35/35

Wow....I just can't believe it. Today marks our official 35 weeks of pregnancy and 35 days until my due date!! I actually get a little emotional thinking that in around a month from now, our little girl will be here in my arms. Simply amazing. I don't have a whole lot of update on our little girl this week since our next check up isn't until next Monday (the 3rd) but I will write what I do know.

Sophi Update:

Baby is the size of a honeydew melon! Sophi should be averaging about 18 inches and weighing about 5 1/4 pounds this week. I believe that she may be smaller than this going off of our last ultrasound but we will find out for sure next Monday. Development wise, her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products (Yum!). Most of her basic physical development is now complete and she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. Few weeks....yikes! I'm so excited yet terrified all at the same time. So she has been head down for several weeks now which is just where we want her and although she may not be doing baby gymnastics anymore due to her running out of room, she sure is getting good at kung fu! Sometimes she kicks me in just the right place and knocks the breath out of me. I can't imagine how much stronger she will get over the next 5 weeks but I am so excited to find out! More on Sophi next week after our check up. :)

Mommy Update

How far along? 35 weeks today!
Weight gain/loss: At my last check up I was down a pound and had gained only 20 pounds. Got on the scale this morning and it was up 5!! Hopefully this weight sticks. This makes me so happy!!!
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep? I've actually been sleeping decent lately. I don't have a fancy pregnancy pillow so what I've been doing is snuggling up with one firm king size pillow and putting another pillow behind me. It forms some sort of cocoon around me and helps support my back, hips and belly. Only downfall to this is that it's quite an obstacle to get over and then get back into when I have to get up to pee at night which is generally about every 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Best moment this week? Hitting my 35/35 mark today and other than a congested nose, feeling fabulous! :)
Movement: She's quite the active little lady. I definitely feel her kicks, punches and rolls getting stronger. Last Sunday morning I was driving and could feel her toes tickling the bottom of my rib cage. That was too cool!!!!
Food cravings: Nope. I'm a little disappointed that I never got the pickles and ice cream type cravings. Well, there are still 5 weeks left to go I guess.
Belly button in or out? It's in mostly but when Sophi gets a good stretch in that direction she pushes it right out! It's so funny to watch.
What I am looking forward to? A lot of stuff actually. I'll run down the list:
*Tomorrow is the 29th, it's the day that I will be married to my best friend and most amazing man I know for a year and a half.
*Saturday starts a new year! I know it will be a great one for our little family!
*Monday I get to see our little girl on the big screen again and just pray that she is growing the way that she should be.
*Sometime this week I will get my first shipment of Rockin' Green cloth diaper detergent. I can't wait to prep all of our super soft fluff!!
Weekly wisdom: Sometimes, even when you want something to work so bad that it hurts, you have to realize that it wasn't meant to be and move on. (More on this tomorrow or something)
Milestones: Again, 35/35! I won't elaborate anymore other than....HOLY CRAP IT'S SO CLOSE!!!!!!! :)
Stuff I still need to get done: Finish buying stuff for baby, finish the nursery, figure out who goes onto my call list for when the time comes, pack my hospital bag, get car seat and base installed, get house cleaned.

Nesting, where are you?!
I can't believe that my nesting phase hasn't set in yet. As a matter of fact, I've been kind of lazy lately, only cleaning when I have to. I see stuff that I want to get done but just would rather be doing something else. Soooo, I've decided to join Amber over at In Search of Greener Grass and take the 21 days to get organized challenge! Starting January 1st and lasting 21 days (except Sundays) I will get my life organized and ready for Sophi's arrival! Won't you take the challenge with me??

35 Week Bump

With my silly face on

Oh Glamorous Pregnancy!

.....or not so much. I want to write about all of the not so glamorous things that have come about lately...

First let me start by saying that as of about a week ago, doing anything below the belly has become very difficult to pretty darn impossible. Here are some things that I have a hard time with:

Shaving. My legs. My lady parts. Forget it. I get out of breath, off balance, can't see and so I've decided that I'm just going to leave all of this alone from now on or at least until right before my due date. Then I'll figure something out. Besides, Mitch isn't home so I don't have anyone to impress anyway these days! So for now, I look something like a wildebeest. A super sexy wildebeest....yeah...

Putting on socks and shoes. It has become laughable to try and put socks on. People say that it's great being the most pregnant during the cold season but I say to them: Yes, it's great unless you don't have anyone to help you put your socks and shoes on!! Oh how I miss flip flop weather just for the sake of being able to wear flip flops. I have to contort myself into some crazy yoga-ish positions to get my socks on and again, by the time I am done, I am out of breath. Fun! :)

Clipping my toenails. Oh now here's a good one!! I attempted this a few nights ago and between not being able to see and being so completely uncomfortable due to the position that I had to get myself into in order to reach my toenails, I almost cut a toe off! If my mom (the nail tech) could see what an awful job I did, she would be ashamed I'm sure. We've talked about a pedicure but one, her schedule is jam packed right now and two, I am wearing socks and shoes every day so we're just going to wait until closer to due date to do a pedi. Which leads me to my next two things...

