28 More Days!!

This is it!! We’re in the home stretch!  The last month of my pregnancy is officially underway and especially with Susan going into labor today, I am SO EXCITED!!  Only 4 more weeks until my due date, but secretly hoping that he decides to come a little bit sooner than that.  Again, I’ll gladly hold out as long as he needs me to, but a girl can dream right : ) It’s been so hot here, that it’s hard to stay comfortable and it’s making me have to stay inside more than I would like to.  I wasn’t even able to walk today because of the heat, and it’s only June 1st!  I’m really glad that my pregnancy will be over with before the really hot hot days settle in, but even this is ridiculous!

So yes, my good friend Susan, http://www.reallifetravels.com/, whom I’ve talked so much about throughout this whole blogging thing went into labor this morning, and it looks like she and her husband Nate will be welcoming their son Caden sometime this afternoon/evening.  It’s been nice having been able to talk to her a few times today, and I’ve already asked for a play by play after she’s rested and ready to discuss : )  I’m a planner and even though I know every labor is different, I like to hear what can be expected.  So, I’ve been texting Nate and stalking facebook all day long waiting for any news that is to come!  I’m so happy for them, and I can’t wait to meet their little one.  Garrett and Caden are sure to be best buds : )

I had a check-up this morning, which was just a routine one so they could check my blood pressure again (since it was high last week) and everything went pretty well.  My blood pressure was 120/80 which is the highest it can be and still be considered “normal”.  I checked it periodically last week just to keep an eye on it, and it fluctuated between 126/83 and 103/69, so again, it hasn’t been consistently too high, but still higher than the doctors would like it to be.  Other than that, there was no protein in my urine, which like I said last week is a sign of preeclampsia; so for now, I’m in the clear.  Dr. Miles just wants me to take it easy, stay hydrated, and call at the onset of any blurred vision, exaggerated swelling, headaches, or upper abdominal pain.  He said my belly is measuring perfectly, and although he was pretty sure that when he felt my belly he could feel Garrett’s head down, he wanted to be sure so he ordered a quick ultrasound which I obviously didn’t argue with.  Anything to get another glimpse of our little guy!  I would post the 2 pictures I got, but because he is so big now, they are very hard to decipher.  I saw his feet moving, and his hand up by his mouth, and he had the hiccups the entire ultrasound!  It looks like he’s got his Daddy’s nose, which I’m happy with : ), and he is in fact head down so now we just wait until he’s ready to join the world!  I go back next week for an appointment where they will check to see how far he has descended into my pelvis and to see if I’m dilated at all.

I know I’ve been posting pictures of my belly progress throughout my pregnancy but I’ve been waiting to do some chronological shots to actually see the difference, from back when I was barely showing, to now that I’m so obviously showing.  And since I’m just about considered full term, and he can make his arrival at any time, I figured I’d do it today.  Check out the belly progress!

                   7 More Weeks!
Several people have asked me what I’m doing to pass my time now that I’m not working, and whether or not I’m tired of being home yet, and I can honestly say, no I’m not tired of it…at all.  I’m actually really enjoying my time to do what I want, when I want.  I wake up and make breakfast, and figure out what needs to be done for the day.  Then I walk for an hour or 3 miles with my dogs, and come back to shower and eat some lunch, and then run whatever errands I need to, and do what needs to be done around the house.  I have always done better when I’m on a schedule, so this works for me right now.  When Garrett gets here, I know my routine will change, but I feel it’s really important to keep myself and our baby on schedule, and I know it will take some time, but I will figure out what works for us.  Until then, I’m going to continue to enjoy my time preparing to be what I feel I was truly meant to be which is a Mom.  I know it won’t be rainbows and butterflies all the time, but I still cannot wait to begin this chapter of our lives : )

According to ParentingToday.com Nesting is “Feeling the need to prepare for the arrival of the baby by cleaning, organizing, etc” and it often happens toward the end of pregnancy.  These are some of the things I’ve done this week…

Washed, folded and organized all of his clothes

And Blankets

Put together his bouncy seat



And started setting up his closet (Most of his clothes are in the dresser and I ran out of hangers : )  I’d say I’m nesting…how about you??

We got so many clothes and things at our shower last week, and we’ve got 5 people coming to stay at our house this weekend for our Charlotte Shower, so I just couldn’t resist! I had to get organized before I could clean : )

On another note, I had a check-up today, and all is Great with both of us!  Weight gain is fine, blood pressure was 106/70, Heartbeat was 140, and the Nurse told me I have one of the best looking belly’s, and not a stretch mark to be seen : )  Now I’m sure she says that to a lot of her patients, but these days, I’ll take what I can get and lets hope the No stretch mark thing holds true for the next 7 weeks.  I figure if my feet and ankles continue to swell like they have been, then that will make up for 10 women who have stretch marks!  So yeah, even though my blood pressure is great, I’ve got swelling in my feet, and if I wear more supportive shoes, then my ankles just look like golf balls : (  And my Mom tells me, it’s just going to get worse.  Oh well, it will all be worth it once our Little Guy gets here!  I go back in two weeks for another check up, and after than I’ll be seen every week!  It’s getting closer!!!!!!!

