10.13.2011

32 Weeks








Saturday was 32 weeks which means counting down the weeks is in the single digits!  This is fun yet crazy unbelivable.  In birthing class Monday and in the apointment with my midwife I heard again that the average gestation period is 41 weeks and 1 day so I decided to start telling everyone my due date is the 10th or 11th of December. I know first time moms are generally over due anyway and I have been saying "December 3rd, give or take a few weeks"  when people ask when I am due but I kind of feel like saying "I think around December 10th" from now on since it's more likely to be around then anyway. Whatever the case at this point I don't feel attached to any time period or date....I know he will come when he is ready!!!


Below is 32 weeks by the numbers(an idea I got from one of my fave blogs right now, http://babynhm.blogspot.com/)

1. Weeks Pregnant: 32

2. Days Pregnant: 228

3. Blood Pressure:106/58

4. Baby's Heart Rate: 152bpm

6. Weeks left till "due" date: 8

7. Days till due date : 52

8. Items packed in hospital bag : 0-no need to pack a bag if we are staying home!

9. Hours I predict to be in labor: 8-30 hours...I'm trying to be realistic!

10. Time I went to bed last night: 12am (I am in Corpus, so I am living it up with the fam!)

11. Hours of sleep I need to function: 7-8, but sometimes I take an 11am nap..although I haven't done that in a week!

12. Time of day I am most exausted: 7am and 11am

13. Must finish items on our to do list : 1293745747283726372!!!!!!

14. Most miles run at once the past week: 2

15. Times I got a morning workout in the past 7 days: 0(does running up and down the stairs cleaning the house count????)

16. Amount of keegles I am suppose to be doing every day: 200-300!!!

17. Number of Maternity Clothes I have outgrown : 0 (although I have outgrown almost all of my regular clothes by now except for a few tank tops, some large size T's I bought early on, and 3 pairs of pants I can still wear with the Bella band)

18. Stretch Marks: 0!!!!

19. Times I think about the little guy: countless!!!

20. Showers I take each day:  um...I think I was made to live in Europe folks...that's all I'm saying! If I haven't worked out or don't feel like I need one..it usually doesn't happen.  I'm very "green" with my showeing habits that's all!!! :)

21. Items of clothing I have bought to wear post baby : 0 (I don't really plan on buying anything until I get back to my pre-preggo weight..then I might give myself a little treat shopping spree! Although, I do plan on buying some steller nursing bras 2 weeks after the baby is born once my milk has come in.

22. Squats I do a day: 129057348347...... Any time I do something where I would typically bend over I have been squatting...I love it!  It's so much more comfortble and hopefully it is a habit that will stick post delivery since it's so much better for your back and thighs. I also maintain a sqautting position for several minuites before I go to bed and when I wake up. It's a great exercise to prepare for labor and help the baby to not be breech. 

23. Number of Bradley Classes attened: 4, with 6 more to go! I LOVE our Monday night classes

24. Average number of times I get up to pee at night: 0-2.  I know...I know..I'm lucky...remember folks...I'm a nurse and I have super bladder skills! I also pee like 3-4 times before bed and several times right when I wake up!

25. Number of races I have registered for post baby: 0..so far..but I plan to register for  this :http://zoomarun.com/texas/ and maybe even this: http://republicoftexastri.com/athletes_course.asp

26. Days till our first baby shower: 3!!!!! I am SOOOO excited!!

27.  Baby Classes Down: 2(a cloth diapering class and a la leche league meeting)

28. To go: 0..although I will probably keep attending the begening of the month la leche league meetings.

29.  Midwife appointments left before D-day: 6 I think

30.  Maternity leave length: I'm a stay at home mom now folks so ....indefinate for a while!!! Although I would like to do a little soemthing on the side to make a little extra money!

31. Times a day the little boy gets hiccups: 2-3...and it's adorable! He is such a cutie already guys...really!  Espically when he plays games with me. I poke and move my hand around in different places on my belly and he "pokes" back...ohhhhhh....I love it so..he is SOOOO cute!!!!

32. Times I have been sick with a cold while pregnant: 0.  SO thankful for that!!!

33.(since I am almost to the start of my 33rd week): Pounds gained so far: 22

10.07.2011

Pregnacy Reading

That is the stack of  books that currently resides on my nightstand. Notice a trend?  It's pretty much all about baby care and natural childbirth! We are really trying to get ready over here and make sure we educate ourselves as best we can. Sometimes it seems like a lot and sometimes I feel like I want more to read. Below I am going to give a little snipit of each book from top to bottom.

