32...

Okay, I will be really really glad for this week in pregnancy to be over. Everything is fine, but I am HUGE, HUGE, HUGE and pretty much constantly uncomfortable and/or in pain. I know this is totally normal, but it's still not pleasant. My lower back hurts, my abdomen hurts, my bladder hurts, my hoo ha hurts (I know, TMI, but just keepin' it real). I seriously have to pee constantly and would gladly move myself into the bathroom at home and at work just to save myself the trouble of having to haul my big a$$ to and fro.

Hudson is still "sitting" very high, which makes breathing a challenge, especially when I'm trying to go to sleep. Laying on one side will be okay for 30 minutes, then I'll have to switch sides, which is effort in and of itself. Getting off the couch or out of bed (which I do about 15 times a night) without pain and difficulty? Yeah, doesn't happen. And getting off the couch without help is a thing of yesteryear.

I had a dinner/movie date with my best friend last week and she had all kinds of pregnancy questions for me. Like...is it hard to go to the bathroom? I started laughing because I knew what she really wanted to ask - how hard is it to wipe your butt these days? I told her that it was beyond difficult, but still doable. Lately thought, wiping causes me to grunt, which I'm sure my coworkers who happen to be in the public bathroom with me probably find disconcerting. Whatevs.

Speaking of disconcerting, Chad got to see Hudson's sweet in utero dance moves over the weekend. He asked me in a semi-horrified voice, "WHAT is he doing in there?!" I wish I knew, honey, I wish I knew. What I do know is that he sometimes tries to Jackie Chan me in the bladder, but misses and nails my crotch. That's pleasant.

So in spite of the stretch marks, huge veiney boobs with dinner plate nipples, dry skin, double chin, aches and pains and exhaustion, we're doing good! Whoever insinuated that pregnancy was glamorous, fun, or enjoyable was obviously smoking crack.

Cheers to week 33!

Who Knew?

I feel like pregnancy is full of so many moments that make you question your sanity, your decision making skills, and whether or not God was POSITIVE that you would make make a good parent when He allowed the egg and sperm to meet.

This week has been so full of those moments - aka, hormonal overload. Let me just preface this by saying that I am not THAT great at making decisions. But up until now, those decisions have just been what we're going to eat at night. Since I got pregnant, I've been making decisions that directly affect my baby's life and I really feel like I've taken it to a whole new (and unhealthy) level.

I am placing the blame solely on the baby books. It seems like you really need to follow them, even above the advice of others because THAT makes perfect sense. I started reading the baby books right after the pregnancy test turned pink, so I've had 8 whole months of OCD overload on various baby products. The first terrifying hurdle was the car seat selection. Infant or convertible? Graco or Britax? Paper or plastic? (We decided on the Britax Chaperone.) And then, of course, was the stroller freak out of 2011 (we decided on the Britax B-Agile after trying out everything from the uber expensive Uppa Baby to the City Mini Jogger ). I spent an ungodly amount of time scouring the Internet for reviews, price checks, new product roll outs...and I've done this on virtually ever major baby product I've put on my registry. I kid you not. Every item has been thoroughly researched to death and caused major panic attacks that I'm going to permanently scar my kid because I chose the wrong bottle (we chose Born Free) or pacifier (lots of choices here, from Born Free to MAM to Nuk - just so he has a variety). I'm still freaked out about the mattress choice we made because it wasn't $300. Will it be worthy to hold Hudson's head? This is seriously my thought process. Ridiculous.

So the latest baby product freak out? The swing or bouncer debate. More specifically - I have registered for the 2011 MamaRoo, a $240 purchase. We still need to buy the stroller, breast pump (Medela Free Style), baby carrier (Ergo), and travel crib (Baby Bjorn). None of these are cheap. And I've heard so many mixed reviews on the MamaRoo. What if Hudson hates it, despite it's readiness to connect to my iPhone so he can chill with some sweet baby lullabies by The Stones? Yes it's very cool looking, but will it be comfortable to him? And if I don't do a MamaRoo, what is my other option?

This has COMPLETELY taken over Week 31 of Kelley's Pregnancy. Hopefully Week 32 will present a decision. Stay tuned.

3-0

No, I'm not in my dirty thirties yet. But my uterus is! I will actually be 31 weeks tomorrow, but I wanted to capture this week because it's been so busy and fun with snatches of annoying and obnoxious thrown in for good measure.

Hudson is doing well. We had our bi-weekly check up last Wednesday and everything is measuring on time, weight is good, blood pressure is good, and feet are slightly swollen. I am such a firm believer that you speak things into existence because the nurse at the doctor's office told me my feet were slightly swollen (I hadn't noticed it, but then again, I can't see my feet real well these days) and by the time I got home I looked like I had elephantitis of the foot. Just the one foot. Not AT ALL attractive, but it did go away. I have been worried about dealing with post-partum depression because of my past history with GAD and OCD and talked with my OB about it. I had considered natural alternatives, including encapsulating my placenta (just google it, it's real and it's also semi-disgusting), but she said we could just up my dosage of Zoloft to ward off any craziness. Bless her. She's just a few weeks behind me in her own pregnancy and was rocking the cutest zebra print heels and I am waddling around in my Rainbow flip flops. Some women can do it all.

I had a fabulous baby shower thrown in my honor by one of my mom's closest friends on Sunday afternoon. Aunt Jan is a caterer as well as the Martha Stewart of her neighborhood and she hosted all of us at her home with a spread of food that would make Gordon Ramsay proud. I'm talking homemade baked brie, homemade spinach dip, homemade crab salad, homemade chicken salad on croissants...oh I was in HEAVEN. And I was spoiled rotten by the gifts - so many things I registered for, adorable outfits, a beautiful bank from Hudson's godmother, layette items from Ralph Lauren (thanks Mom), a handmade crocheted blankie that made me cry...I was shocked at the presents! I am so appreciative to everyone who came and celebrated Hudson with us. His closet and dresser are overflowing with the cutest clothes, we have all of his kitchen things put away in their respective spots, and the car seat is in my car (not installed, I'm not that on top of things). I am so excited to get to use all these little gadgety things - like the Baby Bullet for making baby food when the time comes. Bless him, he's not even here yet and he's got territory marked in our house. :)

So this week I've been running back and forth between jury duty and work, which has been both boring and expensive in gas, since I work in Greenville and jury duty is all the way in downtown Spartanburg. I haven't even been picked and I've had to endure some of the nastiest bathrooms in the Upstate. I'd rather pee in a bush outside than have to go inside the courthouse bathrooms. Yuck.

Week 31 starts tomorrow. I can't believe Hudson will be full term in just 6 short weeks. And I can't believe that I have to deal with nonstop urination for that long (or longer). I'm just going to wear Depends.

Results Are In...

So after a weekend that included nothing good for my sugar levels - including making homemade apple muffins for breakfast on Sunday - I finally heard from my lab tech. No gestational diabetes (or diabetus as our friend Bret Michaels says)! I have never been so relieved, other than when I got off the plane after a bumpy ride from Killeen to DFW. She did say that at one point during the 3 hours my blood sugar was rather close to failing me, so I need to watch it. I take that to mean that my body is a machine and I will process that Ben & Jerry's with panache. Just kidding.

I truly feel like all the prayers coming my way worked because I was pretty much sure that I had GD. I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome several years ago which made me think that I was a shoo-in for diabetes while pregnant and huge. Thankfully, I was wrong!

30 weeks on Thursday...

I'm Super Sweet

Week 29 has arrived! Hudson is the size of a squash and his kicks (or punches or flips or whatever the heck he's doing in there) have become more and more pronounced. I've been counting his kicks on the Sprout app for my iPhone and he usually has 10 kicks in 10 minutes (or less) every time. He's pretty much a star.

Since I failed my 1 hour glucose test last week, I went in Wednesday for the 3 hour test. Basically, they took a vial of blood and then I had to drink another glucola drink with double the amount of sugar in it than last week and then every hour for the next 3 hours have another vial of blood drawn. The time went by pretty quickly, thanks to the entertainment that is my iPad, but the end result was one exhausted and irritable mama-to-be. I had to head home after the appointment, I was so worn out. Basically, my body went on a major sugar high and then crashed - which is the point, of course, but it still makes you feel really out of it. I won't know the results until next week, but hopefully I passed this one. Hopefully.

Other than my crazy sugar levels, everything is right on schedule. I got to see Hudson on the big screen yesterday (the ultrasound tech had pity on me) and he's growing just like he should and is measuring on time. And I must say, he looked dang cute on the ultrasound screen!

