Bump Update #14

I cannot express my appreciation to you all enough!  All your comments were so helpful and did a great deal to put my mind at ease.  I am still working through responding to all of you if you left an email in your comment but for those of you who didn't just know that I truly appreciate all of your advice!

I went to Target today and stocked up on some nursing tanks and bras and I'll wait to see how things go before I invest in more of those or the more expensive varieties.  I think other than those, the only things I have left to pick up are pads & creams.  I've purchased some boobie nuks & a belly bandit and it sounds like everything else, I'll want to wait and see what the hospital has available before I go crazy stocking up.  Good to hear that they may actually supply some of this stuff!  The last thing I want to do is have to send Brent out every few hours for supplies because the stuff they're offering isn't cutting it.

I am working on my preliminary packing list this week but rest assured I'll be posting that here as well to get your feedback.  I absolutely don't want to be that girl hauling in three suitcases full of stuff that I won't ever get around to using.

Moving on to this week's bump update.  I didn't get a chance to snap a photo until super late at the end of the night due to an extra early morning plus late night birthing class straight after work.

How far along: 3rd Trimester

Weight gain: I'm guessing somewhere around 22-23ish pounds, its been fluctuating a lot lately.  Sometimes it would appear that I've actually lost a pound or two.  Not sure whether to blame this on the scale or something else.

Maternity Clothes: None

Gender: Girl!

Name: it's a surprise!

Movement: Lots and lots.  The only time she seems to slow down is when a contraction is squeezing her, the second its done, she's right back at it.  Also, pretty hilarious, pretty much every time I pee she gets the hiccups.  Sometimes they can be so violent, I feel kinda bad for her!

Cravings:  Yogurt.  I pretty much live for the yogurt in my lunch every day.  Also fruit juice has been hitting the spot lately.  Generally I drink juice maybe twice a year and the rest of the time its all water.  Past couple of weeks I've had juice at some point nearly every day.

Sleep: Some days are better than others.  I feel like just when I learn how to cope, she has another growth spurt and I adjust all over again.  Overall though, it could be much much worse.  I'm only up once or twice a night max depending on how late I drink water before bed.

# of Days since m/s has hit: Um yeah, I had quite the case of gagginess over the weekend.  Not sure what was up with that but boy was it hard to keep things down.  Thankfully I held out and everything somehow stayed down.

What I'm most looking forward to after the baby (besides the obvious): Just super super excited for her to be here.  Also, not having to bend over quite so far in order to reach the sink.  I have been getting searing upper back pain while cooking just because I have to reach so far forward!

Last baby items purchased: Um yeah....I've been stalking Petite Peanut for forever and well...they had a sale and I bit...HARD.  Tutus and couture headbands....it is going to be so fun accessorizing this child!

Hopefully this little girl will indulge me for at least a little while! :)


Other Craziness: I am packing for the hospital this week.  That alone is just craziness to me.  Packing to meet our baby!  We washed up a bunch of her stuff over the weekend and it was so weird folding up all the little blankets and clothing!

A Plea for Advice: Post Partum Recovery

I'm trying to wrap-up my shopping prep and get my hospital bags packed by the end of the week and sort of feel at a loss for what I should have on hand to help the initial transition at home.

I know most pregnant woman are subjected to many a horror story from the time they find out they are expecting until they give birth.  Everyone seems to love to share the gruesome war stories whether its their own, a family member/neighbor/friend's friend/etc.  I've done the best I can to avoid them but that only works so well.  I know I am not in for a Sunday picnic, but I also know that there are definitely trade secrets that could make recovery a little less miserable.  What made your life easier for the first couple of weeks after birth?


I've been told everything from lots of black underwear, tucks, dermoplast, colace, sitz bath, depends & maternity pads/always pads.  I know everyone has personal preferences but that's really what I want to hear!  What helped make the recovery go more smoothly?

And then we have nursing.  I hear I'm in for a real treat!  I'm not planning on investing in a pump until she's here and we see how things are going (figured I could rent from the hospital if necessary?) but if all goes well, I've been considering the Hygeia EnJoye. Is there anything that helped make the initial few weeks of discomfort and pain a bit more manageable for any of you?

Also, nursing tanks vs. nursing bras, did you find you preferred one over the other?  How many did you find you needed?  Any particular brands that you liked?  A lot of people have said that they like the Target Gilligan O'Malley tanks and bras.

I've also read several favorable mentions for the Bravado essential nursing tank & original nursing bras (but they always seem to be sponsored posts).  At $50 a piece, are they worth it?

