Slight Change in plans.

April 9 2013

This time next week I will be getting ready to head to the hospital to have Lily...YIKES YIKES YIKES!

So this brings up the slight change in plans...turns out that my doctor does not work on April 15 so that makes it very difficult for her to deliver Lily that day, we were rescheduled for April 16 same time same place.

Since I am working Saturday and Sunday, I am kind of happy that I get Monday off to get the house ready before I have to head in to the hospital.

I have to go Monday afternoon at 4pm to do my preoperative stuff, like make sure I am healthy enough for surgery and fill out paperwork.  Then I have to be at the hospital 2 hours early on Tuesday to get all suited up and drugged up.  I think the actual surgery will only like like 30 minutes but I am not sure how long I will be in recovery after that.

If you plan on visiting, I am reserving Tuesday for Family.  Anytime Wednesday or after anyone and everyone is welcome to come keep me company :)  

I am so excited/nervous/anxious for everything...I know I am going to be a mess on Monday and Tuesday before we go in, Matt is going to have fun calming his wife :)  But I feel pretty prepared, although I have yet to pack my hospital bag.  It is on my to do list for this week, I am still waiting on my nursing nightgowns to arrive from MM (that's pregnancy lingo for Motherhood Maternity....I made it up) but once I get those and wash them I will get everything packed.  You never know Lily might decide to come earlier than the 16th.

To be honest, I really thought I was going to have her a week or two ago....I just felt that with my mom having my brother and me 3 weeks early I would end up with the same, but Lily is just too comfy in there!

I am still pretty intimidated by the C-section and the recovery but it has been nice talking with my friends and family who have had to go through it...I know I can survive it!  Thank you everyone who has given me advice and suggestions of how to make it as easy as possible!

If anyone has any more advice or suggestions before Tuesday I am all ears, I like hearing everyone's stories the good and the bad!

I can't wait to introduce my beautiful little girl to you guys so soon!  AHH, its so real!

How far along? 38 weeks, 4 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away! I am pretty sure the doctors scale is broken....I just keep telling myself that
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  I can not believe my skin is still intact!  I am so lucky, thank you generous Grubb and Stringer genes :)  Just one week left to hold out skin, you can do it I believe in you!
Sleep? It had been good until last night....I think my hips have finally raised the white flag of defeat :(  I can only sleep on one side for about an hour then I have to flip...except when I flip on my right side I get that really bad burning sensation in my upper right stomach (doc says it is probably just a nerve being annoyed by Lily) so last night i tried to sleep sitting up on the couch...did not work so well 
Best moment this week?  Kickball starts on Thursday!  Worry not, I am not playing I am just cheerleading this week!  Also the weather up here has been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G we even got to sleep with the windows open last night!  Also Lily has started to drop, hooray!  I secretly want to know what it feels like to be in labor before i have to get my c-section so I am hoping I go into labor at 1145am on the 16th so i can feel a few hours of labor and then just have my c-section haha...I doubt life works out that well but maybe, Lily what are your thoughts on this schedule?
Movement? Lots of it!  I swear sometimes I feel like Lily did not get the memo to go out through the pelvis and has decided instead she will dig her way through my belly button! It is the craziest feeling, slightly painful and it is really weird to see her moving in my tummy!
Food Cravings? Bananas....I am kind of hoping I dont revert back to not liking them after pregnancy since so many of the healthy recipes I have found on pinterest use mashed bananas!
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? Lily's arrival!
Milestones?  Lily has dropped! One Week until D-Day!

C-Section Scheduled!

April 1 2013

Hello blog followers, let me start by saying this is not an April Fool's joke although I kind of wish I had one to add to this post....

I got a letter from the Doctor on Saturday letting me know my c-section has been scheduled for, drum roll please....................

APRIL 15 2013 2:30pm!

YAYAYAY!  So unless either:  Lily decides she doesn't want to wait another two weeks to make her big debut OR she decides she is over the head up living and flips (both options are not terribly likely but still a chance), we will be having a baby on Tax Day!

Funny thing is, since Matt and I like to do our taxes as soon as we have all the forms needed, I did not even realize that April 15 was tax day.  Good news is they always have free giveaways on tax day, so even in the tough times Lily will get birthday presents hahahah! I am totally kidding, except for the fact that I do get the free stuff on tax day :)

The other exciting fun fact about April 15 is if Lily decides she can wait until then to meet everyone, my grandmother on my dad's side was born April 15 too!  So Lily will be honoring two of her grandmothers by name and one by birthdate!!!  How perfect!

I will give more details in my next post on Thursday after I have my last doctor appointment!

Without warning, we have a new due date!

March 28 2013

Things just got real!  I went to the doctor yesterday and despite my heartfelt pleas and weird spinning baby moves Lily has insisted on not flipping :(  There is still a 10-15% chance that she could flip when she decides to drop (if she ever decides to drop) but my doctor doesn't see it as likely and now that she is getting so big flipping will be a pretty uncomfortable experience for me (imagine taking a 16 inch ruler from horizontal to vertical to horizontal inside of your tummy...OUCH!)

