8 Weeks

My little creature is awesome.  I could just stare at him all day.  Even the look on his face when he poops is adorable.  But let me tell you... motherhood ain't no walk in the park.  Well sometimes it is, if you're actually taking your child for a walk in the park. It's exhausting but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  The only thing that could make it better is sleep. Seriously. As cute as this little nug is, he DOES NOT SLEEP. With the exception of the Thanksgiving miracle when he slept for 9 hours one night, lately he's been sleeping for 4-5 hours at night. He wakes up, eats, then falls back to sleep. And I think phew, he's sleeping, back to bed I go. So I get all snuggled in my bed aaaaaaaaaand 20 minutes later... WAAAAHHHHH.   He's a spoiled boy.  I love holding him and cuddling him, and so does everybody else. So when you lay him in his crib he freaks out because he's all like woah, I fell asleep in your arms and now where am I? Come back! Wahhhh. So my goal this month is to give him some tough love so he can sleep.  And if he sleeps, I sleep. If he sleeps, he's happier. If I sleep, I'm happier. So ipsofacto we'll all be happier. (Not sure if that's the proper use of "ipsofacto" but it made me sound smart).  Little AJ give his mom, grandpa and grammie a run for their money some nights. 

Here are some new things I've learned about motherhood this month:

1) You'll sleep when you're dead, deal with it
2) You'll get better at changing diapers (I haven't been peed or pooped on this month)
3) Plan on being an hour late for everything you do.  For whatever reason it takes 12 years to pack up a baby, and just when you think you're out the door, he'll be hungry
4) People are baby hogs
5) I have no clue how mothers go back to work after only 6 weeks.  There's no way I'm even close to ready to leave Austin at a daycare. I hate leaving him with my mom for a few hours

Here are some adorable pics of AJ, courtesy of my fabulous old roomie, Nikki :)

Austin: Month 1

OK, technically on November 7th he'll be one month, but now he's 4 weeks old and I couldn't wait to write about it.  These past 4 weeks have absolutely flown by and it's amazing to see my son grow before my eyes. It's like everyday he looks different to me. So here's the run down on the past month:

The first few nights home I was absolutely terrified.  I felt like I had no idea what I was doing or what I should be doing.  I was scared to be left alone with AJ.  Luckily my mom took a day off of work and my aunt was on vacation all week so she came over everyday to help me.  The initial lack of sleep was a huge adjustment to make.  Breast feeding was terrible.  Neither me or Austin could really figure it out.  That's probably the most frustrating thing I've dealt with this month.  It was relieving to talk to other mothers and hear that it took them 3 weeks to get into good nursing habits, you just have to hang in there! And they were right, after 3 weeks it seemed like we figured it out.  

For the first two weeks I cried pretty much everyday.  For what? I'm not sure.  Lack of sleep, frustration with nursing, feeling like I had absolutely no clue what I should do.  Not knowing what to do when he's fussy.  Thinking I'm not doing a good job.  I soon realized that even if I don't know what I'm doing, he's still alive so I must be doing something right.  When he's hungry, I feed him.  When he's dirty I change his diapers.  When he cries, I comfort him.  Turns out I'm doing the best I can and with encouragement from my family, I'm doing everything right :)

Two weeks ago I also tried to get back into somewhat of my old life.  I started going back to basketball practices at CMCC.  Our season opener was around the corner and I was itching to get back into the gym, see the girls, and see what they had been working on.  I try to make it to as many practices and games as I can, however it's a little stressful trying to coordinate schedules with a newborn who has no schedule.  I have to give a big shout out to my parents for watching him while I'm gone... but I honestly want to check in with them every 5 minutes to make sure AJ's ok and see what he's up to.  I get separation anxiety and miss him so much!

Motherhood has been amazing.  I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  I love waking up and seeing my little man and I look forward to seeing what he's got up his sleeve.  He is already progressing with focusing and tracking with his eyes.  He'll follow voices and faces.  His neck and legs are so strong! He can hold his head up for a while, but then sometimes it just kind of hangs there and he has to dumbest look on his face. But it's so adorable.  He has so much hair and it naturally is styled like a mohawk. He's a boss. 

Now, enjoy some afreakingdorable baby pictures

The Truth About Labor, Delivery and Postpartum

OK, I know everyone is different and every pregnancy is unique... but here is the truth about what happened to moi during labor, delivery and the postpartum period.  Some things I wish I knew about, some things I wish I didn't, some things I wish I never did...

LABOR:

Focal points my ass.  All you hear about is breathing through contractions, try to relax, listen to music, find a focal point, walk around, get a massage... Are you serious? There comes a point where absolutely nothing is going to make you feel better. By the time I was at 5 centimeters all I wanted to do was scream, get morphine, black out and wake up with a baby.

