The Baby Predictions are Beginning

This morning, I had 3 people in my office debating when this baby would be arriving. One said it'll be Halloween. Yikes! The other said, no, it'll be Thanksgiving. Um, double yikes to that. They then turned to me and said, "we don't mean to be looking, but your stomache is moving." They were right. Apparently Little B decided to kick it in gear and let his/her opinion be communicated through Morse Code Kicks as to when the grand entrance would be made.

I guess that's why many books refer to your "estimated due date" as your "due date month." The reality is that its perfectly normal for a baby to arrive 2 weeks early or 2 weeks late. So, this baby will be here sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Lets hope for right smack dab in the middle-- enough time to get things organized at work while not being the "stuffed bird" on turkey day. Truthfully, my doctor seems pretty confident the baby will be her within a week after the 13th. That works for me!

Its kinda funny to hear all the discussions back and forth. Probably once each day, I hear a comment regarding gender-- those are fun too. "You're definitely having a boy." "I know its gonna be a boy." "The way you're carrying, its a boy." There seems to be some overall consensus on this-- people think its a boy, but there are the occasional hold outs. Me, Cameron, and some other pals who aren't convinced that its not a girl. Truthfully, I don't care either way. It'd be fun to have a boy or a girl-- we just want Little B to be healthy.

Speaking of healthy-- Little B is quite active. Lots of moving around and a bunch of hiccups. Both of these are said to be really good signs. Many times, these movements slow down at the end of the road-- we'll see about that.

If only we had a crystal ball!!!

Getting Ready- its amazing what can be accomplished in an "unplanned" weekend

Its amazing how nice it can be to do nothing. Now, I shouldn't say "nothing," because in fact, we did a lot. We just didn't have a lot of planned activities. We've had quite a run of non-stop weekends, which have been a lot of fun. This weekend is one we decided to "take off" per say as we gear up for our last 3 out of town weekends before we put our suitcases to rest for a little bit. So nice-- we did run a lot of errands and did a lot to get organized, but it was on our schedule (which wasn't really scheduled at all).

We made trips to Home Depot and Mike got a bunch of small projects done around the house. I ran out to Babies R Us to pick up a Pack-N-Play with some of the gift cards we have received from our showers-- so nice of our friends and family to be so generous. This was one of the bigger items that we'll need to have from day one. So, now its purchased and soon to be assembled. I also picked up some other essential odds and ends that I know we'll need.

We set up the upstairs bathroom to be baby-ized....meaning all of Little B's towels, wash cloths and bath toys are washed, folded and nicely organized. Little B's baby bath tub is also ready to go. We washed all of the blankets we've received. We're definitely all set in both the bath and blanket department-- which is important and just fantastic. I've put together little baby cloth crates of diaper changing "stuff" and clusters of blankets for each floor (this was a great suggestion from Jenn-- thank you :). The new nursery items, the wallhangings and matching (absolutely adorable) jungle lamp are now in place. They look just cute as can be. We put together the Zanzibar bouncing chair and its ready for Little B in our finished basement, which will surely be a place we cozy up in this winter. Our combo changing table/dresser is now looking more like a changing table than just a dresser now that the changing pad and supplies are on top of it. I still can't get over the nice gifts that have been sent our way. We're quite lucky.

So, there are still bags of stuff all over our house, but I will also point out that much progress has been made. And we even snuck in a dinner with our friends and played cards last night. That was really nice as well.

Yes, we may seem really organized now, but this will not at all thwart off the craziness that will be coming our way this November. Its the good kind of crazy as our worlds change and baby chaos moves in, but its nice to know that we've done everything we can to get ready. What happens after that is something we'll take hour by hour and day by day--and truthfully, I'm looking forward to it all.

I think Mike & I have decided to put treads on our hard wood steps that go from the first to second floor. I love the hardwood flooring we have throughout the first floor of our house, but the steps, well, that could present a hazard. I know its kinda a feux pau to take a perfectly beautiful (and recently re-stained) staircase and gunk it up, but safety is way more important and those steps can be quite slippery. We'll have none of that. This is really the last thing we'll need to do in terms of getting the house ready.

