Update

We had our first 2 week appointment yesterday (going now every 2 weeks instead of every month). Everything is as it should be. I’m measuring normal so the doctor is expecting a normal sized baby. This was very good news to hear since I was a huge baby myself. I believe I was 9lbs 4oz and my poor mother is a teeny tiny woman. Since I was so large and she was so small, I came out with a broken arm, black eyes, and completely swollen. Needless to say, I wasn’t the cutest baby…even my parents said so.

I’m 30 weeks now, so only 10 more to go. It seems like such a long time away, especially when I think about the fact that I have 10 more weeks to gain weight. Do you think if I start eating healthier at this point it would be a waste of effort (and not to mention a waste of the pudding pops I still have left in the freezer)? Going every two weeks to the doctor and seeing how much weight I’ve put on in that small amount of time is depressing. But, I guess it’s a small price to pay for what you get in return.

The nursery is all set up and ready for Thomas. While I was out on Sunday, Tommy surprised me and put the crib together which was the finishing touch on the room. When I saw it, I just cried and cried. It’s so easy to picture a little person in there now. I went over and looked into the crib to try to visualize how tiny Thomas is going to look in there. But my imagination was caught a little off guard when I looked in the crib and found my husbands new bow in it. When I asked him why his bow was in the crib, he said “I don’t know….I guess because for the next couple of months, it’s still my baby”. :-)

Daddy's ready!

The song “It Won’t Be Like This For Long” came on the other day and Tom and I were discussing it. For those of you who haven’t heard this song, the first verse says…

He didn’t have to wake up
He’d been up all night
Lying there in bed and listening
To his newborn baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee
Splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss
And says it’s gonna be ok

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon we’ll look back laughing
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

After we listened to that verse, Tom says “I can’t wait for that part”. I look at him a little confused and say “You can’t wait to lose sleep because of a crying newborn???” He says “Everyone has always said that a baby is going to change everything. I’m just really looking forward to having my entire world turned upside down”.

I’ve known for a long time that I was ready to be a parent. But after hearing him say that, I think he’s more ready than I am. This might have been the sweetest thing he’s ever said. Every time I think of those words coming out of his mouth it makes me smile. Although, I kind of wish I would have got those words on tape so I can play them back for him after a week of no sleep. But, I know that baby Thomas and I really lucked out when we came upon this guy. I can’t wait to watch him be a daddy! I have a feeling I’m gonna learn a lot.

Sleepless Nights

My nights come and go with less and less sleep. Some of the sleeplessness is due to having to pee a couple times a night, but most of it comes from the fact that it is getting harder and harder to roll over. Because of my sinuses, I am constantly rolling from side to side. I use to roll over without even waking up, but now I have to be wide awake for this strenuous activity. In order for me to roll over, I have to take off my blankets, remove the pillow I keep at my back and move it to the other side (A pillow at my back allows me to somewhat sleep on my back without being flat on my back). Now, the rolling over process can begin. Deep breath….and then I launch myself onto my back. Then I take a rest. Deep breath again….then launch myself onto my other side. By this point I’m breathing pretty heavily and I can hear my heart pounding. I then readjust the pillow at my back and then readjust my blankets. The entire time I’m doing this, baby Thomas is kicking and moving like crazy (I’m beginning to think this boy never sleeps). You’d think at this point I would be exhausted and I would fall asleep immediately. Nope! At this point, I realized I need to pee. So now, I have to go from laying down to standing up which is just as difficult as rolling over. After what feels like 5 minutes of rocking back and forth trying to sit up, I finally make it to my feet. Once I get back from the bathroom, I’m wide awake so I grab the remote and find something on TV to watch. Eventually, I fall into a deep sleep for about an hour…then….I need to roll over again and the whole process repeats itself. This must be the part of pregnancy that is supposed to prepare us for the many sleepless nights listening to a crying baby. Since Tom’s sleeping hasn’t really been effected by this…I make sure to wake him up a couple times a night too. I don’t want him to be unprepared when Thomas gets here. :-)

V-Day

On Valentines Day, Tom and I head to Wal-mart for some grocery shopping. We are about done and we remember that we need some shampoo and deodorant which is on the opposite end of the store. As we are walking over there, we walk by the jewelry counter. Tom says to me. Why don’t you stay here and look for you a new ring while I go grab our stuff. Surprised, I say “ok” with a huge smile on my face. I look for a few minutes and find two rings that I love. When he gets back I let him pick which of the two he liked the best. Below is what we decided on. It is so pretty and sparkly. I love it! It was a perfect Valentines Day gift.In all honesty, the story really did play out like I said above…but…the ring was $8 from the bargain basket and I had to buy it because my fingers are getting too fat and swollen for my real wedding ring. So now I have a beautiful CZ ring that has plenty of room for me to grow.