Not getting pain meds will speed up the process.  From the time my water broke to the time I started pushing was 7 hours and 20 minutes.  However, OUCH!  It took me almost 3 days to dilate up to 5 cm, then it took only one and a half hours to dilate from 5 to 10.  There's no telling what your body is going to do

Take a bath.  It's relaxing during contractions.  However, don't be surprised with all of the nasty stuff that ends up in the water. Blood, mucous, and who knows what else.  I hated it because you have absolutely no control over whats coming out of your body.  But at the same time, you really don't care.

Lastly, when you really need a hand to squeeze or someone to hold on to... either the nurse won't be there or your labor coach will be too busy texting everyone with updates (ahem... mom)

DELIVERY:

Seriously, what hole is that baby coming out of? It was unreal, but I felt so much pain in my butt. I honestly thought he was coming out of the "other end" if ya catch my drift.

As much pain as you can be in, pushing somehow seems to alleviate all of it.  You get to a point and you just know yes, pushing would feel great

The amount of fluid that comes gushing out is unreal.  I don't even know where it comes from.

POSTPARTUM:

It's like all of the pain immediately disappears and within 5 seconds you can't even remember what it felt like

You might be naked and it will take you about 30 minutes to realize it.

No matter how gross you think it is, they're going to plop the baby on top of you, body fluids, blood, crusties and all

No matter what you do, no matter how curious you may be... wait at least 3 weeks to look "down there." At least by that point it's somewhat back to normal.

A Baby Story: Austin Xavier Jones

Who would have thought that about 30 minutes after my last blog post I would have gone into labor?!... If you just want to look at baby pictures keep scrolling...

The best way I can describe labor and delivery without dishing out all of the juicy (literally juicy) details: Exorcism.  I felt like someone was giving me an exorcism.  Here's how it started...

Columbus Day weekend, my brother and his girlfriend drive up from Maryland in high hopes that I have the baby over the long weekend.  I warned them it was doubtful, I really thought I was going late.  That Friday at my doctors appointment I found out I was 1 cm dilated, so she stripped my membranes.  But she warned me that I could stay this way for a whole week and not make progress.  Saturday I was feeling pretty crampy, which is normal after stripping membranes, so I didn't think anything of it.  I went to my high schools football game, went out shopping and went about my normal day.  Then (as we all know from my last blog entry) around midnight I lost my mucous plug.  Again, I didn't think anything of it because people lose their mucous plug weeks before going into labor. So I snuggle in to bed and write an entry about how nasty that was... then sure enough, just before 1 am I feel a pound on my cervix.  I knew that wasn't normal so I run to the bathroom and sure enough, my water broke.  It was the weirdest feeling.  I guess it's like peeing your pants and not being able to stop.  I holler at my mom, call the hospital and call the baby daddy (who couldn't believe it was happening the one weekend he decided to go to Boston). 

Around 1:30 my mom and I have gathered my things and her knitting bag (pshhh, she thought she had time for knitting) and headed to the hospital.  On the way there I experience my first contraction.  It was like a sharp pain that started in my back and wrapped around to my lower stomach.  It was tolerable, but uncomfortable. They were about 4 minutes apart.  We checked in at the hospital and I was 3 cm dilated.  I got into my room, put on those snazzy looking gowns, and enjoyed the increased pain of contractions. Bending over, rubbing my back, walking around, squeezing my moms hand, finding a focal point, breathing through them, a warm bath.  That only works for so long.

Around 6 am they give me a dose of Fentanyl, a pain reliever.  It worked for about an hour and mom and I caught some sleep.  I could sleep for a few minutes between contractions, and just breathed through the contractions.  Within the hour either the medicine wore of or my contractions were getting much stronger.  I asked for another dose in high hopes that it would knock me out, but to no avail.  I just kept grabbing my mom, telling her I want morphine and a c-section.  At this point they checked me again and I was 5 cm dilated.  My response: "What the f**k, that's it?" And as only my mom can do, she says "Sara, I know you're in pain, but lets not use this language." I then go to sit on the toilet to "open my pelvis" and that is when the horror began...

My contractions were coming on fast and furious and I was even in pain between contractions, too!  I could no longer breath through them, I had to scream, grunt, moan.  I was practically clawing at my mom anytime she was more than a foot away from me.  I looked up at my mom with puppy dog eyes and told her I WANT THE EPIDURAL! Of course, as a nurse, she knew it was too late, but I didn't care.  Give me the damn thing.  Then they tried another warm bath to relax me.  I was in there no more than 5 minutes and I knew, it was time to push.

