Pictures

I did a project today. I strung about 6 feet of thick string (somewhat like clothes line) along Benton's wall. I then clothes pinned pictures of Paul to the string. So now there are bunches of pictures of Paul hanging in Benton's room. I just want to make sure he recognizes his Daddy. It's really cute, too.

Things have been going good lately. Benton's been doing cartwheels in my belly on a regular basis before bed. I usually wake up around 3 am for no reason. Rolling over in bed's become a chore. I snuggle with pillows on either side of me all night. I'm ready to pop this kid out. But I don't think it's from being pregnant, because I'm really not that uncomfortable. The waiting is what's killing me. Time seems to have slowed down.

Oh, I also got Benton's baby book the other day. It's kind of like a scrap book. I also got a little plastic box to put his first birthday cards in, and Christmas cards, ultrasound photos, and other stuff. It's tucked away in his closet.

I also finally got a mattress for the crib. Now I have the crib put together and ready to go. The very last thing I need/want is a glider. I'm working on it, though. For some reason I'm hesitant on getting one. Paul doesn't think I'll use it. I do. I'd like to be able to rock him (and myself) to sleep. Especially while breastfeeding.

I have to now squish the car seat in the car instead of the truck. The truck is inoperable right now. So we're compacting things down. It's a pain but there's nothing I can do about it until the truck gets fixed.

Grandma Betty will be arriving on the 27th. Grandma and Grandpa Aspedon will also be coming around that time, too. It'll be nice having some help. I just have to get the office cleaned out and the bed made.

I also got an exercise ball the other day. They're not as expensive as I thought they'd be. It was only $10 at Target. I've sat on it a couple times. I really haven't been home so I haven't been able to use it much. It's pretty comfy, though. I did a little bouncing on it last night.

Well, 30 days are left of this pregnancy. I can't wait. I'm so excited. It's all I can talk about and I'm sure people are getting annoyed. Sometimes I annoy myself. But I'm proud to be a soon-to-be mommy. I'm definitely looking forward to all the joys and struggles of parenthood.

Oh, also....

I know it's been a while, but here's a new belly picture. It was taken a week ago, at 33 weeks 5 days.



When the time comes....

Paul and I had a discussion yesterday about what will happen leading up to and during Benton's birth. As we all know, he is currently deployed and will be unable to return home for the birth.

First off, what if Benton doesn't decide to turn his little butt around and is breech? At my appointment the other day, I asked the doctor about them manually turning him. He explained how they will give me a medication to make my uterus soft. I will be hooked up to machines to monitor how well the baby is tolerating the turning. The worse that could happen, either way, is I will need a c-section. Originally, we didn't want to turn him. If he was going to be breech we were just going to leave him that way. But then we got to talking and thinking about it. Since Paul won't be here, it will be a million times harder for me to care for a newborn alone when I'm unable to move around. I've had surgery before (to remove the teratoma, remember?) and I was out of it for a few days. And if mom and dad are helping me, they'll have even more of a chore that I don't want to burden them with. So we decided, if we need to, we will try to turn Benton to avoid having a c-section. So hopefully the little turd turns!

We also discussed what would happen regarding notifying Paul about labor and delivery. The decision? First off, let me say that I have no way of contacting Paul. I have to wait for him to message me on Yahoo messenger or call me. So...... If I am in labor and Paul happens to call/IM me, cool. We'll let him know what's going on so he can stay on the phone with me or webcam (his commander already okayed it for him to take the time to "be with me" and so did my doctor.) If he doesn't get a hold of me during labor, there will be no attempt made to contact him (i.e. calling Red Cross to send a message). We both know how he will stress out about what's going on, freak out on the doctors, and potentially distract him from a mission he's in the middle of. But no one will know about the birth until he does, even if it takes a week for us to talk to each other.

Yes, that's right. I could be potentially torturing myself, but no one (not even family, friends, or the world of Facebook) will know of the birth and see the baby until Paul does.

So basically, all it boils down do is Paul will contact me. I will make no effort to contact him. That's what we both decided on and think is best. My dad's already got the video camera charging to we can film it.

Mobile

Benton's mobile arrived by FedEx yesterday and I put it up in his room. I put it above his changing table since he won't be sleeping in his crib for a while. It's really cute. The pig on it keeps making me mad, though because he keeps bumping the arm and stopping it from spinning. Oh, well. I like it alot.

Mom came up with a good idea of stringing some string on the wall and getting some clothes pins and kind of doing a decorative yet changeable picture holder with tons of pictures of Paul. So that may just be my next project.

I finally had my last boring doctor's appointment today. In two weeks I go back and get to start getting my cervix checked. Yay! I can't wait to have an appointment that doesn't feel pointless for once.

I thought I was having contractions the other day. Very very mild ones, though. I just waited them out and they went away. It kind of felt like this achiness in my back that would then go to my abdomen and my belly would get hard when my abdomen started hurting. It wasn't anything major. Heck, I can't even walk around the house now without having Braxton Hicks contractions. I literally feel like I'm carry a rock solid bowling ball everywhere.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm still loving being pregnant. I wouldn't change it for the world.

6 more weeks left!

