27 Weeks!

Welcome to the third trimester! Wow, that is so crazy! This week has been a L-O-O-O-O-N-G one for me. I am so ready to go back to school (yes, I know, no one else is). I am just bored. Now, I would only like to go to school for about 2 hours a day, and just have time to do all the little detail things. I don't actually want kids there yet! We're headed to Richmond this weekend and are excited to see everyone, it should be a great time! Now, on to the survey...

How far along? 27 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: All right, up 10 total I think...and I'm feeling pretty good about this at 27 weeks...
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? There appear to be some new spots of some sort on my stomach...maybe the beginnings of something (no, not the hives like pre-wedding!)
Sleep: What's that? My body just hurts after a few hours, I get restless, it's a mess.
Best moment this week: When the baby kicked Peter in the face...it was hillarious!
Movement: Yes, sometimes more than others, I'd like more, more, more!
Food cravings: I'm still on the COLD stuff kick.
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: None. And I'd like it to stay that way!
Belly Button in or out? In. Peter's new prediction is that it's staying that way. We'll see.
What I miss: I'm back to missing lunch meat this week.
What I am looking forward to: Our 3-D Ultrasound is Thursday evening! So excited!
Milestones: Third Trimester Here We Are! Dr's appointment on Tuesday, then I go every 2 weeks...crazy!

Oops!

Well, I've had a rough few days for no good reason, just dramatic pregnant woman hormones (and you thought I was dramatic before I was pregnant...). So, while I was out today I decided to treat myself to one of these:

And yes, I was eating it while driving. I take the plastic off the spoon, and start eating. I feel something kind of hard in my mouth, but it wasn't that hard, I thought it was just some really frozen Frosty. I happen to catch a glimpse of the spoon as I'm taking the next bite and realize that THE TIP OF THE SPOON IS GONE. I HAVE APPARENTLY EATEN IT.

Surprisingly, I was able to laugh this one off. I did not assume Logan was going to be poked by the plastic spoon pieces. When Peter's reaction to the story was laughter, I figured it was okay. It really was just the very tip of the spoon, hardly any...and it hasn't made the heartburn any worse! :)

But really, I mean, who else would this happen to???

Good Grief...

As if I don't have enough to worry about (yes, I worry about EVERYTHING) the CDC is now issuing new warnings for pregnant women about Swine Flu. I have been so calm about this whole swine flu thing since it started, I wasn't even worried when it first started. But that was before there were actual warnings directed right at pregnant women. So, off I go to become the overly cautious germ-o-phobe. Hopefully I won't be doing this anytime soon:


And I'm not planning on going off the deep end with the germ thing, but oh my goodness my new batch of kiddos is going to be washing their hands A LOT and I may become a bit less cautious about sending kids to the nurse...hopefully she will understand.

Yes internet world, I do know worrying is not good for the baby, calm mommy = calm baby. But as someone who knows me well said, "You're Shannon, you have to have something to worry about!"

Heartburn...ick.

I have been so lucky not to have too many complaints this pregnancy, but the past few nights I've had some wicked heartburn. I'd never really had heartburn before, so I kept saying I didn't know what it would feel like. Well, I've got no doubts now. It stinks. I mean, when I get it from drinking water, that really stinks. And then now that it's bad, all I want is water, but I have major issues with drinking after about 7pm most nights - I end up peeing all night long! So, I guess I'm getting to the point where I'm going to have to decide what's worse - and buy stock in Tums!

But, in true mommy form, I'm game for whatever this little boy wants to throw at me, as long as he stays nice and healthy in there. Last night he was kicking so hard when we were going to sleep that I just started laughing. Peter asked why it was making me laugh so hard, and I said it's just so strange to know there's a little boy in there kicking (or punching) away!

So, again, big Gestational Diabetes test tomorrow. It's routine for all pregnancies, no warning signs right now...but of course I'm worried. This is me we're talking about, I have to have something to worry about! Keep your fingers crossed that the results come back great!

Weekend Update...

Logan has been a crazy kicking machine the past few days! It's not constant, but much more than before. Yesterday was grandpa's funeral, and everything went as well as could be expected. After the service we went back to the house to eat all the food people had brought. Logan must have liked something I ate, because he started going crazy. Mom and Dad tried to feel him, but, every time I told them he was kicking and they put their hands there, he would stop. I don't mind the kicking though, it makes me quite happy, he's welcome to kick as much as he wants!

