Birthday

It's official.  I'm 24 now.  For the past few months I would have to actually stop and think about how old I was.  It's not just me, Nick's doing the same thing.  He wrote his age wrong on his PT test Friday. :)


Nick had to have an overnight cross country flight today.  It sucks a little bit that I'm alone on my birthday but I would MUCH rather have Nick gone on my birthday than on Tanner's Birthday!  So I'm glad he's getting this done and over with.


It's been a nice, relaxing day.  For some very strange reason the first thing I did today was make a huge to-do list.  And I'm slowly able to mark things off the list.  For some reason, I'm not able to do too much at a time without braxton hicks contractions, or my back aching.  Last night was really bad.  It seemed like Tanner was having a line dancing party in my belly, and I was having braxton hicks every 20 minutes or so.


But I've enjoyed cleaning up around the house. Again. I caved and got McDonald's for lunch (hoping to get monopoly pieces but NOPE, they ran out.....).  I also enjoyed warming up a can of ravioli and made buttered bread to eat with it for dinner.  Not the fancy Olive Garden dinner that our family would do every year, but not bad!


I've been reading up on cloth diapers some more, and relaxing on the couch in between to-do tasks.  And now I think I will treat myself to a bath...after I do some dishes. :)

A Comparison

Thursday Photo Dump

Today was a good day...

Prepped Tanner's cloth diapers, here they are drying.  (I didn't want to put the drying rack outside today, it was chilly and windy)

Harry was helping, like usual.

My very first diaper stuffing session!

Putting everything away.

I was in the nursery for maybe 20 minutes organizing things and when I was getting ready to walk out of the room I saw this...

Could it be possible he's learning not to go in the nursery?!?

I also decided to turn one of our receiving blankets into a car seat cover.  It's not much, but maybe it will be enough to keep strangers from touching my baby when I'm out places. 

I'd say it was a pretty productive day.  :)

35/35!

35 weeks left and 35 days left!


I was going to wait to blog tomorrow (because my diapers FINALLY came today and I want to take pictures) but it just wouldn't be right to post 35/34.


I have five weeks left.  Only five.  35 measly days!


It seems so close, but still just far enough away.  Honestly, I think I'm ready for him to come. But I'm not going to rush it.  I'm going to cherish these last little moments of it just being Nick and me.  Don't get me wrong, I am so excited for Tanner to come, and I will love it!  But once he is here we will be parents.  We will forever be someone's mom or dad.  That's huge.


I'm still feeling great compared to when I was working.  I am uncomfortable, I have heartburn every night, my back and feet ache all day and night, but I feel great.  It's hard to explain.


I love getting everything ready for Tanner!  We almost have everything we need.  In 5 days we will get the 10% discount to our amazon and target registry and we will get everything else we need.  And once again I will look forward to UPS coming so I can wash everything and organize it all.  I love doing that!


My SmartiPants finally came today.  They shipped them on Friday but never sent me the email with the tracking info that they said they would send.  But other than having to wait for the colors I wanted to be made, and the missed email, it wasn't too bad buying from them.  I just adore the diapers!  I started doing a lot of Tanner laundry today so I didn't get to washing them yet.  I want to dry them outside instead of in the dryer so I'm waiting until tomorrow.  I think I will post a few pictures of them tomorrow. But for now, here's a sneak peek.

Here is right after sorting them by lights and darks...and Harry.

I spread out the lights a little better in this picture.

More pictures to come tomorrow!

And here is my 35 week BUMP.

35 week Doctor visit

My appointment went very well today!  My BP was great, no UTIs, and I've only gained 1 lb.  I was tested for Group B Strep (which is very common).  I could call tomorrow to find out the results, but it isn't really important to know at this point in time, so I'll just wait until my next appointment in 2 weeks.


I was able to talk to my doctor a little bit today, usually he's in a little bit of a rush with patients in labor.  I was really worried about them moving my due date since I'm pretty sure my "real" due date is the first one I was given, December 10th.  So I let him know that.  He got his measuring thing out and measured my belly.  And surprising, to me, I'm measuring right at 35 weeks.  So I guess November 30th it is!


I was happy to find out my doctor has a very low c-section rate.  But then he asked me how tall I am.  If you ask me, I'm 5'1"; but if you ask my husband, I'm 5'0". My doctor then said I look like I'm 5'0" to him.  He says there is a big difference in c-section chances for a woman who is 5'0" compared to 5'1".  Like a 5% better chance on having a c-section if you're only 5 feet tall.  A lot of it has to do with the way the woman is shaped.  But so far, he hasn't mentioned me needing anything special to give birth.


