Back to babbling....

So, it has been pretty much forever since I last blogged. Sorry about that. In mommy time it has been about 10 years.... ;)


It seems like so much has happened since August. We went to Sedona, AZ and had a lovely weekend trip there. Izzy pretty much loved Sedona, and I finally got to see the Grand Canyon.

Umm... Iz turned 6months! I don't know how that happened... For some reason 6 months is a big mile marker to me...

Iz really is such a great little girl. She gets me out of bed early(to my standards at least) but when I pick her up in the morning its just a burst of happiness. I love it... I think Michael has picked up on it too. When he is home, he loves getting her up from naps... I would call her an angel, but I don't think angels are as loud and shrill as she is... She just likes to tell ya what's up, in the loudest voice possible.. Hahaha. Michael and I are stumped as to how such a little baby can make such a loud noise.. She can make my ping-pong table room echo...

Her baby babble is becoming way more understandable too... It's staring to sound like sounds instead of coos and sighs... Every once and awhile I will hear wa-wa and da-da, and once she said ma-ma... Sadly this was all just jibberish to her... I have been saying ma-ma to her a lot, and I think she knows that it means me. When I say it she looks at me and smiles... But her eyes look at me in a way that makes me think that she knows what I'm saying.... I love it...

Well she is now officially 8 months old... She loves sweet potatoes, carrots, hates peas, not crawling yet but seriously on the verge... Like any day now... I wouldn't be surprised if she lost some weight once she starts... Silly little miss...

It's funny how you Figure out a name for your child and you try to make sure there aren't any funny nicknames, but when they are born you come up with all kinds of nicknames for them... Before she was born we called her Izzy-Iz but now we call her sweet endearing names like:

The stink
Stinker butt
Miss Iz ( when you say it aloud, it sounds like Mrs.)
Iz
Izzers
Little miss
Missy
Etc....


Ok, I'm sure I've successfully wasted your time...

Izzy Ears

Iz will be 5 months Sept. 4th. How in the world did my little girl get to be 5 months!? (and at the same time, these 5 months seemed like forever.) (Don't ask me how... but yeah)

So at her 4 Month check up, Iz got shots (that gave her a small temp the next day) and her ears pierced. Yes I know... she is only 4 months old, I'm mean. BUT this is how I figure...

1. She will not remember the trama of getting her ears pierced.
2. I could have given her the choice when she is older, but what little girl doesn't want her ears pierced?
3. I have read that the nerves in her ear lobes aren't fully developed yet, so it doesn't hurt as much. (I have no idea if that is true or not)

AND she handled it like a champ. She didn't like being held down, but as soon as we picked her up the crying stopped. (the shots were a different story...) not a happy camper after those mean shots...

 The only down side (which is a lame down side) is that I didn't get to pick her first earings. She had some little gold dots that looks rather 'Old Lady' esk...

Got my hair did...

I wanted a change... This is the first time that I have ever liked being a brunette... The feathers help... I really like it....

Izzy's Baby Blessing

If you guys don't already know, I have the best family. I hate to brag, but I cannot lie, my family really is the best. It is soo heart warming to have them all come together for my little Izzy.

Izzy was blessed on June 5th. Michael did an amazing job, I'm pretty sure all the ladies in my family cried. It was really touching. A lot of people have come up to me telling me how Michael's voice just captured them. I cannot express how great it is to have such a wonderful man in my life that has the priesthood. Thank you to all the great men in Izzy's life that helped bless her. She had:

Daddy
Uncle Cristopher
Uncle Daniel
Grandpa Donavan
Uncle Rickey
Uncle Shane
Grandpa Lynn
Uncle Judd
Uncle David
Cousin Josh
Uncle Todd
Jared Ford
& Bishop Gardner

Being a mom has changed my life for the better. I love when she looks at me and smiles. I love our conversations. I just love her. I recommend being a mom. Nothing is better than a smile and a coo...