So I talked with my doctor about options and we decided we aren't even going to try for a ECV...seems too risky and no guarantee it will work...and go straight for a c-section.  My doc is calling the hospital and getting me set up for either April 15 or 16 depending on availability. AH! that just eliminated an extra week I thought i had to prepare myself.

Wow, I can not believe how quickly this is all coming to an end...I am so so so nervous about the c-section and the recovery, but I know Lily has to get out somehow and this is the safest way for both of us.  And the good news is unless I go into labor before the 15th, the whole delivery process should be pretty short and sweet.  The recovery on the other hand might take a little longer but I heard the key to a good recovery to get moving as soon as I can, so that's my plan!

Nothing else is really happening...I got Lily set up with a pediatrician.  Reston Town Center Pediatrics, they were recommended by my doctor.  We were just going to have Lily go to the same doctor office Matt and I go to but after thinking about it I wanted her to be seen by the same doctors from the start and RTCP has doctors that do rounds at the hospital so they would meet her when she is born and they would keep with her through out her childhood.  Also this place has two lactation consultants on staff which might come in very handy if I struggle with breastfeeding.

I have my next doctors appointment on April 4, just a checkup...I hope I will find out before then when my c-section is scheduled but if not I will find out at that appointment.

Lauren Walker's bridal shower is this weekend!!!!  Even though I am the size of a whale, I am very excited to make the trip to Richmond to see the bride to be!!!

I think that is all I have going on, I will update when I find out the date and time of my c-section, I know all my readers are clearing their schedules to come and see Lily so I don't want to keep you waiting :)

How far along? 36 weeks, 6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away! I am pretty sure the doctors scale is broken....I just keep telling myself that
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still holding strong with none...Man I am so lucky ::knock on wood:: come on skin hold out for just two more weeks...I believe in you!
Sleep? Eh....sore subject...literally, I wake up sore every morning!  Still have a master spot stealer to deal with....but he is so darn cute when he does it!  
Best moment this week?  Since yesterdays doctors appointment I have just felt relief, like okay its real and I can do it.
Movement? Lots of it!  Still lots of uncomfortable burning sensations in my upper abdomen from Lily's head...I don't see this going away anytime soon, maybe when she drops
Food Cravings? Bananas....granola bars
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? Lauren Walker's bridal shower!  Easter!
Milestones?  Only 17 or 18 days to go!  AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

As promised: The Nursery!

March 22 2013

Two blog posts in one week....I know I know I am overachieving! Before i forgot I wanted to make sure I got these pictures out so everyone can see what the nursery is looking like...enjoy!

TADA!  the finished product...Max insisted on being in the pic as it is his old room and those are my feet in the chair...I was so close to getting out of the pic haha

Our baby changing station...those are stickers on the wall (in case you thought we were talented enough to paint that...thank you for the compliment haha) and a BIG thank you for Jaime who came over and helped me put the stickers up!

Our feeding/reading and rocking station....Thank you Mom and Dad Simonetti for donating the rocker and of course Betty Arneson for the A-M-A-Z-I-N-G quilt!  I also have a boppy which is currently being stored in the crib so it doesn't get too much max hair on it.  Also behind the owl is an ipod docking station and our ipod has nursery rhymes that I am going to play whilst feeding Lily :)

Lily's sleeping area!  Look at all those books, she is going to be able to read them all by age 2 haha, thank you everyone for the books! On the bookshelf, there is my grandma's praying bear which I have kept just for such an occasion :) as well as Lily's first piggy bank (WVU of course) which she will hopefully use the funds to pay her way to her first WVU football game this fall!

So there you have it!  What do you think?  We have the swing out in the living room by the tv so she can hang with the fam and get her swing on.  The highchair is by the dining room table, makes sense haha. In our bedroom is where we are going to set up the pack-n-play for the time being as Lily will likely sleep with us for the first few weeks, especially if I have to get a c-section.

Have a great week, blog you all next week!  Keep praying Lily flips for us!

I am ready!

March 21 2013

I am back!  Sorry for the delay in these blog entries, life has gotten in my way!  A few things have happened since last time you heard from me.

1.  Meg Mack had her beautiful little girl!  Madison Belle Mack born March 19 2013, Lily doesn't know it but she will probably spend many a playdate with Maddie :) Maddie was an impressive 9 lbs 12 oz,  born vaginally!  WAY TO GO MEG, make sure you let Maddie knows what she put you through to get her here!

I can't figure out how to flip the picture....also don't mind my tired  after work no makeup look

2.  Matt and I are officially, officially ready for Lily to arrive!  I went out and bought a couple of nursing bras and those milk screening strips which were the last two items on my must purchase before birth list.  In case you don't know what the milk screening strips are, they are strips you can use to test your breast milk to see if you have had one too many glasses of wine!  I don't think I am going to be drinking tons of wine but I just want to make sure if I have a glass or two at night time I am not sharing with Lily, I know I don't even know what type of wine she likes yet it would be rude for me to assume she likes the same as me :)
We also have one car seat in matts car, not installed yet but hopefully we can get that done this weekend and hopefully get the car seat into my car as well.

