Hump Day Bump Day! (3/20/10) LAST HDBD

And, yes - we DO realize that this isn't really a hump day.  It was taken on a Saturday...
We really thought that we should do one last final HDBD photo.  Not only is this one really big baby - but the hardest thing for me to believe is how small I was before this baby got so stinkin' huge!

And now, without further adieu - the final HDBD

And, of course, the first ever HDBD.  Try not to let your jaw hit the floor...

Really Nothing to do with Pregnancy

But still pretty cool, so I had to share...

The other morning, Don was making us some BrMuffin sandwiches for breakfast.  (Pronounced BrrrrMuffin - it's our version of the Egg McMuffin, and oh so much better!)

And he actually found a double-yolk egg!  Can you believe the luck?!  Of course, I took a picture of it for our blog.  Enjoy!

So - this may not be the best picture, but you can kind of see, the one yolk that's still intact - and the one that accidentally broke right before I could waddle over to take the picture.  Fun, right?!

Dixie Cups are like Duct tape

You can use them for ANYTHING.

My pals at work have started to put some money down - placing bets on when Baby will get here  - winner takes all.

Here's the kitty:

Aren't they fabulous?!  I laughed so hard when I first saw this.  I think the pot is up to a whopping $4.86 now.  I can't wait to hear who finally wins.  :)

Oh - and PS - still no Baby yet...

still preggers... and some venting...

and just waiting it out at this point.

So here's the venting:
When I'm out in public, it's common for some stranger to ask me when I'm due.  I've learned to stop saying "any minute now..." because they ALWAYS respond with "please don't have your baby here".  (It's become obvious that really no one wants to watch a stranger have her baby in public).

Our first experience with that was the Target check-out line.  I thought it was funny and blogged about it with good humor.  Since then, it's happened much more frequently - in restaurants and even in the elevator at my weekly OB checkup.  Almost everyone in the elevator got in on that one, much to my dismay.  I'm not sure if these people are joking around with me and just not funny, or if they seriously think that I could go from zero to sixty in the course of 18 floors in a super fast and smooth elevator ride (about 20 seconds).  And if they honestly think that just asking me not to have my baby would be sufficient enough for me to be able to hold it in until they're a safe distance away... 

And I think the most offensive part is that they assume that I would really like to have my baby there (wherever there is) right with them.  Yep - being in labor in a moving elevator with 6 strangers, none of which were doctors, sounds like an ideal birth story to me (or the Target checkout, or the local brunch spot, etc)... how about you?

So now, when people ask me when I'm due, I usually tell them that I'm not due for at least another week.  Which is kind of true.  But I have a feeling I'll keep telling them that if Baby's still hanging in way past the due date. 

And just to put everyone's mind at ease - I completely plan on having this little one at the hospital with my loving husband and the attentive labor and delivery team.  Apparently, they're the only ones that want to be around for this anyway...

The waiting game...

So, we're at just under 39 weeks now and Baby could technically come along ANY MINUTE. I've even been experiencing a lot of pre-labor symptoms. I don't want to get too detailed here in case it's a little too personal for someone that might be reading this, but let's just say that my body is already getting started for this event. It's such a weird and mixed bag of emotions too. You know - the standards:

• I don't want to be pregnant anymore - this roly poly lifestyle is starting to get the best of me...
• I'm super excited to find out if Baby is a girl or a boy
• Most importantly, I'm excited to meet my baby for the first time and hold and cuddle Baby

So - I'm working from home while I try to get all the loose ends at work tied up. But as great as it is to stay in maternity sweat pants all day, I really do miss going into the office and I miss seeing all my work friends.  :(
It's great to stay busy though and takes my mind off the backaches and general crampiness of pre-labor.

I'm up for any ideas you might have on how to get Baby to come sooner than later. I've been drinking water like it's my job - AND I walk reasonable distances whenever possible... even do some prenatal yoga from time to time! Feel free to share any ideas you might have for helping this event get started...

And just in case Baby reads this {wink, wink}: Come on out when you're ready, Baby:  We love you and we're excited to meet you!  :)

Fun Pregnancy Conversations...

So, Don and I were at the Target on Roosevelt over the weekend, picking up some last minute baby things.  We were able to find most of what we still needed, like a crib sheet, a changing pad and even some more toilet paper (gotta stock up, you know?).

Anyway - while we were checking out, the cashier asked us if we were shopping for our own baby - we said yes.  She asked "how many months are you?"

"Nine," I replied.

Without hesitating she said, "Please don't have your baby in this store".

