is small, then she is small and we will deal with what we need to do to get her to gain weight once she gets here, and that it is not worth worrying about it now. I know this is true, but I still worry. I just wish that she was here, so I could see that she is OK, but we know it is best if she cooks a little longer. She is full term and fully developed, but now we will just wait till she has a little more meat on her bones and we will let her come when she is ready.

My second irrational fear. That I am going to drop her. Seriously. I laugh sometimes when I think about how silly this sounds, but I keep having dreams that I dropped her, or that Zig did. It is ridiculous, I know.

I am feeling pretty good. She is moving a ton still. She seriously is her fathers daughter. She is going to be a wild child, I already know it. I am actually looking forward to the u/s so I can see how she is positioned in there. I have a little foot constantly poking out my right side. It does not feel good. I know I am going to miss having her all to myself and feeling her move inside of me, but I am not going to lie, her movements HURT. Sometimes a lot. I am still getting shooting pains up and down my back and for the most part, if I lay down, they will go away. For the most part, but not always. My doctor told me that it sounds like I am having back labor and next time they don't go away by laying down, I should start timing the pain as a contraction. She mentioned that a lot of times, you have these shooting pains when the baby is sunny side up. I love my doctor because she is pretty honest and she told me that it may not be the case, but if it was it could mean a little bit longer on the pushing because her face will have to come around my pubic bone. Insert irrational fear number 3. What if I break her little nose or mess up her face with my pushing. I know, it's stupid, but everyone say a little prayer that she is really not sunny side up.

Here are some pics from Sunday. I am definitely getting bigger, there is no denying it. Which is why I am sure everything is just fine...

Good News X 2

I completely forgot to post about this last week. We were able to get Emily into our first choice daycare last week! We are really excited because it is very close to both of our works, and once my company builds its new office, it will literally be right next door. We went there back in early August to find out that they had a waiting list of over a year. I was completely heart broken. My good friend Jess takes her son there and we were really hoping to get in. I got a call from Jess on Friday and she told me to go down there because they had a cancellation. I called the daycare center and the woman told me that yes they had a cancellation and that she thought of us because it was for February, the time we will be needing to have someone watch Emily. We technically were not the next on the list, but the timing was so perfect and she felt so bad for us that she put us down. I am so glad it worked out. We felt really comfortable there and all the teachers seem awesome. Plus Emily will get to hang out with her buddy Brayden more.

On another note, we were able to work out my leave. I will take the 2 weeks of PTO at the beginning, 4 weeks of STD, 2 weeks maternity, and finish it off with 4 more weeks of PTO. I am really glad it worked out. I don't know what I would have done, had they make me take leave early. I seriously would lose my mind waiting to go into labor at home. I am swamped at work, so it makes the days fly by and keeps my mind off of things.

Everything is falling into place!

Policy Schmolicy

So the managing partner of my firm came up to me when I was in the middle of discussing financials with a co worker and asked when I was done if I could go to his office. My first thought, was "great, what did I do now?" but shrugged that off thinking, things have never been better and the only thing they really had against me was telling me I am a cranky pregnant lady. I actually was thinking, "Hey maybe since I won't be here when they give out bonuses (or promotions :) ) this year, that they decided to let me know early." WRONG. Instead, I was told that HR was running some numbers (they should leave that to us accountants) and have found that the way my leave is falling, I will not be in compliance with our "annual leave carry forward policy" and therefore I may have to start my leave early, so that I am in "compliance." My work is very generous and allows us to carryforward 200 hours or 5 weeks. If Emily comes on time, the first 2 weeks of my leave will be paid maternity, the next 4 short term disability, then I would take 6 weeks of PTO. What this means is my PTO won't start until January and because of this, I will be carrying forward around 250 hours, 50 hours over policy. So they want me to take those 50 hours before my due date. That would mean that next Monday would be my last day of work. Dear HR, um thanks for the freaking forwarning! I was already stressed out about my deadlines and now you are telling me I have to leave a week and half earlier than anticipated. That sucks! I want all the time after the baby. I mean what if she is late! That could mean I would only get 9-10 weeks and not the full 12 I have been saving for. Boo, HR, boo. How come no one did "the math" a month and a half ago when I met with HR to tell them my plan? I am hoping that they will still let me work up to my due date and take 2 weeks of vacation at the beginning and bill the Maternity leave at the end. I mean, it's 6 to 1, 1/2 dozen to the other. Does it really matter? I am not asking to carry forward more hours so I can go on a vacation next year. By the time I come back I will have drained my PTO to about 2 days! I am already missing out on all the holidays (which if she does come before Thanksgiving, that totals to almost a week of missed holiday pay)! I find out tomorrow what they figured out after they run some more "numbers." Hey, maybe it won't be a big deal. Maybe miss Emily will come a few days early and it won't matter. :) Say a prayer for my sanity. If I have to sit at home waiting for her, I may go crazy! ::VENT OVER::

