Belly Status – 30 Weeks

I’m actually 31 weeks this week… but these pictures are from last week.  I stopped at my Mom’s house and we had some fun…

My poor husband and his rough rugged hands, but I love them!  You would never know that he has a desk job!  I think this is why she had to convert it to black & white… to hide all the scars.  You can’t see Jesse’s thumbs in this picture but I always give him a hard time about them.  To me they just look funny and not normal… I so can’t wait to see if Blueberry has his thumbs!! 

If you have ever stopped over at my Mom’s blog you’ll see she has to take everyone’s picture on top of this dresser.  Except it is usually babies and toddlers.  I guess this is Blueberry’s ‘before’ picture and she’ll get the ‘after’ when she arrives! 

In a few more days I will have exactly 2 months left… give or take if she decides to come early or late.  2 months!  That is just unbelievable to me.

Every where I go people notice now!  Strangers love to tell me their horrible birthing stories!  I need to find a shirt that says… I only want to hear the good labor stories!  They want to know what I am having, if I picked out a name, when am I due.  No one has touched my belly though!  I have been waiting for that – but that hasn’t happened yet.  Oh and we when we go out for supper they like to say “A table for 2… and 1/2.” 

I even had one lady try to tell me how to name my baby!  She wanted to know what my Grandma’s name was and what Jesse’s Grandma’s name was and then put the two name together and create your own unique name.  That’s what she did for her little girl. 

Then we went out for breakfast on Sunday morning after church I ordered a Belgian waffle with blueberries & cool whip.  It was huge!  It was yummy!  And a waitress walked by and she says “Now you are feeding that baby right!”

It just makes me giggle how strangers love to see a pregnant belly!

Getting so close!

Jesse and Jerry finished up the electrical and plumbing yesterday!!  Whooohooo!!  You have no idea how excited we are about this being finished!  And you have no idea how many times I heard “It is so nice to have that part finished.”  Jesse must of said it a hundred times last night!

Steph – you get your husband back!  : )  Thanks for letting us have him a couple days!!! 

The shower is plumbed in!  The decking is put back in! 

Light switches are installed!  Electrical outlets are in!  Now, check out that funky switch on the left.  I had to ask Jesse what the heck this was for… you want to know?!!  It is for our exhaust fan – they put it on a timer!!  1min, 5min, 15min, and 30min.  Now is that a guy thing or what?!

Bathroom Update

There has been some behind the scenes work on the bathroom.  Important stuff.  Moving heat.  Putting in electrical.  Plumbing.

I don’t think Jesse and I realized just how long it takes to do those things.  As it is still not finished and we are being told just one more day of work and we’ll have it all done.  Then we can get Mike, the carpenter, back in here to finish it off!!  I am so ready for this bathroom to be put back together and to have the rest of our basement put back together.  I don’t know if I hit the nesting stage or what… but I am ready for an organized, functional house again. 

They put some of these in… which I think are electrical outlets.

Some more electrical outlets… I think.

And plumbing!!

Hopefully we’ll be up and running and putting the house back together before May!!  That’s my dream anyways…

A Little Babymoon

I have been hearing that some couples go on a babymoon before the baby comes… kind of like a honeymoon.  So we went on a quick weekend getaway to Door County here in Wisconsin.  For my out-of-staters… Door County is the peninsula of Wisconsin.  It is a very hoppin place in the summer time and the winter is their off season, but that didn’t stop us.  We just wanted to get away with just the two of us and relax and take it easy.

We stayed at this little bed & breakfast place.  Now it wasn’t your usual bed & breakfast.  We didn’t have to eat breakfast with people we didn’t know.  It was just cozy and the breakfast was there for us to come get when we wanted… and it was just normal – muffins, boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, cheese.  I’m on a huge lemon/lime kick right now and they had lemon poppy seed muffins that were to die for!  I should of ate two, but I was too embarrassed.  I was hoping they would be there again the next morning, but it was bananas!  Oh yum!  I ate it anyways and you know what – still got a leg cramp.  Now I really don’t have to eat those nasty things!  ; )  Jesse kept telling me it was an apple muffin – there was no apple about it!  I know a banana when I see one!

Here is the view from our room.  We are on the Lake Michigan side.

This is was our room.  It had a very rustic feel to it.