Daddy's Gone

Well, little man, it's just me and you for now. Daddy left today. I can honestly say that today was the longest and possibly hardest day of my life. I cried quite a bit throughout the day, before he left. Around 4ish, he and I spent a little time together and got to talk for a few minutes. We kissed. I'll never forget it. Then they walked out to the shuttle busses with their carry-on bags and guns. I stood outside and watched them load up. I cried a tear here and there. And then the busses pulled off. And I lost it.

I can't wait for him to come home to hold and see you. You'll be a few months old the first time you meet. But always remember that he's loved you since before you were born.

So I'm going to do my best to keep you two in touch. With videos and pictures and everything in between. But for now, it's just you and me.

One year left until Daddy's home!

Nesting

Holy freaking cow! I can't stop doing stuff! And it's not towards the front of the house (dining room, living room, kitchen) like normal. The baby's room is spotless. The guest bedroom/office is spotless, new bedding put on, furniture rearranged, window treatment put up, closet organized. Our bedroom has new blinds and a valance. New bedding. Completely rearranged. I even wiped down the walls and some of the baseboards on both bedrooms. Holy hell, what is wrong with me?!?!?!

Tomorrow I'm going to tackle finishing up our bedroom and then the bathroom and then the kitchen.

CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN!

Labor Predictions

So I'm absolutely bored, it's almost 2:30 am and I can't sleep. I've ran out of things to look at on the internet. So I thought I'd write. The topic? You guessed it! What I predict my labor will be like.

Well, first off, considering that Paul deploys this weekend, I know I will be stressed, depressed, upset, overwhelmed, and a million other emotions in one. With that being said, I think I will go into labor early. Not too early. Just a few days, say 3 or 4. January 27th. Which that won't be too bad. BUT! I think Benton will be breech (as he is now, with his big head in my right ribcage). Therefore, I forsee myself having a c-section or complicated delivery.

How do I know? I don't. I just have a gut feeling. I hope everything goes picture-perfect. But we all know reality can suck (sorry to be such a Debbie Downer) so I'm just changing my expectations a little.

And that birth plan? I'm not having one. I still want au naturel. 100%. But again, I'm going to brace myself for anything that can happen. I just have to be more aware and less passive about things that are going on around me. And let mom and dad know, too, so they can make decisions if I can't.

Now that we've got that out the way, I need to mention one more thing. I can't stop drooling at night. And I get tired more like in my first trimester. And I still click the computer buttons when I bend forward. And my chin hair won't stop growing!

*GASP!* I so totally forgot to write about my ultrasound on the 7th. It went pretty good. Got one picture out of the deal. I only got to see the screen for a brief minute. Paul got to see the whole thing. Benton's still measuring large. How large? I'm not sure. The doctor was kind of in a crabby mood. Oh, and he was moved to his new office right next to the hospital. It was perdy!!!!

Nursery

Benton's room is about 90% done and I love it!

The storage unit in the closet and wall shelf were given to us by my parents. They look awesome in the room and give it that extra "touch". Thank you mom and dad! We love it!

We went shopping!

Yesterday Paul and I finally went baby shopping on our own. It was fun yet very exhausting. We got some great deals.

We first stopped at one baby consignment store in town. They didn't have anything we liked. So we went to the other consignment shop, Storkdaddy's. Paul picked out a few rattler and teething toys. I also got him 3 or 4 sleep sacks. He's got pajamas sized 3 months and up. Poor little guy had nothing to sleep in for now! He also got a camo bodysuit. We spent about $30 there.

Then we went to one of the Goodwill stores here in town. We picked up 2 bookends for his shelf, an activity mat, wipes warmer, about 5 books, and a few other things for another $30.

And last came Target. Eeek! We got quite a bit, though. Curtains. Sheets. Bottles. Receiving blankets. Lamp. Totes. A couple "daddy" outfits. Matress pad. And some other stuff for about $130.

All in all, I say we did pretty darn good yesterday. Paul still has to put up my shelf so I can get things set on it and organized. I'll be using the original farm bumper I purchased at the Goodwill a while back. I got a yellow curtain to match the fence. I might get a red bedskirt to match the barn.

Oh, and before he and I went shopping together, I got the rest of the stuff for my hospital bag at HEB yesterday. I am completely packed and ready to go except for bras, cell phone, laptop, and change for the vending machines.

So, I've got pretty much everything I need. I eliminated 90% of the stuff on my registry to help me keep track of what is left to buy. Basically the main thing to get is the crib matress. I kind of want a glider but I don't know yet. I'll keep my eye out on Craigslist for that.

The nursery is almost done! Yay!

Baby Shower

This past Saturday, December 4th, was my baby shower. It was at grandma's house. I can honestly say, I had a blast. There were 15 of us and it was great to have lots of laughter and fun. Paul and I were very blessed with gracious gifts from family and friends. Thank you!

The games were lots of fun. In the first game, everyone had to guess how many Mike and Ikes were in a small baby bottle. 99 in all. I think the closest guess was 92. The next game was the TP game. Everyone had to guess how many TP squares around I was. Paul's grandma won. She was about 1/4 sheet over. Others were a whole roll over and some didn't even go halfway around my belly. It was hilarious! And the last game was 3 people had to drink apple juice from a baby bottle (9 oz). Paul, Charlsie, and Carol K. were the drinkers. It was very hard for them to do and I don't think anyone finished their juice without cheating. But Paul won because he could chug the juice the fastest (of course they took the nipples off).

