10 Weeks to Go!

At 30 weeks, there's no mistaking I'm preggo!! Strangers are starting to offer to help me out and ask about when the baby's due. So far, I haven't really had any strangers try to touch my belly, but I definitely haven't minded when my friends & family do it!! I figure I should enjoy this happy phase before I get too uncomfortable and cranky later on this summer! :o)

30 weeks!

Baby Charlotte has been extremely active lately - kicking, swirling, jabbing, and ...tugging?? It's hard to identify all of the different tricks she's doing in there, but they're pretty amazing. I've even felt her with a case of the hiccups a couple of times! I can tell already that she's going to be feisty - takes one to know one, I suppose! :o) 

She's about the size of a large head of cabbage - 3 lbs and 15 inches long, roughly. Growing, growing, growing! I still feel really good, too! No real cravings lately, just hungry all the time! I am feeling some aches and pains in my hips and pelvis, as well as some acid reflux that flares about once every day for an hour or so (or increments that add up to an hour). I think I'm also starting to feel some Braxton-Hicks contractions. Since this is all new to me, I can't be sure. But my whole belly will tighten up for several minutes at a time. It doesn't hurt at all, just feels hard. I see the doctor next week, so I'll ask her then if that's what's really going on. 

Last week, the wonderful people I work with threw me and my friend Anna (who is expecting a baby boy about 6 weeks after I'm due) a joint shower! 

We had so much fun chatting with our friends, opening presents, and of course, eating cake!! :o) 

It was really nice to relax and put all of our end-of-the-year stress aside and just hang out together!

Ben and I went up to Illinois this weekend and I had a baby shower with my family and friends from home, too! I'm so blessed to know such wonderful ladies from all of the different areas of my life! I got to catch up with grandmas, aunts, cousins, friends from college and high school, and family friends. My sister even flew in from Houston! I didn't get a whole lot of pictures, so if you have one to share, please do! Ben's cousin Jenn made the cutest owl cake with cupcakes and owl cake pops on the side! They were the hit of the day! 

  

My oldest friend and next-door neighbor as a child came to help me celebrate! I can't believe it's been 12 years since I was helping her welcome her little boy! 

My sincerest thanks to all of you who have helped me prepare for our sweet baby's arrival! I can't wait until we get up to IL the first week of July so I can really start nesting and get everything all set up! In the meantime, here are some previews... 

  

More to come! Take care! 

Cabbage Patch Kid

At 28 weeks, Charlotte Grace Stiers is about the size of a Chinese cabbage! She's growing like a little weed in there - measuring roughly 14.8 inches long and weighing somewhere around 2.5 pounds (according to www.babycenter.com).

I'm just barely into the 3rd trimester and I'm actually feeling quite pregnant. Not to brag, but I've had such an uneventful and "easy" (I'll regret that later) pregnancy so far. It's been smooth sailing - sneaked through the morning sickness phase, have been able to eat whenever and whatever I please, have been able to keep up with almost all of my regular routines... I'm just waiting for some giant hook to pull my perfect pregnancy off the stage while the audience boos disapprovingly.

28 weeks

Don't get me wrong, I have had some typical pregnancy symptoms flare up in the last month or so. Acid reflux, far more trips to the bathroom, and some leg circulation issues have been at the top of the list lately. And, as expected, weight gain and mild difficulties sleeping have been a battle, too. But, going back to a previous post - THERE'S ANOTHER HUMAN BEING LIVING INSIDE OF ME!! Of course things are going to be different! However, it is hard to maintain dignity and authority in the classroom when I'm waddling around like a penguin all day!

Last weekend, Ben and I made the drive to IL for his brother Joey's high school graduation. After not making it even to the freeway until 7:30 or so, we decided to divide the drive into two 3-hour chunks. We stopped in Indianapolis for the night, which turned out to be the best idea ever! It was 10:30 by the time we got there, and would have been nearly 2:00 in the morning before we got to his parents' house. Instead, we slept like babies and finished the drive on Saturday. While the drive up there seems to get longer each time we make it, I'm so glad we got to be there to celebrate with Joey and the rest of the family! 