Peter and I were out at the mall on Friday and went into Children's Place. I thought for sure he wouldn't want to buy anything, but he found this and said Logan had to have it:

I don't know if you can tell what it says, "If you think I'm cute...you're right." I was resistant...I'm not a fan of all these clothes with sayings on them. I have too many first graders come in with shirts that say things like, "When's Recess?" Peter and dad thought that was hillarious, but not to this teacher. It's hard enough hearing them say recess is their favorite part of the day, I don't need a shirt that reminds me of that! But, we'll let Logan wear this one, it's not too bad.

I take my gestational diabetes test on Tuesday...wish me luck. I have been doing so well with this pregnancy and don't want to have to give up my weekly Dairy Queen treat!

26 Weeks!

It's been a bit of a crazy week here, but here's the latest update. The belly isn't growing much, the doctor says it's because I have a long torso so the baby has more room to grow up and down, it's not necessary to grow out as much...but I could still go for a little more of a bump! It'll pop right around the time I go back to about 24 first graders, I'm sure!

How far along? 26 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +1 since the last doc appointment 2.5 weeks ago, so about 8.9 total (yes, the .9 makes me feel better!).
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nothing new
Sleep: Um, I just don't really...I get about 3 good hours in, then toss and turn the rest of the night. My back and hips just cannot get comfortable, despite special pregnancy pillows and every other trick I've heard of!
Best moment this week: Letting the cat out of the bag with Logan's name, and everyone loving it!
Movement: Yep, especially morning and night. I think he had the hiccups last night!
Food cravings: COLD stuff. I'm thinking I need a Slurpee right now!
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: None. And I'd like it to stay that way!
Belly Button in or out? In - absolutely no change, honestly.
What I miss: Sleeping on my back without worrying. I know some people say it's okay as long as your body is okay with it, but I can't handle it for more than 4 minutes without getting worried.
What I am looking forward to: Scheduling our 3-D Ultrasound for around 28 weeks!
Milestones: Um, in 98 days I'll be 40 weeks pregnant. That's down to double digit days. Woah.

A Few Good Men

My grandfather passed away tonight. He was 79 years old, and had been battling cancer for about a year, though it had just gotten bad in the past month. My grandma, mom, and aunt were all with him, at home, when he passed away. He had been unresponsive for about 5 days, so while we all knew this was coming, it is still a hard thing to handle. I am having an especially hard time with how my grandmother must be feeling. They have been married for 56 years. I've only been married 11.5 months, and I already have absolutely no idea what I would do without Peter. Here are some pictures of grandpa from the wedding:

The M. Family at the wedding

Grandpa gave the blessing before dinner. I'm so very glad he was part of our day.

So, Logan isn't going to get to meet two men who were so important in my life, my grandpop F. , who we lost about 5 years ago, and my grandpa M. He will hear all the wonderful stories, and see all the pictures, but there's nothing quite like my two grandfathers. He does however, have some pretty awesome grandpas himself, and I can't wait for him to have all the wonderful experiences, love, and fun with his grandpa F. and grandpa K. that I had with mine.

Love you grandpa.

These are a few of my favorite things...

Awww, my favorite things (besides Little Z!) together....


Abby decided to stake her claim to Peter while he was napping after our long weekend. She is definitely used to lots of attention from him. I'm interested to see what happens when Little Z comes. I think it's funny how things really do happen for a reason, though it isn't always clear at the time. Maddy, our kitty who passed away in January, would have had an extremely hard time with a new baby. Abby, I'm not quite as worried about. She can't jump up very high because of her, um, size. :) She'll be interested I'm sure, but she's not nearly as clingy as Maddy was. We still miss our Maddy every day though!

In other news, Little Z does now officially have a name. And, we didn't do so well with not telling. Well, I spilled the beans. I was giving Peter a hard time about not saying it out loud, and then what did I do when we were at dinner with a friend? Say the name! So, we decided to just let it out...

Around October 30, get ready to welcome....Logan William Z. to the world! William is for Peter's dad, Logan was the one name we both had on our short list.

No new grandpa news...he's hanging by a thread. Hospice could barely find a pulse today, his oxygen levels are down to about 70...please keep everyone in your prayers.

Wedding Fun!

Turns out weddings are a lot more fun when you're not the bride...well at least a lot less stressful! S and A's wedding was this weekend and we had a spectacular time. From nails on Friday until brunch on Sunday, it was a wonderful weekend. I am so honored that I got to be S's matron of honor! We've known each other since we were 11, and she's been my best friend for 12 years...so I'm so glad we got to be each others best women! She was wonderful for my entire wedding planning process and the big day, so I hope I returned the favor!