Grandma got 30 cupcakes and a mini cake. Quite a few of the cupcakes were eaten. We got to take a few home. Paul and Charlsie hung balloons and a sign at the end of the driveway. And Aunt Cathy helped hang balloons downstairs.

From start to finish, the shower was awesome. Again, thank you to eveyone who helped and everyone who came. I loved it.

Swelling and Travel Systems

I forgot to update about the Braxton Hicks contractions. Well, I waited them out that night and they eventually went away after a couple hours. The next night they came at the same pace for a couple hours and then went away. Then nothing after that. So no hospital visit. Just an overly-worried me, as always.

On to the next topic: Swelling. Over the past couple days my ankles have been swelling. Nothing major but enough to get on my nerves. I've been drinking only water to try to help it. And when I sit my feet are up. So hopefully it will subside. Or at least not get any worse.

Yesterday and the evening before, Aunt Cathy took Paul and I shopping for a car seat and stroller set. You would have thought we were buying a house!!! I can honestly say, Paul really and truly cares about what our baby will be sitting in and how it will be used. The first evening we looked, we went to Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart. We couldn't settle on anything we liked. It either didn't have enough cup holders, or the seat didn't sit in it right, or it was hard to fold up. So the next day we went to Babies R Us. We looked at travel system after travel system. We finally found two systems (the same kind only with a couple differences) that we really liked. One was black and green and one was brown with safari animals. I really loved the black and green one but Cathy brought up a really good point: when the baby spits up or the car seat brushes against a dirty vehicle, the mess will be really visible. And also, since we live in Texas, the black will retain the heat the most. So after much deliberation, and test driving it through the store, we decided to get the safari print one. It's very cute, has a micro-fiber feeling to it, nice stitching and is really easy for me to fold/unfold and carry. And I (Paul, too) just want to say Thank you sooooo much! We are very, very grateful for this gift.

 

My swollen ankles.

Somewhere in the 31 week mark.

 

Braxton Hicks Contractions

Last night I was having Braxton Hicks contractions. They seemed to be coming about every 2 1/2 minutes around 30 seconds each. I kept feeling them at Paul's aunt's house and didn't think anything of it. Then we were driving back to my grandparent's house and I was keeping track. I kept track at the house, also. They've gone away from what I can tell. They weren't painful. But they were happening more frequently than they should have. I've been drinking only water and orange juice the past few days so it's not like I haven't been keeping hydrated. And I haven't been doing anything strenuous. I'm going to keep an eye on it today and see what happens. If they're happening frequently again today, I may go to the hospital in Nebraska City just to get checked up on.

Until then, I'm going to sit here and enjoy my little chunker doing rolly-pollies in my tummy. His head has finally made its way to my ribs. His frequent kicks have slowed to less but bigger blows. He's run out of room so every time he moves, it looks like I have an alien trying to come out through my belly button. But I love it. I may get uncomfortable at times because of his big head, but I love it.

What's Happening?

So one of the main reasons I switched from a Walmart registry to a Target registry was because Target has farm-themed stuff like crazy. The bedding they have is called How Now Brown Cow by Fisher Price. And I'm starting to worry that they're going to discontinue it. Because I'm crazy, I edit my registry every day (Don't ask. It's a long story.) One day a How Now Brown Cow bedding items is available. The next it is out of stock. Then another item is out of stock for a couple days. Then they're both available again. Well, right now all of the bedding items are out of stock. From valance, to sheets, to dust ruffle, to mobile. I think I'm seriously about to get my heart broken. And of course you can't just buy it off Fisher Price's website. That would be too easy.

I'm absolutely in love with the bedding and this is absolutely driving me nuts. I guess I'll have to wait and see. *sigh*

Aaaah!

I feel so overwhelmed right now. Part of it is baby, part of it is getting ready to go to Iowa for vacation. I think it's understandable what is sressful about vacation. But the baby? Ugh!

First off, time is just dragging by waiting for him to get here. I have been part of a forum since week 8 that is for women pregnant and due in January 2011. I get so anxious seeing most of them talking about the baby dropping and how they have only a few weeks left. It's making me so anxious reading all their posts!

Second, there's still so much stuff I need to get for the baby but I can't get it right now. And I want sooooo bad to start finishing his room. I want to organize, organize, organize. And decorate. And get everything ready. But we have to pay for our vacation first. It's killing me knowing there's so much I still need to do but I can't do it!

Time is going by too slow. I know, when he's born, I'll probably be like, "Oh my! That was a quick pregnancy!" But right now, all I want to do is hold him. A part of me wishes he would arrive a couple weeks early but at the same time I don't because it's best if he "cooks" as long as possible. I jokingly told Paul earlier, "That would be cool if he was born while we were in Iowa!" But then, back to what I just said, he's not done "cooking" yet and plus Mom and Dad wouldn't be there. Other than that, it's a fun thought!

10 1/2 weeks left!

Glucose Results

I passed my glucose test. Woo hoo!

Holy Diaper Heaven!!

Birthing classes are finally over. Dad went with me to class 1, Mom to class 2, and Paul to class 3 (which was tonight). I enjoyed all 3 classes. They were pretty fun! And we also got to tour labor and delivery since we won't make it to the fourth class. Metroplex is pretty nice.

