These are My (Pregnancy) Confessions

{Confession 1}: My pants are rigged.
A few weeks ago, lightening struck and I had the genius idea to rifle around in my underwear drawer for what could be the answer to my maternity pants crisis. Success! I found just what I was looking for: a heather gray, Ralph Lauren bandeau bra circa 2001 that I knew could double as a belly band and serve as the missing link to my non-pregnancy jeans. Please don't ask me why I have one of these bras, if I ever wore it (as a bra) or why it's still in my possession. All I know is my frequent TJ Maxx and NBC shopping trips during college are now paying off in spades as my pregnancy wardrobe expands with my belly.

{Confession 2}: Dreft is for the birds.
Yeah, I'm not a fan. And this is apparently a problem, as everything that touches the baby is (supposedly) to be washed in it. UGH. I mean, have you smelled it?? The first time I did a load, over a month ago, I walked in the laundry room to put the clothes in the dryer and nearly had to turn around and walk right back out. And now every time I open her closet I'm hit with a wave of the sickly sweet smell. I'm sure this has everything to do with my Basset Hound of a pregnant nose, but eeeegads. I am hoping and praying that as soon as she pops out I'll get my regular old nose back find the scent to be lovely and baby fresh. We'll see.

Update: I have since done many more loads of baby laundry with The Dreft. While it's still not my favorite smell, it's potency has worn off a bit.. thankfully.

{Confession 3}: Pregnancy nose is for the birds.
Expanding on number 2- I will not be at all sorry to lose this flippin nose. It is downright exhausting, sometimes. My poor hubby has bore the brunt of this little symptom. Case in point: he's had a touch of high blood pressure recently, and started taking some garlic pills as a suggested natural remedy. No big deal right? He was even thoughtful enough to pick up the "unscented" variety. WRONG. Every so often we'll be sitting on the couch watching Modern Family or driving to QT and my nose goes in the air and I give him a sideways glance that says "I know what you've been up to, buddy boy." GARLIC. And other times I'll sniff around him for no reason, maybe trying to decipher what he had for lunch, and there's that hummus smell for miles. WHAT IN THE WORLD, PEOPLE?? Now, in his defense, no one but me can smell this. Cause I've asked around. So don't think you're going to pop on by our house and start sniffing around my husband, because I'm the only one who gets away with that sort of thing. He smells just fine to the rest of the world. I've already requested that he stop taking these pills as d-day approaches. I can't be leaning on him, trying to get my cleansing breath on and feel like I'm in a Greek restaurant to give birth.

{Confession 4}: I cannot WAIT for maternity leave.
I feel bad writing this, because I know that hubby would love a 12 week break from work as much as I would. And I use the term "break" loosely, because we all know it won't be a bed of roses. I'm just sayin'. Having an actual end in site to the current full-time work schedule is music to my ears. I'm sure I'm deluding myself by thinking I'll have all this time to do stuff around the house, but I'm excited about it nonetheless.

{Confession 5}: I have an overconfidence in my mothering skills.
I have to admit, I have about zero apprehensions/fears about bringing home this little babe. Why?.. Oh, I don't know, naivety, I guess. Hubby and I will discuss this every now and then, and he'll share his honest thoughts and apprehensions about being responsible for another human life and taking care of her and everything involved. You know, normal stuff. But me? I seem to have absolutely no fears at all. Now I know it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, but I'm just not worried. What does this all mean? I'm thinking it means that I'll either skate on through or am about to be hit with a Mack truck of real life with a newborn. I'll keep you posted.


{Confession 6}: I fully expect to birth a Mini Me.
If you know me at all, this comes as no surprise to you. I have long made it clear that I hope my little girl is born with lots of dark hair and dark eyes like I was.. I seriously came out with more hair on my head than hubby has now. (Not that he's losing his hair or anything- but he wears it pretty short). If we had lived in the Carribean, I think my mom would have let the nurses braid and put beads in my hair before we checked out of the hospital. :) But doesn't everyone feel this way?? I just want her to look like me. Is that too much to ask?? Don't get me wrong- when we have a little boy, I want him to look just like hubby.. with tan-able skin and carmel colored hair and eyes.. think Kelly Ripa's youngest son. So I'm not trying to discriminate or anything. Oh, and also? I want her to be brown.

{Confession 7}: Pregnancy Brain is REAL. And no joke.
This is one of those "symptoms" that I wasn't really sure I believed in at first. Even when people I knew told me that they started forgetting things while pregnant, I thought it was all in their head. Not so. My brain will draw a total blank at times, as words and names and other facts that I've known for years fly right out of my head at the most inopportune times. For example, a few weeks ago, I could not for the life of me think of the work Reconcile. I was at work and it was the end of the month, so I was working some of our sales/accounting records. And what did I need to do with another employee??? RECONCILE our monthly sales spreadsheet. Yet I spent the better part of the morning just trying to think of the d*mn word so that I could email her and let her know that I was ready to get the fun accounting party started. I even tried explaining to my co-workers and looking up synonyms online and still couldn't figure it out! At approximately 2pm the next day, the word finally came to me.