Are there any other nursing supplies that you would swear by?  So far I've heard lansinoh, gel soothies, nipple shields , shell soother, nursing pillows (I've been told Boppy plus My Brest Friend), nursing cover and Nuks Warm/cool gel packs.

If you've blogged this and I've missed it, please share the link in the comments! I'd love to hear everyone's advice.

Bump Update #13

We're fast closing in on the finish line.  I can't believe she could be here in just a few weeks.

How far along: 3rd Trimester

Weight gain: 21 pounds

Maternity Clothes: At this point I am undecided.  I still haven't broken out the maternity clothes.  I could most likely go the remainder of the pregnancy without wearing maternity.  My selection isn't that vast but I think I could come up with about 1-2 weeks worth of varied outfits if I get creative.  However, I bought some maternity clothes during the first trimester, assuming I'd be wearing it and now its just sitting there.  My dilemma is that I can't decide if I should just wear it because I already have it or just pack it all up and save it for maybe-baby #2.  Clearly a first world problem...

Gender: Girl!

Name: it's a surprise!

Movement: Yes, still a ton.  There was a day and a half where I thought that maybe she had gotten to the point where she was running out of room and might slow down the movements just a bit but apparently she was just working on a massive growth spurt.  She is still non-stop and amazingly strong.

Cravings: Not really.  Yogurt, salads, fruit smoothies and ice cream are probably my favorite foods right now.  Food no longer has that special glow it did during 2nd trimester.

Sleep: definitely going down hill fast.  With the weight distribution all out front and the fact that I still have a bit of a curve to my waist, it's incredibly awkward to find a comfortable spot no matter how many pillows are used.  Lots of fun cramps and discomfort every night now but I still manage to get a few hours here and there.

# of Days since m/s has hit: she likes to push up on my stomach with her feet while simultaneously punching my bladder so there have been numerous close calls.  Thankfully the heat has cooled down and I haven't lost it since 4th of July.

What I'm most looking forward to after the baby (besides the obvious): being able to lay comfortably in bed and on my stomach!

Last baby items purchased: ordered some adorable knit hats for her to wear at the rink this winter, I have a feeling she'll get a lot of wear out of them!  Also ordered some embroidered/monogrammed newborn hats for her to wear at the hospital/at home and a headband for her to wow all the boys in the nursery. ;)

Other Craziness: The freezer cooking is well underway.  After this weekend I will be more than half way done.  We cleaned out the cars and installed the car seat base over the weekend, the whole thing still feels surreal!  This week's agenda includes sorting through all her stuff, getting it washed and making up the list of all the stuff we still need to get.  Also, this:

If she keeps growing out only I think I may end up toppling over.  My phone crashed when I was taking one from the front...it was clearly too much belly for it to handle.  I will have to retake it tonight and add it here so that I can do it justice.

Cooking with No Water

It was another exhausting yet very productive weekend for us.  We knocked out about 20 of the freezer recipes this week.  All the cookies & quick breads are done, sides & breakfast items are well underway & we're slowly chipping away at main courses most nights of the week.

So far total spend for the groceries has been about $150 though I anticipate it to be closer to $300 if we get them all done.  I don't think that's too bad for 100+ meals plus snacks and goodies though.

We had a minor setback Sunday morning when I woke up to use the bathroom and & there was no water.  Normally this would be because power has gone out but fortunately/unfortunately depending on how you look at it we still had full power.  Meaning we'd either run the well dry or the pump was dead. 

Running the well dry can be as simple as something left running for a few hours-a toilet or faucet somewhere.  But at 7:00ish on a Sunday morning when you know both houses have been asleep, it doesn't leave you with a good feeling.  So I dashed around our house checking all the possible sources and everything was fine.  I went down and let myself into my parents house anticipating I was going to find a flood (it wouldn't be the first time) but there were no visible leaks.  I ended up having to wake my parents up because you can easily fry a pump if it is continually running for hours on end.

Long story short, after a couple of hours we found the source of the problem.  A copper pipe was spraying into the garage overflowing a drainage hole.  Upon closer examination, it was clear that it had been previously punctured (most likely on install & years before we bought the place) and instead of replacing the pipe, someone had decided to throw a patch on it. 

I was thanking God for a father who knows his way around plumbing and had all the supplies on hand to run a new line!  Otherwise Sunday could have turned into a very expensive day and I would guess we still wouldn't have water now.  Instead this very pregnant woman only had to go without water for the morning and I was able to get right back to my cooking once a new pipe was in place.

