Long Weekend

Saturday and Sunday were spent at my Mom's house painting rooms and moving furniture around. Well to be honest Tim and my brother Addison did the majority of moving and painting large areas...but I still helped! Since i've already classified myself as "the safe mom", one dust/paint mask was not enough..I decided that I needed to wear a bandana over that just to be on the safe side. I'm not sure if you've ever spent 12 hours a day painting 3 separate rooms in a hot house in the beginning of July, WHILE wearing layers on your face...I don't recommend it. It will make you really sweaty and miserable. I still feel guilty for being around paint fumes...hopefully baby didn't notice them. Luckily we finished all our projects by 10pm last night (yay!) and now can focus on just moving and organizing stuff! I'm really excited to start arranging the larger furniture in the 2 rooms where we'll be "living"(there is a small room off of our room that was originally going to be a nursery but since we'll only be in McDonough for a shorter period of time than expected we're going to turn it into a den for Tim and I; Well a den with a changing table)...it'll be nice to have our own mini getaway within the house. To have a space to "escape" the craziness of day to day life before the baby comes...a nice little corner of Zen where I can curl up on the loveseat and watch DVD's, knit, read, pretty much do whatever I want! :)

There's a few more projects I'd like to complete before the end of the summer. My main priority is a clothesline...I really think it'd be nice to have line dryed clothes...they always smell so nice...plus it'll come in handy for drying cloth diapers.

Speaking of cloth diapers I'm really excited to check out a new little "natural parenting" boutique in Ithaca called Jillian's Drawers that specializes in cloth diapering needs (they also have babywearing stuff too!). I'm really looking forward to our "hippie-dippie" parenting style (or as I like to think of it: The way EVERYONE used to parent a century or two ago...ya know, before "professionals" became "experts" on what was best for YOUR baby). Cloth diapering, Baby Wearing, Breastfeeding, 100% natural childbirth...real hippie stuff (*insert eye roll...here*). I'm quite the "alternative" modern mama.

I think my Sakura Bloom linen sling is going to arrive this week. I cannot emphasize enough how CRAZY excited I am about it! Part of my excitement comes from the fact that I saved over $30 on it (thanks again Kim!). I think having this sling is going to be a HUGE help while I'm nursing. I've already decided that our next baby wearing item is going to be a luxurious woven wrap. Maybe something in purple. Who knows!

On a side note: I taught myself how to knit 2 weeks ago (yay me!) and finished my first official project last week (a little bitty baby hat). I'm so proud of me! I've already started looking online for some really beautiful wool yarn to use when I start knitting soakers for the baby. Pretty exciting!!

We really need to take some belly shots. I apologize to all the folks out there who have been waiting for them. I'm just so busy right now! This weekend is the Baby BBQ so I'll make sure we get a few then. Did I mention that I'm in my 6th month of pregnancy and still no stretch marks in sight?! There's definitely still a possibility of them since I have several more months to go but as of right now..none.

Random ending thought : I woke up today craving a peanut butter and jam sandwich. I think I know what we're going to eat for dinner :)

Life update

I've been avoiding this blog for several months now. I kept telling myself "Don't bother posting to the blog until there's actually something exciting to blog about (i.e. Tim got a job, we found a place out of state to live, etc)". It is now the beginning of July and everything is pretty much the same as it was before...which actually makes me happy. Nothing too stressful. We've made the decision to "stay in the area" for another 6 months or so. Since our lease is up at the end of this month we are going back to plan A: moving in with my mom and brother in McDonough, NY. Tim is going to use the fall semester to officially finish his Masters...which has been a huge relief of stress for both of us. The pressure to finish his thesis, find a job, find a place to live, find a place to have the baby and everything else ALL before the end of July was a bit too much. I'd been STRESSED since May about all this nonsense and then it hit me one day :Why are we rushing this? If he took another semester (which was the original plan anyway) we'd be able to continue getting funding from the school, keep our insurance and he'd be able to keep his flexible schedule which will come in handy once it gets close D-Day and after the baby is born. Phew...a sigh of relief.

So now we are using the next few weekends to move stuff into my moms house. I'd like to take at least 2 carloads of stuff this weekend...just to get an idea of what we can actually use in the house and what we can store away for the next few months. Fun times

On Saturday we will be 25 weeks preggers...which commences my 6th month of pregnancy. I'm loving the fact that I'm 6 months pregnant and everyone keeps saying "Oh Wow, you look so good!"... to which I tell them "just wait til September...I'm sure I wont be looking so good by then".

