31 WEEKS

Hee hee! Here I am today at 31 weeks. I love that this means I officially only have 9 weeks to go. Somehow single-digits sounds a lot closer than 10 weeks.

I am handling the gestational diabetes pretty well (I think I have a mild case, because my blood sugars aren't too difficult to control) and I had a good doctor's appointment today. I do need to have an ultrasound in two weeks, I guess, because my uterus is measuring big, and the doc thinks baby may be breech. Not a huge alarm at this point, but good to know.

The overly large baby could be a result of the GD, but they've been telling me baby has been measuring big ever since my first ultrasound at 10 weeks. So who knows? Maybe we have my due date wrong, or maybe I just grow big babies. I guess we'll see!

Thanks for being along for the ride - this pregnancy thing is pretty fun.

Holiday Fun and the Ever-Expanding Belly

The holidays this year were a blast, even though they were a bit of a whirlwind (when are they not, I guess). We were in Spokane for Christmas, then in Boise for the Humanitarian Bowl, then in Pullman for Men's Basketball over New Years. Just a little photo journal for you! :)

Christmas Eve night playing Beatles Rock Band with my mom and sis - this will have to count as my 27 week belly picture, since I didn't take one. Hiding behind the guitar!

Jeremy and I on Christmas Eve before bed. Jeremy is enjoying his "White Christmas" drink, while I'm am enjoying... the Christmas spirit? ;)

And lastly, here I am today at 29 weeks. Baby is healthy, but the doctors are still concerned about possible Gestational Diabetes, so I have to go spend another four hours at the hospital on Saturday morning for blood tests. Awesome.

My favorite things - Winter edition

Taking a page out of Oprah's book, I want to share some things that really make my life better, in a practical way. Things that I would suggest to close friends, or family members. I did one of these in the summer, but it had very summery-things on it (like sunscreen and flip-flops). Sunscreen and flip-flops feel like a world away right now. :)

1.

Starbucks Eggnog Lattes (light, decaf). Nothing says "holidays" more to me than this drink. And if you ask for a little extra nonfat milk, it's not so bad for you!

2. Bella Band by Ingrid and Isabel: This is a MUST HAVE for anyone who is newly pregnant. I love mine (I have two - one white, one black). I've been wearing it since I was about 17 weeks pregnant, almost every day. The only days I don't wear it is when I'm wearing pants that have a full-belly panel. I love it because it helps hold my pants up, makes me feel like I'm "held in" in all the right places, and keeps me warm because I'm having a winter pregnancy. I'll probably keep wearing it post-partum as a "support-hose" substitute.

3.

Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Sugar Scrub. Can you say at-home pedicure in 3 minutes? I can. I use this stuff a lot, maybe

once a week or so, and the different scents really do effect my mood (for the better). My favorite is Orange Ginger for Energy.

4. Motherhood Maternity: Ok, this is the end of the "pregnancy things," but I really love this store. They have a great online system, which is good for someone who lives in Pullman, but the in-store staff is really great and the prices can't be beat. Some of the clothes are more fashionable than others, but that's to be expected, since expectant moms come in all ages and sizes.

5. Pandora.com: I can't believe I hadn't discovered this online radio site until last week. I am now totally addicted, listening all the time at work. You get 40 free hours per month, and they will tailor-make a radio station according to what you like and dislike. I typed in "Michael Buble Holiday" and the music that followed was absolutely perfect for office-listening.

6. Armommy: This company is owned by a friend of ours, Rae Friis, and her mother. Rae lives over in Seattle and she is one of the most fun, creative people I've ever known. Armommy comes up with products that make a mother's life easier, and Rae does printing; holiday cards, gift tags, invitations, etc. I fully intend to buy one of her nursing tops and some of her bibs when baby comes!

7.

Suave Damage Care Shampoo and Conditioner: Due to prenatal vitamins and pregnancy hormones, my hair is growing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, while it's growing fast, it doesn't seem to be growing healthy. Combine that with the very dry winter air, and I had a lot of breakage on my hands. When the hair stylist told me I need to switch shampoos, I thought I'd give this one a try since it was cheap ($2.79 per bottle at Wal-Mart) and I've liked Suave products in the past. I was pleasantly surprised! It really does seem to have made a difference. If you are struggling with breakage and split ends, you should give it a try.

8. Wrapping paper from Costco. In December of 2004, Jeremy and I were preparing for our first Christmas as a married couple. I had never wrapped that many gifts before, so I thought - "why don't I just get a roll of paper from Costco?" Well, five years later, that roll of paper has finally run out, as I wrapped gifts for this year. I seriously wrapped almost every gift we gave over five Christmases in that same paper from Costco (good thing I liked the print), and I cannot believe how long it lasted. Not only that, but it was really high quality paper as well, with a good feel, and it didn't rip easily. I believe it was 300 square feet for $9, or something close.

9.

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (nonfat, decaf): Normally this entry would be "hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps," but since that's off the menu for me this year, Starbucks gets an extra shout-out. These are delicious.

I was shooting for a list of 10 things, but I ended up with 9. Oh well, that's life!

It's been a long time.

I didn't realize how long I've gone without a new post! How disappointing. Anyway, below is a belly pic of me today, almost 25 weeks pregnant. Only 15 weeks left! I guess we better get going on the nursery...

We ordered some prints for the walls from Artimals.com, and of course I'll post photos when the nursery is put together, but I have a feeling it'll be a while. Honestly we probably won't really start working on it seriously until January. Oh well.

We got the house decorated for Christmas, and found out that we'll be going to Boise with the University of Idaho for the Humanitarian Bowl. Fun! I love this time of year - I'll even put up with waking up to 0 degree temperatures for the Holidays!

Of which to be thankful

Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow. That makes me very excited, since this year especially we will have a large family gathering and I am immensely looking forward to seeing everyone! In that spirit, today I am thankful for:

-Hot chocolate, in a very cold November in Pullman.
-Cheerleaders and dancers who are more than willing to carry things for their pregnant coach.
-A husband who, despite being sick, works extremely hard and cooks for me.
-An easy, "low-risk," trouble-free pregnancy. Praise God!
-A savior who loves me regardless of my sins and failures.
-Decaf Eggnog Lattes from Starbucks, and some friends who gave me a gift card.
-A few days off next week.
-My last 10 days of being 27. :)

A little something to share

I read a lot of stories online, most of which are either sent to me or linked from one of my blogs. This one is pretty long, so you'd need some time to read it, but it is a very touching true story about a man and his autistic son who were swept into the sea while swimming.

I love the ocean, but also think it's one of my Top Three Scariest Things.

It's A Boy! And other bits and pieces

We found out this morning that our baby is a boy! A big boy, by the way, who has a rather large head. That will be fun to push out...

Everything looked great on the ultrasound, and I feel really good. My favorite part was that we got to see baby boy yawn twice during the ultrasound. Very cute. Got my H1N1 shot today, and have a sore throat to prove it. :)

Just some pictures to update - here's me at 19 weeks (today I'm 20 weeks) and my cheerleaders in the Alamo Bowl as we played Notre Dame in San Antonio last week.