Post-Pregnancy Plans

Woop woop - only 5 days until my due date!! I'm trying to be as lazy as possible (and it's just oh so terrible...) today in hopes of not having a baby - Leap Day. Is it called Leap Day or just Leap Year? I digress...so with only 5-12 days left, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my post-pregnancy plans. Most of these "big plans" have been in the making (in my head) for the last 9 months and revolve around food. So here is my "Post-Pregnancy Inspiration Board":

1. I want to become Kelly Ripa. Seriously, what is not to love about this woman!? She's beautiful, hilarious, dresses fabulously, has an amazing body, and is a mom but remains super stylish.

2. I must eat ahi tuna from Outback immediately. Not just any ol' tuna will do - it must be from Outback. The crust..the sauce...mmmm...my mouth is watering as I type.

3. Sushi!! Especially a volcano roll from Sushi Ninja - a little hole in the wall place in Brandon next to the Wal-Mart. Seriously, you would see the outside and never think of going in, but would be oh so thankful if I dragged you in there!

4. All I have wanted throughout this pregnancy is a cold turkey sandwich. I've been banned from them due to the risk of listeria - although my soon to be med school grad BIL says my chances of getting listeria are laughably low. I must confess - I've cheated 3 times with this one - oops. 3 times in 9 months isn't that bad though - considering I've craved them almost everyday!

5. Is it possible to crave an experience?? I have soooo been craving being at the beach, watching the waves, with an ice cold Corona in hand. I will be investing in a UV-protection umbrella for Davis.

6. Holy moly - I have missed shopping so much! Yes, I've gone shopping throughout my pregnancy, but it's just not the same. People look at you weird when you try to shop in "regular" stores, everyone stops you and wants to carry on a conversation, and it's just not as fun spending money on maternity clothes. I've had gift cards since Christmas and they are burning a hole in my pocket!

(case in point: I was at HomeGoods yesterday and an older gentleman stopped me, started with the line "Hey - you're pregnant!" Then proceeded to tell me all about his 23 year old son who has 2 kids already and they used to live with him, but then his son got a job and moved out of his house, which made him lose his job as a full-time grandpa. Seriously guy - I just wanted to look at washcloths.)

7. In order to look like Kelly Ripa, I realize I'll need to work out. I really want to get enrolled in some yoga or pilates classes. My sweet SIL did give me a Baby & Me Yoga DVD, so I'll definitely be giving that a try!

8. Bayshore! I suppose if you're not in the Tampa area, you won't understand; however, I want to be a Bayshore mom. My friend, Heather, and I have been talking about having babies and becoming a Bayshore mom forever! Basically, we will be stay-at-home-moms and meet everyday to push our babies in strollers around Bayshore and then go out to lunch and shop all day! It could happen, right?!

9. Red wine has been severely missed in my life. I was on a big red wine "kick" right before I got pregnant and I think that has a lot to do with why I have been craving it so much. Sometimes, I open the bottle just to sniff it and my mouth starts to water. It's serious.

So those are my big plans for after this little man is born. Of course, these are my big "me plans" - I have lots of plans for Davis and our new little family, but I really want to remain my own person and not just Davis' mommy. I think it's really important. Possibly by using this inspiration board of "me plans" I'll be able to do that! I truly believe it will make for a much happier mommy, baby, and marriage.

Hiccup...hiccup...!

Oh my good heavens. The hiccups are driving me insane. For the longest time, I heard friends and other moms talk about the baby getting hiccups and I was soooo jealous. How adorable is that?! Little tiny baby hiccups! Prior to getting pregnant, I didn't even know that babies could get hiccups - never really thought about it either. So, you can imagine my delight the first few times I felt this little pumpkin hiccuping. At first I couldn't figure out what it was...spasms? cool new dance moves? However, after about the third or fourth time of this happening, I figured it out. The little rhythmic up and down jolts were hiccups! How cute!!