The final 50 days (or so)

If my due date's on track, we're within 50 days of being parents and welcoming this baby into our world. Pretty exciting if I may say so myself. I'm fully aware that a due date is just an estimate-- in many cases, it should be viewed as a "due month," because babies can arrive early or up to 2 weeks late (especially the first time around). Regardless, I guess what I'm saying is that we're getting close.

I'm in the process of getting things ready, as I want to be assured that we're as prepared as we can be. We've been washing and folding clothes, especially the littlest of outfits, and blankets. We set up a staging area for Little B's clothes on the first floor, so we don't have to run up and down stairs. We're also in the process of setting up little crates for easy diaper changing-- and putting them in different ares of the house. Toys are getting put together and set up in the basement, which is carpeted and will be a good place for us to all hang out. I think this weekend we're running over to Babies R Us to pick up a couple larger, but essential items with the gift cards we've received. So nice.

We're on our way....just about 50 days to go :)

The Coveted Parking Space

Ah, the coveted parking space. This reference may be just as figurative as it is literal. A couple years ago, I noticed that certain grocery stores and retailers started setting aside convenient spaces for “New and Expectant Mothers.” I remember when these first started popping up, that I thought this was a really neat concept. As you approach the later months of pregnancy or have a wee little one with you on a shopping trip, it is really nice to not have to park in “Row 84” and walk so long to get to the store.

As neat and nice as I thought this parking gesture was on behalf of the retailers and grocers, I was also affected by it in another way. Every time I went to these shopping establishments, I would drive by the reserved for mommies spot (or walk by it after I parked my vehicle) and be reminded that I wasn’t in the club. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic and emotional here, but this is a place where I can put all my feelings, so I’m just expressing what I felt.

Did I ever peep a word of these feelings to anyone? No, not even to Mike. But I do recall feeling them to a minor extent when going to the store, which I did all the time. I didn’t want anyone to know I was having these feelings—about a sign none-the-less. Having them even made me feel a little silly. I’m a positive person and wouldn’t want to project any bad feelings towards “mommy signs.”—I just kept on that brave face that wouldn’t allow even allow those closest to me know that I even saw the parking space signs. Perhaps if I hadn’t experienced the female medical complications that I’d been through, these signs never would have even caught my attention.

The fact is that I began viewing them differently as I got used to them…and, perhaps more importantly, as we started the process to starting a family (the unconventional way). They went from being a constant reminder that I wasn’t pregnant and didn’t have a newborn to a source of motivation and something to positively strive to work towards. How could a sign that says “Reserved for Expectant and New Mothers” do all of this? Because as we started our procedures, I would walk past the sign and designated parking spaces 2-3 times weekly and it would remind me that I was on a mission to become a mom and it was my job to remain positive. I went from scampering past them, feeling a little deflated, to looking at them straight on saying in my head, “I’ll be parking there one day real soon. Just watch.”

It’s amazing how something so abstract, serving a completely different purpose, could become a constant motivating factor for me. Truthfully though, it did. Then, I got pregnant….and then we got past the point that we were in the major danger zone. I actually felt myself subconsciously start to pack a little smile every time I passed the reserved parking spaces. Then, I waited weeks (months), for my belly to show and for me to feel tired enough to not feel silly parking in one of these designated parking spots. That day was yesterday. The parking lot was packed. I was on my way home from work—and pretty darn tired. And I saw the empty “Reserved for Expecting & New Moms” Space and said, ya know what, its time to park there.

Me and my silly figurative victories! This post is all about me getting the coveted parking space. Not for the convenience of parking close to the store—but for me to finally realize, I’m close to being a mom. And so totally thrilled about it.

The Jitter Bug

Little B's kicks have gone from Pele-style (one word-- "ouch") to more frequent wiggles. I much prefer the wiggles to the soccer kicks. The interesting thing is that these movements now happen in clusters-- with rapid movement happening all at once -- and then complete still. Its quite amusing. Clearly Little B's has less space to move around in that he/she has been used to. And its only going to get more cramped in there. BabyCenter.com states that from this point on, during these next 7 weeks (or so), baby will put on a third to a half of his/her total birth weight. That's a heck of a lot of growth over a short period of time!

