twenty-three, and a few other things

I've been slacking on the blog front... I've been in too much of a "nesting" get-things-done mode, I think.

We had our birthday a couple weeks ago... Nov. 9th, to be precise. We turned 23.

I always thought that when I was this "old" I would feel grown-up. Ha. Despite the fact that I'm married and having a baby in February I still feel like a youngster :)

It's fun sharing a birthday with Thomas. We went on our birthday date the Sunday before our birthday. We're both suckers for fondue, so we went to the Melting Pot... we had cheese fondue, salads, a main course, and then chocolate fondue! I felt (and looked, I'm sure) like I was pregnant with twins when we got done eating! Our waiter was super nice; when he found out it was both of our birthdays, and that we were having a baby, he brought us chocolate-covered strawberries with our chocolate fondue:

On our actual birthday we went out for lunch on Thomas's break and in the evening we continued our tradition of picking out ice-cream cakes for each other :)

The M&M one is Thomas's.

I got a sewing machine for my birthday, so I've been busy getting supplies and starting a few easy sewing projects :) Thomas has been swamped with work and grad school.

And before we knew it, it was Thanksgiving...

We spent it with the Whitson family, who are good friends from Kenya.

I got a few candid shots of people, but I forgot to take pictures of the beautifully set tables and yummy food.

Thomas had Thursday and Friday off work and grad school, which was a much-needed break. We kept busy though, running errands and even venturing out to do some shopping on Black Friday. We did more shopping on Saturday (Black Friday seems to have been stretched to last all weekend...), and also looked at some more apartments. We went on a couple little dates... to our favorite restaurant, Royal Thai, and to the Original Pancake House... both of which I had been craving.

We fully intended to decorate for Christmas today, but ended up going out and buying a filing cabinet and sorting through the many piles of papers in our house instead. This "nesting instinct" is no joke, people. I can't stop until everything in the house is in order! I can't wait until we can move and get settled and everything has a place... because right now we just don't have enough room. Baby stuff is taking over. Our dining area is completely overtaken by a stroller, a bassinet, and a bouncy seat. And some trunks that I'm repacking.

I just remembered I have large piles of laundry to fold and put away... must. go. be. organized. And then sew baby blankets.

I'll leave you with this picture of my 28.5 weeks pregnant self... looking & feeling a just a little worried at the fact that I'm already this huge and have 11.5 more weeks left to grow!

25 weeks, and a new due date

Because I was consistently measuring a few weeks ahead, my midwife sent me for an ultrasound to check if my due date was wrong. My due date used to be Feb. 21st, and it has been changed to Feb. 16th... so only 5 days earlier. Apparently I have a "generous amount" of amniotic fluid, and that is causing me to measure ahead.
So... I thought I was 25 weeks today, but it turns out I was actually 25 weeks last Thursday, and I will be 26 weeks in a couple days.


How far along: 25 weeks (Nov. 3rd)

Baby size: A rutabaga! (At our ultrasound yesterday, they said he weighed just over 2 pounds!)

Total weight gain/loss: +9 lbs

Sleep: Generally pretty good.

Movement: Sometimes his kicks jolt my whole torso!

Food cravings/aversions: Fresh fruit cravings this week! Grapes, strawberries, oranges...

Pregnancy symptoms: I'll probably laugh at myself later in pregnancy for saying this now... but I'm starting to feel uncomfortable, and somewhat like a beached whale! It takes me a few extra seconds to get up from a sitting or lying position, and it's getting harder to bend down to floor level to pick things up.

What I miss: Champagne! We had our birthday date this past weekend, and our waiter brought Thomas a glass of champagne... and some sparkling grape juice for me... haha :)

What I'm looking forward to: The holiday season! I get so excited for everything about Christmas... the traditions, bundling up for colder weather, Christmas music, the general festiveness and good cheer :)

Milestones: 25 weeks down, 15 to go! Time is just flying by. Baby's hair is apparently starting to develop its color this week :)

Best moment of this week: Having another ultrasound and getting to see our adorable baby boy (who is definitely still a boy, haha)! Also, our various birthday celebrations :)

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: We went back this past Saturday for our second birthing class. It was better than the first one, the teacher gave us some useful information that I didn't already know and helped us start thinking about birth plans etc. We also did some mental relaxation techniques for labor... this is the funny part :) The teacher had all of the pregnant women fill out a little worksheet of where you would go in your mind in order to relax. It was fill-in-the-blank, and you had to fill in things like what you could see, what you could feel, what you could hear etc. I said I would go to the beach... be able to feel the sand, hear the waves etc. Then the preggos had to lie on the floor while the husbands read the description quietly to us to help us relax. So Thomas started reading my fill-in-the-blank description of what I would focus on to relax and I could already hear the laughter in his voice, which of course was making me want to laugh too. He came to one fill-in-the-blank spot where I had to write what I could see in the distance. I had written "fluffy clouds"... big mistake. I knew it was coming and started giggling... and when Thomas tried to read it we both started snorting with laughter. Everyone else in the room was taking things seriously, of course, and being very meditative as the husbands lovingly and gently whispered into their wives' ears... which just made me and Thomas want to laugh even more.


At least our birthing class gives us comic relief... maybe that will help during labor. Haha.

baby stuff is overwhelming

So, I need advice.

