Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Baby Showers!

My Ohio Baby Shower was September 1.  It was mostly family and some friends.  We had a large turnout with about 30 people.  My mom and mother-in-law set it all up.  It was at the church I grew up in.  Everyone was supposed to design a quilt square and my sister-in-law is going to sew them all together so Penelope will have a keepsake quilt from the shower.  People were also asked to fill out  a paper with "Penelope Parrish Predictions" about her birth like how much she will weigh, birth date and hair color.  I will post on here who is the closest after she is born.  We also played a lot of games.  Word scramble, one where you guess what the baby animals name is (fawn, squeaker, pinkie, polt), guessing how big my belly around is and a game called "Just ask mama" Everyone wrote a question that a new mother might have on an index card then pass it to the right.  That person writes the answer to their question on the back.  The responses were really funny.  Here are some of the responses:
 
When can I put cereal in their bottle? --- You will know!
Do they ever sleep? --- When they are about 8 weeks.
Should her bowel movement be that color? --- Every two hours.
When do babies start to crawl? --- Practice.
How often do I feed it? --- Yes, if it's ok if it looks gross.
When can you give the baby a bath? --- Yes, if the parents want it
And the winner--- How do I clear up diaper rash? --- Orajel
 
So then it was time to open gifts.  Guests played Baby bingo.  They filled out their own cards with items they think I would receive as a gift then crossed them off as received it.  I think that was a good way to keep everyone interested.  Also, we set a timer and when it went off, the person whose gift I was holding got a prize.  Whew, I think that's all the games. We were running out of time so my mom cut the cake while I was still opening gifts.  The top tier of the cake was cinnamon bun coffee cake with cream cheese filling and the bottom was marble fudge with real fudge. So yummy! We really jammed everything in in two hours.  Josh having a beer and diaper party at the same time so a lot of his family headed over there after.   
 
My awesome cake
 
Princess party punch!

 
Guests playing a game
 
 
Guests playing a game

 
Presents

Opening gifts
 
My flowergirls, 3 years later.  Claudia and Kennedy.
So next was my "Mother to Bee"  Missouri baby shower on September 22.  It was thrown for me by another Air Force wife and most of the guests were other wives of people my husband worked with.  There were around ten people.  They were asked to fill out a paper with "Wishes for baby."  It was like a fill-in-the-blank.  Examples like I hope you learn....I hope you ignore....  Some answers were pretty funny and others were sweet and thoughtful.  I opened gifts and we played the guess how big my belly is game with string.  Josh made Penelope little shoes out of his bandana.  It was so cute and he surprised me by having me open them at the shower.  Aww! Then it was time for cake. The cake was vanilla flavor with raspberry filling.  We had a lot left over, so a friend and I took it to our husbands' shop where the guys finished the rest of it in about ten minutes.
 
The bee cookie was so good that Reaver stole if off the counter in the middle of the night.
 
 
Diaper cake!  I don't want to take it apart!

 


Baby booties Josh made for his daughter!  Awww!

The left over cake
 
 

 

Monday, September 24, 2012

36 weeks and 1 day



Officially nine months pregnant and officially less than a month until her due date!  One week until Penelope is full term.  I can't believe it!  I can't imagine what it will be like to be a mom and I can't imagine what it will be like to not be pregnant anymore.  But at the same time, I don't know what I'm so nervous about.  Maybe because I only have about a month of my life left that will be kid-free.  When you say it like that...

My bee themed shower was two days ago.  I'll have a post on that later.  So now I know what I still really need that I didn't get as a gift.  One of Josh's co-workers was thinking of throwing him a diaper party here.  I think if he did, that would be this weekend I think.  So we have one more Target trip.  I have a coupon for 10% off items left on my registery.  I also need some post-baby mommy recovery supplies and a few items for the hospital bag.  Oh, I got a bumbo yesterday for $10.  I was pretty excited about that since they retail for $40.  It doesn't have a tray, but that's ok.  My co-worker gave me a stroller/carrier like 4 months ago, but there wasn't a base for the carrier to be used as a car seat.  He said he had the base and would give it to me.  But he hasn't so far.  I texted him today to ask if he could bring it to work because I would really like to use it to bring her home from the hospital instead of the huge car seat I have.  Well now he says that it's the wrong base.  Ugh.  But he offered me a rear-facing car seat he has.  So I picked that up a little bit ago.  I guess we can leave that one in Josh's truck since we have two now... I don't know.  I thought it would be easier to have a carrier car seat for an infant but Josh was telling me how big and how much of a hassle it would be, so we will see.



