Week 30: Cabbage Patch

We're in the thirties! Woo Hoo! I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. Its good because I want this little baby HERE, I want to know what he/she looks like (what he/she IS for that matter), I want to have a margarita on a flipping hot day, I want to sleep through the night without getting up to pee 47 times, and I want sushi! Its bad because I don't know what to do with a baby (yes I've babysat, yes I have instincts, yes I'll figure it out but it's scary), I feel unprepared in terms of "baby stuff" (I'll touch on this later in this post), I am a little selfish in thinking about the things I/we will no longer be able to do (sleep in, watch my DVR for an entire day uninterrupted, go out whenever/wherever, spend $1million dollars eating out) and 18+ years of responsibility for someone else is a little nerve-wracking! Good or bad, its coming.

I'm over the produce thing but to stick with tradition, I'll keep you all in the loop for the last 10 weeks. The baby weighs about 3 pounds this week, about the weight of a head of cabbage.

No, you aren't hallucinating. We just talked about cabbage like 2 weeks ago (remember? I like sauerkraut?). But apparently, Chinese cabbage and heads of cabbage are different enough and interesting enough to the info writers to dedicate an entire week to them.

party-games-etc.com

"Look at me, I'm a head of cabbage"

http://www.babygeartoday.com/cabbage-patch-kids-turn-25.html

These are the only amusing cabbages I can think of this week. Google said Cabbage Patch Kids will be 28 years old in September. I'll be 28 in February. #ilovethe80s Google also has more amusing 3 pounders than cabbage, for example, an average human brain.

Ray: D'you know that the human head weighs 8 pounds?
Jerry: Did you know that Troy Aikman, in only six years, has passed for 16,303 yards? Ray: D'you know that bees and dogs can smell fear? Jerry: Did you know that the career record for hits is 4,256 by Pete Rose who is NOT in the Hall of Fame? Ray: D'you know that my next door neighbor has three rabbits? Jerry: I... I can't compete with that!

Besides the baby's weight, the only other piece of wisdom is that there is about a pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounding it. Matt enjoyed some pints last night. So did his boyfriend Wes. We went to the Peterson's for dinner and as the boys drank moonshine Ashley's dad made, a $40 bottle of whiskey, and some fancy beers, Ashley and I dreamt about our payback dinner when the boys (plus the babies) would be responsible while WE got to drink blended fruity drinks, sangria, hoppy beers (Ashley), a plain old beer.... whatever our little hearts desired (although, it really isn't a fair trade considering after about 2 of those, we will be drunk). Anyway, aside from the beverages we also had a lively discussion about what baby stuff we need to prepare for these little bugs to come.

"We don't need clothes because the baby won't leave the house. We don't need food because you make that. We don't need books or toys because the baby won't need those for at least 6 months to a year..." -Wes

"We don't need a stroller. The baby will be born in October and it'll be too cold. We don't need that until next spring. We already have blankets. Towels work for burp cloths. We don't need a swing."
-Matt


"I don't know if I can handle a baby monitor thanks to Paranormal Activity and Insidious."
-Ashley

Hahaha! Not throwing Ashley under the bus, she was on my side. Her quote was just funny. These boys have no clue what baby train is about to hit them. Registering for baby stuff is going to be about as fun as registering for wedding stuff was (which did not go well for Matt and I). This weekend we are taking on that beast and I am hoping it will help settle some of my feelings of being unprepared. The good news is I control the online registry so I am 100% sure I will have to add and subtract things once Matt gets distracted. In his defense, he is really good at researching brands and product lines so he will be useful for the big stuff like strollers and car seats. As for breast pads, pacifiers, anything plush, and anything not 100% utilitarian.... I'll be taking care of that.

I do give credit where credit is due so I also must acknowledge Matt's research of cloth diapers. We went to Baby Junk yesterday, a new store in Omaha, to see some diapers in person and we will most likely be going the cloth route. It's pretty amazing all of the stuff they have come out with to "Go Green" and get away from some of the chemicals and waste. Although 95% of our decision is economical rather than environmental (we won't be buying a set of 'hybrids' if we travel, we'll probably buy a case of huggies), I think its going to be a good investment (and a good arguement for me to have more babies - after we buy the set, we never have to buy diapers for another baby again! *take that with a grain of salt). Plus, they are cute! Baby Junk is officially housing our first baby registry although it isn't our exclusive diaper outlet because Google showed me a brand of the "one size picket-diapers" we are interested in (that Baby Junk doesn't carry) called "OhKaty." Um Duh, the baby needs at least 1 diaper that says "OhKaty" on it.

ohkaty.com

There are tons of colors and patterns~ again, its bittersweet not knowing the gender. Matt claims he has no problems with a boy in a pink diaper but the more neutral colors will make more sense with the unknown future of our brood. I did add a few girl and boy colors to the registry though... we can't own nothing in pink if it's a girl. Girls in blue are easier to get away with so boy blues have made the cut too.

