Here is the long awaited post on Teddy’s Room! Let’s start with a little background, shall we?
Alex and I tried for 10 months to get pregnant, which is not long by many people’s standards but was definitely a trying time in our lives. Anyway, we were originally living with a dear friend and we weren’t going to be able to afford the same apartment without her, so we went in search of a one bedroom that was about $300 cheaper a month. We found one in Camarillo, 740 sq ft, wood floors, pet friendly, a large kitchen, BUT only one closet and hardly any storage. We knew if we were to get pregnant that it would be a challenge, but we thought it might continue to take us a while and we were running out of options. So, we went for it and signed a 15 month lease. Then, a month after we moved in, we found out we were pregnant! Thus, the transformation began.
Our little one bedroom has definitely turned into Teddy’s place, but we’re completely fine with that. Little kid stuff is uber cute and since we already had a sort of theme going in our room, we decided to expand on it for Teddy. Our “theme” for him is “adventure”. We are hoping that Teddy has a global view on life. We want him to look past where he lives, the friends he has, etc. and seek adventure — so, we decided to flood the poor kid with subliminal messaging. We have travel posters, vintage finds, homemade treasures, globes, books and items from around the world to decorate his space.
We decided to use our current dresser and transform it into a changing table, but we still needed the drawer space because we only have ONE closet! So, we also opted for a pegboard solution to hold onesies, diapers, and changing necessities.
I really wanted a little reading/rocking area in the corner so we found an IKEA rocking chair and some small IKEA shelves to house some bedtime books. The lamp has a very dim light to read by at night and the basket next to the chair is full of stuffed animals and handmade blankets.
We also have some very unique and special treasures throughout the room. A vintage bust of a sea captain that we found in a store called “Treasure Island” in Santa Paula — if you get a chance to go, please do and say hello to the store owner, Robert. He was an ad designer in the 60’s for Nordstroms and has some amazing stories. We also have a piece drawn by a friend Kyle Naylor called “Northern Bear”. I purchased it before we knew we were pregnant in hopes that I could put it over our little baby’s crib. Check out his stuff, here. I also made Teddy’s mobile. I wanted to continue with the adventure theme and imagined him camping outdoors and looking up at the stars. I used an embroidery hoop, some of Alex’s Abuelita’s fabric from her sewing box and painted gold stars.
I also made a door hanger (for the front door) asking people to knock because Boone loves to bark when someone rings the doorbell. In addition, I wanted to include one of my favorite quotes from Disney’s Up, “Adventure is Out There!”, so I found a wood plaque at Michaels and drew it up. Finally, and probably one of my favorite details, is this vintage ship clock/nightlight. It belonged to Alex’s Abuelito and his brother found it in the garage of their house. He gave it to us as a gift for Teddy. I’m not actually even sure what era it’s from, but it still works as a clock and a night light!
Now, where are we going to put all of this kid’s clothes?! Off to the living room we go! Alex and I found a wardrobe from IKEA that worked perfectly in the space; then purchased a bookshelf from IKEA as well, turned it on it side and made it a bench under the window. All of Teddy’s clothes fit into the wardrobe and the bench houses his toys. Yay!
So, there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed the little tour of Teddy’s space. We can’t wait for him to make a complete mess of it all and I’m well aware that this is probably the cleanest my house will look until he’s 3 and we make him do chores.
Only a few more days (hopefully) until we get to bring him home!
So, this entire pregnancy I haven’t really “craved” anything. I did have some weird moments like when I wanted to eat peaches and spanish olives and I did have a love affair gone bad with coke and mexican food. But, truly — those are things I would eat NOT pregnant. Truly, I would probably eat peaches and spanish olives all the time and not bat an eye. But, one thing I have been CRAVING for the past month that I do not eat/drink normally is milk. I kind of don’t really love it. I’ve always thought it tasted kind of weird and never really wanted to have it apart from cereal.
That is… until now! Now, I drink practically a gallon a week, by myself. Yes! It’s true. And I want milk in every form: yogurt, cheese, shakes. You name it, I’ll ask you if it has milk in it, then I’ll take it!
