(And if you don't have the lyrics to the Europe song running through your head now, you're obviously un-American.)
Final countdown = I'm in my third trimester! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! I'm not exactly sure if that scream is because I only have 3 months to go or if it's because I only have 3 months to go. One = meeting baby, the other = taking care of a baby. Obviously two totally different things in my world. But I think we're on the right track with being as prepared as possible. So far I am registered at the hospital, we are signed up for a breastfeeding class and a newborn care class, and the nursery is underway. Yes, we decided against the childbirthing class for a few reasons. 1) It was 4 weeks long and with Kevin's travel schedule we couldn't be sure he'd be free for 4 Tuesdays in a row, 2) Everyone that I've talked to said that unless you're doing a "weird" birth, such as water, hypno, or drug-free (HA! You have GOT to be joking. Drug-free. Right), it was pretty much a waste of time since the doctors and nurses will tell you what to do and when to do it. It just so happens I trust their opinion more than my own. And 3) If I saw what actually happens during the birthing process, I'd probably end up with a toddler in my stomach because I wouldn't let him out. Ignorance is bliss, right???
Just to explain my blogging hiatus, we've had a lot going on around the Hockenberry household in the last few weeks! As I said above, the nursery is finally underway after being repeatedly put off for every reason you can think of. First because we thought we'd be moving, then because we are lazy. We both realized that "getting started" involved disassembling our entire workout room and cleaning out the closet. And when I say disassemble, I'm not talking about moving a couple of pink Barbie weights and a stability ball (I let Kevin move his own stuff). I'm talking about moving my stuff: a heavy duty treadmill (I'm pretty sure the sales guy referred to it as "The Beast"), an entire set of adjustable dumbells, and a bench press/squat rack complete with 350+ pounds of plates. And a stability ball. Good times. We also realized that by completely emptying one room, everything that was originally in there had to go somewhere else. Namely to another room. So yes, our new nursery may be cleaned out and ready to assemble, but our office is overflowing and you can't walk into the guest room. Those would be the next big projects.
A couple of weekends ago we managed to get the nursery painted and get the crib and dresser assembled. We had been dreading painting, but the painting itself only took us 3 hours total for both coats. We did it in one afternoon. I thought it would take a lot longer with the recoat time being 4 hours, but after recalculating the manufacturer's recommendations in "Hockenberry Time," the recoat time only ended up being 2 hours. So that worked nicely for us. We even had time to go out to dinner afterward. And even though the nursery is painted and has a couple of pieces of furniture in it, it's still not even close to being done. I still need a chair, some shelves, a closet orgainzer, curtains, wall hangings/decorations, a lamp, etc. Okay, so maybe we're not even close to being done.
Final countdown = I'm in my third trimester! AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! I'm not exactly sure if that scream is because I only have 3 months to go or if it's because I only have 3 months to go. One = meeting baby, the other = taking care of a baby. Obviously two totally different things in my world. But I think we're on the right track with being as prepared as possible. So far I am registered at the hospital, we are signed up for a breastfeeding class and a newborn care class, and the nursery is underway. Yes, we decided against the childbirthing class for a few reasons. 1) It was 4 weeks long and with Kevin's travel schedule we couldn't be sure he'd be free for 4 Tuesdays in a row, 2) Everyone that I've talked to said that unless you're doing a "weird" birth, such as water, hypno, or drug-free (HA! You have GOT to be joking. Drug-free. Right), it was pretty much a waste of time since the doctors and nurses will tell you what to do and when to do it. It just so happens I trust their opinion more than my own. And 3) If I saw what actually happens during the birthing process, I'd probably end up with a toddler in my stomach because I wouldn't let him out. Ignorance is bliss, right???