Officially uncomfortable

This is pretty much the latest I have been so far, aside from skipping posting a week all together. I am not going to lie, I am officially very uncomfortable. I am technically 37 weeks today (and full term by the way!), but here is to looking back to week 36. My work threw me a shower last Friday and it was awesome. We literally got everything on our registry, minus a few items that are pretty much luxury, unnecessary items any way. I have one more load of baby laundry and we are set! Everything, for the most part is put away. We knew babies needed a lot of stuff, but never did we imagine that our once open storage space would dwindle to nothing. We are packed and busting at the seams, but mostly because we could probably use to part with some of the crap that is still in our closets. The pellet stove installed and working (for the most part). We are still trying to get the hang of the thermostat and it has been in the upper 60's so the only time it really kicks on, is in the middle of the night when we are asleep.

Zig's friend Brent also threw him a diaper party last weekend and we ended up with a pretty good size assortment, which is great! We really have great friends and family. Let's be honest, our friends are our family.

As for me, I have been a big baby this last week. My hips hurts, I can no longer roll over un assisted and when she moves and kicks, it hurts. There is no room, but Emily doesn't care. She moves and stretches like she is living in a 1500 sq foot apartment, when in reality, she is in a tiny room. There is one position she is quite fond of, that when she is in it, I have shooting pains up and down my spine that literally take my breath away. Maybe they are braxton hicks contractions, I don't know, but it kills and I have to lay down for them to go away. I don't think I have any "real" contractions that I know of. Everyone tells me I will know when I do, so I will keep you posted. I am starting to get tired, but really looking forward to whats to come. Our little Emily is in the drivers seat now. She has control, let's just hope she isn't too comfortable in there. I am ready to meet my little girl!

How far along?: Technically 37 weeks today

Total weight gain: 8-9. It is still fluctuating.

Stretch marks?:Just the lonesome two some on my side. I am praying that they don't all decide to join the part right when I have this kid. It would be sad to go full term with only 2 and end up with dozens

Sleep?: Meh, I have found ways to stay confortable for a few hours on each side, but I feel bad because when I roll over, it takes a ton of effort and I end up waking everyone.
Best moment this week?:Getting all Emily's laundry done and everything put away.
Food cravings?: Nothing really. Geez, how boring.
Labor signs?: Just the back pain. I did call my doctor last week and she told me just to make sure that it goes away after I change positions. She said she would worry if it became a constant pain.

Belly button in or out?:It is in, but really shallow. I have this weird thing above my belly button though (I call it a tumor and Zig gets mad) and sometimes it sticks out depending on where is is in my tummy. It grosses me out. I pray my innie goes back to normal when this is all said and done.

What I miss: Walking without waddling. And I am counting down till I can have just one delicious dirty gin martini. And maybe a bud light while watching football on Sunday's

What I'm looking forward to: Finally meeting Emily!

These were taken last Sunday

PS...

Happy Birthday to Abby! She turns 5 today! Where have the last 5 years gone! Seriously, and on Sunday, it marked 4 years since we closed on our current house. Time is flying by!

