learn somethin new every day

I've been getting emails everyday of my pregnancy from Whattoexpect.com . Often there are little tidbits about fetal development that catch me by surprise... like, yesterday i got this email that said that newborn babies can't really produce tears! Their tear ducts are too tiny!! I never knew that!! The true waterworks don't start till they're about a month old... not that there will be any mistaking his cries... but... why? It's so interesting to me. Like, maybe God just wanted to spare their little cheeks from the extra exposure to salt or something...

Not only does it boggle my mind, but it reminds me anew how much remains a mystery-- how much we have yet to learn about life, and our baby's in particular!

Sleeping a lot the past couple of days-- and apparently really needing to. I am continually exhausted... and i'm not even doing anything. All that energy I had the past few weeks is totally wiped out of my system. I am trying to relax and enjoy it all. Especially the uninterruptedness of it!! And I either sleep so soundly that i don't feel Bruno's kicks, or he is sleeping right along with me. It's like he knows as soon as i'm awake; he starts moving around. I'm hoping that's a courtesy he'll continue till he's 18. What? A mother can dream...

We already know who will have cried the most tears by the end of the May--

Oh Deer...

With all newness of life there is a downside of living in a fallen world. Freshly fallen snow is soon polluted by cars' exhaust. Flowers bloom and quickly fade away. Leaves turn brown. Even little babies are tainted by the realities of sin. And sadly, every year around this time, plants like our Hostas are barely sprung up before they're viciously eaten by the greedy, ravenous creatures that roam our property. The other night, however, we caught them on film. The only problem? There's no way to have them arrested for destruction of new life... or property damage. Ahh, the woes of the western world!
Here they are, in broad daylight, getting away with murder! As you will hear, I have very little compassion for them...

One cm at a time...

ONE cm dilated as of this morning-- make that barely ONE. . . and 80% effaced! I sent a text msg. to dave to let him know, and his response was classic: "um, what exactly does that mean again?" (it's hard for a guy to keep track of all these gynecological terms!)
Basically-- it's a start! A start that could result in a baby by tomorrow-- or 2 weeks from now-- So let the games begin (the waiting game, mostly).
I went to Mom's for lunch (she makes the best grilled cheese!) and ended up staying there all afternoon, rather uncomfortable. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say those organs and intestines are all in places they didn't used to be.
The best remedy? Lots of pillows and back-to-back episodes of Little House on the Prairie. We never had cable tv growing up, and my parents finally got it this year when they signed up for some Verizon internet deal. Great for uncomfortable pregnant women! Not having a tv at all, it was extra nice to just sit and relax and zone out with Mom and the Ingalls. Gotta love the good, clean hour long fun!
Last night dave and i rented Close Encounters of the Third Kind on the laptop, and spent the whole 2 1/2 hours being entertained simultaneously by the aliens on-screen, and the alien in my belly, who apparently liked the combination of ice cream and brownies I'd just eaten, and the Steven Spielberg music piping out of the speakers! Very amusing, and again, increasingly uncomfortable, as he is quickly growing and running out of room.
I don't know that I'm "ready" to have him tomorrow, per se, but I have a feeling by the time the week comes to an end, I'll be on my way to ready!
Not that I have a choice in the matter, but all in all I'm not in a huge hurry. . . yet. :)

Date Night at...Walmart?

Yes. It's come to this. The highlight of my week!

We headed to Walmart at 8:00 last night after dinner with my parents (they came by our place so my dad could advise us on what kind of tree to plant in honor of Bruno's new life!) ...

My one request for the birth of this child was that we get a Glider and Ottoman for the nursery. I have to give props to Walmart for their Site-to-Store shipping option. Instead of paying for shipping, you order the product online and they ship it to the Walmart of your choosing for free. All you have to do is pick it up. They say it will take 7-10 days-- ours was here in 2! Nice service, Wal!

I'd been up and on my feet a lot of yesterday and was not in the best shape to be walking all over Walmart... so my compassionate husband suggested strongly that I use one of those electric old people carts... I was hesitant for several reasons. One, I'm not old. What if an old person came in and really needed it? But mostly, I was just embarassed. But once I walked in the store and saw 4 of them lined up and ready to go, my feet insisted. The associate standing nearby asked if I was ok-- I guess I looked pretty tired. She asked when I was due, and when I told her a week and a half, she practically sat me down in the first available cart! She said something to the effect of, "Oh Honey! You'd better take one of these-- or you'll end up with a Walmart Baby!" Ha ha. Scenes from "Where the Heart Is" popped into my mind and I chuckled.

