Sam's New Job

Just a little update to let everyone know that Friday (tomorrow) is Sam's last day at International Paper. He will be leaving the company after 6 years to try something new.

He will be working for a company in Memphis that specializes in medical related supplies and equipment. He will continue to serve an IT function. This new position will be focused on project management. I am sure he can explain it much better than I can :-)

While he is really sad to be leaving a lot of wonderful people (I am really sad to be losing my lunch buddy!), we are really excited about this new opportunity!

Yucky!!!

I had to go in for my gestational diabetes test today. The gestational diabetes test occurs sometime between the 26th and 28th week of pregnancy. The test involves quickly drinking a sickeningly sweet liquid, which contains 50g of glucose. The testing center I attended gave the option of orange, fruit punch or lime. I selected fruit punch since I heard it wouldn't taste as bad as the others - think Fanta without the fizz and about twice the sugar. They gave me five minutes to finish the drink but at least they gave me a straw. After finishing the drink you have to sit very still for an hour (thank goodness for waiting room magazines) and then they take a bunch of blood samples (they use this chance to test for a couple of other things too - at least they only prick you once).

At the very latest, I should get my results back at my next doctor's appointment (next Monday). Hopefully I passed! If I fail (15% of all women fail the first test), I will have to take the 3 hour test. This test requires fasting first followed by drinking another disgusting drink. This time you have to sit for 3 hours with blood drawn every hour. Definitely not something I want to do!

Harrison's Room

We have made a lot of progress on Harrison's room over the last couple of weeks. This weekend we finished up a few little projects so I thought now was a good time to share a few pictures. The only thing left to do are the decorative touches - art (see previous post for a preview), lamp, baskets for storage, etc.

View of Harrison's room from hallway: Comfy chair and bookcase (for all those adorable children's books):

Harrison's crib:

Curtains (I made them myself!) and letters above the window:

27 Weeks

Thought you might be interested in a developmental update.

27 Week Update Care of Babycenter:

Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week he weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with his legs extended. He can now open and close his eyes, and he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. He may suck his fingers, and although his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if he were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn’t bothersome to him, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. Wonder what he’s thinking?

Your body is gearing up for the final lap, so you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They’re carrying extra weight, after all, and your uterus is putting extra demands on your circulation. (As your uterus expands, it puts pressure on the blood vessels that return blood from your legs to your heart and on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.) Unfortunately, the cramps are likely to get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day.

I haven’t felt the baby have hiccups yet. I don't know if I just don't recognize the movement as hiccups or if he is just hiccup-free. Evidently Sam hiccuped a lot when he was a baby - guess little Harrison hasn't picked up that habit yet.

I have been getting leg cramps at night - a feeling like a charlie horse is going to start, but then if I move fast enough it doesn’t happen. A few times, I haven’t caught it in time and have woken up to my leg being curled up in charlie horse pain. It goes away pretty fast, but it’s annoying. The charlie horse I got last weekend stuck around for almost a week. Ouch! Hopefully the banana pudding I had for dessert tonight will help keep away the leg cramps :-) Not quite on the diet but at least it might do some good.

It’s so hard to imagine that I’m in the third trimester now- well according to some of the sites anyway. Other things say it doesn’t start until week 28, but I’ll take what I can get. I can’t wait to meet Harrison, but I know he’s not done growing in there, yet. Everyday I think this becomes more real to me, and I get more excited about having a baby and not just being pregnant. I think I spent most of my awake time feeling the baby kick, playing with my belly, thinking about him, and getting his room ready for his arrival! August 23rd (or whatever day he actually decides to get here) will be here before we know it!

Art for Harrison's Room

I am so excited! I just ordered the art work for Harrison's room. I have been struggling to find the perfect thing. I was torn between a couple of different artists but kept coming back again and again to an artist whose work I found on Etsy. For those who don't know, Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling homemade items and the supplies need to make homemade items. It is a really cool site and I have already purchased several things from there. To Sam's dismay, I am sure I will be buying more after Harrison is born! My latest purchase is a series of prints by Erica Vess. She operates an Etsy shop by the name of beeskneesstudio. I have just ordered the following:


The three "mommy and baby" prints will go over the crib. The two prints below will be a little bigger and will go on each side of the window in the baby's room. I am so excited about these prints. I can't wait to get them framed and to see them in the room.

Stay tuned for more pictures of the baby's room. I guess you could say nesting is in full swing!