Locked and Loaded

Emily is a good girl. We had my almost 36 week appointment today and baby is head down. Woot woot. This explains why my hips have been killing me this week. Appointment went really good. Blood pressure is great, I have no swelling (knock on wood), and she is happy with my weight gain. I gained 3 lbs since my last appointment, but I am still only up 9 lbs. My weight fluctuates so much too. Two days ago I was up 7 lbs, today 9...Baby looked good on the sonogram today, but we were not able to tell how big she is on the machine that she used. She said she should be around 6.5 lbs, but she bets she is probably only around 6, which seems very generous to me. Either way, she is healthy and that is all that matters. Here are some pictures for week 35. I am way to lazy to do the whole survey so here is the quick run down. No new stretch marks, up 9 lbs, I sleep awesome right now because it is so cold at night I don't wake up sweating, best moment this week was by far the shower and I am looking forward to this little girl making her debut anytime after next week. Our pellet stove is going to get installed today, which could not happen at a better time because it snowed a bit this morning. Although, this is NM we are talking about and it will probably be in the mid 70's tomorrow...Here is to hoping that the weather stays cool for a while. I am loving it!

Baby Shower

First of all, I cannot help but laugh about the topics that my husband likes to blog about. He is such a man. However, he is in the peak of his nesting. I am waiting to catch up, but I think I am almost there. Tonight is Operation Organization. We have to organize the pellets for the pellet stove, since they have to be stored inside, that will make it a little more challenging, since the garage is already pretty packed. And I spent about 3 hours yesterday pulling tags off all the cute little baby clothes, hats, socks, blankets, burp clothes, you name it and sorting into washable piles, so all that has to go back in all the drawers upstair. Whew, I get tired just thinking about it.

So the Shower was AWESOME! I am so so lucky to have such amazing friends and family (and a lot of them.) We really truly are blessed. We had about 45 people show up for the shower, which is more than I could have imagined. I am not going to lie. It was a little overwhelming with all the people. I felt so bad that I couldn't sit down and really talk to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to celebrate with us. It really meant the world to me! I can't thank everyone enough. Emily is one spoiled and very loved little girl. We had a guest list of about 60, so the turn out was really awesome. I know what you are thinking! 60 people! Yes that is a lot of people, but each person on the list was really important to us and has supported us in some capacity in our lives. There was no narrowing the list down.

For those of you who couldn't make it to the Shower, I am not going to lie, you did miss out! Not because you missed seeing me, but you missed all the hardwork and detail our families put into it. Rebecca did an amazing job of planning decorations, handmaking all the invites, and picking out games, and much much more. She planned this shower pretty much from the moment she knew we were expecting. Nicole and mom cleaned the house spotless and coordinated the food. Jenn make the most delicious moist cake I think I have ever eaten and the cutest cookies I have ever seen. Vange, my Aunt's and JoAnn made sure that everyone was well catered too and that everything went as smoothly as possible. It was great. My friend Erin, who flew in from Phoenix was the in house photographer and took over 250 pictures (she's a little crazy, but I love her), so hopefully I will get some up in the next few days. It was so good to see everyone. I have recently been reunited with some of my best friends from high school and they all came on Saturday. Also, Cissy took time out of her REALLY busy life (she has an almost 4 month old baby herself) and flew down for literally less than 24 hours to be there for me. Honestly, I cannot stress enough how blessed I am. I really get choked up thinking about how loved we truly are by so many and that we love everyone so much in return, we just hope you all know that.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone from the bottom of my heart for everything you do for Sean and I. We love each of you so much and are so so grateful that you are in our lives.

I am a Master Negotiator

So you have all heard that Michele and I were looking at pellet stoves...well we purchased one, got a good deal and it should do a fantastic job heating our poorly insulated house! So the dilemma is this...what do we do with the old wood burning stove. I personally wanted to keep it and put it where our other gas fire place is, that got over-rulled. Whatever. So we turned once again to the trusted Craigslist. Let me tell you, for all the nay-sayer Craigslisters...this is a god send. We have sold more crap on CL than I could have imagined. Two futons, a table, a cycle-ops, and a partridge in a pear tree! So I posted our stove for 800 semolians...and wouldn't you know it, we got three hits within 20 minutes. People are CRAZY and I love it. So this frantic lady calls me with 782 questions about the stove...I sent her the owners manual and said look it up. She schedules a time to come by the house and look at the stove, take measurements, etc. The next morning I get an email saying we'll give you $600. So I don't respond. About an hour later she replies with "I hope I didn't offend you, let me rephrase, what is the lowest price you will take," here is where I negotiated the crap out her. I said $800, our listing price. I went on to say that I have had a ton of interested parties and I'm sure one of them will take our asking price. Two hours later I get another email saying "we'll take the stove for $800". Damn I'm good! Here is what sucked, just as the lady offered the $800, I had another individual on the way to my house to look at the stove...that was a tough call.

