32 weeks: Photos

Brace yourselves for what is to come! The bare belly makes an appearance here again (for the first time since 15 weeks). My stomach is getting so tight and it's shocking that the baby can even make any more room in there. However, it's obvious he or she is trying like mad to keep stretching it out with all the movement going on in there. We can often feel body parts protruding, but we just don't quite know how to identify exactly what they are!

Oh, the places we'll go

Normally January in Minnesota feels like a drag. It’s the month when everyone starts complaining about how cold it is outside and how long the winter is. Well this year, for me, January is so exciting! It’s going to be a really busy month for us and before we know it, it’ll be over. We have a lot on the calendar to prepare for the bundle’s arrival and each event will hopefully leave us feeling more ready than the next for the change in store for our family of two.


Yesterday, we had our 32 week doctor appointment. It was a pretty quick appointment and everything went well. I didn’t gain any weight since my last appointment, so that was a nice added bonus. Not that I’m opposed to the weight gain by any means, but with my bottomless pit of a stomach, it was kind of refreshing (and a bit miraculous) hearing I hadn’t packed on some pounds. Give it time. Our next appointment will be in two weeks with a nurse practitioner and then we follow up with our doctor two weeks after that in the beginning of February. At that appointment at 36 weeks, he’ll do a cervical exam to make sure the baby’s head is down and to see if I’ve started to dilate. Appointments will continue every week after that until the baby comes.


Last night, we started the first (three hour) session of our “Birth and Parenting Preparation” class, a class that will conclude today (after another six hour session). Am I the only one that thinks the he-he-ha breathing method is a little scary with its resemblence to that hair-raising background "music" in Friday the 13th? My brother used to freak me out with that as a kid...che, che, che, che, ha, ha, ha, ha...che, che, che, che, ha, ha, ha, ha. How am I supposed to relax as I reminisce about this painful childhood memory? Maybe it'll end up having a positive effect and help my mind to refocus. Lord, I hope so after watching that birthing video. The good news is that I still want to have our baby (as if I had a choice now), but I'll admit I'm getting more anxious about labor and delivery. I'm sure every new mom-to-be is before it happens though, so I'll get through it (kicking and screaming probably, but I will..right?). Subsequent classes start this coming Monday night and continue on Monday nights through the end of January. They include an “All About Babies” Class (four hours total) and a “Breastfeeding Preparation” class (two and a half hours total).


The really fun stuff begins after our class when my first baby shower kicks off this evening! I cannot even wait. Because I’ve been to so many over the years for other people, it’s very surreal to think of myself as being the guest of honor this time. I’m so lucky to have such fabulous people in my life that offered to throw them for me. Each shower will be different than the rest; one is in the morning, one is in the afternoon and one is in the evening.

Leah, Kristin, Missy and Missy, four of my best friends, are throwing a baby shower cocktail/mocktail party for me tonight! I’m really looking forward to seeing what they have in store. They pull out all the stops for parties and I have no doubt it’ll be an event to remember. I just hope none of the guys Leah and I used to work with back in the day at Chi-Chi’s makes an appearance as bartenders (as they did when her parents threw a major bash for their 50th birthdays). I don’t think my bladder coupled with Kristin’s hard wood floors could handle those shaved man legs and muscle shirts without a major accident.

The most fantastic neighbors and friends that anyone could ask for, Denise and Mary, will be having a neighborhood shower for me next weekend. They were so sweet and had the guest list prepared for me literally the day after Jeff and I told them I was pregnant! It was the nicest. We are so grateful to have them and their families in our lives (stay tuned for a blog post about Mrs. Mary Smith!).

My last shower, will be given by two of my aunts and two of my cousins, Pat, Jody, Tammy and Khristin. I'm very close with each of them (although Pat gets way more pumped up about being close to my husband...keep it in the family I guess...OK, gross). They have all been so good to me and I’m really happy to be able to celebrate this time with them and all my other relatives!

The hubby will be extra busy with beer and boys, broomball and bowling each week. I told him to keep his cell phone close by! We'll also sneak in a Wild game, an overnight getaway and a couple other parties together this month. January is packed, but so many good things are in store. My sincerest thanks and gratitude goes out to each of my shower hosts for making me feel as special as I do, and likewise to all of our friends and family for helping both Jeff and me to rejoice in this awesome time in our lives.

