So What if Christmas is Over

Better late than never, right?

We had a good Christmas this year.  Though I won't lie, I'm pretty excited to have a little one next year.  Yeah he'll still be little and not know what's going on, but I'm still looking forward to it.

We decided to do our Christmas for each other on Christmas Eve morning since we'd be busy that night and all day on Christmas.  I mean, you have to open presents in pajamas.  It's just sort of a Christmas rule.

The loot!

 Okay so we did stockings first of course, and this has got to be my favorite series of pics.  He was seriously was like a little kid who got the best gift ever.

It was a one pound package of Reese's.   Seriously, it might as well have been a winning lottery ticket!

This is how our cat spent the day...sitting on the heater vent.

So this was the "big one."  He was pretty happy about this one too.  Which always makes me feel good.  :)  He had seen it at the Fossil store a long time ago and mentioned that he wanted it.  So I found it online and I kept wavering on whether or not I wanted to get it for him.  I'm glad I just went for it!

 My big gift that I was SOOOOO excited about was window tinting for my car!  I've been wanting that ever since we got the thing and I can't wait to finally get it done.  We keep waiting for it to be sunny, since tinting apparently does better when it can be in the sun for the first week or so.  However, we haven't had such luck.

 Christmas Eve night we went over to Remy's parent's house for our annual Christmas Eve dinner.  Then after we decided that we'd participate one last time in the Dyreng kids' tradition of sleeping over at my sister's house and then going to our parent's in the morning. 

I'm always amazed at how well we are able to balance both families (and extended families) on Christmas.  Luckily our traditions don't overlap for the most part, which is always nice.  Though next year I imagine will be a little bit more tricky.

Trying out my new camera from my parents.

Dyreng family

Our little niece Alissa was more than willing to help you open your presents.  At first she would ask you if she could help you open it, then eventually she just started helping you regardless.  :)

This was my view.  :)  This was about 28 weeks.

 Our 3rd anniversary is just 3 days after Christmas and we had a good time. We started out the day going out to breakfast at the Original Pancake House where we saw Jeff Hornacek and his family sitting just a few tables away.  When we got home we were playing a game that Remy got for Christmas when the doorbell rang and there was a huge bouquet of roses.  Remy had then put one blue rose right in the middle for our little guy.  It was pretty sweet.

 For dinner we had a certificate for Carver's we used.  Man that place is delicious!  Neither of us had ever been there, and if we had more money we'd probably go back more often.  :)  Seriously, it was good.  We had a lamb chop appetizer, and each chop was served on it's own little bed of mashed potatoes and topped with a pico de gallo.  Oh man was that good.  Both of us loved our dinners and dessert was also amazing.  We seriously would go back!

I had been wanting to go see Zoo Lights for years, but I never think about it at the right time.  Remy was so sweet and remembered for me. :)  So we bundled up and went and walked around.  There weren't many animals to see, but I love Christmas lights so I enjoyed myself.  And we were so lucky because it was really busy and we literally go the best parking spot in the whole lot!  :)

Love you Remy!  Thanks for such a fun day!

Glucose, Schmlucose

So the day after Christmas I had my glucose test. 

Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  My biggest thing is that when it comes to beverages, I'm a sipper.  So 10 oz. in 5 minutes is hard for me.  -Take into consideration the sugar factor and whoa.  That's hard.  But I did it and it was fine. 

While I was waiting my hour before the blood draw I had my monthly appointment.  The doctor was asking me if my baby was being a good kicker.  And honestly, no, not really.  I mean, yeah, he'd have days where I'd feel him throughout the day.  But then he'd go a good week and I'd barely feel anything at all.  She asked if he was kicking 10 times in 2 hours...um, no.  I hadn't been officially counting, but like I said I could go a whole day or more and barely feel a kick in the morning and maybe a little nudge in the evening.  But definitely not 10 times, even in 2 hours. -At least not on his lazy days.  Other days, yeah for sure.