He did tell me not to go into labor on the weekends of the 11th or the 18th, because he will be out of town for a concert and a comedian show.  He said Thanksgiving would be great because he is on call. Hahaha! Thanksgiving would be great! Well, preferably the weekend after Thanksgiving.  My mom is coming into town on the 20th, and I want to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  lol


Tanner is still doing great! Heart rate was 138, and he is still very much head down.  He feels super low to me.  I'll have my first internal check at my next appointment in 2 weeks, so we'll see if there is any progress after that.


I think I'm going to go make some flannel washcloths now.  Nick is flying late so I don't have to worry about dinner or anything.  By the way, I have yet to receive an email saying my cloth diapers have shipped...It's been over a week........But who's counting.

Simply put, I am blessed

This past weekend was wonderful!  My friends gave me a surprise baby shower!  They put so much time and effort into it!  I still can't believe how lucky I am to have them all as friends!

There are pictures.  I will add a few.  But I'm going to avoid as many of them that have me pictured.  I swear I do not look like I use to.  (I've even had friends say they hardly recognized me after not seeing me for a while).  I get super depressed when I see my face in pictures.  So there. That's my excuse.

My friends are amazing!

Delicious food!

Amazing diaper cake! (I have the ribbons hanging on Tanner's wall now.  I will show pictures soon)

Gifts!  We are all set!  

They even planned an awesome craft!  We painted onesies! It was so much fun!

(I hate my massive boobs)

I truly am so grateful for all of this! I was speechless and wanted to cry, I was so happy!  It's hard being so far away from family being pregnant.  But I have family here too.  :)

(And a note to my mom and mom-in-law...If you want to see more pictures, like those of me opening the gifts, go to facebook.  I'm tagged in each one.)

In other news, I'm still nesting.  And bringing all these new baby things home just made it worse! Today I was extremely productive, and it felt really good!  I had some cramping and braxton hicks last night for about an hour, but nothing today.  I'm really trying to stay hydrated and take breaks when I can. I think it's helping.  

I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I'll post about that when I get home.  It's GBS testing time...

34 Weeks!

6 weeks until due date.  3 weeks until term.


That's nuts.


I'm writing this blog sitting in the glider in the nursery.  I absolutely love this spot!  I actually really love this moment.  Sitting here in this room that has changed so much in the past 3 months.  I've got music playing, the window is open with the breeze filling the room, and the weather is absolutely perfect! I'm looking at the walls and seeing all the planes, and I hear all the planes flying around outside.  I can't wait to talk to Tanner about them!  Who knows, maybe one day he will be a pilot like his Daddy.


I'm actually feeling really good.  I still have the occasional cramps when I over do it walking or working in the house, but it's nothing compared to when I was working.  I'm sure catching up on sleep helps there as well. I even had a moment today where I forgot I was pregnant for a split second.  Somehow Harry was able to push the bedroom door open and he ran in.  I ran down the hallway to chase him out and he immediately ran under the bed.  So I jumped down on my knees and then on my stomach to look under the bed.  Right as I felt my big ol' belly I rolled over.  Yeah, that hurt a little.  How did I forget about that thing? Finally after fighting Harry a little he ran back out of the room..sneaky little devil.  I do have some lower back pain everyday after standing too long, but I know that's completely normal.  It's the pain I'm all too familiar with (from being top-heavy...).  Oh, and heartburn/indigestion.  Every night.  But there has only been two nights where it's woken me up and I had to take Pepcid or drink some milk before I could fall back to sleep.  Tanner is going to have lots of hair!


I've been nesting.  Pretty much every other day.  I'll get these spurts of energy and I'll want to clean and organize like crazy.  But usually I wear myself out and the next day I'm lazy and tired.  I'm trying to make a to-do list and just do little things here and there so I don't get too tired.  We'll see how long that lasts.


I still have pretty much one craving still.  Pizza.  I just love it!  It has to be thick crust though, even though I love the thin crust too. But there is just something about thick crust and cheese, yummmm!


I gathered up all my maternity/pregnancy books.  I realized I have yet to finish one of them.  I've stopped at the labor part in each book.  I think I'm a little nervous to read on, but I probably should.  I've seen women give birth in nursing school, and I learned about it...but I honestly think I will completely forget everything when it's my turn.