Now it was 8:20 in the morning and the doctor wasn't there yet, so the nurse ensured me she'd catch him when he came out.  After about 10 minutes of pushing next thing I know I have an oxygen mask on, they run to get another nurse, they're changing my position, telling me to stop pushing. To anyone who has ever been in labor, it's feels next to impossible to stop pushing.  It's an urge I can't even explain. Come to find out after birth, my little man's heart rate had dropped from a healthy 140 to 50.  His head was being squished by my contractions so I had to stop pushing to stabilize him.  After about 10 minutes of not pushing I was in the clear again.  It was just like you see on tv, with an exhausted woman bearing down and everyone else yelling, you're almost there! keep pushing! one more! i see the head!

Then all of a sudden, I don't know what came over me, but my upper body practically threw itself off the bed and I let out a blood curdling scream. The head was out and the rest of him literally flew out after.  The best part of that pain? The one horrible, deathly scream I let out- my dad, brother and girlfriend are walking into the hospital and heard the scream OUTSIDE.  I was the only on in labor so there was no denying it was me.  

On October 7, 2012 at 9 a.m. my little man was born. I was in such shock of how fast everything happened.  Within 8 hours of my water breaking I was holding my wide eyed baby in my arms.  I was a mother. 

So here he is, Austin Xavier Jones.  Born 10/7/12 at 9 am sharp.  7 pounds, 1.4 ounces.  20 1/2 inches long. He is the love of my life!

ew ew ew ew ewww

Pregnancy is nasty!... as of 15 minutes ago I've lost my mucus plug - for those of you who don't know, that's this lovely thick mucus like thing that blocks bacteria from going through your cervix.  Once it's come out, labor will undoubtedly follow within a couple of days.

But I can't even describe to you what it looks like.  There are no words.  Nor do I think you really want to know.  All I can say is it looks kind of like a slug.  Or at least mine did.

All I wanted to do was use the bathroom. I guess this was a bonus! Being the naive person that I am, I wasn't entirely convinced it was my mucus plug.  Maybe I was in denial?  So I wash my hands and get my mom out of bed.  There, displayed on the bathroom counter on a piece of 2-ply toilet paper was "the slug."  She even ran back and got her glasses so she could get a better look (only a true mother/nurse would do that).  She said, "yeah, I guess that's the plug... things are happening," and went back to bed.

So then I did what any curious person would, I googled "mucus  plug" just to make sure.  I read some articles and even scrounged up the courage to search google images.  Yup.  It's the mucus plug.

So now not only am I 2 cm dilated, but I've lost my plug! There's no holding back this baby.  I've been so anxious for the past 39 weeks and 4 days and now that the time has come I'm totally wimping out! I'm terrified.  A full sized baby has to somehow maneuver it's way out of me and rumor has it, it isn't pain free.  For a while I was thinking it would be cool to experience a natural birth.  Now I want morphine.  Knock me out.  There's no way I can do it.  There's no way he's going to come out.  I can see myself now, in a ball of sweat, crying, screaming, running away from nurses.  I think before I was all yeah, I can do this.  I'm gonna birth the shit outta this baby because I knew it wasn't happening anytime soon.  But now that the time is nearing, I'm becoming much more realistic.  I mean, many people do it multiple times and survive, so the statistics are pretty good... but I just wish there was a way to have some sort of black out, wake up, and have the baby in my arms!... a girl can dream, can't she?!

Holy $h!t

I've just been strolling along through pregnancy like it's just no big deal.  Like I'm a 6 year old eating ice cream and skipping down the sidewalk.  It's been easy, like, really easy.  No morning sickness, no severe pains, no braxton hicks contractions, no bed rest. NOTHING!  I played competitive basketball until I was about 22 weeks.  I've been coaching basketball, lacrosse and field hockey.  I've been working. My life literally hasn't changed at all for pregnancy. Every time somebody asks how it's going all I can say is "pretty good, same ol' same ol.'" If I said anything else it'd be a lie.  The best way I can describe my pregnancy is that I was just hanging out, living life, and growing a baby.

Well now.... I guess there is something to report:

I had a doctor's appointment today.  I'm currently 39 weeks, 5 days away from my due date.  The doctor went along with her usual routine.  As she puts [very cold] lubrication on her glove, I know what's next.  The vaginal exam.  It's a rather uncomfortable process.  All of a sudden her mouth drops, her eyes widen and she says "This is exciting!"  I immediately thought she was going to say that I needed to go to the hospital and deliver this baby. Wrong. (Insert sigh of relief here).  She said the baby's head has dropped and I'm 1+ centimeters dilated, almost 2.  I haven't felt a damn thing, when the hell did this happen?  So then she stripped my membranes, which can speed up the process, and was also the most uncomfortable and longest 5 seconds of my life.