So what's on the agenda for the weekend? Well...we're planning on heading to Sky Top Orchard to pick some apples and then the big Clemson/Florida State game comes on at 2:30. It's sure to be a good one, so we'll be cheering on the Tigers! My dad mentioned having a bonfire tomorrow night and Chad was all about that and also added the possibility of camping with the girls (my dad & step-mom live on 50 acres). We'll see what happens with those plans. I'm certainly not taking my big self out to camp!

Have a great weekend!

28 Weeks

Week twenty-eight...you brought bad news! :(

I took my glucose tolerance test on Wednesday and after a great appointment (blood pressure was great, weight gain was 2 lbs, heart beat was good, measurements were good) I received a call from my lab tech letting me know that I would have to come back for the 3 hour glucose test.

Epic.Fail. I am an overachiever. My husband is an overachiever. I'm pretty sure Hudson will be an overachiever. Failure is not an option. But evidently, my body is failing to process sugar like it should. I'm hoping I don't have the dreaded gestational diabetes, but I very well could. I'm guessing that my love of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and snorting lines of table sugar haven't helped things (JOKE). Wednesday is the day of reckoning and I reckon ya'll should say a prayer for me and my glucose.

On a happier note...my baby shower at work was so fun! My work friends are great - snarky and sarcastic, much like me. And they spoiled me with a beautiful cake and some great gifts, including the high chair I registered for. I also received gift cards and Chad and I went baby shopping this past weekend and bought Hudson's crib mattress.

Okay mamas, did you feel 100% guilty for not doling out $200 + for a crib mattress? I really felt like I was failing my child by only buying a $100 mattress. I know the crib mattress is vitally important but MY GOODNESS. I really feel like the authors of baby books and retailers know every trick in the book to make a mama-to-be feel even more paranoid and guilty for not giving their baby "the best" - in their opinion. It's annoying and it works. Obviously because I'm stil talking about it five sentences later.

Moving on to another rant: the employees at Buy Buy Baby are stalkers, much like their kin at Bed Bath & Beyond. If I had one more person ask me if I needed help I was going to drop to the floor, spread my legs, and say "yup, can you birth my son for me?" I mean, y'all, it's a BABY STORE. How much help do you need, unless you've wandered in unsuspecting and the name of the store and the smell of baby powder didn't tip you off. I mean, other than reaching high items, I don't need to be followed around or harassed 80 billion times. I'm most likely going to purchase something because I feel like I need to make up for not buying Hudson the best mattress ever. You don't have to keep asking.

Whew. I'm obviously hormonal today. Week 28 - the week of hormones. Week 29...you're just a couple of days away.

It was September 2001. I was 18 years old and had just started my first semester at the College of Charleston. I was on my own in a new city, three hours from home. I had graduated high school just a few months before and had met the people I now lived with just a few weeks before. Classes had begun and I was getting into the swing of things. All of us were listening to Pink, Christina Augilera, Linkin Park, & Staind. We had all been shocked when one of the most famous pop & R &B stars of our era, Aaliyah, had been killed in a plane crash that August. That rocked our world. Unfortunately, we hadn't seen anything yet.

I remember where I was that morning - at the deli at the bottom of my dorm buying breakfast. I saw chaos showing live on CNN playing on the TV there and ran back up to my suite to ask anyone if they knew what was going on. We all sat in silence as we watched the second plane hit on TV.

All of us knew something signifcant was going on, but none of us had any idea how it would shape everything we knew about the world - politics, religion, our own mortality. We saw one of the girls on our floor, a New Yorker, hysterical because she knew many of her friends' parents worked in the World Trade Center Towers. I didn't know that girl well, but I will never forget her.

I knew we were probably safe in Charleston, despite the large Naval base close by and the close proximity of Parris Island. But I was watching my country dissipate into a hysterical mass and my parents weren't there. My mom wasn't even in the country at that time. It was scary for someone so far from the tragedy and I will always remember that day and the helpless feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I can't believe it's been 10 years. So much has happened, but the memory of that day will always be present and I truly believe that it was a day that blatant disrespect and hatred for humanity was overcome by incredible sacrifices and goodness. It seemed like that day the USA turned their faces towards God and begged for mercy. And in so many ways, mercy was granted - in the survivors brought out of the rubble, in the heroic stories of passengers who sacrificed their own lives to make sure the plane didn't hit the target it was headed for. In so many amazing tales of survival and friendship. I think a lot of us have forgotten how we felt toward each other that day - that we were all in this together.

We're still all in this together. Never forget.

Whoa. I'm in the 3rd trimester.

It seems like yesterday I was freaking out, peeing on a stick and finding out that I was pregnant and today I find myself in the third trimester. Only 13 more weeks - and that's if Hudson goes full term. Holy sh*t. Sorry, it's just a little overwhelming.

The big stuff is done in the nursery (see pics below) and now it's all about the accessories! I will add some more pictures after we're all finished.

My first baby shower is next week - thanks to my sweet work friends who are throwing it. I'm so excited!

Chad and I had a very low key anniversary this year. My present was roses, chocolate, and him painting the nursery and creating the wall feature over the crib. His present was a card and me growing his son. We also had take out Italian. Honestly, both of us are so exhausted between work and keeping up with the house that all we wanted was a little sleep! We are planning on going out of town (without baby) next year when the funds are not wrapped up with a blue bow. :) Both of us feel that putting our marriage first and kids second is the key to a successful family (with God at the forefront, of course).

At 27 weeks, Hudson is:

- showing signs of brain activity (we've already gotten his Clemson application ready - ha!)
- is breathing amniotic fluid (which I still don't understand - how is that possible? Am I birthing a fish?)
- is opening and closing his eyes (I think)
- is kicking the crap out of me
- is making my stomach go through some crazy contortions and that has become my nightly entertainment

At 27 weeks, I:

- am bigger than a house
- have a weird pain in my upper inner thigh that makes me feel like I have a trick leg
- have awful heartburn/acid reflux
- have not had a good night's sleep for several nights now. It may be time to break out the Tylenol PM.
- is sure that my bladder is going to be permanently damaged from Hudson kicking it
- knows where all the bathroom are within a 5 mile radius
- have peed on myself a little if I try to hold it. There is no more "holding it."
- am so thankful for my little family!

Week 26

Hudson is still growing and is fine and healthy, but this week I wanted to share something different, in honor of our 3rd wedding anniversary that is coming up on Tuesday.

A common question that Chad and I are always asked is "how did you two meet" - which is a typical question to ask a married couple. The truth is, we met in a pretty typical way - at work - but I have always felt like our love story was a little different. I have no idea why, I just know that if we had been thrown together at any other time or in any other way, we would have never gotten married. I chalk our relationship up to God's perfect timing. And if you're interested in hearing about it, here goes:

I joined an on-premise recruiting team in June 2006. It was the most random job search ever, complete with throwing my resume on Monster, getting an unexpected phone call, and starting a new job within 3 weeks. I am not an impulsive person, but taking this job was semi-impulsive for me. I didn't know anyone else on the team and when I walked in that first morning, I saw Chad and thought, "oh okay, he's cute" but didn't think anything else about it. You see, at that point, my heart and mind was in a different place. I was completely hung up on my college boyfriend and the painful relationship we had continued to let fester for years. Needless to say, I was not in the best place in my life. Weekends consisted of bars and boys and booze and really really bad decisions. Even though I looked put together on the outside, on the inside I was a wreck. I wanted love and passion. I needed a friend.

I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow Chad and I started going to lunch together. Our first lunch was at Zaxby's and I learned all about his daughter, his daughter's mother, and that he was probably the strongest person I had ever met. Even though we grew up differently and had polar opposite life experiences, we were able to talk for HOURS. And joke around and pretty much have the best time ever. Our lunches continued, as did after work phone calls. He was dating other people and I was still the "carefree" party girl. He opened up to me about his current relationships; I would talk to him about my latest flings and my feelings toward my college boyfriend. It was a solid friendship with a man - something that I had never had before. Nothing romantic, just someone to talk to and laugh with. In a matter of months, he pretty much knew everything about me and me about him. The good, the bad, the ugly. It didn't matter.

At work, people thought we acted like brother and sister. He never made a move towards me other than being my friend. But my feelings toward him were changing. One day I picked out my work outfit hoping to impress him. From that day on, I made sure I looked my best in an effort to catch his eye in a different light. My stomach fluttered whenever he was around. I felt like he was oblivious to it all, but evidently, his feelings were changing, too.

Things did change about six months after we met. We decided to give a relationship a try and that lasted all of two weeks. He ended it the night before my friend's wedding. I cried myself to sleep, but knew that no matter what happened, he would always be my friend.