{Confession 8}: I'm hoping to have as natural a labor and delivery as possible.
No home birth, no water birth.. I don't have a midwife or a doula. But I am really hoping to labor at home as long as possible and have very few interventions at the hospital. I've always thought I could probably deliver without an epidural.. my mom didn't have one for either of us kids and honestly, I think I have a higher pain tolerance than my mom. She didn't want that big needle in her back. I'm not so scared about that aspect, I just want to try it on my own. The way I see it, women have been having babies without medicine as pain relief since the beginning of time. We were created to carry babies and deliver them when the time comes. So why should I doubt that my body can do it, too?
Sidenote- I did go ahead and sign up for the epidural, since you can't change your mind and request one in the throes of labor if you haven't signed up ahead of time. And hubby and I have a safe word, should it come to that. :)

{Confession 9}: Sometimes I wish men had to experience pregnancy, too.
There have been times throughout this experience when I really just wished hubby had an inkling of what I was feeling or experiencing. The weird pains and sensations.. the emotions.. the bizarre changes in your body. Because, frankly, trying to explain what bloat feels like just doesn't do it justice. And I don't think the term Lightening Crotch carries the same weight for a guy. Also, try as I may, I just don't think there is a way to explain how amazing and unreal it feels when a baby kicks you and moves inside of you... There is just nothing like it.

{Confession 10}: This pregnancy has been... a dream.
Seriously. I know I rant and rave on here, but in all honesty, I am one lucky duck. Or rather, really, really blessed, because I don't necessarily believe in luck. I do, however, believe in good genes, and I've clearly been blessed with those in spades for this pregnancy! Thanks Mom! A few notables: though nauseous in the first trimester, I never actually got sick.. I have felt great overall the entire 10 months.. I've managed to avoid the dreaded "pregnancy face".. (if you don't agree with me here and think I look a little bloated, I don't want to hear it!).. my ankles/feet only get mildly bloated at the end of the day or if I've been standing too long.. no stretch marks!!!!... I have not had any heartburn... and the kicker- no excessive or alarming gas! Okay, okay, I was pretty burpy in the first trimester, but I think we can all agree that it could have been MUCH worse.

{BONUS Confession}: Skinny jeans on boys/men make me want to retch.
No, this has nothing to do with being pregnant.. I feel the exact same way in any season of my life. But it needed to be said. I seriously stop and stare and shake my head disapprovingly any time I see a male in jeans tighter than mine. NOT GOOD. NOT CUTE. MOVE ALONG.
That's all I have to say about that.

Thankful

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation of shadow due to change.

James 1:17

38 Week Bumpdate

Holy Smokes!!

Every week, when I see the number go up, I am shocked and amazed once again! I CANNOT believe that I have been cooking this baby for 38 flippin weeks! It seriously feels like I've been pregnant FOR-E-VERRRRRR.

:)

But in a good way.

No doctor's appointment to look forward to this week, since it's Thanksgiving. Also, my doc is out of town for the holiday weekend, so I have mixed feelings about having her while he's gone.. frankly, I think the part of me that's ready to just meet her already wins out over having my own doctor deliver her. Hubby does not agree. :) He keeps telling her to stay in a litte while longer and I'm coercing her to get on out here every chance I get. Poor thing. All these mixed messages!

Who are you talking to, Mom?

Yes, that's a birthing/exercise ball next to me. I'm bouncing as I blog.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'll let you know if we have a little, Tiny Turkey Dancer!

Nursery 0.5: Dresser

I've been working very hard lately, trying to get all of the last details finished on this baby girl's room! It just seems never ending... but that's clearly my own fault. :)

So a few things to share..

Dresser/Changing Table

We scored this dresser off of Craigslist, oh, about 4 or 5 months ago.. maybe even longer. I knew I could refinish it and make it into what we needed. It just took me a while! It's been finished for a long time, just hadn't made it's blog debut until now!

Before:

After:

I sanded her all down, mixed up my own paint color with paint I had on hand in the garage, then distressed it and used a glaze to get the look I wanted. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

I switched out the hardware with cheap pulls I found at Hobby Lobby and then spray painted.

I lined the drawers with some grass cloth wallpaper that I found at Goodwill.

$3 for an enormous roll!

My total cost for this dresser re-do was about $65-70. Not bad!

Another sneak peek..