That my friends is how you negotiate! Oh, and thanks to the wife for the support, she offered some invaluable advise!!!

Hope everyone is doing well...I can't wait to be a daddy!!

35/35

Today I am 35 weeks along and have 35 days to go! Crazy! I am really looking forward to my shower this weekend and seeing lots of friends and family! Hopefully we will get tons of pics to share!

34 Weeks!

Time is flying by now and I am waiting for it to really hit me that is less than 6 weeks we will have a baby (that is if she doesn't come late). Everyone tells me that the last few weeks go by really slow, but we are waiting for that to happen. Emily is still moving around like crazy and it is starting to get more and more uncomfortable. I know I am not as big as some women get in the last trimester, but I am still much bigger than I was and things are getting a little cramped in there, yet she still continues to roll around back and forth while doing the Mexican hat dance on my bladder. Lately now when people ask me how I am and I respond "I am feeling good, just getting uncomfortable" the response I have gotten is either "You are not that big" or "You don't know uncomfortable yet" to which I give them the evil side eye. Geez people, it is ok if I am not comfortable, I am 8 months pregnant and having hot flashes like it is 110 degrees outside. It seems like people really like to share negative stories or feedback these days. I know I am not going to sleep for the rest of my life, Zig and I are prepared for that. And the whole "you have no idea" comment, yeah, we know we have no idea, but we are still super excited. And finally, "you say that now, but wait till the baby is here." My husband and I have done lots of research and yes we are pretty opinionated on some of the methods we are going to use when Emily gets here, but we are prepared to roll with the flow and make changes where necessary, if it is Emily's best interest. I do know that my husband supports me and together we are hoping that our plans are effective ones because we didn't rush into any of the decisions we have made so far. Those are just the negative comments though, I get lots of great comments and advice too. I love that some of my friends have little babies, or have had children before and they have been so helpful in offering tips and advice.

So here is the survey of the week...

How far along?: 34w5d, today
Total weight gain: +7 to 9. It fluctuates back and forth
Stretch marks?: I now have 2 tiny marks on my side, nothing to complain about. Together they are maybe a quarter of an inch long. ::Please let it stay that way::
Sleep?: Still the same. My hips are still hurting and I have to roll myself over a couple times a night for relief. This has become a struggle because Bodhi is obsessed with snuggling with me lately. I think it is because I am so warm all the time. If he could crawl in my skin he would. He is permanently attached to me when I get home from work till Zig gets up in the morning. And I can't really complain, I love to snuggle with him too.

Best moment this week?: hmm...nothing really stands out...that seems a little sad, but honestly things are going really good right now, I can't really complain about anything.

Food cravings?:Pumpkin pie

Labor signs?: None. I actually don't even know at this point if I would know if I was having any.
Belly button in or out?: Still in
What I miss: Having a conversation with someone without gasping for air like I weigh a million pounds. I was going over a report with one of my clients and seriously thought I was going to pass out from lack of air. I was taking huge breaths every couple of words. I must have looked like a freak.
What I'm looking forward to: My shower this weekend! My sister is coming in town, which is awesome. The Kaase's are also coming in, which rocks. Cissy is traveling from Tulsa and Erin from Phoenix, woo hoo.

Here are my pics. I am 34 w 3 days here. Yes, the quality sucks but I have been so lazy lately that I don't want

I.AM.LAZY

Seriously, seriously lazy. I have absolutely no motivation. It is awful! So, there will be no picture or survey this week. I honestly forgot to take one. Bummer.

