Long weekend

It's amazing how you can miss one day of blogging and get completely thrown off your game. Last Wednesday I wasn't feeling so great so I rested a lot, and then the rest of the week just seemed to disappear!

The long weekend was wonderful, though.

It started out on Friday with Joe coming home from work and planting flowers by our back door and finished with dinner cooked on the grill last night. How perfect.

Evidence

Just in case looking at me isn't enough, here are some other clues that a baby's on the way...

Exercise/birth ball ready to go for comfort during labor

Portable crib set up with changing table attachment

Hospital bags ready to go

Boppy pillow on the couch

Books on the shelf

Stroller by the door

Oh, and belly comment of the day... I walked into the greenhouse with my mother-in-law and the woman at the check-out desk exclaimed (rather loudly), "Whoa! We don't deliver babies in here!"

Final countdown: 3 weeks to Baby

Thirty-seven weeks.

Sometimes I think I'm still sort of in denial about being pregnant. It still hits me every once and a while that Whoa... this is really happening! Of course, the symptoms are obviously kind of hard to ignore at this point... not being able to roll over in bed without great effort, significant fatigue, swelling... not to mention a belly the size of a beach ball that moves on its own.

Joe and I went to the doctor on Friday. Everything is right on track for this point of pregnancy! He said the magic words, too - "If you go into labor now, we're not stopping you." That's right - I'm finally full term.

I look back on all the transitions that we've made during the course of this pregnancy and think How in the world did we do that? We moved from our host family's home in Bulgaria to our own house in a mountainside village, then we moved from there to stay with our friends for a couple days before traveling back to the States where we stayed with my parents in Virginia for three weeks. Then we moved to Ohio and unpacked the boxes that have been in storage for almost a year now to set up our apartment.

Baby is actually quite well-traveled... During this pregnancy I visited Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Greece. I have flown through London, Vienna, Sofia, and Washington, D.C. and driven what seems like everywhere else in between.

With all of the changes we've made in the past few months it's been hard to really focus on the fact that we're having a baby. It's just been since we've gotten to Ohio that we've really been able to make the preparations that we've been wanting to make... And only in this past week that we've finally come to the point where we feel like we have a place for our new arrival (more on that later!).

Now we just have to wait for when Baby decides he/she is ready, too!

Joe's Pic[k]: Grandmas

October 2010

This is Baba Geena (Баба Гина). Baba, in Bulgarian, means grandma. She was our 92 year old neighbor during our home stay in Bulgaria. No matter what was going on, she was always happy to see us and had a smile on her face.

Baby is going to be my parents' third grandchild. My brother and sister-in-law's two girls call them "Meemaw" and "Pawpaw." So my mom (while she has made it clear that she will gladly be whatever Baby ends up calling her) is sticking with Meemaw for her grandma name this time around, too.

Joe's parents will be first-time grandparents when Baby arrives, so when we told them about our growing little one they had to decide what they want to be called. Joe's dad is sticking with the classic "Grandpa," while Joe's mom is going with the German name for grandma, "Oma."

P.S. I didn't post a "Joe's Pic[k]" post for last week until today. Click here to see it!

Wrong day, lady.

Joe and I went to my 36 week check up today at the doctor's office - the appointment was at 10:15. We arrived at 10 o'clock sharp. The doctor was, for whatever reason, running behind, so we ended up waiting.
And waiting.
And waiting...

We were finally called back for the appointment around 11:40.

Diesal getting some love before going on a walk last week.

Now, if you have ever been pregnant before or are currently, you'll understand what I mean when I say I HAD TO PEE. Not to mention I was uncomfortable from sitting so long in the waiting room. (I actually stood up around 11:20, but by that time my bladder was so full I was afraid if I moved around too much bad things would happen to the waiting room carpet...) Once we got back to the room (well, bathroom first, then exam room) things went pretty quickly. Everything checked out okay, and I was on my way out the door.

...Except that the receptionist had gone missing. So then I stood at the check out counter for another 5 or 10 minutes with my growling tummy waiting for her to return. By the time she did, it was about noon. We're down to once a week appointments now, so we got our next one on the calendar and headed to the lab to get my blood drawn.

The hospital here, though there are some things I love about it, is really not that keen when it comes to prompt service. They have to re-register you every time you go - re-enter your information, re-copy your insurance card, re-everything. It took them almost a half-hour to call us back to get registered for my ONE lab order.

Trust me, if anyone understands how stretched my belly is, it's me.

I could have hugged the lab tech when I saw her standing at the door waiting for me as I exited the registrar's office. She took me straight back, drew the lab, and sent me on my way. Finally. By this point, I'm sure you can imagine we were quite tired of waiting and ready to get the rest of our errands run so we could get on with the day.