So I'm progressing, but don't get too excited... It doesn't mean I'm going in to labor.  I could stay this way for a couple of days, maybe a week.  All I know is this news made me 10 times more excited and 100 times more scared.  This whole time I've had this thought that I'm just never going to have this baby.  Welp, go figure, I was wrong.  The process has begun. Bring it on motherhood!

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks and 1 day
This Week the baby is a size of a: Winter melon.  At this point, most babies are around 7 pounds and 20 inches long.  It's weird to think something that big is inside of me.
Total weight gain/loss: The farther along I am, the less I like this question... 30 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, but I still prefer sweats
Belly button in or out? Actually, I would say that it's flat... if that makes any sense.

Sleep: When I get more than 3 hours of sleep at a time it is a magical moment.  

Best moment this week: I have officially packed my hospital bag.  I have absolutely no clue what to bring because I know the hospital supplies a lot for me and the baby.  Why waste my own money on diapers when they'll give me free ones.  I also had no idea what pants to pack because rumor has it you bleed a lot, and I don't want to ruin any of my high class, trendy sweats or gym shorts.

Movement: Yes, sometimes making me lose my breath.
Symptoms: Joint pain, lack of sleep, fatigue, moody, a few stretch marks on my hips, sometimes waddling depending on how the baby is positioned, shortness of breath, heart burn... all of those little things that when you add them up become super annoying.
Symptoms I DON'T have: I've shown no symptoms of starting labor
Food cravings: EVERYTHING.  Last night I was watching The Big Bang Theory, and they always are eating.  Every time there was a meal scene I looked at my dad and said "I want that."  At one point there was stuffing and I couldn't stop thinking about Thanksgiving...... . Damn, I'm thinking about it again.
Gender: boy
What I miss: my 6 pack abs.  Haha, just kidding, I've never had those.
What I am looking forward to: Holding him for the first time :) That's going to happen really soon!

Weekly Wisdom: sleep whenever you can.  No shame in sleeping until noon and taking a nap at 1.
Milestones: He's ready! He's ready to survive in the outside world, everything is developed and functioning... the best part is, he's working on making his first real world poop!

To Do List: I FINALLY have health insurance figured out (I think) and I've started thinking of having a friend Nanny for me instead of paying for daycare because I won't be working full time.  I should probably start "nesting" soon, but hear that's an instinct.  One which I probably don't have

For you, Caroline

IN 24 DAYS I'M HAVING A BABY! That's less than a month! Give or take a few.  And I am scared sh*tless... I've spent months waiting for this nug to pop out and now, realistically, at any given moment he could be here.  The doctor says because I've been so "normal" throughout the entire pregnancy that I have a good chance of carrying up to my due date.  I have mixed feelings about that.  Part of me wants it to happen sooner because I am so anxious and excited.  Part of me want him to stay in as long as possible because I am absolutely terrified of labor.  Have you ever watched "A Baby Story" ???? Not a single woman is peaceful or not screaming...

I just have so many questions.  Am I going to cry? Am I going to pass out? Who is going to visit me?  Will I get an epidural? Will I have a c-section?  Will I ever have a 6 pack? Is my belly button ring going to look weird after?  Am I going to poop? (66% of people do in labor, ugh!) How many pairs of underwear should I pack?  How on earth am I going to let anyone know that I'm going into labor? When will my water break? Will I be home alone? WILL I SURVIVE?!?!?!

Right now I am exactly 36 weeks and 4 days along.  The light is at the end of the tunnel and my little baby is pretty much ready to come out.  I'm measuring right on track, so he can be up to 19 inches and 6 pounds.  So basically he's the size of a honeydew.  Finally, they give me a fruit I know!  I NEVER sleep anymore.  I toss and turn all night, catching sleep here and there.  I have so much discomfort, especially in my hips.  No swelling though!  The baby's kidneys, liver, circulatory and immune systems are ready to go.  He still just needs to get a little fatter!

And finally... I went out with my friends and was "that awkward pregnant person" at the bar.  It was awesome.  It felt so good to go out again and be involved in all of the drunken drama.  I slurped down my shirley temples as they chugged their beers.  I've missed it all too much.  The only problem is that I LOVE TO DANCE.   I don't know what others think, but I think I'm good.  But I just felt so weird having an enormous belly and getting out on the dance floor.  It was so out of character for me to just stand around. But needles to say, the people watching was enough entertainment.  I should have taken some "Creeper Cam" pictures.

