The Wanek Family

My Hero

2011-06-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

And not because he can gracefully drink a margarita the size of our baby(although that is also something I love about him)...he's my hero because he has been amazingly supportive during a super stressful and uncertain time over the past week.

I lost my job on Monday but I'll spare the details cause that's not what this post is about. It's about my husband, who when I broke the news, didn't get mad or upset. He simply gave me a hug and told me it would be alright(and then promptly created an interactive spreadsheet calculating our expenses and our bottom line - haha, you knew that was coming :)).

At any rate, I've gone through the full range of emotion this week and he's been by my side on repeat the whole time - "we'll be ok". Not to mention he's kept up with house chores, helping with the baby, and even encouraged me to go to the gym so I can burn off some of this toxic energy I've got cycling through my veins.

You pick out a partner for yourself and hope you chose wisely but you never really know till it's put to the test. Then your little world does a 180 and you see that someone has your back 100%.

Amidst the chaos, I've felt safe and loved this past week and I owe that to you Dave. "Thanks" doesn't really cover it, but hopefully you already know how grateful I am to have you....

l.o.v.e.

And to the other daddy in my life...

2011-06-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband. You are a GREAT daddy and Robbie, Sasha, and I love you very much. This parenting thing is tricky and trying at times, but I'm glad it's me and you together. Team us babe. Love.

Happy Father's Day Daddy

2011-06-19T03:59:00.000-07:00

I'm as daddy's girl as you get. This is probably due to the fact that that man is my biggest fan and always has been. You'd never know I was quite the challenge for he and my mom in highschool and that I put more gray hairs on his handsome head than I care to admit. Nope, he doesn't hold a grudge - he's my biggest cheerleader and if you could see the pride and love he has for me, you'd think I graduated from Harvard on a full scholarship and started my own fortune 500 company.

Back when I used to know everything, I was well aware that I was loved. Did I take that for granted? Sure I did. Testing limits and patience and the extent of the word "unconditional". As time has marched on and our relationship has evolved from the off the shelf father/daughter variety, I have a greater appreciation for just how good I have it. Everyone has parents. Your given a mom and a dad and it's luck of the draw if they're any good. I may not be rich or glamorous or a genius, but I hit the jackpot in this department. Two great parents who love me, my husband, my brother, and their 2 *adorable* grandsons with all their hearts.

My dad, our Captain on the Cruise Ship Dougherty, has done his best to provide for us, love us, and keep us on the straight and narrow. All this and he's one of the most fun people I know to hang out with. So I'm gonna wrap this up with a big hug and kiss for the Dad who I owe it all too! Love you so much Daddy xoxo

Solids

2011-06-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

We be eatin, we be eatin now

And nekid eatin just makes sense. Yes, we sometimes use bibs to provide protection against those messy stain happy orange fruits and veggies. But when you just want to get reckless and make a mess without a care in the world, eat nekid.

Addiction

2011-06-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Baby Monitors are like crack. Use it once and you're adddicted. Not only can I keep tabs on the greatest crib protesting anti-nap activist of all times, I get the added bonus of watching him when he wears himself out and goes into his most peaceful state

Cute right? Yep, it's cute.

The Office

2011-06-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

Our first visit to grandaddy at the office. How cute is it that they were in (unplanned) matching outfits?!

I don't have to choose

2011-06-09T19:02:00.001-07:00

You know how sometimes you take a bunch of pictures hoping to get the perfect shot? Well when they're of your kid and you're kids as cute as Robbie, it makes it pretty damn hard to choose a favorite. So this time, I'm posting all of them. He's adorbs and I love him to pieces. Even on nights like tonight where he protested sleep right up until 10pm. He's the sweetest and most wonderful part of my day...

The Dreaded Catch-up Post

2011-05-14T05:05:00.001-07:00

So I made the rule to only post what I want, when I want to keep me from going underground again for 3 months. BUT there have been so many things between February and now that I'm way to OCD to leave out. It's early - OCD and underground aren't exactly the words I'm looking for, but I've decided not to waste time "looking for words" right now(does this happen to anyone else? I feel like post-baby there is a gaping hole in my vocabulary and referencing specific words on demand has become a challange for me). At any rate, here's the quick and dirty recap of the last few months.

We went to Charleston to see my cousin get married...

Robbie got his baptism on

We did some Alive after Fiving

And Some park outings

We started some projects around the house

And finished none :)

We celebrated Easter

And Mother's Day and Cinco de Mayo

We tried solids

...and Found our feet!

We snuck in a date night (finally)

and spent 6 whole months with this little guy

It's been an awesomely busy 2011. From sleep training to mitre saws, we've had our hands full.

...So glad that beast of a blog entry is over with. Now onto your regularly scheduled posting :)

Check, 1 … 2 … Is This Thing On?

2011-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hey Strangers. It's been awhile...3 months to be exact. (And my last post wasn't even about the baby - it was about ice cream. ugh *i die*) Anyway, I've had the best intentions to hop on here and fill everyone in on what we've been up to. However, each time I had a post idea pop into my head, I was suddenly overwhelmed at how long it had been since my last update and how much I needed to say. So I'd procrastinate and swear to myself that I'd post something tomorrow...and isn't that how it always goes? Little things that really don't even take that much of your time (45 minutes of daily cardio. folding that stack of laundry. responding to that email) get put off and all of a sudden they become this daunting task that owns you. Well, I'm back...with a new outlook. I'm going to post when I feel like it - no guilt. And if the post is too short or too wordy or, god forbid, doesn't have a picture in it...so be it.

Ok, so the silence has been broken and we're all good now, right? Good :) Stay tuned!

Meetin' Gramps

2011-02-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

Dave's dad drove down from Michigan to stay with us for a long weekend in January. He and his wife Nancy are always fun to hang with...Nancy and I have cocktails in our PJs and she teaches me how to knit and do other crafty things. Frank is a do'er. He likes projects (a man after my own heart). This being a house that is in need of a few tweaks, he's got an endless supply of potential projects to suggest. I love it. It's like another me in the house. Dave loves it too...cause who wouldn't want another me? In all seriousness, we had a great time hanging out with them and Robbie enjoyed meeting his Michigan family. There was only one awkward moment when I suggested renting the movie "the kids are alright". Has anyone seen this? It's virtually gay porn. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not usually your go-to game plan when the inlaws are visiting. I was so uncomfortable I demanded dave turn it off. Who knew I was the big prude in the family?! And without further ado, onto the pics -

Belated Wanek Christmas Dinner at Ted's - we were quite a site trying to keep the chaos to a minimum.

I was pretty impressed with Frank's baby skills. Robbie loved being held by him.

One of the projects that got some airtime during the visit...

If you've been here, you've met our laundry room. It's 400 square feet of linoleum, honey oak, and chewed up molding,blinds, and windowsills (that would be from the previous owners dog, not sasha). More on our progress here later.

We were watching Austin Powers. Just kidding. I think I'm the only person on earth who thinks that movie is so dumb. Thanks to my husband, I can quote most of it though and I know this is a face made frequently throughout it.

Thanks for visiting us Frank & Nancy! Looking forward to seeing you again soon! xoxo

Ice Cream

2011-02-03T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ice Cream and I have had a falling out and are now estranged. At least through February. I've officially hung up my spoon for the month (coincidentally the shortest month I could find) in hopes that my ice cream addiction is the reason I'm hanging on to the extra Robbie weight. I'm putting this out there so that I'll be accountable and really stick to it. But who are we kidding, an addict is an addict and can be down right devious to get their fix. At any rate, wish me luck...I'll be celebrating my cousin's wedding in Charleston at the end of the month with a bowl of ice cream and hopefully 3 less pounds!

Mornings

2011-01-30T05:44:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call myself a traditional morningist, but having Robbie has changed that for me. It's by far my favorite time of day with the little guy. He is so happy in the mornings and his little smiles and coos are the most amazing way to start your day. Granted, I'd say our night sleep leaves a little to be desired, as we haven't made much progress in the long sleep stretches yet. But I figure I'll sleep when he's a teenager and Atlanta's Finest have him locked up safe and sound for the night. Kidding. Hopefully. But in all honesty, the mornings for us are perfection...the calm before our day really gets started and we have nothing but positive energy that the day will be a good one. I will say that weekends are the best because daddy gets to hang out with us. That and pancakes have been on the menu quite a bit lately. Does it get any better?! I love my boys!

3 months old

2011-01-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

Robbie is 3 months old! He's had a lot of changes over the past month. He's smiling and cooing and laughing in response to us now. And he loves to have you mimic the sounds he makes. He's begun to find his hands and thinks sucking on them is the cat's pajamas. He's getting much better neck control and for our little guy thats saying something...he's got a big old noggin! He loves baths and really digs the tv. He is constantly kicking his little legs and it amuses him to no end. What else? He graduated clothing size on the day he turned 3 months, so I guess he's an average size and the sizing people know their stuff. He's definitely eating a lot more and unfortunately sleeping less at night. I think his tummy wakes him up cause he's a hungry, growing boy.

I can't think of anything else right now, but he continues to amaze us each day. Dave and I are so proud of the littlest accomplishments...it's just like everyone said it would be, your child will make you cheer when he has a great burp or holds his paci in his mouth for the first time. I can't wait to see what the coming months bring!

1 step forward, 2 steps back

2011-01-17T09:12:00.001-08:00

We've regressed :( My little guy went from going a hearty 6-8 hour stretch between feedings at night to one 5 hour stretch (followed by several 2 and 3 hour ones). For non-parents, this probably sounds like giberish. For those of you who have your own little sleep deprivator, you know what I'm sayin. 5 hours doesn't sound so bad right? Well when it starts at 7:30 and I go to bed at 11:00 or later, that means I'm promptly woken by the little squeaker in the bassinet next to me at 12:30. I know, "sleep when the baby sleeps". Yes, in theory great advice. But it's not the easiest thing to do. So I'm all ears...any great tricks or advice for me on how to get Robbie back to his long sleep sessions?

The Popsicle Pub

2011-01-12T16:14:00.000-08:00

Pull up a stool at the popsicle pub and enjoy a tv program with the boys!

We rolled Robbie's stroller next to Drew while he was enjoying his popsicle and sesame street. Drew gave Robbie the side-eye at first...probably wondering why the baby was once again encroaching on his good time. Not two seconds later, he was reaching over and holding robbie's sleeve and continued to do so the remainder of the time. It was so sweet to see them interacting like that! They're going to be the best of buds.

Robbie loves his Uncle Ecky!

Snow Storm 2011

2011-01-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

We got 5 inches and the whole city shut down! Hey, it's the south. We're big on manners, Nascar, and college football...and a little short on snow plows. I heard we've got 8 plows in the whole state and that this little storm is costing use around 9 million. Regardless, it's so pretty with everything blanketed in white and I love how it brings out the kid in everyone to see snowfalling. Dave and I both work from home, so the roads being closed really haven't affected us. I know many are dying of cabin fever, but for us its just another day in the office so to speak. Without further ado, here's some pictures from snowpacalypse 2011.

We gave driveway sledding a shot...

...on a pampers box.

my skiing attempt was an epic fail

and here's Drew checking out the scenery...such a cutie :)

Entertaining Robbie

2011-01-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

We've had to come up with new tricks to keep Robbie entertained. He's an active little guy, kicking his legs and moving his head around any chance he gets. So when he gets bored, we have a few "go-to" moves to keep him happy.

1. Stroller rides around the house.

He really enjoys this. And so does the kitty (see the basket under his seat?). We ride around the rooms looking at various things and talking about what they are. I'll be honest, I can't take credit for this idea....thanks mom! :)

2. Reading

Who's a lucky Boy? Robbie! Daddy reads to him and doesn't even stick to the script. He mixes it up with our names and goes off on little tangents about things in the story line.

3. Ceiling Fans

Can't explain it, but he loves 'em.

4. Bathtime
Granted, bathing is semi-required so it's not exactly entertainment...but it brings an extreme amount of happiness and by placing it here I don't have to do a whole other post on how adorable he looks in his big boy bath.

Robbie has grown out of his sink bath and now uses the whale each evening. He's up on Dave's counter (please pay attention to the awesome wallpaper in the background that we will probably never get around to taking down. It's something). Bathtime is short but fun for him. He reclines in the tub and stares at himself in the mirror like "who's that handsome devil". Then we move him to sitting position in the "deep" end for the finale. The whole process is a really happy time for him.

5. Bumbo Seating

Robbie HATES tummy time. But he loves sitting and it gives him the same opportunity to use his neck muscles. Since he's still a little too small for the seat, we jam cloths and blankets around him to help him out. Naturally.

6. TV

And then there's the one that earns us the parents of the year award. Yes, our 2 month old LOVES tv. If its on, he's trying to watch it. If we're in his way, he's craning his little head around us trying to see the screen. We've found it calms him when he's fussy, so we've given in and actually set him on his boppy in front of it. I'm sure this is a behavior we'll have to undo at some point, but for now it's one of our handy-dandy happy baby maker tricks.

7. Last but not least, the swing.

We couldn't live without this thing. It's Robbie's happy place. If he's fussing, trying to nap, won't sleep in the middle of the night, etc, we place him in this and he calms down. It's coming with us to Charleston in a few weeks, as we can't go a day without it. Also, can I point out another great parenting move? The crossed burp cloth jamming the paci in the mouth. Yeah, I know :) I was there, I judged...had a list a mile long of all the things I would/wouldn't do when I had a kid. Turns out I'm a big ole hypocrite. What of it?

Jealousy

2011-01-10T16:43:00.000-08:00

Drew has been happy to hold the title of only grandchild for 16 months. Robbie coming into the picture has shaken things up a bit for him, especially since he sees Robbie using many of "his" old things. For example, the swing...Robbie sat in this on Christmas when we were over there and after we left, Drew saw to it that he got some swing time in as well. As you can see, he's lovin' the throwback to his baby days.

Merry Christmas!

2011-01-10T16:04:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. OBVIOUSLY! :) Robbie was by far the best present we could ever recieve.

Christmas eve was our traditional Wanek family dinner and Santa came to bring presents to the boys. Unfortuantely Santa was a little under the weather this year and looked a little down and out in the pictures. But the boys ate it up!

Christmas morning was our family time with Robbie and Sasha. We made a big breakfast and hung out by the tree after exchanging stockings.

That afternoon we celebrated with Eric, Drew and my parents at their house.

And for the first time in over 100 years...we had a white Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2 months old

2011-01-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

Robbie had his 2 month appointment last week. We've officially graduated from the newborn doctor to a pediatrician. Her name is Dr. Barr and she was very nice.

Robbie is still healthy as can be and is growing right on track. He's measuring 24 inches long, 12 lbs, and his head is 16 1/2 inches around. His percentiles are 90th, 70th, and 80th respectively. Having 2 "A" personality parents, we wanted to understand how you get to the 100th. The doctor laughed and let us know that 50% was the "norm" and that anything over was just gravy.

Either way, we were so proud of our little growing boy. He smiled and played the whole appointment...right up until they stuck him with his vaccinations. The first one went well and he was calmed with his paci and some kisses. The second was a heartbreaking yelp that resulted in real tears for he and mommy. That was probably the most pain he's experienced to date and it was just awful to witness. When I picked him up to comfort him I had a flash forward of all the skinned knees, bruises and bumps to come. I pictured him as a little boy running to me when he was hurt instead of this tiny baby in my arms now. It was just a brief glimpse of the future and while I'm in love with him just as he is now, I can't wait to watch him grow up into an independent young man. Speaking of, the doctor mentioned she thought he would be an active toddler based on how alert and fidgity he is now. I kind of have the same feeling about him and after watching my nephew Drew (who is also an active little guy) I know I'll have my hands full!

Sweet Little Hadley Dallas

2011-01-04T09:34:00.001-08:00

Dave's best man and our dear friends, Dallas and his wife, Sarah had their baby girl a week before Robbie joined us. Hadley Rhoades Dallas was welcomed into the world in a fast paced delivery. Sarah arrived at the hospital in labor and they didn't even have time to get her into a hospital gown, much less give her an epidural. Hadley arrived just 45 minutes later and it was an extra special delivery because the Dallai had yet to find out what sex their little bundle of joy would be. I can't imagine this type of self control! I'd like find out at conception if it was possible.

Congratulations Sarah and Dallas! She's a sweetie!

Turkey Day!

2010-12-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

This year Thanksgiving was especially meaningful to me. I have so much to be grateful for right now. When you're caring for a newborn and running low on sleep, energy, and jeans that fit, it's easy to forget how fortunate you are. I'm guilty of this and wanted to take a minute to give thanks for everything wonderful in my life.

Let me start with the obvious, my handsome little boy. He's the miracle baby that I wasn't sure I would be able to have. It's hard to remember those days when I hoped and wished for him, wondering if I'd ever be able to get pregnant. Now he's here and healthy and so very adorable. Those times where he snuggles up on my chest and falls asleep, or when he's upset and just having me hold him makes all his troubles go away are nothing short of amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy or labor and to have a sweet, healthy baby is more than I could have imagined just a year ago. Do I miss my sleep and smaller waist line? Of course. But crying fits, leaky diapers, and all, I wouldn't have things any other way.

I'm thankful for my family. Moving back to Marietta and being close to them has been wonderful, especially so now that Robbie is here. My mom lived in Delaware and her mom in Florida when she had us. I can't imagine not being able to see or talk to my mom as often as I'd like. Having her support during these first couple weeks has been pretty special. I get to see Eric and Drew more now too. Ecky has turned into quite the dad. I'll be honest, it was a bit odd at first to be getting baby advice from your little brother, but he's really good with Drew. I'm so proud of him and the man he's becoming and am excited that our little boys are going to grow up together. And then there's my dad...always ready to drop what he's doing to help me out or give me advice. I love the 3 of you very much and am so glad we have eachother.