Taking off toenail polish & putting lotion on feet. Taking off my polish is almost as painful as clipping my nails (minus the hazard of cutting off a toe of course). Oh the things we take for granted when there isn't a ginormous baby bump in the way! And putting lotion on??? HA HA HA! My feet have been kind of dry lately with the weather change so I've been trying to make sure that I put lotion on every night before bed. This process takes probably close to 5 minutes. Just imagine pregnant me on the side of the bed contorted in all of these crazy yoga-ish positions again. Yeah, it's not pretty, certainly not GLAMOROUS and let me tell you, my feet are looking SEXXXXXXY these days!

Some other things that have come about or gotten worse:

Braxton Hicks (BH) are not my friend!! I've been having BH contractions for a couple of weeks now and while they are not painful, they certainly are not comfortable. Don't know what they feel like and wanna try it out? Ok, contract your abs as much as you possibly can and while you are holding them in, have someone punch you in the stomach. Yep, it feels something like that. Like my abs cramp up and no matter how hard I try to relax, I can't. It's super annoying especially when I can feel them wrap around into my back. FUN!!!

Pregnancy gas....really ladies, need I say more?? This is one thing that I'm glad Mitch isn't here for. When I'm home alone I'm not so ashamed of my gas. It is pretty bad too. I'll wake up in the middle of the night sometimes just to...um...release some pressure? And pretty much every.single.time I sit to pee...I fart. Can't even say that I have lady-like "toots" or "poofs" anymore. I pretty much sound like a man. It's so far from glamorous!

Drooling...seriously. I wonder if I made a "Kammi drools a lot" doll how good it would sell. I mean, why not, right? They have all of these dolls that pee and poo out right now that are crazy popular. Why not a drooling doll?? Ok seriously though, I wake up several times a night in a puddle of drool. Then, I have to slide my head around the pillow to try to find a dry spot to go back to sleep on so that I don't drown! And unfortunately, space is limited on my pillow. Because of my neck issues I have to sleep on one of those orthopedic contour pillows so there is no flipping the pillow over to the dry side. I wake up, slide my head across the pillow like eating a corn cob and pray for a dry spot. Then I pray that I can stay in that spot long enough for the rest of the pillow to dry so I can have a dry spot to move to for the NEXT time I wake up in my drool. Sexy, right?? I think I need to have a standby pillow case.

Round ligament pain. Thanks to these lovely ligaments, I wake up every morning feeling like an 80 year old woman. I creak and ache all over for at least the first 30 minutes I'm awake. I have to lay in bed and stretch (but not too hard b/c I wouldn't want to pull anything!) for several minutes while the dogs cry at me to come and let them outside. Then, I have to slowly...very slowly...get out of bed, stretch my neck out, stretch my legs out (but not too hard b/c I wouldn't want a charlie horse) and then rise. Oh and during all of this...the gas monster usually shows up at least once. Oh yeah, I am so dead sexy!!!

Mucus. Sometimes I feel like I have that family of partying mucus from the Mucinex commercial living in my nose these days. Except, most of the time, my snot monsters are red. Yep. I get up in the morning and between 7:30 and 12:00 I usually blow my nose 5 times and most of the time I get blood. Yummy, I know, but this isn't the best part. The best part is that, no matter how many times I blow my nose and think that everything is free and clear, I can be sitting here just breathing and I blow snot bubbles. Oh, c'mon, isn't this just the sexiest, most glamorous thing ever?! Disgusting. So I try to blow again to no avail. Just have to wipe, pray no one has seen what just happened and move on.

Oh yes, pregnancy may be beautiful and all of that but it is certainly not all glamor and glitz!

Stuck in a rut

So on a more serious note...I have been stuck in a major rut lately. I've had a lot on my mind and it's time to vent it all out.