I made these tissue paper poufs to hang above the crib as Tiny Dancer's mobile! I was hoping to incorporate a few more colors, but I looked everywhere trying to find just the right colors.

And by everywhere, I mean I looked all 3 times I was at Target this week.

But I love how they turned out!

Linking to: DIY Show Off

37 Week Update

How Far Along? 37 Weeks. FULL TERM!

Weight Gain: 19lbs for the past 2 weeks.. maybe I've hit the limit?? Fingers crossed!

How Big is Baby? I"m going to guess around 5lbs

Maternity Clothes? I actually bought a maternity shirt at Target last week.. then I realized I would probably only wear the thing twice, so I took it back.

Stretch Marks? Nope!

Sleep: Actually not too bad lately. The tough part is getting comfortable when I lay down..

Best Moment of the Week: We had an informal couples shower with a group of friends that hubby went to college with this past weekend. They totally surprised us by going in to get the breast pump! I was so floored- I thought everyone would just bring diapers!

Movement: Still pretty active. Still always kicking me on my right side!

Food Cravings: Um, no.

Gender: A little girl

What I Miss: A life without Braxton Hicks
What I'm looking forward to: Just meeting her already! And finding out at my appointment tomorrow if there's been any progress.
Emotions: Same old story. Had a breakdown the other night for no other reason than I just felt like crying. Seriously. That was it. I just felt like I needed/had to cry. So I did.

I can't believe she could be here at any time! I kept thinking she would be here before Thanksgiving, but now I'm not so sure.. but I wouldn't mind! And we finally went and toured the hospital last night, so that's checked off the list.
The countdown is on!

A Few Things

Good afternoon lovelies!

I have been promising myself that I would not only have Bumpdate posts while I'm pregnant, since I know that gets boring for about half of you.. so for today I'm sharing a few randoms.

1. Our glider was delivered on Wednesday! Finally. I totally took a picture of it sitting on our little front stoop/porch, but of course forgot to upload the picture. So let me describe it for you: No box. White glider. Same size as said stoop/porch. Plastic wrap haphazardly pushed off of the chair and falling behind it, as though some nosy neighbor had seen fit to get a better look at what exactly was delivered.
MAJOR FAIL, Pottery Barn delivery, MAJOR FAIL.
And then they called and woke me up on Saturday morning to schedule a time to deliver the blasted thing.

2. I thought I was going into labor yesterday. Well, kinda. I just felt different and had all sorts of "extra" pains/cramps/lightening pangs.. and what I am just certain were mild contractions! Clearly still pregnant, and feeling more or less "normal" today, so WHATEVER.

3. Are you watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta?? What is up with crazy Phaedra not knowing how far along she is and saying her doctor is going to induce her at 7 months?? Crazytown!! Also, Kim- you can't sing. Can't even carry a flippin tune. Get over yourself. This is why I love the Real Housewives. Trashy smut? Yes, probably, but pure entertainment.

4. I love Alec Baldwin. I watched "It's Complicated" again last night and he just cracks me up. Love him in 30 Rock, too.

5. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week??? Unbelievable. However, I have come to realize that I may be able to go my whole life without ever having to cook a turkey. And this suite me just fine.

6. I have been thinking of re-doing our front living room lately. Because I just don't have anything else going on right now, you know? A few inspiration photos I like:

Anyone sensing a theme?

Sorry, no sources. Blogging FAIL. I'm sorry!!!

7. Have you all turned on your heat yet? I am steadfastly refusing, even though it's about 10 degrees colder in our house than it is outside. I'm usually the cold one, but this whole oven/baby cooker thing has apparently gone to a whole other level, because I am loving it. Especially at night. Hubby came to bed in long johns and a knit cap last night, though, so I may have to give in soon..

8. And, finally- what we've all been thinking all day- What is up with Jessica Simpson getting engaged just DAYS after Nick Lachey??? I mean, seriously??? She's been dating this "football player" for a mere 6 months! This makes you look majorly desperate, JSimp!

36 Week Bumpdate

9 months!!!!

Do we think this hat makes me look a little too Jenny from the Block??

Shoot me straight, people. I asked hubby, but I'm not entirely convinced his answer wasn't fueled by a healthy fear of pregnancy-induced rage..

I think I'm officially ready to have this baby.

Not in the nursery is done and my hospital bag is packed and loose ends at work have been tied up and everything is in place and ready to bring her home kind of way.

Yeah, none of that, really.

Just me. And my body. We're ready.

I have no idea if she's actually dropped, but boy howdy, some days it certainly feels like she's primed and ready.

Did I tell you all that everything is back on track and she's not measuring small anymore?? Well she's not! They do an ultrasound every time and when I looked at the monitor, they had me at 36 weeks and 3 days, when in fact I was 35 weeks, 3 days. So we're thinking the system was probably off the week before, which is why her measurements came up so small.

