Baby's Black Friday "Best Buy"s

Given I have my Christmas shopping done, we didn't have a lot planned for Black Friday. We have been budgeting for a new computer and possibly a camcorder. These were two BIG purchases we thought would be nice with the new baby on the way. Our current desktop computer is over 8 years old and very out of date. Given we will have lots of pictures (and possibly video) of Little Bean, we wanted something with more memory. So on Black Friday, we took advantage of the deals at Best Buy and got a new computer and a nice new camcorder. The computer was under what we had budgeted (and came with a free printer), so we had the extra available to pay for the camcorder. Now we just need Little Bean to come and be our little model ;o)

She knows me well...

Liz got me some Thank You cards to use for my shower. She said she picked them because she thought I would like them. The week before, I had bought some Thank You cards of my own to send for the gifts we were getting in the mail. When Liz gave me the box she picked out, I had to smile. Here are the two sets of Thank You cards....I bought the ones on the left and the ones Liz gave me are on the right. Do they seem similar to you? ;o) I just have to smile, she knows me well. I have the Thank Yous from the Normal shower done and they will be going in the mail tomorrow. Then I can bust into the other pack as needed.

Shower Slideshow

I wanted to put together a short slideshow to show more pictures from the shower and highlight all of the great goodies that Little Bean got. We are truly blessed and I want to THANK everyone who came to celebrate with me and thank Liz and Mel for hosting, so THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!

Some of the great things we got for Little Bean included:
-wipe warmer
-bottle warmer
- receiving blankets
- cute baby blanket
- crib aquarium
- diaper depot
- diapers
- a cute "expecting parents" Christmas tree ornament
- monster bibs
- handmade bibs
- "hooter hider" (aka a nursing cover)
- handmade burp rag
- CD player/clock
- washcloths and a hooded towel
- rocker/vibrating chair
- Miracle blanket
- highchair
- baby monitor
- numerous toys
- lots and LOTS of books (including some with a main character named Little Bean. Too cute!)

Now I want to read all of the great books and I need to figure out where all the goodies go in Little Bean's room.

32 week belly pics...where am I?

Today we are 32 weeks pregnant. Hitting the final stretch ;o) It was time for belly pics, but where am I? If you notice the background has changed. We aren't home. We are in TX visiting my SIL, BIL, and baby niece ;o) We took our original belly pics this morning outside at the hotel in the bright sunshine next to a nice tropical plant, but thought it would be funny to take another with the backdrop Valie used during her pregnancy to take all of her belly pics. I also faced a clothing dilemma this morning. I was trying not to repeat any shirts for my belly pics but my clothing options are limited. I do have a few long sleeve shirts that haven't been photographed yet but it's much too warm here for long sleeves (Yes Melissa- today its almost 70 again and super sunny...ha!) So I repeated this shirt which is one of my favorites and I haven't used since 20 weeks. Quite a noticeable change these past 12 weeks ;o) So we thought it would be fun to post a comparison of Val and I at 32 weeks.

And because I have the other pics... here is a comparison of me at 28 (TOP) weeks and now at 32 (BOTTOM).

And as always I will update the slideshow later. Stay tuned!

Saturday's Super Shower Part 1

This past Saturday was my first baby shower and it was SUPER. It was hosted by my great friends Liz and Mel.

We had lots of food and lots of cake. There was a lovely "theme" cake handmade by Liz. It was my "Ace of Cakes Cake" made with fondant and all with the "Alphabet Soup" theme. It was also funfetti cake (which happens to be my favorite). It was super cute and super colorful (right up my alley.) Then there were monkey chocolate cupcakes.

And to top it off there was a wonderful diaper cake (this one you don't eat. HA!)

Quite a few people showed up to help celebrate. Most were ladies that I used to work with or still work with and a few were family. Two family members there were my mom and my Aunt Rachel. (More family will be at the shower in 2 weeks in Decatur.)

Given I LOVE LOVE LOVE games, Mel had 4 baby shower games lined up. The first was a crossword puzzle with very unique clues. My Aunt Rachel flew through the crossword and I had to cheat to get a few. My favorite clue was "milk extractor" for breastpump. There were a few other funny ones too. The second game was a big hit too. A few weeks ago, I had to pick from a list of "traits" (you know...eyes, nose, skin tone, temper, personality, etc) as to whether I wanted the baby to have Clay's trait or mine. Of course it wasn't so easy for me to just pick one or the other. Most of the responses had some type of explanation or "bargaining" involved, so when I had to remember what I had picked weeks ago, the ladies got a big kick out of my explanations.
The remaining two games were the string game (where you cut a piece of string for how big you think the mom's belly is)... and I won ;o) and then a cute note card game with funny questions.
After the games, we did presents. It's weird being the only one in the room opening up gifts with everyone watching you. Hadn't done it since the bridal shower over 6 years ago.
Here is a picture of the gifts and wonderful things Little Bean was given before opening.....

and after opening and home... Clay even said "someone needed to pick up his/her room"

I want to do a "Part 2" for the shower with more pictures of the wonderful things in detail, so stay tuned......

