Damnit

Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!

My favorite maternity pants - comfy - look ok on - khaki in color - very very cool for these summer months - have a big stain on them! I washed them with a prenatal vitamin and colace in a pocket (forgot to take at work and put in the wash before checking pockets). There may have been a DHA pill in there too. Nice spot on the bottom of the pocket. Have them soaking in oxy clean and some detergent. Will check in a few hours.

And the bummer thing, they went through the dryer too. There was a crud of vitamin at the bottom!

Cannot believe I did that. Boo. Love those pants!!! NOOO. If you have any suggestions, I am open!

D'OH

So yesterday I was having contractions, or what I thought were contractions. My stomach totally hardened., felt a big pull across the front, had wonderful cramping, sometimes the pain went along my sides and a little to the back. Not sure if the back stuff was because my back always hurts.

During the day they were 10-4 minutes apart. At night they were 8-4 minutes apart. They were uncomfortable. At work I had a hard time concentrating and usually just spaced out during them. They seemed more intense when I was standing and on the yoga ball. A little less intense while lounging on the couch. And even less intense when I was laying down.

Went to sleep and slept well. I had some tightening when I got up in the middle of the night to pee. Sometimes the tightening is so strong it is quite quite uncomfortable. So BH or contractions?

I have a decent high tolerance for pain, so I wonder if I will know it when they are 'real'. I will keep timing them and call in when they get to 3-5 minutes apart. They always last about 45 seconds to 1 minute.

Cannot wait! So want to meet this baby. So excited. Weekends would be perfect!

Today I am taking the dogs in to get their nails trimmed (trying out petsmart). I am going to carpet clean upstairs so it is ready for company. Need to swiffer the floors downstairs. I cleaned and boiled the pacifiers bottles we are trying (tommy tippy, born free, dr browns).

Nick is going to mow and spray for weeds. We got Legion in the mail from netflix. Think we are going to get chinese for dinner (what my aunt had the day before she had her kid 2 weeks early). Going to bounce on the yoga ball a lot today. Going to take the dogs on a walk.

Come on baby! You have all sorts of good toys to play with. The swing is so cute and waiting. The pack and play is set up downstairs for you. Your room is cute (tho not fully decorated). Your bassinet is ready! Your doggies want to meet you! Yes you have loving doggies!!! Its nice and cool here right now so would be perfect!

39 weeks!

How Far Along: 39 weeks!!! Hoping I won't have to make a 40 week post....

How Big is Baby: Around 7 - 7.5 lbs and 21 - 21.5 inches long

What is Baby up to: Baby's brain is still developing rapidly, and his skin has taken on a paler shade thanks to a thicker layer of fat around the blood vessels. (Don't worry; he'll change color again soon after birth.) He's now able to flex his limbs, and his nails might extend past his fingertips.

Total Weight Gain: +17 lbs.

Movement: At times after sugar, lots of movement, or should I say stretching.

Belly Button:Almost flat. Top half is flat, bottom half is still an inny..sort of

What I Miss: Being comfortable. Walking comfortably. Moving comfortably. Walking normally.

What I am Looking Forward To: Outside Baby!

Gender: No idea... Boy or Girl. I know that is not helpful.

Pictures aren't great this time. We took many for some reason, but these show the bump off the best. So hoping that I go into labor soon. I am not holding my breath tho. But after agility yesterday I have had so much pressure low. Having a hard time walking. So waddling now. Everyone thinks this weekend. Hope they are right! Cannot wait!!!

Nesting

I would say this morning that the nesting bug finally hit me. The bug of you see something and have to do it RIGHT NOW.

This morning I slept in a bit - was just too comfy. Got in the shower. Realized I needed to do a quick clean. Grabbed a magic eraser and wiped down the whole shower. (Tonight I will spray it and disinfect it, and wash the shower curtain). Looked in the hallway, and used the magic eraser on some of the marks in the hall way and on the door frames.

Got dressed, went down stairs. Sprayed the bathroom sink and wiped that down. Ahh sparkly again. Need to clean the rest of that bathroom but the sink needed it the most. Went to the kitchen, wiped down all the counter tops. wiped the fridge down, Wiped some cabinets, cleaned the microwave. Yeah. Was thinking of taking the day to clean.

