Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Baby Shower #1

My long time friend, Katie, hosted my very first baby shower for me this past Saturday with help from my good friends Sarah and Angie.  It was so fun to have all of my good friends in one place at one time!  It seems like my evenings and weekends are full with family gatherings, baby classes, etc., which doesn't leave much time for spending time with my lovely ladies. 

The shower was wonderful.  I was relaxed and happy, the day was sunny. :)  Being the guest of honor at such a nice event reminded me to be thankful for all of the thoughtful friends I have that love me and support me.  I received many thoughtful gifts and lots of advice!  I'm very blessed.

Opening gifts!

Christy, me, Angie, and Sarah. Can you believe the two girls surrounding me just had babies? They look fabulous!

Katie (the hostess) due in late August, Katie due in late June, and me. Buddies from high school.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

31 weeks

Now just posting even though I'm almost to 32...but I'm okay with it!  I started feeling a lot of pressure "down there" recently.  It makes me awfully uncomfortable to walk, cross my legs, stand on my left leg (the pressure is on the left side), etc.  It's funny, though, I'm kind of getting used to it after dealing with it for nearly a week.  Guess the babe wants to prepare me for labor very early on! :)

Weight of baby during week 31: about 3.3 pounds (4 navel oranges)
Length of baby: 16 inches
Notables:
-My belly button is closer to popping out!  I'm not sure if it will completely pop out or not, but there's tiny bump in the middle of it now. Very weird!
-We watch the live birth without medication, c-section, and birth with meds at childbirth class last night.  I cannot handle this stuff. I am NOT meant to be in the medical field, that is for sure! 
-My mom finished the curtains for the nursery and Jeff is planning to paint this weekend.  So excited!  I also checked out the changing table my mom used for me.  I'm in love with it!  I'm going to paint it a greenish color to coordinate with the curtains.  I'm so excited everything is coming together!

31 weeks. 1 day.


In other exciting news:

-I had my first shower last weekend.  It was a wonderful time and deserves its own post.
-Jeff's sister had her baby yesterday! A beautiful little girl who has yet to be named. :) (It's narrowed down to two choices, but we are still waiting to hear!)  I'm not sure when we'll be able to see her in person as they live in Phoenix, but the pictures I've seen show a gorgeous baby!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Fish Recipe Attempt #1

In order to get an early start on my 30 Before 30 list, I tried out a new fish recipe last Friday.  (We're really not Catholic! It was just a coincidence. :) )

I wish I would have gotten a picture because it looked pretty nice.  But, alas, I was in a very crabby mood. I think my pregnancy hormones are finally kicking in.  Either that or the stress of all that there is left to do is getting to me.

Jeff said this was his favorite fish dish that I've ever made for him. (I've only made like 3 other versions of any type of fish, so I don't give much weight to this comment.)  I actually did like it because I don't think I could not like something with sesame, but all of the oil kind of bothers me. I know it just bakes in the oil marinade, but still. How healthy can it be? 

My rating

Ease to make: Super Easy
Taste: 7 out of 10

Anyway here is the recipe (found on allrecipes.com):

Sesame Tilapia

  • 2 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • kosher salt to taste
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  1. Place the tilapia in a bowl, and drizzle with the sesame oil. Season with the garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper. Cover, and marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  3. Transfer the tilapia and marinade to a baking dish, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Lenten Update

Just thought I would let you all know that I would be a terrible Catholic. :)  Swearing is a hard habit for me to break!  I have cut down significantly, though.  Maybe 50%. Just thought I'd let you know.  I'm fit to be around children, I promise!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

30 before 30

I've never been really good at setting goals for myself.  (It's amazing I accomplish anything in life, huh?!)  Since I just turned 29 last week, I thought now would be a good time to start.  Some of my 30 goals are fun and easy, and some of them are not so easy. (Mandarin!? Gosh. I must really love my hubs.)  Wish me luck!  I"ll keep you posted on my progress. (They are in no particular order.)


1.      Run half marathon
2.      Finish 90 days of P90X or complete a round of Insanity (I haven't decided which yet)
3.      Learn to knit
4.      Learn to sew well enough to hem pants
5.      Become a better blocker, hitter and setter in volleyball
6.      Buy a piano and start playing more
7.      Learn to give myself a proper manicure
8.      Find a fish recipe I can stand to eat regularly
9.      Read 6 non-fiction/business related books
10.  Learn and master Adobe Photoshop
11.  Ride in a hot air balloon
12.  Take a weekend trip alone with my hubby
13.  Take up crafting/painting/drawing again
14.  Finish decorating all rooms in upstairs of home
15.  Have family photos taken
16.  Read the entire Bible
17.  Learn to make angel food cake from scratch
18.  Prepare, plant, and maintain a fruitful vegetable and herb garden
19.  Do our taxes myself
20.  Decide once and for all which church our family will attend and be members of
21.  Build wooden planters for our house
22.  Re-paint our front door the perfect shade of yellow
23.  Figure out landscaping for our backyard
24.  Find an organization where I can volunteer on a regular basis
25.  Dye my hair blonde
26.  Make Bolo Bau from scratch
27.  Learn basic, conversational Mandarin
28.  Update my marketing portfolio
29.  Learn how to use my hot rollers
30.  Research my family history on my dad’s side

Monday, March 21, 2011

30 Weeks....

Is almost over! But I'll update anyway.

