Just a Little Tipsy...

So over the last week or so I've noticed that my balance has started to go right out the window. If my weight starts going in one direction, its very difficult to get it stopped and started in the right direction again. More often then I'd like to admit I walk as if I've one-to-many, or as if I'm walking on a boat that is rocking back and forth. The worst is when I wake up in the middle of the night and try to make my way to the bathroom. It seems as if none of my normal motor skills exist and my trip is based on the walls and doorways that I run into on my way there.

This doesn't really disrupt my life, and I find it comical at times. My only concern is that as I start to pack-on-the-pounds this last month or so, that I might actually fall right over. Keep you fingers crossed that I don't fall flat on my face!

What Monty Does in His Free Time

There are many days when I feel I already know Monty's personality. Sometimes we argue, sometimes we laugh, and I already find myself talking to him more then what is probably normal (if there is such a thing as normal).

Monty's new favorite trick (that I'm not very fond of) is trying to see if his butt will fit under my rib cage. Yes it hurts, it hurts so bad at times that it brings tears to my eyes. I can only describe it as that same feeling you get when you get hit in the face or nose with a ball, and you can't help but tear up. I typically fight against him and put some pressure or a cold compress on the area until he decides to move. He tends to be very stubborn about it though, which is another personality trait that I think is already coming through.

I believe Monty's feet are permanently stuck in my ribs. I can feel him moving them front to back hitting both sides of my ribs as he goes about his day. At the last doctor visit she said that he was already in the head-down position and that he would probably stay that way until the end.

He also tends to "flutter" a lot, and moves constantly. This I'm okay with, and it usually makes me feel better that I know he is alive, healthy, strong and moving regularly. They say that they should be sleeping for good parts of the day now, but I'm not sure he ever does. There is always some type of movement going on.

His technical stat's include: Being around 5 lbs right now, he should be around 18-19 inches long. 

Christmas Pictures...

Merry Christmas

Being food obsessed pregnant women that I am, I would have to say that today, Christmas that is, has a whole new meaning to me. Normally I might be anticipating the presents that are sitting under the tree, or thinking about the "true meaning of Christmas" but instead, I am looking forward to the the fun-food-filled day that is ahead of me. Friends and relatives will be coming through that front door with all different types of wonderful-glorious food Food FOOD!!!

So my Christmas present to myself this year is to not care what I'm eating or how much of everything I am eating. I'm just going to enjoy and let the good times roll.

Merry Christmas Everyone!



One might say that you could easily interchange the line "all I want for Christmas is you" with "all I want for Christmas is food" :-)

Merry Christmas Eve - Happy Birthday Grace!!!

I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to one of my girlfriends, Krystal, and her husband, Andy on their new baby girl Grace. She is absolutely beautiful and I wish them all the best, along with a restful and speedy recovery.

Baby Grace was born Christmas Eve at 12:10 am weighing in at 8 pounds 8 ounces, and 21 inches long.

Here are a few maternity pictures I took just a week ago for Krystal - doesn't she look great? Soon, I will be taking pictures of Baby Grace!!!

Congrats again Krystal and Andy!

I try not to complain....BUT

MY BACK HURTS!!! 

There, I said it!

I really try to keep the blog as upbeat as possible but lately my back has been hurting me non-stop. I can't get any relief - sitting hurts, standing hurts, laying down hurts....I've tried different things but nothing seems to take the pain away. I know the real solution is to just give birth, but I'm not quite ready for that either!

I think the real problem is, that everything I thought being pregnant would be, it isn't. That "glow" turned out to be the pink flush my face would get after I puked up my breakfast, lunch and dinner and/or the hot flashes that make you sweat like you've never sweated before. And things that I had prepared myself to deal with, like knee pain (which I have a long history of), didn't even happen. I'm very grateful that my knees are handling the extra weight really well. But mentally I think that I could handle the same amount of pain in my knees, better then I can handle this pinching nagging back pain that doesn't go away.

Holiday Charm

As the holidays are among us, our lives can easily be consumed by holiday parties and late night shopping. It can be even more stressful when your feet are swollen, your back hurts, the need to pee every five seconds is no exaggeration and not to mention the disappointment and exhaustion that can come from trying to find that perfect holiday outfit when NOTHING FITS!!!

