30 Weeks

I am 3/4 of the way through and still smiling! Although, I have to admit that there are definitely uncomfortable moments every single day. Bending over without a struggle is a thing of the past. Getting out the car takes a little longer than it used to. Those little kicks and jabs that I have loved so much all along are starting to be a bit painful at times (especially when they are to the ribs or bladder). Enough complaining, though! I am healthy, the baby is healthy - so I am VERY happy.

We had a great appointment yesterday with a different doctor in the practice (my doctor is out with surgery, but recovering nicely). Greg and I both really liked the new doctor and may consider switching to her. She was very personable and spent much longer with us than my doctor ever has. Don't get me wrong, my doctor is very competent and has alot of experience, but her bedside manor is a little stiff. We just felt more comfortable with this doctor. I am seeing her again for my next appointment.

Now for the best part - I have to give Greg total credit for this one - When the doctor asked if we had any more concerns (because I had already gone over several), Greg told her that I have been worried that my stomach is not getting large enough. At first I was embarrassed, but the end result was worth it. She said that I measured right at 29 to 30 weeks, but that she could put 29 on the chart and order another ultrasound at our next appointment in 2 weeks (wink, wink) if I am concerned about the baby's size. You see, my insurance technically only covered the one ultrasound that I had at around 20 weeks. But, if there is a medical concern, the doctor can order additional ones that will also be covered. SCORE! My doctor would NEVER have done this. Do you see why I REALLY like this new doctor?

In other news, Greg has finished painting all but one piece of furniture for the baby's room (the hutch over the desk). My mom, grandmother (Mimi), and sister are coming to visit this weekend and I plan to put them to work. Katie can help Greg move furniture around the room to find the best place for it and help me put the crib together. Mimi can help fold laundry after I wash the mountain of clothes that Robyn gave me. My mom can help give decorating advice. It will be nice to have the help. We are all headed to the beach next week for a little vacation - the last one before you-know-what.

Oh, the pink

When I first started looking at baby decorations, my plan was to do the room in green and chocolate brown. My thinking was that IF we have a second child, we could use the bedding again. My plans changed when I ended up getting the adorable "Zoo Baby" bedding. The colors in the bedding and decorations are light and dark bluish gray. Green and brown would not really work with these colors. I also decided that the room would need a little something to make it more girly given the colors of the bedding. Therefore, I decided to paint the walls blush and bashful (pink and pink) - much to Greg's dismay. He was REALLY not too thrilled at this idea. I think that he was ok with the idea of having a girl, but had not fully come around to it. Green and brown just seemed easier for him to deal with - they did not scream GIRL! They eased him in.

Something changed when Greg started painting those walls. It is like the pink seeped into his system and took over. He suddenly wanted to make the room as "little girly" as possible. I almost fell on the floor when he suggested that we get new switch plate covers that had rainbows or flowers on them. He even picked out a fan at Lowe's that was pink, green, and yellow with flowers and butterflys on it for the room. That's right, macho Greg was wheeling a cart around Lowe's with this giant pink box in it:

This little girl is having quite the effect on her daddy and she is not even here yet. Oh boy! The funny thing is that I don't think he even realized what is happening (he will now, after reading this post!). He still thinks that he is going to be the disciplinarian, i.e. the "mean" parent. I have a feeling that this little girl is going to look up at Greg with giant eyes and he is going to melt. We will just have to wait and see what happens!

In other news - we have somewhat decided on a name. We reserve the right to change this name, so nothing is written in stone (or on a birth certificate) yet. As of right now, we are going with Siena Lynn(e) - we have not decided on the spelling of the middle name yet. My mother's name is Lynne and Greg's mother's middle name is Lynn. Siena is the name of a city that we spent some time in (and fell in love with) when we were in Italy. We think that it is a beautiful city and would make a beautiful name! Siena is home to the famous (in Italy) Palio di Siena (Il Palio) horse race. Horses with riders representing each of the 17 neighborhoods in Siena compete in a race that lasts approximately 1.5 minutes through the streets of the city. The race occurs twice a year - July 2 and August 16. Hopefully we will go someday!

28 Weeks

An update is long overdue. My apologies. I have been quite busy at work with actually doing, well, work. It has really been cutting into my blogging time. We were also out of town for the 4th of July weekend (I will save that for another post).

I have reached the 7 month mark. Only 3 more months to go and we have so much to accomplish still. Greg is going to paint the nursery this weekend and I will (hopefully) start sanding some more of the furniture. It is fantasy football draft selection weekend, so that is going to cut into our work time on Saturday. Sunday should be more productive. We have decided not to have the carpet replaced in the nursery and to have it professionally cleaned instead. We took a look at it last night and decided that it is actually in pretty good condition.

I passed the 1 hour glucose test from a few weeks back. Health-wise everything seems to be going nicely. I know that I am continuing to gain weight, but I am making a genuine effort to keep it under control. Hopefully, last month was the worst it will be.

I feel the baby kick and turn frequently. She seems to be the most active at night. Every kick is makes me feel more confidant that she is snug and safe in there. I started taking a "Mothers In Motion" water aerobics class this week. I am surprised that it is actually a pretty good workout (although I do still go and walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes beforehand). I have enjoyed meeting other women that will be having babies around the same time that I will. My favorite part of the class is the end when we lean against the wall for relaxation time. After 1 to 2 minutes, I feel the baby start to move around inside.

My good friend, Robyn, came for a visit several weekends ago. We had fun having girl time. She got a (short) break from her hectic life with 2 kids and I got tons of advice - and hand-me-downs!!! Below is a picture of some of the things that Robyn brought for me - an excersaucer (sp?), an activity mat, a bottle sterilizer, and TONS of little girl clothes. These are just the 0 to 6 month clothes. She is going to pass more along as her daughter outgrows them (Josie is only 10-going on-11 months old now). Not pictured are the breast pump and bottle drying rack that she also brought along. These things are going to help out sooo much - THANKS ROBYN!!

I also received a goody bag of clothes from Greg's mom, Karen. Below is a picture of the clothes she sent along. The stack in the background is all sleepers. My favorite is the tiny little jeans jacket - so cute! THANKS YAYA!

During our 4th of July trip, I was able to visit with both of my grandmothers in Greenville. We had a great time going out to lunch and went on a trip to Goodwill afterward. Each of the grandmothers had a bag of gifts waiting for me. Mimi (my maternal grandmother) gave me a handmade night light for the babies room and a special picture frame that she had been saving for some time. We will find some cute to use in the frame - perhaps a baby picture? Grandma (my paternal grandmother) gave me an afgan that she crocheted and another pink blanket for the baby. Both of the blankets will be wonderful additions to the room.

I also made my first baby clothes purchases during the trip. I think that I have shown a great deal of restraint by holding off until now to buy ANY clothes for the baby. I had a coupon for the Gap Outlet that I used for the blue dress (right). Mimi actually paid for the red outfit, but I picked it out myself during out Goodwill trip.

I will try to do another post sooner rather than later. My next doctor's appointment is not until July 23rd. I am meeting with another doctor in the practice as my doctor will be out due to surgery. This is a good thing because I have doubts that my doctor will actually be the one in the delivery room with us (due to her health problems). This way I get to meet more of the doctors in the practice.