There was a time just a few weeks ago, when this whole thing started, that I couldn’t actually believe I was craving it. It was the middle of the night and I had heartburn somethin’ fierce. A brief moment passed where I thought, maybe a glass of milk will help (since I didn’t want to load up on TUMS). It was absurd. Me? Milk? No. But, then I got up and poured myself the tiniest glass possible. I held it to my lips and gulped that sucker down! I couldn’t believe it and I wanted MORE!! So, I poured another, larger glass and drank the whole thing. Then, I slept like a baby for 2 hours.
Since then, milk and I have had nothing but ups. Our relationship is fantastic and fulfilling. Also, Teddy seems to like it too! It has helped curb some late night munchies, except when my craving is specifically for a shake — then milk will have to do, unless it’s a decent time of the day for a shake. Like, between the hours of 8 am and midnight.
Teddy! We officially have one month left until your due date. I cannot believe that in just a few weeks I will get to see your sweet face. Daddy and I were just talking about how not knowing what you will look like or be like is so rare this day in age — between Amazon where you can see the item and read reviews before you purchase something and our iPhones were everything is instant gratification. It makes the excitement of getting to see you so much more precious.
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I’m still believing that the third trimester is the best! I wish I could have just skipped over the whole morning sickness and restlessness (and carpal tunnel) of the second trimester and shot straight to the third!
So much has happened in the last month. I started physical therapy for my wrist which has helped so much. I I’ve my wrist and exercise it 3-5 times a day and I’ve noticed much more relief. Hooray!
I also had a LOVELY shower thrown for me by my Mom and bestie Amy! So many of my friends and family helped make it so special — and of course all those who attended. It was a brunch shower so they did bright sunshine colors. We had tasty treats, fun games and prizes, and onesie decorating! I so love all the onesies everyone created and I can’t wait to put him in every single one. We also received so many amazing books, diapers and gifts — I’m overwhelmed by how much love this little guy has been shown.
After my shower we celebrated Easter with our two families and then I was able to go on a mini babymoon of my own with my Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa! For three days I rested and laid by the pool. It was wonderful.
Amy even brought the goobers out to play on Wednesday and we had a blast in the lazy river and the kiddy-pool. Camden mostly slept and pooped and looked cute.
When I got back to Riverside, I worked with my MIL who was throwing a shower for Amber (My SIL)! We had so much fun making everything girly and pink.
We shopped and planned and everything turned out to be so girly and fun! I can’t wait for these two little ones to arrive.
On another note, Alex started an extremely hard semester and we also found out that Teddy is due the week of his finals! Eek. Please keep him in your prayers. He’s a fantastic student and I know he will do great, but I also know that spending such little time with me before the Bubba comes has been hard.
We ALSO have allllllmost finished Teddy’s corner! I cannot believe how much we’ve been able to squeeze into this place. We have 750 sq feet, which I know if more than most (and we are extremely grateful), but babies have a lot of crap you guys! We can’t wait to show you the finished product.
As always, thank you for the prayers, love and support!
Teddy Boy, only 2 more months until I get to hold you, kiss your cheeks, toes, and tiny fingers. I cannot wait. You are such an active little guy — there’s no point in me tracking your movements because you are ALWAYS on the move. Punching my bladder, kicking my ribs, squirming and moving. It’s been an amazing experience and I know being your Mommy is going to be a whole new one!
I think about you a lot. I imagine what you’re going to look like and act like and hope you are sweet and cuddly guy; which is a lot coming from me because I really don’t like to cuddle or hug. I hope to always have your best interests at heart and I am so ready for life to become all about you!
Now, two more months little buddy. Don’t get too huge!
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Two months left! I am so ready to hold this little guy already. So far third trimester has been my favorite even though the carpal tunnel is still pretty constant and is now accompanied with heartburn and insomnia every night. Even with alllll that, it’s still my favorite and I know it’s because I will finally get to hold our little guy at the end of it.
For the past 9 months, I’ve been volunteering at a local charter school on Mondays and Tuesday in upper grade and then on Thursdays I have been running their Kinderclub. It has been an absolute joy and WONDERFUL training for mommy-hood. On Thursdays I was able to create the whole curriculum, including a craft, which I loved. This past Thursday was my last week and all the kid’s families got together to give me a gift card, a box of cookies, and a very sweet card. Seeing all their faces and receiving their warm hugs made it extremely hard to leave, but I am really looking forward to taking the month of April to get everything ready for Teddy’s arrival. The kids are also so excited to see Teddy and begged me to bring him with me to the school once I have him.
