The incredibly growing woman

I feel like I'm getting bigger and puffier by the minute. I'm now officially walking like the Michelin tire man, waddling every chance I get.
And the record-breaking heat isn't helping matters any. It's making me more swollen and way more uncomfortable. That's what I get for saying back in the winter that June and July won't be so bad. (How was I suppose to know Austin would hit 100 degrees every day in June?!)
Aside from the swelling, my hips feel like they're being ripped apart. It hurts to walk around. As a result, I'm walking like a pachyderm.
But what's worse are the legs and feet. Holy cow. My legs look like tree trunks and my once-slender feet are now the size of large Russet potatoes. Check out the photos. Yep, I have cankles. Which means, no more heels. Say it ain't so!!!!
I've been wearing wedges and espadrilles, but even those are starting to feel uncomfortable. Soon, my wardrobe will consist of muumuus and flip flops.
Oh! But here's one bit of good news--we bought a bassinet! I found one on Craigslist for $30. It's hardly used and it looks really cute! So as far as baby gear goes, we're all set! I'm very excited about that.
I think I can safely say, I'm ready. Well, except for the whole actual labor pain part. But who in their right mind is ever ready for that??

False alarm!

Well, we had a bit of a false alarm yesterday, something I'm sure every new mom-to-be experiences. In the morning, I felt some cramping in my lower abdomen. I ignored it and went about my day until I got into the office and felt my entire midsection tightening up (was it those pesky Braxton-Hicks contractions again?) I called Jon, who told me to immediately call the doctor. Apparently, he's much more well-read than I am and he was afraid that I was experiencing signs of early labor.

So I called the nurse who, of course, tells me I have to go in within the next hour or so. Jon picks me up and it's immediate panic mode (for me anyway). I hadn't even packed! So I threw a mish-mash of clothes in my bag (realizing on the way out that I had forgotten to pack underwear) and we went --or flew, rather -- to the doctor's office. You know that saying, the waiting is the hardest part? Nowhere does that ring true than the waiting room. We waited for damn near 40 minutes. The entire time, I was thinking, "Holy cow, we haven't cleaned the house. We haven't washed his baby clothes. Hell, we don't have anywhere for him to sleep!"

Finally, they called me in. They do all the routine stuff (I'll spare you the details) and then hook me up to a fetal monitor. Sure enough, I was having some contractions, but not the real kind. And his little heartbeat was really fast at some parts, but the nurse assured us everything was o.k.

So it appears we've officially experienced and survived our first fire drill. But the whole experience really drove it home for us. We went that night and bought a mattress for the crib, just in case. And we did start doing laundry. I'm happy to say we're all done washing his clothes and blankets for the first couple of months.

Oh, and we found a glider and ottoman on Craigslist for only $35. A remarkable deal, if you ask me, considering these ugly rockers usually go for $130 and up.

And you know, regardless of the chaos surrounding this whole drill, we were both really, really excited at the possibility of our little guy finally coming into the world. We feel if he were to come sometime soon, we're somewhat ready.

We're still looking for a bassinet, however. But I'm ok with that. At least he'll be clothed, warm, and most importantly, loved!

Sign of what's to come?

The other night, I was woken up by a strange feeling. Normally, I’m awaken in the middle of the night by Jordan’s kicking and flopping about, but this time was different. In fact, it hit me so hard, I literally gasped and sat up in bed.
It was a Braxton Hicks contraction, or rather "practice" contractions. And man, did it feel weird! Kind of scary, in fact. Not that it hurt, it was just unsettling.
For all of you non-mothers and guys out there, it sorta felt like how it feels when you’re about to puke, only across a wider area. So my entire midsection tensed up for a few seconds and then it went away.
I made the mistake of telling Jon that very moment and of course, he couldn’t sleep for like an hour afterward. Neither could I, to be honest. And we were both thinking the same thing – holy crap. What are we gonna do if I go into labor sooner rather than later? We still don’t have anywhere for our kid to sleep (the crib is in pieces in the guest bedroom closet), we haven’t washed any of the infant clothes that we have, and we still don’t have the basic-basics, like baby lotion and stuff. We don’t even have an infant carseat, which the hospital won’t let you take your baby without.
Now I know some of you will say, in the Pioneer days, they didn’t have any of that fancy stuff and they made do. Well, we’re in modern times, people. And I’m a control freak. So unless every t is crossed and every i dotted, I won’t rest easy.
But we did make some progress—we ordered the carseat yesterday, and I went ahead and ordered some hospital outfits! Baby steps….

