New Book: Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy

i figured i'd take a little break from reading "serious" pregnancy/childbirth books. so here's my next book...

revealing the naked truth about the tremendous joys, the excruciating pains, and the inevitable disfigurement that go along with pregnancy, jenny mccarthy tells you what you can really expect when you're expecting! from morning sickness and hormonal rage, to hemorrhoids, granny panties, pregnant sex, and the torture and sweet relief that is delivery, belly laughs is must-read comic relief for anyone who is pregnant, has ever been pregnant, is trying to get pregnant, or, indeed, has ever been born!

Book Review: Birthing from Within by Pam England

definitely a must-read for those planning to have a natural birth, though i think that all women preparing for birth should read this book. in some aspects it did feel like a cheesy "self-help" book, but england really does give some good insight on why some women end up having a birth experience that they are not satisfied with or did not want to begin with. england also provides exercises to do to help women face their birthing fears, come to terms with previous birthing experiences that they have had, or to just get more "connected" to their current pregnancy.

she also has a section dedicated to the birthing coaches and how he/she can make the birthing experience more "enjoyable", and includes a couple of "cheat sheets" in the back of the book for them to use during the actual birth, which is really nice considering there are so many other things going on on that day, so it's nice to not have to worry about memorizing something. i'll be copying them for D.

32 week status and pic

31 wk 3 da

How Big is Baby: still the size of a squash.

Total Weight Gain: as of 3/27 i was up 30lbs.
Maternity Clothes: yep

Stretch Marks: nope

Sleep: i've been sleeping a bit better on the whole, but i do have those nights when i'll wake up either b/c of bad dreams or to use the bathroom

Best Moment this Week: i had my glucose test last thurs and passed! :)

Food Cravings: bolthouse mango smoothie - heaven!

Gender: still a boy! (as far as we know)

Labor Signs: none this week

Belly Button: barely there.

What I miss: not feeling like my body is being invaded by an alien

What I'm looking forward to: i'm getting pics taken next week! :)

Weekly Wisdom: i have no control over what's about to happen (or when), so i need to just relax and take it day by day!

Milestones: finished washing all of the clothes we received so far, and the cloth diapers, and folded/put them away!

Wordless Wednesday: setting up Baby T's drawer

more nesting... sort of

a few months ago we had a company come out and add an organization system to our master closet, which we had on our 'to-do list' since moving into our house in 2008. when the builders built the house, they just put in 1 row of shelving throughout the closet like this (please disregard the mess - that's D's side):


it didn't really leave us much storage space. and the shelves had that little bar separation throughout so that the hangers couldn't be free-sliding. i hated it!

here's how the closet is set up now after the system was installed - with double rows, and free-sliding shelving:

and some shelves for shoes or other misc items:

obviously we have since put our clothes back in the closet, so i'll have to post a pic of what the closet currently looks like soon. but that will be after we finish our next nesting project - cleaning out/organizing the closet. what does that have to do with nesting? well, with babies come extra stuff, so i want to make sure our extra stuff is at a minimum before adding to that. and we also plan to use some of our closet space to house Baby T's stuff, so i want to get that organized too. pics soon to follow...

Week 31 status and baby "mound" pic

30 wk 3 da

How Big is Baby: still the size of a squash.

Total Weight Gain: as of 3/20 i was up 30lbs.
Maternity Clothes: i actually had to go to khol's this weekend and pick up a couple more tops in honor of spring arriving (all of my tops were long sleeve).

Stretch Marks: none yet

Sleep: still waking up to potty but not because of heartburn - yay!

Best Moment this Week: D finally felt Baby T during one of his intense moving episodes last night, and commented that it felt as though he was "trying to get out"

Food Cravings: omg, i'm lovin' eddy's frozen fruit bars (strawberry). they are so tastey! i bought a box yesterday, and already think i may have to go back to the store tonight to get another one.

Gender: still a boy! (as far as we know)

Labor Signs: none this week

Belly Button: barely there.

What I miss: not having to struggle to get out of a chair or off the couch

What I'm looking forward to: my appt on thurs - i have to take my glucose test

Weekly Wisdom: even if we don't agree with someone's parenting decision, we should always remember that they, as parents, are only doing what they think is best for their child.

Milestones: we washed a majority of the baby clothes we received, and organized "his" drawer.

Wordless Wednesday

setting up the crib last weekend...

30!!!!! week status and bump pic

29 wk 3 da

How Big is Baby: still the size of a squash.

Total Weight Gain: as of 3/13 i was up 30lbs.
Maternity Clothes: still in them.

Stretch Marks: none yet

Sleep: getting a little better. i have started drinking a cup of water with a tsp of baking soda before bed every night, and that has taken care of my heartburn issue (for now). so now i just wake up a couple of times a night to use the potty. i can deal with that!!

Best Moment this Week: we set up the crib!!!! (pics to come soon)

Food Cravings: i'm still loving the tazo passion iced tea.

Gender: still a boy! (as far as we know)

Labor Signs: nothing other than the occasional BH contrax - and that's the way i like it!

Belly Button: barely there.

What I miss: being able to sit in a chair and not have my tailbone get sore

What I'm looking forward to: my massage appt on Wed

Weekly Wisdom: someone said something that stuck with me this past week re: dealing with unsolicited advice that people give. she said, "...remember, you are the expert on your baby."

Milestones: we have a crib set up! yikes!

Our crib is here....