In other news, I saw my doctor yesterday. She said it was hard to really tell, but she is pretty sure baby is still breech. Plus I am still feeling kicks down low. She really does not kick per say. She more rolls back and forth, side to side. I got for another check up in two weeks and if she hasn't turned from there, we will likely schedule a C-section for 39 weeks, but continue to check to see if she decides to move. At this point, my doctor didn't seem too optimistic. She has been in the same position for a while and looking might comfy. After 36weeks, the chances of her moving will not be likely, but we will still check. We did discuss options for turning the baby and my doctor told me she was willing to try and external version, but she thinks that c section is probably the best option. The versions tend to really stress out the baby and can be very dangerous for mom. Plus a lot of times they don't work. The cord could get wrapped in the process and I would have to get a section any way, or worse, it could cause uterine rupture and I would have to be put completely to sleep and undergo and an emergency section. She said the risks are a lot higher than than the benefit. She also said, my chances of having a VBAC for any future pregnancies is really high because the section isn't because of my having a small pelvis (we all know I have a pretty significant ghetto booty and some hips to go along) and her not fitting or my pregnancy being high risk, so that is definitely good and something we will consider in the future if it doesn't go as we originally planned. While having a c section is not the way I wanted to bring my baby into the world, I trust my doctor and her opinion.

Emily is very very active. My stomach is constantly rolling around around. Everyone keeps telling me she is probably trying to head down, but my doctor said I would definitely know when she does. I am not that big and I would definitely feel it if she made the move. She said it would "not feel good" when it happens. I will not lie, sometimes when she moves, it is pretty uncomfortable, almost painful. Literally, I think she wants out and will push her hardest right on my belly button. She is a funny little girl and if she is going to act anything like she does now, when she gets here, she is going to be non stop like her dad. (YIKES :) )

I am still anemic, but stopped taking my iron. It is slowly killing me. I have tried everything, but no matter what I do, I am horribly sick after I take the supplement. My doctor said that it was ok that I stop since my levels were not that far off, which is a huge sigh of relief.

Other than that, things are going good. We are counting down the days till we have an outside baby and are getting really excited. We discussed putting a pellet stove in the house, not only to be more environmentally friendly, but mainly because the best source of heat for our house currently is our wood burning stove and a) it is a pain to make a fire in it and I don't want have to do this EVERY.SINGLE.DAY while on maternity leave and b) I would hate for the smoke to affect baby's allergies. Plus there are some pretty sweet tax incentives involved. This will be our last big purchase before Emily gets here and honestly it is a great investment based on our needs.

I really will try to be better with the updates from here on out. There are only 6 weeks left till Emily is due, and if we do end up having to get the section, it's even less! ::SQUEE::

32 weeks...a little late

Sorry, I know this is late. I can honestly say, I was totally being lazy about posting this week. These pictures are from Sunday and I just didn't get around to posting till today. For some reason I am EXHAUSTED. Anyway, here is the weekly survey and some pictures.

How far along?: 32w6d, today

Total weight gain: +7

Stretch marks?: Same one on my hip. Please please let it stay that way!

Sleep?: Well, I get sleep, but it isn't great. I wake up a couple times a night to go to the bathroom and to roll over to the other side because my hips are starting to hurt. Still tend to roll on my stomach, which you would think would be REALLY uncomfortable, but for some reason it isn't.

Best moment this week?: Our bedding is here! Just a few final touches and the nursery is done.

Food cravings?:Food in general. I am starving all the time these days.

Labor signs?: None

Belly button in or out?: Still in

What I miss: Bending over. I really took this for granted. I always keep my fingernails painted in the winter and I am not sure how I am going to continue to paint them without painting my whole hand.

What I'm looking forward to: still the Shower! Rebecca has put a TON of effort into it and I think it is going to be AWESOME!

Here are my pics. I am 32 w 3 days here.

Oh and I came across this picture the other day. This is what I looke like at 6 weeks. Not super skinny, but I have definately filled out quite a bit! Sorry it's a little blurry!

Wild Child

I finally got a video of Emily doing gymnastics in my tummy. I have to say this is one of the things I like most about being pregnant, even though it can be a little uncomfortable, if not painful at times. It is still good to know that she is thriving in there. Every night when I lay down, she moves like crazy and I could literally lay there and watch her for hours. Hopefully this video works!

A whirlwind of emotions!

And they are all great! Sorry I didn't post any pictures last week. It ended up being a crazy week and sadly my camera is dead, so week 30 pictures are stuck on there till it gets charged again. There really isn't a big difference between 31 weeks and 30 though, so it's not a big deal.

