Talk to Me - Summer Nail Polish!

I am in the mood for a light post, so let's talk summer nail polish colors!

I know some people prefer finger nails painted over toes or vica versa...but what are your favorite summer nail polish colors this year?!

I am looking for some cute summer colors and wanted to see what everyone else was wearing this summer!

Last year I was really into teal and bold colors, but this year I am thinking something more bright and cheerful on the toes for summer.

Also, what are your favorite brands of nail polish?  I LOVE O.P.I..  I am also a fan of Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure.

And here is a question, what are your thoughts on painting your toes one color and your finger nails another color?  If you paint one should you leave the other plain?  Paint them both the same or is that too matchy?

I JUST WANT A PHONE!!!

This is a long rant. I am sorry.

 

Our cell phone plan is up this week so T & I decided to take a look this past weekend and see what new-age fangled contraptions are out there now.  So we walk into the Verizon store in P’Burg, look around and wonder "where are all the phones"!  Seriously, the ONLY phones out were Droids and iPhones or basically the so-called smartphones.  That is it.  Somewhat jokingly I asked the person working there "so did you stop selling real phones?"  To which he responded to me in his arrogant tone and as he judgingly looked both T & I up and down said "those regular phones, we keep those in the back". Really, you had to hear how he said it….grrrrr.

Uh, OK?!

I asked if we could browse those phones to which I was told we should really look online and see what we want and then come back and they can pull them from the back room for us.

Uh, OK?!

I really wanted to tell him to pull ALL the phones and then I would tell him where he could put them.  But I controlled myself.

Both Terry and I decided we were in no mood to deal with the cocky attitude of the sales people at Verizon, have them try to talk us into phones we didn't want, or try to figure out what phones we wanted to look at without being able to look at phones.  We just wanted to browse their inventory, but apparently the out-dated inventory we were interested in was not good enough to be kept with the "cool" phones.  So of course we left.

It kind felt as we left that companies are now just pushing for these “fancy” phones and forgetting about the everyday person who A) may just want a regular phone or B) cannot afford the cool phones with the expensive monthly plans?!  And why are the dorky phones not allowed to hang out with the cool phones anymore?!  I feel like it is high school all over again. 

Honestly, that is how I have picked the last 3 or 4 cell phones I have had.  Just go in and physically SEE what I want.  I hold them, mess around with them and see which is best.  Now I have to go online and make a list of ones I want to see?! Yeah….I don’t really like that option.

T & I rather passionately talked about it on the way home, about where phones & the phone companies are today and how it is sorta ridiculous.  And this is by NO MEANS about people who buy these phones, (please please please as I get on a soapbox don’t think that).  It is about how these companies are forcing us to have these phones and changing the phones so quickly that we have no choice but to fall into getting these more advanced phones.  And of course once you have one, you never want to go back….that is how they get you!

YES, I will admit that having the internet on my phone would be cool.  And YES there are apps that are awesome and helpful to have.  And YES, if it didn't cost an arm and a leg and our first born to buy these phones then pay for all the add-ons and have to be forced to pay higher monthly costs to have features like internet that are required, we would get the “cool” phone.  But also, at the end of the day I know that if I have many of these features on my phone, I will just be on my phone…..constantly.  And I don't want to be on my phone all the time.  I sit in front of a computer with internet for 9 hours a day, 5 days a week at work.  I then have a computer at home with internet that I sit in front of.  But do I really want to be forced to PAY to be connected with the world all the time on my phone too?!

No, actually I don't.

And it sucks because T & I went back to a different Verizon store last night in hopes of a better outcome and it actually annoyed us more. 

