Lamaze Class...28 Weeks...and more:)

I hope we passed!! A few weeks ago my friend Erica (who is also pregnant right now with a little girl and is due in October...only 8 days after me!!)  and I signed up for a breast feeding class at the hospital. We decided to bring our hubbies so they could learn just as much as we were about what was ahead. I figured if I was going to put my body through all of that for a year then the least Nick could do was go sit in a class for 2 hours!! Somehow I never mentioned to Nick the name of the class...I just kept saying we are going to a class.
A few nights before the class, we were at our friend Samantha and Travis' house. Samantha let me go through some clothes that she was going to consign. Their daughter, Kensley, was born last October so the seasons and sizes for she and Lillian will be the same.:) As we were leaving their house they were asking if we were definitely going to go to the lake this weekend. I said oh yes...Nick will need a mini vacay after our class Thursday night. ;-) Then Nick, Travis, and JP (JP is married to Brooke who is due next week with a little boy, Ace:)) started talking about what kind of class it was. Somehow they came up with it being a Lamaze class. I just smiled and never corrected them. They were giving Nick a hard time about going to a class and I just didn't want to add to the moment by saying it was a breast feeding class. :)
Well...the days passed and before I knew it, Thursday night arrived. I really was feeling somewhat guilty that he didn't know exactly what we were going to be learning about for the next two hours, but I thought it was better to just let him figure it out when we got there at this point!! We met Erica and Daniel in the parking lot and were walking in together. Nick and Daniel were walking and talking behind us. Daniel asked Nick if he was ready for this and Nick said "I can't believe they signed us up for a 2 hour Lamaze class." Daniel's face said it all. Before anything else was said I admitted (to Nick) that it wasn't a Lamaze class. Nick said well what kind of class is it?!? Daniel said "It's a class on the best nutrition for your baby." Then we got to talking about how it was a breast feeding class. :) Nick laughed it off and was very attentive during the class. He was truly a good sport about it! We both really learned a lot! It made me feel so much better about what I was going to be doing for the next year of my life. It still overwhelms me and looks like it is going to be a lot of work, but the benefits far outweigh me not trying it at all. Nick did get 'rewarded' after our class....he LOVES Pizza Inn and wanted to go so bad, so against my trying to get us to just go home and eat we went. I guess he deserved some chocolate chip pizza after what we just learned about. ;-)

Nick and I after the "Lamaze Class" ;-)

Nick enjoying his 'reward' for being such a good student ;-)

 

Awe! Our little "eggplant". :):) We went to the doctor on Thursday morning (July 17) for my 28 week appointment. My glucose test was scheduled for this one, which I was dreading very badly after what I had heard about it. BUT they also were going to do another ultrasound to check Lillian's size. That is one good thing about being diagnosed with MTHFR mutation...they have done a lot more ultrasounds than normal. SO...despite the sugar test that I wasn't looking forward to, I was definitely looking forward to seeing her again. We hadn't seen her since the 20 week anatomy ultrasound and that one we really didn't get to see her move around a lot because the ultrasound tech was trying to get so many still shots and measurements. My appointment was at 8:30. I ate some eggs and drank some water for breakfast. I had to do the normal "pee in a cup" when the nurse called me back, then she checked my blood pressure (98/63) and weighed me (125.4 lbs.) So far, so good. :) Then, it was TIME. "What flavor do you want...orange or fruit punch?" Oh I already had that figured out way before I got there after asking every person that I knew who had already experienced this. :) Orange it was! She said I had 5 minutes to drink it, but after the first gulp I was just ready to get it done so I drank it in about 3 minutes. I had to wait one hour before they took my blood. The good thing was we had the ultrasound next. :) Lillian looked so perfect!!! That is all the ultrasound tech kept saying... "perfect"...."perfect". :):) Everything was measuring just where it should be. She measured the amount of amniotic fluid, the circumference of her head, and her leg bone. All were right at the 28 week mark. She also said she was in the 54th percentile for her size and everything so she was just where she should be at 2 lbs. 10oz. Her heartbeat was 141 BPM. She was being a little bit stubborn though when the ultrasound tech was trying to measure her head...she just kept burying it. :) She must get the stubborn part from her daddy! (yeah right!) It was so cute one time when she was playing with her toes!! I just couldn't help but think WOW! What a miracle...this little baby is growing inside of me!! It was neat to feel her move and then see it at the same time on the screen. :) I wish I could see her all the time! BUT it won't be long before she is here!! By the time the ultrasound was over it had been an hour so it was time for my blood to be taken. FUN! (NOT..I have always been scared of needles. When I was little they used to have to chase me around the doctor's office just to prick my finger!!) Anyway...I am a big girl now so I sat down and let her draw my blood. HA! We met with the doctor for a few minutes after and she went over what she saw from the ultrasound and reaffirmed us that everything looked great!! The next appointment was set....3 weeks from now....another ultrasound:)

