twenty-nine...thirty...thirty-one!

the past few weeks in pictures...

twenty-nine weeks!

thirty weeks!  ahhhhh, we have hit the home stretch -- 10+/- weeks to go!

thirty-one weeks!  single digits...she'll really be here that soon?!

baby news:  according to my baby center app, little lady  is measuring over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 lbs.  however, i would not be surprised that she is bigger than that since she was weighing more at our last ultrasound than my app was saying.  we will see next friday at our next ultrasound/doctor appointment.  i am excited to see her again!  

wedding rings:  they have been off my hand for a long time now, boo!

belly button:  still there, but very shallow.

"how are you handling the heat?"  after the humidity we had over the long weekend, i did my best to prepare myself for all of these questions at work on tuesday.  my answer, "even before i was pregnant i didn't do well with the humidity, so it isn't much different now."  and it is true.  my legs, ankles, and feet are already swelling every day as well as my hands (more my right than my left), so i feel the heat does nothing extra to me.  which i will chalk up to be a good thing!

swelling:  as you just read, there is swelling going on.  comfortable?  no.  dr. L said a couple weeks ago that it is "moderate" swelling.  the end.  but for me, it is just uncomfortable and my feet only fit into flip flops unless i shove them into my sneakers.  oh!  and my hand!  how could i forget about that...carpel tunnel syndrome is a popular "side effect" during pregnancy and i have it in my right hand real bad.  my pointer, middle, and ring fingers are constantly tingly, swollen, and no matter what side i sleep on at night, my whole hand and arm tingles.  cannot. stand. it.  sleep sucks as it is!  so, we will see what dr. L says next friday...i am sure it all depends on if my blood pressure has increased or anything.

funny:  dr. L measured my belly with his little tape measure at my last appointment [this was the first time he did it] and as soon as he extended the tape measure to the top of my belly he said, "wow, you're big!"  my reaction, "yeah i know, i get that a lot!"  ha ha!  thanks, dr. L!  he checked my charts and stella's numbers, said something about the 75th percentile, looked some more, and then said we would do another ultrasound at the next appointment.  so i am not sure what he pondered about after he measured my belly (maybe stella will come early?!), but i thought his comment was funny!

"how are you feeling?"  tired.  tired.  tired.  sleep is not coming very nicely anymore, the tingles in my hand/arm are too much, and my body or i guess i should just say my feet, are tired by the end of work.  my mind has been going in circles trying to keep everything straight and i am getting overwhelmed.  i feel as though i need an assistant to help me keep it together.

however, this weekend is my shower at home, which i keep looking forward to, but this week has been a long four days AND there has been one thing after another, and people are just rubbing me the wrong way.  not okay.  but like i said, it is my shower this weekend, so it will be good to get away for a quick trip home--but i love to be surrounded by family + friends.  it will be good for the soul <3

happy friday--hope it is a good one for everyone, and enjoy the weekend!  xoxo!

twenty-eight weeks plus some.

the thought of twelve (or more or less) weeks puts a sense of urgency into me.  [counting down the weeks makes it sound better to me...twenty-eight weeks still sounds so far away as does saying, "august 2nd".  it makes me cringe.]  there is still so much to do and like anything else, the feeling of no time to get it done.  


i'm freaking out.

i know all will get done and i am doing my best to take one day at a time, but sometimes you get wrapped up in looking at your calendar and seeing each day fill up with another thing that has to get done.  whether it be for work, a reminder to call and set up meetings for doctors/classes, doctor appointments, and those special weekend events that you don't want to miss for the world but wish it was the following weekend to give yourself...time.

we have a never-ending battle with time, don't we?  does anyone know how to win that battle?  please share your secret with me if you do :)

anywho, let's get back on track...here we are at twenty-eight weeks, plus a few days because tim was out of town for work last week.  it looks like i swallowed a basketball.  i enjoy telling the kids that one at school, the looks are priceless.

twenty-eight weeks + four days = 12 or so weeks to go, yikes!

i hardly dry my hair in the morning anymore, as it keeps me cooler throughout the day.  not like we need it on a day like today and yesterday, as all it has been doing is raining.  which in turn, doesn't help my mood.  i need some SUNSHINE in my life!  but not too much because then i'll get even more comments about, "ohhhhhhhh the summer heat!"  oh shut up.  don't you think a pregnant person gets that?!?!  if i got a quarter for every time someone has said that, i would be rich, seriously.  i cannot count on my fingers and toes how many times people have said that to me.  it's like telling a tall person, "wow, you're really tall."

but i want sunshine, darn it.  we need some of it here in this area to keep our spirits up (and to get those kids outside and run them around before they run us into the ground!).

