2009 Collage

Look at what I made for Facebook....

What a year it's been!

Belly @ 36 weeks.

Here we are, after a nice spaghetti dinner, with Jamie trying to bust his way out. Seriously, I think he's running out of room.

This week has been going fine so far. I had my checkup on Monday -- nothing to report, just the same old stuff that goes on at every appointment. If you look closely at my necklace, you'll see my wedding band. I didn't think that my fingers would swell up, but unfortunately, they did. I decided the smart thing to do would be to wear my ring around my neck. I'd hate to run the risk of having someone cut it off my finger!

I keep saying that I'm ready to deliver (I told Scott that it'd be fun to have the first baby born in 2010), but I still have a few things left to do! We just got a coupon in the mail from Target to complete our registry (still have a few items that we need to pick up), I have a haircut scheduled for Saturday, Scott and I have dental appointments next week, and we definitely need to have the Christmas decorations packed up before Jamie comes home. Otherwise....it'll still be Christmas in May. Besides, I can finally make use of the space downstairs and set up the pack 'n play. Exciting, isn't it?

An unopened Christmas present.

December 26th.

9 month mark!

Today I'm officially 9 months/36 weeks pregnant. Whew.

Only about 4 weeks or so left!

Belly update!

Here's the 35 week belly.

And in case you were wondering what it's like to be pregnant....well, imagine seeing this every time you looked down.

2 days 'til Christmas! And 33 days 'til Jamie's due.

Just a few more weeks to go....

Today, I'm officially 35 weeks pregnant. And seriously uncomfortable. Is this what the last month is supposed to be like? I don't think I'm huge, but my belly seems to always be in the way. If I lean forward while I'm on the laptop, I'll accidentally close a browser window or I'll knock a kitchen towel off of the oven door if I'm not careful. I've also had plenty of contractions, but they aren't consistent. Siiigh.

We still have plenty of snow on the ground. The news reported that our area got 14", which sounds about right. I think it'll stick around for Christmas, too. Here are some pictures from yesterday, when we ventured out to CVS and Kroger.

Here are our cars (I'm scared to drive mine for a few days), and Scott, carrying groceries into the house.

And here I am, modeling Scott's coat. My coat is slightly too tight, especially with a hoodie.

Christmas is on Friday! Can you believe it?

Snow!

A Cradle for Jamie.

 

 

It was worth the wait, but it's here! When I had my bridal shower back in July, my grandmother (Grammy) told me about this cradle. It was built by her uncle, Uncle Charlie, for his children. We went down to the basement to take a look at it and of course I wanted to use it. So, she agreed to get it ready for me and went to work on the bedding. Isn't it cute? If you look closely, it has a nursery rhyme design. The blue and white blanket was made by Aunt Dot (Uncle Charlie's wife).

Well, we're officially ready!

Christmastime is here.

I got this at my baby shower, from Jackie

One of Scott's first Christmas ornaments

From my friend Melody

Look at what I found at Hallmark

Just 2 stockings this year!

34 weeks already?

Here's another shot of my kitchen, in case you were interested in what the sink and dishwasher looked like. Anyway, I can't believe we're already at 34 weeks. I had my checkup this week and things are still going well. The appointments are literally about 5 minutes long. The nurse checks my weight and blood pressure, listens for the fetal heartbeat, and then my doctor measures my belly. She waits to see if I have any questions, and then that's it. Starting in January, I'll be going for these appointments weekly until I pop. My doctor mentioned that if I happen to go into labor now, they'll let it progress -- at this point, there's no stopping it. Technically, I'm not full term yet (37 weeks is the magic week), but apparently they're not worried about the 34 weekers. I just hope I can make it to mid January at least. As much as I want this kid out, I don't want him out yet! 

Where the Wild Things Are.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love books. When I was growing up, my parents heavily encouraged reading. We always had plenty of books (still do!) and I loved going to the library (again, still do!). It's only natural that I want the same for Jamie.

I've had a Barnes & Noble gift card burning a hole in my wallet since last year, so today I finally went out and picked this up.

