Preggo Update - Week 26

One more week down!!! 


Conner:

Size - about 14 inches long and about 2 pounds

Activity - Our little squirt is super active and kicks about once every 10 seconds.  He is getting higher and is starting to turn from breech to a transverse position.

Labor signs - Most contractions are happening at night and are less often. They are getting a little stronger, but mostly feel like a pressure or tightening below my belly button. 


This week Conner is very active.  His eyes are beginning to open and close and he is beginning to make breathing movements.  He is sucking his thumb which calms him and strengthens his jaw and mouth muscles.  He is responding to me too.  When I gently push on my belly, he will kick back.  He also responds to my voice and loves the shower.  I am starting to notice more of a routine with him.  He is quiet in the mornings and evenings and is most active in the afternoons and late nights.  He also LOVES music.  I sing to him and he moves around in there like crazy.  He is my tiny dancer...


Me:

Size - I feel better now than I have in a few weeks.  My hair is thicker and my belly is bigger but still in it's cute stage.  I feel beautiful and look pretty pregnant.  I even received my first "stranger compliment" today.

What I am wearing - Still sporting my sexy maternity pants, but have begun to feel more confortable in my maternity tops that are beginning to fit better now.  Instead of hanging on me, they are complimenting my growing belly. 

Strange stuff - I am awake about every 2-3 hours in the night.  I have had to make huge efforts to fall and stay asleep.  Because I am up so often in the night, I am very tired through the day.  Excercise and hot baths have been helping.  I think I am also going to try earplugs...

Food cravings - grapefruit, potato chips, and lunchmeat - oh and sorbet

Status of belly button - on it's way to becoming an outie

What I miss - still missing sleeping on my tummy and I had an intense craving for grapefruit vodka and tonic (with a dash of lime)  mmmmmmmmm...

In General:

Best movement this week - felt his butt stick out by my belly button and felt him roll over completely.

Most looking forward to - getting his nursury finished and spring

Words to live by - Allowing my husband to help me.  He is so willing and I have been stubborn, but when I did it put me in a better mood and he did an awesome job.  (We cleaned the house together...)

Milestones - Watching my belly move when he moves.

Well, we are one more week closer to meeting our son.  This week was huge because we were able to see him move and really feel him.  We also made our plans for lamaze and my family and I began to plan the shower.  Things are really begining to feel real and exciting.  This year is going to be so amazing...
-Pin

DIY Corkboard

So I love wine... Before I became pregnant I had this belief that everything was better with a glass of wine, but I haven't been able to "partake" for almost half of a full year. Because of this belief, I have this slightly ridiculous cork collection and have been meaning to use them to create something really cool. If you will recall from my Anti-Resolutionist post, one of my list items for the year was to take those corks and create a cork board. I have spotted them before in wineries and decorating magazines, and thought that was something I could do myself. Because I have been asked by a few people how I will go about making this cork board (which is awesome because it means that people are actually reading my blog!!!) I will list the instructions as I have them in my head.

Warning - I have not yet created this project beyond the pictures in my mind, so if there are some serious flaws to my design please feel free let me know.

Homemade Cork Board

Ingredients:

• wine corks apx 50 - discard plastic and torn corks
• 1/4 in Plywood cut to size
• Wood Glue
• Hanging Hardware
• framing - I will most likely use 1/4 round or something similar

Instructions

• Paint or stain plywood depending on your taste
• Cut all the corks lengthwise and begin gluing from the middle of the plywood. Alternate between vertical and horizontal placement making sure that the winery is showing on each cork. (tip - use 2 corks at a time for each placement = II = II ensuring that the placement is even)
• Make sure that all the winery names are facing the same way.
• Allow glue to dry for a day or so
• Stain or paint the framing and add to the board
• Add hanging hardware to the back, find a stud, and hang it up
• Voila! A brand new cork board... congrats!

