When in doubt, drink more water

During the entirety of this pregnancy, all of my pregnant friends and I have had various ailments, braxton hicks, serious middle-of-the-night leg cramping, carpal tunnel syndrome, constipation (TMI?), swelling of the everything, heartburn, dehydration, etc... Guess what? There is a miracle cure! Drink more water.

Today I am up before the butt-crack of dawn because I was caught lying on my back... which is bad for many reasons at this stage in pregnancy, but also means I am snoring. I am experiencing some tightening and a little bit of cramping this early morning so I thought I would do something productive. Now don't get your hopes up dear reader. I have found this means nothing at this hour. Well it does. It means I haven't had any water since 9 pm which means I need more water. And a little snack if I am being honest. (Bananas at 3 am may seem like a good idea, but maybe just stick with some cheese or cereal).

Anywho, newly expectant mama, Joanne, from Fabulously Average linked to this very blog on her Friday's Fab Five feature and so I was laying in bed thinking of all the helpful tips I could give about being pregnant and WATER is basically tip numero uno!  Every time I go to the doctor and tell them I have been having cramping or headaches they say, "Drink more water," or "Have you been drinking enough water?" At this point I am ready to hit them over the head with my large, heavy Nalgene bottle, which I fill and drink at least 3 of in a day! (Recommended amount: 64 oz)

Water is a lifesaver in many forms during pregnancy, I might add. Early in my pregnancy I swam a lot. It is highly recommended for exercise during pregnancy, so Pat bought me a little paddle board and I swam the weekends away. But, mostly because it was in the middle of summer and this AZ heat can take its toll on a pregnant body. I was never big enough to feel the effects of how awesome and pain relieving it can be for the joints. But, I can imagine. I even felt some of my first kicks from our little guy while I was in the pool. I think my little tyke liked the extra feeling of weightlessness that came when I floated around on my belly.

To feel a little bit of these effects now that it is too cold to be in the pool, I have taken a bath nearly every day this week. (Kept under 100 degrees mind you). I have never found a bath relaxing in my entire life until now. Usually I hate them. I hate getting pruney in hot water, but now, I wish I had a GINORMOUS tub that I could float in... but, my standard tub is doing the trick. My hips are relaxed, my back feels better. Even just for an hour, the relief that I am feeling is worth it. Not to mention the aromatherapy. I have been using Bath & Body Works Sleep Aroma Therapy and it is amazing. In fact, I may only have one more use out of it. But it really soothes the mind, and makes my whole house smells amazing.

I know there are mixed studies and beliefs about taking baths during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, so I also recommend talking to your Dr. about anything you may be concerned about.

37 Weeks

We are officially full term and have a happy, healthy boy ready to burst out into this world at anytime. I am ready.

Just this morning, Pat and I were discussing how we are ready for the next phase. He is ready for me to start helping with the house and yard work again, and I am ready for him to start helping with the baby. Although we have been working solo on some items, we have been really good about remaining a team and communicating our frustrations, needs, wants, etc. during the pregnancy... and now we need this baby to make his grand entrance into the world so we can go back to being a team in all aspects of our life.

The nursery is ready. All of his clothes are washed. Our hospital bags are packed. We are resting as much as we can right now because we know it will be in short supply once the beeb comes home.

I am kind of hoping for a Christmas baby. I think that would be the greatest gift in the world. But, I would be sad for him having to share his big day with the biggest day of the year. When would we have his birthday party? I think mostly, I just can't wait to meet him.

Currently

Craving: Water - lots and lots of water

Avoiding: Sitting too long. My hips are starting to really be uncomfortable

Ailments: Heartburn again... my Zantac isn't cutting it anymore

Sleep: Waking up a lot during the night due to cramps, and remaining awake to make sure I am not actually in labor.

Weight: 153

Favorite thing about being pregnant: Pat rubbing my belly and understanding how uncomfortable I am

Least favorite thing: The tightness of my belly, the lack of comfortable clothing and my protruding belly button....

37 Weeks: Christmas Traditions

My dad gave a speech at our wedding in 2011, wishing us both luck in our journey of marriage, but also wishing Pat luck in the great challenge that is meeting my Christmas Tradition expectations. Our wedding was in the summer. That just shows how well known my love for Christmas is. It's spoken about all the year round.

Living in this scorching desert can really put a strain on one's Christmas Spirit. Singing "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" in 80 degree weather just feels wrong. That is why traditions are so important. If all else fails, your traditions will bring you into the spirit, regardless if your pool is still warm enough to swim in. (We have passed that point finally).