3.  I went to the doctor, I am on weekly visits now, and found out Lily is back in her breech position :(  I have been googling to see if there is anything i can do to get here to flip.  I found this website:  www.spinningbabies.com which supposedly if you do some of the moves it encourages the baby to flip from being breech.   
Lily has two weeks to flip before my doctor wants to discuss what options i have....one is trying ECV, that is short for a long confusing medical term, which would involve me getting admitted to the hospital and having a team of doctors try to manually (from the outside) lift lilys butt and flip her head and butt in my uterus.  The success rate of this is a little over 50%, but if it works then I can have a normal birth....some complications can happen, like Lily can get distressed and if her heart rate drops I will have to have an emergency c-section  or there is a slight chance that a placenta abruption can occur (the placenta ripping from the uterine wall) which would require an emergency c-section as well.  The other option is just having a scheduled c-section.
I haven't decided which option I will take yet if Lily doesn't flip....I really was hoping to try and give birth naturally, but I am a little nervous about the complications with the ECV.  I still have two weeks to think about it.

4.  The nursery is still done, but i keep forgetting to take pictures of it.  I know people keep asking me for them so I solemnly swear within the next week I will get pictures and will add them!!

5.  I found out getting sick while pregnant really is the WORST!  I somehow caught the cold of death last week and I was out of commission Wednesday through Sunday.  I am sure if I had just been a regular human, it would have just been a cold but since i was pregnant and I already am so uncomfortable most of the time it was torture.   I ended up having to take off work Wednesday afternoon and all day Friday.  I didn't get more than 4 hours of sleep at night so on Friday I took 3 benadryls and slept alllll day!!  Luckily, by Monday morning I was recovered but boy that was the most uncomfortable I have been in a LOOOONNNNGGG TIME!


Okay I think that updates you on most everything that has happened in life since my last post.  In the next week, nothing terribly exciting is happening...I go back to the doctor next Wednesday for a check up and I think that is it.  We are mostly just playing a waiting game right now.

Prayers for Lily to flip in the next two weeks are greatly appreciate!


How far along? 35 weeks, 6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away! But good news is I have gone down in the last week according to the doctors scale....yessss, I am moving towards the healthy eating habits i need for post pregnancy like switching from sugary cereals to multigrain cheerios and packing my lunch full of high fiber foods and cooking in for dinners.
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still holding strong with none...Man I am so lucky ::knock on wood::
Sleep? I have learned to stop drinking fluids at 730pm which has helped to curb my need to pee in the middle of the night....Max is still stealing my spot in bed, grrrrrrrr!  Matt got up to pee last night and max just stayed on the floor, 5 minutes later I get up to pee and come back spot filled with a dog WHAT-A-JERK!
Best moment this week?  Finding out Maddie arrived safe and sound and meeting her!  She is the cutest little thing!!!
Movement? Lots of it!  Because Lily's head is in the wrong place, I have been getting terrible like burning pain in my upper right abdomen...doc says it is just growing pains but it is killer!
Food Cravings? Nothing really right now...sweet potatoes are very delicious to me right now.....I have decided after getting Dairy Queen on Saturday night I am not allowing myself anymore ice cream, can I hold out?
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? Lily flipping (fingers crossed) and arriving safe and sound
Milestones?  Less than a month to go!  29 days to be exact, not that I am counting!!!!!

I am a terrible blogger....

March 8 2013

I am sorry blog friends, I have been slacking on this blog.  I keep telling myself I will wait until I take pictures of the nursery to share but I keep forgetting to take pictures.  I decided I better update now or I was going to lose my whole audience!  To start, I believe I promised some pictures of my shower last post so below are a couple and also a link to some more...on PINTEREST!  My shower is famous on Pinterest!!!!

The theme :) I have this sign and I am going to hang it up in the  nursery somewhere!

The way to my heart, cookies :) This was the cookie/candy bar, everything was so delicious!

Pinterest link:  MY SHOWER ON PINTEREST!

So other things that have happened in the last two weeks....the nursery is done, Jaime came over and we put up the stickers on the walls (they look classier than they sound I promise).  I have washed all but one last load of Lily's clothes so she will be fully closeted upon her arrival. Other than that, just a lot of thumb twiddling waiting for her to make her appearance.

Health wise, I am still doing well...getting huge.  Like literally I feel like i have doubled in size in the last two days!  Matt even noticed. I can not imagine 5 more weeks of growth, my poor skin...I am so lucky I have no stretch marks please o please let my luck last for 5 more weeks. My blood pressure is slightly higher but nothing extreme, it was 122/72 last night.  I can only sit in one position for like 20 minutes before I get uncomfortable and have to stretch and move. In general, I am trying to stay positive and light hearted but everyday I am just a little bit closer to throwing in the towel...GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME! Only 5 weeks, only 5 weeks...I can do this, I can do this!!!!!!