First and foremost, I miss my husband. I miss him so bad. He's been gone for almost 4 weeks now and it still has not gotten any easier. I know that with Christmas being this weekend that it doesn't help with me missing him, only makes it more difficult. All of the little things just make me break down. I see couples out and about hugging and kissing and loving on each other and I want to cry. I sit here in an empty house and think about every single little thing that I wish that he was here for. And while I know that I have an amazing support system of family and friends, I still feel so alone without him here with me. He is not just my husband, he is my best friend and my missing link. Without him, I am not fully me. I hate even putting this out there because I know that everyone is just going to tell me that everything is just going to magically get better once Sophi is here but I just don't believe that. I don't believe for a single second that the birth of our child is going to make me miss my husband any less. Sure, I will be plenty busy and tons of happy when she is here but I will still not be complete until he is back home in my arms and we are a family. I've been crying now for about the last 12 hours. I hate feeling so weak. This is not who I am at all but without him, this is who I have become. I just feel like screaming sometimes just to scream. I don't think that it would make me feel any better though really...just an urge. There's a Dave Matthews song, Grey Street, that keeps coming to mind. One of the lines in the song says "she feels like kicking out all the windows". That's pretty much exactly how I feel. Miliani knows that I'm down too. She keeps coming over to my chair and standing her front paws on me to try and comfort me. She and I have grown closer since he's been gone. I'm certain it's because we both miss him so much. I hope things start to get a little easier soon.

Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas this year at all. Usually this time of year we have our big tree up, presents all around and stockings hung. Me and Sandra have usually made at least one batch of cookies and I'm usually busy planning the big Christmas dinner for the family. This year I don't have any of that. No Mitch, no Sandra, no presents under the tree because I had to ship them all off weeks ago, no planning Christmas dinner. I just feel so lost. I miss hearing Sandra's little giggles as we listen to Christmas music and eat cookie dough while we get ready to bake. I miss the stockings all hung on the wall, I miss planning our Christmas dinner. I put a mini tree up, sure but it's not even Christmas yet and I'm contemplating taking it down. I hate feeling like this because I usually love this time of year but it just feels like the whole season is lost this year.

I'm worried about Sophi. The last ultrasound that we had @ 31 weeks, 3 days she was measuring small (in the 29th percentile). I had gained 21 pounds and Dr. Barnes didn't seemed concerned at all. When I went for my check up last week, I was down a pound. 20 pounds total @ 33 weeks, 3 days. The doc says he's not worried but has ordered us another growth ultrasound for the 3rd. I don't know how or why I'm not gaining. Maybe it has to do with the way I've been feeling lately? I don't know. I'm just praying for a good ultrasound in a couple of weeks to help ease my mind. The good news is, she is quite the mover these days and is getting very strong! Sometimes she kicks me (or elbows me) and I almost feel winded. Sunday morning when I was driving to church I could feel her little toes tickling the bottom of my ribs. That was actually pretty cool. So, even though I do worry about her growth and my weight gain, those little kicks and punches have been quite reassuring.

Sorry this blog entry has been a bit of a downer. I don't want anyone to think that I am not enjoying pregnancy or that I regret any of this because I do enjoy every little thing. I'm even learning to embrace the not-so-fun stuff. Just need to get it off of my chest sometimes. So if you've actually made it this far, thank you for listening. :)

A little fluff helps to ease the pain

Today is Monday and while I'm in good spirits, it's still difficult not having my Mitchy here. Saturday was a particularly hard day. I just wanted to lock myself inside and cry all day long. Saturday marked him being gone for 2 weeks. I know that's not a long time but this is now officially the longest we've been apart in almost 3 1/2 years. Plus, I don't like to use pregnancy hormones as an excuse but let me be honest, these pregnancy hormones are turning me into one big emotional mess!

So since I was having such a rough day/night Saturday, I decided to go play in the nursery for a bit. I pulled out all of the cloth diapers and cloth related items that we have so far and play with them. I know it sounds silly but just imagining our little girl in all of that adorable fluff really helped to lift my spirits. Soooo....I took a picture of my latest obsession so that I could be a shameless attention whore:

It's so cool to me how just going in there and dreaming about our little girl always has a way of making me feel better again. I can't wait to meet our little angel and see what she looks like, to be able to touch her and rock her, to take care of her every need. I can't believe we are down to one day shy of 7 weeks until due date!!!

Now...since I'm at it...I want to post a couple of pictures of my devilishly handsome husband in his desert gear. I know, I already have these on FB but I wanted them here too...he's hot, why not? :)

Standing on the back of a C-130:

In the cockpit of a B1 Bomber:

And time stands still...

You know, I've gotten a lot of advise throughout this pregnancy. Most of it I've taken with a grain of salt because, let's be honest, everyone's experience is going to be a little different but the one thing that I can truly say people were right about is this...time stops flying and seems to take a break and rest it's wings in the third trimester. Looking back, we've gotten to this point fast but it feels like a lifetime since the 30 week mark and yet it's only been 2 1/2 weeks. I can look at this as either a good or a bad thing. On the good side of things, there is still a lot that needs to be done/purchased before Sophi arrives and this way I don't feel quite as rushed. On the bad side, with Mitch gone, I just want time to move faster. I want it to be one month, then two and so on and so forth until he is back home. Also, I'm starting to get a little uncomfortable the bigger I get. It gets harder to put socks & shoes on every day and I've officially become the dreaded heavy breather in the room. :) But I've made a promise to myself that I will embrace the bad with the good since this may be my only pregnancy ever.