I however have decided to take a different route. I'm saying NO, to the endless search to try and find that perfect holiday outfit, and saying YES, to investing in new custom made accessories.

I've also skipped the shopping malls and headed straight to Etsy to find myself some unique jewelry that will act as my holiday conversation starter. My favorite find.....the Gilded Wishbone by HandMadeWhimsy.  The necklace comes in different lengths, so even if your neck has swollen to twice its normal size, Anna (the artist!), can make a necklace to fit anyone. Not to mention that the wishbone is absolutely adorable, and fits right into the holiday spirit with out having to wear Santa Clause and his reindeer entourage around your neck.

My other favorites by HandMadeWhimsy include; the Keepsake Key, the Snow White Locket and the Filigree Foliage. All of her hand made treasures also come neatly packed, and present ready in a box tied off with a bow. What more could a pregnant girl ask for?

Crunch Time....

So, it's finally sinking in that Monty will be here any day now and well - we still have tons to do!

We have ordered all of the furniture, but not all of it is in yet, and we haven't put any of it together or even started on the baby room!!! OH NO!!

Things have been really crazy lately, and when I say crazy I mean crazy. I moved out to Missouri the week of Thanksgiving, the week after that my brother's house burnt down. It was very sad, and with their 3 kids I offered our house to them until they can figure out something to do. So, my original plan of cleaning the house up, getting small things done (like the baby room) etc. has just been put on the back burner. I am currently living with my parents until my brother and his family can get settled into a new home. There are so many things I need to do though.......

My current to-do list:

• Finish buying all of the baby things I will need such as the breast pump, cloth diapers, bottles, clothes, swing, stroller......the list could go on forever!
• Put together ALL of the baby furniture
• Get our house in VA moved to MO
• Visit NJ/VA for Christmas
• Paint a few of the rooms in our MO home
• Keep looking for a marketing position/job
• Sell our house in VA
  

Okay, so the list doesn't seem that long, but each item on the list, is dependent on something else and/or I have to wait a while before it can be done. This move is just getting more complicated everyday. And it's hard holding off on certain things because I really don't want to be doing them after Monty arrives.

Our 8 Month Appointment and New Doctor

So, our 8 month appointment went very well. I was able to meet my new doctor, Tama Franklin, and after meeting with her I was very relieved. I'm sure you read my post before about all the worries and troubles I was having finding a new doctor so late in my pregnancy, but she was very nice and took extra time to get to know both myself and Monty. She went through all of my files that I brought along from my last doctor's office and told me she was relieved that everything was up to date and that I was very healthy.

My favorite part of the visit was after I asked the most feared question from any pregnant women - "Is my weight gain okay?".  After fumbling through my paperwork a little she looked at my starting weight, 135 pounds, and what I weighted currently.....gasp.....a womping 170 pounds. Yes that's right folks, I have officially reached the top of that 25-35 pounds that "your supposed to gain". I was about to ask her advice on how to not gain so much weight in the time I have remaining when she said "actually you look to be right on track......I would tell you that you can gain anywhere from 45-50 pounds" I was in complete shock! But then she continued to say that since I was underweight prior, taller then average, and that I didn't really look overweight, that she wasn't concerned at all and said it would be perfectly healthy if I gained another 10 pounds or so. Well I have to tell you, that just made my fat pregnant lady day!

Belly Bands 101

Over the last seven and a half months I've expereinced all sorts of clothing adventures. From using a hair-tie to hold up my pants to buying new shoes because my feet have grown a whole shoe size. The one piece of clothing I'm most thankful for is the belly band. It's my one true friend, no matter how short my shirts gets or how far my pants won't zip up - its always there to save the day.

Through my clothing travels I've come across 4 of my top choices:

JAKs were my favorite in the beginning. They offer great protection when the top of your pants just wont button, and they appear to be a lace camosile which doubles as a underlayer to any top. They look absolutely fabulous on! However, the downside is that they are not intended as a true belly band, and as I've gotten larger they haven't grown with me as I'd had hoped. They are priced at $38 which I originally thought was a bit high, but I've had mine for almost 2 years now and they show very little wear and hold up very well. They are definetly worth the investment. I plan on using them after I give birth for that second in-between stage of trying to fit back into my original clothes.