1.  Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way.  If you are interested in natural childbirth I highly recommend this book.  True, I don't know from experience that it's great but the process of reading it with Tristan and attending a Bradley childbirth class has been AWESOME! The book teaches you all about your body, and everything it does during labor and delivery(the 3 stages of labor, anatomy stuff, etc).  It also teaches you relaxation exercises, and exercises to help your body prepare for labor.  But one of the things I like most is the way it involves the father(or "coach" as he is referred to in the book) in the whole process.  I could go into more detail about this book but I'm saving that for a whole post about our childbirth classes.

2. The Happiest Baby on The Block.  I honestly haven't read much of this book yet. I have really only skimmed it. It seems mostly about quieting a fussy newborn and tips to help them sleep longer.  It's a pretty practical book and not as controversial as some other books I have read about newborn sleep.  To me it's a lot of baby basics that the author calls the 5 S's  swaddling, shushing,  side stomach laying, swinging(walking/bouncing while holding baby), and sucking.  It also shows different positions for relieving gas, and how to burp your baby,etc.  My mom taught me most of this stuff when I was young while helping her work with babies at church so I felt the book was not too ground breaking....BUT if you haven't spent much time holding and soothing a newborn then I think this book could be REALLY helpful!

3. Babywise.  Where to start with this one? To me the book is mostly about getting your baby to sleep well by getting your baby on a good feeding schedule which they call Parent Directed Feedings(what babywise says I gather is the opposite of On Demand feeding that is talked about in Attachment Parenting...I had no idea what a hot issue this stuff was till the last few months...YIKES) . I feel like the book is the how's and why's of accomplishing good sleep with baby through the schedule and feedings.  I love this book and then I don't. I feel like the scheduling and full feedings make a lot of sense. I like how from the beginning of the book they place emphasis on the importance of parents providing security for their child through nurturing their relationship with each other and not neglecting it.  I also thinks it's true that little ones need the structure they talk about in this book.  The book also talks about Child Centered Parenting and how it can hurt the family. Tristan and I  don't desire for our son to grow up thinking he is the center of the universe so naturally we agreed with their caution against letting your child call the shots.  And of course I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea that my child could eventually sleep through the night and nap during the day.  There were a lot of other concepts in the book I appreciated as well and a lot of this book we may some how apply.  What I did not like about the book is how it acts like their way is the only way!  I also don't like how they discourage rocking your child to sleep and baby wearing. I understand not wanting to use sleep props such as these and wanting your child to self soothe but I think you can still throw in some baby wearing and rocking here and there and it won't hurt anything.  And then there is the whole VERY controversial...dare I say..MOST controversial part of baby wise: letting your baby cry it out. I'm not even sure I want to comment on this part.  Let's just say that I don't think it kills your child to let them cry or that it damages them for life but I do think many times your child just needs your comfort and attention.  There..was that vague enough? :)  All in all I am glad I read this book . I am thankful for how much it made me think and pray and ask the Lord for guidance. 

4.  The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I am not very far in this book yet but I think I could safely say it's the Bible of breastfeeding books since it's put out by La Leche League.  It is full of GREAT breastfeeding tips and seems to answer any problem a breastfeeding mom may be trying to troubleshoot during the stages of breastfeeding. I really don't have much more to say since I haven't read the whole thing but from what I have read it seems to be more of an attachment parenting book and in a lot of ways would conflict with a lot of Babywise stuff. No matter what your parenting preferences and convictions are this seems to be a GREAT book if you are planning on breastfeeding!

5. Vaccinations, A Thoughtful Parents Guide. My midwife just gave this book to me so I haven't even opened it yet. I'm not against vaccinations but I am not sure if I am for ALL of them either...we shall see.  I have a lot more research to do on the subject.

6. Natural Childbirth and the Christian Family.  I'm only a 1/4 of the way through this book so I haven't really got into the meat of the  natural childbirth section which is what the book is mostly about.  My mom read this book back in the day and found it really helpful so she sent it our way a few weeks ago.  The approach of the beginning of the book is pretty cheezy. It teaches a lot of concepts by going through this Christian couples story.  That said though the concepts are solid and actually the part where the couple goes through premarital counseling and talks with the counselor about sex is by far better than any of the books we read before we got married.  Even if your not interested in natural childbirth the beginning of the book is a good read for couples about to get married. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of this book!