...until he started getting them all the time. It's just like when we adults get hiccups - funny at first (especially after a cocktail or two), then just really, really annoying! I can't help but think that it drives him crazy too! He doesn't know the ol' "hold your breath for 10 seconds" trick and I have no real way to scare him that I know of....Poor guy.

I will say that there are a few good things about his hiccups, though. The first is that it puts my mind at ease to know he's okay in there. Even though my doctor told me it wasn't necessary, I still do kick counts occasionally throughout the day and I've read that hiccups count! (We just got about 157 "kicks" out of the way while I was typing this post) The other positive thing is that it's a great time for Andrew to feel him moving around. I'm spoiled - I get to feel every little kick, roll, and poke - well, some of the time I don't feel so lucky. However, it seems like as soon as I tell Andrew to come feel him, he stops. Then I have to go through the whole, "I swear, he was just playing Dance Dance Revolution in there!" thing. So last night, as we were laying in bed - Andrew falling asleep, me watching Iron Chef America and dreaming of enrolling in cooking school - Davis got the hiccups. I told Andrew and he immediately reached over and put his hand on my belly and, even in the dark, I could see a little smile on his proud daddy face! And that's how he fell asleep...

I was so touched by the super sweet and sensitive moment that I tried to take pictures to capture it forever. Unfortunately, it's really hard to take pictures with your iPhone, in the dark, while lying down. I did the best I could, but you'll have to use your imagination a little bit.

(My belly is down there in the left-hand corner.)

(Please try to ignore my super sexy linea nigra and even sexier stretch marks!)

Ready When You Are...

I am sooo ready to have this baby. Well, let me clarify - I'm ready to be done having him and have a little bundle of cuteness in my arms. I'm not looking forward to actually going through the birth process. I guess I really have no choice though. Here I am, 9 days away and having none of the usual pre-labor signs (at least nothing consistent). Apparently Davis has really set-up-shop in my uterus and rather likes it. Maybe patience is a characteristic he has - one that his mother is obviously lacking. Don't get me wrong, I am super grateful that I have a healthy baby boy growing in there and I know that every day that he "bakes", the better. I would much rather be in my "Ready when you are..." situation than a "Ready or not, here I come!" one.

Besides being impatient, I do have another reason for wanting him to start heading south sooner rather than later. And that reason is....Andrew was an 11 lbs baby! Yes, you read that correctly - 11 LBS! I was over 8 lbs, so I was no baby swimsuit model either. Everyday he's in here, the bigger he gets! Just for "fun", I googled things that weigh about 11 lbs. Here they are for your enjoyment:

- 11 cans of beans
- a gallon and a half of milk
- the average full-grown housecat
- a 6ft. aluminum step ladder
- a large bag of potatoes
- 2 2-liter bottles of soda
- 4 boxes of wine (mmm...wine...)
- 4 2-slice toasters
- 4 human brains
- 5 1/2 pineapples

Can you imagine carrying any of those around and then birthing it!? God bless his mother.

Arranged Marriage

Today I am officially 12 days from my due date! Yay! Please, hold the "first babies are always late" comments - not what I want to hear right now as I am getting increasingly uncomfortable by the day. This is also the fourth week of my maternity leave - yes, I started a tad early because I was afraid of 1) waddling around miserably at work and 2) my water breaking at school and scarring my poor students for life. In these four weeks, I've been busy practicing being a stay-at-home-mom - cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping - you know, everything besides having an actual child to take care of 24 hours a day. Anyway, on one of my "breaks" today, I was catching up with a fellow SAHM - my friend, Andrea - via text. Andrea is always good for a laugh and I definitely needed some today. Of course, we got to talking about her gorgeous model-baby daughter, Allie Grace (my model in the "Practice Makes Perfect" post). It started out with how AG is teething now, which naturally led into her dating Davis one day. :) That's normal, right??

