2013 Recap

It's hard to believe that 2013 is coming to a close, it's been quite the year!  We will be spending New Year's Eve with my parents, having a nice dinner and enjoying some time together.  I wasn't in the mood for going out or a loud party so this was a great idea. 

January

• I got focused on getting healthy and trying out Weight Watchers.  I was successful for a short time, but like most times I have tried to loose weight I lost sight of my goals.
• We made a trip to Amish Country with Andrew's parents.
• I made up with an old friend from high school and it was so good to have her back in my life again! 
• I started looking for a new job.

February

• My brother purchased his first home and got laid off for a short time just three weeks later.
• My mom's stepmother passed away and I traveled to PA with my parents for her funeral.
• We hit a deer with my car on the way to Andrew's parents house on a chilly, early Saturday morning but thankfully the damage was minimal.
• Andrew and I headed to Hocking Hills to celebrate our 5 year anniversary and had a wonderful time.  Though the weather was a little crummy, we still managed to spend a lot of time together talking and relaxing and it was just what we needed.
• Our niece turned one year old.
• We filmed a segment on our local Metro Parks for the news and it was a lot of fun! 
• Andrew started on the diesel engine swap in our Dodge truck.

March

• Andrew and I headed to Detroit for his 2012 work awards and he was named Mechanic of the Year!  I was such a proud wife that evening, he works so hard and really deserved to win!
• My brother turned 24.
• I had several promising interviews for new jobs this month after several months of applying at various companies and organizations.
• I took my mom to see Bon Jovi as a belated birthday gift, we had a blast! 
• I went to Muncie, IN with my sister-in-law for a girls weekend, we had so much fun dancing, drinking and laughing.  It was just what I needed after a stressful start to the year.  

April

• I left my previous employer at the beginning of the month and started my new job.  The change was just what I needed and my mood improved drastically over the next month.
• I celebrated my sister-in-laws last night out as a single woman and man was it a night/weekend!

May

• My baby brother got married the first weekend of the month and it was such an amazing day.  I could not have asked for a better sister-in-law to join our family.  Little did I know the change that was about to come the next weekend.
• I discovered that I was pregnant the weekend after the wedding, Mother's Day weekend.  We only told close family until I went for my first doctor appointment.
• Andrew completed his diesel engine swap project.
• I celebrated my 28th birthday with a low key dinner of Mexican food with Andrew and some cake and presents with my family.

June

• After going to my first doctor appointment and confirming the pregnancy, we announced to our friends and the rest of our family that we were expecting.
• Our dog Bessie got really sick and we were scared to death that she wouldn't recover.  Thankfully our amazing vet and his vet techs along with my mother in law, were able to nurse her back to health.  It was a rough few weeks but she's back to her old self.
• I had my first ultrasound and it was pretty crazy to see that little bean on the screen in the doctor's office.

July

• We celebrated the 4th of July with a rainy and crummy weekend.  I was just ending the first trimester and still not feeling too hot.
• I had the ultrascreen for the baby to check for Downs Syndrome and Triostomy 18 and everything came back normal.  My best friend came with me since Andrew had an important work meeting and the ultrasound took FOREVER!  But it was so neat to see the baby moving and grooving!
• We celebrated Andrew's company winning region of the year with a hotel stay and party in Downtown Columbus.
• I did quite a bit of canning and freezing with my brother.
• I went to the Under the Sun tour with my good friend Amanda to see all of our fave 90's rock bands and we had a blast!

August

• I finally began the second trimester and was feeling worlds better.
• We planned our anniversary/babymoon trip to Florida.

September

• At the beginning of the month we were thrilled to find out we were having a baby girl after months of totally being convinced that little baby was a boy!  I was in complete shock but excited at the same time.
• We attended the wedding of one of my childhood friends and it was a beautiful fall ceremony with a lovely outdoor reception.
• I finally started feeling the baby move around and man it was so crazy and weird for the first few weeks.
• We traveled to Florida for a week in the middle of the month and had an amazing time.
• Andrew was finally able to feel the baby move for the very first time.
• We celebrated our one year anniversary on September 22nd, the day after we arrived home from vacation.  We didn't do anything to over the top since we had just been gone for a week, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant and relaxed together at home.

October

• After a few very rough weeks dealing with anxiety and depression related to my pregnancy, I got some help from my midwife and started to feel worlds better.
• Andrew turned 31 at the beginning of the month, we didn't do anything too exciting and had dinner out together and celebrated with his family and mine the following weekend.
• We started planning the decor for the baby's room after I bought an adorable, gently used bedding set from Ebay (Pottery Barn kids woot woot).
• My dad turned 56 at the end of the month.
• My brother and his wife had their first ever Halloween party and it was so much fun!  Even if I couldn't drink, there was lots of yummy food and believe me I chowed down all night!
• I finally entered the third trimester! 
• Andrew painted the nursery after it took me FOREVER to get the room cleaned out! 

