My Belly's Askew

In the past week, I've noticed my belly askew at least once a day. As I mentioned before, Emily prefers the right side of me. On occasion she will lean to the left. I wish I knew if it was her head or her rump I was feeling. It's harder than the rest of my belly, so I believe it to be her precious head. Don't want to press on it too much because it is not as hard my head or anyone's yet. Everything I've been told about as far as movement has happened except seeing her hand or foot. Now just waiting for that anomaly.

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

It's late, but I've again been wanting to post for a few days. This time of year is always busy because it is Christmas, then my birthday, and since family is visiting, we also celebrate my sister's birthday. A few years ago, it occurred to me how much my parents' bank account most have depleted in the month of December with three days worth of gift giving and major eating. They always made each of us feel special on our special day though. Lucky for hubby and I that Emily is giving us a good buffer between Christmas and her birthday.

Today was bitterly cold, but we all made it out of the house. We went to the movies to see Kings Speech. Great film documenting King George VI's struggle with a terrible stammer for the majority of his life. I'm fascinated my the English monarchy since living in England. Now I'm curious to know if all the details in the movie are true or not.

So happy I could finally spend another birthday with my family. It's been years. Pictures are coming...but tomorrow.

This & That

I've been wanting to post for a couple days now, but I've been scatter-brained. Here is another post spanning the last 4+ days...

Friday: Routine OB appointment which confirmed I do NOT have gestational diabetes, my blood pressure was "perfect" and low according to the doctor, and no horrible symptoms to report. On my check list is now register at the hospital, make a reservation to have a tour of the labor and delivery unit, and register for birthing/parenting classes. I feel like I have made fixing up the house a priority and fallen behind on the actual important baby prep stuff. I've slowed down a lot with my productivity too. Now truly in the third trimester, I can say I am back to my first trimester ways of low energy at times, frequent bathroom breaks, and always hungry. My low energy is more like lack of motivation. Nothing I can do about the bathroom breaks. This time I am not succumbing to eating whenever. I eat healthy foods, mostly three meals and a snack. Need to get back to drinking more water though. My mom did tell me she had water retention at the end of her pregnancy with me, and so far I've had all her good fortune with no morning sickness, varicose veins, or stretch marks. Thanks, Mom, for the great genes!

Not all of that was supposed to be Friday, but Friday was my longest day in a while. I had to go into work after my doctor's appointment. We had our Christmas luncheon before breaking for the holidays. My girlfriends and I had made plans to go shopping afterwards. We were out for hours and my poor feet had swollen within minutes of sitting down after about an hour of standing. I pushed through it, didn't buy a thing, made a return instead, and went home to hubby where we opted for Chipotle.

Saturday: Uneventful day until around 3pm when hubby said we were going on a date night to a surprise movie and dinner at Outback. On the way to the theater, I guessed that we were going to see Little Fockers, and hubby smiled. I knew I was right. WRONG! When the movie started with Reese Witherspoon, I had to think long and hard before realizing she wasn't in that movie. I whispered to hubby, "This isn't Little Fockers" is it? He replied, "That doesn't come out until next week." So what movie did we see...that's funny...I still have no idea. I should go look up the title. Hubby couldn't even remember the name of after we left. I never bothered to look it up. It was cute though. We chose Outback for dinner because we had a gift card to use up, and we'd both been craving a bloomin' onion. Dinner was delicious, and for the first time we BOTH had leftovers for lunch the next day. Great date night!!

Sunday: Went to church, but felt strange driving there. I almost turned around, but toughed it out. I didn't make it the whole way through the service. When I got home I laid down and spent the majority of the day in day before going grocery shopping with hubby. One thing I've been good about doing for the past few months is cooking dinner. Maybe I mentioned that in a past blog, but hubby looks trimmer. Maybe I would too if Emily wasn't so 29 weeks in the womb. ;) Almost forgot...to end the night, we watched our FAVORITE Christmas movie. Can you guess it? It has to be funny if it is our favorite. Alright, alright...if you can't think straight...it is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Gotta love Clark Griswold. =)

Monday & Tuesday (today): Homebound trying to prepare for my family coming for Christmas and birthdays. Not as much has been done as I would have hoped, but I'm a notorious procrastinator that manages to come through at the last minute. If anyone has figured out how to trick the mind into getting your to do list done early, please enlighten me. Rarely do I get anything done in advance. Now off to make the most of the little bit of daylight left.

Oh...one last highlight...thanks Angela for her help getting Emily's bookcase and wall shelves. All the furniture is in the house now, just needs set up in T-minus about 8 days. It's a guarantee that I will be posting about the fun and mayhem of the nursery.

Day 200: What's Your Baby Naming Style?