I Promise that when I actually get around to making mine, I will post pictures and the instructions that I actually used. If you get to it before me, show me your finished masterpiece!
Peace,
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Quitters Rule

So I will admit, from the time I was fourteen until the day I found out I was pregnant, I was a smoker. I had always liked to smoke, made excuses why I smoked, and puffed away guilt free for many years. It was not until I went back to school and had to take anatomy and physiology classes that I became aware of my habit and began to feel self conscious about it. I hid it; wore more perfume, stopped smoking in my car and became obsessed with finding the ultimate gum to cover up my smoker's breath. Anyway, the point of all of this is the fact that I tried to quit so many times in the two years before I became pregnant and each time I failed miserably. So when I took that pregnancy test, I made a vow to myself that I would never smoke again. It was probably one of the easiest things that I have ever done, which surprised me because I had always not only failed at quitting before but I was scared of quitting. It scared me because it was a big part of my life and I was an addict. It is a scary thing to admit that and to walk away from your habit. I had always said that if I become "with child" that I will kick it. So with that and besides the obvious and doing what was best for my baby I never touched another cigarette. I didn't want to smoke anymore anyway because my morning sickness was in high gear from the beginning of my pregnancy until about halfway through my fourth month and my sense of smell was heightened. I could smell cigarette smoke from someone smoking in the car next to me with all the windows rolled up and it made me gag to the point of wanting to find the nearest receptacle ASAP. So that made the whole quitting smoking thing for me really easy.

So I haven't had a cigarette since August. I think the hardest thing for me though was the feeling of not fitting in and no longer wanting to be a part of something I had always been a part of. Pretty much everyone I know smokes and so I had to completely alienate myself from all of my friends for a few months. Mostly because I did not feel included at all and also I did not want to puke on their carpets from smelling the stench. What was really tough though was that my husband had not yet quit.

You know the drill - there will always be an excuse or a "reason" not to quit. for example a few that I have used and/or heard are, "work is really stressful, the holidays are coming up, my wife just found out she is pregnant and I am a little freaked, I like to smoke with my coffee, I will quit when the taxes go up again, I am afraid I will gain weight", the usual. I am sure that you can pick out of that list the reason that was keeping my husband from quitting. He was a little freaked out. I don't blame him, so was I. Anyone would be lying to you if they said that they did not have a little fear when first presented with a pregnancy and at first that was his main reason. That and then school, then the new job, then graduating, then finally the holidays. He is not a weak man nor is he one to fail. He decided that it was his time to quit and so he made a promise to us that the pack he bought on the 3oth of December would be his last. Now I can honestly look into my husband's lovely eyes with pride and love and call him a quitter to his face. He is on day #3 today and for him that is quite a feat. Now we are both quitters and quitters rule :)

To my DH - I love you baby and I am so proud of you. I knew you could do this and I have so much faith in you that you will succeed. Keep up the good work... PS - your coat doesn't stink anymore, yay!

Preggo Update - Week 25

Well, I am officially in the third trimester... here is what is going on in there

Conner:
Size - about 13.5 inches long and about 1.5 pounds

Activity - little squirt is super active and kicks about once every 25 seconds when awake

Labor signs - Some contractions if I am really active are getting stronger. Sometimes they knock me on my butt

This week his spine is continuing to develop as are the blood vessels in the lungs. His nostrils are fully formed and will most likely open by the end of the week. He looks like a real baby now just very thin and small. He will be starting to move from the breech position and rotating around to get to where he needs to be for birth. He even has hair! (Hopefully... mommy was bald till she was 3)

Me:
Size - none of your beeswax ;) a little weight gain since week 22

What I am wearing - super sexy full panel maternity pants, long sleeved cotton shirts that cover my belly, and warm socks - full blown maternity clothes.

Strange stuff - I can't sleep for more than 3 hours at a time and my hands are always falling asleep due to carpel tunnel (common in pregnancy) I can cry on a dime and am pretty much always happy

Food cravings - fruit and chocolate

Status of belly button - still an innie

What I miss - sleeping on my tummy and wine

In General:
Best movement this week - Daddy being able to finally feel his kicks

Most looking forward to - baby shampoo :) and sleeping next to him

Words to live by - always wear slippers while playing Wii bowling - had a few close calls

Milestones - feeling constant movement through the day - no more scary worries

Well, so far so good. We are in the last stretch of my first pregnancy. We have a lot to do but we are feeling really good about where things are headed. Hopefully I can keep up!

-Pin

Anti Resolutionist

My mother is a genius. She is one of those people who is always looking for something new to fill her time and new ways to become a more well rounded, better person. Every year, instead of making a silly resolution that she is sure she will neglect or forget, she makes a list. She looks closely at her life and makes a list of things that she would either like to change, improve on, start or stop doing, or just be better at. These lists make so much sense because not only does she get to take many different aspects of her life into consideration, she can actually see the improvements. My mother just remodeled her kitchen and in doing so put a chalkboard wall by the back door. She puts her list there so that every time she walks by that wall she sees a pleasant reminder of her progress. My mother made a list of ten things last year and at Christmas I asked her how it worked for her... she accomplished all ten and then some. You rock mom... you are the bomb ;)

So in the tradition of my mother's dedicated lists, I have decided to make my own and watch my progress through the year... plus it will give me some great stuff to write about!

