Puppy pics...

Lucy being sweet.

Campbell and Max "ragging it out".

Lucy being the miserable Christmas puppy.

Cammie being sweet and ladylike.

Max napping in the sun after having his ears cleaned.

30 Weeks

So, check out my hat - I knitted it myself! It has a really cute ball on top, but you can't really see it very well. Totally adorable though :)

This morning (Monday), I had to go and take the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. Basically, I had to fast since last night, be at the lab at 7am, have my blood drawn, drink something that tastes like a McDonald's orange drink with no water added to the concentrate, then have my blood taken three more times over a three hour period. Oh joy.

It wasn't too terrible, except for one hour when I felt like I was going to throw up and/or pass out - head spinning, cold sweat, the whole kit and kaboodle. But I'm quite proud of myself that I did neither, and got through the whole thing okay. Now it's just waiting to see if I have gestational diabetes or not; hopefully they'll call tomorrow with the results. I'm really hoping I don't have it - I can't imagine life right now without chocolate!

So that's all that's going on here. Seth is putting down the hardwood floors in the nursery this week, and we're going to paint after that. We've decided (I think) to paint three walls a pale green color and the wall opposite the door a yellowish-tan on which Seth is going to paint a jungle mural. I can't wait to see it finished! It's going to be so sweet. If you forgot, here is what our bedding looks like:

Seth doing his best impression of my dad...

Kinda scary, huh?

Christmas...

Well, we enjoyed a nice, but hectic as usual, Christmas holiday with family. Christmas Eve of course, is Seth's birthday which we celebrated both Sunday night at Jackie's and Tuesday night at Keith's.



Speaking of Christmas Eve, we did a gift exchange with dad's side this year, which was so nice since you only had to shop for a couple of people instead of waaaay too many! I had Erin, and I got her a sweater from Leah's shop in Philadelphia - I liked it so much it was hard not to keep it myself, but she seemed to like it too. Tami had me, and she got me the Bebe au Lait nursing cover/blanket from Nordstrom that I wanted (http://shop.bebeaulait.com/shop/originals/sevilla), along with a pacifier clip and paci that says "Mute Button". Too cute. :)



We also did a $10 "Chinese" gift exchange, where the first person picks a random gift, and then the next person can either pick a new gift or steal someone else's. It was absolutely hilarious - I can't wait to do it again! The popular item proved to be Steelers utility gloves - who woulda thunk it? They were stolen probably a dozen times before the end of the exchange. Not sure, but I think Joel ended up with them!



After dinner at Pocci's house, we went to Keith's to spend time with Seth's family. I honestly didn't recognize Athan when we walked in - I wondered who had brought the little boy with the blond hair - he just looked so old! He's talking and acting like a real little boy now - no more baby Athan. We had fun visiting and catching up with everyone, and chatting with Faith's boyfriend visiting from England.



Christmas Day we woke up and exchanged presents before going to Philadelphia. Actually, Lucy woke us up around 6am, begging to go downstairs. How that dog knew there were presents for her downstairs, I'll never understand, but I've said it before and I'll say it again - she's too smart for her own good!



So we took the train to Philly and arrived around 11:30, had brunch at mom's and then continued to graze and snack all day until dinner. Brian decided to brainwash all of us - getting us Texas gear - tee-shirts for Seth and I and UT crocs for me too. He also got the baby a onesie - as Leah said "Only you would find a way to make Sarah's baby about you". Check it out here -http://www.babywit.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/ARF252i.jpg. Honestly.



So a good time was had by all and we returned home on the train that night, getting back around 11pm. Needless to say, after two late nights, Friday was spent watching movies and napping on the couch!



Hope your holidays were spent happily with friends and family too.

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A friend shared this, and I thought it was beautiful...

A Newborn's Conversation With God

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?' God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in Heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.' God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?' God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?' God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.' 'Who will protect me?' God said, 'I will, but your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.' God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.

Steelers & Eagles Videos

I've added a pretty cool Steelers highlight video and a hilarious Brian Dawkins video at the bottom of the page for all you Stillers/Iggles fans out there!

29 Weeks

Well, here we are at 29 weeks - only 11 more to go!

Physically, it was a pretty good week. I have cut my dietary salt, been drinking lots and lots of fluids, and have been making sure to put my feet up throughout the day and at night. So the good news is that I've lost all those pounds of fluid that I'd put on a couple of weeks ago! I can actually wear my watch again without it cutting off all circulation to my hand :)

Otherwise, we're just finishing up Christmas preparations and trying to figure out what our plans will be. I'm starting to get really nervous about the nursery - although I cleaned it out in early November, there's still office furniture in there - on top of the plywood floors. And don't even get me started on the wall or closet situation in that room. Suffice it to say that this room has not been touched since we moved in, and you all remember what a disaster this house was when we bought it.