7. Spiritual Midwifery.  This book is a trip! Originally published in 1976 this book was birthed during the hippy/ free love days of yore. I think I am a 1/3 of the way through this book and I just LOVE it! It's quite entertaining.  The first part(which is where I am at still) is basically just story after story of  women and their natural childbirth experiences.  They are lovely, encouraging, and make me so excited about Labor and Delivery.  They are pretty psychedelic too. :) Many of the women talk about L&D like they are on a drug high.  Not sure what most of these people believe but it's pretty spiritual.  They are all over the board from talking about the Holy Spirit, to changing bodies with their midwives during rushes(what every woman refers to contractions as), to everything else in between.  They describe the hormones and the intensity of laboring and delivering is like a natural and spiritual high like nothing they have ever experienced.  Though a lot of their talk is pretty far out there I love the women's perspectives. They all believe in the process, in what their bodies can do, that their bodies were made to do it, and that it's a natural and beautiful experience that can be enjoyed even though incredibly trying and difficult.  It's so different than the modern American perspective of labor and delivery. I peeked through to the last half and it's more technical, more of a guide to midwives, which should be pretty helpful and informative.  And I mean this book is written by Ina May Gaskin who is pretty much the Queen of all things midwifery in my book so how could it not be awesome?  This book was also another book my mom sent to me to read.

8. What to Expect When Your Expecting.  Pretty sure most people have heard of this book.  The title pretty much says it all.  This book tells you most everything you could experience during every week of pregnancy. It's the first book I started reading.  I haven't really read a lot of it ....mostly just the week by week stuff that talks about what's going on with your baby.  That's the best part....and it's really exciting when Saturday rolls around and we get to read a new week.  I guess you could say this book is kind of a classic for pregnancy.

9. The Baby Book.  This book is HUGE and full of ALL kinds of info on newborn care, breastfeeding, allergies, circumcision, vaccinations, feeding solids....etc...etc..etc.  I don't know if this is for sure but I kind of gather that Dr. Sears who wrote this book is the attachment parenting guru??  Not sure. This book does talk about attachment parenting but it's so much more than that.  It talks about newborn breathing patterns, what to expect for babies first poos and so much practical and medical stuff that parents need to know. It's a great reference book and could help a lot of parents avoid trips to the doctor.




So that's all of them. Reading in preparation for our son to come has been LOTS of fun but I noticed a few months ago that I was getting overwhelmed(which I think is normal even if you aren't reading a table full of conflicting books), wondering what really are the right things to do, questioning the instincts I feel God has given me with babies and children, and rethinking everything I had ever thought about parenting.... so I actually stopped reading for a while. During that time the Lord gave me a lot of peace and reminded me that He is my guide and that if these books had all the answers I wouldn't have to turn to Him and follow the Holy Spirit. HE gave me confidence, encouragement, and renewed my joy about becoming a mother.  So I am back to enjoying my reading and thanking the Lord for how he has already used this parenting journey to turn me to Him.  I know this is only the beginning.


If you have kids or know a lot about them, what books have you read?  Read any of the books above? What did you think about them? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!





And here is a pic of my belly I took last night. Notice how you can't see my feet?  Yup, the boy and I are growing!!! :)


10.06.2011

Diaper Bags

So for some reason, finding just the right diaper bag has been a big deal to me. I guess I keep thinking about how I won't be carrying a purse with me anymore(unless the boy is not with me). My wallet, keys, phone, nalgene, and lip balm will just be thrown in whatever I choose for a diaper bag and for the next few years until the bag wears out I will be using it everyday. That in mind, I want to REALLY like the bag. And well...I just love bags...they might actually be my favorite accessory.... so having an excuse to buy a new one is just swell.

I started looking on-line at the stores I had registered at and didn't really find anything I liked...which didn't surprise me..I can be super particular so off to my other favorite places on-line I went: Etsy, Jcrew, Madewell, and Pinterest.

Etsy was too overwhelming. TONS of pages to look through and lots of stuff to wade through that wasn't my style. Jcrew and Madewell had a few options but the best results came from pinterest. It really has become my favorite place to search for anything I am looking for. Pinterest yielded the highest amount of bags that were interesting to me without spending hours wading through Etsy. I just clicked on the bags I liked and it took me directly to the shops with all the good stuff on Etsy. So much easier.

Now I have lots of options to choose from....which I love. I really like to know what all is out there before making a decision. But now I also have the problem of having to make a decision. This is something I don't like to do. I'm really not good at decisions. So I figured I would get some opinions and help from my blog friends.