Without any further adieu, here is my Saturday night baby belly! 36 weeks, and my son is already going out to bars... smh

Anxiety Sets In

In approximately 35 days (give or take) I will be delivering a baby.  Of course I've known that this day must come, and I've been looking forward to it since February.  However, knowing you have to do it and actually doing it are two very different things.  Now that the time is rapidly nearing I don't want to do it.  Yep, I'll admit it, I'm scared.  It's going to hurt like a biotch.  There's not a single woman on the planet who will say "oh it was painless and they just flew out, easiest thing I've ever done."  If you find one, let me know, I will worship her.  I'm going to complain, cry, scream, grunt, sweat, hurt, cramp, tear, bleed... I mean lets face it, the miracle of life is disgusting. I'm also paranoid about being stupid and not really knowing if I'm going into labor or not.  Or when and where my water is going to break.  Or what if I'm one of those girls on TV who all of a sudden a baby is hanging out of them and they're like oh my god, I'm having a baby! Beyond that, now I realize that I'm responsible for a life and responsible for who this child is going to become.  No big deal... (BIG DEAL)

Other than total anxiety setting in, I've come to realize that I really can't complain about this pregnancy.  I've had no sickness, no medical issues, no setbacks or concerns.  The baby has been healthy and squirming around all hours of the night.  Of course I've lost sleep, gained weight and discovered my first stretch mark (it's about a centimeter long, but it still counts!) but that's all expected. I'm also happy that I haven't had strangers rub my stomach yet.  I've heard that happens to people.  I get a lot of people staring at my stomach, probably thinking is she pregnant or fat?  I've had wonderful friends and family along the way to help me through, especially with the emotions and raging hormones. They've allowed me to vent about fears, anxiety and emotions. They've helped me validate and accept my craziness.  I've also been really lucky to have reconnected with old friends and it's always nice to feel the love and support while going through trying times.  It's really humbling to realize just how many people really care for me.  I am truly grateful to you all :]

So as an update, as of today I am officially 35 weeks along! It's possible that he's up to 18 inches and 6 pounds. I have to pee ALL THE TIME! His head is pressing on my bladder making things more urgent if ya catch my drift.   His hearing is fully developed, his liver and kidneys are developed and starting to produce his first poop.  How exciting ?!?!

33 Weeks

How far along? 33 weeks 2 days. only 47 days left, eeeek!
This Week the baby is a size of a: Durian... I don't know why they pick such strange foods. Another website says he weighs as much as a pineapple.  He could be anywhere 4-6 pounds and up to 18 inches long!
Total weight gain/loss: I only gained 1 pound since my last appointment, which is a huge feat considering I went away on vacation.

Maternity clothes? Duh.  I'm beyond repair now.
Belly button in or out? Both? The top part is sticking out but the bottom isn't.

Sleep: I've been losing a lot of sleep this past week but I think it's more anxiety related

Best moment this week: Seeing my family and friends! We went to Maryland to visit my Dad's side of the family but it was a super bonus getting to see my college roommates :]

Movement: Yes, kicking the ribs and all.
Symptoms: A NEW THING IS HAPPENING! I thought the baby was literally using me as a punching bag because it felt like small parts of my stomach were vibrating.  Then my Mom freaked me out because she said maybe it was seizures.  So as any good mother would do, I googled it.  Turns out it's not even the baby.  My uterus is having muscle spasms. I've also discovered my first stretch mark (waaaaah).  It's about 1 cm long and right above my bellybutton.
Symptoms I DON'T have: No waddling, swelling or leg cramping.
Food cravings: I'm so boring, no cravings.
Gender: boy
What I miss: strangely enough, being able to have really intense workouts 
What I am looking forward to: Getting the little nug here! I seriously can't wait.

Weekly Wisdom: Rest whenever you can, because I'm sure you won't get much rest once the baby comes... it's ok to be selfish
Milestones: At this point, he's gaining about 1/2 a pound per week.  He's just putting the finishing touches on his perfect little self.

To Do List: The big thing to do this week is contact WIC ( yay for cheap groceries) and fill out some subsidized government forms (yay for possible cheap daycare). 

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks
This Week the baby is a size of a: Jicama.  I'll elaborate, 16 inches long and can weigh up to 4.5 pounds.
Total weight gain/loss: TOO MUCH.  Mom says I'm a little "hippy."  And we all know hips don't lie.

Maternity clothes? Duh.  I'm beyond repair now.
Belly button in or out? Both?

Sleep: There was one night this past week that I feel asleep before midnight.  It was magical.

