29 Weeks & April Birthdays!

Update (today):

I wrote this post yesterday but didn't get a chance to post it until today because I forgot to have Ian take my weekly picture yesterday.  And, some other exciting things happened yesterday, after I already wrote it so I had to add them here!

I got home from a horrible day at school (read below) to find a box from Carousel Designs by my front door!  Even though I was so tired after barely sleeping, I had to put everything up in the baby's room to see what it looked like - and it was SO CUTE!  I got curtain panels (probably should have ordered a wider width but they were custom made so I can't send them back), rocking chair pads, a crib skirt, a lamp shade and a yard of yellow fabric to make a pillow for the rocking chair.  I know that it's not much but it just adds a whole new element to the room.  I would have also ordered a beautiful, matching bumper for the crib but they suggest not getting bumpers now, because of a suffocation risk, so it just would have been for show.  I put a breathable bumper on my registry and those are ok for kids a little order, and the lemon will be a little older when she finally sleeps in her crib.  Now I just need to hang the closet curtains, spray paint some frames white, order some prints, order a rug, get a few more decorations and order the dresser I decided on and we are done!  Ian is officially off the hook from helping with the nursery from now on (and can move on to more manly things like painting the house), and I get to just make it look cuter and cuter.  I love the room and how it is turned out, it makes me so happy every time I walk by it.

I had dinner with my dad last night and we went to Nourish.  I had a beef short rib sandwich, on gluten free bread and it was pretty good, although my dad was not that impressed with his eggplant dish.  For a restaurant whose menu says that they meet all kinds of food allergy needs so that you don't feel like a "freak at the table" they charged me $2.00 extra for gf bread for my sandwich instead of regular bread.  It's so annoying how places do that.  I understand the bread is more expensive, but work it in somewhere so we don't have to pay extra OR get something smaller than the regular thing just because it's made gf. 


My dad leaves for Oregon this week for the summer and won't be back until I have the baby.  I hate saying goodbye to him and feel like my heart is split in different directions when he's not in the same state as me.  It is also weird to think that the next time I see him I will have a daughter and he will have a grand-daughter (it's so strange to even type it!).  It has just been the two of us, two peas in a pod, for so long, and now there will be another little girl in the mix for him to cook for and dance with and teach to say, "Hi my name is _____, give me a nickel" like he taught me when I was little.  No matter what he thinks/says, I think he will make a great grandpa for our baby.  I know he will.


Original post (yesterday):


I was reading Julia's blog post a couple of weeks ago where she shared her frustration for these weekly posts, lately I've been feeling the exact same way.  It's hard to remember to take my weekly pics, and then it just takes so long to write about our week, gather pictures from everywhere and everyone and then post them.  I know it's really not a lot to do but why does it seem like it lately?  I guess I'm just tired today.


This week I had a horrible pregnancy ache/pain in my shoulder blade/back.  It started on Tuesday and then I thought yoga on Wednesday would help to stretch it out but I think it just made it worse.  By the end of the day on Thursday I showed up in Ian's classroom to go home, in tears, because I couldn't move my right arm, bend down to pick anything up or breathe without it pinching in my ribs.  I read that it's a pretty common pain, but it was just so uncomfortable because it impacted my breathing, and every time I sneezed or coughed it was so painful.  Thursday I had to lay on an ice pack for about 5 hours straight and couldn't move, and Friday I brought my ice to school to sit with in my chair.  Ian brought me a heating pad from the nurse that I tried on Thursday but ice felt much better.  All weekend I tried to take it easy (although painting probably wasn't the best since I'm right handed and it was my right shoulder!) and on Monday it felt a bit better but I wore a ThermaCare hot patch to school just to be safe.  I happened to pick the only day that the air conditioning happened to be off upstairs and in my classroom, to wear a hot patch, so I spent the morning really sweaty trying to teach my kids.


Never in my life have I felt such aches and pains, but as my kids said, "never in your life have you been this pregnant before."  They are right I guess.  I just felt like an old person, unable to move or do anything for days, and it reminded back at 21 weeks when my hip hurt and I could barely walk.  Ian was so nice to me and rubbed my back every night and I think that is the reason I felt better so fast.  He understands what it is like because he thinks it's the same muscle that he hurt a year ago and has been struggling with ever since, thinking it was his chest at first but now working on his back.  I remember constantly being in pain with my stomach, before going gluten free, and can only imagine how he feels every day feeling like I've felt for the past couple of days.  So, since I've started feeling better, I've tried to be consistent in rubbing him every day to see if it helps like he helped me.


On Friday a few of our friends at school had a baby shower for us.  We invited about 40 people and only about 7 actually showed up, I totally felt like Little Man Tate (have you seen that movie?).  I know it was a Friday after school but I thought for sure that since it was for both of us, and we've been at our school for 13 years combined, that more people would want to come and celebrate with us.  Oh well.  The people that did come (or wrote/sent cards) were awesome and it was a great group, and our good friends, (who are coming to my other shower in a couple of weeks) Jody and Elise, did a great job of putting it on.  We were surrounded by love and had a good time celebrating with colleagues and our parents, no matter how many people were there.  I appreciate the people who came so much, it was so nice to be so supported at work, that rarely happens in life.  My mom (on her 60th birthday!) and Ian's mom and dad made the long trip out to school too (and brought gifts!) to celebrate with us so we definitely felt the love.