No, we don't plan to make Baby T sleep in a cardboard box!! :)

Last night I came home to this box on my doorstep. I'm assuming it is the crib from our registry that my in-laws got us! Can't wait to get D to set this up ;) Woot, woot!!

29 wk status and bump pics

28 wk 3 da

How Big is Baby: the size of a squash.

Total Weight Gain: as of 3/6 i was up 26lbs.
Maternity Clothes: still in them.

Stretch Marks: none yet

Sleep: terrible!!!! i have the worst heartburn at night (how convenient), and am now waking up 2x/night to use the bathroom. is it wrong that i secretly want to push D out of the bed because i resent him for sleeping so soundly while i suffer??!!

Best Moment this Week: people have bought us things off of our registry.

Food Cravings: omg, i have this terrible craving for starbucks tazo passion iced tea with raspberry syrup! i've already had 2 of them today, and i'm trying to figure out how to get another one before my aqua class this evening.

Gender: still a boy! (as far as we know)

Labor Signs: well, i think i have finally experienced BH contrx!! yesterday after i bent down to pick something up, i noticed that my tummy got tense. it was barely noticeable, but i happened to be touching my tummy at the time and felt it get hard. i ran out to the LR to ask D if he felt the same thing, and he confirmed it. i'm a little disappointed though, because i didn't feel anything, and was kind of hoping for a head's up as to what real contrx feel like. i guess i'll just have to be surprised. ;)

Belly Button: barely there.

What I miss: SLEEP!!!!!!!

What I'm looking forward to: my massage appt next week

Weekly Wisdom: someone said something that stuck with me this past week re: dealing with unsolicited advice that people give. she said, "...remember, you are the expert on your baby."

Milestones: finally noticed BH contrx!

Weeks 29 - 32: Squash

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

OMG, this child is going to be so spoiled...

we are so lucky to have so many generous family members and friends in our lives that keep showering Baby T with gifts. over the past couple of weeks, we have been given so many cute little things for him. even 1 of the aqua instructors at my gym was nice enough to give me something. and yesterday my mother-in-law called to say that she got a great deal on some stuff for Baby T. she sent some pics of the stuff she scored...

he probably now has a wardrobe bigger than mine!

and in addition to all of that, i happened to look at my registry yesterday, and noticed that 5! things had been purchased off of it!! i think i'm going to start registry stalking my registry again (like i did when D and i got married). :)

this sure does make things even more "real"...

my inspiration...

some of you may know that i am a zumba fitness instructor, and i have been lucky and blessed enough to have a baby that is cooperative with me while i continue to get my groove thing on in class. i'm not sure how long baby will cooperate, and i'm fine with stopping whenever he/my body tell me that i need to relax, but i just found a youtube video of a fellow instructor teaching her class while she was 8 mo, and thought she was amazing, so i wanted to share...



granted, i couldn't do all of that even before i got pg anyway because of my recovering ankle. but it still gave me some hope that i might be able to shake it in another month or so. :)

NPR article about homebirths

i saw this article today that NPR ran re: an increase in homebirths in the US. very interesting!

NPR: Home Births Rise, Mostly By Choice

New Book: Birthing from Within by Pam England

well this week i have hit that 2nd to 3rd tri transition that i've heard so much about, and have been completely zapped of all of my energy (and again, will to live). i've actually had a really tough time, motivationally, so i haven't been on top of my updating. in the last couple of weeks i did manage to finish both Birth Your Way and The Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth both by Sheila Kitzinger, which i will review together when i build up the motivation. so now i've moved on to my next book:


from B&N:

Here is a holistic approach to childbirth that examines this profound rite-of-passage, not as a medical event, but as an act of self-discovery. Exercises and activities such as journal writing, meditation, and painting will help mothers analyze their thoughts and face their fears during pregnancy. For use during birth, the book offers proven techniques for coping with labor pain without drugs, a discussion of the doctor or midwife’s role, and a look at the father’s responsibilities. Childbirth education should also include what do expect after the baby is born. Here are baby basics, such as how to bathe a newborn, how to get the little one to sleep, and tips for getting nursing off to a good start. Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is a process of continuous learning and adjustment; Birthing From Within provides the necessary support and education to make each phase of birthing a rewarding experience.

well, hello there, 3rd trimester!

27 wk 3 da

How Big is Baby: still the size of an eggplant.

Total Weight Gain: as of 2/27 i was up 24lbs.
Maternity Clothes: check! but luckily i have still be able to fit into some of my pre-pg tops (the ones that were loose fitting to begin with of course)

Stretch Marks: none yet

Sleep: i'm going to stop living in the denial that i will from hence forth ever have a good nights sleep again. if i'm not waking up because i have heartburn/a full bladder, then i'm waking up because i had the freakiest dream/nightmare. :(

Best Moment this Week: we had a great checkup at our last appt. :)

Food Cravings: over the weekend i was really into tuna - yummy!
Gender: boy!

Labor Signs: n/a - oddly enough i really want to experience braxton hicks contrax. i know they are different than the real thing, but i just kind of want a "heads up" on what's coming my way - lol.

Belly Button: what belly button? i think it's completely closed up.

What I miss: bending down to pick something up without feeling like i've just run a marathon, walking around a grocery store without feeling like i've just run a marathon, getting the clothes out of the dryer without feeling like i've just run a marathon....you get the picture! ;)

What I'm looking forward to: my next massage appt on 3/17. man, that seems so far away right now :(

Weekly Wisdom: our decisions will probably offend someone, but we have to do what we think is best during our transition into parenthood.

Milestones: Baby T is almost the size of a squash!