Our artificial Thanksgiving #2

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving, which basically means that we ate our backs out. It was great! I totally outdid myself, I must admit, and chances are I'll sleep like a big baby tonight. I am SOO exhausted and my feet are killing me. And yeah, while I was busting butt in the kitchen, here's what H was busy doing:

I know, it's ridiculous right. Well, he did work nights for the last two weeks, so I'll let him off the hook ;). Our menu was really great, and it included the following things: Turkey, ham, collard greens, cornbread stuffing, green-bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, and gravy. And yes, I made all those things myself. Here's the photo to prove it:My original plan was to make a bunch of "mini" dishes that we could finish in one sitting, but I clearly had no luck with that. Of course, we celebrated in the traditional fashion and ate ourselves sick, which I'm sure I'll regret next time I go to the doctor's office, but oh well, that's what Thanksgiving is for. I also made two yummy desserts: blueberry pecan pie and pumpkin praline cheesecake (which I did succesfully turn into a "mini"). Here's the photo of those two, which we haven't even put a dent in yet:
Overall, it was a great day and I think little H is happy and fully in my belly...which, combined with me being so full, is making it rather hard to breathe. H also took a picture of me with all of the food that I cooked (ALONE), and it shows how really big little H is getting (and as a result, me). Even I can't believe that my stomach has actually grown to the size it has...and just think, I have 2.5 months left to go!!

All in all, it was a very good day, and we'll be eating leftovers for the next week...or two maybe! I love Thanksgiving so much, and today was the perfect day for us to take some time out and be thankful for all of the blessings we have, especially little H and his imminent arrival. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! :)

Some encouraging words

Yesterday I visited the gym again, which was awesome, and I had two very lovely encounters that I want to share. First of all, I have to say that my definition of what it means to go to the gym has changed dramatically since I've been pregnant. Before I got pregnant, going to the gym consisted of one hour of hardcore aerobics (step class, running, spinning, etc.) followed by 30 - 40 minutes of weight lifting and toning. That was great. Now, that's all changed. When I go the gym now I can only walk "briskly" (between 3 - 3.5 miles an hour), making sure my heart rate doesn't go above 140 bpm, and swim some laps. I am allowed to lift up to 25 pounds, but I don't feel comfortable doing that since it uses some auxiliary muscles that I'm afraid to strain. Either way, it's A LOT less intense than it used to be...and that's taken some getting used to. In any case, I was walking on the treadmill yesterday, at a steady 3 miles an hour, and there was this skinny little something running her tail off on the treadmill next to me. I was trying not to look at her, but I couldn't help it because she was running really fast IN JEAN SHORTS with her LONG HAIR HANGING DOWN. Yeah, it wasn't even pulled back...anyway, about 2/3 of the way through my workout, the woman started waving at me and tapping my shoulder. I took out my headphones and she said, "How long do you walk for?" I told her that I'm limited in what I can do, but I try to get in at least 30 minutes or 2 miles. She smiled and said, "That's so great! I know so many pregnant women and they don't do any exercise. Heck, I know people who aren't pregnant that won't walk 30 minutes a day! Good for you!" I was SOO happy. I know you all know about the issues I've been having with my weight lately, and it felt nice to have someone encourage me in my efforts to stay healthy. I finished that part of my workout feeling invigorated.
Then...as I was heading to the pool, I ran into one of the trainers from the gym (Brandon) who I've always talked to. After being out of the country for the summer, and after not going to the gym for so long, it's literally been months since I've seen him. Actually, the last time I saw him was probably around May. He works weird hours so I rarely run into him. Anyhow, I saw him yesterday and he came running over to me and said, "Wow! Look at you!". I felt a bit embarrased, I'll admit, because I could remember how thin I was the last time he saw me, so I launched into this sob story about why he hasn't seen me in so long and how I wish I could work out more. He just laughed and said, "Stop worrying! It doesn't matter, it's not about you, it's about the baby! And anyway, once he's born you'll get back in here and lose all the weight you want! I'm so happy for you!". It was SOO nice. I left the gym feeling so refreshed, not just physically from the workout, but emotionally from those nice comments. Brandon is right, it is about little H. Claudia made that comment on here last week after I posted about my weight issues, and she was right too. I guess in the end if it means that little H is growing and healthy, who cares, right?
That's the real point: it's not just about me anymore. I guess I'm just learning lesson #1 in motherhood.

