Child Birth Classes

Birthing classes! These classes take place at the hospital where I'm delivering, which is about 20 minutes from our house but about an hour from my job. They are on Monday nights. Mondays I have to rush home, feed and let Maddie out, then rush to the hospital. We had the first class Monday and we have three more classes to attend. I'm an avid reader, I read anything and everything I can get my hands on in order to feel more prepared for new experiences. As a result I didn't learn anything new Monday *sigh*, but I'm hopeful for the next three weeks!

There are about 10 couples in our class and one thing I was very surprised about is that Ben and I seem to be the youngest couple there (with the exception of maybe one other couple). I think we're young, but not THAT young (if you don't know I'm 25 and he's 28), so it kind of caught me off guard that most of the other expecting parents seemed to be in their 30s or 40s. It's a sign of the times, people are waiting longer to have children. I guess that will be us next time since we're planning on waiting several years to have another child, we'll probably both be in our thirties by then (WOW!).

At the beginning of the night we went around and introduced ourselves and the women were supposed to say what was the worst part of pregnancy and the men said the best part. It was hilarious. Nobody else said the worst part was morning sickness, but then again I don't think any of those ladies are still getting sick like me :( Most of the men said the cravings were the best part because they would go get their wives fast food in the middle of the night. Poor Ben, I crave salad. And string cheese. Ben said the best part was being able to watch my stomach from the outside and being able to see the baby move. That is pretty cool!

We learned about dilating and effacing, and talked about our biggest fears and such. Then at the end we began the "relaxing breathing" techniques. I should mention, I worked 7:30-5:30 and came straight to the hospital. Ben worked 6 am to 6 pm and came to meet me. So by 8:30 we were kind of tired. Ben sat against the wall with my back against his chest and we breathed in deeply 1-2-3 and out 1-2-3 repetitively. All of a sudden Ben's body goes slack and his head was on my shoulder, he was out like a light! Poor guy he was just so tired.

That's all to report, I'll let you know how the next childbirth class goes. It was worth going to. While I didn't learn technical stuff I'm glad Ben is interacting with all these other Dads-to-be and hearing about their fears and experiences. And I do want him to know what's going to be happening in the labor process, because I'm pretty sure I won't be up to explaining the details to him as it happens (ha!).

Less than 2 months to go now! She'll be here soon!

New Camera!!

Pictures: Red baby shoes, sweet baby outfit with matching hat, baby's stocked closet, and my view looking down last night.

Hallelujah! My new camera arrived in the mail last night. You might not know this about me, but I am a pictureholic. I take pictures of every little thing. So when I went about 6 weeks without a camera, it was rough for me!

With the help of my Dad I found a great deal through abesofmaine.com on a camera that was basically a newer version of the old one I had, but with more mega pixels and a bigger picture screen on the back. Abesofmaine was great, and you pay no tax or shipping.

Of course, I ran around the house taking pictures of random little things, so I'll have to post a few so you can appreciate the great picture quality ;) That's all I have to report this morning. Have a nice Wednesday, we're about half way through the week!

Trip to Atlanta

I *finally* made it to Atlanta to visit my mom and sister. We had a great time. Flying while 7 months pregnant isn't the funnest, and I had a window seat on the way there and a middle seat on the way back. An aisle seat would have been REALLY nice since I had to get up and walk around a couple of times, but no dice, the planes were both full.

Thursday night Mom and I came home and sat up and talked. Friday my Aunt Mary came to pick me up and we went to my Mom's office for her company's chili cook off. It was fun! This baby loves chili, and Mom had made an Italian Cream Cheese cake, it ties for my favorite cake of all times (I also love red velvet). Can you believe I'm not so crazy about chocolate anymore? Me? The original chocoholic?!

Friday after work (around noon) my Mom and I went to pick up little Lauren and she hung out with us. My cousin Gina came over and she, Lauren, Mom and I had fun just catching up. Mary came over and we made plans, we went shopping over at this place called the Forum and had dinner at Ted's Montana Grill (we met up with Glen there).

My favorite purchase of the day were these little baby booties from the Swoozies store. They are socks that look like Mary Janes and have little rhinestone crowns on the top...I'll post a picture. Aren't they precious?!

Saturday morning Mom and I ran errands around town then headed to GA tech to watch the football game. Unfortunately, Lauren was injured and unable to cheer :( but I did get a feel for the GA tech spirit. We sat at the very top and yikes, all that walking around (from the Marta, around the campus, and up the stairs) took its toll on me. We stopped for dinner on the way home then Mom and I sat up for a while working on a craft project for her coworker while Lauren studied. Sunday morning was more sewing and crafting before Lauren drove me to the airport and I headed home.

It was a fun weekend, it really flew by! I can't wait to see everyone in a couple months, after Baby B arrives. I hope everyone can visit ASAP!

Yikes!