Here are the facts:

They told us that if we got a smartphone we HAD to spend $29.95 a month on EACH phone for the unlimited data plan.  (P.S. I JUST read this morning that there are rumors that on July 7^th they will drop the unlimited data plan.  “Droid-Life lists pricing, starting at 2 GB for $30/month and going up to 10 GB for $80/month. Adding tethering gives an additional $2 GB and an additional $20. So for example, 4 GB with tethering will cost $50/month. Additional data will cost $10/GB. Whereas currently you get unlimited for $30.”  Don’t know if this is true or if it affects only new customers.  Article HERE.) The unlimited data plan would include the internet and apparently something with downloading apps.  We also have to pay $10 each per phone on top of our standard phone pricing for unlimited texting in the network and 500 out of network.  So on top of the $79.99-$200.00 each we would have to pay to even GET a phone, we are now looking at another $40 per phone additional EACH MONTH so we can text and be online.  And let’s remember that even if we do not want to be online, we still have to PAY for that feature.

So just get a regular cell phone you say.  Well T & I are not at ALL opposed to doing that, infact we would love to do that.  However, the standard phones suck because they are making these standard phones less and less available to people and they seem very mediocre.  Even when I begrudgingly got online at home and looked at the phones available to me and asked to see some at the store, I thought they were not nearly as good as the ones that were out 2 years ago.  Like they just gave up with making better “plain” phones and are only enhancing the “cool” phones.  Granted, I may not want the most state of the art phone, but that doesn't mean I want something worse than I have now.  Verizon basically removed a huge section of their product line and it seems to us that your ONLY choices are:

1)      Keep your current phone although Verizon straight up told us that phone batteries are not designed to last more than two years and if a phone is more than two years old they stop selling the batteries.  So you can use it if you don’t mind recharging it every day;

2)      Buy a smartphone but be forced to pay ridiculous prices for not only the phone but the monthly plan; or

3)      Settle for a mediocre standard phone.

I feel we are all being forced to eventually jump on this bandwagon of smartphones, whether we want to or not.  And when we do, companies can take advantage of the consumer by upping the prices of our plans.  And of course the more we use these types of phones the more we rely on them and the less we want to give them up….therefore we will actually pay to keep the features we want.  And of course the companies know this and take full advantage of it.

You know it is one thing to advance your products and those who want to have the option to advance their phones can, but it is totally another thing to push those people who are content where they are to have to make sacrifices (either by having to get better phones with higher monthly plans or being stuck with mediocre phones) because these phones don’t bring in as much money as what the “cool” phones do. 

It is truly frustrating.

Right now we really have NO idea what to do.  We are keeping our phones a little longer, maybe a lot longer if we can’t figure out what is the best and most cost effective for us.  However, both our phone batteries are dying so something has to be done before the end of the year.  And if that tiered pricing does come into play and smartphones are the best or only option for us, I would rather get into the program before that happens so we at least have unlimited instead of paying the same price for 2GB.  Or do we just settle for some basic phone, that is no better, maybe even slightly worse, than the phones we have now?!  AAAAHHHHH!  At this point maybe I should just get the Jitterbug and call it a day.

**Update – Terry dropped his phone in the toilet last night. *sigh* In all the years he has had a cell phone he has never done this. EVER.  The irony is NOT lost on us.  What sucks is now he at least needs to get another cell phone when just hours before we decided we would wait as we didn’t know what to do. Great.  And the first thing Terry said to me was “I didn’t do it on purpose, believe me I didn’t”.  I know he is annoyed.

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Happy Father's Day to an amazing father!  You have always been there for me to encourage me and support me and you have helped me grow into the women I am today.  I am SO thankful to have you in my life.  Thank you for everything and for being such a wonderful dad.

I can't wait for Henry to hangout with you and learn all the cool things you have shown me!

You will always be my daddy.

Love you BUNCHES!
xoxo

Pregnancy Update – 28 Weeks….the Third Freak’n Trimester!

HOLY SHIT BALLS…..I AM HOW FAR ALONG?!

I don’t know why when I say I am 28 weeks it seems like I have plenty of time to get ready for the baby, but when I hear I am in my third trimester it seems like our babe will be here SOON!  And I just scheduled the remainder of my Dr. Appointments for this pregnancy today….which makes this all seem THAT much closer!