Finally fruit

Today marks 31 weeks and our "fruit or veggie of the week" is FINALLY a fruit again ;o) This week Little Bean measures about 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 lbs, which is like carrying four large navel oranges.

We are headed toward our major growth spurt as we race to the finish. Little Bean's arms, legs, and body should be beginning to plump out as needed fat is accumulating under his/her skin.

As for me, I am almost in shock. I can't believe we are in the single digit week countdown. 9 weeks from today is my due date of Jan 20th. 9 weeks!!! If Little Bean comes early then he/she will be here in even less time. Clay and I were talking about how fast everything has gone last night. (Add in the fact that Christmas is 5 weeks from tomorrow and we just can't figure out where the time has gone.) WOW!! I've been very slowly recovering from this cold/sinus infection/ breathing thing... not quite sure I was ever diagnosed. I've been sick now for 9 days and it's no fun when you can't breathe and you pull a muscle in your side from coughing so much with the weight of your belly. The doctor finally gave me prescriptions on Monday for an antibiotic and a cough suppressant, so I think I am on the road to recovery. I have missed FitMommy for the last week and a half and prob the rest of the month too. I want to be 100% by the weekend. I have my first baby shower this weekend ;o) and we leave for TX on Sunday to see the Lokkers.

In other related baby news, we have started the hunt for a babysitter. We had our first "interview" on Monday and have another tonight. Then I need to call more names from our lists and get more set up for after Thanksgiving. December is going to be a very busy month so hopefully I can hold on to my sanity ;o) However, we are both looking forward to December as we will have our baby classes. We are taking 4 total. It sounds like a lot but if you know us, we like lots of information. I am taking a Mommy & me class and then both of us will be doing the Childbirth class, car seat safety class, and the breastfeeding class. It's really only like 7 nights over the month but seems like a lot when you see it out on the calendar.

All in all, we are full steam ahead on this pregnancy bus and enjoying the ride.

Soft Snuggly Sleeper Sacks

Sounds like a tongue twister to me. Try saying that 5 times fast ;o)

Yesterday I went to lunch with my friend Shannon. She isn't going to be able to come to me shower next weekend since she is in a wedding and we hadn't been able to catch up in awhile, so we had a nice lunch at Steak-N-Shake. She also brought me a nice gift for Little Bean.

Shannon has had winter babies so she got us two very nice (and very cute) sleeper sacks. She said they keep the baby toasty overnight and they make the middle of the night diaper changes nice and easy. You just have to unzip, change, and zip back up. Thanks Shannon!!!

F.U.D.

A normal part of my visit to the doctor involves peeing in a cup, which for me unfortunately also involves peeing on part of my hand. (Gross I know, but hey it happens since I can't see the "target zone" with my belly in the way.) Now if I were a guy with a bigger belly I don't think I would have this problem since I could point the "shooter" directly into the cup, but us ladies don't have control of the stream in that manner, so I do my best. However, I had the brightest idea a few appointments ago and again yesterday. I can't claim the invention since it's already patented and available online, but I think I should promote their use to the doctor's office for sure. It would make my pre-appointment potty break a little easier and at times a little less disgusting.

I'm talking about providing each pregnant woman a F.U.D or Female Urination Device. There is a trendy one out there called a Go Girl and I think it would work beautifully. It's essentially just a funnel (which would prob work just the same.) It looks like this....
Okay so I know I'm strange, but I think this would make the blind target practice just a bit easier. Don't you? Their site says the "patented splash guard eliminates messing and spilling" and that using it "You won’t be like a man. You’ll just pee like one." I don't think it has the extended use to spell my name in the snow (like men are supposed to like to do) but who needs that anyways? I just want to be able to provide my sample for the doctor without peeing on myself. Just a strange thought I have everytime I go to the doctor's office now.

30 week dr. appt

Weight: 197.8 (according to their scale)
Blood Pressure: 106/66 (nice and low like normal)
Baby's Heartrate: 144-152 (lower than normal)
Measurement: 30-31cm (right on track)

We also talked about several things with the Dr today. First we talked about me being sick. She asked what I had been taking and was okay with my choice of Benadryl Cold. She listened to my chest and breathing and heard me cough. She wants me to use cough syrup this weekend and call if I'm not better by Monday. She approved the use of Vicks Vaporub and the warm vaporizer that I had been using.

We discussed our travel plans to TX for the holidays and she gave us copies of all our records. I'm going to look through them all tomorrow.