November

•  I had my first baby shower in Pennsylvania with my aunts and cousins.  They were so generous and I realized that our daughter would be better dressed than me!
• I had my glucose screening and passed with flying colors.
• My amazing sister-in-law took our maternity pictures.
• I made it through a huge event at work that I basically had to run by myself.  That was the first day my feet were swollen during the entire pregnancy.  It was a long day but a very successful event!
• I had my second baby shower a few weeks before Thanksgiving hosted by my mom and my good friend Laura.  Once again, I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of our family and friends as well as the great company and fun everyone had together.  
• The nursery project kept on going through this month as I put things away from both of my showers.  We brought over the crib from my parents house, the changing table from my in-laws which they painted to match the crib and got the room set up.  My mom very graciously volunteered to wash all the baby clothes, sheets and bedding which was a huge help.  
• We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family and my brother held the celebration at his house. 

December

•  We bought our first fake Christmas tree because I was not in the mood to deal with a real one.  Plus I figured if I went into labor early or something happened, we didn't need to worry about taking it down.
• We finally got the nursery completed and started to anxiously await the arrival of the baby.
• This was by far the hardest month for me with the pregnancy.  I had a lot of pain and discomfort, nights with little to no sleep, awful heartburn and so many other not fun symptoms.  It was really hard to get into the Christmas spirit.
• We celebrated Christmas Eve at my parents house with our traditional Polish dinner, Christmas Day was spent with Andrew's family and the rest of my family came into town on the 28th for one last Christmas celebration! 

Here's to 2014, I can't even begin to imagine how our lives are going to change but I couldn't be more excited for the future!

Whoa, I have really been MIA

Happy Tuesday all!!!  Sorry for my absence.  For those who might be wondering, I am indeed still pregnant and 35 weeks and 1 day as of today (I hope to actually post a bumpdate soon, maybe tomorrow) but I just wanted to let everyone know what has been going on!

I have been pretty miserable for the last two weeks.  Last Monday I got to work and as I was waiting for the elevator, sharp pains started shooting through my groin all the way up through my belly.  It literally took my breath away and I got on the elevator and waddled to my desk.  I chugged down a bottle of water and waited to see if the pain would go away.  After about 15 minutes, the pains started again and I called Andrew to see what he though I should do.  My midwife's office didn't open till 8am and it was about 7:30 so I called to see if I needed to come in.  They made me an appointment for 10am just to make sure everything was okay.  I was taken back and weighed (I lost 2lbs somehow), my blood pressure was done and it was normal and I gave a urine sample to check for other issues.  Once I was taken back to the room, I noticed I was in one of the ultrasound rooms and was told to undress from the waist down for a cervical check to make sure I wasn't dilated.  Thank goodness Andrew had taken this day off work and met me at the doctor, I was pretty freaked out.

After my test results came back there was nothing abnormal other than the fact that I was slightly dehydrated.  The doctor came in (not my normal midwife, she was off that day) and checked to see if I had dilated at all, which thankfully I had not.  The baby however is still head down which was the cause of my discomfort that day.  She told me to take it easy so I headed home to try and relax for the rest of the day.

Since that appointment I haven't been feeling all that great.  I keep thinking how easy the beginning of the pregnancy was and what I complained about then; it is nothing compared to how I feel now.  I don't sleep well most nights between my unquenchable thirst, need to go to the bathroom and the inability to stay comfortable.  I can't eat too much in one sitting or else my stomach gets super hard.  I waddle pretty bad when I walk and getting up and down from a chair or in and out of the car are a daily struggle.  I have Braxton Hicks occasionally but they are usually at night and go away pretty quickly.  I feel like my stomach is getting higher when I thought at this time the baby should be starting to drop.  I have been whiny, needy, fussy and all out crabby which I am sure my dear husband really enjoys!

My next doctor appointment is December 27th and then I go to once a week appointments!  Part of me hopes that little one arrives maybe a week early, but I have a feeling that is not going to happen.  I really want to go to into labor on my own, but at this point with my level of discomfort I just want her to come out safe and healthy no matter what that might mean.  

Week 32 Bumpdate!