Speaking of Metroplex. THANK YOU! They had too many free Huggies diaper gift packs to give away so we got 18 gift boxes tonight. Metroplex just supplied us with 180 newborn diapers, 288 wipes, and 18 disposable changing pads. In the picture below, everything on the right (top and bottom) is from those gift packs. The entire top row is just the Huggies newborn diapers I have. The bottom row is all the wipes we have and the changing pads.

Since I was counting diapers and wipes, I figured I'd count up what we had total. Here are the numbers:

Newborn: 314

1: 315

2: 208

3: 160

4: 108

Wipes: 1349

That's 1105 diapers!!! Woo hoo!

And with Benton using around 10 diapers a day when he's born, hopefully those will last us a solid month. Oh, joy! I don't have to worry about diapers so soon! Yay!

But yeah, that was my good news for the day. Now bask in all my Huggies and wipes gloriness!!!!! LOL

And P.S. He better be a Huggies baby! :-)

The Beautiful Blimp

Long story short:

"beautiful~blimp"

It is now my signature on my text messages. Why? First off, let me say that I brought it on myself.


It all started when I kept telling Paul "I'm a blimp" every time I felt fat. So he thought it was okay to call me a blimp. Then I'd get mad because he'd say that. Then he'd go "But baby, you're a beautiful blimp." So every time I feel huge, he calls me a beautiful blimp. It doesn't really get on my nerves anymore like it did before. It's kind of fun to laugh at, actually.






So now I am the Beautiful Blimp.



Baby Shower

Yay! I'm so excited! My family back home will be throwing me a baby shower! Woo hoo! They made invitations today. I asked grandma to save me one so I could put it in Benton's baby book. Eeeeek! I'm ecstatic! I hope we get a good turnout, mainly because I just absolutely love being around family - Paul's and mine. There's nothing like being with people you love. Seriously.

Now that I'm done being mushy.....

It's on December 4th at 2:30 pm at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We leave to head back here to Texas the next day. It'll be cool getting to see everyone one last time before we leave and while we're still "child-less".

Jeeze, I feel weird thinking about that. I'm gonna have a baby next time I go back home. Me. My kid.

If you haven't figured it out, I don't think it's quite sunk in that I will be a mother. Holy hell, that makes me want to cry. I'm gonna be a mommy! I'm gonna have a baby!

*deep breath*

Okay.

Back to my point. Baby shower. I'm so excited and can't wait. I feel truly blessed and VERY thankful that my family offered to do this for me. I don't know if I can say thank you enough times.

Thank you! I love you all!

Hospitals (part 2)

I talked to mom last night about the dilemma Paul and I are having regarding the hospitals. She brought up some good points.

1) I've had 2 ultrasounds and neither of those doctors or my regular doctor think there is any cause for concern or any cause for me to be high risk.

2) If they thought the medicine is causing problems, they would have taken me off of it by now.

3) I'm being a worry wart.

I agree with her on everything. She helped me understand that things will be okay. And if I still feel the same when I go into labor, there's no hurt in driving to Temple. So at least for now, the plan is still to go to Metroplex.

I've always wanted maternity pictures taken. I have pictures but they're all of me standing in front of the mirror taking the picture myself with my phone. And I'd really like pictures with Paul before he gets deployed. I asked mom last night if she'd take pictures for us and she said yes. I'm so excited! She has a really good camera that takes awesome pictures. Then I can just take the ones we like and have them printed off somewhere. I can't wait!

Glucose and Hospitals

I nearly died today! Okay, maybe not, but still. I had to take my glucose test today (should have results in a week). I couldn't eat after 1. Then I had to drink that nasty drink at 3. It tasted like a melted pop-ice. Yuck!!!! I hope the results come back okay.

On a completely different and more serious note...

I'm on the fence about which hospital to go to. Scott and White or Metroplex? Originally the decision was dead-set for Metroplex. It's only a 20 minute drive across town. Scott and White is a good 45 minutes away in Temple. The distance played a big factor in where I was going. But, now that I think about it, I don't think Metroplex has a NICU. Granted, I still need to ask and do my research, but I want to have a NICU when Benton is born. Why? First off, we opted out of all the down syndrome screenings and other tests. So we have no clue if he'll have any of that. Second, what if he has some condition caused by my medicine? What if we couldn't tell it on the ultrasound but when he's born, he needs some kind of help? I'd rather be where there is excellent care rather than having to transport him. I know deep down in my heart that nothing will be wrong, but at the same time, I want to be prepared.

I hate to stress myself out over this but this is something I really need to think about. Should I even worry? My baby's health is more important than an uncomfortable ride to the hospital.

Target Registry

I did it again. But this time I really like my decision.

I changed the entire registry from Walmart to Target. With the Walmart registry, I was able to pick out items that were okay to my liking. Well, I was hearing about getting discounts on items off your Target registry after baby was born, so I figured I'd make two identical registries. I got to looking on Target's website and they have barnyard themed stuff like CRAZY!!!!!!!! So, of course, I had to change everything over. I love all my selections I made. And everything is priced very well. So, officially, it is a Target registry now. I deleted the Walmart one entirely.

https://www.target.com/registry/baby/NJMK4LUAKMY3

Third Trimester

Today officially marks the beginning of the third trimester. 7 months. 28 weeks. Approximately 84 days to go. Woooooo hoooo! I get more and more excited every day thinking about Benton - seeing him for the first time, bringing him home, snuggling and bonding with him. I can't wait!

