Saturday, January 30, 2010
Brenna's Nursery!!
Brenna's nursery is finally (almost) finished!! We've been working pretty hard on it for about a week and a half now, and it actually looks like a finished room. Jonathan has worked SO hard getting chair railing put up, walls painted, and things assembled and hung up. We still have to hang up a few of our maternity pictures on one wall, but otherwise it's ready for her - just waiting for the bedding and window valence from my aunt and cousins.....and for the baby herself! Enjoy!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
36 week Update
4 more weeks! We are so close!!
How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 34.5 pounds. I only wanted 30 total. I'm trying not to freak!
Maternity clothes? Oh yes!
Stretch marks? No new ones at least!
Sleep? Not great at night, but naps are usually helpful if I can squeeze one in.
Best moment of the week? Seeing her nursery almost finished finally!
Movement? Quite a bit more down low - hoping that's a good sign!
Food cravings? Not really
Gender? Still girl...
Name? Still Brenna...
Labor Signs? I don't think so - we'll find out in the morning at my appointment
Bellybutton In or Out? In barely - it might not make it out, yay!
What I Miss: good sleep, a normal digestive tract, bending over
Weekly Wisdom: I will miss this, as much as I don't think I will!
Milestones: We are three days away from the month of her birth (hopefully)!
How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? 34.5 pounds. I only wanted 30 total. I'm trying not to freak!
Maternity clothes? Oh yes!
Stretch marks? No new ones at least!
Sleep? Not great at night, but naps are usually helpful if I can squeeze one in.
Best moment of the week? Seeing her nursery almost finished finally!
Movement? Quite a bit more down low - hoping that's a good sign!
Food cravings? Not really
Gender? Still girl...
Name? Still Brenna...
Labor Signs? I don't think so - we'll find out in the morning at my appointment
Bellybutton In or Out? In barely - it might not make it out, yay!
What I Miss: good sleep, a normal digestive tract, bending over
Weekly Wisdom: I will miss this, as much as I don't think I will!
Milestones: We are three days away from the month of her birth (hopefully)!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Maternity Pictures
Last Monday Jonathan and I met up with a friend of ours, Jeff Loope, who is one of the best photographers in the world! He agreed to take a few shots of us pre-Brenna so we could capture the belly in all it's glory. As much as I think right now that I won't miss it, I know that I will. She's been with me 24/7 for 9 months now - and I'll miss her when she's not with me all the time I'm sure. For now, here are some of my favorites from our time with Jeff!
Friday, January 22, 2010
A Baby Poll
Let's take a poll. Leave a comment on this post with your name and a guess for Brenna's birthday, birth weight, and birth length. Unless some of my facebook friends come over to participate, we'll probably have 4 guesses - mine, Jonathan's, Kelley's, and Merritt's. Oh, and maybe my new blog friend - the other Erin. Yeah, I need more readers. Here's what I know...
1. My due date is February 25. It really should be February 26 because I was tracking my cycles very closely!
2. Brenna is head down, but I still feel quite a bit of movement up high.
3. I've been measuring about 1-2 weeks behind for a few appointments now, but still growing.
4. The doctor estimated she weighed 5 pounds last Monday (33 weeks, 4 days)
5. I feel way more pressure lower down than I did a few weeks ago.
6. I weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was a few weeks early.
7. Jonathan weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces (I think?) and was a little bit late (again, I think).
8. We had two friends from church have babies lately - April was due 1 day after Halloween and had him 13 days before Halloween. Victoria was due 3 days after New Years and had him 4 days before New Years. I'm due 11 days after Valentine's Day....hmmm.
9. A full moon is here on February 28!
10. Our dating anniversary is February 12. Valentine's Day is February 14. My birthday is February 15. Thus, my guess of February 13 - filling in the missing day!
Happy Guessing!
1. My due date is February 25. It really should be February 26 because I was tracking my cycles very closely!
2. Brenna is head down, but I still feel quite a bit of movement up high.
3. I've been measuring about 1-2 weeks behind for a few appointments now, but still growing.
4. The doctor estimated she weighed 5 pounds last Monday (33 weeks, 4 days)
5. I feel way more pressure lower down than I did a few weeks ago.
6. I weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and was a few weeks early.
7. Jonathan weighed 8 pounds, 13 ounces (I think?) and was a little bit late (again, I think).
8. We had two friends from church have babies lately - April was due 1 day after Halloween and had him 13 days before Halloween. Victoria was due 3 days after New Years and had him 4 days before New Years. I'm due 11 days after Valentine's Day....hmmm.