So we got LOTS of good news last week! In non baby related news, I FINALLY passed the CPA exam. Woot woot! It feels so good. I took the ethics exam (I got a 100% by the way) and all my application material has been submitted, so I should be sworn in in November. We are so excited. That is partially to blame for my lack of blog posts. We had to celebrate! So for my meal planning, I only managed to make the chicken drum sticks and the beer butt chicken. Both were really good and not that hard to make! This week, Zig is out of town, so my meals are going to be sporadic decisions based on what I feel like come 6:00. Hopefully we will get back on track next week.

In baby news, we got to see our little girl! Yes she is still a girl. I wasn't getting off that table till I knew for sure. Everything looks good! She is a little small and is only measuring in the 37th percentile, but my doctor is not worried at all. I was a very tiny baby (Zig was not) and she just said that they would only be really concerned if she was in the 10th percentile, so that is a big sigh of relief. At 31 weeks exactly, she weighed 3 lbs. 6 oz. It will be interesting to see how she grows over the next few weeks. Right now she is breech, which is not a huge deal because she still has time to turn. The only worry is there really is not a lot of room in there due to my size, so there is a chance that she may not turn. We will have another u/s in a few weeks to see if she heads down, and if not we will discuss some options. I got the feeling, however that my doctor is not a fan of external versions, she would rather the baby turn naturally and is not a fan of all the risks the version can have. For now, we will just see how things go and in the mean time pray she turns on her own. Other than that, baby and I are really healthy! Great news! Here is the picture we got. She looks a lot like her daddy! It will be really interesting to see what features she takes from each of us!

How far along?: 31w5d, today
Total weight gain: +6
Stretch marks?: Only the lone ranger on my hip that came really early on. It will be my luck that I make it to the end and the whole gang will make its appearance for delivery.
Sleep?:Not too bad. It is getting harder. I still tend to roll on my stomach, but that is getting to be a little uncomfortable. I woke up with my hips hurting yesterday, so I think this is the beginning of the end for sleep.
Best moment this week?:Seeing the baby and getting the news about my test! Oh and my wonderful, thoughtful husband bought me a Kindle for passing my exam. I love it!
Food cravings?:Nothing really. It is kinda funny, because if I say "let's have pizza for dinner" that is suddenly a considered a craving...No I just feel like eating pizza. To me a craving is something that I must have and can't live without. Maybe I am wrong...
Labor signs?: None
Belly button in or out?: Still in
What I miss: I can't really think of anything that I miss...I guess that is a good thing
What I'm looking forward to: My Shower! It will be nice to catch up with friends and family who haven't seen me in a while, or at all while I have been pregnant.

Here are my 31 week pictures. Again, not a big difference from 30 weeks. These are camera phone pics, so the quality isn't great...O'well. I look huge...

Menu Planning Monday

Here is my plan for the week.

Monday-leftover lasagna-I made this for dinner last night. It rocks. I took a picture, but my battery is dead. boo. And I don't know if anyone cares because I don't know if anyone even reads this blog, but I will post the recipe with the picture. I am good at sharing. :)

Tuesday-Hot and Sweet drum sticks and a veggie

Wednesday-Not sure...Zig has a meeting. Maybe leftover chicken if there is any

Thursday-Home made pizzas

Friday-Back by request, roasted red pepper penne. I think Zig is in love

Saturday-Sweet Citrus Chicken by Lauren's Kitchen

Sunday-This beer can chicken. I have been wanting to make it for a while and it is starting to get cold, so I think we better get it in before the weather turns. I'll serve with some veggies.

YesterdayI went to Michael's and got a bunch of fun fall decorations. I don't know why, but I am totally into fall these days. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of fall, I put everything out yesterday.

I bought the wreaths last year and my mom bought me these cute little scarecrows and hay stack a few years back.

This is the stuff I got yesterday. It's kind of hard to see but I got a cute little scarecrow, some fall leaf garland and some gourds. I desperately needed some new candles for my candle holder and decided to incorporate something that is both fallish, and could work year round with our current room decor. I had a great time decorating. Funny story:I told Zig yesterday that this fall decor will pretty much stay up till Emily gets here. At first his face went really pale and then he had a huge grin. It's really becoming a reality that in about 2 months we are going to have an outside baby! Crazy!

I caved...

