Getting Closer

Well here I am at 36 1/2 weeks, that means my due date is 3 1/2 weeks away, how did this happen so fast?! 

I feel like I am getting bigger by the day, and I suppose it is possible that I am!  Physical therapy has helped my back pain tremendously and I have learned many useful stretches and exercises that I can employ when at work and probably even during labor.   If you watched any of the Summer Olympics you probably noticed the weird tape a lot of the athletes had on various parts of their body (particularly the divers).  This is called kinesiotape and I now have quite the bright blue tape pattern on my lower back.  I approached it with caution as there aren't many scientific studies that back its effectiveness, but it does seem to make a difference, so I'm going with it.  I also got a big exercise ball and am wishing I would have gotten one much sooner, they are WONDERFUL and also will probably be useful to bounce a crying baby to sleep as well as stretch out my poor, tired back.  The other wonderful thing about PT is that they do deep tissue work, hey my co-pay is cheaper than a massage and they really get in there, which is what I needed.  So, if you ever
 find yourself pregnant and uncomfortable, ask for a referral!. 

Let's see, other pregnancy news...It's starting to get hot here and my fingers are responding in protest, I've managed to keep my wedding ring on this long but these last few weeks may result in naked fingers.  I'm proud (as is Eric) to say that I really haven't had the stereotypical mood swings associated with pregnancy.  Until last night that is!  I had just finished 3 shifts in a row (which is my max these days), it was almost 100 degrees, I was uncomfortable, and just finished reading the labor and delivery chapter of one of my books.  I sat down at the dining room table as Eric was getting dinner ready and just burst in to tears, while at the same time laughing at myself for crying.  We got through it but I know that the next month is bound to be an emotional rollercoaster. 

We completed the obligatory childbirth prep classes over the weekend (I opted for the "fast track" rather than a 6-week course), while there wasn't much new information for me I'm glad we went as I'm sure most of it was new to Eric.  I kind of take for granted that I just know all of these things and forget that his knowledge of childbirth and pregnancy is pretty limited.  I know he'll be a great support person though.  I'm starting to pack "the bag" and be as prepared as one can be.  All the unknowns at this point are getting to me a little, I'd REALLY like to know how this will all pan out, it's the worst exercise in giving up control (which I may have a slight issue with)  There have still been some positives though.

I had my local baby baby shower!

Eric got to help with the presents

Not everyone, but a good sampling!

The two lovely hostesses

It was great fun and I'm so very thankful to have such wonderful friends I can count on, especially since our families are so far away. 

Last big news...We're under contract on a house!  Yes, yes, I know this sounds like the worst possible time to be buying a house, and we really had decided that we were just going to start looking and not buy anything until the Fall.  Well, the stars kind of aligned on the "perfect" house for us (rather than just the "Starter house") under very ideal circumstances.  We won't close until the end of July so there will be no racing the baby.  And overall the process has gone relatively smooth.  Lots of paperwork, but really smooth.  The last big thing is the appraisal before the end of June then all will be taken care of and we just cruise through July and wait to close!  I am still in somewhat denial that this is all happening for us.  I feel like all our major dreams are coming true at the same time and I'm just so very blessed, I'm trying not to let the pessimist out and expect something to go wrong. 

 So now we just wait!  I'm still working, though every shift is a gamble at this point, at least I'm surrounded by nurses in case something happens while I'm there.  We have a few baby items left to pick up but really are mostly ready with all the little onesies washed and put away, the car seat installed (in one car anyway!), and the co-sleeper ready to pop up at a moments notice.  Prayers would be appreciated that all continues to go smoothly!

The Merry, Merry Month of May

Wow, is it just me or does time move exponentially faster when you are pregnant?  Of course I didn't feel that way the first half when I was bargaining with all food intake to stay put!  But, really, here we are at the end of the month with 5 1/2 weeks left to go.  It has been a pretty great month all in all.  After my lovely visit to IL I came home and was accompanied by my Mom who spent another glorious 2 weeks with me.  She was really a God-send, and helped reign in my pregnancy brain and got things situated in our house so, if our little one decides to make an early entrance, we are ready with the essentials!  First things first though. 

