Weekend update and new poll to vote on :)

I got motivated this weekend and took some time to start to decorate the babies room :) just wanted to share what I have done so far. (if you are on facebook you may have already seen these)

To make the letters I bought white wooden letter from Michael's crafts, painted them and attached some orange bows to try and bring all the colors together. The tree's and birds are decals I bought online, just an FYI decals take forever to put on and are a bit of a pain to get to stick to your walls.

Also there are also 2 new poll on the blog if you want to vote :)

31 weeks

I think I look like I'm carrying super high but I guess she will drop one of these days!

Here is our bedding and part of my unfinished craft project, painting letters for Juliet's name

We learned how to "Swaddle" a baby in Infant Care class, so I practiced what I learned on my stuffed frogs! ha ha.

I so very happy that the count down to baby is in the single digits, 9 more weeks!

My Mom: Threw me a shower this past weekend and I had a great time! Juliet and I felt very blessed and loved that everyone would come out for the day and shower us with happiness :) I am so lucky that everyone in my life is healthy and with me right now to go through this journey of motherhood right along side me. My heart is truly filled with love, so much that at times I think it might burst! I am also looking forward to the shower that my Mother in Law is going to throw me in Pittsburgh next weekend :) I can't wait to see people from Pittsburgh I have not seen in a while and catch up!

Maternity Leave: I just check on my benefits for Maternity leave for my work and found out that because I will be employed 5 years in august (good timing!) I will get 100% of my pay for 6 weeks of maternity leave but can take up to 12 weeks off (the last 6 is at 75% pay) I had thought they only paid 60% pay for 6 weeks and then no pay for the last 6 weeks, so I'm pumped that I will still have an income during my whole leave!!!!! I will take the whole 12 weeks b/c I really want time to adjust before I go back to work. I am so scared that it will be hard to concentrate and do my job well once I go back... I feel like my brain and heart will want to with Juliet and not at work. Just trying to prepare myself already for the transition. Anyone that's done it before and wants to give me advice, all advice is welcome.

Infant care class: John and I started our first baby classes this past week! We took infant care classes through the hospital that I will be giving birth at. It was actually a lot of fun b/c John and I were learning a lot and making each other crack up during most of the class. We had to provide care to these dolls that acted as our baby, ha ha. Our instructor called us her "playful couple" so I guess we will both have no problem "playing" with Juliet on a child-like level in the future. I think john is going to be a great dad and he is also my best friend, if anything this experience of being pregnant has brought us so much closer, I can't say enough about how supportive he has been about everything I have needed him to do or learn. We start are birthing classes in two weeks.

Midnight feedings: I'm glad I am not a Gizmo from the movie "The Gremlins" b/c I would have turned into an evil gremlin already by breaking the rule of not eating after midnight. I have had the craziest sleep patterns lately. I usually wake up around 3AM every night and can't get back to sleep for about 2 hours. So while I'm awake I get hungry and have something to eat, watch TV, or do work on my computer till I get tired again. It's really hard to then get up in the morning for my real work b/c I want to sleep in past 9am! I hear this only gets worse....

My Belly: John says he can tell how much my belly has grown in the last two weeks, she is getting all her baby fat in and I can tell also how hungry I have been lately that she is growing. I am up to 17 pounds this week and have a doctor's appointment next week to do my measurements to make sure she is growing :) I can't imagine how big my belly is going to get in the next two months... I'm a little scared of it! ha ha.

I'm Crafty: At least I'm trying to be crafty! I have been hitting up Michael's for craft projects to decorate the nursery! I thought it would be way cheaper to make some of my own decorations then to buy them so the room is coming a long and I'm enjoying making crafts for Juliet.

Maternity and newborn photo's: I have booked Maternity photo's for July 8th, I will be thirty-five weeks by them and my belly will probably be as big as a house so it will be a good time to capture John and I in maternity photo's. Then after we have the baby we go back for newborn pictures about 10 days after Juliet is born. Of course I'll share the pictures on my blog :)

30 Weeks - I can't believe I only have 10 weeks to go :)

30 weeks

The Babies Room - The Chair (we have not decorated yet, just have the furniture together)


Thanks again to BOTH our parents for getting our furniture for us :) It looks great!







Part of our new Bathroom!

John Working Hard!

John Practicing changing diapers! ha ha.

Memorial Day Weekend: This weekend has been spent vacationing the past few years but this year we worked on our house the whole weekend! I guess I am officially nesting :) John has been great with doing home repairs all by himself and setting up the babies furniture. So far we have remodeled our downstairs bathroom. I was project director, which means I picked out everything and John was on the hard labor duty (b/c my hard labor is not for another 10 weeks!) We also had people come in an re-carpet most of our house & we are starting to get the babies room together. Lots of work but totally worth it!