So after a few texts back and forth of us planning their wedding, it really got me thinking...my sweet (I'm assuming he'll be sweet) little boy is going to get married one day! This brought on a whole new wave of anxiety - what if the girl is a floozy, what if she makes him choose between her and his momma, what if her family is no fun, what if she doesn't like me, what if she's just awful in general?! This is a lot to deal with and he's not even born yet! Of course, my MIL really lucked out with a gem of a DIL like me (haha!), but what if I'm not so lucky?? There is only one solution to this problem and that solution is: an arranged marriage. So, with this post, I am officially asking (on behalf of Davis) for Allie Grace's hand in marriage.

10 Words

Yesterday, my very anti-talk-about-pregnancy/babies/children best friend actually initiated a serious conversation about pregnancy with me. Well, as serious as you can be after sipping on champagne and wine for hours (her - not me!). We had spent the day celebrating her recent engagement - yay for Tia and Kurt! It was wonderful to spend time with some of my very favorite ladies. I seriously thought I was on the verge of laughing the baby out quite a few times.

Anyway, after many hours of celebrating, my BFF (who just so happens to be Davis' fairy godmother) wanted to get serious. In the midst of having a conversation with my mom, she looked at me said, "5 words to describe pregnancy - go! Wait, no...let's make it 10 - go!" It kind of caught me off-guard and I was only able to come up with about 3 words. Since then I've been thinking about what these 10 words would be for me. After much consideration, this is what I've come up with:

1. nervous - "What if something goes wrong? What if I'm a terrible mother? What if (insert any ridiculous thought here)?" These are the things that go through my head on a daily basis.

2. exciting - We're going to have a baby! Our lives are about to change forever - from now on, we will forever be parents!

3. scared - I have to push a watermelon out of my hoo-ha! After that, I have to figure out how to care for a helpless human being that is completely dependent on me.

4. uncomfortable - This one doesn't need much explanation. I waddle. I itch. My clothes don't fit quite right. I have to pee. A lot. It's hard to breathe. I feel like a weight is crushing my insides every time I lay down. And so on, and so on.

5. sober - By no means did I go through alcohol withdraws or anything, but I do miss the social bonding that happens over a couple of drinks. Happy hour after work, a few glasses of wine with the girls, beer in hand during  tailgates haven't happened in 9 months. It's been a bit of an adjustment - an adjustment I know is well worth it - if for no other reason than peace of mind.

6. pampered - As mentioned in a previous post, people are really nice to pregnant ladies. I get to skip lines for the bathroom, people always smile at me and ask me a slew of questions, I get to eat whatever I want without being judged. Today I even went out shopping in a t-shirt, running shorts, flip-flops, hair in a pony tail, sans make-up...and guess what? It was okay because I'm extremely pregnant.

7. responsible - I'm a real adult now - a parent. In just a few weeks, I will have another life that I am responsible for for at least the next 18 years.

8. impatient/anxious - The anticipation is killing me!! I like to be in control. I like to plan. It's driving me crazy that there's no way to plan the exact time this little boy will be ready  to make his way into the world. It's just a waiting game now. Knowing it can happen at any time is driving me absolutely insane.

9. amazed - The changes that a woman's body goes through is really amazing. I had no idea my stomach could get so big, that my skin could stretch so much. It's also amazing to think about how a little person is made from just a sperm and an egg - crazy!

10. accomplished - I grew a person!!! :) (and I've done most of it with a smile on my face!)

So there are my 10 words to describe what pregnancy was/is like for me. I'm curious what my 10 words will be about parenthood if asked this time next year...??

"YOU'RE going to be a mother?!"

Ok, so I know I'm guilty of judging others at one time in my life or another. I can't lie - I can distinctly remember numerous times in college, looking at someone at the bar or a tailgate and thinking "You're going to be a brain surgeon?" or "You're going to teach our youth one day?" or "You're going to be a lawyer?" I know, it's terrible but it's true. So today, as I am one day closer to being a mother, I couldn't help but think back on my past and I am now certain that someone has looked at me and thought "You're going to be a mother?!?!"