Christmas '06 came and we spent the holiday together, going to each other's family functions. We weren't dating. It was strange and I wanted more. After Christmas and feeling that he would never come around to loving me like I loved him, I made a call to that college boyfriend to make New Year's plans. I figured that if I couldn't have what I knew I wanted, I could call up the past to make me feel better for a while. The college boyfriend agreed to meet up for New Year's Eve and at the finalization of plans, something stopped me. I will never forget that conversation because I knew it was the end of something that had eaten me up inside for years and the beginning of something else. I knew that if I met up with College Boy Friend, I would never have my chance with Chad. So I cancelled the plans I had made. I remember what I said too..."I'm in love with Chad and I can't meet up with you." I didn't know if the love would ever be reciprocated. I had no clue. I just knew that if I didn't take a leap of faith and close the door on the past, I would never be able to walk forward into my future.

A few days later, after a day trip to Chimney Rock, Chad and I were back together. A few weeks later, I told him I loved him. A few weeks after that, he professed his love to me. We've been together ever since.

Maybe we're not Romeo & Juliet. Maybe it's not the most romantic love story of all time. But I have seen so many relationships fail because the key element was not there. No, not attraction or passion - something more basic than that. Friendship. Chad is now my husband and I am madly in love with him. But he is also my very best friend.

"True love is friendship - caught on fire."

Happy 3 years Mr. Butler! I love you!

25 Weeks!

25 weeks today...only 15 more until 40 weeks (hopefully he won't want to hang out in there that long) and only about 5 more baby books to read, a nursery to paint and accessorize, 3 baby showers to enjoy, numerous thank you cards to write, and the upcoming holiday season to prepare for. Thank you, Lord, for Zoloft! In all seriousness, I am overwhelmingly blessed by such great family and friends. They've already done so much in preparation and celebration of Hudson's arrival.

Yesterday was another ultrasound day and Hudson finally cooperated and let us see his heart - which is JUST FINE! I was so concerned because they couldn't get a clear picture at the last appointment. My baby boy is growing and is healthy and I am so thankful. I also told the u/s tech that his heart looked like a talking tomato. I think she thinks I'm a little crazy. But it does.

AND in nursery news:
We are still waiting on our glider to arrive from the factory and have yet to paint the nursery. I feel so slack. But I have been finding some amazing ideas that I want to use like this:

I really love the wall decor over the crib and am pretty much going to copy it, including using moulding to make a "frame" around the shelves and letter. Actually, Chad is going to do that with his miter saw. He's handy.

I also found an artist on Etsy who is absolutely amazing and just sent me my finished product - a custom ABC painting that will hang over Hudson's dresser/changing table. She did this painting within a week to coordinate with our PB Kids nursery bedding and it turned out so well. I can't wait to hang it! For more of her product listings, go to her Etsy shop, Owen & The Princess. This painting is huge - a 24x30 for about $100. Can't beat it!

(See his name on the "h" block? Love!!!)

Have a great week/week end!

24 Weeks & Lessons Learned

Hmmm...interesting things this week? I don't really have many, except I found some amazing artwork for Hudson's room on Etsy (soooo addicting) and a side table to go beside the glider at HomeGoods. It's red and I'm a little in love with it. Also, I had a GNO with my mom, my bff, and my mom's bff. We went to see "The Help" and it was amazing, but the book is even more amazing, so READ THE BOOK FIRST! There are so many complex relationships in that book - mother/daughter, daughter/housekeeper, friend/friend...it's definitely a movie for women of all ages & races! I actually walked away feeling like I had seen something worthwhile. Also...we watched "Soul Surfer" on Vudu (it is changing our life) this past weekend with my step-daughter. Talk about an inspirational movie! I was in tears, my husband was in tears and it was a movie that incorporated the family's unshaken faith and it displayed it proudly. I think that's amazing.

Okay, so things going on at 24 weeks:

- Hudson is the size of a papaya. I'm not familiar with this fruit, but I may go by Whole Foods to check it out and get some perspective.
- I have massive heartburn after I eat anything worthwhile. I pretty much just take a Pepcid before I go to sleep now. It's much better than waking up feeling like my chest is on fire.
- Chad finally felt Hudson kick - very exciting!
- I am going to be a worrisome mother. Hudson kicked a lot this past weekend and then was quiet for a few days. I considered going to the ER. I am nuts.
- All I can see when I look down is my belly. It's weird.
- My belly button has stretched sidewise, but hasn't popped out. I'm hoping that it will go back to its original shape after all this is over.
- I have a weird patch of skin on my wrist. It was like a rash and itchy, but now it's just dry. I also have a patch on my back like that.
- I really want to clean all the baseboards in my house but am afraid that if I sit down on the floor I won't be able to get back up.
- I have not signed up for a childbirth class and feel like someone will take me away for being a bad mother if I don't go. But I really don't want to go.
- I did contact a lady about learning how to sew. I had planned on doing this a while back, but didn't go through with  it. Childbirth class or sewing class? I pick sewing.
- I bought a Halloween decoration at HomeGoods. I have issues because it's definitely above 90 degrees today - NOT Halloween weather.

The End.

Kicking

My sweet husband FINALLY felt our little guy kick over the weekend...at around 4 am on Saturday morning to be exact. I was awake and feeling him move and it felt like his kicks were stronger than they had been so I woke up my husband and he put his hand on my belly and FINALLY our little booger cooperated! A little note for the memory books...

Back From Vacation & 23 Weeks...

I was so sad to come back from vacation yesterday...actually, again this year we had a "staycation." It was our last week together before Chad started his new job as an 8th grade science teacher, which means that our next time off together will be in December, after Hudson is here. We didn't do a whole lot - we visited my mom & step-dad's new lakehouse on Keowee (which is amazing!), did some things around the house (including finishing Hudson's closet, which looks great!), visited Chad's school to see his room, and watched a whole lot of "Friday Night Lights" on Netflix.

Chad started his new position at the school yesterday and I came back to work. Both of us were pretty tired last night, but are trying to get on a "parent" schedule, instead of just a "married couple" schedule. We ate dinner early, spent some time together, watched some more "Friday Night Lights" and did our "chore" for the evening...I actually made a list of the things we needed to do every night so that cleaning house doesn't get overwhelming or just fall to one person to do, since I don't have a house husband anymore! So we tackled the bathroom together, which was Wednesday night's chore. Tonight it's sweeping, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen (like for real, not just putting away dishes), and laundry. I'm hoping that if we get in the habit, our house won't look like a disaster area when Hudson arrives and we're busy with him.

I'm also planning on tackling our den, which is still a hot mess. We still need to take several things to Goodwill (I was planning a yard sale, but couldn't do it) and take some stuff to store to my parents'. Thank goodness that both sets have extra space and are willing to let us use it so we don't have to rent a storage building!

At 23 weeks preggers I:

- am still really really hot and keep watching the weather for any sign of upcoming fall weather
- am convinced that my unborn son is hiding from his daddy...every time he starts kicking, I put Chad's hand on my belly and then Hudson stops moving around...little stinker!
- feel that Hudson's movements are more pronounced and he's continued his "schedule" of moving. I feel him every day.
- have a weird love for soft drinks...I've never been a big soft drink fan, but lately, I just love fizzy drinks. I'm trying to only indulge in diet, though.
- keep rubbing my belly like its my own personal genie
- chew ice a lot (yes, I'm taking iron supplemented prenatal vitamins - I'm just hot, y'all!)
- am super emotional and a little moody...okay a lot moody!
- am in mostly maternity clothes, with a few pre-preggers dresses still hanging in my closet!
- Hudson is the size of a mango this week and he evidently he can hear and distingish my voice from Chad's - AMAZING!

22 Weeks (Almost)

Okay so I'm cheating this week. I'll be on vacation starting tomorrow and will miss my usual weekly blog-in, but I am NOT planning on doing much of anything while I'm off work, including blogging, so just pretend that it's Thursday, okay?

It's hot. Like 100 degrees or something hot. And I am miserable. To all you moms who deliver/have delivered in August - my hat goes off to you because I am not even 3rd trimester big yet and I am about to have a heat stroke, even in the air conditioning. We have a little house and our A/C is a few years old and it was just NOT cooling off this past weekend. So my husband put beach towels in the windows. Because we are 'neck like that. We also went out and bought 2 more fans...and now our house sounds a bit like an airplane taking off. But guess what? I DON'T CARE BECAUSE IT IS FREAKING HOT. And I have a husband who is putting up with a very pregnant, hormonal, and did I mention HOT wife and I feel really really blessed because I think any other man would not put up with my craziness.

