This Post is Full of Sunshine and Rainbows!

You ever have those days where you need to bitch and moan? Today's one of those days. This blog isn't always sunshine and rainbows, so I'm warning of slippery road ahead. If you're not ok with a little negativity, then I suggest you find yourself elsewhere for today.

1. I'm sore. Straight up, like I ran a marathon then topped it off with 1,000 push ups and kegels sore. My back, my pelvis. Apparently pushing around the vaccum has turned into an Olympic sport for this preggo. Don't worry though. The doc checked me out last week to make sure I wasn't dilated. I'm not, in case you were worried. She just happened to mention, "Ah, the third trimester. This is when you really start to understand why most people hate to be pregnant."

2. I've been planning on taking 12 weeks FMLA since before I got pregant. So I applied in June, like a good little employee. But now I'm getting hit with "We can only give you 6 weeks, then you have to get a note from the pediatrician for an additional 4 weeks, and oh, by the way, if you want that other 2 weeks? Go back to your OB and get another form signed for 2 weeks." Are you kidding me? I thought this shit was regulated by the federal government. Cripes. This is exactly what I want do to when I have a screaming newborn. Fill out a bunch of papers and try to fax them out.

3. There's nothing like being pregnant and alone. Especially during your third trimester. Hubs' travel schedule has been off the charts since March and he won't be back on solid MD soil until mid-October. You know. Right AFTER I'm full term. Let's hope this boy decides to stay put until then.

4. I wish all my grass would hurry up and die. I hate mowing the lawn and I especially hate it while pregnant. Even though we have a riding mower, it's still a pain in my rear.

There's only 4 things that can possibly fix this angst right now. My couch and/or bed, puppy snuggles, froyo and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Normally? I'd say sushi and wine, but the the consumption of either of those treats is apparently frowned upon during pregnancy.

Baby Bump:29 Weeks

29 weeks with Baby A.

Total Weight Gain: 5 pounds, which has put me right back at my prepreg weight according to the OB's scale. So no "official" weight gain yet, but that's definitely coming in the next few weeks because the weight seems to be coming on quicker now as baby grows. 
Maternity Clothes: Um, yeah. I'm the size of a house, so therefore all maternity clothes are in order. Which, by the way, I'm getting sick of my wardrobe. I'm missing my other duds.
Stretch Marks? Still none I can tell except for a few small ones new my belly button. 
Sleep: Oh, elusive sleep. I haven't had a full 8 hours in quite some time. I wake up twice a night to pee or change positions. I totally miss sleeping on my belly. 
Movement: He's on the move! He goes through spurts. It's slowed down a little as I've gotten bigger because there's not as much room in there. But now when he moves, it makes my whole belly shake.
Exercise: I'm still walking when I can, but not nearly as much. My energy has been zapped as of late. 
Food cravings: Cherries. I can't get enough. And corn nuts. Weird, right?
Belly Button In or Out: Almost out! 
Milestone: I took my SECOND 3 hour gestational diabetes test last week and much to my surprise, the results came back negative! So bring on the froyo :)

I had my regular appointment today and did find out I'm anemic. This naughty baby boy has stolen all my iron. So, that's probably why I've been so freaking tired lately. She started me on an iron supplement, so that should help. I also started with some fun symptoms that everyone dreads...like pelvic pain and back pain. She checked to make sure I'm not dilated (thank GOD I'm not) and simply said the pelvic pain is my body stretching my ligaments to get me ready for delivery. Because, oh yeah, that'll be here in just over 2 months...or less!

Finally, I'm going to leave you with the first letter of Baby Boy A's name. R. That's all you get :)

Banana Peanut Butter Faux Frosty

You know what's delicious? Bananas. And Frosty's. And peanut butter. 

Do you know what I have for you guys? A delicious concoction that tastes like a banana, peanut butter frosty. And guess what? It's good for you. And guess what else? It's 3 ingredients. 

I know, right!?

I've seen variations of this floating around Pinterest and Facebook. So I decided to make it my own. 

