Let's Compromise!!!

We're in our 34th week and I honestly don't know where the past month went. Jeff and I are getting really excited and trying to squeeze everything into our one bedroom apartment while looking for something a little bigger!

I've learned that with marriage comes some compromising. We don't seem to have issues with the toothpaste cap, which way the toilet paper dispenses (top vs. bottom), which pictures should be hung where, etc. No, for awhile our biggest compromise was which bedspread to have on our bed.As you can see, he loves his classic blue and white checkered blanket and I can't part with my classy green and white duvet covered down comforter. For maybe 2 weeks we had this set up until Target saved us with a homey comforter we both love.


I think the big things in life (marriage, kids, etc.) come with a lot of compromising, but in a good way. Jeff and I have learned a lot about each other, likes and dislikes magnified, and really grown to appreciate our differences. We've also laughed off a ton of things. You have to have a good sense of humor, it's one of the greatest gifts I think God gave us to get us through some of the everyday, sometimes mundane, things.

I wonder what things we'll have to compromise when the baby comes? Already I've had to compromise and share half of my closet! My sisters, mom, and a few church friends threw me the most wonderful baby shower. I feel so loved and supported, it never seems to end! This little one coming into the world will have an amazing family and community she's coming into; and, not to mention, she'll be one of the best dressed babies out there!

23 Pounds, and Counting!

I feel like my stomach is going to explode! I only had 7 small boneless wings and about a medium potato's worth of french fries for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, and I feel like my belly will rip open at any moment. Okay, so that's a little graphic, I understand, but I just want everyone to understand what this feels like by me describing in full-too much-detail what it feels like! (Side note: the Nuggets vs. Cavilers game tonight was A-mazing!)

Other than that, the pregnancy is going great. I seem to be gaining weight right on schedule. And, with 11 weeks to go, I can't possibly fathom how to gain an extra 11 pounds (the doctor recommended a pound a week from here on out.) If the baby wants to gain weight, that's great. But, looking at pictures I find it fascinating, and borderline gross how elastic and stretchy human skin is. The human body is pretty amazing on its' own, let alone with reproduction and pregnancy. A pregnant belly is predicted to double/triple in size and weight in the final 2-3 months...scary!

I'll post more pictures soon! All I can describe is what your belly looks and feels like after an all-you-can-eat buffet: not good! At least when the baby moves around, for some brief moment, I forget that I'm temporarily fatter and fuller than I'd like to be and it makes it all worth it :)

Monday To-Do List

I feel that I've had somewhat of "pregnancy brain" lately and I've been forgetful. So, last night I made myself a to-do list of important things I needed to get done today. 1) Call Comcast and figure out e-mail 2) Pay rent 3) Go to my bank appointment 4) Fix inseam on maternity jeans 5) Take pregnancy pictures The day had been going really well. I woke up at 7:45 am with my husband to eat breakfast. Once he left for work at 8, I went back to bed and took a morning nap. Then, when I woke up again I got right to work. I fixed things with Comcast, walked my rent check down to the office, and then I proceeded to walk down and across the street to the bank. As I walked out of my apartment complex, a woman in a car pulled up alongside of me. She rolled down her window and asked me if I'd ever read this magazine before (as she handed me an "Awake" pamphlet). It's really not the Johava's Witnesses that bother me here. I'm all about sharing your religion and discussing beliefs. It was the front cover. The title of the issue was "Abortion: What's the Issue Here?"  The rest of my walk was spent on brainstorming which angle to take in writing about this and I can honestly say I'm speechless! I mean, do I look like a person who is even considering abortion?! I'm okay with a stranger wanting to share their message on religion, but why not hand me a pamphlet, "Drinking: What are the Dangers?" or "Chat Rooms: What Should I Know About Them?" All I can say is, I've never been a victim of real-life irony. Giving an abortion pamphlet to a pregnant woman...I think that's irony? Whatever you call it, I'm laughing to myself now because I'm so excited to have a baby, I'm almost to the third trimester.  As far as my to-do list goes, I finished my inseams when I got home and I took a few pregnancy photos. So, this is me around 24 weeks! There's a baby the size of an eggplant in my belly!

Post Recall

Okay, so my sister informed me that my last post might have been a little harsh. Let's just chalk that one up to hormones. I guess the one stranger guy who gave me 20 minutes of advice just rubbed me the wrong way. I really do appreciate advice! I just don't want to be scared going into parenthood. So, keep the advice coming, but keep it mostly upbeat and positive!

I found this widget online through a link from a parenting site. It shows you how big the baby is at certain weeks (see to the right.) For me, it's far more exciting this way because I can visualize how big she is and what shape of fruit she is this week (haha, just kidding! Hopefully she's always in the shape of a baby, but I can still get and idea of what size she is.)

The last I was able to read was about at the 10 week mark when she was the size of a cashew. (My favorite type of nut!) My little cashew baby is growing so fast! I can feel her kicking and moving around a ton...especially at night.

I love her and can't wait to meet her!

