Midlo Shower

We had a wonderful weekend! Mom and Pops and Owen came in town, as well as Breck! Friday night Papa and Zac went to the high school football game, which was over an hour away. Mom and Owen and I went out to eat, then made a run to Target. Owen was such a blast, and just the best little shopper. He would point to stuff and with the excitement of a 2-year-old say "Look! Did you see that!? It's beeee-youuuu-teeee-ful!" It was precious! Mom and I would laugh so hard that we didn't make sound! He was a hoot all weekend!
Saturday morning Breck and Mom and I got ready and headed to my baby shower. It was at my dear friend Vickie's house, from 10-12am. The spread was gorgeous, with cupcakes, fruit, quiches and some fantastic spinach triangles (I forgot what they are called, but trust me, they were so delish!).

Most of the people who came were my old co-workers from school. No one could believe how big my belly was.

My friend Rhonda, one of the hostesses. I am SO SO sad that we forgot to take a pic of my with all four of the hostesses. :( There were probably between 40-50 people there, so I did lots of visiting and mingling.

Vickie (hostess and precious friend) sat next to me to write down the gifts I received.

Seems like just yesterday I was at Heather's baby shower for Brooklynn, and now she's already almost 9 months old!

Saturday afternoon we went through all of my gifts again and started organizing into piles. (needs to be washed, needs to be put in kitchen, needs to be put in drawers, etc) We hung some of the wall decor in the nursery, and realized the shelf I ordered was damaged. :( That night we ate at my dad's favorite local restaurant, Tuscan Slice. The boys and Breck came home after dinner to watch the UT game, and mom and I went to Target to buy drapes and a curtain rod, as well as a few other "needed" items. My dad hung the hardware and drapes during halftime. Yay! It's starting to look ready! Just a few more touches needed!
Sunday we met some friends for lunch. Mom and Joy have been friends forever, since they worked together at UT for 30-something years together. They were pregnant at the same time with me and Brandy (Joy's daughter), and now Brandy and I are preggers together, and due a month apart! Brandy and her hubby live in Dallas, so mom and Joy talk about making Grandma road trips together to come see their grandkids! :) Pretty special. After lunch the company hit the road (in the rain. yuk!) and Zac and I took an awesome cold-weather-raining-outside nap under the covers. It was such a great weekend, and I feel so good that we got so much taken care of! :)

Getting stuff done...

With the realization that the BIG DAY is just a few weeks away, I'm trying to tie up loose ends and get some last minute stuff taken care of.
--My final baby shower was Saturday (blog post in progress), so I've been returning/exchanging anything I need to, as well as buying stuff I think we "need" before he comes. I printed out our registries and highlighted the items I think we should go ahead and buy. We've been so blessed that we received so many gifts, so it's nice that there are only a handful of things we didn't get, that we will have to buy. Luckily I even have some gift cards still to help with it! :)
--This weekend we finally decorated the nursery. It didn't get all the way finished because the wall shelf I ordered from Amazon came with a dented corner and a large crack all the way down the length of the shelf. :( Needless to say, I had to take it to UPS today to be returned, and I ordered one from Target instead. When that shelf comes in, we can hang it, put some items on it, then we'll be TRULY done with the nursery decor. I can't wait! :) I'll post pics when it's all done.
--I have been looking at birth announcements online, and found several I liked on tinyprints.com. My sis used this company and my photographer recommended them too. I also like that they're related to Shutterfly (have I ever mentioned that I love Shutterfly!?), but even better quality. Yay! I ordered four samples and they came in the mail today. I put them in order of my favorite to least favorite. When I handed the stack to Zac and asked him to do the same, without even realizing, he picked the exact same order I did. :) I guess we know the obvious front runner, and which one we won't be choosing. :)
--I made an appointment with a pediatrician for Wednesday. He came very highly recommended to me, and I'm glad that I will get to meet him and visit before the first visit. I can imagine it being a little stressful, so I think it'll help to already know where the office is, and have established a relationship with the doc. I have a few friends who use this doctor, and I love what they say about him. Can't wait to meet him myself! Can you think of any questions or topics I should bring up this week when I have my consultation?
--I just got home from a walk with Molly. I started to write "I just got home from a long walk..." but it wasn't long. It just felt long. Haha! My lower back hurts a lot these days, and he was playing bouncy house on my bladder the whole time, so I only walked for about fifteen minutes. I bet I sleep well tonight though! :D

Anyways, just plugging along. Trying to enjoy these last weeks and rest and nap and do "me" things, while also taking care of some last minute stuff that'll make me feel more prepared for the big day. Life is good. =)

