Where did February (and March) go?

Well I am not sure where the time has gone.  February flew right on by.  I always think of topics to write about, but then I get home and get busy on some project OR get busy laying on the couch.  It's really one or the other.
 
One big project I worked on was hostess gifts for all the showers I had in February and March.  I found an idea on pinterest for making modge podge picture frames and kinda put my own spin on it too (of course).  So during the week I mainly shopped for that stuff or worked on painting or modge podge-ing the scrapbook paper on the frames.  I meant to take pictures, but sadly I never did!

The other projects were preparing the nursery and the guest room to get some work done.  We had them painted and new carpet put in.  I really love how it turned out!

And we were showered with many gifts and lots of love all month!!!  So I guess that is where the time went.  I tried to come up with a coherent post about it all, but I don't think that is possible now.

So instead.... picture time!

Still need to put things on the walls and we still might get a rocking chair.  But it's as done as its going to probably get for a while :-)

Beyond Blessed

February 18th I had my first shower.  It was just beautiful and given by my high school girlfriends.  And their Moms were invited plus a few guy friend Moms that we were all close with.  It was so wonderful to see everyone!!!  On top of that, they totally spoiled me and baby girl with so many amazing gifts.  I was overwhelmed by how generous they were.  And it was just a fun time - long awaited - and I had worried before hand that I would get all emotional.  But I didn't - it was just fun and happy!

That weekend we were also prepping for the house to be painted and carpet done.  So Bear had been working on that while I was away at the shower.  I came home and he had moved most of the 2 extra rooms into the garage, and was cleaning out the kitchen and the living room.  My pregnant brain was completely overwhelmed by the major mess everywhere!  I was happy he was doing it - it had to happen - but I thought my nesting pregnant brain may explode at the sight of it all.  PLUS, I had a car full of gifts to unload.  I tried not to freak out.  And I did hold it together, but barely.  I decided to put all the shower gifts in my closet - thank goodness we do have quite a bit of storage space in our house! Then I proceeded to clean out baby girls closet and the guest closet into various places in the house.  I managed to fit it all in the hall closet and coat closet by the front door for the most part.


Then February 23rd, my coworkers hosted a shower for me.  It was also completely amazing - above and beyond anything I could imagine!  Plus, my old RF friends came over too.  They gave me even more wonderful baby items - so cute! - and even had diet punch for my GD.  It was a lot of fun!  And when I got home those gifts had to go in the kitchen - I just wasn't OK with putting them in the garage at that point.

Then on February 25th my sister and cousins had put together a family and friends shower in Lexington.  It was once again amazing!  My sister did a fabulous job of getting it together.  Aunt Amanda :-) She did the cake and made a very cute bouquet out of socks and wash cloths!  And everyone there once again spoiled, spoiled, spoiled us all with amazing things for baby girl.  My cousin gave me TWO amazing gift baskets packed full of everything little girl.  My favorite - the cutest little flip flops ever.  So cute.  And everyone else gave amazing things too of course. (I haven't gotten the pictures yet or I would share)


And my final shower was on March 3 in Dime Box.  It was just as wonderful and amazing as all the others.  They gave us our stroller and we had fancy drinks with real stemware and we ate on real plates!  It was just really nice - and once again everyone went above and beyond to shower us and our little girl with so much love and so many cute CUTE baby things.  There were also fabulous favors - decorated sugar cookies.  And yes, I did eat some.  And no, I won't tell you what my blood sugar was after :-)

I have been truly overwhelmed by everyone's generosity.  I don't even know how to accurately describe how it feels.  We are very thankful.  And this baby is truly loved :-)

State of the Pregnancy

I really wish I had been writing more here just to remember exactly what has happened with this pregnancy.  So many things I think I will remember vividly forever, disappear so fast!  I guess that is all part of life.  Last night while going to sleep I had this FEAR come up that Bear would forget or not take pictures when she is born.  Because he would be so excited and get caught up in it, which is totally understandable, but then the memory would be gone and that would make me sad.  Or we would end up with all blurry pictures because he shakes so much!  I was wracking my brain to think of who could take them - the nurse, the doctor, family member?  I mean these are some of the crazy stupid things that keep me up at night.  But admittedly they are pretty funny.  Or they will be one day.

So this post is just a general recap of things so that I can remember later, so it might be pretty boring.  Not that any of my posts are riveting! And admittedly, it is going to include some complaining.  Sorry.  But it's all part of it, right? I couldn't be more HAPPY to be pregnant.  I love it.  But lately, there are certainly some uncomfortable developments that I am sure will only get more glorious in the next 12 weeks.  And every single one will be worth it.

First, more bump pictures to get us all the way up to date on those.

24 weeks

26 weeks

26 weeks from front

28 weeks

Within 4 weeks, the belly is now well passed the boobs.  LOL!

So what's been going on?