We covered some pretty good ground (ie, the entire store) and got not only our main purchase but one of those fold up and carry on your shoulder camp chairs, so bruno and I can sit outside our bedroom in the morning sun... only $8.88! :) YES! The only thing missing from the evening was a video camera-- 9 month pregnant woman zooms around Walmart in old people cart; husband films the whole thing!

As we were leaving, a yound woman who looked about 10 months pregnant walked out looking very uncomfortable. For a second I felt guilty for having used the cart. But then I realized that it was indeed the most fun I could have had at Walmart-- and it made me thankful for my wise and insistant husband. :)

We set up the glider this morning and put it in the nursery-- it looks great! I am so excited to finally have everything -- now just a few pictures on the walls and it will be Bruno-Ready.

Ace is the Place!

Ok, so I learned this morning that I'm NOT the only one who loves a bargain!
The new ACE Hardware of West Chester sent out a "Grand Opening" flyer to everyone in West Chester, letting us know that the first 200 customers this morning would receive a free...... GARDEN HOSE!! (woo hoo!) ... not sure why we really need one, seeing as we have no garden, but it seems like something everyone should have on hand... just in ... case? And when it's FREE, come on-- it'd almost be wrong to pass it up! Cuz then you know the day will inevitably come when you'll be like, "man if we only had a hose..."
SO.... I just happened to be up and sleepless by 6am, so getting there by 7 when the doors opened was not a problem (pre-pregnancy, 7am would've been out of the question). I threw on some sweats (which is just about all that still fits me) and pulled into the parking lot by 7:01. There were about 20 people already there and in line for their free hoses! No way! I guess a lot of people are early risers or have to be at work by 8 or something-- but gee wiz-- at ACE by 7 sharp, all for a garden hose?? Then I realized that I was one of them, and even as I tried to act nonchalant when they gave it to me, as if I had only stopped by casually at 7:01 to buy the steel rake my husband requested as I left the house, I had this sneaking suspicion that the cashier was like, "you are all totally cheapskates!" Which I guess is obviously true when everyone is there for the same reason, trying to act like they're not.
So home by 7:16 with rake and hose in hand, I am just about ready for a nap :)
The reason I was up so early? I had a restless night, dreaming (again) that I went to nurse my baby and he turned into Patches, my parents' cat... with sharp teeth and claws, and stinky cat breath. How's that for a nightmare? (No more reading about Breastfeeding before bed!)
Hopefully Bruno won't be born with teeth.
So that's the beginning of my eventful day... I'm planning to get my next bargain later this afternoon-- a cute little bouncy seat for Gramsy's house I found on, yes, Craigslist, for $5. Then home for a tutorial on how to use my breast pump from my sister-in-law. THAT should be fun. No telling what kind of dreams that will spur! I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat from having fed my child through a garden hose, connected to the breast pump!

Like Mommy, Like Baby

This baby is READY to come out! I think he knows that his new room will be much more spacious than his current one!
His movements are suddenly... well... Bigger than ever. More pronounced, forceful, and distinctively feet, elbows, and fists. Jabs to the ribcage are suddenly painful, and that headbutt to the bladder is growing increasingly unbearable. And yet there are still moments when he's so quiet I actually forget that he's in there. . . though those moments are obviously few and far between, due to the hugeness of the belly.
For the first time ever we have a mirror bigger than the bathroom medicine cabinet (we pulled it out of storage and added it to our new bedroom 'look')-- just in time for me to see how big i really am. i love it! I stood in front of my dresser this morning and marvelled at the amazing ability for my body to stretch to such a large capacity! As alien as it looks, it really is beautiful. Veins, stretch marks and all!
I am really starting to slow down. Not just literally (ie, the sudden inability to walk without waddling!)... but like, I barely did anything today and was so exhausted by 2pm I had to take a nap. It's funny to me how the closer you get to HAVING a baby the more you act like one! As I think about it, there really are numerous similarities.
Here are my top ten:

1. You cry a lot
2. You're not always sure why you're crying
3. You need to eat every 2-3 hours due to your miniscule stomach capacity (talk about demand feeding!)
4. You need a nap to make it through the day
5. You pee all the time!
6. You don't have very much control over any of your bodily functions
7. You're pretty reliant on other people to help you do simple things; carry stuff, tie your shoes, etc...
8. You don't have much brain capacity or memory skills
9. Sometimes what you really need is just a good burp!
10. You're just plain soft and pudgey!

Here's to 2 more weeks!