1. Carseats... What infant carseat should we get? Or do we even need an infant one? Could we skip right to one of those convertible ones? It's probably convenient to carry baby in & out of the car in an infant one, right?
At first I was leaning towards the Britax Chaperone for an infant carseat, but then we bought our stroller and it doesn't work with Britax carseats. So now I'm thinking the Chicco Keyfit 30, because it has the next best safety ratings. But there are lots of other options too... I just don't knowwwww....

2. Baby carriers... I plan on "wearing" Baby Congdon around a lot. I've heard the Moby Wrap is good for when he's little, but it kind of intimidates me with it's miles of fabric. Is there a better one? Also, I really like the Ergobaby carrier, maybe for when he gets a bit older, and it's something Thomas could use to carry him too. Good choice?

3. Bottles/pacifiers... I plan on breastfeeding, but it's always good to have a few bottles around for other people to be able to feed baby pumped milk. Which ones are best for breastfed babies? Same thing with pacifiers...

4. Breast pump... I was thinking about just getting a manual one because it's not like I'll be working away from home. Are electric ones really necessary? Which brands are best?

5. Bouncy seats... necessary? What kinds/brands should I look for?

6. Swaddle wraps/ sleep sacks... What kinds should I look for?

7. What things have been invaluable to you? What am I missing? What do babies need?!

8. We'll be living in a fairly small apartment, so space-saving ideas would be very helpful too :)

Help me, please! :)

21 - 24 weeks

I'm reeeeeally behind so I'm going to do all 4 weeks in one :)


How far along: 21 weeks (Oct. 11th), 22 weeks (Oct. 18th), 23 weeks (Oct. 25th) and 24 weeks (Nov. 1st)

Baby size: 21 week - a banana, 22 weeks - a spaghetti squash, 23 weeks & 24 weeks - a papaya. He's over a foot long and weighs about 1.5 pounds now!

Total weight gain/loss: +8 lbs

Sleep: Pretty good, but sometimes baby wakes me up with his kicking!

Movement: Yes! Holy moly, this little baby can kick!

Food cravings/aversions: This month I've been wanting carbs - pizza, pasta, bread... Baby is really packing on the weight (and so is mama, oh yay) starting this month so I guess he needs those carbs! The chocolate gelato and the salted caramel hot chocolate cravings are still there. I've also been wanting lots of fresh fruit - pineapple, oranges, strawberries... yum. And don't worry, I'm eating plenty of veggies and salads too :)

Pregnancy symptoms: The 2nd trimester energy rush and nesting instinct have arrived... I've reorganized every closet in the house, gone through boxes and boxes of books and other things, filled several trash bags with clothes and stuff to give away, and generally just made more room for baby! Some aches and pains are beginning... in my lower back and hips mostly. The baby bump has exploded and it seems to be getting in the way sometimes! One time I was making pizza and somehow got pizza sauce in my bellybutton. I almost can't reach the kitchen cupboards where our dishes are kept because the bump is in the way!

What I miss: Can't think of anything! I'm thoroughly enjoying pregnancy at the moment :)
(I honestly never thought I would say those words... I've always thought I would just grit my teeth and get through it!)

What I'm looking forward to: Mine and Thomas's 23rd birthday next week (yes, we have the same birthday)! We have a fun date planned :) It's our last birthday without worrying about getting a babysitter!

Milestones: 24 weeks is viability week! That means that if baby was born prematurely right now, he would have a chance of survival with lots of medical help. Obviously we pray that doesn't happen! But it is reassuring to know we've reached that point.

Best moment of this week month: There have been quite a few fun moments! Thomas's parents and brother Paul came for a visit and we had so much fun with them. We went to the Dallas zoo one weekend, to the Texas State Fair another weekend, and did some pumpkin carving another weekend. We also ordered our first big baby purchase - our stroller!
I had my 24 week appointment with my midwife yesterday, and my uterus was measuring 29 weeks! Yikes! Back at my 20 week appointment it was measuring 24 weeks... so now they're thinking my due date might be off. It's generally normal to measure 2 or 3 weeks ahead, but not so much 4 or 5 weeks ahead! (No wonder the baby bump seems huge to me). They're going to send me for another ultrasound to see why my uterus is measuring so big.  I'm kind of excited to see baby again :)

Pregnancy moments with the hubby: Last Saturday we had our first childbirth class. We're doing the Bradley method, which encourages natural childbirth (no drugs, etc). I was kind of expecting some of the people to be... let's say... hippy-ish? Because those are the type of people who often choose "natural" childbirth. When we arrived (and I'm really trying not to sound awful here... haha) pretty much everyone in the class was super weird. There was the typical homeschool couple, the hippies, and generally just mother earth kind of people. There was even a lesbian couple, which was kind of unexpected. So Thomas and I walk in and scan the room, and look at each other like... "I told you so!". The first class was a lot of stuff that I already knew, and Thomas and I kept to ourselves mostly. Everyone else was super over-talkative. At the end of the class we learned and practiced some relaxation techniques and exercises, and Thomas and I were desperately trying not to giggle while all the other couples took things way too seriously. I'm kind of hoping the next few weeks will prove to be more useful! Poor Thomas. He's being a good sport.