Pay it forward

My coffee craving got the better of me today. I didn’t have time to make it at home this morning and my obsessive trait took over and I couldn’t stop thinking about how yummy it sounded. So off to the Caribou drive through I went. When my vehicle approached to pay, the window opened to reveal the cutest, most chipper girl who proceeded to tell me that the person in front of me had just paid for my coffee. I was shocked…elated…touched. The thought of a complete stranger’s act of kindness made me choke up immediately and I cried the entire way from there to work (aside from trying to keep it together during my phone call to Jeff to let him know what had just happened). I realized as I pulled away that I was a schmuck for not doing the same thing for the person behind me. I guess I was flustered and so consumed by the thoughts in my head about what just happened. So the next time I pull through the drive thru for some coffee, I’ll have it together and return the favor for someone else. I had heard of this phenomenon being discussed on the radio (the exact scenario of buying a person’s coffee who is behind you in a drive thru line), and had thought it was a neat thing to do, but why I hadn’t done it yet? After feeling the impact of such a seemingly simple act, I certainly will now. I’m sure my pregnancy hormones had something to do with the outpouring of tears, but I have to think I would be just as touched sans swollen tummy.

It truly takes so little to make someone’s day and leave a lasting effect. I hope that stranger felt as good giving that gift to me as I did receiving it. I now can’t wait to pay it forward and I hope this little tidbit inspires you to do so too.

The (not so) high chair is first in the assembly line

When it came to registering for baby gear, the high chair was a natural addition to the list. I wasn’t totally sold on the choices I had seen, but sure enough, the scanner beeped and one was added. A couple weeks later I found myself in a more manageable sized baby store (the kind that wouldn’t make a first-time dad break out in hives on his first trip) to check out this little number below. Sold! I immediately ordered it. Jeff picked it up last week and started assembling it right when he got home that day. I reminded him that we wouldn’t need it for a while, but I think he was just excited to get something for the shorty up and running. With the exception of our rocker and ottoman, the nursery sits empty. Our crib, dresser and bookcase have yet to arrive, but our kid can eat...well, when he or she is able, anyway. Typical of our ways that eating is primary around our home.



The chair will be put to use when our baby's around six months old. Its tray can be removed and because the chair is smaller than a typical high chair, it can be pulled right up to our table. Eventually, it can convert into a full sized chair (and seat an adult up to 250 pounds---I’m picturing us as middle-agers sending a drunken party guest to “the chair”. Won’t that be fun?). OK, so even though we most likely won’t use it into our child’s adulthood, with all the doodads out there that see such a short life span of use for kiddos, this chair seemed like a smart idea. Yes, it’s practical, but honestly, the look is what sold me. My cravings for coffee-based beverages have yet to cease, but the espresso color was picked to match our dining room table (although there may be some psychological connection in there somewhere). I hate to toot its horn (not really...toot), especially before even trying the chair out in a real world setting, but we like it a lot and are looking forward to putting it to the test.

Keep those tools near, bundlebreeder. Assembly required makes the finished product so much better (or so I will happily remind you in my gentlest voice as you are cussing out the next screw that doesn't fit properly, bolt that doesn't tighten, etc., etc., etc.).

Public service announcement

The paragraphs below contain some graphic details and language regarding a certain bodily function. This post is for entertainment purposes only and I will not be held accountable for costs associated with breakfasts, lunches, snacks or dinners if any food is lost while reading it. If you choose to proceed, please note that you have been forewarned.


If you aren’t a woman, or my husband (who has heard me grumble about this phenomenon several times), chances are you may not even know about the nastiness that takes place behind the closed doors of the dreaded women’s public restroom. Well kick up your feet because I’m about to make it clear as crystal, with more detail than you probably ever cared to know on the subject. That’s right---because if I get up from a toilet seat with a wet bum one more time, I am going to lose it! I may even find myself inclined to hunt the culprits down at this point. With me, I would bring the long string of paper squares that it takes me to wipe up after them because I am so mortified of touching any part of what has just leaked from their bodies. I will carry (with gloves) the wet paper trail to their doorstep and unless aforementioned culprits apologize profusely for their rudeness, they may just end up wearing it. Have you no shame? Have you no dignity? Have you no toilet paper to wipe up after yourself?

