Baby-Bumper WEEKEND GALORE!

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned this before but from the start of this pregnancy Tom has been calling me, my body, baby, stomach, all of it "Baby-Bumper". Which is pretty dang cute in it's self AND since I'm not big on the over-used nick-names of: Preggo, Preggers, Pregorific, etc. They've been done. To me, its like hearing "Who let the dogs out?" still. And I think only my dad uses that phrase now and then in a cute attempt to be "cool" and in the NOW! hehe
So I just wanted to share our weekend's excursions with all of you!
I had started preparing Saturday's errand list on Thursday by making a big grocery list with exactly what we were getting from which stores and how much it would come to. I do this for a few reasons; #1.) to figure out the best prices for individual items and b/c I'm thinking of the not-so-distant-future of super BROKE-hood and trying to stock-up now on essentials! I had text Tom on Friday afternoon asking him if he wanted to go pick out the "bringing home baby from the hospital- outfits" the next day and he responded a very excited text- this coming from the man who really does NOT like shopping but has been doing it with me for the past few months as he insists he lifts everything, I can't remember the last time I carried a bad of groceries to the car and from the car to our place. :)

Okay, so we got up at 8AM and we were the first customers walking into Baby's R Us at 9AM. We looked and looked at boy clothes and then girl clothes- not really in-love with any particular outfits and then Tom came up with the idea that I pick out 3 girl outfits and he pick out 3 boy outfits and we then decide together which #1's from each category to choose. Oh as a side note I had gone to Gymboree with my mom a couple weekends earlier when Tom was in South Dakota for his sister's wedding and I stayed at my parents place. Anyway- I think THAT store had the cutiest newborn outfits by far BUT seeing we had been given a Baby's R Us gift card from my office- we went there! Okay so we did eventually choose 2 outfits, again we weren't super inlove with either one but its okay. We also looked around the store and I came to three conclusions; #1.) Baby's R Us is way more expensive than Target AND Macy's. #2.) I don't want one of those rocking chairs which I did register for at Target and that was also at B.R.U.- They looked like they would be destroyed within a few years of kids jumping all over it! No thank you. I am kinda liking the idea of looking for a good Lazy-Boy or something where when I need to feed baby and could do so in another room- I could fall asleep in the chair too....those other rocking chairs just aren't comfortable enough. Because I'm visual and some of you are too- I'm talking about this style:
It's just not comfortable to me. I think I totally would love a man-lazy-boy recliner/rocker. Me? like something masculan? Nooo... #3.) Conclusion- my husband has a lot of opinions and excitement for this coming baby!
Okay so from Baby's R Us we went to Winco, to Fred Meyer's to Haggen's to Safeway and finally home.

After we put away the groceries Tom got out the car seat and stroller his awesome sister, Charity (no pun-intended) gave us, which he brought back from S. Dakota (which caused lots of people coming up and wanting to see the baby that wasn't in the car seat, from air port to air port!) lol

Tom was a PRO! He showed me how the Chicco car seat works and adapts to all the ways it can be strapped into a car, along with the matching stroller. I can't stress enough how cute he was being SO enthusiastic about educating me about their user-friendliness, versatility, everything. It was like having a personal saleman teach me about the products without the creepiness PLUS and adorableness of having it be your husband so excited about your baby equipment and making sure its all up to code and our baby will be as safe as can be! We even went through the items even already been given, ie. the package of diapers from AMANDA- THANK YOU, and a ton of blankets and baby gear from DANELLE- THANK YOU!!!! And divided everything into 2 catrgories, a girl pile and a neutral/boys pile!

Let's see I also was on a cooking/baking binge. I made cream-cheese-banana-nut bread for Tom and a loaf for the missionaries, then a huge batch of potato salad for the ward bbq that evening while Tom put together the hospital bag! A while ago Tom read a book BY a Man for father's to be on all kinds of advice from how to live with a pregnant woman to How to help your woman in labor, etc. And Tom said that the book says he's suppose to pack the bag and even him suggesting him packing the bag earns him points! lol YES IT DOES/DID! I couldn't stop smiling, its just so dang cute! He also mentioned that the book says he's suppose to get my something BIG when I do have the baby; suggesting jewelry or flowers or something. I told him, yes, YES I would appreciate flowers and love that he's being all proactive about this stuff.