And the odd thing, I woke up and felt horrible. Headache, nausous, got dizzy in the shower.

Not a bad weekend!

Actually this weekend was AWESOME! Well could have been awesomer (I know not a real word) if baby wanted to come out...

Saturday was our date day! I sat around in the morning (Luna woke me up at 7, she just wanted cuddles!) and watched Precious. It was pretty good. Happy that I watched it, and happy that I watched it alone because I know Nick would not have liked it. There were times where I was about to cry and could not believe the situation that poor girl was in. After the movie, put some laundry on and woke Nick up, gave the dogs a bath (we have a sprayer in the master bath tub and makes it so easy to wash the dogs). Lounged a bit around the house.

Then we went mini golfing! It was hot but a lot of fun! 18 holes and some much harder than the others. One hole, I hit the ball and got it in a bad spot. Every hit after that, the ball ended up further and further back until I was at the start line. hahahaha. We had a lot of good laughs and it was a blast! Afterwards, I got a scoop of Strawberry ice cream (but the main blueberry was tempting) and we went and got some fried clams from Woodmans. The onion rings looked fantastic. If I saw those before we ordered, would have gotten some! The clams were tasty, but didn't quite go with my ice cream.

After mini golfing, headed to the mall to walk around some and I wanted to look for some nursing stuff. At JC Penny's I found a nursing chimese 1/2 off! So I got 2 of them. I would like to wear them while in the hospital afterwords - not a big fan of gowns, and this is similar and has easy access.

Went home to chill for a bit then we went out to mexican for dinner! YUM! All in all, a fantastic day! DOH just realized I forgot to use the $5 coupon I have there.

Sunday was productive day! Cleaned the kitchen, swept all the floors and massively cleaned them. Cleaned all the entry ways. Cleaned out the garage. Washed dog beds (YEA! Clean dogs and clean dog beds!!). Went to Lowes. Got a new switch for the fan so it matches the dimmers in the house, got a new trash can, got a new key rack, some screws to reattach the fridge door handle (has always been loose), got this awesome light replacement thing.

Nick went around the house and replaced all the light bulbs - ok we had a lot out since we have highish ceilings and needed to get bulbs so it has been a while. AND WE HAVE LIGHT ON THE STAIRS! When we first moved in the lights were out above the stairs. Could never get to them to replace them. But now with this awesome light reacher thing, they were easy to replace! I highly recommend getting one! Nick used this tool to replace all the bulbs that were out in the house! Was awesome! Nick also fixed the fridge door handle that was always wiggly. The screws were stripped. So nice having it not wiggle when opening/closing! He also did some wiring in the living room, found that the box had 4 wires smushed into a 2 wire connection thingy, so went out and got a bigger one (you know the screw things to attach wires to eachother). And that fixed our lighting issue in the living room! (out of the 4 recessed lights only one would turn on, and we checked the bulbs all the time and it was not the bulbs). WooHoo! And he installed the dimmer/variable fan speed for the fan up high. After I painted that room 2 years ago, I never put back up the face plate of the knob turner of the fan since it was beige and the whole house is white (I hate beige).

Was a great weekend!

Fireworks!

Last night someone was setting off fireworks. We went looking around and they were out front on the street that winds around our dead end street. We had a FANTASIC view from our front porch! They lasted about 20 minutes, and had some really good big ones! Was happy that our house was not under them. Should have taken some pictures, but I don't care, Nick and I were enjoying watching them.

And Penny was barking at each one. At one point she got in the window and was looking straight at the lights and barking. Could not tell if she was pissed off at them or liked them and was celebrating. She would even bark for the ones that didn't make noise (or very little noise). Luna on the other hand was hiding in the bathroom. Poor Girl. Very similar to Cleo behavior with fireworks, but not as drastic. Cleo would go hide in the dryer, in the bath tub, in the laundry basket. Oh Cleo, I do miss you! Need to make a rememberance post for you girl. July 19, 2005, over 5 years ago. And now I am crying.