(My mom liked to take pictures when we all least expected it!)

 

(What is with my weird face?!  CJ looks cute though!)

(Me and Jody, who helped to put on the shower!)

(Mom and me)

(The other shower planner, my friend Elise!)

(A group shot - although we are cut off and crooked!)

Saturday was a busy day!  My mom took the cloth diaper class at Zoolikins, the same one we took, even though her birthday party was later that night and my step-brother and his family were in town.  I wanted her to go and see how much easier cloth diapers have become and to see how it may not be that inconvenient after all, for all of us to try out.  She was a great sport and I was really proud of her, and I think she learned a lot too.  She never ceases to amaze me with her positivity and willingness to try new things, especially when it comes to me.  I met her at the place, we bought a few things and then she was off to get ready for her party.  I went home, painted baseboards and window molding, rearranged the baby's room and then had to get ready myself to rush off and get supplies for the party.  We got to my mom's, helped set up a bit, then rushed to Ikea to get our new expedit shelf, the smaller one, since it's by my mom's house.  Came back to the party just in time to help my mom put the finishing touches on her outfit and hair, and then guests started to arrive.

(My mom and I with my niece, Amanda.)

 (Blurry pic, I think Aunt Donna had a shot of tequila before taking this!  And there were multiple cameras so Ian is pointing at the one we were supposed to be looking at, ha!  My sister-in-law, Beatrice, step-brother, Joe, Amanda, mom, Ian and my step-dad, Joe.)

(It's weird that we look alike because we aren't technically related.)

(I think my mom did about 5 tequila shots that night, and she NEVER drinks!)

I know I have spoken about my mom multiple times but I have to mention her here again.  It was her 60th birthday this week and her husband planned a big party for over 50 people at her house for her.  I have never seen such love and appreciation towards someone in my life, as I did at my mom's party in her friends and family.  You can tell how awesome of a person she is, because she surrounds herself with amazing people who just adore her.  So many friends, all of our family - came out to celebrate with us, it was overwhelming.  Aunt Donna sang her a song, Joe got her the cake she wanted, and so many people came - she is so blessed.  I hung out inside for some of the night because I just got too hot, but Joe decorated the backyard with beautiful lights and rented tables/chairs.  Ian's family came and Ian and his dad played the guitar for everyone and they were a hit!  We had so much fun but I was definitely worn out by the time we headed home.  We stopped by Leith's Titanic birthday party (Ian's brother, and yes we watched Titanic) but were too tired by that time we had to get home and in bed - what has happened to us?  We used to stay up until the sun came up and sleep all day, those days are totally over.  Who are we?

(My great Aunt Nette telling my mom they have room for her now at the senior center!)

 

(I said goodbye to my wedding ring before leaving my mom's house.  I am scared that my fingers are going to swell, even though nothing is puffy yet, and I will have to get it cut off.  It's custom made and soldered together so I thought it may ruin it if someone had to cut it, so I left it in her safe until after the lemon gets here.  I've worn this set every day for three years, I feel truly naked without it.)

On Sunday Ian and I built our Ikea shelf and hung the blinds in the baby's room.  Oh my gosh, it is starting to look like a real nursery in there!  I cannot wait until my curtains, rocking chair pads, lamp shade, crib skirt and pillow fabric arrive; and Aunt Donna is hemming the curtains for the closet so we can hide all of our blue tubs (full of mostly my winter clothes/accessories, I know I have issues).  I sat in the rocking chair, the same one that rocked me to sleep when I was a baby, and just imagined holding the lemon, rocking her to sleep.  This room has been unusable for years, a place for us to just throw our junk in, not somewhere we ever hung out in, and soon I'm going to be in there all the time, it's so weird!  And, so exciting, I can't wait!

I wanted to go to yoga on Sunday morning and even promised Ann, my yoga friend, I'd be there (sorry Ann!) but my back still hurt and I wanted to let it heal before going again.  I am going to miss this Wednesday because I am off on an adventure with my bestie, but will go this Sunday instead (and maybe Ann will be there too, I hope!).  Busy week this week - the twins' birthday was last night, dinner with my Dad tonight (he leaves for Oregon on Thursday until the baby comes!), Christine tomorrow night, a pontoon boat trip with my three favorite ladies on Friday and then hopefully shopping with my mom on Saturday.  I was at school for only a half hour today before I ripped the maternity pants I was wearing (right in the crotch!) and had to safety pin them.  I need new bras and underwear, badly, and just a few more things to get me through this last month of school.  Today marks exactly 4 weeks left of work, AND I CAN'T HARDLY WAIT!!!  

 (Espen and Christine with their cupcakes!)

(With one of the birthday girls, Christie!  I'm sad I didn't get a pic with the other twin too!)

Next week is exciting too because we go in for our 30 week ultrasound on Wednesday and then my best friend in the whole world, Matt, comes on Thursday and my baby shower is on Sunday.  So much fun to look forward too, I can hardly contain myself.  It's funny how I felt so blah at the beginning of this post but feel so excited now, I guess I have to live the words I type.  I AM so excited and DO have a lot of fun stuff going on - so why am I so tired and blah today?