day one of maternity leave

i had my first day of not working today...had to remind myself last night,
"tomorrow is wednesday"
i think i'll need to restructure my calendaring so that i am not one who forgets what day it is:)

i spent a good chunk of my time this morning walking and talking with a good friend

the weather was amazing, and the day was beautiful

i started my day attempting to go to the lab for blood work; but the lab was backed up, line out the door; so i went later in the afternoon.

after walking, talking, and grabbing coffee with my friend i headed off to get my mani/pedi
which was awesome, and they spoiled me and pampered me for 2 hours!
amazing.
(didn't take a photo....phone was in my bag; and my hands/arms/feet/calves were being massaged...
no time for photos!)
this evening i tackled the laundry, organized and cleaned out my closet; half of which was dress code; 18ish black collared shirts, 15ish pairs of black bottoms, from crops, knee shorts, to pants; and numerous aprons...all of which are now in tupperware bins stacked on the top shelf of my closet!)

its bittersweet to say, thanks pip for not coming out today; as i am super excited for his arrival; but ever so thankful for today and the restful, peaceful, nothing scheduled kind of day.
it was lovely.

but Pip, truly, you can arrive anytime, so don't take too long deciding when you want your birthday to be....any day now would be a good choice! 

38 weeks!

38 weeks pregnant (14 days till due date!)


i am feeling good...loving this new ability to breathe now that Pip has dropped; its quite nice.
the pressure and the weight of my belly has increased, but thats to be expected

the best part of pregnancy, the movements, his jabs and his rythym.
i love it.
i may or may not be having braxton hicks, pre labor contractions.
there are times when my abdomen is incredibly tight, which feels like an awesome ab workout
but honestly, nothing cramping or painful enough to stop me from doing whatever i might be doing.
the challenges with this stage of pregnancy;
bending over, picking things up from the floor, getting comfortable in any position other than standing
(sitting and/or sleeping; not so comfortable)
DB has shared that i snore louder than i ever have before; but its probably due to pregnancy congestion;
thanks to the mad increase of blood in my system,
(its estimated that by this stage of pregnancy, most women have gained 9 pounds of blood)
 thats a lot of blood!
oh hey...look who installed the car seat :)


today was my last day of work....for the next 24ish weeks...
walking out was surreal, knowing that i won't be going back for a really long time
but also knowing that my store is going to be just fine,
i had an incredible peace knowing
that it is all going to be okay.
the workaholic--controlling--one who thinks about work all the time--part of me
felt confident with the turnover and the way everything wrapped up;
and for that i am incredibly thankful.
my hope going forward is that i can find a healthy mental and emotional place to compartmentalize work and appropriately step away, not think about it all the time and not worry about it all the time...but rather trust in the work i have done and know that it'll all be okay, and it'll be there when i return after my leave.

with that, starting tomorrow....life is going to start to look a whole lot different!
im not sure when reality will sink in, but i am thankful for "this time"
(unsure...of how much time I have till Pip arrives)
but with my "time" until he arrives, I plan on resting, not setting an alarm to wake up to,
cleaning, organizing, working out, going to a movie by myself,  mani/pedi, dry bar,
storing all my dress code clothes somewhere other than my closet!
getting mentally, emotionally, physically as ready as i can for this life change that is about to happen.

DB...had a very exciting week...passing his license exam!

its been a long, not so easy process of both preparation and patience....and he did it!

this evening...before going out to dinner to celebrate both
maternity leave and passing of the license exam
(38.5 weeks...10 days till due date)

thank you spinach and kale

this past week i have been juicing and drinking a ton of spinach and kale and other fruits/veggies in attempt to get my platelets up and my body healthy.
and it worked.

this week i am at 108...which is great!
and we will retest again next week to ensure it all remains stable.

with my increase of greens, and overall feeling better i've been back in the gym with more energy than i've had in a while...im sure it helps that i am working less too:)

ohmygoodness, it feels great to be working out....lovelovelove it.
(today i did 20 min stairs, 30 min bike and some weights)

at my doctors appointment today, i measured a little smaller than last week, as Pip has dropped!
which means, he is preparing for his arrival!

i had a dream last night my water was going to break when i got out of bed this morning;
it didn't happen. (obviously, i wouldn't be writing if i were laboring and having a baby!)
i think i lost 40 minutes of sleep creating lists of things that we need to accomplish ASAP just in case my water does break and labor begins.
car seat, needs to be put into the car
bags (his and hers and little his), need to be fully packed (they are in progress)
camera battery, needs to be charged
camera lenses, need to get packed
phone chargers, need to get packed
clothes to wear home from the hospital, need to be figured out
(i have no idea what to wear, and/or what will fit, or what i will want to wear.  jeans?  yoga pants?)
thank you cards need to be put into the mail
all leave and disability forms need to get faxed to their respective places
etc....

i have 4 more work days...and then official maternity leave begins!!
ohmyword....
this whole process has gone by so fast, and taking time off from work...
its going to be a transition, to say the least.
the most time i've taken off work (since i was 17) was the 3 weeks i took off for our wedding and honeymoon,
and that was 4.5 years ago.
we shall see how i react to not working,  and how i am challenged and how i change.

i believe its all going good.  really good.
can't wait to meet our little one.  
he can arrive tomorrow, and i'd be one happy mom!
or he can arrive next week, and i'd be happy too.
if he decides to remain cozy and warm past the proposed due date,
i am going to have to find a lot of things to do while i wait!

37 weeks!

