I am back in Texas and my blogging hiatus has finally ended. As everyone knows Kevin and I spent last week in Michigan visiting family and friends for the 4th of July holiday. It wasn't the trip of my dreams, since Kevin started off the trip sick with some kind of infection and we landed in the hospital for a few hours, but overall we had a nice time and I got to spend lots of quality time with my other 3 pregnant friends, who were also not drinking along with me. (On the bright side, at least we'll be able to remember the party this year.) Here are a couple of pictures of us. Please remember that the camera adds 10-ish pounds.
And a picture of my brilliant dog:
I am 23 weeks today! Oddly enough the time seems to have flown by. It seems like only yesterday I was on the couch bawling because it would be 9 long months before I could enjoy anotherbottle glass of wine. Now here I am in my 6th month. Since we're nearing the end of the pregnancy, there are some things that need to be taken care of. One of the biggest things on our to-do list is...........the registry (cue scary music). Registering is something that we (okay, I) have been putting off for as long as possible. For one thing, I don't have a theme for the nursery nor do I want one. That makes it incredibly difficult to choose furniture, bedding, decor, etc. Second, I have NO idea what to register for because we have no idea what we are going to actually need. Yes there are lots of sample registry lists containing things you "need" all over the internet (and specifically at Babies 'R Us) however if you do a little more research, you find that half the mom's out there say that you definitely don't need all of that stuff. Then when you figure out what you do actually need, you find that there are at least 50 different brands, styles, and colors to choose from, all with different features, functions, and gadgets attached. Part of the problem is that I have been reading waaaaaaayyyyyy too much. In addition to my constant internet research, I bought a book called Baby Bargains which does reviews on all things baby related and then rates them based on quality and price. It has helped, but has also given me one more resource with which to doubt my decision making abilities.
But the fact of the matter remains that we DO have to register. And we have to do it soon, being as my lovely sister has taken it upon herself to send the shower invites with Babies 'R Us and Target registry information attached. (Hey, at least someone is able to make a decision - Kevin and I sure weren't doing it.) She sent them out at the beginning of the week. Hopefully no one receives one and rushes straight to their computer to look them up, because they won't find anything. Yet. We actually tried to register on Wednesday. We both got home from work at 5, then hauled our cookies down to the nearest Babies 'R Us (which is anything but near). After sitting through the registry associate's spiel, we hit the ground running, gun in hand. Well, I say hit the ground running. What I actually mean is wandered aimlessly around the store. I have never, ever been in a Babies 'R Us before. Not even to shop for a gift. It was a lot more organized than I thought it would be, but still overwhelming. It didn't help that everything we looked at involved me juggling our made-up list, the store's 90 page list of registry must-haves, and my Baby Bargains book. God forbid we just walk up and scan what we like. Nooooooo.........I had to attempt to find each item in my book to see if it was the "right" one. It was torture. We finally scanned some random stuff, just so that we didn't look like idiots when we returned our gun and headed out to the parking lot, beat down and defeated. And found our car dead. Seriously. Luckily we surround ourselves with amazing friends because one phone call later and our friend Kevin was there with jumper cables in hand. We ended up not getting home until almost 10 that night. And I had not eaten since 4. That does not make for a very pretty pregnant lady. Needless to say, we're going to make another go of it this weekend. Hopefully we'll be a lot more relaxed since we're not trying to cram it in after work and we'll be able to finish it up. The stupid book is staying home this time.
CHECKING IN - WEEK 23!
Due Date: November 12, 2010
Total weight gain/loss: Deep breathes...........I am now up 16 pounds. Yes, 16. I am trying to blame it on water retention from being on vacation for the last 10 days, but it hasn't fallen off yet. If I continue to gain the recommended 1 pound per week for the rest of my pregnancy I'll end up at 33 pounds so within the 25-35 pound range, but on the high side and way higher where I'd like to end up. I'm going to try to stay here as long as possible though and give my growing belly a chance to catch up with my growing ass.
Next Appointment: July 21 - gestational diabetes testing.