I literally laughed out loud.  I think she was joking - at least kind of joking.  It doesn't even make sense to me that I would be going to Target (especially with someone who could so obviously go without me if we really needed something) or that I would be going ANYWHERE for that matter if I was already far along into labor, with the exception of the hospital, of course.  Unless it was maybe to grab some sushi - it's been 9 months, people!

Long awaited! Nursery Pics!

Sorry it's taken so long to get these posted.  Trust me - we've been BUSY.  And I'm fairly certain that all experienced parents out there are laughing at me right now thinking that I'm busy... 
it's okay - I'm a good sport.


So - here's a picture of the nursery from the dining area:

 

And here's a close up of the crib:

 

 

And, of course, the rocker - where we'll be spending so much of our time:

 

Here's a close-up of the changing table too - but we have a changing pad there now too - so don't judge:

 

 

We still need to add some pictures on the wall - the tree painting and other fun things - like letters that spell out Baby's name and other nice touches, but it's a good start.  And we feel more ready to bring Baby home than we have this whole time.

Any minute now, Baby...

Hump Day Bump Day! (3/3/10)

Holy dropping babies, Batman!  Check out how low Baby is now!

 

This may not look that low until you compare it to earlier pictures, like the one from just LAST WEEK:

Wow!  So the word on the street (AKA - knowledge from Momma Mags) is that first babies come out roughly about three weeks after they drop.  This one is officially dropped.  That puts me guesstimating the grand arrival at roughly my due date!  YAY!

For anyone not in the know - we're officially due on March 19th.  However, we just found out that if Baby does make a grand entrance by March 23rd, we're going to go in for an induction.  Not too bad, Baby.  Just come on out when you're ready - any minute now...

Hump Day Bump Day! (2/24/10)

And just when you thought Baby (aka, my baby bump) wasn't going to get any bigger...

Hump Day Bump Day! (2/17/10)

We got some really wonderful news at our ultrasound appointment yesterday morning!  Baby has flipped and is now head down.  YAY!  We were able to cancel our scheduled C-Section because Baby is no longer breech.


And I think Baby finally flipped two nights ago - or maybe even yesterday morning based on how the kicking changed - but Don thinks that my belly even just looks different now too.  Here's the HDBD photo from last week and the one from this morning...  drop much?  ;)

 

Last Week's HDBD Photo

Today's HDBD photo.

Hump Day Bump Day! (2/10/10)

We actually took this picture on Wednesday - but I'm just now getting around to posting it.  It's been a loooong week and I have a feeling this weekend is going to be kind of crazy too...

 

Yes, those are painting supplies and other general construction craziness in the background.  Don't you just love the builder dust on my pants?  :)

And since it's been so long - I wanted to post my first ever HDBD photo as well.

 

Wow.  Kind of blows your mind, doesn't it?  ;)  

My co-workers ROCK!

My friends at work threw a baby shower for me yesterday and IT WAS AWESOME!  So many people showed up and I was truly honored by how many people took time out of their busy workdays to celebrate my growing family with me.  And there were so many really thoughtful gifts too! 

Kara, Angel and Kristy all put so much thought and energy into making the shower as fun as it was.  There were fun games, a super-cute cake (picture to follow), festive decorations - those girls really know how to throw a party!  :)


Which brings me to my next point - it's been awesome to be blessed by so much support and love from friends, family and co-workers as our family is growing.  It makes the whole experience such an incredibly positive one.  THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

Construction Has Begun...

So - we found our contractor (he's fabulous so far, btw) and construction started Thursday morning.  Things are a little crazy around our loft, as you can see.  Everything is covered in plastic.

But here's a great shot from our kitchen of the room being built out. 

Another one -

Mark (our builder - have I mentioned that he's been really great so far?!) is coming back Monday to do other builder-y things and hang the dry wall.

It's cool to walk around in the new room area and imagine how we're going to use the room - rocking Baby, feeding Baby - and even just how we're going to decorate. This really brings it home for me - it's hard to ignore (as if my ever-growing belly isn't hard enough to ignore).  Baby is going to be here very soon and we're finally getting to a lot of our final preparations. 

Hump Day Bump Day (1/27/10)

Posted one or two days late - but the picture was taken on the actual HDBD.  So there.  ;)

Only 8 Weeks to Nest!

Well, here we are at week 32 and Papa-Bear-To-Be does not have the nest all made up for the little one yet. In fact we have not even built the nest!