On a side note: I taught myself how to knit yesterday. Go me! My main drive behind this new crafty endeavor is because I want to be able to knit the baby some wool soakers (diaper covers). I was totally inspired by my friend Kim on that one. Not only are they the best covers (so I've been told by several sources) because the wool pulls moisture away the baby's skin (aka less irritation)...they are BEYOND adorable. I'm going to give myself another week or two or practicing the basics before I begin my first soaker pattern. I need to get the run down from Kim first (aka ask her what exactly I need to complete this project...lucky for me I'll see her on Monday). After I conquer knitting...I want to re-learn how to use a sewing machine (I haven't used one since 8th grade). I think an afternoon or two spent with Susie will help me accomplish that. Hooray for having a seamstress as a mother-in-law!! I'm really looking forward to my journey of craftiness.

Attention: All Hot Mamas!

So now that we are out of the first trimester and onto our second trimester Tim and I have begun to think about all the stuff we're going to need for the baby. After looking at countless websites, reading various books and articles and wandering around baby stores there's only one thing I know for certain: figuring out what to get is overwhelming!

So, If you are reading this and are a hot mama who has had a baby (or 2..or more) in the past few years here is what I need from you:

-What is one baby product that you could not live without?

-What is one baby product that was a total waste of money?

-One thing you wished you had when your baby was born? (and don't say a maid/a money tree/another set of arms, etc)

Also, I am happily accepting advice, tips and tricks for the time being too. However there will be a cutoff point for that since everyone has already started putting their two cents in about EVERYTHING I should and shouldn't do when the baby comes. So far I'm soaking it all in BUT I know I'll be pushed to my breaking point in a few months. One person can only take so much!

I am also starting a list of children's books so we can get the baby's library up and running. Sadly all my children's books from my younger days were destroyed when our basement flooded several years ago and I am having a heck of a time trying to remember all the amazing books I had. So send we your favorite titles and your children's favorite titles. Books were a huge part of my childhood and I want them to be a huge part of my kids lives.

Thanks Everyone!

An Exciting Discovery

Over the past few weeks I've been keeping everyone updated on all the crazy changes happening as a result of this pregnancy. Yesterday I'm pretty sure I made my most exciting...and kind of gross discovery!

For over 12 years now I have had a Plantar's Wart on the ball of my foot. We tried everything to get rid of it over the years. Had it frozen off twice. Tried various salves and balms. Even wrapped my foot in duct tape...but the wart refused to leave. Every month or so I use a pumice stone to get rid as much of the dead skin around it as possible (mainly b/c the giant callous I get on my foot starts hurting if I don't..especially when I wear heels). So last night I was feeling the bottom of my feet(nothing out of the ordinary) and noticed that I could no longer feel the giant wart on my foot. With closer inspection I (and when I cay "I" here I really mean "Tim")could see and feel that the plantar wart was virtually gone. There's still a slight bump on my foot but it feels more like the remainder of dead skin that just needs to get pumiced down. Crazy. I googled it and apparently some women notice that warts they've had for years go away with pregnancy! It might come back...but I'm still pretty darn excited about this new discovery!

I really wish I had before and after pictures to post because it's just so unbelievable.

Spring has Sprung?

Happy doesn't quite describe the way i'm feeling at the moment...let's go with really happy! (I thought that was really funny). The nasty brown snow pile outside our apartment is almost completely melted! I am more than a little excited for warm weather and green grass. I know that March and April have a nasty habit of sneaking one last streak of cold days in before the official start of spring/summer BUT I am hopeful that won't happen this year. I think I said it best yesterday when the temperature was upward to 60 degrees "this weather makes me want to run around in the parking lot; screaming and flailing my arms with joy" (I didn't actually do that...just thought about it).

Now on to the details of the first trimester. On Monday we will be 9 weeks into this pregnancy, which means I have almost survived the first trimester! Here are some general observations about my changing body thus far:

I need a solid 12 hours of sleep in order to NOT gag all the live long day (yesterday I only got about 7 hours of sleep and felt like I was going to yak all day)

I don't sleep through the night anymore. I'm up at least 3 times a night because I either can't get comfortable or because i'm crazy hungry. It sucks. I'm the type of person where as soon as my head hits the pillow i'm out like a light until my alarm goes off. Not anymore. The other night I was up once an hour all night

My face has broken out like crazy. I have never had so much acne on my face. Not even exaggerating! All around my mouth and chin...it's like a beard of pimples. Luckily I can cover it up pretty well with makeup.