I'm not going to post any of the actual wedding pics we have here, but here are a few from before the big day:

I've known all of these girls FOREVER...at least 18 years, some a few more...this is at the rehearsal dinner.

And good thing they make maternity bridesmaid dresses! When S called to tell me she was engaged in November, I told her I would hold off on trying to have a baby so I wouldn't be pregnant on her big day...but in true best friend form she said being pregnant was totally fine, so I hope she wasn't kidding about that. The other bridesmaid dresses were quite exquisite, but mine ended up being all right too!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. And she married a FABULOUS guy! I am so jealous that they now get to honeymoon, that's the best part, lots of relaxing after all the stress of planning.

***
On a totally separate note, my grandfather is in the final stages of things now. Hospice thinks he may go today, so please keep my mom, her siblings, and my grandmother in your thoughts. Thankfully the end has been pretty quick, so hopefully his suffering has been minimal. I will keep everyone posted, thank you for your good thoughts!

25 Weeks!

This post is a little overdue, for good reason...it was S and A's wedding weekend! We had a fabulous time and were so honored to be a part of their wonderful weekend. I shall write more about that tomorrow...for now, the ever exciting survey and photo, then a nap. This pregnant lady has been up until 2am for the past 3 nights!

How far along? 25 weeks, 2 days!
Total weight gain/loss: Still up just 7.9 total, but that was before all the yummy wedding food!
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nothing that wasn't there before!
Sleep: The past two nights we were in the most comfortable bed at the hotel...and yet I was still awake for 2 hours in the middle of the night. Fun stuff.
Best moment this week: Peter's face when he feels the baby move. He's going to be a fabulous father!
Movement: He's been a little quieter this weekend, since we've been moving non stop, but he's still moving for sure!
Food cravings: I'm into lime popsicles this week.
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: None. And I'd like it to stay that way!
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: For the first time I missed alcohol this weekend...but didn't miss the after effects!
What I am looking forward to: My belly getting bigger...I think it's starting to pop more.
Weekly Wisdom: I'm taking this question out from here on...I have no wisdom, I'm new at this!
Milestones: In 11 weeks and 5 days I'll be considered full term...that's only 82 days! WOW!

Random...

Now this is just creepy:

'THE THING' - INFANT PILLOW

The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development.. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night.

Those are plastic hands, just randomly sitting there holding the baby...it totally gives me the creeps. The girl on the Orphan preview doesn't scare me enough, now I'm going to worry about creepy hands coming out of nowhere touching Little Z...I'm officially traumatized for today.

How do people think of this stuff? And the real question is, do people really spend money on these terrifying hands?

*Thanks dad, I thought I had nothing to blog about today, then I found this gem in my email box...if we could just think of this stuff you could quit work tomorrow and retire, we'd be rich!

Closet...check!

Peter showed off his home improvement skills tonight by putting in Little Z's closet organizer! Here's what the closet looked like before (after he took the old shelf and bar out to paint):


Please ignore the oh so attractive corner of the couch you can see...we took the slipcover off because when we thought the Salvation Army was coming this weekend, and it's too much work to put it back on only to take it off again! Here's Peter hard at work:


He was quite impressed with how easy it was to put together. It was a Rubbermaid kit from Lowes, if anyone is looking to put in an organizer. Here's the finished product:


Clearly this little boy is not already spoiled at all. The bottom is all 6 months - 12 months, the top is newborn - 3 months (I will probably have a giant baby who can wear none of this). Once we get the dresser a lot will go in there, but for now I enjoy looking at it. Honestly, this is not all my fault. I've tried to listen to all of you who have told me not to buy too many clothes. But he is a very lucky boy and grandmas and friends seem to enjoy picking things up for him when they are out. Thank you everybody...we may never need clothes again! And Abby seems to have found a place she likes to hang out. She is quite curious about all the changes.

No new news on my grandpa. I appreciate everyone's thoughts! Hospice is coming tomorrow to get set up, and they will bring the hospital bed in so he can be comfortable at home. I continue to pray that he does not suffer and that everyone who is looking after him continues to have patience and strength.

The Best Laid Plans...

Well, today certainly did not go as planned. Needless to say, the furniture is still in the nursery. I now have high hopes that it will be down sometime before August. Maybe.