Izzy Part: 2

Ok you guys, sorry to leave off in the middle of the story... I have hardly anytime to myself...

So after being hooked up to the meter machine for about 15 minutes, Dr. Jones comes back into the room, takes a look at the data the machine recorded, and said everything looks fine no need to worry, but the placenta was matured and Izzy has stopped growing. So in other words, Izzy was full term and was just taking her sweet time coming out... (Now that I know her it totally makes sense... The stinker is the slowest eater I have ever seen and all she wants to do is cuddle. What better place to cuddle than the womb?)

Jones wanted to schedule us for a stress test for that night. (Everything was happening so fast that Michael and I just gave him 'deer in the headlight' looks and nodded.

That night we go to the hospital and we are put into a delivery room, and I change into the hospital gown. And then we waited for what seemed like forever. Finally a sweet nurse came in and hooked me up to an IV (which sucked) and checked me. They started the platocin and then we just hung out. The nurse came in a couple more times to check me and adjusted the platocin dropper thing.

So after 4 hours of no changes the nurse came back in and said that Jones called and scheduled me to be induced on Monday, if I don't go into labor all by myself over the weekend. (And of course I didn't)

ps. Platocin makes you way hormonal. After getting off it that night I made Michael take me to In n Out where I downed 2 burgers, and wanted to cry for no reason at all.

Back to the story.....

Monday morning FINALLY came. (it was the slowest weekend of my life) I was so nervous about what was about to happen. We got to the hospital a 1/2 hour early and taken straight into a room, changed and hooked up. (no waiting this time) Hours pass and I dilate to a 2 and more hours pass, and finally around 5pm I'm finally a 3. The nurse breaks my water and gets that wonderful man that does the epidurals. Before he does it he tells me that 1 in 30 epidurals miss the mark the first time. (its like he jinxed himself) Once it was done he tested it and he missed. So he redid my epidural, and it took that time.

ps. I highly recommend the epidural. After being pregnant for 40 weeks, it feels GREAT to be paralyzed from the waist down. All your backaches are gone and your butt doesn't hurt...

(oh and by the way, I was having contractions this whole time. I must have a VERY high pain tolerance, I barely noticed them, but they were reading off the charts....)

So at this point I know what a contraction feels like but not to the point of were I'm screaming and pulling on Michael's hair....

After my water was broken and my epidural administered, we just hung out and watched American Chopper, thinking I was going to progress as slowly as I did all day long. At 8pm the nurse came in and checked me. I was at a 10! (so glad I didn't have a mirror) This is when I got anxious... Yikes! a 10 that fast!? The nurse said that we were gonna start with the practice pushes. This made Michael and I even more nervous, because my sister in law practiced pushed and her baby came out without her doctor... SCARY!

Just as we were about to tell the nurse, Sorry no practice pushing for us, Jones walks in... (it was literally like a knight in shining armor moment.) I exhaled and felt a lot better about the whole situation. Thinking this was going to be an easy delivery Jones turned off my epidural and told me to start pushing. So I pushed... and pushed......... and pushed some more. Izzy was stuck on my pubic bone, and no matter how hard I pushed she didn't budge. After 2 hours of pushing my guts out, the epidural started to wear off and I started to feel things I didn't want to. At that point Jones got the forceps, and as I pushed, he pulled. Finally little Miss Izzy came out screaming at 10:22 pm. I looked down and saw a purple little baby.

They cleaned her up, weighed 6 LBS and 13 Oz. and measured 18 inches (which I found out later that was wrong she was really 19inches) her, Michael cut the cord and counted fingers and toes...

Well, Little Miss Iz had fluid in her lungs and a little bit of a temperature... So I only got a glance at her before they carted her off to the NICU.

(All the while my wonderful Dr. Jones stitched me up (and yes I could feel it)

Izzy took all the commotion with her to the NICU (Michael went with her on my request) I was alone... It was the first time in 10 months that I was alone. All alone. My Izzers wasn't with me. I laid their and cried. Cried for my baby, hoping everything was going to be alright with her, and for myself. I didn't realize how wonderful being pregnant was until she wasn't with me anymore. (Granted Hormones was a BIG kicker in all of this)

Michael came back and updated me on how our Little Izzers was doing. She was fine, just had to cough up the fluid and try to maintain a good temperature. Sadly NICU has a 4 hour policy. Once a baby is admitted into the NICU they cant be released for at least 4 hours.

Michael was running back and forth all night. Showing me pictures of her, and reassuring me that she is completely fine.

After the 4 hours passed, we were transferred to a recovery room. (getting out of that delivery room and away from the traumatic experience was a breath of fresh air to me) I finally got to hold my baby, my perfect baby.

So that is my story. I'm not gonna lie, I teared up writing this, remembering the part when my Iz wasn't with me, and the possibility that something could be terribly wrong with her. It was a heavy experience.

Little Miss Izzy was swollen and had bruises on her face from the forceps, but somehow she managed to be the cutest little girl I have ever seen. We weren't too sure if we were gonna actually name her Izzy tho. She didn't look like the little girl from our 3-d ultra sound, and we already had the face and the name linked. It took me two days to finally fill out the Birth Certificate. It was the very last thing we did before leaving the hospital. We figured she was Izzy. It felt right, and that's what we were calling her most of the pregnancy....


Pictures to follow.....

Izzy: Part 1

Wow. Where do I begin!? I have neglected this blog so much I don't even know where I should start!


March 18th I left on maternity leave. I didn't know if I was gonna go early like my beautiful sister, Robin, or if I was gonna be late or on time. I was thinking that I was going to be like Rob cause we are sisters. I asked my mom if she was ever early or late with any of her kids, and she said she was on time. (That didn't help me at all..) So finally after 10 months of waiting Izzy Lynn made her grand entrance into our lives. How did all that magic happen? Well let me tell you.... (Before I tell you this great story, I will have to let you know that this birthing thing was my first ever, so to me, it was very traumatic.)


Ok, so it all started with a Dr. appointment. Michael and I go in and its the typical pee in a cup, take my blood pressure and weight. Well my wonderful Dr. Jones wants to see what position my little Izzy is in, so he has us do an ultra-sound right then and there. She is in position and everything looks great, but the ultra sound lady asked me if I was smoking during the pregnancy... I was sort of shocked! Do I smell like smoke? Nope. I told her that I was in a casino once during my whole pregnancy... So she goes on to tell me that there are white spots in the ultra-sound which usually mean that the pregnant lady has been smoking. So this kinda FREAKED Michael and I out..............

So we are waiting for Dr. Jones to come in and talk to us about the Ultra-Sound. And he hooks me up to a meter machine type thingy that measures how often she is moving. I guess the Ultra-sound Lady told my Dr. that Izzy didn't move the whole ultra sound. Michael and I were PALE at this point with nervousness... I knew she was moving and stuff but I don't know how active a full term baby is suppose to move... So I'm sitting there second guessing every single movement...


TO BE CONTINUED....

Onesies!

I don't know what got into me last night, but I got my big 8 1/2 month pregnant butt to do something crafty! Well... I don't know if this really qualifies as crafty......

Don't you love the cell phone quality photos? I should be ashamed.... but if your already sitting on the floor and you have a hard time moving, you start settling for your cell phone camera...

Pick-A-Day, Any Day....

Today is the first day of March! You know what that means????
It means that I could have Izzy this month! (yikes! I know!)


So lets make this interesting...........................

What day do you think she will make her grand entrance?

Whoever is right gets: 

Bragging Rights!?

Baby Update No. 14

How far along: 34 weeks and 3 days (8 1/2 months!)  - 5 weeks and 4 days (39 Days) TO GO!

Total weight gain/loss: Erg. I'm not sure. I don't like knowing how much I weigh. I'm surprised that I put it on here too... I have a Dr. Apt on Thursday, I guess I will find out then.