Speaking of bonding: Last night Paul and I were laying on the couch watching a movie. Benton started moving around pretty good so I put Paul's hand on my belly to feel it. Benton kept moving but not as crazy as he just was. So, of course, Paul starts poking at my belly really hard to get a reaction out of him. All of a sudden Benton gave 4 or 5 HUGE thumps against Paul's hand. It was so hilarious. Paul pissed him off.

I'm starting to notice a growth pattern in me and the baby. First of all, in the morning I look small because Benton seems to be laying somewhat flat inside me. By the end of the day he drops all the way down to my pubic bone (which is VERY uncomfortable by the way) and I look and feel like a whale. Another thing I've noticed is my hips. Every few weeks my hips hurt so bad that I can't do anything to alleviate the pain but wait it out. They ache so bad. Then to my wonder, my belly gets larger a day or two afterwards. My hips were KILLING me all day yesterday. Now I'm waiting to add more shirts to my collection of "unwearables."

Paul and I are going to go buy me a huge container of Tums today. I had about one and a hlaf mini travel-sized rolls that lasted me all the way up until last night. But the past few nights, when I lay down to sleep, I get severe heartburn and have to sleep inclined so I can tolerate it.

My drooling at night has increased. I think I mentioned it, but I'll mention it again. I drool. A lot. I'm surprised I haven't drowned on my own pillow yet. Haha!

And with my extra saliva, oddly, comes and extremely dry mouth and throat in the morning. I sound like I have a cold and feel like I smoked a whole pack of cigarettes when I wake up each morning. After an hour and eating or drinking something it goes away. But it's still sucky.

I've loved every part of my pregnancy so far and don't expect that to change. I haven't had a single moment where I've thought, "AAAH! Can this be over yet?!" I'm enjoying every second of it. I have been truly blessed with the miracle of life and I will embrace each and every moment, just as I have.

Registry

I have declared myself officially done creating the baby registry. It was made at Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=86181440199). After much debate about decor and safety and prices and yadda yadda yadda, I have finally made up my mind.

The over-all decor theme is still Western. The main color is brown. Anything metallic is steel/chrome/silver/etc. I'm not going to use the bumper I picked. I will be using a brown breathable bumper with either brown or white sheets and I will have to find a brown bed skirt somewhere else (Walmart doesn't have them in brown). The mobile will be horses. The blankets will be a wide array of blankets, from homemade to store-bought. The curtain will be two brown shower curtains (for some reason I like shower curtains better than real curtains) with silver curtain hooks on a pre-existing black curtain rod. I picked out a green changing pad cover, however, just because I can. And of course, Benton's name is in brown and white on the wall and his initials are in brown on the door.

Other items on the registry are either general "boy colors" or Winnie the Pooh. It's a weird mish-mash but I like it.

Now that I've finished explaining our registry, I have more good news.

I started packing my hospital bag today and I got Benton's coming home outfit.



His outfit is the exact same except it's just the top, pants, and hat. They only had the 3-piece set in the store at Target. Either way, he'll just wear whatever onesie the hospital puts him in. I'll put this outfit over his onesie, tuck him in the car seat, and cover him in his cow-print blanket. OOOOOOH! I'M SO EXCITED!

Belly

27w3d

Bumper

I've been looking at baby things lately to see what else I need for the nursery. I'm still looking at bedding options simply just because I can. I absolutely love my crib bumper that I found at the Goodwill a few weeks ago. BUT...... with a bumper the risk of SIDS increases. The baby can roll over and suffocate if he puts his face up to it. But the bumper helps to keep the baby from getting stuck in the crib slats. They have these somewhat unattractive yet practical bumpers now - breathable bumpers. It's made of this mesh material that also collapses so the baby can't use it to climb out of the crib. So as much as I love my bumper, I'm going to get a breathable bumper. Gotta keep my little guy safe! Maybe it'll look okay if I squish my current bumper in between the matress and bed rail. Or maybe I can hang it somehwere else in the room. Hmmm.....

First Class

Last night was the first birthing class. Dad went with me. It was pretty fun. The teacher (which unfortunately was only teaching last night's class and not the rest), Michelle, was a blast. We had quite a few laughs. We went over how big the baby might be, how long labor can last, what kind of paperwork we'll be filling out, what to bring to the hospital, how our birth partner will help, and some other stuff. I even got a back rub from Dad. Hahaha! The class was supposed to be from 7-9 and it kind of went over until 9:41. Oh well. I got to learn alot and look forward to the next class.

It's Disappearing

I discovered something last night before I went to bed: My belly button is starting to disappear. It looks half the size of what it did before. It's neat because it helps me realize that I'm not fat, I'M PREGNANT!

I'd take a picture of it but you can't tell the difference. It still looks like a belly button in pictures. That, and my belly needs shaved. Can we say "HAIRY"?