Joey - getting ready to walk into the gym

We were sitting at the very far side of the gym from the stage, so my photo of Joey receiving his diploma (holder) is hard to make out. They don't actually receive their real diplomas until after they've behaved themselves during the graduation ceremony. The diplomas were handed out as the kids walked back out of the gym.

Finally, for those of you wondering, Donny is doing great! The staples in his belly came out last Friday and he seems to be healing up nicely. He doesn't seem to be favoring his paw at all like he was last week, and has been running around, jumping, eating, and doing typical "Donny" things!

The only thing that hasn't returned to normal is the relationship to between Donny and Marie. For a whole week after Donny came home from the vet, Marie hissed at him. She never acted aggressively, but she'd walk right up to him, sniff his face, and then hiss! Well, I haven't heard her hiss at all since this weekend, but now Donny is growling at her!! They usually do everything together - play, bird-watch, and sleep. But now they are very cautious around each other and I had to separate them twice last night! I think Donny is feeling good enough now that he can get back at Marie for hissing in his face when he wasn't feeling well!

School is wrapping up - 12 days left! Ben came to school today to help me start packing up my room. The building is undergoing renovations starting this summer, so we have to take all of our personal stuff home and put EVERYTHING else into boxes. Yikes - what a huge undertaking!! So thankful he got out of school before me and has some free time to help me - and that he's nice enough to do it!!

Is There a Doctor in the House?

The last week has been eventful, to say the least. I've been fighting with some pretty nasty allergy symptoms for the last few weeks and was on the verge of losing my voice Tuesday afternoon. I gathered up some materials and loosely prepared for a sub for Wednesday - just in case. Just as I was climbing into bed, Donny came into the room - chewing on something. I was able to pull a 1-2 inch piece of elastic headband out of his mouth pretty easily, but panic set in as we searched the house for the rest of it (another 10 inches or so). Unable to locate any remnant of the headband, we took Donny to the 24-hour emergency vet. They took x-ray photos and found the headband sitting in his stomach! After unsuccessful attempts to remove the headband by induced vomiting and endoscopy, the vet determined that it would be necessary to perform surgery to remove the elastic from his belly. I was a wreck - hormones surging, tears flowing. Ben was calm and reassuring, but it was not easy saying our goodbyes and letting the vet take Donny for surgery. Around 5:00 Wednesday morning, the vet called to say they had retrieved the elastic pieces and that Donny was starting to come out of his anesthesia. He spent 2 days at the vet recovering, and was finally released on Thursday evening around 7:30.

Donny - shortly after coming home from surgery

He was in pretty bad shape - about 30 - 40 staples up his belly, one of his paws was sore from a catheter, and one of his eyes had abrasions on it from drying during surgery (did you know cats' eyes don't close when they're under anesthesia?). All he wanted to do was sleep. And he did - all night Thursday, all day Friday, and most of Saturday. His regular vet told us that if he didn't start eating and drinking by Sunday evening, that we should start force-feeding him. He gave us a plastic syringe and special food the consistency of pudding for this task. Luckily, he started nibbling on some food on his own late Saturday and ate a couple of times on Sunday. Today, he's been eating his regular food and sitting in his favorite place (as opposed to curled up in seclusion in the closet). Definite signs of progress!!

Bird-watching while recovering

One of the saddest parts of all of this is that Marie doesn't recognize Donny. She has been hissing and growling at him! Donny doesn't really respond... he just looks like his feelings are hurt. 

After worrying all night and not getting any sleep, I was feeling even worse than I had been the day before, so I ended up taking Wednesday off. I also had my monthly doctor visit and my glucose test that afternoon. The doctor said everything is going very well. I haven't heard anything about my glucose blood test, but they said the lab would only call me if I failed and needed to come in for a 3-hour test. I'll call this week just to double check that everything went well with the blood test.

On Saturday we celebrated Ben's graduation from UK with his professor and other graduates at the park.  It's always nice to relax and just hang out after how much hard work these students put in! Ben's parents came down from IL for the big day. The commencement ceremony for masters and doctorates was held in Rupp Arena. We were sitting pretty far away, but here is a picture of Ben just after being hooded by his professor, Jim Campbell. 

I'm so proud of all of Ben's hard work over the course of the last ten years! He's persevered through all of the rehearsals, presentations, papers, and late-night study sessions! What an amazing accomplishment!

Dr. Ben Stiers!!