Dreams...

So all night I kept having dreams about the baby. Breast feeding in the hospital dreams. At home sleeping dreams and waking up for baby. Dreams changing baby's diaper.

Not odd dreams. Just every day things. I think I was laying in bed getting excited to meet this little one! And strange that I am dreaming of all the things that take place in the middle of the night while sleeping.

Like I just realized (from a dream) that we don't have a place to change a diaper in our bedroom. We have the bassinet ready, but no diaper area but our bed. Guess we will have to bring supplies in there.

Oh and the 'mattress' that is in the bassinet is so small and the sheet I have on it makes it pucker/fold. So I think I am going to look at a new 'mattress' for it. And I need to get a new roller shade for the car. The one I bought is too big for the back window but works great in the cargo area for the dogs when at trials. So not a total loss.

Every time I dream it is a girl. But at times, like last night while watching tv, I was thinking boy. Ehh this whole mother's intuition is not working - I have no idea!

Labor Cookies

So I made labor cookies today. They are actually pretty good. A little spicy, but yummy! Hopefully they will work!

Labor Cookies

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and spices and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together. Add the molasses to the creamed butter, then add the egg whites until combined. Add the dry ingredients slowly. Once incorporated, roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto baking tray. Bake 8-10 minutes. Once cool eat as many as you can possibly stomach, lay down for a nap and wait for labor to begin!

38 weeks

How Far Along: 38 weeks!!! Every day brings me closer to meeting this baby!

How Big is Baby: Around 6.5 - 7 lbs and 21 - 21.5 inches long

What is Baby up to: The last bits of vernix caseosa (the white goo keeping baby's skin moist) and lanugo (downy hair) are slowly shedding into your amniotic fluid. Baby's head is about the same circumference as her abdomen, and her head could be covered in an inch or so of hair.

Best Moment this Week: Having contractions that I hope are being beneficial.

Total Weight Gain: +17 lbs.

Movement: Baby loves to dance to flogging molly! Totally our kid!

Belly Button:Almost flat. Top half is flat, bottom half is still an inny

What I Miss: Being comfortable. Walking comfortably. Moving comfortably.

What I am Looking Forward To: Outside Baby!

Gender: No idea... But had a really good dream that it was a girl!

Not a bad week. So wanting to go into labor. I am trying a lot of the old wives tales now - pressure on calves, bouncing on yoga ball, making labor cookies, etc. And I have had contractions. Not totally time-able. Sometimes 3-15 minutes. But not totally constant. Hope they turn into real labor soon! I want to meet our baby!!! So excited!

Not feeling normal

The past few days I have just not been feeling like myself.

• I get exhausted at work easily. By 3pm I am done!
  
• I have been a lot more irritable. The littlest things are bothering me. People and things. But not the animals at least.
  
• So much more hormonal. I can easily cry at the stupidest things. Like more so than I have been.
  
• I have lost my appetite. Just not interested in food. Then I get hungry and a little fills me up. Not interested in healthy things - just want junk food. But yeah totally have lost my appetite. Having the smallest meals and not finishing them.
• Last night I just could not sleep. I was getting wonderful contractions/pains that would start really low and move up my stomach, some accompied with back pain, some with shooting pain in the crotch. While I was laying in bed. Was fantastic. I was still having them but they would feel better/worse depending on how I was laying. And I got up 4+ times in an hour to go to the bathroom! I was thirsty so was drinking a lot of water so that would be the explanation. But I could not get comfortable, and when I found a comfortable position, the contractions would come. And the baby squirming really low. it was just a fantastic night. Finally fell asleep around 3.
• I couldn't even fall asleep on the couch last night while Nick played a video game! It was a boring one too. Just could not get comfortable and my body had energy. My body wanted to get up and do something, but yeah I knew it was my bed time. Ugh.
• Oh also one more, last night while laying in bed not sleeping and having contractions, yeah was totally nauseous. Came so close to throwing up a few times.
  

I know everyone says this, but so ready to meet this little baby! Done with being pregnant. I have no clue how much I have progressed since my doctor does not do internals till 39+ weeks. So begging for one my next appointment.

