Pages

Friday, January 31, 2014

Bumpdate {40 weeks}

Well, it's Baby Ferg's due date, and while I just knew she'd be tardy for the party, she might be on her way very, very soon!!! Here's to hoping this is my last bumpdate!


Size of baby: a jack fruit?! Whatever the hell that is...If I’m still pregnant Monday, I get another ultrasound, so I’ll know a more exact size then.
Weight gain: I gained ZERO weight this past week! Wahoo! So still 41 pounds gained total.
Maternity clothes: Duh.
Gender: A GIRL!
Movement: She has really slowed down a lot this week! I’m already missing some of her little jabs and kicks! She’s just kinda rolling, but not as much as she used to.

Cravings: My appetite has lessened a little bit this week. But I did discover Raspberry Oreo Fudge Cremes, and ate the whole package in 2 days. They were the bomb.com
Symptoms: Still SUUUUUUPPPPER uncomfortable, and having to pee like every 5 seconds. Also the swelling is beginning to get a little out of hand...I can still fit my wedding band and engagement ring on my fat little finger, but my anniversary band? Not happening. We won't even mention the cankles... 
Workouts: Nada. I think I will start walking baby out really, really soon though!
Labor signs: TMI for some people…When I got checked yesterday, my doctor’s whole face lit up and she said “Oh my gosh, her head is RIGHT THERE!” I couldn’t believe baby has dropped and is now at station -1!  I’m still only dilated to 1cm, but my doctor said she thinks I won’t make it another week! I’m having lots of contractions (had one at the doctor’s office, and asked my doctor if it was a Braxton Hicks...she felt my stomach and said “Nope! That’s a real one!”). They are slowly starting to get a little bit stronger and longer, but they are not falling into any sort of pattern. We shall see if I make it through the weekend…!!!
Sleep: Terrible! And I was so anxious after my exciting doctor’s appointment yesterday, that I barely slept at all last night.
What I miss: I. Cannot. Wait. To. Drink. Alcohol.
Best moment this week: I have a few….first, my husband surprised me with an early push present this week….he paid off my car (18 months early)!!!! And since we don’t share a bank account, this was a HUGE weight off my shoulders!!! Kathryn also came over on Wednesday and helped me finish the nursery! I hope to share pictures super soon—it looks great! And last, those 2 snow days we had Wednesday and Thursday helped me get ALL of my sub plans done! Such a huge relief to have that finished!!!
Looking forward to: HAVING A BABY!!!! I’m not going to lie, though, I’m kinda freaking out/really scared!!! What if I don’t bond with her? What if my delivery goes terribly wrong? What if I miss being pregnant?! Already moms…is this normal??!!


Fingers crossed that my next post is a birth announcement!!!!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Happy Birthday Dad and snOMG!

First and foremost, a big happy birthday to my dad!


Unfortunately, his granddaughter still isn't ready to come out yet (ugh), but she managed to send him some b-day wishes anyway...


Secondly, unless you've been living under a rock, you've been experiencing (or at least heard about) the crazy snow we have gotten here in Charlotte! 

I guess I spoke too soon yesterday when I didn't quite understand why we had an early dismissal...although I wasn't complaining ;) 
I'm just glad Charlotte wasn't a total hot mess and us teachers didn't have to sleep at school like they did in Atlanta! (And did you hear about the lady who delivered her baby on the highway?!? I. would. DIE.)

Here are some pics I snapped real quick before going in for my optional teacher workday (I'm so dedicated...not really, I just didn't feel like using any of my leave time!)...









I know my Ohio friends are laughing at us! But, it was kinda icy! 
Hope everyone in Charlotte had a safe and warm snow day! 


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Pregnancy Must-Haves

I'm home from school two hours early (thanks to some snow that hasn't even fallen yet--gotta love living in the south!), so I thought I'd share some things I couldn't have survived pregnancy without...

Zofran
If you have any morning sickness, call your doctor ASAP and get yourself a Zofran prescription. It is a lifesaver! 