Our first night there we decided to go to a fish boil.  We had never been to one.  They boil potatoes and fish (and tons of salt) in this big pot.  They throw kerosene on the fire at the end to boil the pot of water over so all the fish oils boil off.  It was quite the show.  And it wasn’t a bad meal.  Again, very rustic!  Just boiled potatoes, a couple slices of fish that you had to debone yourself!  I was kind of grossed out by that and was not very good at it.

Oh and it was not warm out!  This guy was in a t-shirt but he was also right next to a big flame of fire to keep him warm. 

It snowed while we were sleeping!!!  About 3”!  Ick!  But it didn’t take long for it all to melt.  It ended up being a pretty warm day and the snow was gone by the afternoon.

Saturday afternoon we decided to go to the other side of the peninsula which had a town that had lots of shops… most which were closed but enough were open to keep us entertained for the afternoon. On this side the water was still frozen.   

I have to tell you one of the items we bought.  We bought a front door mat that says “Dog is Nuts”.  The instant we saw it we knew we had to have it.  Now I no longer have to warn everyone who comes in the front door – they had their warning before they even knocked!

That was about all we did.  Eat, sleep, eat.  Jesse said he has never taken so many naps in one day.  I love naps… so it was right up my alley! 

And my girls are telling me they are not getting enough belly pictures.  That I am making them wait too long for new pictures… so um… here you go girls…  *giggle*

Can’t you see it?  I’m starting to bust the buttons off that jacket!  Oh and that little man in the middle… that’s Flat Stanley again.  He came with us.

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle

I just read on someone’s blog that the saying goes… if your baby is very active during pregnancy… you’ll have a very active baby.  If your baby is not so active during pregnancy… then your baby will be a good sleeper.  Uhoh!

Little Blueberry wiggled (and I’m not kidding) from 7:30am until 11pm yesterday!  I totally know this is a very wonderful good healthy sign… but my goodness do you know what it feel likes to have your stomach popping around and toes poking you in the side and jabs to the ribs for that long?  I tried everything to put Blueberry to sleep… I sit on a big exercise ball all day long while I work… I rocked and bounced… I rubbed my belly… I talked to her… I tried to send telepathic messages… she wasn’t having any of it!

I crawled into bed last night and I had my hand over my face and Jesse comes in and wants to know what I am doing… I’m trying to send messages to Blueberry that it is time for bed.  I think I have Mini-Jesse in there and she can’t sit still like her daddy.  By bedtime I kind of felt like I had been on a fishing boat out in the middle of the ocean all day long and it was rough rocky windy day out there. 

So far this morning the water is much calmer.  ; )  She started wiggling right away this morning but I think she must be exhausted from yesterday and she needs to catch up on her beauty sleep.

Do you see what I see?

I never would of expected that the seeds would of sprouted already!!  Check it out…

And never would I have guessed that it would be my broccoli and cucumbers!

Spring is that you?

We saw our first robin bird yesterday!!  Now it has to snow on this poor little bird three times and then spring can officially start… or that is how the saying goes around here. 

It was a beautiful day here yesterday!  It made me so excited for spring and for long hot summer nights!  We spent most of the day outside soaking up our vitamin D. 

With all this heat and sunshine it made me crave summer foods!  It was a perfect meal for the start of spring!  Veggie & Cheese Bagel Sandwiches I highly recommend that you try these… and soon!  I can’t wait for our garden because we’ll be able to eat this all summer long – and they will be even better with homegrown veggies!!

Then we took Maggy on a walk back in the woods and everything is flooding!  It just made her even more crazier!  She was running like I never seen her run before.  And splashing in the water!  We didn’t think she liked water because she hates getting a shower (we do showers instead of baths) and she was afraid of the water hose yesterday… except she loves puddles and small rivers!!  She was completely soaked from head to tail when we got back and she was just loving it!!

Today we are suppose to reach 60!! Yes!!  60!!  You’ll find us out back on the deck grilling up some blue cheese burgers!!!

Planted!

St. Patrick’s Day is on Tuesday… which is the day I was told I could start my garden seeds.  Except we had a beautiful day here today!  Temps in the high 40s, full sunshine, snow was melting, birds were singing… so I decided I was planting a few days early!!

Now the hard part is letting them grow and not bugging them.  I already want to take the lids off and see if anything sprouted and it has only been a couple hours. 