“By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of his head to his heels. He can blink his eyes, which now sport lashes. With his eyesight developing, he may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. He's also developing billions of neurons in his brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.”

How is Henry?  

Great! He learned a new trick Monday….tumbling!  I was lying on the couch, half propped up and all of a sudden I have feelings like Henry is flipping and then I see my stomach move! AHHHHH!  Then a minute later it moved again!!  I was calling out his name and tapping my stomach to get him to move more and then I see my stomach do this wave thing! AWESOME. AWESOME. AWESOME!  This was a first to see and it was rather exciting! 

Has Terry seen him move?   

Sadly, no.  Though he won’t admit it, I am sure it is a little frustrating for him because by the time he gets home at 8pm, Henry has started to calm down for the evening. (Good baby boy knows it is time to start getting ready for bed!)  So Terry will get to feel him move on occasion but even those movements are fainter and he hasn’t seen him move my belly.  I feel bad sometimes that I can experience these things and doesn’t get to see/feel them until later.  I know it will happen, just have to be patient!

Are you taking any classes? 

Uh, no.  There was only one class I had an interest in taking, a safety/CPR class, and unfortunately the only time most of these classes are offered are during the day and the evening or weekend classes are only once every other month. Convenient. We happen to be busy every time there is a class, so no classes for us and we are just going to wing it!  Though I will most likely take an infant CPR class after he is born.  We will at least go over car seat safety when we pre-register at the hospital in the coming weeks which is good.

How are clothes working for you?   

Luckily I am STILL in my pre-pregnancy clothes.  I have to wear a belly band because of course I cannot zip my pants, but luckily they still fit!  I do have maternity tops and one pair of casual maternity pants, but my jeans and work pants are still wearable…though I noticed them getting a little tighter in the past two weeks so who knows how long they will last!  I also have a pair of pants that I wear that are slightly bigger and I can still bottom those.  Believe me, I am NOT bragging about this (if I could find maternity pants I would SO be in them) but please understand that it has been SO hard finding maternity pants for my height and size and that also don’t make me look even bigger that I think this is a karma thing letting me have my regular pants just a bit longer!

Are you working out?

I tried prenatal yoga this week and who knew stretching and breathing could make me so tired. Goodness gracious! I have to admit, the stretching felt WONDERFUL.  My hips have been hurting for a few months now and my back just started to hurt, so the yoga actually helped to relieve some of that pain. I may keep doing it.  I also MUST start walking....but it is hard when the couch just calls my name :)

I never know what to write in these things, so do you have any questions for me?!

 Here I am at 28 weeks. The only change I have noticed in my stomach is that it is rounder, more like a ball.  If I didn't wear black all the time maybe you could see that! 

Talk to Me – It Must Be Jelly, Cause Jam Don’t Shake Like That....

So last year I bought all the stuff to start canning (the water bath method).  My MIL knows how to do it and I was going to have an afternoon with her and learn how to do it.  I wanted to can strawberry jam because the strawberries we get at this local farm near BG taste like CANDY!  I also wanted to try a few other fruits, as well as pasta sauce, salsa and even pickles.

However, we never got around to it last year and even this year it is looking like our available weekends are far and few between and we may not get around to it this year.  It is a bummer, because I really want to learn the process of canning.  I feel like it is a tradition that has become lost.

Because I may actually not get to canning in mass quantities this year either, I thought I would at least attempt to make a couple jars of my own strawberry and raspberry jam .  However, I would like to use a recipe that others have tried and they know works.

So has anyone ever made homemade strawberry and/or raspberry jam and have a good recipe for it?  I don’t want freezer jam….I would like a traditional jam. 

Also, has anyone ever done canning before?  Thoughts on canning?  Is it easy?  What method do you use for canning (water bath or pressure cooker)?

Is It Bad If We Turn Our Son Into Us?!