Also, I'm now excepting ideas or suggestions of favorite girl names. We have a few picked out, but I'm craving more!

Lego' My Prego'

I didn't think it would happen to me, but it did. I was folding clothing at work when a stranger walked up and proceeded to ask me about the various Levi's we had on stock. I politely engaged in some conversation on the difference between "recreational" jeans and the more professional looking jeans-the ones you can wear to work with a nice blazer or suit jacket.

Little did I know, it was just this gentleman's way of starting a conversation in which it continued with one minute of him discretely finding out that I am pregnant and then 20 minutes of him giving me advice. (It's the hardest thing you'll ever do; don't think it's easy; you think one is hard, try having 4; go swimming a lot, maybe even buy a tube and fall asleep in the pool as long as your husband is watching that you don't drown; etc.) I smiled for the first 5 minutes, spent the next 5 hoping my supervisors weren't watching, then prayed for 5 minutes that I wouldn't lose my job over this guy, and the last 5 minutes finding the right exit strategy.

Finally, one of my supervisors did come to my rescue. The man said his parting goodbyes, brought up the jeans again, and then left.

I don't mind pregnant advice from strangers...if: (A) it comes from a woman; (B) it can be summed up in two or less sentences; (C) it's not about how hard it's going to be; and (D) they don't assume that I don't know anything about babies or children. For example, a woman who came through my line a couple days ago with her one year old gave me the good advice to drink a lot of fluids, maybe cranberry juice and definitely water. Simple, polite, woman to woman advice.

The only two significant things I can relay to others about advice giving are keep it simple and it's better and much more appreciated when it's asked for. Think of it like a new sport. I'm an athlete and there's nothing worse than trying something new, and someone coaching you from every angle. Before you can even try it out or try to get good at it, someone's telling you how to hold your hands, correcting your posture, it's all in the hips, follow through, etc., etc. It makes you hate the sport!

I'm going to hate parenting before I'm ever a parent if there's too much advice coming from all angles. Let me try to be a mom first! If I have questions along the way, I'm going to ask my family and family-in-laws, aunts, doctor, close friends, and my husband. I got lucky marrying a guy who's the third of eight kids, having a father who is the fifth of ten children, and having a mother of 5 kids who also did daycare and teaching.

I don't mean to be rude, but I've got plenty of amazing sources for advice. And, who knows, maybe you strangers out there know how to do the parenting thing like a pro. In which case, I fully support you in writing a book, blogging it, or twittering daily tweets all about it!

Latest Updates

They decided to keep me on at Costco! I'm excited, but also questioned myself on whether they are keeping me because I'm expecting and they feel bad, or if it's because I'm a genuinely hard worker and good employee? Hopefully it's the latter. So, I'll keep up shop there for the next 3 months or as long as I can before my feet and legs start to swell, my stomach gets in the way of carts and members, or I'm so tired I can't make it through my 4 hour shifts. I will also add that I've been extremely bored and have gotten several cases of cabin fever sitting in my apartment all week. (Which is why I am even more excited to start part-time this next week.) How have I kept myself busy? (A) I've watched and almost finished every Mary-Kate and Ashley movie-to-home-videos there are on Netflix; (B) I've searched the world wide web for available early morning jobs hiring for part-time work; (C) I've alphabetized the spice rack; (D) I've stalked 50% of my friends on Facebook (in detail) and caught up on their lives; (E) and I finished a baby quilt! Let me rephrase that, I finished sewing the top part and now all I have to do is quilt the backing, the batting, and the top together. Stay tuned for a picture of the finished product! Having so much free time is bound to help me find new outlets, new hobbies, and unfinished projects dying for a chance to become a masterpiece.

It's a Girl!

Pregnancy is an interesting thing. Half the time, the women who are pregnant will tell you they don't want to be pregnant, that they just want the baby to come already, they're tired of feeling like a blimp, and all the extra hormones, cravings, sickness, and weight in new places can all take a hike. But, on top of that, they have the added "oooh's" and "ahhhh's" of adoring strangers. I have the most adorable sister-in-law who has two very cute boys of her own (2 years and a 5 month-old) who has told me some of her pregnancy stories. The most shocking, yet the most common that I've heard from her and others is when strangers approach a pregnant belly and proceed to rub and baby talk directly to the bloated area. It's one thing for friends and family to feel, but a complete stranger? Maybe my feelings on the subject are different than others'; but, if a stranger walks up to me and begins to feel my belly, give me unsolicited advice about parenting and breastfeeding, or ask when my baby is due without knowing me, I might just give them a disgusted look and say something like, "Excuse me? That is extremely rude. I'm not pregnant. I happen to have a rare case of IBS that makes my stomach bloat." It would be fun to see their reactions. But, for all those who haven't heard or whom I have yet the chance to tell, my husband and I ARE expecting a baby in late spring (90% sure of which it's a girl)! So, don't feel bad if you've seen me lately and wondered, maybe even had to ask yourself, "Wow, she's really let herself go since she got married. I wonder if that's holiday weight?" We are very excited!