Saturday, November 19, 2011

to bump, or not to bump?

I've had the constant question in my head: should I tie a bumper to the inside of the crib?
Every single photo I see, of all the hundreds of nurseries on current blogs & pinterest, showcase crib bumpers. Yet every single word I read about bumpers says that they're a huge suffocation risk; thus can cause SIDS; or in the least, limbs can get caught.
Despite the cuteness & coziness that they invoke, I've pretty much decided that I will not have a crib bumper. I'd rather she bump her head on the crib wall then ...... yeah.
They are pretty cute, though. But, when people know better, it's safe to take their advice.

books as decor

These are the shelves we bought from Ikea! Though we only bought two. I love the idea of books as decor. Must be the teacher in me. I really love that end table, too!

i miss coffee.

I really do miss coffee. More than I miss red wine & margaritas. (by the way, that's an FAQ: 'Do you missing drinking?' Answer: There's been a few moments, yes. But overall, no).
Anyway, I'm tired of being tired, especially when you have an office job and sit at a computer and don't move much and just stare....it's even harder to feel alert. I try and walk off my sleepiness (or, food & water help) but I miss the convenience of sipping on some espresso and becoming all jittery and semi-human. I know this tiredness is only going to get worse, so I should stop complaining. In the least, I do enjoy my starbucks decaf soy lattes....pretty often.
(all images via pinterest)

Friday, November 18, 2011

hi Megan,
you're 28 weeks pregnant!


Week 28
Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.
\

anti-turkey week

On Monday, we board an airplane for the grand ol' state of Texas. We'll be there for an entire week, from Monday to Monday, bridging the Thanksgiving holiday. I'm very excited to:
go on vacation
see my sis
see Greg's family
see Austin
eat Tex-Mex food
go to the river-walk in San Antonio
see the bats fly in Austin
see where my sister sleeps, works, studies, and plays in Houston
enjoy a cozy holiday with family

I'm not totally looking forward to the forecast: high 70's with severe thunderstorms. Ah! What does that even mean?? I'm afraid of humidity.
It'll be so nice to have an entire week with no responsibilities, no clocking in and out, no losing sleep because of our cats (though I'll miss them a bunch and worry about them even more). There will be a lot of driving (we're going to Austin, San Antonio, and Houston) but we're quite excited & hope the baby likes to fly.

28 weeks


Believe it or not, the 28th week is here and in fact halfway through. 
Greg took these photos on his iphone today when he picked me up from work so that we could catch our doctor's appointment. 
Luckily, we both have Mondays off together so we've always been able to meet with our OB then. However, the next two Mondays we'll be in Texas(!) so we had to go today, on a Friday. I was more than happy to leave 2.5 hours early, as my workload has decreased dramatically now that wedding season is over, so I'm simply trying to find ways to look busy and not fall asleep at my desk.
Anyway! The appointment was great. Short & sweet, sans ultrasound, but she listened to the heartbeat and said it sounds nice and steady. Measured the 'size of my uterus' (tape measure vertical against my stomach from top to bottom) and said it's exactly 28 inches and the baby should be about 3 pounds.
She confirmed that I'm officially in my 7th month and THIRD TRIMESTER!!! Here's what I can expect:
The hunger returns....It has taken our baby 7 months to reach 3 lbs, and in the next two months, her weight will double. I've consistently been gaining 1 lb a week which isn't awful, but I need to watch it and not go crazy.
The exhaustion returns....and I can already tell. Having an ever-growing little one in your belly knocks the wind out of you. 
The growing pains are here. My pelvic bones hurt SO bad. She confirmed that they're slowly widening. I don't like it one bit. Bending down hurts, as does putting on pants, taking off pants, changing positions while sitting down, etc. Between this new pain and the stiff legs during sleep, I can say that the 'aches and pains' of pregnancy have been the worst part of it all (which, in truth, is not much to complain about). 
We now start visiting our OB every two weeks!!! I'm so excited. Just going more often, asking questions more frequently, seeing her more often, gets me pumped up. Plus, this officially means we're in the home-stretch. 
Lastly, I received a shot today (in my bum!) because I have a rare blood type (RH-negative) and Greg has a common, A-positive, thus there is a conflict of types swimming through my body and I could get sick, or worse the baby could become sick. I just read the wikipedia explanation of it all and it went a bit over my head, but at least it's getting taken care of; I'll receive one more shot at the hospital during delivery.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Baby's new dresser!

