Lamaze

We began our childbirth classes Wednesday night. We'll go every Wednesday night for five weeks. That sounded a little overwhelming at first, but I am so glad we decided to do the five week course. I really enjoyed the class last night (and Kevin actually did, too!). There are about 10 couples and the class encourages us to get to know eachother and share personal stories.

The class focuses on the Lamaze Philosophy. Here are a few of my favorite points:

• Pregnancy is a normal, natural life event.
• Women's bodies are perfectly designed to nourish and nurture their babies through pregnancy.
  
• A good support system, a healthy lifestyle and the ability to cope with the stresses of life promote a healthy pregnancy, a healthy birth and a healthy baby.
• The health-care system and care provider can increase or decrease a woman's confidence in the normality of pregnancy and her ability to have a healthy baby.
• Women’s inner wisdom guides them through birth.
• Women have a right to give birth free from routine medical interventions.

Our class instructor is actually a doula, as well. She is very open to each individuals opinions. With the Lamaze philosophy, women are able and encouraged to decide whether pain medication is right for them or not. Whichever is decided is ok! The next few weeks, we'll talk about things like relaxation techniques, how to stay confidant & strong during labor and ways our birth partner (aka Kevin) can help.

In addition to this class, I have also been reading The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence. This is a fabulous book! I was hooked after just reading the Preface which was so empowering and encouraging. The book focuses on encouraging mothers to trust their ability to give birth without needless medical intervention.

These two resources are exactly what I need right now. I am feeling more and more confidant every day and am learning to trust my body and it's own ability to know what needs to be done for myself and my baby.

32 weeks!!!

Wow... I almost forgot to post that I am now 32 weeks pregnant! It crept up on me so fast!!!

Lea should now be pretty close to 4 pounds! I am apparently gaining about a pound a week these days... half of which is going straight to Lea. She is still moving all the time and still gets the hiccups, at least twice a day. I can feel little jabs and kicks waaaaaay over on my right side, so I think she is still laying with her head to my left. I am feeling pretty good these days... other than minor back aches and annoying swollen feet/ankles/calves, I have no complaints! Kevin and I are seriously contemplating having a 3-D ultra-sound. It would be so cool to see what our little girl looks like! I'll keep you posted.

New floors, baby shower and massage!

As promised, here are pics of the new floor!

Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do... cleaning and putting all the furniture back into place. Not to mention that the living room rug is now WAY too small for that space!

While the guys were working at the house on Saturday, I took a little getaway for my baby shower...

We had yummy food and delicious drinks!

I got to wear a "Mommy to Be" crown and corsage!

Admiring all the gifts (and wondering where everything will go!).

My sister-in-law, Jill and her daughter, Kristin.

The Grandma's!

Then, on Monday, I took another getaway for my prenatal massage (30th birthday gift from my fabulous hubby!). It was heavenly!!!! It only lasted an hour, but it was so wonderful. I could totally do that, at least, once a week until the baby arrives. Actually, I could do it once a week for the rest of my life if I had to! :)

Tonight we are visiting a local pediatric office, then we have out first Labor & Delivery Education class at the hospital. I'll let you know how everything goes!

Floors are done!

The floors were finally finished last night by about 7pm. Our work isn't done, though... everything you can image in our house is now covered in a thin film of dust! YUCK! So, we have a lot of cleaning to do. Not to mention that we still need to move all the furniture, pictures and lamps back into place. But...

The Floors Are Done!!! :)

While we were so busy this weekend, another week went by with my pregnancy. I am now in my 32nd week! Can you believe it? I will post about that, as well as photos of the new floor soon. (I promise!)

And the work begins...

Yesterday, Kevin was a rock star! With a little help from my dad, they were able to rip up all the old (nasty) carpet in the living room, dining room and entry foyer. They also removed the sink and toilet from the half bath and repaired some spots in the sub floor. Today, we'll finish moving all the furniture and paint the baseboards. Well, I say "WE" but I mean Kevin, his dad and my dad. I will be heading south for my second baby shower! :)

Here's a couple pics of what we're living in right now....


I just keep my eye on the prize.... we'll have beautiful, low maintenance, CLEAN floors by Monday afternoon!!!

Babyfood Giveaway!

