30 weeks

Look at me...10 weeks to go. My belly is a big one!!
A few funny things:
When I am hungry, I am HUNGRY. Then I sit down to eat and either a. eat too much and feel over full or b. get full before I've even eaten that much.

I have heartburn. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it has happened I feel like acid is choking me just a bit. I take Tums...they actually taste pretty good so I don't mind taking them. I've also taken an Zantax twice when it was really bad.

My feet look like they are baking bread again. My friend Maria said "elephant" feet. So hysterical. That is exactly what they look like when they are really big.

Again with the body dysmorphic disorder thing...I think I still look cute. Now, I could look back on pictures a year from now and say...whoa..i was not looking so cute. However, I'll keep telling myself positive things.

My hormones are making me a bit nutty at times. Now, I was never truly sane to begin with nor did I ever really have a "filter" if you will. However, it is almost "all gone". I am not as patient as I once was pre prego. So...I often want to physically harm my sperm donor, yell at my clients and freak out at people while im driving. I've done two....you guess! (I may have had a dream about the third.)

OOH..my baby furniture is being delivered on Wednesday. I cannot wait to start setting everything up in the nursery. I will keep you updated w/ pics and such.

Finally, I love being pregnant. I may bitch and complain about elephant feet and heartburn...but it really is great. I love feeling him move and thinking about what he will look like, sound like and be like! I cant wait to meet him!

Abby's 1st Birthday party

Abby Cykosky is my goddaughter. Her parents are Amanda (my close friend and roommate from college) and Chris. I went to her wonderful birthday party yesterday. She was walking around and had a great time opening up her presents. Her big sister Emma (3) was a very good helper opening presents and helping Abby eat her cake. We had ice cream cake....which was awesome. Those crunchy things in the ice cream cake are ridiculous...I could eat them by themselves. Amanda made a big fruit salad too which is a major craving of mine..I had 3 helpings!
Happy Birthday to Abby!!

Baby Shower part deux

There were so many good pictures that I wanted to post, but I couldn't get them in to one blog (I'm not very computer savvy). There are still some others out there...I'll update if I have receive any with people that I've missed:)

My shower was held last Sunday...I can't believe its been a week!! The shower was at the Ledaroch Tea House and the theme was Mommy to Be. How cute is that!!

Everything was perfect. My mom and sister really did a phenomenal job putting it together and I had a fantastic time! People were VERY generous with their gifts. I pretty much have everything I need except for a few small items. Some highlights of the shower were a baby bonnet that my mom made for me out of my grandmother's handkerchief, a hand knit sweater from my mom's friend (Mrs. Geilec) and a crocheted set from my grandmother (she passed away last year, but she had made all the grandchildren sets for their children back in 1999). A crafty family huh!

I took off from work on Monday, and we had off on Tuesday thanks to Election Day (I love working for the state). My parents came over on Tuesday and helped me put alot together. Actually...it was mostly my dad putting stuff together:) My dad kept making me laugh by saying to my mom, "Mary, we didn't have any of this stuff when the girls were born. We didn't strap them into anything." He could not get over all of the stuff and how "BMW like" it was in it's construction. So funny....He was like, do you really need all this stuff? And my answer was...I think so?

My baby furniture is supposed to come in late this week...so that will be the next item on the list. I am really excited about decorating the baby's room and getting overstaying situated!

PS. My grandmother, God Bless her, used to have a list for my dad and uncle every time they came to her home to visit. This list included chores and general household things she needed them to do. My gram passed away in September 2008 and since about March 2009 I have been channelling her "list" with my dad. Since I don't have a useful husband/father of the baby to assit me with these things, my father has now taken on that role. He is very good at it...fixing stuff, hanging stuff, putting stuff together, coming over to take out my trash, cleaning my cat litter box etc... The poor man. He is 62 years old, retired and probably thought his list days were over. Ahh...dad, they have just begun!! ahah He is such a good soul! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful father!

My Baby Shower 5/17/09 part 1

29 weeks

I am 29 weeks pregnant and starting to feel it:) I had my shower this past weekend (which I will blog about tomorrow) and it was great!! I had off on Monday and Tuesday, but I was busy going through my wonderful presents and then putting things together. I had yoga on Wednesday night and then water aerobics on Thursday night. By today...I was freaking beat!! I need to slow it down a bit... This week I've really started to feel a bit more fatigued and my sleeping hasn't been as great. I still feel great otherwise though..which I am thankful for.

As an aside...here are some funny things that have been said to me that may give me a slight complex about the size of my belly (or butt/thighs/hips). "Are you sure you aren't having twins? You are so big! You still have a little over two months to go and you are so big!" or "When are you due? Oh....are you having twins?" Love it. To both I replied, no...are you saying that I am big? In all honesty...I like my belly. I think its kind of cute.

Did someone say hormones?? I'll leave you with this as I am quite annoyed/disturbed by my child's donor. And I think I have been quite tame with my comments regarding donor, so please don't judge me too harshly. Oh how life is so easy for the donor.... It must be nice to make one decision in the past 5 months and that included having an affair (and continuing said affair) while your newly pregnant wife was suffering at home with morning sickness. Oh wait, you also made a decision to commit to a marriage and to being a father. Guess you kind of reneged on that one... Hey, here's a thought. Man up, make a choice on some important matters and stick to it. It's really not that hard. I've been doing it for the past 5 months on almost a weekly basis. I can give you some guidance if you'd like...I mean I did that for you for the almost SIX years we were together. Ill finish this off with a word that I feel truly describes my feelings on this matter................REALLY?