1. First, and very thankfully, so many people have been SO GENEROUS.  Baby Girl already has so many nice things handed down or bought just for her.  Can't be thankful enough for wonderful friends and family.  And of course I am guilty for buying clothes when I shouldn't.  But OMG they are too adorable, and for the most part so much on SALE, that I just can't pass them up.
2. Sleep - Sometimes good, but most of the times never sleep like I used to.  Never really get in a deep sleep and most of the time this is OK.  I don't feel really tired unless I get absolutely NO sleep.  In early December, started with some hip pain on my right side only that would wake me up early.  That has continued and is on both sides now.  I am sure it will continue to get worse the heavier I get and the bigger she gets.  Oh well, gets me out of bed!
3. Also in early December, and progressing to now, my hands fall asleep.  This is pregnancy induce carpel tunnel I am told due to swelling.  So at night I wear a brace on my right hand, but even still it falls asleep.  And I don't mean in away that is comes back to life by wiggling it around.  I mean it is prolonged numbness.  And most of the time during the day, my right finger tips remain numb.  It's a strange feeling!  A little annoying, but manageable.
4. December 23 - Bear felt first big kick!  But I wish he could feel them more.  She usually stops once I get him to come over.  And I think he really wants to feel it too.  I am sure he still has plenty of chances.  I LOVE the baby kicks.  I love when I know she is there and doing whatever it is she does in there.  Only lately has she really started dancing on my bladder - which is a really new strange sensation.
5. December 24 - pretty sure she woke me up with hiccups.  But I haven't felt them since.  So either she was in the perfect position for me to feel her, or that wasn't really the hiccups, haha!  She had those and was moving all around about 5am. Even now she is usually starting to be active about 4:30 to 5am.  I joke that she is Carla and that's just the time she gets up for the day.  Pretty sure getting up so early on Christmas Eve, plus no good nap that day, going to bed realllyy late, all contributed to my Christmas Morning Meltdown.  Or that's what makes me feel better about it anyway.
6. January 4, failed 1 hour glucose test at 170.  They wanted less than 140.  Gah.  January 10, failed the 3 hours glucose test so yep, have gestational diabetes. (1 hour 201/190, 2 hours 174/165, 3 hours 135/145). I was upset at first and needed a day for some tears and to be mad that I couldn't eat what I want.  Bear does not like tears.  Which fine, but let someone tell HIM he has diabetes and can't eat what he wants and lets see how he reacts.  But I just needed ONE day and by the next I was fine and ready to deal with it.  I watch my diet according to an eating plan that limits the amount of carbs you eat at one time and check my sugar 4 times a day.  The finger pricks are not terrible, and so far with diet (after testing a few foods of course - hamburger, chips and salsa, fried okra) my levels seem to be looking good.  I just hope it stays that way.  Some days I am resentful of what I see Bear eat, but for the most part it is OK.  I probably should be on a diet like this in general anyway.  The only thing is that I crave sweets.  I would love a big piece of chocolate cake with chocolate icing right now.  OR a sugar cookie.  Or a cinnamon roll.  You get the picture.  And I CAN have that stuff if I plan and only in a small amount.  Meals and snacks just take a little more planning than before.  And I just pray that things stay looking good and don't get worse in the next 12 weeks.  If things are looking OK the doc will let me check sugars less often.
7. In the last week, I have started to have to go pee a LOT more often.  And I will feel like I HAVE to go and then barely anything will come out.  It's pretty funny to me actually.  Not too annoying, YET.  Sorry if that is TMI.
8. Yesterday, January 21.  For some time if I lay on my left side my rib cage at the bottom, sorta slightly to the left from the middle, it would hurt.  I thought it was just my weight and not sure what it is actually.  Well this weekend my allergies seem to really be bothering me so I have been sneezing.  Yesterday morning I sneezed and thought I had cracked my chest open.  I hurt SO BAD.  Then this morning when I sneezed it hurt SO BAD again.  I have been trying to be careful, but it feels like I have some sort of fracture there.  That is how bad it hurts.  It feels bruised if I touch it.  Not sure at all what it actually is.  But whatever it is - it does not feel good.

And that is the current state of this pregnancy starting the 3rd trimester.  

Christmas Break at the Beach 2011

This year we went to Port A again, with my parents and sister, for 5 days and 4 nights of relaxation.  Also, cousin K and her family came along.  The first day was great weather with sunny skies, but the next days were foggy with only a little clear sunshine at the end of the day for a little bit.

Overall it was very relaxing.  My mom spent time building sandcastles with the kids.  Bear read and actually did not play xbox - only because he couldn't get it to work!  I read and laid around, ate too much.  Walked on the beach, looked for shells.  I in general did not sleep well, imagine that, and so was a little slow and cranky from that.Amanda and Ross were also pretty low key, but did take a few trips to the hot tub.  I don't remember what Dad did... he cooked for us and cleaned up after us.  And he read a book and napped.  And he took Mom and I to Big Shell beach in Padre National Seashore.  Oh and Bear and I looked at some new beach houses - only $799,990 for a new 3 bedroom 3 bath!