I'm noticing that I'm definitely back to being more sleepy-- so there must be a lot of activity going on that's taking my energy. Ironically, I get tired during the day only to be wide awake come 10-11pm. How does that happen? That's when Little B like to rally :)

Pix!

Here are some photos from Saturday-- what a great time! Again, thanks to everyone involved for making the day so special. Enjoy!

Shower Time!

When my niece, Cameron, found out she was invited to my baby shower, she was quite curious as to what we'd be doing at this party. She mentioned to Collette "Oh, so we'll go up and give Aunt Kris's baby a shower? The baby will be there by then, right? I thought babies took baths, not showers." Again, I love the way Cameron sees the world.

Today's shower was a whole lot of fun. Family and friends traveled from Maryland, Cincinnati & Columbus to make it a special day. They were joined by pals from NE Ohio-- and together, this group made one heck of a party.

From fun games, to delicious foods, to great "hang out" time....the event was just as perfect as could be. Even the weather couldn't have been better. I can't get over the generiosity of the gifts. My Jeep looked like a sleigh on the way home. My mom and often glanced towards the back of my SUV-- and all we could see were baby presents. Unreal! We just laughed-- and she kept telling me what nice friends I had. I couldn't agree more! What an absolutely terrific day.

While we were at the shower, Mike's brother, Kevin, & one of our friends, Neal, had some quality "guy time" while watching the Buckeyes play. When we all arrived back home, Mike was quite amazed by the "sleigh" as well. He repeated what my mom was saying on the ride home....that we're so lucky to have the great friends that we do. Is there an echo? I'll say it a third time-- we ARE quite fortunate. We unloaded them and headed over to our neighborhood block party, which was also today. Somehow, I had planned to take a nap before dinner, but that didn't happen. Our block party is a lot of fun-- and we have some of the nicest neighbors. Its always nice to catch up with them at our street party. And so we did. And as always, I'm glad we got to see everyone.

Then, it was off to Little Italy for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, La Tratorria on the Hill. It was quite a Saturday....one that I'll remember forever. One of my friends took a ton of pictures-- I know she'll load them online real soon and then I'll be sure to post them on the site.

Tomorrow

I am so looking forward to tomorrow-- its my shower here in Cleveland. Four of my very close friends, Amy, Collette, Jenn, & Sharon, have been working together to coordinate-- which is so nice. It'll be a mix of friends from college, work friends, family, and women we've become very close with during our time in Cleveland. My mom's flying out tonight. Collette & Cameron are on their way up as I type. I just talked to a great friend (who was practically my college roomate) and she's going to be able to make it as well. Its like the night before Christmas!!! Aside from our wedding, this will be one of the first times people from all different areas of my life will be together.

As cheesy as it sounds, I'm totally geeked abou this. Its not neccessarily the excitement of opening gifts (which don't get me wrong, I am so appreciative of & can't wait to do) that has me on such an emotional high. What I'm most excited about is spending time with all of these ladies and seeing how much they support me. Some are recent friends who we've become close with in recent years, often spending a lot of fun time together. Others are friends who have seen Mike & I grow together-- and have literally stood by our side from the start. All of them are eager to see us get our little family started. The kind of encouragement and excitement that resonates from all of these ladies (and their significant others as well) is something quite special. I have a hard time explaining-- except to say that the "it takes a whole village..." concept is being felt in full effect and its so wonderful. You can't wrap that kind of sensation or gift up.

I can't thank these ladies enough for hosting and participating in what will for sure be a wonderful shower tomorrow afternoon.

Today's a Milestone....

32 weeks complete! According to the Mayo Clinic, "Babies born after this time tend to do very well even if they are premature. At 32 weeks all major organs are functioning at full capacity, except the lungs, which will continue to develop over the next 6-8 weeks."

I'm sure all expecting parents breathe a big sigh of relief at this point. I know that's what we're doing. Considering where we started, it is very reassuring that we've entered what feels like a rather "safe zone." My doctor says that from this point forward, our baby will gain about a pound every 10-12 days. That's pretty impressive. Little B should be about 4 lbs now...so from here on out, Little B should double in weight.