9. A full moon is here on February 28!
10. Our dating anniversary is February 12. Valentine's Day is February 14. My birthday is February 15. Thus, my guess of February 13 - filling in the missing day!
Happy Guessing!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Look at Me - I'm on a Blogging Roll!
We got out of school at 11:00 today due to ice, so I'm using my time to blog. Yeah, if you read my last post, you know that this really puts a kink in my "get it all taught before baby" plans. Oh well!
So, Merritt did some "pregnancy musings" before Finn arrived, and I thought that as just a lovely idea. So, I'm copying her! That seems to be a trend, huh? Anyway, here are some random thoughts about this pregnancy and journey...
1. This baby moves constantly! She is so active, and although I sometimes complain about the constant kicking, punching, and acrobatics, it is so reassuring that she is alive and healthy in there!
2. When people ask me if this is my first pregnancy, I say yes. It's really not I guess, and I never want to forget the miscarriage because it was a trying time, but one I learned a lot from. I think I love this baby even more because of that journey.
3. Brenna's nursery is coming along. My sweet hubby put up chair rail for the room and is almost done painting the walls pink and brown. I LOVE it more than I thought I would. The bummer is that she will share her nursery with our guest bed. But, we have no choice at this house, and we really want to have somewhere for guests to sleep. So go ahead and pick a good weekend to come visit and bunk with Brenna!
4. The child has more blankets than I've ever seen. I can't wait to wrap her up in them and make her cozy. So far she has 3 crotcheted blankets - one from my cousin, one from a lady from Jonathan's home church, and one from her Nana - Jonathan's mom. She also has the quilt from my aunt and a quilt my grandma is finishing. I love them all!!
5. We are going to use cloth diapers. No, I'm not crazy. I have a few real-life friends and more friends-of-friends who have given me lots of great advice and made it look so easy. Jonathan is not thrilled, but he's on board for it. So far I've gotten 5 one-sized diapers that should last her to potty-training and 3 diapers in size extra-small and small to use early on. We still need quite a few more, so we're getting them a little at a time. I'm actually excited to see how they work with her.
6. When I weighed myself yesterday it looked like I'd gained 4 pounds since last Monday and I freaked. I haven't eaten bad or any different, so I was worried that might signal a problem. Today I was down 2 of those pounds. I'm less worried now.
7. I am almost always starving, but I can't eat as much at a time. I think I've run out of room.
8. Speaking of which, my rings were tight this morning. This hasn't been a problem, and honestly it was probably one of my biggest fears. I don't want to walk around without my rings with a big belly. It's old-fashioned and most people would probably figure out why, but I just want my rings on my fingers. Thanks to the cold weather, they are fitting again and all is well. Five more weeks fingers - hang in there. I don't have too much swelling in general, which I love.
9. Stretch marks are horrible. Since I was about 60 pounds heavier in high school than I was when I got pregnant, they were already there. Pregnancy made them reappear. Jonathan thinks they disappear. What he doesn't realize is that his days of having a wife who can pull off a 2 piece bathing suit (pull it off, not look amazing in it, don't get me wrong) could be over. Tankinis are in now anyway, right?
10. My bellybutton is still in. Barely.
11. I cannot wait for Brenna to meet London.
12. I love birthday cake ice cream. It comes in 50% reduced fat, which makes it even better. When I got pregnant, it made me sick to even think about it. Today I bought some, ate some when I got home, and loved it again. Shew, I was worried.
13. Yesterday I was talking to my class about ancient Mali and how they needed salt to stay healthy and keep their meat from rotting. Somehow we got on the topic of needing salt in our body. So I was explaining how too much salt can make us retain water, and told them if they ate too much salt, they would have the same problem that I had on the scale that morning. One of them pointed at my belly and said "....and the baby!". Why yes, you're right, the salt had nothing to do with it!
14. Tums work fast. Fabulous.
15. I don't think the pregnancy emotional overload has hit me yet. Maybe that's because I was so emotional before anyway.
That's all I've got for now. I cannot wait to meet my Brenna - the little girl who is going to make me a mommy and Jonathan a daddy. I think I'm more excited about seeing him in that role than anything else!
So, Merritt did some "pregnancy musings" before Finn arrived, and I thought that as just a lovely idea. So, I'm copying her! That seems to be a trend, huh? Anyway, here are some random thoughts about this pregnancy and journey...