Did I mention that I've become semi-obsessed with organizing? My mom says I'm nesting, but I think I'm just nuts because it's too early to be nesting. I want everything to be organized. But then I look at the things that need to be done and really want to organize and then I realize how hot I am and just grab an Edy's fruit bar and sit back down on the couch. And continue to obsess. I think the heat has fried my brain.

However fried I feel, baby boy is doing just fine! He's still moving around quite a bit, so I take it that he's healthy and happy in utero doing flips and such. He is causing me to have more heartburn than usual, but that's a small price to pay for a happy boy. Also Pepcid helps. :)

21 Weeks And A Consignment Sale

We had our midway ultrasound yesterday with the full anatomy scan and I am happy to report that Hudson looks healthy! The tech was not able to get a great picture of his heart due to the way he was laying (stubborn baby), so that means I get to have another ultrasound at my next check up! More pictures for the baby book! :)

I also went to my very first consignment sale last night with my friend from work. It was amazing how many clothes, toys, books, shoes, etc. were there. Leslie pointed me in the right direction and I was a woman on a mission!!! Luckily, people are more interested in older kids clothes than newborn/infant, so I was able to score on some really really cute things. Unfortunately, the lighting was bad and I came home with a few outfits with stainage, even though I THOUGHT I had looked everything over. Note to self...come prepared with a flashlight to scrutinize every garment. Oh well. Most of what I purchased is just fine and hopefully I'll be able to get out the stains in the other things with a little OxiClean and prayer.

So what's going on with Hudson this week? Evidently, he is being compared to a large banana in size (according to thebump.com) and the ultrasound tech says he weighs about a pound. His movements are becoming more pronounced even though Chad still hasn't felt them - just me. On the mama front...I gained 4 more lbs at this appointment (which the nurse said was good), am constantly hot, and don't have a HUGE appetite. The crazy breakouts I had when I first got pregnant are gone (thank goodness) and I'm mostly in maternity clothes, even though I can still pull off a FEW pre-preggers dresses. My nails grow scarily fast and my hair is growing faster than normal too. Oh, and my placenta has moved away from my cervix quite a bit, which was GREAT news to hear!

If you need me, I'll be trying to remove stains...

And I'm Exhausted.

Chad and I spent a great weekend in Atlanta with family and now it is Monday morning and I. Am. So. Tired. Since I blame everything on the awful heat that's been with SC since, oh, JUNE, I am blaming my tiredness on that as well.

My mom (bless her heart) bought Hudson's nursery rug this weekend when we visited a real live Pottery Barn Kids store in Alpharetta. We wanted to see their rugs in person since our bedding was from their online store and we found the perfect one that matches AND happened to be on sale. Score! We also visited the Janie & Jack store, which is my most favorite children's clothing boutique ever. Too bad you can't afford anything unless its on clearance. They have got the cutest classic children's clothes and we bought Hudson some "on sale" stuff - like REALLY on sale stuff. I'm of the opinion that our local outlet mall needs to have a J&J outlet store. I wonder who to contact on that...

Our last major nursery purchase will be the glider, which is actually going to be a gift from some amazing family members. We have been so, SO blessed with this nursery. The only thing we've had to buy ourselves is the bedding. Everything else has been a gift to us and I am soooooo thankful! I so wanted this nursery to bebeautiful and it's coming along just as I imagined. My sweet husband is working on the closets this week and we're going to pick out paint at some point this week as well. THEN all the big stuff will be out of the way and it's on to accessorizing!!!

Baby Hudson just kicked me a few minutes ago...I hope that means that he's as excited about his nursery as we are. Chad and I are looking forward to seeing him on the big screen on Wednesday at our 20 week ultrasound (almost 21 if you want to be technical - HA!). Please say a prayer that everything is normal (no reason it shouldn't be) and he is healthy. He certainly FEELS healthy - his kicks are starting to be much more prominent than "little flutters." Also pray that my placenta has moved back from my cervix - something the doctor mentioned at our last appointment. She told me not to worry, but of course I do!

I hope everyone has a great week! :)

I Think I Can...

I have reached the pinnacle and it's all downhill from here...20 weeks!!! This pregnancy has truly gone by fast and I know these last 20 weeks will fly by. And then my baby will be here...and life changes forever. Wow.

So anyway, have you ever heard of a "push present?" Well, I hadn't really until I got pregnant myself and heard about all the great gifts husbands give their wives for birthing their babies. Things like jewelry. Diamond jewelry. I hope that my dear husband, who sometimes reads this blog, does not overlook this post!

As great as a push present is, there are also other milestones in pregnancy that deserve to be celebrated. Like the "I made it halfway and no varicose veins yet" milestone. Which happens to be my current milestone, by the way. So I bought myself a present. Not diamond jewelry, but close...a fabulous diaper bag.

Even before I got pregnant, I coveted Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags. I have no idea why. I think it's because the name is so quirky and fun and the bags are pretty and have lots of pockets. I don't have an exact reason. But I did know that I had more of a chance of scoring a PBB bag than a Kate Spade, even though PBB are pretty pricey. So when I got an email that Petunia was having a surprise sale with 40-60% off their bags, I did a happy dance and immediately sat by my computer this morning waiting for the clock to turn the magic hour. And I finally scored my bag this afternoon!

Isn't it cute? I think it's the perfect celebratory gift...a pat on the back for me and a functional diaper bag for when I look like the coolest Mom ever pushing Hudson around town. 

Amazingly, I got another gift today. My sweet mama decided to get Hudson a "blankie" made. My great-aunt made my blankie and I carried it with me through babyhood and even into teenage/adulthood. It is one of those objects that I will forever treasure. Unfortunately, my aunt Gert passed away years ago and no one in my family can sew. So one of my mom's friends said she would make Hudson his own blankie. Mom and I went to the fabric store today and after questioning the clerks who definitely laughed at us after we left, we settled on some very cute fabric for Hudson's blankie. I hope he loves his as much as I love mine.

This past week has been semi-emotional for me. I think a lot of things are coming into focus about becoming a parent that can be overshadowed by the "fun" things about pregnancy - you know, things like registering and decorating and shopping. But parenthood is so much more, such a huge responsibility. And that weight has settled on me tremendously this week. I am responsible for this child. His safety, well-being, happiness, discipline. I'm responsible for introducing him to Jesus and giving him the tools he needs to grow into a Godly man. Chad and I, as his earthly parents, are responsible for giving him a taste of what the Heavenly Father's love is all about. It's a scary task with so many uncertainties along the way. I'm encouraged by this verse:

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

I guess the Bible speaks directly to worrywart mamas-to-be in 2011.

I am now into my 19th week (okay, by a day) and I am almost HALFWAY THROUGH with this pregnancy and closer to meeting my little Hudson. We're still going with that as his name. I feel like its a keeper and so does Chad. I haven't monogrammed anything yet, but give me a week or so!

We have had a good week - last weekend, not so much. I came down with some sort of stomach flu/food poisoning and barfed all over the parking lot at the outlet malls last Friday. It was fabulous. So much for not getting sick ONE TIME while pregnant! Let's just say I won't ever eat Zaxby's EVER AGAIN. We did get Hudson's dresser moved into his room last weekend and all the stuff that isn't baby related is slowing making its way out of the nursery. Next on the list is remodeling the closet! Then on to painting! I am determined to get this stuff done before Chad starts the school year next month. He's thrilled, I promise.

I am definitely feeling Hudson fluttering around, which is probably the coolest feeling in the world. It really is, like my mom said, like butterflies. I can't predict when I'll feel a "butterfly" or not and I don't think anyone else can feel them yet, but I'm looking forward to Chad being able to feel him, even if that means kicking the crap out of me.

At 19 Weeks:

Name: Hudson Stewart
Stretch marks: Yup
Sleep: Couldn't live without my Snoogle and our A/C being turned down as low as possible! I need to pick up some more Breathe Right stips, but other than that, I'm sleeping good. Not sure about my husband!
Best Moment This Week: Explaining to my step-daughter what a "hooker" was.
Movement: He's fluttering around quite a bit these days! Wiggle worm!
Food Cravings: Chili beans. Seriously.

Have a great weekend! I'm going to make some chili beans tonight!

Sweet Potato - Week 18

Well, we've graduated from the fruit section and now my baby is a root vegetable. He's also chilling on my bladder and I've been feeling little flutters from down below for the past few days that I am attributing to HIM and not to flatulence. At least, I hope it's him! People have tried to describe what "quickening" feels like, and I'm pretty sure that's what I'm experiencing...tiny little flutters that happen every once in a while. It's exciting and makes this whole thing seem real!