I am at the point now where I have to see the doctor every two weeks, so the anticipation is mounting! Today was my 32 week check-up and everything looks great. He’s head down, has a strong heartbeat and my fluid is good as well. I am just happy that this pregnancy has been as smooth as it has for Teddy. He seems to be pretty happy in there. I would take carpal tunnel, heartburn, insomnia, charlie-horses and throwing up any day over harm coming to him. Even now that the crazy hormones are back where I’m crying one minute and laughing the next.
This coming month I’ll be spending most of my time getting ready for his arrival. We’ve slowly been working on Teddy’s corner of the room as well as re-arranging things in the bedroom and living room so we have space for all his clothes, toys, diapers, crib, and changing station. Here’s a few pictures of the work in progress:
We purchased a wardrobe from IKEA for all his clothes and we also put in those green bins to store all his toys and other items we find that fit in there. The above picture is our dresser, which will now be Teddy’s changing table. The more I look at the pegboard in our room, the more I love it — but it’s huge so I think we’ll be doing some re-adjusting. Next to the changing table I hope to have a rocking chair and then right next to my side of the bed, we’d like to have his crib. It’s all starting to feel so real and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.
Only 8 more weeks (hopefully) until he will get to enjoy it!
This post is long overdue, but I’ve been so preoccupied with other life things that I forgot to post this!
Alex and I decided to do a combined anniversary and babymoon over our anniversary weekend in January. We struggled with deciding where to go; I wanted New York and he wanted somewhere warmer. We ultimately decided on Portland since we know quite of few people who frequent the city and love it. Some of you have been asking about all the places we ate and visited — wanting to have a list of great stops should you ever visit. So, here ya go!
TRANSPORTATION:
We headed out on a Thursday and landed at the airport in the late morning. First, let me say it was pretty chilly but oh, so crisp. Second, public transportation in Portland was exceptional. We hopped on a shuttle that took us directly downtown to our hotel. Then, we continued to master transportation using the Google Maps app on our phones, which was extremely helpful and updated frequently. If we ever missed a bus, Google would tell us the next available route to where we wanted to go. Also, a day pass for the bus was only $5.00, much cheaper than renting a car. We were able to get to every single district downtown and even to church on Sunday using the buses and shuttles.
SIGHTS: One thing that worked out wonderfully was that Portland doesn’t have any huge landmarks or “must see” places. I was worried that I wouldn’t be up for a ton of walking around and sight seeing, so it was wonderful that we didn’t feel as though we missed out on anything just by walking around, heading into shops, chatting with folks, and eating — lots of eating.
Portland is broken up into districts: Pearl District, Northwest District, Lloyd District, Alberta Street, Hawthorne District and Belmont District. We could get to any district using shuttles and buses, so we broke up our days by district. We choose one district a day and decided what to eat and visit before we headed out. It made the days more enjoyable since we could just walk around the districts and eat whenever we felt like it.
It is a refurbished school house turned hotel! I don’t know if I could actually stay there (the rooms gave me the creeps), but the hotel has a movie theater, three different “bars/pubs”, smoking rooms, a public hot tub (more of a huge soaking tub — think Roman bath), and lots of places to eat.
The decor keeps to the original age of the building and there are pictures of students, historical figures, and other interesting art pieces everywhere.
ACCOMMODATIONS: When we travel for our anniversary we try to stay at a particular branch of hotels call Kimpton. We stayed at a Kimpton hotel in Seattle, WA for our first anniversary and found them not only extremely comfortable but enjoyable.
The Kimpton in Downtown Portland is called Hotel Monaco. It is located in business district of Portland, which is close to the fashion district as well. The decor is quite modern and very eclectic. While I love that decor, it took a while to get used to and it was very bright at first. The rooms are very long and well laid out. The staff was very friendly and they even provided us with complimentary champagne to celebrate our anniversary. Housekeeping came every morning, the fridge was always fully stocked and we even indulged in room service one evening.
The hotel is pet friendly, which I find enchanting — though we didn’t bring Boone with us this time. They also provided free bike rentals and two complimentary beverages: a hot chocolate bar fully stocked with toppings from 7:00 am to 10:00 am every morning and a champagne reception in the evenings complete with a piano player.