1. This baby moves constantly! She is so active, and although I sometimes complain about the constant kicking, punching, and acrobatics, it is so reassuring that she is alive and healthy in there!
2. When people ask me if this is my first pregnancy, I say yes. It's really not I guess, and I never want to forget the miscarriage because it was a trying time, but one I learned a lot from. I think I love this baby even more because of that journey.
3. Brenna's nursery is coming along. My sweet hubby put up chair rail for the room and is almost done painting the walls pink and brown. I LOVE it more than I thought I would. The bummer is that she will share her nursery with our guest bed. But, we have no choice at this house, and we really want to have somewhere for guests to sleep. So go ahead and pick a good weekend to come visit and bunk with Brenna!
4. The child has more blankets than I've ever seen. I can't wait to wrap her up in them and make her cozy. So far she has 3 crotcheted blankets - one from my cousin, one from a lady from Jonathan's home church, and one from her Nana - Jonathan's mom. She also has the quilt from my aunt and a quilt my grandma is finishing. I love them all!!
5. We are going to use cloth diapers. No, I'm not crazy. I have a few real-life friends and more friends-of-friends who have given me lots of great advice and made it look so easy. Jonathan is not thrilled, but he's on board for it. So far I've gotten 5 one-sized diapers that should last her to potty-training and 3 diapers in size extra-small and small to use early on. We still need quite a few more, so we're getting them a little at a time. I'm actually excited to see how they work with her.
6. When I weighed myself yesterday it looked like I'd gained 4 pounds since last Monday and I freaked. I haven't eaten bad or any different, so I was worried that might signal a problem. Today I was down 2 of those pounds. I'm less worried now.
7. I am almost always starving, but I can't eat as much at a time. I think I've run out of room.
8. Speaking of which, my rings were tight this morning. This hasn't been a problem, and honestly it was probably one of my biggest fears. I don't want to walk around without my rings with a big belly. It's old-fashioned and most people would probably figure out why, but I just want my rings on my fingers. Thanks to the cold weather, they are fitting again and all is well. Five more weeks fingers - hang in there. I don't have too much swelling in general, which I love.
9. Stretch marks are horrible. Since I was about 60 pounds heavier in high school than I was when I got pregnant, they were already there. Pregnancy made them reappear. Jonathan thinks they disappear. What he doesn't realize is that his days of having a wife who can pull off a 2 piece bathing suit (pull it off, not look amazing in it, don't get me wrong) could be over. Tankinis are in now anyway, right?
10. My bellybutton is still in. Barely.
11. I cannot wait for Brenna to meet London.
12. I love birthday cake ice cream. It comes in 50% reduced fat, which makes it even better. When I got pregnant, it made me sick to even think about it. Today I bought some, ate some when I got home, and loved it again. Shew, I was worried.
13. Yesterday I was talking to my class about ancient Mali and how they needed salt to stay healthy and keep their meat from rotting. Somehow we got on the topic of needing salt in our body. So I was explaining how too much salt can make us retain water, and told them if they ate too much salt, they would have the same problem that I had on the scale that morning. One of them pointed at my belly and said "....and the baby!". Why yes, you're right, the salt had nothing to do with it!
14. Tums work fast. Fabulous.
15. I don't think the pregnancy emotional overload has hit me yet. Maybe that's because I was so emotional before anyway.
That's all I've got for now. I cannot wait to meet my Brenna - the little girl who is going to make me a mommy and Jonathan a daddy. I think I'm more excited about seeing him in that role than anything else!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Getting Ready....
This baby's arrival is getting closer and closer! The one big thing that I had to get ready (other than, you know, getting everything a baby needs, creating a nursery, and growing her inside me) was 8 weeks of substitute plans for my class. I only found out last week who my sub was going to be, so I went ahead and did very detailed lessons just in case. I actually have 10 weeks worth of plans ready in case she comes early (or I just can't take it anymore!) My sub is a very nice lady who graduated last year and did her student teaching in 2nd grade, which means she already knows some of my kiddos. They are thrilled about her being their teacher, which makes it a little easier to leave them!
She has quite a lot to teach - especially since I'll only be back for about 2 weeks before SOL tests start! The big thing right now is to get everything I want to have covered so she can start where my plans start. This means snow days are NOT my friend right now - and we haven't had one during the past 2 weeks, shew! I still have to cover fractions, decimals, and money in math. I still have to cover ancient Mali, ancient Egypt, and ancient China in SS. Reading is pretty spiraled, so I'm not too worried about that. I am, however, worried that they still can't rhyme. I'm hoping she has some magic for those little basic skills.