i better step down off my soapbox now before i get carried away!  have a good day, everyone!

xoxo!

a bridal shower, twenty-seven weeks and a wedding!

at the end of april was my sister-in-law's bridal shower.  she was pretty pumped for it and felt exactly like i felt the day of mine...just couldn't wrap her head around the fact that it was FOR HER!  which makes it even more exciting!!  she was looking lovely and she is such a people person that made everyone feel comfortable and welcome.  here are some pictures from her day :)

kristen and her ladies.

kristen and the extended family.

let the games begin and the laughs to continue!

rachel was pumped to send the final product to gary jr. ;)

this is so fun to watch!

so cute.

getting all dolled up!

kristen with the brides.

look at timmer in the middle! <3

 congrats, kristen!

gifts, gifts, and more gifts!

i know she is beyond excited for her big day, it is just a little over a month away, and we are ready to help her celebrate.  she deserves it!  love you, sis!

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last week marked twenty-seven weeks = the last week of the second trimester, sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

twenty-seven weeks = about thirteen weeks to go...seriously?! ah!

baby news:  my phone app says that at twenty-seven weeks, baby weighs almost 2 lbs., like a head of cauliflower, and is about 14 1/2 inches long with legs extended.  however, we found out last week at twenty-six weeks, that little lady is weighing in at 2 1/2 lbs., so she is ahead of schedule i like to say.

"how are you feeling?"  i have been feeling well, honestly cannot complain, except my ankles have been swelling for the past month.  it is mainly my left ankle/foot/lower leg, but i can see it in my right ankle/foot/lower leg, too.  i have been trying different socks, higher or lower, and it does not seem to help.  i know that no one else can see it unless i show them, but the fact that i know it is there bothers the bajeezus out of me!  nasty, nasty!  i go back to dr. L on the 17th, and it is after work, so he'll see what they typically look like after a full days work.  i don't think there will be any concern, but we will see what he has to say.  the past few weeks at school have been tough in themselves making me feel not as comfortable as i usually feel, and i try to be aware of the things that i am doing in the classroom, but some behaviors warrant me to do more than i should be doing.  i feel as though something has to change or something has to give, so we will see what dr. L says as we move into the third trimester.  i know i have a while to go still, but i have been putting my classroom ahead of me making sure i am on top of what i need to be so that when i do leave, everything is okay.  i really need to learn to let go a little...

cravings:  who is sneaking me some wine after days like today?  and a wegmans sub, please!

wedding rings:  ha!  they have been off my fatty-fingers for a while now, booooooo!

belly button:  that thing is becoming non-existent.  WEIRD!  it is getting shallower and shallower, weird!

stella's room update:  we received her changing table and crib mid-april and recently set them up in her room.  before we set them up though, the furniture was moved out and the carpet was pulled up.  her room has the best hardwood floor in the whole house, jealous!  

we went out one evening after work and picked out four paint colors, but first we have to prime the walls to help hide the lightening mcqueen red paint.  hopefully it will not be a super hard decision, we've thought about stripes, chair rail with two different colors, oi.  it makes my head hurt!

and we just got her carseat!  i will post pictures in the next belly picture post...the blog is taking too long to upload right now.

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this past weekend we traveled down to poughkeepsie for my good friend Kristen's wedding.  i love a reason to get together with friends i do not get to see on a regular basis, it is a great time to catch up and carry on.  tim did a little too much carrying on, but we won't get into that.  kristen looked gorgeous, the weather was perfect for an outside wedding, the food was good, and the company was even better!  loved being surrounded by you all <3  here are some pictures from the wedding...

here comes the bride!

MR. AND MRS. CHAD LENT!

such a pretty dress!

a festive cinco de mayo entrance :)

the power couple's first dance.

timmer and i.

a great day for a wedding!

oh hey.

sad because their drinks were a few feet away and not right in their hands.

shannon and chris...and baby-girl rosato!

bryan, stef, shannon, and i <3

things started to get pretty silly.

shannon and i!

it took a while for me to get the settings right, but i finally found something i liked!

love her!

bryan, me, shannon, and tisa.

love.

congratulations again, kristen and chad!  we had a great time and were so glad we could help celebrate your big day!  it was so good to see everyone, too! <3

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blogging has been tough lately, i cannot imagine what it will be like once stella is here, but i find myself really thinking about what i'm going to write and it ends up being pages and pages long instead of just a quick update.  it is something i have in mind to work on :)  thanks for reading through the long posts in the meantime :)

xoxo!

twenty-six weeks!

we had our twenty-six week ultrasound and dr. appointment on the 27th of april and if you've read the blog, you know i was very anxious and nervous for it.  we started off with the ultrasound, and i must say... i wish i had a sonogram machine in our house!  it is so cool to see the baby...actually, i take that back.  it is so cool to see the inside of your body!  [i had an ultrasound on my leg later in the day and i was mesmerized by that, too!]  so we were able to see our little lady--rechecked to make sure she is still a girl (ha!), saw her moving around, measured her head, belly, leg, and the fluid around her.  after her fluids were checked, the sonographer asked if she could do a scan in 3-d.  really lady, you had to ask?!

now that was something else!  check it out for yourself!

if you are able to get one of these done, i recommend it.

it is super neat to see their features!

