8 months...geeez!!

"This stuff is gettin' REAL!"

That's a quote from my husband :)  Last week we had a tiny scare that involved a hospital visit -it was a false alarm and everything is still going really well, but this was the quote that came out of it.  And it's true, it really kind of hit home after that.  We're really going to be parents, and REALLY pretty soon.
I mean, we're at eight months now.  8 months?!  Actually, 33 weeks tomorrow!!  We're gonna have a teeny tiny itty bitty widdle baby in our arms within the next seven-ish weeks!  ho-leeeee cow!

Luckily, we learned some important lessons during our hospital visit.
1.  We feel even more secure in our choice of hospital.  The nurses were awesome, and they were very straight up with us.  They answered our questions and weren't afraid to tell us the best and worst possible scenarios.  I appreciate that- why do they keep you guessing sometimes?

2. When I do go into labor, our drive should not be within the hours of 4 and 7 in the evening.  It took us an hour and a half to get there with rush-hour traffic!!  That's not so conducive for a crazy lady in labor.

3.  Pizza my heart is right down the street.  We know where to get grub when it's all said and done.

Now that we have those valuable jewels of knowledge under our belt, we're ready.  We got this. What else could we possibly need to know ;)

Can you believe this is my workout DRESS??  It's very much a shirt these days :)

I couldn't decide which one I looked fatter in.

What else??...Oh, stats and updates!!

• Baby-us is the size of a honeydew melon!!!  17-19 inches (roughly) and 4.5 lbs!
• All the books and websites say the kiddo is running out of room to move around, but I think it missed that memo, because it's still walking the rim of my left side at night.  Which leads to...
• 3rd trimester insomnia.  I've got it super bad.  And it's SO frustrating.  If the baby is not kicking me, then it's the darn Braxton Hicks contractions keeping me up.  I try to go to sleep around 8:30 or 9, but I end up getting up and reading or something until the Sandman shows up between 11pm and 1 am.  
• Although I haven't gained any more weight, my fingers look like they have.  I'm thankful this is the only part of me swelling (I have nightmares of cankles), but it means that I can't wear my rings anymore.  I'm trying to convince John to fly back to New Zealand to have the jeweler make me another custom ring in a bigger size...but he's not game.  Although he may change his mind if he had extra time to climb and surf while he was there...

Finally, I must admit that I have a new obsession.  Nesting.  It's like the rest of life has completely fallen to the waist side and all I can do is get ready for the future President's arrival!  I'm organizing (and reorganizing) all the babies things, I've put together every baby contraption I can ...stroller, co-sleeper, baby seat, etc.  and I've begun making a rug for the nursery.  Not that our kid even has a nursery, but it will someday.  Hopefully when we move in December it will get a room.  It's a bit ambitious, but I wanted to make an eco-friendly rug, so our baby could crawl around and not ingest fumes of formaldehyde and pesticides.  It's made from t-shirts from our closet, friends, goodwill, etc. How's that for reusing? :)

So this is it (well, the slow beginning of it):

This is about 6 shirts..and 1 1/2 weeks of work! 

Yeah, I have a long way to go.  Maybe it'll be done by the time our kiddo is 10!

29

Twenty-nine weeks today, and 3 1/2 weeks until I turn 29.  Man, time flies!!

I guess I should tell you what baby us and I have been doing since my last update.  First, we had a "Hey girl" weekend with my bestie Linds, while my husband dragged her husband up a mountain in Yosemite.  (Typical ;) ).  It was pretty great just eating good food, having some girl time, and watching Ryan Gosling movies.  If you haven't seen this Ryan Gosling fad of "hey girl" you should check this out.  It's my favorite :D

Ryan Gosling on Cloth Diapers

Some are a tad inappropriate, but I love the last one :)

I've also started swimming, which is INCREDIBLE!!  I mean, I've always loved swimming, but having the feeling of being weightless when my belly feels so crazy heavy all the time is great! And it's hilarious watching the visual responses when I get out of the pool and people realize that I'm pregnant.  I guess it's hard to tell in the water??
 It's also been a great way to get me doing something.  I've been pretty down since school (work) has been out.  I really miss my kiddos and I miss the fulfillment of teaching.  I feel this way every summer, but it's harder knowing that I won't be going back in August.

