Overdue Hybrid Update With Photo Overload

Ok, it's been three months since I posted bump pics to my blog. The summer was so much fun, and then things got crazy busy! At 25 weeks preggers I went camping with my family to P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Michigan, my piece of heaven on earth. Every time I have my blood pressure taken at a doctor's office I imagine myself on the beach at Hoffmaster, to try to relax myself. It's always still higher than it is at home, but at least I can get the diastolic under 90 that way. ;)

25 weeks on the shore of Lake Michigan

Laying out on the beach turned out to be troublesome though. I finally found the best way to get comfortable: Dig a hole in the sand, cover it with a towel, lay an inner tube over the hole, and lay on top of the hole. I was dead asleep in under 3 minutes. Maybe I'll try this in bed... Laying on my side is starting to get old.

Out like a light

The second trimester was seriously amazing. I felt great, I finally looked pregnant, and I could still speed walk down the block and pass people in the grocery stores. I had my energy back, my appetite back, and it was glorious.

26 weeks and feeling good

Within days of hitting the third trimester I was completely exhausted again. I started drinking a cup of coffee a day, just to make it to afternoon nap time. I could always tell when my stomach was about to start growing again because I'd be even more tired than usual, and would have a cup of coffee then go back to bed. I am SO thankful I didn't have a job to be at, because I would have fallen asleep at my desk for sure.

Side note: During the first and second trimesters I actively looked for a job and sent out my resume to countless places and applied for positions online, but no one wants to hire an unemployed worker apparently. Then when I reached the third trimester Scott and I decided it was pointless to look for a job I'd have to quit in a couple of months anyway. He gets major props by the way for being so awesome during my time of unemployment and paying my rent and only minimally harassing me about it. It might be a fair trade for all that comes with carrying his child, which I only minimally harass him about.

Anyway, at 28 weeks I had to see a high-risk OBGYN at the hospital for a more detailed level 2 ultrasound. At the 20 week anatomy scan they found our baby's kidneys were a bit dilated, so it was a follow up to see how things were going. It was a weird appointment because the specialist did the ultrasound, which I wasn't expecting. I assumed it would be done by a tech, who would pass along the measurements to the specialist, who would pass the report to my doctor. But I walked in the room and he introduced himself and had me get on the table and started the ultrasound without looking at me even once! I couldn't see the screen and he didn't talk to me at all! I was thinking, Man this guy is a jerk. But then when it was over he gave me a few print outs, which I didn't even know he did during the scan, and was super friendly and said everything looked good. Apparently this is a common thing in boy babies and more often than not it corrects itself before the baby is born. So all is good with little man's kidneys and no need for any follow ups! And after working for cardiologists, I should have realized this is classic specialist bedside manner. They have zero time for anything and are all business.

28 week ultrasound

At 29 weeks Scott and I headed to Michigan for our huge baby shower. Our moms Diane and Deniese did an AMAZING job of putting it together. It was seriously so beautiful and perfect, and I am still blown away by the generosity of our family and friends. We are so blessed to have such loving and supportive people in our lives!

After the shower Scott had to go back to Chicago for work, but I stuck around so I could go to his cousin Katie's wedding the next weekend. She was such a stunning bride, and I loved seeing her so completely happy. It was also really nice to spend so much time with Scott's family -both sides!

Me and the beautiful bride

30 weeks, starting to get large!

At 32 weeks our awesome friends Amber and Ann threw us a shower in Chicago for our friends here. We had maybe 15 people in our apartment, but it didn't seem too crowded. Our friend Nicole flew in from New York City for it, and even our world traveler friend Jesse was able to come. Since we had a smaller group, we were able to play some games! We played Guess how big my belly is, Draw a baby on your head, and Pictionary. I have to say, everyone guessed waaay over on my belly size, by 10-12 inches at least. Scott just wrapped the string around himself three times and figured that's how big I was, haha. The shower was a huge success and I can't thank my friends enough for coming out, or Ann and Amber for throwing it and making sure we didn't have to do a thing other than be here to host it.

Draw a baby on your head!

Not sure what that is, but it sure is detailed!

Anatomically correct Smurf, moose on skis

The correct answer would be... Ultrasound

Shots of Malort -a Chicago hazing ritual

Uncle Traveling Jesse and Aunt Nicole from NYC

Amber's pie was amazing!

32 weeks

At 34 weeks I was back in Michigan for my cousin Lisa's wedding. Scott was unable to come with me because he was in the middle of a solid 3 weeks of work trips. Thankfully that's the last of the traveling he'll have to do until February or March. To say we were happy when he was done is the understatement of the year.

The Bailey kids, dressed to impress

Good luck belly rub for newlywed fertility

34 weeks

Then I stopped taking bump pics for three weeks, mainly because I've been feeling large and uncomfortable and done with being pregnant. Thankfully my mom was able to come out for a quick 24 hours last week and helped me whip the nursery into shape. I still have to put the finishing touches on it, so I'm not going to post photos yet, but it looks really good and I love sitting in there in my glider and doing things like fold baby clothes.

37 weeks, made it to full-term!