How far along? 34 weeks!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away! I am so excited to be going down soon!
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still none and I know how lucky I am...please o please 5 more weeks!
Sleep? I am always tired but I can't sleep because my hips hurt....its a lose lose situation.
Best moment this week?  Snow day :) Although it was a crappy snow storm, it was nice to do nothing all day and Lily was very active so Matt got to experience what I deal with everyday.
Movement? Lots of it!  
Food Cravings? Still loving bananas, nothing else.
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? Lily arriving
Milestones?  Nothing big in the last two weeks....according to some blog readings if I were to go into labor today the doctors would not try and stop it!  yikes, Lily can come anytime!

A day late, but not a dollar short :)

February 22 2013

I am a day late, sorry!  Nothing exciting has happened this week, besides MY BABY SHOWER!  O my gosh, I looved loved loved everything about it!  The theme and decorations were so creative.  All the foods where based off a childrens book, we had green eggs for Dr. Suess and meatballs for cloudy with a chance of meatballs and Peach rings for James and the giant peach and a MILK AND COOKIE BAR.  I am pretty sure I was in a cookie hangover on Sunday :)  It was just the most amazing shower, I have the most amazing friends and family!  ** I am going to post pictures once I get some from my mom** (hint hint haha)

I got LOTS and LOTS of gifts!  We got pretty much all we needed off our registry plus enough clothes for Lily to wear a new outfit for everyday of the first 3 months of life.....I am going to plan lots of outings so everyone can see her in her most stylish 3 months of life :) I also got about 50 books to read to Lily, some of my favorites growing up which I am very excited about, like Madeline (pretty sure I am spelling that name wrong) and The Giving Tree and Amelia Bedelia.  Nani also gave me one of Matt's favorite books from 1983, that is really special :)

We are getting the bed moved out of the second bedroom on Sunday and getting the rocker from Matts parents so we will have the nursery completed by next week.  I will post pictures  in the next blog post.  After that, we just twiddle our thumbs and wait for Lily to make her appearance!

I am so excited/nervous, in 8 weeks or less I will be holding a baby AHHHHH!  

I have a doctors appointment next Tuesday  just a check up nothing exciting.  Matt and I have a baby basics class March 18...hopefully they will teach me how to swaddle, everyone has told me that a good swaddle is the key to having a good sleeper so I am hoping I can master that art before Lily gets here.

One positive, a woman in my building stopped me yesterday to ask when I was due.  When I told her April 19 she said I was so lucky to still be so small, making it easy for me to lose the baby weight after the birth.  Since I feel like I am a walrus, it is nice to hear that not everyone sees me as so walrusy :)

How far along? 32 weeks!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away!  I think I am about 35 pounds gained so far, yikes!  Should be fun trying to lose these extras after Lily is here!
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still none!  I don't want to jinx myself but I might just might get through this pregnancy stretch mark free....I will be so happy if I do!
Sleep? We are back to regular sleeping :) Although it is getting more and more difficult to move
Best moment this week?  Saturday by far, maybe the best day of 2013 so far :)  I got to see my family and my friends and had the best shower ever!
Movement? Lots of it!  
Food Cravings? Bananas.....weird because I do not like bananas non-pregnant but I have been eatting one or two bananas a day lately.
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? Moving the bed out and completing the nursery
Milestones?  Nothing big this week....I washed all the clothes and blankets I got at the shower?  Lame milestone....

Happy Valentine's Day!

February 14 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!  I used to not really get that excited about the holiday because it was just an excuse for a girl to get flowers and chocolates and I am not really a huge fan of chocolates and flowers used to not wow me...as I have grown older, I am more and more excited about the flowers :)  

This week has been better than last week, still uncomfortable but bearable at least.  On Monday, somehow Lily got in a position that put A LOT A LOT of pressure on my pelvic bone, I had trouble walking the whole day but when I woke up on Tuesday I was back to normal...however she got in that position I hope she does not figure that out again!

I had a check up yesterday.  I gained 1.8 pounds...more than I was hoping for but still not bad.  Everything else was measuring on schedule and normal so not much to report on from that front.

Matt and I took our first baby class at the hospital this weekend, it was all about what to expect during labor and delivery.  It was pretty good, a little repetitive by the end of Sundays class but still information I think it was good for us to know.  Matt changed his first diaper, it was on a doll but still counts, the good news is he can only get better at it the bad news I will have to make sure to check the first few he does for Lily or we will have a lot of leaks :)  We were supposed to get a tour of the maternity ward during our class but since it is flu season they wouldn't let anyone up there :(  But I did find out that we will get our own room for labor and delivery, I also think we stay in our individual room for recovery too which I am very happy about!  After the class, I can safely say I have an equal fear of both birthing a child and breastfeeding it...I am sure I will survive though :)  

Not much else going on for us, only 2 days until my BABY SHOWER!  I AM SO EXCITED TO SEE EVERYONE AND CELEBRATE LILY'S ARRIVAL!