I'm thankful for tolerable in-laws. KIDDING. haha. I am thankful for wonderful in-laws! I couldn't ask for a more thoughtful sister and my mother in law is the perfect combination of caring and concerned without being overbearing. I know not many people can say that they jive with their husband's family, so I'm very lucky to be able to. Not to mention they are great with my nephews. I have a lot to learn from them in the parenting department.

My girlfriends. I've them up along the way from various places - highschool, college, work, through Dave - and now I'm surrounded by a group of friends that I wouldn't trade for anything. For those women who say they don't get along with girls, I don't know how they do it...without my girlfriends I'd go crazy.

Health. It just takes one little virus to make you worship the times when you're feeling well. Luckily our family is healthy, aside from a cold or a pulled back here and there. I hear about people struggling with one disease or another and while I feel bad for them, I know I can't fully understand the magnitude of how that weighs on a family until you're going through it. For the absence of that knowledge, I'm extremely grateful.

My husband. I don't have the words to really describe what he means to me in a post but i'll say this - We have our ups and downs as any married couple does...and I'm not gonna lie, adjusting to life with a newborn and trying to figure out how our previously "full" lives should change and accommodate this little guy is hard. But at the end of the day I married my best friend and a person that I truly love. We've built a life together with the kitty and Robbie and our big money pit of a house and it's all I ever wanted. As we continue to figure out how our ever changing life is going to work, I hope you know how very much you mean to me.

Ok, this is why I never get any posting done on this dang blog! I go to write a little blurb and end up writing a novel. Anyway, I've got a lot to be thankful for and these were just a few of the things...now for some pictures :)

Meet Olivia

2010-12-31T12:01:00.000-08:00

Dinah, who i've previously established on this blog as one of my oldest friends (but for some reason I feel the need to reintroduce everyone), had her baby the day after Kim. Olivia Ann Hall. We'd both been trying to get pregnant for awhile and finally just stopped talking about it. Then one day she calls me and fills me in on her great news. She was a little hesitant b/c she didn't want to rub it in, but I got to surprise her right back!

Here's some pictures from our visit. Her older daughter Mia came too!

Robbie's first trip to Sherlock's

2010-12-31T11:53:00.000-08:00

Our favorite liquor store :)

Hey there Riley!

2010-12-31T11:45:00.001-08:00

One of my best friends Kim had her baby just a few weeks after I had Robbie. It was so fun going through the pregnancy together. Here's her adorable little girl, Riley Katherine Fleming.

Here's some pictures from Robbie and my visit with them last month.

Belated Congratulations to the Austins

2010-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

Dave's cousin got married in October and well, better late than never....CONGRATS Heidi and Ian! You make a wonderful couple and we had a great time at your wedding!

sleepy andy catching me taking his picture at the table :)

Buddies

2010-12-31T11:35:00.000-08:00

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

2010-12-31T06:39:00.000-08:00

Robbie went 6 hours and 40 minutes between feedings last night! He ate at 10 and was asleep by 11. Aside from needing me to pop in his pacifier a few times, he slept till 4:40. I got almost 5 straight hours of sleep, the longest stretch since he's been born. And as I type this at 9:40am, he's still sleeping! Maybe our "up every 3 hours for an hour" nights are winding down and we're gearing up for sleepapalooza 2011!

Robbie's Birth Stats

2010-12-13T14:42:00.001-08:00

Oops...I forgot to post these when Robbie came on the scene.

Born:
Sunday, October 31st at 1:47 pm
8lbs 2oz
21 1/2 inches long

He was such a sweet, alert little guy and was happily passed among our visitors at the hospital. He may have cried once during our stay. Hard to believe that was 6 weeks ago, the time went by quickly and it feels further in the past.

I'm 1 month old

2010-12-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody! Robbie here with some breaking news on all things me :) I had my 1 month appointment a couple weeks ago. 11/30/2010 to be exact. Get this, I weighed in at a whopping 9lbs 15oz. That puts me in the 75th percentile and I'm probably over 10lbs as we speak. My length was 22 1/2 which is the 90th percentile. I'm a lean, mean, fussin' machine!

Mom said she never got around to posting my original stats. Can you believe it? I keep hearing her say there aren't enough hours in the day. My understanding is there is always 24 so I have no clue what she's talking about. As little sense as she's making these days, I love her to pieces. She feeds me and hugs and kisses me a lot. I don't do the eye contact thing just yet, but I'm getting there and I like looking at her when we lay down next to each other. Dad's been waiting for me to give him a big smile, but I'm making him work for it. I do the halfsy smirk thing and they go nuts over it. I'm so gonna own these people.

What else? Lets see...I'm getting stronger and use my legs to push off of things. My daily activities consist of eating, a little party time, a little fussin' to keep mom and dad on their toes, then my favorite - naptime. I'll sleep pretty much anywhere, but I prefer my swing or in mommy or daddy's arms. Daddy just ordered a boat load of rechargeable batteries to operate all the vibrating/swinging apparatuses around our house. I really do love a seat with a motor!

So I guess that's it for now. Like I said, mom is busy and doesn't get to post as much as she would like. Don't worry though, I've got a lot to say (dad says I get this from mom) so look to hear from me more often.

Love,

Robbie

and a few encore pictures...

Love

2010-11-29T13:23:00.000-08:00

Saturdays at the Wanek's

2010-11-29T13:20:00.000-08:00

Our friend Excel

2010-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

Many of you have heard about the 422 line project plan Dave created in excel for our wedding. Most of you know and have seen the excel spreadsheet I used to narrow down baby names. It's true, we're excel people....pretty much any decision or action plan goes into that format (another example - a black friday shopping list was created in an excel spreadsheet by dave and shared with me on google docs - which i love btw).

Well, I shouldn't have been surprised when I asked Dave if he'd like to work on the baby book and in turn he whipped up a spreadsheet. He created a doc with each page and the fields needing info for them. His reason - he wants to get everything filled out how he would like and spell check/proofread before putting it down in the book. It's a less conventional way of doing it than I'd imagined, but very sweet none the less.

Dancin' Fool

2010-11-22T06:02:00.000-08:00

I listened to music pretty loud throughout my pregnancy. In the car, at home, etc. I love dancing around to a song for fun. In turn, Robbie now can be calmed by putting on Usher (or any other song with a good beat - usher just happened to be what knocked him out 2 seconds ago) and bounced around in my arms. It's funny to watch him start rolling his eyes back in his head as this adult song plays in the background. He's such a cutie! I'll try and get a video soon :)

Firsts

2010-11-20T16:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight we did our first outing. It's a saturday night and we took Robbie to Publix with us to get some ice cream. This may not sound all that exciting to some of you, but small errands like this were the bread and butter of our routine the past few months and it was nice to feel like we could go do something (together) again. Yay for firsts! Stupid mom didn't think to get a picture of Robbie on his first Publixing...but I did get a picture of dad stocking up on his current vice, soda. The 2 liters were on sale for $.50 and he cleaned them out. This picture doesn't show the other 20 we had in the cart. I'm not kidding.

Today was also yard work day for Daddy. We got our first picture of Robbie in a pile of leaves. The neighbors probably think we're nuts.

And to finish off the day, here are some pics of our first sink bath. He seems to like it when were not fumbling around too much (we have some room to improve in the efficiency area). For the most part he just sat an let's us do our thing. Some take-sways: 1. make sure the water covers his peepee or he turns into one of those little nekid urinating statues. 2. Try to schedule bath after he's gone potty or you have a mess on your hands. He got us on both of these tonight...theres a learning curve and at one point I was laughing so hard at us I couldnt even perform my bathtime duties.

Shutterfly Offering

2010-11-15T11:33:00.001-08:00

Shutterfly is offering an awesome deal for bloggers right now. 50 free cards from their new holiday collection. I’ve always been bad at sending out Christmas Cards – best intentions, but never quite making it in time J. With our new addition to the family, I have a great reason to stop procrastinating and get on board with a new holiday tradition.

Here are some of the offerings from Shutterfly this year:
· holiday cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards
· personalized Christmas cards http://www.shutterfly.com/cards stationery/christmas-cards
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Advice

2010-11-13T06:55:00.000-08:00

Let the waterworks ensue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taDqKWWPDAY

Yep, just clicked on it to see if it got me all teary again and sure enough...haha. Maybe it's all the post partum hormones but for some reason this little video gets me every time!

Grape Tossing

2010-11-09T08:30:00.001-08:00

My adorable nephew and my dad (who has an endless supply of energy around kids :)!)

http://gallery.me.com/ldougherty/100000

40 Weeks Update

2010-11-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

We have an outside baby!!! Hard to believe this tiny human was in my tummy just days ago. I'll do a full post with all the happenings from the hospital, but since we didn't quite make it to 40 weeks, I figured I'd do one final weekly update.

How far along: 39 weeks and 3 days
How big is baby: 8lbs 2oz
Tummy Circumference: 41 3/4
Total weight gain/loss: 28lbs
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: I was sleeping pretty good that last week actually. Lots of restroom breaks in the night, but that was nothing new.
Best moment this week: I started getting really excited about Robbie's impending arrival. Spending time with my friends and all their kids the day before he came made parenthood seem super real.
Movement: less movement since he was filling up his space in there, but still kicking like a champ
Food cravings: Doughnuts
Labor Signs: A few cramps here and there, but nothing til my water broke early Sunday morning.
What I'll miss: I thought I'd miss being pregnant. The movement in my tummy, the anticipation, and all the other things that made it awesome. But all it takes is one look at my little handsome man and I'm so happy to have him here, I don't miss a thing.
What I am looking forward to: Everything!

Robbie's Birthday!

2010-11-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

On the day our little pumpkin arrived, it was just like everyone tells you - the most exciting and special day of your life. Pain and all, I would re-live it over and over again. You really can't put into words how magical it is when the nurse hands you your little baby that you've been waiting to meet for 9 months. Emotions are a mix of love, nervousness, excitement, joy, and disbelief that you created this little human and brought him into the world. Seriously, I watched myself have the baby and still couldn't believe that he was mine! And seeing Dave with him for the first time melted my heart. I just don't have the words for how it all felt...or I do and they are way too cheesy to type! Anyway, I'll spare you the dramatics and give you the play by play from our day...

6:10 am - Water Broke at home. I woke up Dave and we called Doctor to find out what to do - instructed to come on in!!
6:27 am - Dave catches me painting my toe nails in preparation for labor (still no contractions). I figured if babies are as much work as everyone says, I probably wouldn't get a chance to do that again for awhile. (For the record, as I type this 4 weeks later this stands true - I have not painted a toe nail since)
7:15 - Left house for hospital
7:20 - pit stop at BP for a Gatorade where fresh doughnuts caught my attention (i was worried about them starving me once I got to the hospital. Apple crueler = delicious)
7:50 - Arrive/check in at hospital
8:00 - escorted to my labor and delivery room. Over the next couple hours I was hooked up to an IV and getting pretty nervous about how stuff was going to go down.

10:00 - Doctor arrives and gives the green light to induce me since I'm not having any contractions at this point. Pitocin is a go. On a side note, the doctor and nurse discussed if I was in fact telling the truth about my water breaking...apparently people lie about these things to go ahead and have their baby come early. I'm making mental note of this for next time :)
10:25 - Midwife has to pop the hind bag of water(never heard of a hind bag, but found some research on wikipedia backing up that this can exist)and I IMMEDIATELY begin feeling contractions. For those of you who haven't had the joy of experiencing them, contractions are horrible...women that do this whole shindig natural are Crazy-town!
10:45 - I'm given fentanyl for pain. They give us a 7pm estimate for Robbie's arrival and told to hold off on the epidural till closer to then. Fentanyl is pretty awesome. Some people say it's like a margarita, but it's way better than that. I could feel the contractions, but I could care less that they hurt. You're only allowed to have this med every hour so when my high pain killer metabolism burned through it in half an hour, I was unhappy pretty quick.
11:30 - Nursing shift change. Nurse checked me and I was already 3 centimeters dilated (up from 1). Her comment - "Why are you waiting for the epidural? You need to get it asap". Damn skippy, lets do this.
11:50 - Epidural. Luckily we caught the anesthesiologist before he got paged to do 3 other ladies. Since the procedure takes about 15 minutes, I would have been feeling contractions for another hour or so. Unacceptable. As it was, I got the epidural pretty quickly and to be honest it was nothing. I've always heard they hurt but he did 2 local anesthetic injections and I felt nothing after that.
1:00 - Midwife comes in to check on my progress. She was newly engaged and we spent the next half hour discussing all things weddings. Poor Dave's eyes were glazing over as we discussed centerpieces and photographers. On a side note, I highly recommend going the midwife route vs doctor if you have that option.
1:30 - Midwife checks my cervix and I'm fully dilated. She suggests we try a test push. Dave perked up at this point. The test push apparently went well cause she said, ok lets keep going. It was all so laid back I had to ask if I was about to have the baby to make sure.
1:47 - After 3 contractions and 17 minutes of pushing, Robbie is here!! It was an amazing moment that I never want to forget. He came out screaming and they immediately placed him on my chest. He calmed down pretty quick and we sat there together trying to get a grip on what just happened to the two of us. Even as they put this brand new baby on me that I knew I had just given birth to, it took me a bit to fully comprehend that this was my kid and I was a mom. Even today it still seems hard to believe at times.

After laying with me for awhile, they took Robbie to the other side of the room to clean him and do his measurements. Dave was very cute at this point. He was torn between wanting to be by my side while they stitched me up and wanting to be next to his son as they tended to him. I told him to go be with Robbie and it was like a little boy who knows he's supposed to stay put and then when you tell him he can go play he runs off as happy as can be. It was really sweet.

Here's some pics from our time in Labor and Delivery...

Dave missed his calling

2010-10-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

as a motivational speaker.

See the below excerpt from our instant message conversation

colleen_uga (7/16/2010 11:15:06 AM): gym.
colleen_uga (7/16/2010 11:15:11 AM): motivate me?
Dave (7/16/2010 11:15:19 AM): don't do it
Dave (7/16/2010 11:15:33 AM): GET IN THERE YOU LAZY SAC OF @#$%@#
colleen_uga (7/16/2010 11:15:44 AM): ok, nevermind.
Dave (7/16/2010 11:15:51 AM): Robbie is not an excuse for you to just sit around all day
Dave (7/16/2010 11:16:03 AM): you are not sleeping well because you didn't get your exercise in
Dave (7/16/2010 11:16:17 AM): if you do well, there may be some *sugar bomb in it for you
Dave (7/16/2010 11:16:35 AM): We need to get this out of the way so we can enjoy the free night in the nursery

*a sugar bomb is a dessert I make. it's delicious.

FYI, his method did actually work. I was so annoyed by the time he was on his 11:16:03 post I was already gone. Ha.

39 weeks

2010-10-28T06:37:00.001-07:00

How far along: 39 weeks. Maximum 14 days till your arrival little guy (they will let me go one week past my due date before induction).
How big is baby: The doctor estimated 7-8 lbs by grabbing my stomach and shaking it around a bit. Very scientific. It was our first time meeting this doctor from the practice and he was a total a-hole. I'll probably make more references to him in this post.
Tummy Circumference: 41 1/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 27lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: All of that pelvic pressure/pain that I was having constantly has subsided. It's strange cause I would think it would've gotten worse...it's not like he's any higher up. But for whatever reason I've been relatively pain free the past week.
Maternity clothes? I'm graduating from a few of my trusty go-to shirts but with such a short amount of time left I really don't want to purchase anything else for this body. I'm kinda just making it work and squeezing myself into what I've got.
Stretch marks? Not yet. Dr. Jerkoff said I wouldn't be getting them. When asked why, he said "I can just tell". So maybe I'm in the clear...I have a couple friends who's popped up in the 39th week, but hopefully I'm lucky.
Sleep: I had some rough nights this week, but I'm able to catch up on it during the day with naps. I've slept in my lazy boy a few times and that's pretty comfy for short periods.
Best moment this week: Dave's work has let up a bit and we've spent several nights together this week hanging out being unproductive...eating snacks with our NA cocktails, watching lost, making terribly non-nutritious dinners, etc. It's been fun enjoying our last few days as a family of 3 with the kitty.
Movement: Lots of rolls and hiccups and footsie. He's running out of room in there, so I find his feet in my ribs frequently. But I'm cool with it. We're only sharing this space for a little bit longer.
Food cravings: Salt. Fries, fried chicken, nachos. Bar food basically.
Labor Signs: I've been baking and knitting like crazy. By baking I mean pre-made cookies and frozen pies, but it's still requiring an oven so it counts. I don't know that either of those qualify as labor signs, but it's gotta be some weird nesting instinct kicking in. Other than that I didn't have any progress from my 38 week appointment. Although I don't know if I would trust Dr. Dip$hit to really know if I was any further dilated. He did something called stripping the membranes at my appointment Wednesday. It's supposed to help jump start labor in the next 48 hours. Since this is Saturday, clearly that did nothing and Robbie is content to stay where he is a little longer.
What I'll miss: The hype. Everyone is so excited about a new baby coming and what it'll be like and meeting him. And people are always asking about my progress and how I'm doing or what I'm feeling. It's this blissful, relatively low effort, and fun time. I'm nervous about switching that out for what I hear comes next. Sleepless days and nights, not getting to shower, being exhausted and not knowing what to do to make him feel better if he's crying. Being a new mom. I've always been a little scared of change and this is a big one, so I'm trying to keep that in mind and take it all in stride. But I will miss this time where I have a baby but he's safe and secure in my tummy and I know just what to do with him from day to day.
What I am looking forward to: The other side of that. Getting him out! I am excited to meet Rob and check out what we've created. I want to see what color his hair is and if he has daddy's lips or nose or my smile. So I'm eagerly, yet cautiously awaiting his arrival and soaking in all the experiences these last few days before it happens.