I am happy to report that we now know who our current president is, the name of our state and our country and the capital of each, our 7 continents and 5 oceans, and what a synonym is. We've made huge strides I tell you!
She has quite a lot to teach - especially since I'll only be back for about 2 weeks before SOL tests start! The big thing right now is to get everything I want to have covered so she can start where my plans start. This means snow days are NOT my friend right now - and we haven't had one during the past 2 weeks, shew! I still have to cover fractions, decimals, and money in math. I still have to cover ancient Mali, ancient Egypt, and ancient China in SS. Reading is pretty spiraled, so I'm not too worried about that. I am, however, worried that they still can't rhyme. I'm hoping she has some magic for those little basic skills.
I am happy to report that we now know who our current president is, the name of our state and our country and the capital of each, our 7 continents and 5 oceans, and what a synonym is. We've made huge strides I tell you!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Baby Shower #2
We had our 2nd baby shower on Sunday after church. It was super fun and April did a FABULOUS job making it fun for everybody! Our church family has really been put to the test over the past few months - three new babies! Our church is pretty new (5ish years?) and these were the first brand new babies to come! Everybody is super excited and have already fallen in love with Baby London and Baby Micah. And now they are getting their long-awaited baby GIRL in our sweet Brenna. I can only imagine how little I'll see her between everyone passing her around. I wonder if they'll still hold her if she is wearing cloth diapers. I guess we'll see!
Mommy is ready for some food!
Baby London got all dressed up for his girlfriend's shower
Diaper cake!!
We played a few games - and Jonathan even won the one where he had to diaper, dress, and swaddle a baby doll blindfolded. I was so proud!!
Then it was present time! Brenna got her first cloth diaper (which is definitely not her only one now because the ones I ordered are here - more later!), her long-awaited Bumbo seat, clothes, blankets, lotions and bath stuff, a talking toy!, pack-n-play sheets, spoons, hairbows, socks, teething stuff, sleepers, window coverings, a Boppy cover that I LOVE, lots of good bottles, towels, organizing stuff, and a Sesame Street shirt - SO CUTE!! We need a bigger house!!!
Thanks to all the TFC family - we love ya'll!!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Baby Shower #1
Since we were going to be in Bristol for the Thanksgiving weekend anyway, my sister, my mom, and my cousin decided to throw us a baby shower with friends and family in that area. My family is huge (my grandpa had 12 brothers and sisters and most of them had several too...) and it is always so fun for me to get together and see my great-aunts and uncles, aunts and uncles, cousins, and new family members alike! There were lots of people there from my mom's family, some of my aunts and cousins from my dad's family, some friends of my mom's from work that I've known forever and their daughters, some family friends who seem like family, and some of my friends from the good old days of B.Dalton who I don't see nearly enough!!
The loot once we got unpacked at home!
My Great Aunt Phyllis, My Great Aunt Ann, My Aunt Pat, and my Grandma Abel
My cousin Kris, My Aunt Teresa, My Aunt Sherry, and My Cousin's Daughter Ally
My mom's good work friends Debbie and Shirley with their daughters, Angie and Heather
There is no way to list all of the wonderful things we (and Brenna!) were blessed with on that day. My sister made some awesome cupcakes and we had lots of other great food (including my favorite ham rolls - so yum!)
Brenna got more clothes than she'll know what to do with - Can you say 4 outfits a day? She got a bathtub and some good baby-smelling bath stuff, some books, some hairbows, some grooming stuff (seriously terrified about the nail-clipping), diapers and a genie (that we are going to use for the wipes even when we use our cloth diapers, which will have to be another post), stuff for her stroller and her diaper bag, lots of Target gift cards that we'll put to great use, and a pack-n-play! We also got some really fun handmade stuff from some family members. Jonathan's mom put a new back on his baby quilt and gave it to Brenna. My cousin knitted us a beautiful brown and pink round afghan. My aunt made us an awesome green, pink, and brown quilt. Actually that quilt inspired us to ask her to make all of the bedding - so soon Brenna will have curtains, sheets, a crib bumper, and a crib sheet to match it! It's gorgeous. And to top it all off, I found a lampshade and some wall hangings that match it almost perfectly on sale at Babies R Us online! I can't wait!!