It's Me time.

Uncomfortable Tummy.
I have had a crazy busy week at work as I am planning/putting on our Annual Golf Tournament this Friday for work. Last year, the tournament was the week before my wedding. This year, I am 30 weeks pregnant and its going to be 90 degrees and hot (is it bad that I am glad its only supposed to be 90?). In the office we were joking about what next year will bring for me.... twins? Hahaha~ don't worry Matt, I knocked on wood.

Chubby Tummy.
Last night, Wes and Ashley did a tummy touch (don't worry, they asked permission) and commented on how hard it felt. Being that its my own gut, I don't notice it being hard. I know its mostly baby but any pregnant person can understand my feeling that its a massive blob of chub. I was glad they thought it was hard, not squishy and for a brief second, I felt like I wasn't a cow. Then I ate 40 BBQ ribs.

Alien Tummy.
Finally, Matt said the other night when he came to bed, baby was a moving machine. I was asleep and my wonderful hubby snuggled up to me and put his hands on my tummy. He and baby had a moment while I was passed out cold. To be a fly on the wall... makes me teary just thinking about it. Love. Love. Love.

Week 29: Writer's Blogk

I have nothing fun to talk about and my baby development resources are not helping the situation. Just to keep with the trend, I’ll let you know that the baby weighs about 2.5lbs, the weight of a butternut squash and is just over 15 inches.

eatingbender.com

(Mind out of gutter, please) The bones are soaking up crazy amounts of calcium so I need to bump up my intake. Dairy seems more enjoyable than squash. Ice Cream counts right? I like anything that includes cheese too (haha oh dairy, oh Rocket...). I’m getting bigger, my back is hurting and I have a new fear of hemorrhoids but other than that, no other new news on the baby front.

I read Jenny McCarthy’s book, Belly Laughs (thanks again Court) and the biggest laugh I got was that every chapter spoke to me.

babymommablog.com

I’m glad I waited until I was ‘more pregnant’ to read the book and could fully appreciate the nightmares she describes. It is definitely one for Matt to read too a) so he understand I am not a freak of nature b) so he can appreciate my symptoms and issues being less severe than they could be and c) so he can envision a babe like Jenny McCarthy doing weird stuff like being constipated (the chapter is called ‘Passing Stonehenge’), farting (Did a Sewer Tank Explode, or Did You Just Fart?), leaking (Niagra in My Pants), pooping on the delivery table, having varicose veins and hemorrhoids (which she didn’t have but described vividly)~ all making his wife seem more appealing than a Playboy Playmate. Thanks Jenny! Other less gross chapters I enjoyed included...

Holy Shit! I Think I Hard-Boiled My Baby! (Taking Hot Baths)

Granny Panties (Letting Go of the G-Strings)

Where the Hell Can I Find a Muumuu? (Nothing to Wear)

What the FU*K Are These? (Stretch Marks)

Another chapter that made me laugh was on vivid baby dreams (Freddy Kruger Ain’t Got Nothin’ On Me). Jenny had a reoccurring dream of performing her own C-section, pulling the baby out, playing with him for a while, shoving him back in, and stitching herself back up. I mentioned pulling the baby out in my own dream a few posts back (Pickles) and its funny to think that my dream was a ‘normal’ pregnancy thing (if comparing myself to Jenny McCarthy is ‘normal’). Jenny has a Chelsea Handler-esque quality to her writing (but not quite as funny) making the book a quick and easy read. Preggos- check it out, but I recommend waiting until you at least have a bump and have felt kicks. The longer you hold off, the more you will appreciate the amusing outlook on your weird pregnancy issues.

In Nursery News… I’m still an undecided mess.

That is a crappy cell phone image that doesn’t do the colors justice but you can see there are 6 colors on the wall. (I can count, one of the blues is a duplicate). The stinkin’ pink is soooo distracting and I can’t get a true idea of what the colors would look like! I have NEVER bought samples before (I’m usually a pretty impulsive buyer) but this paint is going to be the death of me. For the record, I don’t like any of the 6 colors. Boy do I love square 1. Matt and I did buy a chair last night though, and part of the reason I pulled the trigger was to force some paint decisions. My vision is being narrowed down and I think we are close to making major progress (still waiting on the wall repairs, cough, cough).

Finally, this 29^th week will be spent a little more chaotic than usual. Since Gus & Wiggy have been getting a lot of blog time the past few weeks, I thought I’d share a picture of their houseguest for the week. We are dog-sitting Gus’s half-sister, Annie (they have the same Dad… or Mom, I forget) until Monday so my boys are getting some girl-time.