Feeling nostalgic, I went browsing through all 1,247,992 pictures on my facebook profile. Again, I'm not going to lie, I was laughing out loud - literally. Reminiscing on those crazy times was soooo much fun! Those four (ish) years were some of the best times of my life - with some of my very best friends! However, here are some classic shots that I sure hope little Davis never sees...or hears about.

Of course, there are so many more, but seriously...that girl is going to be a mother in about 2 1/2 weeks! Now, we know it takes two to tango and Davis also has a daddy that will help raise him, so there's hope, right??

Nope. But it takes a village to raise a child, right?? That's the reason we choose godparents - to be an integral part of the child's life...a positive influence...a "parent" the child can turn to if ever he feels he can't go to his actual parents...

Here are those fine specimens we so thoughtfully hand-selected. Mike and Tia. Gotta love them. At least Davis will be guaranteed to be taught some sweet dance moves!

This, of course, is all just in good fun. I do feel confident that Andrew and I will turn out to be good parents - we'll have no choice but to be hypocrites, but we'll be good!

Pregnancy Survival Kit

Although I'm not quite done with this whole pregnancy thing yet, I've come pretty far. It's hard to believe it's been 37 weeks - technically I've only known for 31 weeks! At times it has seemed to fly by (second trimester) and others have been like watching paint dry (every week since about...26 weeks). There are some things that have helped me get through this whole experience that I may not have been able to survive without....Ok, that's being a little dramatic, but if I had to start this process alllll over with a survival kit, this is what would be in it from the start.

Beginning with the first trimester...I didn't have food aversions like many women - I love food WAY too much for that - but I did have some serious smell aversions. Basically I hated anything with a scent - deodorant, laundry detergent, Andrew's body wash, you get the point.

 

Ivory "fresh scent" body wash and Secret unscented deodorant saved my life - or at least my breakfast every morning. 

I was extremely lucky in this pregnancy in that I didn't really have morning sickness. Five times tops. However, when I was feeling a little nauseous, I would drink Perrier Sparkling Water - but it had to be the citrus flavor. Another favorite was Juicy Juice Sparkling Apple. It was fizzy and allowed me to pretend I was sipping on champagne while watching everyone else drink - and it comes in a can, so I could joke about shotgunning it! 

 

As far as products specifically designed for pregnant women - I only had 2 "must haves". One was gummy prenatal vitamins. Apparently I'm 4 years old again because I simply could not swallow the regular prenatals without gagging. (I think it had a lot to do with the fish oils too) The second is my beloved Snoogle. Snoogle and I have a fabulous relationship that is most definitely not going to end in 3 weeks. She is my new life partner and Andrew is okay with that. 

 

My cravings weren't so much weird combinations of foods (except for that one 'jar of pickles/cheese/orange juice/apple sauce' day, which lead to 1/5 "sickness experiences"), but I did have certain foods that were must haves and must have oftens. First and foremost: banana peppers. On everything. Second, chocolate-covered strawberries. I once ate an entire Edible Arrangements centerpiece at a rehearsal dinner by myself. And last but not least, Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin and I also have a love affair that's been going on for about two years now...Andrew's not as okay with this one as with Snoogle. I did have to switch up my usual order to "medium iced DECAF French vanilla coffee with cream and sugar and an order of hash browns". (I've said that exact statement one too many times). 

My darling husband even put a jar of banana peppers in my Christmas stocking! He's so good to me! :)

 And finally, the last two things I would shove into my pregnancy survival kit are....

My mom - without her, I would have been a complete wreck. Whether she was loading my car with baby "essentials" every time I saw her, calming my nerves, sending me weekly update emails, always staying positive, or making me laugh...I definitely could not have done these last 37 weeks so easily without her! Love you, mom!