We talked about going back on the Metformin after the baby and she indicated it would probably be after I'm done breastfeeding since its primary purpose is to help regulate my hormones for ovulation and I may or may not ovulate while feeding. Plus we won't want to get pregnant again right away ;o)

We discussed how I was feeling (other than the cold). I asked about nerves near the uterus that the baby can kick and we talked about how my hips are feeling better (it may be since I skipped Fit Mommy this week.)

She also mentioned I may want to pre-register at the hospital with my insurance. However, this led to a discussion of how that may be difficult right now given we are transitioning insurance carriers across the new year and we don't know when Little Bean is going to arrive.

We also talked a bit about pediatricians again and told her we had it narrowed down to two and would probably be going with Dr. Kane at Sugar Creek Medical but we would see.

All in all a very short and productive appointment. Given we will be out of town for the 32 week mark, she had no problem with us coming early that next week at 33 weeks since things are going very smoothly, so we go back on Monday the 30th for our 33 week appt.

Rollin' with the punches

Lately I have had a few challenges arise that are trying to teach me to just "roll with the punches." I don't recall if I blogged about the changes at work but I discovered MORE changes this week that affect my pregnancy and maternity leave. So roll with the punches I must. I need my job!
The first change we discovered a few weeks ago was that our current health coverage with the HMO was being discontinued effective Jan 1. This didn't make either of us very happy since I'll be 37 weeks pregnant as we cross into 2010. Potentially there is a chance I could still have a baby in 2009. Since Clay and I work for the same organization, we are limited on options for healthcare. We had multiple worries with this switch. The first was my doctor. There was no information on whether or not she would sign up for the PPO coverage we would now have. Since then we have learned that she SHOULD be "in network" by the time we deliver as the contract has been signed but the website for the PPO hasn't been updated yet. The second immediate concern was the cost. On the HMO it was going to be a flat $300 to deliver. Not bad if you ask me. It was truly part of the reason we were on the HMO in the first place. However, the new PPO requires both the baby and I to meet $500 deductibles and then pay 10% of the remaining bill. SO that's at least $1,000 PLUS 10% of the remaining bill (which I have no idea how much that will be). Throws a wrench in our budgeting plans so late in the year. We were already trying to budget so that I could take 4 weeks unpaid during my maternity leave.
Then yesterday, I discovered another benefit change at work that wasn't adequately announced or promoted (but I won't rant on how poorly our HR dept has addresses these issues.) As part of their "inclusion" efforts so everyone feels treated the same, they are ADDING a 5 day waiting period to the disability leave before any benefits will be paid. UGH! Seriously! As an exempt employee I was scheduled to receive 100% from day 1 of my maternity leave. But now, if I want to be paid for the first 5 days (waiting period) I have to use PTO. Now I shouldn't complain because I indeed will be carrying over approximately 8 days of PTO, but I had hoped to stock pile those days for after I return to work from maternity leave. Now I will be using 5 of them just to get paid. I feel screwed! I did have a very long conversation with the HR rep for disability leave as there are so many unknowns with Little Bean's arrival and so many different rules apply if I deliver in 2009 vs 2010. Needless to say the headache magnifies IF I happen to deliver ACROSS the new year and end up in the hospital both in 2009 AND 2010. Goodness! Oh well, guess I need to learn to roll with the punches. I could not be more thankful for Little Bean and I'm sure I will be overjoyed with his/her arrival that I won't even think about all these changes.

Little Bean's portable travel bed

We got our other package today. It's our play yard otherwise known as Little Bean's portable bed for when we travel. (We don't have room to set it up in the house and use it for naptime or anything so it will mostly be used when we travel.) We decided to open it and see how it set up. We got a little frustrated at first as the directions were less than clear. As we grew a tad bit frustrated trying to figure things out, Kitty checked out her new fort and got comfy.
After dinner, I gave things another whirl and was able to figure it out. So we proceeded to put all pieces into place and ended up with the final product.

We put "Reggie" (Clay's Cabbage Patch from many moons ago) in to see how it all looked. Then we decided to take it all apart and put it in the "travel" bag to see how it would all fit. Dis-assembly went much more smoothly than assembly which is probably always the case. I think the next time we put it together it will be much easy. So the final picture is Clay and the "portable" travel bed for when Little Bean goes to see his/her Grandmas & Grandpas, Aunt Val & Uncle Scott & little cousin, Uncle Bill & Aunt Lora, and the list goes on and on.....

30 weeks

Oh my! If we go to our due date we only have 10 weeks left. 10 weeks! Why does that sound so soon? That's 70 days... hmm... that doesn't make it sound any further away. WOW! I don't have any pictures this week although I considered going to every 2 weeks for belly pics these last few weeks but I decided I'd wait to do that until the last month.

