35/35

Yeah baby! I'm 35 weeks pregnant today and have 35 days left until my due date! Woo-hoo.

And let me tell you, let the symptoms begin. First of all, I can't wait to find out how much she weighs in there now because I'm feeling like things are getting pretty smushed. Not much room to move around and alot of the movement is almost painful! When I eat, I feel so bloated and tight like my belly could just POP! Today is the first day that I have had swollen ankles! EVER. It's like my 35 week gift :) I have had swollen fingers for the past few days and it's about time for the wedding ring to come off...I'm trying to hold out. I don't want cankles. I should be happy that it's sandal-wearing weather because my feet can be free, but that also means other people can see my cankles. EEeeew!

Buh-bye wedding ring...Buh-bye Brighton thumb rings.

Here's me trying to figure out why this new shirt Nycole sent me doesn't fit. "It's a medium, it HAS to fit!"

6 weeks left!!!

Well, I'm 34 weeks pregnant. How did we get here again? So surreal. I decided that this post will count for week 33 and 34 since nothing of great significance has happened, you won't be missing a thing! I basically sat -I mean er, um, laid- for a week straight while I healed and worked from home. It was a nice break, but really not that great considering I was healing slowly and getting bored! I actually came across this blog and read the most incredible birth story EVER. What a heart-wrenching story. Brought me to tears. It was also published in this month's Parents Magazine, which is pretty amazing in the blogger world.


We took our maternity pics this week, can't wait to see them. We also made some progress on the nursery! [pics to come]

My baby shower is this coming weekend and I'm really excited. Nycole will be in town and it's always like old times ;) Then, it's off to finish getting the last necessities before this little girl arrives! We graduated from Childbirth class (woo-hoo) and I'm so happy we decided to take the class. Our teacher was more than amazing and supportive, and we learned so much. I think learning more helps ease our fears about anything we were concerned about. I think the most important thing for us to remember is that we just don't know how our experience will go, but in the end, what will come out of it is what we have been waiting for all this time and that is all that matters! I'm definately spending this last few weekends sleeping in, going to breakfast, relaxing over coffee, and just loving Andy and my alone time together so much before we have a (little tiny) distraction.

I have been feeling great now that I'm almost healed. The belly is getting interesting to maneuver, but usually not too uncomfortable. I get a little stiff after sitting for long periods of time and getting out of bed in the morning is sometimes a slow process (which is not good, because my bladder tells me to run) but other than that, I feel very lucky. The weather is getting cooler which means minimal swelling and sweating (I know, super attractive). Some sciatica pain lately, but usually a few stretches fix me right up. If it gets worse, I may consider one last massage before the baby comes :) Braxton Hicks have been coming far more frequently than before, and they are somewhat intense at times, lasting about 20-30 seconds. But, by no means consistent. Yes, I STILL need to complete my birth plan and pack my hospital/diaper bag. What a SLACKER.

In real life (because I have a tendency to live in pregnancy life), Survivor starts this week! A family affair, of course. We even choose our players and have a playing board. It's quite intense. My sweet dear husband is doing his regular school, work, school, work, [shit jobs for Wendy] school, work, school. But in the meanwhile, he's brewing some more beer, and getting some fishing time in while he's still a free man. We had a mouse sighting in the garage this week, which brought on an all-out-war to seek and kill. My black lab (who we will call killer) came into the house shaking and refused to use his dog door in response to this mouse. GREAT. I really thought he was going to pee the carpet the other day because he was so scared to go out because he thought the mouse was going to eat him. My dog is a real-life Scooby-Doo. But today-WE HAVE VICTORY. Caught the little sucker. I mean suckers. Yeah, there were 3 in the trap. Eeeeewww!

Rockin' the mega-bump!