After the bbq I dipped into the apartment pool for the first time ever even thought we've been here for over a year, while Tom read, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" -(I think all of you KNOW how much I HEART that book, thank you Bek and Billy!) I asked Tom to read it and I'm waiting to hear his reactions when he really gets into the guts of the book!

After I got cooled-off we crashed farely soon after. It had been a LONG but FUN day!

The next morning we both woke up antsy. Not sure you all know this but we are both super neat-freaks. Okay maybe not FREAKS but pretty neat, and its awesome cause where one of us lacks in some domestic analness the other makes up for....Well...wait not that great. In fact, I get the better end of the deal on this one! I THINK I've made the bed MAYBE 5X AT MOST during our marriage while Tom makes it everyday. Bed making is where I'm a slacker- anyone who's lived with me knows I'd rather sleep on time of a made bed and then straighten it in the morning than have to make it everyday. Its because I like a made bed but HATE actually doing it that stops me! Whereas, Tom is totally ALL-Military about bed making, and....I love it! Okay and now I'm gonna just brag again- last week, whatever day, before I left for work I asked if he would take out the trash, nothing more. I got home, he had done all the dishes, made the bed- including washing the sheets, vacuumed, AND took out the trash and recycling. I'm super spoiled because these kinds of acts of service happen more than not and remind me how good I have it! Anyway, we both woke up antsy and wanted to work on getting the apartment more ready- setting up the crib and stuff.

Well instead of just setting up the crib Tom took measurements of the apartment and then made an exact floor plan then did the same with every bit of furniture and then cut them out so we could play re-arranging on paper and not wear ourselves out with doing it for reals. I did this same thing before we moved into our place so I knew where to tell our movers where to put things so we wouldn't have to remove them later!

Anyway, we came to the conclusion not to use the crib yet but that our play pin works even better now and will double as a basinett which is nice! Then Tom rearranged the living room just for fun- cause its been awhile and we both like change (well this is the kind of CHANGE I can tolerate- no big life changes, simple daily change is all I can handle hehe).

Overall, the weekend was FULL and FULFILLING! Tom's enthusiasm rubbed off on me and his desire to help has only encouraged and reassured me what a great dad and companion he will be and already is! (Tear*)

NOT For the Faint of Heart

Gosh it's been almost a month since I last blogged. I've been BUSY!
Just a warning that this post is graphic to some and for the rest of woman-kind who's experienced these things- It's a reminder!

Okay so I think I'll start with the my conclusion which is EVERY discomfort of Pregnancy is really nothing and that its ALLL in the purpose of preparing me (the woman and mom-to-be) to be REALLY uncomfortable later. I'll explain.

First: Constipation. You know, I really thought that word/verb was just something "old people" and old people alone went through. I had a grandma who was VERY verbal about her bowels and it use to absolutely drive my mom insane. I'd listen to grandma's complaints and ME being ME would always jump to the judgment (non-verbally of course) that she just needed some meds or to eat more prunes or something. BUT since this aliment has affected ME I have found that not only does it SUCK but no amount of prune eating or drinking will cure it. Infact, growing up it seemed that my parents kept prunes around quit often and while I would hear a sibling now and then complain about the ramifications from devouring too many- I NEVER experienced the same fate- and I think I even assumed they must had eaten something bad and THAT'S why they have bathroom "issues." A few months ago I was at my parents place and I was downing prunes like peanut M&M's and....nothing. I think I just have a high tolerance to them. Anyway, the point is Prunes or no prunes constipation has been an unfriendly visitor and I swear to gosh- the past couple of weeks I have clogged MORE toilets than I ever want to really own up to. I even clogged the 10th Floor office toilet with is one of those super-duper toilets that would suck down a fur tree. Heck, I had even done a pre- "curiousy flush" and it STILL clogged! And...water ran over...and I had to call the building's maintaince guy. I was mortified.
Also, I've pushed SO much that the last ohhhh four epic bathroom tournaments have led to me totally freaking and thinking I just had the baby in the toilet. But nope....no baby just another clogged toilet!
(See I told you this wasn't the most pleasant and flowery of posts!)