My first tradition began when I started living on my own. The day after Thanksgiving can be a lonely one, why not take that opportunity to break out your favorite Christmas jammies, eat leftover Cinnamon Jello, turn up good ol' Bing Crosby and start decorating? And that is exactly what I do. About every 2 years my dad is here to help me hang the garland while my sister and Lisa go Black Friday shopping. Where is Pat during all this hubbub you ask? He works the day after Thanksgiving EVERY year with his job.

My tree is a fake tree that my mom used to use when us kids were still home. She inherited it from her husband's mother. It is the most REAL looking fake tree you will ever see. I believe it is from the 60's when fake trees were first being manufactured. There was no skimping on quality back then. So, the Saturday after Thanksgiving the tree goes up. This takes a good 6 hours or so because every branch is put in one by one by one. Then the lights go up. Then my Snowbaby collection. My mom bought be a Snowbaby every year for Christmas for a long as I can remember. I have most of them safely preserved in their original boxes until they are ready for the tree. After the Snowbabies, it is a free-for-all.

After the tree is lit, and I have warmed up my voice officially with Christmas tunes, Pat and I get to decorating the house with white lights. This is the Christmas purest in me. There is just something so nostalgic about white Christmas lights, green wreaths and red bows. It is classic Christmas. Saturday evening Pat gets out the ladder and the lights, I test them and hand them to him as he perfectly places them on the nails that we placed there our first Christmas in this house. Our neighbors walk by and listen to our Christmas music streaming from the garage and Lou lou, our pup, greets them with her increasing Christmas spirit. Nothing makes me happier than seeing our tree lit up in our window and our lights on the house. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed. Every year our neighbors add a new element of lights to their house, so we follow suite... it's a growing competition tradition.

The next tradition comes from Pat's side of the family. Making sugar cookies. I was so excited when I became part of his family and I found out they had a Christmas tradition of their own. It was a Christmas miracle to me! Everyone meets at his grandmother's house and things are already in full swing. His grandma rolls out the dough perfectly, cuts out Christmas shapes - and whatever new shape her daughters have brought along with them from their recent trip to the antique shop. The cookies go in the oven, and Pat's mom pulls them out, no timer needed. She passes the scalding cookies onto us where we frost them and sprinkle them. Now, the rule is, you cannot eat these cookies until they are ALL done and divvied up to all the cookie helpers, unless it is broken. (Pat always seems to find the broken ones and pulls me into his dishonest games. I am not one to break rules, not around Christmas time. Do you think I want to end up on the naughty list? Not this girl).

Finally, my current last tradition occurs on Christmas Eve, and not until then. That is when I sit down with a sugar cookie, Christmas Jammies, a glass of Champagne and I watch "The Muppet Christmas Carol." I always hope to have company when I do this, but people either roll their eyes and have "something else to do," or fall asleep whilst watching. I am not sure how they are able to sleep because I am singing along at the top of my lungs, but they do *cough dad* *cough Pat*.

I am so looking forward to sharing these traditions with our little guy next Christmas and I am really excited about creating new ones too! I don't imagine he will be as big of a Christmas buff as I am, but I can't wait to see how excited he gets about Christmas lights, and singing in the car, and I am ESPECIALLY excited to have a buddy to watch The MCC with me. I want to go on the Grand Canyon Polar Express Train ride as soon as the babe is old enough.

Do you have any Christmas Traditions?

36 Weeks

I didn't know if I was going to write about this, but because this blog is also a form of documentation of our lives, I would like to reflect a bit on my feelings:

Next week our baby will be full term. He could come at any moment... and I am now undecided if I am ready. I read this quote today and it is really starting to resonate with me given the recent events in Newtown, Connecticut:

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” - Elizabeth Stone

I am terrified to let my "heart" outside of my body. If something were to ever happen to my son, I just don't know how I could go on, how I would ever breath again. I haven't even met him yet. I have many friends, cousins, and fellow bloggers with children that have all reacted to the horror of the event. Many of them encouraging homeschooling, and all of them crying. On one hand I don't feel like I can really grasp the magnitude and pain tragedy because I am still pregnant. But, on the other hand, my heart is now that of a parent's and I am full of sorrow for these families who have lost their babies at what should be the best, most magical time of year, especially for those with children.