Pettel Maternity is another of my go-to belly bands. The material they use is very thin and light weight so it works perfect if your still trying to wear your original clothes or even if you getting a little too large for your maternity clothes. They work best as an underlayer if your shirt is just a little too short and you need something to help cover up the gap. The two biggest bonuses to the Pettel Maternity Belly Band is the price, at just $17, and the assortment of colors and patterns since the majority of belly bands are in black and white.

The Ingrid & Isabel Belly Band is the best option if your trying to hold up your pants! Thats right, I will admit that even at seven and a half months along I'm still trying to fit into my original pants. My pants will not zip or button, but with their extra thick fabric, I don't worry about them falling down. They are twice as thick as all of my other bands, and sometimes tend to get a little hot, but if your trying to save money by wearing your old clothes this belly band is the way to go. They are priced roughly between $26 and $33, and have several varieties to choose from. I recommend buying one size smaller then you think you need because they tend to run a little larger then normal.

The Tummy Sleeve by Motherhood is a great economical choice. They are priced around $17, but offer enough support to hold up your pants without being too hot. My only complaint is that they don't come in very many colors which doesn't give you as many options. They are a mix inbetween the Ingrid & Isabel and Pettel Maternity belly bands that I talked about above.

Finding a Doctor

So, I knew that at 30 weeks I might have a problem finding a doctor.........but I had no idea that NO ONE would take me! I called around to every doctor I could find via the internet, and friend referrals and only found one. By that point I was sooo thankful that the doctor would take me that I didn't ask many questions.

So, I did as the receptionist asked and brought my paperwork in early only to find two things. One; she was not an actual OBGYN! Instead she was a "Family Doctor" and Two - she worked in a clinic that was more like an emergency room. I walked into a room where there had to be 20 different people coughing, sneezing, limping, crying, bleeding - it was like an episode straight out of ER. I was shocked! By the time I left I felt so germ infected, that I started to tear up. I absolutely hated the thought of going to that place every two weeks while being pregnant.

So, after that experience I vowed that I would find an actual OB practice if it killed me. I stopped by "The Pregnancy Care Center" of Springfield where a couple young ladies offered their recommendations, and sent me off with a list of doctors that they thought would accept me. After more research and more phone calls I realized that the list of doctors was for those on Medicaid only! So, here I was stuck. I couldn't get in to see doctors from a real practice because I was farther then 20 weeks along and considered a "high liability" and since I have real insurance and I am not on Medicaid or Welfare the others would not accept me either.

I called and talked to my sister-in-law (thanks Sarah) who works in one of the doctors offices here in the area and asked for her help. Early this morning she called and told me to ask for a specific person, and gave me a phone number to call. So I did. And THANKFULLY, they are actually going to take me as a new patient! It's actually for one of the top practices in the area, and I couldn't be more excited that I've finally found a doctor.

Moving to Missouri

First I would like to apologize for missing a weeks worth of posts. But it was due to good reason.

On Monday, Novevember 23, I headed west from our Falls Church home to my old stomping grounds in Southwest, Missouri. After a long 18 hour drive, I was finally here.

What have I done this last week? Well, I cleaned out my old bedroom, re-decorated a little, and settled in with my parents. I'm living with good-ol Mom and Dad until early December because we currently have renters in our house. I enjoyed some Thanksgiving festivities and overall just settled back into the area. You can't imagine the culture shock of moving back to a small town + moving back in with your parents. It's been over 8 years since I've lived in the area and it will take a little getting used to.

The hardest part is missing my husband. Since we haven't sold our house yet he hasn't made the trip to join me. I'm used to him always being around, and now that it's been a week since I've seen him I'm really starting to miss him. Normally, I would just count down the days, but since it's all dependant on selling our house I have no way of knowing when he'll be able to join me. Not to mention my pregnancy hormones making me a little more sensitive then normal.

So for now, we will just keep our fingers crossed that the house sells quickly and we can start our new life here in Missouri.