I honestly felt like it would be forever before I made it this far in the pregnancy and I still feel like I have a long way to go!  I'm excited that the holidays are arriving, Thanksgiving is this week and my brother is hosting for the first time in his new home.  I could not have picked a better time to be pregnant than during the holiday season.  Lots of yummy food, cookies, pies and leftovers to enjoy over the next month or two! 

• How far along? 32 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby? According to my Baby Bump App, the baby is the size of a large jicama (?!?!), about 16.5 inches long and weighing 3.75lbs.  
• Weight gain? 17 lbs as of November 13th.  I have another doctor appointment tomorrow so we will see if that changes.  
• Stretch Marks? I've got them and I believe they are here to stay, but I'm still using my cocoa butter two times a day and that seems to help with their appearance and to keep my belly from itching. 
• Sleep:  I was sleeping pretty well for the last two weeks or so and I feel like I jinxed myself.  The last two nights have been rough, I cannot get comfortable, despite taking meds I have terrible heartburn at night and even if I go to bed at 9pm (like we did last night), I still feel exhausted when my alarm goes off at 5am. 
• Cravings:  Sour candy, cheeseburgers, Chipotle, ice cream, comfort foods, soup, ice cold water and ice cold caffeine free Pepsi. 
• Food Aversions: None really, I just can't handle anything too spicy or too acidic for dinner because then I will be up all night with heartburn. 
• What do I miss: Beer, red wine and the ever elusive spicy italian footlong from Subway!
• Movement: The baby is active and is now beginning to cause internal bruising, or at least that his how she makes me feel.  She likes to push her body into my pelvic bone or kick me in the bladder at inopportune times.  I have also been able to feel the hiccups over the last week and they sometimes go on for a good 5 minutes before they stop.  I can see and feel movements from the outside and watching my stomach dance can be pretty entertaining.  
• Doctor Appointments: My next appointment is tomorrow for a belly check and hospital pre-registration.  I wonder if I will get another ultrasound soon, I would assume they would want to check the position of the baby but no one has mentioned anything just yet.  
• Labor Signs:  None yet and that is fine with me!
• Symptoms:  Shortness of breath, exhaustion, the inability to bend over, having a hard time putting on my shoes or reaching my feet, the waddle, the snizzle and I'm feeling a little more crabby these days.  I also feel like a whale but I'm pretty sure that is normal.  
• Wedding Rings:  Still on  
• Belly Button: I think it's on it's way to becoming an outtie, as much as I am totally freaked out by this!  The top half is starting to stick out more now and I can tell that the shape is changing.    
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else?  I have the nursery about 90% complete and that makes me very happy.  Nearly everything we have is assembled with the exception of the second car seat, pack n play and umbrella stroller.  I finally got all of the boxes and garbage out of the room last night and just need to find a cover for the changing table pad and put up the wall decals I purchased at Target.  I want to find some things to hang on the walls, maybe a few cute canvas pieces and a mirror for above the dresser.  Andrew and I are planning to clean the house together this weekend, it's just too much for me to do on my own anymore and I really need some help.
  
  
  
  

  

  32 week baby bump!!!!

Will I ever stop being tired?!

I've been a morning person for my entire life.  Even in college, I didn't become a night owl staying up till 2am partying or studying.  I didn't mind having 8am classes and would rather get the day over with than sleep till noon.  I work from 7-3:30 and love my hours, I don't even mind getting up at 5am nearly everyday.  Being a morning person is just a part of who I am.  My mom and dad are both morning people and I think I developed my habits from them at a very young age. 

That was until I got pregnant.  I have never struggled so much with exhaustion and sleeplessness in my life.  I knew that being pregnant was going to be really hard on my body, but I never imagined it would change me so much from being a morning person.  Getting comfortable at night is a daily chore, I'm lucky to stay awake till 9pm and waking up a few times a night to make a bathroom run is not my idea of a good nights sleep.

I've had to skip my morning coffee for most of the pregnancy because of the heartburn it causes.  My midwife said it was okay to have 200mg a day and I load my coffee with cream, but the minute that sweet nectar hits my belly I'm in a world of hurt.  It's just not worth it to me anymore.  Now I start the morning off with water and fill up my cup at work at least three times a day (it's a big cup).

I had a big event at work on Wednesday and had to be up at 4am in order to be at work a little before 6.  The event ran from 7am till 4pm and I was pretty much running the show by myself.  By the time I got to my car I wondered if I could drive home without falling asleep, I made Andrew talk to me till I turned onto our street to make sure I didn't pass out.  I had to take my shoes off to drive because my feet and ankles were so swollen.  After feeding the dog, I decided to lay down on the couch.  I immediately fell asleep.  I've never been a nap person either, until I got pregnant.  At 6:15 the front door opened and there was Andrew standing over me wondering how long I had been laying there, it had been a good hour or more.  He made dinner that night, bless his heart, and let me rest.  I was in bed by 10 and didn't wake up till 6.  I figured there was no rush to get to the office since I had worked so long the day before.