Since getting married and even more since getting pregnant I often have wondered what our kids would be like.  Would they look more like me, more like Terry, like the both of us or like neither of us?  Would they be funny, smart, athletic, or clumsy (my guess is clumsy as T.’s nickname as a kid was bumper and mine was grace because I wasn’t graceful).  Would they be into music like Terry or art like me or something completely different?

I also have wondered how will T & I influence any children we have.  You want your children to grow up and have their own sense of self; however you can’t help but place your own interests/likes on them from even an early age. 

“Yes baby Henry, you will listen to the Metallica and Pink Floyd Rockabye Baby CD’s….why, because WE like them!  You will also watch Dr. Who and other Sci-Fi programs with us and will most likely watch the History channel and cartoons with your father.  And don’t think for a moment your dad is not going to teach the importance of silver and coin collecting at a very early age and drag BOTH of us to the antique mall for a Saturday afternoon.  And as I am a lover of craft projects, you will have to endure your fair amount of homemade craft projects with me and even homemade Halloween costumes.  Sorry child, but that is just how it is going to be. Oh and P.S. my child….your parents are weird, so you will need to get use to that too.”

There is this fine line we will have to learn over time about what is natural for them to take from us and what is being pushy.  Where do we stop and they start in helping them to achieve their OWN identity and not feel like they have to take on ours or even others that they are around. And what role as parents should we play in encouraging this personal development.  (Yes, these are things I have been thinking about lately when I am sitting on the couch watching the Real Housewives of Orange County.) 

I am sure we will deal with that when the time comes but for now, since Baby Hank does not have a sense of self and can’t make his own decisions by using his big boy words, we are just going to have to help him along a bit!

So what does that mean for our little guy, besides obviously having to sit through the things I mentioned above?  It means we are going to decorate his room with things we love in hopes it will rub off on him a bit!  

So the first edition to his room will also be his first stuffed animal…

….12" Godzilla!  Terry LOVES Godzilla and watches Godzilla movies all the time.  He wanted Henry’s first toy to be a Godzilla doll.  So I am ordering that today for the babes. 

I also had the idea of taking old 45 record albums (you know those things made out of vinyl that play music on that large turntable thingy) and in the center of each I would create a label with the letters of his name.  So he would have 5 records hanging above his bed that spell out Henry and then one on either side ones with his foot prints and hand prints.  It also means, he will have his very own record player in his room as we have like 5.  

There will also be some crocheted items and drawings that I want to create for him....but still not sure exactly what I want to do.

And finally, it means there is a very good chance he will have a dalek nightlight/clock in his bedroom.  In particular, this one.

Yes, his room is going to be a hodge-podge of things WE like.

I am sure there are going to be many many other things that T & I LOVE that we will try to force pass down to our son.  Some day we will have to back off and let him decided on his own what he likes and doesn’t (though T & I are SO flipp'n cool, why wouldn't he want to be like us)….but that will not be happening anytime soon, so until it does you can pretty much count on us surrounding our son with things WE like in hopes that Henry will be a mini-version of his daddy with a hint of his mommy.  And I am SO ok with that!

Pregnancy Update - Last Week in My Second Trimester

So I am 27 weeks and by this time Friday I will be entering my third trimester.

SAY WHAT?!  When the hell did THAT happen?!

"This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle."

A head of cauliflower?!  That is crazy! It is sorta hard to wrap my head around the fact that Henry is only going to keep getting bigger from this point on….a lot bigger!  I mean he is right around 2 pounds and already very noticeable and yet he needs to gain about 6 more pounds in the next 13 weeks.  How is this even possible?! How will he fit INSIDE me and more importantly, as we have yet to figure out teleportation, how will this child get out of me?!?! *For the record, I do know the answer to this but come on the idea of how this child will come out of you has to freak anyone out just a bit. I am writing a post on this.

