All-a- Board the Baby Express!!

Choo Choo! Next stop...dirty diapers and chaffed nipples!!!

Here I am 38 weeks (per Dr. Chu, not the ultrasound lady). And I am huge, like Big Gulp - Football Field - Mom in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" - Hot Air Balloon huge....or so it feels. **sigh** I had a doctor's appointment just this morning which went well. Doc says Giselle's head is down and officially in position and my cervix is softening (yay!). Which means now I just wait til Gorilla Girl decides to come out. Why "Gorilla Girl" you ask? - oh because the doctor estimates she's already about 8 1/2 lbs and if she's stays in until her due date she should be (according the the doctors) about 9 1/2 lbs. So I picture her coming out Denzel Washington style throwing up a peace sign and sayin "Momma, King Kong aint got shit onnnnn me" hahaha makes me giggle every time! Apparently I was also a Gorilla Girl weighing in at 8.12 at birth - but I was 2 weeks late. Giselle better not be late or she'll be on immediate time out when she gets here ;). Of course the doctors could be totally wrong, I mean what does thousands of dollars, years in med school, and even more years of experience mean afterall? - **gulp** nothing I hope.

Everything is ready for her arrival, in fact today would be a good day for her to come because my home is clean, I just finished washing my car and I actually shaved my legs(go ahead give me a round of applause for that last one because I totally deserve it!). So Giselle, if you're ready I am! I think. I'm not really scared, for the most part. I am nervous mostly concerning her: What if the cord wraps around her neck?, What if she inhales some of her poop?, What if she has a 3rd leg or is missing an ear? What if she is really born a he? What if, What if, What if!!! Chances are she will be perfectly healthy and have the correct number of appendages but I guess as a mom my worrying starts now. Besides I already have the answer to the last question, if she were born a he - he would be totally flaming gay because Momma already has more pink baby things than she knows what to do with. I'd be totally ok with that too (shopping partner!) - Daddy on the other hand...

Weird how you haven't held your baby, kissed your baby or heck even seen your baby but already you've decided you'd do absolutely anything for her. Starting with pushing a watermelon through a lemon hole.

The last couple weeks I've started to feel over it. Over being pregnant that is. I'm over my feet and hands being twice their normal size, over huffing and puffing just when walking from point A (normally the couch) to point B (more than likely the fridge), over having heartburn so bad I think I'm having a heart attack etc etc... I'm also missing things. I miss being able to wear my wedding ring, I miss being able to grab any sparkley thong from my undie drawer not digging for a "big girl" pair, I miss having more than 2 comfortable pairs of shoes, I miss having sex with my husband that isn't "just-have-sex-cause-it's-suppose-to-put-you-in-labor" sex, and I miss having a beer or 2 darn it! BUT "they" -whoever "they" is I'm still not sure- anyways,"they" say it's all worth it in the end and you forget all your troubles once that little (or in my case, maybe not so little) baby is in your arms.

"They" better be right.

Check in soon...thanks for reading <3

p.s. here is a pic of her completed nursery.

Crunch time!

It is crunch time (after baby it will be crunchie time). But here we are 6 - 7 weeks til D Day! We (Mom, Jason and I) have been busting our butts getting ready for the cutest baby in the world to get here (biased much? lol)

We had our shower on June 6th and boy did we get spoiled! We got 32 bibs, about 20 blankets, 3 strollers, enough wash cloths and towels to last a life time, our pack n play, a jumper, baby seat, too many cute clothes to count...etc etc... WE ARE SO BLESSED. Thank you to all that came to share our joy.

Last weekend we finally finished painting the nursery. This was no easy feat I tell you! The walls started out a dark tan semi-gloss. So first we (well Mom) sanded them down, then 2 coats of primer, then 2 coats of the wrong color green (my fault) and then 2 coats of the right color green and followed up by priming and painting the base boards white. PHEW! - We were, nevermind, we ARE pooped! Took us 2 weekends but it did finally come out the way we wanted it.

Painting was followed up by sorting the diva's wardrobe. I tell you I have never cut so many damn tags in my life! We organized her closet and dresser by size, and I am now convinced she is bound to take after me with her love for clothes! She will always be dressed to impressed that's for certain.

I had a doctor's appointment last week around 32/33 weeks and Dr. Chu says Giselle's head is down and her heartbeat strong at 150 bpm. She weighs about 3 lbs and I have gained 22 lbs...both of us are on the right track. We're seeing the doc every 2 weeks now so I will do my best to report our progress often.

Next order of business in the next few weeks is to hang curtains and wall art in the nursery, install the car seat and pack a bag for Jason and myself. All in between Nicole having baby Roman, our big 4th of July block party, my sister's 30th bday, my Dad's bday, 2 baby classes, Jason's bday...oh and whatever else life wants to throw my way! I'm sure it will all fly by.

Here's a pic of some nursery progress - her closet...I'll post the final nursery pics when it's all done :)

Long time no blog?

My last update was May 9th - almost a month ago. I apologize if anyone out there actually follows and has been wondering where I've been (which might be wishful thinking on my part).

