33w,1d

How Far Along?

If I was smiling and my
hair didn't look like a
serial killer's, this would be
a nice picture of my Bump
at 33 weeks!

33 weeks and 1 days. Only (approximately) 49 days to go.

Appts coming up?
All my appointments are scheduled through the due date now - and there are only about 3 "regular" visits left. Eee! Also, because of my "advanced maternal age" (ugh), I have to go in twice a week from here on out to have a fetal non-stress test (NST). SIGH. According to the doctor, I am perfectly healthy and so is Baby - there are no risk factors except that I am 37 years old. Pain in the ass to go twice a week, but at least I can hear Tex's heartbeat more, which is cool.


Thoughts about where you're at in your pregnancy?
Have enjoyed almost every bit of the pregnancy (except the occaisional mild heartburn and hormonal tears ;). From the stories I hear from other mamas and mamas- to-be, I realize how extraordinarily blessed I am that this has been a really easy, pleasant pregnancy. Can't wait to meet our new little person, but will kinda miss the being pregnant part.

What are you working on?
Bugging my Sweetheart about when the room will be painted (but not today; it's his birthday and he gets a pass today).


Complaints or worries?
Wish our completion coupons from Target and Babies R Us would arrive so we could get the last few items we need. Also wish it was easier for my Sweetheart to feel Tex kicking. I have an anterior placenta, which provides an extra layer between the Baby and my skin, so it's not quite as easy to feel from the outside.

Cravings?
Grapefruit or orange juice. Could have finished the bottle this morning, but made myself stop after two servings (too much sugar).

Happy moments/blessings?
Even though I know it sounds super sappy, every morning when I wake up next to my Sweetheart, I realize that my life is basically a series of one blessing after another (with a few sour notes thrown in from time to make the good stuff even sweeter). I am so in love with him (even when he ticks me off - rare, but not completely unheard of) and I feel so lucky to be sharing a life with him. Even more lucky that we will be adding a new little person to our family soon. He is going to be a great Dad!

It's been a decent week . Last Sunday we had lunch with some fabulous friends at Flossmoor Station. Lots of laughter and great food. Birthday visit with Barbara and Lily on Tuesday night. Dinner at India House with Marquinta Wednesday - I really love her and miss seeing her on a more regular basis. Also had a visit from Payton and Brooke-Lynn at the shop on Wednesday. Payton asked me if I will teach her how to drive a car and I promised that I will, when she is a more grown-up girl. She told me, "I'm growing up, Kat," and asked me to explain the steering wheel and how it works. So, of course, I did.

Finished returning duplicate gifts to Babies R Us, where they were very nice and gave us lots of store credit. Picked up an extra swing Saturday night. We already had 3 - the one from the registry, a hand me down and a third one we ended up returning because we figured we didn't need three - BUT... I was alerted to a ridiculous deal by some of the lovely ladies on The Bump and picked up a Fisher Price 2-in-1 Cradle Swing for $4.99 at Target. Seriously. For $5, I figure we can take it to one of the grandparents' homes or maybe keep it at the coffee shop.




My Sweetheart's birthday cake - a record
album for the Music Lover I married.

 Easter Brunch with Mom and Dad H at Northwoods yesterday and then the family came over to sing "Happy Birthday" to my Sweetheart and share cake with us. Enjoyed talking to my auntie, mother-in-law and stepmother about Baby stuff - including showing them the new fangled cloth diapers we have (although I still cling to the familiarity of old-school prefolds).

Any fun things coming up?
It's my Sweetheart's birthday today (Happy Day, my Love!) so we had a lovely late breakfast and will go out to dinner somewhere tonight (he still hasn't decided where he wants to go). I plan to go to CPL for the Kraft Great Kids finale program either tomorrow or Wednesday night. Want to visit Gram one day. Hoping for a slightly calmer week with more sleep.

T-Minus 32 weeks...

How Far Along?
32 weeks and 1 days. Only (approximately) 55 days to go! Less than TWO MONTHS! Crazy!


Appts coming up?
I have an appointment Friday morning. I get to go every two weeks now. Woo-hoo!

Thoughts about where you're at in your pregnancy?
It's so crazy. Seems super real and completely surreal at the same time. The Baby is moving all the time. In some ways, I can't wait for June 12 to get here so we can meet our little person. On the other hand, I love being pregnant and want it to last.

What are you working on?
Finally inventoried the mountain of gifts Tex has received from our amazing and generous friends and family and got all the thank you cards written and sent. We picked up the crib this past weekend. My Sweetheart and his Dad are hoping to paint the Baby's room in the next week or so, so we have to get the cat's box moved out of there!

Complaints or worries?
Occasional heartburn, but nothing serious. My big complaint is about the weather. I want SUNSHINE! It is time to wear dresses and skirts every day, but I need it to warm up. Just a smidge. Pleeeease?

Cravings?
Nope. Less hungry than usual, though.

Happy moments/blessings?

Me and Brooke-Lynn
at the co-ed Baby Shower
10 April 2011

There are SO MANY! Two of my friends hosted a co-ed Baby shower for us on April 10. I was *sooo* happy to have some of my favorite library pals in attendance and was touched by how much love was shown to us. It was also mice to have a bunch of kids here, all getting along. My nieces are super excited about the new Baby, so I loved them being here, too. The Boy stayed with us the night before the Shower and was super helpful making sure the house was clean and ready.