PS-I just came across this blog post again today. I loved it the first time I read it, a long time ago. I saved it and have read it since. I think it's amazing. If you're a mom, read it. If you're not, you'll still probably get something out of it. :)

PS#2-I just over heard Zac telling Molly that she's his baby and will be for three more weeks, and she'll always be his first baby, and since Drew's a boy, she'll stay his baby girl. It might have made me tear up a little bit. :)

Walking

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was pretty good about exercising regularly. I'd go to the gym and walk on the treadmill, or take long walks around the neighborhood. Even at the beginning of the summer, I'd wake up early and walk before it got too hot. After my long trip to Austin in August, then coming home sick with a cold and sinus infection, I never really got back into it.
As I get closer to the c-section, I've known I need to be in the best shape I can be, to help with recovery. The more physically active I am now, the easier it will be to get back to, that after the surgery. Tuesday night Zac and I went for a walk around the block. Molly was finally feeling better, so she went with us. It was dark and our little country neighborhood doesn't have many street lights. As we were walking, there was a quiet minute, and I thought to myself "when I imagined being pregnant, I imagined walks like this" and everything seemed right in the world. I smiled to myself, thinking of how my dreams came true. See, in the early stages of pregnancy, it was so easy for every day to be a dream-come-true, but as I've gotten bigger and more uncomfortable (okay, and a little more emotional), it's not quite as easy or obvious to appreciate how marvelous and miraculous this whole experience is. I think that's why the showers and smiles from strangers, and late night walks with your husband and sweet pooch (and all the other things you dream about pregnancy) are extra special. But maybe that's just me.
Anyways, back to the walking...so I know I need to be walking every day for my own benefit. But today's "what to expect" (great app!) tip of the day really REALLY makes me want to walk daily! Read below...

 

I think a daily walk (no matter how tired I am, or how much my feet hurt) is worth it, to have a happier baby with less colic, and more sleep! :) Feel free to hold me accountable...

35 weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks!
Total weight gain:two pounds since my appointment two weeks ago. Sigh...it's getting kind of depressing. Let's say I definitely have gained more than I hoped to, but I know it's so worth it.

Maternity clothes? Yep! And I'm not even sick of them...in fact, I wear them with pride and nostalgia ALREADY, just knowing that they'll only fit a few more weeks. (hopefully- haha!) Special clothes for a special time in my life. :) Sappy, I know.

Stretch marks? yes! And it's crazy...new ones each day! blah...

Sleep? It's not comfortable (hips hurt, tummy is so hard and heavy, and reflux is insane) BUT, I'm sleeping well. I think I'm so tired these days that I fall asleep pretty easily and sleep pretty hard. Embarrassing side note...I've never drooled in my life, and for some reason I drool now. It's gross. I change pillowcases like three times a week. At least I can laugh about it, right?!

Best moment this week? This has been an especially sweet week! Saturday we spent the day in McKinney with my family there, which was awesome. That night we met Eli and Ryan for dinner in Dallas, which was yummy and fun, then we followed it up with cupcakes. Yes! Tuesday I had a great doctor appointment, then had my first playdate with two teachers from my old school who also decided to stay home this year. Ashlea has a 5 month old son, and Melanie has a 9 month old daughter. We had the BEST conversation and the hours flew by! I can't wait to get together again! So nice having a network of new moms nearby. Today I went to my third week of Bible Study, which I've really started to love a lot! After that, I went to my old school to take my girlfriends Sonic drinks. They had made lunch and invited me to stay, so it was a blast getting to sit and visit and eat with them.

Miss Anything? Yes, too much to name. Mostly right now I'd love to go a day without reflux. ;)

Movement? Yes! Love it! Trying to savor every kick and flip and hiccup. What a precious experience to feel a baby move inside of you!

Food cravings: Still chewing ice. Loving IZZE sparkling juice in Clementine and Apple, and still liking chocolate. I made some Jello chocolate pudding tonight, haven't done that ever, or even had it since I was a kid. Yum.

Anything making you queasy or sick: hmm...not really. I thought really hard and can't recall anything. That's good, right?

Labor Signs: nope!

Symptoms: B-H contractions and one bout of high BP last week.

Wedding rings on or off? Off and I haven't even been wearing the fake lately. My hands are still hurting. I guess it's not pain, just stiffness. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! :) I'm not even really counting down anymore. I have a peace that it will happen when it's meant to, and I'm just enjoying every day with this baby in my belly. :)

Looking forward to: my last baby shower, on Saturday!! My mom and dad (& Owen!!!) and my friend Breck are coming in town for the weekend and I'm so excited! The shower will be amazing, and I'm also looking forward to getting the nursery decorating finished, and last minutes shopping done with my mom and Breck!!! Hooray!

