Seven Months Down, Two More To Go

This is what I looked like one month ago...



And this is the picture Josh took of me last night...



Man, I'm huge! Look at the size of that puppy! Several people at church have commented that I've popped out, and I think they are right. Even Josh said, after he took the picture, Man, you're getting big. And don't I know it. I cut my toenails yesterday, and it took so much energy to get down there and stay down there. And shaving my legs isn't a walk in the park anymore either. And when I hug Josh, my belly totally gets to him first. Last night he gave me a hug and we stood there for a while like that. Then he said, Hey, you're kid is kicking me! Our boy did that in bed a couple nights ago as well. I curled up behind Josh and got comfy, and he could feel him kicking against his back. Good boy, I've taught you well ;)

I huff and puff when I put on my socks, tie my shoes, basically anything that has me leaning over for more than a milisecond. I took a walk yesterday afternoon, and I know I've slowed down quite a bit. I'm always reminded of that when I walk with Josh to the church doors or to our front door, cause he has to consciously slow down or leave me in the dust. Anyway, at the end of my walk, I slowed down even more. And yeah, I got the waddle down pretty good. It's not completely obvious, but when I'm tired, I can tell that I do it more. And I tried to walk regular, but it just isn't comfortable anymore.

And speaking of comfort, I get so frustrated with myself. Apparently I can't sit still for very long in one position. Sure I sit at home on the couch and put my feet up, but I get up to pee or answer the phone or readjust myself. At church it's a different story. There's really only one way I can sit in a pew anymore, and I start shifting around halfway through the sermon, trying to get comfortable but not succeeding. It frustrates me cause it distracts me from the sermon. It's not like I can cross my legs or put my feet up. I can kinda tilt to the side and put my arm up on the pew, but then that means my belly is twisting, so that doesn't last very long.

Even though it sounds like I'm complaining, I'm really not. What I mean is, I don't mind these discomforts. Ok, I do at the time, but overall I'm glad to be pregnant. In fact, I can honestly say I enjoy being pregnant. That could be due to the fact that I had virtually no morning sickness at the beginning, or that it's just now starting to get uncomfortable, instead of two months ago, but whatever. I've been healthy when I've gone to see the doctor, haven't been too emotional (I promise! Don't believe me? Ask Josh, except for a handful of moments here and there, he's had it pretty easy), and I haven't gained enormous amounts of weight... yet ;).

I have to tell you about some of the food I've been having. Last night I had Josh get me a slice of cheese, and then I wanted graham crackers to munch on. No, I didn't eat them at the same time. And today I had Oreos for lunch, followed by a hot dog :). That was just a side note. Moving on..

Josh and I are really excited about this baby coming, and we want to see him now! We wish it was April already, so we could dive right into the parenting thing. I'm sure I'll cry a lot, but we'll also have much to laugh about. I know we'll be tired, and I'll be recovering from labor and delivery (yeah, I'm trying not to think about that too much), but we're ready for the challenge. There's only so much we can read about. Much will be trial and error, but we want to do it, with all the ups and downs that come with it. I mean, this is our little boy. A son that God created specifically for us, you know? He'll look like us, have portions of our personalities. It's really neat to think that God already knows when he will get saved, who he will marry, what he will be when he grows up. That's looking far into the future, yet God knows the near future stuff too. God knows when he'll start sleeping through the night, what his first word will be, where his first steps will be. I can be confident that God is watching out for my little guy, and I know that means He's watching out for me too. He already knows all about my tears and what they will be over, He knows at what moments I'll be completely exhausted, He knows when I'll put the diaper on wrong and have a big mess to clean up, He knows when I'll doubt my ability to be a mother and a wife at the same time. How awesome is that? We don't know what's coming on the road, but God designed it for us, has travelled it before us, and He'll guide us as we walk on it. Boy, if that does't give you peace of mind, then I don't know what will.