So she had me go over to Maternal Fetal Medicine to do a non stress test just to check.  But first I had to go get my blood drawn so she told me to go check in at MFM and then do the blood draw.  And wouldn't you know it, as I'm walking from MFM to the lab (which is just down the hall from each other), the little twerp starts kicking.  And would NOT stop. 

He must have known he was in trouble. 

So we get in there after the blood draw and the nurse is asking me all sorts of questions and hooks up the monitors and immediately you can  hear him moving.  ....and he continued moving for the whole 20 minutes.  Seriously!  I mean, I was super glad.  I didn't want anything to be wrong, but really kid?  You're embarrassing me.  :)  I'm pretty sure the nurse thought I was a crazy person.  But I'm telling you!  Even that day I had barely felt a thing!

Oh well, good news: baby is great.

Bad news:  I had to go back for the 3 hour glucose test.

I was a little confused though because the nurse called and said it looked good, but they wanted me to do the other test...whatever it's fine.

So last week I charged up my Kindle Fire and headed on over.  I was a lot better at drinking the drink, since I'd had practice before.  But they wouldn't even let me walk around since activity can impact the results.  However, they were super nice and kept me loaded on ice to trick my brain so I wouldn't starve.  And it actually worked.

Yeah by the end I was definitely hungry, but it was not unbearable like I expected it to be.  So I went to Costa Vida and I still felt fine, just normal hungry.  But as I started eating I started getting this weird combo of light headed and dizzy, but without actually having a light head or the spinning...I know it sounds weird, but just go with me here. And I started feeling that overwhelming hunger where I can't stuff my face fast enough.  It was really strange.  For a minute there I starting worrying about what would happen if I just passed out since I was there by myself.  So I texted Remy to tell him I was feeling weird so that at least he would know in case someone had to call him.  (I know I'm weird). 

I made it through lunch and once my food had time to digest a little I was fine.  Though I couldn't believe that I ate a WHOLE burrito and even stopped for a frosty before I got back to the office and I didn't even feel stuffed.  Lately I can't eat that much of ANYTHING in one sitting.  So I must have been hungry.

Luckily the results from the test came back fine and I don't have gestational diabetes!

Oh and the little guy is definitely getting bigger.  He finds more to kick now a days than just my belly.  And some of it is uncomfortable!
It's getting harder to sleep comfortably.  Most nights are okay, but it doesn't take much to be uncomfortable.  Rolling over is harder too, that's for sure.
Sitting on the floor is a no-no.  Within a minute or two my back gets a million knots that are really painful.
I've been having braxton-hicks contractions.  It seems like when I'm more active I feel them more...so I don't if that's really what they are, but I think so...

And again, I'm trying to post my pic, but it just isn't working.   I'll keep at it!

It's the 3rd Trimester!

What the?  How did that happen already?!

I'm not going to complain or anthing, but geez that was fast!  Knowing that we're just about10 weeks away from meeting this little dude is crazy.  And so exciting.

And makes me realize how NOT ready we are.

Which is okay, I mean there is still time, but it's making me really want to have the nursery ready.

Like now.

Up until last week the poor kid's room was just full of all our extra junk.  We live in a 2 bedroom condo and so that 2nd bedroom is some valuable real estate.  It's where I keep my clothes, where I do my make up, our office, craft space, it keeps our extra furniture and random other crap that has no where else to go. 

But now, it's looking so much better!  We've been having people come take a look at our place to bid out some work we'd like to have done.  One of the people who came over was a designer.  And he rocked!  First off he complimented a bunch of the choices we had already made in our little place so you can't help but love someone who does that, am I right?  Well when we showed him the future baby's room he pointed out how much "stuff" we have.  And he's like, let's go right now, let's start hauling this stuff out.  And I kid you not once he left I did.  He totally motivated me.  He pointed out how we're living in a transitional space so we don't need all this stuff.  Save it for when we have a real house.  For crying out loud there are only two of us who live there, why do we need it all?!  Seriously, it was the much needed kick in the pants I've been needing.  He was SOOOO right.  By the end of that day I was able to clear out and THROW AWAY the cabinet I had that held all my crafting crap.  Which is a pretty big accomplishment!

