Bumpdate - 25 Weeks and a weird pregnancy dream

How far along: 25 Weeks

Size of baby: Rutabaga (what is a rutabaga?)

Gender: Frogs, snails, puppy dog tails.

Maternity Clothes: These are basically the only items I can wear now! Scary! I am gaining weight like crazy but I feel like I am eating fairly healthy (a salad for lunch every day). But also, I am eating a lot of sugar. This baby is making me a total sweet tooth. Hopefully after the pregnancy I will go back to not caring much for sugary stuff.

Stretch Marks: Not yet. I did recently learn that my mom got them on her belly when she was pregnant which takes away the little hope I had to not get them as they are genetic. But hey, 25 years later and hers are faded and invisible.

Sleep: A little better, actually. I don't have as much back pain anymore which really helps with getting comfortable, and I only get up once a night for a bathroom trip. (But daytime bathroom trips are increasing to a crazy amount).

Cravings: JELLY FILLED DOUGHNUTS!!! Pre-pregnancy I considered doughnuts a waste of calories and was not a fan. Yesterday I ate two.

What I miss: My waistline.

Looking forward to: Going to California to see my sister and her family. We leave next Friday! We will be going to Sequoia National Park, shopping for a stroller, making the crib bumper, and just hanging out for a whole week! So excited!

Symptoms: Heartburn is just a way of life for me. I take Zantac every 12 hours and this really helps a lot.

Worst Moment this week: Nothing terrible this week.

Best moment this week: Finally being DONE with the yard sale that I have been wanting to be over with for a while now. Sitting on the couch, counting our money from all that hard work! Relief!

Pregnancy Dream o' the week: Ok this one is weird. But not totally unheard of. I can be honest with you guys, right? Besides, this blog is really for my own benefit, so I want to record as much as I can (to an extent). So again, as a warning, this dream is weird.

I go into early labor and have my baby. She (ALWAYS a she and not a he in my dreams) is fine and healthy. Flash forward to me sitting in my hospital bed. Baby (who looks to be about 4 months already) is propped up on some pillows, just chilling next to me. I realize that I should hold her. I try some skin to skin contact and then realize that I haven't fed her. I pull out a boob and she tries it out, but I can't tell if anything is coming out. She seems to be okay with it, though.

Flash forward again and it is my first day home with the baby and Cody is at work and I am all alone with the newborn and a messy house. The baby is now my cat, Assassin, and I ask Assassin if she wants some "num-nums" (I must have heard this phrase for booby milk somewhere) The cat does indeed, and I .... breastfeed my cat, who is also my baby. Yeah. I know, it's gross. Don't judge me.

 But the cat doesn't seem to want to eat for long. I worry that she's not getting enough nutrition and will starve. Then I realize that there is cat poop EVERYWHERE and I start trying to pick it up and throw it away. (It didn't even occur to me that it wasn't normal and that the cat wasn't going in the litter box) I eventually have to go get the entire garbage can and start shoveling it out of the living room. 

I hear Cody in the garage making sounds like he is crushing cans (which we don't do) for about 10 minutes. I wonder if he expects me to clean the house and make dinner my first day with the baby/cat. I start trying to tidy up, he comes into the house and I wake up.

So after waking up I realize that  I have heard this dream before. I googled "breastfeeding cat dream" and it is totally something pregnant women dream about, for whatever reason. This one sounds just like mine (minus all the poo) and this pregnancy blogger also had the breastfeeding cat dream when she was in her second trimester. I am not the only one!

My Wedding Ring (aka my fat fingers)

 My pregnancy updater told me to check my rings a couple of weeks ago, because you don't want one to get stuck on your finger and have to go to the hospital to get it removed. I checked my wedding ring and it was indeed getting tight. (It's like Babycenter is psychic! Like it has a 5th sense or something!) I had heard about a necklace on my favorite blog, The Pregnant Chicken quite a while ago. It is a necklace that securely holds your ring and displays it in a very pretty way. I shopped around and this one was really the only one I would trust to hold a diamond ring and not break off my neck or something.

And hey, guess what, Valentines day just so happened to be the very next week! What luck! I pretty much have never got a "fancy" piece of jewelry aside from my beautiful ring from Cody, so I decided to drop the hint to see if he was interested in getting such a gift.

Valentines came and lucky me, my wonderful husband presented me with the very necklace I wanted. Now I can still have my ring close to me and feel like I am not just leaving the symbol of my married-ness in my jewelry box for months.

 

Sorry, but my hubby is the best ever. :)

25 Weeks Along

Today I am 25 weeks and feeling like I grew a lot this week in the belly. I feel huge already! 

Here are my bump pictures for this week. I am wearing one of the maternity maxi dresses that I got at the Old Navy maternity sale. This one is my favorite and I love that I can wear it all through the year.

 

 

The baby is always kicking lately and I can feel him kick my hand regularly. I love him so much already!

Swaddle Blanket Stamping

My friend Randi (who is also pregnant with a boy) and I decided it would be fun to make our own swaddle blankets by stamping them with fabric paint.