Well, May 10th I got fired. Yes, fired. Canned. Let Go. Dumped. Put out on my ass.
So what that meant was that I not only lost my job, but I lost my apartment (I got a 2 bedroom place for free as part of my income). They gave me 3 days to move. You read right, 3 whole days. Nice huh?

But enough about that gloom…

Present day: We are in a new 2 bedroom place back in my old neighborhood. Yay. This means both my mom and sister are walking distance from our place. Double Yay. Yes, we are more financially strapped since I am not bringing home a paycheck and unemployment takes awhile to start coming in…but we are so lucky to have amazing support from our awesome family and friends. And I know once all the dust settles, so to speak, that we will be just fine.

Giselle is thriving and is measuring in the 62 percentile for size. Her heart beat is strong and her measurements are all on track (the picture is her profile at 28 weeks). And of course I am getting larger myself. But doctor says my weight gain is right on track (phew! I thought I’d be over by now). I do find myself being more hungry these days. And have had more pregnancy cravings. Nothing too weird yet, candy mostly – oh and kids cereal … Captain Crunch mmmmm.

I had my glucose screening the other day, where I got to drink that fun syrupy liquid that is similar to thick, flat, 7up… yum. But the results came back good – so I am allowed to indulge a little in my candy craving! However, my thyroid levels came back a little low and it turns out I am anemic. So I switched up my thyroid prescription (something I am totally used to by now! Having dealt with thyroid problems since 6th grade) and now take an iron supplement. The iron is suppose to give me more energy, which is very welcome. But is also suppose to make me constipated, **sigh** not welcome. I guess you win some you lose some and I may be spending some of that extra energy in the bathroom (too much info? Sorry!).

This weekend I am having my baby shower. Whoo Hoo! I can’t wait to see all my friends and family. After this weekend, my energy (not spent in the bathroom) will be focused on re-creating Giselle’s nursery. Of course, we had just finished painting, hanging drapes, stenciling, and putting up wall décor in our old place right before I was fired. Grrrrr. Now we get to start again. But the plus to this is that her room is much bigger at our new place. And I know we will make it just as beautiful as it was before.

For now I am trying to relax, breathe and take every thing in stride. (Don’t I sound like I’ve got it all together?!). LOL. Don’t worry I have had my sobbing, shaking, snot pouring down my face moments about losing my job. But I know that I have something much more important to focus on…our daughter. My job was able to take my home, stability, income and insurance but they cannot take away the joy of starting my family. My husband has been my rock, always promising everything will be ok. My mom has been my shelter, doing for us what we can’t do for ourselves at the moment and ensuring we have all we need (and then some). My sister, my best friend – ready to beat someone up if I say so or stopping by with groceries to make sure her niece is eating well . Plus so many friends that helped us moved, or took our minds off stressing by making us laugh. Without the support I don’t know where I’d be. But I want to THANK everyone that has stuck around during this cloudy period. And know that when any of you need anything we’ll be the first ones there!

I promise I’ll check in sooner than later this time!

Mother's Day

Today is Mother’s Day! So much to celebrate! - like heartburn, cramps, this new heat rash I got on my boobs, swollen feet….I kid I kid, I will refrain from complaining in this post….ok, no promises but I will try very hard.

I have so many wonderful Mother’s in my life. Starting with my own of course. Anyone that has met my Mom totally agrees – she rocks! And my sister is now in the running for Mom of the year. Just this week she made heart shaped sandwiches for the boys just because and hand made Mother’s day cards for all the boys on Lukas’ T-Ball team to give their Mommies. She totally rocks too. Plus I have so many great Mommy friends: Amy, Jill, Darlene, etc etc…and Aunts and cousins and co-worker moms. It goes on and on.

And next year at this time I will be a Mom (to someone other than Jersey Girl), and hopefully half as good of one as these great Moms in my life. There are many things I hope to do for my daughter that make her think I am a great Mom too.

I want to eat ice cream until our heads turn too cold to stand
And read you bedtimes stories that take place in a faraway land.

I want to let you run in sprinklers in the middle of July
And take you to the beach to watch all the kites fly.

I want you to believe in Santa, in magic and in big dreams
And teach to how to wish in fountains, on stars and moon beams.

I want to let you color outside the lines and tell you that it’s art
And tell you everyday that you are beautiful, caring and smart.

I want to help to make Valentine’s cards for your first class in school
And teach you to always be kind even when other kids are cruel.

I want to be there to chase away any monsters hiding under your bed
And listen when you talk, to truly hear each word that is said.

I want to be your best friend, the one that never lets you down
Be your security blanket, your protector or your silly little clown.

I want you to know when your here how much I will always love you
And I want you to know right now, that in fact … I already do.

Pregnancy is not very fun today

Like a little kid stuck in the back seat of a car, all I want to know is “Are we there yet?”.
I had a pregnancy breakdown last night. And I thought there is just no way I can do this another 3 ½ months. No friggin’ way.

The night before last I had a horrible nights sleep – tossed and turned all night and kept waking up hot and sweaty. And now there are of course 2 new things that have, of recent, joined the fight against me: leg cramps and heartburn.