Seth apparently doesn't see the urgency in the situation, but I can't stress enough that I have been looking forward to working on the nursery, and will not have that same enthusiasm next month when I'm twice as uncomfortable and still working on my feet all day every day! Very frustrating...

Civil liberties...

No great surprise really, but the Supreme Court ruled last week that there cannot be a Nativity scene in Washington , D.C. this Christmas.

This is not for any religious or constitutional reason; they simply have been unable to find three wise men and a virgin in the nation's capitol.

There was no difficulty, however, filling the stable with asses.

Juno

So I finally watched "Juno" last night after hearing sooooo much about it, and how it was so wonderful. But to me - Eh.

Yes, there were some funny parts - most notably from the dad and Rainn Wilson as the store clerk. But I actually found Juno herself to be annoying and inappropriate. I don't know, maybe I just wasn't feeling sentimental last night. The end was definitely touching and sweet, but not enough to make me watch it again. Which is unfortunate, since I rented it in September from the $1 machine at McDonald's and so am now the proud owner of my very own copy...

I love the Steelers......today.

Yes, today I love the Steelers. Why, you ask? Well, for a few simple reasons...

1. They beat the Ravens, which makes my life in the Baltimore area a pleasant one for the near future.


2. They swept the Ravens, which makes my life in the Baltimore area a pleasant one for the near future.


3. They allowed the Ravens to think they were going to win twice this season, which makes my life in the Baltimore area a pleasant one for the near future.

Oh, do I love the Steelers tonight.

My greatest accomplishment...

Yes, I knitted a hat for our little guy. Can you believe it - is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Did you see the little tassel at the top? Did you see how little it is? It's being modeled on a pomegranate!

I LOVE knitting now, it's become my latest obsession thanks to my instruction from Mrs. B. and Leah.

Since last week, I've now partially knitted another hat for him, and am working on one for myself. Considering I only know how to knit washcloths and hats, I think I'll have to expand my repetoire soon before I get tired of making the same things... I mean, how many hats does a baby need???

Whitney Lynn Leger

My cousin Jenni (a loyal follower of bebebigelow, of course!) had her sweet baby girl Whitney at 35 weeks. Whitney weighed almost 6 pounds despite her early arrival and was healthy and happy at birth! Congrats Jenni, Jay and Logan on your precious girl. We can't wait to meet her!

Today's Drama

Well, today I left work because I just wasn't feeling "right". I was seeing stars still a lot and Dr. Penn wanted me to come in, so I did. All is fine, with the exception of gaining 8 pounds in the last week, which is really not normal. They think it's mostly, if not all, fluid since I was really swollen earlier today, so I am to drink lots of fluids (ironic, huh?), limit the salt, and relax with my feet up as much as possible. Sounds good to me! I was just so glad that it wasn't a blood pressure issue...

So the next step is to make the appointment for the glucose test. I'm hoping to get in next Saturday so I don't have to take off school - we are going to need the money from my sick days if I am going to stay home with the little guy for more than a couple of weeks, so using my sick days makes me really nervous.

On another note, if anyone was thinking of getting anything for our nursery, the bedding is currently 25% off with free shipping on our registry at Babies R Us. Just thought I'd pass that on, since it's quite a nice discount :)

Thanks for all your well wishes and thoughts. We have our birth class at the hospital this weekend - all day Saturday and 1/2 a day Sunday. It will probably wipe me out, so I most likely won't be posting for a few days...

The Third Trimester...and the proverbial shit hits the fan...

So I miserably failed my diabetes screening test. I believe the nurse's words were "It's not the worst I've ever seen". Hmmm....just doesn't make me feel a whole lot better. Apparently what is "normal" is a number between 69-130 after not eating for two hours. Mine was 174 after not eating for 14 hours. Yikes. So I get to fast again and then go have my blood drawn 4 times in three hours. This is without eating. Remember, I'm the one who passes out at blood draws if I'm not feeling good. I'll let you know when my appointment is - I'm going to need some prayers to get through this one.

And I know I've mentioned before that I'm so tired all the time that I just can't seem to even log onto the computer. Well, that would be because I'm apparently severely anemic right now as well. Turns out most women in the 3rd trimester suffer from some iron depletion, and that is handled by taking an iron supplement once a day. Mine is apparently so low that I have to take my prenatal vitamin in the morning, an iron supplement at lunch, and another one at dinner time. All this needs to be done without eating dairy at the same time as taking the iron. And yet I still need to get tons of calcium in my diet. Really?