I sent this pic collage out to family and friends after our appointment:):) I love the verse on it..."He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart." -Isaiah 40:11

 

What was this week like for us?!?!?!? (In case you were wondering:))

The night before I found a glider/chair and ottoman on Craig's List for $150! It looked to be in great condition because the couple who had it kept a cover on it every time they had used it for the past 2 years! It was a deal that I did not want to pass up! We had budgeted to spend $500 on a chair and ottoman so this was definitely going to be way better than that!! However....the chair was located 3 hours away!! Somehow (maybe I should get some credit here for a little convincing, but it really didn't take much!) Nick and I decided that it was worth it and we left Monday night to go get it...James Island here we come!! We got the chair and ottoman after our 3 hour bonding time in the car. Since we were at the beach we decided to have dinner before heading back. Nick had shrimp and grits and I had grilled shrimp and vegetables. It was sooo yummy!! Then, we were back in the car for our 3 hour return trip. :) We were exhausted when we got home. Nick joked that he was going to sleep in the new chair that night!!:):)

I spent most of Tuesday being lazy since Monday was exhausting with the 6 hour car drive. Nick put my 1998 explorer on Craig's List a day before and someone was already coming to look at it so he came that afternoon. Tuesday night mom came over to walk, but it was raining and lightning. We walked down to Samantha and Travis' house to go through Kensley's clothes for me to buy for Lillian. I got such cute stuff!! I can't wait for her to be here and I get to dress her up!! Mom ate dinner with us...I fixed Pesto Chicken and Cheddar Broccoli Quinoa Bites....yuuuum!:):) We had strawberries and nutella for dessert! EXTRA YUM!!

I didn't do very much today either....I was working on this blog a good bit trying to get it caught up so I could send the link out after the appointment on Thursday. Nick and I ate leftovers for dinner and I went ahead and cooked Italian Quinoa Bake for us to have for lunch tomorrow and dinner before our class. Mom came over and Nick and I took Jonah for a walk with her.

Doctor's Appointment that morning...then a lazy morning and afternoon before "our class" that night followed by a well-balanced meal at Pizza Inn!;-)

I went by Honeybaked Ham to pick up some turkey meat for us to take to the lake this weekend for sandwiches. Then, I went by Starbucks for a decaf Java Chocolate Chip Frappuccino...I also went to see my Mom  at work and brought her a Frappuccino and a breakfast sandwich so she could see the pictures from the ultrasound yesterday. Then I had to go by Ross since I was nearby! I bought a little sleeper for Lillian and I got a tank top for me. :) After I got my shopping fix in I came home. Nick and I left to head to Lake Hartwell for the weekend later Friday afternoon. On the way to the lake we stopped and met my friend Kayla and her husband Daniel (and their little boy Bryan...who is beyond precious!! He is the cutest little boy ever!) so we could get the lamps that she had for me. I found them on Craig's List a few weeks ago and the seller was located in Anderson. Kayla and Daniel met the seller to get the lamps for me since they live in Anderson!! Such sweet friends!!:):) We got to the lake and just spent time hanging out with his sisters who were staying for the weekend, too!