Our artificial Thanksgiving

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! H and I didn't really get to celebrate today because he is currently working "mole" (AKA nights only), and he basically slept all day. I woke up around 8:30 to meet him when he came in from working last night, we ate breakfast together, and then he went to sleep. I watched the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which I totally love, and was especially happy this year because it included David Archuleta. Love him!! Anyway, our "real" Thanksgiving celebration will be on Saturday, for which I have a lovely and extensive menu planned, but today we had a sort of prelude celebration. We told each other what we're thankful for and then went for a buffet dinner at Shoney's. Yeah, not your traditional Thanksgiving, but at least we got some ham and stuffing (the turkey was TERRIBLE!). I also forced H to take a family picture so I could post one on here, which also pretty much counts for my weekly picture this week since, once again, we've forgotten to take one. I'm looking pretty big, but trying to be positive after my freak out last week, thanks in large part to many of your kind and thoughtful comments about how great I look. That was really nice! Here's the picture:Soon we'll get to take our yearly Christmas picture as well, and I'm really excited about that. Anyway, even though we didn't have a real Thanksgiving today, I did spend a good amount of time reflecting on the things I'm thankful for this year. First, I'm thankful for my amazing husband who makes so many sacrifices and works so hard to show me how much he loves me. I'm such a lucky girl! I'm also thankful for my amazing family (and family-in-law), who has given me SO MUCH love and support during this pregnancy and before (during the miscarriages), and who has always been there for H and I whenever we needed. Finally, I'm SOO thankful for this precious new life that we're adding to our family. Last year on Thanksgiving I had my first miscarriage, and I never thought I could see things the same way again. I thought I would be stuck under that dark cloud for the rest of my life, but God has given us such a gift in little H, and brought us, especially me, safely through all of that sadness. What an incredible blessing! Oh, and speaking of little H, I've been promising some of you that I would put up a picture of the crib, even though it's not in it's final position yet. It's pretty much just pushed into a corner because we haven't moved H's desk to the new office yet, but it's still very beautiful and you should all get to see it. I especially love the finish on it, it looks great with those Shamrock Shake walls! Check it out, from two different angles:

It's pretty much unmade for now--I mean, it doesn't even have a mattress--but I couldn't contain myself once the box was in the house. I had to put it together, and I'm glad I did because it looks amazing. And, it's HUGE, by the way. I think I could sleep in there. :)

I also took a picture of the bookcases that we have in the nursery, just because I love them and I think they are so pretty. They are shelves that I built with my granfather a few years back, and I'm so excited that they get to be passed on to little H. Also, my grandfather is graciously making us some surprise art for the nursery, so that will go well with the bookshelves, I'm sure. Just a few other things I love: the adorable stuffed animal collection and the "Buenas Noches, Luna" book on the top, my favorite so far. It's precious in Spanish.

I love you all so much, and can't wait to share the miracle of little H's birth with you. You've been such a strength and support for us, even from far, and the only thing that makes me sad this Thanksgiving is the fact that we can't be with you all in person. For everything else, I'm eternally grateful.

I hope you all have a blessed, blessed day. :)

Social graces actually do matter

I've been having a lot of issues lately about this weight I'm gaining, which according to who you speak with is a lot or just as it should be. I guess all I should care about is my doctor, who says I am perfectly fine and within a healthy weight range, but his opinion seems to be the least important. I feel like a whale lately. I think it has something to do with the actual numbers on the scale these days: at my visit with Dr. Duff a month ago, the scale was showing numbers that I had seen before, when I was at my heaviest before I lost some weight. BUT, at this last visit, there were numbers I had never seen before, and I think that's started to freak me out. I've been trying to be REALLY good about eating the right stuff since my last visit, making sure to always eat some fruit with my meals and to always go for vegetables and lean meats. I've done pretty good, except for those random awful cravings for anything and everything sugary (especially cinnamon rolls, YUM!!). Anyway, I was shopping in Publix the other day and this (rather heavy) woman came over to me and says "Well, someone looks just a little pregnant!" I laughed politely and said "yes, I'm getting close". And then she proceeds to say "well back a few years ago when I was pregnant, my mom made me a shirt that said 'I'm not fat, I'm just pregnant'." She laughed and walked away, but I was NOT laughing. In fact, I was at the point of tears, I couldn't understand if she was hinting that I looked fat or trying to empathize with me. H swears that she was just trying to empathize but didn't do it very well. He thinks she was trying to say "I remember being that pregnant, and I remember feeling fat, so don't worry". Well, whatever, but whether she was trying to empathize or being totally inappropriate, I think I learned an important lesson: SOCIAL GRACES DO MATTER!
And I guess if you don't have them, what the heck are you going to do? I don't know what to tell you but I do know that it's better to shut your trap then to potentially offend someone...that would ALWAYS be the wise thing to do. Hopefully chunky grocery store worker girl will learn that soon...and some of my friends, for that matter.