And not to just list a bunch of complaints, but my blood pressure had gone up about 40 points at my dr's visit on Friday from the month before. It's now 150-something over 70-something. Added to that feeling pressure and pain in my head at times and seeing "stars" throughout the day, and it's making me a bit nervous. Oh well, at least Dr. Penn's office knows and they're monitoring everything at this point. I have another appointment on Christmas Eve and hopefully the blood pressure thing will have resolved itself and the iron will be a lot better.

Hope you all are doing well. It's late for me, so off to bed I go!

Diaper Bag

Who knew that choosing a diaper bag would be so difficult? I think the idea of committing to one bag for a year or two is just overwhelming! Anyway, I've found the bag that I want - I've looked at them at Nordstrom and they have gotten really good reviews. Aside from that, they're just adorable!

Problem is...I just can't seem to decide on a pattern. Could you help?

We've chosen the "Be All" bag by Ju-ju-be. You can see the bag and the different patterns at http://www.ju-ju-be.com/beall.html

Here's another site that's actually selling them in Maryland...
http://www.greatbeginningsonline.com/store/item.asp?DEPARTMENT_ID=71&ITEM_ID=20428

Me at 27 Weeks!

So I found out today at the doctor's office that I've gained 20 pounds. I'm totally fine with gaining weight for the little guy, but am starting to wonder how much of that might be directly attributable to the brownies, and have nothing whatsoever to do with the baby...

Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving and Joel's birthday. We ate at Jackie's house - I made the green bean casserole and the broccoli casserole. Everything was delish!

Long time, no post...

Gosh, it just seems like too many posts are starting this way lately. I am just SO tired all the time!

What's going on that's Good:

• Almost done with the Christmas shopping!
• The Christmas tree is bought and set up in the living room - so what if it's not decorated yet!
• Apparently I'm now in the 3rd trimester - meaning that 2/3 of this science experiment is behind me, with only a third left to go.
• Our registry at Babies R Us is pretty complete. I think there's only a few things missing off of it, but what they are has completely escaped my mind...
• I have been so lucky to get boxes of sweet little boy clothes from Nikki and our neighbor Michelle. I've spent the past couple of evenings looking at the little outfits over and over again :)
• I saw a show on Discovery this morning where they showed a baby born at 27 weeks. It was really odd, but really neat, to see a baby the same size/developmental age as our little guy "on the outside".
• Speaking of the little guy, it feels like he's working overtime these days to perfect his gymnastics routines! Maybe we have a future Olympian kicking away in there...

What's going on that's not-so-good:

• I had to do a glucose tolerance test this morning to check for gestational diabetes. That meant chugging a sickeningly sweet drink that wasn't too awful at the time, but has made me pretty sick for the rest of the day :( Keep your fingers crossed that the results were okay, so I don't have to do it again...
• I have no energy to do the things that a teacher needs to do. It's honestly all I can do to make it through the school day, much less think about planning lessons or grading papers when I get home. It's starting to stress me out a bit.
• Sleeping has moved beyond the "challenging" phase and into the "painful/virtually impossible" phase. Just peachy, if you ask me.

Really, not too much out of the ordinary right now. Of course, I absolutely love Christmas and am so looking forward to that. I have no idea what our plans will be, but travel is definitely limited this year. I'm going to Philly tomorrow morning for the weekend, so will see how that works out. I really do like being pregnant, but hate having to compromise on activities that would normally be, well, normal! But it is so, so, so, so worth it in the end. :)

25 Week Picture

How I feel sometimes...

Identity Theft

So I found out tonight that I've become a victim of identity theft. Honestly, this is the LAST thing in the world I need right now.

When I got the mail, I noticed that I had 3 letters from Wachovia, which was odd since I've never been in a Wachovia and they looked like statements. Turns out someone opened a checking and a savings account in my name (my maiden name, no less), but somehow the bank realized it was fraudulent, and so shut them down the next day (last Friday). The really bad thing is that whomever this is has my soc. security #, date of birth, etc. The weird thing is they have my maiden name...

I've submitted a report to the credit companies, and all three have put a fraud alert on my credit report in case anyone tries to open any more accounts. It seems okay at this point, but I'll have to go and file a police report and submit that to the reporting companies, as well as keep a close eye on my credit. I'm just glad that I got this mail from Wachovia, or else I wouldn't know anything about it.

UGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

What Six Months Pregnant Means to Me....