I know everyone keeps telling me how awful my sleep will become once the baby is born and I'm not trying to argue with any of them.  I do plan on getting the baby on a feeding and sleep schedule, I've done a lot of research on this topic and it makes so much sense.  Having the baby get into a routine at a young age makes them more adaptable to routines as they get older and being a creature of habit I want this for our daughter as well.  While I plan to breastfeed, I don't plan to attachment parent because that often messes with a child's sleep and really messes with the parents when you introduce co-sleeping.  I will keep the baby in our room for the first few weeks in the bassinet section of her pack in play, but then she's going to the crib.  I'm standing firm on this because I know I can do it and I know it makes sense for our family.  I know people who have kids in elementary school and they still co-sleep and they look like (and tell me) they never get a good nights rest.  I can't even handle having the cat in our bed let alone another human!

I pray that one day I will go back to being a morning person, that our child will also be a morning person and that she will be kind enough to let us sleep through most of the night before I am done with maternity leave. 

Week 31 Bumpdate

Here we are at 31 weeks which means I have about 9 weeks left, I don't even feel like that is possible!  My shower on Saturday was awesome and we got so many great gifts.  I spent most of the day on Sunday washing and folding tiny baby clothes, organizing the nursery and making a run to Target to return and purchase the items that we didn't receive.  There are still a few more items that we need to get, but I was burned out and not in the mood for a trip to babies-r-us on Sunday, maybe next weekend. 

• How far along? 31 weeks and 2 days 
• How big is baby?  According to my Baby Bump app, the baby is as big as 4 navel oranges, so about 16.25" long and weighing in at 3.3lbs! 
• Weight gain? 17 lbs as of November 13th and I'm pretty happy.  If I continue to gain a pound a week till the end I will end up gaining less than 30lbs which is wonderful!!!!! 
• Stretch Marks? I am learning to accept that the stretch marks have appeared and they are here to stay, I'm just glad they are only about 1 inch long and some shorter than that.  I'm still coating my belly in cocoa butter two times a day. 
• Sleep:  I've been sleeping really well for the last 4 days and I'm super happy about it.  I still have to get up about once a night to go to the bathroom but I'm usually able to fall right back asleep.  I am normally very restless at night and move around a lot but lately I stay in the same position most of the night.
• Cravings:  Ice cream (yet again), cheese (also, nothing new), french fries, apples, ice cold water or Pepsi and plain foods.  I haven't been much in the mood for anything spicy.
• Food Aversions: Pork chops, I haven't eaten any the entire time I've been pregnant and the thought of them makes me feel ill.
• What do I miss: My normal body, having a glass of wine on the weekend, being able to easily get comfortable and stay comfortable.
• Movement: The baby is active as always and seems to be more active during the day now.  She enjoys kicking me in the bladder during meetings at work so I have to get up and run to the bathroom.  I swear sometimes I can tell where her head is because of the way that she puts pressure on my stomach and the way it bulges out.  
• Doctor Appointments: My next appointment is November 26th for a tummy check and hospital pre-registration!
  
• Labor Signs:  None yet and that is fine with me!
• Symptoms:  Shortness of breath, headaches, frequent trips to the bathroom, the snizzle (you know, sneezing/coughing and having a little leakage haha), feeling full quickly, hip pain and the occasional burst of heartburn.  
• Wedding Rings:  Still on  
• Belly Button: Still an innie, I'm curious if that will change.  
• Gender: Team Pink!
• Anything else?  Things are starting to feel a lot more real as I continue to work on the nursery for our baby girl.  For those who want to know, we have picked out 5 names but we are waiting until she is born to decide which one we think suits her best.  Three of the names are family names and the other two are just ones that we like, I love old names so don't expect something typical from me!  As I've been working on the nursery each night, I'm really starting to feel like I am connecting to the baby and feel like she's a person now and not an alien in my body (I hope that doesn't sound awful for me to say).  I still have to gather up some items from my mom and dad's house tonight that are still there from my first baby shower.  Now I finally have a place to put them!  For now the stroller, car seat and pack n play are still boxed up in the basement.  Hopefully we can figure out where to store them soon.  Maybe in our living room closet since it's pretty deep, I just need to get it cleaned out! 

A little comparison for you, here is my bump at 19 weeks (I'm wearing almost the same outfit today):

And now at 31 weeks: