34 Weeks

Umm... What the heck is this fruit? 

I look at it and think "OUCH!"

 

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?: only 6 weeks to go!

Total Weight Gain: not sure, afraid to look at the scale... plus, I haven't seen the scale since we moved into our new house, but I'll find out tomorrow at the doctors!

Clothing: super comfy stretchy non-maternity sundresses and flip flops, it's so much easier dressing when the weather is nice!

Catching Zzzzs: the good, the bad and the ugly nights, cue Clint Eastwood cowboy music 

Best Moments of the Week: my baby shower last weekend at my sister's house, it was amazing and I feel completely spoiled and very loved!

Miss Anything?: being comfortable, bending over, having energy

Movements: still lots!

Food Cravings: watermelon still, but also crunchy vegetables like celery and carrots with hummus

Queasy/Sick: nope

Gender: boy!

Labor Signs: some B.H. now and then

Symptoms: the swelling has begun and I should have taken my toe ring off MUCH sooner, it's been on for years and now I think I'll need to ice my foot and then use vaseline or something to get it off!

Belly Button: flat

Wedding Rings: on and not uncomfortable, but we'll see with these hot weather days if that remains the case

I'm feeling: so excited to meet Will, so ready to have his nursery all done, thankful for the nights Kev is home and sad the nights he's not, eager to get my end of the school year things accomplished but anxious as to where the heck I'll find the energy or stamina, sad to watch my class move on the 3rd grade but happy that we've had such a fun year together, I love them!

Looking Forward to: this 3 day weekend of accomplishing many "to-do" lists around the house and hopefully that'll mean some time to relax a bit before little boy Will arrives.

 

Here is what the nursery is was looking like so far... but then I changed my mind last night about the tree and painted over it, I painted the entire nursery actually...crazy preggo lady moment... more to come after this weekend when I get it FINISHED!

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com 

I weigh about 4 3/4 pounds now and measure about 18 inches long, most likely.  My fat layers are filling out and will help me regulate my body temperature in this wonderful world I'm about to become a part of.  Because of this chub, I'm filling out a bit and becoming round and soft, like babies should be. :) My central nervous system is maturing and my lungs are too.  My parents are getting very eager to meet me! 

33 Weeks

Hellooooooo Honey Dew!

A 32 week pic will have to do, oops! Isn't my pup the cutest? LOVE her!

Apologies:

I have no, as in zero, zilch, nada time on my hands these days, 

coupled with no internet access at our new house yet.  I am frantically trying to get all of my end of the year classroom things accomplished, which is a Herculean task in and of itself (seriously I would share my to-do list but it would make your head spin)... along with getting the house ready and wrapping my mind around the fact that we are about to become parents.  So many blessings, but it's a lot to comprehend all at once, so I have not been a good blogger these days, I know you all forgive me though!  

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?: only 7 weeks to go until the 40 week finale, we hope!

Total Weight Gain: hovering below 20 lbs still

Clothing: it seems like daily things that fit the day before are saying adios... having to get creative!

Catching Zzzzs: tired enough to sleep like a bear, but it's tricky to sleep with hip pain and not being able to move well, waking up to pee all the time, but all things considered it could be worse

Best Moments of the Week: Having wonderful friends come visit the house this weekend on Saturday and then having my cousin and his girlfriend visit Sunday, it was nice to have people come see our new home, even though it isn't totally together yet, but we're getting closer!  Also, I painted a tree mural on the nursery wall, it's coming together nicely, just wish my energy would return so I could accomplish more, but I've been getting tired lately.  I will post pics when the nursery is all done, I'm loving it!

Miss Anything?: my toes! Just kidding, I can see them still, I do miss being comfortable, being able to crouch down to work with my students, etc...

Movements: still lots and loving every minute

Food Cravings: watermelon and veggies with hummus, especially carrots, cukes, and celery

Queasy/Sick: nope

Gender: boy oh boy!

Labor Signs: none

Symptoms: very sore left ribs (front and back) some sciatica pain on my right side, tiredness, a GROWING belly

Belly Button: flat, flat, flat

Wedding Rings: on

I'm feeling:  excited that time is getting closer, but also wondering about how I'm going to get it all done (answer: I won't, it's not possible) it's hard balancing the end of the school year craziness with a new house and thoughts of this little wonder.  I think I can, I think I can...

Looking Forward to: my sister's baby shower this weekend with friends and family, being with our little boy home safe and sound, and the look on Kevin's face when he's born

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com 

This week I'm weighing around 4 pounds and have probably passed the 17 inch mark.  The bones in my skull aren't fused together yet so that they can move as I'm born, in fact, these bones don't fuse until early adulthood so that they can grow as my brain and tissue expand during childhood. I can keep my eyes open while I'm awake and I can coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.  My parents are so proud and excited to meet me. :)

Home Sweet Home

Say Hello to Our New Home!

I have been waiting for a spare minute to write this post, but since we haven't connected internet to the new house yet, it means staying late in my classroom, which is where I am now.  


Our new house is slowly transforming from someone else's to ours.  It feels like magic to say that we own this house, that me... the girl who has moved 30 times has settled into one house, I won't have to pack it up in a year and move on.  We have never really known where we belong because everywhere we've been has been worth the trip, every place has brought us incredible friends, irreplaceable memories, and taught us a little more about each other and more about life itself.  Sometimes we aren't sure if Maine is where we're meant to be, a big part of us still misses the Caribbean and wants to return, and another part of us misses the places we've yet to explore... but for now, this feels like home and it feels like the right place to start this next part of our lives.


This makes me think that maybe sometimes fairy tales do come true... not in the cheesy Disney sense, I mean let's be real.  I'm realizing that sometimes the girl ends up having her dreams come true, sometimes she falls in love, goes on amazing adventures, sails off into the sunset and ends up living happily ever after. I'd say she meets Prince Charming, but I don't dig dudes in tights... just sayin'.  Plus, the whole damsel in distress bit is so over played, girls need to know how to change their own flat tires, if you know what I'm saying.  The road to being a homeowner has been sprinkled with hills & valleys, some roadblocks, major potholes, some unexpected detours, wild sightseeing, but now, here we are.  Nearly 10 years later, Kevin and I own a house and are expecting a baby... as in a living, breathing creation of the two of us.  It makes me laugh, makes me cry, makes me wonder how it's all even possible.  


The first day we owned the house, we walked from room to room exploring and dreaming of the possibilities and then we stood side-by-side at the edge of the pond looking up at the house and I couldn't help it, tears filled my eyes and I looked around me wondering if it's all just a really wonderful dream.  It's not, it's real... I pinched myself just to be sure!  


Since then, there have been moments for every emotion possible: unbridled joy, incredible fear, wonderment, disgust (I mean really... I wish everyone left houses as clean as I do when I move out!), excitement, trepidation, exhaustion, the list could go on for days and would be exceedingly long, so I'll stop while I am ahead!


Thus far, we have worked in nearly every room and some of the items crossed off our to-do list are:

• painting the ugly green living room
• cleaning, scrubbing and painting all of the baseboards throughout the entire house
• painting the ugly "smoker's teeth yellow" trim throughout the house
• remove wallpaper & paint the downstairs bathroom
• scrub every inch of the place
• painting the kitchen
• painting the guest bedroom (messiest room in the house when we moved in)
• removing all carpeting
• installing new wood flooring
• replace old broken dishwasher
• fill in various dings, scratches and holes
• clean windows
• touch up paint various spots
• and more that I can't even remember...

And here's what we still need to do:

• clean up litter left in the yard (the people before us seriously just left trash in the edges of the woods, gross!)
• flooring in the living room and guest room
• paint our bedroom
• nursery "details"
• move the rest of our stuff in from the garage
• replace the nasty carpet on the stairs
• design the play room (paint, clean, etc...)
• new bricks on the walkway to the door
• curtains... lots of curtains...
• paint the cathedral ceiling room, eventually
• paint the upstairs bathroom
• and on, and on, and on...

In the next few weeks I should be able to include some before and after pics, room by room, stay tuned for more!  For now, that's all folks!  I also want to share some pics of the blooming that's happening all over the yard. Some of the flower beds remind me of the Secret Garden, they are lovely, but have been left to their own wild, tangled devices for a bit too long.  We have lilacs abounding, azaleas (pink & white), daffodils rimming the pond, roses, flowering cherry trees, apple blossoms, some sort of magnolia, and countless yet-to-be-identified  plants and flowers here there and everywhere.  What a place for a little boy to grow up!  I can't wait to walk with him around the yard and in the woods.  This adventure is our next chapter and I can't wait to read live every minute!

31 Weeks

My Sweet Little Pineapple

Reflections this Week:

How Far Along?:  around 31 weeks, wow!  I still am having camera issues, but here is a crappy pic taken in one of the currently being redesigned rooms of the house... I guess it's enough for now given that we spend every waking minute with getting the house ready!

Total Weight Gain: still around 17

Clothing: mix & match, whatever works, although I would LIVE in yoga pants if I could!

Catching Zzzzs: I miss my dear friend sleep... although I know we have parted ways for quite some time most likely.  I just can't get comfortable for very long, although the body pillow helps, I still toss and turn and wake up throughout the night

Best Moments of the Week: Having dinner with my twinner last week on the spur of the moment, it was amazing and I am so blessed to have her in my life, we need more sister time in a serious way!  Another goodie, my students go to see their tiny classmater Will moving last week, I was reading aloud and he started doing what felt like somersaults and their eyes were as big as saucers (either amazed or horrified, not quite sure which!) One of my kiddos said "He must like that book Mrs. C!" and another replied "Of course he likes books, Mrs. C's his mommy!" Cutest.thing.ever!  The good moments continue... we got the beautiful crib all set up, more painting done, a hardwood floor put in, and about a zillion other things around the house.  It's starting to feel like home, OUR home, and we are loving it!

Miss Anything?: Rolling over and being able to get out of bed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without needing assistance, or at least without waking up my hubby and the dog!!!

Movements: still lots, but not as many as last week (as if he read this, William just gave me a good kick, and is currently snug as a bug jammed right into my rib cage, his cozy little nest!)

Food Cravings: watermelon, although on this dreary rainy day I can't wait to make something savory like soup

Queasy/Sick:  nope

Gender: bouncing baby boy

Labor Signs: nope

Symptoms: some BH contractions, heartburn, although the doc told me to try some medicine and it seems to be helping

Belly Button: flatter

Wedding Rings: on

I'm feeling:  thrilled to meet this little boy of ours and to share this whole experience with my best friend!  We toured the birthing center this weekend and it made this whole journey seem that much more real, especially the tiny babies in the nursery.

Looking Forward to: baby shower in Massachusetts this weekend, Kev's amazing cousin took it upon herself to throw me a shower and has also designed the crib bedding, she's a saint and I can't wait for a fun day with family to celebrate.  

"Hey Mama, look what I can do!" 

 adapted from babycenter.com

Hello! I am measuring about 16 inches long and weighing as much as 3.3 pounds, which is about like carrying 4 navel oranges.  This week marks the start of a growth spurt.  What are my new tricks, you ask?  Well, I can turn my head from side to side and my arms, legs, and body are getting chubbier, which explains why my mama is feeling like a heifer!  I'm moving around a lot and keeping my mama up at night with my kicks and somersaults, which I think it hilarious... I don't know if mama agrees!