And that was just the momentum we needed.  I cannot believe how much stuff we've cleared out in the past week or so.  Multiple bags of garbage, tons of DI stuff...I do not know how it even all fit in there.

So we're getting there!  And I'm pretty excited.  Seriously, I can't wait to pull the whole room together.  I've been taking pictures so I can't wait to see the whole transformation once it's done.

And I actually have a baby bump pic, but for some reason blogger won't let me upload, so I'll post it another time.

Pregnancy Is...

Exciting. Nerve wracking. Cool. Creepy. Awesome. Scary. Fun. Uncomfortable. Wonderful. Tiring.  Among many other things.  But so far it's been amazing.

I mean just think of all the perks:  Everyone is extra nice.  No one makes me do anything.  I can eat as much as I want and people don't judge (though I would like to state that I have NOT adopted the "I'm eating for two" philosophy).  I got a whole new wardrobe.  My husband is extra attentive to anything I need.

And yeah, of course there are downsides, but I'm so blessed that this pregnancy has been so easy thus far.  I'm crossing my fingers it stays so great...I have my glucose test the day after Christmas...

I'm at 26 weeks!  The time has flown by.  After this Friday Remy and I don't have to be to work until Jan. 2nd and we have decided we would spend that time getting our 2nd bedroom ready to actually start getting ready for this little bambino.  Right now it's a huge mess and has a ton of furniture in it.

Remy was finally able to feel the little guy kick last week which was pretty cool.  And last night Remy was telling him to move around, and he did and Remy felt it again.  :)   He's started moving around a lot more which I love.  I started feeling regular movements around 19 weeks, but the week before Thanksgiving he quit moving around so much and it was freaking me out a bit.  I knew it was still early enough that it probably wasn't a huge deal, but I was glad that I had a Dr. appointment soon after I noticed the change and she told me that everything was fine. 

It was still bothering me a little bit because he had been so active for a few weeks and I didn't like the sudden stillness.  I wasn't worried enough to go back to the Dr. because I WAS still feeling some movement, but still you can't help but wonder.  I was talking with one of my coworkers about it and she told me to try getting on my hands and knees for a little bit to put the baby in a floating position and he'd move around.  So I tried it and it totally worked!  After I sat back up within a minute probably I felt those little kicks again.  I was so happy I started crying (another thing that's becoming more common as I get farther along).  In fact I even cried when I told her at work the next day. :) 

But for the last week or so he's back to his normal kicking.  Every once in a while he'll jab me somewhere or strong enough that it makes me jump because it catches me off guard.  But it keeps me entertained during budget meetings. :)

So here's what I know about my baby so far:
-He's a boy.
-He becomes more active when I drink hot cider or hot chocolate (though I haven't been able to figure out if it's a temperature thing or a sugar thing).
-He's cute.  And I know that because I had a dream about him the other night about the day he was born and he was adorable. :)  And I believe this dream because well, of course I'll think my own baby is cute, but I also had multiple dreams that he was a boy so I'm on a good streak. :)  Plus, let's not forget the thumbs up he gave us at one of the ultrasounds!
-He moves more when I'm in a movie theater.  Not a fan of loud noises?
-Also that I love him.