And perhaps the cauliflower inside me also explains why I have NO idea just how far out my stomach goes and why I am constantly hitting my belly on things.  Oh, I can get past this chair…smash belly.  Or when I am cooking dinner I’m constantly hitting my stomach on the counter.  Or when I go to give T. a hug and the belly hits him first…to which T. says “you are going to have to lean in a bit and give a little here lady if you want a hug…there is something between us”!  It is actually humorous because it has only been in the last couple weeks that I have really started misjudging just how far I stick out and it is very common now for me to run my belly into something.

Here is what I see when I stand up and look down.

How was your Dr. Appt?  

It was good.  Henry’s bpm was around 148/149 and she said his heart sounded great.  She verified my tests from last week and said his spine on the ultrasound was perfect and that I passed my glucose tests “with flying colors” ….which is good because I studied really hard for that one. PHEW :)  My blood pressure was good at 120/71, even though I thought it would be higher after waiting for 50 minutes to see my Dr.  I did gain 4 pounds this past month and she told me to try to not gain more than that each month…preferably 2-3 pounds.  I said OK and didn’t tell her my nickname should be Hoover this past month as I have been a nearly bottomless pit for the first time since January!  Ooops.  I still have only gained 5 pounds since my pre-pregnancy weight but 10-12 overall as I lost weight in the beginning..  I also have to start keeping track of Henry’s kick count?!  They gave me a card and apparently want 12 kicks in a 6 hour period or I have to call the doctor.  Did anyone else do this?  Seems like an odd thing to track and this morning I started at 8:40 and had 12 kicks by 9:10 so I guess I am done for the day…..what can I say the boy loves his toast, banana and milk in the morning :)  I guess I have to do this every day for the remainder of the pregnancy?! Odd.  I also start going back every two weeks.  That is a lot of Dr. Appointments if you ask me.

How is Henry?  

WONDERFUL! Or so I think :) Now that I am noticing patterns in his daily activities, it makes me realize he is a little baby….which is really weird to wrap my head around.  I don’t know why or exactly how to explain it, but it is still weird to me that this little one is growing inside me and can recognize things that I am doing and has his own schedule. (He is a morning/afternoon person and calms down a bunch in the evening and at night!)  It is weird because I don’t always believe that he will be OUR baby in a few months and I am trying to wrap my head around it and honestly don’t know if I will until the day we actually can hold him.

How are you feeling mentally? 

Well for the most part really good, but I have my moments.  I had a break down Friday.  We had a big cookout this weekend for family and some friends so we have spent a lot of time preparing for it and preparing for people to be with us for the weekend.  I got off work early on Friday to go to the store.  I had eaten a late breakfast but didn’t get to take lunch because I left early so I went to the store on an empty stomach.  Part way through the trip I felt like I just wanted to leave my cart and just go home as my cart was FULL and I was hungry and tired and pushing around this huge cart and I was just overwhelmed by thinking about all I had to do.  I then had a lady in one of the aisles say to me “that is a full cart….a pregnant lady shouldn’t be doing this all by herself, it is not good for the baby.” and then she smiled as if it was a joke. UH, ok lady I don’t know what you want me to do about that.  Unless you are going to help, I don’t need a guilt trip right now.  sigh I then went to the cashier and part way through unloading my massive amount of groceries I dropped a pint of cherry tomatoes ALL over the floor and even accidentally stepped on a few. UGH, clean up at register 6….the pregnant lady is making a mess.  I held it together while I finished unloading and paying for the groceries.  And then I walked outside and even though it was sunny when I went to the store, it was POURING down rain when I left.  So I am then unloading what felt like a TON of groceries in the pouring rain.  Still tired, still hungry, even more overwhelmed by this cookout, and now feeling guilty and hoping Henry is ok.  I get into my car and just LOST it.  I cried because of frustration, I cried because I knew I had a lot to do, I cried because I was crying and didn’t want to be, I cried because I thought I wasn’t taking care of myself for Henry because I was hungry and carrying a bunch of heavy bags, and I just CRIED because I think I needed too.  Luckily I got home and my sister unloaded the entire car and I grabbed something to eat and sat down for a few before starting the cooking and felt a TON better. There haven’t been too many mental breakdowns, and luckily I got it out of my system Friday and we had an awesome cookout with no stress and it was WONDERFUL day, but when these breakdowns happen…..LOOK OUT!

