Pregnancy Journal: Week 25 & 26

Week 25:

Had my first ‘stranger experience’ and good golly was it strange!  So we were standing in line on Black Friday at Gymboree and the lady ahead of me turns around and with a big smile on her face, she grabs the little newborn dress out of my hand and places it on my tummy and then takes a step back and laughs really hard at me and walks away.  And I just stood there with the little dress as if it was velcro’d onto my tummy.  And turned around to Aaron and go “Was that lady drunk?!?  What the hell!”  We laughed about it but I was like seriously, who does that!

My sugar cravings are out of control.  And it’s not just normal sugar cravings, I’m craving super sugary things, like grape laffy taffy’s, gummy bears and Mike and Ike’s.  I had a Cinnabon at the mall and treasured every single bite. I was going to offer Aaron a bite then thought, nah.. if he wants one he can get his own. I really want cookies.  Flipping thru holiday baking magazines just makes me drool all over myself.  If it was acceptable to just eat sugar for each meal, I’d do it.  What sounds good for dinner?  Well a big piece of cheesecake does, forget the main courses just give me a plate full of cheesecake. 

I’m also really missing wine.  Our tree is up and the holidays just make me want to sip on a good dry red wine badly.  The fake non-alcohol stuff just isn't cutting it. Aaron feels bad about drinking in front of me, I tell him to go ahead and do it, I gotta suck it up!  My philosophy is, if I can’t give up something for 9 months, how in the world will I ever be prepared for all the changes that are about to come?  It’s a small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things but I told Aaron our first post baby date will be a cheese and wine dinner date.  I’m really looking forward to that!

Week 26:

Well I have yet to have any meltdowns.  No hormonal outrages.  I’ve even double checked with Aaron in case I had an unconscious burst of hormones that I was unaware of and he said he can attest I have been even keel thru this whole pregnancy thus far.  Which makes me wonder if it will all hit once the baby comes… I’m pretty much fully preparing myself for the worse.  A screaming baby, up all hours of the night, getting puked and pooped on, which all sounds like future meltdowns for me… ya I’m pretty much expecting the worse but hoping for the best. 

Sleeping is miserable.  I feel like this baby girl is preparing me for sleepless nights already.  Not only am I uncomfortable, waking up what seems like all hours of the night but I also am just having troubles rolling over, pulling myself out of bed, etc.  For instance, the other night the TV was left on and I tried to roll over to reach the remote.  After 3 failed attempts at getting myself to roll over, I just gave up.  It’s like my belly is a buoy, I try to go one side and I just wobble in the middle.

It kinda seems like I’m always complaining doesn't it?  I have a serious new found respect for pregnant women.  It’s not as bad as I make it sound…but I’ll be sure glad to be over with it!  I take notice now when I’m out and about to pregnant women, I give them a mental ‘high five’ like ‘I totally know how you feel’ high five.   

Most days I do wake up and deep down I’m super happy to be going thru this, ready to take labor head on!  And then there are the few days I wake up and go “Oh crap, I’m pregnant and there is no un-doing this now!”  Although, even on those days I have that thought, I wouldn't change being pregnant if I could.  That was more of a first trimester thought, I'm like 95% mentally committed to this whole baby thing now.  Good thing I have 3 more months to get 100% committed right?  I'll be 110% committed by the time March gets here.  Going thru labor hasn’t fully sunk in for me, I feel brave enough to take it on but part of me is  freaking out too.  My thought is, it can’t be that bad or else why do women continue to have babies?  Believe me, I will let you know how bad it is!  I have a feeling I’ll report back that it isn't as bad as I thought it would be but trust me… I’ll be honest about it either way.  So don’t ask unless you REALLY want to know J. 

My Favorite Gift Ideas

Tis the gift giving season!  I love buying a special gift for a loved one.  Here are some gift ideas that I personally love and recommend!  Some of these items are on my wish list and some I own.  

The Kitchenaid Flex Edge Beater Attachment. I don’t own this yet.  I’ve been wanting it though for some time.  If I don’t get it this year, I’m going to buy it myself.  The flex edge just seems brilliant to help mix up your baked goodies!

Batter Dispenser.  I got this last year for Christmas and have found it pretty darn handy when it comes to making pancakes.  It keeps the messiness astray. 

Taste of Home annual subscription.  I love getting my subscription in the mail and flipping thru the recipes.  My Grandma got me a subscription a few years ago and it’s like Christmas morning for me when it show up in my mailbox.  I get some great ideas from this magazine and enjoy reading the articles as well. 

If you don’t own a cookie scoop, you really need one… like as in yesterday.  Making cookies are a breeze with one of these nifty fellas.  You can get one for under $10 easily but here is just one for example. 

This Flannel Candle is wonderful!  Your house will smell so cozy with this burning.  And your man will love it too because it has a masculine smell to it.  Aaron is constantly lighting this baby up! 

The first time I bought a Starbucks travel mug, I was amazed how it really retained the heat and kept my coffee piping hot for hours.  So amazed I got rid of the majority of our mugs and replaced them all with these.  Starbucks has various coffee travel mugs, look for one that says double-walled.  That’s the key to keeping your coffee delicious for hours.

A gift card for a Shellac manicure at your local nail salon.  Shellac manicures are the best.  It’s seriously completely chip free for 14 days.  The only pain is getting it off, which I generally go back in and have the salon take it off.  But this is a great gift for someone who hates to spend time painting their nails just to see it chip a few days later.  I enjoy getting mine done for the holiday season, so gift your loved one early with this one!