Doctor Today and The Nursery

I went to see the doc today, and from now on I go visit him every two weeks. I gained five pounds since last time, and I was a little concerned about that, but he told me my overall weight gain is good. He said to stay away from salt, drink lots of water, put my feet up, and lay on my side to help with the swelling. My ankles are swollen on occasion, but not everyday. And even though my hands don't look swollen to me, they must be, cause I can't wear either of my rings anymore. He also told me to eat healthy (what doctor doesn't say that, you know?), and he said to choose things that are green or yellow in nature. But then he specified. He said it should be naturally green or yellow, not dyed. In other words, green M&Ms don't count. Bummer :) It was a slow day for them, cause I was one of a few in the waiting room, and I didn't have to wait very long at all. My appt. was at 12:15, and I was back in my car by 12:30. Whoo-hoo for slow days!

I've also been having pain in my groin area (sorry if that's TMI for some of you), and I've told him about it before. It's there cause the baby is right there growing each day and adding pressure. I asked if it would go away, and he said, Yeah, when you deliver. Then you'll have other pains to deal with. What a funny guy :)

So that's that. Last night I took some pics of what the baby's room looks like right now. I don't have the bedding on, but the furniture's in place, and we have things on the wall, so here it is.


This is a light switch cover that I believe came with a diaper cake I got at my shower. There's another one in the room that's a plug cover, and they look exactly the same.


These plush wall hangings are over the crib, and they match the bedding perfectly. I like that they are soft, so we can wash them easily. And if they ever fell, they wouldn't hurt a certain young child in the room :)


The Mickey Mouse lamp is there on the left, and the valance was a gift as well. The curtain didn't come with the set, so I had to go find one myself. It's a lightweight denim, and I think it's cute for a little boy's room. Plus the valance has corduroy on it, so I thought the different fabrics went well together. The top of the curtain is cute, even though you can't see it. It's the got the hardware that you'd see on a a pair of overalls. Maybe that's why I thought it suited a boy's room.


This is right next to the window, and they are white wooden blocks with Disney characters on them. Josh did a great job drilling holes in the back of them so we could mount them on the wall. They came on the diaper cake too, I think.


And here's the room as you'd see it from the doorway. You've got the rocking chair there in the front, and it's got a blanket draped on the back of it. The dresser there does not match the baby furniture, but that's because it belonged to me when I was growing up, so it's a little girly. Shh, don't tell BC! The changing table's under the window as you can see, and to the right of that is our computer and desk. So most of the room is a nursery, but there's still one corner that belongs to Josh. He's got his computer, paper shredder, and Ronald Reagan pictures on that side of the room. Hey, we've gotta leave space for daddy, don't we? When we get a house someday, then we'll have extra room for an office or a study or something like that.

This weekend we have our first class at the hospital, which is great, cause we have yet to see the inside of the place. We have to schedule a tour sometime too. Then at night we have a Sunday school class fellowship. I'm gonna make mini-brownies and put something inside them! I did the PB cups before, and it was ok I thought. This time I'm gonna try the Hershey's Kisses that have PB inside them, because that PB has a creamier texture than the cups. I think it will taste better when the brownies are cooled.

And though I've just discussed brownies in some detail, I am not in the mood for them right now. (shrug) Go figure.

My First Fall

Today I had my first fall as a pregnant lady. Never fear, there is no permanent (or even temporary) damage done. But I'll tell you the story anyway. I decided to take a walk this afternoon to the dumpster and to drop off some movies we rented. Boy, let me just tell you that it is getting really hard to walk any length with this belly. It just feels so heavy today. Oh yeah, it had snowed a little bit last night, so that made it slippery in some places. I did notice something about myself--I totally waddled today. I saw my tracks in the snow, and it looked like a duck had just been on the sidewalk. Normally my toes point forward and my feet are relatively close together. But today my toes were pointing out with each step. Anyway, back to my fall. It didn't even have to do with wet snow. I simply stepped into a hole that I didn't see, so my ankle gave out, and then the rest of me followed. I landed on my knees first, and then my hands reached the ground last. By the way, when you got a growing baby strapped to the front of you, there's no way to fall but forward. My ankle hurt for like two seconds, and so did my knees, and that was it. I brushed myself off and finished my walk.

Not a real exciting story, but that's ok. In other news, Josh had the day off yesterday, and it was so much fun hanging out with him. He pulled out his toolbox, and we did more work on the baby's room. We put up the curtain and valance for the window, and we also put up the wall hangings that we have. It's starting to look more like a nursery. I still haven't put the bedding on yet, cause it's still too early for that. I should take some pictures of what we did so ya'll can see. I also think we're gonna go buy the stroller this week. We went yesterday, but they didn't have any in stock. They have a truck come to the store three times a week, so it should be in soon.