Maternity clothes: Yes. Went shopping on President's Day! Got some really cute stuff! I got these cotton dresses that are nice and comfy and long. I highly recommend getting a nice comfy dress when you are pregnant. I would compare them to fudge on a ice cream Sunday...

Stretch marks: Yes. It's not that I have a lot of them, its just that they are more noticeable than I'd like them to be. So don't be imagining these HUGE stretch marks on me... k? ;)

Sleep:  Sleep is a magical thing that I get to do between getting up and going to the bathroom, and fighting with my heartburn. I still loving the wedge, but if I'm not using it, I'm fine too. I starting to sleep pretty hot at nights too. Michael has cold feet when he comes to bed so I always put my feet on his, and we both win.

Dreams: I have had some dreams that I just wake up confused as to what just happened. But the only one I can remember right now is: I was a contestant on a new reality show on HGTV. We had to make a floral arrangement. The first phase of the show was shopping around for the things you were gonna make it with... I was racing around this huge craft mall going in and out of shops just grabbing pretty things that I loved. All the other contestants were taking their time looking at the little details of stuff and not really getting much. (I don't know what that means) I was lugging all this heavy stuff back to my designated craft table and get to work. When the other contestants saw me they started hurrying up. -  Sadly I didn't get to see my finished floral arrangement, but it had dark purple and turquoise with pops of bright pink with some pretty peacock feathers with lace ribbon around a tall vase.

Best Moment this week: Wow. Can I count my whole weekend? I plan on doing a whole blog post on it! My goody friends came into town for my baby shower, Then Saturday was my Baby Shower. It was amazing! My dad, Michael and My father-in-law were out side making Pizzas in the Pizza oven, My Sister-in-Laws made the best cupcakes and deserts EVER, and my sister did a great job with the games! It seriously was an event! I'm really really blessed to have the family I have. Izzy is gonna be really well loved and seriously spoiled! Sunday morning, Rachael took my Maternity Pictures. It was nice to get all dolled up and pretty. Its hard to feel pretty while your pregnant....

Movement: Its so weird. I never thought breathing would be hard. Izzy is really strong now. When she kicks or moves it doesn't hurt, but man its startling when she does it. Makes me jump every time. I guess now she is so big that I feel every time she moves. She goes crazy if I drink a water bottle really fast. Its funny to see, and feel.
 
Food cravings: I was thinking about this the other day.. I haven't really had any really crazy cravings. The weirdest thing craved was salt and vinegar chips. But no combinations like pickles and fudge.

Aversions: Eggs. Re-fried beans.

Gender: GIRL! I received soo many cute outfits at my baby shower. Fun little dresses and PJ's and onsies... I can't wait to put them on her...

What I miss: My endurance. It was pretty embarrassing to have to sit down while shopping. The whole swollen ankles thing too. I have to take it easier than I thought I would have too...

Milestones: My Baby Shower! I can't believe I have already had it. It means that the next thing is acutally having the baby. AND the craziest part about all of it is that in 2 weeks they won't stop me from going into labor!!! So the next time I do a baby update, could be the last! Wowza....! 8 1/2 months.....

Extra: My ankles have started to swell if I'm up and doing too much... Hahaha its weird to look down and not see ankles, but cankles... Michael is really excited about putting everything together. I think he is going thru a nesting phase. (Hey I don't mind, all of our projects that we started are finally getting finished! ahaha) I will do a post about all the updates soon! Love that guy....

Progress...

Izzy's Room is slowly coming together! I can't wait til  -

1.) She's Here
2.) Her room is all done
and
3.) She's Here...

The newest addition... My sweet sister-in-law, Leah, was nice enough to bring it down for us... Don't you love Ikea...?

We finally hung the shelf....

Ugly Bugger...

Valentines Day kinda came by surprise for us in the Hilsabeck household. I completely forgot it was Valentine's Day and so did Mikey. (Anyone surprised there?) Hahahaa...