I've also noticed that when strangers find out i'm pregnant they feel the need to give me really strange advice OR really obvious advice. I usually just smile and nod...hoping that they'll stop talking to me. Here are some of my favorite pieces of "advice" thanks to customers in The Shoppingtown Mall:

"You know that baby eats everything you do, so don't be eating no junk. When I was pregnant I put Corn Syrup on everything in order to keep it down" (hmm...kind of defeats the purpose of healthy eating)

"You know, pregnancy is broken down into trimesters. The fifth trimester was my favorite" (umm...fifth? really?)

"Make sure you get your husband to do everything for you now...because that will never happen again..trust me" (my favorite part: her husband was standing next to her shaking his head in agreement)

Ahh...how I love people who don't use their brains.

Little Bit Preggers...

Well life's been moving pretty quickly since I started this blog a few weeks back. Literally the day after my first blog post we, unexpectedly, found out that I am pregnant. Ahh!! We go to the doctor's on Monday for our first ultrasound. We're guessing that I am between 7 and 8 weeks pregnant (we'd probably have a better idea if my periods weren't so irregular). We're keeping our fingers crossed that all goes well on Monday and nothing out of the ordinary shows up...

When people ask us "are you excited?!" we've been replying as honestly as possible: we've been alternating pure excitement and sheer terror for about 4 weeks now! I doubt that'll change much over the next 8+ months. We've already started checking out some sweet baby gear online...we love nifty gadgets.

And Now For The Gross Details:

Today is the second day in a row that I haven't felt super "gaggy". The past few weeks I've noticed a super sensitive gag reflex (gross right?). The very thought of touching food, let alone cooking anything, sent me into a gagging fit. Yikes! However, yesterday and today I feel as "normal" as possible. I have noticed that if I don't keep a little bit of food in my belly constantly I feel super queasy, and the gagging fits start. Before baby, I would eat about a 500 calorie breakfast to keep me full til at least 1pm. Now, If I can eat 2 pieces of fruit in the morning I'm doing good. Unfortunately, my body needs more food throughout the day (obviously), which I am still getting used to. I also can only eat a little bit at a time. It takes me about an hour to eat an entire sandwich. Plus side: I've only thrown up twice..as a result of gagging, not being queasy. Yay Me!

Another "change" I've noticed is that I need about 12 hours a sleep now in order to feel good throughout the day. The longer I sleep the better I feel. I've been going to bed between 9pm and 10pm...and sleeping til about 10am (unless I have to open...then I get about 8 hours of sleep...and feel like crap around 4 pm).

Most people know that we were hoping to go the homebirth route, BUT we don't think it's going to be a feasible option for this baby. We will be living in McDonough, NY when the baby comes in October, which is about 45 minutes from the nearest hospital. They recommend only being about 10-20 minutes away from a hospital Just In Case there's a sudden emergency and a transfer is necessary. As of right now we are looking into The Birthing Center at Lourdes Hospital. I've heard good things. I still want everything to be 100% natural. No drugs, No IV's, No unnecessary interventions at all! I am immovable on this. Luckily the Dr. and midwife we will be talking to are on the same page as us (a rarity in the OB/GYN world). Waterbirth is our new focal point. Instead of a waterbirth a home, it'll be a waterbirth at a birthing center in Lourdes. Sound's like fun, right?! ...maybe?

I really want Jillian Michaels to be my doula :)

On a side note: Is it gross to keep my positive pee sticks (all 3 of them)? They are still sitting on the counter in the bathroom...and I was thinking of putting them into an envelope to save them. Do people do that or is it just me?

I Feel Like Such A Hipster

Today begins my journey of blogging! I feel so hip. I've wanted to start a blog for awhile now, but wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. Since I have a lot of down time at the moment I decided that there was no time like the present to commence my blog-venture. Hooray for me! Things to look forward to from this blog: my random thoughts, updates on our life, photos, sharing and caring, general nonsense and hilarity. Should be good times. Stay tuned for further life updates...