On Thursday we have our Bundles for Babies class which is a 4 hour class on infant care. I don't have a lot of experience with children under one, but hubby does.  I hope I will feel less stressed after the class and not overwhelmed.  But I'm really looking forward to it.  The day after that is a prenatal check up where I get checked for Strep B.  Less than a week after that we start our birthing classes.  I think I'm nervous about the labor and birth part.  I've almost scared myself out of getting any pain medication so then it scares me to go all natural.  If I knew there was cons what-so-ever with getting an epidural, I would feel a lot better.  I still might get one, but would be a little disappointed in myself.

Quote of the week:  Josh and I were talking about pillows because he wants a MyPillow. 
Him- You already have enough pillows. You have a body pillow and a bumblebee pillow...
Me- A bumblebee pillow?
Him- Yeah, you know, for your boobs.
Me- A boppy?
Him- Yeah whatever.
Haha, I think he was getting it confused with a Bumbo.  I thought it was pretty funny though.

How far along? 36 weeks
Maternity clothes? that's all i fit into
Sleep: it's hard to roll over but i'm always tired and sleeping a lot
Best moment this week: my missouri baby shower
Miss Anything? feeling healthy instead of weak and fat
Movement: a lot!
Food cravings: brownies with powdered sugar on top, i drove 20 minutes one-way to pick up box of mix earlier.
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of cigar smoke or black and milds
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: girly girl
Labor Signs: braxton hicks at least once a day
Belly Button in or out? out, since like, week 10.
Wedding rings on or off? on, but tight
Happy or Moody most of the time: how about stressed and worried and anxious. 
Looking forward to: bundles for babies infant care class in a few days

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

35 weeks 2 days


Penelope wakes up with me in the mornings.  I love that.  As soon as I wake up and start moving around in bed, she starts stretching.  Sometimes when I get up in the middle of the night and she starts moving around I'm like, no, go back to sleep, it's not time to wake up yet. I can't believe she is 5 or 6 pounds right now.  I remember when she hit the 1 pound mark and I thought that was crazy.  At my check up a few days ago, I learned what position she is in.  Head down, butt is by my right rib cage and feet and hands on the left side of my belly button.  My mid wife said if she wants to make her appearance next week, they would feel comfortable delivering her. But this week, they would still try to stop the labor.  But I have a feeling she will pass her due date.  Probably because I feel like I have been prego forever and she will never get here.  I had a dream the other night that I gave birth to her and her first words were I love you. <3 So I gave birth to her and she was already able to talk.  I asked her how old she was and she said her first birthday would be November 1st.  And she had big blue eyes.  So to me, that dream says that I feel like I have been pregnant forever since I give birth to a baby who can carry on full conversations. haha.

New pregnancy symptoms...PUPPP (pruritic uticarial papules and plagues of pregnancy) basically it is a red itchy rash.  I only have it on my feet and it's not that bad but still annoying.  I also got a few stretch marks on my lower belly in the last week.  Which makes me mad because I have only gained 3 pounds in the last 5 weeks (so it's not from excessive weight gain) and I have been using a lot of lotions to keep my skin stretchy.  So I guess I have accepted it since I did all I could to prevent it and it is common during pregnancy.  So I have been using Bella B's Stretch Mark Fading Cream. (not cheap)   I think it's working.  I read it is easiest to get rid of stretch marks when they first appear so I'm being very diligent about it.  I'm really looking forward to getting back in shape after Penelope gets here.  And having a glass of Arbor Mist   ; )
   