Making Room

I am such a bargain hunter, I can't help it! The awesome, relatively new Pack 'n' Play I found on Craigslist for $15 didn't come with a bassinet feature, as I had thought, so I jumped back online to see if I could find a bassinet for cheap. It took a couple of days, but the blessing of what we got far outweighs the search time. A girl just a mile or two from our house was trying to get rid of a ton of her baby stuff, as they prepare to move. I got this adorable bassinet, a baby tub (which I had originally registered for, but changed my mind at the last minute and ended up with a "foldable" one that doesn't fold -- so i have to return it), a bunch of baby books, a snowsuit, some bedding, and a few other miscellaneous items, all for $20! Kate came over after work and helped me rearrange our bedroom furniture (and vacuum the hard-to-reach places!), and then Dave and I spent the evening hanging pictures and getting our room ready for Bruno to spend the first month or so "rooming in". :) You have no idea how exciting it is to have pictures FINALLY hung on our walls... after 10 months of living here! Our room looks so much bigger, even with the bassinet-- which btw, takes up a lot less space than a Pack 'n' Play would, and is so much more maneuverable! I am sooooo thankful!! For God's provision, and for the beauty of Craigslist-- and whoever Craig is, I'm thankful for him too!

Here are the pics of our room ... soon I'll have the pics of the finished nursery, but there are still some things to be done in there before I post the final shots ...

Our window is strangely off-center, and the picture

is the perfect size to accommodate the awkward wall space!

It vibrates AND plays music :)

We can finally open our doors (our bed had been blocking them all year)

--Just in time for Spring!! Yay!

The painting is the one Dave did for the Amnion Auction, of our

Wedding Night Flowers... that Kristina bought and gave to me

last Christmas :) :) :) LOVE it!!!

I am so blessed!!!!!

Starting to drop

I had a doctor's appointment this morning and I'm proud to say I've officially gained about 40 pounds! Woo hoo! I can sure feel it these days-- my ligaments are starting to ache in my legs and lower back. I'm not dilated at all, but the doc says the baby's starting to drop lower... that everything's on track and growing steadily! Right on time... That'a boy, Bruno!
It's so strange that, at any moment, I could suddenly go from this easy life I know to the crazy-amazing-totally new life I have never known... that this could have been my last weekend as a non-mom... my last saturday morning, my last church service, etc... as "just me". Maybe that sounds a little dramatic, but that's how it's starting to hit me. I know the likelihood of going "late" rather than "early" is higher for first births-- but it's still a possibility to prepare for, and that's how my mind is processing things.
People keep asking me if I'm ready... I'm not sure how to answer that. Physically? well, I'm gettin there. Mentally? i don't know. Spiritually? probably not. Emotionally? I don't think so. But is anyone ever READY for this drastic of a change? I suppose some people are... I just don't believe it's really real yet. That's why I wish we had a name for the little guy. I just feel like if he had a real name he'd seem more like a real person. My bags are mostly packed and the nursery is mostly done ... But maybe being 'ready' simply means that when it's time, it's time. And I think I'm ok with that. :)

Flying By

No I haven't gone into labor yet-- I just haven't been blogging this week. Not sure why, other than I have so little to report. Some days I've had to find things to do with my time, but for the most part these weeks are flying by! I can't believe I'm entering week 38!
Let's see-- this week I went to a garage sale, treated myself to a decaf Frappucino from Starbucks on a nice sunny day, met my mom for lunch a couple of times, took dave's car in for an oil change, and shopped till I dropped (several different times), doing some exchanges and finding some deals on Craigslist. Last night dave and I went out to dinner and sat outside at Cosi in Exton. It was so nice to have a hint of summer! Outdoor seating is one of my favorite things :)
We popped into Old Navy and found a couple of cute little outfits for Bruno, but my feet soon gave out and we were on our way home for a foot massage and early to bed...
Dave painted the ceiling of the nursery this week, so I can finally begin moving all of the stuff from the showers in there. I had 2 more little showers this week too. The girls in my care group at church had a mini surprise shower after care group on Tuesday night. And then Amnion showered me with MORE gifts on Wednesday! This kid is already spoiled beyond belief! I just can't get over how generous people are! It's truly a celebration of life and love.
We've been going back and forth on names this week. Other than wanting to keep it a secret, I wish we could just take a poll and see what people think would look/sound/keep the best over time, etc... But alas, there's still nothing majorly standing out to us.
Hopefully we still have at least 2 more weeks to figure it out! I just don't want the poor kid to be nameless when we leave the hospital (which i've heard a few different times from people lately). Anyway, here's to a few more days of peace and quiet, sleep and down time, and cherishing the moments of solitude and rest... as much as one can with an active, growing baby in a shrinking space! Loving every minute!

showered again!