I have my next doc appointment on the 26th but just a regular check up so nothing exciting. 


How far along? 30 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? Up, Up and away!  I think I am about 33 pounds gained so far, yikes!  Should be fun trying to lose these extras after Lily is here!
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still none!  Slightly related, my turtle tattoo on my hip has grown a little but not as bad as I imagined....I thought I would end up with more of a dinosaur by the end but still looks like a turtle.  Also my doctor told me the tattoo is high enough that they should be able to cut under it if I have to have a c-section, phewwwwwwwwwwwwww I didn't even think about the possibility of losing half my tattoo when having a baby...things they should tell rebellious teenagers!
Sleep? Sore subject!  The last two nights I have been up at 4am just hanging out....luckily last night I was able to get back to sleep.
Best moment this week?  Today!  VALENTINE'S DAY!
Movement? Lots of it!  
Food Cravings? Cupcakes/cake...probably explains my 1.8 pound weight gain
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Flat....that should be an option....flat
What I am looking forward to? BABY SHOWER ON SATURDAY!  Seeing Ma and Pa Stringer :)
Milestones?  In single digit weeks now...YIKES!

A hodge podge of emotions!

February 7 2013

 This has been a very frustrating week for me....If you have ever seen Tommy Boy, you know when Chris Farley tries to wear David Spades jacket?  That's how I feel EVERYDAY OF MY LIFE ::insert an angry smiley face that I can't figure out how to insert for real:: I am just pretty uncomfortable most of the day.  I have to drink lots of water (number one cause of preterm labor is dehydration) which means I have to pee every 10 minutes, I am growing out of my winter jacket, none of my tee shirts fit without showing my belly, I am hungry all the time but when I eat I feel yucky because my stomach is so squished, I thought I was over the first trimester exhaustion but it has been slowly creeping back so my bed time is 10pm if not earlier now....AND I STILL HAVE 10 WEEKS TO GO AND LILY IS SUPPOSED TO DOUBLE IN SIZE IN THAT TIME! 

I just don't know how I am going to be able to accommodate a baby double this size in 10 weeks.  I feel like i have reached capacity, no more room!!!

It does not help when all I hear from people is 'O wow you are getting huge' 'When are you due? Wow you are going to get so big'  Thank you, I did not realize I was growing larger, good thing you mentioned it to me.....of course I smile and nod, but people should realize when pregnant women get past 6 months, reminding them of how huge they are is more insulating than anything.

Okay, I am done ranting....

We got our nursery painted on Saturday!  It is a perfect light yellow.  We got our crib put together and it is a dark brown almost black and looks so sleek with the yellow, I am really happy we decided to change from the natural wood color to the dark wood makes a big difference.  We can't put our nursery in order until after my shower next Saturday since I doubt my parents would be willing to sleep in the crib if we moved the bed out of the room, so we are basically just storaging all the stuff we have gotten until next Sunday.

I am super excited about my shower next weekend, we have already gotten a lot of gifts delivered to our house....THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO ALREADY SENT YOUR GIFTS, I LOOOOOVE LOOOOVE EVERYTHING!  Jaime and Sarah are doing a very good job of keeping me in the dark about the shower so the suspense is killing me....I am trying my hardest not to snoop!!

This weekend we have our first class at the hospital...its an introduction to the hospital and what labor and delivery will be like there.  I am excited since I have never been to Reston Hospital before, it will be nice to see where I will be and everything.  I think we also get to preregister which means I wont have to fill out 2131234213 forms when I am in labor.

My next doctors appointment is February 13, just a regular check up so nothing terribly exciting but I am going to ask about ways to feel less uncomfortable although I have a feeling they are going to tell me the only way it is wait 10 weeks and have a baby....fingers crossed maybe I will get something a little more insightful.


How far along? 29 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? I have started weighing myself at home...probably a mistake, but I don't think i have gained more than a pound since my last doctor appointment although you wouldn't be able to tell from the looks of me!
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks?  Still none!  Fingers and toes are all crossed my skin can hold out for 10 more weeks
Sleep? Sleep and I are going through a rough patch in our relationship, the good news is I am sleeping through the night...the bad news is I don't feel refreshed in the morning just uncomfortable.
Best moment this week?  Getting our house painted on Saturday and cleaned yesterday!
Movement? Not as much intense punches and kicks more of rolls and waves...i think the more Lily grows the less room she has to practice her Taebo (yea that's right, I used Taebo circa the 90s)
Food Cravings? Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches...weird because I wasnt really a fan of them growing up
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Still in....it may be fighting a losing battle though
What I miss? Being comfortable!!!!
What I am looking forward to? My baby shower and my parents visiting and our first baby class this weekend!
Milestones?  On Saturday I will officially be on single digit weeks left.  WOOHOO, I can see the end...its always the home stretch that is the hardest

Sometimes I ramble....