A fellow mom-blogger is currently doing a giveaway...

Visit Tales from a Marketing Mama to read her review on Sprout Organic Baby Food and then you can enter to win some! :) There's also a discount code to use on Sprout's site.

Hurry! The winner will be drawn tomorrow!!!

Update

I had a check-up this morning at the doctor's office. My fundal height is 32! So, Lea did get much bigger since my last doctor's visit, 4 weeks ago. (From now on, I will visit the doctor every two weeks.) Everything looked and sounded good. I am not anemic and I do not have gestational diabetes! :P

31 weeks!

We've made it to another week! Lea is now measuring about 16 inches long and weighs over 3 pounds! I thought she had a recent growth spurt and it turns out she probably did as these days she is plumping up with much needed fat. She can now turn her head side to side, too!

She is still moving all the time. I often feel her kicks and jabs way over on my far right side (make me wonder how she's getting over there!). She is also hiccuping all the time and I feel that mostly on my left side. This leads me to believe her head is on my left side. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow morning so maybe I'll get some info. then. (at least, more exciting info. besides how much weight I've gained since the last visit!)

Saturday night Kevin took me out to dinner at the Red Room in downtown Raleigh. It was fabulous! We had delicious tapas for dinner, including 'Seared Scallops with chipotle-cauliflower puree & orange-sherry gastrique' and 'Grilled Steak Churrasco with chimichirri'. SO GOOD! I also had a Sparkling Orange/Peach Sangria (non-alcoholic, of course) and we ended the night with chocolate fondue. It really was a fabulous dinner.

Sunday, we installed a new ceiling fan in Lea's room and got a white bookcase for her. Then, we grilled out at my in-laws. My neices and nephew were there which is always fun because they get a kick out of the baby in my belly. Ross (who just started kindergarten last week) actually sang a song to Lea.... she loved it and was moving all around!

It was a really fun weekend. Here's a pic of Kevin and I on our way to dinner...

Do I look THIRTY???

30 weeks and 30 years!

The day has finally come... today I am officially 30 years old AND 30 weeks pregnant (well, technically I am 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant, but who's counting?!).

Friends keep asking me how I am handling turning 30 years old and to be honest, it's not that bad. I mean, I am about to have a BABY so I guess being 30 kinda comes with the territory. Not to mention that my mind is preoccupied with this pregnancy rather than the fact that I have been alive for THIRTY YEARS!

Kevin woke me up with a cupcake and a candle this morning. Then he said I would get my gift tonight... but to my surprise, when I checked my email this morning, I saw that I received a Prenatal Massage gift certificate from Kevin!!! YAY!!! That will be soooo wonderful! Thank you, Kevin!!!! Tomorrow night we're going out to dinner... not sure where as it's a surprise.

It should be a nice, relaxing weekend. Happy Birthday to me!!

Belly Pics!

Looks like I'm 'rounding out'! :)

Update

Just a quick update on my hip.... it seems to be getting better! I have actually been sleeping on the sofa for the past few nights, so maybe that has helped? I am off to my prenatal water aerobics class and I'm planning on taking it easy tonight. Let's hope I won't need to make that orthopedic appointment after all!

30 Weeks!

30 weeks pregnant = 70 days/ 10 weeks to go until my due date!!! (not to mention that I will also be 30 years old this Friday!)

Lea is well over 15 inches long and almost 3 pounds now. Her eyesight is still developing (she can now distinguish between light and dark) as she continues to put on more weight.

Up until this week, I really didn't have any complaints and was feeling pretty darn good. Recently, though, this pregnancy is starting to take a physical toll on me... I have some minor, lower back aches, I am becoming increasingly 'unstable' and clumsy, my legs, feet & ankles are swollen and sore, but worst of all is the pain in my right hip. I have actually succumbed to sleeping on the sofa the past couple nights (and will probably continue to do so) because it seems to help my hip and my breathing being in a semi-upright position. Honestly, though... I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am not trying to complain! I just want to explain what is happening with me these days. :)

On a lighter note, I think my 'nesting' instinct has officially kicked in! Yesterday, we spent the day cleaning around the house (which is typical for a Sunday at the Thomas household), however this time it involved vacuuming the blinds and pillows! I am also washing Lea's clothes, bibs, towels & blankets and getting her closet organized. It's amazing how many clothes we have for her, already. I keep thinking how nice it will be when she's here, though... we won't have to do laundry every single day for awhile! I am really enjoying organizing her stuff. I just try to imaging what she'll look like in her little outfits!