I have a doctor's appointment later this week, and then we have our first class at the hospital on Saturday. It's Infant CPR. I've taken CPR courses in the past for babysitting, but it's been a while, so I wanted to have this as a refresher. I told Josh it would give me more peace of mind knowing that the knowledge is fresh in my head, instead of trying to recall it from my junior high days.

Josh and I caught an episode of Notes From the Underbelly last night, and we were laughing. The show is about a couple who is pregnant, so we can totally relate. For instance, the girl's big issue that was she felt fat and unattractive, and her shoes didn't fit anymore. I hear ya, sister! I can only wear my slip-ons and my sneakers these days. And then her husband bought her a body pillow, and it was so funny when she was trying to figure out how to use it. Oh, she was also tossing and turning at night and taking up most of the bed, which Josh says is totally me. At one point she even knocked him off the bed with her butt, but I've never done that (at least not yet).

Oh, I made brownies in a mini-muffin pan, and I put a Reese's PB cup in each one. Mmm, they are good! I sent most of them to work with Josh, cause I haven't sent any food for his coworkers in forever. I love brownies!

Ooh, I need a brownie break ;)

11 Weeks!

Yeah, it's just 11 weeks until my due date. That's 77 days. When I say it in days it sounds far away, but 11 weeks seems really close! There's still so much to do. I have to buy lots of things for this little guy. Who would have thought that one little person would require so many things to keep him clean, dry, fed, clothed, happy, and who knows what else? I have clothes and blankets to wash, classes to attend, good food to eat (which by the way, as of late, has not been going well). For example, I wanted cupcakes, so I bought funfetti cake that has the little colored chips in it, and then I covered them in vanilla frosting and sprinkled colored confettti candy on top, and they are so good! I sent a couple to work with Josh the other day, but the rest just stay here and beg to be eaten. And I must say, I've enjoyed every one! Well, that's not to say that I've eaten every single one and there aren't any left. But of the ones I've eaten, none have been a disappointment :)

So where was I? Oh yes, lots of things left to do. I'm not overwhelmed right now, but it comes in spurts. Like last week I felt like I wouldn't get everything done, but this week has been a little more relaxing. I finished a fiction novel that I got for Christmas in just a few days. It was nice to read about someone else's life and get caught up in it, even if it wasn't real. And I've been putting together some ideas for a bridal shower that will be at our church in the spring. It'll be soon after the baby's born, so I wouldn't be able to decorate or even go for that matter (well, maybe I can, we'll see), but I wanted to help with it anyway. So I'm putting together the plan and the ideas and stuff, and then I'll pass them on for someone else to finish. I've organized the baby's room, but I'm sure I'll reorganize once I get more things, cause we are far from done. I just didn't want everything out and collecting dust, so in the drawers and on the shelves they go!

We have a dentist appointment coming up. Ugh, I hate the dentist. Ever since he found a mouthful of cavities that first time! He's a really nice guy, but it's very discouraging to brush your teeth every day and floss every day, only to hear that there's yet another cavity. I pray that won't be the case this time.

An evangelist couple is coming to our church on Sunday, and they found out they are having a girl! She is due about a week away from when my little guy's supposed to enter the world, so it was fun swapping stories with her that last time she was here. This time we'll have to compare bellies! And we bought them an outfit for their little one, cause it's just so fun to shop for babies!

Well, I guess that's all that's been happening or is going to happen. I don't have any pictures this time, sorry! Just know that the baby is doing well, and he reminds me of that every time he starts kicking at bedtime. It's like he has it in for me. He knows I need rest, but he makes it uncomforable on purpose! What a booger! He's already full of mischief, so I can only imagine what a handful he'll be once he's out here :)

Another post already? I'm awesome!