Things I still need:   baby monitor, clothes hamper, base for car seat (just waiting to get it), milk storage bags and one of those floor mats where they lay on their back and play.  And I need to actually figure out how my breast pump works.  And how the Diaper Genie works.  My brother gave us one so it didn't come with directions or anything.  I haven't looked at it too closely though.  There are still more things that I would like to have before she gets here.  Like more sleepers with zippers or gowns and cute baby leggings, but I can live without that.  I can still send Josh out to buy some things after she is here and I see what I actually need.  Oh! and I need to get one of those plastic upright storage bins with drawers.  I think I'm going to use that for socks and shoes and other whatnots. Since I don't know where to put them.  Starting to realize how small the nursery actually is.  I have a 4 drawer dresser that I planned to use one drawer for newborn clothes, then 0-3, 3-6 and 6+.  But I guess I could store the bigger clothes in a tub then rotate them in and out as she grows. Also have to clear out the closet, which is filled with 3 large suitcases and all my dresses to make room for tons of diapers.  Still have to reorganize the kitchen cabinets to make room for bottles and nipples.  I'm more just thinking out loud and making a list for myself than informing everyone because I'm sure most of you don't care that much, lol.  It's ok.  I understand. 

Josh was going to deploy for 6 month when Penelope was only going to be 2 months old. But his deployment was cancelled. Because of OPSEC (operational security) I can't talk about the details of it. But, I have mixed feelings about it. When he first told me he was leaving, I almost expected it because I knew when his deployment window was. Then I got to the point of accepting it and making plans for when he would be gone, like going back to Ohio for a bit with Penelope and basically figuring out how to be a single mom for 6 months. And Josh has been itching to deploy for 3 years but has always missed his window from us moving. Plus, deployment pays pretty well and we would be able to pay off his truck and get a new vehicle for me. Josh was upset when he found out it was cancelled, so I felt bad for him. BUT it is great that he is not leaving! Him going to Alaska for 3 weeks last month was bad enough. I can't imagine 6 months without him. He would miss so much of Penelope growing up. There is a huge change from 2 to 8 months in a baby. And the area that he was deploying to was getting increasingly dangerous which made me nervous even though he was going on a non-combat mission. So I feel bad that he can't go on his little adventure that he has been wanting, and I can learn to live with my 13 year old Jeep for a little while longer so we can keep our little family together and safe as long as possible.

I still plan on dedicating a post just to the nursery, but I have yet to finish it and a post dedicated to my baby showers so everyone will be able to see the pictures.  Just haven't gotten around to it yet.

How far along? 35 weeks
Maternity clothes? that's all I wear
Sleep: it's hard to roll over 
Best moment this week: being back in our own home and getting the nursery together
Miss Anything? feeling healthy instead of weak and fat
Movement: a lot!
Food cravings: orange juice and mac & cheese
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of cigar smoke or black and milds
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: girly girl
Labor Signs: some braxton hicks
Belly Button in or out? out, since like, week 10.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, getting anxious for her to be here!
Looking forward to: my missouri baby shower on saturday and also looking forward to our bundles for babies infant care class and birthing and labor classes.

Monday, September 10, 2012

34 weeks 1 day


Counting down!  Penelope is about 5 pounds now and about 18 inches long.  She is around the size of an American Girl doll.  She is also very wiggly.  It's kind of weird when she moves her head since it's so low.  Her sleep cycles are the same now as they will be when she is born.  Sometimes she jumps when Reaver barks. 

Ugh,  I'm so sick! I sound like a man. I got a sore throat about a week ago so was just taking cough drops. I also have a rash on my feet.  Weird.  Then I started to get a runny/stuffy nose so now my nose is all dry and red.  After the Bruce concert, I threw up from brushing my teeth.  Haven't thrown up since the first trimester.  Yesterday I started sneezing and my eyes were real watery.  My temp last night was 99.7 and this morning was 97.7. I have to sleep with two fluffy pillows on top of each other so I'm elevated because that stops me from coughing all night but then that kills my back.  Man, being pregnant is rough enough, then throw a cold on top of that. I'm just glad I wasn't sick for my baby shower. We head back to Missouri in two days.  Hope I'm feeling better by then. 