Doesn't our daughter have great style? Aren't you surprised by the sophistication of this dark grey dresser that will be used in her nursery as a changing table? Aren't you impressed with the size? As she grows and accumulates more clothing, we'll have the drawers for her. You can't see the knobs very well here but they're pretty. The top will be used for the changing pad, and then baskets of diaper essentials. I'm glad she picked out this dresser, through telecommunication with me ;) My mom liked it too. Don't you think the grey will look great with the white & turquoise in her room? This baby girl is going to have great style.
wink.

26 weeks


These photos were taken about a week and a half ago; I've just been too lazy to post anything. I'll write updates in my 27 week post.

Monday, November 14, 2011

27 weeks


Hello, Megan!
This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle 

-I like the number 27. We were married on the 27th of June. 
-Weeks 25 & 26 were pretty great in terms of sleep. And now -I'm loving week 27. A few reasons:
I feel as though, finally, I'm mentally bonding with, and really falling in love with, our baby. Even though she's been growing inside of me for almost 7 months now (!) it's only been very recently that I've been able to associate the kicking being in my belly with the daughter that I will eventually know and love. I feel more focused and aware of the fact that I am growing an identity. I suppose it's her movement, and my very obvious baby bump, that's triggering the emotional reality that I'm feeling. It feels really good. Don't get me wrong, everything still feels very very surreal, but I'm only getting more & more excited. 
-Speaking of movement, I think that today marks the day when I've felt the most movement. I swear she's going to be a dancer. She's been bopping around all day; it's so fun! And when I lay on my back (yes, only momentarily) such as in the morning to flex my feet, or during relaxation in yoga, it's as if she's a moon-walker; the lack of gravity in there must automatically push her up, because suddenly I have this boulder beneath my ribs. Such a trip!

Monday, November 7, 2011

frequently asked question

'Does it bother you when people touch your stomach?'


Nope, not at all. 

bedtime in our house

this was last night, when we were reading in bed after watching 'How to Make it in America' and 'Boardwalk Empire.'
Both cats found warmth in laying between Greg's legs. Once the light turned out, he turned on his stomach and they got dissed.
Last night was exceptionally cold. When we got home from work at 9:30pm, there was SNOW on our front lawn and side yard. I just kept walking through it, slush slush slush.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

updates

  • this week i slept very well. hooray! i believe it's a combo of a few things: lack of stress. the cold weather knocks the cats out (makes them just want to cuddle all night instead of play). waking up earlier (having a sleep routine, and not getting too much sleep does wonders-who would have thought?)
  • Charlie Horse this morning. shot out of bed at 6am; scared Greg. once i stood up it went away but there's nothing you can do in the moment besides shout.
  • i ordered chocolate souffle at the yardhouse last night and decided it's my new favorite dessert. the sweet cravings are officially here.
  • yesterday my supervisor & friend, Susan, and i drove our cars in the rain to her house a few miles away from work. i got to see her beautiful home which definitely deserves to be featured in Sunset magazine. and we loaded both of our cars up with baby hand-me-downs. her daughter Rachel is 8, but Susan has kept so many items boxed up and bundled up in her attic. we inherited: a crib, a pack 'n play, a high chair, 3 plastic bins of baby clothes, bedding for the crib, and a dollhouse. after work that day, we both went to my house and greg helped us unload both cars. it was fun going into the nursery this morning to grab my jacket (we keep the door closed so the cats stay out, but have to use the closet in there) and seeing a (dismantled) crib in there. i can't believe we'll soon have use for a crib!
  • yesterday the baby was dancing in my belly. it felt like she was doing the worm in there. i love when i feel her in different spots at the same time. i guess she's going to like kickboxing like i did. i'll feel simultaneous kicks and punches. i can't believe that she started as the size of an orange seed, and now spans the width of my ever-growing belly.
  • we're getting very excited for our trip to texas this month. we leave the monday before thanksgiving and return the monday after. we're flying, but will be among family with cars, so we'll actually get to see San Antonio (where greg's brother resides) Austin (where we'll celebrate the holiday at his aunt's house) and Houston (where my sis resides with her boyfriend and two cats) Can't wait!!

Friday, November 4, 2011



hi Megan,
you're 26 weeks pregnant!


Week 26
Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
Baby's soaking up your antibodies, getting her immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and she'll soon be practicing the blink...perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.