Yup, three days in a row of posting. Aren't you proud? I did my holiday catch up stuff, and now I have to give you a pregnancy update. Oh, just so you all know, I am officially in my seventh month, which means only three more months of this belly! Josh keeps reminding me that it's only three more months whenever I complain of aches and pains. It's getting so hard to roll over in bed, and I think I'm getting slower at it too. Oh, and I pretty much groan whenever I get up from the floor, the couch, the bed, yada yada yada. Oh, and putting on socks and tying shoes is such a chore. It's amazing the little things you take for granted. Let's see, what else can I tell you about my body? Oh, I had swollen ankles for the first time the other day after walking around the mall for a couple hours. And I already told you about my fat feet and toes, didn't I? I remember when I was younger I once had a plantar's wart on the bottom of my foot, and the doctor would freeze it to make it go away. Since it was near my toes, they would always puff up from the treatment, and that's what my toes remind me of now when they are swollen. I mean, whose feet are these anyway? Certainly not mine. Ok, enough about my feet.

I had a doctor's appointment last week. They tested me for gestational diabetes, so I had to drink this sweet stuff before I arrived. It really wasn't that bad. It was like drinking flat soda pop. Only the aftertaste is more syrup-y. I chose fruit punch flavor, the other option was orange. So they took my blood and the doc told me that no news is good news, and I never got a call from them! So yay, one less thing to worry about! My blood pressure was good, and he said the baby is growing nicely (I coulda told him that one). So basically everything is normal and boring, which is the way we want it. I see him in three weeks, and then every two weeks after that. I'm really getting near the end here. Josh says that it seems so close, but then, April also seems so far away at the same time.

We've been doing some preparation lately. We bought the crib and changing table the other day, which meant we had to de-clutter the second bedroom so there'd be space. Josh's parents are storing our guest bed for us, otherwise there would be nowhere to put this stuff. So I helped Josh put together the furniture, and I got a little teary-eyed when it was finished. It makes it seem more real, you know? Now I'm in the process of organizing the gifts we've received so far. I'm trying to see what sizes I have and what I still need. It gets overwhelming when I look at the big picture, so it helps to tackle things one section at a time. And also to do it slowly, which is how I do pretty much anything these days. Just ask Josh when we walk together. He has to consciously slow down for me now, otherwise I'll be left in the dust.

I don't think I waddle yet. I'll have to ask Josh if I do. I did find myself putting my hand on my side, you know, the typical pregnancy stance. Josh told me I've been doing it for a while, but I just noticed the other day. By the way, with this pregnancy brain, I have more issues communicating than normal. I either can't explain myself well or I can't process what other people are saying to me.

Ok, so this kid is really active sometimes. Josh can feel him kick a lot (and I can too of course), and we both watch my belly move from the outside. It's kinda weird to see :) Our little guy has even given me a couple hard kicks at night while I was trying to fall asleep. It sorta hurt, but I think it startled me more than anything.

Josh and I have some things we joke about when it comes to my growing size. Don't worry, I invented them and he hasn't made me cry. You know in the movie Finding Nemo that Dory can speak whale? Well, since I feel like one sometimes, Josh has to speak to me in whale just so I will understand him :) Oh, and the other day he helped me get off the couch, and I told him it was like raising the Titanic! I know, I'm hilarious :)

After all my ramblings and updates, I'll end with my sixth month belly picture. The top I'm wearing was a gift from my mom-in-law. Thanx Mom!

Baby Shower

My mom and my sister put together a baby shower for me while I was visiting for Christmas. They were going to make it a surprise, but they ended up telling me so I could look forward to it, and also so I would bring extra suitcases for the gifts. The room in the church was decorated so adorable! It was a Disney Baby theme, and the balloons over the food table were blue and yellow. And speaking of food, it was all desserts! A very good idea in my opinion :) Everything that I tried was good, and a lot of people came. I got to see some old friends. Even my friend from high school came and brought her 7-month old. He is so cute :) Ok, so let me show you decoration pictures. The first pic has me and my sister at the food table (no surprise there), and you can see the decorations that were hanging above us. Oh yeah, we took a picture of the cake too. A close family friend made it, and not only did it look good, but it tasted yummy as well.








Here are some of my friends from high school that were able to make it. In the second picture you can see Dylan, my friend's 7-month old, being held by his grandma. Well, you can only see the back of his head in this picture, but trust me, he was adorable! He was so good during the night and he was all smiles for people.







I opened a lot of gifts--it seemed never ending :) I got lots of gift cards, mostly to Babies R Us, but I also got one to The Children's Place and one to Bath and Body Works, for some mommy pampering after the baby's here. That one will be fun to spend, but so will the others. Josh and I both love to shop for this kid already. I also got lots of outfits and onesies and blankets and books. Everyone was so generous and we had a great time.