Joe and I ate at a local soup and salad place for lunch, stopped by the bank, and stopped by the local grocer to pick up a few of their weekly sale items that we'd seen advertized. There was a sample station at the end of one the isles and a woman handing out samples. I think it was for pasta salad. She asked if we wanted any as we were passing; we smiled and said no thank you. Then, after we had already walked far enough past her to have our backs to her she yells out, "You look like you're about ready to pop any day now!"

Wrong day, lady.

It's good for her sake we were in a public place where I didn't want to call any more attention to myself than my protruding belly already does. Otherwise, I think I might have responded a little less politely than the smile and nod I gave as we quickened our pace and went down the closest isle.

Packin' the bags

Amidst all the transition and travel, we have not yet taken the time (or had the bag available) to pack our things for the hospital trip when Baby arrives. We're taking two bags: our diaper bag, filled with Baby's things, and a large tote bag, filled with goodies for Momma and Daddy.

It's amazing how much has to wait to go in the hospital bag until last minute! Here I thought I was going to have everything ready except one or two things... but it seems more like the other way around. The diaper bag, however, was much more fun. I know all you mothers and fathers out there are going to roll your eyes when I say this... but I can't wait to get to use it!

Current diaper bag contents: diapers, wipes, receiving blankets, burp cloths, Desitin, hand sanitizer, tissues, travel-size baby lotion, a spare outfit, bibs, and a thicker blanket in case it's cold when we bring Baby home.

Jen's-eye view

What's funny is I had to bend over a little to be able to get my toes to show in the picture. Truthfully, when I look straight down I can't see anything but belly!

Reflection

Unfortunately, I woke up (or didn't wake up) this morning feeling like a zombie... I made it to the chair in our living room and fell back asleep while Joe worked out on the treadmill. These third trimester symptoms are intense sometimes! I finally got up and started moving by 11 after breakfast with Joe before he left for work and a phone call with my mom.

...How is it that yesterday I was ready to go-go-go at 8am?

The good news is that I got everything on yesterday's list done! I don't have such high hopes for today's list... oh well. You do the best you can, eh?

Diesal found the dresser mirror yesterday...

...I caught him in the bedroom growling at himself.

Thirty-six weeks

My first day as a S.A.H.M.

Stay

At

Home 

Mom

...that's me! Today is Joe's first day at his new job, which also means it's the first day of my new job - being a stay at home mom.

On today's list:
-Update blog
-Compare prices for items we still need to purchase for baby
-Order baby items online (except for the ones that are cheaper in-store)
-Do laundry
-Wash dishes from yesterday evening and breakfast
-Start writing thank-you notes for the gifts we received for Baby at yesterday's shower
-Complete baby exercises
-Organize Baby's things
-Read some in baby bargains book
-Deconstruct diaper cake (Thanks Aunt Sue!)
-Brush Diesal

Joe's Pic[k]: Just the two of us

July 2007

We took this picture when we were out for a date night with our friends, Craig and Jenny. We had actually just returned to the States from our study semester in India! They had recently married, and we weren't even engaged yet. Things have changed quite a bit since then - they've got a baby now and we're married and have one on the way!

I'm full of mixed emotions about Baby's impending arrival. I am SO excited to hold my baby in my arms... to feel his/her soft baby skin against mine, to soothe him/her, to be his/her mother. At the same time, I hesitate to focus on my excitement because of all the people who say, "You just wait, your life's going to change and you'll wish for these days again when you didn't have to worry about your baby all the time..." Stuff like that.

I'm ready to worry about my baby all the time, though. He/she is already on my mind almost 24/7 anyway! I know it will be different, but my heart is so full of love for him/her that I think my life has already changed. I can't imagine ever going back to those "just the two of us" days... and I'm not sure I ever want to.

Being a mother... a parent... is a lifelong commitment. No matter where life takes me or my child(ren), I will always be their mother. I can't wait to get started.

Malfunctions

So, last night and this morning blogger has been "temporarily unavailable." That's not that big of a deal, except that I just logged in and my most recent post is nowhere to be found! Joe looked it up and apparently they are hoping to get the posts restored... hopefully it will reappear soon!

Thirty-four weeks

P.S. I'm posting this very late - technically I was 34 weeks as of May 2, but I was behind on picture-taking!

Dear Mel

I'm sorry that I never had the chance to meet you; attending your funeral was the closest I ever got. I have heard such fun stories about you - your laughter and loving spirit. I know that you were an amazing uncle to Joe and you would have been an amazing great uncle for our son or daughter.