As if a crib in the bedroom and a dresser in the sunroom (we're still rearranging and moving furniture out) doesn't make it real enough! Oh...and the baby bedding came yesterday and I LOOOVE IT! Yesterday was my mom's birthday and she and my step-father came over last night to see the new furniture, bedding, and the large amount of baby clothes I've purchased. She got onto me about buying so many clothes, but guess what? My baby, although he is a boy and will be covered in dirt most of the time, needs CLOTHING CHOICES! And he will have them seeing as his mother is a shopaholic and a clothes horse who can't fit into anything cute for herself right now. Lucky boy! I'm so ready to get my organiziational skills on and get his closet ready and put those little duds up where they belong.

This weekend we're going to move out the bed in that bedroom and the furniture and move the dresser in so we can really assess the space we have/don't have. The only "big ticket" items we need for the nursery are my overstuffed glider (which I have to pick out the fabric for) and a rug for the room. The rest is just painting and accessorizing. I think that the nursery will be complete by the start of my 3rd trimester, which was my goal from the beginning. Since Hudson will be born smack in the middle of the holiday season, I would rather have all the necessary things done well before D-Day!

18 weeks...almost halfway there!

July 4th Weekend

Chad and I have had quite the productive weekend preparing for the baby, who MAY be named Hudson. Actually, we're test driving that name, so I'll be referring to him as Hudson and if something changes, well, you'll know that we decided that that name doesn't work.

We did a little shopping at my new favorite place, Show Offs, which has excellent prices on smocked clothes (thanks to some of my facebook friends for alerting me to the awesomeness that is Show Offs!). I'm not sure if seersucker and smocking are just a Southern thing or not, but here in the South, we dress our little boys and girls in hand smocked outfits. And they are not cheap. A quality hand smocked jumper will run $70 and up. However, at Show Offs, they have excellent prices on these outfits. I got two adorable outfits for $58 (total)! I know, I know, you can find them at consignment sales for even cheaper and I'll be doing that, too, but I wanted him to have some new stuff.

With the help of Chad's friend, Jared, we got the desk moved out of the sunroom and the new couch assembled and in place. It looks different...

We still have some things to do to finish up this room and you can't see it, but there are major piles on both sides - to your left would be our yard sale pile and to the right, Chad's pile of things to take to his new classroom. 

We also set up the crib! I couldn't help myself...the nursery still has Chadee's bed and furniture that needs to be taken to my mom's for storage, but I just wanted to see what a baby crib in MY HOUSE would look like.

It looks like this:

You can see that this is still clearly Chadee's room - that's her whiteboard above the crib and messages that she's written. :) One of the things that I wish is that we could have moved into a bigger house prior to the baby arriving, but, times being what they are, Chad and I both feel that it's a better financial move on our part to stay put. Not forever, but for a little while longer. I think Chadee will enjoy a room with a TV and a DVD player!

We finished up the weekend with some more shopping at Gymboree (hello sale) and watching fireworks with Chad's family in Columbus, NC. It was a wonderful weekend to celebrate our nation's past and our family's future.

And We're Having...

A baby boy!

We could very clearly see that we will be welcoming a boy into our family at our ultrasound on Tuesday. I was a little shocked, to be honest, because girls are so prevalent in my family (my dad and his siblings had 8 GIRLS among them...and two more girls have joined the family as grandchildren). I had also spent a lot of time perusing the sweet girl's clothes, nursery bedding, and had the furniture picked out.

After momentarily freaking out, I calmed down and enjoyed seeing our little guy on the big (ultrasound) screen. He is a wiggle worm already! He also didn't want us to catch his heartbeat...every time the technician would press down to get it, he would move away! But, she did finally catch him and he has a very healthy heartbeat at 154 bpm and she said it was very rhythmic, which is fantastic news for this worry wart of a mommy. My mom came with us to the appointment and she was thrilled to learn that she would be having a grandson. Everyone is thrilled and we are so excited that Brayden and Baby Butler will be only a year and a half apart in age. Hopefully they will be the best of friends.

We registered at Buy Buy Baby after our appointment and spent a couple of hours with a fun scanner picking out all of our baby's new stuff. We are still working on finishing up and will probably register at Target as well, but we have a pretty good grip on the things we do (and don't) need. There are so many things that he will need...I'm really worried about where we're going to be able to put it all. Thankfully, I love to organize, so that's my job right now...ORGANIZING! And that's good because....

We bought the crib and dresser today! And they were both in stock so we literally have a crib in our house right now that we can't do anything with. We are moving our desk out of the sunroom (which we are currently using as an office) and have a sleeper sofa that arrived this week to pick up and move in for Chadee, who is being uprooted out of her room since we only have her a couple of days out of the month. The sunroom is pretty spacious and has a TV and DVD player and will allow her some privacy while she's at our house and some extra room for us, too. But that means cleaning out the office AND the extra bedroom (we have a 2 bedroom house if you haven't figured that out). I hate having my house in disarray and right now, it's pretty much disarrayed!

Amazingly, I also ordered the crib bedding today, too. My husband asked me what I was going to do for the next 5 months since I have everything picked out. My answer was...CLEAN.

Baby boy, we are excited to meet you!

Today my baby is an avacado and, according to thebump.com, he/she is starting to be able to hear me. Bless it. Dear Baby, I promise that I won't ever embarass you in front of your friends by singing. But right now...well, you're stuck with me being your personal Taylor Swift. Hopefully I won't ruin a love of music for you.



Yesterday I went out and purchased our first motherload of diapers/wipes. Actually, it wasn't really a motherload, but I spent a nice $95. And then cried. Not really, but I did spend $95. Babies R Us was running a promotion to get a $15 gift card for every 2 boxes of Pampers and 1 box of wipes. So I did it. I got quite a few dipes/wipes, but after posting my issue with the ginormous amount of money, I realized the error of my ways via facebook posts. Evidently, name brand diapers aren't worth the $$$ and a lot of my friends (and my sister-in-law) use the Wal-Mart brand diapers. Okay, here's my secret. I really hate Wal-Mart. I can deal with the secret Wal-Mart because it's secret, but any other Wal-Mart makes me want to have a nervous breakdown. I'm more of a Target girl. A friend of mine at work (who is also a Target girl), told me that their brand of diapers was pretty good and I went online to the reviews and that was confirmed. What was also confirmed was getting the same amount of diapers for $15 LESS than Pampers.


Really, I don't know what's going to work until Baby gets here, BUT I am planning on stocking up on some different brands and saving receipts (after checking the return policy, of course) because I don't want to run out of diapers at 3 am and make Chad go get some more. Because I would totally do that. I'm also planning on trying to get back on the coupon band wagon. I've been reading more and more about how people are saving and it's really ridiculous not to at least give it another go. We've been spending WAY too much money on eating out and stupid, random things. It's my goal to buckle down! Well, after my major shopping trip on Tuesday of course. :)

Strollin'

Did you know that entire web pages and chapters of books are dedicated to helping you find the right stroller? I sure as heck didn't until I got pregnant and suddenly all things baby became sooo much more interesting than anything else in the world. I have literally spent HOURS researching strollers. Guess what? No matter how much research you do, the best way to figure out the stroller riddle is to go to a baby superstore ( I must recommend Buy Buy Baby because they have about a million strollers to try out) WITH a mama who has had a baby within the last 2 years to help you. And your husband, too, if he's game. A website alone is not going to help. You have got to touch, lift, roll, and curse the stroller face to face before you come to a final decision.

Which is what I did on Saturday. My sister-in-law came with Chad and me and we hit up BBB. When I say they have pretty much every stroller known to man, I am not lying. They have everything from Graco Travel Systems to $1000 Stokke's and Bugaboo's. Did I mention that pre-baby I was convinced I was going to buy a Bugaboo? Oh how seriously deluded I was! Bless my heart!

So while we were looking and getting more and I was getting more and more frustrated and confused, the manager of BBB (who, as a matter of fact has no kids of her own - I asked) came over and started trying to sell me on a Britax B-Ready. It's a big stroller, turns well, has tons of storage, 14 different configurations, and weighs approximately 12,000 lbs. I knew that this stroller was going to drive me crazy and possibly contribute to back issues in the future, but the manager went on and on about how great it was.
 I could tell my SIL was not completely sold because she wasn't jumping up and down over it, but she did a great job of being supportive as I contemplated the $700+ it would cost for the stroller and car seat. Chad was also contemplating and turning a little white at the idea of such a huge expense. Luckily for all of us, the BBB manager went away and the manager of the stroller section mosied on over. To be honest, I didn't want to talk to him at first. He's was a man, obviously not a mom, and probably had no idea what he was talking about. Yeah, this guy saved my back and our pocketbook. Instead of trying to upsell me on some ginormous stroller that I didn't need, he showed me what his family used. The Baby Jogger City Mini stroller which I believe to be the most ingenious invention ever. One hand fold up. Less than 20 lbs. And it was about half the cost of the other stroller.
Not only did Stroller Manager Guy introduce me to the coolest stroller option ever, he mentioned that Britax was coming out with their own version, which was compatible with the Britax car seat that I wanted to buy. So no adapter needed with this new stroller. Even though they didn't have it in the store, he let me know it was coming out soon. He didn't have to because he could see on my face that I would buy the City Mini right then and there. But unlike crazy BBB manager and her love of heavy things, he was honest with me. And I knew I had found a winner because my SIL really did start jumping up and down. Even Chad was excited.