Michael and I have never really been one's for complete romance. We prefer just being goofy around each other. Yeah, we just show our love thru stupid immature stuff.... 13 year olds at heart.

So instead of the typical mushy mush Valentine's Day gift, I got Mikey-Man a Fish.

The Ugly Bugger.

Don't get me wrong I like him. I just can't look at him while I'm eating....

Its an Oscar. (When I went to the store I asked what the lowest maintainance fish they had. The Betas all looked like they were on death-row) He showed me this guy and told me that he is aggressive, so don't put him with other fish and to feed him flakes and make sure to change out his water every 2 weeks.

Well when I got to work the next day I was telling my co-worker that I got Michael an Oscar. That's when I found out that my co-worker is a sadist. ;) He started telling me how he had one and he would feed it gold fish and other live insects... erg....

Once I told Michael about that, he went from liking his new pet to LOVING it.

Nothing says romance like a fish scarfing down another fish...

Whale Wars!

Have you ever seen Whale Wars? It was on Animal Planet... Depending on your point of view, they are Hippies or a Terrorist Group. (which is too funny) Anyways back on topic. These Hippies have old whaling ships that they use to harass the Japanese Whaling ships.

In all the seasons of the show they have really done nothing except annoy the Japanese. This is why Michael and I love the show. Every episode was some new idea, from shooting red paint at the whaling ships (symbolizing blood) to throwing stinky acid concoctions and making a Prop Foul-er (basicly a chain/rope combination that gets caught up in their propellers) Sadly all attempts never really paned out....

To get to the point of this post: They actually did it! The Japanese have announced that they have temporarily canceled the whaling season...

Now what are those Hippies gonna do...?  ;)

Here is the link.

Cocos Greenhouse

I love these....

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CocosGreenhouse?ref=top_trail

They are only $12.75 with shipping....(I'm trying to resist) I know you kids never see me wear earrings, but I don't think I would ever take these puppies off...

Anyways all her stuff is pretty much to die for... and priced realistically... which is refreshing...

Baby Update No. 13

How far along: 32 weeks and 3 days (8 months!)  - 7 weeks and 4 days (53 Days) TO GO!

Total weight gain/loss: At my Doctor's Apt. I was 159, and its been a week so now I would guess I weigh 160.

Maternity clothes: Yes. I fit into my maternity jeans just fine, but man they feel tight these days. Again, those cotton skirts are my friend....

Stretch marks: I am ready to delete this topic out of these updates. At this point I'm hoping the lotion will just make them less noticeable...

Sleep: Last night I slept like the dead. (I still got up twice to go to the bathroom tho) I woke up at 7:45 this morning and felt great. The wedge pillow I have is still a big life saver.


Dreams: Hahaha... I actually had a funny dream. I dreamed that Michael bought a house in San Francisco but it was divided into 4 separate apartments. Each apartment was completely run down and pretty much a total dive - the worst one being the one we were gonna live in. (Water damage, mold, dirty, rusting) Just terrible. I was getting nauseous from the smell of the place. Michael is really good with home repairs, so I wasn't too nervous, but I remember thinking, "I'm gonna bring home my baby to this!?" ps. It was a very funny dream. Now that its all written out, it doesn't sound that funny. (and I dream in color! The house was bright turquoise!)

Best Moment this week: I have had lots of fun happy moments. Emily (Michael's Cousin) came down with her husband during the week. It was nice to see them. My newest nephew, Jett was blessed on Sunday, So I got to see him and eat some amazing Mexican food. I think all of those count towards a really great week.

Movement: Yes. This little girl is getting soo strong. I have a "sore spot" I don't know why or how I got it, but its just on the top part of my tummy. Its tender to the touch, like a bruise and for some reason Izzy knows exactly where it is... When she pushes on it, I just want to keel over and die. Sometimes I can't take it any longer and I slowly push back. (hurting myself more in the process) She has really good aim with the ribs too, but I would rather have her kick my ribs than my sore spot.... hahaha....
 