At the beginning of the month I hit the big 3-0.  If you would have asked me a couple years ago I would have admitted that I was dreading this milestone, but now, I had not a single problem with it.  I realized that I definitely wouldn't want to go be 20 again and that my life is pretty great.  I am more confident in who I am, I have a career that I love, an amazing husband and life partner, and an expanding waistline that is actually not from too much pizza and beer!  I really couldn't ask for anything more!  We celebrated the event with a Mexican-themed dinner with a few friends.

Make your own Quesadilla or Fajitas!

Nothing like having your Mom in your kitchen to make you feel like all is right with the world

 We, funnily enough, all ended up watching the Movie Titanic through to the end for some odd reason, but it was kind of fun to see again.  Then of course, there was dessert.  I'm drooling just remembering!  Mom made a cheesecake and a friend of mine is a cupcake connoisseur and always brings delicious treats!

 I have the greatest friends, since we usually get each other nice bottles of wine or specialty beers and that was obviously off the table, they found  a creative replacement in pints of all different chocolate varieties from the best local ice cream shop.  Best gift for a pregnant person EVER!

 It really was a special birthday, even if I didn't get the crazy 30th birthday bash, priorities they are a-changin'. 

The best thing my Mom did for me during her visit was to help rearrange some things and get our spare bedroom ready to double as nursery.  She painted two of the walls a lovely lavender to cover the aweful blue sponge painting that was there before and made adorable curtains for the windows and the closet to replace doors that were less than functional.  Now I really like the room!

Of course pictures don't do the color justice, but this gives an idea.  We also kept Eric busy during this visit putting together furniture and baby accessories.  He is getting to be quite the pro, good practice for the many years of "some assembly required" ahead of us

Although we have had to keep all baby things shut away in her room since the cat thinks they are all very special beds for her!

We wrapped up Mom's time here with a special Mother's Day painting class.  Guided painting and wine studios are popping up all over the place here and they are a really good time (same principle as the owl paintings we did  a few months ago) and suitable for all abilities.  Since my Mom is kind of awesome when it comes to art projects she did her own thing as I followed the directions.

But she also helped me out along the way, which is why mine turned out so good!  Here are the finished masterpieces!

It was a special day indeed!  We were sad to see Mom leave, but I'm sure she was ready to get back home to retired life so she could relax after all the hard work she did for us, we love and appreciate you!!

The rest of the month we have just been truckin' along.  I am getting more and more uncomfortable and am actually going to see a PT for some back pain next week.  Work is busy and getting more difficult but I am determined to work as long as possible so I can save my leave for when the baby is actually on the outside.  My doctor gave me the "well we'll see how that goes for you" response, but I have a tendency towards stubbornness so we will just have to see!  Everything is progressing without complications at this point and, really, 5 1/2 weeks is not long at all!  It is also reassuring that if she does decide to make an early appearance she will, most likely, be perfectly fine.  I would prefer her to stay put though until  she is properly "cooked", even though she is making daily activities like standing up from a seated position more a more difficult!  Take your time, little one, we've got a lifetime of loving you ahead of us! 

Showered with Love

Whew!  What a whirlwind the last few weeks have been.  So very many wonderful things have happened it will take me a few posts to update for sure!  To start the festivities my family, spread coast to coast, was able to convene in the same place, at the same time, for a miraculous "perfect storm" of family love.  It was wonderful to be all together and not missing anyone, well, except my poor husband who has limited vacation.  During our reunion I was blessed to have not one, but two baby showers!  The first took place in my hometown and hosted by a dear, dear friend.