As for what's actually going on in Hotel W-- here's what BabyZone.com says:
"Just like you, your unborn baby will establish a daily routine. You'll notice at times your baby is active and wiggly, while at other times you can't feel her movements. Once your baby's born, she'll most likely continue with her in-utero pattern. Along with a routine, your baby has favorite positions too. A favorite of many unborn babies is to have their heads down, rumps up towards the ribs (conveniently, the perfect position for labor)." I definitely notice the wiggling-- and hope that they're right about Little B finding his/her favorite position-- head down, butt up-- real soon. That would make me, Mike and our doctor very happy!

All is well in babyland

Its late, so this is going to be a short one....its been a jammed packed day :) My doctor's appointment went great this morning. Blood pressure is ideal. Little B's heartbeat is right on target and he/she seems to be beginning to move towards the right position. At my last appointment, the Little B's head was up top (under my ribs). I've been noticing a lot of movement at night from Little B, which seems to be productive, as the baby's body is beginning to rotate in the right direction. Suddenly loosing sleep at night due to Little B's (hyper) nocturnal activity is a good thing :) My doctor feels that the baby is on its way to shifting into the "correct," head down presentation. That's great news. He wants to see me at 35 weeks to do a more thorough position check to confirm. So that means my next appointment will be in 3 weeks. I'm really happy with our choice in doctors-- he's truly terrific.

We just got home from our last child birthing class....it went well as well. I'm glad we've been exposed to a lot of the "unexpecteds" that can happen, so if we do encounter them, they won't be as concerning (at least not in theory--- we'll see when we get there). We've learned a lot. Now its time to let all the information sink in.

As for sinking in-- I'm going to go sink underneath my comfy down comforter and get some sleep.

Its official....I'm a complete clutz

There are all sorts of things no one tells you about regarding the experience of being pregnant. I'm not saying that all these things are neccessarily "bad," but there are very apparent changes that occur as you start this journey into parenthood. There are the obvious side effects that everyone is aware of: your belly grows (um duh), you tire easily, your appetite changes, you can get stretch marks, your body and swell, your brain doesn't always work as well as you expect it to (especially your memory-- kiss that baby goodbye! Those I expected-- and really am totally fine with .

Then there are some other things that happen that I was not aware of...I call them "the surprises." This is my personal list of "little surprises" that have popped up. I'll start with the ones that inspired this post.

1) I've become a total clutz. It started a few months ago, whcn at least once per day (I'm not exaggerating) something I ate or drank throughout the day, would end up not in my mouth. In fact, something would end up nowhere close to my mouth. I can't explain how pregancy causes this, but it happens. Today I was 3 for 3...meaning 3 tops that I have worn throughout the day now have a stain on them and are on their way to the dry cleaner.

2) To build on the clutz side effect...I've noticed that my muscle coordination isn't what it used to be. Case in point-- tonight, I went to get a pitcher of decaf iced tea out and somehow (again, I can't explain) the container slipped out of my hands and contents so nicely adorned my freshly cleaned kitchen floor. On the plus side, I can now say that the area around, under and behind our refridgerator is also sparkling clean from fixing the mess this spill caused.

3) Veins, Veins. That's enough, Spider Veins!!! They are beginning to invade my legs. I don't think they are vericose veins because they are not raising from my skin, but they are webbing their way around my legs. I'm not a fan.

4) This is a side effect I didn't realize-- a woman's ribcage actually expands to accomodate the extra contents of a pregnant belly. That's pretty amazing. Even so, if your in your 32nd week and your baby hasn't done the appropriate "nose dive towards the exit sign" (i.e. maneuvered to a head down position in Hotel W), their head still doesn't fit well under this expanded rib cage

5) I've become way more blunt than ever. Forget being P.C., I've found that being pregnant has made me more direct in my communication. I'm not saying that this is a bad thing-- or that my mouth is out of control, but it is more willing to share raw emotion without always wrapping comments that need to be said with the pretty bow I usually offer.