Food cravings: This Saturday Michael and I went to L&L BBQ with Crissy, Shayla and Ethan. I tried Chicken Katsu. Yummy Yummy yummy. I got the big portion on accident, and totally thought, "oh man, there is no way I can finish all this..." and I did. Mmm... Any one want to go to L&L BBQ with me?

ps. Ice cream is still my weakness, but its also my enemy... Totally gives me way bad heart burn, but my policy is 'I'm gonna get it anyways, I might as well eat it.'

Aversions: Eggs. Re-fried beans.

Gender: GIRL! I had some time to kill before going over to my Mother-in-laws the other night so I gathered all the little girl clothes that I already have to hang them up. Well I couldn't do it. Reason #1: I was sitting on the floor. I am now soo big that sitting on the floor is pretty much a suicide mission. I couldn't sit without something starting to go numb and tingle. (hahahahaa I don't know why I find this funny, but it totally is) and  Reason #2: What do I hang up? I got thru all the cute outfits, but then I had onsies and pjs... Do I hang those up?  What do all you experienced Mommies do? Plus I know I will get some cute stuff at my baby shower so I didn't want to use up all my hangers... Sadly this totally made me befuddled and I stopped.

What I miss: My endurance. Not that I had a great endurance before, but I have to sit down after standing for too long, and walking short distances is fine if I know there is a bench and some water once I get there. I almost feel handicapped...

Milestones: 8 MONTHS! Wow. I am now getting pretty nervous about the whole labor part. I still don't know where I will be delivering, thanks to the Insurance Companies... Hopefully I will be able to figure it out by the end of the week.  I have about a month and a half left. Michael doesn't think I will make it to my due date... I don't think I will either. But who knows. No body thought my friend, Sam would make it to her due date, and she was 2 weeks late.... My strategy is not to think about it....

Extra: I had a painful morning the other day. I think I had 2 contractions. SO PAINFUL! The first one lasted maybe 3 minutes. I was sitting and had to support my self with the wall. And the second one wasn't as bad but luckily Michael was home by then and he helped me thru it. I had some water after the first one and I think that is why the second one wasn't so bad. I was reading about it and dehydration can lead to contractions. So I'm officially off of soda (which I had a lot of the day before) All I drink is water water water (ok some Gatorade and milk too) Haven't had any painful events since. Later that same day I also got some Braxton Hicks contractions. Those are interesting to feel too. Not painful (thankgoodness) but I was very very aware of them. But I have been contraction free since that day. (which is another thankgoodness)

Here is the picture of me and Izzy. (I am counting her as in the picture so I don't feel as huge.) Ps. To all of my out of town friends, I look way bigger in person... for some reason... I don't know how or why...

Charlie Horse!

Ok, ok... I have a confession. I haven't really been watching American Idol this year. Yes, yes, I know... Shocker. BUT my cutsie Sister-In-Law, Emma, and my Mother-In-Law, Cristina sat me down and pressed play.... You guys have got to see this.... (and if it doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will....)

I love the hobbling when she is leaving! Hahaha....

Terribly Happy

I was reading on my friends blog (whilst in the middle of an emotional day) and she made a list of 10 things that make her terribly happy. It hit me that I don't do this enough. I really need to count my blessings and maybe the things that get me down, won't bother me so much. In no particular order, here I go....

1. My husband. He has always been really really sweet to me, but lately I think he can sense my hormonal-ness and he always tries to cheer me up or changes the topic to a more pleasant one. (This is good practice for him, cause I know I'm going to be a mess when labor hits! erg!)

2. Puppies. (all doggies are puppies to me) I know I don't have one, but they instantly bring my joy. Even watching videos of them make my day that much brighter. They are so honest, and innocent. Hahaha, as I'm writing this I'm thinking of examples in my head. (The look they give when they know they did something bad, its like they have to fess up to you...) Or every time they see you, its like they live their whole life just to love you. I love puppies. (they are the reason I watch America's Funniest Home Videos)

3. Izzy. I know I know. This one is kinda a cheater one. I haven't stayed up all night with her yet, or changed a smelly diaper yet either, but man-o-man I just can't get the excitement outta me. Yay!