Punkin' Patching

2010-10-26T17:08:00.001-07:00

We went with Eric and Drew to the pumpkin patch (punkin patch as Dave likes to call it) a couple weekends ago. E's friend Jenny and her little boy Jameson came along and I must say it was extremely entertaining. Drew is 15 months and Jameson is 2, both are very mobile and Jameson is very talkative. Watching Eric and Jenny try to keep up with the boys was hillarious...I know we'll be there one day, but I had fun standing behind the lense with my little boy snug and secure in my tummy. Next year it'll be our turn to be the ones getting laughed at :)

Here's some pictures from our day:

38 Weeks

2010-10-21T18:29:00.001-07:00

How far along: Can you believe it?!? Cause I can't. We are 2 weeks away from our due date!
How big is baby: about 19 inches long
Tummy Circumference: 41 1/2"
Total weight gain/loss: 27...I know. 3 lbs in one week *shakes head* Last week I really took the phrase eating for 2 to heart.
Pregnancy Symptoms: What else? I'm feeling pretty huge. I'm swelling a lot and I think I've officially graduated from the "cute" pregnant phase. Now I'm just "ready to pop" as every stranger I meet loves to tell me.
Maternity clothes? I live in a handful of clothing items. My comfy over sized old navy sweat pants, Dave's tshirts, maternity jeans, and a couple of cotton shirts that are still long enough to cover the tummy.
Stretch marks? no and the doctor said my skin didn't even look that stretched at our appointment. don't want to jinx myself, but he thought I may be in the clear for stretch marks :)
Sleep: Meh. Sleep is a frustrating thing. I want it and love it, but it only comes in short spurts. For example last night I counted that I was up to use the restroom 6 times between 11:30 and 6:00. At 6 for some reason I was wide awake and ended up surfing the web for an hour. Luckily I passed back out and got a little more sleep, but the insomnia when you're so tired is the pitts. I will say I'm very lucky to be off work right now so that those sleepless nights aren't followed by long, exhausted days.
Best moment this week: Meeting Sarah and Dallas's baby last night was pretty special. All this time I've been going through the pregnancy knowing a baby was coming but seeing her last night put things into perspective for me and made it real. I can't wait to see our little guy and hold him...obviously I've felt excited the whole time, but I think I'm mentally in a different place now and truly ready to meet him.
Movement:Robbie plays footsie with me and I love it. He's an active little guy.
Food cravings: OJ, salty stuff.
Labor Signs: I started having cramping which I'm told is the precursor to labor. Last Friday night and then some today. Nothing major, but definitely there. We had our weekly doctors appointment yesterday and he checked my cervix. I'm 90% effaced and 1 cm dilated - which doesn't really mean anything except that I'm making progress! I'll take it. I don't necessarily want Robbie to come early, but I would prefer to not go too far over and would rather not be induced. Our getting pregnant story was less than traditional so I'd really love to have the true "it's time" experience for heading to the hospital rather than something scheduled.
What I'll miss: Having a really good excuse for being a total bitch.
What I am looking forward to: Self prescribed bed rest. I've got this internal drive to get stuff done all the time and lately I've been really tired. It's been hard for me b/c I struggle with wanting to be productive and wanting to be lazy and lay around. Tuesday I was having a moment where I was bumming myself out b/c I wanted to just curl up in my lazyboy with my computer, knitting, iPhone, and remote and do nothing all day. On the other hand, I wanted to take advantage of my maternity leave (sans baby) and get everything done that's been on my list for awhile. On top of those, Dave has been working his tail off and is super stressed...that kind of adds to my guilt of sitting around and doing nothing. Well instead of fighting it, I decided to embrace the lazy. I got all my gadgets and crafts within arms legnth and spent the whole day in my chair. It was amazing! And Wednesday I went right back to feeling rested and was able to get a bunch done. I think the key is recognizing when you need a break and taking it.

Baby Shower #2!

2010-10-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

My awesome sister-in-law does everything great and a few things exceptionally well...one of them being showers. Party planning really is her thing. She hosted a baby shower for Robbie and I in September and no detail was left unplanned. Here are some pictures from the day!

Thank you so much Suzy! I had a wonderful time at the party and appreciated all of your thoughtful touches. From the bling to the boas (which I'm super impressed you were able to work into a shower for a baby boy), I loved all of it and I love you!

37 Weeks Update

2010-10-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

How far along: 37 weeks
How big is baby: big
Tummy Circumference: 40 3/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 24 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: The baby gets the hiccups 3+ times a day. Poor little guy. I'm feeling good, but sitting up from a laying position is getting harder since my tummy muscles have been taken over.
Maternity clothes? Mostly pants. I don't like the shirts they offer and I'm lucky enough to not need work clothes...so my uniform is my jeans and some sort of cotton shirt over it. They make them so long now, it's not a problem covering the growing bump.
Stretch marks? Not yet!
Sleep: I'm sleeping a ton, but it's for short spurts. I get about 8 hours a night and wake up to use the restroom like clockwork every 1.5 hours.
Best moment this week:That would be today. My last day of work for the next 8+ weeks!
Movement: I play with his feet all the time. He kicks and i push them around and then he kicks some more. It's so cute.
Food cravings: Still on my krispie treat kick. Other than that, nothing in particular. I'm eating less at a time but more often...there isn't as much room in there now so I just graze throughout the day and night.
Labor Signs: nothing. Seems like all my friends who are due right around me have had some sort of sign but I've got nada.
What I'll miss: I'll miss being warm. I was CONSTANTLY cold before being pregnant. Granted, the summer was a little ridiculous and I could fry an egg on my tummy, but the fall and cooler weather feels amazing. I'll miss the elliptical 3 times a week for half an hour being "over achieving". I'll miss my stomach being so big it makes the rest of me look small and people saying "you're all belly". I assure them this isn't the case, but it makes for a great optical illusion.
What I am looking forward to:Obvious answer - The next couple weeks of no work and no parenting duties. Tomorrow the girls and I are going to a tea party in the afternoon and then the whole fam is coming over to watch the Michigan game and celebrate Mom's bday. I'm excited to have one last event here before the place turns into romper room and baby stuff is everywhere. Monday night is our annual girls pumpkin carving...stay tuned for pics of our awesome punkins!

Showered with Love

2010-10-10T14:18:00.001-07:00

I'm so lucky to have the girlfriends that I do. They threw an awesome shower for me and I'm terribly tardy on posting pics, but here they (finally!) are :)

Me with my awesome hostesses.

Mom and I

Caroline was the big winner of the "decorate a onesie" contest.

Em had some foster kittens at her place...

I almost brought the little orange guy home.

Present time! And check out my advice tree in the top right corner. Lots of fun words of wisdome from all my girls :)

Decorations:

Group shot! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate Robbie and a special thanks to my girlfriends for putting it on. All of your thoughtful touches meant the world to me and I had a wonderful time!

36 weeks

2010-10-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is it gang...our very last fruit picture. He's now a watermelon and will continue to be until he's a real baby.

How far along: 36 weeks!
How big is baby: 6lbs 11oz. We had our ultrasound today and they measured his tummy and head circumference to come up with this number. That puts him around 8.5 lbs if he goes full term. Not small, but not too big either. He'll be perfect :)
Tummy Circumference: 40 1/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 23 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: My hips are pretty sore and I've got the prego waddle kickin'. This really flares up at night when I'm laying on them for a few hours. It's kind of a double edge sword b/c laying on your side is most comfortable for your mid section, but the hips and arms are dying after a few hours.
Maternity clothes? I really dig fall maternity clothes. You're a little more covered up than the summer, busting out of the tank top and bursting at the seams of your shorts look. Given the chance, I'll time my next pregnancy a little different.
Stretch marks? not yet - fingers crossed!
Sleep: Same - up every 1.5-2 hours at night, nap every afternoon I can get one.
Best moment this week: Date night was pretty fun. We picked up a pizza and had a picnic on our neighborhood lake. Then we went to see The Town. It was great and we're keeping it going with another date night this weekend.
Movement: Less body rolls, more foot movement. He kind of plays with me when I push back on his feet (which I can not wait to see! I love little baby feet!)
Food cravings: I know all the names of the cashiers at publix...and most of them recognize me and know when I'm due. I haven't been plagued by fast food addiction these past few months, but we make some sort of grocery store run every other, if not every night. I'm on a rice krispie treat kick right now...every day around 2pm I fill a bowl with marshmallows, spray some butter on them, pop them in the microwave and then add the krispies. Delish!!!
Labor Signs: Nada.
What I'll miss: Changing this category from "What I miss" to "What I'll miss". I've gone over the things I am looking forward to having back time and time again and I'm starting to sound like a broken, whiny record. With less than a month to go, I'd rather highlight the things I know I'll miss about being pregnant. So lets start with the belly. Yep, I'll miss it. I always hate holding my ice cream bowl b/c it makes my hand cold...my tummy is now the perfect bowl holder! I just put a towel under it, balance it on the top, and wah-lah! No cold hands :)I'll also miss how friendly everyone is. Something about being pregnant makes people want to talk to you and they genuinely feel like they can tell or ask you anything. It's kind of bizarre at times, but has been really entertaining. I'll miss maternity jeans. I'm lovin' me some stretchy pants. I'll miss the shift in weekly goals - my goal now is to gain a pound a week (give or take) instead of the rest of my life goal where I'm trying to lose a pound every week. It's awesome. I'll miss Dave rubbing my tummy. He can't be within arms reach and not touch my baby bump. Many people are over the whole prego thing by this point and had I been having a tougher time with it, that might be my sentiment too. But I'll miss being pregnant and all the things that come with it. If I'm lucky enough to go through this again, I hope it's as wonderful an experience. If not, I'll keep my "what I miss" category and go right on bitching about stuff every single week.
What I am looking forward to: FALL - loving this cool weather. Fall goes quick here, but it's truly the best time of year. I'm not a football fanatic, but I love a good tailgate or even just a gathering of friends so I have fond memories associated with that. Plus it's stress free for the most part - you're not worried about getting into a bikini, the holidays are coming up but are just far enough away so you're not stressing over present buying. And the FOOD. Lets not forget the abundance of yummy fall food! Aside from fall, I'm excited about maternity leave coming up. I'm taking off a few weeks before Robbie gets here and my LAST day of work is next Friday, October 15th. Yay!

A is for

2010-10-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Alan!

Did I tell you we picked a middle name? After months of deliberation (Well, mainly me deliberating. Dave lets me run the gamut of "I like this, I hate that", ultimately ending up with a "final decision" that I will inevitably change 4 times. Not to say he doesn't care, he does. But he has learned that involving himself prematurely only brings headache. No parentheses was meant to be this long, back to the sentence...)we decided to go with Alan. This middle name has served Dave well for the past 34 years and I liked the sound of the whole name together. Robert Alan Wanek. It doesn't hurt that the initials spell RAW, which made this choice an immediate #1 in Dave's book.

Other options that did not make it into my top 10...
Napalm
Chuck Norris
Longstroke

There were a few others that Dave contributed and I have blocked from memory, but you get the idea.

Off to School!

2010-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

We had our baby essentials class last Thursday night. We learned about swaddling and bathing and all kinds of other little baby tidbits. There were 5 other couples in the class with us and we each got a baby to play with. It was pretty fun actually and one of the first classes where I wasn't watching the clock the entire time waiting for it to end.

Here's daddy on his way to baby school

And yes, we took our cooler. Haha. The class was from 6:30 - 9:30 which is mommy's prime eating time so we packed drinks and snacks. But lets call a spade a spade, we really don't go many places without our beloved Hamptons Cooler. Sadly it has been discontinued and we are down to our last one...so we are on borrowed time with our dear friend.

Tah Dah! Welcome to Robbie's Room...

2010-10-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

Robbie's Room, also referred to by Dave as "my room", is finally done and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. It's true...a nursery is totally for the mom cause babies don't know the difference, but I consider it part of the whole pregnancy process! Kind of a right of passage.

For those of you who haven't been to our house yet, Rob's room is upstairs and our room is on the main level. We decided to keep him down here with us for the first few months to make it easier for night feedings and to just have him closer to us in general. I recently found out the chance of SIDS decreases after 4 1/2 months so something tells me he'll be down here until then.

Here are some of the Do-It-Yourself Projects completed for the nursery
Crib Mobile:

These little elephants were a PITA to sew! Of course, if you consider the timing - baby isn't in the crib till 4.5 months since he'll be downstairs w/ us, mobiles should come out of crib when they start to pull up around 6 months - it won't get a ton of use, but I love them so it was worth it :)

Paintings:

My friend Alison helped me with the design on these...we pulled the background patterns from his bedding.

Closet dividers:
Who doesn't love organization!?!

Here they are in action:

Lamp Shade:

I had an extra bed skirt and used the fabric to make a coordinating lamp shade.

Chair:
Here is the before

And here it is after refinishing

So there you have it! We can't wait to bring baby home to his new little man cave in just a couple weeks :)

Happy 35/35 day!

2010-09-30T11:40:00.001-07:00

How far along: 35/35 is in reference to me being 35 weeks pregnant and having 35 days to go! When you say it in days, it sounds so much closer...but we're just about ready around the house. There will always be something to do, but the big stuff is over with for now and all the little stuff is mostly a nice to have. Actually, when did attic insulation become a nice to have in my world? Slowly but surely domestic goods such as this have replaced the items I used to refer to as nice to haves - large bar tabs, shopping sprees, pedicures, vacations, and a slew of accessories to go with any outfit. Times are changing!
How big is baby: He probably weighs more than 5.3 pounds and is 18.2 inches long. I believe every word of this. Over the past week I've noticed he's gotten bigger and stronger. He's much more aggressive when he doesn't like the position I'm in and his once cute little kicks can now pop me straight up in my chair if he gets me in the right spot.
Tummy Circumference: 40 1/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs. I've regressed a pound from last week, but it's all relative. Some days I'm retaining water like the hover dam, some days I'm having a thin moment. Next week before my doctors appointment I'll probably have gained back that 1 lb and another few...all in time to see it on their awful, and what I believe to be extremely heavy scale.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Are they really even symptoms anymore? I'm full blown prego. I waddle, I eat, I pee every hour, I can be found reading delivery and/or pregnancy material or crafting for the nursery most hours of the day. Non pregnancy symptoms would be a more appropriate category at this point. For example, last night I said I didn't need ice cream. That was bizarre. Of course we went and got some anyway just in case (because it would be bad to want it and the store be closed), but to not have the craving was odd. And for the record, we ate it :)
Maternity clothes? Yeah. But I'm serious, you can save a fortune buying bigger sizes in normal clothes. And they are so much cuter! Target and Old Navy have been my saviors.
Stretch marks? not yet.
Sleep: Lots of sleep. Naps any day I can get them, asleep by midnight and up around 8.
Best moment this week: We had an awesome weekend. Friday night we did some cleaning around the house to prep for the party Sunday. Saturday DR and Gil came by to watch the Michigan game. I was crafting at the kitchen table for Kim's shower and slowly but surely the guys migrated over to the table with me and started giving input and suggestions. It was really funny seeing as I was making closet dividers for her nursery. Sunday was Kim's shower. It turned out great and aside from the rain (which actually made our lawn look less like a dry, brittle sod graveyard) everything was perfect. And with the shower being over, so was my stretch of crazy busy weeks. It's been hectic trying to get the house projects finished up and get everything ready for that, along with work, and a few other social commitments we had. All of a sudden things have slowed down significantly and I'm kind of in coast mode. There's still stuff to get done, but my stress level went down substantially and we're entering our month of fun. We decided to try and take it easy for the most part this last month before Robbie comes. Do some date nights, not focus on chores every weekend, enjoy eachother's company, etc. Date night 1 is this Friday - dinner and a movie. Date night 2 is next Friday - dinner and catching a Walton Football game!
Movement: As I mentioned above, he's getting strong. I still get these weird shapes in my belly (which is more cube like than round)and I can see him roll around a bit, but his kicks are concentrated on my right side.
Food cravings: Rice Krispie Treats. Breakfast foods (probably due to kim's brunch shower, but I'm loving some hash browns, egg casserole, bagels, etc.). Velveeta cheese has made it's way into my rolodex of foods...I've had it almost every day, if not more than once a day for the past few weeks.
Labor Signs: Nothing yet.
What I miss: Right now I don't miss anything. I've had a really great experience so far and have actually enjoyed 99% of being pregnant. These next couple weeks are going to go so quickly and I want to appreciate every moment. I know I'm going to get more uncomfortable and in turn it'll be harder to see this blessing for what it is. I'm so very lucky to have been able to get pregnant in the first place. Not knowing if I'll be able to again has given me a totally different perspective on things than if it had all come easy to me. It's definitely made me less put out by any of the negative aspects and more in tune with all the positives. For that I'm extremely grateful.
What I am looking forward to: Our ultrasound next Thursday and our baby essentials class tonight.

