PICTURE FRIDAY

Happy Friday the 13th (the only day I'm not praying that Henry comes-which means he probably will)! :)
Without further delay...here are the long promised maternity pictures that we had taken to capture our GROWING FAMILY! Have a great weekend! xoxo 

 

Images Courtesy of: Kristi Michelle Photography

Baby magic and many excitements

Remember my cliffhanger from last week where I said I was super excited about some NEWS and I couldn’t wait to share?  Totally worth the wait (or at least I think so).  Well, today we are in a sharing mood…and I am pleased to announce that baby Henry is going to have a new and younger cousin.  Yep, my sister is PREGNANT too!!  The same sister who traveled down here all the way from Minot, North Dakota to throw me a baby shower a few weeks ago (yep looks like I will be flying to her destination soon enough to repay her for that one) and the same sister who is planning to attempt to get here for the birth of my son.  I say “attempt” because (let me repeat myself) she lives in MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA…and it’s no easy feat getting anywhere when you live in the middle of nowhere.  The last trip took a FULL DAY with 3 layovers…and that was with a previously purchased plane ticket…who knows what’s going to happen when I go into labor.  HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to my sister, her husband, and her beautiful 8 year old daughter!  I can’t wait to meet my new nephew/niece!

Let me just say that it REALLY excites me that she is having another baby.  Both her and my older sister had little girls (8 years ago) within a few months of each other and they are by far the most precious cousins I have ever seen.  They are like sisters only have two very different and very unique sets of parents who make them so extraordinarily wonderful …they are my magic.  I know it’s not fair, but I am hoping that this new cousin is a BOY…Henry needs his magic too.  I asked my sister to send me a picture of her “baby bump”.  She is MUCH smaller than I was at 12 weeks…but she also reminded me that she is only 11 weeks and 5 days…love you sister.  :P

Let me also say how VERY EXCITED I am that my sister is “going to do her best to get out here for the birth of Henry”!  As I have probably already said a million times my 3 sisters and I are like 1 soul.  We are so close and can say and do anything in front of each other (makes for great times and obsessiveness with each other).  They are my best friends.  I’ve read so many different blogs, books, etc. that caution “moms to be” on situation that arise at the hospital and I couldn’t think of a better person to be there for me, JCH and Henry than one of my sisters (or my mother of course).

We finally settled on a pediatrician! On Monday we got squeezed in with a pediatrician that we have REALLY wanted to meet, at a practice that has come highly recommended by several friends.  So that’s done and with the best outcome possible!  YES!  We also settled on our decision NOT to bank Henry’s cord blood.  We went back and forth on this issue until it was almost a “paper-rocks-scissors” decision…which may make some of yall cringe…but we honestly COULD NOT argue very strongly either way.  I feel good about our decision.  Another check mark off the list.  This past weekend we also cleaned out the fridge, organized our closets, did every bit of laundry and cleaning in the house, went on several dates to breakfast, lunch and dinner, and even went out to the movies…we are ready!!! COME ON BABY HENRY!!!!  What are we forgetting?  If you have a baby or children, what would you have “made sure you did” before your little bundle of joy came (dont say "take a long beach vacation" because I'm pretty sure we cant check that off the list before then)?

I’ve got MORE maternity pictures to share.  I PROMISE I will get those uploaded SOON.  The CD reader on my laptop is broken and my time at work is very precious…so I haven’t had a personal minute to upload the pics.  SOON I PROMISE! Hopefully I can get them uploaded tomorrow!!!  Stay tuned- any day now for Baby Henry's arrival!!!!

3 more weeks...or maybe tomorrow!

Every day I hear on numerous occasions, “when is your due date?”…and every day I answer, “3 more weeks, or maybe tomorrow”.  Since I hit 37 weeks on Saturday I spent all weekend joking that I wished we would get a tropical storm or maybe just a crazy thunderstorm that would cause the barometric pressure to drop and theory goes…”induce an early labor”.  Last night we had a loud and dramatic thunderstorm…and boy was I eating my words.  I’m not ready for Henry to come early!  I’ve got 3 more weeks, and I need AT LEAST 1 more!  Yes I'm a HUGE procrastinator.