YEA SHANNON :) I had the privilege of meeting another new baby this past Wednesday, Elizabeth Marie Diamond! My friend Shannon had a little girl on Tuesday June 1st and she is the cutest little thing. Everyone is healthy and happy & I love that all my friends are sharing the details on labor & delivery so I won't be totally in the dark when it's my turn.

Summer & being pregnant: I was never looking forward to being pregnant in the summer b/c I hate the cold and the extreme heat. I think I was meant to live in 75 degree weather all year long but don't really want to move all the way to California, so I guess I am stuck with the extreme heat this year. So I am going to focus on the positives to make myself feel better... So my top 5 list for why being pregnant in the summer rocks.

1. My work - Is the lightest in the summer b/c schools are out so most the summer I will be working from home

2. The clothes - I will have to buy less maternity cloths b/c I plan to live in target's babydoll dress all summer

3. Pools - I plan to slash around in my maternity bathing suit

4. Farmers Markets - I can load up on the fruits and veggies Juliet needs

5. ICE CREAM

Baby OR tape worm? Okay I know it's a baby but sometimes she feels like a little tapeworm eating up everything I put in my mouth. I have been so hungry lately. I usually feel fine if I eat small meals every 3 to 4 hours but this past week I feel like I can't go an hour with out being hungry. Also, the last three nights I have woken up starving and had to eat in the middle of the night. She is acquiring her baby fat right now so I guess it's her way of telling me she would like to pack on the pounds to get ready for delivery :)

Weight gain: 16 pounds

29 weeks

29 weeks :) I had morning face so you are only getting my belly today!

Prenatal Yoga: I started taking prenatal Yoga last week and will be taking it every Thursday at the Columbia Yoga Center. It's not like the yoga I'm used to, it's very slow and relaxing and calming... I am trying to be all of those things but I find I am someone that has a hard time relaxing so I'm going to try my best to at least be calm when I go to yoga.

Tired: All of a sudden I feel like I'm in my 1st trimester again, I'm sooo tired all the time and want to take naps after work. Good thing I'm done school b/c right now I would not have the energy for it. Other then being tired the second worse thing about being pregnant is the leg cramps at night. My butt and legs ache all night when I sleep (which could also be why I'm so tired) b/c I wake up several times a night to go to the bathroom or from leg cramps. But other then that I really feel blessed to have such a easy pregnancy :)

Doctor's Visit: I had a doctor's visit yesterday and they told me my blood work looks great but they don't' go into much detail as of why but I guess I'm not low on anything important like iron. I did get a little lecture on being a vegetarian from my doctor. I told her I don't eat meat (other then seafood) and she quizzed me on where I get my protein, like most people do when I tell them I have given up on cows and chickens. So I told her I still eat eggs and dairy daily and I have protein shakes, fish twice a week, and veggie burgers, oh and lots and lots of lentils! I have also tracked my pregnancy diet on babyfit which let's you know if you are getting all the calories and protein you need and I was on target for both. The baby needs lots of protein right now especially int the Third Trimester so I am very conscious about getting enough and my doctor was happy with the sources of my protein. She said that it sounded like I get plenty of protein but just want me to be aware of it (which I promise I am!).

Weight Gain: Still about 15 pounds (maybe 15.5) I did also talk to my doctor about my weight gain concerns. I told her that I have been slowing down and only gaining about 1/2 pound a week even though all the books tell me I should be gaining a pound a week. She told me that as long as I was eating healthy and exercising that I might not gain a pound a week and that it was perfectly fine for me to not gain or only gain a little during the last part of pregnancy. She would only be concerned if the baby stopped growing not if I stop gaining weight. So they check if the baby is growing by measuring my stomach which should be getting bigger every week by about a centimeter. When she measured my stomach I was at 28 Centimeters which is a growth from last time and right where I should be for this week. So the goal is a bigger belly!!! Yea I love the big Belly :)

28 weeks

I have hit the 7 month mark! Time is flying :)

Computer issues: So I'm late in posting 28 weeks b/c my work computer decided to blow up and I have been without a computer since Wednesday. Thank goodness I have an Iphone to check e-mails!!! How did we ever live without all this technology... Or maybe it's a bad thing that I'm so attached to my e-mail. Who knows what Juliet will have in the future technology wise.

Beach weekends: I have had two lovely beach weekends in a row and have been able to enjoy sun and ice cream :) It has been nice to relax on the beach with friends and have good dinners out. Might as well enjoy it while I can.

The Scale Does Not Lie: Unless John has been messing with it. So I had a minor freak out earlier this week when I went to weigh myself and I had lost 3 pounds. Here is what happened, I weighted myself and went from 16 pounds to 13 pounds, so I call John and this is how the conversation went:

R: John, I think I should call the doctor. There is something wrong with Juliet. I just got on the scale and I lost three pounds. So I think she has stopped growing.