Popping Hip Syndrome

Yes, it's a real thing. Yes, I was diagnosed with it about 10 years ago.

Popping Hip Syndrome, also known as Snapping Hip Syndrome, is something that I have had ever since I can remember. Every step I take, I can feel a light 'pop' inside my both of my hips. Apparently, this is caused by a tendon snapping over my hip bones. In the past, it has only caused me discomfort and slight pain after walking long distances or running. This pain only lasts about a day or two after the activity and never was very severe.

I have always wondered if being pregnant would effect my popping hip syndrome and this week, I am afraid I have found the answer. My right hip has caused me excruciating pain the past couple of days... pain that keeps me awake at night, on the verge of tears... pain that makes me walk with a limp... pain that I can not ignore. I still do not know, for sure, if this is a symptom of pregnancy alone of if it is from the popping hip syndrome, or both. I am just trying to think of ways to make the pain subside at this point: warm bath, heating pad, ice pack, etc.

29 weeks!

I am now 29 weeks pregnant and we have only 77 days to go until my due date! Lea is about 2 1/2 pounds and her muscles & lungs are continuing to mature. Her bones are soaking up lots of calcium these days so that means more milk, yogurt and cheese for me.... No Problem!!!

Lea is still moving all the time and gets the hiccups every single day (at least once or twice a day). Moving around is getting harder (as Kevin has recently commented on my heavy breathing & grunting when I am just slowly moving around the house!). Sleeping is also getting more and more difficult. I just can't get comfortable! And, my last 'complaint' is that my lower back has begun to ache. Honestly, though... I am not complaining! I actually couldn't be happier to have this little miracle growing inside me and I can not wait to meet her & see what she looks like!!!

We are back from our Jordan Lake trip. Saturday was a beautiful day! We spent the majority of tha day on the 'beach'. The weather Sunday wasn't as nice, however. It was overcast and raining off & on all day. So, we spent the day in the motor home reading, playing UNO and watching movies. Each night there (three nights), I had two S'mores! YUM! They were so good! I also are my body weight in watermelon. :)

Here are some pics from our mini vacation:

Bailey enjoying the sun on the beach.

After being away for about an hour, we came back to find this in the motor home. Bailey had found and completely ate FOUR granola bars and TWO mini bags of m&m's! As you can see, she was ashamed of herself...

And here's the damage. Needless to say, she didn't get much dinner that night!

When we returned home today, we were surprised with the delivery of our car seat for Lea. Of course we immediately opened it and tried it out in the Escape!

After only a few minutes of arguing and struggling, we were able to install it. (Don't worry, we'll have it checked out at the fire department before Lea gets in it!!!)

Things are really coming together these days. I am so glad we started planning and purchasing early. It's nice to not be rushing around and worrying if we have what we need.

Happy 4th of July!

I just LOVE July! It's my favorite month!

You get fabulous fireworks on the 4th while celebrating our nation's Independence and eating hotdogs & burgers by the lake (or beach)... my Grandmother's birthday is on the 2nd... of course, my birthday is on the 17th... and then my brother's birthday (which is also my friend, Shawn's birthday) is on the 19th! I have fond memories of summertime birthday celebrations in July. It is also the 7th month, which is a very lucky number and it's usually HOT outside (and I do love the heat). What more could you want?!

Today marks only 80 more days until my due date! Can you believe it??? In less than 3 months, our baby girl will be here! I am so excited!!! We finally received our Colgate, eco-friendly crib mattress and bassinet pad and our Sunshine Kids Radian80 car seat will be delivered on Monday. What more do you need for a new baby?! :)

This morning, Kevin & I got up early and headed over to Jordan Lake to find a campsite. Dad is bringing the motorhome up for us and we'll stay there until Monday. I can't wait to head back down there after work! Bailey loves camping... running around in the woods & swimming in the warm, shallow water. It should be a really nice, relaxing weekend full of hotdogs, watermellon and, of course, s'mores!!!