Now, to talk about my new obsession.  I am so stinkin' excited to get my cloth diapers!  I've been a nuisance to the SmartiPants company.  I emailed then last Saturday when I tried to order them.  They didn't offer two of the colors I wanted and on the main page it said they were all available.  They emailed me back within 30 minutes (keep in mind this was Saturday night around 11:30pm) saying all the colors would be available on Monday.


 Monday came around and they still weren't available.  I must have jumped the gun and was too impatient because after the second email to them Monday morning they emailed right back saying it should be ready to order, but two of the colors wouldn't ship until Wednesday.  Well, today (Thursday), I still hadn't gotten my email saying they had shipped.  So, I emailed them again.  (This is not like me, usually I will just wait it out a little bit until it gets to be ridiculous).  I felt bad, but when I tried to call them, their number was a non-working number, that sent up a red flag.  But Josh, the same guy who has emailed me back all three times, all within 30 minutes of emailing them, responded.  He said the white color I had ordered came off the production line today and everything would be sent to me first thing tomorrow morning.


So, it's either been a little bit of a wait, or I've been extremely impatient.  Probably the latter.  I have to admit though, SmartiPants has great customer service...if you email them.  I can NOT wait until I get my hands on those little poop holders!


I may just be spoiled by Amazon Mom and their free two-day shipping.  I got all my other cloth diapering supplies yesterday!

Here is my drying rack.  It's so easy to fold up! I can just imagine all my little diapers and inserts sitting on this in the sun! :)

I also got a pack of 3 Snappis.  And yes, I have been practicing using prefolds and the snappi on a teddy bear.

My wet bags! I think they are so cute! But I'm going to need to get some more.  The small one is a little too small for the diaper bag.  It looks like it might hold one dirty diaper.  They sell mediums, so I'll probably get one of those.  I also need to get another larger one with a drawstring so I can get a cheap trash can to use with it in Tanner's room.

Washcloths that will be used as wipes.  All washed up and super soft!

I can't wait to post pictures of the diapers!


Here's the bump.  I'm really starting to hate taking these pictures.  I don't like the way I look...

I've got to add a picture of the little boogers.  They're so cute!

Time to start making dinner...Guess what we're having.


PIZZA!

Nesting and cloth diapering?

I know I'm behind on my weekly update...again.  I waited a little too long.  I will be 34 weeks tomorrow so I will do an update for that tomorrow or Thursday.


This last week has been a great week!  I feel really good!  I'm able to take better care of myself.  I'm caught up on sleep, I'm able to get cleaning and cooking done, and rest in between when I need to. I've also been keeping myself busy.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of crocheting.  I'm actually pretty surprised I was able to teach myself by watching youtube videos.  I've made a cute little hat, and a matching pair of booties.  And I am now almost finished with another little hat.


Here's a picture to show how little the hat and booties are.

I just love them!


I also have to admit I have a new obsession...cloth diapers.


Several months ago I tried to do some research on cloth diapers and I was completely overwhelmed.  I didn't understand where to begin!  There were so many pieces and different types.  So I gave up and settled on the idea of just using disposable diapers.  But last week, a I asked a random question to a friend on facebook and she asked me if I was still considering cloth diapering.  I told her I was overwhelmed.  She wrote back telling me what she does.  I litterally wrote down what she had typed to me and looked up each and every thing.  I not only googled it, but I youtube'd it too.  I had to actually see it done to really understand the concept.  After hours and hours of researching and video watching, it clicked.


It just so happens I started talking to my friend on the day I bought my first little bag of pamper's swaddlers.  I realized there are 36 little diapers in that bag and the bag was $8+.  36 diapers could last 3 days, maybe.  I started putting numbers through my head (mostly I let Nick do it...his brain works that way much better than mine does).  We will be saving SO much money from birth to potty training!  And not only that, we're planning on having more than one kid too, so these cloth diapers will be reusable and available for the next one.


Also, after doing reading more on cloth diapering, I realized it probably wouldn't work using disposable wipes.  We can throw the dirty diaper in the wet bag and wash them every other day, but what happens to the dirty wipes? Would they just go into a bag and be taken out to the trash all the time?  I imagine that causing quite a bit of smell.  So.....I'm going to use cloth wipes too.


It cost quite a bit of money at first, but it's all a one time cost.  We just knocked off two reoccurring costs that we would have originally had to deal with for 2+ years.  This really makes me more happy than I think it should.  I literally have had dreams about this the past two nights. :)


I've ordered everything but the prefolds online.  Most of it should be arriving tomorrow (thanks Amazon Mom!)  My diapers will be shipping tomorrow.  We were going to get the prefolds online from target's website (remember, all the good shopping is 1.5 hours away) but a trip to walmart to get baby hangers brought me to some prefolds that were 3 dollars cheaper.  So I bought 4 packs of 10.  And last night I prepped them.  I know they're supposed to go through several hot washes and dries before they reach their maximum absorbancy, but I only washed them a few times.  I'm sure I will be doing it a lot more, and they will be ready for Tanner when he comes!