Best moment this week: I felt him kick my ribs for the first time! It's weird.  It doesn't hurt but it's definitely uncomfortable. I've also been able to organize the baby room and it's really starting to come together.  Of course it's an absolute disaster now...Also, on a social note, I went to a wedding (the cutest couple.  they were voted class couple and have been together 7 years) and I got to see a few old high school friends and reconnect.

Movement: Yes, kicking the ribs and all.
Symptoms: Just joint pain.  Nothing new or exciting.
Symptoms I DON'T have: No waddling... yet.
Food cravings: Nothing really.  I just eat whatever people put in front of me.
Gender: boy
What I miss: e n e r g y  and sleep ZzZzZz
What I am looking forward to: Going to Maryland.  I get to see my two college roommates and my Dads side of the family.  None of them have seen me throughout my pregnancy so I'm really excited to show off the baby bump.

Weekly Wisdom: Keep excersising, unless you want to be a sumo wrestler. 
Milestones: His wrinkles are disappearing, his skin is getting thicker and his hair should start to be growing rapidly... I just love that every week now the big development is that he's getting fat.

To Do List: Oh, I don't know.  Someone keep track of things for me!

Adventures Galore

Although most of my days are jam-packed with eating and watching TV... occasionally I can make time to do other things.  Last weekend I went to the RWU Golf Tournament, obviously to support my basketball family.  And here is where I include a very special shout out to PAIGE CONGDON.  My red headed best friend who is jealous that my cousin gets all of the shout outs. We frolocked the streets of Newport hand in hand and had a jolly ol' time.  Monday morning we had to leave our lovely king sized bed and head to the golf banquet.  While there I bought four wing-spans worth of raffle tickets, which I figured out to be just under 200 tickets.  I know what you're thinking, I bought so many tickets because all of my money is supporting the basketball team.  Wrong.  I selfishly was determined to win as much as I possibly could.  Well, the plan worked.  I won an autographed baseball from Red Sox player Andrew Miller.  And an autographed football helmet from Patriot's player Jerod Mayo.  I have no clue who either of these people are, but I figured they would look nice on display in the baby's room.  (Which is coming along nicely by the way).




Just a few days ago I had the biggest surprise of my life.  A BABY SHOWER.  I've secretly been waiting but had no idea if I was actually going to get one or not.  My Aunt hosted while my number one fan, Caroline, planned.  I was told it was a going away party for Caroline, which made sense seeing as she's leaving for college this week.  So we get there and I was clearly oblivious to everything that was going on.  When I walked in everyone had their camera's in my face, everyone was staring at me with a creepy smile, and some of my good high school friends were there.  In my mind, I thought the camera's were because I love telling people to take pictures and tag me.  I thought the creepy smiles were just, well, creepy.  And my high school friends all know Caroline.  So I didn't really think twice.  I didn't notice all of the presents in a crib, the baby shower banner or all of the baby themed foods... It wasn't until my Aunt yelled, "Well, Surprise!" that it clicked.  A surprise indeed.  The shower was wonderful.  I got everything I could ever need.  Play pens, bouncers, stroller, car seat, bottles, diapers, clothes, toys, blankets, bath supplies... I really do feel grateful for the friends and family I have.  I was just so excited because this meant that I actually had things to put in the nursery! My next adventure is organizing and putting the finishing touches on the nursery!

31 Weeks

How far along? 31 weeks
This Week the baby is a size of a: Squash/Pineapple... He's 15-16 inches long and 2.5-4 pounds.
Total weight gain/loss: 20 pounds... and feeling super unmotivated to go to the gym.

Maternity clothes? I had to buy more shirts, my gym shirts are starting to be too small now.  They awkwardly show the bottom of my belly.
Belly button in or out? Oh. Em. Gee.  The top part is officially sticking out now.  Not drastically, but you can feel that it's poking out a bit.

Sleep: I don't know what that word means anymore :[  I toss and turn all night because I can't stay comfortable for more than 20 minutes.

Best moment this week: Finishing the nursery! It's painted, the wood floors are in and now it's just time to decorate!  I also got to see all of my old RWU teammates, their fabulous parents and the infamous Coach Thompson.  It was so nice to be able to see everyone again, and of course I loved talking about the baby
Movement: Yes, sometimes so huge it will wake me up
Symptoms: I guess the most exciting, and the only new symptom, would be braxton hicks contractions.  Or at least that's what I think they are.  I can feel different parts of my stomach tighten.  
Symptoms I DON'T have: I haven't lost my breath yet. Since I'm tall the baby isn't pressing on my lungs or diaphragm yet. 
Food cravings: Salt.  I don't want it because it will make me swell up. Actually, I DO want it, I just don't have it.  
Gender: boy
What I miss: e n e r g y  and sleep ZzZzZz
What I am looking forward to: Getting closer to my due date! It seems like it's still a long ways away (2 months) but at the same time I feel like he'll be here in no time!