And a picture of my brilliant dog:
I am 23 weeks today! Oddly enough the time seems to have flown by. It seems like only yesterday I was on the couch bawling because it would be 9 long months before I could enjoy another
But the fact of the matter remains that we DO have to register. And we have to do it soon, being as my lovely sister has taken it upon herself to send the shower invites with Babies 'R Us and Target registry information attached. (Hey, at least someone is able to make a decision - Kevin and I sure weren't doing it.) She sent them out at the beginning of the week. Hopefully no one receives one and rushes straight to their computer to look them up, because they won't find anything. Yet. We actually tried to register on Wednesday. We both got home from work at 5, then hauled our cookies down to the nearest Babies 'R Us (which is anything but near). After sitting through the registry associate's spiel, we hit the ground running, gun in hand. Well, I say hit the ground running. What I actually mean is wandered aimlessly around the store. I have never, ever been in a Babies 'R Us before. Not even to shop for a gift. It was a lot more organized than I thought it would be, but still overwhelming. It didn't help that everything we looked at involved me juggling our made-up list, the store's 90 page list of registry must-haves, and my Baby Bargains book. God forbid we just walk up and scan what we like. Nooooooo.........I had to attempt to find each item in my book to see if it was the "right" one. It was torture. We finally scanned some random stuff, just so that we didn't look like idiots when we returned our gun and headed out to the parking lot, beat down and defeated. And found our car dead. Seriously. Luckily we surround ourselves with amazing friends because one phone call later and our friend Kevin was there with jumper cables in hand. We ended up not getting home until almost 10 that night. And I had not eaten since 4. That does not make for a very pretty pregnant lady. Needless to say, we're going to make another go of it this weekend. Hopefully we'll be a lot more relaxed since we're not trying to cram it in after work and we'll be able to finish it up. The stupid book is staying home this time.
CHECKING IN - WEEK 23!
Due Date: November 12, 2010
Total weight gain/loss: Deep breathes...........I am now up 16 pounds. Yes, 16. I am trying to blame it on water retention from being on vacation for the last 10 days, but it hasn't fallen off yet. If I continue to gain the recommended 1 pound per week for the rest of my pregnancy I'll end up at 33 pounds so within the 25-35 pound range, but on the high side and way higher where I'd like to end up. I'm going to try to stay here as long as possible though and give my growing belly a chance to catch up with my growing ass.
Next Appointment: July 21 - gestational diabetes testing.
Maternity clothes?: Still in the same that I bought before.
Sleep: No issues with sleeping. I even managed to stay up until 1 or 2 am almost every night during vacation. That is not happening anymore however.
Sleep: No issues with sleeping. I even managed to stay up until 1 or 2 am almost every night during vacation. That is not happening anymore however.
Best moment this week: This has been the week from hell in terms of stress. The only good moments have occurred when I have finally been able to crawl into bed and sleep at the end of each day.
Movement: Lots of movement. Still not completely consistent, but definitely more often. And I'm starting to feel the actual movement instead of just the random jabs I was getting before. Although I do still get those and some are STRONG. If you're ever with me and I randomly jump like someone just kicked me, it's because someone did just kick me.
Food cravings: None at the moment.
Planning/Preparations: TRYING to get the registering done.
Belly Button in or out: Still in. I'm starting to think it's not going to pop. Fingers crossed!
Food cravings: None at the moment.
Planning/Preparations: TRYING to get the registering done.
Belly Button in or out: Still in. I'm starting to think it's not going to pop. Fingers crossed!
Stretch Marks: None!
Showing?: Absolutely. According to my mom, I was a lot bigger when I left Michigan than I was when I first arrived. (She actually said a LOT bigger, but I'm sure she didn't mean it.)
Showing?: Absolutely. According to my mom, I was a lot bigger when I left Michigan than I was when I first arrived. (She actually said a LOT bigger, but I'm sure she didn't mean it.)
What I miss: Relaxation. I am beyond ready for this weekend.
What I am looking forward to: Finishing (fine, starting) my registry
Milestones: Not really a pregnancy related milestone, but we sold our boat! I am still sad, but soooo relieved. It's so nice to be 100% debt free!!! (Okay, 99% - we still have a mortgage). Plus, I am a LOT more relaxed now than when we had the boat. It's so nice to be able to say "oh, I'll just do that this weekend". We didn't have that option when we had the boat. We were there pretty much every weekend from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. It made for very, very tight work weeks trying to get everything done. And house projects were pretty much non-existent. Maybe we'll actually be able to work on and complete some of the projects on our to-do list from last January.
What I am looking forward to: Finishing (fine, starting) my registry
Milestones: Not really a pregnancy related milestone, but we sold our boat! I am still sad, but soooo relieved. It's so nice to be 100% debt free!!! (Okay, 99% - we still have a mortgage). Plus, I am a LOT more relaxed now than when we had the boat. It's so nice to be able to say "oh, I'll just do that this weekend". We didn't have that option when we had the boat. We were there pretty much every weekend from Friday night until Sunday afternoon. It made for very, very tight work weeks trying to get everything done. And house projects were pretty much non-existent. Maybe we'll actually be able to work on and complete some of the projects on our to-do list from last January.
And on to the 23 week pictures. I'm actually curious to compare them as well since I skipped my 21 and 22 week pictures since we were on the road.
20 weeks vs. 23 weeks:
Oy.
And for good measure, one of the fam. (Minus the husband. I'm having a hard time getting him to pose ever since I broadcast his 18 week picture....)
Sorry Leah....I sort of did mean a LOT bigger. Maybe you were just sucking it in at first.....
ReplyDelete