I have been nesting.  At first my nesting only consisted of baking.  But now, it's everything!  I'm organizing Tanner's room, again. And I'm washing all of his things.  I figured I needed to try to get the cats use to the idea of a baby, and start setting up the living room with the things we were planning on keeping in that room (So far everything has been in his room and the door has been shut to keep the cats out).  I'm starting with the swing/bouncer.  And the cats are so curious!  Now that they are a little more use to it, they have been hiding under it, thinking they can't be seen.


Here's Harry checking out the swing/bouncer.  Hank and Axel both ran off when I got the camera out, but they were doing the same thing too.

(Don't mind the weird blue jean scratching post-it's the only thing Hank will use)

Now I am going to go play in Tanner's nursery some more! :)

33 Week Doctor's visit and some rambling

My doctor's visit went pretty well yesterday.  My blood pressure is down, but still slightly higher than my normal (But it's a very healthy BP).  My UTI is gone and I am not dehydrated anymore!  I am still spilling some protein in my urine, though.  But not enough to be worried about at this point.

But I spoke with my doctor's nurse, and my doctor and we all agreed that I need to go ahead and not work anymore.  With how lenient my doctor is, that surprised me.  But I need to take care of myself and my little boy. It's almost time for him to come, anyway.

He's doing great though.  His heart rate was 138, which seemed a little low to me but Dr. didn't seem concerned.  He is head down and I asked what the chances were of him flipping by his due date.  My doctor seems to think that is unlikely, so that's more good news!

I think I've gotten a little burst of energy today.  Either that or I'm starting to nest.  I got up pretty early and cleaned the kitchen, went to the Commissary for some groceries, cleaned the bedroom, started laundry, made breakfast and ate it, chopped up some pineapple and now I'm blogging.  And it's only 10:30!  I really like this!


I finished crocheting Tanner's hat last night and now I'm working on making matching booties.  I'll post a picture of them all when I'm finished, and by this rate of nesting, it might be soon. :)  Today I'll probably work on them a little more.  But I also want to iron on some cute pictures to some of Tanner's white onseies.  Nick wanted a car and a picture of a B-1 (one of the planes he has always loved).  So I hope I am able to make them without ruining the onesies.


I also want to hem some more of my maternity pants.  I'm so short that every pant/jean I buy is super long on me.  I've gotten most of them done, but I still have 2-3 more to do.  I might also try to make a beginners taggies blanket while I have my sowing machine out.  I don't think I have the right material, but it's worth a shot, and the practice wont hurt.


OH! And our newest purchase will be here today!  I got a little money from not taking my PTO time at work so we spent it on a really nice video camera.  I figured we will want to use it a lot in our near future, and Nick had fun picking the very best one out online.  Once I figure out how to use it I may make a video tour of the nursery once it's completely done and post it here.  It really makes me happy to think I can take video of Tanner and have my family watch it and see the things I see even though they are across the country.


I also want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister, Casey!  I wish I could take you out to dinner! I miss you and love you!


Now, I'm going to go get busy! :)

32 Weeks and Nervous

It's been a pretty eventful week.  It started last Wednesday night/Thursday morning at work.  It was a pretty busy night and it flew by! But by the time the next shift started showing up I started feeling off.  I can't really explain it any other way.  I was having quite a few braxton hick's contractions throughout the night but they were never back to back, so I didn't worry.  But 7am came around and I started feeling worse.  It got to the point where I started feeling like I was going to get sick and pass out.  I figured my blood pressure was just pretty low and I needed to sit down.  I had my friend check my blood pressure, still at work, and it was 140/70.  I usually run 90-100/60.  So I was a bit shocked and began to get a little nervous.  My doctor's nurse had been wanting me to check my BP often in between appointments to watch for signs of Pre-Eclampsia*.  I still have a ton of swelling, and that morning it was particularly bad.  So when I was finally done with work (an hour late) I called my OB's nurse.  She wanted me to go ahead and come in to the office.  They just opened and they don't have appointments until 9am, so I would be able to get checked out quick and get home to bed. 