We meet some pretty amazing people in the lobby area and enjoyed the huge fireplace. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars — only as compared to the other Kimpton hotels we’ve stayed in past.
FOOD: As I had mentioned, there aren’t many “sights” to see in Portland so much of what we did included food. I won’t list off every place we ate, but here are the ones that stood out to me:
Voodoo Doughnut – If you miss out on visiting this place, you will be pretty bummed about it. When we were traveling back home we saw so many passengers with pink boxes from this place just dying to take some doughnuts home! The vibe is eccentric and loud so we opted to sit outside, but the doughnuts were delicious. I was boring and opted for an old fashioned but Alex ventured out and ordered a maple bacon bar. Both were very delicious. Keep in mind, it’s cash only!
Henry’s 12th Street Tavern – We came here to take advantage of their happy hour. We were able to purchase a pizza and salad, Alex ordered a beer, I ordered a coke and we even ordered an appetizer. If I remember correctly, the bill was under $30 and all the food was extremely tasty. Oh, and another great thing about Portland… NO SALES TAX! So the price you see, is the price you pay. I even felt as though we tipped more because we weren’t worried about rounding up or percentages.
Mother’s Bistro & Bar – This place is my Mother-in-law’s favorite in Portland. The food is fantastic and the music they play was right up our alley (Jamie Cullum, Corrine Bailey Rae, and some Mayor Hawthorne). Don’t let the “somewhat” outdated decor fool you — the food is amazing. Every meal comes with a huge biscuit that weighs the size of a toddler. We ate here once for dinner and came back the next morning for breakfast. You absolutely must get the biscuits and gravy!
Tin Shed – A pet friendly gardenesque atmosphere, but very busy in the afternoon right after church. They have a strict menu schedule on Sundays and serve only breakfast until 2:00 pm, so you cannot order lunch before then. The lunch menu looked delicious, but breakfast was great too! We split an eggs benedict and the eggs were cooked to perfection. You do serve yourself water and coffee (there are stations around the restaurant) so if you’re looking for a full service place this isn’t it.
The Courtyard Restaurant at Kennedy School – As I mentioned before, this is a place you want to have ample time to explore. There is a theater, smoking room, soaking tub, gardens, and plenty of tasty places to eat. We decided on the Courtyard Restaurant after much walking around. It was busy, but they had a full service bar so we ordered our food there. The wait for a table wasn’t very long at all, but this mama was VERY HUNGRY! We ordered cajun tater tots as an appetizer and they were delicious — I’m sorry that we’re not sorry we ate the whole plate full. I then ordered a minestrone soup and Alex ordered a burger. Both were delicious. The ambiance was wonderful and the view overlooked the garden in the center of the school. We didn’t end up making any of the movies but we found out later that you could order food and drinks before in the theater bar and take them into the movies with you! It is an absolute must visit.
Screen Door – Last, but certainly NOT least, was Screen Door. Luke and Hallie (friends of ours from California who relocated to Portland) took us here for dinner before our flight home. There was a line around the building before it even opened and we soon figured out why. The food was amazing — mostly likely the best southern/creole food I’ve ever tasted! Luke ordered the shrimp and grits, I ordered the mac n’ cheese, Alex ordered pulled pork, and Hallie ordered a mixed plate of three different items. They have beers on tap to pair with the food and the service was great. If you can, and it’s not too chilly, sit outside under the tin shed and heat lamps — the ambiance makes you feel like you’re sitting in the south eating some of your mama’s good home cookin’.
OVERVIEW: We truly enjoyed our experience and felt as thought 5 days was just enough time to really take in all that Portland had to offer. We enjoyed Sunday morning service at Mars Hill Portland and found most everyone in the city to be friendly and helpful with suggestions.
At first I was nervous about using public transportation, but we have always found that having to ask people for directions and relying on each other for help has made for a unique experience when we travel. We were able to meet some very interesting people and had to trust each other a lot — considering that neither of us knew where we were going half the time.
Every eatery we patronized was amazing. I would say it would be hard to find a place we didn’t like and I strongly recommend all of the above listed.
Our hotel was in a great location; central to all of our travels to the districts and we often had down time for a bath or nap in the middle of the day before hitting the town at night.