Sneaky Sneaky

Harrison is a good kicker. He likes to do somersaults in my stomach at all hours of the day and night. He likes jumping on my bladder and the occasional sharp kick to the pelvic bones. Other days he is up in my ribs tapping on my tummy like he is practicing for a future as a professional drummer.

Harrison does not like to kick when others are watching. He is sneaky - the ninja of kicking. Rumors of Harrison's excellent kicking skills have been met with eager response. Dear girlfriends cup their hands to my belly hoping to feel the sweet little tapping of baby kicks with no response. Harrison does not perform on command.

Sam and I are not immune to this treatment. We love watching my belly move with Harrison's movement. Many nights we will lay in bed watching my stomach for movement. Without fail, Harrison waits till we are distracted to put on the show - as if to punish us for our lack of devotion. As soon as our attention returns he is super still. No way will he cooperate!

Maybe this is a little preview of the stubbornness in our future. I can't imagine where he would be getting it from?!?!

Two Years Ago Today...

Two years ago today I married my best friend.

It's funny how time passes us by. In some ways it feels like we were walking down the aisle just yesterdays. In other ways it seems like we have done too much and shared too many memories together for it to only be two years. I guess that is one of the many special things about marriage, it can feel new and familar all at the same time.

Sweet Sammy, I don't know what I would do without you in my life. I hope you know how much you mean to me. I can't wait to welcome little Harrison into our lives and to make our loving family even biggier. Happy anniversary!

Belly Time

I have had several requests for a belly shot over the last month. I guess it is only far to share that with you since it really is the only physical proof I can put on the blog to prove I am in fact pregnant and not just making all this up. I have to admit that I have been putting this off for quite some time. I don’t think it was totally intentional more just a matter of circumstances. I kept thinking I would put an outfit on and be like “damn, I look awesome today!” and would be moved to grab the camera and record that moment in history. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened so you guys are going to have to settle for this:

I feel like I have been growing a lot over the last couple of weeks. I am pretty happy to have a belly. I have really struggled with the “do I look fat or pregnant?” debate and I am sure Sam has gotten tired of answering that question. I feel pretty confident that I look pregnant now especially since I have been asked by several strangers when I am due (which is a VERY gutsy question by the way). I think I look pretty good for 25 weeks and I guess that is all that really matters.

One additional note (or life lesson if you will), if you really want to make a pregnant person happy tell them they look great. I have observed that most pregnant don’t like being told they look small or that there is no way they are really x weeks pregnant because it makes them think you are telling them they aren’t healthy enough (I know we are crazy!). We can never be told too many times that we are glowing or that we look wonderful! By the way, that wasn’t a plug for compliments; I just thought I would share that info for all the other pregnant ladies out there :)

Back on my Feet Again

I think I have almost fully recovered from the sciatic nerve issues I was experiencing last week. After many hours spent in bed with a heating pad, lots of stretching and a few warm baths I can do most activities without grimacing in pain. I also switched my chair at work which I believe has helped tremendously. I still have back aches and I have this sneaking suspicion that I could do something simple like bend over to pick up a dropped item and be back where I started but I will take what I can get for now.

I learned a few things while spending a few days on bed rest:

1. Bed rest sucks! (Sorry for the phrasing but there really is no other way to describe it.)
2. There are at least 4 hours of pregnancy related shows on daytime cable television and they pull you in.
3. No matter what you wear while on bed rest, you always feel like you have been in your pajamas by the end of the day and that another shower is needed
4. It is nearly impossible to type while laying on your side.
5. My dog is totally unloyal and would really prefer to have the bed to herself all day long.
   

Hopefully I will not have the joy of experiencing this again during my pregnancy!

Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I hope all the mom's out there had a wonderful day!

It was fun today getting wished "Happy Mother's Day" for the first time! :-)

The Sciatic Nerve is a Pain in the Butt!

The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that starts in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb. It is the longest and largest single nerve in the body and mine really hurts! Evidently, the changes that occur to your body during pregnancy can put extra pressure on this nerve and cause a great deal of pain and there isn't much you can do about it. Oh joy!

After a week spent in pain, I decided to go to the doctor to confirm my own self diagnosis and make sure Harrison and I were in good health. The doctor gave to a full exam and we are doing fine. I am still in pain but I am taking it easy. I have been given several recommendations to try to reduce the pain but mostly I have to wait it out. Hopefully this will all pass soon.