So the big event this weekend was the Bruce Springsteen concert that Josh and I have been waiting like 3 years to see.  We went with my mom, dad and sister.  My parents rented a van and it was about a 6 hour drive.  Not too bad since I did a lot of sleeping.  The first night we were in Chicago, we just went out for pizza.  The day of the concert, we went out for burgers before heading to the stadium.  The concert was scheduled for 730 pm, and was about 14 miles away.  We left the hotel around 3 pm I think.  The hotel drove us to the train station, then we took about a 15 minute train ride to the bus which took us to the stadium.  I have discovered that I hate busses.  So we get there about 2 hours before the gates even open.  But we did see Jake, Stevie and Bruce pull up and enter the stadium so that was really cool.  The concert started at 820 ish. And was awesome.  Eddie Vedder and Tom Morello also showed up. Even though everyone was standing, I would sit down occasionally because my feet and legs hurt.  Then it started raining and didn't stop. I didn't want to stand up because then my seat would get wet and I wouldn't be able to sit down again.  Bruce is notorius for doing 4 hour shows and it was about 1030 so I was really hoping the rain would stop because I know no one in my group was leaving early.  So I just sat in my chair, hunched over and sick, getting rained on.  I was miserable but didn't want to ruin anyone else's night.  Josh did go with me to "hide" from the rain for about 20 minutes.  Josh said it was the best concert he has ever been to and he guesses he has been to about 200. People we having a great time dancing in the rain and all.  Afterwards, it probably took us 2 hours to get home.  The busses were a nightmare.  When we finally got to the train, we called the hotel to pick us up from the train station but some other guests had beat us there and taken our shuttle so we waited another like 40 minutes.  We were all frustrated at this point because we were all soaking wet and cold and the stupid hotel picked up the wrong people and it's almost 2 am.  We were all sooo happy when we finally made it back to the hotel and asked for 3 extra blankets. 

All in all, I was kind of let down (not by Bruce!) by all the factors working against me.  If I wasn't 8.5 months pregnant, sick and getting rained on, I know I would have had a blast.  Bruce will be coming to Kansas City but it's 3 weeks after Penelope will be born.  That's way too soon.  Josh did feel bad for me and say that he would babysit and my mom and I should go to a concert together since I didn't get to fully enjoy it.  Who knows when that will be though.  Bruce's 2012 started in Feb I think and he just started his 3rd leg, so I will be surprised if he tours next year.

One thing I did learn from our trip to Chicago is that I will never ever live in a big city!

How far along? 34 weeks
Maternity clothes? that's all I wear
Sleep: awful, especially with this cough and backaches.
Best moment this week: seeing bruce!
Miss Anything? feeling healthy
Movement: a lot!
Food cravings: a few days ago it was cheesecake.
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of cigar smoke or black and milds
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: girly girl
Labor Signs: i dont think so
Belly Button in or out? out, since like, week 10.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: happy, getting anxious for her to be here!
Looking forward to: getting back to missouri and seeing my kitty and finishing the nursery

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

33 weeks 2 days


Busy busy busy!  We have been in Ohio for around 6 days now.  Doesn't feel that long.   We have been running around and seeing everyone.  Between baby showers and baseball games and labor day celebrations, this mama is worn out!  Today it's raining and I didn't change out of my pjs until about 230 pm, which was nice.  Luckily we don't have any plans until the evening today.  I'm more the type to stay home while Josh likes to go out a lot.  But that's only when we are in Ohio.  In Missouri Josh likes to hang out at the house and I like to go out.  Weird. 



I've been feeling very pregnant lately. It's finally catching up with me.  Probably because I'm only 7 weeks away (or less!)  My lower back has been hurting a lot and my feet too.  Starting to kinda wobble around.  The 11 hour car ride left me sore for a day or two.

We got soooo much between my baby shower and Josh's diaper party.  Starting to wonder if we are going to have room in the bed of the truck.  This morning I packed up 2 large tubs, 2 small tubs and a garbage bag full of diapers.  Then we have the rocking chair and 5 items that are on the large side (pack n play, high chair...) We will get it all to fit... somehow.




We will be headed to Chicago this weekend for the Bruce Springsteen concert!  So excited since we've been trying to see him for 3 years!  Hope I'll be ok waddling around the streets of Chicago at 8 months pregnant!

How far along? 33 weeks
Maternity clothes? that's all I wear
Sleep: haven't slept with sheets or blankets in a week. so hot!
Best moment this week: baby shower
Miss Anything? tanning
Movement: yep yep!
Food cravings: hmmm, nothing in particular lately.
Anything making you queasy or sick: the smell of cigar smoke or black and milds
Have you started to show yet: yes
Gender: female
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? out, since like, week 10.
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time:  happy, getting anxious
Looking forward to: bruce sprinsteen concert in chicago this weekend!