No diabetes for me!!

I meant to post this earlier, but time is going quicker than I can hardly imagine. I mean really, it's already Thanksgiving this week! In any case, I had my three hour blood glucose test on Thursday, and as awful as it was (and it really was awful!), it all came back negative, meaning that I have no Gestational Diabetes! That's such good news and really took a lot of stress out of my life...I was so worried about how to handle that. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers about that situation, and please keep them coming. As of today, we are officially only 12 weeks away from meeting little H!! I can't even hardly believe it, but my dreams have been filled to the brim with worries about it all: what will he look like? will I be a good mom to him? how hard will it be to take care of him? will he cry a lot? how will the doggies do with him? Yeah, a lot of stuff to think about. I'm not really "freaking out" yet, but the reality that he's coming is really starting to sink in now...and I CAN'T WAIT!! :)

Little H's Christmas wish list

Just a quick note: if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the sidebar to the right, you'll notice that I've put up a wish list for little H. It only includes books, but that is one thing that I really want him to have an abundance of. The books are really great ones, and can be shipped directly to our house if you purchase them from the wish list. I'm not saying you have to, but little H would be very happy, I'm sure, to get some good books for Christmas. Or if you don't want to buy anything now, you can check out the list for "future reference". How cool is that!?!

OH YES, that's the beginning of a nursery you see!

My mom and Fred were generous enough to give me and H $300 towards the crib and changing table for our little H. We had originally planned on getting the crib from Ikea, but when we got there, we were NOT impressed by the crib (yes, we drove the whole 1 1/2 hours and bought nothing). In fact, it seemed to me that it should be in an orphanage or something. It was very flimsy and didn't have any of the important features I wanted, like a drop-side. In any case, we drove all the way back to Gville and headed to the Target to see if they had anything we might be interested in, and they did! I was so ready to carry that crib and changing table home with us, but they didn't have it in stock that day, and so I copped this ridiculous attitude with the poor kid at the register and just about threw out in the middle of the Target. It was really ridiculous, and I think I sort of embarassed H. Well, I came home rather disappointed, even though we were happy to see that we could spend $100 less at Target and still get a better crib, and then have some dinero left over to get a dresser for little H. Today I had to run some errands at the Target, and so just out of curiosity I asked if they had gotten any in stock, and they did!! I brought the crib and changing table home today and was itching to put them up. H lovingly dragged the big box for the changing table upstairs but he didn't have the time or energy to do the same for the crib box (he's on nights right now). I finally got to put together the changing table, and it looks great! I can't wait to get the crib up. Here are some pictures so you can see how great it looks, and it goes especially well with that Shamrock Shake. I took it from a couple of angles so you can get a good idea. Oh, and that mobile over to the left of the photo will eventually hang over the changing table...a "distraction" if you will.

I am SOOO excited to finally see it all coming together, and I think it's going to look really good. I love making a comfortable and cheerful home for little H, and can't wait to get it all in place. Weeee!!

Mommy updates

I had my monthly visit with the doctor today and got some good news about the progression of the pregnancy as well as some not-so-good-news about the possiblity of having gestational diabetes. I had a blood-glucose test this morning and it came back abnormal, so I have to go in again on Thursday for a three-hour test that I am not looking forward to. Dr. Duff told me that it was possible that even though I had an abnormal result today, everything is okay, and that is what I am hoping for. As far as the other stuff, my uterus is measuring 28 centimeters, which is pretty much right on target since I am now about halfway through my 28th week. My blood pressure was normal as well, and little H's heartbeat was good and strong, as usual. I've decided not to talk about my weight because it's starting to freak me out a bit, but I will say that Dr. Duff assured me that it's normal and healthy, and that I'm not over where I should be. Either way, it's getting tougher to watch the numbers climb on the scale...oh well, nothing to do about it now. I know how slack we've been about putting up weekly pictures so H forced me to take one today. I'm not wearing the typical outfit because I was dressed for my day, but it's a picture anyway. I'm also including another picture that I snapped myself last week (at about 26 1/2 weeks), just for some perspective. Regardless, it's pretty obvious that I'm getting VERY large. I guess it doesn't matter if little H is happy and healthy, and I'm sure I'll forget it when he gets here. Here's the 26 1/2 week picture, with clothed belly:

And here's the "weekly" picture, which is now turning into more of a "monthly" picture instead (at 27 weeks and 2 days):

I've also finally found it in me to suck up all the nervousness and make it to the gym, and I went for a 1.5 mile brisk walk on the treadmill and swam a bunch of laps in the pool last week. It felt GREAT and I really do wish I had kept it up during the whole pregnancy. The water was especially nice and it relieved so much pressure on my lower back and feet. It was amazing, and I really think I'll keep it up. I feel sort of guilty for not continuing that exercise before, but I was so nervous about hurting something...oh well, Dr. Duff told me that it's never too late, and good thing he said that, because the exercise felt great. I can't wait until little H is here and I can really get back in there and do some HARD aerobics! Please keep us both in your thoughts and prayers, especially about this gestational diabetes thing...only a few short weeks to go!! :)

Shamrock shake

We FINALLY painted the nursery this weekend, which was a very exciting task that I had been waiting MONTHS (literally) to complete. Although we had decided on a very (what I perceived to be) neutral green and yellow pastel for little H's room, the colors came out much more vibrant than I had imagined they would be. In fact, H referred to the green color as "shamrock shake, you know, like they make at McDonald's". And, truth be told, it was pretty bright green, almost flourescent I would say...well, in the can at least. I think it was just shocking to me since every room in our house now is painted a neutral color, and these colors are so cool. But, then again, it is a baby's room, and he should have some color. We used some no-VOC paint and I think that is what affected the color quality, but now that I've seen it for a few days, especially in the sunlight, I really do like it. We painted two walls green and two yellow. It looks adorable, and I think little H will really love it. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy (as H is in the picture itself):

And here's what it looks like with that great bubble light turned on:

We're finally on our way to having a REAL nursery...all we need is the crib and some other baby furniture, which we will hopefully be getting in the next few weeks. YAY!!

Dad Tips

Even though I am now furnished with a wealth of pregnancy books (most of which I don't even like), my favorite is one that was provided to me for free by our insurance company, called "Your Pregnancy Week by Week". It's nice to read something new every week as opposed to poring over all of the ridiculous possiblities that come with pregnancy. The other books I have just go through lists and lists of all of the possible complications that come from pregnancy, and it ends up being totally not worth it to read them, since all they do is freak me out. In any case, one of my favorite things about the afore-mentioned book is that it has a "Dad Tip" every week, and even though H is honestly one of the best husbands that has ever lived when it comes to taking care of his pregnant wife (and pretty much anything else for that matter), I still force him to read the tips. I like him to be part of the book reading as much as he can, I guess. This week the tip had something to do with Dad taking over chores that might be difficult for Mom, like sweeping and mopping and cleaning the bathtub. Now, the truth must be told that my bathroom was in a shameful state. I'm embarassed to even admit it, but the bathroom has only been cleaned twice since I've been pregnant, and one of those times was done by H. I've been so terrified of bending over or of using cleaning products that I've seriously shyed away from any bathroom duties...and, again I have to admit, it's been a bit convenient for me. In any case, all of this blah-blah has a point: last night H lovingly cleaned my bathroom for me, just as the Dad Tip suggested, and he never said a word of complaint. That's how amazing he is. He did, however, harshly admonish me for the awful state of my bathroom, but I guess I just deserve that. What an amazing, incredible, and loving husband I have!! And boy, I can't wait to see him as Daddy!!

