testing baby gear

i have an official baby gear tester:

this is the pack and play my mom picked up. she got a great deal as it is used but in perfect condition. with no baby h3b to see if it "worked", we turned to our resident baby gear tester. you may remember his trial run in the quinny. i like having "baby" dogs for this reason. i'm an expert swaddler (they love blankets) and both of my pups enjoy being carried on my hip like toddlers.

practice makes perfect!

27 week belly

not sure what's up with the color of these belly pictures. night time shots...

how far along? 27 weeks
total weight gain: at least 25 lbs
maternity clothes? yes.
sleep: some nights
best moment this week: feeling body parts poking out - stretching the confines of "home"
movement: yes, like crazy
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped (note this in bare belly pic above)
food cravings: was forced to watch people consume mimosas...
what i miss: not having back fat
what i am looking forward to: nursery time in january!
weekly wisdom: this time it's wisdom from others - breastfeed. more and more, all day every day to drop the pounds.
milestones: third trimester!!

and for comparison sake, my 27 week picture in front of the xmas tree:

27 weeks

i'm officially in my third trimester!

it is so hard to believe that i have no trimesters to go. three. that's it...all you get. i'm so excited to meet baby h3b but i need more time, so i'll take this whole trimester, please. i imagine i'll be eating my words at 37 weeks...

herman munstertiger is an active baby boy. he rolls, jumps, kicks, and stretches all day and in the last week i've been able to feel his body parts when he pushes out to the edges of his confines. it's exciting and crazy to actually feel him, not just a kick, but some part of him pushing on me. there is a real baby in there, i guess. i find that he moves most if he hears me talking over other noise, so i think he recognizes my voice. this may be because i am home alone with him all day long already - there's not much variety in what he hears.

my official switch to 27 weeks was on christmas day and we had a great time this past weekend. mr. h3b and i got to spend time with so many family members and received fabulous gifts for us and for baby h3b. it's weird to know that next year we'll be parents and things will change. it was our last christmas without children. a christmas where i was very pregnant and everyone loved the big belly. lots of people felt movement and it was nice to share stories with the other moms (moms, aunts, grandmas - everyone has knowledge for me to soak up!). i'm so grateful to have supportive, hilarious, loving people in my life.

this week brings another move. we're relocating about a mile away to a condo on lake michigan. two moves in one pregnancy is not my dream come true, but those same family members i gushed about deserve more props because they're coming to help us move again. i'll be in my new home, the one i'll take baby h3b home to, by 28 weeks. that means....

it's nursery time!

glucose results

i got the call today.

i beat the glucose test. pregnant people have to score under 140 and i got 105. i am so good at drinking glucose drinks. i celebrated with 2 chocolate truffles and a dq peppermint chocolate blizzard.

glucose win!

ugh, glucose

today was less than fun.

my glucose test was at 8 am, which is early and i'm not used to being up and ready to go. sahw and all that... so i was rushing around and tripped into my coat closet over some shoes and a small step. i fell only to my knees then hands, so i didn't hit the baby/belly and it really wasn't that bad of a fall. when i got myself up, i noticed my toe was in a lot of pain, but i had to get to my appointment.

the glucose drink wasn't so bad, honestly. it's sweet, like hyper gatorade, and i had to drink it in under 5 minutes (no problem). 10 minutes went by and all of the sudden i was so dizzy and nauseated. i went to see the dr. and she had me lay down for the hour to wait for the blood draw because i was close to passing out. i didn't faint from the blood (it wasn't fun, but i was already laying down) and was able to drive home fine.

i felt sick and dizzy for about 4 hours and realized my toe was also throbbing. i checked it out and sure enough, it was swollen and black and blue. so yeah, based on my experience with broken toes (gymnastics), i've got one. i can't bend or touch it and it hurts all the time. i've got a nice limp going on...

i get the results from the glucose test on wednesday.

hope i pass!