Just to explain my blogging hiatus, we've had a lot going on around the Hockenberry household in the last few weeks! As I said above, the nursery is finally underway after being repeatedly put off for every reason you can think of. First because we thought we'd be moving, then because we are lazy. We both realized that "getting started" involved disassembling our entire workout room and cleaning out the closet. And when I say disassemble, I'm not talking about moving a couple of pink Barbie weights and a stability ball (I let Kevin move his own stuff). I'm talking about moving my stuff: a heavy duty treadmill (I'm pretty sure the sales guy referred to it as "The Beast"), an entire set of adjustable dumbells, and a bench press/squat rack complete with 350+ pounds of plates. And a stability ball. Good times. We also realized that by completely emptying one room, everything that was originally in there had to go somewhere else. Namely to another room. So yes, our new nursery may be cleaned out and ready to assemble, but our office is overflowing and you can't walk into the guest room. Those would be the next big projects.
A couple of weekends ago we managed to get the nursery painted and get the crib and dresser assembled. We had been dreading painting, but the painting itself only took us 3 hours total for both coats. We did it in one afternoon. I thought it would take a lot longer with the recoat time being 4 hours, but after recalculating the manufacturer's recommendations in "Hockenberry Time," the recoat time only ended up being 2 hours. So that worked nicely for us. We even had time to go out to dinner afterward. And even though the nursery is painted and has a couple of pieces of furniture in it, it's still not even close to being done. I still need a chair, some shelves, a closet orgainzer, curtains, wall hangings/decorations, a lamp, etc. Okay, so maybe we're not even close to being done.
The Before picture:
The Afters:
And just so you can get an idea of what the color looks like in person (since my camera is horrible), this is what the green actually looks like on the walls. (Please note, this is not my house.)
The next step in the quest for baby is the showers! Last weekend was our shower in Michigan and it was seriously awesome. The weather was perfect and we couldn't have asked for a better time. My mom, dad, and sister did an amazing job throwing it. In true Shagene fashion a pig was sacrificed to the spit, a cow was sliced and diced, and the beer gods were smiling down on us. Obviously not your typical baby shower, but pretty typical for my family. Everyone was so generous too. Kevin and I received some amazing things for the baby. My cousin Lyndee made us a beautiful afghan, my Grandma Omi made us an adorable quilt, my other Grandma Nancy gave us the children's silverware that she had bought for me as a baby, and my sister Kerry collected words of advice and parenting pointers from our family and friends and made a gorgeous scrapbook out of them for us. Yes, I cried. So did Kevin. (I only hope that Kerry cries as hard as I did and is as touched as I was when she sees the Diaper Genie I plan on getting her for her shower someday.)
Grandma, Kevin and I holding the quilt she made for us
Mom-in-law, me, and Mom 
Kerry and I (Gosh, Kevin. I don't know if you could've gotten further away. Although the pond in the background is pretty.)
Family picture time! Kevin and I with our parents and my grandmas. (Note to self, always turn sideways for pictures.)
Now comes the task of getting all of the baby's gifts to Texas. As incredibly thankful as I am to Kerry and Greg for volunteering to drive them down sometime during the first couple weeks of October, it is KILLING me to have to wait 2 months. I just want to play with all of my new toys! Maybe try out some of the diapers we received on my Cabbage Patch dolls for practice. And I need to start organizing! Right now the nursery consists of a crib, a dresser, and a stroller. Now I know how a kid feels when mom and dad takes their toys away for being bad. It's going to be a long couple of months! But since they are being so generous as to bring the baby stuff to us, I might take them out for Mexican food and margaritas anyway. We'll see.
I suppose I should probably do a check in. We've been so busy that I've skipped my last two weeks. I haven't even had time to take my weekly belly pictures. Luckily, people have been more than willing to make up for my slacking.
CHECKING IN - WEEK 27!
Due Date: November 12, 2010
Total weight gain/loss: According to my doctor I am up 26 pounds. However according to my calculations (the correct calculations), I am still up only 20. I have NO idea where they got my starting number, being as they didn't weigh me at my first appointment. Just to prove it, when I got pregnant I was 148 pounds. This morning I was 168.4. I've been holding steady at 168 point something for the past 3 weeks. Hopefully I stay there a little longer.