32 Weeks- OUCH!

Well I'm gonna have to say that this was one of the toughest weeks of my pregnancy. Not hormonally, emotionally, or carrying around this belly, but something totally unrelated. I got an infection. A painful one. Baby girl is fine and well. She is really kicking me like none other, and this is the first week I have been experiencing full-on, unmistakable Braxton Hicks. Previously, I would get maybe 1-2 per day in the evenings if I was dehydrated. A big cold glass of ice water later, I wouldn't feel them again. Well the last 2 days, I feel them in the morning, afternoon, and at night. Probably around 8-10 per day. My uterus is really warming up for the real thing, I guess ;)

Ok, so for the 411 on my infection, I had a pilonidal cyst. Feel free to look into that as much as you want, because it's pretty gross and painful. After 4 days of antibiotics to stop it from getting worse, and being in [excruciating] pain, I had to go to a surgeon and get it LANCED! I couldn't sit, lay on my back [or stomach, duh] and walked like I had something up my butt. I guess this was my precursor for labor because I'll tell you, I have never experienced pain like this! I guess I also need to add that I'm a BIG baby and have never gone to the hospital for anything, broken any bones, no stitches, nothing. Well, since the procedure to drain it, I feel much better and can move and sit and sleep. I still have a 1/2 inch incision that will take weeks to heal, but not in a lot of pain. My only wish right now is that I will be completely healed before going into labor. Please, 8 POUND BABY JESUS!! And lemme just tell you, if your husband still finds you attractive after this, it's true love. I'm still hoping mine does.

What I should be doing this week:

I need to write my birth plan.

Most of the information will be pretty simple, but It's very exciting talking about this with hubs and making decisions together for our delivery. Originally, I wasn't too sold on the idea of writing one. I thought, I'm not a hippy who is going to want to have some sort of drawn out process for everything and restrictions on everything that the hospital staff can offer me, etc. But after childbirth classes, I realize how much useful and simple information can be included on there so that you simply don't have to worry about it when the time comes. In addition to that, it gives me CONTROL. Anyone who knows me knows that I love that. I am not a control freak. I am not a control freak. I am not a control freak. Okay, you get it.

Here's a few things I'm gonna include:

Daddy gets to help with baby's first bath.

Daddy gets to cut cord.

Mommy gets baby immediately after cleaning off, before Vitamin K shot and eye cream.

Mommy gets to breastfeed as soon as mommy/baby procedures are complete.

Baby cannot have pacifier, formula or bottle.

In the event of a c-section, baby remains with only Daddy during mommy's recovery.

(There is a lot more information that will be on there, but those are some of the little things I can think of now.)

I need to pack my hospital bag.

I need to buy a diaper bag and pack it.

I need to figure out how the car seat works and get it in the car in the next few weeks.

I was supposed to have my maternity pics this week, but I had to push them back to next week for some recovery time. I'm just not as mobile/flexible right now as I could be due to my incision. I'm really excited though for them! It's Labor Day weekend and it really crept up on us. We usually don't do anything, but when my OB asked us what we were doing for Labor Day, I thought he was talking about MY labor day LOL! :) I was totally confused. So that tells you what party animals we are going to be this weekend. My goal is not to spend too much time out of the house (I know, hermit) because it's supposed to get up to 107.

Here's a good ol cell phone shot of 32 weeks.

31 Weeks

Baby, baby, baby! Man I just can't wait for my little girl to arrive! It's all I've been thinking about. I'm officially down to single digits (only 9 weeks left) until the big day. Don't even mention the 'O' word (OVERDUE). Because I'm not even entertaining the idea.

Right now my precious husband is in the garage painting baby girl's shelf. I have to say I'm happy I have someone to do all the dirty work. I mean honey do's. I mean shit jobs. :) Although I'm not ready for the nursery reveal, here's some progress...

Who really has this many cords/wires/plugs? Don't even know what they go to!

Carpets cleaned.

Wall painted.

How far along?: 31 weeks. 9 to go!
Weight gain?: um, er, I forgot. I mean 10 lbs. Okay, okay 27 pounds! Aghhh!!
Maternity Clothes: Yes, and some of my maternity clothes don't fit! I have some shirts that are becoming midrifs, so my selection is dwindling. Week days: any bottoms I can fit over my butt, long shirt, necklace, flipflops/sandals. Weekends: leggings, yoga pants, work out pants, long tees, flipflops.
Stretch Marks?: OMG! I was prepared for the belly. But the thighs and butt? Please STOP!
Sleep?: Pretty good. Have to say I can't complain. I love you, Snoogle!
*Notice* I'm removing the gender question because it ain't gonna change
Food cravings?: I eat everything.
Belly Button?: Still my biggest amusement. My peircing scar is about an inch above the actual spot where it should be...holy stretching!
What I miss the most?: Being cool, clothes that fit, not taking 3 mins to get off the couch
What I'm looking forward to?: Seeing baby! Baby shower!