My leg pain has almost disappeared.  I still get the tingling in my left leg, but no more sharp pain. Thankful for that!  I've had a couple of days of sore ribs, but that must've just been due to an active baby kicking me during the night.  The baby has been more and more active the past week or so.  I can now see huge rumbles in my belly.  It looks like a volcano going off inside of me.  Jeff has been able to see it, so that's fun for him, too.

I have a co-worker who has a strong distaste for babies (in general).  She is young, so I don't judge her too much. :)  (And, she insists she will like MY baby.)  She doesn't want kids, etc.  Anyway, she was sitting in my office the other day and saw my belly move.  She grabbed the arms of her chair, her eyes started watering, and she just kept saying "Oh my god. Oh my god." I honestly thought she was going to throw up right then and there.  HILARIOUS!

I had my doctor appointment on Friday.  Other than not getting in until after 5 o'clock for a 4:20 appointment (!), it was pretty uneventful.  The heartbeat is still in the 140s and my weight gain has slowed (for now).  Still no boy name, so I'm convinced that its a boy.

Speaking of boys...My friend, Christy, had her baby last week on Tuesday. Grayson Timothy is here and all is well!  I can't wait to go meet him when things are a little more settled down for the Bodes.  Now, I'm awaiting a Nesseler arrival.  I had a dream that this one is a boy, too, so we'll see if I'm right in just a few days!  Exciting times!

30 weeks!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Happy Birthday to MEEEEE!

Yesterday was my birthday, and man, do I love celebrating on St. Patrick's Day.  I am gifted with 4 weeks of vacation at my current job, so I have been taking my birthday off of work for the past few years.  My day usually consists of sleeping in, getting a pedicure and a massage, and eating dinner out with my hubby.  Just a nice, relaxed day.

This year was different, though. I decided to work because I'm saving all of my vacation for a 12-week maternity leave. I woke up, put on my green, packed up my cupcakes, treated myself to Caribou, and headed to work.  It was a pretty uneventful work day and it went by quickly.

My parents, brother and three of his kids brought over dinner to help me celebrate.  It's always a little chaotic when you have two four year-olds and a three year-old joining you for dinner. Jeff and I have a lot of learning to do when it comes to letting things go. (Grubby hands on our upholstered dining chairs, forks on our hardwood table, etc.)  We sure do love our nephews and niece, though! My mom was super cute and brought me cupcakes frosted together to make the most adorable owl  "cake."  I'll have to post a photo of it later.

The older I get, the more awkward I feel about celebrating my birthday.  I'm torn between loving to celebrate and feeling like I'm too old to celebrate.  The lovely RA recently described it much better than I ever could.  Either way, I had a nice day, and am looking forward to continuing the celebration when my in-laws come to visit on Sunday. :)
Margarita cupcakes that I brought to work. Recipe courtesy of RA.

Sorry for the blurry phone photo. Proof for my 100% Irish mama that I wore my green! (She would be highly disappointed if I didnt!)
hehe. This actually has nothing to do with this post.  Just wanted to share that I'm trying out a sling on my little furbaby! :)

Monday, March 14, 2011

29 Weeks

It seems I get further and further behind in these posts.  (I'll be 30 weeks on Wednesday!)  Better late than never, right?

Things are moving quickly!  Kicks, punches and stretches are getting much stronger now.  I can see my belly rumbling sometimes.  It looks like a volcano is going off inside of me!  It's pretty fun to watch and it isn't painful...yet.  I've avoided any legs problems by sleeping on my other side.  I did fall asleep during a quick cat nap on the painful side and only woke up with a numb leg (no sharp pain).  So, I don't think the baby has moved completely off of my nerve, but it seems to be getting better.

I was right about my weight gain tapering off a bit.  I've only gained about a pound in the last 3 weeks.  I'm still in a good range, but can definitely tell that there's not much room to store the food anymore!  I'm ravenous when I start a meal, but get full pretty quickly.

We start our Prepared Childbirth classes tonight.  I'm looking forward to them.  I'm sure there's plenty I don't know yet, and I KNOW there's plenty Jeff is completely in the dark about. :)  I've heard mixed reviews about the classes.  Some of my friends have loved them and others have said they were a waste of time.  I'm all for being prepared especially because I'm going to try my darndest to have a drug-free labor.  So, there's no way I would skip out on these classes. 