Weekly Wisdom: Lots of stretching and water and relax when you can
Milestones: All 5 senses are developed, his irises react to light and he's still just busy getting fat

To Do List: I've lost track of everything now!

30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks
This Week the baby is a size of a: As long as a "long cucumber." What classifies a long cucumber from a big cucumber?... I have no idea.  The vegetable analogies are getting less and less realistic in my mind.  Another website says it's the size of   a squash. I just don't know what to believe anymore!
Total weight gain/loss: Let's just say bikini's aren't my thing anymore.  Well they never were to begin with anyway...

Maternity clothes? Yes.  They make me look so pregnant and cute! However, for the most part I still wear gym shorts and a t-shirt.  
Belly button in or out? In, but I'm getting nervous the skin between my bellybutton ring holes is going to split! It's getting really thing and redish-purpley.  Mom says I should have thought about that when I was 18 and got it pierced. Psh, yeah, ok.
Sleep: Seeing how I'm posting this at 12:30 am, Most of my sleep occurs between the hours of 2 am and 10 am... followed by an afternoon power nap.
Best moment this week: Starting work on the nursery!  We've ripped up the carpet and floors, stripped the wall boarder, patched up sheet rock.  Tomorrow we're painting and in a few days we're getting new wood floors!  The picture is my little helper, Ryan, throwing the carpet padding out of the window. Time to say goodbye to my old high school room. 
Movement: Yes, but I wish I knew what it was that I'm feeling. A head? Butt? Knee? Fist?
Symptoms: Lack of sleep and... (those easily squeemish stop reading)... constipation.  I've read that it happens to pregnant women but jeeesh, gimme a break!  Also lots of back pain and some minor leg tenderness.
Symptoms I DON'T have: Haven't been having weird dreams, and no heart burn!
Food cravings: Eh, nothing really, so I'll just type in the cliche to fill up space: ice cream, peanut butter and pickles.
Gender: boy
What I miss: e n e r g y 
What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery and starting birthing classes.  My first one is today and I'm very excited, but also nervous.  I'm afraid they're going to open my eyes to the terror of labor/delivery and I'll start having super anxiety

Weekly Wisdom: Lots of stretching and water
Milestones: The babe's still busy getting fat.  Brains still growing too  

To Do List: Starting to scratch things off my list... my big goal this week is to get things rolling with daycare. 

my baby is sooo... baby-like

I. AM. SO. EXCITED.  Today I had a check up with my doctor, which, incase you're wondering she said everything was perfect.  That doesn't surprise me because I'm perfect.  So My appointment's at 1:45.  I check in, pee in a cup and patiently wait for my name to be called.  Waiting. Waiting.  Waiting. I was waiting for a whole 25 minutes. I know it doesn't seem like long, but when you have to spend 25 minutes with my mom, it seems to last for-ev-er.  Anywho, my name is finally called.  So I cringe as I step on the scale and then head back to the examination room.  Long story short, some fool called in two people with appointments after me BEFORE me.  The nerve! So the doctor had extra time after my appointment, and as a way to make up for me waiting so long, she brought in the sonogram machine!

I am happy to announce that my little man no longer looks like an alien.  He has a real face, with real features, and real eyeballs.  We saw his man parts for confirmation.  We saw his heart beating.  We saw his ribcage move while he was practicing breathing.  But the best part was that we got to see his face :)  His little eyes were blinking, he was moving his head looking around.  My favorite part was watching him open and close his mouth.  You know how babies have the smallest little lips and how adorable they are when they yawn?  Well I was able to see that.  And he kept sticking his tongue out of his mouth.  I can't believe how real he is.  Like Pinnocio or something.  He's a real boy.  He was alive, and real, and looked just like a real baby.  Which I suppose makes sense.  I wish I had videotaped it so I could show everyone.