The day before the shower, we held a surprise 60th birthday party for my father at Richton Perk. The shop was packed full with friends, family and customers. Family came from Wisconsin and friends Dad hadn't seen in years were there. We noticed him tearing up when one particular friend walked in. I loved hanging out with Payton and Brooke-Lynn, especially when Brooke-Lynn started singing out, "Baby! Baby! Where *are* you!" and Payton poked my belly and told Brooke-Lynn the Baby was in there. So sweet.

Tex's first live concert,
listening to the Jaywalkers
16 April 2011

Went to see The Jaywalkers at the local bar Saturday past. Great show and my Sweetheart had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. The Baby danced like crazy all night - clearly I'm growing a music fan!

My Sweetheart brought me beautiful flowers last Sunday morning, which are brightening up our mantel. I am lucky to be married to such an amazing man.

Any fun things coming up?
Going to visit my friends Barbara and Lily tomorrow night. Going to start trying to return extra Baby shower gifts tomorrow - we were blessed with *so* much - I suppose it was inevitable that some of the gifts would be duplicates. (We got *three* Moby wraps!) Dinner with Marquinta Wednesday night at India House. My mother-in-law's birthday is coming up, so I am making a lemon cake for that. Easter brunch at Northwoods with the in-laws and having family over for coffee and cake Sunday night (my Sweetheart's birthday is the next day). As long as the Baby's room is painted really soon, we can move all the stuff upstairs and that's pretty exciting, too!

Less than 10 weeks to go!

Eee! Only 69 days until Tex is due to join us! It's been crazy busy around here and I'm afraid these last weeks are going to fly by. I cannot wait to meet the new little person who will be joining our family, but I have also loved being pregnant (minus the exhaustion)...

After much debate and discussion, we went and had a 3D ultrasound at 28w5d. At first, the Baby was sound asleep, arm across his/her face (just like Daddy!). The technician was super nice. She gave me some cold orange juice and fruit snacks (I guess sometimes the sugar/cold will wake a sleeping Baby) and told us to go for a walk. When we got back, the Baby was awake and we saw pictures of our child looking a lot like an actual Baby. It was pretty amazing. My Sweetheart had been hesitant about going, but I watched him watching the screen and he was just transfixed.

I also found out that I passed the 3-hour glucose tolerance test after failing the 1-hour. Woo-hoo! Can I just say again that I am very aware of how lucky I have been at the ease of this pregnancy? It's been pretty amazing and stress-free. If the Baby is half as well-behaved after he/she is here, it will be a miracle!

We had our first Baby Shower last weekend. My mother-in-law and stepmom co-hosted a fantastic afternoon at Annie's Tea House in Crete. It was really a lovely time spent with family and friends. My Sweetheart came after lunch for some cake and to take pictures while I opened presents. Tex got so much stuff! We're really overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of everyone. My father-in-law came by the house after the shower to help unload the Escape. Right now, everything is still in a huge pile in the dining room. Have to sort and unpack things before next weekend's co-ed shower.

So, on to the "formal" update:

How Far Along?
30 weeks and 2 days. Only (approximately) 68 days to go! Crazy!

Appts coming up?
I have an appointment Friday morning. Now that I am past 30 weeks, appointments are going to be more frequent, I think.

Thoughts about where you're at in your pregnancy?
It's exciting that it's getting so close, but also scary. I had a small panic attack recently about cloth diapering, like what if I hate all the new-fangled easy to use diapers we got, so I registered for old-school prefolds, diaper pins and plastic pants. It's so silly, because I am sure it will be fine, but sometimes I am really scared. What if I forget everything I ever knew about taking care of babies? Will I be a good Mama to Tex when he/she is finally here for real? Eek. I am sure I will - or will try my damnedest, anyway - but it's still been a little nerve-wracking.

What are you working on?
We are doing some research on vaccinations; my Sweetheart is really stressed about making the right choices with vaccines. I HAVE to sort through Tex's swag and start thank you notes before the next shower. After that, we'll figure out what we have doubles of, what we still need, etc. Also have to have the nursery painted and get the room ready  (i.e., move the cat's litter box, switch dressers, find a new home for the desktop computer...). We want to get a few shelves for the room, too. It will be good to be able to put everything away in Tex's room and not have it filling the curio cabinet and dining room floor.

Complaints or worries?
No complaints and I think I covered worries pretty well.

Cravings?
Nope. Less hungry than usual, though.

Happy moments/blessings?
There are SO MANY!  It was nice to see my sister-in-law K at her baby shower last week. She is due 10 days after us. My Sweetheart's sister is due in September. And we just learned of another Baby coming in October. A Baby Boom for sure!

The Shower was amazing and overwhelmingly lovely. I saw a friend who was there when my Sweetheart and I met over 17 years ago and it was fun to catch up with her a bit. Convinced Gram to see an eye specialist, so maybe she will be able to receive the help she needs. Got some Where the Wild Things Are plastic dishes for when the Baby is older and found an excellent birthday gift for my Sweetheart that didn't break the bank. A fantastic visit with the pediatrician. Being married to my Sweetheart and laughing so hard we cry some days. Being very aware of how lucky I am.

Any fun things coming up?
Meeting B and K for dinner Thursday to go over plans for co-ed shower this coming Sunday. Top secret fun stuff Saturday (details next week). The shower Sunday - I am really hopeful I might see a couple of CPl pals and will finally meet some of my Sweetheart's work friends. My baby sister will be around all weekend, too, which rocks. Still haven't gotten to CPL this to renew my library card, so need to figure that out (but maybe not tis week). Maybe heading to the bar for a band Saturday night. I feel like there may be more, but that's a pretty good list!