26 week belly

compare to 18 week belly in same shirt. 


how far along? 26 weeks
total weight gain: at least 25 lbs
maternity clothes? yes, my hips/thighs grow like whoa
sleep: ugh. not at night
best moment this week: feeling baby hiccups! and mr h3b feeling so much movement, all over
movement: yes, like crazy
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped (note this in bare belly pic above)
food cravings: no real ones
what i miss: not getting indigestion from everything i eat
what i am looking forward to: nursery time in january!
weekly wisdom: exercise during pregnancy. i am an idiot...why didn't i do this?
milestones: baby's first hiccups?

26 weeks

less than 100 days to go!

i am 26 weeks now. 26 years old, 26 weeks, due on march 26. you may remember that 26 is quite possibly my least favorite number. but that's ok. step one of having a baby might be letting go of things like this. or maybe step one is letting go of sleep. step two is letting go of irrational hatred of specific numbers.

i finally feel pregnant in the way that things are heavy and uncomfortable. the belly, the boobs, the rest of me...it's all so heavy and round and soft. fabulous in terms of growth and what is supposed to happen during pregnancy (celebrities may not be aware), not so in terms of a good night's sleep, walking around, or finding a comfortable way to sit for more than 5 minutes. i guess baby h3b is just getting heavier, moving a lot, and dancing on my bladder for much of the day and i just need to get used to that. he's going to get bigger and i'm going to get more uncomfortable.

it's not all horrible. i still love being pregnant. sure, the switch from feeling fabulous to feeling like an achey whale was quick one, but in the end i have a rockin' baby bump, cleavage that practically touches my chin(s), and a healthy little boy that nudges me lovingly to let me know all is well. people can clearly tell i am pregnant and i get questions all of the time. when are you due? do you know what it is? any names? i've never had so many obvious stares in my life. no one hides the fact that they want to check out the belly.

i have my glucose test during monday's appointment. can't imagine that will be fun, but i'm crossing my fingers that i pass the one hour and don't have to go back for more stabbings. i'm going to ask my dr. about starting prenatal yoga for stretches and such, since my neck, back and hips are suddenly painful all day, everyday. i may not have mentioned that i'm pretty sure my pelvic bone split in half over the course of the week. oh, the pain.

14 more weeks ;)

25 week belly

how far along? 25 weeks
total weight gain: 25 lbs
maternity clothes? yes - new citizen's jeans make this girl happy
sleep: not until we find somewhere to live in january...
best moment this week: seeing baby h3b again on u/s
movement: yes, tons
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: omg i eat a lot.
what i miss: holiday cocktails!!
what i am looking forward to: picking a name and setting up the nursery
weekly wisdom: be thankful for the time when you don't have pressure all of the time. that free, empty feeling goes away and then you're carrying a sack of flour or two down by your pelvic bone all day
milestones: catching movement on video

belly video

here is a quick video of my belly at 25 weeks. if you watch carefully, you will see herman munstertiger rolling and kicking. he does this for hours everyday and i've been trying every night to get it on video.

his movement has finally appeared up by my belly button (rather than lower on my stomach) and is strong enough to feel and see from the outside.

25 weeks

um, when did that happen?

i've made it to 25 weeks. it seems insane. but then i look down and see this huge belly and i'm not surprised. my baby is growing strong and i feel pretty good. over the last week, i've gotten an increase in hip and back pain, combined with lots of low pressure. i guess the baby and his gear (amniotic fluid, etc.) are getting heavier.

sleep eludes me for multiple reasons, but at the top of the list would be my inability find a comfortable position. i am a stomach sleeper, but i cannot be on my belly. i find myself on my back and that's no good either. so i try to rotate onto each side...but this keeps me and mr. h3b from getting quality slumber time. adding to my insomnia: the house hunt. it is not going well and that stresses me out. i know there are bigger things than finding a house before baby comes, but i had never dreamed i'd be bringing my first baby home to an apartment. and not this one we're in now...oh no. we've got to move out of this one (not because we're bad tenants, it's a property problem) and into another one (yep, another pregnancy move...).