Check out all the bags below and vote for your fave or top faves in the comments. OR, introduce me to a new option!!





http://www.etsy.com/listing/62751878/water-resistant-nylon-bag-in-chocolate




http://www.etsy.com/listing/64543293/2-tone-tote-in-hemp-and-olive





http://www.etsy.com/listing/64769487/grey-water-resistant-nylon-all-purpose




http://www.etsy.com/listing/60075889/the-market-bag-in-provincial-blue-w-an



http://www.etsy.com/listing/67683695/beauty-tote-bag-in-khaki




http://www.etsy.com/listing/62478426/s-a-l-e-express-shipping-promotion






http://www.etsy.com/listing/78297027/sale-bonus-pico-in-dark-grey-with-zipper







http://www.etsy.com/listing/81290172/diaper-bag-gray-and-ecru-ticking-striped






http://www.etsy.com/listing/83012843/water-proof-diaper-bag-messenger-bag



And the links to the Jcrew and Madewell selections:

http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/accessories/bags/PRDOVR~51654/51654.jsp

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/handbags/fabricbags/PRDOVR~30776/30776.jsp


http://www.madewell.com/madewell_category/ACCESSORIES/bags/PRDOVR~53242/53242.jsp

10.03.2011

28-31 Weeks

So Saturday was 31 weeks which means I have been in the third trimester for about 2-3 weeks now. I still can't believe it. It seems to be going by so fast. The first trimester was SOOO slow. The 2nd trimester seemed like a whirlwind because we were so busy and now ...well it's speeding by but I feel like so far this is the trimester I have enjoyed the most...so far anyway.

As of today we are 2 months from said due date. TWO MONTHS!!!! Saying that we get to meet our boy in two months is just mind blowing to Tristan and I. I often hear that life seems to fly by faster once you have kids and let me tell you this boy isn't even out of the womb and boy is that true!!!

We still don't really have any of the baby necessities yet BUT we have 2 showers this month so that will be changing soon! I am so excited and thankful to be having showers and I just can't wait for them to be here!

Tristan and I got some new home projects started this weekend that hopefully will be finished on Saturday. The more we get done, the better I feel. I know we can still get stuff done after the baby is born...but it will be so much harder then and I would much rather have as much settled as possible before then. We shall see.

I have been feeling pretty good but I will say it was like someone flipped a switch when I got into the 3rd trimester. All of the sudden I started having some lower back pain when I wake up in the morning and some during the day too. I also have found that moving around in bed, getting up from places, etc have started to not be as easy as they use too. It often times feels much better to be walking around and staying active.

Speaking of being active so far I have exercised more this trimester it seems than the others. I guess I am kind of getting into a routine...which I love. Our gym membership at 24 hour fitness expired and since it's not really close anymore we decided not to renew. Unfortunately there aren't any gyms with pools close by and within the past two weeks our pool has gotten SUPER cold so I am not sure how much swimming I will be doing. I was running....no really just jogging... 2 miles at a 12 min pace but last week I changed up my routine a bit. I felt like I could get a more rigerous workout for now and be more comfortable if I did intervals instead of trying to run 2 miles without stopping. And it seems to be much better. I speed walk for the short part of the condo block(I stay inside the complex so I can stop and pee as needed) and then run as hard as I can for the long part of the block, then switch back to speed walking, then back to the run. I get my heart rate up much better this way and I actually cover more mileage because my walk is about as fast as my jog was anyway. And...it's much more comfortable to not be running the whole time. I do it for 30 mins and by that point I can tell it's time to be done. I am hoping to do this about 2-3 times a week and just walk the other days.

I have started to have the need to pee more which I feel I haven't had too bad the whole pregnancy.

I also started noticing that I get Braxton Hicks a lot more. I had them in the 2nd tri but didn't realize them until my midwife pointed it out to me while she was measuring my belly a month ago. I still don't notice them unless I am touching my belly or looking at it.

The stretch marks have still stayed away thank goodness. Not sure if it's my religious body oiling or that I'm just not prone to them. Whatever the case I am thankful.

Oh, I can NAP! I have never been a napper but not so anymore. I don't nap every day but some days when I really need it I can nap 2 hours. And they are the good "drool all over yourself" type of naps. I really love them.

The heartburn and indigestion is still there. I don't have it all the time but sometimes it's horrible and it makes me feel bad and burp like crazy all day. I alternate between taking AC vinegar, drinking baking soda, papaya extract, and Tums..but sometimes nothing works. Even doing all the "right" things to prevent heartburn doesn't help. I have never had heartburn before so it quite the new thing for me.


At my 30 week appointment I had gained 22lbs total..hoping to only gain 3 more but seriously doubt that is going to happen.

I haven't noticed myself being crazy hungry or having any weird cravings at all....I actually don't have much of an appetite sometimes because of the heartburn.