Got a call from my mom last night that my grandfather was deteriorating rapidly. He has cancer, and they think it has moved into his brain. She said if I wanted to see him while he still knew who I was, I needed to come down right away. I was ready to drive the 3 hours at 8pm, but she assured me that waiting until morning would be okay. So, dad and I went down to South Hill today. He was moderately okay when we got there, but by the time we left 3 hours later he was having a much harder time. It's hard because I can't help with moving him or anything, since I can't lift that much, so I feel pretty helpless. He's pretty much confined to the wheelchair at this point, and his mind is definitely going. Mom and grandma are going to talk to the doctor tomorrow to hopefully get a Hospice nurse out to the house to stay with them some. He does not want to go to the hospital. Luckily my grandmother is still in very good health, and she is coping remarkably well. We don't want her to be with him by herself though, because mom is too afraid of her falling when she is trying to help him. It's just very hard because a month ago at J and J's graduation he was walking around fine, giving them pointers about college, etc...a lot has changed very quickly.

Peter did stay at home and got one coat of paint done in the nursery. Since dad was with me the furniture moving got put on hold. We've got the big wedding this weekend, so it won't get done then, but hopefully sometime in the next few weeks. Hmmm, there are some people staying at our house Thursday night, perhaps they would like to participate in a furniture moving party? Just kidding...but hey, they'll still have furniture in their room now!

Thanks for all of your good thoughts! Little Z is doing very well today, he has faith that we'll get the furniture cleared out eventually!

Saturday Fun

Well, this morning was supposed to start with the Salvation Army coming to pick up the furniture we're getting rid of in Little Z's nursery...and they got here and said oh, we can only go up or down one flight of stairs, sorry. Hmmm, would have been nice to know when we scheduled the pickup! So now we have to get the furniture down to the main level so they can come back to get it sometime next week. Needless to say, this of course made the hormonal pregnant woman cry, because I wanted it done! My wonderful husband convinced me it wasn't a big deal and we could take all of the stuff we cleaned out last week to the dump instead, to be productive. Yep, it was a fun day.

So, we fill up the car for load one to the dump. There is always a lot of drama when we go to the dump, it's quite a confusing place (we lead very thrilling lives). As we pull up to the dump Peter says "duh duh, duh duh," kind of like the theme song from Jaws. And of course I had just taken a huge sip of water and proceed to start laughing. I try to cover my mouth and keep it in, but there's no hope...water spews everywhere...excuse the close up of my chest, but do you see all the water all over me?
Fast forward to the second trip to the dump...and on the way, we stopped at 7-11, for...

FREE SLURPEE DAY!!!

Yep, the one constant craving I've had since about 6 weeks, I could get for FREE! Somehow the second trip to the dump was much more fun. And I did NOT take a sip of the Slurpee as we were pulling in. Because my husband would be the one to try to get me to laugh with my mouth full again...and cherry Slurpee is much harder to deal with all over you.

So now it's time to go prep the nursery for painting tomorrow! Dad is coming over to help Peter and it is sure to be a fabulous time. I am however, hiding when they try to move all the furniture downstairs - would lead to hormonal tears for sure!

Little Z News

Here we are, 24 weeks! That means in 13 weeks Little Z will be full term. WOW! He is more than welcome to stay in there until 40 weeks though, as I'd like to get through as much school as possible and then come back further into the year...plus, October 30 is the exact end of the grading period - I'm sure he'll be a perfect child and arrive right on his due date, right? Haha.

We went to the doctor on Wednesday and had another good appointment. Since our early scares we have been so very lucky. I'm trying to control my anxiety about everything and be CALM...so much easier said than done for my type A personality.

I'm going to start doing this survey every week, it's pretty popular in the pregnancy blogging world.

How far along? 24 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 7.9 pounds - Can't believe I really just shared that!
Maternity clothes? Yes
Stretch marks? Nothing that wasn't there before!
Sleep: UGH...awful. Little Z is preparing me for his arrival. Though I've never been a good sleeper. But last night was much better - if only I could figure out why!
Best moment this week: Watching my stomach move from the outside!
Movement: Definitely more. With my anterior placenta I'm not supposed to feel as much early, so it's getting to be much more now. And I love every one of them!
Food cravings: Continues to be really cold things (popsicles/Slurpees) and SPICY things.
Gender: BOY!
Labor Signs: None. And I'd like it to stay that way!
Belly Button in or out? In.
What I miss: Lunch meat...yes, I'm one of those that fully follows this rule, and I miss Subway!
What I am looking forward to: My baby shower! The invite came this week! :)
Weekly Wisdom:I'm supposed to have wisdom? Uh...I'll have to think about this!
Milestones: 24 weeks is viability - if he were born now they would try to save him. However, he is to stay in there cooking away!! Oh, and Little Z officially has a name - but we're not telling!