And I have just written an entire post on finding a stroller. Wow.

Home

Well, the prayers worked because I landed safely in Greenville on Wednesday night. I was so exhausted from 36 hours worth of travel, but my sweet husband was waiting for me and made my exhaustion just disappear! (Not really, but I was so glad to see him!)
And I have great news...

Chad received and accepted a job offer Wednesday! It is such a "God thing" - I can't explain it any other way. It was very quick (they called him for an interview the day before) and it is with a great school close to our house. The other schools were anywhere from 30-45 minutes away and this one is 15 minutes away. With the lack of teaching jobs and the amount of great teachers out there looking, I am so very thankful for all the prayers that came our way for Chad to received this opportunity. Prayer works!

In baby news...I am 15 weeks and 1 day. Only one more (full) week before we find out if we're having a boy or girl. I can barely stand it and am so looking forward to being able to buy baby clothes and order the furniture, bedding, and glider. I received a belated birthday gift on Wednesday (it was a GREAT DAY), so I'm stashing it back for baby goodies. I'm still feeling good, but have been having some weird back pain. I'm pretty sure it's sciatica, which I have learned means that the baby is pretty much pressing on your sciatic nerve. It makes your butt and legs go numb (check) and can even cause limited mobility (check). I hobble like an old woman every time I get out of bed. I have an appointment with a chiropracter on Tuesday, so hopefully he can help out. There are about a million and one things about pregnancy that happen that NO ONE tells you about!

Anyway...TGIF! Happy Father's Day to the fathers in my life and to yours, too!

First Baby Gifts & Flying High...

My 28th birthday was such a blessing. I went to lunch with my very good friend, Leslie, and then made a Hobby Lobby trip and picked up a sampler for the baby's room to cross stitch. My grandmother made one for me and it was framed in my room and I thought I would like to do the same for Baby. I did have to work, but I scooted out early to enjoy some time with my husband and his mad baking skills...

Homemade Hershey's chocolate cake with chocolate cream cheese icing! SCORE! (And no, ladies, he isn't available to do any baking for you - he's all mine!)

After trying not to devour the entire cake, we met up with Mom & David and had some of the best steak I've ever had at Ruth's Chris. It was truly delicious, even though I didn't get to have any wine (okay, I had ONE sip - "judge not, lest ye be judged" and it was also my birthday). I got a very, very generous birthday gift from them and we had a great dinner hanging out and talking and Mom told me my birth story like she does every year. This year it really meant a lot to hear because I am about to become a mother. I'm so thankful to have her as my guide through all this!

We made it to my dad & step-mom's house after dinner (late though it was) and got to spend some time with them. I also got my first baby gifts and the cutest maternity dress and a Christian baby book,which I loved reading over the weekend. Seeing the baby things made this pregnancy even more real to me and I am so appreciative of such an amazing support system. Baby Butler got some sweet socks, a tiny lamb rattle, and this play gym. It was like a mini baby shower! My step-mom is precious. She is so excited about becoming a grandmother and, since my baby sister is only 5, she has saved so many nice toys and things from when Gracie was little that we won't have to buy. And speaking of Gracie - that child is SO EXCITED to become an aunt. She really wants the baby to be a boy, but if it's a girl she wants it to be named "Kaylee." I think she's excited to have someone to boss around since I'm always bossing her around. :) She likes to kiss my belly and talk to the baby.

Friday, I got my gray hairs covered and we went to see "Super 8" at the movies. Such a good movie!

Saturday we lazed around and I got started on my cross stitching. So far so good, but it's going to take a while to finish.

Yesterday, we headed to Lake Keowee and spent the day with my mom and David. We ended the weekend with a cook out at Chad's mom's last night. Did I mention that my nephew Brayden is adorable? He entertained us so much last night!

Sooo....after such a busy weekend, here comes the work week. I have to have an overnight trip to Texas tomorrow, which involves flying and I'm scared to death. I hate flying. And unfortunately, I can't take any happy pills on this flight (or drink any Bloody Mary's), so I'll have to go at it cold turkey. Let's just say that a few prayers directed my way would be much appreciated!

Happy Monday!

My next 28 years

Today is my 28th birthday. I am definitely in the twilight of my 20's and even though I have loved every minute of this decade, I am looking forward to the future. On my way to work this morning (UGH - WORK ON YOUR BIRTHDAY SHOULD BE ILLEGAL!), I started thinking about all the things that have happened over the last decade of my life. I was pretty amazed at all the changes that had taken place. In the past 10 years, I:

- Graduated high school
- Went to the beach for the first time with my friends and no parents (aka Senior Week)
- Began college at the College of Charleston
- Watched my parents divorce and begin dating new people
- Met my future step-dad & step-mom
- Saw my childhood home sold (that song, The House That Built Me makes me cry)
- Dropped out of the College of Charleston
- Moved back to Greenville
- Enrolled in North Greenville and started a new college (and changed my major)
- Saw my parents get remarried
- Moved back in with my mom
- Turned 21
- Got my first "real" job
- Graduated from college
- Bought my first car
- Got a new job
- Moved in with my boyfriend (yes, we lived in sin)
- Got another new job
- Got engaged to that boyfriend
- Got married
- Got pregnant (and will have a baby while I am 28!)


Of course there are tons of little things that aren't listed that have made this past decade wonderful and heart breaking and life changing. I have lost family members, but gained some too. I have met people who have changed my life, opened doors for me professionally, and been there with me to sip a glass of wine and laugh with me. I have let go of old friendships and welcomed new ones. I guess you can say in that this has been the decade of growing up.

Ten years ago, on my 18th birthday, I was at Myrtle Beach celebrating my graduation from high school and being a "grown up" finally. Little did I know that it would take much more than turning a certain number to be considered "grown." It takes time, failure, success, and a few stray gray hairs that have to be covered up every six weeks - I'm going tomorrow as a matter of fact.

I am not the same person I was 10 years ago and thank God for that. I hope that I am a different person 10 years from now, when I celebrate my 38th birthday. I hope that I continue to become a grown up, continue to grow as a person, and continue to be so blessed with such a great life.

Happy birthday to me! :)

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Week 14 will be upon us tomorrow, which is also my 28th birthday. I'm excited to be celebrating with my family, both here and in my belly. Hopefully the baby will enjoy the birthday meal from Ruth's Chris that I'll be eating. So excited about eating there!

So this past weekend was hotter than hell. Luckily, I spent both Saturday and Sunday around a body of water - Saturday at my mother-in-law's pool and Sunday at my mom & step-dad's condo at Lake Keowee. I really wanted to tan my legs, but honestly, I have to either be submerged in the water or inside in the air conditioning. There is no "laying out" at this point, in this heat. I know that summer isn't even technically here yet and it's just going to get hotter. Awesome. I love SC in the summer, but we do not know what dry heat is. All of our heat is water based and you pretty much have to be wrung out when spending more than 30 seconds outside. My body temperature is higher than normal, too, so that makes everything just a little bit more dramatic. Lately, all I've wanted to do is lay around and eat Edy's Fruit Bars and complain about the heat. I plan on doing that all summer, just FYI.

We find out if Baby Butler is a girl or a boy in just 20 days and I am getting so excited! I keep getting asked if I have a "feeling" as to what I'm going to have and honestly, I don't. The only "feeling" I have is that the baby is perched upon my bladder and it feels like I have swallowed a bowling ball most of the time. However, I have been eyeing some VERY cute baby clothes lately and most of them have been girl things. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I got REALLY REALLY close, especially this week when I saw the cutest little Christmas dress marked down at Gymboree from $40 to $7. I didn't do it though. But honestly, all bets are off come June 28th because I'm headed to the mall right after the ultrasound! I'm also planning on hitting up some of the upcoming consignment sales in our area because I've been told by many seasoned mamas that consignment is the way to go, especially for infants and toddlers. Since I seem to be partial to smock dresses that run $70-100 a pop, I will be at the consignment sales with bells on!