Next Appointment: August 19 - We're into the every two week phase now. At last week's appointment we had planned on getting a 4D ultrasound so that we could take some pictures up to Michigan for my shower. Of course, Bob the Baby wasn't having it and refused to show us anything but his back. We poked and proded (which only caused him to bury himself deeper into my back) until we finally gave up. The ultrasound tech said that it appears we have a very lazy baby (takes after dad, no?). I just told her that if the baby is like this when he comes out, we're going to be the luckiest parents ever.
Maternity clothes? I'm going to need to break down and buy some more. My shirts are getting tight (and short) due to my belly as are my dresses. I'll be putting that off for another couple of weeks I'm sure. Ooooohhhhhhh........and the worst part of ALL........my SHOES are getting tight. I want to cry. There is one thing that I hate more than clothes shopping and that is shoe shopping. Feel free to send donated shoes in the mail so that I don't have to go find them myself. I'm an 8.5. Okay, 9.5.
Sleep: Still getting up once per night for a bathroom break, but I'm pretty comfortable overall. I think that I'm lucky since I already slept on my left side so I didn't need to learn a new position to sleep in. That has definitely helped.
Best moment this week: I got my stroller! It's a Baby Jogger City Mini (awesome stroller) and retails for ~$230, plus $20 for the child tray, and $20 for the cup holder attachment. I found a used one on Woodlands Online Classifieds and picked it up for $125 cash and the tray and cup holder were both included. The woman had bought it for her baby that they adopted from Ethiopia thinking they were getting a 2 year old. After they got her home and she started putting on weight, they realized that she was probably closer to 5 years old and they only had time to use it a few times before she outgrew it. It is in pristine condition. And to fold it up, you just lift it by the nylon handle on the seat and the entire thing collapses into the size of a purse. Fine, maybe not a purse, but close enough. And it's only 16 pounds! The travel systems we were originally looking at were around 35. Yes, I am freakishly excited over a stroller and plan on whipping out my Cabbage Patch kids tonight to push them around in it (for practice, of course). It suddenly appears that my Cabbage Patch kids will be getting more action in the next few months than they've had in the last 20days years.
Movement: All......the.......time. I sit in meetings at work and just watch my stomach bounce around. A couple of nights ago Kevin and I were laying in bed when my stomach started going nuts. It looked like the baby had put one foot on either side of my belly button and was quickly alternating kicking his left and right leg. I was NOT expecting that. Sadly, the only thing that came to my mind was the famous line from Twas the Night Before Christmas - "He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!"
Food cravings: None, but I'm going to have to think of some pretty soon. I'm getting the impression that Kevin was actually looking forward to being sent out at night after random food stuffs, most likely so that he could get his own food and blame me. Of course I'm just making an assumption stemming from the fact that he keeps asking me if I'm absolutely SURE I don't need a Big Mac right now. Yes, honey. I'm positive.
Planning/Preparations: One shower down, one to go! I am so incredibly lucky to have such great family and friends. I can't wait to get all of this stuff into my nursery!
Belly Button in or out: In. And I found out last weekend than my mom's never popped out for any of us kids. Score one for the Barnes' genes.
Stretch Marks: Same as above. My mom didn't get those with us kids either. Score two for the Barnes' genes. (Sidenote: Yes, my Mom's Barnes' genes didn't produce a popped belly button or stretch marks, but they didn't produce popped boobs either. Score -5 points for that.)
Here is my Third Trimester, Day 1 picture. No, I am NOT trying to stick it out, even though it looks like I am. Just ask Kevin. I made him take about 10 more with me sucking it in and they all turned out looking exactly like this. *big sigh*
A close up of the quilt
A decent side profile of me. Consider this my 26 week belly shot.
Mom-in-law, me, and Mom
Me and Nikki!
Kerry and I (Gosh, Kevin. I don't know if you could've gotten further away. Although the pond in the background is pretty.)