How is Terry? 

Getting more and more excited for his new buddy! We watch a show called Dr. Who (sci-fi thing) and it is our favorite show.  Well the mid season finale was this weekend and it will not restart until the fall.  Terry said that was perfect because Hank can sit on his lap and watch it with us. (I have happy tears just thinking about it.) LOVE IT!  And we went to our friends last night and Terry just chilled out and held our friends 8 month old son for a good part of the night. Now this is most unusual for Terry who only held a baby under 1yr for the first time a few months ago and even then is really uncomfortable around other people’s young kids.  So for him to just hangout with Issac all night shows me just how excited he is….even if he is trying to play it cool :)

Registered? 

Yes. DONE. Check one thing off our list! Babies R Us, Target & Amazon.com.  It was easy…super easy.  Though because I gave Terry the scanner I still need to go back and edit the registries online as I am not convinced that Henry does infact need a new shower head like T. claims he does. 

Picture: Same Shirt….6 Weeks Later

Here is a picture of me at 21 weeks

 And at 27 weeks in the same shirt. A very noticeable difference!

Pregnancy Goggles.

We have ALL heard of beer goggles, right?  When you drink too much and people look hotter than what they may really be.  Well I think there is a thing called pregnancy goggles that people have when they see a pregnant lady.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have had plenty O’ people (sadly) insult me with underhanded comments, however I can only assume it is because they think they are being nice and just open their mouth and say what comes out because they are under the influence of pregnancy goggles. Yeah, I am going with that.

So because of pregnancy goggles, I have noticed some things lately about being pregnant that I can totally get away with (if I wanted to) because I am pregnant that I most likely would not get away with (or at the least I would receive strange looks ) if I wasn’t pregnant.

Walking around in public just rubbing your belly.

Now that I am noticeably pregnant and my belly is out there, I catch myself rubbing it…often.  Sitting in a boring meeting at work – I start rubbing my belly.  Walking around the store – I rub my belly.  Talking to someone – I am rubbing my belly.  However, because of the pregnancy goggles no one thinks anything of it because they instantly think…. “awe she is having a BABY how cute.  Now I am going to touch her belly without asking her or without any sense of personal space and boundaries”.  (Maybe I am not so much rubbing my belly as trying to protect it from wondering hands.)  However, if I wasn’t pregnant and just walking around rubbing my belly people would definitely think I am a bit strange and wonder what is up with me.  And of course they wouldn’t come up and rub my stomach….or at least hopefully they wouldn’t.

Eating a meal, and then eating another meal.

Ok, so in an attempt to make myself feel better I am going to say this doesn’t happen often, but there have been a few known times that I am willing to admit to that I finished a perfectly acceptable and filling lunch and was still hungry and ate another lunch.  Yes, TWO meals.  I am totally in my Hobbit phase of this pregnancy….and you best not interfere with my meal times! But you won’t judge me because you have pregnancy goggles on and you think “hey she is growing a HUMAN inside her and so eating TWO whole meals is nothing really…she should get dessert too!” To which I would totally agree.  But two whole meals when not pregnant...well people would talk.   (I didn’t eat much the first half of my pregnancy and then I got to week 23 and now I am totally a scavenger. HIDE YOUR FOOD.)

Wobbling when you walk.

Though I am not far enough along yet to really wobble when I walk, riiiight, I notice that when I have been walking for awhile or am tired I infact DO wobble.  But you don’t get odd looks when you wobble because of pregnancy goggles but rather empathetic looks, especially when you are wobbling through Target at 9:30pm and are noticeably tired. Wobble away lady, wobble away.

Looking sweaty/flushed/hot all the time.