They look well-behaved (Walter looks dead) but in the first 4 hours of being together, we already had a minor issue (don’t worry N&T- Happy Vacation!). Hopefully it wasn’t a sign of what’s to come and we have a happy weekend! Maybe we can get them to use their new baby pool!

I guess my writer’s blogk churned out a little more info than I expected. Good thing I read a book last week! I’m excited for next week to get out of the ‘twenties’ (I won’t be saying that in reference to my age in a couple of years) and I’m guessing this last stretch will lead to better content (i.e. more uncomfortable pregnancy situations) to blog about. With that, these twenties are ‘squashed’! hahahahahahaha! Get it??

Week 28: Vinegar

The baby's weight is 2.25 lbs, the weight of Chinese cabbage.

thegoodfoodcollective.com

I mentioned before about liking my cucumbers pickled and likewise, I like my cabbage krauted.

vegonline.org

Mmmm... reubens, brats, straight from the jar (yes I've done that)~ maybe my thing is with vinegar. I was a little late getting to my weekly email this week and, no joke, yesterday I went home for lunch, made a quick grocery list and wrote down "cabbage." Even though my intended slaw bag of cabbage wasn't a 2.25 lb Chinese cabbage, it is a sort of random grocery item to have on the mind~ especially since the rest of the list was milk, bread, and other basic necessities. When I went back to work and had a chance to see the email, cabbage was no surprise. I should have guessed! I got on my 'slaw' kick last week when I made up a version of 'Fumi Salad' (that salad with Raman noodles broken up) sans the Raman (trying to be healthier from the 4lbs last week). It was tasty. I like Asian-y flavors and the crunch from the cabbage, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds I added and most importantly, the vinegar-y dressing I made for it. (Yep, its the vinegar I subconsciously want). Long story short, again, I ate the baby. It's like pregnancy premonitions.

Oh, this blog is about a baby, not what I eat? The baby is blinking and can sense light. It has eyelashes and is building more and more fat to get ready for the world. OMG! Speaking of fat... did you read this lovely little story?? Giant Baby. A mother in Texas had a 16 POUND baby!!!

blippitt.com

Are you kidding me? The mom had gestational diabetes which contributed to the problem but this was not an encouraging story to read days before my own diabetes screening (and days after my doctor said I was measuring "a liiiitle big" (say 'liiitle' in a squeaky voice). Whatevs. I did my diabetes screening and the lady taking my blood thought testing me was ridiculous because I had no diabetes. Yay for me, Yay for my lady parts (granted the 16 pounder was a C-section), and Yay for a new perspective on a 'big' baby. 8, 9, even 10 pounders sound like a cake walk! Haha! Says the lady who has no idea what the heck her body is about to go through in a few short months.

Being that this is week 28, I am officially into the 3rd trimester. I hate being a complainer about pregnancy because I feel like I'm insulting the baby but I am definitely starting to get uncomfortable. 3 more months of this?!? The biggest issue I have is pain on the side of my ribs, up almost under my armpit. There is no position that eases the pain (except to lay down) and it seems to stem from sitting.... which conveniently I do for 8 hours every day. My belly is also getting bigger and it is getting more difficult to cover it completely. I'm sure anyone who has been pregnant can relate to the awkward realization that your bare belly skin is exposed below your belly button~ usually in a very public place like the grocery store, or work.

babynamebox.com

Imagine this, plus 20 pounds (or 30, or 35...) and no photoshop color correction (my belly hasn't seen sunshine since October). I guess the sooner you get over the embarrassment of personal exposure, the better off you will be when there are 4+ faces between your legs at birth.

3rd Trimester means I need to get in gear with this nursery. I'm too indecisive thinking, 'that's too girly' 'that's not girly enough.' I need to just come to terms with accessorizing post-baby. I ordered a rug that I was iffy about but the return costs would have come to basically the cost of the rug so once I hit "confirm order" the fate of the rug was sealed.

ikea.com

I was nervous for a week waiting for the rug to get in but now that its here, the more I look at it, the more I like it. The white is not as stark white as it looks in this picture (which eased one of my fears) and what I thought was black is dark navy but the reds, yellows and greens are close to the shades I was envisioning and my wall art I started looks really good with it. The rug pushed us to get committed to a wall color and after 4 sample colors have been smeared on the wall, we aren't any closer to a decision. The darn pepto-bismol pink is sooooo distracting! We are making progress though... slowly but surely.