January 31 2013

It's already the end of January?! really?!  Crazy!  I am a little overwhelmed by the fact that in 2 weeks I will have single digit weeks left in this pregnancy, I still have a to do list of like 124903243432 things before I am ready for Lily to be here..Yikes!

On that note, I had my first official meltdown last night.  Matt said he was really impressed I made it as long as I did without freaking out, he was expecting it much sooner and much more often.  Sometimes I read these mommy blogs and then my brains start to exaggerate and then I freak out.....probably would do best if I avoided the mommy blogs and just went with the flow, but when I have no idea what to expect and whats happening to me is very difficult not to try and read what is normal/what has happened to everyone else who has been through it already.  Anyways, after about 15 minutes of freaking out last night I am back to normal!  I am also coming to the realization that no matter how much I read about it and how much I try and prepare myself for it, delivering a baby is just going to be gross (is it bad to say that as a mom?) but at the end of it Lily will hopefully not be as gross :)  Just kidding i know she won't be! 

I had to go to the doctor 3 times this week, I am pretty sure they are going to give me a reserved parking spot soon.....

I had a regular check up on Monday, everything was normal and my blood pressure was something around 118/64 which is definitely more normal for me so that is good.  I havent gained any weight from my appointment two weeks ago which I am pretty pleased about, I have changed my diet to include much more veggies and fruits and much less crappy junk food  just preparing myself for what real life eating is like when you can't use pregnancy as an excuse :) 

I had to go to the hospital on Tuesday to get preregistered and get my blood drawn for my rhogam shot.  So I had to get a rhogam shot because I have B negative blood.  Every woman who has rh negative blood is required to get the shot around their 28th week.  The reason is that if Lily has rh positive blood and I didn't have the shot and something were to happen where her blood got into my system my body would try and fight hers which would not end up well for either of us.  The good news is I am not preregistered with the hospital so when I go into labor I should have much less paperwork to fill out when we get there.  The bad news is the guy who took my blood was not as good as the woman who does it in my doctors office, I have a bruise and scratch :(

On Wednesday I had to go back to the hospital to get the rhogam shot.  Seems silly that they can't get it all done in one day, but they have to retest my blood from tuesday to ensure I am rh negative before they will administer the test and I guess that takes a while.  I did not like that my shot was given in the same office where patients come for dialysis (positive I did not get that right), it was hard to be happy when there were 3 people in beds next to me hooked up to so many machines and just laying there.  Anyways, I was expecting the shot to be similiar to the flu shot, false!  Well I should inform you that I have a slight fear of needles and shots, weird considering how many piercings I got in college but those were by choice not by force.   This thing was like triple the size and it had to go in a muscle!  I was given a choice between my butt or my arm, I would like to meet the person who electively chooses to have a shot in the butt?!  The shot literally took like a minute to do but I had to wait around for 30 minutes to make sure I didnt have an allergic reaction or anything.  

Now I am free from the doctor until February 13 which is my next regular appointment.  Hooray!  

We have a big weekend at our house.  On Saturday we have painters/workers coming to paint our nursery and our bedroom...they are also going ot fix our leaky faucets, fix a hole in our wall and put our laundry door back on!  I am mostly excited about painting  the nursery, we went last saturday and got the colors, we (I) picked the color 'Cuddle' (awwwwwwwwwww so what if I picked it because of the name) which is a lite yellow....it is going to be so good!

I think this novel is long enough....until next week!

How far along? 28 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? I just try not to think about it....definitely up more than I thought or hoped I would be.  I have decided once Lily has made her appearance I will use this blog to document life as a first time mom trying to get back in shape! 
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Still holding strong....I have been putting lotion on in the mornings though so that might be helping
Sleep? It's uncomfortable!  
Best moment this week?  Picking out the nursery color :)
Movement? Lots and lots of movement!!!!  Lily is still breech, i only know this because her favorite punching/kicking bag is my bladder 
Food Cravings? Pineapple!  But nothing else really....
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? Still in....it may be fighting a losing battle though
What I miss? Now that spring clothes are coming out, I wish I was back to a normal human size so I could shop!
What I am looking forward to? Getting our nursery painted and getting it decorated!!
Milestones?  Rhogam shot done!  It's been freaking me out since i found out I had to get it back in my first trimester.....luckily I survived, I do feel like it was touch and go there for 30 seconds or so.  I wish they gave stickers or lollies after the shot, I don't think the nurses understand the accomplishment that is achieved, I will bring it up when i go back for my delivery.

Over 66.67% baked!

January 24 2013

Nothing exciting this week for the pregnancy....I can tell Lily is getting bigger because her kicks and punches are getting more intense.  It is the weirdest feeling but so cool at the same time, hard to explain.  