Before you get the Zofran, though, think of what helps you the most when you're hungover (because morning sickness is like one BIG hangover that will. not. go. away.)...

For me, that was Chipotle...
{lately, I've been enjoying it on my built-in shelf...AKA my belly}

 ...and LOTS of fruit snacks.

{I prefer Welch's in the big box from Costco...2 packs at a time}

While we're on the topic of food, I must say that Oikos Greek yogurt is the absolute BEST
and not just because Uncle Jesse/John Stamos is on their commercials. I actually crave this yogurt; my fav flavors are cafe latte and caramel macchiato! Yum!

When all else fails, just have a big glass of cold water.
I seriously have never drank so much water. Only cold water, though. It must be ice cold

Moving on, I could not have slept without this body pillow.

Stretch mark cream is also essential!
Palmer's is my fav and I haven't gotten a stretch mark yet! 

You will also need TONS of lotion because your skin gets really dry...
and if you're lucky enough to get PUPPP like me, hydro-cortisone cream will be your BFF!

This book really helped me out LOTS when registering for baby stuff...

They do a great job of telling you what you really need and they give ratings to every baby product possible!

My friend, Dana got me this book when I first found out I was prego, and it's super funny to read (a nice break from all of the medical/doctor talk)!


If you're not a book person, or just constantly on your phone/iPad, you MUST get the Sprout app!

They show what the baby looks like at each week and it is SO cool!

So there you go!!! Lots of great things to get you through those 40+ weeks of fun!

PS-We got out of school over 2 hours ago and it's still not snowing!??!
PSS-Happy Birthday to my Dad tomorrow!!!!!

Friday, January 24, 2014

Bumpdate {39 weeks}

Yes, I am still pregnant.
Yes, I am a whale.
And YES, I am uncomfortable!


Size of baby: a watermelon…HUGE!
Weight gain: Umm I am up another 2 pounds this week, bringing my total to +41 lbs. YIKES. I thought you were supposed to lose a little weight at the end?!
Maternity clothes: I literally have about 5 shirts that still fit me {this white one obviously does not} and maybe 2 pairs of pants. Thank God for leggings!
Gender: A GIRL!
Movement: Yep, she’s still rolling around as much as she can in there! The hiccups are my favorite. She has been getting them almost every night lately, right when I am trying to go to sleep. It just cracks me up. I know I’m going to miss all these little movements when she’s out in the world!
Cravings: Still really liking fruit. And lemon/lime things, which I haven’t craved since the very beginning of this pregnancy.
Symptoms: My belly has still been itchy on occasion, but the meds and creams help out a lot! I also got told at the doctor's that my ankles are looking "a little puffy," and my rings are super tight. But my main symptom is just that I am so freaking uncomfortable ALL of the time!
Workouts: Yeah, not so much. I may start walking again soon to get this baby out of me though…
Labor signs: Um, nothing. WTF. I have not dilated anymore since my previous appointment and the doctors still don’t think she’s going anywhere for a while. Still have some cramping, but nothing super intense or timeable.  
Sleep: Go ahead and strap a bowling ball onto your belly, and try to sleep on your side. Not fun, right?!? Oh, and then get up at least 4 times throughout the night to pee, and try getting comfortable again…yeah, it is safe to say sleep has been less than stellar lately!
What I miss: At this point, I've been pregnant so long, I don’t even know what I miss anymore. I guess my regular clothes, since I see them hanging in my closet daily and none of them fit?!
Best moment this week: My sweet 4th grade team threw a diaper shower for me at school yesterday, which was awesome! And then today, my room mom had a shower/party for me and my students! They tried to guess when Baby Ferg was going to make an appearance…most of them said between February 6-10. UGH, come on you guys. One kid even put 2019…um if I had to be prego for 5 more years, I’d probably die. As if that wasn’t enough love for Baby Ferg, this afternoon, Travis’ work threw him a shower which I got to attend as well! He was so surprised (he hates surprises, but luckily, he was nice about it) and we got tons of great stuff for baby! We are so lucky!! :)
Looking forward to: Baby Ferg making her grand entrance into the world!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

My Weekend

I usually don't do weekend recaps because we never do anything extremely exciting, or worth writing about.