The weather prediction for the weekend turned out to be right...rain, rain, rain! We knew it wasn't going to be good weather, but we figured it would be nice to have a change of scenery even if we were just going to be lazy. Saturday was spent watching T.V. (which is a huge luxury if you live like we do with only an antenna box which gets about 10 channels and Netflix...what can I say? My husband is a penny pincher!!..I'm just curious as to how much longer this money saving with no cable is going to last. Especially when football season rolls around and we aren't going to near as many games as we are used to going to since we will have a new baby! I will keep you posted on that for sure!!:)) Saturday night we drove into Seneca to eat at Los Amigos for dinner. I had Quesadilla Mexicana...which was yummy, but I knew I would be paying for it later for sure! That's another pregnancy side effect that I've just about gotten used to...acid reflux...what I eat decides to try to come back up later and remind me of just how good it really was! I also feel soo bloated at night and I knew Mexican food was only going to magnify that!! Oh well....it was good:) Then we headed back to watch T.V...I think we were watching several movies at a time..."13 Going on 30" and "Wedding Crashers". It was night night time around 11:00.:)

It finally stopped raining, but was pretty dreary most of the day. We just hung out with Madison and Kayleigh watching what teenage girls like to watch...they found a Twilight movie marathon on TV! HAHA!:) We headed home around 5, unloaded the car, dropped off Jonah and the hopped back in the car to drive to Simpsonville to pick up a glider that I found on Craig's List. This completes the last BIG piece of furniture that we need. YAY!:) We are keeping the glider in our room and the chair we got earlier this week is in the nursery. We grabbed some dinner on our way home. Then, mom came over for a late night walk around 8:30. Nick and I climbed into bed about 10:00 and watched a movie...I think it was called "Thin Ice".

(See there is always a positive to everything!!;-))

I wanted to spend some time on this post kind of recapping what my pregnancy has been like...here are some things that have surprised me, enlightened me, scared me, encouraged me, etc...

-Every day is different. That has been surprising to me. I guess it's just because I've either heard people say "I hated being pregnant...I was miserable." or "Being pregnant was the best experience of my life! I loved it!" I feel like I have had a mixture of those two extremes and some 'in between' that, too.

Of course at the very beginning just finding out that in fact I was pregnant was so exciting! I was at the top of the top at that point! I couldn't wait to experience what was ahead! I read blogs and googled names and pinned on Pinterest at all hours of the night and just soaked up every moment of anticipating us starting a family!

Then of course the 'morning sickness' decided to show up and that made me feel miserable! I seriously had never felt so close to death in all of my life! I felt AWFUL! I was sad that food that I had loved once before was not at all what I wanted to even THINK about let alone eat anymore! My taste for food had changed considerably! Just saltine crackers and ginger ale please. :) Car rides were horrible! I've always had a little case of motion sickness...mostly in car rides that are over an hour long I just feel nauseous, but this was much worse than that! Needless to say I did a lot of sleeping...I felt much better when I was asleep! So, at this point pregnancy was not a 'love' for me. However, I did hear about people who had 'morning sickness' waaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than I did, so it helped me suck it up and not complain too much. Mine wasn't that extreme and I knew it could be a lot worse. AND they say that being sick means a healthy baby...soo...there's the rainbow after the rain. :)