So...I guess this is bye bye 27 and cheers to 28!

Dog Days...

Did I mention that I adore my dogs? I don't know if I have...lately. Jake, our Lab/Dane mix turned 4 in May and Lucy, our Carolina Dog will turn 3 in August. They were our first "children" that have yet to grow up. Except they poop outside and don't talk back.

Chad and I really dote on the two of them. I can't begin to tell you how much money we've spent on a $60 pound puppy and a freebie found on the side of the road. But I can honestly say that every penny spent on them is worth it because they are so precious. They have been especially clingy to me since I found out that I was expecting. They are clingy anyway, but the two of them literally follow me everywhere, even the bathroom. I guess that's good practice for kids, too! Both of them are spoiled rotten and think they are little people. And I guess we've made them that way.

Jake curled up on my side of the bed...

What happens when your parents are bored? They dress you up...

Lucy, who goes into the guest room (now Chadee's room, soon to be Baby Butler's room) when she needs to feel "girlie"

Even though Lucy doesn't like to share, she loves her Jake to pieces...and I think he feels the same way...

We Set the Date

This morning was our second visit to the obstetrician. If Dr. B wasn't so nice, I would hate her. She is young and has perfect teeth and is really really tall and slim. She is beautiful. But I can't hate her because she is so nice to me and is pretty straight forward, which I appreciate. I was told that I would see all the doctors in the practice, but this is the second time with Dr. B. I just hope my husband doesn't develop a crush on her.

Today was just a routine visit. Dr. B used the Doppler to find the heartbeat, which was new. She warned me that she may not be able to find it immediately, but she did. Because my baby is as cooperative in the womb as he/she will be outside the womb. At least, I hope. :) Heart rate was 162, which according to the old wives' tale means I'm having a girl. Did I mention that I don't believe in old wives' tales?

Because everyone is anxious to find out whether we should refer to the baby as "he" or "she" to avoid gender confusion, we decided to find out what we're having on our next visit, which will cost a little extra (I guess because it's an extra ulrasound?), but to me, is completely worth it. So June 28th is the day. And then I get to go shopping for the tadpole.

Pregnant Sinuses

For the past few days I have sounded like a man. What started as just a mild sore throat ended up with all kinds of congestion in my chest, which causes a hacking cough that makes me sound like I DIDN'T quit smoking a year ago (we really haven't smoked in that long - I don't even miss it).

So what do you do when you're pregnant and your husband is terrified of you taking any medication that may cause some crazy thing to happen to baby? You google "what meds can you take when you're pregnant" and find out that Benadryl is A-okay! And then you take it, hoping for a peaceful sleep and when that doesn't happen, you wake up in a REAL bad mood, feeling even worse and somewhat hungover from the Benadryl that didn't make you sleep good. Also you wake up to drool because pregnant people drool even more than normal, a stopped up nose, and the hacking cough. So very attractive.

I was kind of at my wit's end last night. I don't like being sick in the first place and we are planning on spending the LOOONG Memorial Day weekend at the lake house. Sinus issues do not fit into my plans. So last night I used the Netti Pot. You know, that thing that you put the saline solution in and run through your sinuses. Completely harmless despite that feeling of drowning if you don't hold your head a certain way. Guess what? The Netti Pot worked and I got a great night's sleep last night for the first time this week. I woke up in a good mood and even LAUGHED with Chad this morning. Unheard of! I am stopped up again, but know that relief is just a Netti Pot away. I am soooo looking forward to the lake.

Clothes.

I used to be a major clothes horse. This was like, before marriage and such. I was all about the name brands and was proud that I could easily wear a 4 or a 6 and would spend MAJOR cash (or credit) on anything that caught my fancy. The metal pole in my closet actually BROKE at my parent's house because I had so many clothes on it. I was seriously proud of my closet.

These days, the sizes have gone up and the brands have gone down. There are even some hand me downs about to make an apperance in my teeny married and pregnant closet. My how the times have changed and the mighty have fallen!

My body has done some serious changing in the past 3, going on 4 months and it will keep on changing, hopefully changing back to a svelte figure come mid-December - March. I put it off and put it off, but yeserday I finally threw my hands up and decided to just embrace that section of the store called "Maternity." My sister-in-law gave me her entire maternity wardrobe and she has some nice pieces. However...she had a March baby and I'm going to have a December baby. You do the math. I will have some cute fall outfits to wear, but the weather in 'ole SC is hot as hades and it's only the end of May. The few regular dresses that will support my blooming belly are just that...a few. And unfortunately, my company frowns on wearing yoga pants (even though honestly, I think they should make an exception. I sit at a computer. Who would even see the yoga pants?).

I decided to begin my maternity wardrobe at Old Navy. I am an avid Old Navy shopper and have been told by many of my mommy friends that they have good maternity stuff. And they were right (aren't mommies always right?). Not only did they have some cute stuff, they had some cute stuff on sale! I did go a little crazy, but I'm happy with what I got for the amount I spent.

I have to be honest...I am so ready to find out what if the tadpole will be wearing a pink bow or a blue hat so I can go shopping for them! I think that will be MUCH more fun than the maternity section!

Just Call Me Garfield

Craving alert: for the past couple of days or so, along with Honey Bunches of Oats (that had to be replaced with Fruit Loops because we ran out of Honey Bunches of Oats), I have been all about some Stouffer's Lasagna. The kind with the meat sauce. I liked it when I was un-pregnant, but I really wish I could have a huge plate in front of me 24/7 at the moment. IT'S FROZEN FOOD. Seriously. You would think that my palette would crave some finer cuisine...or at least some lasagna from Capri's. But no, I want FROZEN LASAGNA. I mean, I heat it up, don't get me wrong, but fine dining it is not.

Also, on a totally unrelated to pregnancy/babies/food note - Chad and I have discovered the joy that is HBO Go. Basically, if you are an HBO subscriber (shamefully we are), you can now gain access to ALL THE SEASONS OF THE SHOWS - like "Big Love" and "True Blood." YEEESSS! Because we can't commit to watching our favorite shows when they actually come on, we've been catching up on "Glee" and "The Office" on Hulu. And because we are never able to keep up with HBO, we have spent the past few nights catching up on Sookie & Bill. I made the executive decision to cancel our overpriced cable and go with the basic package + HBO. We have cut about $40 a month from our cable bill (that's almost $500 a year). I would really like to give Direct TV the heave ho altogether because you can pretty much watch anything you want online these days.

Get HBO Go. Especially if you are a True Blood fan. :)

Look Mom! No preservatives!

Da Crib

I always knew that I would be super picky when it came to choosing the decor for my baby's nursery. Before I got pregnant, I was already scouring the Pottery Barn Kids, Serena & Lily, & Posh Tots websites for ideas on bedding, color schemes, etc. What I found was a revelation: baby stuff is freaking expensive, expansive, and confusing. Some of the websites feature ornate furniture for amazing amounts of money...amazing meaning, oh my gosh, people can actually afford that??? I received a Posh Tots "design inspiration catalog" and it was full of beautiful children in beautiful rooms that were nicer than anything I could ever imagine. Like the hand crafted Cinderella coach carriage bed. Or the pirate ship play house. Or the hand painted crib and dresser sets. Or the $1000 chandeliers.

My husband and I don't even have a "real" bedroom suite. What we have is a dresser and nightstand that was mine when I was 19 and another nightstand that doesn't match exactly, but works, which was purchased (on clearance) at the Bombay Company before it went out of business. We also have several lamps. And no headboard. But our bedding is from Pottery Barn and is beautiful, so that makes me feel better about the whole situation.

Anyway, back to the nursery. I bought a book called "Baby Bargains 2011" the week after I found out I was pregnant. I love this book and would recommend it to any and all mamas to be out there. (It's also been featured on Oprah, that probably makes it more legit.) Among other things, the book lists furniture manufactuers with ratings, where the furniture is made, etc. It's really helpful, but it makes a decision filled with choices even more confusing.

My mom wanted me to go ahead and pick out a set for a boy and a girl so we went to Kids Furniture Plus because they have some of the best brands available (Young America, Romina, etc). However, unless you are prepared to spend about $2500 on baby furniture, you should probably look elsewhere. In my case (and at the request of Mama), elsewhere turned out to be a furniture wholesale store. I found two sets that both Chad and I like, that are made in the U.S.A. and are good quality by a manufacturer called Legacy Classic. It's not exactly cheap, but it's cheap-ER than buying from a baby boutique. My decision was sealed when I saw the EXACT furniture set on the Posh Tots website. The crib was retailing for around $900. Yeah, SOOOO not paying that! Price quote from the furniture store? $499. Oh another discovered secret - those fabulous overstuffed fabric gliders and matching ottomans that are prominently on display at places like Buy Buy Baby? They look like they are from Pottery Barn (which, by the way, got a very poor rating in the Baby Bargains book on their furniture) and have a price tag of about $500-600 for just the chair? Those chairs are made by Best Home Furnishings and you can get them at furniture wholesalers for $200-300 cheaper (and you can still choose your own fabric). You can't beat me baby furniture mercenaries!