• I'm considering writing to the TV networks to try and improve programming from 3:00-6:00 a.m.
• Every day it's more and more difficult to stay awake past 2:00 in the afternoon (which doesn't really work when you teach until 4)
• Shoes and socks are chosen based on how easy they are to get on/off, rather than how they look.
• Lying down on my back makes my head feel like it's going to explode.
• People feel the need to touch my stomach.
• Unfortunately, people also feel the need to tell me their birth stories. If I cared, I'd ask!
• There's no more "fitting into" regular clothes.
• I have to force myself to sit down and put my feet up during the day or else it will be a miserable night.
• My watch leaves deep impressions on my wrist, but I'm too stubborn to take it off.
• The fact that there is still office furniture, a plywood floor, and messed up walls in the nursery stresses me out to the point of tears some days.
• My lower back and hips feel like I've suddenly aged 30 years overnight.
• I can feel the little guy kicking all the time now!
• It all seems more real now, and my focus is changing a bit from thinking about being pregnant to thinking about being a mom.

And what six months pregnant means to my dearly beloved...

• I find myself doing increasingly more than I have been around the house.
• I spend my time carrying things, rubbing the back (the hands, the feet...), washing dishes, cooking dinner, taking care of the puppies.
• Being encouraging and staying positive.
• My belly is getting bigger, I have back pain, I'm always tired. (hmmm....sound familiar?)
• I'm trying to work more to make extra money.
• Glad that everything is going well. Better and better the closer we get, but overwhelmed by all the things we still have to do around the house.

Counting Sheep

So, here it is 2:03 a.m. on Friday morning and I just can't sleep. Actually, Seth can't sleep either, even though he's been choosing to sleep downstairs on the couch while he has a cough/cold. So we're sitting here in the living room watching "True Blood" on HBO. I just had some McCain french fries complete with melted cheddar and then dipped in ketchup and ranch. Hmmm...at some point I'm going to have to stop blaming the weight on the baby...

Speaking of, apparently I've gained about 12-14 pounds at this point, depending on whose scale you go by. It wouldn't sound so bad except I had only gained 6 a month ago! I shudder to think what's to come. But honestly, so be it. It's all for a good cause, and I'm enjoying eating whatever I want without much of a second thought. :)

We found out all of the bloodwork came back normal yesterday, which is a relief. But somehow, no matter how many reassurances I get, I still worry about him. I guess that's part of the whole deal though.

Otherwise, not too much going on. We're still nowhere near having a name for the little guy, but he is making his presence known more and more every day ~ what a great feeling. It's a very busy time at school with report cards and conferences and a big field trip coming up right before Thanksgiving break. I will be v. relieved once that break is here and all that is behind me.

I hope that you all are doing well and, hopefully, are fast asleep...

Babies R Us

Well, we went to Babies R Us yesterday to register for baby things. On one hand, it was so much fun and Seth and I had a great time looking at and choosing stuff for the little guy. On the other hand, it's amazing how much companies think you'll pay for a glorified, colored hunk of plastic! And the sad thing is, of course we'll pay it because maybe the baby will really want a cool bouncer or a neat swing...

Probably the best part though was just watching Seth. I honestly think we put some of the items on the list because they fascinated him! He just couldn't get enough of the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo (see pic above). Should be interesting to have two boys to take care of. :)

Halloween

This is me, Kathy and Christie in our 5th grade costumes ~ notice I'm not the shortest one!

We started out as monkeys, but really think we ended up looking more like mice. One of the students thought I looked like an opossum - does that mean I can just play dead in the middle of the school day????

And here is my class. Notice the injured Tom Brady - that was definitely my favorite :)

One of my students dressed up as the baby ~ too funny!

22 Weeks!

Well, here we are at 22 weeks. Life these days...

The little guy is starting to realize when I need some rest by deciding to wake up and kick me at these opportune moments. On one hand it drives me crazy and I'm hoping it's not a sign of a boy who's going to make me bust in the years to come. On the other hand, it's just the coolest thing and at this point I'll take it any time I can get it...

• I'm realizing that much of the pain/discomfort is caused by being on my feet all day. I'm trying to teach sitting down more, but it's just not my style!




• Halloween is simply the best day ever. Whomever came up with the idea of celebrating my recent chocolate obsession with an entire day and entire stores dedicated to its indulgence is pure genius. I have literally made myself sick more than once in the past couple of days... :)

To keep in your thoughts and prayers

If anyone is up for praying, there is a girl on the baby board I belong to who needs your prayers. She lost her baby girl last year at 23 weeks, and now is in the hospital again with her little twin girls in danger. I just can't imagine what that would be like, so thought I would pass along the prayer request.