J: I'm sure it's just water weight you lost, no need to freak out. It was hot last week and this week it's cool so I'm sure it is just water weight you lost.

R: I don't think so, three pounds is a lot. I'm going to call the doctor.

J: Well... Okay, I have a confession.

R: What????

J: I changed the scale so it would read that you weighted less then you really do.

R: You did what? Why in the world would you do that????

J: I wanted you to feel skinny.

Moral of the story: I love you John BUT no women in their right mind wants to lose weight when they are pregnant, even to "Feel Skinny!" Silly boys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My real weight gain now that the scale is set back to ZERO is 15 pounds. John changed it two weeks in a row, the first week he set it the wrong way so I thought I had gained two pounds when I had really probably gained about pound that week (gaining two pounds was a much better feeling then thinking I had lost three pounds!)

27 weeks

Third Trimester? I think I'm starting my Third Trimester this week or next... All the sites and books say different things. Some say your third trimester begins in week 27, other say 28 but I guess I will go by math and say I have entered my Third Trimester... Divide 40 weeks of gestation by 3 = 13.33 per trimester. Week 1 to 13.33 weeks is 1st Trimester. 13.34 weeks to 26.67 weeks is 2nd Trimester and 26.68 to 40.00 Weeks is 3rd Trimester. So YEA TO THE FINAL HOME STRETCH OF BEING PREGO! Three more months to go.

Congrats to my Friend Jodi: Who had her 2nd baby today :) She went into labor last night after her water broke and gave birth to a baby boy at 5AM this morning. Can't wait to meet him :) Once she gets some rest and let's me know when visiting hours are I will go see the little bundle of joy and hear all about her labor and delivery.

I'm DONE: I am officially 100% done with grad school and will be receiving my Masters degree in the mail in a week or two. My next step to is to become a licenced counselor which means I have to take the National Counselors Exam and pass to get my provisional Licence. This allows people to bill their insurance under me and I am more marketable for jobs. I hope I can take the exam this summer before the baby comes b/c I know I will have limited time to study after Juliet makes her appearance. So I just have to get all the paperwork in and back in time to take the exam...

The baby's Room: We are making progress, John finished painting the room and we have all our furniture for the baby's room now in boxes since we have to get new carpet before we put it all in the room. (thanks Momma Green and Collins for helping with the furniture!) Mom's are the best! I am pretty confident we will have everything done by the end of July.

All aboard: I'm back on the weight gain train! Acquired two pounds this week so I'm sitting pretty at 16 pounds... much closers to where I should be at and my goal is 25-30 pounds by the end of all this.

26 weeks

I'm tired, stressed, and overworked but HAPPY... B/C I have one more week till I'm done with school and I can catch up on sleep. I just found out I PASSED my final exam for grad school so I will GRADUATE!!! YEA :) I have been busy writing final papers and studying for tests but that will all be over forever in a week. I can hardly believe I am finally done.... The light at the end of the tunnel is VERY bright. I wish I could have a graduation party but we are just too busy with our house renovations and getting ready for Juliet for a formal get together.

Two weeks left: Of my second trimester! the time is flying (probably b/c I have been so busy!) So we will only have about 3 months left to prepare for everything... Hopefully we get it together in time for her arrival and I don't go into labor too early :0 I am really excited for things to slow down a little this summer with my job so I can enjoy my pregnancy and getting mentally ready for a real live baby.

I love my Belly! I know I said this last week but I really love my belly now that it's getting big, I think it's so cute!!!! I was feeling yucky about my body before but the bigger my belly gets the happier I am with my new shape. I really didn't expect to start feeling more comfortable with my body, I thought it would get harder to feel comfortable in my skin. I look pregnant enough now that strangers are now just starting to point at my belly and say things like "look at you!" and "Do you know what you are having?"

Looking forward to: Everything!!!! We are painting the baby's room this weekend and we just got our crib and changing table in from Target (thanks Mom!) So we will start to work on the babies room from now until it's done. We are also getting new carpet's in the next few weeks so more fun renovations!

Healthy body, Healthy mind: Now that the stress of school is almost behind me (all major assignments done, this last week will be a breeze) I will be healthier for Juliet :) Less stress will be good on my body and mind. I have gained a pound this week so I'm up to 14 pounds. I was getting worried for a while when I wasn't gaining anything for about 2 weeks but felt better when the doctor told me I was fine and not to worry about it. Even though I have been busy (and other then my sweet tooth) I have been really good about eating healthy and often, in fact I don't think I have eaten this healthy in my whole life... Hopefully this healthy eating will continue after the baby as well. I have also found time to walk b/c it makes me feel so much better when I get some exercise. Plus the the nice weather helps.