***Some notes about my 35 week doctor appointment...
-had my (second!) HIV test done, which prevents them from having to do it to Drew once he's born. I'd much prefer them poke me than him, but I did promise the woman that it would be negative. :) She said "good, I like your confidence!" haha! 
-next visit I will be tested for "strep B." It's a bacterial infection, and if the mom is positive, they will administer antibiotics to her shortly before the birth. Not a big deal, but important to check out.
-we talked a little more in depth about the c-section. I originally wanted him to lower the screen when they were pulling Drew out, so I could watch. After chatting about it though, we both decided together not to do that. He's going to walk Drew around the drape and show him to me up close, which will be better anyways. :) 
-Zac will NOT cut the umbilical cord. Because they do it while the baby is still over my completely opened abdomen, and my uterus will be on top of my chest, it wouldn't be sterile for Zac to be so close, and honestly, that would be a lot for him to have to see. He's fine with not cutting it, and that's not a big deal to me either.
-We are still on the waitlist for the 7:30am operating room. :( This might sound silly, but please say a prayer that it works out we get in. Noon isn't awful, but the doctor and I both agree that the morning time would be SO much better for me!
-I'm sure there was more, but that's all I can remember right now. :)

I'm Charmed!

Zac asked me all throughout my pregnancy what I wanted for my "push present." (For the record, I hate the term 'push present' anyways, but since I don't plan on "pushing" in the first place, I always thought it sounded weird, but, that's the term for it these days, so we'll roll with it for the purpose of this post.) I didn't really want to tell him what to get me. I wanted him to come up with it. But since he kept asking, I shared with him that I knew I didn't want mom jewelry. A friend of mine got a Kindle (or Nook...it was one of those) and was pumped about that, but I didn't really want that either. I guess I was hoping for something meaningful and timeless, but had no idea what that would be. Not a figurine or something that could collect dust. Not a spa day that would only be enjoyed momentarily. But I could never think of any ideas. Well, I thought of a flip video camera, but then decided I'd rather just use my iPhone, because I doubt I'd wanna carry around my phone AND my fancy camera, AND a flip camcorder.
A few weeks ago, I was on facebook, and one of the ads on the right side caught my attention. I never look at those ads, but this one was flashing a bright JULIA! JULIA! JULIA! (not really...just metaphorically, okay?) So I clicked on the ad and discovered the sweetest newborn pictures. It was a lady out of Mansfield/Arlington who did work in a studio, and had the cutest props and poses and I loved her color and everything about these sweet-sleeping-squishy newborn pics. But we are on one income now, and the price didn't fit our budget. But it got me inspired and motivated to find a photographer with similar work who did. Except the more I looked, the steeper the prices got. I started thinking maybe this first lady was pretty competitive with her pricing after all. But I couldn't pull the trigger. I felt guilty spending too much on pics. But that didn't stop me from lusting over her site every evening, and forcing Zac to look at all the cute pictures too. Well, guess what!? This week Zac told me that he wanted me to book with her, and it would be my "push present." I can not think of a better gift! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her work, and I know I'll love it even more, when it's MY cutie in the picture! I will have these forever, and cherish them always! It's not something I would have normally done, so that makes it an extra special treat for me! I'm so so excited!
I met with her this morning, at her studio, and totally adored her! She's super sweet and seriously loves babies and her 'job.' She has been trained by two of the best newborn photographers in the nation, and emphasizes safety and stuff that I hadn't even thought of. For example, she keeps the studio at 85 degrees, so the baby will be nice and toasty warm and happy, so they will sleep through the photo shoot. (I might have to bring a towel for my sweat, but hey, it's worth it for good pics.) I just think they are only tiny and pliable for such a short period of time. I'm so thrilled that we get to capture that little window in a way that makes me so happy! Look at these pictures, and tell me they don't make you soo happy...

Anyways, needless to say, I am so excited for our little photo sesh, and so glad I have such a thoughtful hubby. :) I wouldn't have booked them on my own, but I would have regretted it, and he knows that. We will love these precious portraits forever and ever!