28 weeks

Hey now...12 weeks to go! Holy crap. I got a wave of anxiety yesterday when I started to think about all the stuff I have to do to get ready for my little friend. My furniture is coming in within a week or two and then we will start on the nursery. My shower is this weekend..I cant wait...so then I can start putting stuff together. I just feel like the next 2 1/2 months are going to fly by!
Onto funny things... I left my car running for 4 hours the other day. I have a push start car (Nissan) which does not require a key in the ignition. So...I got to work, got out and locked my car. I came out about 4 hours later and realized that I had never turned it off. OOps.... Then, I went to my doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I showed up (me and my tinkle in hand) and they said, your appointment is tomorrow. I told them, no its not...it's today. Well...she didn't buy that and told me it was on Wednesday. I asked her, with a smirk on my face, do you want my urine? She said no. Stupid doctors office.
I had my checkup and everything looks great. I got my Rhogam shot..it kind of hurt. My belly is 28 cm! When the nurse was trying to take his heartbeat, he kicked and knocked the doppler away. She and I were laughing and I couldn't stop. I know that he probably doesn't really think much in there, but I could just imagine him doing that and thinking that it was really funny. It makes me giggle even now!
Other then that..I feel good and I am moving right along. I cannot even tell you how much I love to feel him move around in me. It really is the coolest feeling in the world.

Mother's Day 2009

I thought I'd add a quick blurb about my Mother's Day 2009. I had a great day! My son bought me a beautiful mini rose bush and a good book! His handwriting looked very similar to my moms... My sister bought me a pretty bouquet of Sunflowers. My friends and coworkers all wished me well on Mother's Day as well. Everyone was so thoughtful!
My sister and I spent the day with my mom walking around Skippack village. We then went back to my parents house where we relaxed. I had a small glass of sangria...it was so good. We then went to the William Penn Inn for an early dinner. All in all it was a really great day!
Again, I am so blessed and lucky to be able to carry my little guy and to someday soon be a mother to him. I can't wait to meet you buddy!!

Happy Mother's Day

Hey..it's mother's day and I'm gonna be a mommy!! I want to wish all the mothers, aunts, grandmothers and mothers to be a very happy mother's day!!

I want to post something about my mom. [This is a picture of my mom on her wedding day....I love it!!] My mother is the strongest woman I've ever met in my life and I'm pretty sure that I will ever meet. She is kind, thoughtful, selfless, honest and has unconditional love for her daughters. She would give anything so that my sister and I can be happy and healthy. She is funny and quirky and has always been a great example of perseverance. I would not be even a fraction of the woman I am today if my mom had not been a support and backbone to me and our family. So...thanks mom! I will strive to be as good as a mom to my son as you were to us!!

On another note, throughout this pregnancy I've realized how strong women are (especially mothers). I actually was talking to my mom about this the other day. As women, we take on so many roles in our lives. We are daughters, sisters, wives and mothers. We work, are friends and still want to find time to play. We are the woman behind the man and we are the strong mother to our children. We do it all (sorry guys).

Happy Mother's Day to all of the women out there. I hope you are enjoying your day and relaxing with those that you love.

27 weeks

Here I am...27 weeks. I feel pretty good. New developments for the baby this week are that he is opening and closing his eyes and he weighs almost 2 pounds. (Now how do I account for the other 25 ish pounds??) I felt a crazy movement today where it felt like I was going down quickly in an elevator and my stomach moved like a big wave. I was with another mother and she said that he probably did a flip. Its hysterical. I love to think that he is just having a blast in there and living it up!
I have a doctor's appointment next week and I have to get my Rhogam shot. After next week I go to appointments every two weeks. I begin weekly appointments in July. I really don't know where the time has gone...this is flying by!
I'll leave you with this....I bought DD bras this past weekend. I have gone up 2 cup sizes...will I go up more?? Stay tuned...
And ps...do you like my earrings that I am wearing in this picture?!? Check out my friend's jewelry shop at www.swedebeaddesigns.etsy.com

26 weeks...bring on the 3rd trimester

I am 26 weeks pregnant with 14 weeks to go and I believe this is the official start of the third trimester! I wrote in my baby journal about my thoughts on the second trimester. I'll write a few thoughts here...
My third trimester began in February 2009. I was in such a tough place then and there were so many unknowns. The constants I had were my friends, family and my baby. I've learned that those constants are what really can carry you through your hard times. Through all of the upheaval and uncertainty, I had love, support and life on a constant basis. For a while my sadness was a daily occurrence as the sperm donor (that would be my "husband") would reveal more and more detrimental information. That lessened a bit, but it is still very real and raw. People kept telling me how strong I was and that I was doing such a great job of dealing with everything. There really was no other choice. And...my strength was tested alot!! Again, I would NEVER have been that strong without my constants...family, friends and the baby. As I enter the third trimester I have new hurdles to jump in regards to my relationship with F93234 (sperm donor). I am fearful and anxious about how I will respond to these challenges but I know I will be able to do them with all of my support.
So...to close...Thank you to all of you that have supported me throughout the most trying and uncertain time of my life. I could have fallen but you all held me up and pushed me right along. And thank you to my son. You have given me hope, laughter and great big smiles.
oh...one more note. this baby is a mover. Last night I stared at my belly for about 30 minutes and watched it move like a wave. I was hysterical. It seemed like the more I laughed, the more he moved. There is really nothing like that experience in the world. Not to be cliche...but it is priceless.