Interestingly enough, I didn't read this book myself until a few months ago, when I read it to my niece, Addison. Well, I won't ruin the story for you, but it's worth reading (even if you're well into your twenties). 

Mr. Sandman skipped my house.

Welp, I'm sitting up and waiting until I feel like I can go to sleep. I didn't sleep all that well last night, and ended up napping late this afternoon. It sure felt good, but now I'm wondering if I can actually sleep through the night. Insomnia is a very strange thing. On the plus side, the kitchen is amazingly clean and I actually have the energy for a face mask.

While I'm killing time, I might as well make my birth prediction. My due date is January 25th, but I'm willing to bet that Jamie will be born sometime the week of January 11th -- making it 38 weeks instead of 40. January 11th is also MY birthday, but I just have a strong feeling that it's going to happen sometime that week.

We shall see!

Merry Christmas!

Belly at 33 weeks.

This week has brought on more heartburn and lower back aches. And it's not even that bad, just a little uncomfortable. I would just prefer not to feel like a dragon. Blah. Jamie is still kicking away and occasionally has the hiccups. Most of the day, I just wonder "what is he DOING in there?"

Scott and I are going to his company Christmas party tonight! Should be fun.

Matching bumps.

Here I am, with my high school friend, Jenn. This was taken the day after Thanksgiving, when we were both in Maryland, visiting our families. Jenn's 2 weeks behind me, also expecting a boy! It's so exciting and I'm glad that we're going through this together.

Saturday night randomness.

Jamie has the hiccups. This happens every other day or so, or at least, that's how often I notice it.

We had our "first" snow today in Richmond. Well, if you'll call it that. A lot of people seem to hate snow, but not me! Anyway, it rained for most of the day, but around the late afternoon, flakes were starting to fall. It lasted for a few hours.

Not much else to report. Just taking it easy, watching movies on tv with my feet up. I've been feeling pretty tired lately, but I guess it's a good excuse to rest as much as possible.

Sweet Tea

Who doesn't love iced tea? I love it only when it's sweetened, which is funny because if it's hot -- I drink it black.

Anyway, had a craving for iced tea yesterday and I want to not only store this recipe away for myself, but share it, too.

It's pretty easy:

--2 quart pitcher
--4 regular tea bags
--1 cup sugar

Boil 2 quarts of water (some people use a pan on the stove, but I used my electric kettle), let the tea bags steep for however long you'd like, and add the sugar. Let it cool. Voila! Delicious sweet tea.

It's Friday!

Last night, Scott and I took a tour of the hospital where I'll deliver. They recently did some remodeling and it's NICE. The rooms have -- get this -- hardwood floors. And flat screen tvs. I mentioned awhile ago to Scott that I may bring a season of Gilmore Girls with me, to keep me occupied. I mean...I'd rather watch that than sports.

We even got to peek in at the nursery and the babies were adorable. Little burritos with tiny hats. Anyway, I have a good feeling about the hospital. That was the last official "class" that we had on the list, so we're done with most of the prep work. Scott's going to install the car seat this weekend, hopefully.

As of this morning, I'm officially in the land of Braxton Hicks. My doctor informed this week that I've probably already had some contractions, but just nothing that I've noticed. Sure enough, early this morning, I experienced some tightening in my abdomen off and on. It's just crazy that I'm really in the last stretch of this pregnancy.

And man, I'm tired. After several nights of wonderful sleep (I knew it was too good to last!), I just had the worst night's sleep last night. I feel like I've been awake forever. I hate it when this happens.

31 & 32 weeks!

31 weeks, Thanksgiving morning

32 weeks

I've been busy! Since my last post, Scott and I've celebrated 2 Thanksgivings, I've had another baby shower (thrown by Scott's mom), put up our Christmas decorations, and today, had our 32 week OB appointment.

The baby shower was a complete surprise. The weekend before Thanksgiving, we planned on going to Scott's parents' house and when we arrived, that was the start of the shower. It was really nice and we received some great things for Jamie, including a pack and play, a stroller, some clothing, toys and toiletry essentials.