Crossing fingers for luck with the full moon this weekend. Making labor cookies tonight. I am drinking red raspberry leaf tea.

Surprisingly tho, at agility I am still running and keeping up with the dogs! Everyone there is so surprised to see me still going to class! Oh but I need it - it is a fantastic stress reliever and something I enjoy. Really this morning I feel better mentally than I did yesterday morning and I swear it is because of Agility class. And the dogs so love it - good physical and mental stimulation for them!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

So we have a meyer lemon tree Nick got me for my birthday last October. I was so excited - we actually had (yes had... :( ) a lemon on it - about 2 inches long! Was sooooo excited!

With all the nice weather, we thought it would be good to put it outside. Such a bad decision. Such a bad decision.

Either the lemon fell off or an animal stole it. I think an animal stole it since it was no where to be found around the tree.

So sad about this. I could cry. This lemon was able to survive dog tails around it, us moving stuff around it. But a freaking animal had to steal it.

This is why I don't put my plants outside, every time I do animals eat things off it or digg things out of them.

Really disappointedabout this. Really disappointed. Was excited and was thinking of what I was going to make with my first lemon.

**cry**

labor signs???

I know I may just be pulling things out of thin air. But I really want this baby out!

So all weekend I have been having what I think are contractions. They start by I can feel my stomach tightening, then I can feel it completely rock solid, It moves down. Then goes to cramps low. Sometimes the back is involved, sometimes not. They are getting quite uncomfortable. And the cramps are starting to get painful.

I get these randomly. Sometimes they are 3-10ish minutes apart, about 40 seconds to 1 minute in length. If I am really busy doing things I don't always notice them but I notice the cramping.

It is also sometimes really really painful to walk. Oh this really sucks! I can only take small steps and walk real slowly. My crotch sometimes is killing me, walking, standing, moving. Ugh.

I thought I was loosing some of my mucus plug, but that was just one day, and havn't seen anything since. Oh well.

I know this is all leading towards good things - just hope it is sooner rather than later. Some of my family thinks I'll go this week - OH I hope they are right!

Twilight

So after re-reading about half of Eclipse and seeing the movie, I am becoming a Jacob fan. Edward is too needy, too protective, to only do it my way. Yes he loves Bella, but is it a healthy relationship? Jacob loves Bella. Lets her make her own decisions. And is a puppy! But as other people have pointed out, it is kind of icky when you find out Jacob imprints on Bella and Edwards kid.

So the movie was pretty good. I was a little annoyed they removed some of the back stories, but they got the gist of it in there. I was hoping they would have portions that are in the book where Jacob remembers how much Bella suffered and how Edward reacted to it.

Not a bad weekend...

Saturday I spent 1/2 the day recovering from a 14+ hour work day on Thursday. Was exausted and was able to sleep in (till almost 9am!). Did a lot of laundry on Saturday (still have some to put away). Washed some of the last of the baby stuff too! Did some cleaning of the living room and stairs (love clean floors!)

We went to five guys for dinner since we haven't gone grocery shopping in 2 weeks! Was yummy and relaxing. We were trying to make a night of it and were planning on going to catch Eclipse. But we took our time eating and chatting, and got to the theater with 10 min to spare. Got to the ticket counter and asked how full the theater was - 40 seats left. No thank you! So we came home. Watched some of The Guild on netflix watch instantly, and I passed out on the couch.

Also started to pack my hospital bag as well as the diaper bag for the baby (mostly clothes, blankets, and a few random items). For me all I have packed are: nursing bra, nursing tank, comfy black pants, cheap granny panties (ugh they make me laugh every time, so not what I normally wear), cheap black socks for wondering the halls, some snacks, hair ties. Need to pack: comfy clothes for coming home, make up, bathroom stuff, boppy. Will probably find other things to pack too.

Haha - we also frontlined the dogs. Penny goes running when she sees that box. She does not like it being put on her. Luna doesn't care - she just gets pats... that is all she ever wants.