For about 2 years now Zig has been trying to convince me to get a Tempurpedic mattress. Every time he brings it up, I shoot it down, only because the one we have is not that old. We got it when we moved into the condo and it was a really nice mattress. I am so cheap, I couldn't bare to get rid of a perfectly good mattress. So last year, I bought a 4 inch think memory foam mattress topper. WHAT WAS I THINKING! Our bed was big enough as it was (22 inch pillow top plus a 10 inch box spring), and I added 4 more inches to it. I literally have to jump into bed at night. No exaggeration. The bed comes up at least to my belly button. It has gotten REALLY hard to get in and out of bed at night and with the the multiple potty breaks I take at night, it was getting rough. This is not the only reason I caved, because I know what you are thinking "You will not be pregnant forever and those mattresses are not cheap." In reality, I couldn't find any sheets that would fit the mattress, nor could I find a comforter that would cover the mattress. It just looked tacky. The sheets literally only covered the the mattress topper and the pillow top, leaving the rest of the mattress and the box spring exposed and these were extra deep sheets. I really wish I had taken before photos. Anyway, I CAVED! We went to Mattress Firm last night and spent about an hour and a half laying on a couple different models and we fell in love. There was no leaving that store without buying the mattress. I make myself feel better by saying our old mattress was over 6 years old, it had lots of low spots, and it "fell off a truck" so we got it for a steal. Really, it is probably unethical how we ended up with that mattress. Long story short, the new mattress just got delivered and I can't wait to go to sleep tonight. AND Zig swindled a deal and we ended up getting a pretty sweet Tempurpedic pillow for free. We each already had one, but we couldn't resist trying to work out a deal.

Since we went shopping last night, I didn't get to make my easy weekday lasagna, but I have been craving it so I may add it instead of our leftover day. Tomorrow we are going over to Mom and Robert's for dinner and eating stuffed bell peppers, which is awesome because that is what I was going to make tommorrow anyway. We will be having pork chops for dinner tonight, but there is nothing fancy there.

Anyway, here's what's new this week:

How far along?: 29w5d where is the time going!

Total weight gain: +4

Stretch marks?: Nothing new to report. THANKFULLY, but to be honest I haven't checked out my behind or hips in the mirror these days...it could be scary.

Sleep?:Hopefully it will be awesome starting tonight. :) No really, it hasn't been too bad.

Best moment this week?:I took a video of mommy's view of the baby moving. I keep making Zig watch her, without thinking that my view is way different than his. I showed him and he was very entertained. We also got our car seat in the mail. It is so cute and Zig was so excited, he installed it just to try it out. I am pretty lucky to have such an involved and excited husband.

Food cravings?:I can't get enough vanilla greek yogurt with granola. I could eat it for every meal.

Labor signs?: None

Belly button in or out?: In, but it creeps me out. I don't like to think about it.

What I miss:Being cold. I never thought I would say that. I am a cold person people. I get so cold during the winter my feet and hands turn blue. All I have to say is, I am not looking forward to menopause. I have been getting hot flashes likes nobody's business. I hate to be hot.

What I'm looking forward to: Finishing the nursery!

And here are some pictures. These are from Sunday, so I was 29 w 2 d.

Menu Planning Monday

Ok, so we did OK on our meals last week. Not great, but not too bad. We learned that we need to save one night a week for leftovers because I am horrible at figure out the right portion to make. We didn't end up cooking on Saturday or Sunday. Saturday we had leftovers (by the way, the roasted red pepper penne does re heat well, which is good to know) and Sunday I was craving a Frontier Roll, so Zig picked up some Golden Pride for us for dinner. Here is our "planned" menu for the week.

Monday -I have a meeting at Kappa, so I am eating there. Zig gets to finish of the leftovers.

Tuesday -Easy weekday lasagna (can you tell I like quick easy meals...)

Wednesday -Pork Chop with a side veggie

Thursday -Nicole's stuffed bell peppers

Friday - Mark's chili ( I am so ready for fall and all the warm delicious fall foods. This one ranks really high on my favorite thing to eat on a cold day)

Saturday - Leftovers

Sunday - Hot and Sweet drumsticks (This is from last week. I have been wanting to make this for a while, so I hope I get to it this week)

Sundays we typically have Sunday night dinners with my mom and Larry and brother and Rebecca. This is something we started back when Nicole started college. It was just a way for all of us to get together and see eachother once a week. Lately, we have been doing more of a Sunday morning brunch or lunch because Rebecca and Rich have been super busy with school. Either way, we always try to get together once a week. I am hoping I can make the Sunday "dinner" for lunch and maybe have some leftovers for later, but we will see. So this is the plan...We will see how it pans out this week!

