Super Cute Purchase

Last Saturday, Dave and I drove down to Kent State University (Dave's Alma Mater). I had never been there before to see the campus, and I was wanting to get a cute onsie outfit for the baby...What a beautiful campus. Parts of it really reminded me of Ohio University (my Alma Mater). We had such a nice time walking around. I took a picture of the cutie outfit we purchased for our little man! Also, did you know that Kent is home to the black squirrel?

Meet Freddy

My dog Freddy is just a ginormous (love that word) bundle of love! He weighs about 115-120 at any given time...which is 20lbs LESS then when Dave and I first started dating. Needless to say, he's a big boy!

Freddy has a tendency to lay down right in front of every walkway you might be in the process of using. In the kitchen, it's in front of the stove, or blocking the doorway into the dining room. He just likes to be a part of the action. In the thick of it. UNDER YOUR FEET!

Lately, Freddy has taken to sleeping partially on his bed and partially under our bed. These pictures aren't even a good depiction of his new sleeping position. It's probably because it's summer, and the wood floors are cool. However, my side of the bed is closest to the wall in the background, and when I go to the bathroom five times a night, I have to pay attention so I don't step on his giant melon head.

In the middle of the night, he has developed a habit of moving from his bed, to laying right in front of the bedroom door. I'm telling you as entertaining as this midnight hop scotch is, we're trying to figure out how to move the dog, because this $hit isn't going to work when I'm making midnight milk runs!

Partially Finished Nursery...

We still have a lot left to do. We need to put the valances up, buy a rug, and wait for the bedding to arrive. But, here's a picture of the beautiful furniture that Lori and John handed down to us. It is gorgeous! You would never know that it is 10-years old and has survived three children. We're hoping it lasts for us just as well.

We love hand me downs :)


The piece with the lamp on it is the book case. Those are the valances that are ironed and ready to be hung. One thing at a time though, Dave has been SO busy painting...these are not a priority.





The beautiful crib! Oh, I just love this the most. It's gorgeous. It seems very user friendly, especially when raising and lowering the mattress part. I can't wait until our little man is sleeping peacefully in there.




The changing table. I just love this too. So pretty. Of course right now it's covered with crap, but that is all a sign of progress. You can see my Old English bottle covered by the rag. A little bit of Murphy's Oil Soap and Old English made this set look brand new again!




The dresser has the TV on it for now. That TV really dates itself by being so ginormous! We would like to have a TV in there, for us, ok, for me, to be able to watch while he's nursing or when we take turns with him at night. We are looking for something smaller though. I'm sure this will give David an opportunity to find some adorable flatscreen TV.





Finally, the bassinet. We are going to make room next to my side of the bed for this to help us get through the first few weeks. That's what a lot of people have recommended. The bassinet has a boppy in it! Sandie saw the boppy on my registry and told me I could have her practically brand new one. Little Luca did not take to it, and he was only born May 16th...so this is really new! Thanks again Sandie!

Starting to feel REAL!!!! Third Trimester!

So, the last few weeks have been busy. I think I've stated that...Everything seems to be coming together now...and this baby thing is becoming very real.

To start, we have all of the baby furniture at home, cleaned polished and ready to be filled with little boy delights.

Last night was our first Lamaze class. It was a lot of fun. I laughed a lot, and Dave said more then a few times, that he was happy it was me having the baby and not him. The class was pretty full. And there was one girl there, I'll call her "epidural girl". She just kept cracking me up.

First, she was all worried about how painful the epidural would be, the needle size, etc. I recognize needles and epidurals scare most people. I had one last summer, but I never saw the needle, it didn't hurt, and I'm not afraid of needles (plus, they tell you not to look for a reason!). She just went on and on about epidurals to help with the pain. I swear on my life, 30-minutes later, this same girl was asking the nurse for reassurance on how she would know it was a contraction. The nurse just kept saying, and was being really funny, that she would "know" because of how painful it is. "Epidural Girl" then asked, "Well, what if you have a high tolerance for pain?". I almost burst out laughing. SO FRIGGIN' funny!

Some of the couples there were all over each other. Like super gooey love birds. I just wanted to laugh and say "We get it! You're into each other. That's what got you here in the first place!" I'm not kidding, during the break, one couple was actually SLOW DANCING with each other. Um, there was NO MUSIC! Sweet as it is, two things..Time & Place.

I am also officially in the Third Trimester. Holy crap balls! The change over actually occurred one day last week, but I'm rounding up to Week 28. This is momentous for a few reasons. 1) I've never been in the third trimester and 2) If the baby was born today, which would suck, his odds are REALLY GOOD, I think the medical term is viable.

I'm not feeling too svelte anymore. We went to a wedding last weekend, and in some of the pictures, I have like EIGHT chins. I shit you not. I think I need to go on a chin diet. Or start doing chin lifts. Something. These better go away after monkey is born. I go back to the doctor on Thursday for a regular appointment, and I am truly afraid of getting on the scale.

