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. :)