Super duper easy chicken pot pie

This meal is so so easy to make and pretty good! The only request I got from Zig was to add more chicken. Other than that, it was a hit!

Super Easy Chicken Pot Pie by Pillsbury

Ingredients:

1 box refridgerated pie crust (softened using directions on the box)

1 big can Progresso Rich & Hearty chicken pot pie style soup (we couldn't find this, so we used chicken corn chowder instead)

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed ( I used the whole steamer bag, I don't think it is quite 2 cups, but it was the perfect amount)

2 tablespoons flour

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, heat soup, thawed vegetables and flour until warm. Spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden brown. After 15 minutes of baking, cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into wedges. ( I would let it sit for a while longer, this bad boy gets HOT!)

This is a great week night meal and the fact that it only has 4 ingredients is awesome!

O.M.G.

Ok, so let me start off by saying our dinner plan has really not worked out as planned. Actually, we haven't been too bad. Zig and I were both deathly ill on Tuesday night. Seriously. All we ate was 2 pieces of toast each (and I snuck in a small bowl of ice cream later only because I was feeling a little bit better and that was all that I thought I could eat that wouldn't make me sick again). Last night we had the steak and veggies and tonight I made the Roasted Red Pepper Penne. That is where the OMG comes in. This was delicious. The only modification I made was I added crushed red peppers because we like things spicy! Next time I make it I will probably cut the meal in half (unless we find out tomorrow that the leftovers reheat ok) and I will add some chicken for protein. This was really easy to make and took no time! You can get the recipe here if interested. Yummy! This will definitely go in our rotation.

How far along?: Today, I am 28 w 6 days.
Total weight gain: still +3
Stretch marks?: Nothing new to report
Sleep?: Meh, nothing to brag about. My favorite new comment I get from complete strangers and even some co workers is "Make sure you get your sleep now, because in a few months you won't be getting any!" Really people! Thanks for stating the obvious, but here is the thing, my sleeping now, will in no way help me 3 months from now because as far as I know you cannot save sleep in a special bank for the future. I am trying to sleep, but in order to avoid 3-4 trips to the bathroom during the night, I have to stop drinking water at 2pm. And that is not going to happen.
Best moment this week?: According to Zig "getting to see Emily move around like crazy in my belly." Last Friday we had a movie night and when Zig was tickling my tummy, you could see her moving following his hand. It was great.
Food cravings?:Nothing in particular, but I am loving fruit cobblers these days.
Labor signs?: None
Belly button in or out?: In, but still looking a little weird these days.
What I miss:Not getting up a million times a night to go to the bathroom

What I'm looking forward to: The car seat coming in the mail

So, in other news, my mom and I slaved away at a garage sale on Friday and Saturday of last week and we did AWESOME. Seriously, normally you have a ton of stuff to take to Goodwill afterwards and neither of us had more than maybe a box full of crap. It was great! Plus, Zig and I got around to rolling the rest of the money we found in the garage (Except for some pennies) and the grand total of all the change that has been in our garage or closet for at least the last 7 or 8 years was ::drumroll:: $423. WHAT?!?! What a pleasant surprise!

I also had a Dr. appointment on Wednesday. Everything is looking good. My belly is measuring right at 28 weeks, which is good. I did voice a concern about my weight. I was worried because in the beginning I was told I should gain around 25lbs, so the fact that I am really only up 3 had me worried. There are a lot of moms out there giving me the death glare right now, so let me explain. I mean I am not complaining. The less weight I have to lose the better, but I just want to make sure Emily is getting everything she needs and is growing on track. I am constantly eating! My dr. said that 3 lbs is a little low, but it is clear that I am getting bigger and Emily is moving like crazy, so she is sure everything is fine. Just for piece of mind though, we will do another u/s at our next appointment in about 2 weeks to check her size. It will be nice to see her again (and to make sure she is still a she. This would totally happen to us. We would go the full term thinking we are having a girl and it will end up a boy!).

Finally, here I am at 28w, 3 days. I don't have makeup on...Don't judge