And for those of you who are wondering:
-Thank you for asking, I actually feel really great.  I get tired faster and standing for too long and bending over at all make my back hurt like a mo-fo, but a little massage usually helps.
-I haven't been craving a lot of foods, but for some reason I do crave marinara sauce.  Which is weird because that usually isn't something I choose.  We randomly discovered that IHOP of all places has really good mozzarella sticks and those ALWAYS sound good.  Dipped in marinara of course.  In fact, now I want some....
-Other food related things are that I don't really want to eat protein.  It doesn't taste gross to me or anything.  I just can't eat a lot.  It started with hamburgers back in September and sort of continued from there.  I'll eat it, but it doesn't sound good.  Except for chicken parmesan (which I still haven't eaten though)...because of the marinara.
-I'm still sleeping well and usually don't have too much trouble getting comfortable.
-My sinuses dry up at night and often get inflammed which is obnoxious, but luckily we had a humidifier that we got as a wedding gift and had never used so most nights I sleep with that on and it makes a HUGE difference.
-Tying my shoes is becoming a chore.
-Speaking of shoes, I needed a new winter pair and had to by a size larger than usual.  Which I have NEVER done.  And I'm not going to lie I'll be a little bit sad if they stay larger permanently.  I've read that can happen, so I'm really hoping this is just swelling. :)
-I randomly get heartburn.  It's not usually too bad, but it comes on suddenly and I can't figure out if it's linked to anything specific.
-I love that my hair doesn't fall out.  Yes, yes, I'm aware it will after the baby comes, but please don't remind me.  It started thinning a ton in the months before I was pregnant and it was stressing me out.  As in I literally hated showering because I couldn't bear to see that much hair at a time no longer attached to my head.  So let me live in this bubble where my hair is back to normal.

I'm getting excited to start putting the nursery together and I hope that despite our lack of space, it will turn out cute. :)  And I'm starting to get even more anxious to meeting this baby!

It's a....

 

 

Once I had the ultrasound appointment set for Oct. 30, I knew I wanted to do something fun to announce the gender of this tiny human, and the idea of carving a pumpkin popped in my head (without the help of Pinterest thank you very much)!  I figured we'd just carve the words "it's a boy" in the pumpkin, but Remy was drawing up little sketches of some ideas (he's so clever) and came up with this!  

We (well, Remy) carved 2 pumpkins with this design and took them to each of our parents' houses.  Remy's house didn't go as smoothly, there was just too much going on with everyone excited and getting ready to go out Trick or Treating.  -Specifically by the front door which wasn't good because we were trying to be sneaky about getting the pumpkin on the porch and lighting it.  Not to mention they kept asking us if we had found out yet and we just said that we had an appointment the next day (which is true!). So when they saw it, some people were confused at first, but I guess I can't blame them.  It was still fun!

Acutally Mako, our nephew was the first one who walked out of the house, saw the pumpkin and said, "so you're having a boy?"  At least someone got it right away!  :)

Then it was off to my parent's.  Much less comotion because there are no young kids and hardly any trick or treaters, so it was easier for Remy to sneak out and set everything up.  Then instead of just letting them notice it on their own we asked them to come outside and check out the pumpkin we carved.  It was fun!  My little sister was like, "Dang!  I bet a Jamba Juice it was a girl!"  It made me laugh a bit.

As for my shirt, I have to admit, I'm a little proud.  I had seen these online and wanted one really bad, but they were like $30 plus shipping everywhere I found them.  Then I found just the iron-on design for $17 plus shipping, but then I would have to buy a shirt so that didn't help.  I had found a blog where a lady had made her own by making a freezer paper stencil, but painting a shirt freaked me out for some reason.  So I got some think fabric stabilizer it was called, that has adhesive on one side and made my own iron on.  :)  Mind you it wasn't easy cutting all those little baby bones out (especially the fingers and toes!), but it turned out! And for about half the cost of buying it online. :) 

One last picture I have to share, this one of the ultrasound.  -Which BTW I had no idea would last so long.  It was like 45 mintues with the tech person and then the Dr. came in and looked around a bit.  I guess he wasn't cooperating when they were trying to get specific angles of his heart and spine.  So she was looking around and all of a sudden this little hand pops up giving us this little thumbs up!  I was so glad she was quick and grabbed a picture!  It seriously makes me laugh every time I see it.  We figure we'll take that as a sign that everything is okay in there.  :)

 

When the ultrasound person (what are they called anyway?!) told us it was a boy we just sort of looked at each other because we had felt like it was a boy all along. :)  So it was like, "yeah we know, but thanks for confirming."  But it was still exciting to hear!

So it was a happy Halloween for sure!  And we're excited for our little guy to get here at the end of March!