Nest or Rest?

Today I am exactly 27 weeks pregnant....Poppy is due to arrive 3 months from yesterday, which means: HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER!


When I got my energy back in 2nd trimester, everyone said, "Don't worry, you will get really tired again and very uncomfortable once 3rd tri hits". Well damn you, everyone! You were right again! Except now, my mind and body are having a serious battle. You see, my nesting instinct is starting to kick in. I want to cook and bake and clean and organize. No joke, I woke up at 3:30am the other night and couldn't sleep...so naturally, I had to clean and reorganize the freezer. I come home from work and my feet and legs and hands are swollen like my homemade italian sausage. But I have no desire to rest....there is soup to be made! Oh, but my body gets me back for not resting. Revenge comes in the form of braxton hicks contractions. That wonderful sensation of my entire belly tightening like our baby one day will when (s)he has his or her first tantrum. Sorry, uterus, please take a time out. The tightening is accompanied by the feeling that i swallowed a 25 pound brick. Lovely. I can't help but wonder, how do pregnant mommies get through these times? I mean, I only have me and Andy to take care of...I can't imagine feeling this way and also taking care of another little one, or little ones for that matter! 
My other 3rd tri symptom is unquenchable thirst. I can't get enough water. Especially at night. Which leads to the insomnia. Drink, sleep, pee, lay, think, worry, toss, turn, try to find ANY position that does't hurt my aching hips and back. I've been up in the middle of the night every day this week anywhere from 1.5 - 4 hours. 
Aw, this entire post sounds like a bitch-fest :( I'm not complaining, just sharing my experience; and this is my reality. But I love it. I really do. 

I wore this to work for Halloween. I was a baby...having a baby. My students found this to be hilarious. 

On a different note, we are having Poppy's carpet installed in the nursery tomorrow. This means I can finally start to DECORATE! Squeeeeeeeee. I will post progress pics once we get started. So excited to make a comfortable home for my baby. 

6 Months

Thursday marked 26 weeks and Friday exactly 6 months. I have been carrying this little poppy seed inside of me for half a year! Mind boggling when I put in those terms. Here is what Poppy is up to these days:


And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.


Lately I have been thinking about the fact that in about 3 months, I will no longer have this baby inside of me. It has now become such a part of me to house my baby, I can not imagine NOT carrying him or her. It's normal: it's who I am. We are one. And the thought makes me sad...like, really sad. Like, I cry a little sad. I can't help wonder if this is a normal feeling, or if I am crazy cakes. I mean, of course I cannot wait to see and hold and look into the eyes of our baby. But I also will no longer get to feel it wiggle and squirm and turn and kick from the inside. Poppy will no longer get to hear and feel the beat of my heart so intimately. I am hoping that once (s)he is here I won't even think about those things...I will have so many new and exciting experiences to look forward to every single day. But I must say, I love being your safe little home, Poppy. 


"No one will ever know the strength of my love for you.


After all, you're the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside"

Quotes of the day

"You're fat now!" ~ happy, well-meaning, sweet little first grade boy


"How much longer do you have?" "Just 14 weeks!" "Oh, I thought you were going to say 14 days!" ~ guy at work


"You look great! When are you due? Next month, right?" "Um, no. THREE months." ~ lady at work


And my favorite from last week:


"Mrs. Dowhan, Kyle called you fat!"
"Oh, I'm not fat honey, I'm pregnant!"
"He said you don't know what you is. You just fat!"


And at least 4 students a week ask, "Did you have your baby yet?!" 


sigh. 