But this weekend was kinda fun! Well, as much fun as it can be at 38 weeks pregnant.

First, you all know my obsession with Real Housewives. A few years ago, I met Adrienne who used to be on RHOBH and then last year I met Teresa from RHONJ. A few days ago, I had the TV on in the background and heard a commercial announcing that Kathy from RHONJ was coming to Charlotte this weekend. So of course Kathryn and I went to see her! 


Kathryn even got to go up on stage and make cannolis with her. (I was too nervous.) The cannolis were really good, ps. You should buy some. Baby Ferg got to eat one and she really liked it. :)


After her little demonstration, Kathy and her husband, Rich, signed autographs and took pics with everybody. They were sooooo nice! 


She asked me all about my baby and wanted to know if we had any names picked out. She also asked us where were good places to eat in Charlotte and kept saying how nice it was here! 


She was def the nicest housewife I've met, out of the 3 of them! 

The best was getting home to an email saying she had re-tweeted Kathryn! 


I don't really do Twitter (I seriously didn't even know that was my Twitter handle, haha), but this was pretty exciting!!

Saturday night, Travis got us suite tickets to the Bobcats game. 


They were playing Miami and it was sold out! I've never seen the arena so crowded for a Bobcats game! 


Sadly, the Bobcats lost, but it was a close game and even went into over time. 

On Sunday, Trav decided he wanted to have friends over to watch football. I got to hang out with this cutie, who is another potential boyfriend for Baby Ferg! 


I think she may have kicked him a few times (gently) while he was sitting on my lap. 

Yesterday, I celebrated MLK by doing hours of grading papers and writing maternity sub plans. Yay. And I'm still working on them...any teachers who've gone out on maternity leave have any tips for making this less painful?!? 

Monday, January 20, 2014

Everything you ever wanted to know about maternity clothes

Since I have (hopefully) 10 more days of being pregnant (!!!), I thought I'd reflect a little bit on this lovely pregnancy and share some tips and tricks for anyone who is prego, or would like to be very soon! 

First up: maternity clothes!

I could not have been pregnant without the following:

I can't stress how vital these are. I've been living in these lately! I only bought 2 pairs (and I'm still trying to squeeze into regular-size leggings) and I wish I had bought more. Gap's are def the best, but Old Navy sells them in a convenient 2 pack and they're pretty good too. 

 I had 3 (two like the one above, and one with skinnier straps); I wish I had bought a few more, especially since they're so cheap! Also, these are the only things I ordered in extra-small that still fit (they are SUPER long)!

Long or short sleeve basic tees (depending on season)

Scarves! 
These (and statement necklaces) are an easy way to mix up your wardrobe, and you can wear them when you're not pregnant too!

Regular (not maternity) cardigans...
that way, you can wear after baby!

A good pair of flats (that you have broken in before getting pregnant)....
because you will not be able to pull on your boots or tie your shoes easily after about 34 weeks. These Tory's have been my go-to shoe throughout this pregnancy! 

Work pants...
I bought: black pants, gray pants, navy khakis, khakis, and red cords, and I've been pretty satisfied with that selection.

Maternity jeans
My favorites are these from Gap. I bought a pair of Paige's and a pair of AGs off eBay, but I haven't been able to wear them since about 28ish weeks. :(

A good little black dress
I love this one, because it is so versatile and still fits me now! 

And tunics. 
Lots and lots of tunics (to wear with those leggings that you will be living in 3rd trimester).

A few tips about buying maternity clothes:

-Wait as long as you can before buying. I was SOOO excited to wear maternity clothes, I bought most of them in August and September when I was only about 4-5 months along. Needless to say, many of those clothes barely fit me now. I should have waited until October/November to buy the bulk of my wardrobe. The only exception: when I bought a maternity winter coat on sale in June. Best $20 I've ever spent! 