I got a new car on Saturday!!!  2013 Altima, it is beautiful :)  I spilled my coffee in it this morning :( whomp whomp  I have never spilled coffee before so it only makes sense that the first time I do it is 5 days after I buy my first car.....luckily black leather is no match for coffee! 

Lily is still breech, that means her head is still up and her feet are down.  The doctor said she will likely flip between now and 36 weeks so fingers crossed that happens....if she doesn't flip its a c-section for me.

My next appointment is on Monday, but i don't think anything exciting will happen just a check up.  I have to schedule getting a shot next week as well since my blood is rh negative (there is a medical term for this shot, but i have no idea what that term is), the shot protects my body from getting infected if Lily turns out to have rh positive blood.  Since I have reached my third trimester I have appointments every 2 weeks now until I get to 36 weeks, then we move to once a week!  

Yikes, less than 3 months away from D-Day where has the time gone!

How far along? 27 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? I just try not to think about it....definitely up more than I thought or hoped I would be.  I have decided once Lily has made her appearance I will use this blog to document life as a first time mom trying to get back in shape! 
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Nothing yet..::knock on wood::
Sleep? It's uncomfortable!  I wake up with hip pain most days...
Best moment this week?  Meg's baby shower, it was fun to plan!  
Movement? Lots of movement!!!! I am starting to feel it on the outside too so soon matt will get to feel it!
Food Cravings? Not craving anything in particular, trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies.  I read that Lily's taste buds are working now so if I eat good food from now on then she will grow up liking good foods.
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? In...barely
What I miss? Exercise!
What I am looking forward to? Getting our nursery painted and getting it decorated!!
Milestones?  3rd and final trimester woohoo!

Making the climb back up to Cloud 9!

January 17 2013

It's been a good week for Lily and I.  We have been resting a lot, we did the 24 pee test on Sunday and on Monday we went to the doctor for a follow up.  I haven't gotten my test results back but my blood pressure while I was at the doctor was 122/78 :)  The doctor said as long as the test results come back okay, it was probably just a stressful few weeks that led to my high blood pressure and I should be fine to resume life as normal!  Hooray!!  I should hopefully hear back from the doctor today with the results, all my fingers and toes are crossed!

Yesterday we had our follow up ultrasound to check out the kidney issue that was found at our 20 week ultrasound.  We had a super nice ultrasound technician, the same one as last time, and she said she couldn't find anything wrong with little lily....she was the picture of a normal healthy baby!!!!!  Woohoo!  Lily weighs 2lbs 2ounces (I dont know the abbreviation for ounces, is it oz?) which is in the 53rd percentile ever so slightly bigger than average but if she takes after my side of the family then she is bound to be a big baby anyways.  No signs of anything wrong with her kidneys or any other organs.  Her heart rate was 147bpm which is good.  Since our technician was so nice she even gave us a look at Lily in 4D, normally you have to pay extra for that but we got a sneak peak for free :) Below are two of the pictures we got, one is just normal and the other is in 4D.

4D!  her left eye, nose and mouth!  She kept moving out of the picture whenever  the tech tried to get a good shot so this is the best we got on film....

Profile shot...funny thing is her foot is up by her forehead....you can see her leg extend from the right side of the photo up and the little drop down part above her forehead is her foot.  I wouldn't say it looks comfy but whatever floats your boat Lily!

Since Lily is a healthy little girl we don't need a follow up ultrasound, which means these are the likely the last images of her before she is here live and in person! Crazy how time has flown by!!!!!  

I am now on two week appointments, so I go back on January 28 for my next appointment.  I also have to get a shot around that time at the hospital since I have RH negative blood.  I think from here on, assuming my test results are normal, all they will do at the doctors is make sure Lily and I are both growing at a healthy rate.

At most, we have 13 weeks until Lily is here!  Although my dad thinks she will make an appearance on April 6, I had a heart to heart with Lily last night about how if she is going to come early she should plan for a weekday so I at least get out of work haha.  I guess we will have to wait and see!

How far along? 26 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? I am up, just up....already starting to plan how I am going to get back down after birth.  I can not wait until I can go back to working out again....words I never thought would come out of my mouth (or words I never thought I would type)
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Nothing yet..::knock on wood::
Sleep? It seems I have turned into a light sleeper, Matt has been struck with the flu and the last couple of nights I have woken up every time he has coughed or moved...also max has this new thing where he sleeps on the bed for an hour then gets off stretches licks the carpet for a few minutes then sleeps on the floor for an hour, then he repeats this process all night and adds in a few trips to the toilet to drink the water....really dog?   
Best moment this week?  Everything being normal at my doctor appointments, I love normalcy!
Movement? Lots of movement!!!! I am starting to feel it on the outside too so soon matt will get to feel it!
Food Cravings? Fruit!!!!
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? In but a very stretched in
What I miss? Exercise!
What I am looking forward to? Meg Mack's baby shower this weekend!
Milestones?  Lily is over 2 lbs, she is healthy!

Forced to remove my rose-colored glasses...

January 10 2013

Things were going so well and so easy.....