Family picture time! Kevin and I with our parents and my grandmas. (Note to self, always turn sideways for pictures.)
Now comes the task of getting all of the baby's gifts to Texas. As incredibly thankful as I am to Kerry and Greg for volunteering to drive them down sometime during the first couple weeks of October, it is KILLING me to have to wait 2 months. I just want to play with all of my new toys! Maybe try out some of the diapers we received on my Cabbage Patch dolls for practice. And I need to start organizing! Right now the nursery consists of a crib, a dresser, and a stroller. Now I know how a kid feels when mom and dad takes their toys away for being bad. It's going to be a long couple of months! But since they are being so generous as to bring the baby stuff to us, I might take them out for Mexican food and margaritas anyway. We'll see.
I suppose I should probably do a check in. We've been so busy that I've skipped my last two weeks. I haven't even had time to take my weekly belly pictures. Luckily, people have been more than willing to make up for my slacking.
CHECKING IN - WEEK 27!
Due Date: November 12, 2010
Total weight gain/loss: According to my doctor I am up 26 pounds. However according to my calculations (the correct calculations), I am still up only 20. I have NO idea where they got my starting number, being as they didn't weigh me at my first appointment. Just to prove it, when I got pregnant I was 148 pounds. This morning I was 168.4. I've been holding steady at 168 point something for the past 3 weeks. Hopefully I stay there a little longer.
Next Appointment: August 19 - We're into the every two week phase now. At last week's appointment we had planned on getting a 4D ultrasound so that we could take some pictures up to Michigan for my shower. Of course, Bob the Baby wasn't having it and refused to show us anything but his back. We poked and proded (which only caused him to bury himself deeper into my back) until we finally gave up. The ultrasound tech said that it appears we have a very lazy baby (takes after dad, no?). I just told her that if the baby is like this when he comes out, we're going to be the luckiest parents ever.
Maternity clothes? I'm going to need to break down and buy some more. My shirts are getting tight (and short) due to my belly as are my dresses. I'll be putting that off for another couple of weeks I'm sure. Ooooohhhhhhh........and the worst part of ALL........my SHOES are getting tight. I want to cry. There is one thing that I hate more than clothes shopping and that is shoe shopping. Feel free to send donated shoes in the mail so that I don't have to go find them myself. I'm an 8.5. Okay, 9.5.
Sleep: Still getting up once per night for a bathroom break, but I'm pretty comfortable overall. I think that I'm lucky since I already slept on my left side so I didn't need to learn a new position to sleep in. That has definitely helped.
Best moment this week: I got my stroller! It's a Baby Jogger City Mini (awesome stroller) and retails for ~$230, plus $20 for the child tray, and $20 for the cup holder attachment. I found a used one on Woodlands Online Classifieds and picked it up for $125 cash and the tray and cup holder were both included. The woman had bought it for her baby that they adopted from Ethiopia thinking they were getting a 2 year old. After they got her home and she started putting on weight, they realized that she was probably closer to 5 years old and they only had time to use it a few times before she outgrew it. It is in pristine condition. And to fold it up, you just lift it by the nylon handle on the seat and the entire thing collapses into the size of a purse. Fine, maybe not a purse, but close enough. And it's only 16 pounds! The travel systems we were originally looking at were around 35. Yes, I am freakishly excited over a stroller and plan on whipping out my Cabbage Patch kids tonight to push them around in it (for practice, of course). It suddenly appears that my Cabbage Patch kids will be getting more action in the next few months than they've had in the last 20
Movement: All......the.......time. I sit in meetings at work and just watch my stomach bounce around. A couple of nights ago Kevin and I were laying in bed when my stomach started going nuts. It looked like the baby had put one foot on either side of my belly button and was quickly alternating kicking his left and right leg. I was NOT expecting that. Sadly, the only thing that came to my mind was the famous line from Twas the Night Before Christmas - "He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!"