Pottery Barn Faux Throw.  Currently on sale!  Super soft and is the perfect throw to have on the couch to cuddle up with.  It comes in different colors, we have the caramel and it’s so neutral, it goes with just about anything.  It’s also the perfect size, not too bulky, lay over the arm of your couch when you aren't using it for a little decor! 

Last year I got these Ugg Slippers in gray.  They were a little pricey for slippers but every year I was replacing my slippers and spending at least $15 a pair.  I wear these slippers every single day, all year round and they are as if they are still brand new.  With hard floors all thru our house, these slippers make getting chores done a lot more comfortable.  I can’t imagine going back to the cheapy slippers after having these now.

Canon Power Shot Waterproof Camera.  I highly recommend a waterproof camera and this one has worked out well for us.  We use ours all the time in the summer.  No worries about ruining your nice camera with this tough bad boy!

Kerig Elite Coffee Maker.  We are getting this for Christmas this year, we decided to go with the middle of the road Kerig after comparing and comparing against all the different ones.  Aaron has been against getting one, he likes making a pot of coffee, whereas I hate making a whole pot of coffee.  Realistically, we dump a lot of extra coffee down the drain.  Hoping this will make my coffee drinking that much more of a pleasurable experience!

Coach Madison Watch.  I LOVE. THIS.WATCH.  And I’m feeling pretty confident Santa is getting it for me this year J.  So sophisticated but with a simple watch face, it goes with any outfit!  What’s not to love?!

The Google Nexus 10 is a great tablet!  I use mine all the time and keep it handy on the coffee table.  I held out on buying this for the longest time and wish I had gotten it sooner as I use it every single day.  The Nexus 10 got very high ratings on Consumer Reports, higher than the IPad. 

And the gift that may be on my wish list for a while (but hopefully not too long)…  The Tiffany’s Heart Tag Necklace.  I’ve tried this on a few months ago and of course it just looked fabulous! One of my friend’s recently suggested I ask for it as my ‘push present.’  With intrigue, I asked what is a push present?  AKA… a gift from your husband for giving birth to his child.  WHAT?!?!!  How did I NOT know about this!?!  Of course every mother is deserving of a push present!  Genius! 

And don't forget, there are lots of folks that can't afford gifts, be mindful of all of your blessing you've received this year and bless those this holiday season!  Tangible gifts are a luxury, my wishes for you all is that you may be blessed with the greatest gift of all, time with your family and loved ones this holiday season! 

Week 23 & 24 Pregnancy Journal

Week 23 & 24:

The weeks have started to run together and I’m playing catch up on the journal.  My tummy started growing like crazy during the last 2 weeks, hit a growth spurt and it’s kinda freaky how quickly it happened.  I’m having a little bit of a hard time adjusting to all these changes but just trying to tell myself that I have to accept them, it’s all part of the process.  The one thing that drives me completely nuts is when I’m talking to someone and it’s like they are talking to my stomach, it’s like HELLO I’m up here, please don’t stare at my stomach while you are talking to me!  Maybe I’m just over conscious of it.

The biggest change is I’m starting to get a little more tired.  We’ve been on-the-go constantly over the past few weeks and I’m just totally wiped out by the end of the day.  And my feet are killing me!  They aren’t swelling by the looks of them but they start to throb if I’m on them for too long.  Aaron has been awesome with giving me foot massages on request, which is about daily and I’ve been getting prenatal massages at the spa more frequently, which is a nice little treat. 

Even putting on my socks seems difficult!  It’s ridiculous to have to bend to the side to pull my socks on.  Or ask Aaron in the middle of a store to bend down and tie my shoe for me.   This tummy just really gets in the way of things and seems daily that I turn around and it runs into a side of a door, UGG!

And who says that pregnant women glow?  I sure don’t glow.  I look pasty white.  I’m applying bronzer like it’s my job because I have no color at all; my beautiful Cancun tan from earlier this year is completely gone.

I am feeling a lot more kicks and I do love feeling her kick.  I never thought I would but it’s just so reassuring feeling her kick around inside me, I think I worry too much and wonder if she is okay in there.  She is quite the kicker in the middle of the night, which has me a little worried about her being a night owl.  At 2-3:30 am, she really starts to kick up a storm.  So what do I do?  I shake Aaron awake and grab his hand and tell him to feel these kicks.  So he wakes up and might feel one, if that, it’s like she’s shy around him or something because as soon as he puts his hand where she has been kicking, she stops.  So I tell him, just wait and be patient she will kick again and with his hand on my tummy in the middle of the night, I start to hear Aaron snore and I’m like really?!?!  You can’t just wake up for 5 minutes to feel a kick!  So I lay there slightly annoyed, even though I know that when I get woken up, I’m the same way.  I figure, heck if I can’t sleep then he shouldn’t get to either right? Just kidding, I get it, I just want him to feel these kicks too.

I’ve been nesting like crazy, which doesn’t surprise me.  Anyone who knows me probably would assume I would be one heck of a nester.  Aaron is getting pretty tired of my ‘honey-do’ list but we’ve made a lot of progress around the house and we are pretty close to having my ‘nesting’ list done.  But who am I kidding?  I will have a never ending nesting list from now until the baby comes, I can always think of more things that needs done once we get thru the current list! 

Thanks Jackee for your hand-me down maternity dress :)

Hanging in there... or should I say hanging OUT there, ha!