Milestones

Well as some of you have noticed --- I have been a little less than responsible, keeping up with this blog. I completely blame my lack of motivation. The good thing is - I do keep notes, so I can remember things that have happened in the last 10 weeks.

It makes me sick that 10 weeks have gone by and I haven't blogged about them... but I PROMISE that I will update weekly from now on!!!

Time is going by SOO quickly!

So here are some quick updates all within ONE blog entry:
Maternity Clothes - Around week 20, I was fully devoted to maternity clothes: mainly shorts and maternity t-shirts. I've quickly outgrown my favorite wife-beaters that now don't cover my quickly growing belly. Skirts, dresses and loose fitting clothes are a must.

Registering - We started to register right after we found out that we were having a boy. It made things much easier so that I could designate some blues rather than pinks. Being the cheapest person alive that I am, I had originally found the "ideal furniture" for the nursery that I wanted but it was waaay out of my price range. So, I shopped around and found VERY similar stuff for MUCH cheaper. We're registered at Babies-R-Us and Target. That was so much fun, after we got over being overwhelmed with all of the choices. Thankfully, I have some great friends that are new parents and were very helpful with making decisions.

Kicks - Baby boy started kicking big time around week 20 and its just been getting more intense. I've been feeling hiccups, punches and swift kicks to the bladder.

Heat - Who the hell planned this pregnancy?... clearly not someone in their right mind. It's been the hottest summer that I can remember - with days reaching a record of 114 degrees. My big pregnant butt has been spending ample time in the air-conditioning. It scares me to even think about the impending electric bill that we'll be getting soon. I can't stand to be out in this heat (normal people can't) - but it's been simply awful with this extra weight and added body heat... but all for a good cause!

Emotions - I've always been an emotional person, but recently my emotions have been out of control. I cry at commercials, songs.. anything having to do with parents and even when the dog does something cute. Recently here are some crazy things I've watched that have made me cry: A Baby Story on TLC (of course), Father of the Bride II, Lady & the Tramp, The Cosby Show, and Ellen (when she was dancing).... I know... I've lost it.

Dog - Speaking of the dog... she has been extra emotional lately too. I can't help but blame it on the fact that she is totally aware of what is going on. When mommy is busy - like cleaning the nursery or scheduling birthing classes on the computer, she rebels.... she has destroyed my comforter on the bed and other things... When mommy is not feeling good - she curls up with me and lays her head on my belly. Even one night when I was having horrible sciatic pain, I was laying on the floor and she laid next to me and barked at my stomach like, "BABY BROTHER STOP HURTING MOMMY!" and he moved!!!... instant relief!

Nursery - The nursery is coming along. Right around Father's Day, dad came over and helped Keith paint the nursery yellow. It is beautiful when the light hits the walls and it just makes me smile! (I better stop describing it or I'll start crying.. haha). We've decided to do the Winnie-the-Pooh theme. I can't wait to get more stuff so that we can get it completely ready for our little man.

 Belly - The belly continues to grow (see pictures to the right). People keep telling me "wow... you look great!" "You're such a cute pregnant!"... and then there's my mom -- "HOLY SHIT! You're huge!" every time she sees me... haha. Still have my innie belly button - I'm determined that if it hasn't popped yet, it's not going to - even though Keith claims that it gets shallower every day. It's getting more and more difficult to bend over and do things like shave my legs, but I'm still capable.

 Braxton-Hicks - I've had the pleasure recently of experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions. They come on usually when I stand up quickly or get out of the car and are very sharp. But, they go away quickly... I'm not looking forward to the real thing.

Glucose Test - I had my glucose test on July 15 and I was a nervous wreck. I have heard of so many people that don't pass the one-hour and then have to go through the ordeal of the 3-hour. I really watched what I was eating the day before and the day of and went ahead and drank the stuff... which really wasn't that bad. However, it did make me feel like I was on a sugar high. THANKFULLY, I did pass the 1-hour.... whew!

Black-Outs - I think I prayed too much asking for a passing 'grade' on the glucose test, because I was given something else to worry about a few days later. Jenny and I had plans to go to Alexandria Tuesday afternoon. I started to drive to her house and called Keith. (yes I was driving and talking on the phone....) A few minutes into our conversation I told Keith I had to go because I was having trouble concentrating on driving. I was slowly blacking out... right after hanging up with him, I pulled over on 488 and tried to concentrate on what was going on. I couldn't stop it though. I completely lost vision and hearing. Thankfully, I was right down the street from where my mom works and she was able to come pick me up. We went to the emergency room and they checked me in to the birthing center. THANK goodness, after MANY tests and a few hours, everything checked out okay. Dr. Aron said that its just part of pregnancy... I was probably dehydrated and my blood sugar dropped, and/or the baby was laying on a blood vessel.
I'm glad that everything was deemed okay but that was definitely SCARY.

Ben & Carey - Back to good news... Ben & Carey (my brother and sister-in-law) told us in early May that they were also expecting!  Carey is due almost 2 months exactly after me!  It's been fun going through pregnancy with her - I have someone to commiserate with!!!  The other day they found out that they're having a baby girl!  I cannot wait to become an aunt and for our kids to grow up together!  I have always been close to my cousins and I know that our kids will be just the same!

Maternity Leave - Excitingly (is that a word?) - I scheduled my maternity leave - I am going to take the full 12 weeks and if everything works out according to plan, my last day of work will be Sept. 23rd - then I won't have to return back to work until the day everyone comes back from Christmas break!

Planning for Baby - There is so much to do - so much to think about and prepare for in the next 10 weeks... but this time is so exciting.  It's hard to believe that in about 2 months, I'll have a BABY!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be a mom!!!! :-)

...now you're all caught up... except for one thing.

Baby Name - I said in a prior blog entry that we wouldn't be revealing the name, however I did succomb to blurting out the secret early so many people already know.
We've decided on a family name - our baby boy is going to be Spencer Michael.  Spencer is my maternal grandmother's middle name and the middle name of some of my cousins, after her.  Michael is Keith's middle name, Keith's dad's name, and my dad's middle name too!

We're beyond excited to welcome Spencer into this world! Time is going to fly by!  Stay tuned!