That quote really is funny and there is some truth behind it for sure....but here's my take on it...
It's so funny when people find out you're pregnant because they do want to share their story with you. However, good, bad, gross, scary...I wanted to hear them! I know everybody's story is seriously different so mine hasn't been nor will it be JUST LIKE anyone else's. :)
Nobody really tried to tell us what to name the baby...except my Aunt Jan ;-) She has two boys and I guess if she were to ever of had a girl she would have named her Caroline (They are HUGE Gamecock fans!) I kind of already had names picked out before I got pregnant. Nick and I had talked about it probably as far back as when we were dating. Ava was a name that I liked for a little girl for awhile, but that changed. I wanted to go with family names...so that is how Lillian Mae got her name. :) Lillian is my great grandma...she was my dad's dad's mom. I never got to meet her because she died before I was born, but I still think it's sweet that our baby will have a name from our family. Mae came from my Gram...my most favorite person ever...her maiden name was Doris Mae Walker and her mom was Minnie Mae. Lillian Mae it is:):)
As far as anyone trying to touch my belly and me not liking it...it's gotten better. At first it was a little strange. Especially when the only way you knew I was pregnant was if I told you because I wasn't even showing yet. My mom likes to touch my belly the most. She actually likes to rub all over my belly every time she sees me! I think it's sweet though that she's so excited!
The last part in the quote "yes I'm going to eat that"...I haven't really eaten anything crazy. When I found out I was pregnant I would eat a bowl (or two) of Lucky Charms every night before I went to sleep. Then came the weeks of the saltine crackers and ginger ale diet. After my second trimester started I began feeling better so I slowly got my appetite back for food that I liked before I was pregnant. I really liked eating salads and I would have one for lunch and sometimes for dinner, too. I found myself liking ranch dressing a little more than normal, but not like "I HAVE TO HAVE IT". I've always liked fruit, but I have wanted it more since being pregnant. It seems that I like cold, refreshing foods I guess?!? And yes pickles are good, but I've always liked them so I wouldn't say it was a craving either. Ice cream is good too, but isn't it always?!?:):)

These are all pretty funny and somewhat true for me...

 

Getting comfortable to fall asleep is not as easy as it used to be, but I'm sure it could be worse if I was (and more than likely will be) much bigger. However, when it feels like you have a beach ball attached to your stomach you obviously can't move around and get comfy quite as easily.



Peeing sooo much more has definitely been a big adjustment. I dread long car rides now because I know we are going to have to stop for potty breaks every few miles.

Sitting up is definitely a little more challenging and sometimes it seems like the biggest feat when I do maneuver around and get myself up. :)

 

 

This is very, very true! I can be eating breakfast and already be planning out what I am going to eat for snack, lunch, and dinner that day! Being hungry is a constant that never feels like it goes away!!

 

Here are some of my pregnancy "frustrations" if I had to come up with some...

*Being nervous about eating certain things that are on the "Do NOT eat list"...certain cheeses, deli meat, seafood, etc.. I am constantly on Google before eating just about anything to make sure it's OK. I have "cheated" a little bit though, but not terribly bad. If I do have something that I'm not 100% sure about then I ask Nick 100 times "Am I going to be ok?" "Is our baby going to be ok?" Of course his answer is always the same "Yessssssss". He says what do you think people did long ago before there was this list of things to not eat??? (He's so comforting!:))

*Night times are the worst..for sure! Not certain when this little trend actually started, but uggggh I dread it every day! I know whatever I have for dinner is going to make me feel like I'm 10x bigger than I am...B-L-O-A-T-E-D!! Then my back always hurts worse than it does all day. Getting comfortable is almost impossible and if I do get comfortable it doesn't last long before I'm trying to figure out a new comfortable position!!

*Not being able to work out. I am by no means a fitness queen, but since I had worked out for a few months with him before I got pregnant I got to really enjoy it. There is just something motivating about it and a feeling of accomplishment. I think it's hard too, watching my body go through so many changes and feeling like I am not 'fit' at all anymore...just a lazy eating machine! Not to mention Nick has been working out more than he ever has. I am talking two and three times a day! So I'm sitting over here feeding my face and he's sweating bullets working out. I know some women can work out while they are pregnant, but since I wasn't consistent with it the month I got pregnant I felt like I wasn't conditioned enough to continue it. I've done a few YouTube videos here and there...prenatal yoga and exercise...things like that, but I just don't want anything to hurt our baby. Guess I will try to start again after she arrives. :)

*Swollen ankles have been an issue at times, but not a consistent issue...yet. We went to my sister-in law, Madison's high school graduation in May and it was very, very hot! I had to take my sandals off because they were getting so tight with my ankles swelling. Then, when it was time to leave and I had to put them back on it was a little hard, but that is really the only 'major' issue that I've had with it.