Nesting phase number 1 for the modern, soon-to-be-dad who lives in a 1 bedroom loft in the city is to put up a few new walls to store the baby within. When said soon-to-be-dad is not mechanically inclined or blessed with the ability to use power (or hand, for that matter) tools then he does the next best thing.... my 5 step process for building a room:
1. Call the contractors
2. Receive quotes
3. Put on the coffee
4. Relax
5. Some simple clean up and you are all done!
Quotes are coming in and I plan to award and start work next week. Small job, but whew... cutting it close.

Nesting phase 2 will include all the furniture. I have a jump start on this one...
Yes, it is a swing. Yes, it looks simple. But no, it was not. This was the most confusing thing I ever constructed. And the whole time I am worrying if it is sturdy enough and safe and not on any recall lists! Oh the stress. And I have not even begun the crib or changing table!!

At that point Amanda will be directing me on the standard setup of a nursery. Placement of furniture, paint color, decorations, etc. She has this all mapped out in that beautiful artistic mind of hers, and I just need to extract it out somehow.

Finally when all this construction is over then we get to the real business of nesting... learning what to do with this precious gift when we get Baby home! We have all-day classes on Saturday in two weeks and then again in three weeks to prep for the birthing and then how to take care of our little one. We are confident we could figure it out on our own, but welcome the opportunity to learn on the "Do Nots" to help us avoid any potentially stressful moments when we welcome Baby Bratschie home.


Any nesting advice you wish to share would be welcome!

Hump Day Bump Day! (1/20/10)

PS - if it looks like Baby is huge in my belly, that's because Baby IS huge! At our last ultrasound (yesterday), the tech estimated Baby's current weight at 4 lb 4 oz and at the 69th percentile. At this rate, we're guessing Baby will be 8-8.5 lbs by delivery. YIKES!

It's just a couple of walls, right?

Since we currently live in a loft condo space, we decided that building an extra room in here would be much easier than moving.  Especially since we really like our building, neighborhood and brick & timber condo.

Our buddy, Mike, drew up some plans for us to share with contractors while we're getting bids.  So far - we've only had one contractor out, but this already looks like it might be a bigger deal than we originally thought.  It turns out that the wood flooring went around our walls, instead of under them - if we move our current walls at all, that means we'll need to re-do the entire wood portion of our flooring too.  Sheesh!
 I guess if it was too easy, we would think something was wrong anyway - but did it really need to just about double the original cost we had anticipated?  {sigh}

I am VERY excited to have this room built out though - if for no other reason than I can start cleaning and organizing and putting everything where it goes.   I keep thinking that I'm nesting - but who knows?!  The only thing I really cleaned out was the junk email that I get everyday.  I managed to de-clutter my inbox from about 25 new "come-inside-our-store" emails a day to more around 4.  Not too shabby.

All this to say - I hope we get our room built out before Baby gets here.  Or at least that we agree on a rocker/glider to use in the nursery...

just a little longer...

we're officially at 31 weeks now.  Just a few more days and we'll be at 32 weeks - or 8 months for those of you that don't want to do the math...

here's a picture (courtesy of babycenter.com) showing what Baby is up to now - it's kind of cool to see that Baby actually looks more like a baby now.  :)

No wonder my belly is getting so big that I waddle!  And Baby weighs about the same as 4 naval oranges (3 lbs. 3 oz.).  Again - here's a picture for reference:

I feel like we're in the home stretch now - only a couple more months - 10 weeks tops and we'll be welcoming our bundle of joy into this world.  I CAN'T WAIT!  :)

Hump Day Bump Day! (1/13/10)

As you can see - Baby is getting pretty big now!  According to BabyCenter - about 3 lbs!  3 whole pounds!

And Baby isn't just getting big - but moving a lot too.  Yesterday while I was riding the bus I could see Baby moving WHILE I WAS WEARING MY COAT!  Now that, my friends, is an active baby!  (And a happy one!) 

More Milkshake Goodness...

So - as part of my craving, I decided to try to track down the best chocolate milkshake I could find.  Now that we're back in Chicago (post-holidays), there are plenty of Potbelly's to be found.  YAY!  Potbelly's is perfect for milkshakes.  My all time favorite used to be their Oreo milkshake, although I've been known to order the orange creamsicle milkshake once or twice.  Until this past week, I've never had just a plain chocolate milkshake from there.  It was high time I did.


How does the milkshake rate?  Again, using my 5 point scale, I'd say this one is at a whopping 4.  That's the highest rated chocolate milkshake so far!  The only reason I couldn't give it a straight 5 is because it really didn't seem very chocolatey.  The texture was great.  The flavor was creamy and smooth - but not chocolatey.  Don't get me wrong - I still enjoyed it, but we're getting serious now on the science of the perfect chocolate shake.