We spent New Years Eve there as well.  We went out to a nice dinner of seafood.  The weather had cleared so I was getting all dolled up so that I could get my bump picture take at the beach.  I was so excited and my hair looked great.  And I get done and it was all FOGGY again!  I was sooo disappointed.  And ended up not getting a 25 week bump picture at all.  I am still sad about it if you can't tell.  Then we all waited for it to get to be midnight.  We did a toast and everyone, except me of course, including DAD, had champagne.  And I had more sparkling cider YAY.  But it was very nice that my hubby thought of me.   And that he thought to get the champagne for everyone else.  It was a little different than our last New Years - on a cruise ship!  And just think how different next year will be!!!!  :-)

A few pictures to remember the occasion.

It's alive!

Some big fishing rig we saw while trying to get to Big Shell Beach.

The lovely weather.  It actually was worse than this most of the time.

HAPPY 2012!  We are very excited about this year.  Our lives will certainly be changing.

Christmas 2011

Hello and Happy New Year!  We had a great Christmas and have been quite busy in the new year.

For our first Christmas we went to my cousin's house in RR on December 17.  We enjoyed a meal prepared by my Mom.  Love her, but we all discussed, how we don't know how Mema got all the food on the table on TIME.  I said it's because she didn't talk to anyone and she didn't drink wine.  Mom really didn't like that answer :-)

So we had alot of snacks and then we had some lunch about 1:30 or 2ish.

Then we watched the kids open gifts and we did white elephant for the adult gifts.  I was unaware that the gifts didn't need to be gender specific and I ended up with a Chuy's gift card which of course made my day!  I think only my cousin Byron ended up with something less than desirable.  But it was very fun to watch Ross open the girl gift I had gotten - a scarf, earrings and bracelet from Charming Charlies :-).  Then we played Headbanz (one of our gifts to her) with Kaylie which was pretty fun, but made me feel dumb at the same time.  Later the boys and Mom decided to play 42 while enjoying some beverages and watching football.  It was late and I was way tired by the end of the evening.

The next Christmas was with my parents on Christmas Eve at lunch.  We had a ham and all the trimmings for lunch - my favorite! - and then opened gifts.  I tried to take a nap, knowing we would be up late.  But Bear was snoring and so I never could go to sleep.  Then we got ready for church and headed to DB for the Christmas Eve service.  After that we went to Carla's for the annual Christmas Eve get together.  I was so happy it was cold enough for her to have a fire!  We played with kiddos, ate and everyone drank.  I had some sparkling cider to make it feel like I was being festive.  But really it was just sugary and made me full and sleepy.

But there would be no sleeping.

We didn't get back to Fedor until around 1am and I was exhausted.  But then when we laid down to sleep, Bear of course went right to sleep, while I was awake.  For pretty much the whole night.  We were supposed to go to Fedor church on Christmas Day.  At 7am my parents woke up to cook breakfast and I couldn't help it, I started to cry.  Bear did not like that and well... long story sorta shortened, I had a major melt down.  Merry Freaking Christmas.  Then he left the room so I could sleep a few hours.  I woke up and then cried because I hadn't gone to church on Christmas on the year I was pregnant.  I felt terrible, but I was still so tired AND I had like 10 minutes to get ready to make it to church in Lexington.  So we just stayed home.  Oh well I suppose.

Then we got ready and headed to DB for Christmas with Carla and Chris.  First, they were nice enough to let me take another nap :-)  I slept while Chris, Bear and Matt went to check out Lake Somerville and see how low it is with the drought.  Then when they came back we opened our gifts.  I think everyone had an awesome Christmas!  Bear got a signed Nolan Ryan jersey from Chris and of course loved it.  We gave Chris a nice hunting jacket and for once I think we really hit the mark - or at least he has called several times to say he likes it.  Of course, he did say he wanted one so its not like we just thought of it on our own, but it makes me happy that he really does like it so much!  And we gave Carla stuff to paint her house.  I got some nice A&M gear, a cool attachment for my kitchen aid and of course my favorite, Kohls gift cards :-)

That evening we rounded it out with Ford Family Christmas at Aunt Danita's house.  The kids were VERY entertaining this year and loved opening their gifts.  Bear helped Haley open her stuff and it was too cute.  He did a good job, keeping all the names with the gifts and all!  I enjoyed watching that.  Then we were back home and in our cozy beds that evening.  And I slept VERY, VERY good!  Finally!

And that was officially Christmas 2011.  Next year will be quite different :-)

A few pictures.  And I am very sad because Bear and I did not get one together in front of the Christmas Tree.  Sigh.

20 weeks

23 weeks