Baby Prep: Freezer Cooking Edition

When I originally started mapping out my freezer cooking, I thought I'd have a tough time coming up with enough options.  Turns out I had accumulated a lot more freezer-friendly recipe wins over the years than I thought.  I actually ended up having to narrow down to this list.  The original spreadsheet was more than double what is listed below!  Many of these I have previously tried freezing but some we've only ever eaten fresh.  I plan to go back through afterwards and rate how well they did for my own reference.  If this goes well, I plan to continue on a smaller monthly rotation after maternity leave is over so that Brent and I can maximize the time we have together with the baby.  Here's my current whooper of a list:

Main Courses: Meat

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf (froze 3 loaves)
Meatloaf Cupcakes (froze 12 jumbo "cupcakes)
Chicken Pot Pie Crumble (froze 4 8x8s)
Pot Pie Cupcakes (froze 10 jumbos)
Calzones (multiple variations on the fillings) (froze 6-2 different fillings))
Taco Casserole (froze 2 8x8s)
Honey Lime Enchiladas (froze 2 8x8s)
White Chicken Enchiladas (froze 2 8x8s)
Chicken Chimichangas (froze 12)
Garlic Lime Chicken (froze 2 pans)
Garlic Chicken Bites (froze 3lbs divided into 1lb bags)
Italian Meatballs (froze 31 meatballs)
Sweet & Sour Meatballs (froze 2 8x8s w/sauce)
Asian Turkey Meatballs (froze 13 meatballs)
Chicken Meatballs (froze 12 meatballs)
Stuffed Cabbage (froze 3 8x8s)
Chicken Ranch Casserole (froze 2 8x8s)
Chicken Quesadillas (froze 15 quesadillas)
Cheesy Chicken Rice Burritos
BBQ pulled Chicken (froze 3 1lb. bags)
Italian pulled Chicken
Caesar pulled Chicken (froze 3lbs divided into 1lb. bags)
Brent's Chicken marinade (3lb. batch)
Garlic Honey Mustard marinated chicken
Island marinated chicken
Cooked Shredded Chicken
*Crispy Ranch Chicken
*Honey Crunchy Chicken
*Spanish Rice
*Chicken Parmesan

Main Courses: Pasta

Baked Ziti (froze 2 8x8s)
Pasta w/Chicken Sausage (froze 3 8x8s)
Manicotti
Chicken Pesto Stuffed Shells (froze 2 8x8s)
Taco Stuffed Shells (froze 2 8x8s)
Chicken Broccoli Stuffed Shells (froze 4 8x8s)
Pasta Casserole (froze 3 8x8s)
Lasagne (froze 9x13)
Chicken Garlic Lasagne (froze 9x13)
Bacon Mac Cheese (froze 2 8x8s)
*Chicken Tetrazzini
*Cheddar Broccoli Chicken mac
*Pizza Pasta Casserole
*Swiss Mac & Cheese

Main Courses: Soup

Tomato Basil Soup (froze 3 meals)
White Chicken Chili
Italian Turkey Soup
*Vegetable Soup
*Fiesta Black Bean Soup
*Chicken Tortilla Soup
*Pasta Fagioli

Breakfast:

Egg Sandwiches (batch of 22)
Pancake Sausage Muffins (batch of 18)
Bacon, Egg & Cheese Muffins (froze 16)
Broccoli Cheddar Egg Biscuit Muffins (froze 12)
Maple Bacon Biscuits
Mini Frittatas
Breakfast Pockets
Breakfast Burritos
Buttermilk Pancakes
Waffles
Oatmeal Pancake Mix (1 batch = 10 meals)


 Sides & Sauces:

Baked Brown Rice (6+ individual packaged meals)
Fried Rice (2 meals)
Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli Cheddar Potatoes (batch of 18)
Pesto Baked Potatoes
Cheddar Double Stuffed Potatoes (batch of 16)
Pizza Sauce
Marinara Sauce
Grandma's Naples Spaghetti Sauce (triple batch)

Breads & Muffins:

French Bread Rolls
Garlic Bread (4 loaves sliced and bagged)
Breadsticks (froze 40 breadsticks)
Biscuits
Sinful Cinnamon Blueberry Muffins (froze 25 muffins)
Peach Cobbler Muffins
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Snickerdoodle Bread (4 loaves)
Almond Poppyseed Bread (3 loaves)
Chocolate Zucchini Bread (4 loaves)
Apple Cider Bread (3 loaves)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread (4 loaves)

Desserts:

Chocolate Butterscotch Chip Cookies (approx 6 doz)
Peanut Butter Cookies (approx 4 doz)
MM Cookies (approx 4 doz)
Double Chocolate MM Cookies (approx 4 doz)
Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Chewies (approx 4 doz)
Double Chocolate Cookies (approx 6 doz)
Pumpkin Cookies) (approx 4 doz)

*Starred items are alternatives if I change my mind on one of my original selections or extras if I end up with too much time on my hands (HAH!).