So I went home and told Don about this latest rating.  He came up with a brilliant idea for us to make our own milkshakes at home.  YAY!  And yes, so delicious and satisfying!  Not only could we mix it to our own liking, but as you might assume, Don got creative and started adding other stuff - I don't even know what - but it was SO yummy!
I tried to make a milkshake the same way when Don was out of town for work and my milkshake was watery and just not as good.  Oh - the troubles of being me...  ;)

Seriously though - if anyone out there has some good recommendations for a chocolate milkshake here in Chicago, just say the word!   Don has promised to keep this craving at bay while we continue to search for the 2nd most perfect chocolate milkshake in Chicago.  ;) 

Hump Day Bump Day!

I know it's been awhile, peeps.  And quite frankly, we're just not as disciplined about the HDBD photos as we should be.

Here's the latest and greatest - from today.

CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKES ROCK!

For the past few days, I've been craving - and I do mean CRAVING - chocolate milkshakes.  I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with all the calcium that I need right now for Baby.


I think I'm going to start rating them on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best.  Here are my first two reviews - in order of devourment:


Steak 'n Shake - 3.5
It wasn't very chocolatey at all (hence the 1.5 pts taken off), but it was so creamy and good and I absolutely LOVED the whipped cream and a cherry on top.  YUMMY.  Plus, we got it at half price because apparently Fridays between 2-4 is happy hour at Steak 'n Shake.  Who knew?


Sonic - 3
This milkshake was very icy - the texture was closer to a slushie or slurpee than an actual milkshake, but it was so chocolately that I almost didn't mind.  almost.  I couldn't bring myself to give it a 4 though.  Sorry, sonic.  It's not fault of your own, I'm sure.  I've just never had a sonic milkshake before and didn't know what to expect. 

Nesting?

Today is our very first baby shower and we get to have it with our Ohio friends/family.  I'm SO excited!  Don is helping get food ready and has forbidden me to be anywhere near the kitchen.  That's pretty much the standard for us...

So, while I'm waiting for 3 o'clock to roll around so that we can get this party started, I'm watching even more HGTV.  I've been watching it all morning, actually.  I thought originally it might mean that I'm officially nesting - apparently that's a perfectly normal and expected part of pregnancy.  But I'm only at 7 months and 1 week (29 weeks for those of you that don't like figuring out the math) and I think nesting usually happens in another month or two.  But that part that convinces me the most that I'm not actually nesting yet is that I'm not doing anything - I'm just watching TV.

But Don is hard at work in Momma B's kitchen - and I feel like I should be doing SOMETHING.  So - I'm collecting ideas for decorating our nursery.  And here is what I've come up with so far:

Like the tree that's on the wall?  Yep - me too.  So since our nursery colors are going to be similar, I think this one is a go.  Now - we just have to build the walls.  ;)

Now we are cooking - another Daddy post!

One of my favorite squashes is butternut and today baby is about the size of one of these golden delicious nuggets of the Earth! God has blessed me with some cooking skills, but He is REALLY blessing Amanda by growing that Baby to enormous vegetable sizes! We are getting so excited and I feel like the roller coaster just went over the top of the first hill. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Amanda is doing well but she sleeps a LOT! We are in Ohio for the holiday and she slept for 12 hours the night we got here. And it is not unheard of for her to take as many as 3 naps a day! It gives me time to do one of my projects which is to find every reference in the Bible about how God wants us to raise our children. The project is slow and let's be honest - I will probably never turn it into a book, but I am learning.

We just bought our first real baby item. A car seat! And as you well know, we do not have a car so there is a bit of irony there. However the carrier will fit into our desired stroller - the Bob. I took a week off work (first time off in over a year) and spent most of the time in my new polar bear pj's hence my choice of modeling attire for the pic...

Apparently there is some sort of kickback scheme going on with all these baby product companies because only certain
carriers fit into our chosen stroller and most of them are exPENSive! But we outsmarted the system and got this compatible 30/30 (which will go to 30 lbs or 30 inches) by Peg Perego on EBAY! It was like half price and all the parts that baby can make smell funny are washable. Which is really cools since someone elses baby could have made this one smell funny. We are not ashamed to take second hand stuff, especially when it is such a good deal!

Our Ohio shower is tomorrow and I get to hang out with an entire house full of women. I get to cook for them and wait on their every need. This makes me perfectly happy.