I went to the doctor to do my glucose test this morning.  When i got there my blood pressure was 130/96, too high.....My doctor came back 30 minutes later and redid it and it was 122/80, still high but not bad

I have been placed on level 1 bedrest, means I have to work part time and relax when I am not at work, no more walks for max, lots of time spent laying down on my left side...

I have to do a 24 hour urine catch (or something like that) which means I have a large jug that I have to collect my pee in from sunday morning to monday morning. They are going to check and see how much protein is in my urine and some other substance.  If it is normal, I can go back to life as normal just be careful not to over do it.  If it is not normal, well things can get interesting, serious bedrest, blood pressure meds, and possible early induction :(

I am trying very hard not to freak out, but I am on the verge.  Please keep little Lily and me in your prayers for the next few days....hopefully we will be a-okay and Lily can stay where she is a few more months!

How far along? 25 weeks,6 days!!!
Weight gain/loss? I am up, just up.
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Nothing yet..::knock on wood::
Sleep? normal
Best moment this week?  Everything before going to the doctor this morning
Movement? Lots of movement!!!! I am starting to feel it on the outside too so soon matt will get to feel it!
Food Cravings? Fruit!!!!
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? In
What I miss? Normal pregnancy.....I don't like being abnormal
What I am looking forward to? Being healthy again
Milestones?  No good ones :(

2013: The year of the Lily! :)

January 4 2013

I seem to have gotten a little behind on updating this.....sorry blog followers, my new years resolution is to be a better blogger!

So what has happened in the last two weeks?

Had a great dinner with my cousins and the kids!  So cool to have everyone together and see the next generation growing up!

Girls and their babies....

Couples...there are two babies in this picture (Congrats Andrea!!!)

My mom and sister and cousins threw me a surprise mini bib shower!  I was totally surprised, which rarely happens since I am such a snoop but I got lots of good bibs, I may be stocked for the first year unless Lily inherits my eating habits...may need a few more!

The loot!!

And......

ITS A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!  AHHHHH YAYAYAYAYAY! We cut the cake on Christmas Eve, I believe everyone was a little shocked.  Literally everyone we asked predicted it was going to be a boy, including my doctor!  But we are over the moon excited to welcome

Lilianne Sara Simonetti

into our little family in April. She will be in a lot of good girl company in this family with girls outnumbering boys 5 to 2!  Lily's name has special meaning to both Matt and I as it is a tribute to two women who helped make us who we are today, my grandma Anne Grubb and Matts Nani Sara Bioux.

Lots of other things happened in the last week but I didn't capture pictures to post about them, so I will just list them below:

- I went back to the doctor to have my blood pressure re-evaluated...still a little elevated 130/80 but at home is measuring normal so the elevated one at the doctor may be part of my fear of doctors creeping in.

-Charlotte!  We got to spend 5 whole days with my family, it was great to catch up with everyone, especially Charlotte, she is so big! We learned our condo hits capacity at about 4 adults and a baby....next time we host hopefully we will be in a bigger house!

-Christmas!  Great food, great gifts, great family, the whole day was great!

-New Years!  We went to a party at my friend Jaime's house, I ate about a pound of pineapple plus lots of other delicious food....I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to stay up until midnight, first time since becoming pregnant!

-Dinner with my hookers!  Last night I went to dinner with Molly, Sarah and the long lost Erica!  So great to catch up with everyone, so crazy that 6 years ago our biggest concern was what we were going to wear to highlawn and now one of us is pregnant, 2 of us are married, 1 is engaged and one has 8 months left in Somalia before moving in with her soulmate!  Life has certainly taken us places!!  

-VIABILITY!!!!!  I hit 24 weeks, which means if I were to go into labor right now Lily would most likely survive....spend a lot of time in the ICU but still survive :)  hooray!  

Phewwwwwwwwww!  Busy busy two weeks!  Next week (I think) I have my glucose test for Gestational diabetes, I am really looking forward to drinking that highlighter orange liquid..........On January 16 we have our follow up ultrasound to make sure Lilys kidney issue is getting better/gone, fingers crossed!

How far along? 25 weeks!!!
Weight gain/loss? Christmas was a binge fest......
Maternity clothes? Motherhood Maternity has been a life saver!  
Stretch marks? Nothing yet..::knock on wood::
Sleep? I got a snoogle for Christmas, best pillow ever invented!  I have slept through the night since using it!  I highly recommend!
Best moment this week?  Everything in the last two weeks has been the best!
Movement? Lots of movement!!!! I am starting to feel it on the outside too so soon matt will get to feel it!
Food Cravings? Fruit, pineapple and apple and grapes and everything!
Food Aversions? Nothing
Gender? GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL!
Belly button in or out? In but yesterday I had to take my belly button ring out :( it was pulling too much, a sign that I will soon be losing my innie, EK!
What I miss? Nothing!
What I am looking forward to? Getting started on the nursery!
Milestones?  VIABILITY!!!!!!!