-That reminds me...if you'll be hugely pregnant in November-February, you will need a maternity winter coat! Your old North Face will stop zipping up around 28 weeks...trust me. And with this Polar Vortex crap, I sure am happy to have a warm coat that zips!

-If you are at a store where they have the fake bumps, put the bump on. You will get that huge (sorry), so better make sure those clothes will fit you!

-Never, ever buy maternity clothes in an extra small, even if your size pre-pregnancy is extra small. There is nothing extra small about carrying around an extra 30 (or in my case 40) pounds. (Just look at my bumpdate pics...that white shirt is an xs, and does not fit!) 

-Buy jeans a size or two bigger. I mentioned above that I bought 2 pairs of jeans that I can no longer fit into, which is sad. Just to give you an idea, pre-pregnancy I was a 0/2 or 25/26...the Paige's and AGs are both 26 and my Gap pair is a 4. The Gap pair is the only pair that fits me now. 

-There are two kinds of pants: Demi panel and full panel:
 
I wish I had only bought demi panel pants...the full panel pants agrivate my itchy belly and don't fit over my big bump! Demi panel pants are wayyyy more comfy for me right now!!

-Don't waste your money on maternity cardigans (I've been able to fit into regular cardigans the whole time), maternity tights (I just don't like wearing tights in general) or workout clothes (I was able to squeeze into my regular tshirts and shorts pretty much the whole time). 

-I bought pretty much all of my maternity clothes at Gap, Old Navy and Motherhood Maternity. Motherhood's clothes fell apart on me very quickly, Old Navy's got a few holes along the way, but everything I have from Gap is still flawless. Get quality clothes, because you will be wearing and washing them a ton!

So there you have it, my take on maternity clothes. While they are super fun, and for the most part, comfy to wear, I am really excited to put on some real pants that zip and button again! 

Friday, January 17, 2014

Bumpdate {38 weeks}

I'm going to try to do these updates on time (every Friday) from here on out since we are getting SOOO close to baby time!!! 

{I'm super excited that I only have to take a few more hideous pictures of myself!}

Size of baby: a pumpkin
Weight gain: OMG. I had 2 (yes, 2) doctor’s apoointments this week (more on that later). At Tuesday’s appt, I was up to 156….and by Thursday, I was up 3 more pounds to 159! I’ve never seen these numbers before!!! Woof and woof. Who gains 3 pounds in 48 hours?! I do, apparently.
Maternity clothes: What do you think?!?
Gender: A GIRL!
Movement: She has slowed down a little bit this week, but still rolling around in there! Every time I lean over, I can feel her trying to adjust herself…I can imagine its getting crazy crowded in there!
Cravings: I’ve wanted a lot of fruit lately. And still anything with tomatoes (which I guess is also a fruit) or chocolate.
Symptoms: My itchy belly came back hardcore last Sunday! The hydro-cortisone cream that had worked 2 weeks ago was not doing the trick, so I finally called the doctor because I literally could. not. stop. itching. They had me come in on Tuesday (hence, the 2 appts this week). Apparently, I have PUPP, which is a common pregnancy itch/rash but is harmless to me and baby, other than the obnoxious itching. The doctor wrote me a prescription for something to make the itching stop, and it actually worked…after just one pill! Magic! I just hope the itching stays away from now on!!
Workouts: Officially made it through week 1 of being super lazy. See also: weight gain.  
Labor signs: I got checked yesterday…and I’m making progress!!! I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I realize that this is not really a labor sign, though, because some people don’t do anything till they have crazy strong contractions, and other girls I've talked to have been whoa dilated for weeks before they went into labor. I am continuing to have spontaneous period-cramp contractions, but my doctor told me that I have at least another week (if not more) till baby actually graces us with her presence. 
Sleep: With the cray cray itching, I hardly slept Sunday and Monday nights…plus, every time I got up to pee, I couldn't fall back to sleep because I kept itching more! Now that the itching is gone, I have slept GREAT the last few nights!
What I miss: Doing simple things without my big belly in the way….like washing the dishes without my back hurting, putting on shoes (and pants, leggings, underwear, etc), wiping….yes sorry, TMI, but all of my day-to-day functions are getting tough!
Best moment this week: Our ultrasound yesterday! Even though my stomach is measuring at 35 weeks, the ultrasound showed that baby is measuring right on track and is around 6 pounds, 15 ounces! Her back is now over on my right side and her feet are on my left, so she has flipped over a little bit since our last ultrasound. She was sucking on her hand pretty much the whole time, which I thought was the sweetest thing ever. We didn't really get any good pics, but here is the best one I got:



This was actually taken the split second she took her fist out of her mouth, and was sticking her tongue out at us!
Looking forward to: Meeting this chica!!! Hoping it’s sooner rather than later…

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Bumpdate {37 weeks}

We are really in the final stretch now! 
Baby Ferg is *technically* FULL TERM!

I know they've recently changed full-term to being 39 weeks, but I'm going to pretend I didn't get that memo and say that she is welcome to come any time (although I don't think she will for a while)!!!


Size of baby: a winter melon
Weight gain: Sooo according to the doctor’s scale, I weigh 157 pounds! Yikes!! So I've gained, ohh….37 pounds :/ In my defense, I was wearing boots AND my heavy Michael Kors watch. So maybe I’m only up more like 35 pounds? Whatever, I don’t care anymore.
Maternity clothes: Yes, and this week I have officially graduated into wearing Travis’ t shirts to sleep. My maternity clothes are also getting super small (see above picture)!
Gender: A GIRL!
Movement: Yes she is still rolling around in there! I love when I can see her little arms or legs sticking out of my stomach like a little alien baby. She’s also been getting the hiccups more frequently and it just cracks me up to feel her little body twitching so rhythmically in there!
Cravings: Tomatoes and chocolate as usual…also I haven’t had Chipotle since last weekend, so that may be what I need to get for dinner tonight.
Symptoms: Ok, I managed to get my rash and itchy belly from last week cleared up, but it’s still itching from time to time because my skin is SUPER dry. I've been getting headaches and heartburn more frequently. This isn't really a symptom, but my belly button is super flat and almost an outie…it looks so weird! Mostly, I am just super uncomfortable. I don’t even know how to describe it…like I am constantly wearing a fat suit? With a 6-8 pound ball pushing on my bladder? Super fun.
Workouts: I think I walked about 8 miles this week, but I’m over this whole exercising thing. :) I’m going to try this thing called “being a lazy bum” for the next few weeks. I’m pretty excited about it.
Labor signs: I’m adding this one this week because I am now full-term (!!!!) and should be having labor signs. I got checked at the doctor on Thursday, and no such luck. {Less than 1 cm if you are really curious!} I am still having these period-cramp contractions, but they haven’t gotten stronger or more frequent than last week. They are just annoying. My doctor told me she thinks baby will be late…yay. 
Sleep: I am lucky if I sleep for 6 hours these days. First of all, I am not tired when I try to go to sleep. Then, I am still struggling with getting comfortable and then getting comfortable again after I get up to pee. I honestly pee like 5+ times a night, its ridiculous!
What I miss: Sleep?! My body. My clothes. Everything!
Best moment this week: Putting in the car seat! I figured it out all by myself (I was pretty proud) and now we just need to get it inspected to make sure I did it correctly! It’s so weird to drive around with that thing in the backseat (although, I've since taken the car seat out and just kept the base in…I heard if you get in an accident with the car seat, you have to buy a new one)!   
Looking forward to: We are getting another ultrasound on Thursday because now little lady is measuring small. I am praying everything is ok, but excited to see her again!!

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Five on Friday!

Another week down, another week closer to baby!!


Here's 5 random things on my mind....

1. Going back to school after our fabulous 2 week break was not super fun, but what was AMAZING?! Two 2-hour delays on Tuesday and Wednesday! 


Thanks southerners, for being such wimps in the cold (ok, I admit...it was pretty cold...but I know all you northerners were probably laughing at us for delaying school when the temps weren't even below 0*)! 

