Happy Halloween!

I have no idea what time trick-or-treating starts, but we're already excited and ready to go! My daughter loves Halloween! I think I have one of the few 3 year olds on the planet who thinks monsters are great and really isn't afraid of much. She's always been that way, so Halloween has always been lots of fun. There's a neighborhood not far from us that really gets into Halloween - lots of houses decorate and set up spooky stuff, monsters will scare you when you come up the walk, stuff like that. Can't wait to see what they do this year!

I think I'm going to miss out on the fun though.... walking for any length of time is getting very painful. So odds are that Daddy will take her through our neighborhood while I hand out candy, then I'll pick them up and drive over to the other neighborhood... and probably crochet or something while they trick-or-treat.

:(

I'll leave you with some pictures of our jack-o-lanterns. The 'cutesy' one was the closest I could get to a Care Bear face. That was my daughter's request and I'm just not that good!

Who knew? (Breast pumping dilemmas)

I sure didn't...

My daughter was breastfed and since I had planned to return to work I purchased a good breast pump. However, I basically never used it because no matter how much time I spent I would get either no milk or very very little. I finally just gave up on it since I didn't end up going back to work. Considered it a nice big waste of money.

This time around, I would really like to make use of that pump. I'd like to be able to involve my daughter in the feedings and also allow my husband to bottle feed sometimes so I can have a break to sleep or whatever. So I've been researching possible problems that would cause me to not get any milk when pumping. Especially considering that I spent hours trying when it should only take 10-15 minutes!

Turns out that most breast pumps come with a 'standard' size breast shield, which doesn't fit many women. Some women need smaller ones, most women need bigger ones. Wow, sure would have been nice to know that before! I just went online and ordered the next size up... hopefully that will make a difference this time!

So, for any other women out there who are struggling with their breast pump, wondering why they can't get any milk out, or are barely getting any out, consider doing a little research on breast shield sizing - you may not be a 'standard' fit!

A bit of advice....

When you're almost 33 weeks pregnant, don't spend 6 hours walking around Se@ W0rld! You will be hurting long before the day is through.... and for how long after, I dread to find out! My goodness, my back, thighs and pelvis(?) have never hurt like this!

But, we had a great day. My little snickerdoodle had a blast, and even went on her first rollercoaster.... about 12 times!!

32 week update

I had my checkup on Friday so I thought I'd post the latest info....

BP 134/88 - nurse said this was a little high but not too high, yet. We may be heading towards another early delivery if it continues on this trend. Fine by me as long as he's healthy!

Weight Gain - 16 pounds, though it's been really picking up lately. I wouldn't be surprised if it hit 25 or 30 pounds by the time he's born.

Fundal Height - 33cm, so I'm finally starting to measure normal again. I was almost 32 weeks at the appointment so measuring a week or so ahead is no big deal. Unfortunately I can't continue my hope for a 37 week c-section because of measuring so large anymore. We're still looking at around 39 weeks, which would be December 10. Personally, I'm hoping for the week before, but I don't know how likely I am to get that wish. I really want to be well on my way to recovery so I can enjoy Christmas. I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to get down on the floor with her to open presents and play like I usually do. So, let's hope something non-health-threatening happens to allow for a slightly earlier than 39 week delivery!

Nursery pics UPDATED

The nursery is almost done. Really, all I have left to do is organize a few things, recover the glider, and get some basics set up (like the sleep positioner in the crib, putting covers on the boppies and changing pad, things like that).
So, I thought I'd share some pictures and show you the results of our labor of love....



Here's the blanket I finally finished last week. It only took me something like 5 months!


UPDATE: The bed is there because (1)This used to be our guest room (2) The mattresses will hopefully be used for a future guest room when we move (3)I will be sleeping here until I recover from the c-section after J's born - our king size bed sits way too high to climb in and out of after major abdominal surgery.

Christmas in October

Can you believe that, with the exception of a few new addresses I need to get, I have all of my Christmas cards ready to mail? All 32 of them. Well, they need stamps, but otherwise they are ready!

And to amaze you even further.... all but a few of my baby announcements are addressed and stamped!

Now I just have to make sure I don't accidentally mail out the Christmas cards before the baby announcements have been filled in and sent (and the baby born of course!).... because I signed them with baby boy's name too and I don't want to ruin the surprise!

Oh yeah, I finished the baby blanket too! I'll post pictures soon.... maybe some nursery shots too since it's almost all ready, with the exception of the cushions for the glider. I'm so excited to show off my hard work!

I'm determined to get everything done early... because the way I've been feeling, I can't imagine this boy making it the full 39-40 weeks. I'm seriously hoping that once I'm past the 36 week mark they'll find a reason to go ahead with the c-section. As long as he's ready, which he already seems to be! He's been trying to dig his way out for awhile now! I can't believe how different everything has been this time around. I got big(ger) so much faster, and have had a lot more discomfort (and pain) this time around. Not to mention the acrobatic moves this little guy is constantly performing in there!

Pics coming soon....

Congrats and Prayers requested...

for my blogging buddy, Mony. She and I were due right around the same time, but due to kidney problems on her end her baby boy was delivered by c-section at 32 weeks. Please head over and extend your congratulations and best wishes for Mony and Cooper to have a speedy recovery! Thanks!

What the hell was that?

Ok, so apparently I finally got spam comments. Of course, I would have to get the longest, preachiest, least-sense-making spam. I couldn't even get through the whole thing just trying to skim it. I gave up.
Seriously, if you're going to spam me or preach to me or whatever the heck you were trying to do, at least make it relevant and understandable. And less than, I don't know, 100 words?
Sheesh.

30 Weeks

Time is flying by. I know I've been neglecting everyone here and I'm sorry! I keep meaning to post, but then I don't get around to it.
So here's a rundown of what's been going on:

The nursery is almost done - really, a lot of progress has been made! I'll post pitcures when it gets a little more done on it. It's just a little cluttery still.

I haven't started on the cushion covers for the glider. I do have the fabric, and the cushions have been cut, but I still haven't gotten the new sewing machine out of the box.

The granny square blanket for the baby is finally coming along. I finished the last of the squares 2 days ago and now I just need to get them all connected.

The shopping for baby stuff is almost done. At least as far as what will be needed for the first 3-6 months. Let me tell you, I am so thankful we had 3 baby showers thrown for us when pregnant with my daughter because there is no way our finances at the time would have allowed for everything we needed. This time around, because we are having a boy, we are still having to buy almost everything new. Turns out almost everything we had was pink or purple. Thankfully we are able to reuse the crib, infant carseat, a monitor, bouncy seat and some blankets. Basically everything else has been slowly purchased over the past several months. Including a dresser. I'm afraid to go back through my receipts and see the ridiculous amount of money that has been spent... and there's more to get! Until you have to actually get everything for a new baby yourself, you will never know what a wonderful gift a baby shower is! Not that I'm complaining - I'm having a blast picking out all the cute boy stuff, and we are lucky that we've been able to get by with only pulling a bit from savings. And I will admit that there are extras that weren't completely necessary that we've gotten anyways. All I'm saying is YOWZA, there is a lot to get for a baby! This is another prime example though of things that make me proud of how we manage our finances. That we are able to afford to do this on a single income, without charging anything, is a big accomplishment in my eyes. My husband and I both come from families that didn't do that great financially - money management being the primary problem in my family, lack of money the problem in his. So we are always very proud of what we've been able to accomplish for ourselves.

Is it just me or did that sort of turn into a 'yea us, we rock' post? Sorry!

For your viewing pleasure....