...compared to this.

[however, any time you get to see your little one is special.]

after we were given our pictures, we headed back to the waiting room until a nurse called us in.  the worst part of appointments...the SCALE!  hahaha, i cringe every time i step up onto the thing!  

(this was tim's first time meeting dr. L and i knew he was a bit nervous to go into the room and even what dr. L does during the appointment.  they have a tray set up with tools and i could see him eyeing them, i told him they are always set up in the room so it is ready for a patient that is having that done and not to worry.  i also told him dr. L checks the heartbeat, asks how i'm doing, and lets me know of anything new from the ultrasound.  i think he felt a little better after the clarification...and knowing dr. L wasn't going to do anything more!)  so tim met dr. L and he cut right to the chase.  he said that stella looks good and he does not see the cysts anymore, they have dissolved!  i cannot remember what i said, but he was surprised with my reaction, asking if he made me worry and i told him it was a combination of him and knowing there may be something going on.  he then said that it is a normal thing to be seeing now-a-days.  he also shared with us how much weight i have gained thus far, but didn't say anything further, so i'll chalk that up as good news, too ;)  speaking of weight, dr. L told us that little lady is weighing in at 2 1/2 pounds already!  [yikes!  stella may be a big baby... :/]

then dr. L asked how i have been feeling and i told him about the swelling i have been having in my left leg/foot/ankle.  i told him it is more noticeable on the left leg/foot/ankle than on the right one, but i do notice some swelling on the right side, too.  he squeezed it a couple times, looked a bit puzzled, i chuckled at the puzzled look, and then he said that it could be a sign of a blood clot even though if there was a blood clot it would look different and be bigger than what my leg was looking like.  he asked if my legs/feet hurt at all and i said no, so he said that he would have monica call in to the hospital and set me up with an ultrasound to check if there are any blood clots.  he also said that she would fill out paperwork for me to get my 1-hour glucose test done.  (thankfully i took the whole day off...)

so timmer and i left relieved to hear about stella, and i was still feeling anxious as there were more appointments to figure things out.

i made my way over to the lab to get my glucose test done and i must say, i had a pretty sweet set-up!

a nice comfy recliner, flat screen tv on the wall, and low-lighting...not too bad!

and here is a picture of the lovely orange drink.  i did my best to drink it as fast as i could because it was room temperature and did not taste very appetizing.  it could have been worse, but it wouldn't be my first choice.  so i drank the drink and hung out in the chair...the sugar rush made me want to pass out and made me feel a little loopy at the same time.  after an hour, i had some blood taken and was on my way.

 

hopefully i passed and do not have to take the three-hour test!

i was able to make it home for a few minutes before i had to make my way over to the hospital for my ultrasound appointment.  i really, really do not like hospitals (i had my friend shannon come with me the last time i had to go, but since this was during a work day, i was on my own, eeek!) so i was a bit on edge.  luckily i found my way around okay and was eventually greeted by a male sonographer...little did i know that it was going to get a little awkward once i got into the room.  oh!  i even got a hospital bracelet--i thought this was fun even though i'm sure it is a policy in hospitals these days.

yes, i take a picture of everything these days.  document, document, document.

the ultrasound was really neat, it was just awkward how high up on my leg he had to go... anywho, thankfully he turned the monitor towards me some, he must have seen me straining my neck to see it at first, and he told me what was on the screen.  he turned the color on too, so i could see the blue and red veins and watch them get bigger and smushed when he squeezed my legs.  it went pretty quick and he walked me back to the waiting area and told me that either a doctor would come to talk to me or the doctor would call dr. L's office and i would speak to them over the phone.  the later is what occurred and i was told all checked out okay, no clots, and i was good to go.  phew!

so that was my lovely day off, filled with appointments, but appointments that were necessary and which all gave out good news.

i saved the best for last...the belly picture.

twenty-six weeks and three days = about 14 weeks to go!

here is another belly shot -- tim got creative this week, wish he (or i) thought of this before!  (next time around ;))

xoxo!