So many people were involved to make this night happen. For starters, the guests provided the desserts, and a family friend made the cake, as I said before. Another family friend helped with the decorating and setup. And my family did so much as well. They set up the night before, including a brother or two of mine :). My mom sent out the invitations and bought me a corsage, my sister Sara greeted everyone, ran the game, and gave the challenge. My SIL Jess wrote down all the gifts I got, and my other SIL Eden took all the pics and some video to document the evening. Thank you everyone! It was great!

Finally Christmas

I know I know, I'm a little behind on my blogging. I have lots of excuses for you, but you probably won't buy any of them, so I'll just move on. We did Christmas early with Josh's family, since we'd be traveling to CT for the actual holiday. We had fun opening presents from everyone. We got books and DVDs from our lists, plus I got some awesome ornaments this year. Every year Mom gives an ornament to each kid, and it has to do with something that happened to them that year. For instance, my SIL Beka got her license, so she got an ornament about that. Anyway, I had a few ornaments for this year. Because of our trip to Disney World, Josh and I both got Mickey heads that are shiny like disco balls, so they remind me of the big ball at Epcot. Plus I got a graduation ornament, since I finally finished college, and get this, we got a pregnant ornament! I've never seen anything like it--I think it's my favorite one :). Oh, I didn't take a picture of it, and our Christmas stuff is already stored away for another year. Sorry! Here are two pics from that night. The beagle is Canyon, a new addition to the family. Pets are nice when someone else owns them, in my opinion. And the second picture is Dad with his pal Sammy the snowman.




Here's Josh and I on Christmas morning at my parent's house. Don't we look awesome? :)




It was so much fun seeing our nieces. They are around a year and a half old, give or take a couple months. Olvyia is older than Ariana by a couple months, so that's the give or take part of the equation. Here's Josh with Ari. It's rare to capture these girls smiling perfect for a picture. This one's not a complete smile, but Josh cooperated, so I was happy.


Here's my sister and her hubby each with Ari. Ari looks more like Tony I think, but there are times when she totally looks like Sara.



Let's see, what other pictures do I have of Ari? Oh by the way, I didn't necessarily take all these pics. Josh took some of them, and we also traded with pics with Steve and Eden, so I'm posting some of theirs. They took way more pictures than we did. Anyway, here's a close up Ari-girl eating (or being distracted) in her high chair, and the next one is Ari, the monster-baby!



Here's some of Olyvia, or Lyvie. Look at that gorgeous profile! And those eyelashes--I'm so jealous :)


Doesn't she look so much like her daddy? And I like the next one too, cause someone caught her smiling for the camera.



This next one is Lyvie's version of giving me a hug. She comes at you normal enough, but right at the last second, she bends in half and sticks her head into you. She gets her arms up and all, so I think she just likes to hug short people :) Or perhaps she was trying to hug the baby.


Who me? Get into trouble? No way! I was, uh, just organizing the cabinet. Yeah, that's it.


And here's a couple shots of the girls together. They played nicely for the majority of the time. They gave each other hugs and shared toys (sometimes). They both loved playing the piano, or playing with anything else noisy for that matter. Here is Ari mid-speech on the tales of her sippy cup and Lyvie trying on Uncle Josh's sneakers. Don't think she'll ever grow into those.


This picture was taken right as they were fighting over a book. I don't remember the details, but it involved each gal swiping the book from each other and lots of tears following suit. I wish I had caught it on video, cause a couple seconds later Tony smacked Ari's hand and told her no and she kept on trying to get the book. Then Tony says, Ari, do you want another smack? And she stops, sticks out her bottom lip and looks all pitiful while slowly shaking her head no. It was so priceless, cause she completely understood what he was saying to her. It makes me realize how fast these girls are growing up.


And here are a couple random pictures of big people. Yes, there were adults present. It's just more fun to snap pictures of the kids :)




I still have more blogging to do, but I need a break. My feet are swollen today. I mean, I've heard of swollen ankles, but swollen feet? My toes look fat! So I need to go put my feet up. I have baby shower pictures to post, as well as a sixth-month belly picture, so I'll get to them soon. Never fear.