I’m trying out a new program with this blog post… Windows Live Writer.  Have any of you tried this?  So far I love it!  It is liking writing in word and when you insert pictures they go where your cursor is – not at the top of the post!!  You’ll have to check it out if that picture posting drives you crazy like it does me – it was a free download/program.  Plus you can change the contrast of the picture, the size, rotate, add a watermark… all within this nifty little program.  Oh you can even convert the picture to black & white and do effects to the pictures!!  Um, y’all better be going to get this cause I think it is the next big thing!!  ; )

Belly Status - 28 Weeks

I clearly remember when I couldn't wait until I looked pregnant. Um... looking mighty pregnant these days!

I even remember when I thought I totally looked pregnant and no one else noticed!! I can't hide anymore. The neighbor came over on Sunday to deliver the girl scout cookies I had ordered and her Dad came with her. When I stepped out the front door he took one look at me and says "Looks like I need to say congratulations!" Someone actually noticed!!

Every time I get this picture taken - I look at it I shreek... I am really that big!! The mirror in our bathroom prevents me from seeing my whole upper torso... so I never see my belly until these pictures.... and looking down at my belly... it looks big... but it looks way bigger from this side view!! Plus my belly is so low that I can seriously fit it under my desk while I work so I don't ever see it!


Ups:
~ Who turned the heat on!? I am usually the girl who is always cold, but I have been warmer lately!


~ Abs of steel!! Alright I might be pushing it on this one... I have never ever had a firm stomach/abs... this belly of mine is rock solid hard these days!! Now if I could only find a way to make it stay all nice and firm after Blueberry arrives... without exercise... me and exercise are not buddies!

~ I just need to be happy about this one because I know my time is coming... no stretch marks!! I am almost positive they are going to sneak up on me in the last few weeks of this pregnancy, so I am going to celebrate today for not having them thus far.

Downs:
~ Now that I am in my third trimester with only 3 months to go I am starting to get worried about how this child is going to getting out of me!! I was worried about it in the beginning and then I forced it out of my head and now it snuck back in. It probably started because one of our neighbors daughter's just had a baby and she was induced... baby was face up instead of face down... she had a horrible delivery... lots of nasty things happened to the mom... baby had to be pulled out with the forceps... baby is all bruised... baby was traumatised and had to be by herself after she was born!! Huh!?!? One night Jesse and I are driving home from the hardware store (our new date night location!) and out of the blue I tell Jesse... I don't want to be induced! I want this baby to come when she is good and ready! And I'll take the drugs please!! I am one girl who is not afraid of the drugs! Okay maybe a little afraid.

~ Can't. Stop. Eating. Seriously I have never ate so much in my entire life! I was talking to a girlfriend the other night on the phone and I was telling her that I could seriously eat all day long. I have to chew on gum so that I stop eating. She laughed and told me she had to do the same exact thing! Whew! I really felt like I was abnormal. Please tell me that I will stop eating like this once the baby comes?!? Please!?!


~ Belly button is starting to pop. I kind of think belly buttons are gross. And I really don't want my belly button to become an outie... but it is on the verge of doing it!!!! I can start to feel it poking it out at the top. Icky!

~ Leg cramps are still here. I got a bad one Monday morning when I woke up and I got out of bed and put my weight on it. I'm thinking that was the wrong thing to do. That leg muscle still hurts!! I have stretched it, I have massaged it, I went for a walk... I can't get the sucker to relax! I thought ice cream before bed was my cure... as I wasn't getting any. But um... that backfired one night and I got one. I still haven't tried the bar of soap... I keep forgetting.

Seeds!

I bought my garden seeds last night!! I can't tell you how excited I am about this new little adventure.

I stood in the seed isle looking at all the different things we can grow. Did you know that there are about 10 different green beans? Okay maybe not that many, but I was just expecting one style and I had a bunch to pick from and I no idea what I was picking.

Then Jesse spots melons! Oh Lynn, we can grow melons! Ick, who eats melons? Can you grow melons in Wisconsin? Apparently you can or they wouldn't be selling them to us here in Wisconsin! Right?

My Mom told me that I could start my seeds that needed to be started indoors on St. Patrick's Day and that is just around the corner. Now I am too excited to wait until then and want to do it now! I laid out all my packets to see which ones I could start early. I was so disappointed!! According to the package directions I was only able to start the tomatoes and bell peppers early.