My mom and paula threw me a "these are the women i come from" shower yesterday. It was so special-- seeing as many of the women who have known me practically my whole life were there. It was an overwhelming display of love -- i felt truly showered! Everyone went around and shared one or two pieces of motherly advice-- which i got (all 23 minutes of!) on film! I'm so glad, because not only was it great advice, it is something I will be able to watch years from now and realize the wisdom of the women God has blessed my life with! Many of them are grandmothers now and it was beautiful to hear their hearts about what they've learned, as they look back on their own experiences, as well as sharing their current ones. The food was incredible, and they definitely outdid themselves from paper products to decorations, to favors, and little baby feet shaped brownies! There was even a little "letters to baby boy brown" scrapbook that everyone contributed to! Our livingroom is now covered from floor to ceiling with baby stuff... and it all feels suddenly REAL! As I enter my 37th week, and Bruno enters "full term" status, it is hitting me a little more each day, and unwrapping each new gift for him, that he is coming into our lives... soon and forever! Wow.

This morning our sermon was on thankfulness, and just how there is ALWAYS something in EVERY circumstance, for which to be grateful. It was delivered by a guest pastor from Germany, named Wolfgang Wengert. It was the first sermon he's ever preached in English, and he was simply precious! He told a story of a little girl who approached him after he preached on this topic in Germany. She said, "Pastor,you forgot about one situation where we should be thankful!" Very curious, he listened intently as she told the story of 2 brothers who were walking together down the street, and one of them was carrying on about how we should be thankful in every situation, never stop giving thanks to God in all things, at all times, etc...

Suddenly a bird flew over and dropped a little something on the thankful brother's head. His brother turned to him and said, "Ha-- now, what is there to be thankful for in THIS situation, brother?" The thankful brother thought about it and replied, "Well... Right now, in this situation.... I am thankful that cows do not have wings to fly!"

That certainly puts things in perspective :)

It gave me something to think about as I face the pain that lies iminently before me-- from the first contraction to the likely tearing of my own flesh... from sleepless nights, to the struggles of nursing and recovering while trying to learn what each cry means... What wonderful things I have in each of those moments to be thankful for! All in all, I want to grow in thankfulness during this season-- despite the ups and downs that are surely on their way!

nice and healthy...

Since strawberries are in season (yay!) and are buy 1 get 1 free -- i have been eating them everyday-- on cereal, in yogurt, with cool whip-- you name it! I read once that they have more vitamin C than oranges-- which of course makes me VERY happy :)

I found a recipe for whole wheat strawberry banana muffins online this morning and decided to try them... I just ate the first muffin, fresh out of the oven, and it was sooooo good!! Thought I'd pass on the recipe if anyone is interested... Healthy Strawberry Banana Muffins

On a similar (yet completely different) note, I was also reading somewhere (don't ask me where) that toilet bowl cleaner is really bad for you (ie, breathing in the chemicals)-- which i guess means that every thing cleaning-related is bad for you... duh...

so that gives me 2 options: 1. don't clean! 2. find an alternative to cancer causing chemicals

THEN I found out that Clorox has just come out with a line called Green Works (maybe i'm behind on this one and you've been using it for years...) ... so i got the toilet bowl cleaner and the multipurpose cleaner on sale at Giant yesterday. It's 99% natural and works just as well if not better than the harsh chemicals of most cleaners, so they claim. That means you're only breathing in 1% of cancer causing agents! Their big push is that it's better for the environment (seeing as April is 'Go Green' Month)... but with a baby in my body, and soon to be out of my body, I feel better about it somehow... do i sound like a commercial yet?? Maybe I should write to Clorox and they'll have me read my letter on their next commercial, and Bruno and I can be famous-- maybe even the new Green Works spokespeople!

Well, for now I guess I should just focus on cleaning...

And eating my yummy healthy muffins!!

Woo hoo-- it's going to be 70 degrees again today!!!

Life is good.

Advice Taken!

One of the items on my to-do list for the month actually was to get my wedding album (of proofs) completed!
Thanks to a nudge from Amy, I decided to bite the bullet and take a whole day to do it... I've been dreading it (obviously) for a year and a half... mostly because I had about 1000 proofs to go through (after combing through them and not liking a lot of them initially). The album I bought a year ago at Target is so cute, but only holds 500 pics. I am just not good at organizing and math! But I did manage to divide the pictures into 5 categories: Getting Ready, The Ceremony, After Pics, First Dance, and Reception/Grand Exit. I figured I could allow 100 for each, give or take. It took hours, but I now have a somewhat organized wedding book! And about 500 leftover pictures, many of which aren't really album-worthy anyway...
It feels so good, not just to be able to check this task off of my list, but to know that it's DONE-- FOREVER!! Now we'll actually have SOMETHING to show people when they ask to see our wedding album! Yay!
It was also really special to walk back through that day-- it was so magical-- and it even brought tears to my eyes to look at some of the shots of us; so in love, so in a haze of wonder and awe!
And here we are, ready to start the next phase!
Bring on the Baby Albums!!
:)

If you were me...