According to BC this week, Little Bean is approximately 16 inches long and weighs almost 3lbs. That is about the same as a large head of cabbage. His/her eyesight is continuing to develop but when born he/she will only see 20/400. Geez! Get that kid a pair of glasses. Guess they can respond to changes in light but only see things mere inches from their faces. Not a lot of changing going on right now with the little one. Just time to pack on the fat and plump up for entry into the world.

On my front, I think I have blown my nose no less than 10 million times in the past 24 hours. As noted in the previous post, I am suffering with some seriously messed up sinuses right now and there isn't anything to take. I've been drinking lots of warm decaf tea with honey and that helps a bit. With regards to what BC says about being 30 weeks pregnant I may be feeling a bit more tired and have trouble sleeping lately. If the sinuses weren't going haywire, I have been sleeping relatively well but with lots of bathroom breaks and adjustments to get my hips comfy. I think I'm up to no less than 6 pillows on my side of the bed to prop up in the wee hours of the morn when I can't stand sleeping on my side any longer. Soon, I fear there won't be any room for Clay in the bed ;o) BC also helped me solve a mystery. Baby's favorite spot in front toward the right side of my stomach is probably due to the placement of the rump. I'm envisioning something like this picture.
Although we don't know for sure if the baby is head down yet, I assume at moments like that it is. I like to give Little Bean a little poke at that time and I hope I'm poking a butt instead of a head. Otherwise my little baby may have a dented head. Hmm...

We go to the doctor on Friday for our 30 week appt. Then due to our roadtrip to TX we won't go back until 33 weeks (since we will be gone over the 32 week mark and its Thanksgiving week anyway.)

As always... stay tuned for that update on Friday. I think we may be breaking the 200lb mark.

Quick rant

Sometimes I HATE calling the doctor's office. Some of the ladies that answer the phone make you leave this long detailed message, and then when the nurse actually calls, you just end up repeating the whole thing again. The lady today was even worse cause she tried to answer my question and she was mean about it. I really just wanted to say "If I asked the NURSE to call me then you shouldn't try to answer my question..." She tried to tell me that if the medicine isn't on the sheet then you can't take it. However there is NOTHING listed for sinus issues and sore throat, there has to be something so I wanted to say...... "Well listen lady... there has to be SOMETHING I can take for sinus problems since this sheet doesn't EVEN address sinus issues, so why don't you just shut it and have the nurse call me like I asked instead of popping an attitude with a 200lb pregnant lady that doesn't feel good!" There!

However, what I really did was put up with her attitude and waited for the nurse to call me back. Somedays you just wish you could really just let them have it. However it was early in the morning and my mom taught me to be nice even when I don't want to.

Our first gifts by mail

Clay emailed me at work today after lunch and asked if I had ordered anything from Target. I hadn't so we came to the conclusion it was a gift ;o) We decided we would open them as received. My first shower is just a few weeks away. I asked Clay if he wanted to open them since I get to open all the shower gifts. Kitty decided to come and help too. It is a gift from a friend of my dad's that can't make the shower. Based on the gift note, we may be getting a second box tomorrow. (It appears Target mailed the order separately.) Clay and Kitty had fun opening the gift. It was a nice toy/teether set. It's very cute and colorful. Can't wait for Little Bean to put them to use.

Handme downs

A few weeks ago I remembered that I had two of my old toys under the bed. I dug them out and found both of them needed a little work. Froggie needed new eyes and had a small tear in his leg. My mom took him home and gave him what she refers to as "cataract" surgery. He looks great now. Thanks mom!! Mr Gingerbread Man was covered in kitty hair from being under the bed and needed a bath. I stuck them in the washer this weekend and they came out nice and clean. However, now Mr. Gingerbread Man needs a little surgery. He needs cheek implants and a button replacement. Time to fix him and then they will both be ready to be Little Bean's childhood friends like they were for me. Little Bean won't have too many handme downs from momma, but I do have a few to share.

My favorite sound in the world

This is my favorite sound in the world! I apologize for the quality of the video. I didn't expect to be able to get it off of my cell phone and on to the computer (plus I wasn't the camera man for this one.) So it's best to press play, close your eyes, and just listen!

If you do watch it you will see the inside of Clay's hand and my creepy eye in the background.

"Precious" invitations

My Aunt Rachel is throwing my second shower in Decatur for family, friends in Decatur, and guests of the grandmas (the one in Normal is more co-workers and friends from town). This past weekend I got my "Precious" invitation for this shower. They have a Precious Moments theme. My Aunt Rachel put a lot of time, effort and LOVE into them, and I am very pleased with how cute they are. She handmade each one and then uniquely colored each one. I really liked the short poem at the top that reads "Baby Angel, welcome to this earth. The whole wide world, awaits your birth!" ;o) I can't believe how soon the shower will be here and we will be weeks away from Christmas and weeks away from my little bean's arrival.