Birthing Classes

I finally got my birthing class scheduled. It's the next four Mondays (November 1, 8, 15, & 22) from 7-9. I don't know who's going with me. Either Paul or Dad. Whoever isn't busy, I guess.

27 Weeks

Today marks the beginning of 27 weeks. The last week of trimester number two. Woo hoo!

I finally was able to buy myself a couple pairs of jeans. The one pair of maternity pants I bought was capris. It's starting to get colder outside and we'll be going to Iowa in a few weeks so I thought it was time to buy some jeans to cover my ankles. My old jeans are too tight anymore to wear. My last pair of jeans that could were buttonable are no longer able to button. I have to wear a hair tie around the button.

I also bought two baby blankets today. Very soft. A brown one and a green one. Time's running out and I'm slowly getting more stuff for Benton. It's all so overwhelming on what to get. I really need to start saving money to get the big stuff (stroller, car seat, etc) instead of buying all this little stuff. Ugh! Stress.

And last but not least, one more pregnancy symptom that I've noticed. I drool. I drooled before but not like I do now. I wake up and my pillow is soaked. Definitely going to have to buy pillow protectors.

Braxton Hicks

Today I have done absolutely nothing but contract. I've officially begun to notice Braxton Hicks contractions. They don't hurt at all. But all day I've been feeling my belly tighten up and I get somewhat uncomfortable. They come at what seems to be a regular pace (the exact pace I don't know because I'm not keeping track) and far apart. I'm not worried at all but it is definitely something new to me.

Diaper Party

Today we had our diaper party. It was really quite fun! I enjoyed getting to spend time with the people closest to me. It was Paul and I, Joe and Rebecca, Mom and Dad, the Grewicks, and the Jenns. Later on Bernice, her daughter, and Keyshia showed up to visit. We got tons of diapers and baby wipes. It'll definitely put us off to a good start. The cake was extremely yummy. Paul and I fought over the icing, a) because it was good, and b) because it turns your mouth blue.

The Grewicks won the raffle. The prize was a coupon book with coupons for a lawn mowing, car wash, redbox rental, and a couple other things.

Joe won the poker tournament. He won bragging rights.

It was a very fun day. Even though people didn't show up when they said they would, we still made the most of it.

Secret Project

I took the horse shoe shaped cake pan back to Hobby Lobby today. It was awesome but at the same time, since I'm so stressed about having people over Sunday, I don't want to make a cake on top of everything else I need to do. So I will be buying a cake from HEB.

Which brings me to my next point: I completed a secret project today. While I was at Hobby Lobby, I couldn't resist looking around. I've always wanted to put my baby's name on his or her wall. So I found some stencils and paint and kept myself occupied for a good couple hours today. It'll be right above his crib. It's brown on bottom faded to white on top. I'm contemplating whether or not to outline it in black. The edges are kind of rough looking but then again, it's got the rustic feel to it. So I don't know. But it was nice to have a little fun project to do for once. And it checked one more thing off my baby to-do list.

And in my process of being miserable yesterday, I deleted the baby guessing game. It was just one more thing for me to keep track of.

And, as always, another belly picture. I got bored laying in bed last night so I took some pictures.

25w3d

Blowing Off Steam

I need to vent. Bad.

So I decided we should have a diaper party. Me. No one else. I was going to throw one for just Paul and the guys but figured it would be more fun if me and my -2 friends could come, too. So we're having a party this weekend. Do we have the money? I don't know. Has anyone RSVPed? No. Am I pissed? Yes. Am I offended? Yes. Will anyone actually show up besides my parents? I don't know. Will I have enough food if people do decide to come? I don't know. Will I be spending more money on throwing this thing than what I'll get out of it? More than likely. Am I thrilled about having to make my own cake and food? No. Is my house going to take forever to clean? Yes.

And Paul finally got his orders yesterday for deployment. Even though my parents will be with me when Benton is born, I am still scared shitless to have him gone. I want him here. I can't stop crying every day when I think about it. Literally, every day I cry now. I don't want him to go. We tried so hard and so freaking long for this day to get here. And when it does, he's going to be gone. I feel this big empty hole in my heart and in the pit of my stomach. There's always the possibility of webcam or video taping. But it's not the same. I want him here to catch the baby. To cry with me. To laugh with me. To love with me. But he's not. And I'm fucking pissed and scared and a million other emotions at once. And again, I'm crying.

I'm scared to death to bring Benton home. I'm going to be alone. My husband won't be here to stop my crying. And I know for a fact that that's all I'll do. I have to go a whole year of raising a child by myself - when I'm married! I don't want to. I don't want my husband to miss all of his firsts and some of his lasts. He will never be this little again and Paul won't be here to experience it.

I want to rip my hair out right now. I'm crying. I need a hug but can't get one. I want to crawl into bed and let the world go on without me for a little while. I'm stressed to the max. This sucks.

Chunky Monkey

Today I had another prenatal checkup. Heartbeat was good. Fundal height was good. I gained 7 pounds in four weeks. Yes, I said it, 7 pounds. I was 207 at the last appointment, and obviously if you add 7, I now weight 214. The doctor said that was a little much but since I'm only back at my pre-pregnancy weight, he's not too worried about it. I told him my baby's a chunky monkey and that's why I gained so much.

