Pregnancy Update...week 36 (and a half...but who's counting?!?)

I have been slowing down a lot lately.  I come home from work and sit on the couch and prop my feet up.  I wish I could tell you that this makes me more comfortable, but alas, it only provides minimal relief!

Cankles.  Lately when it's been getting humid my ankles will swell up worse than your grade school librarian with those orthotic shoes.  It stinks b/c they used to only swell in the evenings after I'd been on them all day, but now if it's a humid day, they just flare up from the get go.  Gross.

Gas.  Yes you read correctly.  My gassines has not increased, but it has become quite an uncomfortable experience with all the mashed-up parts down there. 

Nesting.  Yes and no.  Depends on the energy level.  I wish my house were way neater.  I hope that I get that crazy nesting bug again in the next few weeks and just go crazy on my house.

Hospital bag.  Partially packed.  I'm bringing what I have ready to my doctor's appointment each week from now on, since many women have told me about their doctor examining them and sending them straight to the hospital.  I don't feel like this is anything that I should be worried about, but it's just a precaution.  We are also putting the car seat in the car this week just in case. 

Belly.  It's large and in charge.  I accidentally bump it when I close the door these days since it just keeps going further and further straight out.  He still only likes to stay on the right side of the womb, which is getting more and more annoying the larger he gets.  I believe he is convinced that he can still do a somersault in there if he wanted, but he's too big now.  But that does not stop him from trying!  Little stinker.  I'm starting to investigate these post-pregnancy belly wraps that are supposed to help your belly tighten back up faster.  The two most popular ones are Brooke Burke's Tauts and the Belly Bandits.  Anyone heard any feedback about either one?

Hips. Owwie.  I've been having round ligament pain for about 2 weeks now.  This pain starts deep in your groin and goes around to your hips.  All those relaxant hormones are making my ligaments more flexible and therefore my hips are spreading out! Fun times!  I went and got another prenatal massage from Stacey (http://www.massagebystacey.com/).  She's the bomb.  It was definitely relieving!

Doctor stuff.  I went today and I'm now 12 lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.  Yay.  Still have about 4 weeks to go though!  I got my first vaginal exam today and I'm 2cm dilated and 70% effaced.  He said it is likely that I won't go past my due date, so that is good!  I'm trying  not to get my hopes up b/c I know that you can walk around dilated that much for a month or so before delivering, but he said that he wouldn't be surprised if Baby A came early...but more than likely I would just not go late.  I'm just glad that things are progressing in the right direction!

Praying for a safe delivery soon please! :)

Faith's Birthday!

Our friends Jusin & Leslee have an adorable little girl named Faith and she just turned 3!  I can't believe it!

Her party was especially fun for me b/c I got to use my new dslr camera and use some of the little tips I picked up in my children's photography class recently. Now I know what they were all talking about in the class when they said that it was difficult to get all the elements of your shot the way you want when you have moving targets! I won't be creepy weird lady who posts a bunch of pics of other people's kids online, but here are a few from today!

Waiting for us to sing to her
(I wish there wasn't a balloon coming out of her tiara!)

Sleepy girl with her Skittles

 

I'm impressed that she knows how to pretend to read the cards!

Pregnant ladies!  Leslee is due in March.





Hmm Whatcha Say...

People say the darnedest things!  Especially to pregnant ladies.

I've mentioned before the unsolicited advice that we all know about.  But then there are the comments as well.

For your humor, I have compiled some things that have actually been said to me.  I will separate them into things NOT to say to a pregnant lady, and things TO say to a pregnant lady...

Things NOT to say to a pregnant lady:
"Miss Lady! You are BIG!!"
"Oh I should have known it was a boy since your nose is getting big."
"You're getting so big."
"Wow!  You just really got big there!"
"I'm going to be interested to hear how long you lasted before you got the epidural."
"You poor thing. You look miserable."
"Your shirt is really struggling there."
"You're getting fatter!"
"You're going to split that meal?  Watch your fingers buddy if you're splitting with a pregnant lady."
"I'm going to take back all your presents if you don't tell me your baby's name."

Things TO say to a pregnant lady:
"You're so tiny!"
"You're all baby."
"You're glowing."
"I think that's fun to wait to share the name."
"Use your 'pregnancy card.'"
"May I touch your belly?"
"You wear your pregnancy well."
"You look great."
"May I help you carry that?"
"You're doing such a great job.  You're going to be a great mom."
"You can do it...just a little bit longer!"

Some other things people say/ask repeatedly that I'm kinda indifferent to, but they get annoying because EVERYONE asks the same things...
"When is your due date?"
"Aww a Christmas babyyyyyy!"
"Boy or girl?"
"What is his name?"

Overall, I've had fun being pregnant.  I just take everything with a grain of salt and keep moving on.  I know I'm beautiful and I'm happy with where God has us right now!

New Shutterfly Site

I have created a Shutterfly page for massive photo uploads in the future. I promise to not let it replace the blog!

I have it set on members only, so if you'd like to be able to view it:  just go to our site, sign up for Shutterfly (or sign-in if you already have an account), and click the button that says request to be a member of my site.  Then I'll approve you and you'll be good to go.

The only thing on there right now are my maternity pictures, and there's not likely to be anything else on there until Baby A is born.  But if you sign up to be a member now, it will alert you as soon as we add baby pics in the  hospital.  Ryan is planning on bringing his laptop to use the free wi-fi to update everyone on Baby A news, etc.

www.laughingamersons.shutterfly.com

(couldn't think of another name so just copied blog name! easier that way!)

Potion in the Lotion

I've been hesitant to post about this for fear that in my last month or so I would blow up like a balloon and get stretch marks everywhere.  But so far so good.  I have no stretch marks.  Don't hate.  I still have a few more weeks and he's growing so rapidly now, I'm afraid I'm jinxing myself! I understand that the stretch marks and the varicose veins things are highly hereditary, and I got the right end of the stick on that as well, so take this with a grain of salt.

At the beginning of my pregnancy (probably before I knew I was pregnant), I ordered this lotion on sale from my Avon lady at work just b/c it was cheap (3 for 1 at the time) and it came in a pump (gotta have a pump on your lotion).  I kept using it all over b/c it has vitamins A, C, and E in it, and I figured that was good enough for me since they say use lotion with vitamin E for sure when you're pregnant...and I didn't want to smell like a cocoa plant like all those pregnancy lotions they advertise.  It smells nice...just a mild lotion scent...nothing that has ever bugged my sensitive pregnant nose.

So I told my Avon lady that if I make it through this whole thing without a single stretch mark, then she has a new marketing tool!

Elise's Shower!

My sister had her first bridal shower this weekend.  It was great to spend time with her and I'm glad she and Brady got some good stuff for their new home together. 

Elise likes to poke Baby A in hopes that he will poke back.

Kitchen utensils!

Elise and her posse.

Sisters!  She took her shoe off so that she could be the same height as me, but then she didn't realize that mom was taking a picture of us head to toe!

Maternity Pics Slideshow

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