So anyway...the point of this post is this: don't let the baby superstores and boutiques fool you. Do your homework, do some research, and listen to your mama. You can find exactly what you want at a price that won't hinder your baby from going to college one day. I'm excited to know which set I get to order - boy or girl!

Snoogle Me

So I'm still feeling good and I am 11 weeks today - the first trimester is about to be a distant memory and I am excited about all the fun the second trimester will bring. I think the second trimester will be the most fun, honestly. You get to feel the baby move, find out what the baby is, and start shopping and decorating without the responsibility of actually taking care of said baby. The third trimester will just be me in a virtual state of panic, I'm sure. Also, my child was compared to the size of a lime on thebump.com. I wonder when we will graduate to vegetables?

Things going on with us (me) at the moment:

1. I am IN LOVE with my pregnancy pillow, the Snoogle. I bought it right after I got pregnant and tried to use it while I had strep, but was so uncomfortable in general that I banished it to another room. After a few days of random insomnia this past week, I decided to give it another try. HEAVEN is a SNOOGLE. I hope our love affair lasts and would like the opportunity to pimp out the Snoogle to any other pregnant peeps out there. Go buy it.

2. I crave cereal and milk. I wish I could eat it 24/7 and have been all about some Honey Bunches of Oats. Last week it was Honey Nut Cheerios, before that Corn Flakes with bananas, and before THAT, Frosted Mini Wheats. I have no idea what will come after HBoO.

3. Sometimes my prenatal vitamin makes me gag. It has a wierd after taste, which goes away. I was told it was the amount of iron in the pill. Also, the bathroom at work makes me gag and Chad saying "rotten" almost made me vomit. SO STRANGE. 

4. I think my dogs know I'm pregnant. I don't know how they know, but I just think they know something is up. Jake follows me around more than usual (we live in a 1200 sq ft house, so I'm never really away from Jake, but if I'm not RIGHTTHERE, he will come find me. He also like to stretch out right beside me and sleep. Bless him.

5. I think I have decided on a crib set if it's a girl. Not so sure about the boy set yet. And don't even get me started on bedding/paint color/decorations. I am totally lost.

Also, I am wearing a maternity dress today, but it doesn't look like a maternity dress. I feel like it's too early to break out the maternity clothes, but my work pants are getting rather tight, so I'm focused on dresses at the moment. Which means I need to shave my legs all the time. I didn't shave my legs today.

Annnd that's about it. OH - Mother's Day...I actually got a present! My sweet husband bought me a gift certificate for a prenatal massage at Urban Nirvana! I will be using that sucker some time in the next few months! :)

A Wave

This has been such an exciting week for us. Chad graduated (magna cum laude, let me add) on Tuesday. He is the offical holder of a Bachelor's Degree and I could not be more proud. I would say that him going to school full time was easy as pie, but that would be a lie. It's been a hard couple of years, emotionally and finacially. There were many, many times when I thought (and said) how much easier it would be on everyone if he just found a job and forgot school. But my husband is the patient, perservering one in the relationship and I am so thankful for that. His work has paid off and I know that he is going to be an excellent teacher.

I believe that Baby Butler believes that, too. We got to see Baby B on Monday at our first OB appointment. The baby is healthy and thriving, although a little bit younger than I had originally calculated. I am 9 weeks pregnant today, instead of 11 weeks! Our due date has been moved from Thanksgiving week to December 8 - our Christmas miracle. As we were watching our little tadpole, he/she stuck an arm out and waved to us! I took that as a personal congratulations to Baby B's Baby Daddy. The little booger moved around the whole time and we heard the heart beating, which was amazing.

I was disappointed that my due date calculations were off because it feels like I'm moving backwards instead of forwards, but I have been so blessed during this pregnancy. I started on some prenatal vitamins (Flintstones are a thing of the past!) and I feel like they have increased my energy levels and even helped with the insane amount of hunger I was feeling. Even though I function better with a nap, I can also function without one. Amazing! I have not graduated to maternity gear yet, but a shout out to my sister-in-law who unloaded her whole maternity wardrobe on me last night. I am so thankful for her!

Even though it's unbelievable to me that there is a baby on the way, it's starting to become more and more real and less and less shocking. I'm still terrified, but know that this is part of God's plan for us. So thankful for a healthy baby!

Beastly

So I have been reading some blogs as of late and have come to realize how incredibly blessed Chad and I are to have had such an easy time getting pregnant. So many people have had such a hard time, even in their 20's & early 30's and my sexy husband and I just randomly did it and voila, I'm knocked up. And have been complaining about ever since. Which makes me feel like an ass. But I have reasons for it...let me explain.

When I hit the age of 24ish, I got fat for some reason. I had always had a really high metabolism, never worried about my weight, but for whatever reason, my metabolism decided to peace out, leaving me gaining all kinds of extra poundage and causing me to go from a cute size 4-6 to a not so cute 10-12. I went to the doctor to find out if I had some kind of tapeworm or thyroid problem, but the doc just said to exercise and eat right. BITE ME DOC. My husband proposed in '08 and I frantically lost about 30 lbs before the wedding, which left me smaller, yes, but still a good 20 lbs over my ideal weight.
The weight got really out of control and I finally decided that 2011 was the year of Baby Butler and I needed to be back at my goal weight prior to getting preggers. I was put on weight loss meds and supplements and was down 15 lbs by early March of this year. And then that little pink line appeared and I had to stop taking the meds (duh) and began to be hungry ALL THE TIME.

Long story short - I am overweight and pregnant. And that is not a good combo, not only because of the health risks, but because it generally makes you feel yucky and gross and pretty much like the most unattractive person on the planet. To top it off, I can't exercise right now due to instructions from my doctor to wait until our next ultrasound next week (due to some spotting during week 7).

I am trying my best to not eat the world, but it's hard. I'm so thankful that I don't have horrid morning sickness, but perhaps losing 10 or 40 lbs during the first trimester wouldn't be so bad. As of now, Week 9 is tomorrow and I've gained 4 lbs since quitting the meds after finding out I was pregnant March 23. Really, I don't know if I've actually gained any weight since I weighed myself after lunch one day and I have pretty bad pregnancy bloat. As soon as I'm given the okay by the doctor, I'm going on the elliptical as much as possible and doing some free weights. Hopefully that will help clear up my bloated self, too!

Luckily, other than vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, I have been wanting mostly fresh fruits and veggies. We stopped by the produce stand on Saturday and bought some of the best strawberries I've had in a LOOONG time! I tore into those suckers - they are gone. Sorry Chad! :) I am very much looking forward to peach season!

This past week, my nephew turned a year old. I can't believe he's no longer a tiny preemie infant that I was a little scared to hold, but a toddler who is independent, stubborn, and pretty fearless. I love this kid to pieces...so much that I shared my ice cream cone with him yesterday. Actually, he stole it from me, but he's so cute, I just let him have it (and I had another one in the freezer).

When I found out my sister-in-law was pregnant with Brayden, I went through an array of emotions ranging from "yay!" to "she beat me to it!" Christy had my niece at a young age, so getting pregnant with Brayden was like a brand new experience for her. And THANK YOU JESUS that she went through it before me or I wouldn't have someone to turn to share my deep pregnancy fears (mostly involving whether or not I'm already a bad mother because I don't like being pregnant to gaining a couple of pounds already and crying on the phone to her about it) or answer questions about which wipes are the best. She has done nothing but reassure me, encourage me, and validate me. So thank you, my darling sister-in-law. I promise not to cry during my lunch break anymore. :)

Which brings me to my next point...when do the hormones shut off already? I have been pretty even tempered this whole time (yes, there have been some irrational moments, I'll take credit for those), but over the past few days, the hormones have kicked in BIG TIME. And by BIG TIME I mean HOLY CRAP. The littlest thing can set me off on a crying jag that would make Tammy Faye Baker look like a sane woman. That's one thing the pregnancy books don't really go into about expecting...that you should EXPECT some hormonal insanity! Or that you should EXPECT your boobs to blossom into something both frightful and painful. I have given up hugging indefinitely, y'all, in favor of a handshake. Or maybe a nice wave!

Week 8 has been an adventure...and Week 9 begins on Thursday. Help us Lord.