Thank you so much for the person that you were. Thank you for your smile, your humor, and your creativity. We are so blessed to be able to use the crib you made for baby Joe and be reminded of you every time we put our baby down to sleep.

Love,
Jen

Installation

Baby's grandparents went together on a gift and got us a wonderful travel system. It includes a large stroller, car seat, and car seat base. We've got the stroller set up in our apartment as soon as we got here - it's just such a nice reminder of what (or really, who) is soon to come!

The weather has been beautiful for the past couple of days, so we decided to install the car seat base today. (Our hunch was that if we waited until closer to the due date it would be raining the day we wanted to do it.) Plus, the car seat base was taking up valuable apartment space!

I like getting these baby prep things done. It's comforting to feel like we're finally getting a place ready for our little one. We also (well, I shouldn't say we... it was Joe and Tyler, not me) got our couches moved into our apartment today. It's feeling more and more like home!

Ever closer to d-day

Joe's expression sums up our Monday

Today, overall, wasn't the best of days for us. ...Let's just say we had to give a ton of money to the state of Ohio via registering the car and paying a local school tax. Unexpected expenses are never fun.

 Before the day started going downhill, though, we got to have a tour of the OB unit at the hospital where I plan to deliver. We really liked the nurse that gave the tour, and we're very pleased with not only the facility but also their standard of care for obstetric patients.

We're planning on a natural birth... and yes, that does mean I will not be using any pain medications. We're also opting for the baby to "room in," which is a good thing because that is the standard at the hospital we've chosen.

Joe and I are getting really excited for the big day! First things first, though.... we still have an apartment to get moved in to! Tomorrow, Joe and our soon-to-be brother-in-law, Tyler, are going to get to work rearranging furniture. I can't wait!

Joe's Pic[k]: Chapstick

Christmas 2009

Santa loves to fill our family's stockings with fun little knick-knacks every Christmas. He usually includes chapstick - we wouldn't want to have chapped lips over the holidays!

I was in Babies-R-Us the other day with Joe and this woman came up to me and was asking about my pregnancy and where we plan to deliver. She gave us our first bit of unsolicited advice - be sure Joe packs chapstick for me to use while I'm in labor at the hospital.

It's funny how pregnancy is outside of the realm of "not your business." Anyone and everyone seems to feel the need to say something about my protruding belly, labor & delivery, feeding, diapering, and how to raise my child.

One of my most recent favorites? A shop clerk: "So you're about to pop, huh?"

Diaper detergent

Joe and I have been set on cloth diapering from the start. We spent hours reading about prefolds, all-in-ones, fasteners, wraps, doublers, and pocket diapers. Not to mention hemp vs. microfleece vs. suede vs. cotton flannel vs. ...well, you get the idea.

We finally settled on using prefolds with Kushies diaper wraps. We'll also have some all-in-ones (AIOs) for when we're out and about. We've invested in cloth wipes and diaper pail liners as well (if you're washing one thing you might as well wash it all, right?).

After the shower in Virginia I started washing some of our baby items, and I did a quick check to make sure I could use my regular baby detergent on the diapers. It's a good thing I did! Kushies suggests "using a quality laundry detergent that is not soap or soap based, and that is also free of both bleach and fabric softeners, as they can adversely affect the performance and lifespan of the diapers."

The Kushies customer service representative gave me a website with a chart comparing different detergents. The ones rated with 5 stars are the best for washing cloth diapers.

After an hour or two of comparing brands and prices, I decided on Thirsties Super Wash. Other brands I checked into included Allen's Naturally, Country Save, Mountain Green Free & Clear, and Tiny Bubbles. We're also going to use Thirsties Pre-Wash to help keep the diapers extra clean and odor-free.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Car keys and coat hangers

Link to picture source

I'm happy to say that we're FINALLY in Ohio... and as my mom says, "Now you don't have to keep a list of all those 'just in case' hospitals!"

Our drive on Wednesday was mostly uneventful, with one very significant exception - we locked our keys in the car. Joe had just finished walking Diesal and his keys stuck to the leash when he set it down in the car. He stuck his hand in his pocket and had his mouth open to tell me that his keys weren't there as I closed the rear door... oops.

Now, this is one of those "God thing" moments, because the attendant at the rest stop just happened to have an extra metal coat hanger. Yes, that's right, folks, we broke into our own car at a rest stop somewhere in PA.

P.S. - ...I carried a spare key in my pocket for the rest of the trip.

Congratulations, graduate!

Joe & I, Dad, Shannon, Mom, and Dan

You've worked so hard for this degree, Shannon. Congratulations! I'm so glad we could be there to see you walk across the stage!

Planting: a photo log