I bought a 3 pack of plain white muslin swaddle blankets from Target and black Tulip Soft fabric paint from the craft store. After I washed and ironed the material, we drew the stamps out on paper, cut them out and taped them to some thick foam, and cut the pattern out of the foam with an x-acto knife. Then we attached the foam to wood blocks that we also found at the craft store with some spray on glue. Then we stamped and stamped!

Randi also used this same idea with some plain onesies and they turned out so cute! On one she even used a pear by simply cutting it in half and dipping it in the paint and making a cute pear shape on the body suit.

Here are the blankets that I made:

 

^^ For this swaddle I cut canoes, teepees, and oars out of thick foam. I also used the teepee stamp on a onesie because I love it so much!

^^ For this feather blanket I used a sweet potato stamp using the tutorial I found here. The potato is a little different to carve, but it creates a very cool texture/effect. Perfect for feathers.

^^ And for the fox blanket, I also used foam. I got the design and tutorial from this website.

For me the key was to paint the stamp (using a foam paint brush) after each application. If I tried to stamp more than once, it did not turn out as well. After the stamping is done, I used a small paint brush to touch up the parts of the blanket that needed it. I also recommend putting a towel under the fabric to protect your work surface. The paint does come off of hard surfaces but it is a pain to clean. And make sure to protect your clothes. Fabric paint is meant to stick well to fabric, after all. This project might not be great for perfectionists because there will be flaws, but that is part of the beauty of this technique, each stamped image comes out a little different.

I love how they turned out but I am anxious to see how they will wash. I was going to make crib sheets with this technique but I decided that the paint is a little to scratchy for that type of project. This is such a fun and easy way to add some personal style to your fabric!

Bump Day Stats - 24 Weeks and Nesting Instincts

How far along: 24 weeks

Size of baby: About 12 inches long, the size of a ear of corn, a footlong sub, or a cantaloupe depending on the source.

Gender: Wittle Baby Boy! Aw!

Maternity Clothes: I wore my new shirt from DiscoBelly yesterday and got lots of compliments. I love it!

Stretch Marks: Still clear of these.

Sleep: Same as always. I think I will try some "sleepy time" tea as that is supposed to help.

Cravings: Pastries! This baby likes sugar.

What I miss: Mexican food.

Looking forward to: My yard sale this weekend. I seriously need to get rid of some stuff. My house is in chaos and getting things cleared out will be such a relief. After having to downsize I am really realizing how much "stuff" I buy to just fill spaces. Things that I think I will like forever. Turns out I don't even like them after a couple of years. I am trying to resolve myself to only purchasing pieces that I absolutely LOVE instead of just buying because a space in my house is empty.

Symptoms: Nesting instincts are beginning. I really had no idea what an intense, insane feeling this was! Crazy!

Worst Moment this Week: The weekend was filled with a lot of "me" time as it was Cody's week to work all night and sleep all day. I know that this "me" time is going to be missed in the future. But holy cow, was I bored OUT OF MY MIND. And then... the nesting thing kicked in, full force. The need to organize every little thing was driving me crazy. I started going through the office stuff. That was a mistake. Cody is pretty much the most disorganized person ever when it comes to papers. If you give him an important piece of paper, he WILL lose it. This is bad when it comes to tax forms (and on our wedding day, it was his temple recommend he lost). It's ok, it's just his thing and it is something I have to learn to work around. I can't just hand him things and expect them to get filed away safely. So anyway, this translates into a MESS of an office. So I decided I was going to organize the photo CD's we have. I bought a little CD holder case and started the search. This didn't work out because I can't find any of them! Our wedding photos are no where to be found in that abyss of a desk. As I was searching, what is this passport doing in this random drawer? Why is this birth certificate laying over here?! Why is there a mountain of tax forms just LYING AROUND!? HASN'T HE LEARNED?!

Plus we are moving soon, so the urge to go out and buy every little piece of organizational equipment I could get my hands on has to wait. And this drove me insane.

And then I decided to paint my nails to get my mind off of things. (after I woke Cody up to tell him I thought I was literally going insane, and where the heck are the social security cards?! and he told me to go away). In my messy bathroom. And there was hair EVERYWHERE. Where is all this hair coming from? Aren't you supposed to retain more hair when your pregnant? Why am I shedding more? Seriously people, it was like I suddenly had OCD and I wanted to burn down the house and begin again, fresh and clean. Kind of like how I feel when I watch Hoarders.

Nesting is weird. And when you can't really do much about it, it stinks. Did anyone else get this intense of an instinct? I mean, I thought I had it before. You know, I had the urge to clean and organize. I thought I got it. But man, then it really kicked in and I felt my eye twitching at the thought of my makeup drawer in disarray.

Best Moment this Week: Laying in my hammock with my new pregnancy magazine and my doggy in 63 degree weather. Today it is snowing, though.

24 Weeks Yeah!

 

I am 24 weeks today! I have been excited for this day because it means the baby has reached "viability" and this makes me feel a little better.