It is a FACT that I look hot….ALL. THE. TIME.  And I don’t mean HOTT in the bringing sexy back way, I mean in the unattractive way where I look sweaty and flushed and have a certain sheen on me because of the fact that I am just really HOT. (Stupid hot weather)  However, when people notice your belly they instantly say you have a glow about you and they think you look great.  No people, IT REALLY IS SWEAT!  Thank you pregnancy goggles for making the sweat dripping from EVERY place on my body look attractive.

Having people do stuff for you.

While this one is tougher for me at times as I like to think I can do everything without help, because I am awesome……apparently you can get away with not doing a lot because of the goggles.  For instance I was at a friend’s party and was helping to clean up when I was firmly told to sit down and not help because I was pregnant.  Apparently I cannot do two things at once, like grow a child and carry half eaten guacamole and chips into the kitchen….who knew?!  But with the goggles people see you as having one job and one job only, grow that child.  And who am I to tell them the little one is basically on autopilot?!  So if it means for a few months someone will bring heavy baskets of laundry up from the basement, clean the bathroom, take out the garbage, or even voluntary rub my legs because the pregnancy goggles make me seem unable too…count me in!!

Those are the top 5, but there are also a few other things I can also get away with.

- Sleeping in, taking a two hour nap during the day, and still going to bed by 8pm.

- Wearing flip-flops and black yoga pants anywhere and I mean ANYWHERE.

- Forgetting to do things.

- Eating dessert after every meal…including breakfast.

Thank you pregnancy goggles for making some things during this pregnancy SO much easier!

Pregnancy Update - 26 Weeks

How your baby's growing:  The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days. *From BabyCenter.com

The reality set in after vacation and now that we are in the month of June that we only have a few months left before Henry will make his way into our life. And I am only a couple weeks away from being in my third trimester. WTF, when did this all happen?! CRAZY.

Appointments: It was a busy week! I had an ultrasound on Monday. It was quick. We only had it because our stubborn piglet didn’t cooperate a month ago at the last one and she couldn’t get a good picture of his spine. So really all she was checking was his spine and heart. And thankfully, both looked great and it was good to see our growing boy. His head is up and butt is down and he STILL has his one leg over his head (sorta like the picture above). Really, how is that comfortable Henry?! The last ultrasound 5 weeks ago he had his feet above his head and he still has them up there. I don’t get it, that can’t be comfortable!!

(Sorry, not the best picture of Henry. You may have to click to make bigger.  In both pics, his head is on the left and body on the right.  In the top his arm...we are fairly certain it is his arm....is over his face/eyes.  I sleep like that!  In the bottom picture if you look at the lighter outlined area above his head you will see his FOOT!  Crazy boy.)

She didn’t do any measurements to see how big he was, so we don’t have an idea but Terry said he looked HUGE on the screen! It is fun to see our baby, though sometimes even though I know he is growing inside me and can see him on the screen it just doesn’t always sink in that I am pregnant and that is our baby. I know, weird….but sometimes it just blows my mind!

I also got my glucose test done Monday. That is fun. The drink was actually pretty tasty….it was like a sweet Sunkist and I haven’t had a Sunkist since before I was pregnant! But the three pokes to get my blood drawn and the over 2 hours of waiting was a boring way to spend my ½ day off. Plus, I was hungry! BUT, it is all for the little one and to find out something important so in the end it is no big deal. And everything came back great and they said my results were normal!! YAY.

How are you feeling?  I am still feeling good. Tired. I think part of it is this heat and we have had a lot more things going on and I am just whooped! Plus I haven’t been sleeping well. I did buy a body pillow last weekend which helps a bit so I am not sooo uncomfortable. (For the record our king size bed has one pregnant lady, my husband, a 9 pound cat, an 18 pound cat that takes up a ton of space, and a large body pillow…..maybe that is why I can’t sleep.) But I sleep for about an hour or two then wake up.  I also have been getting charley horse cramps in my calves in the night which hurts bad, plus I usually have to pee twice, and fluctuate between sweating or freezing. ALL those reasons are probably why I am tired and not sleeping well.  But if that is the worst of it, I can take that.