So many gifts!!
Pink, Pink, Pink!!!
His baby quilt - awwww!
So many goodies!!
My aunt's gorgeous quilt!
The loot once we got unpacked at home!
Brenna Jane is a lucky, lucky girl to have so many people who already love her. And we're pretty lucky, too! I can't wait to show you what it looks like when all this stuff is where it belongs. Speaking of which, I should go check on Jonathan's paint job in the nursery! ;)
Friday, January 8, 2010
Snow Day Update
Today is our first official snow day of the school year, so I vowed to use some of my free time to update this blog. I really need to get in the habit now, so that I'll be better at recording things I want to remember about Brenna's first days. I'll start with updating a pregnancy survey so I can be sure to remember this time!
How far along? 33 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: about 28 pounds, yuck
Maternity clothes? except around the house - I can still pull off a few of my bigger tshirts
Stretch marks? Let's not go there...
Sleep: It comes and goes - getting rougher though!
Best moment this week: 2 hour delays Monday-Wednesday, 2 hour early release on Thursday, snow day on Friday....extra time to work on baby stuff!
Movement: Like you would not elieve!!!
Food cravings: I seem to want a lot of fruit and chocolate!
Gender: girl
Name: Brenna Jane
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? in, but barely!
What I miss: a waistline, sleeping on my stomach, working out (weird, I know!)
Weekly Wisdom: I will never get the feeling of her inside me back, so I might as well enjoy it!
Milestones: We can now say we are having a baby NEXT MONTH (hopefully!)
We are officially one week into the new year, and I realized I need to make some resolutions. So, here they are.
1. Birth a baby and keep her safe, healthy, and happy.
2. Lose the pregnancy weight and the extra ten I was carrying when I got pregnant.
3. Run at least 2 5K races, maybe even the same one I did last year in Greenville? Kelley?
4. Keep my motto that "babies are portable" and not let her limit our family, but instead to include her and provide lots of fun memories for all 3 of us! Okay, okay, she won't remember them, but still...
5. Hear my husband say, "You were right about cloth diapers. They really aren't that bad."
6. Wear pre-pregnancy clothes to the many, many weddings we'll be attending (and in!) this summer!
7. Read through the Daily Bible.
8. Drink more water.
I think those are some lofty goals. Pretty much all I care about is number 1, but the rest would sure make me a more pleasant mommy! All this baby talk has inspired me to go work on her nursery, but maybe later I'll post about our baby shower in Bristol.....and soon I'll be able to post about our church shower and our shower with Jonathan's family. For now, here's the two of us:
How far along? 33 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: about 28 pounds, yuck
Maternity clothes? except around the house - I can still pull off a few of my bigger tshirts
Stretch marks? Let's not go there...
Sleep: It comes and goes - getting rougher though!
Best moment this week: 2 hour delays Monday-Wednesday, 2 hour early release on Thursday, snow day on Friday....extra time to work on baby stuff!
Movement: Like you would not elieve!!!
Food cravings: I seem to want a lot of fruit and chocolate!
Gender: girl
Name: Brenna Jane
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? in, but barely!
What I miss: a waistline, sleeping on my stomach, working out (weird, I know!)
Weekly Wisdom: I will never get the feeling of her inside me back, so I might as well enjoy it!
Milestones: We can now say we are having a baby NEXT MONTH (hopefully!)
We are officially one week into the new year, and I realized I need to make some resolutions. So, here they are.
1. Birth a baby and keep her safe, healthy, and happy.
2. Lose the pregnancy weight and the extra ten I was carrying when I got pregnant.
3. Run at least 2 5K races, maybe even the same one I did last year in Greenville? Kelley?
4. Keep my motto that "babies are portable" and not let her limit our family, but instead to include her and provide lots of fun memories for all 3 of us! Okay, okay, she won't remember them, but still...
5. Hear my husband say, "You were right about cloth diapers. They really aren't that bad."
6. Wear pre-pregnancy clothes to the many, many weddings we'll be attending (and in!) this summer!
7. Read through the Daily Bible.
8. Drink more water.
I think those are some lofty goals. Pretty much all I care about is number 1, but the rest would sure make me a more pleasant mommy! All this baby talk has inspired me to go work on her nursery, but maybe later I'll post about our baby shower in Bristol.....and soon I'll be able to post about our church shower and our shower with Jonathan's family. For now, here's the two of us:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)