I then decided that was bogus and I was going to start my herbs early too just because I can't wait until May to plant these suckers. This belly of mine could be far too huge to bend over to plant seeds!! Not that planting little baby plants is going to be any easier... it would just be way more fun! I'm a little impatient at some things.

I am suppose to wait until frost season is over and the ground is warm to plant the rest of the seeds that we bought.

I thought this has got to be some sort of joke. Maybe these seed people don't know what they are talking about. I called my Aunt Starla and Uncle Brad to see if maybe they would let me start any of these early. They have a garden every year and grow lots of things - surely they would know how us Wisconsin folks need to do this.

They left me with a page full of notes/tips. I really did take notes too! I told them that I was taking notes and Starla say I thought you would be and I was wondering if we were going too fast. Does she know me or what!?

Uncle Brad doesn't start any seeds early!! He says he just gets them from the nursery or my other Aunt, Gayle, who does start early. Cheater!!! ; ) He use to start them early, but just doesn't do it anymore. He let me add the onions and broccoli to my early indoor planting list!! He even said I could try a few cucumbers if I really wanted to! Whoohoo!! Now I feel much better!

After my phone call with them I busted out this book from Jesse's Dad. Just to see if there were anymore tips that I needed to know.

I could only take so much of that before I felt like this...And here is what my garden looks like at this very moment. Ugh. Still snow!! At least it is melting and hopefully it is going to stay away, far far away!

It was seriously only $26 to get all these seeds and 3 huge starter seed trays with lids!! I knew gardening would be cheaper, but I never would of guessed that much cheaper!!

Foot Tracks

The other morning I opened up the curtains and I noticed strange tracks in the snow behind our house. I stared at them for awhile trying to figure out if they were human tracks or Maggy tracks. I couldn't tell. The tracks went from the neighbors yard over to our yard.

When Jesse came home last night I remembered to tell him that I saw these tracks and was a little concerned about them. By the time I told him it was too dark for him to look out the window and see, but he told me he would look at them and check them out.

Jesse takes Maggy for a walk and comes back in and says that he inspected the tracks with a flashlight and it appears that the tracks come from the neighbor-on-the-left... come into our yard... come to the basement window (where Maggy's room is)... and go over to the neighbor-on-the-right. (Isn't snow the coolest sometimes? sometimes!) My little heart starts to panic and I look at him with big eyes and ask him what in the world does he think happened??? He wasn't sure but he says, I am sure Maggy went nuts and was barking like crazy and it scared the guy onto the next neighbors. Does not help my freak out session I am in the middle of having!!

I need to back up for a second... on Sunday Jesse went to take Maggy outside and she was acting all strange and wouldn't leave Jesse's side. She was looking back into the woods and doing a light growl. Jesse couldn't see anything back there so he wasn't sure what her problem was. Then an hour later I took her outside and she did the same thing... except I patted her on the head and told her she was okay and that satisfied her and she went about and played and did her business.

So... as I am freaking out I remind Jesse of Maggy's little Sunday episode. He clearly remembers and doesn't really seem to be freaked out like me. He tells me that I need to recall the sermon we heard in church a few weeks on fear. Of course I roll my eyes and say yeah whatever - you don't have to be home alone for 6 days!!! And your not a girl!!! Now call the neighbors and see if they spotted anyone in our yard! And my eyes seriously started to get teary. We are going to blame pregnancy hormones for those!! : )

He looked at me as if I was from another planet. He wanted to know just what he was going to say to the neighbor. I said, ask them if they noticed any strange tracks in their yard and ask them if they noticed anyone in our yard! He giggles and says fine - don't question a hormonal pregnant wife! Now we totally know these neighbors and are very friendly with them. We have been to their house to play cards. She works at that liquor store... and well... we must go to the liquor store too much as she knows what kind of beer Jesse drinks, when my Dad is coming over because we buy special beer just for him. (My Dad doesn't like Jesse's crazy off the wall beer... it makes him gag.) Anyway we know these neighbors it isn't like I was making him call and talk to them for the very first time!

Thank goodness I forced him to call!!!! Neighbor Ray put a freaked out girl's heart back to normal! Jesse was explaining the tracks he saw and Ray says... oh that was the water meter reader! Relief! Oh my gosh! I could just feel the tension and fear leave my shoulders!!

Jesse also told Neighbor Ray about Maggy growling at the woods and Ray said... oh there was probably a bear out there. They have seen bear back there before. Now... I probably could of gone without that piece of information!!