I Really Should Pay More Attention!

I have to tell you something funny I did while we were in Mexico. We were eating lunch. I got up from the table to head back to the buffet for some more salad (they had the most amazing salad). I get my salad and head back to the table. On my way back, I look down and notice there is food on my shirt. I get to the table, set my plate down and begin wiping off the food. Once I got my belly cleaned, I pulled out my chair and I looked up............and there were two strangers staring at me. One smiled and said "hello". I WENT TO THE WRONG TABLE!!!!! I actually set my food down at these peoples table and then stood there for at least 20 seconds while I wiped food off of my belly. They never said anything to me until I looked up at them. They got a good laugh out of it and so did I. I was in tears laughing so hard. I'd like to blame this little incident on my "pregnancy brain", but I really can't. This is totally something I would do on my own.

Viva La Mexico

Mexico was awesome! We had such a great time. I could have done without the flights to and from Mexico though. My pregnant butt doesn't quite fit in those airplane seats like it use to. And baby Thomas either LOVED or HATED flying...I can't decide. He was out of control from the moment we took off to the moment we landed. At one point I thought he was actually going to try to make a break for it and claw himself out. I just had to laugh at him. He would kick me on the left side of my belly and then immediately kick me on the right side. He was literally bouncing off the walls in there.

And once we got to Mexico, I noticed I left something back home........my ankles. They were nonexsistant the entire trip. My legs went from calf, directly to foot without any ankle inbetween. It was so strange to look down and not recognize my own feet. Since we've gotten back, the swelling has gone down and my ankles are slowing trying to reappear.

The food was great, the weather was great, the shows were great, everything was perfect on our trip. Here are a couple photos:

Tommy with a fat bellied budda!

And of course, me next to a fat bellied budda. People passing by got a kick out of this one.

This is a picture of us with a guy who creates amazing paintings only using his fingers. We had him paint us a picture using the colors of the babies room. It's baby Thomas' souvenier for his first trip to Mexico.

Babymoon

Tom and I are off to Mexico tomorrow for a little vacation with some of our family. Apparently, there is a specific name for this type of vacation. It is called a Babymoon. That is when a couple goes on vacation, while pregnant, to enjoy one last hoorah before they have their first child. I am very very excited about this trip. First of all….because of the beach, and second of all because of the all-you-can-eat buffets. Since I won’t be able to enjoy tequila or daiquiris, I plan on doing some damage to the buffets and snack bars. And my doctor thought that the holidays were a little rough on my weight…wait until she sees what 4 days in Mexico can do to me.

You all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the nice weather we are supposed to have. I heard it will be in the mid to upper 60’s here in KC. It will be in the mid to upper 80’s in Mexico…..but who’s counting. :-)

Daycare

Tom pretty much finished up the baby’s room this weekend. He painted and put wainscoting on the lower half of the walls. It looks so cute in there. I find myself in this newly painted empty room a couple times throughout the day just standing there and smiling at the walls.

My list of things I freak out about is getting smaller and smaller. We’ve signed up for a birthing class and a breastfeeding class, we’ve ordered and received the baby bedding, we’ve finished registering, and now, painting the nursery has been scratched off the list. The two big things we have left are ordering the furniture for the nursery and begin the process of picking out a daycare. Picking out a daycare is going to be the most stressful. Deciding whether I want “Random Stranger A” or “Random Stranger B” to spend more time with my baby than I get to is going to be a very tough decision. Back home, deciding on a daycare would be a matter of a quick phone call to our cousin who watches children out of her home. We know for a fact that she would love Thomas and she would care for him effortlessly. But since we don’t have the luxury of family here in KC, we really just have to decide which stranger is the best stranger to care for our child. We’ve got two options to choose from which were given to us by friends who take their children there. One option is more convenient for me and Tom when it comes to location. The other option is a little more out of our way but it is where my good friend Kim takes her daughter Peyton (the future Mrs. Thomas Michael Tod). I would love for Thomas and Peyton to be able to be together throughout the week.

But who knows…once that little guy looks at me for the first time and he melts my heart away…you all might be lucky I even let anyone hold him….let alone let some stranger care for him on a daily basis. :-)