2. I'm obsessed with baby girl's mobile that came in the mail this week!! 


I know you can make these, but I am too incredibly lazy these days (and easily frustrated), so I ordered from this etsy seller, picked out my colors and voila! Much better than crying and stressing over it myself!

3. I had my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday, which I will tell more about during my weekly bumpdate....but apparently, now little peanut is measuring small! (A month ago, she was measuring big, what the heck?!) So I get another ultrasound at my appointment next week!! Don't get me wrong, I'm super excited to see her again, but I'm a little worried for this one...I hope she's ok in there!!

4. I'm loving all of the new tv shows that are starting up again....first, Downton Abbey on Sunday did not disappoint.


Also wonderful? The Bachelor. 
I know most people are so over this show, but I still watch and find it, for the most part, ridiculously entertaining. And then there's my old faves...Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Vanderpump Rules (ok and pretty much anything else on Bravo), and the Kardashians will be back in a week!!! 
Ohhhh ANNNNDDDD....it's finally award show season!! I'm so excited for the Golden Globes Sunday and can't wait to watch the Oscars with Baby Ferg! I hope she loves the celebs as much as I do and won't cry through the whole thing. :) Wishful thinking. 

5. I may take a break from my reality shows to watch a little football on Sunday....I know I'm with pretty much all of North and South Carolina when I say GO PANTHERS!! 


Sunday, January 5, 2014

Bumpdate {36 weeks}

Happy Sunday friends! 
This week was highlighted by some *fun* pre-term contractions and then a lovely, insanely itchy rash that appeared when I decided to put a new kind of lotion on my belly. Don't stray from your skin care regimen, ladies! We also had our childbirth prep class yesterday, which was a total waste of time (NOT recommended...it was 7 hours of stuff I already knew!)! So I'm sorry if this post sounds super whiny...but it's been kind of a long week! 


Size of baby: a honeydew
Weight gain: If my scale is correct (which it rarely is), I have gained about 33 pounds. Considering I haven’t gained much weight the past 2 weeks, I guess I’ll take it. I mean, how much more can I gain in 4 weeks (famous last words, right)?!
Maternity clothes: Totes ma-goats.
Gender: A GIRL!
Movement: I love feeling her move and kick, but sometimes, good God! She is forceful! Take a 5 pound weight and drop it on your stomach—and you’ll have an idea of what it feels like! My favorite is when I’m driving and she decides to beat me up….your mama is a really bad driver as it is, baby girl, don’t cause me to get in a wreck!
Cravings: Same old…last week I could not bring myself to eat hamburgers and hot dogs at our tailgate, so I stopped and got Chipotle to eat instead!
Symptoms: I am pretty sure I had, literally, every pregnancy symptom possible this week. Ready? Headaches, nausea/morning sickness, shortness of breath, fatigue, super dry skin, crazy itchy belly (and scary rash!), cramping/pre-term contractions like whoa (Monday night I really thought I was going into labor because they were so constant!), insomnia, sciatic nerve pain, inability to go #2 (sorry! TMI!), heartburn/indigestion, forgetfulness/pregnancy brain, feeling the need to clean and nest 24 hours a day. I now feel like a 90 year old, when you ask them how they’re doing and they go on and on about all of their health problems.
Workouts: I managed four 3-mile walks again this week. Because of the pre-term contractions I’ve been having, I think from here on out, I’m just going to take it easy and walk when it’s ok for me to walk. I still want baby to stay in there a little bit longer, and I don’t need to get on that treadmill to walk her out just yet!
Sleep: I’m still having a hard time falling—and now staying—asleep. I just cannot get comfortable to save my life. I get up probably 3-5 times a night to pee. My itchy belly also wakes me up from time to time…it is so annoying!
What I miss: While I don’t miss the hangover, New Year’s Eve just wasn't the same with out some real champs.
Best moment this week: The rug coming in and getting the nursery almost done! I’ll be posting pictures super soon! Also, I’m so excited it’s 2014 now so I can say “I’m having a baby this year!”  
Looking forward to: Finishing up the last few details in the nursery…we are so close, y’all!!
Now if I could just stop itching this belly....