Last Night

Last night was one for the record books. And not in a good way. Quite possibly the worst night of "sleep" I've had my entire life. But the sun is up and I'm drinking my morning smoothie, and all is right in the world again. I'm even a little entertained now, by the story of last night, so I thought I'd record it on the blog. Yes, this will probably make me sound crazy, but really I'm only crazy at night. What is up with that? Anyways, it's also way too detailed. Sorry. I just started typing away and couldn't stop myself. :)

First of all, it was a wonderful evening. Awhile back I joined the Chili's email list and so we had a free coupon. We invited Ramsi to join us, and that was fun too. The female manager there LOVES Zac and swears he looks just like Robin Thicke (remarks on it and gets excited every single time she sees him! haha), so she always gives us free chips and salsa. Score!

 

Anyways, we had a great time at dinner, dropped Ramsi off, then settled in to watch our favorite show Big Brother. I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies (going to see my old co-workers today and wanted to take them a treat), so Zac even ran to the store to buy butter for me. It was a great evening, plus I got a glass of milk and two cookies to cap it off! :)

We got in bed around ten. Not late but not early. We both quietly tossed and turned, then I picked up my phone andstarted browsing facebook. Zac turned the TV on, because he couldn't sleep either. My hips hurt a lot from having to lay on my side all the time, so I finally decided that if I couldn't sleep, I should just get out of bed. So, I got up and grabbed my many bottles and boxes of pills I take and refilled my week supply of drugs.

 

That only took about ten minutes, so I decided to do a daily devotional before I tried to lay down again. (more on my Bible Study in a future post) I love reading the devotional book, and the passages from the Bible, recording my responses to the thought provoking questions. In fact, when I got to the end of the days' lesson, I wanted to move on to the next day. But I didn't let myself. Because I'm not even supposed to do one on Wednesday, since that's the day we meet as a group. Anyways, I'd been up about 45 minutes and decided to try to go back to sleep. My reflux was worst than it's been in ages, but I had already taken my antacid, so there wasn't much I could do. 

So, I lay down, out of breath, fire coming up my throat. I endure this for about an hour (wide awake, and annoyed I'm SO tired but can't seem to get comfortable, and my mind won't quit racing), and the longer I'm in bed, the more anxious I get. I remember that What To Expect said to get up and take a hot relaxing bath to reset your mind and body. I'm not a big fan of baths, but if there's a chance it'll help me sleep, I plan on trying. By this point it's past midnight.

So I get to the bathroom and light a few candles, because I knew it'd be counter-productive to turn the lights on, if I'm trying to wind down. I pull the shower curtain back and remember we just gave Molly a bath a few days ago. Zac's usually pretty good about cleaning out the tub after he bathes her, but I get nervous for a second, so I get a clorox wipe and wipe down the tub. (pretty sure this isn't helping me "relax") Look how cute Molly was in her oatmeal bath though...

 

I digress. So I have the candles lit. I rinse out the tub with water (just in case some of the clorox didn't air dry...definitely don't want to sit in chemicals...have I ever mentioned I think baths are gross? Whether the tub is clean or not.) and then I run my warm bath water. Of course it can't be too hot, but warm enough to relax. I finally get in, and I have some Enya playing softly on my phone and candles lit and warm steam rising up from the tub. Maybe this is relaxing afterall! I sat long enough to get good and drowsy (actually, I kind of wanted to fall asleep right there in the tub!) then decided to slip into bed, just knowing I'd fall asleep immediately. I towel off and put my night clothes back on, then open the door to the bathroom. I blow out the candles, and as I'm hanging my towel, the LOUDEST screeching alarm I've ever heard in my life starts screaming. "BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" It. Won't. Stop. Turns out our smoke detector is in the hallways, right outside the bathroom door (also near Drew's bedroom door, which could be a life saver, or really annoying if it ever does this to me again!) and the smoke from the triple-wick candles has set it off. Zac stumbles through the living room, eyes half open and asks what's going on. By this point I've grabbed a magazine, and I'm fanning the ceiling in the hall. It finally stops. But now my heart is RACING, and I feel more awake than I ever have in my whole life. Did I just drink an espresso? I am aggravated at more bad luck, and know better than to try to lay down now, in this mood. It's 1am now, and I haven't eaten since dinner at 6, so I decide to try to fill my belly, and see if that helps make me tired. I grab a handful of graham crackers and make myself some Yogi Bedtime tea. I hadn't had it in a long time, and I'd forgotten how yummy it smells and tastes. 