34 Weeks

2010-09-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

How far along: 34w
How big is baby: 4.7 pounds and just shy of 18 inches is what the internet says, but we'll find out more next week at our growth ultrasound.
Tummy Circumference: 40"
Total weight gain/loss: 23 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: This has been a big week. I've officially outgrown my wedding rings, my belly button popped and is now an outie, and my tummy has the linea nigra developing on it (this is a line that forms perpendicular to the belly button from hormones). I'm still feeling great, aside from being a little tired. But I'm able to get around just fine and no real complaints. I've been slacking on the gym, but I think that's more due to being busy than the inability to go. I'm hoping to make it 3 times this week. It's a small, hopefully attainable goal!
Maternity clothes? Yep. But Target has been a godsend for clothing. Pretty inexpensive and their larger, non maternity sizes fit great.
Stretch marks? Not yet.
Sleep: Sleep isn't bad, but it could be better. I've now got 4 pillows(2 under the head, 1 between the knees, one behind the back), the kitty, and my binkie that I sleep with. I'm usually overheating, so the fan is on high and Dave has to burrito himself to stay warm.
Best moment this week: My shower was awesome. Suzy went all out and I felt super special.
Movement: A new development in the movement department - hiccups! I need to research what causes those in babies, but several times this week he's gotten the hiccups and it feel so funny. I find myself patting him and rocking my belly. Maybe I do have a motherly instinct after all.
Food cravings: I'm a garbage disposal. I haven't said no to a morsel of food in weeks.
Labor Signs:None so far. My friend Kim is the exact opposite and has had tons of labor symptoms. I don't know if I'm lucky or if I'll have to evict the little guy when his time comes....he seems awfully comfy in there.
What I miss: Small thighs and bourbon.
What I am looking forward to: Kim's shower this weekend. We've been working hard on the house and it's finally starting to pay off and look really good. I'm excited to host something and show it off and super excited to shower Kim with love and presents on her special day! I'm also looking forward to a little R & R before Robbie comes...we've completed most of our before baby tasks and there aren't any looming huge projects. It's such a relief to be at that point and we are going to try and take the next month to just enjoy each other and do fun things together. There's always going to be something else to take care of, but it's the last month of just us and I want to make sure we don't let it fly by without stopping to smell the roses.

33 weeks

2010-09-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

How far along: 33...7 more to go! The doctor said they wouldn't let me go longer than a week past my due date, so it's a done deal - we'll be meeting Robbie in 8 weeks or less :)
How big is baby: He's a honeydew(which, for the record, i believe to be inaccurate). We only have 1 more fruit left till he becomes a real baby...
Tummy Circumference: 39.5"
Total weight gain/loss: 21 lbs
Stretch marks? not yet
Movement: I think the baby had the hiccups this morning. Movement is still frequent and he's getting a little stronger with his kicks (or what I think are kicks - I'm still not 100% sure on his position).
Food cravings: Salt. Chips, crackers, etc. I still haven't had any crazy out of the ordinary cravings...I've pretty much always kept food groups on a rotation of my favorites. I eat the same type of thing for awhile and then move on. I have absolutely no interest in icecream with granola and for weeks I could have eaten it around the clock.
Labor Signs: No labor signs, but labor is starting to freak me out a little. I sat up the other day in bed and had a flash forward to the delivery room and all the pushing and craziness. I panicked for a second and then decided not to think about it b/c there is nothing I can do at this point. Not thinking about it has been my coping method of choice and is one of the main reasons we're not doing one of those birthing classes. I know millions of women have done this before me, but I can't help but be a little scared. Especially by some of my friend's delivery stories.
What I miss: Energy. I'm tired a lot and get winded from standing. Looking forward to having some of my spunk back.
What I am looking forward to: A packed weekend! We're doing Kim's bday party friday night and a psychic is coming to give us readings. Saturday is girl's night with my highschool pals. Sunday is Sarah's shower followed by my shower that Suzy is throwing! And in between all that we are installing a dishwasher, a faucet, and painting. I'm going to need a vacation after the weekend!

32 Weeks Update

2010-09-10T08:26:00.001-07:00

How far along: 32 weeks
How big is baby: About 17 inches long and somewhere around 4 lbs.
Tummy Circumference: 39 1/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs. +2 from last week...So I enjoyed obscene amounts of apple pie, 3 containers of ice cream, a batch of cookies, and several helpings of home made nachos over the holiday weekend. What of it?
Pregnancy Symptoms: I'm get winded just standing still. I'm tired a lot.
Maternity clothes? My alien looking tummy and ever expanding rear are really pushing the stitching on most of my clothes. I'll be interested to see what the next 2 months bring.
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep: More please. I get tired thinking about going to the gym.
Best moment this week: Last weekend was awesome. We finished the porch, tailgated with our friends in Athens, made all of the above delish eats I mentioned, and amid all the chaos, had a really great time just hanging out with eachother. Dave finally got a few days where he wasn't haiving to work around the clock and it was great. We also started season 1 of Lost (I know...we're like 5 years behind society. Dinah let us borrow her dvds and we've almost finished season 1 in less than a week! haha) Last but not least, we have a new fridge! Our dishwasher broke and we went up to the sears outlet looking for a replacement. We ended up w/ a great deal on a fridge that wasn't a necessity, but it helped us chose a line of appliances and once we get the repair guy out here ( *&$#!@ ) we'll finally have door water again!
Movement: All the time. He really favors my left side for some reason. As I've mentioned before, my tummy is less of a round ball and more of a boxey/bean shape and he hardly takes up any room on the right side of my body. I think his head is pointed down toward my left hip and his feet point towards my right shoulder. I asked the doctor about the odd shape yesterday and she gave the standard answer "oh yes, that's totally normal". So I go to lay down and lift my shirt for her to get her measurements and she starts laughing and looked a little surprised. So I guess it's nothing to be alarmed about, but it's not textbook normal either.
Food cravings: Sweets!! All the time. Love em.
What I miss: I wouldn't say I've missed a lot the past 8 months, but this past weekend I really missed drinking. Not a glass of wine, not a sip of a beer, but like 5-drinks-in tipsy. I'm ready for happy hour to return.
What I am looking forward to: Girls night on Saturday for Em's bday!

Pool Days!

2010-09-10T08:23:00.000-07:00

Uncle Ecky and Grandpa brought Drew over for some fun at the pool. It was Drew's first time down the slide and he loved it! All the boys did actually. I declined, as I was already in a bikini and standing out like a sore thumb, but I did have some slide envy.

Pool day take 2 - mom joined at this one!

August Festivities

2010-09-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

August was action packed with showers, birthdays, and other social gatherings! I'm obviously behind on a bunch of posts, so I'm going to do a little compilation for last month. Here's the footage from all the fun....

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Dave's cousin, Heidi (my cousin-in-law?), is getting married next month and Suzy threw a killer shower for her. I didn't get many pictures from the day, but she really did a stellar job!

Me, Suzy, and Grandma getting ready for the party

One of the coolest party favors ever...to-go chinese boxes that you fill with a (homemade) cookie assortment of your choosing! I made 2...one for me and one for Uncle Dave who was watching the boys while Suzy played the role of hostess with the mostest.

Here's Heidi, the beautiful bride to be!

We're really looking forward to the wedding which is just 3 weeks away. Hopefully I can find a tent large enough to cover myself for it :)

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Next up, Happy 30th Birthday Caroline!

Caroline's sweet boyfriend helped to organize a surprise gathering at her place for the ladies. We all met over there after work and were waiting for her when she walked in the door. She was super surprised! We had Maggiano's and some cake with sparklers in the shape of a "30".

And here's the birthday girl trying to calm her smoke alarm after the sparkler fiasco.

The ladies!

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Another Birthday! This one was Cayla, our good friend Caitlin's little girl. She turned one and this was the pimp daddy of one year old birthday parties. There was a bevy of water activities outside - pools, slides, etc. - a ton of food and drinks (for those who could partake), and some of the cutest decorations I've ever seen. She did an excellent job and we all had a great time.

Here's the bday girl, not loving the cake smashing event

All the girls and their babies

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Erin and her boyfriend hosted a bbq at their house and it was an awesome time! He's a fabulous cook and made a ton of delicious ribs. It was super fun getting to hang out with all my highschool friends and although I didn't get a picture, its always a great party when Jamie beats the guys at keg stands. Love my HS girls!

Jamie making a round of shots - she made dave and I some lemon drops without vodka. BITTER!

Binkie

2010-09-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

If blanket addiction is an inherited trait, Robbie's fate is already sealed. He will have a binkie and it will be one of his most prized possessions.

I've had my blue binkie for as long as I can remember. It wasn't the one I used as an infant, but I picked it up somewhere along the way and not a night goes by that I don't sleep with it. This binkie is well traveled. It's gone to Michigan, Virginia, Florida, South Carolina...pretty much any trip I go on. Could I live without it? Probably. But I figure whats the harm in a little codependancy every now and then. Here it is with me on several vacations:

Hotel party - our room at Taylor's wedding in Virginia:

Here we are passed out together after a long afternoon of drinking on crab island in Destin:

I don't know whats sexier, open mouth sleeping or the double chin. What do you think?

Sasha loves the binkie too and we share it every night!

And then there's Dave. Don't worry, he doesn't currently have a binkie. That would be weird. But he was no stranger to them when he was a little boy and he had one that he religiously carried around with him. He's definitely a creature of habit and I'm told the correct method of transportation for said binkie was holding it with the last 3 fingers of his hand, his thumb in his mouth and his index finger hooked over his nose. (I'm searching for a baby picture of this, as I know one exists) As the story is told, Dave had a hard time giving up his binkie and was apprehensive about going to school without it. His mom had to cut 2 little squares off of it to put in his pockets so if he got nervous he could reach in there and feel them. It's so sweet to think of Dave as that vunerable and innocent since he has such a different presence now. That side of him still exists, it's just rare that I get to see it :)

What started this post? My mom dropped by the other day with an unexpected gift for her little granbaby. Seeing as I get to open all his gifts in his absence, I was super excited to find the softest, sweetest little blue binkie in the package. It's perfect for him!

Thanks mom :)

So Robbie, don't you worry if you've got an addiction to a cotton entity and you can't figure out why you just can't quit the Bink. It's hereditary - both your parents had (have) it and we turned out just fine. XOXO little guy.

31 Weeks Update

2010-09-02T06:35:00.001-07:00

We're officially in the single digit count down. In 9 weeks we'll have a new addition to the family!?! 9 weeks sounds like forever when you're waiting for something exciting to happen...unless it's having a baby. I'm super excited that he'll finally be here and we'll get to meet our little guy, but I have so much to do before then! Topping that list is finishing up some large projects around the house, completing the nursery, getting all the necessary baby gear, and figuring out what to do with a newborn. Ha. Dave is so different when he's in learning mode. His usual no joke is off limits persona shifts into Mr. Serious and I'm looking forward seeing how this whole thing goes down :)

How far along: 31 weeks - 9 to go! Maybe less? I hear first babies come late so we'll see.
How big is baby: He's approximately 16.18 inches and about 3.5 lbs. We have another growth ultrasound at 36 weeks so we'll have a better idea of his size then.
Tummy Circumference: 39 inches.
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: emotional. That about sums up my week. Crying at baby story, crying when I'm stressed, crying when I'm happy, etc. It's been a real hoot.
Sleep: Sleep hasn't been all that bad. Dave's had some late nights with work, so Sasha and I have had the bed to ourselves. I have the fan on high, pillows galore, and can toss and turn as much as needed. I had a couple nights last week where I woke up at 5 and my brain was going a mile a minute, but each time I was eventually able to get back to sleep.
Best moment this week: The girls hosted the most beautiful shower for me on Sunday. They didn't forget a single detail and I was really touched by all the thoughtfulness they put into it. I'll do a separate post on that with some pictures.
Movement:I think I've figured out his position in there, but I can't tell. I'm the only person I know with a crooked belly. He looks like a bean instead of a watermelon and my alien tummy morphs a lot. No worries though, I've seen the ultrasound and he looks like a normal 2d baby.
Food cravings: Still using cookies as my vice. We've gone through about 4 batches since last week.
What I miss: Cool Weather. For the love of all things holy, I'm ready for fall. Fall is by far my favorite season. You still have a tan, there are tons of fun gatherings for football season, TV shows start up again, and the weather is so perfect. If only it was longer in georgia. We have a quick jump from blazing hot to freezing cold. Luckily it's right around the corner cause I can't take much more of this heat.
What I am looking forward to:Labor day weekend - we're finishing the porch, headed up to Athens for some tailgating, and enjoying the 3 day weekend.

Daddy's little helper

2010-08-31T12:28:00.001-07:00

Dave was working from the living last night and Sasha though he was in there to spend time with her. When he neglected to pet her the appropriate amount, she relocated to a more obvious position. She's going to miss being an only child.

30 weeks update

2010-08-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

How far along: 30 weeks! We are in final 10 week count down. This is exciting to me for some reason.
How big is baby: HE'S HUGE! I know he's going to get bigger, but I can't figure out how that's going to look or feel. Especially the feel part. I get a little uncomfy sitting for long periods of time. It just get sore around the tummy and he starts squirming to try and get comfortable. The lack of room means he's usually pushing on some organ to do this. I haven't talked to anyone who gets the weird tummy shapes that I do. Where one side of my belly is totally protruding and the other is sloped. I'm guessing that my long torso gives him more room to move than in most girls, but we're still sharing a pretty small space :)So for his measurements - technically he's a squash and should be about 3lbs and 16 inches long. We know he's already closer to 4lbs, but not sure on his length. I think most babies are 21 inches right? So 5ish more to go!
Tummy Circumference: 38.5"
Total weight gain/loss: 18lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: Tired. This week has been hectic and I haven't been able to swing my afternoon naps. I'm exausted by the end of the day but have been trying to work on craft projects for the nursery at night when I don't have plans. We're in the final stretch and I'm anxious to get everything done and be able to coast.
Maternity clothes? Should this even bee a category anymore? Yes, I'm in maternity clothes. Maybe it should be "Regular Clothes". I'll let yall know when I can't squeeze myself into normal peoples clothing anymore and I'm relegated to the boring old maternity garb.
Stretch marks? not yet thank goodness. I'm hoping my mom passed down some good genes and I won't get them.
Sleep: Good for the most part. Crazy dreams. Last night I was expecting 4 children and I was stuck at some hotel party where we were trying to hide from people doing drugs outside. The drugs were either fertilizer or coffee, but I assume it was symbolic for meth. We had done IVF and they implanted 1 baby and then I forgot and they implanted another 3. Night before last was a dream about people dying outside of Wendy's. I have a dream book, but I don't think this stuff is in there.
Best moment this week: Dave was sick last weekend and we had a lot of down time. As sad as that is, it took an illness to get us to sit on the couch. I loved it! Aside from that, I had a really good time hanging with the girls Friday night. Amy made DELISH enchiladas and we sat around catching up for awhile before the non pregos hit the town. It was fun and entertaining watching everyone go from sober to intoxicated. You miss all this stuff when you're drinking!
Movement: All the time.
Food cravings: COOKIES. I'm loving cookies. I actually just baked a batch (2:30pm on a friday afternoon - one of the hazards of working from home, constant kitchen access).

What I miss: I don't really miss anything...you just kind of adjust to the situation at hand. I'm looking forward to some things after Robbie gets here, but I'm not really dwelling on what I don't have.
What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this Sunday!

Robbie and I went running today - It started out as a walk and then I found that jogging was less uncomfortable than walking. So we jogged up to LA Fitness, did some eliptical then walked and jogged home. I'm feeling a little funky in the hip area (prob b/c my joints are loosened up and the running put extra pressure on them), but I'm kind of proud. Yep, this is me tooting my own horn shamelessly! haha. No idea how long I'll be able to stay active cause I'm sure there will come a point when I say screw it, but for now at 7.5 months pregnant I'm still hanging in there. TOOT.

29 Weeks Update

2010-08-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

How far along: 29 weeks
How big is baby: Baby is the size of a squash today! Babycenter.com says average size is 15.2 inches 2.54 pounds. But Waneks don't do average and our baby is no exception...at our appointment today he was measuring 3lbs 11oz!! Thats 2 weeks ahead of schedule. She said he wasn't missing any meals, which I should know b/c missing meals is not my style. I'm on a 3-4 hour feeding schedule myself, just like the book Babywise recommends for our little one :)
Tummy Circumference: 38.25". It shrunk? Or maybe he's hiding in there somewhere.
Total weight gain/loss: 19 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I can still feel leg cramps coming on, but haven't gotten a full blown one in awhile. I've been a little more emotional this past week...I think it's a combo of getting tired and hungry. The other night Dave was going to cook dinner while I was out doing errands. I let myself get way too hungry and by the time I got home I was ready to eat my arm. Dinner was in process and it was a fine meal (chicken, rice, veggies) but that didn't stop me from taking one look at everything and deciding it wasn't what I really wanted - I stood there for awhile, debating on do I say something and discourage future meal preperations? or do I suck it up and be gracious for the meal? All the while I'm getting more hungry. So what comes next? I start crying. Dave can't figure out whats wrong and I'm too mixed up to communicate it effectively or decide on where to go after he offers to take me out. So that was my pregnant emotional breakdown in a nutshell - they've been few and far between surprisingly, but they're there. And while on the topic of hunger/food (since that's probably 50% of my daily thought composition), another symptom - my stomach has less room in there than it used to. I get heartburn pretty frequently and carry tums at all times. Gross story, totally TMI, read at your own risk - Yesterday I bent over too quick after a snack and it must have compressed my stomach b/c I immediately threw up. Out my nose. UGH. Painful. I was trying to avoid a mess by keeping my mouth shut and I won't make that mistake again. It was like draino in my nostril. EEW.
Maternity clothes? I think we can all now see that I'm requiring maternity clothes. Or Dave's clothes. I've been living in his boxers and tshirts. Working from home is so convenient in that way. One thing I'll mention is maternity dresses are not very cute. Or if they are cute, they're super pricey. I've had a lot of luck finding regular dresses in larger sizes. But I'm not sure how much longer that will last for me.
Stretch marks? Not yet, but seeing this reminded me I had a dream about them last night. You were in the dream Lindsay S and it was super weird. The stretch marks were happening after baby was born on our thighs when we would sat down. Glad to wake up from that.
Sleep: Decent. Up every 3-4 hours for my restroom and snack break. Naps in the afternoon when I can fit them in.
Best moment this week: Seeing the baby this morning was pretty great. We've had a lot of good moments along with that - I was able to deep clean the nursery and decorating has begun. Got to see my highschool girlfriends at Erin's bbq on Saturday and spend the day with all my college besties on Sunday. Basically I've been getting in a lot of girlfriend time and it's been really fun.
Movement: Yep. He's rolling all over the place.
Food cravings: I've been off the cream for about a week now so I've supplemented with Honey Bunches of Oats. Loving some baby back ribs. No real cravings though.
What I miss: nada
What I am looking forward to: Girls night Friday. Teri is in town so we're doing mexican at Amy's place. Yay! I'm also looking forward to next Thursday - I'll be in the final 10 week count down to baby!