I've been keeping busy by working on my classes (I'm just taking one towards my doctorate right now...and it's pretty boring), and reading a new parenting book each week.  Last week was Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman.   It was a fabulous read!  It wasn't like most parenting books, it was written more like a novel and really fun.  I read the whole thing in a day.  The book compares American moms to Parisian moms and investigates why (largely) American children whine, have less patience, are demanding, etc., whereas Parisian children seem to have much more self-control and patience.  It turns out, after reading the book, Parisian moms are just like Southern moms.  I should thank my mom for being so tough.

Last week I had a very interesting OB appointment.  My doctor first wanted to talk to me about how we plan to space out our children.  This seemed random to me since the first one is still in my belly, but we discussed the current research about the negative effects for mom and baby to get pregnant too soon in-between.  (Risks of obesity, Autism, etc. if a year or less apart).  We really don't have a plan, but I'd like some serious time to get a grip on this whole mom bit first.

Then she wanted to discuss breastfeeding.  And not in the typical, it's-a-good-idea way, but in her total Santa Cruz hippie way in which she believes breastfeeding should be done very openly, very often.  She advises against covering up, or excusing yourself in public at all.  I totally respect her passion and I, of all people, want to support advocacy for a good cause.  Women shouldn't have to cover up or be discreet at all, it's a natural thing.  I think it's awesome how supportive she is of that!! However, I couldn't help but smile and remind her that I'm from the South.  Today I saw one of my pastors from church at the pool and I couldn't even go talk to him because I felt it inappopriate that I was swimming in my bikini!  How will I ever be at the comfort level she's talking about?!

Anyway, moms that can be the change for breastfeeding women, I admire you so very much!  However, I have already ordered a "hooter hider" for use in public places.

Last, but certainly not least, the baby stats!!

• 29 weeks today (I think we covered that), but that means we should have a baby within the next 11 (or so) weeks!!  Eeeek!  I can't wait!!
• Baby-us is the size of a small cabbage!!
• Roughly 17 inches 
• Around 2.9 lbs.
• And we've finally, I'm pretty sure it's final now, decided on names.  Boy:  John Lincoln; Girl: Collette Marie (or Colette..I dunno about the spelling yet)

Get Green!!

Making your home green is sooooo much easier than you think. Since I'm now pretty much obsessed with the idea, I thought I'd share some of my fave and easy-peasy ways to make your home safer for you and the earth :)

<-- This one is pretty much a no-brainer. Reusable bags EVERY TIME you shop! This one is $1.50. It fits in your purse and Target gives you $.05 back every time you use a reusable bag! Just think of how much plastic (and eventually $$ you save!)

These are 2 great items for your kitchen! Seventh Generation paper towels are 100% recycled. Although we try to use cloth for most things, every once in a while you need a paper towel. And dishwasher tabs that work waaay better in my dishwasher than the cascade brand we were using. Not only are you not flushing terrible chemicals into the streams and oceans (yes, you are killing sea animals, just like BP!!!), but the cardboard box is made of 100% recycled paper.



Laundry. 1. Quit the dryer and get a drying rack. Save $$ and energy! 2. Try method! It's concentrated (less trash!) and even the container is made of 50% recycled

plastic!


In the bathroom: 1. Soap in boxes is so much better & cheaper than body wash in bottles. Plastic can only be recycled so many times before it becomes toxic, and most soaps come in recycled cardboard, so if you aren't going to recycle then at least buy a product that has been. 2.Give recycled t.p. a shot. It's amazing how much virgin paper is wasted on our waste! 3. www.preserveproducts.com

these products are made from recycled materials AND you can recycle them with their easy mail-back form! They even have a toothbrush recycle program you can sign up for and they will send you a new brush every 3 months! You won't have to remember when to switch anymore!

And cleaning: Using one concentrated, natural all-purpose like Simple Green saves space and oceans :) Also, Seventh Generation antibacterial keeps the chemicals that can cause asthma attacks away from kids, but still germ-free!!

I love anything by Seventh Generation. They dedicate 10% of their profits to organizations working for change, they even used recycled packaging, all their products are natural, they offer coupons on their website, and you can find them at stores like Target! Why would you not buy their products?

Lastly, I know what you are going to say. "I can't afford green products." But, it's not true.

You can! I've included a cost comparison that I found in RealSimple magazine on laundry detergents. Also, check into coupons on the company websites. I also stock up when these products are on clearance at Target (which is often- you know Target). And many things you can do in your home don't require buying anything and can cancel out any extra cents you're racking up to buy something good for you.