I have so much to do before I leave to visit my mom and sister tomorrow! I have a couple sewing orders I need to take to the post office. I need to return my library books and get new books to occupy me on the plane, I need to wash clothes (I stay on top of the laundry, but when you're pregnant your wardrobe is quite limited and everything needs to be clean before you can pack!), I need to pack, I need to finish about 6 more thank you notes. OH, and I need to take it easy so I don't have a bunch of Braxton-Hicks contractions!

I'll get it all done :) It's just going to make the next 36 hours fly by.

In baby news...I'm in my 31st week of pregnancy now. It's so scary to think I have less than 10 weeks until my due date. Scary, but exciting. I feel much more prepared than I felt a month ago, but we have so much happening before she's expected to arrive! Child birth classes! Halloween! Thanksgiving! Putting up our Christmas tree for the first time in our new home! Christmas! I get winded just typing that sentence, the next two months will fly by.

I had to take a second Glucose Tolerance Test yesterday, it was a three hour test and they took 5 vials of blood. I hated having to fast from 8 pm Monday until about 11 am Tuesday. Who designed that test for nausea prone pregnant women to take? Anyways, my results came back normal so no diet changes are in order for me (and the more I think about it, I have eaten MUCH healthier while pregnant than while not pregnant.)

Baby shower weekend!

What a fun weekend! My two best buds, Jessica and Megan came in town and hosted our baby shower with the help of our friend Tiffany. Tiffany's the one who's also pregnant and due in December. Our shower was so so so fun. More than I even expected. We had about 25 of our closest family and friends attend. The hostesses made lasagna, salad and bread sticks. Lots of beer, mixed drinks for the ladies, soda and tea for the moms-to-be, there were a couple in attendance :). Also a really delicious cake, half yellow and half chocolate with chocolate frosting. SO good!

The weather was perfect so the men hung out in the back yard playing redneck golf. The Texas vs. Missou game was also on, and people watched that and mingled. It was more of a casual dinner and friends night than a shower atmosphere and I really felt like everyone had a great time. The hostesses came up with really cute decor. They hung pink polka dot grosgrain ribbon with baby clothes pinned across it. Very cute, and made a nice back drop where we opened gifts. Also, they had these fantastic cookies made in lots of baby friendly cut outs, onsies, bassinets, strollers, and they were adorable and SO tasty! I have the last few hidden so I can enjoy them this week, let's hope Ben can't find them :)

Everyone was SO GENEROUS! Everyone did so much I was blown away by their thoughtfulness. I feel so much more prepared for baby B, I'm *almost* ready for her to be here.

One super cool gift we received was a diaper wreath, it is SO AWESOME!! I'm making one for my cousin who is having a C-section the day before my estimated date of delivery, so I'll take pictures of the process so yall can see how it goes. It would be a great present for other Moms-to-be you might know.

I feel so blessed, it was exactly what I would have wanted in a shower! And I think Ben and I are felling very excited about baby B's arrival. He rubbed and talked to my stomach quite a bit yesterday.

I'll post a few pictures, I hope you enjoy them :)

Nursery Update!

Here are a few nursery progress pics. You can at least see the crib and get the idea of the lay out. I need some ideas for wall art, so let me know if you see anything baby girl friendly! I might need to get creative to come up with something.

Madison the big sister.

Madison is the center of attention in our house, but I think she knows something is going on or about to change in our family. And she's been more gentle and protective around me, she loves to lay against my stomach or she gives me 'affection' when I come home, and she even sniffs my stomach (asking 'How are you baby?')

Last night my father-in-law and Ben put our crib together, and Maddie sat right outside the door watching them. Once the mattress was in, and we put the mobile and a couple stuffed animals inside she kept growling and barking at it. So Ben put her in and turned on the mobile. She sniffed the animals, then sat and watched the mobile go around. She made no move to get out of the crib.

Maybe she thinks the crib is a new giant kennel for her, with the 'bars' I can see how she would get that impression! I'm not going to let her back in the crib, and I hope when the baby arrives she'll 'get it' and she won't think the nursery is her room any more.

Sweet little Madison, I really hope she understands that the baby is part of the family right away. She's never been aggressive (just protective), so I think she's going to be OK. I'll keep yall updated.

Excited!!

I can't post a long one, but I'm super excited my crib and mattress have arrived :) We'll pick them up tonight, and I'm sure we can have it put together by this weekend. I can't wait! With a crib it'll actually look like a nursery!

Just another manic Monday!

Quick weekend synopsis!

My trip to Atlanta was a bust :( I was flying stand-by and a flight was cancelled Wednesday night. All the flights Thursday were therefor overbooked. I waited through four flights and finally got the guy at the kiosk to admit there was pretty much no way I would get on a flight Thursday. I was super disappointed, but I kept thinking that everything happens for a reason. When I got home I called my Dr and she told me I could fly for a couple more weeks. My boss also said this was a good time for me to take vacation so I'm going out in two weeks (with a NORMAL plane ticket :) I'll get to see Mom's new condo and go to Lauren's homecoming game.