 But halfway through the hot tea, my reflux kicks into high gear. Maybe the warmth relaxed my esophagus even more, maybe there's an herb in the tea that's not good for reflux, but whatever it is, I'm suddenly having to re-swallow graham crackers and tea that already went down. (that's the most delicate way to put it. But to put it bluntly, I was full-fledged throwing up in my mouth.) Sigh...it's just not my night. I finish the last sip of tea and drink a little water and head to bed. By this point, in my deranged and desperate state of mind, I start thinking to myself "tomorrow I'm going to drive to my doctor's office and beg them to reschedule the c-section for earlier! I'm so over this." Luckily somewhere around 2am, I drift off to dreamland and all the anxiety and frustration and desperation of just wanting some dang sleep fade away. I slept pretty hard until about 9am this morning, when I woke up feeling sore and stuffy. I actually smiled while I was still in bed, thinking how pathetic I was last night. In the past I haven't been able to sleep but I was wide awake, so I just got up and blogged or surfed in the internet or was productive. I think the difference was that last night I was so so tired (I'd woken up at 6:15 am and not napped all day) and really wanted to sleep, I just couldn't. Anyways, it all sounds so petty and over-dramatic now, just like bad dreams do the next day when you're trying to retell how horrifying they were, but it sounds like a PG movie. Speaking of movies, that scene of me fanning the smoke detector in the middle of the night, naked and nine months pregnant...yeah, that seems like something that would only happen in a movie. The Drew kicks and I smile again, because how amazing is it to be pregnant? To feel this little miracle growing and moving inside of you. Yes, when the sun is up, I can think rationally and gratefully, and I like my thoughts much better during the daytime.

34 Weeks

First, let me say that my mom and sis brought to my attention that it's hard to comment because the scrambled letters/numbers are impossible to make out. Sooo, because I love y'all (and love comments almost as much), I've changed my settings so that you don't have to do that anymore. :) You can repay me by commenting like crazy. LOL! Just kidding. (but kind of not really)

How far along? 34 weeks!
Total weight gain:not sure, but it's a lot and maybe I should quit counting? :)

Maternity clothes? Yes. And guess what? I bought this awesome black knit skirt at the GAP at the beginning of my pregnancy and planned on wearing it until it fell apart, then I couldn't find it for like my whole pregnancy, but guess what (did I already say that once? Well guess again!) I FOUND IT! I started doing Zac's laundry this week (we used to each do our own) and found it at the bottom of one of his baskets. It had been there for months. Thanks a lot Zac! Just kidding, I don't even care it was ever missing, because I'm so glad it's found! It's stretchy and comfortable and I even feel cute wearing it, which is more than I can say for shorts these days, and jeans are just too hot! Some of my maternity dresses are even getting snug around the tummy. Needless to say, I might wear this black skirt everyday the next five weeks, to make up for our lost time together. :)

Stretch marks? yes, and they are still multiplying. ugh

Sleep? The good news is that I'm sleeping better! I think the last trimester exhaustion has set in, and I'm tired a lot. The bad news is that I'm not near as productive as I've been all summer (maybe because I'm tired, or maybe because it's harder to move around now, lol). There is still quite a lot to do before D-man arrives, so I need to make some lists and force myself to do stuff during the day. Happy that I'm too tired to stay awake at night worrying though, that wasn't really a fun phase.

Best moment this week? Spending the weekend with my family in Austin. I'm sappy and thought "this is our last family meal without Drew" then later "this is the last time we will be leaving their driveway waving bye and heading home without a baby in the backseat" and all that. I also LOVE watching Zac interact with our nieces and nephews! He's such an amazing uncle. I'll never forget him chasing Madeline and Owen in the front yard and all three of them screaming and laughing and falling and losing their breath because they were having so much fun. I can't wait to see Zac be a daddy. :) I picked a good one!

Miss Anything? moving easily, being able to lean forward, sleeping on my back, but nothing major...

Movement? Yes! And it can be seen from the outside so often now! Drew is a party animal these days! 

Food cravings:I've been chewing ice lately. I'm kind of obsessed. I know it's awful for my enamel, but it's so refreshing. Store bought ice is way better than my freezer ice...I need to go get some tomorrow! :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: just this one particular cologne that Zac has (which yes, I bought for him). Polo Blue, I never want to smell you again. Also, I might have had a little fit tonight when he sprayed it. I apologized. He swore to never wear it again...which might have had more to do with my reaction and tantrum than the fact I don't like it! hahaha

Labor Signs: not yet

Symptoms: BH contractions.

Wedding rings on or off? Off and I haven't even been wearing the fake lately. My hands have just recently started hurting a little.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy! :)

Looking forward to: my last baby shower, which is in two weeks, September 15th. Should I get a new dress for it? I felt like I've work all of mine a million times, but I also hate to spend money on something I'll wear once. Decisions, decisions. (and yes, I looked, and rent the runway doesn't have maternity! haha)

PS-We will meet Drew in FIVE WEEKS FROM TODAY (or less)!!!!!!