30 Weeks!

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This was such a big week for us! It was so much better than last week, I knew things could only get better for my emotional state ;)

We had our 30 week ultrasound/scan. This scan was SO exciting because we basically got tons of "face time" with our little girl! Of course they do measurements, check for problems, etc, but it was an amazing experience for us. It was one step closer to getting to meet her. Andrew was absolutley floored by the images we were seeing because it's hard to imagine that there's a cute little baby under this big BUMP of mine :) We held hands and I held back tears as she wriggled around and totally misbehaved for the technician. She kept saying "be still, baby!". But baby girl was doing her normal circus act in my belly and making all the 4D photos nice and blurry! I have moved to appointments every 2 weeks now (wow, getting close!) and I'm not sure how many more ultrasounds I will get. She is still a girl, which is good, because the nursery wall is PINK! :)

I will share pictures of the nursery when we get the decorations up, last week we cleaned the carpets, painted one wall pink, and assembled all the furniture. Actually, hubs did. I will be in charge of decor! I still need to get: a rug, a small table for next to the glider, curtains, and wall decor. It really looks like a nursery now and that is so exciting!

Another subject that I haven't talked about is CHILDBIRTH CLASSES! We just finished up our 3rd week (of 6) and it has been really fun and informative. Our teacher is great, and she is also a certified lactation consultant, so she will be a great resource for us in the future, if needed. She is extremely caring and open and it's been nice having an expert to talk with about concerns. The other thing that is nice about the class is that there are 13 other couples who are new parents just like us, going through the exact same thing, and asking alot of questions that we too, were curious about. We've already had a visit from a nutritionist (BLAH!), a CHP officer for proper carseat installation, and an anesthetist (epidural guy)! Very informative. What I also really like about these classes is the weekly opportunity to sufficiently freak out and gross out my husband! When the teacher mentions we are going to talk about mucous plugs or vaginal discharge, I grin in delight because for once, I am not the one grossing him out :) I can't wait until I see his reaction next week when we watch real, live birth videos! I'm hoping he's not one to pass out :)

It's also time to start thinking about my Birth Plan, and how I am going to prepare for the labor process. I'm just gonna say now that I'm an epidural supporter! I plan on getting one and hope that it is what works best for me. On the other hand, I am not commonly in support of the use of "drugs" or medications. I do not take any normally and think that any person should do what they can to use other methods of relief than medications, especially for long term use. But I am sane and do realize that labor and delivery is intense and the use of an epidural can greatly reduce pain and stress levels. You choose your battles, I guess.

Ok, lets get to the GOOD STUFF.

Meet Little Miss Cutie Pants Smosna! 29 weeks, 6 days. 3lb, 7 oz - 77th percentile on the growth chart!

Another really EXCITING thing about this week is that THIS showed up on my doorstep!

Graco Flipit Travel System (Emery)

I was so excited! Not only because it was a gift, but because it's from my little (tiny, baby) brother who is in AFGHANISTAN right now! Of anyone, I would not expect him to be worrying about ME, nonetheless SEND GIFTS!! So special. I am so thankful to have a wonderful family. It's still hard for me to believe that he is an adult (21) and has his own job, money, and is responsible :) This means so much to us and Andy and I had a fun time figuring out how to work it. Good thing we have a 'Carseat Workshop' with a CHP officer on Sat, August 28th. He will use our own carseat and cars and show us everything we need to know!