Today's appointment went fine -- I'm still right on track with weight gain and how Jamie's growing. We heard the heartbeat and it registered in the high 140's. Only 8 weeks (or so!) to go!

And here's our Christmas tree. Isn't it gorgeous? I can't stop looking at it.

30 weeks!

It's the home stretch -- finally into the 30's. Only 10 weeks (give or take) to go. I've been feeling pretty good this week, with more energy than I've had. I think the iron pills are doing wonders.

We had our 30 week appointment on Tuesday, and Jamie is still doing great. Nice, strong heartbeat and he kept kicking at the fetal doppler. That's his game now -- if he feels a poke, he'll poke right back. He also likes exploring my ribs. Not as much fun.

I'm also starting to really organize the nursery. It's too early to start washing things up and actually putting everything away, but I've got piles and checklists started. I'm happy to say that we're good to go on bathing items! And I'm up to 3 packs of diapers. There's a Huggies sale at CVS next week that I'm really excited about. Cannn't wait!

Baby Shower.

This past Saturday, I went up to New Jersey for my baby shower. It was really great -- and I got to spend time with my relatives. Even my mother in law came up for it.

We received a lot of wonderful things, and now that I'm home and have had time to sort through things, I realize how blessed Scott and I are. I can tell that a lot of thought went into the presents, and I absolutely loved everything. My grandmother sewed bedding for the cradle and also made some blankets. I cannot wait to get the cradle set up and take pictures. Aunt Dot crocheted a blanket, as well. I'll mention here that Aunt Dot's husband, Uncle Charlie, made the cradle for their children (it's been used over the years for several babies). I love handmade things. Another cool thing was that Scott's mom had saved items from when he was a baby, and passed those on for us to use -- some knitted outfits, including a nice bunting. Other presents included blankets, sleepers, towels, stuffed animals, a few toys, 2 bathtubs, and even some diapers and toiletry items.

 

 

 

A big thank you to everyone!

29 weeks!

Here I am, 29 weeks. Sorry for the outfit repeat, but it happens. Next week is the home stretch -- into the 30's we go!

UPS dropped off 2 big items recently -- our car seat and high chair. Scott decided to start assembling so that I could get a few pictures.

Here's Albert the Running Bear, testing out the new high chair. This was a gift from Scott's parents. Also, to the side, you'll notice a baby swing and vibrating seat. Those are from Todd and Lindsay (Todd is Scott's oldest brother).

 

And here's the car seat. After all that hemming and hawing, I decided to go with the Graco Snugride in "Pippin". This was a gift from my parents. Again, Albert tested out the car seat, so even a preemie would fit!

Passed my glucose test!

I just got a call today from my doctor's office, and the nurse let me know that my test results came back normal. No gestational diabetes over here. I've heard of women failing the one hour test and having to go through the three hour test...which does not sound like fun.

Unfortunately, I'm anemic, but that's easily treated. That explains the light headedness, I guess.

Big week lined up! Wednesday, we're meeting with a pediatrician and Thursday is our third prenatal class -- For Baby's Sake. I think it's about infant safety. Anyway, I'm excited.

28 weeks -- belly pic update.

I would just like to point out that this is a pre-pregnancy sweater from last year's winter season. I don't own tons of maternity tops, I mean...I need clothes that will fit over my belly, and about half of the tops I have in my closet are just too short. A few times I have pulled out some long sleeve shirts, thinking they'd be plenty long and I was wrong. I looked ridiculous. Yesterday, I came across a stack of sweaters that I had put off to the side, forgetting that they were nice, stretchy and long. And they fit! I just hope I can make it another 2 months without having to buy more maternity clothes.

Busy day!

So, this morning, Scott and I went to our 28 week checkup. I had to do a glucose test, which meant drinking a sugary drink and getting my blood tested. The drink itself wasn't gross, it just tasted like very sugary Hi-C juice. If I was 6, I would have really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it gave me a headache and I felt kind of gross until it was time to test. Everything else went fine, and Jamie is measuring perfectly with a great heart rate in the 150's. We even took care of the hospital pre-registration while we were there.