 

 *Clothes not fitting anymore has definitely been an adjustment. I got away with wearing my pre-preggo pants for awhile, but then it got to the point where they wouldn't button anymore. It's funny too when I put on a shirt that just looks like it would be a good comfy preggo shirt and then I look in the mirror and it looks like a big balloon! I'm thankful for maxi skirts, shorts with an elastic waistband, and palazzo pants! I've also been wearing more t-shirts, gym shorts, and work out outfits than ever before because they feel good! I also have an even bigger love now of not wanting to wear a regular bra. It feels even more constricting than before...not to mention it's a little more full than it used to be. ;-) Sports bras have been my favorite or the bandeau bras! Bathing suit shopping was not nearly as fun this spring as it normally is. I decided to forgo my normal itsy bitsy Victoria's Secret bathing suit order in place of stocking up on some tankinis from Marshall's and Target. :):)

 

 Here are some things that I have LOVED since I got pregnant...





*Feeling her move around! I remember at first it was just little 'flutters' and I would get so excited feeling her even though it wasn't that often. Nick tried to feel her move then, but it was still too early. Finally as more weeks went by her movements were much more obvious. I remember the first time he felt her move his eyes just lit up! He said "What is she doing in there?" Now she moves around all of the time and I LOVE it! I just start talking to her no matter where I'm at or what I'm doing. I love reading to her and trying to sing to her. Nick likes to put the headphones on my belly at night and let her listen to piano music. Then we lay there and watch the headphones bounce around. I call her my little wiggle worm.:)

*I have several friends who are pregnant right now and it has been fun experiencing this with them! My friend Erica is having a girl and is due October 18th. Erica and I started teaching the same year and we teach right across the hall from each other. We were both in each other's wedding! I'm so glad that our little girls are going to be best friends!! My friend Haley was due at the end of September, but she had to have her baby early. She just had her baby girl banks on July 18th.:) Both mom and baby are doing great!! Haley and I met at church. Nick's stepmom, Joy and Haley's mother-in-law, Suzanne, are best friends. Haley is married to Christopher. We enjoy hanging out with them when we get the chance! I am so excited for Banks and Lillian to be best friends!!:) My friend Brooke is having a little boy and she is due at the end of this month. Brooke and her husband, J.P. live in our neighborhood. I can't wait to meet Ace when he arrives! I know he and Lillian are going to be such good friends, too!:)

  Amazon Link to buy the book:

 http://www.amazon.com/Sparkly-Green-Earrings-Catching-Light/dp/1414371713

*I love, love, love this book!!!! It was a gift for me from Joy on Mother's Day! I finished this book over a weekend. It was so good that I couldn't stop reading it! Sometimes I would laugh or cry or both at the same time!! It is a perfect book for moms to be or even if you're already a mommy. It's a memoir of her journey of becoming a mommy to her little girl.:) Here is a link to her blog: http://thebigmamablog.com/sparkly-green-earrings/. I also got her other book for our anniversary and it is great, too! It's a memoir of her married life!:) I definitely recommend you checking out her blog to read more about her and and her books.:):)

Amazon Link to buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Wonder-Growing-Faith-Expecting/dp/1400321077



*I love, love, love this book, too!!! My aunt Jan bought this for me! It is a devotional that goes week by week throughout your pregnancy. The prayers are incredible that she suggests you pray at each stage of pregnancy. There is also a journaling time for each devotion. Very thought provoking and constantly brings the baby to the feet of our Heavenly Father. I have loved reading this and journaling! I can't wait for Lillian to read what I wrote one day!!!:):)



*Right now my favorite snack is strawberries with nutella! It is truly heavenly!! I have to thank my mother-in-law, Cheryl, for introducing me to Nutella! I love it on just about anything. If you haven't tried it, then please do yourself a favor and TRY IT and pick up some strawberries to have with it if you really want to enjoy it!!:)

The exciting times of my life and my pregnancy will continue next week.... :):)