4. Laughing. Michael these days is so funny (see #1). I was sick on Friday, so I stayed home, and it was so fun to have the whole weekend with him. I think we laughed the majority of the time. I think that helped with me getting better too... I love hearing funny kid stories, or puppy stories (see #2) or just silly things. I just love to laugh... A good belly shaking, belly button popping laugh. Love it.

5. My home. Some times Michael and I have to escape and just get out, but at the same time, I love going home and knowing its mine. Its where we belong. It just a nice feeling. I think it is really coming together too. For some reason, its easier to clean these days, which you wouldn't think is the case cause I'm just getting fatter and fatter... I think Michael and I have finally gotten into a groove (yes it has taken this long...) I love inviting people over and chilling on the couch or playing a game...

6. Getting Kicked. (this should probably go under #3, but I feel its separate..) Its probably one of the best feelings in the world. Even when they are semi-painful. Its just a little kick or punch that makes you go, "Aw, she is with me, I'm special..." And when you look down and your tummy is lop-sided or its moving all by itself, it just makes ya giggle... Feeling her move is definitely worth the first 3months of misery...  I really am gonna miss that a lot once I have her. (but then I will have her! woot woot!) (I guess I can't lose!)

7. Picking on my Dad. We have a very special relationship. (where he acts like a 13 year old) I don't know why, but it is sooo satisfying to get him into trouble. (not that he really gets in trouble.) We literally can't sit next to each other during church, all we do is giggle. Silly old Man...

8. Roller Coasters. I haven't been on one in forever! I really can't wait til the next time I can get on one....

9.Our Couch. I have a "special spot" (this is what Michael calls it... hahaha) in other words its where he knows not to sit, if I'm home... Hahahaaa... This spot on the couch can put me to sleep in minutes. I don't know how or why, but if I sit there, I'm as good as asleep. (its pretty much where I lived this weekend, being sick and all...)

10. Chamomile Tea. Lately its the only thing that helps me fall asleep. I would like to thank my wonderful Sister-In-Law, Leah for introducing me to this one. I don't know, maybe its all mental, but as soon as I take my first sip I can feel a wave of relaxation go over my body, un-flexing any muscles I didn't know were flexed, and I can let go of whatever happened that day and just fall asleep.

Baby Update No. 12

How far along: 30 weeks and 4 days(7 1/2 months)  -  9 weeks and 3 days (66 Days) TO GO!

Total weight gain/loss: I honestly haven't weighed myself since my Dr. Apt. (Do you blame me?) but I think I'm in the ballpark of 160(gulp!)

Maternity clothes: Hahaa... It might be time to get some maternity shirts. I thought I would be fine wearing my regular shirts (my regular shirts have been alot cute-er on me now that I'm round in front....) but last night when I realized that I had to suck in my tummy to get my shirt off, I started laughing....

Stretch marks: The one on my hip has grown a little. I'm not happy about this. So lets not talk about it...

Sleep: I have started waking up at odd hours for pretty much no reason at all. I have been getting up anyways and going to the bathroom. Of course I'm thirsty at that point, so we starting keeping water bottles in the room so I don't have to climb stairs in the middle of the night.

Dreams: The other night I dreamed that my sister came over with her husband and she was COVERED in tattoos. I was like, "Robin, what the heck did you do to yourself?" Of course she was all nonchalant about it, and asked me if I liked them. Well at this point I was sooo mad at her for spending all that money on full body tattoos when she has a brand new baby to take care of... The worst part was that she tattooed random people's names on her... I woke up glad to realize it was just a dream....