To Do List for 2010

1. Have a baby - this is a given, but it will be monumental to me so it is number one.
2. Love the crap out of my husband - show him how much I love him and not ever take him for granted
3. Make a dentist appointment
4. Finish Conner's nursery
5. Take down the Christmas tree before February
6. Feel pretty at least once every day
7. Organize the basement
8. Finish one more semester of school
9. Beat Mario Brothers on the Wii
10. Make a cork board from my wine cork collection

Not too shabby if I might say so myself... It is simple, meaningful, and most importantly - doable! Wish me luck!

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Bump!

A nice start to Conner's room... the canvases will be painted with the alphabet and animals, there will be big yellow stars on the ceiling, green trim around the baseboards and window with some window treatments, and some added storage. I cannot wait to get started!



Thank you to http://www.stinnettstudios.com/ for the photography!

Making people

Today has been really good to me. I love being pregnant - especially when Conner reminds me that he is here. Those little movements still feel like flutters but they are getting stronger every day. Now that he has a name things are becoming more into focus. Before it was a abstract thought that we would have a child and that child was growing inside me, now it feels much more real. His nursery has a few things in it and Dave built the crib and the changing table. I am working on his paintings for his room and my sister gave me all her son's outgrown clothes. I have been asked about the baby shower and my pre-pregnancy jeans are so far from fitting I have hidden then out of sight. Dot and Daisy are even acting differently as if they are aware that there will be a monumental change in our home. I am going to be a mother and my husband a father. That sentence right there is so foreign yet so meaningful to me. Man I am crazy excited. Today I went and just stood in his room. Feeling him move and looking at his things really gave me a sense of pride, fear, and some serious tear action. I love him...

Pregnancy has been good to me. I was not enjoying the first three months, but it is over and I am on to the dare I say, fun stuff. I have quite the baby bump, and my whole appearance has changed. I see myself looking completely different than I did last summer. Besides the weight gain I just feel content and happy and I think that shows in my appearance. Don't get me wrong - there are some days I feel like I look like a female version of humpty dumpty, but it waxes and wanes. I had a lot of energy today which surprised me because this last week was exhausting. We hosted Christmas here this year and that was a ton of work. The cooking, cleaning, shopping, organizing, decorating, baking, baby making, all kicked my butt. I made it through unscathed and have some great memories for the bank. Today was just one of those days that I sat by myself and went through all of it in my mind with a smile on my face and subtle kicks to my bladder...

Introducing.... (dum da da duuuuuum).... ME!

Insert round of applause... picture me bowing. Thank you, thank you! So glad to be here!

OK, that was a little self indulgent of me but I couldn't help myself. This blogging thing is completely new to me so I am taking advantage of it a little here. I guess we should get to the important stuff, like what brought me to blogging and what I am all about. My sister in law has been blog savvy for quite awile now and has on many occations tried to include me in her successful blog, www.jenniferreviews.com. Needless to say I have always been too shy. We were talking last night and she shared with me information about mommyblogs. I was amazed that anyone could get out there and put in their two sense - so the next day BumpStop was created.

I mainly think it will be fun to share my more often than not humorous steps in marriage, pregnancy, and soon to be mommyhood. I have so much to say and talk about, but mostly I have a lot to be thankful for and that is another reason I want to share. I have a wonderful husband Dave who has been nothing but a pillar of stregth and honesty for me. We have a cozy home in a mid sized town in Wisconsin, we have two dogs, and a great group of people that we have managed to hang on to for quite awhile. We are not perfect but we have learned to laugh more than anything and accept who we are,(He taught me that, told ya he was great). We have our first son on the way. Our little man will be named Conner James. He will be the first little one for my husband's family and the second for mine. I have two wonderful sisters, one of which is a mom and has been by my side every step of the way through my pregnancy so far. I have a brother who is more talented than any other living person I have ever known and two great parents who have cleared much of the battlefield for me by laying down on the front lines. I love them.

My home life is great. I spend way too much money at IKEA but it makes for a pretty palace. I love color and texture and warm places and that is my house. Our home is modest and comfortable and where we love to be. Our dogs, two black labs Dot and Daisy sit at my feet as I write this panting quietly, most likely falling asleep to my tapping on the keyboard. They are the best friends I could ask for and they love me which is pretty cool.

All in all I have it pretty good. I hope that my writing will bring a smile to your face.

Peace,
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