Your style is… EARTHY

You pride yourself on being a realist and knowing what’s going on in the world -- and pretty much always having an opinion on all of it, from global issues to local issues. It’s no wonder, then, that you try and do your part in any way you can, whether it’s going organic or springing for cloth diapers. Sure, some might call you crunchy, but hey, you embrace it; you’re a no-frills kind of woman who doesn’t get overly caught up in what’s trendy. And shopping for a baby name is no exception. To you, the most important part of choosing a good name is finding one with a lot of meaning behind it; not just one that everyone elselikes. Our advice: Look into poetic-sounding names that are tied in with nature -- like Meadow, Lily, Cypress, or Forrest. Not only are they melodic, but they often have strong meanings attached to them that are sure to resonate with you.

Earthy names you’d love:

For a girl: Scarlett, Willow, April, Delilah, Meadow, Lily

For a boy: Cypress, Forrest, Hunter, Wyatt, Dublin, Oliver

I don't really agree with the results of my quiz, but my own name did show up. I like trends, so that is wrong. However, as for picking a name...totally do not care what is popular. It must have the right meaning. Take the What's Your Baby Naming Style? quiz for your own results.

Nights of Lights Date

Yesterday I ended my post saying hubby was taking me out on a date to see Nights of Lights in St. Augustine. We were kind of scoping it out for when family comes for Christmas too. It was beautiful to see so many Christmas lights in one place. Unless you live in a big city, you really don't get to see that too much anymore.

Here we are enjoying our evening out in the beautiful fall weather.

Oh...it is confirmed that we need a new camera. Hubby

couldn't get a clear shot of me all night, and I tried my

best at this one-handed snap.

Hubby's photography = pretty awesome even though it is blurry.

What the tree actually looked like.

Amplified lights.

I also tried to get this perfect photograph of a horse and carriage ride parked right in front of this beautiful church, but the camera setting took too long to process and the carriage moved. So disappointing. We had a lovely night nonetheless.

Organic Baby

This was the first football-less Saturday since August. Well, there is one game on right now (Army vs. Navy)...GO NAVY, BEAT ARMY!!! Hubby gets a little depressed this weekend every year because his #1 choice of entertainment is over for a while. He asked me last weekend what I wanted to do this weekend in anticipation for an empty Saturday.

Well, our plans are never really plans. All we've done so far is go to our favorite grocery store, Whole Foods. We are on a real organic foods kick. It's been a gradual transition in our house over the years. It started with milk and eggs, then fruits and veggies without a peel, and now meats and most diary products. Emily will hopefully be born a VERY healthy baby or toxin-free. Hubby looks like he has lost weight from all the home-cooking these past couple months too.

I've been decided for years that I want our children to eat organic food from the start. God willing, I hope to breastfeed for as long as possible (praying for a year). All the grocery stores we shop at carry Earth's Best baby food and formula, so I plan to use that brand. Occasionally, I might puree fruits and veggies, but it will all depend on time and cost. It almost seems more cost effective to buy the jarred baby food. Produce is pricy (especially organic) and then there are the container costs and the water bill. Oh, and storage is limited, so recycling the jars is looking pretty good right now.

Keeping with the earth friendly theme of organics, my diaper selection is split. I can't commit to something I've never tried before, but I want to try cloth diapers. I read a long time ago on a facebook friend's page that she was stuffing Pocket Diapers. I was like, "What is a Pocket Diaper?!?!" Well, from my research, it is not actually a brand but a style of cloth diaper. There are lots of brands on the market, but my research found that Fuzzi Bunz is the consumer favorite. So, I'm registered for Fuzzi Bunz. The coolest part of today's cloth diapers are that they come in fun colors and patterns. I'll admit, aesthetics is usually #1 on my list when selecting material goods. However, with cloth diapers and all things B.A.B.Y, I had to go with consumer reviews/ratings. Fuzzi Bunz only come in solid colors, but they are still cute and in my opinion act as a bloomer if worn with only a shirt. I'm sure Emily with be sporting just a diaper and a top from time to time. Also, the diaper color can coordinate with her outfit. Okay, okay, so I'm going a little overboard with the color coordinating. I'm having a girl for heaven's sake. This is my dream to dress my child for as long as possible.

As for the other half of diapers in our household, we will need the disposable kind for emergencies and probably when we are out of the house. Per a best friend's suggestion, I've chosen yet again Earth's Best brand for diapers. She promises they are the best eco-friendly disposable diaper. She is an old and very trusted friend, so I've already bought a few.

If anyone has further suggestions or stories about using cloth diapers, please share. I feel like I can't possibly hear or learn enough in the next 12 or so weeks.