But, the reality is, I can't keep our baby inside, safe forever. He will go out into the world. There will be dangers. There will be people who aren't nice. The best thing I can hope for is that he will always be a good person, and I can hope that he will never encounter someone that is out to harm others. I can teach him to know when to be brave and what brave means in a moment of crisis. 

But truly, I have to think and know how great will it be to have him out in the world with me and his dad. To actually be able to kiss his little toes and fingers. To cuddle and connect with "my heart" on the outside. I can't wait to see what he looks like. More and more I imagine a little Patrick curled up in a ball in my belly, just waiting to come out and see the world with his little big blue eyes. I am very grateful to have him in my life now, and I vow to do all I can to protect him from this cruel world, and teach him to protect himself as well. 

Currently

Craving: Water - lots and lots of water

Avoiding: Thinking I am in labor 

Ailments: Torn Tummy Muscles

Sleep: Actually getting some, as long as I cut back on the liquid intake around 5 o'clock.

Weight: Haven't weighed myself... 

Favorite thing about being pregnant: Being near the end

Least favorite thing: The feeling of a sunburned stomach - on the inside 

35 Weeks

I don't really feel like blogging today, but if I move from this spot I might just lose it.

I am certain that this baby is coming early. There is no way he is waiting the full 40 weeks. I am thinking he will come the weekend after Christmas. There is a full moon that weekend. Doesn't that make babies come? I saw it in a movie that the full moon makes women go into labor. Stay tuned.

Currently

Craving: Sugar cookies with icing

Avoiding: Thinking 

Ailments: Emotions

Sleep: Actually getting some, as long as I cut back on the liquid intake around 5 o'clock.

Weight: Haven't weighed myself... 

Favorite thing about being pregnant: Possibly getting out of jury duty tomorrow. Seriously, I have jury duty tomorrow. 

Least favorite thing: Emotions. 

34 Weeks

My co-worker that I mentioned in my last post had her baby this morning at 1 am. She is only 3 weeks ahead of me. If I have our Baby Haire in 3 weeks, he would be a Christmas baby.

Does it freak me out? Yes.
Does it make me excited? Yes.
Do I feel prepared? No. 

I need to pack my hospital bag... hell, I need to figure out what I need in my hospital bag. I need to rearrange the closet space in the baby's room, again. I need to pay the diaper service so they will deliver our first load of cloth diapers. But mostly, I need the baby to move his head down.

At my doctor appointment today, my doctor was surprised to feel that my little guy had not moved his head down. I am hoping his surprise came from the fact that the P.A. said his head was down (which she has told me for the last 2 weeks) and finding it slightly to the right and higher. My doctor said he should move down in the next week or so. Please baby, please get in the right position so we can do this the natural way!

I know my body is starting to prep itself for the birth of our little guy. I have been experiencing Braxton-Hicks for the last week. They were really intense over the weekend and still trickling in and out this week. The best thing to note about BH... they aren't regular. They will stop, go away, change. I have to tell myself this over and over, otherwise I would have Pat pull out his contraction-timing ap every day unnecessarily. (Isn't that neat? There is an ap for that! Couldn't be more accurate, right?)

My daily headache starts around 1 pm and I am exhausted by 2:30 pm every day. The cankles are an all day thing now. Coming from a girl that has always had bird legs, these are a strange thing to look down and see.

Speaking of cankles, Pat sprained his right ankle and has been out of work for a week now. His next doctor appointment is on Friday, so we are hoping he can get back to work on Monday and the sprain is healed. The bruising on his foot is quite gruesome, running all the way up to his toesies. I try to take care of him, but he is a guy. They are either completely pitiful (day one of the sprain) or frustratingly stubborn (the rest of his life). But, I love him all the same, and I will take care of him whenever he will let me. But honestly, this was a rough week with both of us having to elevate our legs. Who is going to cook dinner?

On a happy happy happy note: I got my Solly Baby wrap!!! It was the one thing I bought on Black Friday because they were having such a great deal! I have been practicing with my American Girl baby... not sure I have got it just yet.

Currently

Craving: Fudgecicles and homemade chocolate chip cookies

Avoiding: Raw vegetables and spicy things - also, standing. 

Ailments: Headaches, body aches, daily

Sleep: Only on the weekends or if Pat sleeps on the couch

Weight: 151

Favorite thing about being pregnant: People smile at you all the time.

Least favorite thing: Not being able to breathe or catch my breath after walking from the bedroom to the kitchen.