Is it just me (and sometimes by the looks of the seat I would swear it is), or are there not many things more disgusting than getting ready to do your business in the potty and realizing that you have just sat your precious behind in the pools of someone else’s urine? It may go unnoticed as you sit, but the second you move, there it is: the cool breeze of the air as it hits your dampened tush. The mere thought of it is enough to make my stomach turn, but when it happens for real, I want to take my soggy booty and force the perpetrator to give me a sponge bath right there over the sink of the Jackie Q Public restroom I am standing in. Chances are though, the peeing princess is long gone since she probably doesn’t believe in hand washing either (and don’t get me started on those that leave the restroom without washing their hands---at least have the decency to pretend you are doing it!). It’s appalling really. I am so bothered by the women who think it is OK to mark the seat of a toilet with their urine that I could just scream!

When I have called people out on this (I’m embarrassed for my friends who I have busted doing this and fortunately have decided not to name names here :)), I often hear, “I hate public restrooms and I’m not sitting on that seat.” Gee, you hate public restrooms? Do you think anyone likes them for crying out loud? Do you think the woman in Stall # 1 is sitting behind her door chuckling as she’s rubbing her butt around the seat simulating her hula-hoop moves until she’s dizzy because it’s just so darn fun to be there knowing no less than 50 other women have sat on that very same seat that very same day? I would have to say no.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like being there either, nor am I particularly fond of sitting on the toilet seat myself. However, back in the 6th grade when I was taught I wasn’t going to catch any awful disease by sitting on the seat of a toilet, I have to admit, sometimes it’s just nice to sit down and take a load off. Chances are, I may have been walking for two hours with four shopping bags in my hands and when I get into the bathroom and shut the door and hang up the bags on the tiny little hook in front of me and drop my drawers, maybe just maybe, I want to sit down for a few seconds. Perhaps I need a some time to ponder why I didn’t tell myself it was fine to have more than one green dress and why I need to march right back to the shop I came from to prove to myself that not only is it fine, it is more than appropriate and conceivably I want to have this precious moment while not sitting in someone else’s tiny drops of urine that I failed to notice before I sat in them, thank you. (I know, I know, there are plenty of run-ons to be had here, but steam is practically coming out of my ears and I just can’t stop the sentence to place another comma, semi-colon, or better yet, end it all with a period because I simply have to get out every last thought without a pause!)

The straw that is breaking that poor camel’s back enough for me to write about this is that even though the whole subject is something I can never stand, things have gotten trickier now that I’m permanently wearing a basketball. The balancing act it takes to tinkle without my rump touching the toilet seat isn’t as easy when lopsided. Getting lined up over the throne and stabilized so as not to wee on the floor (or the person’s foot in Stall # 2) is quite a sight for sore eyes. Here’s the visual: I’m several pounds in the gut heavier, my quad muscles are flexed to their fullest as I display a pitiful standing squat, my excessively large handbag dangles over my shoulder, one hand presses up against the wall on one side of me as I force myself to lean in that direction to gain a better stance. My other hand, when it’s not pressed against the other side wall or being used to hold myself up against the door, is pathetically trying to figure out a way to grab a foot of the tightly rolled toilet paper from the dispenser. I’m slightly out of breath. I give a good tug on the paper and one square rips off. Pull again and I’m lucky; this time I get two. The blood rushes to my head as I try not to tip over and stay somewhat upright. Third pull of the TP and it’s a buzz kill as I get something that resembles the state of Florida. Ugh. I contemplate the dreaded drip dry. Is it too much to ask for toilet paper that unwinds easily and in one consecutive motion? With the extra effort it takes for potty breaking at this point, can you really blame me if I’d rather just sit down?

Also worth mentioning is that I really need to get the full flow out and this is much more easily done if I’m able to be seated and allowed to relax. With how many times I’m hitting up the toilet nowadays, making the most of each trip is very important. If the urine release is interrupted because my body wavers, I don’t always get the chance to continue. It’s done. The moment’s lost. This means I’ve completed what I can for that session and ten minutes later I’m forced to return to finish where I left off.

