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32 weeks: a review

May 23, 2011

32 weeks, 4 days pregnant front view

The stress of work and personal responsibilities combined with my aching, growing body has left me more exhausted than usual this week–and more uncomfortable. I’ve also been experiencing a brief tightness across my belly frequently throughout the day. Braxton Hicks contractions? Of course, now I’m paranoid that I’m not going to be able to tell the difference between true and false labor. One of my greatest fears is delivering way too early.

May would be way too early.

I can only imagine that I’d be feeling better if my husband were home to help. I’m jealous of every pregnant woman who gets to experience all 40 weeks of pregnancy with her husband at her side. It is challenging in so many different ways to go through this transition alone, and I confess here that being a military wife is not my favorite thing. If JB has to deploy again during future pregnancies, I hope it’s during the second trimester instead of the third, when I’m less huge and have more energy.

32 weeks, 4 days pregnant side view

In nursery news, the crib and chair have finally been ordered! It’s because of me that we waited so long to order the furniture. Despite knowing what we wanted for several weeks, I just wasn’t ready to commit. I don’t know if it was fear of making the wrong decision or that having a fully decorated baby’s room would make this all “real,” but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. Truthfully, JB was the one who actually ended up placing the order…

Oh, and in case you were wondering, my weeks change over on Saturdays. So when I post these weekly reviews on Monday, I’m already 2 days into the next week.

{self-portrait taken at 32 weeks, 4 days}

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week 31: a review

May 17, 2011

31 weeks, 5 days pregnant front view

There’s no denying any longer that my belly button wants out. My former innie is not an official outie yet, but it’s getting more and more shallow. I think it’s just run out of room in there! Early on, JB told me that he would be totally accepting of my changing body… except if my belly button popped. He was convinced that a new outie belly button would freak him out.

Boy is he going to be shocked when he returns in a couple of weeks! My body has changed dramatically in the last 7 weeks, and I’m sure it will look completely different than it does today upon his arrival.

31 weeks, 5 days pregnant side view

In other news, I developed a new pregnancy side effect this week: leg cramps. The searing pain of my first ever charley horse startled me awake, and I literally jumped out of bed screaming. I would have scared the crap out of JB if he were home. The following night I was woken up by a charley horse in the other leg. As you can imagine, I was nervous to go to sleep the next night for fear it’d happen again. Luckily, I haven’t had another charley horse… yet. (Knock on wood.)

At this week’s OB/GYN appointment, I was measuring 33 weeks. Previously my measurements were corresponding exactly with my weeks, so I was surprised by this sudden growth. Does this mean that I’m going to deliver early?

{self-portrait taken at week 31, day 5}

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pregnancy brain

May 9, 2011

image by Juliana Salcedo

When I showed up for my OB/GYN appointment today and the friendly receptionist who usually recognizes me stared in confusion, I figured it was because she wasn’t used to seeing me with clean, straightened hair. Turns out she was confused because my doctor wasn’t in the office. My appointment, she told me, was actually scheduled for tomorrow.

What?? I had even double-checked my planner last night and this morning to confirm my appointment, but I must have only looked at the time, not the date.

I blamed the mishap on “pregnancy brain,” and the receptionist and I shared a laugh. Then we chatted for a minute about nail polish before I left, mildly embarrassed, wondering how many other pregnant women make silly mistakes like I just did.

So ‘fess up: What absentminded things did you while pregnant?

{image by Juliana Salcedo via UPPERCASE}

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30 weeks: a review

May 9, 2011

30 weeks 4 days pregnant front

My maternity wardrobe is pretty boring. Because I work from home I don’t have a reason to get dressed up very often. Heck, I don’t have a reason to get dressed very often! But when I do, I usually wear a maternity tank top or tee with one of my pre-pregnancy cardigans. Not. Very. Exciting.

As the temperature continues to rise, soon I’ll have to ditch my cardigans. When Ashlee Simpson was pregnant she was often photographed in a maxi dress, and I still recall how comfy yet stylish she looked. I would love to have a closet full of maxi dresses that I could wear for work and play. I know that Old Navy sells maternity maxi dresses online, but based on some of the reviews, I worry that they might be too short on me.

30 weeks 4 days pregnant side view

The other day I finally met the young couple who moved in down the block. They’re expecting their first baby in September! When the wife and I ran into each other on the street, I was walking Briscoe in black yoga pants, a large non-maternity t-shirt and an unbuttoned denim shirt. My hair was up in a messy bun, as I hadn’t washed it in, um, days. I looked like a complete shlub. It was slightly embarrassing.

She, on the other hand, was still dressed in her “business professional” black suit and brightly hued blouse. We laughed about what a drag it is to get dressed while pregnant and how expensive it can be to buy a whole maternity wardrobe. Still, she managed to look smart and sophisticated, and I looked like a slob. Maybe I should start making more of an effort to put myself together in the morning. You never know who you’re going to run into…

And I can’t believe that the single digit countdown has begun! Just nine weeks to go until the little man arrives. Where has the time gone? And why do I still have so many things left on my To Do list??

{self-portraits taken at 30 weeks, 4 days}

 

 

 

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29 weeks: a review

May 2, 2011

29 weeks, 4 days pregnantAt March’s OB/GYN appointment, the nurse informed me that my Glucose Challenge Screening would take place on April 24th and handed me a bottle of orange liquid. Ever the naive patient, I asked her if she had any other flavor besides orange. I really hate fake orange flavor.

The nurse asked me if I liked jelly beans. I thought she was going to hand me a bottle of glucose that tasted like jelly beans. (What would a jelly bean flavored drink taste like?) Instead, she handed me instructions:

Eat 16 Jelly Belly or 18 Brach jelly beans. Do not eat the black jelly beans. Eat them all in 2 minutes and note the time you finish.

Yes, ma’am! I love candy and was more than happy to indulge my sweet tooth rather than trying to slurp down that sugary orange liquid, which I’ve heard is pretty awful. Guess the squeaky wheel gets the jelly beans!

29 weeks, 4 days pregnant

Besides passing my glucose test, this past week’s milestones also included starting work on the nursery. (Sometimes I feel strange saying “nursery.” It sounds so formal and old-fashioned. What’s wrong with just “baby’s room?”) The painter came to transform what had been my home office into a room fit for a baby boy, and soon I’ll share with you my inspiration for the space.

And… I think I’ve picked a stroller color! I found a store in Omaha that carries the UppaBaby Vista, and while they only had the special edition in stock, I was able to see fabric swatches for the rest of the collection. So which color am I leaning towards? You tell me! Which color do you think I would choose?

29 weeks, 4 days pregnant

Just for fun, I’m adding a third photograph to the mix this week. I call this one “Can I still see my feet?”

{self-portraits taken at 29 weeks, 4 days}

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an announcement 7 months in the making

April 29, 2011

29 weeks, 1 day pregnant

I’m so excited to finally share this little baby blog with my friends and family. During my first trimester, I realized I wanted a space to document my pregnancy, but it was too early to reveal the news on my personal blog, Somewhere in Middle America. So I created Bunny & Dolly to discuss my excitement and fear about having a baby BOY and to keep track of my favorite things for me and him.

Why Bunny & Dolly? Click here to learn more.

I invite you to browse through my archives to catch up on what my life’s been like these last couple of months and hope you’ll visit often!

{I feel so awkward posing for baby bump photos! Portrait taken by my dad at 29 weeks, 1 day}

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meet sophie

April 28, 2011

Sophie the GiraffeHave you met Sophie the Giraffe? She’s the French teething toy that’s become an American sensation. I first read about Sophie on a handful of mommy blogs before learning she’s the best-selling baby product on Amazon. Then I came across an article on Slate explaining her rise to fame and cult-like following.

I was intrigued. If Sophie was such a hit with popular bloggers, “celebri-babies” and thousands of moms around the world, she was worth checking out for myself. And when I saw her at Babies-R-Us, I decided to add her to my registry.

(Yes, I started a registry. It’s a work in progress, as I’m so indecisive. We can talk about that another time.)

My husband questioned the need for a $20 teething toy. Truthfully, I don’t think of Sophie as a teether. Yes, she was created for babies to gnaw on, but when I look at her, I see a friendly animal that could become a companion for my little guy. She reminds me very much of my beloved Superman “doll” from when I was a child. I can’t remember if he was made of rubber or plastic, but he had a distinct smell, and I joke now that he could’ve easily been a chew toy for a dog. (Ironically, a couple of people on Amazon had the same complaints about Sophie.)

Check out Superman in the bottom right corner of the photo below. That chubby arm reaching for him? My sister’s.

My Superman Doll

So have you met Sophie before?

{image of Sophie the Giraffe via Amazon}

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28 weeks: a review

April 26, 2011

28 weeks 4 days pregnant front view

Early in my pregnancy I quickly accumulated a stack of pregnancy books with the assumption that I’d read through them all because if I didn’t, how would I learn the “right way” to be pregnant?

Besides What to Expect When You’re Expecting, the only other book I read cover to cover was The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy, which was a gift from a friend. I can’t say I learned a lot from it; the book read more like a trashy tabloid you toss in your grocery cart while waiting to pay. Take this passage, for instance:

Here are the biggest reasons why we Girlfriends don’t think you need to keep up your gym membership while you are pregnant:

  1. You will be too tired.
  2. You won’t like yourself in the harsh gym mirrors.
  3. You will get fat anyway.
  4. Exercise will not help you in labor or delivery in any way.
  5. You might endanger the pregnancy
  6. Even if you don’t endanger the pregnancy, if something (god forbid) goes wrong, you will forever wonder if your exercising caused it.
  7. It’s “nine months up and nine months down” in the weight department, no matter what you do (give or take a few months on the downside).
  8. Our compulsion to exercise when we are pregnant is a reflection of our inability to surrender and let nature run its course.

I can find at least 17 things wrong with Vicki Iovine’s list of reasons why pregnant women shouldn’t exercise. I’m sure you can too, even if you aren’t pregnant. I exercised before I got pregnant and have continued to work out these past 29 weeks because it makes me good, physically and emotionally. “You will get fat anyway” is not a valid reason to avoid exercising. Yes, you grow a baby bump, but you don’t have to get fat. “Nine months up and nine months down” doesn’t sit well with me either. Friends have proven that it’s not necessarily true. Every body is different, but I don’t think “nine months up and nine months down” is law.

Once or twice a week, I lift weights under the supervision of a personal trainer for 30 minutes. I try to get back to the gym once or twice to do 30 minutes of cardio, but there have been plenty of weeks when I didn’t step on the elliptical machine at all. I’m not hardcore about working out. Never was. I listen to my body and try to do as much as it and my trainer allow me.

Normally I try to take my weekly self-portrait on the one day a week when I’m dressed in a proper outfit (one of the perks of working from home is that I spend most days in pajamas or lounge clothing), but I decided to take this week’s photo after a workout because, well, this is what I’m usually wearing! Very unglamorous…

28 weeks 4 days pregnant side view

{self-portraits taken at 28 weeks, 4 days}

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27 weeks: a review

April 18, 2011

27 weeks, 5 days pregnantAs my due date grows nearer, I find I’m adding more items to my “Baby To Do” list rather than crossing them off. Unfortunately, as my time apart from JB increases, so does my anxiety. And it’s hard to be productive while you’re feeling anxious.

So what’s been stressing me out this week?

I was just reminded by friends that if I’m considering sending my baby to day care, I need to get him on a waiting list… STAT. There are only two places I would consider sending my boy. One of them requires a $100 deposit and the other asks for a deposit equivalent of one month of payment, approximately $1,000+.

I’m also open to the idea of in-home care, but researching and interviewing potential nannies seems more overwhelming than choosing a day care facility. If I go that route, I can only hope I’ll be as lucky as my friend, whose nanny basically fell into her lap.

Besides freaking out about child care, I also cried over strollers. No, not over which brand of stroller to choose. I cried over choosing a stroller color. I was over thinking what should have been an easy decision… If we pick slate blue but our second child is a girl, can we push her around in such a masculine-looking stroller? Will the silver stroller reflect the light when we take pictures of our kids in it? Plain ol’ black too boring?

Le sigh.

I blame it all on the hormones. (And my chronic indecision, of course.)

27 weeks, 5 days pregnant

{self-portraits taken at 27 weeks, 5 days}

 

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