Sunday, also slept in some. Played with the puppies. Washed the doors upstairs, washed the hallway walls, washed the baseboards upstairs. Ugh every time I do this I realize how much I need to paint in this house. The previous owners were so hard on this house, so many dings, holes, pealing paint. But it looks better now than it did.

Then we went to actually see Eclipse. This time we arrived early and got good seats. Movie wasn't bad - I know I enjoyed it. Nick not so much... I didn't end up re-reading the book before hand. Am about half way through it but just don't have the time to read lately.

We stopped and grabbed some quick groceries at a store near the theater. So didn't want to do real shopping since yeah would have taken forever with a store I don't know where everything is. But we got some yummy buffalo chicken sausages for dinner!

Came home, cleaned the two upstairs bathrooms! Still need to clean the shower and jet tub, but the main parts are clean. WooHoo!

Totally didn't think the nesting bug would hit me. I think the heat is impacting this instinct. I have a huge list of things to do, but get up and do them, start massively sweating, go sit down, then do some more. But this weekend got a lot done I would say (for as hot as it has been, and no ac). But I can tell that nesting is starting to settle in. Trying not to do too much, but I am doing some stuff!

Things to do this week:

carpet clean upstairs

clean downstairs bathroom

clean upstairs tub and showers

move bathroom stuff to master

keep house clean

WASH THE DOGS

I think I'll have the energy to do all that...I hope. Also need to start giving the dogs a walk in the evenings again.

Woohoo - Agility

So we made it into the trial September 12th! Ahh! Hope we will be ready! My Dr said I should be fine by then so I hope so!

**HAPPY DANCE**

37 weeks! Full Term

How Far Along: 37 weeks!!! So happy to be full term!

How Big is Baby: Around 6.5 lbs and 20.75 - 21 inches long

What is Baby up to: Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

Best Moment this Week: Hitting full term!

Total Weight Gain: +17 lbs.

Movement: Slowing down, but those that I do get are good ones. Also I think the baby is moving lower so they are a lot lower than they used to be

Belly Button:Almost flat. Starting to almost poke out.

What I Miss: Being comfortable. Walking comfortably. Moving comfortably.

What I am Looking Forward To: Outside Baby!

Gender: No idea...

Been starting to feel contractions! Some are getting nicely uncomfortable and are accompanied by cramps. Starting to time. They can be constant for an hour or so then trail off. I am also getting them (or noticing them) when I get up in the middle of the night. Lots of fun! Hope this means something is going to be soon. Really don't want to go late.

Also getting really uncomfortable to walk. Pelvis moving apart just makes everything uncomfortable. But yeah, starting to waddle.

Also think the baby is dropping! So happy about that. I started my weekly dr appointments this week. Told the doctor about the crotch pain and the cramping and she says it is all good signs!

Been having daily talks with the baby saying anytime is good now. Just so ready for him or her to come! Bassinet set up in our room, the babys room is almost ready (minus decorations). Everything is set up downstairs! Just want to meet this little guy or gal!

And this week, I have realized why people start maternity leave early. The massive uncomfortableness has begun!

Cross Your Fingers - Agility

So I just entered Penny and I into an agility trial September 12! I am not 100% sure they accept mixed breeds. But cross your fingers that they do and we get in!

And cross your fingers that this baby comes early so I will be all healed and ready by the time it gets here! I know planning on running a little over a month after my due date! My doctor said it is fine...just so hope it all works out!

Gliding Rocking Chair

Nick put together our gliding rocking chair last night. And OMG this thing is comfy and heaven. Sat in it for about 30 min last night and did not want to get up. Took him about 2 hours to put it together - took his time - glued things - and it is put together really well. It is in the living room right now, but will make its way up to the baby's room tonight! It will look a little off since everything in there is white, and the chair is cherry and beige, but we picked those colors since they go with our living room and eventually it will make its way down there...we think... I need to get a green lumbar pillow for it to make it more matchy with the room.

Penny's First AKC Agility Trial

Penny and my first AKC agility trial was this past Sunday (7/11/10). It was so much fun and I was very happy by Penny's performance.