so yeah. whoa is me. it's definitely put a damper on the holiday season (i only have one tree this year) and the coming months - when will i get the nursery started? will we have enough space? where will (g)parents and family stay when they visit? i don't want the first few weeks after herman munstertiger comes to be filled with hopping over moving boxes, overnight bags, and air mattresses...i imagine things will be stressful (and yes, happy, too) enough without all of that. it is clear that i am entering a nesting stage and want to feel a bit more ready. we have no names picked out. very little baby stuff. and this is not my style, even if it will all work out (as i keep hearing...).

but, that is all small picture. big picture is that baby h3b and i are healthy. mr. h3b has a great job and we will find a house. in the mean time, we will have somewhere to live and we'll make do with what we have.

all will be fine.

3rd ultrasound

i'm back from my 24 week appointment and follow-up ultrasound. it was nice to see baby h3b again. he was very good this time and gave us the necessary profile shot. the pictures didn't come out super clear, but i could make out the forehead, nose, lips, and chin even better as the tech was showing me.

he is still a he (we have another crotch shot to prove it, but i'll spare you) and weighs 1 lb 11 oz. his heart rate was 119 bpm and his measurements for belly, femur, heart, etc. all look great.

i had a nice chat with my dr. and, following my scale reading this morning, asked about my weight gain. so far, i've put on...and please, no gaping mouths here...25 lbs. already! i about fainted right there. but she said it was fine. the more i gain, the more i have to work off after baby, but that she wasn't worried a bit. (insert image of breastfeeding while on the elliptical - yeah not worried, either...). i got my h1n1 shot and my next appointment will be in 2 weeks for the 1 hour glucose test.

must limit candy...

24 week belly

how far along? 24 weeks
total weight gain: at least 15 lbs
maternity clothes? yes
sleep: i sleep, but i wake up quite sore
best moment this week: eating an entire frozen pizza by myself. best, worst...eh
movement: yes, tons
gender: boy
labor signs: none
belly button in or out? popped
food cravings: just food. i am never full
what i miss: having only 1 chin
what i am looking forward to: picking a name
weekly wisdom: you don't need maternity lounge clothes. i was going to pick up some pj pants from old navy maternity for $15 each. i found regular sets (top and bottom) at target in size large for $10!
milestones: seeing giant kicks and rolls from the outside - missed them on video camera, though

special for you this week - my front! there might not be many of these as my belly feels like it's going through a growth spurt. i foresee stretchmarks...

picking out fabric

join in my search!

in trying to distract myself from the stress and annoyance that is buying a home, i have taken to obsessing over fabrics for the nursery. since i have found nothing i really like in terms of bedding and i'm also not interested in a set, i plan on making my own pieces. i can sew (i better be able to, i graduated with a degree in clothing design...) and i really only want a couple of sheets and one or two crib skirts.

since the the nursery will be gray with white furniture and pops of aqua and yelllow, and we're having a boy (which plays only somewhat into my decisions), i've been trying to find bright options for sheets to bring in more color to the space. want to take a peek at my findings?

amy butler - martini - mustard

paula prass - garden trellis - aqua

laura gunn - painted polka dot - aqua

amy butler - grey wallflower

(above images and fabrics available from quilthome.com)

paula prass chevron stripe - yellow and white
ta dot polka dot - aqua on white
retro abstract floral - grey and blue
paula prass - party animal zebra - yellow

(above images and fabric from hartsfabric.com)

now i just need to make decisions. for the sheets, i know i don't need more than 2 yards, so they'll be somewhat affordable (comparing to "designer" sheets i've priced online). if you've seen any fabulous grey, mustard/bright yellow, or aqua fabrics, feel free to post the links!

not nesting yet...