If there is no link, then it's a family recipe that I haven't gotten around to posting.  Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like one I don't have linked.

And if it's crossed off, it's done!

Bump Update #12

She's still in there plumping away!  In fact, the not-so-little babe had a major growth spurt this week.

As tempting as it was, I didn't cut off my face this week, but please ignore the puffy face and lack of make-up.  This is what 6am looks like after only an hour or two of sleep.  I had to drop Hubs off at work today and I knew this was the only access I'd have to a mirror all day.

How far along: 3rd Trimester

Weight gain: 20 pounds

Maternity Clothes: None so far, in fact I'm wearing a J.Crew button-down in the above picture in my regular size and the buttons weren't even pulling.  Hilariously though I've discovered today that when she gets in one of her "moods" the shirt will go from fitting perfectly fine to tight in the blink of an eye.  The J.Crew perfect fit tanks have really been my saving grace, I practically bought stock in them when they dropped below $10 a piece and wear them round the clock.  They are long and stretchy and make the perfect layering piece.

Gender: Girl!

Name: it's a surprise!

Movement: Oh yes and it's quite strong at this point.  The Dr. told me that in general thin people will feel the movement, kicks and contractions a lot more intensely and I feel that I can attest to the fact that they are all quite intense.  After her crazy growth spurt this last week, I can feel her moving my organs around in the most peculiar way when she's active.  And during her most active times, I find myself grimacing and bracing myself during her performances.

Cravings: Bryer's S'mores ice cream pretty much makes the worst day better.  But really not much in the way of cravings at this point.  Food doesn't have the same amazingness that it has in the past weeks

Sleep: eh not great.  Since all my weight is out front completely, it makes it tough to get comfortable and pretty awkward to move.  Really the main culprit is the baby because she is not a fan of me lying on my side, if it weren't so darn painful, it'd be kinda funny watching her fast twists and rolls as I lay down and she tries to figure out how to rearrange herself

# of Days since m/s has hit: Totally puked the morning of the 4th of July.  I blame the combination of the heat and an overactive baby.

What I'm most looking forward to after the baby (besides the obvious):fall clothes.  I am so excited for jeans and boots and shopping again!

Last baby items purchased: Got the cuuuuuuuutest hoodies from Evy's Tree during their closing sale, my fingers are crossed that they can make the switch to manufacturing so the baby can keep wearing them because really?  Can they be any cuter?

Plus I totally had grab this one to tuck away for a future boy.  You know...just in case! ;)

Other Craziness: I've taken to measuring my girth each week for the past several weeks since my weight hasn't fluctuated that much.  She added more than 2 inches to my belly this week so I'm guessing she surpassed the 1/2 pound weight gain she's supposed to be seeing each week.  The added girth is all out front too, from behind you still can't even tell that I am pregnant, and wow does it pull on my back.  It's crazy to think that in another month-ish she could be here.

Baby Prep

It seems too early to call this past weekend "nesting" although I'm not really sure at what point in time it becomes appropriate so instead I'll just label this past weekend as baby prep.  As this child sinks lower and lower, leaving me in a constant state of "low" tension, I am trying to cross the remaining items off my list as fast as I can.  I already have to take sitting breaks just to smoosh encourage her up a little higher.

We have been in the midst of record high temps for the past couple of weeks with every day topping out over 100, many topping out 110+, which for MD is extraordinarily rare.  We usually have like 1-2 days over 100 each year, not multiple weeks in a row!  Anyway, this past weekend was the worst of it and no way did I have any intention of enjoying the outdoors with that kind of heat.  Add the humidity (which added up to 10 extra degrees of "feels like" temperature) and it just made you sick to walk out into it.  So we choose to work on lots of indoor projects this weekend.  :)

One of the biggest things on our to-do list was finalizing wills, health directives, power of attorneys etc. before this child got here.  Getting them written up was the easier part, getting them witnessed and notarized took a bit more time but I'm happy to say that as of this weekend we've been able to cross that doozy off the list.  The last big project remaining (you know besides preparing to bring a baby home!) would be stocking the freezer and fridge with as much food as I possibly can.