So I've got a few neat things to share. I'll start with an update on our little girl.

Sophi Update
So this week Sophi should weigh about 3.75 pounds and measure about 16.7 inches long. She should now be putting on about 1/2 a pound a week and will gain a third to half of her body weight in the next 7 weeks! She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (and lots of it apparently!). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Our last doctor's visit was last Friday. It was also our last ultrasound to make sure that our little girl is healthy and in place to come out of there! It is amazing the things that these ultrasound techs can tell from these shots! Sophi has Mitch's bubble butt, a ton of hair, pouty lips and her second toe is longer than her big toe! She has an amazingly strong heartbeat (163 bpm),is weighing about 3 1/2 pounds and is indeed head down just like she needs to be (good girl!). Dr. Barnes did say though that she is measuring small. At 31 weeks 3 days she was measuring 29 weeks 6 days. Nothing to be alarmed about. She's just small. He says that she is in the 29th percentile.

She is a VERY active baby and kicks the crap out of me all of the time. She's nice and does let me sleep at night though. Let's hope this continues once she gets here! One can only hope anyway. :) It's so neat to feel her when she really gets bumping around in there. Like she's playing a drum machine or something.

Oh and, I do not have pictures of the last ultrasound because she was being a stubborn butt and wouldn't turn to face us. She faced my spine the entire time. Silly girl. Don't know who she gets the stubborn streak from.... ... :)

Mommy Update

How far along? 32 weeks, 2 days
Weight gain/loss: About 21 pounds gained. I swallow hard even as I type that. I say "about" because I've stopped weighing myself so much because we all know that I'm obsessed and just need to let go.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Sleep? Sleep is hit or miss. Especially with Mitch gone. I miss having him to snuggle up to at night and pass out. Tylenol PM does not cut it. As a matter of fact, it almost seems to bring Sophi to life which is not good when mommy wants to sleep. I usually have 2 or 3 nights of bad sleep followed by one really awesome night of sleep. This seems to be the pattern.
Best moment this week? While it's not completely baby related, the best moment of this week was getting to hit the town and go shopping with mom on Saturday. We had a blast together and it helped take my mind off of Mitch being gone for a little while.
Movement: Constant movement it seems. Even if it's just a little. She is very active. I swear I live for every kick or punch. Carrying a baby has been such a surreal experience for me and I wouldn't trade it for anything (except for maybe having her here in my arms). :)
Food cravings: Ok this is kind of funny...pretzels dipped in Chik Fil A sauce is definitely my new thing. I went through Chik Fil A for breakfast this morning and almost asked the girl at the window for some sauce for later! Pathetic, I know but it's so good!!!
Belly button in or out? Still in but barely....mom thinks that it won't pop out at all. It's actually tender to the touch lately too. I'm sure this has everything to do with all of the stretching my skin is doing right now.
What I miss the most: Mitch. I know, I'm a sap but I miss having him here with me. I miss him rubbing the belly or putting his mouth on the belly and talking like she can hear him better if he uses the belly like a megaphone. It's precious moments like these that we will always have whether he is here or half a world away.
What I am looking forward to? Christmas of course!!
Weekly wisdom: The show must go on! :)
Milestones: Ordered most of our cloth diaper stash between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Still waiting on some things to get here but I got some super deals and I'm so excited to have all of that fluff!! Can't wait to put it on her cute little bum!
Stuff I still need to get done: Finish buying stuff for baby, finish the nursery, figure out who goes onto my call list for when the time comes, pack my hospital bag. I know that there is more but that's all of the big stuff my pregnancy brain can think of right now. :P

Now for some fun stuff! Pictures!! Here are a few shots of the nursery. It still needs some work (stuff hung on the walls) but should have it all done by the end of the month.

Sophi's crib with "Daddy Dog" inside and the gorgeous butterfly mobile that my Secret Elfster, Michele got for us.

Sophi's view of her mobile:


Wall with her name and some butterflies:

Glider/recliner with boppy. Window w/ treatments in the back and more butterflies:

Laundry basket and dresser w/ changing pad & basket. I still need to decorate this wall, clearly :)

Bookcase/Shelving unit with lamp and pretty picture hung above. Still need to add pictures to this wall too.

It's definitely come a long way but there are a few more finishing touches and it will be all ready for Sophi!

I found some super cute Big Sister/Little sister shirts for Sandra and Sophi. I couldn't resist, really. :) Had to take a picture of them before sending Sandra's up to her:

Aaaaand here is my 32 week bump shot:

Well, that's it for now! I'm sure that I will have another update soon. Until next time!