If you only had one month left of relatively unlimited freedom-- to do anything you wanted (within reason), including little, simple things-- what would you do?
I'm now taking suggestions :)
If you're a mom with small children, what would you go back and do if you could do it over again (ie, live that last month of your independant/child-free life)?
What would you take time to enjoy?
What would you purpose to do with your time?
What little indulgences would you just "go for"?
What do you wish you could just drop everything and do right now?
What's something you miss about just being newly married without kids?
(if you can remember back that far!)
I figure it'd be wise to ask the experts--
Don't wanna waste this precious month JUST cleaning my house!!
:)
Feel free to comment.... Thanks !

1 Month 2 go!

April 7th marks one month (30 days) till our Due Date!!
I had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything seems to be going well. I think next week is when they start checking to see if i'm dilating at all! yikes!
I did a rather extensive house cleaning-- (not really nesting so much as my mom was stopping by with a friend of hers and the house was getting out of control!) :)
but it feels so good to have it somewhat clean and in order!
it's amazing how just that can exhaust an 8 month pregnant body. it is so hard to bend over to pick things up or vaccum under the bed/sofa/etc... I'm contemplating a nap... better get one while i still can!
on my way home from the Doctor's, i stopped at a cute little consignment shop in malvern and found a couple of cute little p.j.'s for Bruno (what's another $4???) :) One of them has a cute little hat with cute little teddybear ears on top of it! Ok, so i'm getting into this cute little baby thing!!
On one hand a whole month sounds like a long time! On the other, I can't believe it's only a month! The weather is supposed to start warming up this week-- perhaps i can finally get out and walk around a bit-- strengthen up some of those muscles i'll need for labor! In the mean time I'm still trying to get a name for this child that we both agree on and actually somewhat LIKE. Gee, this motherhood stuff is hard work! LOL.

Showers of Blessing

i had such a special time with my girlfriends yesterday-- they took time to bless me in such fun ways-- little games, special food, prayer time, photo shoots, and such wonderful gifts! It was exactly what I was hoping for-- an intimate gathering with some of the best women I know! I am so thankful for these girls; all of them! I don't know how else to say it-- other than "I don't know what my life would be like without you!"

Your encouragement and love mean the world, and your care and time spent in making sure this party (from beginning to end) was special screams of your hearts' sweetness! Your cards and prayers for Bruno were so touching-- He is already so loved by people he doesn't know-- already surrounded by beautiful women :) :) :) I can't wait for him to meet you all!!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! just doesn't cut it--

One whole week

I'm one week into retirement-- and lovin every minute! I've been running a lot of errands, starting to nest (I reorganized the refrigerator shelves every day this week), baking muffins, listening to some great sermons online, and sleeping hard! I met my mom for breakfast one morning and then went to finish registering. I'm getting a little anxious about making sure we have everything we need before week 37. I am on a quest this week, searching high and low for something to wear when in the hospital that's not too nightgowny. I'm not a nightgowny kind of girl. You'd think it'd be easy to find a nightshirt or something not too grandma-ish or too sexy. But everywhere I've gone has only had those two extremes. Hmm. What's a mom to do?
But hey, if this is my biggest problem for the next 5 weeks-- I will be so grateful!
Last night I went to a childrens' clothing sale at my parents' church, where everything was between $1-$5! I got a bunch of cute little outfits and onesies, a nice molded bib, and What to Expect the First Year, and only spent a whopping $14!! I know you're not supposed to buy a ton before your shower, but I couldn't resist the bargains! :) When I got home and showed dave my conquest, he looked at everything politely, and then said, "Great... :) now we'll just have to get him some cool clothes." I guess my tastes are a little too sweet and precious... :)
A little backache ensued after a couple days of shopping-- but with a little massage from my husband and a good night's sleep, it seems to have dissappeared. I really am so thankful that this has been such an easy pregnancy...
Today is my "girls' shower"-- and I am really looking forward to just hangin' with some of my favorite women.
All in all, I think I'm going to like this being at home thing-- :)

*Here are pictures of some of the outfits I got last night-- you can click on them to enlarge-- I think they're pretty cool! :)