This trial was at the place we do our training, so it was our 'home turf' and it was near by. I think we are going to stay with trials that are very local. Much easier to get there and head home between runs than those that are farther away.

We got there around 7:30. I had to get Penny measured, which she DID NOT like. Need to find a way to get her used to this. I think the issue is that they have her go on the pause/down table to do this and she knows ok I am here I am not supposed to stand. and some odd person she does not know putting this thing on her back. Ugh.

I kept Penny in the back of the Subaru. Need to remember to get a towel or bed for her to lay on. Everyone there had these silver reflective things over their car to help keep out the sun, Need to look into this too. But with the windows open and moonroof open, the car was not too hot. And I kept putting ice in her water bowl, so she had ice cool water whenever she wanted. I went out there a lot to check on her, take her on a stretch/walk, eat a snack and just hang out with her.

So got there at 7:30, didn't have our first run until 1:30, the second run was around 4:30/4:45. Yeah. The runs for the day were small to big, excellent, open, then novice. You have to start out at novice, qualify, then get titles before you can move up a class. Mostly everyone was Excellent, not many open and a small handful of novice.

Placing is done by class (Novice A, Novice B, Open, Excellent A, Excellent B) and by jump height. Penny jumps 20 inches. She measured at 18.5 inches. She clears 20 inches easily!

The first run was a standard course. I did not find it challenging. I did overcompensate my drive to the weave poles, and forced Penny to enter wrong. We went back and fixed it. One odd thing about the A frame, I think she approached it with too much energy since she kind of spring boarded off the bottom. So that counted as a refusal. Penny held all of her contacts and did the broad jump perfectly (even tho we haven't trained it in a long time). Oh and she did great at the table! I told her down and she plopped right down. And stayed there till I released her! Was sooooo happy that she held the table!!!! We got first place (out of 2 dogs in Novice A) and we qualified! The Qualifying is the important thing! So we got 2 ribbons for this run (one blue one green - 1st place and qualifying).

The second run was a jumpers with weaves. This had 13 jumps, one tunnel and one set of weaves. I chose the total wrong line to start out with. It seemed ok in my head, but Penny is getting so fast and me being pregnant, I am having a hard time keeping up. So she was a little misdirected for a few jumps. OOPS. But she nailed her weave entrance. And we did great with the remaining jumps. I need to work getting more ahead of her. She is just gaining so much speed lately, which is a good thing, which means I need to gain speed. But she did fantastically! We were the only ones in our class for our jump height, so we got first and also qualified! WooHoo!

So the day was a HUGE success. Penny was so much more focused on me and what she had to do. I had a lot of fun watching and learning. I met some women there who ran very pregnant and ended up giving birth within a few days (crossing fingers).

I cannot wait for our next trial. Thinking about entering one in mid September. Going to ask my doctor tomorrow on what s/he thinks (forgot who I have it with, not sure if it is a male or female doctor).

Oh found it interesting there weren't as many mixed breeds there. When Nick was holding Penny at one point, he said someone came up to him and asked what she was. He said a mix, and she responded with "ooooo" all snootly and walked away. OK Whatever! Mixed Breeds have only been allowed to compete in Agility with AKC for a few months, and it is up to the club doing the trial to decide if they want mixed breeds or not. It was a corgi club doing the trial this weekend. Was talking to someone, and they had someone leave the club because they were allowing mixed breeds! Come on! How racist do you have to be! Or should I say breed-ist. Even the woman I was talking to was like breeds are not that old. At one point all dogs were mixed breeds! A dog is a dog, and especially in the sporting environment, who cares what they are, should only care about the dogs preformance!

36 weeks

How Far Along: 36 weeks!!!

How Big is Baby: Around 6 lbs and 20.25 - 20.75 inches long

What is Baby up to: Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

Best Moment this Week: Going shopping for the remaining baby items.

Total Weight Gain: +15 - 16 lbs.

Movement: Still get some good kicks. A few days ago had one where I swear my belly moved over 2 inches! Now I think they are more rotating moving rather than kicking

Belly Button: Inny. Getting shallow! And really starting to flatten

What I Miss: Being comfortable. Heat not bothering me. Not having heartburn nightly. Getting off the couch and out of bed easily

What I am Looking Forward To: 37 weeks!