6) My stomache (I'm referring to the organ, not my belly) has become the flattest its ever been. By this, I mean that it is being compressed in a major way by Hotel W & a growing Little B. In one sitting, I can't eat half as much as I used to be able to because of this. Granted, I'm hungry more often, so the key is to eat small but frequent food. When I decide to not pay attention to this rule, I meet my stomache's are enemy, indigestion.

7) And finally, I would like to know who extracted one of my lungs from my abdomen without me knowing. I say this b/c I am constantly winded now. Even a extensive conversation can make me feel a bit out of breath (and you know how much I enjoy talking-- so this is really new territory for me)!

These are just some of the things I've noticed along the way. I don't see them as bad-- in fact, now that I recognize them, they kinda make me laugh as I experience them. They're my own personal reminders that this pregancy is progressing.

Tomorrow, I have a doctors appointment in the morning and our 2nd (last) childbirth class in the evening. Work in the middle. I'm sure I'll have some fun things to bring up in tomorrow night's writing. Really looking forward to hearing Little B's heartbeat and getting my progress report from Dr Peskin. Until then....

Storms in the Information Age

Like many buildings and residences in Ohio, we lost power yesterday as a result of Ike moving through. The remnants of this storm were odd....a whole lotta wind and not much rain. Indeed, we're thankful for that.

Our electricity flickered at home, but it turns out we were quite lucky. 400,000 customers in northest Ohio completely lost electricity....and the outages really had no pattern. My office didn't have power all day (and still doesn't as of tonight). The electric company wasn't anticipating this to happen in Ohio, so they sent a ton of manpower down south, where they had much bigger repairs to make. That leaves the personnel here to fix our local power outages a bit short handed. They aren't projecting we'll have power tomorrow in our office either. Because so many residences are affected (and we have some power through a generator to keep the radio stations operating), they are focusing on restoring power to homes before businesses, which makes total sense.

Its not until you loose power for a sustained period of time, that you realize how much you're crippled when the technology you've come to love and adore temporarily escapes you. Its just an interesting thought that went through my mind today...as I struggled to get work done in alternative locations, using remote access, etc.

It also made me think of all the people in the real bad path of Hurrican Ike. They must be going through a lot-- and my thoughts are with them. My office being without power for 2 days is ridiculously insignificant compared to all that those residents are experiencing. They're in my thoughts :)

A Little Humor for a Sunday

Ha! Since this weekend's football games have gone so well (sense the sarcasm?), I thought I'd inject a little humor into the day. This is just meant to be a funny, mindless post...about some of the things that made me laugh this weekend. First, the performance of our beloved football teams...so bad, they were practically laughable. Thankfully, Hotel W has no windows, so Little B didn't have to see how bad the Buckeyes and Bengals played this weekend. It wasn't pretty. Here's hoping that both teams get their acts in gear so that when Little B actually understands how to be a fan of these teams, he'll have something really good to cheer for.

In other funny developments, Boomer's new favorite room is Little Bs. We discovered tonight that Boom has been spending quite a lot of time in there, unbeknownst to us. I realized this as I was doing some work on the computer in our office. Little B's room is right above...and I started to hear some thumpings on the ceiling. Mike was in the family room, so I knew it wasn't him. We tried to sneak upstairs to see what Boomer was up to, but he came to the doorway of the nursery before we could spy. The look on Boomer's face was classic: "Hey, check out my new pad."

Here's what we discovered: One of the baby blankets magically found its way into Boomer's crate. Hugh? Wonder how that happened (this dog isn't as stupid as he may like us to think he is). Then, we discovered Boomer's personal treasure chest of bones buried in Little B's closet, baskets, and on the guest bed in the room. Pretty funny.

All the books we read about getting your pet ready for a baby recommend keeping the door to the baby's room open and letting the pet get comfortable with all the new items in the room. Looks like Boomer is quite comfy....heck, he thinks is partially his space. Maybe Little B will have a roomate this winter. Hilarious!

Why I never went to med school

Lets just say that I have so much respect for those in the medical industry. The classes we've taken this week have reminded me of exactly why I never went through with my aspiration to be a doctor at age six. All the ambition in the world doesn't mean that you have the stomache to handle it :) The childbirth education classes were quite informative-- and I'm very glad that we're doing them.