Guys, can you imagine the sheer annoyance of the situation? It’s as maddening as being in a college football bowl pool and your team is up 38-7 in the third. You get the congratulations call/text/email from the buddy who wanted the other team to win and worse, you’ve taken the time to acknowledge the call/text/email knowing you’ve just fallen into the trap of the reverse jinx. 31 points later and a record-making comeback throws the game into overtime when you literally shed tears as your team squeaks out a field goal while the other proves victorious by answering with a touchdown to seal the deal. Sure you’ll get over it, but you can’t say the frustration doesn’t leave a lingering bad taste in your mouth.

Let me make it known that the problem does not stem merely from a woman’s choice to not sit on the toilet seat. The problem stems from the fact that if you choose not to sit down, the chances are better than most odds in Vegas that you are going to piddle somewhere on the seat. So clean it up! It’s simple, really. Surely you know what you’ve done. All I’m asking is for you to clean it up for yourself so that I don’t have to. What makes it ten times worse is when I don’t see the droplets as I approach and beyond disgusted, come to find that I’m now sitting right in them! It’s those minuscule pee beads (the kind too teeny for the naked eye to spot from two feet away) that really get you since sadly you don’t discover them until it’s too late. We’ve all been in this situation as women, and probably each of us has been the offender and the victim at one time or another. It’s time to band together and put the madness to an end for sanity’s sake. If it doesn’t stop, toilet paper stuck to my foot and all, I’m coming for you.

If you sprinkle when you tinkle, be a sweetie, wipe the seatie! There, I feel better now.

Lions and flowers and birds, oh my!

And so goes the theme of our nursery. We ordered our crib bedding fabric online and it arrived several weeks ago (coming in a little late on the post). If you’ve followed this blog, you may have read the post about some challenges I was having finding crib bedding until a visit with my tailor proved eventful and she is going to make it for us. With the production question out of the way, the fabric hunt began and continued until bingo...the match was made. When I first found a photo of the pattern, I fell in love with it immediately. Even better was when I showed it to Jeff and he thought it was pefect too.

We wanted gender neutral without being too typical. We wanted baby appropriate without being too babyish. Add onto those that we were looking for something to match the paint color we had chosen for our walls. The fabric's pattern contains multiple colors, 18 to be exact, three of which are variations of orange, and number six on the pallet? You guessed it! Firebush (or at least a close cousin, even though here it looks more redish).


I’m crazy about the combination of the aqua with the orange and I love how the other colors complement. We think the vivid colors with the dark wood furniture will work well together. I laid the fabric out on our bed and with a voice filled with gusto said, “I’m in love with a fabric. I’m in love with a pattern!” When I fully expected Jeff to bust out laughing at how ridiculous I sounded I was surprised to hear his reply. "Same." he said without hesitation and somehow it still sounded moderately manly. Such easily excitable fools!

Our baby at 30 weeks

At 30 weeks, the baby weighs about as much as a good-sized head of cabbage (approximately three pounds).

I had my 3o week doctor appointment on Friday (Friday, December 26th) and it went well. The time feels like it's going so quickly now when he breaks down the remainder of my pregnancy in just a few more appointments, every two weeks until the big day. I'm still measuring normally at 30 centimeters (from the top of my pubic bone to the top of my stomach). Jeff was a whopping nine pounds and seven ounces when he was born, so when we were told that even though "one person in the room weighed like 97 pounds or something at birth, there was no reason to think I'd be having such a large baby myself," well, I was very happy. Please hold true.

Gotta love my doctor who even said that I looked fabulous! I had to make sure that's what he said when we left the room so I asked Jeff, "Did he say I looked great or did he say I looked fabulous?" "He said fabulous." All right! I needed to remember the exact phrase; I was worried it may have been my imagination or wishful thinking. Usually I wouldn't necessarily feel the need to write that down, but hey, I'm hanging onto any compliment I can get at this point. It was so nice to hear that, especially after my weigh in revealed that I had gained another four pounds since my last appointment, just over two weeks ago! That currently makes the grand total 20 pounds. Thank you nice weigh in and blood pressure taker lady and thank you Dr. Chow for telling me that's normal and good. Whew.