I've been sick with allergies for almost a week, so I spent time resting, and of course doing things around the house. I watched lots of college football and watched the Cowboys lose in overtime yesterday (boo to that!). Ben and I also hung room decorations in our bedroom and bathroom and in the living room, since my best friends are hosting a baby shower at our house next weekend!

I'm really looking forward to seeing my best friends this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing my Mom and sister next weekend. And I have a TON of work to catch up on this week, so I've gotta run, I have a meeting in 10 minutes!

Another day.

It's allergy season in our household. Ben is still having bad allergies since his trip to Houston this weekend. I just have itchy eyes and a stuffy nose, which is tolerable. The love of my life has become my new humidifier. It helps me sleep, and Ben pointed out, it makes our room sound like a fish tank (haha).

I'm in my 29th week of pregnancy now, so about 11 more weeks to go. The time is really flying by now. We ordered the crib and mattress yesterday and I CANNOT WAIT to get those in and set up in our nursery. Somehow having a place for the little one to sleep makes me feel so much more prepared :)

This morning I layed in bed a little longer than usual, and I felt the strangest sensation. I don't think it was a braxton-hicks contraction, I'm pretty sure it was the baby changing position. I rolled over from my side to my back and it's like she moves from laying across my lower abdomen to curling up in a ball right under my belly button. You could SEE it happening. THAT is a strange sensation.

All for now, the picture is the crib, but obviouslt not our nursery. I'll post pictures of our nursery as soon as we get it assembled.

Yea!

The weekend was great!

Yard Sale weekend: I'm so glad my friend Tiffany and I did it together. Her house was in a fantastic location for a yard sale, and it made it fun to have someone to talk to. We sold almost everything, and the general consensus is that it was a huge success.

We bought a dresser, so I spent Sunday watching football (Go Cowboys!) and cleaning out Ben's side of the closet. Our closet is the best shape it will ever be. And Ben was so great with the laundry last night, he carefully folded and put everything in it's place. YEA!! I also did a bunch of embroidering and working on Christmas gifts.

Ben's team did pretty well at his meet. This meet is huge, people come from many different states and the competition is stiff. His girls placed 6Th, which was pretty good since this course was 3.2 miles rather than the 2 miles they are used to running.

I hope everyone has a great week!

So much is happening!

Almost a whole week since I've posted, yikes! Here's what's been going on:

- This weekend I was in full on 'nesting' mode from Friday at 3 pm to Sunday at 5 pm. I spent too much money, and an entire weekend on organizing every nook and crannie in our house. I found 'Organization for Dummies' at a garage sale and put it to good use. I also met a friend for a fun lunch in Austin and hit up the Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond for drawer inserts, and several styles of organizing compartments. Can I say how much I LOVE that there is no junk on our bathroom counter tops. Even Ben gets the organization system- everything has a place!

- I also went through the last of the boxes (left over from moving in) in our dining room to prepare to have a garage sale this weekend. It turns out a friend of ours is having a multi-family garage sale which works out SO well. Since Ben is out of town, Tiffany and I can work the garage sale together and take turns going inside for the necessary breaks we pregnant women need quite frequently ;) She's due 3 weeks before I am and it's quite fun to have couple friends to talk baby with.

- Monday I suffered the consequences of my physical labor. I had to stay home because I kicked up so much dust I got terrible allergies, and I could barely move out of bed. My back hurt SO BAD. As Ben told me last night, I think I'm way tougher than I really am. Not true! I just need to use these last months as efficiently as possible to get ready for the little one. *I will not over-do it, I will not over-do it*

- Work has been fine all week, it seems to be flying by. I cooked *no, really!* Monday night: brisket, a couple veggies and homemade rolls. Ben cooked Tuesday: spaghetti (yum!) and we had dinner with our friends at Jason's Deli last night.

- I completed my first course for my alternative certification program! There are seven 'modules' which include a few lessons/ assessments/ quizzes each. One down, 6 to go. They make you only take one per 10 days which is a little frustrating if you work at a faster pace, but I should still have these done before Baby B arrives.

- I signed up to take my first teacher certification test in November! So with the 9 days of free time I have before I'm allowed to start my next course I'll be reviewing for my 8-12 grade English, Language Arts subject test.

- And finally, this baby is SUCH a mover and shaker! At my desk yesterday I had someone sitting across from me and she kicked me so hard in the ribs I jumped about 3 inches out of my chair. They probably though "What a spaz!". It happened again last night, we were watching TV in bed and I almost fell out of the bed it startled me so much. Ben asked "Did she kick you, are you having a seizure? What's going on here?". Well we have the next Mia Hamm in there.

You're pretty much all caught up, I'll let you know how the garage sale goes this weekend :)

P.S. My camera is in a sad, sad place. I'm posting a picture of my newly organized linen closet, but don't expect many more pictures until I replace my broken camera sometime soon. My house isn't tinted pink, that's what is wrong with the camera. Don't worry, I expect to replace it very soon!