They are definitely serving their purpose. First, we know our way to the hospital forwards and backwards (even those of us more directionally challenged than others :)...and by "those of us" I am affectionately referring to the one of us who will be physically driving us to the hospital. In all seriousness, the actual courses are also helpful. We're pulling away advice and insight from each of them. Will we "live by the book" and apply everything we learn? No. One overwhelming theme in every discussion I've had with newer moms is that you cannot completely script out how your child's birth and early life will be. You can develop a plan, but must realize that it will change as each situation progresses. I am choosing to embrace the changing scenarios as we approach them.

As for pain management-- I'm still undecided. I've educated myself on what my options are, both through the classes we're taking and the books I've been reading. There are pros and cons that I'm still weighing out. Its very possible that I may not walk into the hospital on "the big day" with a decision that I refuse to budge on regarding epidurals etc. I may take a "wait and see" approach and make my choices in the moment. Mike supports me on whichever birthing method I end up choosing-- and that means a lot. What is reassuring is to have options and to know that billions of women have given birth and done just fine. Just because I'm a little squirmish at the thought of it, I'll be keeping my attention focused on the wonders that come as a result of the delivery process.

During one of the classes....right after we saw a video of a birth...I leaned over to Mike and said "Can we just fast forward to the part where I hold this clean and cuddly baby and all is well in the world?" I was kidding of course. I will be looking forward to that moment though...that's for sure!

Another Preggo Perk...

New Shoes. Yes, you heard me right-- being pregnant gives you a medical reason to make purchasing new shoes an actual, real neccessity. Love it!

See, as summer sandals get put aside for fall flats (or in my case, fall shoes with little heels), I noticed a big change in my feet. Wearing sandals and looser shoes all summer hid from me the fact that my footsies were swelling a little bit. I didn't notice it until I put my dress socks on for work yesterday (it was finally too cold for open toed shoes) and surprise-- my feet no longer fit into the more conforming shoe styles found in my closest. Such a shame.

So, as much as I absolutely hated having to do it (do you sense the slick sarcasm?), I forced myself into the shoe store to buy brnad new shoes for Fall. I just hate having to buy cute new shoes a half size larger than what I used to wear, but what's a girl to do? Walk around with aching feet crammed into "too-tight" shoes. No way.

The funny thing is a couple years ago, I was the complete beneficiary of this same preggers phenomenon, as it happened to my friend. Her 7 1/2s no longer fit after she had her second child. So, I got her gently worn shoes-- it was wonderful. Now its time to pay it forward just like she did if these tootsies don't go back to their original form after Little B arrives.

In Love with Fall

It appears as though the summer weather is about to come to an end. This morning really felt like Fall. I do like the Summer, but I absolutely LOVE the Fall. I love the refreshingly crisp but not too cold days, cool nights, pumpkin everything, apple cider (yum), football season...the list could go on and on. Its my favorite time of year. Mike feels the same way, which is why we got married in the early days of October.

What's quite interesting is how my transitioning from each trimester pretty much corresponded with the season changes. We began in early March....as Spring tried to approach (it takes some prodding for Spring to officially arrive in Cleveland). By early Summer, I was into the "safety" of my second trimester. And just a few weeks ago, as Summer transitioned into Fall, I transitioned into T3. Its kinda cool how that happened. To some extent, its really made the start of Fall stand out for me more than it has in the past. Its the start of our home stretch. By the time we switch over to Winter (which I normally kinda dread), Little B will be here. Hence, I'm not so bummed out about Winter....we'll have something really cute and snuggly to bond with during those cold months. And this addition-- one that we've been looking forward to--- and planning--- for a long while will keep us especially warm for years to come.

I'm a bit giddy this Fall. I even realize that I'm happier than normal. Things that might normally perturb me aren't able to dip my spirit like they have in the past. I guess having Little B on the way allows me to very easily focus on the good that surrounds us-- and appreciate what really matters. Its not the petty stuff that we should be thinking about, but rather the wonderful things, both big and small, that deserve my attention. And, well, Little B's front and center. Everytime I feel him/her move around, I can't help but pop a little smile....even in the middle of the night or early in the morning, I instinctively notice the tiny muscles in my cheeks flex to move the ends of my lips upward every time the baby moves. Its a great feeling.