My daughter the little flame thrower – is lighting my chest up at a whole new level these days. They say heartburn means she will have a lot of hair. Well, if that is the case I am afraid I may be giving birth to King Kong. To combat this heartburn I refer to my list of “ok to take medication” that I got from Dr. Chu. Only thing I saw on there that was in my cupboard was Tums. And let me tell you when I wasn’t pregnant and had a tummy ache those suckers would work wonders….Now? well now they do absolutely nothing for the raging inferno in my body.

So back to the list. List says (and friend Jill recommends) Gaviscon.

Off to the store. Gaviscon to the rescue…well at least the first couple of times. Gaviscon works much much better than Tums. BUT still doesn’t relieve my problem. I can’t sleep, with this heartburn. So I prop all my pillows up, I chew gum, I sip water, I don’t eat spicy or late at night….I can’t get it to go away. And therefore I can’t sleep. And it’s not only at night it’s during the day too. Yay.

Along with HFH (heartburn from hell) I’ve started getting leg cramps. So just in case I do by the grace of God fall asleep for a couple hours I will surely be woken up by leg cramps. The kind that feel like pitbull has gotten a hold of my calf and wants to twist the muscles until they snap. Only way to make them go away? – jump out of bed and stretch out my leg. However, with the growing belly there is no more “jumping” in or out of bed these days. More like a steady wiggle side to side until I get enough momentum to roll over. FUN… not.

Back to last night…

After I had been dealing with no sleep and heartburn all day and night I just wanted to relax. And then I started feeling itchy. Really itchy. Wanted to find a tall oak tree to scrape my back on, itchy. I couldn’t relieve the itch, I tried a bath and lotion, making Jason scratch me etc… Nothing.

I know, I know, heartburn, leg cramps, itchiness maybe not sound like that big of a deal. But when you combined it with working all day, overall lack of sleep and pregnancy hormones it’s was just enough to push me over the edge. I stood in the bathroom and cried. Snot running down my face my husband asks me what’s wrong…and all I can say is “pregnancy is not very fun today”.

p.s. pic is of us in a happier moment. 6 months.

4D ultrasound

I have some awesome friends that are thoughtful enough to think of my little growing family when they hear of things we may like. 2 of my good friends Aimee and Stephanie referred me to a company called Medison. This company essentially created what is known as the 4D ultrasound. They have a location of Knott right by Moms house where they train technicians to use their machines. So they need models, and who wouldn’t want to be a model and see their baby in 4D for free right?! Needless to say I signed us up and we got called to come in Thursday the 15th.

Jason got the time off to come with and Giselle was kicking me all afternoon (in anticipation of her big photo shoot I assume). Well when we finally got into the room there were about 25 techs and 25 pregnant women between 20-24 weeks excited to see their little ones.

Our tech Barb started our scan and showed us the heart and spine. As grateful as I am that Giselle has a strong heart and spine I was anxious to see her face. And of course what happened? – Giselle fell asleep…head down. We waited, and waited hoping she would wake up. She didn’t. I rolled on my side hoping she’d re-adjust, she didn’t. I went for a walk hoping she’d wake up, she didn’t. I ate some candy hoping the sugar would give her some energy, it didn’t. She MUST get this from her Dad who can sleep anywhere at anytime. There could very well be a tornado that picked Jason up and spun him around and as long as he was on his bed he would sleep through the whole thing.

Jason and I just listened to all the moms to be around us “Ooooh, look at her sucking her thumb” and the technicians “You see his mouth opening to practice swallowing?”. There were people seeing eyes, lips, tiny hands grabbing tiny feet, and all kinds of fun stuff. And we just stared at the back of Giselle’s head. I decided it kind of felt like all the kids on the soccer team were running around kicking the ball and our kid stared up at the sky picking her nose while they ran around her. Whatcha gona do right? I’m sure she was still the cutest one there 

Finally I had a genius idea! Jason had a Rockstar energy drink in the car, I snuck out and took a few sips (please don’t report me to child protective services, I just had a few sips I swear). Good news: little Giselle finally flipped over! Bad news: Barb our tech sucked.

Granted Barb was very nice, but she did not get the contrast dialed in and wasn’t able to master zooming in on things so the pictures we got kind of suck. BUT we got to see her. And she definitely pouts already (no idea where she gets that from!). Here is our little princess at 23 weeks <3

That Girl & This Girl

That girl up there is wild
This girl is tame

That girl’s tummy is flat
This girl’s tummy is round

That girl used to stumble home at 1, 2, sometimes 3 am
This girl stumbles to the bathroom at 1, 2, and 3 am

That girl loved buying little dresses at Bebe
This girl loves buying little dresses for baby

That girl danced the night away
This girl feels dancing in her tummy

That girl was carefree
This girl worries

That girl wore heels everyday
This girl wears flats

That girl had many fair-weather friends
This girl keeps only loyal and caring people close

That girl needed her family
This girl still does

That girl had a wonderful guy in her life
This girl still has him

That girl laughed often
This girl laughs just as much

That girl had big dreams
This girls dreams are coming true

This girl is glad That girl was around,but is happy where she is.