Tomorrow I'll be 38 weeks and my due date is only 15 days away! It's crazy that it's almost time to meet our little boy! I have to say that I am so grateful for so many things. One, that I was able to get pregnant without any problems. Two, that I've been able to carry this baby to full-term. And three, that so far this has been a textbook pregnancy. So many things can go wrong, and so many people struggle with getting and staying pregnant, and at times I feel guilty that I've had such an easy time of it. I know this ride isn't over yet though, and I still have to get through labor and delivery, and my only wish is that this little boy is healthy. Ok, if I'm going to be completely honest I also have a smaller wish that my body isn't completely annihilated in the process. Let's face it. Having a baby is scary stuff, and the options for him coming out don't sound appealing to me.

Now I'm going to end with a "before and after" comparison of my bump. In the Before I'm 3 months pregnant and already have a little bump from my guts getting squished out of the way. I can't even fathom how good I looked at 0 months! I remember being bummed because I wasn't showing yet. In the After I'm 37 weeks, so there's still some growing left to do. I'm putting on my fake smile because those stretch marks suck. I just think it's crazy how much my body has changed in 6 short months!

WHUT.

Really Sexy Lingerie

I know "sexy lingerie" and "pregnant lady" aren't terms that usually (ok, never) get used together, but that is because you haven't seen my new little number yet. Brace yourself, because this is intense. With about 2.5 yards of lace and spandex, I give you the Fancee Free Fancy Me Maternity Girdle:

In all seriousness, this thing is amazing. For the past two weeks, whenever I have to walk any sort of distance, I need my hands under my belly supporting the weight. I don't want to know what would happen if I didn't. I might pee myself, my back might give out, I might fall over, who knows. This thing may look hideous, but it does the job and I'm not ashamed to wear it.

The downside is that once you reach the point to where you need to wear one of these bad boys, you are also on the verge of peeing yourself every hour to two hours. So getting in and out of full-panel maternity pants, a girdle, and underwear some 12 times a day is quite the Olympic sport. But that's exercise, right? And for the low low price of $26 you can order one of your own from jay cee pee dot com.

Also, if you happen to see Scott, buy the guy a beer because this is what he has to come home to.

A Bit of a Vent Turned Rant

I feel like I need to get this off my chest, because it happened a couple of months ago and it's still bothering me. It was something that was said to me by a friend, and "friend" I'm going to use loosely because in recent years I've only seen this person maybe twice a year, we do not talk on the phone or text, and we rarely talk online. So maybe this person is more of an acquaintance at this point, which makes me even more uncomfortable because of the intimate nature of the question and the casual conversation in which it was asked. Also, I should point out that we were not alone at the time, and other people were actively listening in on our conversation.

After that dramatic preface, the question that was asked was, "Was your pregnancy planned?" Now most people might think this is an innocent enough question and maybe this person was just making conversation, but I personally think it was more than that. This person's tone was condescending and I immediately felt like crap. I was taken aback and answered No because I was caught off guard and had no idea what to say. But then I was left feeling like I was the jerk and that I was in the wrong, when really it was this person who should have been embarrassed for being so rude.

First of all, that is none of their damn business. I hardly know you! What makes you think you are entitled to that kind of information? No one needs to know the exact details of how a child is conceived, and I can guarantee only a handful of our closest friends and immediate family members are privy to the facts and events surrounding our pregnancy.

Second, and more importantly, people NEVER ask a married couple if their pregnancy is planned. Even if that couple had only been dating a year and married for less, no one questions their reproductive choices. But the minute someone sees a preggo without a ring, I guess that makes it fair game for rude comments and mean glares. (Side note on the ring. I have gotten SO many angry glares from people over the past few months that I started wearing a fake ring when I go out in public. It's amazing how people's attitudes have changed since then. Also I feel like it's not a complete lie, because it does reflect our commitment level, just not our legal status.)

Scott and I have been together for over 7 1/2 years, and I feel it's ridiculous that I still have to explain our relationship to people. The reason we aren't married has nothing to do with a lack of commitment, trust, or respect. Maybe our vows weren't said in front of family and friends, God, or a judge, but that doesn't make them any less meaningful to us. Do I wish we were married? Yes. Do I feel like crap when he calls me his girlfriend, like someone you take to prom? Yes. But do I understand his reasons and point of view? Also Yes. Out of respect for Scott, I won't go into more detail on his stance, but once again, these are details only our close friends and family members should have.

This friend who so casually and offensively asked me about the planning of our pregnancy probably didn't even realize that Scott and I were together for years before this person even started dating their now spouse, and how that question would feel had the tables been turned. And it hasn't been just this one person. Other people ask in more passive-aggressive ways, such as, "Oh, I didn't know you were trying to get pregnant..." A different approach, but equally as rude and hurtful.

Maybe we didn't ring in 2011 saying, Hey, let's have a baby by the end of the year! But we have been talking about spending our lives together and having a family together from the very beginning. We've always wanted to have kids together. So in that sense, YES, this baby has been planned for over half a decade, and very much wanted. With that in mind, I now tell people, Yes this baby was very much planned (even though I should say, It's none of your damn business!)

A Knucklehead McSpazatron

The weirdest thing happened last night with Sapz, and it's still kind of freaking me out. I was playing freeze balls (frozen bubbles) in bed on my phone, and Spaz was sleeping peacefully at my feet. Then he suddenly snapped wide awake, looked at me, and hissed! Immediately after that he came over and purred and snuggled with me.

So I'm thinking one of three things is going on: One, he had a nightmare. Two, he has a brain tumor. Three, my apartment is haunted. I'm really hoping it's the first one.

The face of an angel