Next appointment is on November 10th. Two days before my 23rd birthday. I get to get a glucose screening. Yuck! I've had one before and didn't enjoy it. I don't forsee myself enjoying it this time either.

Symptoms

I have now developed what I would like to call "End of second trimester pregnancy symptoms". They include, but are not limited to:

• Dry skin
• Feeling hot the majority of the time
• Stuffy sounding breathing while sleeping
• Inability to reach my own body parts
• Ability to burp (for those of you who know me well, I absolutely cannot burp)
• Two leaky breasts instead of just one
• Inability to accept how I look
• Constant hunger except when it's an actual meal time
• Mid-day drowsiness
• Inability to not offend people
• Forgetfulness

Again, they include but are not limited to the previously mentioned items.

But I do it all for you baby Benton! And I'd do it all over again if I had to. ♥

Celebration

Since Paul and I don't really have a whole lot of friends and family here in Texas, we can't really have a baby shower or men-only baby shower. So we're having a co-ed diaper party. That way all of our friends and family can come celebrate the baby's nearing arrival.

Rebecca has been more than gracious helping me out with decorations and cake ideas. She's also the "RSVP Lady". We picked out some red (sorry, Hobby Lobby didn't have blue) handkerchief napkins and plates and will be making a horseshoe shaped cake with toy horses on top. We're also hanging red and white streamers around the house. When everything is complete and set up I will take pictures.

I made the invitations myself. They were printed on blue cardstock at Office Depot. Cost me a whopping $4.00 for 40 invitations. :-D

We came up with a couple things to do for the diaper party. The main event will be poker (see invitation). The other is a raffle. I still haven't figured out what we'll be raffling off but I was thinking 2 tickets for putt putt golf and a gift card to Dairy Queen sounded good (ice cream after a date?). I don't know yet. And maybe a $10 gift card somewhere for the winner of the poker game.

We're going to make the food, too. Nothing too hard. Just making little sandwiches.

I'm kind of nervous. It's one of those, "What if no one comes?" things. I just hope we have a great turnout so we can at least spend one "last" day hanging out with friends. Diapers would be a plus, but having everyone over for a good time would be the best gift ever.

Another Picture

24w5d

Gaining

I swear to God, when I weighed myself this morning, the scale said I gained 10 pounds. I'm almost back to my original weight. I guess that's not too bad. At least it's baby-belly weight and not belly-roll weight. :-)

Bumper

I went to the Goodwill today to look for a longer cord to hook our modem up to. I found one. Then I decided to browse around to see if I could find anything cute for Benton's room. In the curtain/bedding section I found an awesome bumper for the crib. Since we're decorating the room western-ish, I thought it would be perfect. I wasn't going to use a bumper but when I found it, I just had to get it.

$3.99 at the Goodwill

He's Growing!

Today I had another in-depth ultrasound. It wasn't as long as the last one but of course, it was still fun to watch.

Benton was moving around quite a bit, like he normally does. He's a swimmer! Haha!

The lady took some measurements of him. He had "normal" legs and measured about a week ahead on his arms and head, and his belly (if I remember correctly) measured two weeks ahead. I didn't get a length but he's estimated to weigh one pound, eleven ounces. He's a little chunker!

The doctor had no concerns over how the ultrasound looked or how he was growing. Benton is still a healthy, active baby boy (and yes, it was confirmed AGAIN that he's still a he).

23w3d

Ultrasound photos will be uploaded later.

My Little Benny Bunny Baby

We have finally decided on a name.

Benton Michael Nebel

A short while ago, I had sent Paul a message on Facebook telling him I was upset about not picking a name yet. After he read it (a week after I sent it), we sat in the living room and picked names. I Googled "Western Boy Names". I kind of rattled the list off and Paul said yes or no. We couldn't find anything on the first website we found. On the second website, we found two. I don't recall the second name. But one of the names was Benton. And of course, of the two, we picked Benton.

Since then, I've been able to comfortable call the baby Benton when I talk to him. And I told a few people about the name. It's different but not too different. Just right.

I've been contemplating having a shortened name for him: Ben. But I don't know. I'm not much of a "Ben" person and my nephew's dad's name is Ben. Also, I don't want people thinking his name is Benjamin. So I think the shortened version is going to be a no-go. I do, however, sometimes call him my Lil Benny Bunny Baby. It's just fun to say.

Anywho, so Paul and I were sitting on the couch this morning before he went to work and I was cruising the internet. I went by my blog to check up on it and told him about me writing a letter to Baby. He sort of caught a glimpse of me saying, "That's all Daddy's doing". So I explained to him that I apologized in the letter because I was writing to Baby and not a named child. He says, "He has a name!" I was like, "We never said it was official." And he was kind of like, "It's Benton."

So now we have a named baby.

I love my Little Benny Bunny Baby

We can't wait to meet you, Benton! ♥

Dear Baby,

Dear Baby,

First off, I'd like to apologize for not having a name for you yet. That's all Daddy's doing. I feel weird writing a letter to Baby instead of my named child.

I just wanted to write you to let you know how I feel and how I hope to feel. You mean the world to me and nothing will ever change that. It's the most awesome and amazing feeling getting to feel you growing rapidly inside my belly and inside my heart. I'm loving every minute of it, from the kicks and thumps, to the non-stop urge to pee because it feels like your toenails are scratching my bladder.