Gender: No idea...

Had a lot of fun on Sunday shopping for some remainder baby items. I have done two loads of laundry getting things together. I don't have much to wash, so it wasn't bad. Hopefully this weekend the room will cool down (not during the day when it has been so hot and yeah..) and I can get in there and put everything in the right place.

Oh I got a fantastic deal on the glider! Retails for 300. With a sale and completion coupon - got it for 194! WooHoo!

I am hoping the baby starts to drop soon. Really want this baby to come early (but what pregnant woman doesn't). I think it is starting to drop since I am feeling stuff lower. Could be my imagination tho.

Target VS Walmart

So today I went to Walmart. I haven't been there in a VERY long time - over a year, probably over a year and a half.

So of course I notice many differences between the two

• Target has much better carts. Target's are plastic, heavier, and seem more maneuverable. Walmart has regular cheap metal carts.
• Target's bathroom is cleaner and brighter. But Walmart wins for having automatic faucets. But the sinks at walmart were hard to use since they were really deep and my pregnant belly had a hard time getting close enough to wash my hands.
• The layouts are similar, and I bet fine as you get used to them. I am getting annoyed with Target recently for always reorganizing.
• The quality of items at Target seem better for home goods (towels, decorations, pillows, etc)
• The baby item area at Target makes more sense and is larger and better organized - Walmart's seem just thrown together.
• Walmart sells beer and wine!
• Walmart had a larger selection for their food area, more general things
• Target Archer Farms food stuff is AWESOME. Target seems to carry more different things. A little more unique variety.
• Walmart is cheaper for the every day things.
• Need to compare the generic stuff between the two.

So I think I need to start shopping for general things at Walmart. Every time I got to Target, I so love going to Target, I always end up getting more than what I go in for, just because! Walmart I have a much easier time sticking to my shopping list. But I still need to go to Target for needed items too... And I like how Target is usually more community oriented (they give money to local schools, or do at times of year). And Walmart is Walmart...yeah enough said.

So love Target so much more than Walmart!

Had a great fourth!

I so needed a 3 day weekend!!

Saturday we went down to Manchester by the Sea, MA. Was great to see my aunts, cousins, uncles, and grandparents!

We headed down after we visited Nick's grandmother who is in a nursing home. We brought with us a picture from our wedding (2 years late) and a photobook I made from the wedding. She seemed to really enjoy them. We really should visit her more often. But she seems to be doing good and is actually going outside the building now! One of the aids takes her to the park across the street and she sits in the shade and they just chat. I think that is really good for her.

We had a lot of fun in MA. Got there around 4. Everyone changed and we headed to one of the smaller, more secluded beaches (black and white beach). We didn't bring out suits (well I don't have one that fits now!), but I really enjoyed sitting there watching the water, walking in the water, and just up and down the beach. Oh I love the feeling of sand around my toes. We headed back and got ready for dinner. The guys made a really yummy lamb. i don't usually eat lamb (have issues eating baby animals) but this was tasty! We left right after dinner to walk (about 1.2 miles) to Singing Beach where the fireworks were! So we were a bit late and enjoyed a lot of them on the walk. Got there and they were about 1/2 done. Not bad. The place was PACKED. So many more people than when we were there 4 years ago. Nick was awesome and brought chairs, so we just sat on the pavement and enjoyed the show! They really do throw a good fireworks show there (every 2 years). We are going to be there next next fourth fireworks show! We left around 10:30, so we didnt' get home till 11:30 - 11:45. Was fantastic!

Sunday I slept in until 9:30! This is unheard of! Cannot believe I slept in that much! It felt fantastic..wow that never happens. Sunday I went with Anita (Nick's mom) to Babies R Us to get a lot of leftover baby items and order our rocker. Oh scored an AWESOME deal with the glider! Retails for 399.99. Sale 20% off. Plus 10% off completion coupon. So we got a 300 glider for 194! So happy about that! Also got some baby clothing, boppy, bottles, sheets, bassinet sheets, wipes, diaper pail, changing pad, changing pad cover, etc). Was a successful trip. They didn't have all the california baby items I wanted, so I need to go to a store and get some more things. California Baby is rated one of the best to use with cloth diapers, so I want to try it out. Got home and just vegged since it was so hot out!