*Pre-Eclampsia is a condition some pregnant women can get.  It is associated with high blood pressure, abnormal swelling and protein in urine. It is also called toxemia or pregnancy induced hypertension.  If untreated it can lead to a stroke, so it's pretty serious.  The only way to really 'treat' it is to deliver the baby.   

When I got there she checked my urine, like always, and like always I had a UTI (this would be the third time this pregnancy).  She also said I am starting to spill a little protein in my urine (a sign of Pre-E) but that it wasn't bad yet.  Not to mention I was very dehydrated.  (I tried to drink water throughout the night, but I didn't get as much in as I normally do).  She weighed me as well, and I gained 8 lbs since I weighed myself two days prior at home, I thank the swelling.  Next was my BP check.  I had been trying to relax and deep breath for the past 30 minutes to lower my BP.  Luckily it was 120/70.  Still high for me, but much better!  She also checked my swelling.

We discussed my work schedule.  She felt very uneasy with me going back to work that night, so she wrote a note for me stay home due to all the problems (high BP, dehydration, increased edema, and UTI).  She wanted me to take it easy this weekend and go back to work tonight (Monday), since I have another doctor appointment tomorrow afternoon.  When I went back to work to give my charge nurse the note I was able to talk to 3 of my charge nurses.  They obviously were upset that I would not be at work that night (we were very busy and needed the help), but they understood...I hope.  They also did not want me to go to work tonight.  I tried to fight it but they were adamant.  I told them I would let them know what happened at my appointment Tuesday, whether or not I would be back at work.  I'm only scheduled 6 more nights this next month, but I feel very nervous about working.  I've been taking it easy this weekend and I'm still swelling a ton, and not to mention every time I get up and move around a lot I start cramping.  Sunday morning I woke up feeling like crap.  I guarantee I am still pretty dehydrated.  Too bad I can't take the fluid from my legs and ankles and move it...

So week 32 has been a tough week so far.  Pregnancy symptoms so far have gotten a little worse, and better at the same time.  I'm not craving as much anymore...other than ice (thanks dehydration).  I swear I'm getting more and more stretch marks on the front of my belly everyday.  For the longest time I only had a few on my sides from where I had some from years ago. But now...there's no hiding them. :(

I also get so uncomfortable!  Tanner really likes my right side, especially my ribs/lung.  Sometimes I can't catch my breath and I have to stretch out just to breath.  Last night Nick had his hand on my right side, by my ribs and he said he felt what he thought was a foot move.  I think that's pretty awesome, I still haven't felt anything like that yet. 

I'm trying to make myself relax a little more around the house. So thanks to some YouTube tutorials, I am working on crocheting Tanner a hat.  I think I will also try to make some little booties, just because they are so darn cute!

I'm going to head to bed now.  I will post again tomorrow after my doctor's appointment. 

Here's this week's bump shot.  Sorry, Mom...maybe next week I will show my super swollen face. :)

My first non-baby post

I want to start posting about more things.  So I figured the first non-baby post would be something that I love to do...bake!


I like to bake desserts, eat a little bit, and send the rest with Nick to work.  That way I can satisfy my cravings and not feel bad.  (The biggest reason for this is because my sweet husband does NOT like dessert, or most sweets, so I don't get to have fun and bake tons of stuff for him to enjoy)


This week it was Orange Brownies.  I got the recipe from my USAFA Mitch's Cookbook I got when Nick graduated from USAFA.  I saw the recipe and immediately wanted to put a little Halloween twist to it, since this is my favorite time of the year. :)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. flour

2 C. sugar

1 t. salt

1 C. (2 sticks) butter, softened

4 eggs

2 t. pure orange extract

1 t. grated orange zest

(I completely forgot to add the eggs to this picture-and I blame pregnancy brain-lol)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan.

3. Stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.

4. Add eggs, butter, orange extract, and orange zest.  

5. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until well blended.

6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown and set. 

7. Remove from oven, allow to cool and pierce entire cake with a fork.

8. Spread the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting over completely cooled brownies; cut into squares. (I cut the brownies first).

Ingredients for the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 pkg. ( oz.) cream cheese, softened

4 T. softened butter

1 lb. box powdered sugar

2 T. orange zest

2 T. orange juice

(I also added a little orange food coloring to make the brownies more seasonal)

1. In a large mixing bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together with a handheld electric mixer.

2. Gradually mix in the powdered sugar until it's all combined and smooth; beat in the orange zest and juice.

3. Spread over the brownies.

They were very tasty!  I have a ton of icing left though, and honestly, I enjoyed the brownies without the icing more.  (I'm not an icing fan).