So what does this have to do with preparing me? Well IF you have to ask you're RETARDED! I'm a great pusher now- pretty sure OLYMPIC medalist level. And I think all this junked-up, backed-up bowels that wait in silence for days and then BOOM -watch out; is going to really pay off come birthing. At least that's my sincere hope. Otherwise I'm just my grandma reincarnate!

Second: Peeing several times through the night. I think this one's obvious, peeing takes just a few minutes and it really doesn't interfer with my sleep a whole heck of a lot but it has gotten me use to waking up 2-4 times a night when come on- feeding a baby will take more than just minutes or getting up in the middle of the night with a fussy infant, kid who pee'd the bed, sick kid, etc. Those are all WAY worse than getting up to pee even 5 times a night!

Third: Money. Its gone. Period. Not sure I need to elaborate. And not sure it will ever be in our lives again.

Okay, in other news. Hmm well if some of you didn't already hear about this. LAST Thursday (8/18) was a super busy day. I had lots of appointments including an Adidas rotation. I basically hit Adidas early and worked as fast and as hard as I could cause I had a Dr. appt at 1pm then I would have to go back and finish up well all I remember is that I was sweating alot and lifting heavy things- typical stuff and by the end of the day I was pretty tired but really nothing out of the ordinary.

Well I hit the shower after 9pm and while I was there I started having some pains which at first I totally pushed aside as ohh it must be gas. Then I was like oh crap I think I'm gonna have diaherra, then cramping in my pelvis. My stomach blew up and got really hard and all those feelings would last about 30 seconds and then go away and then come back again every 3-4 minutes so then I was like ohhh I must be having my FIRST braxton-hicks that I'm actually feeling! (Since my ob said I'm having them all the time I'm just not aware of them YET!) Then after the first handful the pain got worse really quick and I started kinda going into labored breathing and I was like what the crap is happeningggg??? So I yelled for Tom who couldn't believe I hadn't called for him sooner- he chewed me out a little, as he doesn't want me in pain especially without him knowing and helping. I got out of the shower and thought, I'm calling Bek, she'll tell me if I'm having gas or B. Hicks or False Labor but she didn't pick up cause she hates me (JK ;)

So I laid down and Tom brought me a cold glass of water and I opened my Pregnancy Book- went to Braxton Hicks, but what I had felt didn't match their description so then I went over to False-Labor and read how false labor can feel pretty much like the real stuff but if you change position and drink something and they stop- its not real labor and I was like- hey I totally did both without knowing to do that! And yes, they did stop shortly after doing both. All together I had contractions for about 25 minutes and pretty back-to-back.
I had a hard time really sleeping because all I could think about was holy cow that was very unpleasant and I feel VERY unprepared for the REAL Pain and how the crap, WHAT the crap do I do? I haven't taken Lamaze or any classes. I'm gonna be a mess!

Well the next day I was at my office job and kept having the feeling to just call my Doctor and let him know about the false labor- I called and the answer back was it didn't sound like false labor but the real thing and whatever I was doing, I was pushing myself too hard. To STOP, Put my legs up and rest for the rest of the weekend. SO I did. I had my LAST Adidas work day this last Tuesday and I took it easy, I promise.

Okay that's all I'm gonna say for now. I really have been meaning to take more pictures but I'm super bad at taking photos- for crying out loud Tom and I don't have a single honeymoon picture and that's my fault I thought I left the camera at home when it WAS in my bag the whole time but its like what would we have taken pictures of? Me being a complete birthcontrol-hormone-induced-basket-case-lady? I don't think so....