We slept with the AC on Sunday night. Monday the bedroom was nice and cool. Then I went into the hallway.. and hotness. Joy. I spent the morning relaxing and playing with the dogs, and did some cleaning. Watched random stuff on TV. Did some laundry (one load of baby stuff!). Nick told me I needed a relax day, and I am so happy I had it! He went grocery shopping for me! He made dinner on the grill! He was just awesome! Love my hubby!

Oh the poor dogs are hating this heat. They just lay on the hardwood or tile and sleep. Poor Girls...

FRIDAY!!!

Yes I am so extremely happy it is friday!

Saturday - Get to go visit family and watch fireworks on the beach! Haven't seen some of them (visiting from CA) in a long time! Should be fun. I get to be sober driver so Nick can enjoy some beers with everyone :) He is sober driver for me a lot so I get to do this now!

Sunday - Get to go buy baby stuff!!! Bringing Anita with me. Should be a lot of fun. Hopefully I don't get too much stuff. Going to look and maybe get one boy and one girl outfit to bring to the hospital for a coming home outfit. Excited!

Monday - Get to spend a day relaxing! Nick is making me spend a day (or half day) relaxing. Actually looking forward to this. Then I may prime a hallway or organize some kitchen stuff to make room for bottles. Oh I am going to try to take a nice bubble bath. Haven't used our whirlpool bath tub in a while

Yes I am taking an actual work holiday and not working it! I was planning on working, but Nick told me I need to have a relax day and de stress.

35 weeks!

How Far Along: 35 weeks!!! 5 more weeks to go!

How Big is Baby: Around 5.5 lbs and 20 - 20.5 inches long

What is Baby up to: From now on, baby's growth is mostly in the plumping up department -- though he won't get much longer, he'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. (He's about 15 percent right now and will be about 30 percent by full-term.) His hearing is totally developed (tip: baby responds best to higher pitches), and if he really is a "he," his testes have probably completed their descent.

Best Moment this Week: Fantastic Baby Shower!

Total Weight Gain: +13-15 lbs. The past few weeks I wasn't really weighing myself.

Movement: I think the baby is running out of room. The kicks are more like let me out streatching!

Belly Button: Inny. Getting shallow!

What I Miss: Not much... Cold beer on a warm day.

What I am Looking Forward To: 37 weeks!

Gender: No idea...

What else has been going on....

Whitney threw me a fantastic baby shower. Planning on writing a post all about it when I get some pictures. I'll post on Monday if I don't have pictures.

Dr appointment was on Tuesday. It went really well. She answered a lot of my questions, and everything is normal. My feet are starting to swell a bit, but at this point that is completely normal. OH! The baby is head down as of this appointment. Will be nice to see at the next one in 2 weeks. The next appointment starts the every week appointments! I will also go on an antibiotic or something till the end.

Was also happy to hear that they don't let me go that past my due date. They see no reason for it. I am happy with that idea - I don't want to be pregnant forever, and I am happy that they will induce either right before my parents get here or right when they arrive. I am going to push for earlier.

Heartburn has been getting worse. I am taking Zantac now on days I know it will be bad (wednesday = agility = late eating = heartburn). It does wonders!!! I think the baby may be starting to drop - having to pee more often. I really hope so. I really want to deliver early...But who doesn't?

Um what else. Oh yeah the back pain is starting. My doctor believes it is due to the baby being sunny side up. So I have exercises I do every morning and evening to stretch out my back, build up the muscles back there and to try to rotate the baby. It does seem to help! Really hope the baby rotates, I don't want to deal with back labor...

Also I still have my waist! And I am happy to report that I don't look pregnant from the back! WooHoo! Also no stretch marks - well some on the sides above the hips! And I thought I was getting the linea nigra (or whatever it is called), but moisturized it and it went away. I may have something really light there..depends on how the light hits it.