Another thought that crossed my mind is how Little B is going to be a blend of Mike & I in a way I didn't realize until just recently. Mike's birthday is in October. Mine is in December. And, well, Little B's will be in November. How appropriate.

The Nest

Its been a bit since I posted-- sorry about that. This weekend was a bunch of fun-- as well as being very busy and away from my computer. I had a lot of fun doing wedding stuff with Sarah--its always a great time :) We ran hard Friday and Saturday...we wouldn't have it any other way.

Here's the funny thing. After a weekend full of parties and travelling, one would think that I'd come home, fall gently on the couch and stay right there for a long while. That's what I thought I'd do as I was headed back north on I-71 from Dayton/Columbus. In fact-- lounging for the entire afternoon was my plan. I was also planning on watching my beloved Bengals play a great game of football while I lounged in the basement fixated on our NFL Sunday Ticket (in between naps of course). As you can sense by my heightened level of sarcasm, this didn't happen either.

Instead, I picked up Boomer from the kennel and noticed he was particularly rambunctious. He was borderline wild with excitement to see me. So, instead of heading for the house, we headed for the field at our middle school. Boomer needed to run and it was just beautiful out. So I walked and Boomer ran in "figure eight" formations all over the athletic field. We were there for about an hour, and made it home for the Bengals kickoff. Operation Lounge on the Couch was imminent.

Within minutes, it was quite apparent that the experience of watching the game was not going to be an enjoyable one. So, I thought I'd just get some shut eye with Boomer on the couch. But just like its hard to not watch a trainwreck, its equally difficult to take your eyes off a game like the one the Bengals played yesterday. I continued to watch, hoping that I was in a bad dream. But I was clearly awake. My awakeness turned to alertness, which then combusted into frustration, which then transitioned into severe disappointment with a little anger sprinkled in. I'm afraid that this is going to be a "rinse & repeat" progression of emotions for the next 15 weeks-- that's how bad they played.

So, no napping for me. Had to get up and do something. I know....odd...it makes no sense. There I was exhausted and couldn't settle in on a perfectly good and comfortable couch. Even sleepy Boomer looked up at me like I was completely whacked when I got up. I got a burst of energy and wanted to get some stuff done. And this is literally after maybe getting a combined 12 hours of sleep on Friday and Saturday. Boomer was right, I was out of my mind :)

I can only chalk my energy burst to some sort of need to nest (or pre-nest, as this nesting instinct isn't supposed to rear its ugly head till very late in pregnancy). Here's what I did: I cleaned the kitchen, cleaned out the refigerator, put in 2 loads of my own laundry, then washed every linen in the house (beds linens and towels), and cleaned out the laundry room from floor to ceiling-- including organizing the shelving units in there. After folding the laundry, I decided that I wasn't done. So, I went and got all of the adorable baby clothes together, cut the tags off of the littlest clothes (0-3, 3-6 month stuff) & baby blankets and washed them in the baby detergent (for sensitive skin). Then I hauled them upstairs (2 loads :) and folded them in the nursery. Meanwhile, Boomer, who had it all right in terms of his need to make it a lazy day, moved his furry self from the couch to the bed in the baby's room. He plopped himself on the bed while I folded all the clean baby clothes and put away the blankets.

Seriously, what the heck got into me? I made myself stop after this-- short of cleaning out the closet in the baby's room, which I'll save for my next silly burst of energy. Hilarious!

A fall schedule that would make most rockstars jealous :)

I know we're going to have to slow down a bit, but for now, its full speed ahead, as we squeeze in as many small trips to spend time with friends and family before Little B arrives (and the three of us kinda hibernate for the winter.

Take a Peak at the last couple of weeks (as well as whats in store for the upcoming weekends).

8/24-25: We spent the weekend in Columbus, spending time with Kevin & Collette, Calvin & Cameron. While there, we participated in a family friend's golf outing and were able to go out to dinner with Kevin & Michelle

8/30-9/1: We headed out to Maryland for my family's annual crab feast, which magically converted into a surprise baby shower. Wowsers-- what a Labor Day weekend (and how appropriate for a baby shower to be thrown on 'Labor' Day weekend-- ha!)