The weather was very cold in January (ranging from 30-45 degrees) but we enjoyed coffee and hot chocolate to keep us warm. I wore the same large jacket every day and bundled up in beanies and scarves. I really enjoy cold weather so I did not find that it inhibited our experience at all. If anything it provided beautiful scenery.
So, I would say Operation: Babymoon 2013 was a success! I hope you found this guide helpful and you enjoyed our video.
I had the amazing privilege to be witness to my best friend, Amy’s birth of her second child and first boy, Camden Reed Cotsenmoyer. He didn’t have a name though until after he was born since his Mom and Dad hadn’t been able to decide on one. They did, however, have it narrowed down to about 3 names.
First, let me say that I had mixed feelings about being there for the delivery. Knowing that I have to deliver my baby in just 10 weeks gave me paused because I didn’t want to be freaked out, but I prayed a lot about it and knew that I really wanted to be there for Amy — and I’m so glad I was.
Now, for the story.
It started on Tuesday the 26th around 12:30. Amy called me and said that her midwife had stripped her membranes (again — yikes!) and she had some constant cramping since then. I decided to grab the 2:30 train to La Sierra which is right across from Kaiser. Lets just say I was so anxious that I wasn’t going to be there in time that I got a little “sick” on the train. Then, my train was delayed in Buena Park due to a gas leak on an overpass we have to travel under. My Mom almost hopped in her car to come get me, but we started moving shortly after that. Mom met me at the station, dropped me off at the hospital and took Boone with her — right as Am and Trav were pulling in! (Thanks Mom!!) We went to L&D, checked in and waited. Amy kept saying she knew they were going to send her home and sure enough — she hadn’t progressed at all since her appointment that morning. Boo.
We decided to do everything we could to make the baby come out. We ate spicy Mexican food and walked around the mall twice. No dice. And I could tell Amy was getting a little restless and just wanted to go home. We made her do a few squats in the parking lot and then went home. After Tenley and I went to bed, Amy started laboring for the next two hours. I was asleep on and off but woke up at 12:15 when Robin arrived. Trav said we were going back to the hospital and leaving in 15 mins. I started timing Amy’s contractions and they were 3 mins apart and 1.5 minutes long! Oh boy. Then she started barfing. Yikes! We needed to go! As soon as Amy finished barfing in every sink in the house we were off. She consistently contracted all the way there.
When we arrived at the hospital Amy was worried she had waited too long and wouldn’t have the chance for an epidural if she needed. They decided to admit her, checked her and she was 6-7 cm! Yahoo! An hour later (about 3:15) they checked her again and she was a 7-8. And boy, was she ever ready for an epidural! It was so intense seeing her in that much pain and not being able to help her. Trav was such a trooper! She completely relied on him for comfort and he was right there when she needed with ice chips and a hand to squeeze the crap out of.
The anesthesiologist came in and I booked it out of there so she could get her meds. Whitney, Robin and I came in 45 mins later and Amy was doing much better. The midwife came in to check her and she was at 10 and ready to push! Holy cow!! We all scuffled about and someone went to get Trav. Amy pushed a few good times but nothing happened. They decided to wait a bit until the baby dropped some more.
A few more visitors came in and few more times she tried to push him down. Finally at 5:00 it was time for the real stuff! With Trav on one side, the L&D nurse on the other and Teresa cheering her on, Amy pushed and pushed! The midwife opted for an episiotomy and helped massage the baby down further. They decided to move Amy to her side and have her push and he finally moved down. Back onto her back, a few more pushes and he came barreling out at 5:13 am! He weighed exactly the same as his sister, 7lbs and 6oz and was 19.5 in long. It was amazing. They put him on Amy for a while and then grabbed him for some checking.
So many amazing people were there to assist with checking the baby’s heart beat, which had been and issue for the past two weeks, clean him up and stamp his feet. He barely cried — already so well behaved! He was very content under the heat lamps and holding Daddy’s hand until he got to feed from Mommy.
One problem though! The poor kid still didn’t have a name!! Amy had said she would know once she had seen him what his name would be so Trav went over to her and she whispered it to him. She got teary-eyed and couldn’t say it so she said, “Nevermind its a surprise!” Then she finally said, “Camden Reed.” Yay!!! Finally a name for this little guy!