Tonight we have our 4th birthing class. They are one of my most favorite part of our week. We are doing the Bradley Method for natural childbirth and so far we really love it. I'll have to do a whole post on it and share what we have learned so far.

Oh I can't forget to mention that this little boy is VERY strong and moves all the time. Although I feel like I can tell when he is asleep and when he is awake. So far he settles down shortly after I do at night so I am hoping that continues!!! I can also tell when he gets the hiccups...it's sooo cute!! And we still don't have a name.

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks. I am kind of caught up now! WooHoo!










Tristan completed a sprint triathalon...go daddy!!!


Guess my shirt from the harbor half last year is too small!















I got to go home to Corpus for a few days last weekend for Avery's bridal shower. It was soo good to get to spend some time with Katie and Hadley getting ready for the party, to see Avery, and to catch up with people. I stayed with my parents at my Pom Pom and Grandma's house which is where my parents have been living since my grandma passed away. It was good to see my Pom Pom and I even got to visit with my Aunt Evelyn.

My Pom Pom has a hard time remembering things and staying in line without my grandma so my mom has done TONS of awesome things EVERY day to help him out. Her and my dad are so wonderful for completely changing their lives to take care of him and they are doing an amazing job! I know it's hard for them but they do it gracefully and joyfully. Below are a few pics I snapped of all the sweet things my mom does for my Pom Pom since she can't be at home with him all day.

Breakfast, meds, and a sweet note.



The paper and more meds placed in my grandma's chair for him.



He could nap all day if you let him, so it's good to remind him to eat first!
Lunch and note prepared every day and left in the fridge.



Little reminders EVERYWHERE!! :)



My mom's great notes for my Pom Pom so he applies his MANY eye drops correctly.



Books that Tristan's friend Jarrett from grad school
bought off our registry and has sent to us!



Trying to figure out how to display Tristan's hotwheels collection!




Our new Home

On July 15th Tristan and I closed on our first home, a 2 bedroom 2.5 bath condo on south east central side of Austin. We had been looking and praying at buying a place since fall 2010. At first when we started looking we ere looking at homes in central Austin and we quickly learned that buying a home in central Austin wasn't an option. Real estate in central Austin is sooo expensive. So we kind of quit looking because we knew we wanted to stay central since PWC could send Tristan anywhere north, south, east or west of Austin to do audit. Then one day we were talking with my grandad and he encouraged us to look at condos so we started looking again. We found that he was right and that it was possible for us to find a condo with in our means. I think we looked for about 6 months before we found the one we are in now. We had at least one other that we put an offer that we didn't get, but in the end the one we ended up with has been the best fit for our growing family! We are so thankful for how smooth and painless the process was because we know that is not always the case. God really has supplied everything we need with this home for us. It has everything we were praying for:
1. Not huge, something just right with well thought out space
2. An open floor plan
3. Practical kitchen for 2 people that can spend hours in that one room!
4. Would fit our furniture so we didn't have to replace or buy anything new
5. Great storage
6. A garage
7. Close to our church family
8. Accommodating for guests
9. A great space for entertaining and opening up our place for others

ETC....ETC....ETC....

So far we have really loved it here. It's the quietest place we have lived since we have been married, and the ease for Tristan of not having a yard to take care of in this phase of life is AWESOME! We have a low HOA fee that covers the community yard work and they come EVERY Friday..it's such a blessing. Having a pool during this scorching hot summer has also been GREAT! Hopefully next summer we can use it even more since the boy will be about 6 months and totally ready for swim lessons! The location has been great and we feel that no matter where we need to get around town there is any easy way to get there and often options that allow me to avoid taking I 35!!!! I avoid 35 whenever possible!

The hardest part so far about our move here was the painting we did. We painted the WHOLE place ceilings, baseboards, walls, ...EVERYWHERE!!! Fortunately the Lord provided a way for us to hire someone to paint the crazy tall stairwell, bathrooms, and upstairs hallway. Tristan and I and friends and family had already been painting for 2 weeks(yes, we have some incredibly servant hearted and committed friends and family!!! SOO blessed and sooo thankful!) by the time the painters come and needless to say we were SOOOO OVER PAINTING!!! We decided that next time if we have THAT MUCH painting to do we will hire people from the beginning to do it! With calking, taping, priming, etc for so much space by the time you get to actually doing the paint(and then having to do 1-3 coats) it's just exhausting!

Below are some pictures of the place before we started painting. Eventually I will post pics of the place all fixed up...we are just not there yet! But oh we better be by December!!!! :)

We just can't thank our friends and family enough for all their help..we couldn't have done it without you.

Last preggo pic I took in the apartment