Food cravings: None, but I'm going to have to think of some pretty soon. I'm getting the impression that Kevin was actually looking forward to being sent out at night after random food stuffs, most likely so that he could get his own food and blame me. Of course I'm just making an assumption stemming from the fact that he keeps asking me if I'm absolutely SURE I don't need a Big Mac right now. Yes, honey. I'm positive.
Planning/Preparations: One shower down, one to go! I am so incredibly lucky to have such great family and friends. I can't wait to get all of this stuff into my nursery!
Belly Button in or out: In. And I found out last weekend than my mom's never popped out for any of us kids. Score one for the Barnes' genes.
Stretch Marks: Same as above. My mom didn't get those with us kids either. Score two for the Barnes' genes. (Sidenote: Yes, my Mom's Barnes' genes didn't produce a popped belly button or stretch marks, but they didn't produce popped boobs either. Score -5 points for that.)
Showing?: Obviously. I'm just hoping that I'm continuing to show more in the front than in the back. Everyone I talk to is so "oh, pregnancy is so good to you, you look great, you're all belly, blah, blah, blah." I have a feeling that people LIE.
What I miss: My family and friends! It was so, so, so awesome to see everyone at the shower last weekend. Oh, and I miss alcoholic beer. But my friends and family first, of course. (I hate to admit that they're not winning by much at this point).
What I am looking forward to: Picking a name for the baby. Bob the Baby CANNOT stick. I will cry. As will he. So if it does happen to stick and you come by to visit only to find him bawling his eyes out, it's because you called him Bob. Oh! And my 30th birthday is next week too! I can't say I'm actually looking forward to it per se, being as I had always envisioned my 30th at an all-inclusive Mexican resort with a steady supply of froo-froo drinks in my hand, but what can you do? We'll have to do that for my 35th birthday instead. As for what we're actually going to do for my birthday this year, I have no idea. It kind of snuck up on us so we haven't planned anything yet!
What I miss: My family and friends! It was so, so, so awesome to see everyone at the shower last weekend. Oh, and I miss alcoholic beer. But my friends and family first, of course. (I hate to admit that they're not winning by much at this point).
What I am looking forward to: Picking a name for the baby. Bob the Baby CANNOT stick. I will cry. As will he. So if it does happen to stick and you come by to visit only to find him bawling his eyes out, it's because you called him Bob. Oh! And my 30th birthday is next week too! I can't say I'm actually looking forward to it per se, being as I had always envisioned my 30th at an all-inclusive Mexican resort with a steady supply of froo-froo drinks in my hand, but what can you do? We'll have to do that for my 35th birthday instead. As for what we're actually going to do for my birthday this year, I have no idea. It kind of snuck up on us so we haven't planned anything yet!
Milestones: I'd say the nursery being started was a huge milestone. That was the hardest thing I've had to do. There are only 1.8 billion different colors, themes, ideas to choose from. We painted it green. Baby steps.
Here is my Third Trimester, Day 1 picture. No, I am NOT trying to stick it out, even though it looks like I am. Just ask Kevin. I made him take about 10 more with me sucking it in and they all turned out looking exactly like this. *big sigh*
Since I didn't take any 25 week shots, I'm including some shots that were taken at 25 weeks, 1 day. These are some of the 108 shots of my gut that were taken by my friend Jill (who obviously just bought a new camera if she's taking 108 shots of my gut) at Aqualpalooza on Lake Conroe. CAUTION: The following pictures contain a bikini. Consider yourself warned!
Yes, Nicole. I feel the exact same way.
Awe!! You make me want to cry! You are so beautiful in your bikini!! I would totally print those out, blow 'em up, and be so proud that you look absolutely amazing pregnant!!!! Bellisima!
ReplyDeleteDiaper Genie? I'm scared... I'm so excited to bring down your stuff and help you set up/decorate your nursery! And don't worry, I have thus far contained myself from breaking out your pack n play...thus far....
ReplyDelete