Any cravings? I am currently ALL about trail mix, I have a large bag with me at work and at home and I am also loving vanilla yogurt with chocolate syrup. Oh and cheese. My sister laughs because I bring a block of cheese to work and eat from that. SO GOOD. Those are my favorite foods right now.

Me at 26 weeks.

Best thing this week? I was asleep on my back (yes I know that isn’t the "best" but I prop myself up pretty high and sometimes I just can’t sleep on my sides as my hips become sore.  Oh yeah and I HATE always sleeping on my side). I woke up like I do a lot and flopped to my left side and within seconds Henry decided he hated that position. He started kicking, punching and moving all around. I felt my stomach and I think the little guy was all on my left side and didn’t like me laying on that side.  Or I was squishing him :) So I flopped to my right side and he started calming down, still punched a bit but eventually calmed down. Why did I like it….well minus the part where I probably squished him....because that was the most I had ever felt him and I was rubbing my belly and could feel him move. Plus it made me feel like he was real, which has been the hardest thing for me so far...that this is REAL. But there was no question he was not happy with that position and was letting me know just like a baby would! I just laid there at 3am rubbing my belly and just feeling him kick and punch and it was one of those moments where I actually knew without a daoubt that this little one was inside me and it was wonderful.

So you are feeling Henry Move?  YES! Terry is starting to feel him more and more and I think he is now waiting for when he can SEE my stomach move!  He also moves when I eat. Henry LOVES when I eat. I think it is one of his favorite things I do, which is good because T & I love to eat! I am still eating smaller meals and something small every couple hours as it helps with my indigestion and you can tell after I eat something because the little one goes crazy!  

Also, I am noticing his patterns. He seems to be the most active during the day (10am – 3:30pm) and in the evening calms down, which makes it harder for Terry to feel him move. During work I am constantly getting kicked in the bladder and feeling him, which is fun.

Have you registered? This weekend we are registering. We already have been registering on Amazon for some of the more unique items and then we are going to Babies R Us and Target. I feel pretty good about registering because friends have given me some great ideas on what to register for and what isn’t as important. Neither Terry nor I like to shop so I am hoping we can get it done quickly! I also have a list for all three places on what I want to register for at those places so it should be quick!!

Are you getting ready? This past weekend I decided since I have a TON of baby clothes already that I should start washing them and putting them away. Seriously, our son doesn’t need toys as he has plenty of clothes to play with. However, I began to notice that since we have been buying clothes from 3 months – 9 months that we haven’t been doing a great job at making sure we have everything we need. For example, in the 0-3 month we have a good amount of onesies, but no pants and only one pair of pj’s for the little guy. In the 3-6 month range we have plenty of pants and sweatshirts but only 2 onesies and 1 pair of pj’s. In the 9 month range it is mostly all p.j.’s and onesies! I made a list so in the coming months we can supplement the difference in what we got!

Anything you are annoyed at? YES. Not being able to carry stuff.  I forget ALL THE TIME that I need to be careful what I carry.  I do laundry, bring in as many grocery bags as I can, am organizing boxes and forget I am pregnant.  Well the other weekend it hit me.  I was cleaning the basement and obviously I know not to pick up anything too heavy and have Terry or Kristen do that for me, but regular stuff I still do.  Well after a few hours my body told me to STOP.  It caught me off guard, but I could tell I shouldn't push myself anymore.  I went up stairs and laid down and felt better.  But sometimes I honestly forget I am pregnant and just carry on with normal life.  I hate feeling like I can't do something because I CAN.  But it is more I shouldn't and I am coming to terms with this as it is very annoying but I know I need to be careful.


Overall that is it right now.  Really just figuring out what needs done and when it needs done....and then trying to get it done!  I know this summer will fly by so I am trying to get stuff done now that Terry is out of school!