Best baby shower ever!

Man, these past couple of weeks have flown by. We just had our baby shower last weekend and it already seems like an eternity has passed.
We had a great time and it was so good to see everyone! The weather was a bit hot. In fact, I'm sure it hit 100 degrees at one point! But with all the great friends and family there, it didn't even matter.
In the days leading up to the shower, the gifts started rolling in. First to come was the much-talked about (and anticipated) Uppa Baby stroller, courtesy of my parents. The minute it came, Jon immediately put it together and soon thereafter we went outside like total dorks and took pictures. I'm sure our neighbors were wondering what the hell we were doing. One elderly couple even stopped to see if they could take a picture of the "three of us," thinking there was an actual baby in the stroller.
But really, the best gift came on Friday. I had a week from hell at work and was so busy I barely had time to breathe. It was so bad, I had Jon run an errand for me Friday afternoon. He called me when he was downstairs to come pick up whatever it was I had him get me and my bestest friend in the whole world Krista greeted me! Turns out she flew in from Florida to surprise me! And man, was I surprised. I really had no idea she was planning on coming to Austin. And it turns out Jon, Dave AND Lisa and Darren were in on it! Given my intrepid reporter skills, I can't believe I didn't see this coming.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend. We really couldn't have asked for more!

Third trimester woes

I'm 32 weeks along, and -- dare I say it? -- it's almost time to retire the heels. Not all of them, mind you. Just the 4 inchers. Thankfully, my feet haven't swollen to the point of looking like potatoes, but they have been a little puffy lately. So I've invested in some flats as well as some espadrilles.
The things that are happening to my body are unbelievable. I'll save you the graphic details, but suffice it to say it's a little scary.
Scarier yet is the whole idea of the actual labor. Jon and I went to our first childbirthing prep class Thursday. Up until this point, I haven't really been freaked out about the whole labor thing, but after that class, I can genuinely say, HOLY CRAP! I am freaking out!! How do women do it?!
Even the thought of getting an epidural is freaking me out. Oye.
We finally picked a pediatrician, so one thing's been crossed off our list! We still have a lot to do, though. We also picked out a paint color for the nursery. It's called banana split and it's a bright sunny yellow. I think it'll go nicely with the pattern we picked out. Jon spent most of the day painting, while I cleaned out my closet (it's been getting a little crowded what with all the maternity clothes).
So that's the update, folks. We're getting closer!

Time Flies!!!

Man we are getting close!! G's already 30 weeks, can't believe it, time just seems to be flying by. I'm so excited, I can't wait for him to be here, but it's good that we have 10 weeks or so to go because we still have a lot to do. At least we are starting to get some stuff together and not waiting until the last minute. Although we still need to get the nursery painted and organized. We got some diapers stocked up, clothes, a crib, and we spent about 5 hours this last Sunday registering, which was fun and tiring at the same time.

New York was a great little trip. Dave (G's brother) lives on the upper east side of Manhattan, which is like a rich suburb. Every one had a Bugaboo stroller, the $900 one. We saw at least 10-15 a day. The funniest thing was when we walked by this cafe and there was about 6 of the parked out front on the sidewalk as the mom's where inside. G said we should grab one and run, after making sure there was no baby in it of course.

G's doing great! She is getting sore and tired a lot easier, but that is to be expected. Jordan is moving a ton, too. I can feel him most of the time, which is really awesome, and he seems to kick pretty hard (pro soccer player?). He gets really active at night though he seems to settle down enough so Giselle can sleep.


Well, I'll try to blog more often, but for now I better get started on dinner (don't want G to have to wait too long).

Furniture

Over dinner with friends, the attention inevitably turned to our off-white couch, and whether or not we plan on keeping it once Jordan gets mobile. My initial reaction was, "Of course! Why would we get rid of it?"

But then, my friends Kate and Lisa pointed out the obvious -- white couch + kid = disaster waiting to happen.

Talk about a wake up call. Are these the compromises you have to make as parents??

I really don't want to get rid of our couch, nor any of our other fancy furniture, just because of a rambunctious little tyke, but as the saying goes, kids will be kids. And they will make a mess. So, do I live with it? Or do I succumb to a living room full of bean bags and tables wrapped in bubble wrap? Jon and I decided we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

In the meantime, we did buy one kid-friendly piece of furniture -- a wall mount to hang our flat screen TV away from messy little hands.