Her blog is at http://robnjenstwins.blogspot.com/

Hellllooooooo....(aka 21 wks ~ 5 days late)

Yes, I know that it's been a while. Yes, I know that I didn't post any update last week. Yes, I know that you're waiting...

So, long story short, I am apparently suffering from "round ligament pain". This is something I thought I was experiencing before. Haha - nope. What I've been feeling the past couple of months are some twinges and sharp little pulls when I move too quickly or turn a certain way. Uncomfortable, yes, but more of just a reminder that you're pregnant in case you forget once in a while.

What I've been feeling the past week are constant, unending, terrorizing, can't-sleep-more-than-a-few-hours-a-night feelings like I've torn every muscle in my abdomen, dislocated my hips and slipped a disk in my lower back. Oh yeah, and it's just getting better by the day :)

So I finally called the doctor today after not being able to get comfortable sitting, standing or lying ~ my only salvation being two yoga poses (child's pose and cat/cow). You can look these poses up if you'd like, but suffice it to say that neither would be appropriate in public, which is where most of my day is spent. Anyway...the nurse said this was "perfectly normal" although most people don't experience it so severely.

After talking to her, I'll attribute it to being short-waisted and not having lots of room for things to spread out inside. Who knows, but I do have the okay to pop at Benadryl tonight in hopes of getting some much-needed sleep.

Wish me luck!

What's going on at our house right now...

Seth started taking pictures of the dogs and caught me, so I figured I'd give you all a glimpse of how exciting our lives have become...

Some pictures from a wedding

We went to little Theresa's wedding on Friday night and had a nice time. Although there's nothing like sitting next to a table laden with full glasses of chardonnary to make you "appreciate" pregnancy ;)

Here are some pictures that we took:

Our nursery

I've been spending some time looking at nursery gear, after deciding that my original plan for a homemade vintage shabby chic nursery really would work better for a girl and that we'd hold off on that until we have our daughter. So, after looking at what seems like hundreds of pictures of bedding and decor, I was able to narrow it down to about 10 collections. After that, Seth and I looked them over in a slideshow and picked this adorable jungle-themed room:

You can't see it very well, but the brown is actually a subtle leopard print that I love. I just think the whole thing is so cute - kinda reminds me of "Madagascar"!

Forgive the shout out

I just wanted to let my dear cousins Jen and Jenni know how much I love reading your comments. Thanks for the support - you guys are the best :)

Not feeling much like posting lately...

Well, I just haven't felt much like posting on here the past week, but I really do need to keep you updated with all that's going on! So, here's our 20-week update:

• I continue to get comments about how I cannot possibly be due in March due to my already huge belly. Well folks, believe it! And yes, there is only one.


• Just when I thought it would be a while before Seth would be able to feel the little guy kicking, he decided to put on a show on Thursday evening for about 10 minutes. It was so neat! Then Lucy plopped herself down against my stomach this morning and he gave her a punch back - really funny!


• I've been having issues with nosebleeds this week - apparently not uncommon, but really annoying to walk around with tissues hanging out of my nose :) Also feeling really sick when I eat/drink anything sugary, which I hope is not related to any more blood sugar problems. Apparently being hypoglycemic leads to an increased risk of gestational diabetes, which is odd to think, but worries me nonetheless.


• Likes this week: Italian food and cheese. Not into sweets much anymore, but am slowly starting to eat meat again. Thank goodness!

19 Weeks

Well, I went to bed Thursday night with an awful headache and woke up yesterday with it still raging, but decided to tough it out and go to school. Actually, since our lovely school system doesn't offer paid maternity leave, it really wasn't a decision if we don't want to go broke in the springtime. I am currently rationing my 18 sick days like I'm on a bread line in Russia...

Anyways, my point is that the headache seems to be gone today, thank goodness. I think I would have willingly sliced it off if it wasn't...

By the way, thank you, thank you, thank you for all the well-wishes and congrats. We are so excited, and I was making Seth look at names last night. It should be an interesting process knowing how stubborn we both are! I just feel like we'll be in the hospital and they'll be like, "Uh, ma'am, you can't take the baby home until it has a name"...

It's a BOY!!!

Yes, we will have our own sweet prince come March! He looked beautiful, and there was no mistaking that he was a boy!

It really was an amazing experience - we got to see things like the chambers of his little heart, his kidneys, the teeny bones in his fingers, and his little nose and lips. I'm just so proud!

Once I get our scanner hooked up to the laptop I will post some better pictures of him. But this is his first outfit(s) and first pacifier that we got today after we found out. :)