I’m nearly ready for the “nursery reveal”.  I act like it’s such a big deal only because JCH convinced me that it would be “way more special” if I sewed the bedding for the nursery rather than allowing my expert seamstress mother to do it, or maybe just splurging a little on the “Land of Nod” stuff that I had my eye on.  Needless to say, learning a new (and not so easy hobby) while 7-9 months pregnant may not have been the best idea.  I have spent countless nights ironing fabric while my back is killing me to stand up, and have cried out of frustration on multiple accounts.  Just a few nights ago JCH had to take over the “changing pad cover” project that I was about to throw in the trash…I had given up and he has a strange knack for “being good at everything he tries”.  So what have I successfully completed?  Fitted sheets, the crib skirt, curtains, and the changing pad cover (kind of).  I still need to finish the bumper (which I am seriously so afraid of that I keep putting off)…and my mother is using all of the scrap fabric from my projects to make a quilt that will perfectly match.  SO EXCITED!

I also need one more week to get my “hospital bag” packed.  Call me a procrastinator but I waited until last week to run through a few checklists of what to bring…and came across several things that I needed to pick up.  I honestly HATE shopping now…by the time I get to the front door of the store I am exhausted and just want to turn around and go home.  I get so frustrated by inconsiderate people who lack empathy or compassion for my difficulty in getting around (which ends up putting me in a very cross mood). SO I need this last week to ensure that I get all of my ONLINE SHOPPING orders in, washed, and packed.  I still need my itunes playlist (any suggestions?), not completely settled on little mans “going home” outfit, and I need a few options for mommy for when the photographer comes to snap a few pics of the happy new family.

I also need a little more time to figure out this “pediatrician thing”.  YES. I. KNOW.  It’s ridiculous that we don’t have a pediatrician chosen.  I’ve got some GREAT recommendations for practices in our “burb” area of Charleston, I just need to narrow down my selection and take a few “meet and greet” interviews to make my decision.  Going to try to do that this week.

I’m also calling this last week my “pampering week”.  I’ve scheduled a hair appointment, prenatal massage, and pedicure.  I’ve got to get this stuff in while I still can, right?.  What else should I do this week that I may be forgetting?  I’m debating the “brazillian wax”…yes, no? 

Lastly, I need 1 more week to wrap things up at work.  I’m sure they can get by without me…but there are just a few important and incomplete tasks that I just feel compelled to complete. 

A few "medical" updates (sorry it’s been almost a month):

Two weeks ago my doctor’s appointment did not go so well.  My blood pressure was “high”, my heart rate was so high they have officially diagnosed me with tachycardia, and my hemoglobin levels were on the low side (my body is not keeping up with the nutritional demands of pregnancy).  I left the doctor’s office with a lot on my mind.  How was I going to manage the demands of launching a new name and brand at work within the next two weeks, and lower my blood pressure simultaneously?  How was I going to become a “better eater”?  My indigestion has been so horrible that medicine is just not doing the trick- pretty much the only thing that works is by making adjustments to my diet…and sometimes that means that I don’t end up eating dinner because my stomach is so full (yep not a "good eater").  It also means absolutely no spicy food, no fried food, no red meat…and of course none of the other easy to eat things like “deli meat”…so finding something to eat (with nutritional value) ends up being such a chore.  I’ve found Carnation Breakfast Essentials to be surprisingly wonderful…but nothing else (any suggestions?).  I’ve also found that carbonated water (La Croix) helps with the indigestion…it makes me burp, and that makes me feel better (temporarily anyway-lol).  I went BACK to the doctor last Tuesday (impromptu because my vagina had swollen so bad it felt like I had “man parts” down there) and got a slightly better report card (ps the vagina is back to normal and the doctor said it was “just one of those strange things caused by pregnancy”).  My heart rate was still high, my blood pressure was “better”, and my hemoglobin had gone up.  My doctor was still very adamant about rest, relaxation and putting my feet up.  My boss is also concerned and therefore has suggested that I work half-days from home.  I’ve really tried to get out of work to go home and put my feet up and work from my laptop…but I’ve had a REALLY HARD TIME finding a stopping point before 4pm.  Maybe this week I will try harder.

Okay, I promise to POST pictures next time.  Baby shower pictures, maternity pictures, and “before and after” pictures….yay so many exciting things to share…I’ve been so neglectful (busy).  I also have a VERY BIG SECRET to share…but not sure when I get to…so stay tuned for that.