And for good measure....this guy - without whom, none of this would be possible! :)

My sweet, sweet husband who has kept me laughing, painted my toenails, brought me strawberries in bed after receiving my text from the bedroom to him on the couch, and shown me more love than I ever thought possible. I absolutely cannot wait to see him with his son - he's going to be such a fabulous daddy!

Practice Makes Perfect

I've spent a lot of time pretending to be a photographer since we bought our "fancy" camera. However, today was the first chance I had to take pictures of an actual baby!! My sweet friend, Andrea, asked me to take some pictures of her 3 month old daughter, Allie Grace. Let me tell you, she is adorable and such a good baby! She even joined us for a girls' lunch at the tea room and let us eat in peace throughout the entire lunch!   I can only hope that Davis is as well-mannered as Allie Grace! :)

Just wanted to share a few of the over 100 pictures I snapped of her in all her cuteness!

(This one is my absolute favorite - and it only has a little bit to do with the orange & blue!)

Today was wonderful practice for me because I'm pretty sure Davis will be the most photographed child on the face of the earth....although I do know some mommies that will give me a run for my money! Thank you to Andrea for allowing me the opportunity to take pics of this little slice of preciousness!

Maternity Pics - Part II

Since this baby bump actually started turning into a real bump that all the world could see (not just me), I've been drooling over adorable maternity pictures on Pinterest. Most of them included both mommy and daddy - and baby, of course! I knew that I would not be satisfied with just pictures of me and bump - I had to get some with Andrew in them too. However, that proved quite difficult! After attempting to use PVC pipes, 2x4s, chairs, etc. to serve as a tripod, we decided to just go out and buy an actual tripod...

$40 at Target and $2 entrance fee to the Lithia State Park and we were on our way to maternity session - part 2!

Here they are in all their glory! I'm happy with the way they turned out. Like I said before, a professional photographer could have done a much better job, but we'll save the $300+ for pictures of this little guy in just a few weeks! $42 is a MUCH better deal!

If only...

...everyone treated each other as if they were pregnant, the world would be a much better place. People are so nice to pregnant ladies. This is definitely one of the things I will miss the most about pregnancy. I don't imagine people will be this nice to me once I have the baby - they only care about the baby then. The mother means nothing anymore. So I'm definitely soaking up this positive attention while I can! Here is my latest experience:

So, I'm at the drive-thru at Arby's today (Davis wanted a roast beef sandwich...I tried to talk him out of it, but he insisted!) and the lady taking my order was very short - borderline rude. Our conversation went a little something like this:

Girl: What can I get you?
Me: Can I have junior roast beef sandwich, please?
Girl: That's it?
Me: Yes, that's all.
Girl: Pull around.
Me: Thank you!

**I do as I'm instructed.**

Girl: (gives me my total)
Me:  (hand her my debit card)
Girl: Sauce? (mind you, she has yet to make eye contact with me)
Me: Yes, Arby's sauce, please.
Girl: .....Wait, what sauce did you say?
Me: Arby's sauce.
Girl: (turns to me to give me my card - finally making eye contact) You're pregnant?!
Me: Yes.
Girl: Oh my gosh!!! Congratulations, that is so exciting!! When are you due?
Me: Thank you - in about 3 weeks.
Girl: Is it a boy or a girl?
Me: It's a boy.
Girl: What are you naming him?
Me: Davis.
Girl: Davis...I like that! My aunt just had a baby about 3 days ago...a little girl...her name is Daniella!
Me: Oh, that's pretty!
Girl: (hands me my food) Well, good luck with baby Davis! Have a great day!!