They gave Camden to his Mommy and he latched right away. The L&D nurse was so helpful since Camden had started making a clicking noise and she helped correct Amy on the latch and both Mommy and baby did great.
Trav and I went into the waiting room to announce the name and everyone was so happy — probably even more happy that he had a name than that he was born!
We all took turns congratulating Mommy and Daddy and holding little Camden Reed. Then we left to take naps and let the new family get acquainted.
Later, once they had moved to the postpartum wing, Tenley got to meet her baby brother! She was so excited. She brought him a toy puppy and a drawing of hearts. She immediately wanted to hold him and kept saying, “Don’t cry baby brother…” In a sweet voice whenever he would fuss. I about balled my eyes out it was so sweet.
After all that, I am more ready than ever for my own little baby to come! I know every labor is different but Amy’s labor could not have gone any better. She felt completely listened to and no one pressured her to do anything. Her body knew exactly what to do and her team knew exactly what to tell her and how to respond to her body. I was amazed! So, for the millionth time… Can it be May already?!
Thank you Amy and Trav for letting me be a part of this experience! And thank you little Camden Reed who is asleep in my arms right now while I type this blogpost on my phone. Sweet dreams little bubba.
Whoa Teddy, there you are! You are moving and punching and kicking and popping out all over the place. I have definitely reached the stage where everyone can tell I’m pregnant and everyone is asking to feel you kick. You are picky though and don’t like to be disturbed during your naps. Can you come out now so we can snuggle?
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Hello third trimester! You are more than welcome to rear your ugly head — I’ve heard you’re a doozy but since I’ve already experienced barfing, insomnia, carpel tunnel, and heartburn I’m pretty sure I can handle your swollen feet and hugeness. Bring it on!
I am both happy and sad to see the second trimester go because I know it means that my pregnancy is coming to an end, but I cannot wait to see our little guy in less than 3 months! I can tell I’m getting more anxious and excited because my dreams are starting to include laboring and holding him as well as cuddles and talks with him. Gosh, I cannot wait to see what he looks like and what his personality will be.
My dreams of labor usually include me looking to Alex for comfort and assurance that everything is going as planned; and while that brings me comfort (since I was always convinced my labor would include me screaming expletives at him) it kind of terrifies him! He keeps telling me that he is going to have no idea what to do and he really wants to have help. So, we are beginning the process of looking for a Doula. I’m excited! I have heard so many great things about laboring with a doula and if any of you in Ventura County have suggestions, please send them our way. Or, Megan Martin if you want to temporarily move to Camarillo it would be greatly appreciated!
These past four weeks have probably been the best in my pregnancy. I was able to figure out a plan to relieve my carpal tunnel, I’m sleeping better at night, and the kids at the school I volunteer for have been so sweet and excited for me. The often ask me how Teddy is doing and love feeling him kick. I’ll be sad to finish up my rotation in March because I’ll miss them very much!
I do, however, feel pretty huge! Where did this belly come from?! I have gained 8 pounds so far, which has me right on track with a pound a week after 20 weeks. I’m hoping to keep this up because that means I will gain around 20 pounds total — though, all I care about is having a healthy baby!
A huge blessing we received was three bags full of clothes from cousin Julian! I’m so excited to get Teddy into these adorable clothes and I cannot wait for my upcoming shower. So much love is being lavished upon this little guy and he’s not even here yet.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Here’s to an awesome third trimester!
I read this little bit of advice from Baby Center: “Writing Your Birth Plan” as “Writhing Your Birth Pain”. What is my subconscious up to these days?! Truth be told, I thought it was kind of hilarious at first. Especially since I’ve done pretty much everything to avoid even thinking about the actually labor process. I posted this picture on Facebook and it started an on set of birthing advice from hypnobirthing to c-sections. I absolutely appreciate and value every single opinion and love that so many women are passionate about the birthing process.
You want to know what my ideal birthing process would be, right this very minute?? A non-existent one. Yup, if I’m being completely honest — the idea of pushing a watermelon out of my body does not sound in the least bit appealing, joyful, enjoyable, or exciting. I’m just putting it out there. I am terrified and I think that’s why I’ve completely avoided the subject all together. P.S. Thanks a lot Eve. That girl is going to get so many slaps in the face in heaven.