It was so wonderful to share this event with many other friends who have been a part of my life for a long, long time

I received many wonderful and thoughtful baby gifts, including some very fancy sparkle shoes, which are a necesity for any girl.

And, of course, the most important part of any baby shower, the cake!

Oh boy (or girl, rather!) this cake was both delicious AND beautiful!!

During the rest of the time we spent in our hometown we enjoyed visiting family,

4 generations

and eating at all my local favorites that I have been craving during the past 7 months!  No worrying about not gaining enough weight during this week! Oh, it was glorious.  After a too short visit we headed north to complete our "reunion" with the rest of the family.  I had another beautiful shower hosted by my Tantie (aunt) and her daughter.  This was wonderful because almost all of Eric's family were able to attend along with my family.  Again, the food was the highlight for me!

I mean, "Come on!"

Made by my talented cousin, Kaylee

No baby shower would be complete without some games.  The most creative of the weekend was entitled "Kim, Kate, Or Cath"  (referring to Kim Kardashian and Kate Middleton, who also happen to be expecting in July)  A statement was read and the game was to decide who it applied to, very funny and creative!

And, of course many other wonderful and generous gifts

Including her first Packers attire!

I'm so lucky to be part of such a great family, both blood and aquired through marriage!

It is such a rare opportuntity to spend more than a few hours or night with this side of the family, we really enjoyed ourselves.  Discovering that genetics is often humorous,

how wonderful Tanties are to play with,

And that no matter how long it has been since you've seen your cousins (or even that you have no recollection of meeting them before!) it's a special relationship that can be picked up where you left off

Most importantly, my belief that my life and lap is happiest when filled with nephews, was reinforced

There's plenty of room to add their cousin!

Play Ball

Ah, baseball season, nice to see you again!

 Even though it wasn't opening day, it was at least opening weekend.  Rooting for the home team has been something we have enjoyed since moving out here almost 7 years ago.  Tickets are affordable for all.  Even after the Rockies went to the World Series in '08 (I think) you could still get "rock pile" tickets (center field bleachers) for 4 bucks.  So, yeah, very accessible, I like that. 

We stopped at the Sandlot Brewery which is inside the stadium and is the original birthplace of Blue Moon.  I had a water.  Then off to our seats

27 weeks

These seats were a little better than rock pile thanks to Eric's boss, although we were 5 rows away from the hoity toity seats that get free cookies (jerks).  So I had to make up for it by enjoying my own ballpark fare.  I was excited about a hotdog all day so I, of course, had to start with that (yeah, yeah nitrates and pregnancy, blah, blah, it was one hotdog, chill.) Then I discovered the most amazing (and fancy) ballpark food...

The chocolate covered fruit kabob.  Totally overpriced, but, hey, I can only use the pregnancy excuse for a few more months right?  I then rounded out my baseball dinner with an ice cream cone.  And it was glorious.  Oh, and the Rockies won so over all I would say our first baseball outing of the season was a definite success!  Looking forward to a great baseball season to tide us over until football starts again!

On a side note, It was in the 60s the day before yesterday and it was 9 this morning.  Colorado weather is throwing a tantrum that I am not a fan of.  Be Spring already!!

Little bit of this, little bit of that

It's been awhile since my last update, time seems to be moving exponentially faster these days, I feel like it should still be January.  So here is a little of what we've been up to...

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary last week

It was a very happy day!

And since our freedom to traipse about will drastically decrease in 4 months we decided we should probably head out of town for a few days.  We went to Glenwood Springs, which is pretty far in to the mountains.  Since skiing is off limits for me (not that I would do it anyways since the LAST time I went skiing resulted in surgery) as were other thrilling adventures such as roller coasters and spelunking, we found the happy medium in the hot springs.  The natural pools were very relaxing and there was even a not-so-hot one that I could lounge in.  It was a bit chilly, but I imagine that made them even more lovely, and even a little romantic as it flurried on and off during our dip. 