Just wanted to share another picture. It's beautiful wintery weather here on 12.11.10. What a memorable date. Plus, my boots finally arrived. First flat, knee-high boots I've owned. Ordered them online and was a little nervous without trying them on first. They are awesome with fur lining, a mini zipper so I can pull down my pant legs, and comfortable. Alright, I've got to run. We are going to the festival of lights in St. Augustine...whoo hoo!!! Our plan is actually turning in to a reality. Love that hubby of mine!

Our Christmas Card 2010

Cinnamon Sweet Stars Christmas Card

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Lil' Contortionist & The Disappearing Belly Button

I've heard for some time now from a fellow pregnant co-worker that when a baby gets so big (about 3rd trimester), the mommy will start to see her belly skewed from time to time. Well folks...it happened to me for the first time last night.

Sitting on the sofa after dinner, a long day, and comfy in my jammies, I felt Emily moving around. I lifted up my shirt to see the movement, which is happening each time she moves now too. To my surprise, I saw my belly skewed to the right. I yelled for hubby to come witness because I just couldn't believe it. He was just as amazed. She's a little contortionist inside mommy's tummy. I can only imagine not having enough space to stretch out completely anymore or do somersaults. She is just getting so big, and we notice it the most at night after a full day of eating. I've gotten super hungry again, as well. At work, I space out my snacks every couple hours and eat lunch, but sometimes there is a long gap between my last snack and dinner. Yesterday especially because I went out after work to get some more Christmas shopping complete.

I've been wanting to mention for a while now two other key facts about my pregnancy with Emily. First, for several months now, she has done this thing where she sends what I describe as a shockwave through my abdomen, down, and outward. It is less startling than it used to be, but it stills feels funny. My assumption is that she is hiccuping. It is anywhere from 2-5 times...not very many hiccups, but it makes sense. I'm going to ask the doctor at my next visit to confirm. Second, my disappearing belly button (as I've renamed it). With my every growing bump, my once extremely deep belly button is now almost flat. I hope it doesn't become an outty. Then, I will really feel huge because I thought I would never lose my little black hole. Very soon, I will know what it must have been like to be Adam. It's speculated that he had no belly button because he is the only human that wasn't from the womb of a woman. Eve was created from Adam's rib, so she may not have had one either. What are your thoughts?

In the meantime, here is my first up close shot of The Disappearing Belly Button. I've been hesitant to display pictures of my bare bump because of all the veins. I'm also translucent...LOL!!!

Wish I had taken a "before" The Disappearing Belly Button

Catch Up since Thanksgiving

As you all are most likely familiar with...from Thanksgiving to Christmas is the most chaotic time of year. When I said I was going to post about Black Friday (now just over a week ago), I really thought I would. I've been either too tired, too lazy, or just too busy to blog. Now this is me playing "catch up."

Black Friday (the brief version): Dropped off my sister bright and early in the morning, went to a few stores around the city before meeting my best friend for lunch and a long day of shopping at the mall. Emily was truly my good luck charm because I hit NO lines, had NO trouble finding parking spots, and found LOTS of things I needed as gifts or just for me/our home. It was a warm day, very nicely spent with a friend, but...........my feet had never felt so bad in all my life. I am surprised I managed to drive myself home because I was walking like a crippled person when I arrived home. Hubby instructed me to put my feet up and take it easy for the rest of the weekend. I followed orders.

Cyber Monday: No mega Internet shopping for this preggo lady because I needed a breather still from Friday and I had to work. I did get a great bargain on curtains for Emily's room though.

After Thanksgiving Tuesday thru today (Sunday): Had an awesome week at work. My lessons have been great because the kids are very receptive to everything I've been having them do. I still have to make three kings' crowns for our Christmas pageant happening next week. It will get done after I finish this post. As for progress around the house, hubby and I set up Christmas yesterday. A week behind schedule, but again, Thanksgiving weekend was insane. Forgot to mention the exhaustion after work each day last week too. My bedtimes were between 7:30-8:30pm. I really needed sleep last week. Oh yes...how could I forget Tuesday...my day off...my feet were swollen for the first time. They were so fat (didn't get to take a picture) and barely fit in my sneakers. I do believe it could have been due to the climate getting ready to change from 70 degree weather to 50 degree weather overnight. Hubby was an absolute angel that night and filled up my massage foot spa. I sat in Emily's new rocking chair and soaked my aching feet in hot lavender water as the jets massaged my feet. It was heaven!

Emily has been having the time of her new little life. I feel her move so frequently now that it is noticeable in the car, at church, and when I rest my hand on my belly...she will let me know she feels me touching her. It's so precious!

Overall, I feel productive, energetic during the hours of light outside, moderately tired after the sun goes down, and excited to see my house decorated for the holidays. I honestly never thought I would be this motivated to do all that I have being pregnant. I'm not the type to compliment myself, but this time I'm not afraid to voice that I am voice of ME!!!