Part of me truly feels the less options I have, the better. I just need to listen to my doctor/doula and everything will be fine. They are professionals, right? Then another part of me thinks, women have been doing this for years and multiple times so 1) how hard can it be? and 2) my body clearly will know what it’s doing, right? Finally, the type-A person in me wants to spend the next three months really searching all my options and decide on a birth plan that I think would be the best for me.
So, be honest with me people, how many of you totally freaked out with your first/second/third/millionth? What did you do to calm the anxiety and how did you get started on your process of looking into birth plans? Was your birth plan followed? Did it give you peace-of-mind or racing-of-the-heart?
Looking forward to all your answers,
Leelo and the giant squash baby slowly growing bigger and bigger inside of her.
I LOVE spicy mexican food and coke. I didn’t always love coke, but for some reason with this little guy it is pretty much an everyday craving. It’s one that I did indulge for about three weeks on an almost daily basis. It’s so crisp and tasty and pure cane sugary.
Now spicy mexican food, or spicy food in general, and I have had a long, torrid (pun intended) love affair. Chips and salsa, jalapenos and cheese, anything spicy-cheesy-heartburny is all I want.
But, guess what guys? I’ve also been suffering from insomnia, heartburn late at night, and carpal tunnel flare-ups. I’ve tried heat, massage, icing, topical treatments, and even spoke with my doctor about taking other supplements that might help. His response, “Honestly, you can try taking these things — but they aren’t going to help you. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
Great doc, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear. NOT! Whelp, so many of you gave me great suggestions and even asked your midwives for homeopathic remedies, but one suggestion stuck out to Alex from Michael (my piano teacher) about the carpal tunnel flare ups being linked to my eating habits. So, we thought to give it a try.
It’s been three days with no spicy foods, no soda, no fried anything, and low sugar — and guess what?! It has been pretty awesome! The last three nights I’ve slept a full 6 hours (I’m still waking up at 4:00/5:00, but that’s better than 1:00/2:00 am. And wrist has only mildly hurt. I hasn’t been NEARLY as painful as it was. As it turns out, my body was telling me through my heartburn what the problem was and I wasn’t paying attention. Here’s to hoping that this trend continues!
So coke and spicy food — we must say goodbye; even if just for the next three(ish) months.
Thank you for all the prayers, suggestions, and concerns,
Leelo
Little Teddy Boy, you are the size of an ear of corn this week — almost a whole foot long. You love your Daddy’s voice when he reads to you at night and you kick/punch me every time I wake up in the middle of the night, which is usually about every three hours. Thanks for the boot camp training, pal.
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This past month has definitely had its ups and downs. I am so happy to be eating normally again and the doctor says I’m gaining weight well, but this second trimester carpal tunnel has been the worst! The past two weeks I’ve been waking up in the middle of the night and Alex has had to massage and ice my wrist for about 30 minutes before I can fall back asleep. But, I’m trying some homeopathic remedies that will hopefully be helping soon!
On the bright side, Alex got to feel Teddy kick about three weeks ago. We were in the movie theater watching Les Miserables, I was eating jalapeño nachos and this little guy just started dancing in there. I grabbed Alex’s hand and Teddy have him a giant kick. Alex immediately started crying and wanted me to tell everyone that he wasn’t crying because of the movie.
Last week, my parents took me out to dinner for my birthday and while we were waiting for our waitress Teddy started moving around again. Both my parents leapt up from their seats and grabbed my belly. Teddy then gave my Dad a solid kick. You should have seen his face! He just kept saying, “That’s so cool.” Over and over. My Mom, who was jealous, moved from her seat to sit right next to me and wouldn’t move until Teddy kicked her too. He didn’t disappoint and soon my Mom and I were squealing with glee.
By far the moving and kicking is the best part of this pregnancy! And hey, if you see me, feel free to grab away!! I’m not weird at all about anyone touching my belly.
I’m starting to feel a but heavier now and my back is beginning to hurt, but Alex says I’ve been a trooper.
This past weekend we celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a trip to Portland! We walked everywhere and mastered public transportation. We had a total blast and really enjoyed our babymoon before this little guys makes his appearance in just under 4 months.