I am already feeling really big and I don't know if I'm really going to like getting any bigger. When I see myself in the mirror, turned to the side, the words "big as a house" come to mind. I guess I am just a baby house right now though, so that makes sense.

We purchased some outfits for the baby, the first ones we have bought. They are pretty cute but dang, I am not going into Gymboree again. I cannot afford that place. Thank goodness I am not having a girl because we would be so broke.

By the way, I feel that I should clarify. In one of my previous posts I may have come off as a monkey hater. I LIKE monkey's! I like jungle animals. I just prefer them to be displayed in more of a modern/aesthetically pleasing way. Still cute and fun for kids, but not overly cutesy and gushy, ya know? That makes sense, right? Maybe not. I don't know.

I recently found out that our plans for me working part time from home and a little at the office after maternity leave are not going to happen. My mother had offered to watch the baby so that I would be able to do this, but I guess the time got closer, reality set in, and she realized she doesn't want to be the babysitter. 

Crap.

That was really my only plan. We can't think of any other option other than me staying home with baby and being a full-time momma. I like this, this is what I always wanted. But I am so nervous about trying to make it on just Cody's income. I do have serious faith that things will work out, though.

Bump Day Stats - 23 Weeks

 

How far along: 23 weeks

Size of baby: Over 11 inches and about the size of a mango. Just over a pound.

Gender: Boy... still.

Maternity Clothes: I just ordered more maternity clothes because Old Navy was having a sale. So basically I was obligated. I got some maxi dresses and I should be able to wear them when I am not pregnant as well. 

A few months ago I ordered a shirt from DiscoBelly and I love it. It is so comfy, the fit is flattering, the fabric is so nice and thin and basically it's awesome. I seriously want to wear it everyday because it's just so easy and comfy, but sadly wearing it every single day is not socially acceptable, so last night I ordered two more. I am excited to get them!

Stretch marks: None still.

Sleep: Woke up last night in the middle of the night, wide awake. This happens a lot.

Cravings: Things that don't cause heart burn.

What I miss: My Zantac. I left it at home today and I have heartburn.

Looking forward to: Going to California next month.

Symptoms: Did I mention heartburn? Heartburn. All the time. But good news, my boss loaned me her nice chair, I added a few pillows, and my back pain isn't as crippling now! Yay!

Worst moment this week: Nothing bad this week!

Best moment this week: Taking a quick trip to Salt Lake and going to Ikea to get some things for the new house. After we went to Training Table (our all time favorite) and we got to visit with some family. It was a quick (and very chilly) trip, but it was just what we needed.

Bump Day Stats - 22 Weeks

How far along: 22 Weeks

Size of baby: 11 inches and almost 1 pound. The size of a spaghetti squash, also the size of a barbie doll. Me and my barbie doll baby.

Gender: Boy!

Stretch Marks: Not yet. Skin is getting super tight though. My belly button must be feeling the effects because it gets super itchy sometimes due to stretching. I want it to pop out!

Sleep: Omg. I am in so much pain. My office chair at work KILLS my back and by the end of the day I am hobbling due to lower back pain. I have been going to bed with a heating pad on it. My hips also hurt when I lay on my side, so when I get in bed I spend about 5 minutes just propping pillows around and under myself so I can be comfy. I have the Todays Mom pregnancy pillow. It's nice and I am glad I have it, but I don't like the fabric of the Coolmax version that I have.

Cravings: Everything sweet. I am normally all about salty stuff but now I just want cookies and cake and anything like that.

What I miss: Umm, having no back pain.

Looking forward to: Making the crib bumper with my sister.

Symptoms: Back pain. Mild nausea is back. I am just glad that the throwing up has not returned, but I feel like I have reverted back to the first trimester where I had to constantly eat to keep the sick feeling away.

Worst moment this week: Not really any terrible moments this week.

Best moment this week: Loved making baby blankets with my friend Randi. We made stamps out of foam, wood blocks, and sweet potatoes. They were so much fun!

Are you for realsies?

I think my morning sickness just might be making a comeback.

 

Pregnancy Brain

I have this thing known as pregnancy brain. I'm sure you've heard of it and many of you know it to be real. Pregnancy brain started early on for me.

It keeps things interesting.

It began with forgetfulness. Normally I am great at not missing appointments. In December I missed two in one month. Totally slipped my mind. My nail girl was not happy with me. 

Things get put in the fridge that should go in the pantry and vice versa.

I can't ever remember words anymore. And I wasn't good at this to begin with. I swear I have a great vocabulary, I just don't always have access to it. Now it is impossible to have a conversation without asking "What's the word I'm thinking of? It possibly starts with a p..."

Last night I went to take my vitamins. Instead of picking up the vitamin bottle to dump a pill out into my hand, I grabbed my water bottle and dumped water out into my hand.

Awesome.

And now for something even awesomer:

22 Weeks - Woop woop!

Today I am officially at the 5 months pregnant mark! Quite exciting. 5 months sounds so far along, but I have 4 more to go, and a lot more to grow!