29 Weeks- Watch out for the waterworks!

WOW is all I can say about this past week...I thought I was normally a pretty sane person who deals with things well - until the past few days. Let's blame it on the baby :)

I'm feeling good overall, the weather has really cooled down over the past few days (like from 110 to 103 now) and the humidity isnt as bad, so that helps me feel less swollen. But hubby has been working a crazy schedule (it's harder on me than it is on him, I think), and my own job has gotten quite busy. On top of this, we had a 911 situation at work that caused me to have to run out of the building screaming. Everything was ok in the end, after the smoke cleared. But I had no idea I could run so fast in heels with this baby attatched to me :) Later that day, I noticed that I had been feeling decreased baby movement the past day and a half, and hoped that it was a result of just being busy and not paying enough attention. But not 5 mins later after I mentioned it to hubs, the waterworks started. I felt like a leaky faucet and couldnt stop crying. I just couldnt help it. I didnt want my baby to be stressed or sick or anything and I felt like I had done something wrong. I left work so that I could just get myself back together and lay down, drink some juice, and do all the movement tests I had learned at childbirth class. She started moving again like normal, and even got the hiccups :) I think she must have moved positions because the kicks are more like rolling and pulsing now, and not in the same spot they have been ever since 17 weeks. My dream come true of a mother even came over and cooked my dinner and DID THE DISHES! Don't ask what I did to deserve it. But even better than that, she brought cookies for dessert. I love my family. They are so good to me.

This isn't all though. Saturday I cried like 3x because I told my husband he was being grumpy with me. He probably wasnt. It's the baby's fault.

Today on my way to work, I ran out of gas. NEVER in my life have I run out of gas. On a street that doesnt have a bike lane. So I was blocking the right lane with flashers on and NOT ONE PERSON stopped to help. I was outside of my car trying to call someone and the cars just drove around. Took all I had not to just cry and go home for the day. If hubs would have said anything when he pulled up, it woulda been OVER for me. But he didnt :)

Hopefully none of this is a peek into the my overall sanity for the remainder of motherhood. I'd like to say that I can get through a week without crying, nonetheless an upwards of 6 times!

Remember this hot bod? Yeah, me neither.

7 MONTHS!

First off, I would like to say thank you to the lady in the grocery store today. Random Acts of Kindness ROCK!! First, the man in front of me offered for me to go ahead of him. I told him I was just fine, but thank you. Then, the lady at the front of the line said "No, please-come ahead of me too!" Wow, not only 1 cut, but 2?! Do I look that miserable? Ok, I'm just going to appreciate it for what it is. Not to mention I was on my way to work and they saved me a good 5 mins :) I'm not sure if it was the belly or my sheer beauty. One will never know.

I'M 7 MONTHS PREGNANT! That is just so crazy to me. I can't even believe it. I couldn't even imagine how it would feel a few months ago and now here I am. My life has changed in the following ways:

I can't bend over quickly or without squatting.

I have a record amount of craters on areas of my body that shall remain unmentioned.

My ta-ta's are rather large.

I need a recliner with wheels so I won't have to move.

My back hurts a lot.

My feet and hands swell a little in the evenings, especially if I've been active.

I'm living my life in a bubble that ends on October 20th-that's the first day of the rest of my life and I'm nervous.

I love my husband more than I ever thought I could.

I got a new ride.

I can't paint my own toes.

I have an oily face.

I'm scared I might say my daughter's name out loud and ruin the secret we've been keeping.

I eat with no regrets.

I wrote myself a rain check for exercise.

So here's my new car! It's a Mazda CX-7.

A mom car. A cross between a car and an SUV. Just because I'm a mom, doesn't mean I can't be cute anymore! No mini van for me. I have to try and continue wearing makeup, stay in shape, you know- don't wanna lose myself. Believe me, I've seen it happen. Someone speak up when I start to slip. It's your job as my friend. My husband has blinders on, or he lies to me. I haven't determined which one, but he is no longer a valuable source for this kind of thing. While we are on this topic, I will post a picture of me that I do NOT consider to be an OK state.



This is my Sunday look. The day that you are allowed to look like hell while you are doing laundry and sweating in your 80-degree house. I am not, however, condoning this look for any other day but Sunday. I just thought this was a good representation of my big 'ol belly these days.

Guess what? I'm not doing a survey this week. Why? Because it's my blog and I don't feel like it. That's why. But I'd like to note that not only am I in my 7th month of pregnancy, I'm now in my 3rd trimester. I don't feel any different than yesterday :) Also, my belly button has taken a rare form these days and it's quite the topic of conversation, because I feel the need to show everyone and make them touch it. I'm gross like that :)