Doctor's Visit

2010-08-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

Today we had our 28 week (ended up being 29) week doctor's appointment. Because they saw placenta previa in an earlier ultrasound, we knew we'd be getting a follow up u/s at this appointment and we took my mom along to meet Robbie. Each ultrasound is so different - he fills up more and more of the screen and it's harder to make out the body parts, but we got a really good profile picture and he looks just like daddy! He's got his nose and upper lip. I know that sounds premature to make that call, but I can see it :)In our quest to get a profile pic the u/s tech was jiggling him trying to get him to move a bit. He was so cute - he had his arm over his head shielding his eyes (also how daddy sleeps) and when we disturbed him he grabbed his foot and started playing with that. Then he kicked us. Haha. It was neat watching it all go on. Like a TV into my tummy.

So the good news is placenta previa appears to be a non-issue at this point and Robbie is measuring 2 weeks ahead. He's approx 3lbs 11oz (based on their measurements). Now I'm extremely happy to hear that our baby boy is growing like a weed and all of his organs and other vitals looked great. On the other hand, I come from a family of big babies (me being almost 10lbs, my brother almost 9) and Dave was no petite thing either. So the reality of having a large baby is very real and after watching a friend of mine go through laboring a 10 pounder and then the aftermath of what it did to her, I'm on high alert about them watching his size. Granted, worst case scenario we do a C section which isn't the end of the world, we just need to be watching to make sure we know what to expect. So, nervous new mommy didn't let the doctor dismiss her fears like she so wanted to, and we have another ultrasound scheduled for 36 weeks to see how he's looking!

Speaking of that dismissive doctor...As you all know, Dave presented his findings to me on Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats) and I agree with him that they should be avoided when possible. He's a little more gung ho about it than I am, but I've got needs and stove top stuffing is one of them. Anyhow, we wanted to discuss it with a doctor since we hadn't done that yet and so we brought it up at the appointment. She was completely uneducated in this area and the stuff she was saying made her sound like a total idiot. First she didn't really know what PHO was - "oh margarine? yeah, I'd avoid that". No lady, not margarine. Then once we explained she pretended to be expertly advised on the topic and tell us there was nothing wrong with trans fats. "Yeah, I try to avoid any processed foods personally. But you have to do what keeps you sane. I'd avoid margarine". You're not getting it dumb $#&*, margarine is not the point here. Then it was "there have been no studies linking trans fats to problems with babies". Wrong again, we've seen research on it. At this point we're both losing steam in even caring what her opinion was b/c it sounded like she was just going to make something up to end the conversation and put us at ease. It was all Dave could do not to get into a scientific discussion on the molecular structure of the oils with a doctor. I thought he was going to get her address and send her some follow up material for homework. Ha. But really the whole experience made me think of what doctors would have been like 30 years ago when it was "ok" to smoke. I can see them saying the exact same thing - "It hasn't been proven to have any bad side effects, just do what you can to stay sane". Riiiight.

So I'm not saying PHO is the enemy and she should have known this. All I'm saying is you can't trust everything a doctor spits out. It's a little scary, but you have to do your own research and make sure you're taking care of your family cause it's only once in a blue moon that you get a doctor willing to truly do that for you. And this is me getting off my soap box. Hopefully we'll have better luck with our pediatrician...cause we have not been very impressed w/ the OB doctors thus far.

But my little boy is a cutie right? These scanned pics are kind of hard to see and I guess I sound like a crazy mom loving the 2d black and white image of her unborn child...but watching him yesterday made me really start thinking about what he'll look like when he's here with us! I just pictured him looking like me I think so now I'm dying to meet him and see what parts of both of us he has. Hopefully he has daddy's smarts and coordination, something wonderful from my side of gene pool, and neither of our stubborn streaks or propensity to get into trouble as kids.

28 Weeks Update

2010-08-13T19:38:00.000-07:00

How far along: We've officially made it into the 3rd trimester! 28 weeks, aka 7 months. I can't believe we are 2/3 of the way there. This time has gone by incredibly fast and I'm sure the last 3 months will be no different. I'll say it now (before I get obese and cranky those last few weeks) - I love being pregnant! Yes you have to sacrifice some things...mainly alcohol and your figure...but after such a difficult time getting pregnant, my actual pregnancy has been a breeze. People are nice to you and are always offering to help carry things or let you sit. There's stork parking at Publix and TJ Max. I've still been able to maintain most of my prepregnancy activities and stay active, but have a great excuse not to if I don't feel like any given day :) You get to experience new and exciting changes all the time and you've got your whole life with baby ahead of you. With all the things to do in preperation for his arrival, this can be a really stressful time if you let it...and I'll be the first to admit I'm no stranger to stressing out and am guilty of falling into that trap on a few occasions since Robbie has joined us. That said, I want to make sure I seize the moment and enjoy as much about being pregnant as I can. Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to give him a little brother or sister, but you never know. Either way, with him running around I'm sure number 2 will be totally different. All I do know is right now is it's awesome and it's one of the greatest blessings you can experience.
How big is baby: He's still an eggplant - but a big one! He's about 2.2 lbs and 14.8 inches or more long.
Tummy Circumference: 38.5"
Total weight gain/loss: 17
Sleep: I'm having bouts with insomnia still. Waking up at 4am and being so tired, but can't get back to sleep. Friday night I decided to stop fighting it and just get up and do some work. Around 7 I got sleepy again and was able to nap for a couple hours. I'm also having more difficulty getting comfortable when I sleep. Dave has one measley little pillow on his side. I have 3, not including my life size u shaped body pillow.
Movement: I think this is one of the things I'll miss most about being pregnant. I can be having a tough day and then all of a sudden I'll feel this roll in my tummy to remind me Robbie's in there. It's so incredible. Even with the bladder punches, it's still the coolest thing I've ever felt.
Food cravings: Crystal light or chickfila lemonade.
What I am looking forward to: A packed weekend - Friday I'm meeting Drew's daycare teachers. Saturday is Erin's BBQ. Sunday is Cayla's 1 year old bday party. Next week is going to be hectic too, but in a good way - Dave will be out of town Wednesday so I'm having a girls night here to start planning Kim's shower. Thursday Kim and I are hitting up a consignment sale for kids. She's hillarious to shop with, so I'm interested in seeing how this goes. Friday is another girls night cause Teri is in town!!

27 Weeks Update

2010-08-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

How far along: 27 weeks
How big is baby:He's still an eggplant...About 14.5" long and 2 lbs now.
Tummy Circumference: 38 1/4"
Total weight gain/loss: 17lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I'm hot all the time, but so is everybody else I guess (It's been in the high 90s here all week). I'm starting to really feel bigger and the tummy bumps everything. Heartburn has been better, but I keep tums in my purse. Cardio is much harder now - a walk around the neighborhood had me panting liked I'd run 5 miles. I'm still able to do the elliptical, so that's my cardio of choice these days.
Sleep: I've developed some sort of pregnancy insomnia. I fall asleep ok, but around 4am I wake up and just stare at the ceiling. I can usually read a book for an hour or 2 and get back to sleep, but it's super annoying cause I'm know I'm tired and my brain just isn't cooperating! This is of course with my 2-3 additional restroom breaks and 2am snacking added in there.
Best moment this week: We threw a surprise birthday party for Caroline on Tuesday. Her boyfriend gave us access to her house and all the girls were there when she got home from work. It had been awhile since we'd done a girls night that everyone could come to and it was really getting to sit around and talk and visit. The food was delicious (Maggiano's - yummy!) and it was so nice to be out of the house just relaxing for a night. Plus I found out another one of the girls is pregnant! She's still early so I won't out her on here, but congrats to her and her growing family!!! So excited for them :)
Movement: We've graduated from flutters to full on jabs and rolls. As I showed in the picture last week, when he's rolling over and trying to get comfy my tummy takes on an alien shape. It's really cool but the bigger he gets the more pressure he puts on all my organs as he's squirming around. I've been told at a slim 2 lbs, this is nothing...we've still got another 5-6+ to go!
Food cravings: I'm a dessert-aholic with no self control. Home made chicken biscuits. Sour drinks.
What I miss: Being social. Dave and I have gotten really good at being productive...we have a list of things that need to be done to the money pit and next to each of them we have "B" for before baby and "A" for after baby. Some of the list is cosmetic (patch hole in wall, paint nursery bathroom, finish trim, etc) some of it is more necessity (bring insulation in attic up to code, hang screens, caulk exterior holes). So each weekend is first dedicated to getting all that crap done and then we see where we can fit in other fun stuff if we don't run out of steam. I do love progress, but I miss having a short list of house "to-do's" and a long list of weekend options that are more from the fun family than the manual labor family. A lot of our groups dynamics are changing anyway - people are having kids, getting married, doing their own chore lists instead of group events...so some of it is a natural progression, but I hope we can knock out all our B's and get to a point where we are actually ahead w/ the house and not scrambling to get stuff done all the time.
What I am looking forward to: Finishing the nursery renovations this weekend. I know I've been saying that forever, but I really think we'll do it this time! And to stay true to my previous answer about being more social - I'm also looking forward to dinner at my cousin's Tuesday and the spa with Suzy this week!

26 Weeks Update

2010-07-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

How far along: 26 weeks
How big is baby: The size of an eggplant.About 14 inches long at 1.68 lbs.
Tummy Circumference: 37.5"
Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: It finally happened. This morning as I was watching Baby Story I cried. So it's official, all my pregnancy hormones have come in and a show which I used to find somewhat awkward and baffling now brings me to tears.
Maternity clothes? Yep. My old shirts now show the belly hanging out at the bottom which isn't cute so I'm a size up in just about everything. I've had a couple friends loan me some maternity garb so thankfully I'm not having to spend a fortune.
Sleep: Better this week. Still sleepy in the afternoons but no sleepless nights for a couple days.
Best moment this week: I had 2 really. Date nights with my 2 favorite men. Friday Dave and I went up to Red Sky for some apps and a night out. It was nice to get dressed up and go out to dinner, as it's something we really don't do that often. Tuesday night I went out to dinner with my dad. We don't get to do stuff with just the two of us very often so it was nice to get spend some one on one time with him.
Movement: Lots :)
Food cravings: Ice Cream is back in. Sour drinks (lemonade, Oj, etc). Fried chicken.
What I miss: Condo living. Don't get me wrong, I love our house (most of the time) but there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. It's overwhelming for someone with a personality like mine. And yes, I realize that self imposed deadlines and expectations play a big part in this, but I'm trying to nest here people and this @*(*&@##! house and it's endless to-do list is killing me!
What I am looking forward to:Cooler days. Summer is crazy hot this year...or maybe it's like this every year and I just forget. But I'm ready for some weather relief for sure.

Want to see something totally bizzare?? So the perfectly round prego tummy is a myth. It moves and distorts and is pretty interesting to watch. I caught Robbie mid adjustment in my tummy and for a second I had a random lump off to the right.

Destination 8 Mile

2010-07-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about Detroit aside from what I've seen in the movie 8 Mile, so naturally when we embarked on our first road trip to the "Motor City" 8 mile was top on my list of sites to see!

Here we are approaching 8 mile. Essentially the roads are named for every mile you go outside of Detroit and 8 mile marks the imaginary divide between the white/nonwhite part of town. Eminem points this out while free styling in the movie "I'm gonna turn around with a great smile, and walk my white @ss back across 8 Mile".

Tourists...*shakes head*

One of the many condemned buildings on the main drag out of the city. It looked like a bomb went off years ago and the town was abandoned. There were shells of buildings and houses peppering the street and there were bars on all the windows of the lonely stores still trying to stay in business.

Ok, enough with the tour of depression. One of the things the city has done to increase tourism and income is legalize casinos. The Canadians have theirs setup right across the river enticing all the Detroit citizens. I guess it makes sense to keep it in your own backyard instead of donating to all those public health care loving Frenchies.

Dave took me to Greektown Casino for lunch. Robbie really is making his rounds on nontraditional pregnant venues - Casino, Beer Festival, Buckhead Saloon...I figure we need to live it up while we can though! Here I am cashing in our winnings.

All cleaned up for the rehearsal dinner.

And last but not least, the wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony right on the water, which might as well have been the ocean cause I couldn't have told the difference. A heat wave came through Michigan and we were sweltering but the back drop was gorgeous. Photography wasn't the easiest task with the bright sun seeming to always be behind whatever subject I was capturing, but you get the idea.

It was an awesome wedding that only could've been made better if we could booze with all his friends. That said, not having a hangover on our 10 hour drive the next morning was a nice, non optional perk of being prego (and of being a supportive non drinking husband).

Sidebar - Have I mentioned that Dave gave up drinking during the whole pregnancy? I don't think I've actually documented that yet...but yes, no booze for the whole time. I was a little surprised when he proposed this plan to me and even more so when he put it into action. I wasn't on board at first, but I'll admit is has been one of the sweetest and most helpful gestures you could imagine. Helpful isn't the word I'm looking for, but it's close. I don't think the occasional DD situation would've been bad by any means and I would've been happy to accommodate, but I do think after awhile it would've gotten old and I would've gotten jealous...and in turn, there would've been fights or frustrations. Not to mention we've found other things to entertain ourselves together and it's been fun. Dave thinks Coca Cola is the new Evan Williams and takes his drink with him everywhere. It's actually pretty funny. We still have happy hours and do our thing, it's just a much tamer version of the old us. Anyway, just wanted to give props to D for his support in this area. He's already made it clear that future babies aren't entitled to the same treatment, but I'm very glad he decided to join me on my 9 month sobriety kick this time around. Thanks babe!

Ok, back to the wedding. This was a serious party. The reception started at 5pm and went until midnight. They didn't want the good times to end, they even ordered pizza at 11pm to keep people energized! The music was great - lots of Billy Joel, Journey (***just a small town boy, born and raised in south Detroit***), and other favorites. And THE CAKE. So good. I probably had 3 pieces. Ok, I definitely had 3 pieces and I took one to the room for dessert. Haha. Fatty.

So the weekend was a success. It was really great to see all his high school friends and to be honest, the drive itself was even fun. Granted, Dave did the heavy lifting there and drove us the whole way home, but I was expecting to be way more uncomfy than I was. I got to see a new city and some family on a pitstop we made along the way. And to wrap up the trip, we popped in the 8 Mile DVD when we got home for some unwinding and reminiscing of our little adventure.

25 Weeks Update

2010-07-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

How far along: 25 weeks
How big is baby:Robbie is about the size of an eggplant. Aprox 13.6-14.8 in, 1.5-2.2 lb
Tummy Circumference: 37"
Total weight gain/loss: 15 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: Aside from my changing figure and with that a loss in agility, not much. Heartburn and the occasional leg cramp haven't even plagued me this week. I have had a couple emotional moments...we got the nursery painted and furniture moved in this past weekend. It was so exciting to see it all start coming together and made me think about a time when I wasn't sure it would ever happen for us. Boom - tears. Dave thought I was upset b/c we didn't finish something (can't remember what right now). haha. Poor guy. I think he was relieved that it was a happy cry instead of a "you have a lot more work ahead of you today" cry. And at the gym today I teared up when a song came on my ipod. The book I'm reading has a pregnancy/fertility storyline so that may be part of it because I really can't explain what part of Justin Timberlake's "Carry-out" is an emotional trigger. I guess I started thinking about could the baby hear my ipod music, then that made me think of how I used to love music and dancing with my dad, and next thing I'm crying on the eliptical thinking about robbie dancing around when he's older. So the emotions have been happy rather than crazy or anxious this week which I'm very grateful and I know Dave is too :)
Maternity clothes? Pants yes, shirts still a mix. I can still wear my non maternity dresses. I do love summertime pregnancy cause you have so many options. Winter would cost a fortune trying to look cute!
Sleep: I'm super sleepy. I know this is common w/ pregnancy, but I can't help but wonder if my situation is normal. I'm waking up at a normal time (usually btwn 8-8:30) and by 1pm I'm dragging and ready for a nap. Thank goodness I work from home and this is an option or I don't know how I'd get through the day. The rest of the day I have some energy, but not a lot...You'd think I'd be ready for bed by 7pm but I usually can't get to sleep till 11:30 or so. Then of course I'm up every 3 hours using the restroom. Throw a snack somewhere in there and the occasional insomnia episode of about an hour and thats my routine. So part of me says "you're pregnant" this is normal, part of me says "you're lazy and milking it". Who knows. All I am sure of is I've been exausted the past 2 weeks in the evening and I'm sure it's all downhill from here once Robbie joins us!
Best moment this week: The nursery progress is awesome. I promise to post pictures soon, I'm just waiting for it to be a little more put together first. Passing my glucose test was very exciting too.
Movement:I feel a lot more pressure inside my tummy now and when he moves around I can feel stuff shifting as opposed to just little flutters before. It's not painful, just very noticible. On Tuesday I was sitting at the car dealership for awhile and balancing a book on my tummy. It started shaking and so i put the book down and put my hand up to where the major movement was coming from. Robbie's feet must have been right there cause i felt this little pitter patter like he was pushing with one then the other. It was one of the neatest feelings ever. I'm used to feeling stuff from the inside but to feel it with my hand was totally different.
Food cravings: Sour stuff. Salads are back in lunch rotation and I'm loving some ice cream with granola and chocolate chips. I had a random craving for chicken biscut the other night and dave and I came home and made some - delish!
What I miss: Having a variety of outfits to choose from. When we're going out or when I just want a loose tank top to wear in this rediculously hot house, I want options!
What I am looking forward to:Date night Friday and Shortening our house chore list this weekend.