And just for the record, I never did have the Baskin Robbins sundae I posted a picture of earlier!

What else...Oh, I had the one hour glucose test today. This ended up not being a big deal at all. Seriously, I should not have even listened to people. You would have thought I had to drink the same nasty cocktail that people getting a colonoscopy have to drink. The one that makes you want to vomit and tastes like elephant poop. This tasted like McDonald's Orange Drink Concentrate. I mean, it wasn't something I would go out and drink on my own, but for heavens sake, I chugged the whole beverage in under a minute and plugged my nose, only to find out it didn't even taste bad.

So, what goes on in Week 28?

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Really, I think this baby weighs 12 pounds. It's the only way I can justify how big I feel. Food has nothing to do with it!

25, 26, and 27...plus

Wow. I haven't added the weekly updates in a while! So here goes...

25-Weeks

How your baby's growing:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

26-Weeks

How your baby's growing:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

27-Weeks

How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

Food.

So, last weekend I called my Mom and made a special request for her thumbprint cookies. She makes these every year for Christmas, and they are just the best.

All I want to eat are thumbprints. With all of the love in her heart, she made us two dozen cookies. Now two dozen sounds like a lot, but to Selfish Susie, this really is just not enough! Needless to say, I am enjoying what's left of the cookies :) Dave and I made a trip to the west side last night to pick them up....and they're almost gone. We also picked up what's left of the baby furniture...but more on that later.

Yummy Yummy thumbprints....I think I'll need to put in another request :)

Ice Cream. Another thing I would like right this minute in time is a sundae from Baskin Robbins. Now tell me, how GOOD does this look? Seriously? Peanut butter and fudge with real ice cream and not that soft serve nonsense? Yummy. I have a coupon for buy one get one. I think we might be heading to 31 Flavors tomorrow to celebrate the 4th of July as good Americans...by indulging in some delicious fattening ice cream!

And finally, I feel like a human wishbone. I can't say enough how fabulous I feel all of the time...and I'm sure that might get annoying. Especially if you're one of those people that were miserable and sick and just think I'm an evil biatch for being so pleasantly pregnant. Well, maybe all of the gloating is going to catch up to me....I'm starting to feel a "smidgen" of discomfort. It seems like the last two days, my hipbones/pelvis have become a human wishbone.

I've tried to draw a picture to describe the discomfort that I'm feeling. I hope the visual says it all.

Happy 4th of July!

And more things I love...

I tried to capture some thoughts the other day on what I love and dislike about being pregnant. Well, at the end of the day, I really have no dislikes. I think anyone who knows me well, understands that my complaints are mostly *tongue in cheek*. I don't really know who came up with that phrase, but I think it applies. If not "I'm Sorry" (total Friends reference).

I keep thinking of other things that I love. Things that I don't ever want to forget. Things I don't think I would forget, but for Danny's sake, I wanted to make sure I captured them.

I love when Dave leaves notes, if I'm still sleeping, and he leaves for a run, and he writes "I love you both and I'll see you soon". I love you BOTH. This just melts me. He did that this past weekend, and I was so mad at myself later when I cleared off the counter and threw it out. It was out of habit to do, to throw out a post-it-note. I'm saving those notes from now on.

I loved when last week, the baby was super active, and David was exhausted from being outside all day in the heat for our neighborhood garage sale. He put his hand on my belly to feel the movement, and a few minutes later, he fell asleep. I looked over, and my cutie pie was out cold, but his hand was so relaxed and just resting on my belly. I loved that.

I love when Danny is active, and when David puts his hand on my belly only to have the baby stop moving. Dave is convinced the baby stops because of him. Sometimes I think this really frustrates him. I keep telling him that this is a sign of things to come. That he has the magic touch. The calming hands. And that the baby is on his best behavior for Dad. All hell lets loose when he's with me. I think Dave should take 12-weeks of paternity leave to hang out with me :)

Finally, I love when I'm leaving the house, and saying good-bye to Dave and saying "We'll see you in a bit". We. I have this constant companion with me all of the time. I get a lot of "becareful's", and "call me's" and all of those little signs of love from Dave when I head out the door, even when it's just down the street.

Last summer, when we were going through some difficult doctor appointments, and I was home for the day trying to gather my thoughts and schedule more appointments, David had gone to work. Perfect reflection of our personalities. I make lists to manage stress, David enjoys work. His note that he left me, which I still have...said he would be home in a moments notice if "we" needed him. And that he loved us both.

When I was pregnant with Angela, I used to say the same things when I'd run errands, "we'll be back in a little bit". It just became a habit. After our loss and before our second pregnancy, I would catch myself almost saying it but would stop myself. I guess I could have kept saying it all along. Whether I'm pregnant or not, there will always be a "we" to me because I have her with me all of the time.

Those little comments, written words, and gentle moments just add more icing to my big pregnancy cake.