First step was cleaning out all the fridges & freezers and making them sparkle.  For some of them....it had been far too long, I won't gross you out with the details.  Once they were all clean, I managed to cross off 7 of the 75 recipes on my freezer list.  I am working backwards through order of importance for now since we still have a few weeks but as we get closer to D-day, I plan to switch over.  My goal is to have enough main courses, sides, breakfasts and desserts to last us through Christmas.  This won't cover every meal every week but instead will cover roughly the first month and a half and then the remaining months it'll be a few meals a week to get us through the rough nights.

So far? We have lots and lots of yummy desserts for the visitors.  :)  I made a fresh batch of our oatmeal pancake mix for us and then 6 different kinds of cookie doughs.  Rolled 'em, froze them in balls on cookie sheets then bagged and tupperwared em in the deep freeze.  So now, when we have visitors or I need a quick dessert for some function?  Freezer for the win.  We tested out all the recipes at a party Sunday evening and they were all quite good.  I have a feeling a few of those dough balls will be eaten raw once I've popped this child out!

My goal is to tackle a couple of the main courses each week and just make extra when I'm cooking our dinners and then hopefully knock out the rest a few weekends from now in one fell swoop.  Fingers crossed she cooperates and stays IN and UP and I don't land myself on bed rest before then.  I just can't believe how close we are!

Bump Update #11

Well last week's "feeling lousy" symptoms ended up turning into preterm labor signs and by Wednesday I was shipped off to labor and delivery again to be monitored.  This little girl seems to have her own time line established on when she thinks she's coming.  Thankfully, my body is still winning the fight as she repeatedly headbutts my cervix!  We need you to stay in there a little bit longer baby girl!

Don't mind the lack of my head in the photo, the camera blurred funky at the top and it hurt my eyes just looking at the photo.  I will try and retake it and get a better photo later tonight but in the meantime, this is as good as it's going to get.

How far along: 3rd Trimester

Weight gain: 18-19 pounds

Maternity Clothes:  Regular clothes still working out, though the assortment gets smaller as time goes on.  The further along I get the more I feel like I would rather just spend money on getting some new clothes to fit after I have the baby, rather than spend it on the little time remaining.

Gender: Girl!

Name: it's a surprise!

Movement: She is back to her usual antics, my stomach is a constant rollercoaster.  Though she is doing it all with her head planted firmly as low as she can get it.  Lemme tell you, the pressure has been a real treat!

Cravings: Finally got to indulge my fruit smoothie craving on the way to labor and delivery.  Black Cherry Panera smoothie for the win!  It was so good that Brent and I stopped in for another (plus a peach flavored one) on Friday when we were out running some errands in 112 degree heat.

Sleep: a bit more hit or miss at this stage in the game, she seems to be picky about which positions she likes me in and if I'm not in one of them, she makes me uncomfortable enough until I move.  Already running the show and she's not even here yet.  :)

# of Days since m/s has hit: Still holding out on this, one of the "perks" I guess for her being so low.

What I'm most looking forward to after the baby (besides the obvious): real clothes.  Sheath dresses, pencil skirts, jeans, and slim fitting clothing.

Last baby items purchased: we made the dangerous trek out during Armageddon over the weekend when MD lost power (and which still hasn't been restored) and purchased her carseat.  Rockville Pike with its 4 lanes of traffic on each side was a real treat with all the lights out.  I had to close my eyes at every intersection.  Also, we had to backtrack 4 or 5 times because of all the road and interstate closures.


Other Craziness: After last week's adventure with L&D, we promptly came home and arranged for her carseat and purchase and getting her bassinet set-up.  At least now if she comes early, she'll have a place to sleep and a way to get home!  It's really weird looking into her nursery though and seeing that little bed and seat waiting for her, I think the reality of how close we are is just barely starting to set in for me.  Now I just gotta get her out!  Also, my OB cleared me to keep doing any and all activities as long as contractions and symptoms settle back down when I rest.  I took her at her word on Saturday and spent 6+ hours outside hauling branches and raking debris in 105+ temperature at my grandparents.  Miraculously, she was better behaved during all of that then she is during my "normal" day.  Still, the level of soreness was pretty epic that night.  Who knew you could get charlie horses in your hips.