Moral of the story: Have a cool doctor, wait a long time for appointment, get special treatment :)

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 weeks... only 11 to go!
This Week the baby is a size of a: Acorn Squash. He's 15-16 inches long and probably weighs between 2.5-3.5 pounds
Total weight gain/loss: Oh probably too much. I've been hitting the snack bar more than the gym this week.
Maternity clothes? Yes.  I can still fit into some of my gym clothes.  However I only wear two different gym shorts.  The family would probably like to burn them by now but they're the only ones with elastics that don't cut in to my waist. 
Belly button in or out? most of it's in. The top part is starting to push out, and the holes where my belly button ring was looks weird.
Sleep: depends on the day.  Sometimes I get 7 hours, sometimes I sleep for 12.
Best moment this week: I'm starting to feel kicks in different places, like on my side or up by my ribs.  This means the baby is growing!
Movement: Yes, and I think it is THE coolest to see my stomach move
Symptoms: Constant bathroom trips.  And lots of minor aches and pains.  
Symptoms I DON'T have: No varicose veins! (Yet).
Food cravings: lately I've been wanting a lot of meat. 
Gender: boy
What I miss: Being able to go out and not be "that pregnant girl."  I mean, I don't really care, I embrace the awkwardness of being the pregnant girl at the bar, or the pregnant girl in the bikini.  But people like to stare. 
What I am looking forward to: Getting things in the Nursery ready!

Weekly Wisdom: Lots of stretching.  It doesn't take much for me to get crampy and tight.
Milestones: His head is growing because his brain is still developing.  He's practicing breathing and stretching.  He's still getting fat!... which means I'm still going to get bigger.  
To Do List: Same ol' same ol'.  I've got to get on the ball for some of this stuff, it's pretty important and realistically, this kid could pop out any second.

I Throw My Clipboard When I Get Mad

Well seeing how this blog is supposed to be about my "Adventures" and all I've been doing is filling out a weekly survey, I figured it's time for some updating.  Although, I wouldn't quite say I've been adventurous.  Last week I worked at Hoop Camp.  It is probably my favorite part of the summer.  It's like a little Hoop Camp family is formed each year. It was about 90 degrees everyday, humid, and at 7:30 in the morning I (for some reason) volunteered myself to teach 90 campers different ball handling drills.  I'm not a morning person, nor am I a good ball handler.  I was anxious to see how heat, humidity, lack of sleep and pregnancy would mix.  To my surprise, I was just as bitchy and hormonal and happy as normal.

I think the real adventure of Hoop Camp belongs to my team.  Basically when we get a team it's luck of the draw.  I probably started with what would be deemed the worst team at camp.  After the first day I was practically in tears.  My Dad validated this by saying, "Sara, you're team sucks."  They played lazy, I was throwing clipboards on the court out of anger... it wasn't pretty. However, throughout the week we made a huge turn around... I like to think it's all thanks to my coaching, but I know that part of it was that my two worst players went home sick.  Even though that left me with 7 girls, I could create a very strong rotation. To everyone's surprise we made it to the semifinals.  We were playing the #1 team at camp.  With 10 seconds left it was a tie game.  The opposing team had the camp MVP and of course with about 5 seconds left she hits a floater to give them the lead... If I had won that game I would have been playing my Dad's team in the championship.  Morris vs Morris.  Dad ended up winning the whole thing....... ugh, whatever.  I'm still bitter about last year when I was in the championship game, had the camp MVP on my team, and lost because some girl who can't hit the broad side of a barn banked in a buzzer beater.  I have no luck at this camp.

28 Weeks... and 4 days

How far along? 28 and a half weeks.  
This Week the baby is a size of a: Eggplant (gross).  Depending on the website or book, every source has a different fruit size. 
Total weight gain/loss: Somewhere around 17 pounds.  I guess that's pretty average.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and they are beyond comfortable.  However, the high waisted elastic pants are very unsexy. 
Belly button in or out? it's in, however I can make it an outtie.  If I press down around it, it pops out.  I think it's cool, others think it's gross.
Sleep: in general, I think I just have poor sleeping routines. 
Best moment this week: GETTING A FOOT MASSAGE! I'm going to cherish it forever because I'm sure it will never happen again.
Movement: Yes, it's like huge waves moving across my stomach
Symptoms: Sometimes I have shortness of breath, and aches and pains.  Nothing too huge to report. Oh!... Still no stretch marks!
Symptoms I DON'T have: No braxton hicks contractions. Those will probably freak me out. 
Food cravings: As usual, I just want to eat all the time.
Gender: macho man
What I miss: My old body.  It's changed so much, my belly's getting big and I have so many annoying little aches... but it's all worth it
What I am looking forward to: Having the little nug.  Every morning I wake up I just wish he was here! I am no where near ready, but I'm just so anxious to hold him in my arms

Weekly Wisdom: Swim, it's so relaxing
Milestones: If he was born right now, he would be able to survive. That's crazy.  Most of his crucial developments are done, the only thing left is to get fat.
To Do List: Same ol' same ol'.  I've got to get on the ball for some of this stuff, it's pretty important. 

ALSO! Look at how adorable these little Air Force Ones are