Since the weather was rather erratic with periods of blizzard-like snow, then sunny, then overcast, we decided to not venture on to any hiking trails and instead enjoyed some great food and lots of basketball.  My bracket won the first round but Eric pulled a slight lead in the 2nd.  We'll see how this weekend goes.  Since I can't sample the local beers I made it a point to indulge in some dessert, I even went so far as to not finish my dinner so I would have room, because I can.  It was a lovely time but a miserable drive back through snowy mountain passes.  Eric, marrying you was the best decision I have ever made and I love you more than ever!  I can't wait to find out how much more I can love you as I watch you fall in love with our daughter. 

Speaking of daughters, here is my latest belly pic:

25-ish weeks

Just big enough that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable with a sense of dread knowing I'm just going to become more so in the months to come.  I won't whine too much about all the lovely things my body is going through, I'll save that for my mom.  I will say, though, that I continue to feel mostly ok with some back pain and heartburn thrown in for good measure.  The baby makes her presence known on a regular basis now with kujo kicks to my bladder and, what feel like, multiple barrel rolls in quick succession.  These performances are now visible and palpable on the outside, which often makes us giggle or stare in disbelief, depending on the mood.  Everything is progressing normally, per my OB, except my months of meat and vegetable aversion have caused my iron to be slightly low.  So a cheeseburger for lunch it is as well as torturing my husband with spinach and kale. 

More on dessert, since I've still got some weigh-gaining to do.  I saw a facebook post  regarding the following naughty brownies and coud not get them off of my mind for two days, so I finally gave in.  The posted recipe gave a basic guideline which I modified a bit but here's the general roadmap.  Are you ready to have your mind blown?  Ok....So, start with chocolate chip cookie dough, either make your favorite recipe from scratch or pick up a package of the pre-made stuff, whatever floats your boat.  Then make decision as to what shape and size you would like this delectable treat.  The original recipe showed large, square muffins tins, I decided to start mith my mini-muffin tin since I don't feel so guilty eating wee tiny treats (what, you ate 5!  Well, they're small).  I also made a batch with a square baking dish since I only had one muffin tin and had some "complications" which I'll explain in a minute.  After pressing the cookie dough in to the bottom of your baking vessel press a reeses peanut butter cup upside-down in to the center.  You could use the standard size if you had big cupcake wells but I used the mini-size (not the "original" mini size that is usually pre-wrapped and available in holiday colors, these are even minier) that come in a bag.

Looks pretty tasty as is, right?  Well, are you ready to have your mind blown?  Ok, here's the next step.  Cover with prepared BROWNIE MIX!

Oh yeah, its a chocolate-chip-cookie-peanut-butter-cup-brownie brownie!!  I know, I'll give you a minute....

Alright, moving on.  If using a muffin tin try not to fill as full as I did here, only go 2/3rd or so.  Otherwise a brownie "muffin top" forms and it is very hard to get out of the individual cups in one piece (I suppose cupcake liners could potentially solve this problem).  The bar-variety did not have this difficulty.  Oh, bake at 350 F until set (for me it was 15 min for the muffins, 30-40 for the bars).  They. Are. So. Good.  I suggest that you have some other people to pawn these off on otherwise you will eat them all yourself.  Co-workers and pet-sitters where my victims, uh, I mean lucky recipients of the most delicious treats ever!  And this is why I do not browse pinterest, especially while pregnant, I'm sure our house would be overrun with baked creations. 