Best Moment this week: I don't know about one particular moment that was great, but there were lots of fun moments. Since I have been in the 3rd trimester, I have noticed that I have been way more emotional. And I think it has made me laugh more. So I can't really complain. I love to laugh. Its nice to feel like I can laugh at any given moment. I need to feel like that more often. I love being pregnant. Its just those first 3 months that are bad. (then again I haven't given birth yet...........)

Movement: Ok. She is in my ribs. More just pushing, I have only gotten 2-3 kicks to the ribs... I have to stretch all the way back to let her stretch and once I do that I'm good for a minute or two til she does it again. Maybe she isn't strong enough yet for this to hurt, but it's kinda fun. Almost like a game we play.... She likes to punch or kick (whatever limb is down there) my hips. And it doesn't hurt either but its definitely a weird feeling... She can also reach around to my side and it literally feels like someone is tickling me. This doesn't hurt either, but every time she does it, it stops me from what I'm doing cause it really feels like I just got tickled...
 
Food cravings: I still love Sam's Club hot dogs. I had the craving for In N Out yesterday (which I haven't gotten for 9+ months.) So I went there hesitant to get a burger, but I did, (extra cheese, well done) and I just didn't look at it while I ate it, and it was really really de-lish!

Aversions: Eggs. Have I ever mentioned this before?

Gender: GIRL! Its still a girl. When we got the 3-d Ultra-sounds we double checked. I still haven't gotten the nursery done. I really need to get my butt in gear considering I have 9 weeks left! Erg! I have started to look at paint colors, and I'm thinking about painting up an Armour that we already have instead of buying a totally new dresser... I'm a little nervous to do that cause I have never painted furniture before...

What I miss: Painting my toes. or at least removing the chipped and cracked nail polish.... I guess I'm gonna have to go get a pedicure... darn... ;)

Milestones: 7 1/2 months pregnant I think is a milestone in anyone's book. Its crazy to think that I'm into the thirties(week wise)... But then again I have been pregnant so long its gonna be weird when I'm not anymore... I think I will miss the kicks and the movement... (Eating In N Out is a milestone too)

Extra: My belly button is still an Inny. When I laugh or cough it pokes out and goes back in... Then it makes me laugh even harder when I feel that... I think I had a mini-panic episode about giving birth and the idea of going to the hospital in a state of panic. I looked up a packing list of stuff to bring to the hospital and I don't have most of the stuff, which made me more nervous... Luckily Shayla and Rachael were around to calm me down. (Sadly Robin can't help me in this area, her story makes me even more panic-y) Plus it doesn't help that at this moment I do not know what hospital I will be able to deliver at. (Long story) So all in all, I'm trying not to think about the impending doom of labor....

Ahem.... here is my Bi-Monthly pic of me to end this post on a humorous note. ;)

I wanted to show off my cutsie new jacket - but it made my face look fat. Before I could go into total melt down Leah told me to take my jacket off... So this is an attempt to show me that I don't have 'Fat Face'. Leah is so sweet to me... Love her...

Futter By....

Home Goods is a dangerous place for a expecting mother that is trying not to spend money. 

I saw these:

 

I totally thought they were cute, but they were real butterflies... Which I thought was just a little too morbid for a little girl's nursery... 

So I came up with this:

Which was way cheaper anyways... I got the butterflies at Michaels and I think they were $5 for a pack of 10 and the foam board was $2.50. I can't wait to find frames for them and put them in the nursery!

ps. The butterfly wings are made of dyed feathers with glitter... How fun is that instead of creepy dead insects?

Izzy

This weekend was awesome...

Michael and I were debating on weather or not to do the 3-D Ultra sound.... Finally I told him that I really really wanted to do it.... All I can say is that I'm so glad we did. I can't believe how real she is to us now... She has always been real, but seeing her was just an amazing experience! Seeing her face was just awesome. I really can't describe it better than that...

She is a mini-me! Hahaha! I don't know why but I totally didn't expect that. I was thinking a girl version of Mikey-man. (I have had 2 dreams that Izzy looked like Michael's little sister, Emma.) Now we really can't wait til she is here!