And a random picture from our weekend just cause Dave looks so darn cute in it...

FYI, this is the night the bathroom attendant at the bar asked if 1)I was due any week, 2) Declared I was "hefty" for how far along I was, and then 3) asked if I was having twins. She almost lost the remaning teeth she had.

Ecky has a toddler!

2010-07-22T06:03:00.000-07:00

Drew turned 1 on July 19th! It's been quite a year for him and the entire family...we've come such a long way from his preemie days

I can't really even remember him so little. He was born at jut 4.6 lbs and looked so fragile and helpless. He's now walking and super close to talking and is the spitting image of his daddy. He's got the sweetest demeanor and some of the cutest little quirks. If daddy lays his head down on a pillow on the floor, Drew immediately drops what he's doing and comes to put his head on it with him. When he's hungry he walks up to the fridge and hangs from the handles and babbles at the highest volume he can manage. When someone tells him no he lifts his hand as if to tell them thats enough I'll do what I want. He's really just the cutest thing and I love watching him grow up. It's going to be exciting to see him and Robbie together! Another reason I'm happy to be having a little boy...play pal for Drew!

So here's some pictures from the festivities at Mom & Dad's on Sunday. We grilled out and the whole fam came over. Dad even had a photographer friend who came over and took some pictures of the night. It was a really fun!

I passed!!

2010-07-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

My results came back "normal" and I'm not at risk for Gestational Diabetes.

So what does that mean? It means ice cream for dinner!!! Short term. Long term it means "keep up the good work". This translates to watch your sugar, don't gain too much too quickly, and continue getting regular exercise. All of that I can do.

The past few weeks I've been on a hiatus from healthy and I'm ready to get back into it. Healthy for me is getting to the gym a 4-5 times a week for cardio and light weights (especially focusing on getting in 3-4 lower back exercises a week). Food wise I try to watch my diet during the weekdays and then on the weekend I'm more slack and usually polish off a container of ice cream single handedly. Seems to have worked so far, so I'm stickin' with that. No reason to go overboard, I want to enjoy this designated fat time without making life too hard on myself when I need to get back into shape. In all honesty, I've noticed a drop in energy and more trouble sleeping at night these past couple weeks so there may be some truth to all that healthy living crap.

Ceiling 1, Colleen 0

2010-07-16T19:56:00.000-07:00

We're finally making some headway in the nursery! The crown molding has been hung and painted. The picture boxes are up on the wall and the ceiling has been spackled and sanded.

Tonight my goal was to paint the ceiling and finish the last of the super boring tasks so I could put some color on the walls tomorrow. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong.

First of all, there is nothing sexy about painting a white ceiling a only slightly different variation of white. The task is not rewarding in the least. Why do it? Well the vandals that lived here before us managed to screw up the ceiling in various places and then there was some usual wear and tear that needed covering. So rather than half-ass it, as I usually would have done, I took a cue from my husband and decided to do it right. Kind of.

Second, painting a celing is super messy. Thank goodness I Dexter'd the room or splatter would have gone everywhere. I was covered in little white specs, as was my blackberry that I had sitting out.

Third, it's hard! I'm not a great painter to begin with, but the ceiling is really hard to get a good amount of paint on the roller w/out dropping it all over the place. Painting upward is awkward and as I lost daylight I couldn't see the coats very well so I have a feeling it's going to look splotchy. Ugh! I was cursing starting this project from the first spray of paint I got in my mouth. (close your mouth and wear goggles while doing this)

So that was my vent and it makes my night sound like a total bust. But actually it wasn't. I know there are more exciting things to do on a Friday evening, but I actually had a really good time. My mom came over and kept me company while embarking on this unfun task and it was nice getting to spend time together. After it got dark out and my first coat was applied (again, kind of) I threw in the towel and headed up to Home Depot to get some of the more exciting supplies...blue paint! I jammed out to Van Morrison with the windows down on the way and had an extremely pleasant home depoting experience once I arrived. People fall over themselves trying to help a pregnant chick at 9:45pm in a home improvement store....it was all I could do to convince them I could in fact carry my paint out to the car on my own. Super sweet.

So what did I do next? Naturally I stopped by the Publix to get some ice cream and now Sasha, Robbie, and I are curled up on the couch watching a movie and documenting our adventures from the night in this blog. All in all it's been a pretty awesome night. After a semi stressfull week I'm feeling really grateful for everything I have in my life right now. I'm loving being pregnant and the excitment of what's only 4 months away. It's exciting to see progress in Robbie's room and everything is starting to feel much more real now. I'm even digging the tummy. Not only are people really nice to you, it's fun to think that you've got a little buddy hanging around with you everywhere you go.

Where's Dave tonight you might ask? He's playing Poker with the guys. You're probably thinking how could he leave his pregnant wife home to paint a ceiling while he plays poker? Or at the very least thinking I should be thinking that. But I can honestly say he deserves a night out and I'm happy he went. There have been so many evenings I've left him hear sanding or spackling or doing some mundane chore while I go play with the girls. Not to mention I think it's good for him to get a break from the house and the chores and his work and go have fun with his friends. He works so hard and he doesn't get do it enough. So he offered to help me and I declined. Help is nice, but doing it yourself can be satisfying too...or trying it yourself can. I'll probably ask for help tomorrow :)

24 weeks update and Happy V-day!!

2010-07-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first day of my 24th week, also known as viability day.

Viability refers to a point in fetal development at which the fetus may survive outside the womb and the NICU will do everything in their power to save the child. Before this, many insurance companies wouldn't allow it. It's a small milestone, but just a reminder of how far we've come :)

*warning*For those of you who aren't a fan of surgery-esque pictures, avoid the one at the bottom of this post. It's a baby in utero at just 24 weeks. He needed brain surgery and reached out of the womb to hold the finger of a surgeon. So cool!

How far along: 24 weeks
How big is baby: Approximately 11.81 inches and 1.32 pound. About the size of a football.
Tummy Circumference: 37 inches. I'm starting to get accustomed to the growing bulge, but I've got a bit of a learning curve. I constantly bump stuff and I rarely make it through a day w/out some sort of stain getting on the tummy of shirt I'm wearing. On our way home from Michigan I tried to slide through an area at the gas station pump which I thought I could clear easily. I ended up catching my shirt on something sticking off a post and ripping it. DOH! I'm sure as I get bigger I'll know my limits better, but for now I'm just ready with the stain stick and sewing kit.
Total weight gain/loss: 14 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: The big one is exhaustion. I've been super tired and taking naps almost daily. The long trip last weekend took it out of me and I'm just now recovering from the festivities. Other symptoms: heartburn - especially after a large meal and the big one, literally, is water retention. After returning from Michigan the scale revealed I'd packed on a whopping 7lbs in 5 days. My skin felt super tight all over and rightfully so...it was full of water! Salt is the enemy in this battle but its a vice I can't give up. Apparently restaurants use tons of it in their flavoring so eating out for several days straight was a shock to my system. I'm back down to a normal weight now thank goodness, it was uncomfortable there for a few days!
Maternity clothes? I've moved into Dave's closet for t-shirts. Mine are fitting but I don't like a tight T. I bought my first maternity shirt yesterday and wore it today. Loved it. My tummy was covered and it wasn't tight and grabby. So while I'm still pulling from my larger sized normal clothes, I'm happily moving into the maternity world and just fine by that.
Sleep: Yes Please.
Best moment this week: Our road trip to Michigan was pretty awesome. More on that in a separate post.
Movement: Oh yes. He's a mover. I love it. It's not hourly yet, but close to it. And it's not just little flicks and punches anymore, it's full on rolling which is so strange. I was walking along at the grocery store and all of a sudden things in my abdomen just started adjusting. My "bump" is never quite symmetrical...I don't know if that's normal, but he's got some angle going on most of the time and it's neat to see it shift. Of course with shifting comes organ crushing and the bladder has less real estate than it used to...small price to pay. But it already feels crowded so I'm anxious to see how this is all going to work out in a few months when he's 7lbs bigger. It blows my mind that I'm going to get that big!
Food cravings: Still into sour drinks - lemonade, OJ, margarita mix (sans tequila obviously). No strong food cravings per se, but I've been more drawn to meats and side dishes as opposed to my usual preference of salads and desserts. We had ribs over the weekend and I was in heaven.
What I miss: Energy.
What I am looking forward to: Painting the nursery, a cookout at Dinah's, and Drew's 1st bday this weekend!

24 weeks...pretty amazing right? I'm fascinated by how there is this little miniature person in there now. Random Fact - The Duggars millionth baby was born at just 25 weeks and just over 1 lb.

I don't know what all the fuss was about

2010-07-15T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today was my glucose tolerance test. This is administered to pregnant women between week 24 and 28 to test for gestational diabetes. It's basically a super sugary drink that you finsh within 5 minutes and then have a blood draw 1 hour later to test sugar levels.

Everyone I've talked to has been extremely vocal about how awful it is but it really wasn't that bad. It tasted like a super concentrated, flat sunkist. Rather than drag it out and sip it I chugged the thing and it was over with in about 15 seconds. I've had WAY worse beverages before (ferne branca, prarie fire, jager, etc) so this was nothing. The only draw back is it didn't come with a buzz. (All in due time...4 months, but who's counting?) Robbie on the other hand got his buzz almost immediately and I had fun watching him kick my tummy while I was held prisoner in their waiting room for the next hour.

Results back in a couple of days...hope I passed!

23 Weeks Update

2010-07-07T05:38:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a boring once since I procrastinated on filling it out and to be honest I'm having a hard time remembering what week 23 was like. If I can't remember a week ago, I certainly won't be able to remember this time in my life a year from now! Realizing that is just positive reinforcement to keep up with my journaling/blogging.

I don't have any great pics and no funny anecdotes, this one is strictly informational and in the spirit of full disclosure, I'm only doing it so when I look back I can say I didn't miss a week. I promise to try harder going forward :)

How far along: 23 Weeks
How big is baby: Still a papaya. He's about 11.38 inches and 1.10 pound.
Tummy Circumference: 36.5
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I've been more tired lately but I'm still able to keep up with my workouts and daily activities. Getting bigger in the tummy and it's a little harder to maneuver around, but still feeling great.
Maternity clothes? just bottoms so far
Sleep: Good. up every couple hours, but still getting a good nights rest with a nap in the day if I can manage it.
Best moment this week: We had a great 4th of July weekend. We decided to stay in town this year to get some stuff done around the house and prepare for our upcoming Michigan trip. Friday we had date night with crab legs and some DVRd Deadliest Catch. Saturday was lawn work and trim hanging in the nursery followed by some pool time with Gil, DR, Jaci, and Josh. Sunday was a cookout at Taylor's w/ the Vaughans and the Carters. We had a great time hanging with the new mamas and mommys to be and getting to see baby Wyatt and Sam. They are so darn cute!
Movement: Usually when I lay still he gets active. Typically around early morning, mid afternoon and then again after dinner.
Food cravings: Citrus stuff. Lemonade, OJ, anything sour or tart.
What I am looking forward to: Our Michigan trip and Schmo's wedding!

22 Weeks Update

2010-07-01T05:58:00.000-07:00

How far along: 22 Weeks
How big is baby: For the next 4 weeks (otherwise known as month 5) baby is the size of a papaya. I guess they're running out of bigger fruit to compare him to so there won't be a weekly change, but he's approximately 10.5-11.8 in and 12.7-20.8 oz during this time. The papaya looked huge to me at the store!
Tummy Circumference: 36
Total weight gain/loss: 12 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I've been so tired! I was lucky to miss the first tri exhaustion, but it's been catching up with me the past 2 weeks. I could nap every day multiple times a day and still get my 8 hours at night.
Maternity clothes? still just bottoms
Stretch marks?
Sleep: Good. I wake up every 2-3 hours b/c I'm hungry or have to use the restroom. But it's really not that bad.
Best moment this week:
Movement: Lots!
Food cravings: I've never been much of a citrus person, but I've been loving OJ lately. Other cravings...Fruit, popsicles, cookie crisp cereal, puffs cereal.
What I miss: 4th of july weekend I missed the ritual of packing a cooler and anticipating that first adult beverage. However, when all was said and done, both days we hung out with our friends and I really didn't miss the act of drinking after all. Don't get me wrong, I'll be ready for that cocktail once baby gets here, but for now I'm not totally bummed about my dry spell.
What I am looking forward to: Our Michigan roadtrip. We're heading to Detroit for a wedding that Dave is in this weekend. On the way we're stopping off at my cousins in Cincinnati for a sleepover and I'm really excited about seeing her and the rest of the Northern Dougherty fam. I've never actually been in the car for 11 hours straight, so the ride home on Sunday should be interesting. Wish us luck! :)

What do these 4 gentlemen have in common?

2010-06-25T08:05:00.001-07:00

Other than being the object of my affection (past and present) and being devestatingly handsome, they all share one common trait...a first name!

For those of you who haven't already heard, we'll be naming the newest addition of the Wanek family...

Much to my surprise, the naming process ended up being relatively easy...especially considering my tendancy to be super indicisive when it comes to little decisions, nevermind naming my first born.

It all started with a spreadsheet, which is usually the case in our household. The moment I got that "+" on the HPT I started churning through possible names and by the time we found out what we were having, we had narrowed it down to a few choices for a boy and girl. Dave leans toward the more traditional names and I was looking for something with a nickname (having been a child who's name could not be shortened to anything cute, this was key for me). Neither of us knew any Roberts that ruined the image we he had of the name and both of us liked the nicknames that accompany it. Robbie for a little boy and Rob for those teen years I'm so looking forward to.

So the middle name is still up for debate. Anyone have a good suggestion? We've got a pretty good working list but haven't narrowed it down just yet(I knew my indicisiveness would kick in eventually). Worst case scenario we decide at delivery time once we meet him but I'm hoping to have something before then.

21 Weeks Update

2010-06-24T05:55:00.001-07:00

How far along: 21 weeks
How big is baby: Baby is the size of a Nannerpuss! More specifically, he's aproximately 10.5 inches.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cynlX1AQl-o&feature=related did anyone else find this commercial extremely catchy? I'm not sure what sealed the deal, but bananas have been referred to as nannerpusses in the Wanek household ever since its release)
Tummy Circumference: 36 inches. How can this be? I know the tummy is bigger! Must be user error...I could never be a carpenter.
Total weight gain/loss:
Pregnancy Symptoms: Leg cramps.
Maternity clothes? I wore a non maternity bridesmaid dress this past weekend (satin - no stretch). I was so proud I could squeeze into it (or that most of me could). Tops are still normal, just more fitted. I'm loving maternity bottoms and all the old naby cotton stretch stuff! It's a good time fashion-wise to be pregnant.
Sleep: Good. I've been more tired the past 2 weeks and taken a few naps, but night time sleep is the same. Consistently up every 2 hours to use the restroom, cereal around 2am, sleeping great in between with a pillow between the knees to keep everything aligned.
Best moment this week: I saw him move from the outside. Yesterday I'd had an active afternoon and came inside to lay down and cool off. He started squirming like crazy and I could feel him with my hand on my tummy. I thought surely this is rough enough to be making some sort of movement on the outside and sure enough there were little movements! It was really cool
Movement: see above. He moves around when I don't. I've heard this is because when you're walking or active it's like rocking him to sleep. When I go to sit or lay he starts with the karate. I love it.
Food cravings: Fruits, citrus, cereal...no icecream in almost 2 weeks if you can believe it. I'm hungry a lot and trying to get more protien to fill me up and to help the little guy grow. My goal is to get some at each meal and if I don't, I'm making sure I get it with whatever snack I'm having almost as soon as I finish the meal :)
What I miss: Not much. I've still got my same life for the most part. I'm still able to be active, although a few movements are hindered due to the expanding waistline, and I feel great. I get super winded when going up stairs but stair climbing isn't really something you miss.
What I am looking forward to: Getting started on the nursery. We've finally completed the majority of the work in the living room and are moving on to baby's room!

Jennifer's Wedding

2010-06-23T19:41:00.001-07:00

Jennifer (my maid of honor) had her wedding this past weekend in Forsyth which is right outside of Macon, GA. Her Dad raises black angus cattle (when he's not busy being a lawyer or a commissioner) and has the largest farm in georgia. When she first told me she was doing an outdoor wedding on the farm in June, I had my doubts. I should have cause it turned out perfectly.

The ceremony was in one of the back pastures that they built a new fence around to keep the cows out. It was sunny and hot all day right up until the guests started arriving. We were worried about rain but it ended up just being overcast and keeping everyone from melting in this nasty Georgia heat. So lucky!

The reception was in the riding arena where she trains cutting horses. They put down 300 sheets of OSB board to create a floor over what is usually loose dirt and sand. The transformation was amazing and turned out beautiful.

Congrats Scott and Jennifer! Hope you had a great time in St. Lucia!

And to the other daddy in my life...

2010-06-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers day baby! He may not be here yet, but when he does arrive he will be the luckiest little boy I know.