Why is it that because now I look to be smuggling a watermelon in my shirt do I deserve service with a smile?? Not that I'm complaining...like I said, I love the positive attention. But I still firmly believe if we all treated each like we're all expecting, the world would be a much happier - and better - place! :)

Nursery Pics

25. That's how many days we have left until little Davis' due date! Of course, I realize that he could be 1 of 2 things: 1) impatient and come early or 2) stubborn and come late. (I'm secretly hoping for #1 - don't judge me!) In just 4 days, he will be 37 weeks, which is considered full-term and that is sooo exciting for us!

Anyway, with the due date fast approaching, I'm happy to say that the nursery is almost done! We have a few last minute things to do, art work to hang, etc., but it's definitely ready enough to accommodate a baby! Here are the long awaited pics:

 Entering the nursery - my very talented sister-in-law, Melinda, created this adorable door sign!

Letters on the plant shelf with jacks bookends.

Armoire - thanks to my mom for spray painting the bicycle yellow, since I've been banned from spray painting!

Dresser and changing table...I made the little signs because I'm too cheap to pay someone on etsy to do it for $15-20 a piece. "You are my sunshine" seems to be a popular theme these days, so I went with a little Bob Marley instead. Also, to honor our "baby divided", I made the Chomp/Chop sign. 

*Side note: My 3 year old niece insists that the baby's name is Jiminy Cricket and literally cried when she was told the baby might have a different name. On display is one of Davis' Christmas presents from Ansley - his very own Jiminy Cricket - and she has a matching one! :)

Here's the corner with all my mom's hard work on display. This glider has been at my parents house forever, but was a strange light wood color, so to match the room, my mom painted it and (again) my amazingly talented sister-in-law is in the process of recovering the cushions with seersucker fabric. I LOVE seersucker! Also, my mom painted that sailboat picture!

Bookshelf and toy storage - it's a little cramped over there, but oh well...

So that's the nursery so far! Hopefully the next pictures I take of the nursery will have Davis in them! :)

Cleaning = My New Hobby

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a cleaner. I like things to be in their place, but spic-and-span....not so much. Of course, I had heard that "nesting" often strikes in late pregnancy and women get this crazy urge to clean, organize, reclean, and then reorganize. I NEVER thought this would be me. Boy was I wrong...

Nesting - especially the cleaning part - is officially a hobby of mine. I literally wake up in the morning and think "What do I get to clean today?!" To be sure that I don't over-exert myself, I created a cleaning schedule. Although I'm often not satisfied with just those tasks and find myself dusting and vacuuming much more than scheduled. I also clean out the filter thing on the vacuum cleaner after every room because I'm an instant gratification type person and like to see my hard work paying off! (I have a problem - I realize this!) 

Also, I feel like I may be addicted to cleaning supplies. I seriously spent 45 minutes at Target the other day picking out a mop. I was testing them all out, searching on my phone which ones had the best reviews (who does that?!), changing my mind at check-out and starting over. When I'm shopping, I gravitate toward the cleaning aisle and have to resist the urge to buy tons of supplies - not to mention I've been making my own cleaners to be "chemical free" - especially in areas where baby Davis will be crawling around in the future. 

Here are some of my favorite "tools": 

Pet brush & de-shedder - you would not believe how much hair these take off. I brush the animals everyday and de-shed on Sundays. I get giddy seeing how much hair I'm keeping from floating around my house or sticking to my clothes!

MICROFIBER! Why have I just figured out how amazing microfiber is for attracting and holding dust?! I use these rags almost daily. The little "wand" is great for dusting blinds and I use the sponge to pick up pet hair from upholstered furniture.

Purple rubber gloves - great for all-purpose cleaning, buuuuutttt, I use the spray bottle to keep them damp and it also works wonders at removing pet hair from furniture. Can you tell I hate pet hair everywhere?!

And here is the mop. It's called the "Moon Mop" and is fabulous for getting those hard to reach places like corners, under cabinets, and behind toilets. The bottom has scrubbers and...microfiber (!) for picking up any dust left-over after sweeping.


Anyone else have fun nesting stories? Or perhaps cleaning tips/techniques?!