Lunch and snacks for the road



Me at 8 months pregnant with my Grandma McLeod : )



Best. Thing. Ever.

I don’t care who you are, you are but you have not lived until you’ve had Malley’s Chocolate Covered Pretzels.  They’re the perfect combination of saltiness from the pretzels and sweetness from the smooth creamy chocolate, and I could literally eat an entire box if left alone with it. 

Yesterday I slept in : ) and after I got ready I headed out to Beachwood to do a little shopping, and to pick up a few things.  My Mom met me when she got done working and we picked out some new clothes to wear to the shower!  Afterwards I met my cousins Mary, Anne, and Sarah at a Restaurant in Little Italy called Washington Place.  The food was incredible and the company was even better!  It’s not very often that I get to spend time with my cousins so it was very special and I can’t wait to see the rest of my family tomorrow evening!

Aside from the usual lower left sciatic nerve/back pain, I’m feeling pretty good, just getting really anxious for all the wonderful things I have to look forward to!  Dan flies into town tomorrow and we’ve got a really busy day planned, but I will post again after my shower with some pictures and an update on the remainder of the week!

The Countdown is On!

So…this is it…our weekly countdown is in the single digits now!  Although I still have 9 weeks to go, Garrett will be considered full term in 6 more weeks, and of course, I want him to be as close to his due date as possible, but, if he decides to come just a little bit early, I’m pretty sure I’ll be ok with that : )  My belly is getting bigger and bigger as the days go on and it’s starting to make me a little bit uncomfortable.  Now, I know it will all be worth it in the end, but it’s only going to get worse before it gets better.
Symptom wise, I’m still feeling pretty good.  I’m walking 3 miles with my dogs almost every day, but the lower left side of my back has really been bothering me.  Especially when I go from standing to sitting or vice versa.  The Dr. said it’s completely normal because my ligaments are stretching, and my hips are widening to prepare for the baby, and obviously the extra weight is putting more pressure on my joints and making my back arch more, but it constantly feels like it needs to crack or stretch, and I can’t seem to do either. 

Also, lately my feet have been bothering me too.  I’ve had the swelling especially towards the end of the day or if I’ve eaten a lot of sodium, and my gym shoes and my walks help, but since it’s sandal season and of course I’m wearing sandals because they’re the easiest thing to put on, and because I have high arches and sandals typically don’t have much support, my arches, and the balls of my feet have been super sore!  I did some reading and researching and I know you’re supposed to get new shoes every 6 months or so, but since I’m not running any more, I guess I just didn’t think that rule still would apply as strictly to me.  Boy was I wrong!

See how worn out the soles of my shoes are!

I decided to read a little and I learned that due to the way that my soles are worn out, and the way my footprint looks in a “wet-test” I am a “normal” to “underpronator”  That means that I have normal to high arches so one type of shoe is better than another, and I was definitely overdue for new shoes!  Not to worry I remedied that situation yesterday as soon as I read about it, and now I’ve got brand new pink gym shoes with the right support, Check out the difference in the soles!

New shoes vs Old shoes

Me, Mom, Dad, and Jeff

My Mom and Dad drove down from Ohio on Thursday and spent the weekend with us!  I had not seen my Dad since the end of January and my Mom since almost the end of February so it was nice to have them here and to get to spend time with them.  The first thing my Mom said to me is I can’t believe how big and hard your belly is!!!  It’s definitely grown a bit since they last saw me, and I’m pretty sure that soon enough my belly button is going to pop, it keeps getting closer and closer to the surface of my skin!  I had to work on Friday for a few hours so my parents just hung out until I got home and then my Mom and I spent some time in the sun while my Dad washed and waxed his truck.

Saturday the weather was forcasted to be pretty yucky, so after a delicious breakfast at the Original Pancake House in Charlotte, my Mom and I decided to do some baby shopping.  I have another shower for my friend Catherine coming up soon, and I had some coupons for the Baby Stores so we set off to see what we could find.  I got Catherine her gifts and my parents wanted to get Dan and I our stroller!!!  I was really excited to get it, and couldn’t wait to put it together and practice!  Garrett is going to be riding in style!

Garrett’s Sweet Ride!

Oscar checking it out!

Saturday evening we went to dinner and then came home and just watched a movie.  It was a nice relaxing evening! Then this morning Jeff came up and we went to mass, and came home to a yummy breakfast that Dan made for us!  Yet another reason why he is the Best Husband Ever!  My parents stayed until about 1:00 and then got back on the road to go back up to Ohio and I went down to NoDa to meet my photography class for our group shoot.  We got to see some pretty cool scenery and we practiced what we have learned in our class.  I can’t believe that Tuesday is already my last one!  It has flown by, but I have learned so much and I am really glad I took it. 

So…even though in a perfect world, my parents would live closer to us, it makes me appreciate the times I do get to spend with them even more, and I had a Great weekend! 

This is my last week of work, and then I am going to be traveling a little, relaxing a lot, and preparing for Garrett’s arrival!  Can’t believe I only have 4 days left with my kiddos!  It’s a bittersweet feeling, and I’m going to miss them a bunch, but I am really looking forward to my time off before our little guy is born!

Have a wonderful week, and a Very Happy Easter, Here is my

Weekly Update!