In news that has nothing to do with the baby, Gus had to get a haircut this week. His sweater was not working out for him with this heat wave we're having and it was getting hard to see his cute little eyes. He is definitely an indoor dog in the summers (but he LOVES snow) and his favorite spot is on top of the vent in our kitchen (which makes for a funny blowout on his ears and mustache every 45 min or so). I got him ready for an "R word" Monday and I thought he was going to pee with excitement. He rode shotgun licking the air blowing from the A/C vent and was in good spirits until we got into the door of the groomers. I had to drag him. There is a bird at our groomer (and 15 other dogs, cats and small animals running around) and I think the squawks fall into the vaccuum category as far as Gus's likes go. He looked at me with the saddest little eyes as I handed him off to the groomer and he curled up into a ball the closet he could to the door. 2 yippee little white dogs were all over him and he just looked at me defeated. He is usually the one jumping all over everyone and every dog so you can imagine how awful I felt. I left, and I cried. My poor baby. Baby. What the hell am I going to do when this is my BABY?!? I cried leaving my dog at the groomer for 4 hours where despite my description, I know he is taken care of and treated well. What will I do when I leave my baby to go to the bathroom? Take a shower? The grocery store? Work? God forbid, an overnight trip??? I can hear the snickers from all you mommies out there. I know I'll get over it eventually. Thank God my mom isn't still with me 24/7. Babies grow into big people one day~ I'll just have to put myself in my own 'kid' shoes!

My sympathy for Gus ended about 5 minutes after Matt brought him home with his new haircut. Even though I am his #1 fan, I am the first to admit he looks stupid with haircuts. Walter had been mopey and depressed the whole day without Gus but as soon as he got back, the 2 were at it. "Get Outside!" They have been naughty all week and the evidence is clear....

That was a boa - long story on its origins but I came home with it, set it high on the counter, went upstairs for less than 10 minutes and returned downstairs to this. If baby is a girl, she should not have feathery, fluffy things. A day later, I saw Wiggy nosing around in something pinkish in the yard. Fearing it was the innards of another bird, I went outside to find a wad of feather puke. At least it was faux feathers.

I'll end this post with good wishes and mental pictures for your weekend. Coming soon, Matt and Katy - parents-to-be pictures!

beccasheppard.wordpress.com

HAHAHAA! You've got to love the internet.

Week 27: 2 for you, 4 for me

The baby weighs just about 2 pounds this week, about the weight of a head of cauliflower.

bigoven.com

That does not explain the 4lbs. I've put on since last week and although I ate some good cook-out food over the 4th, nothing to explain FOUR pounds. Well, I did eat 2 pieces of cake (both corners) at a wedding Saturday (okay, and a few bites of Matt's). I got 2 pieces pretending to be nice to Matt while he was getting a drink but I secretly told him to snag his own on the way back to the table... yes, I strategically got myself 2 corners with no intention of sharing. Still, wedding slices are small and that is no 4 pounds!

I guess I should resort to more cauliflower this week and less good stuff. Hy-Vee has had some pretty displays of their colored varieties lately and they featured purple cauliflower as an ingredient on Chopped the other day so maybe I should try something new this week and go with a fun head. I'll let you know if a) I truly decide to eat more veggies or b) I say 'screw it, whats another 4 lbs' and go for 2 pounds of the baby's weight in of something good like Swedish Fish, or french fries.

food-pusher.blogspot.com

vs.

dolles.com

You be the judge. It just dawned on me how I buckled to my maple syrup/ french toast craving I've been having over the weekend as well. French Toast Sampler from Wheatfield's... delicious but surprisingly disappointing, as the slices of bread were really thin, not the thick Texas toast thickness I was looking for. The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking maybe the 4 lbs. could be explained... stupid.

Oh well, What to Expect... said this week, the baby has more active taste buds than it will have even at birth so I can chalk it up to diversifying flavors for the baby. Obviously frosting needs to be in that mix in large amounts so I'm just helping the baby fit into the family (as if that would be a problem - actually if baby didn't like frosting it might work out better for the rest of us... Mom, Charlie, Kerri, Kenzie...).

I'm hoping the 4lbs drops before my weigh in (aka Dr.'s appointment) tomorrow and honestly, its a likely possibility. Remember my amusement with weigh-ins before and after potty breaks? It definitely fluctuates. I feel like I've had to get up more and more the past week or so but I think it stems from my growing discomfort. Every time I roll over in bed the "need to pee" scale goes from like a 2 facing one side, to a 6 mid roll, to a 22 face up (the scale only goes to 10), back down to a 6 and finally to a 2 onto the other side. At that point, I'm half awake and forced to weigh the options. Do I stay put and fall back asleep or do I go deal with the pee to spare myself of the crappiness of my bladder waking me up in a few hours? The worst part is that even if I get up, I know I will still have to deal with the crappiness in a few hours. Baby + Bladder = no sleep. And the best is yet to come right?? Summer will get hotter, baby will get bigger, and discomfort will grow. 3 more months!

**For those of you reminiscing over the past few days about Matt and I and how great we are, here is a little recap of where we were on the 4th of July just 2 short years ago. MATTLOVESKATY 
Talk about fireworks. Who knew 2 short years later, I'd be hosting a head of cauliflower?