After leaving the doctor's office, we went to vote and then Scott dropped me off at home. My doctor's office still hasn't received their supply of the h1n1 vaccine, so I started researching how to get it at the health department. It was pretty easy -- I called and I got an appointment right away. So, that's that. I don't know if Scott will be able to get it anytime soon, since they only make appointments for high risk individuals -- pregnant women, young children, etc.

And now I need to find the energy to start dinner.

Happy Birthday, Scott!

Today, Scott is 27 years old. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

Today also marks the first day of our third trimester and the fact that we've been together for three and a half years. And nearly married for 6 months!

Wow!

27 weeks!

Here I am at 27 weeks. Last week of the second trimester!

In other news, I have changed my mind yet again on the car seat/stroller combination. Last night, before Baby Basics, Scott and I stopped off at Babies R Us to check out the car seats in person. Remember my love for the Snugride 32? Well, there's also an original Snugride, which is lighter. And you know, it makes more sense to have a smaller infant seat because I highly doubt I'll have a chunky kid. I think Jamie would realistically hit the height limit way before the weight limit, so why lug around a heavier seat? Plus....the matching stroller (the Graco LiteRider) was really nice. I walked around the stroller aisle with it and instantly fell in love. I'm going back today to see if an associate can help me fit it in the back of my car. If it fits, then that's it -- we're getting the matching stroller!

I really hope I don't change my mind again.

I'm also having second thoughts on my bottle choices. Ugh.

Oh, and last night at class -- the nurse told us that ear thermometers weren't accurate (which is what I registered for), that majority of the pacifiers on the market aren't recommended and you're not supposed to use baby powder when doing diaper changes. Well then, why do they even sell this stuff? It just confuses everyone.

Nursery!

We've been busy.

 

 

The crib and changing table are from Todd and Lindsay. The rocking chair was used by my mom, the little clown is mine from when I was little (my dad's coworker's wife made it) and I've had the bookcase since 6th grade.

Good morning.

It's 5:30 am on a SUNDAY and I'm wide awake. I figured that I might as well get up and do the laundry and possibly clean the downstairs bathroom, because I just can't sleep. Is this one of the 'joys of pregnancy'?

I was so exhausted when I went to bed, too. I don't get it.

Well, yesterday was a busy day. We picked up nursery furniture from Todd and Lindsay, as well as, crib sheets (and mattress pads), baby towels, bibs, baby blankets, a boppy, bottles, high chair seat, baby toys....a cargo van full of stuff, basically. It feels like Christmas around here! While Scott and his friend hauled furniture upstairs and assembled the crib, I (not being able to lift furniture, after all) got to sort things into piles to be washed. We really appreciated the fact that we were able to get so many things -- Todd and Lindsay kept everything in great condition.

We didn't waste any time! For our new guest room, Scott found a great deal on a mattress, box spring and frame -- for our guests to sleep in luxury. By the time we went to sleep, the nursery furniture was in place (crib mattress already made up), and the guest room was completely finished (bed made, pictures hung). I promise I'll take pictures sometime today or tomorrow.

Pretty much everything in the house has now been organized and cleaned. Whew. When we initially moved in, we just stored most of our boxes into the second bedroom, and what a process it was to find a place for everything. But now, our house feels cozy and the clutter is gone, or at least, well controlled. It's a great feeling.

26 weeks!

Here I am, at 26 weeks. Again, Scott took this picture before we left for our baby class. And no, I didn't wear my pink slippers out of the house. Although, seriously, sometimes it's very tempting!

The baby class we took, Labor Basics, was pretty interesting. Sometimes I hear that the classes are a waste of time, but not to me. I mean...I've never had a baby before, I've never taken care of a baby, and the only information I have is what I've seen in movies and read in books. So, that being said, I'm really glad we're taking the classes. I won't go into any details, but let me say this -- movies and tv really, really gloss over childbirth. Yikes.