Peanut Butter Banana Faux Frosty Treat
3 bananas, cut into chunks, frozen
3 tablespoons dark chocolate almond milk (regular chocolate milk will work fine too)
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Cut your banana into chunks and freeze solid. Take frozen chunks and throw them into the food processor or blender. This part takes the longest. Keep pushing them down until they start to break up. Add almond milk. Blend to a creamy, soft serve-like consistency. Once you get to that state, add your peanut butter. Then, get this:

Then come back and thank me for showing you this delicious treat. You'd never know it's just bananas, almond milk and peanut butter. But it's sooooo good. 

Baby Bump: 27 Weeks

25.5 weeks...I look way smaller here than in the next picture. I think it's the black.

27 weeks

Total Weight Gain: At my last appointment, I had gained 3 pounds. So I'm still -5 pounds from prepreg weight. 
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much everything! The full panel pants are my friend. So much so, I'd like to wear them after this baby arrives. Is that wrong?
Stretch Marks? I think I spotted a few small ones around my belly button. I can't really tell though. 
Sleep: Ugh. Sleep. A thing I can't get anymore. I wake up 1-2 times a night to pee. Then I wake up when I've rolled on my stomach. And I wake up when the clock strikes 4:12. But I had to take a Benadryl the other day, and that my friends, knocked me out ALL night. 
Movement: This kid's on the move for most of the day. And I think getting his head stuck in weird places because sometimes my belly feels hard and I get a little pressure to one side. Then it goes away. The doc said he's just wiggling his way around in there. 
Exercise: I'm still walking. Not as much as I had been. I need to get back on that. 
Food cravings: No cravings right now. Isn't that strange? I'm still favoring chocolate almond milk. And frozen yogurt. Oh, and caprese salad. But that's about it. 
Belly Button In or Out: Almost out! 
Milestone: Tomorrow is the first day of my third trimester. Today marks exactly 3 months until he's due to make his grand entrance. Is it wrong that I'm a little terrified? Excited, but terrified. 

He's already got a bunch of clothes thanks to great family and friends. Like this little outfit.

And the nursery has a theme. Non-cartoony jungle animals. Patterns. Blue and chocolate brown. Here's a little peek into some wall art I made.

And here's where the babe will be sleeping.

More pics on the way when this nursery is finally done!

A Minute with the Pups

First of all, I've just to to acknowledge all of the encouraging comments and emails I received from the "Thanks for Judging" post. I was overwhelmed with support from people who FINALLY had some good things to say. And positive words for sticking to my plan. THANK YOU. It's certainly appreciated and made me feel a million times better.


Second, I realize that I've been neglecting my first babies on here recently. The pups. They're still here, still kicking, and sniffing around all the baby stuff that's been popping up at the house over the past month. Here's a few precious moments from the last month or so:

Wiggle wrap. All wrapped up in fleece at a visit at my parent's. 

Tanning. Rough life.

Wiggles helping me get some work done. He's very inspiring.

Peanut giving me the stink eye.

Peanut snuggling up with her very comfy? rope bone for naps. 

Baby A: 24 Weeks!



24 weeks with Baby A. Sorry, taken at the bathroom at work...and for some reason my edited version is posting sideways!