After graduation, we ate lunch at Three Suns Bistro in Brannon Crossing. Thanks for the recommendation, Gina - the food was fantastic! It was a great way to celebrate both Ben's graduation and Mother's Day! While I consider myself more of a "mother in waiting," it did feel pretty wonderful to kind of be included in a very special group of people. I hope all of you Moms out there reading this know just how special and important you are! 

My first Mother's Day flowers!

Entering my 3rd trimester this week! Time is flying! I'm feeling very thankful this week - for my health, Donny's recovery, and time to celebrate Ben's outstanding achievement with his parents! 

Haven't Met You Yet

As I wrapped up a very gruesome 11.5-hour day at work, the Michael Buble song "Haven't Met You Yet" came on the radio. Immediately, I felt the baby kick and squirm around, so I paused to listen to the lyrics. You know what? these lyrics make a lot of sense these days!

And I know that we can be so amazing

And being in your life is gonna change me

And now I can see every single possibility

And someday I know it'll all turn out

And I'll work to work it out

Promise you, kid, I'll give more than I get

Than I get, than I get, than I get

Oh, you know it'll all turn out

And you'll make me work so we can work to work it out

And I promise you kid to give so much more than I get

Yeah, I just haven't met you yet

I just haven't met you yet

Oh, promise you, kid

To give so much more than I get

I feel connected to her, and have already begun promising her the world, and I know I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy. Maybe I've never seen her face or felt her little hand wrapped around my finger, but I feel like I know her already! There are times when I can feel her little swirls and twirls and I just know she's trying to tell me something. And while it may not be the same kind of communication I'm used to, I somehow understand it! Yet, if Ben were to ask me what each little jab or karate chop meant, I couldn't quite put it into English. Does this make sense to anyone else? Here she is, 26 weeks along!

Do you see who's creeping on the photo today?

It's Donny! I just couldn't keep him off the sink! I think he was jealous of my white sweater...

100 Days To Go!

When I realized today that there are just 100 short days remaining until my due date, I started to panic a little! Aside from a few framed ultrasound photos, a couple pregnancy/baby books laying around, and my first Mother's Day card (thanks, Mom!) on the mantel, you wouldn't be able to tell there's a baby coming anytime soon. There's no crib, no car seat, no bassinet, no Diaper Genie, and nothing pink in sight! I do have a small box of baby stuff in the spare bedroom, but we're talking a pack of newborn diapers and a few bibs and onesies... definitely not enough to make me feel "ready" for the little one when she arrives. 

Just a tiny little list of things to purchase, obtain, and/or finalize before August 9th...

* Baby furniture - all

* Baby clothes - all

* Baby gear - all

* Affordable housing

* Health insurance security/peace of mind

* OB/GYN for delivery

* Hospital for delivery

* Maternity leave squared away

* Long-term sub & plans

* Pack & move all personal items from classroom

* Pack & move household items

* Birthing classes

* Childcare for after maternity leave

I'm sure there are things missing from this list, but keep in mind that this is the very condensed list! If I itemized it, you'd be reading all day! While going through this list, though, I realized that this baby already has the most precious necessities... 

* A loving mother

* A loving father

* A safe place to grow & develop

* An extended family that is thrilled to meet her

Really, with these crucial elements under control, everything else will fall in place when the time comes! Babies have survived for thousands of years without cribs, pacifiers, fancy dresses, or swings that play music. All of those things are lovely, don't get me wrong. But there's no need to stress myself out every time I walk through the baby aisle and realize I don't have that stuff ready yet. 

I have my next prenatal appointment on Wednesday afternoon. I'll also be taking the gestational diabetes test.  

Luckily, my doctor's office doesn't require fasting before the blood test! In fact, when I asked last month if I should fast before the test, the nurse said, "Honey, we'd never ask a pregnant woman to go hungry!" That's helpful since I'm trying to make my appointments after school so I can save as many sick days as possible for maternity leave. My plan is to gulp it down as soon as school gets out, and then meet Ben downtown exactly one hour later for the test. I made this appointment with a different doctor at the office, and hopefully this one will be more helpful than the last. Hopefully he'll be able to answer some questions for us and I'll pass the glucola test! I'll keep you posted! Have a great week, everyone! :o)