The other day, I got these bibs in the mail from my grandmother. Aren't they cute? These are officially the first bibs I've gotten, and they're by Carter's. Grammy has good taste, doesn't she? It's funny, because I think Scott and I have decided on a monkey theme.

And lastly, here are some booties from my friend, Sarah. She included these in with our wedding present. I'm in love with them -- you can't find stuff like this at the store! The brown fits in really well with the monkey theme.

We're getting the nursery furniture this weekend, from my sister and brother in law, Lindsay and Todd. I'm really excited to see how the room is going to come together.

More pictures soon!

So funny....

Starting today...

I have exactly 100 days to go.

Where's the confetti?

Belly bump!

Here's me, with only 15 weeks left to go! Scott took this last night, before we headed off to "Labor Basics" at the hospital. It was the first of several prenatal classes that we're taking; our hospital offers a good range of classes and they're free -- so why not take advantage of that?

I guess I should be taking these weekly pictures on Mondays, because that's when my weeks start, but honestly...either I don't remember to have Scott get the camera, or we get busy with dinner and other things that it doesn't happen. I just want some kind of documentation, and I think I'll be more faithful about getting these weekly shots up -- it doesn't seem like it on a daily basis, but my belly is steadily growing. Jamie's getting big!

25 weeks: car seat decisions

I'm 25 weeks pregnant and I think we've found our car seat! It seems so simple, doesn't it? Just pick something decent off of Target.com and go with it.

Then there's the safety ratings, user reviews, logistics of use, size, durability, how well it fits into your car....oh, and the price. Initially, I fell in love with the Graco "days of hunny" travel system from Walmart. Who doesn't love Winnie the Pooh? It is an adorable system, don't get me wrong, but then I decided to do more research. I couldn't just put Jamie in something because it was cute.

For convenience, the car seat clips onto the stroller. Once Baby is big enough, you can just use the stroller to haul him around. Then I thought....how well does the stroller fit into the trunk of a car? Scott drives a Honda Civic (hybrid) and I drive a Toyota Yaris (the 3 door hatchback). We're not talking SUV's here. I didn't want to get a travel system and then not be able to actually use it. Ugh!

I decided to look through the forums at Babycenter.com, to get some honest feedback, and read the reviews on the Graco models. I was pretty positive that I wanted a Graco system, because I know the brand is well trusted and their products are made well.

Then I found this little gem:

It's the Graco Snugride 32. The 32 means that the weight limit is 32 lbs, which is better than the 22 lb weight limit for most carseats, including the Winnie the Pooh seat. Other parents seem to love this car seat, and while it costs a little bit more, I love that you can get more use out of it. We'll need an extra base for Scott's car, but that's a no-brainer. Now, what about a coordinating stroller?

Graco also makes stroller frames to work with their car seats. Genius, isn't it? Finally, we can get something that will fit into our compact cars. And the price isn't bad at all, compared to some of the travel systems. Once we need an actual stroller, we can look at umbrella strollers, which are also lightweight and easy to pack up.

I'm so relieved, you have no idea. Everything else is just gravy, right? Bottles are bottles and onesies are onesies. Although, I'm still not completely clear on the world of swings and exersaucers. I just don't know.

Latest belly bump at 24 weeks.

Jamie's a Wizards fan?

Yesterday, we went to the OB for my 24 week appointment. My doctor said my weight was right on track, Jamie's heartbeat was strong (in the 140-150 range), and he was measuring well.

The Washington Wizards played a preseason game at VCU last night against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a lot of fun -- Scott's favorite player, Gilbert Arenas, was finally playing after dealing with a knee injury. We had gone to several games in the past 2 years where he had to sit out, unfortunately. Anyway, a cute thing I have to mention -- during the first quarter, Jamie was moving around a lot, so I'm thinking he had to have known what was going on. Right? When he's old enough, we'll have to take him to some games. There were A LOT of little kids there, actually. Or maybe I just notice these things now that I'm pregnant.

The Wizards won, by the way.