Remodeling, aka Demolding

This past week we've had the interesting experience of having to live with no kitchen, since we were in the process of getting it remodeled. Of course, when we bought the house we had really no intention of redoing the kitchen (which was never perfect, but good enough to not need a redo), but unfortunately due to some leaks, our base cabinets started to warp and it forced us to change them out. I was excited about the new kitchen, but also a little resentful that we would have to spend money that we didn't plan on spending when we bought the house....until we saw what was hiding from us. When the contractor (who was EXCELLENT, by the way) pulled out our cabinets, it turned out that the walls were literally COVERED in mold. I can't even believe that we've been living with that stuff in our house for the last year, and I can't tell you all how excited I am that it's gone before little H gets here. Here are some pictures, so you can see the actual damage, which was extensive. This is the corner of the wall, which was basically an empty space:

And here's the full wall:
As you can imagine, our house smelled VERY badly, and it suddenly dawned on me that the musty smell that I have not been able to clean out of the house since we bought it was not to be blamed on the dogs, but rather on this nasty mold. And the great thing is that now that smell is TOTALLY gone, it's made such a huge difference in the air quality. Oh, and not only was the sheetrock molded, but the insulation and the studs, which also all had to be ripped out, leaving us with block walls in our kitchen for one night, which led us to the next interesting discovery:Yes, you're seeing right, that's a beer can that has been MORTARED into the block wall. Hmm, wonder what the guys who built this place were doing on the job? Anyway, the good news is that it's all done and it looks AMAZING, even though the cabinets still need to be painted, handles and knobs still need to be put on, and we still need to run the hardwood floors into the kitchen. Really none of that matters for now, since that SMELL is finally gone. Here are some before and after pictures of our kitchen. Here are the before pictures:

And the afters:

SOOO much better, right?!? I guess it's just one of the many steps we're taking to make our house a safer and better place for little H...if only he knew. :)

Past the point of no return

Why "the point of no return", you say? Well, because I finally made it to the 24 week mark (last week, actually)!!! What that means is that little H is actually viable outside of the womb! Not only that, but I'm FINALLY into my last trimester!! Although he might struggle a bit with underdeveloped lungs and other organs, if something outrageous happened that caused me to go into premature labor, little H could be born and survive. How incredible is that?!? I've been feeling him move A LOT lately, and I can tell that he's getting bigger and bigger by the day. In fact, I love it when he moves because it reminds me that he's there and also, I feel, is helping me "bond" with him a bit. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like just feeling him move is giving me a window into his personality and is beginning the bonding process between us. I love it! He's very active, in fact, and even big H has felt him move on numerous occasions, which are becoming more and more frequent by the day. I can't tell all of you how grateful I am for your thoughts and prayers, and please keep them coming, just a few more months and we'll all have the amazing opportunity to give little H all the kisses we want!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Oh, and even though I've been pretty slack with the weekly pics (sorry!!), here's me at 24 weeks...QUITE different than 21, right?!? And the best news of all...STILL NO STRETCH MARKS!! :)

The return home

I've been really lazy lately (no other good excuse), so it's taken me a while to get this post up. In any case, I had the chance to visit my family in Augusta a few weeks ago, and I wanted to put up some pictures from that visit. It was such a good visit, and it made me so happy to get to "show off" my pregnant belly. I also got my hair cut, and it was WAY PAST TIME for that to happen, so I feel a bit more like myself again. I enjoyed seeing family, and even though I contracted some ridiculously painful upper respiratory infection and was confined to the house for two days straight, it was totally worth it to get to see my Dad and Lillie and all of my brothers, as well as some other good friends and family along the way (MKB, Krischan, Father John, Bethany and Conor, among others). I also got to have lunch with my Mom, which was extra special since she doesn't live in Augusta. Here are some pics I hope you enjoy. (Oh, and please keep in mind that I was suffering from some severe respiratory issues, so my face and nose, and everything else, appears swollen.)
This one is from the Japanese restaurant we visited for my dad's birthday...it's a Dad/daughter moment:And here's us all together, me, Dad, and the boys:

And lastly, here's me and Bethany, my step-niece, after our yummy breakfast at Waffle House...we were both apparently striking a pose :)

All in all, it was a really good time. In spite of my crazy nasal/chest issues, I got to make some homemade pizza with Beth and Conor, I got to take my dad and Jarett (my brother) to dinner for their birthdays, and I got to spend some good quality time with my family. Still, the title of this post is a bit ironic, because the truth is that I felt more like I was returning home when I was driving back here to Gville than I did upon the return to Augusta. We all know the saying "home is where the heart is", and I guess that since my heart is always with H, for me the saying should be more like "home is where H is"...and soon, that H can be squared. :)