29 Weeks 1 Day. 

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I May Not Be Catholic but I'm Going to Try to Abstain with the Best of Them!

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent.  As a practicing Lutheran, I'm not required to give anything up for Lent, but the past couple of years, I've tried and its been a good challenge.  It's also just a good daily reminder of the ultimate sacrifice Christ gave for us.

Last year I gave up television.  Okay, well, I gave up television for 5 out of 7 days a week.  I thought that was pretty good!  I couldn't believe how much cleaner our house was and how many more things I got accomplished.  And, I didn't even think I watched that much prior to giving it up! 

This year I am really going to try and stretch myself.  I am going to give up swearing. Hold me. Yes, I am going to give up swearing. It has gotten a bit out of hand these days, andI totally blame my younger co-worker, Kristine. :)  I figure with a baby on the way, it couldn't hurt to cut down on my foul language, even though I know it makes my dad laugh and my mom roll her eyes.  (They love the things that come out of my mouth!)  I'm even going to try to eliminate the "mother truckers," "effing," "biznatches," and the like from my vocabulary.  Wish me luck and scold me if you hear me slip!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Yes, I Have Turned Into One of THOSE Dog People

I figured I should devote a little post to the favorite little lady in my house--my doggie, Harper.  I'm beginning to become a little wracked with guilt thinking about the possible neglect and jealousy she may feel in the upcoming months.  My hope is that we can help her adjust to a new baby in the house and be able to give her the attention she needs.

She is  pretty spoiled and we can only blame ourselves for that.  She is just so much like a little human to us, though!  She and I have our morning routine and I quite like it.  I get her out of her kennel. I let her out to pee. I feed her. I let her out to poop. Then, I cradle her in my arms, grab my quilt and lay her on the bathroom floor while I take a shower.  She either goes back to sleep, grooms herself or snoops around the bathroom.

She does so many cute things and has so many cute expressions, I can't help but love her more and more every day. She'll sneak off and snooze in our bed. She crawls under the blankets and licks Jeff's legs. When we turn on our fireplace, she sleeps right in front of it until she gets too hot.  Then, she gets up and lays somewhere to cool off before going right back for more. She lays on the bottom of our console table in the front entryway because that's where the sunlight hits from our front door sidelights.  She gets really sad and tries to skulk away when you ask her if she wants to take a bath.

I've become really amazed at the things she can do and the words/phrases she knows.


Tricks Harper can do:
Roll over
Go to sleep
Shake hands
Sit
Lay down
Get the newspaper
Jump

Words/Phrases Harper knows:
Are you hungry?
Do you want to eat?
Want a treat?
Where’s daddy/mommy?
Do you want to take a bath?
Bad dog
Naughty girl
Squirrel
Bunny
Puppy
Lexi (my friend Katie’s dog)
Rocky (Harper’s brother)
Get your bone!/Where’s your bone?
Want to go for a walk?
Get in your kennel/bed.
Grandma

Okay, okay. Now that I've officially become one of those crazy dog people, I should probably end this ridiculously long post about my dog....but not before I share a photo of her! :)

Monday, March 7, 2011

27 and 28 weeks

I am super late on this post and am actually almost to 29 weeks now, but I finally got my husband to give me the photos! :)

I had a big growth spurt, I think from weeks 24 to 27. I felt like I could eat and eat and never get full, but that phase has finally passed and I feel normal again. And, even though my doctor says I am perfectly on track with my weight gain, I'm hoping that it will taper off some now.

27 weeks 1 day. Cheesy grin. :)




Home stretch! Third Trimester. 28 weeks 1 day. Had to include my other baby, Harper.



I'd been feeling relatively good up until last Friday morning.  I woke up at 2 am with a really sharp pain in my outer thigh.  It only lasted a 5 seconds or so, but then my leg went numb.  I went back to sleep and it was still numb when I woke up to get ready for work.  It's continued throughout the weekend, so I have a call into my doctor right now to make sure its nothing to be concerned about.  My internet research (hehe) has led me to believe that it could be Merlagia Paresthetica, which is supposedly common in pregnancy.  I'm hoping at the very least my doctor will be able to tell me how to avoid or relieve some of the pain that comes along with it.

Now that volleyball has ended, I've started doing water aerobics two times a week with my friend, Katie.  It's pretty fun and more of a workout than I expected.  I'll have reduce to once a week starting next week once we start our Prepared Childbirth classes. I'm actually really excited for the classes.  Our doula (we decided to go with one!) is one of the teachers, so it will be fun to get to know her through the classes, too.

Almost to week 29 and if I could have just timed my pregnancy one week later, I'd be turning 29 years old the same week.  Maybe next time! :)