Total Weight Gain: Still down 4 pounds from prepreg weight. I've started putting on some poundage in the last few weeks. Which, although I know is inevitable, makes me nervous. Why? Because I've spent so long trying to LOSE weight, now that I see the scale creeping up, it makes me feel terrible. And also because I don't want to get in trouble from my OB. I'm aiming to gain a MAX of 20 pounds with this kid, so I really need to watch it.
Maternity Clothes: I'm almost exclusively in all things maternity. I have 2 pairs of prepreg pants that still fit. About 2 shirts. A smattering of sweatpants. And that's about all she wrote.  Although I do have to say that today I was sporting all prepregnancy gear.
Stretch Marks? Still haven't seen any. I hope they do NOT make their way onto this bod. Here's what I do have though. HEARTBURN. This kid better pop out with a full head of lucious locks.
Sleep: Here's where things have changed since last time. It's getting noticably harder to get comfortable at night. I'm working on trying to have the right combo of pillow/blankets to get the job done, all without trying to disturb hubs TOO much. I have not succeeded yet. Out of 4 night this week? I've slept 2. Also, I pee a lot again. I feel like this baby is sitting on top of my bladder.
Movement: I have a karate kid. He kicks, punches and jabs all the time. Throughout the day.  A TON at night and a lot after I eat. Hubs finally got to feel it and his reaction was priceless. He just got a huge smile and said "Wow, he's really in there." Yes, yes he is. You helped make that, honey.
Exercise: I'm still trying to walk up to 4 times a week. That's about all though. I'm looking into prenatal yoga soon. I think that would be beneficial.
Food cravings: Chocolate milk and frozen yogurt. At least I'm getting my dairy, right? Also, I eat ALL THE TIME. It's unbelievable how hungry I become a mere hour after dinner. Hubs calls it "Prego Feeding Time."
Belly Button In or Out: It's on it's way to fully out. Almost there, but not quite.
Milestone: Folks, I THINK we might finally have a name for this kid. Although I won't be sharing it. Mostly because I don't want to hear if you hate it. It'll hurt my feelings. I'll tell you that it's not conventional. Not very common. That's what we like. Perhaps I'll give away the initials when we're finally decided. Someday, I'll share the names I wanted and why they were crossed off the list by hubs. It's pretty hilarious.

Hubs is also assembling the crib this weekend, along with the pack and play that I plan on purchasing on tomorrow. After that? We'll wait until the baby shower for the rest of the gear and then go shopping afterwards for whatever we didn't get.

Thanks for the Judging

You know, ever since I got pregnant, I suddenly started receiving a TON of unwanted advice. The judgy kind. 

I'm all about advice. That's how you learn, right? Learn from other people's experiences, although no two experiences are ever exactly alike. 

I've been most surprised at the judging I've received for choosing to breastfeed. Which hasn't made any sense to me. It's best for baby, right? Best for health, boosting immune systems, it's free and readily available. Then WHY have I constantly been hearing from other women, "Oh, you're going to breastfeed? Well, that won't last long." What?? Thanks for the encouragement. Is it going to be hard? I'm SURE it's going to be rough. Will I pump when I got back to work? That's the plan. I know the best laid plans sometimes fail, but at least let me give it a shot before everyone gets negative. Plus, it's not forever. I'd like to make it to a year, which I'm sure is a huge challenge especially with working full time and having a traveling husband. 

Speaking of working, I've also received a fair share of judging about that. Yes, I'm going back to work full time. Yes, my child will be put into daycare. No, I cannot afford NOT to work. With paying on a mortgage, car, bills, health insurance, saving for retirement, it's virtually impossible to live on a single income these days. And people need to stop assuming that my husband makes boatloads of money just because he travels. That is NOT the case. Yes, I'm entrusting my child into the care of another woman. She's qualified, her home is immaculate, she's got tons of experience and a great set up. 

Would I work even if hubs did make tons of money? At least part time. Especially since he travels. You might have to book me a room at the nearest psych facility if I had to be alone 24/7, just me and a baby. I would need a little adult interaction, you know? But that's just me. To each their own.

I've also acquired the Baby Bullet from my sister as a gift. Do I plan to use it? Yes. Have a received comments about this too? Hell yeah. That being a working mom means I'll never have time to make my own baby food. Well, I've also heard that just being a working woman mean you'll never have time to make dinner. I cook 6 nights a week. I'm sure I can handle making a batch of baby food. If I can't? Then I go to the jar. But let me try it! How about some encouragement. 

And my ultra favorite thing to hear are the BOATLOADS of horrible baby stories. No one seems to tell me how great motherhood is. Instead, I'm constantly hearing of the colic/acid reflux/no sleep/you'll hate your life for several months stories. Do I think that's going to happen? Probably. But each baby is different. Don't assume mine will be just like yours. 

I know it's going to be hard. My husband will be traveling. I have no family within a short driving distance. I can only rely on friends and the flexibility of my workplace. But I've got to try. Because if I didn't, I'd never be a mom. 

And if it becomes too much for me? Then I'll say, "You were right."