9/5-6: I'm heading down to spend time with some of my friend Sarah's close friends for a bachelorette weekend in Dayton & at Easton in Columbus. Meanwhile, Mike is in Vegas with Scott for his bachelor part.

9/20: My mom's flying in, Collette & Cameron are coming up, as are some of my friends to be a part of a shower that 4 of my close pals up here are throwing for me

10/4-5: We're heading to Dayton for our great friends (and cruise buddies) wedding

10/11-12: We'll be going to root on the Buckeyes for the weekend in Columbus

10/18-19: Off to Dayton we go to spend time with Mike's Mom, who will be back from Italy and is hosting a shower for us

As of 10/20th, there will be no more travelling :) It'll be time for us to settle down and get our acts in gear. Its really nice to have so many fun things going on right now-- and have the opportunity to spend time with our friends and family. I just love it!

Little B @ 30 Weeks...Whats going on inside Hotel W

Wow-- today marks 30 weeks of being pregnant. Feels like we're really in the home stretch. Can't believe that in about 10 weeks or so, we'll be parents. In many ways this just seems like a bit of a dream. Granted, I look down at my growing belly and feel the kicks everyday, which make it seem very real, but I will say that there is also a little bit of a surreal feeling as well. We've wanted this for a long time-- and for awhile, although we were hopeful, we really didn't know if it would be a real possibility for us.

Somehow, reaching the 30 week mark feels like quite an accomplishment. And medically, it truly is. With today's medical advancements, a baby being born at 30 weeks has an 85% survival rate. Not that we want Little B to arrive at such an early time, because we don't. There's still lots of development and growing that needs to occur. It is comforting, though, to know that we've finally reached a bit of a "safe" place.

Just what's happening inside Hotel W at 30 weeks?
- At this point, the average baby weighs between 3-4 lbs and measures about 17 inches. From weeks 30-37, Little B will put on about a half pound a week as he/she bulks up!
- Little B is also able to use all five of his/her senses. The baby can see, smell, taste, touch, and hear sounds. There is still much developing of these senses that needs to occur...for example, when born, a baby's vision is about 20/400...but the senses are on their way.
- Toes & toenails are fully developed at this point. Speaking of toes...Mama needs a pedicure. Time to get that scheduled :)

Dr Appt :)

I had my doctors appointment this morning-- its always fun to check in on what Little B is up to, which is why I really like going to get checked out.

Turns out everything is going well... Little B's hearbeat is strong and said child still really likes to show off for the doctor by making all sorts of movements during visits. We may have a real ham here. My belly is measuring 30 centimeters...which correlates perfectly with being 30 weeks along, so that's also really good. I guess the measurements from top to bottom of the uterus are supposed to start to match up closely with the week of gestation you're on starting in the 3rd trimester. My blood pressure is still low-- 98 over 65, and they're happy about that as sometimes it can rise rapidly in the last months of pregnancy. As far as weight, I've gained about 14 lbs, which they're also happy about. From here on out I should be gaining about a pound a week (and a 1/2 lb is pure baby, who's in big time bulk up mode). So everything is on track.

I mentioned the amount of those silly Braxton Hicks contractions I've been getting during the appointment. They sometimes come in clusters-- upto 8-10 an hour, which is a significant amount. My doctor ran a couple of extra blood tests just to see if anything was out of line and there are no signs of an abnormalities or early labor triggers, so we're all good. He's not concerned at all.

We did discuss the possibility of a C-Section a little bit. As we've known for awhile, I do have a slightly higher liklihood of requiring a C-Section due to my surgery and internal incisions from 6 years ago. As of now, however, everything is holding up very well. And b/c my weight gain has not gotten out of control, he feels its looking less likely. He joked that it might be more likely that the baby's desire to move around all over the place could cause us to do a C-Section (i.e. Little B getting "stuck" in the wrong position once he or she gets bigger) than the surgery! That's funny!

I'm now at the point where I'll be having doctors appointments every two weeks. Exciting!