Technical difficulties.

HHMMMMPPPPHHH.

So anyway, it's great news, really, and Tiny Dancer measured in the 30th percentile. Also, we were able to see her lungs moving as she practiced her breathing!

The little over-achiever! :)

Here are a couple more hats I knit up over the weekend:

And no, I'm not worried that baby girl will look a thing like J.Lo.

Nursery 0.25: DIY Crib Skirt

Has the suspense been killing you, or what?? This baby has been finished and on the crib for about two weeks now, and I just love seeing it every time I go into the nursery. We did finally get the mattress and a fitted sheet placed as well. Progress!!

So here she blows:

In the beginning (you know.. months and months ago), I started taking a few pictures along the way for a quasi-tutorial, but that idea got scrapped pretty quickly.

Here's the thing folks- I really don't recommend this DIY project to anyone. Especially not anyone currently with child. If you are a real live seamstress with mad skills, go for it. But if you're just an overachiever, like me, my advice is to keep your sanity and your weekends to yourself and just go buy one. Or make one with any other fabric than silk. And ruffles.

My problem is that I have this weird, unfounded, overconfidence in my "project" abilities. I see something, or dream up something in my mind, and figure, sure! I can do that!

HMPH.

Sometimes it works.. sometimes it works after eons have gone by.. and sometimes I'm left with a half completed project that will never see the light of day. It's just how I operate.

But this baby? SUCCESS!!

If you recall, this started as an extra long curtain panel on extreme markdown ($8!!) at Tuesday Morning. And it's pure silk and was pure hell to sew with in the beginning. I think my sewing machine and Jesus finally had mercy on me about halfway through, because things did get a little easier. :)

I used the entire thing. The curtain lining was turned into the ruffle backing (only technical terms here, folks) and another portion of the lining was used as the flat piece that lays under the mattress.

So what do you think?

I only spent a total of 10 bucks with the cost of the curtain panel and thread!

I must say, I am very pleased with how it came out and pretty proud of myself for actually seeing it through to completion.

Now we can just wait for Tiny Dancer to arrive and hope and pray that she doesn't decide to projectile vomit on this gorgeous thing, because that will surely send me over the edge.

Next Up: Crib Bumper

Linking to:
DIY Showoff, Thrifty Decor Chick, Fingerprints on the Fridge

35 Week Bumpdate

How far along? 35 Weeks
Weight Gain: 18 big ones
How Big is Baby? A little over 4 lbs.. hopefully growing and growing every day!
Maternity Clothes? Oh, we've talked about this.
Stretch Marks? Bwaaahhhaaahahaaaa!! NOPE.
Sleep: Seriously, good ok and bad. Last night was pretty good. The night before I was up from 3:30am to about 5. Just wide awake and thinking of the 46 billion things I need to take care of before the big day.
Best Moment of the Week: Yesterday, my bosses and coworkers had a little lunch shower for me at a yummy local restaurant. One of my presents was the afternoon off and a scheduled mani/pedi at a nearby spa!! Oooohhh, how lovely! If you had seen the horrible state of my toes, you would understand why this was pure music to my ears! Sooo thoughtful of them!
Movement: Yes ma'am.
Food Cravings: Nope.
Gender: GIRL. As evidenced by all the pink ruffly items she received at the shower this weekend.

What I Miss: Not much! Okay, maybe just normal, everyday comfortableness.
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the little darlin' tomorrow AM at my appointment and finding out how things are progressing.
Symptoms: A belly button stretched beyond recognition.

Emotions: Up, down, up, down, up, down. Rinse and repeat.

Showered! Part 2

It's November! Can you believe it?? October seriously flew by..

This weekend we had my second baby shower and it was so much fun!
Tiny Dancer is one blessed little girl.

Here are a few highlights from the day:

The hostesses were a few of my best friends, Sarah and Nina. They threw a fantastic party!
Don't mind my awful hair.. I actually wasn't feeling too hot that day, but had a great time anyway.

Can you read the banner? It says Welcome Tiny Dancer! I love it!

Big Mama
34.5 Weeks

The delicious cake! Oh man, those strawberries were to die for! I just ate the last one last night.

Sarah made these super cute caramel apples as favors.

Opening presents. Every baby girl needs a few ruffle-butt onesies!

Thank you so much to Sarah and Nina for a wonderful shower! My mom and step mom both drove down to attend, and we had a really fun time! This little girl got sooo much great stuff! I think her Daddy was a little overwhelmed when he saw everything.. he's still trying to understand how one tiny baby can need so much. :)

I love you more than words, sweet baby girl!