Other life-updates, work is good now that Noro and Flu virus season seems to have waned down.  It is very difficult to be a pregnant nurse as your first priority is no longer your sick patients but keeping your fetus safe and sound.  So anyone on isolation had to be cared for my another nurse, which, although I felt guilty, I didn't feel guilty enough to risk my baby's health.  Thank goodness I work with awesome nurses.  Being a pregnant nurse is hard in other ways too.  First off, the smells.  I have never been bothered by poop, vomit, or other bodily smells, until now.  Now changing a colostomy bag may as well be torture and results in multiple dry heaves as I turn my head and pretend to be coughing.  I try to tough it out and can proudly say that I have yet to throw up in a patient's room.  Bending over also happens much more throughout my shift than I realized, be it to retrieve a dropped item (which I a doing much more frequently) or sitting on the floor to change an awkwardly placed dressing or fight to pull up some compression stockings.  I used to proudly claim I could do such tasks upside down and standing on my head, now, not so much.  Can't expect everything to stay easy I guess. 

Well, that's about the highlight of our lives over the past month.  We're gearing up to host Easter on Sunday, although my dinner will more resemble the traditional Thanksgiving fare as I missed out enjoying it the first time around and the smell of ham now makes my gag.  I am looking forward to an Eastery dessert though...

Sugar and Spice

...And everything nice.  That's right, we're having a girl!!  And I can only hope that the previous mantra is true, although, more realistically my daughter will be stubborn, opinionated, and independent.  Anyways, we are very excited to begin planning and buying lots of pink and purple.  Here is her most recent head shot

20 weeks, 2-21-13

Everything that they could measure looked healthy and normal but she gave the sonographer a bit of a hard time will all of her activity.  I was going to post the gender shot but figured she may not appreciate it in years to come, as her girl parts are very obvious.  Overall  I'm feeling...better.  Not wonderful or fantastic, but  better.  I was on my way upstairs to post how it had been 2 1/2 weeks since a "reversal" (as they call it in the competitive eating world) and, alas, my streak ended with a bonus simultaneous nose bleed.  But, I'll take the occasional emesis to the persistent nausea that I had been experiencing.  I have more energy and have been able to eat more (unfortunately the scale isn't reflecting that much),  my skin looks 10 times better, and other things are, uh, moving more regularly.  I'm starting to look more pregnant rather than just fat and have ditched my regular jeans for the more comfy maternity variety, and I don't cry at the nightly human interest stories on the news.  So, yes, overall I am definitely better. 

Along with feeling better comes leaving the house more to participate in social activities again!  A good friend recently had a birthday and arranged for us to do a guided painting class.  It was much fun and even us unartistic folks left with a painting that wasn't half  bad.  Here's mine:

Perhaps the best part was seeing how different they all turned out

It was indeed a good time and I hope to do it again, maybe when my mom visits.

So our  baby may get stuck with some owl art in her nursery, just because she was there too, kicking me most of the time, I might add. 

Happy Super Bowl

Well here we are at Super Bowl Sunday yet again.  To be honest we really don't care too much about the game this year considering both the Packers and the Broncos blew it in the playoffs, sad face.  The Puppy Bowl is fun though!  This year there are hedgehog cheerleaders and hamsters doing the aerial coverage!  Oh, and I'm 18 weeks,

18 weeks

I promise that is a baby bump, I'm not just getting fat, although honestly, that is how it mostly feels.  I have yet to experience the blissful second trimester, which I am now convinced is a myth.  There have been some improvements, I am not ridiculously exhausted all the time and my skin doesn't look like that of a hormonal 15 year old  anymore.  The nausea and vomitting are still a part of everyday life, but, either there is a slight improvement or I am just used to it.  Either way I have a least stopped losing weight and it is now Girl Scout cookie season, and those mostly always sound good!  Food continues to be a source of anxiety as I never know what will sound good from day to day.  Much to my husbands dismay, pregnancy has caused me to trend towards vegetarianism and I often run to the bathroom if he chooses the wrong thing to heat up for dinner; my bloodhound sense of smell is bizarre.  I started feeling the first tiny baby flutters (technically it's called quickening but since I'm not an OB nurse I'll call it whatever I want) which is both weird and wonderful.  A couple more weeks until we find out gender, then I think we can really start planning and preparing.  In the meantime I'll keep hoping that the elusive fantasy land of the second trimester decides to make an appearance.