Dear Poppy

Dear, sweet, Poppy,


You are so loved. As I lay here, feeling your squirm and kick inside me, I am overcome with love for you already. Imagining the first moment I get to see and hold and snuggle and kiss and feed you is overwhelming, I cannot imagine how my heart will burst with love when that time actually arrives. But you know what's really cool? Thinking about the love that will surround you from every direction once you take your first breath on your own. Daddy and I are so very blessed with amazing, wonderful, supportive people in our lives; and now we get to share YOU with them! Your grandparents and aunts and uncles will spoil you with love and attention. Mommy and daddy's friends, old and new, can't wait to meet you and see your precious face. Cousins, great aunts and uncles, neighbors, great grandma...we are so very lucky to be surrouned by such generous, caring people. And to experience all of them through your eyes, Poppy, will truly be a joy. You will laugh with these people, cry with them, learn and grow from them, and develop into your own beautiful personality. Daddy and I so look forward to guiding you in the direction of being the very best you can be. We love you! 

My perfect eggplant

25 weeks today, and Poppy is about the size of an eggplant! 

The third trimester exhaustion everyone describes is beginning to set in, but it is different from the first tri exhaustion. Basically, I feel huge, heavy, swollen and like I got hit by a car at about 3pm every day. This lasts until go to bed. Today I discovered the miracle of the heating pad on my back. Ahhhhh, sweet relief. I have also been doing a prenatal yoga video in the mornig before work and it helps relieve some of the general body aches and pains. 

Poppy is growing bigger and stronger every day...today she gave Nonna a healthy kick! Looks like she knows who is going to spoil her already ; )

25 weeks passed mean only 15 weeks left to go...whoa! We are going to register for the shower this weekend. Woo-hoo! I am rather excited. The nuresery is painted, and the crib should arrive any day. I've collected odds and ends and can't wait to start decorating the nursery. The nesting instinct is starting to hit!
I had an ultrasound in my gallbladder and some bloodwork, and got great news today - no gallstones! The Dr. thinks the pain I've been experiencing is more related to my reflux issues. He wants me to take Zantac for a week and see if it helps. This is a Class B drug. I have mixed feelings about taking it. I have come this far with taking only 2 tylenol and round of antibiotics (for a UTI) my entire pregnancy. I wish I could make it through the next 15 weeks without taking anything else. We'll see. Just relieved it's not the gallbladder. 
Here is another pic of what a 25-week-old baby looks like chillin in the ute:

Sweet, precious baby <3

I kinda miss...

Raw Sushi 



Medium Rare Steak


Lunchmeat (damn you, listeria!)


Standing up without wincing from lower back pain

Sleeping on my tummy

Dirty Martinis with blue cheese olives


Walking up the stairs without getting out of breath

Eating raw cookie dough while I bake


Unlimited seafood consumption (damn you, mercury!)

BUT

You're beyond worth it all, Poppy!

Our very own Cupie Doll

We had an ultrasound today! SO MUCH FUN watching Poppy hang out in the ute, especially now that I can see and feel the kicks and movements in synch. Neato! I always thought I would cry at ultrasounds, but I just end up giggling in pure joy the entire time. Maybe that will happen during Labor and Delivery too.....??? Bahahahaha.
There is absolutely no denying that this is Andy's baby when you look at Poppy's photo shoot from today. That big, bulbous, cupie doll head came straight from Daddy. Here's Poppy, giving us the thumbs up that everything is A-OK in there!

Poppy weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces already...about 2 weeks ahead of average. Uh-oh, taking after Daddy again??? (He was a 10-pounder at birth!). The thought of popping that big round head out frightens me, I must admit. But the cupie resemblance makes me all the more excited to meet my real live doll. Check it out:

Hehehehehehe, still giggly and giddy. Love you, Poppy! (Or should we call you Cupie now?!)

Score!

So I dragged my tired, insomniac arse out of bed this morning and went to my first ever mom-to-mom sale. Yep, that's right, MOM! Me :) hehehehe. Anyway, it was smaller than I expected and kind of seemed like an overpriced garage sale, which irritated me since I am a garage sale afficianado. I was about the leave when I noted the "large items" area of the sale. And there it was. In all of it's vintage glory, a 1950's Thayer high chair. It was refinished and in perfect condition and completely adorbale. SOLD! 
Here it sits in our dining room:

Everytime I walk past it my heart melts <3