I've been meaning to start a post with some Dave-isms on parenting because he comes up with some really funny stuff and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out. I can't think of any right now, but I'll make sure to start jotting them down.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

We've been offline for a whole week now...the storms knocked out our internet and we've been pilfering the neighbors connection (which i can only pickup from the corner of the kitchen). I've been lax on posting and once again am a little backed up. So what is this excuse really trying to say? That this is a belated post and I swear I had every intention of getting it done on time but...EXCUSES EXCUSES. haha, my Dad has heard this song and dance before. He always got onto me for "waiting till the 11th hour" to get something done - usually a chore or term paper or something I'd come to him at the last minute crying for help on. Come to find out, I'm very much like him in that aspect :)Not the crying, but the cramming. He was good at setting an example for me when I was a kid, so I never knew this till I got older and would see him doing last minute preps for a board meeting or a sunday school class. I love seeing myself in him. It's neat to see all of the unlearned traits a child recieves from their parents.

So without further ado, thanks for everything dad. This post is dedicated to you...

You've been such a great father and role model for me. I love you so much!

Water Baby

2010-06-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Drew and Uncle Ecky came to visit us on Sunday. We'd been doing slave labor around the house all morning and a trip to the neighborhood pool was the highlight of our day. Drew loved it and we had a great time. Check out this cute little guy!

Half Baked...20 weeks update!

2010-06-17T05:16:00.000-07:00

We did it! We're halfway home and so far this pregnancy has been a breeze. That said, I'm no fool and I know the 2nd half is going to be way harder than the first. It brings to mind all those freaks who said - "oh, you ran a half marathon? if you can run a half, you could do the whole thing." Huh? Not even close. At the end of the half I thought I would get a runners high and be all elated - not me, I was very proud to complete it but swore off running that very day. Whoa random tangent. What I'm saying is I don't mind being pregnant. I actually mind it way less than distance running and I hope at the end of this journey I feel the same way as opposed to my sentiments crossing the finish line at the end of my first 13 mile run.

After a series of really bad pictures and really funny stares from the Publix Customers we decided to get loose in the produce section.

And one for the wallet.

How far along: 20 weeks!!
How big is baby: Baby is the size of a canteloupe, which we've noticed is considerably bigger than last week's mango. After our scan this week where she poked his head and it was all the way up under my rib and his rear was below my belly button, this makes more sense.
Tummy Circumference: 36 inches
Total weight gain/loss: 10 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I lose my breath easier (stairs, working out, etc)
Maternity clothes? Pants/Shorts - yes. Regular jeans and khaki shorts are out of the question, but anything with some stretch in it still fits.
No tops yet....I'm just wearing larger sizes.
Stretch marks? nope
Sleep: Some crazy dreams, up 3-4 times a night to use the restroom. Good otherwise.
Best moment this week:
Movement: He moves around mostly in the morning and at night when I'm sitting still.
Food cravings: Fruit, Honey Bunches of Oats, anything in bulk(ugh).

So again, loving life, loving baby w, loving the whole pregtastic experience. If the first half of this is any indication of the second, Dave may end up with his 4 kids afterall! In the event that the next twenty weeks have me thinking differently and times get tough, I know that having baby w in our lives will be so rewarding and I'll forget about all the effort it took to get him here. We'll be back on the baby making band wagon faster than you can say octomom :) Time will tell...

Belly Pics!

Anatomy Scan

2010-06-15T10:41:00.005-07:00

We had our "big appointment", otherwise known as an anatomy scan, today! It's called this because it is the doctor's visit where they use an ultrasound machine to check all of baby's organs and make sure they are growing properly and it's when they typically reveal the sex of the baby. Now Dave and I got lucky and got our gender guess at 13 weeks followed by the confirmation at 15 weeks (when I fell and needed an unscheduled u/s). Baby has grown SO much since we last saw him. It was amazing seeing all his parts - they checked the kidneys, toes/fingers, brain lobes, heart ventricals, and even were able to see that he doesn't have a cleft palatte. I never had any doubts that he would be fine, but it was certainly reassuring to hear the word "perfect" again.

We left there feeling great about seeing him and knowing he was growing right on track, but it our departure wasn't as "exciting" as the 13 week visit when they told us we were having a son. It made me start thinking, would it have been better to wait to find out like some of our friends have done? The answer came into my head almost as quickly as the question - no, waiting was not for me. Dave seemed flexible either way, but I have been so happy to know it's a little boy these past 2 months. I feel like it's helped me to bond with him and made it more real. It's helped me to narrow down nursery decor and a name, both of which were swirling through my head from the second I got that first positive pregnancy test. I commend those people who wait till 40 weeks to find out what they're having, but that's just not for me and on our next couple additions we intend to find out asap too. I love surprises, but I love planning more :)

So here are some pictures of baby Wanek. I have some video editing to do and then I'll be able to post some of our ultrasound appointment as well.

Profile of Baby

Soon to be pattering little feet!

It's a Boy!

Creepy head shot...you can see the eye sockets.

Pictures were slim pickens this time. I thought we'd get better shots with him being further along, but our u/s tech was all business. No worries, we have another one coming up in a couple weeks!

Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah!

2010-06-15T10:41:00.003-07:00

Haha, she's heard that so many times in her life...

My high school girlfriends and our hubbies gathered at Dinah and Joel's house on Friday night for a cookout. The food was awesome (we each got to make our own shish kabobs!) and it's always a good time catching up with everyone. It's awesome to have those people that you may not see all that often but whenever you do it's like no time went by. We know everything about each other's history and childhood and first boyfriends and recalling all our old memories is almost as fun as making new ones.

Love you girls!

Sasha

2010-06-15T10:41:00.001-07:00

This post is dedicated to our first baby who will always have a place in our hearts. She continues to test our patience, but I've been told it's good practice and we love her just the same anyway.

One of Dave's best qualities is his love for animals. He loves his big cats on discovery chanel, but he is pretty fond of his little cat at home too. Watching him play with her and talk to her makes me think about what a good daddy he will be. I know she's going to be sad when she has to share his attention with baby w, but I know she'll love baby as much as we do.

19 Weeks Update

2010-06-10T08:23:00.003-07:00

That's our baby mango that we bought while out on errands, one of which was a trip Babies R Us for a shower present. We figured we'd take him along with us and get a picture of him in his future habitat :)

And for size perspective:

How far along: 19 weeks
How big is baby: Baby is the size of a Mango
Tummy Circumference: 35 inches (measuring about an inch and a half below my belly button...I assume that's where he lives and where the biggest area will be. When I went to measure today, I realized I had no idea where I measured from last week and this can throw off the number)
Total weight gain/loss: 9lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: I've been super hungry all the time and having really odd dreams. Other than those 2 items, just the tummy!
Maternity clothes? Yep, I wore maternity capri pants in florida and THEY WERE AWESOME. So comfy and you really couldn't tell. Kim had her belly band on and I was in my full panel maternity jeans and some guys at fisherman's wharf were trying to buy us shots while we waited for our table! Needless to say, Amy and Chris were there to save the day and ended up taking about 3 shots each. They came to the table with huge grins that lasted through dinner :)
Sleep: So-so. At the beach I was latest to bed and earliest to rise almost every day. I think I'm paying for that now cause I can not get enough sleep.
Best moment this week: all the movement. It feels a lot more real now. I'm enjoying the tummy too. Non Baby moment, the girls beach trip and getting a/c back! That was a long week and a half.
Movement: I'm feeling him every day now. It's not a lot, but he seems to get kicky in the morning and in the evening around ice cream time with a few bursts throughout the day.
Food cravings: Fruit and Ice cream. I've now had ice cream every night for the past 2 weeks. I hope I'm able to give this habit up once baby gets here.
Gender: We have our anatomy scan next Tuesday where they will do a long ultrasound with measurements of the organs and make sure everything looks ok. This is when they typically reveal the gender but lucky us have known for a few weeks already. I can't imagine waiting till now to know! Sign of the times - information immediately please!
What I miss: Down time. We've been so busy with the house and chores lately that we haven't had a whole lot of it. Dave is double busy cause work has picked up for him and he's doing his best to juggle it, the house, and of course, me :) Don't get me wrong, we're still having fun and enjoying eachothers company and actually working well together on the never ending project list. It would just be nice to wake up and think what do we want to do today instead of what has to get done? I know we only have a few more months where this is even an option as baby will occupy so much of our time, so I really want to take advantage of spending QT together while we can. QT w/out spackle, sanders, and primer that is :)
What I am looking forward to: Sex and the City tonight w/ the girls, grilling out tomorrow night with the my HS besties, and completing the living room this weekend so Juan can come paint next week(fingers crossed!).

Belly Pics!!

Beach Weekend

2010-06-10T08:23:00.001-07:00

So a lot has been going on lately and I'm totally backed up on posts. I'm going to try and hammer these next few out to catch up. Please disregard any dating disorganization, forgotten happenings, or typos :)

Ok, Beach Weekend...

So the girls and I packed it up and headed down to Destin for the weekend. It was a much needed vacay for all. As you well know, my A/C was out and things in the ATL had been super hectic work/house/and otherwise. I won't speak for the other girls, but I know they each had stuff they were looking forward to slipping away from themselves.

So the trip begins Thursday after work with Kim's car busting at the seams. It was discussed that if we bought just one more thing at the outlet malls that we were going to have to throw out something to make room for it's ride home. We made pretty good time on the ride down(especially for a car w/ 2 pregos who need as frequent restroom breaks as toddlers). We did the traditional Publix run upon arrival and picked up the necessities - Cereal, hummus, Wine, O'douls. We were all set for our weekend.

Luckily we had sun both days we were there even though the forecast predicted otherwise. Kim tried to kill me running in 95 degree heat. She is a little machine and I was the little engine that couldn't. None the less, it was good to wake up each morning, sans hangover, and get out to sweat a little (a lot).

Day 1 beaching - success. Excellent weather and only mild sunburns. After our day in the sun we came in, cleaned up, and headed over to the outlets where we bought all the major necessities(and Kimmie bought a necessity in every color). We finished up the day with a dinner at the Crab Trap (yummy) and some dueling pianos at Rum Runners. The Baytowne Wharf nightlife is a whole other world when you are sober enough to pay attention to whats going on around you. Bachelorette/Bachelor parties are the big draw down there and we must have seen twenty veils floating around on these cute little wasted brides to be. When we got bored with the drunks, we went back up to our porch to hang out...Luckily (unfortunately) a new Kareoke bar went in right across the sidewalk from our condo. Awesome. Between that and the pot smoker on the porch across from ours, we had plenty of entertainment on the balcony.

Day 2 - tired. Kareoke is not exactly a lullaby. Running with Kim and Amy. HOTTTTTT. Beach. Pool. Massive Sudden Thunderstorm. Great day all in all. We got cleaned up once again with plans to head to AJs after a dinner at The Fisherman's Wharf. On a side note, getting dressed up for a bar (which you've had some pretty awesome and crazy nights at) is weird when your pregnant. You still want to look cute and pretty, but there is this obvious development on your abdomen. It makes me think of Sweet Home Alabama - "Look at you! You have a baby....In a bar." Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy I'm pregnant and would trade all the AJ nights in the world for my little tummy...It's just a changing of the seasons (right of passage? can't think of the right phrase here) that takes a little getting used to. Side note over. So we head to The Wharf (after going by the outlets again...they were on the way!) and after putting in our name for the wait Kim and I make a pit stop in the restrooms, naturally. By the time we join Amy and Chris at the bar they are already getting shots bought for them by some Louisana vacationers. 30 minutes later our table was ready, Chris and Amy had smiles the size of texas and were super giggly :) Dinner was great and aftewards we headed back to our beloved Baytowne for more bachelorette sightings. The rest of the night went about the same but Kim had a major happening - She felt Riley kick for the first time! Such an awesome feeling and it was exciting being there to share it with her :)

So our trip wrapped up the next morning with a walk around the shops and some breakfast before we hit the road. It was short and sweet and just what the doctor ordered. We will definitely need to make it a tradition and head back next year (with or without babies :-))

Big thanks to Mom and Dad who let us use their place!!

Us at Rum Runners:

On the back porch of Crab Trap:

Kim and I sportin' the "7 month bump" at the Outlet's Maternity Store:

technically this would be our 11 month bump! (4 months + their 7 months padding -we'll have to compare to our finale bumps later)Amy joined in on the fun but Chris was a little freaked out by it. haha. Interesting fact, 11 months is the typical gestation period of a horse and only half that of an elephant. 22 months is a LONG time.

Sunbathing:

Beach Bunnies:

18 weeks update

2010-06-02T17:50:00.001-07:00

How far along: 18 weeks
How big is baby: Baby is the size of a sweet potato
Tummy Circumfrence: New category!! This week I'm 36 inches around. I've officially passed Dave! Haha
Total weight gain/loss: 7 lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: The back is much better thanks to my exercises and the PVCs aren't as bad either. So aside from the tummy, it's been smooth sailing this week.
Maternity clothes? I busted out a bella band last Friday but no true maternity clothes just yet. (Bella bands are tubes of fabric that go over your pants when you can't close them all the way. They smooth it out and keep them closed so you can sit comfortably)
Sleep: Sleep is great. It's been kinda hot, but we've had the fan on high every night and kitty, Dave, and I have been getting a good 8 hours in each night.
Best moment this week: Our anniversary! Baby wise, all the movement has been pretty awesome...it's still faint, but a really neat feeling and makes it seem a little more real. I'm still in awe that there's a baby in there!
Movement:infrequent and faint, but yeah! It feels like little thumps and sometimes like airbubbles. I can't wait till Dave can feel it from the outside :)
Food cravings:Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwich. I had one Monday and it was awesome! I've been thinking about them ever since. And of course, my beloved Ice Cream. Turns out most of the flavors have PHO in it, so I'm relegated to neopolitan for now. But thats ok, add some granola, milk, and chocolate chips and it's good to go!
What I miss: Air Conditioning.
What I am looking forward to: The Beach!! I'm really excited about the upcoming weekend with the girls. We'll be down in Destin for some R&R, shopping, and sunning. Excellent timing on our part - the Florida Gov reports that the panhandle could start seeing crude wash ashore from the oil spill in a day or two. Maybe we'll be more poolside than beachside :) Either way, we'll be in florida!

Another Reno Weekend

2010-06-01T19:04:00.001-07:00

We're making some major headway on the house and spent a good portion of Memorial weekend doing odds and ends around it.

Saturday we put in some time with the front yard. It's a little disheartening how 2 people and 4 hours later, our yard went from god awful to mildly terrible. I seriously think we're the only people on our street without a lawn crew. I've had 2 different neighbors tell me they love watching us work. I'm not Kidding. So our lawn is more weed than grass and (since I was in charge of hedge trimming)some of our bushes look more like a bundle of twigs (I got a hedge trimming lesson after Dave saw my handy work). You've gotta start somewhere and that's what we're doing...baby steps.

After the yard work, we got cookin' inside. Dave ran the wiring and put up the drywall in the main area. He also skim coated the wall above the fireplace (it wasn't perfectly flat and he's a man that likes things done right). Next up was the ceiling...the attic a/c unit had been leaking through the ceiling for a long time and once we resolved the issue we were left with a huge ring and some rotten drywall. So that had to come down too (along with some nasty insulation which was the grave site to one dead rat - eewwww!!) Here's some progress photos:

So Dave this and Dave that...what the hell was I doing all weekend you might ask? Haha...Dave probably asks himself the same thing. I tried to help where i could with the living room. I couldn't do much there for a couple of reasons
1)I'm very clumsy which rules me out of a lot of tasks
2)ladders, lifting, and skim coating are not my strong suit
3)We've found when it comes to house renovations that it's better for our projects and our marriage if there is a "his" and a "hers", otherwise there are too many chiefs and someone's going to get scalped.
So...I did some women's work (laundry, cleaning, lunch making, etc) and then I got started in the nursery. I patched the holes and sanded the walls in preperation for painting and trim work. Once Dave is done sanding in the main area, I'm on trim duty and will be painting but until then he's got the brunt of the labor. (Thanks again for all your hard work babe!)

And whats better than spackling, sanding, and drywalling through your sober memorial weekend?

Doing it with no A/C! Yep, our a/c went out just in time for the holiday weekend. At first this totally sucked...it was hot and made chores a lot less fun. Turns out there was a silver lining to the whole ordeal though. Dave's office still has a/c since it runs off a different unit, so we're not totally up a creek. Each night we've made our mocktails and supper and setup a little picnic with our TV trays and dvd. It's been so fun! Super cozy and a good change of pace from the usual living room scene. So while yes, it's not ideal to have no air on an 85 degree day, it really hasn't been all that bad to tell you the truth :)It's a good thing cause they couldn't get a guy out here till Friday. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that it will be something easy to fix instead of a new unit.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2010-06-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Dave and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary yesterday. It seems like we hit the ground running from day 1 - bought a house, moved, became landlords, constant house projects on our "fixer upper", started a family. The list goes on and on!

I hit the jackpot when it comes to Dave. I'm lucky enough to have married my best friend and an all around amazing man. I'll spare the sappy details, but I want to put it out there for baby to read one day just how much his mama loves his daddy. He makes me laugh all the time and we can have fun doing just about anything. He's handy and smart and caring and generous. Anyway, I just want our son to know how wonderful I think his daddy is in case life gets crazy and I don't tell him as often as I should...you hit the jackpot too little man :)

Spoiled Rotten!

2010-05-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

Baby Wanek is already being spoiled and has been making out like a bandit lately! Several of you have already given him presents and we just wanted to say thank you for being so thoughtful :) Check out all of baby's new loot:

This beautiful blanket was hand knit by Grandma Nancy. It is super soft and cudly and will be perfect for keeping him warm when he arrives in what will either be hot or freezing november(you just never know in georgia).