Every day I imagine what it will be like when the time comes to give birth. I often cry tears of joy thinking about it. I also think about your first birthday. And what you'll look like when you grow up. And who you'll become. And all the other things in between.

I hope to be the best mom you could ever wish and hope for. I know we're not going to like each other at times, but I'll always love you. And I know that at other times, we'll be inseperable. I hope to be able to comfort you when you need it most and to guide you when you've lost your way. I hope to show you how to do everything the right way but I hope to not do everything for you. I want you to be you. Not me. Not Dad.

I hope to be able to provide for you all the necessities and then some. Diapers. Food. School clothes. Sports uniforms. College books. The whole nine yards. I hope you gain positive self-esteem and confidence in all you do.

Also, ahead of time, I'd like to apologise. This is my first time doing any of this. I'm new. Just like you're new to the world, I'm going to be new to the world of parenting. I will make mistakes. I will try my hardest not to, but I know I will. And Daddy will. And you will, too. But that's okay. We're all new at this together and can learn from each other.

All in all, I want you to become the greatest person known to mankind. If you can't get that far, at least know you'll be the greatest person to me. No matter what.

I love you with all my heart.

Always and forever,

Mommy ♥

I'm Clothed!

Yay! I have clothes on in these pictures! Woo hoo! Hahahaha! I figured I'd take another belly picture or two.

22w1d

?

Benton Michael Nebel?

Thank you!

So I got more baby stuff from Courtney yesterday. I swear, she's furnished 9/10 of the baby's room. I am so very grateful and blessed to have her in my life. She gave us a Diaper Genie and a high chair. Thank you sooooooo much Courtney!

Names.... Again

My husband is starting to get on my nerves. Remember how I wrote about me picking out names and then him editing the list even more? Well, we went out to eat with Courtney last night and I said, "Can you help us pick a name? We're debating between Grady Michael and Michael Grady." Then Paul chimes in saying "I hate Grady." What the.... ? Really?! That upset me because I was trying my hardest to refer to the baby as Grady (instead of Baby) as much as possible when we're alone. So I said, "What about Callum?" "Callum?! What the hell kind of name is that?!" "You left it on the list!!!!!!" "Well, I don't like it."

If I ask Paul what names he likes, I always get "I don't know." And that's it.

So we're back to square one. Again.

Braxton Hicks Contractions

I think I just had my very first Braxton Hicks contraction. It was like this tightening between my belly button and pubic bone. It was kinda weird.

Nursing Bras

Yay for bras my boobies fit in!

I got paid today so I was finally able to go buy some new bras. I was spilling out of my old ones. I went to the mall and got two of the same kind from Motherhood Maternity (the one in the picture). They're so comfortable! As soon as I got home I changed.

Who knew bras could bring so much joy?!

Using the Computer

It's official. I declare myself to be huge. Why? Well, to begin, I'd first like to say that we have a laptop that we use in the livingroom. With that being said, here's why I am slowly turning into a dump truck: I can't bend over to grab something with the laptop on my lap anymore because when I do, my belly clicks the mouse pad. I bend, random things get clicked on.

That was my amazing dicovery for the day.

Blue Flowery Underwear

I think I am now obsessed with taking belly pictures. I took a couple to send to my sister so I figured I'd put them up here. Again, in my underwear (blue this time!!!!). If I wear pants it just looks like a huge belly roll. So again, enjoy me in all my glory! Haha!

20 weeks 4 days

Surgeon General's Warning

Hahaha! I saw this today on a pregnancy website I normally visit. Too funny not to share!

Warning: Surgeon's General Warning has declared that unprotected sex is hazardous to mens health. Side effects include, but are not limited to: pregnancy, children, hormonal spouses, taking care of vomit, food runs in the wee hours, constant bitchiness, loss of income, loss of sleep, not doing anything right - why can't you do anything right, doing everything right - you are an awesome man, finding out much more than you want to know about women's anatomy (which can lead to more vomiting), eating the same meal all the time, eating at odd hours of the day, shaving legs (not yours), hearing stories from other people who have children, not caring about stories from other people, having parents and adults give you advice, and discarding that advice. Pregnancy has been known to lead to home renovations, car replacements, removal of dangerous objects (porn, shot glasses, video game equipment), and much, much more. The Surgeon General suggests if you have any of these symptoms, don't panic. Instead, spend the next 9 months relishing what you used to be able to do before kids.

He Was Hiding

Well, I just got home from labor and delivery. I went in because I hadn't felt Baby move at all today (and of course he's moving now). During the past couple weeks, I've been able to feel him move really good. The past couple days I feel movement now and then, but none of the kicks he normally gives me. And today I felt nothing.

So I called Dr. Allerkamp's office. The lady on the phone said to just go to labor and delivery. So I did.

The nurse found his heartbeat right away. He's tucked way down in there.

She explained to me that my uterus has probably recently grown. So before, Baby was snugly inside my uterus. And now he's got some catching up to do. My sensations have been "numbed" so I probably can't feel him as much.

It was relieving to know that Baby's doing okay. The nurse said to eat some protien (aka PEANUT BUTTER! haha!) and lay down for a little bit in a quiet place. I should then be able to feel him move.

So that's my story for the day.