This sweet little teddy bear was given to baby w by his Auntie Chris. He is now known as Mr. Swaddles...

(Dave has been practicing his swaddle skills) Chris also gave baby a monitor that will come in handy. She's working in loss prevention at Babies R Us now and has been scoping deals for me...awesome timing :)

This little goodie bag was from Auntie Big Em. There was a soft little lovey, a photo frame for his ultrasound picture, and an alcohol test strip for breast milk (an albeit funny, but equally useful little item).

Grandma Didi, ie, my mom, (the nickname is still in beta...we're testing this out on my nephew Drew to see if it takes) gave us this glider. She found it at a consignment sale for a great price. It's the exact fabric I would want, but the color wood was a little lighter than the rest of the nursery furniture. Stay tuned for the makeover I gave it and some other nursery updates soon!

Thanks again to all our friends and family who've already started showering baby w with love and gifts! He is one very lucky little boy :)

17 weeks Update

2010-05-28T05:23:00.000-07:00

How far along: 17w 1d
How big is baby: Baby is the size of an onion
Total weight gain/loss: 8 (oops! prob need to watch the icecream intake this week)...if I had only posted yesterday I could have put down 7 for this category. Good lesson in prograstination right there.
Pregnancy Symptoms: PVCs (heart flutters). This week they've kicked up quite a bit and from what I've read they are related to anxiety. They don't appear to be dangerous, just annoying.
Maternity clothes? I'm close. I can't fit in my shorts anymore so I've been wearing skirts and other stuff, but haven't worn maternity just yet.
Sleep: good. I seem to get up earlier and earlier. I need to be enjoying sleeping in while I can but no such luck!
Best moment this week: I had lots of really good moments this week...Lunch with Lori, AG's wedding shower, baby's nursery bedding and dresser came in, my back feels 300% better for the first time in 2 weeks. I could keep going but probably the best baby related moment was feeling him move yesterday!
Movement:FINALLY. Yes. Everyone says it feels like butterflies, but it felt more like someone was flicking me from the inside. Not in a painful way, but just little thumps. My little boy is a stud and already super strong for his age! haha. My friend Alison said she had the same thing and her baby was 10 lbs. Hopefully strong initial movement isn't an indication of huge bambinos.
Food cravings: yes *see above* The 3 lbs in one week is directly related to the 3 containers of icecream this week. SELF CONTROL Colleen. It's been salads and icecream all week long. I could basically park myself at Jason's deli and be in heaven.
What I miss: Partially Hydrogenated Oil. Dave has been on the warpath in his fight agains PHO. I came across it in my FAVORITE ice cream this week as I was throwing away the container. I haven't shared this news with him yet so we'll see how well he keeps up with the blog and if I'm allowed to get it next time.
What I am looking forward to: The beach next weekend! I got 2 new bikini's cause I just can't force myself to buy the tankini/onepiece yet. We'll see how bashful I am once I actually get down there though :)

*added late, sorry - I'm going to get better about posting pic updates

17 weeks 3 days

16 weeks update

2010-05-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

First things first, I want to address the whole "week counting" business. Prior to getting pregnant I always thought it was ridiculous...why are people counting in weeks when the rest of the world uses months?? It's like using the metric system and refusing to count in miles and inches.

Well, against my will I have clearly adopted this tradition. It has been set in motion by the medical community and wasn't just some stupid concoction pregnant women came up with. Odd as it may be, it does serve a purpose...how else would you get your weekly fruit size update on how big baby W is? :)

Things happen so fast when you're pregnant and if you were to count in months you'd glaze over a lot of the smaller milestones and developments that you get to learn all about once you're carrying the little darling. So I know, it's confusing and may seem retarded but what can you do?

Ok, PSA over. Onto your weekly update!

How far along: 16w 2d
How big is baby: Baby is the size of an avocado
Total weight gain/loss: 5lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: Round ligament pain, still having some back issues, and finally a bulging belly :)
Maternity clothes? not yet, but I'm pushing it with the jeans i can still squeeze into!
Sleep: sleep is ok. I broke out the body pillow last week to try and get comfy and it helped a lot on the nights where my back was bugging me. Now that I'm feeling better it's back on the floor cause the thing is absolutely huge!!
Best moment this week: Girls night at Caroline's! All the ladies got together for dinner and we had an awesome time.
Movement: Maybe!?! I had a little flutter Friday night when we were watching tv. It could've been it, but I won't know till I feel him some more.
Food cravings: Salads. Ice Cream with Granola and chocolate sprinkles.
What I miss: having a lot of clothing options to choose from when getting dressed. Pickens are slim and I'm slacking on buying more stuff.
What I am looking forward to:AG's wedding shower saturday night and making progress on the house renovations this weekend!

We have a doctor's appointment coming up Monday morning, but it's just a checkup so we probably won't get to see baby. They will check the heartbeat, but I've been spoiled w/ my home doppler so I get to hear that pretty often already :)

Belly Shots!

Baby's first beer fest

2010-05-17T18:03:00.000-07:00

I've been working on getting these posts out for awhile but we were having some technical difficulties. My computer decided to stop working and after a momentary freakout about losing all my stuff, Dave was able to get me back up and running. Whew! Good motivation for me to back everything up, which I should be doing anyway...but I'm a procrastinator :) So anyway, here's the post from last weekend...

This weekend was packed full of fun and went by way too fast. After being bed (couch) ridden for 2 days because of my back, I was dying to get out of the house.

Friday night I hung out with Dinah and got to check out her new pad. It's in a great neighborhood and the house itself was awesome. Lots of open space, a fenced back yard, and plenty of bedrooms for their growing family! Dinah and I met over 18 years ago and she has been one of my best friends for the better part of that. We are only 2 weeks apart in our pregnancies and it has been so awesome going through it with her. After I got the grand tour of her new home, I got a sneak peak of Mia's (her little girl) dance routine followed by some good couch visiting time. We then did what any pregnant women would do on a Friday night...headed to Sweet Tomatoes for some dinner and over eating and then hit up the Babies R Us located in the parking lot behind it! haha. We browsed all the cute baby stuff and she gave me all the inside scoop on strollers, swings, and carseats. Here we are, two pregtastic besties, checkin out the gliders...

And outside of BRU with Mia...

Saturday I was on my own again, as Dave was in Detroit for a bachelor party. I'd had grand ideas of getting all kinds of house projects done but w/ my back all screwy I was on strict orders to take it easy. I did a few errands and got to see my adorable nephew Drew for a little bit then headed to meet up with the girls at Dunwoody Beer Fest.

When I got there, the crowd was 4 hours deep in alcohol and it was quite a site. The world is a different place when you're sober, especially at an all you can drink event like this. There was all sorts of fabulous people watching and entertainment. We stayed for about an hour then headed to go grab a bite to eat.

Sunday morning was spent watching Amy T play in the city finals (where she looked fabulous in her little tennis outfit!), then lunch at my Aunt's before I picked up D from the airport. We were both tired from a long weekend so we went by the store, grabbed 2 containers of icecream and parked it on the couch for some massive DVR watching. It was such a great way to end the weekend...baby w, Sasha, and I were so happy to have him home!

Wyatt the Whopper!

2010-05-13T17:15:00.001-07:00

Our good friends Alison and Tony welcomed their first baby into the world last night. And by baby I mean line backer. Their little guy measured in at 10lbs 3oz! Can you believe it? Alison was a trouper and made us all proud very proud :)

Without further ado, meet baby Wyatt Dylan Vaughan...

Handsome little guy, isn't he? He looks so tough! Just like his daddy.

Congratulations Tony & Alison!!! And welcome to our crazy world baby Wyatt...we've been waiting awhile to meet you and so glad you finally arrived!

15 Weeks Update

2010-05-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

How far along: 15 weeks 0 days
How big is baby: Dave's son is now the size of a naval orange
Total weight gain/loss: 5lbs (i just noticed that this category has loss as an option. loss? right...)
Pregnancy Symptoms: So for 15 weeks I've been all "I don't have any symptoms" blah blah blah...I knew it would catch up with me eventually! I've had terrible back problems the past 2 weeks. More on that in a minute though.
Maternity clothes? No, but I'm getting close. I'm in my fat clothes from before and they are pretty snug so it's only a matter of time.
Stretch marks? Nope.
Sleep: Iffy. Because of the back it's hard to get comfy. I'm supposed to stop sleeping on my back soon and trying to transition into side sleeping. I have a pillow that my friend gave me that I'm going to give a shot...between that, me, and the kitty there's going to hardly be any room for Dave!
Best moment this week: NBR (not baby related) Dinner with Jessie! She's moving to London soon and I'm going to miss her terribly. I always enjoy our visits and am going to try and snag a few more from her before she goes.
Movement:none, but I think it's supposed to be detectible in the next few weeks
Food cravings: F.O.O.D. I just love it and can't get enough. I don't discriminate either. I went off my insulin meds last week though so I'm supposed to start monitoring my sugar intake. When I do it will be difficult to justify the quantity of icecream I consider "a" serving. But I'm not starting the restrictions just yet. While the back hurts, food is my bff.
Gender: Confirmation today - Definitely a little boy!! Is it weird to post pictures of his money shot? Probably so...I'll hold off on that.
What I miss: not being limited in what I can do physically. I'm not great at taking it easy.
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Dinah's new house tomorrow night, Dunwoody Beer Fest w/ the girls Saturday, and Dave coming home on Sunday!

Back to the spine issues - So 2 Sunday's ago I threw out my back. It wasn't an actual "throwing" but more of a series of small things that landed me with a 90 year old's posture and mandatory laying time of 2 days. This has happened before (I have a terrible back and when I start slacking on my exercises to stregthen it, it lets me know) so I was careful with it and thought it had healed but then yesterday it happened again. This time the pain was even worse and normally I don't have back to back incidences like this. That along with some cramping and not knowing what I could take to help it, made me think my best bet was to just call the doctor.

They brought me in right away and we heard the heartbeat and discussed the situation. The cramping can be attributed to something called round ligament pain and the back issues are probably due to my shifting center of gravity. So in short, nothing he could do. I was given a prescription for pain killers (which I'm opting not to take - I know, motherhood does some crazy things to people) and told to take it easy.

Before I left the doctor wanted to check that baby was A-Ok, so we had an ultrasound and I got to see the little guy again. He looked just fine and the u/s tech confirmed that he is in fact a he(last appointment was still a little early to tell for sure). So we are definitely having a sweet baby boy! So exciting :) Here is his picture from today

The doctor also thinks I may have partial previa but is hoping it will correct itself so he's going to monitor it. (This is a fancy way of saying things aren't exactly where they are supposed to be, but don't be worried about it yet)

And here are some tummy pics - it's kind of cheating, as they are 14w 3d but my photographer is out of town and I'm too lazy to do some from today. Maybe tomorrow :)

Demolition Saturday

2010-05-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't already know, we bought quite the fixer-upper. We walked into a house that all others would say "no thank you" to and said - "this is it...home sweet home"!! Actually, I said that. As we walked from room to room on that first visit seeing holes in the wall, torn up carpet, and leaking ceilings I kept saying to Dave - "oh thats no big deal right, you can fix that?". One of my favorite traits of Dave's is that he knows how to do EVERYTHING with regards to building a house. And if he doesn't already know it, he figures it out. Watching him work on all the electrical stuff and seeing how into it he gets is kinda fun for me. Lets face it, I'm a sucker for a man who knows his way around a power tool.

There was a lot of unsatisfying fixes that had to be done first - termites treated, attic criters exterminated, roof leaks patched. You just don't get ANY excitement out of writing a big check for those types of renovations. But a little spray paint and some spackle and now we're talkin'! Here we are 10 months later and I've learned more about blowout patches and grits of sandpaper than I care to admit. You'd be surprised how much you learn doing renovations with your live-in contractor. We are finally making some headway and getting into our groove when working together on a project. I honestly think that this experience has been good for us. I'll admit that at first we were like oil and water. Learning to collaborate with eachother is still a work in progress, but we've come a long way and it's actually starting to get fun now.

Phase 1 of Operation Baby Prep is done. This consisted of completing the foyer and front hallways - patching all holes in the walls, rebuilding chewed baseboards with wood putty, painting the walls, and spray painting all those ugly brass knobs, hinges and light fixtures an oil rubbed bronze color. Phase 2, the living room, is now underway. We're basically repeating phase 1 in the main living area and wiring the room for surround sound. Our goal is to finish all this by June so we can start on the nursery then.

So here' swhat we did this Saturday...

The ceiling that ran between our living room and kitchen had 3 small waterfalls flowing from it whenever we got a good rain. We finally got the roofers out to fix the leak, but the drywall was damaged and so we're tearing that out and Dave is running speaker wire for the surround sound while the walls are jacked up. Here are some pictures to go with what I'm now realizing is a pretty boring blog post. haha. I got the camera a little bit late, as Dave had already cleaned up the majority of the mess. But just so you have some perspective once I'm able to post the finished product.

Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say along with the "after" pictures for you soon!

Congrats Aunt Suzy!

2010-05-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Dave's sister Suzy had quite the accomplishment this week...she finished her Master's in Accounting! All while working full time, raising 2 young children, and fostering several others. She constantly amazes me with all she gets done. I pat myself on the back if I complete a load of laundry without forgetting it in the washer.

So Monday night was her last night of classes and Dave and I decided that celebration was in order. We duped her into coming over for dinner (Dave called to invite her playing the role of the insensitive brother who had forgotten her big event) and had the whole Zimmerman clan and my mom and dad in on it. When Suzy and Helen and the kids arrived, everyone was here to greet her and she was definitely caught by surprise :) It was great!

The whole crew!

Congratulations Suzy!

14 weeks Update

2010-05-05T19:05:00.003-07:00

How far along: 14 weeks
How big is baby: The size of a Lemon
Total weight gain/loss: 3lbs
Pregnancy Symptoms: My "nesting" instincts are kicking in and I'm antsy to get some of our projects around the house finished. I also had my first bouts of nausea this week. It wasn't awful, just noticeable and intermittent for couple days. During that time warm foods did not sound appetizing. Weird.
Maternity clothes? Not yet.
Sleep: Good.
Best moment this week: Spending time with Family over the weekend. We live close, but don't see the Davis's often enough...
Movement:nada
Food cravings: Cold Foods.
Gender: Boy!
What I miss: Not baby related, but I miss childhood and having no responsibilities. Sometimes I just want to be a kid again. Of course back then, you felt repressed by your parents. Grass is always greener I guess :)
What I am looking forward to: Celebrating my first Mother's Day this Sunday

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!

2010-05-05T19:05:00.001-07:00

Dave and I love some Cinco de Mayo! I don't know if it's the simplicity of the holiday or just the fact that Mexican food is awesome, but every year since we've met we've celebrated in one fashion or another.

This year was a little tamer than most, yet still super fun. The evening started out with Dave puting on his sombrero and us heading out to the grocery store for some Taco supplies. Naturally, we got lots of looks and in the store (especially when we busted out the camera and started taking pictures of ourselves with lemons!) but if you know Dave, you know he doesn't care. Be it a sombrero or his santa hat he's going to wear it. (I can't wait to see how this translates into our children and their demands) The cashier at publix was even feeling the love and gave dave a "cinco de mayo" discount off our entire bill for his costume efforts. He was so proud.

When we got home we made some virgin margaritas (sour, but not bad at all) and an appetizer and headed up to the nursery for Happy Hour. Can't wait to celebrate with real margaritas and our little man next year!

We then made tacos and watched one of our programs on DVR. It was a great night...and the best part is I didn't wake up with a tequila hangover today!

And just for fun, here are some vintage cinco pics of us...

And this isn't actually Cinco de Mayo, but it's shortly after on the night we met - May 20, 2005. I don't know why we were getting our picture taken together, but I'm super happy we did so I'll have it to remember that night by forever!*aawwww* haha

The Wanek Family

My Hero

And to the other daddy in my life...

Happy Father's Day Daddy

Solids

Addiction

The Office

I don't have to choose

The Dreaded Catch-up Post

Check, 1 … 2 … Is This Thing On?

Meetin' Gramps

Ice Cream

Mornings

3 months old

1 step forward, 2 steps back

The Popsicle Pub

Snow Storm 2011

Entertaining Robbie

Jealousy

Merry Christmas!

2 months old

Sweet Little Hadley Dallas

Turkey Day!

Meet Olivia

Robbie's first trip to Sherlock's

Hey there Riley!

*Belated* Congratulations to the Austins

Buddies

ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Robbie's Birth Stats

I'm 1 month old

Love

Saturdays at the Wanek's

Our friend Excel

Dancin' Fool

Firsts

Shutterfly Offering

Advice

Grape Tossing

40 Weeks Update

Robbie's Birthday!

Dave missed his calling

39 weeks

Punkin' Patching

38 Weeks

Baby Shower #2!

37 Weeks Update

Showered with Love

36 weeks

A is for

Off to School!

Tah Dah! Welcome to Robbie's Room...

Happy 35/35 day!

34 Weeks

33 weeks

32 Weeks Update

Pool Days!

August Festivities

Binkie

31 Weeks Update

Daddy's little helper

30 weeks update

29 Weeks Update

Doctor's Visit

28 Weeks Update

27 Weeks Update

26 Weeks Update

Destination 8 Mile

25 Weeks Update

Ecky has a toddler!

I passed!!

Ceiling 1, Colleen 0

24 weeks update and Happy V-day!!

I don't know what all the fuss was about

23 Weeks Update

22 Weeks Update

What do these 4 gentlemen have in common?

21 Weeks Update

Jennifer's Wedding

And to the other daddy in my life...

Belated Congratulations to the Austins