37 weeks.....which means 21 days left...as of last friday.
as i write on this sunday evening (while DB is making dinner!!) we are at 19 days to go!

can this belly get any bigger!? 
its out of control...these past 2-3 weeks, I think i've doubled my girth.
maybe it means Pip wants to come out sooner than the predicted date of his arrival!
i'd be a-okay with that.
highlights of this stage of pregnancy still remain feeling him move, kick and groove.
he is active, very active.
i am supposed to be completing a "kick count" chart each day; but honestly i haven't made that a priority in conjunction with the fact that he moves all the time.
he wakes me up,  he prevents me from falling asleep. 
we have another doctors appointment this upcoming week,
with all my blood work being completed on tuesday, so we can "create a plan" on wednesday;
thats what my doctor said
i am unsure what this plan might be...
but i am hoping it'll include an increase of platelets due to the mass amounts of spinach, kale, vitamins and everything else healthy i've been focusing on consuming this week....and the fact that my cold/cough is gone; i am feeling much better overall!
i am also hoping with this anticipated increase in platelets i am allowed t continue in my journey towards an all natural birth; coupled with safety and health for both Pip and myself. 

this past weekend...
the parents were in town, visiting my sister; but i hopped in on a morning walk, with coffee and bagels

i made it to the gym....ohmyword...it felt so good!
i do get some funny looks, but i pretend not to notice:)


happy january 20th....let the count down to february 8th (or sooner!  or later) continue!

damn platelets

These numbers mean very little to anyone else I'm sure.
But for me when I've been having my blood tested every 2-4 weeks for the past 12 months... Today is a sad, disappointing, discouraging day.

As for this number we've been tracking and chasing...we want it to be over 100. 
And this past test (yesterday) has revealed I'm at 95 for this week.
I'm trying to remain hopeful and optimistic that the cold I've been fighting all last week has negatively affected my number. 
Re-test is scheduled for Wednesday next week.
As I wait, 7 days  I'm going to be drinking spinach everyday and increasing my vitamins; all things that can't hurt, but not proven to alter the number one way or another, but will assist in my overall health which can't hurt either way.
There are many factors that push platelet counts low, one being pregnancy.
Pip is totally fine, healthy and good.
Its my blood that is lacking this one component
(platelets:  their job is to clot the blood when there is a cut, gash or bleed and to prevent excessive bleeding)
I am hoping for a better test next week...
so that ultimately I am healthy enough to give birth to Pip without complications/interventions.

on a more happier-i-am-not-sad note:
Today was a day off for me!!
I am now taking 3 days off a week, working 4; and its just lovely having the time to get stuff done.

yup, getting my pedicure done; its been on the to-do list for a few weeks now!

sitting in peets, taking some quiet moments for just me; just fantastic.
and this new Q&A journal I am excited to be starting this year!

and today....my brothers turn 33...which is crazy fun for them!
(which means my parents have been parents for 33 years....gold stars for them!)
my brothers live too far away to even celebrate with each other;
but they have awesome wives and children who will spoil them with love and gifts!
happy birthday brothers!

36 weeks!

36 weeks down...28 days till Due Date.

So incredibly hard to believe how fast this time has flown by!

I am ready.
I am ready to meet this little man.

I am ready to be able to bend over, touch my toes, roll over from side to side, get out of the couch without having to grunt and rock myself to gain momentum to get up-and-out-of-the deep-couch-that-wants-to-take-me-captive.
I am ready to run again.
I am ready to be more mobile than I am today.
I am ready to wear my other clothes.
I am ready to walk up a hill without loosing my breath.
I am ready for life without heartburn. (which means i can eat tomatoes again!)

DB and I are on the cusp of change
A change in which we don't really know what to expect, or how life will look or what our greatest challenges will be, or what we wish we had known....
its all been new, up to this point; and it'll only continue to be new going forward.
We are going to be PARENTS....which is WILD.

I have 2ish more weeks of work, then I am taking 7 days off prior to the due date; I imagine during that time I'll get antsy and possibly impatient; I am already working on my to-do list for each of those days as to keep myself busy and productive; yet relaxed and rested.

I do often wonder, will Pip be on time, will he be late? 
How will my body let me know that his arrival is imminent? 
Labor begins differently for everyone, and soon I'll know what my body does to begin its laboring process.

I do often wonder, what will he look like?
Will be have hair? 
How much will he weigh?
Will he have blue or brown eyes?
Will he be tall, long, or short, thick?
Will he have almond shaped or round eyes?

I do often wonder, is he healthy?
All signs point to YES he is healthy, and I trust in that; but there is still part of me that wants to see him just to make sure he is okay.

He does move A LOT, which is a good sign; and thats one thing I know I will miss about being pregnant is his constant kicking and moving; reminding me of the life that is growing inside of me.
It truly is miraculous.
It truly is incredibly challenging to fully comprehend the magnitude of the miracle of life.

In all honesty, I am ready for him to enter into this world, so we can start to get to know him.

Until then, I will try to be patient, keep myself moving, healthy and get rest when I can:)

35 weeks

here we are at 35 weeks!

not much longer and this little guy is going to make his appearance!:)
with the holidays behind us, and the new year upon us... i can now say, we are ready.

he can come out and play now.

i do have many things to wrap up at work, and a departure date to set up...
 all of which i will do this week
but im still ready to meet him....
what is he going to look like?
how is he going to act?
what are his preferences?
all questions,  i'll be able to answer soon!

we have had 3 baby showers in the past 4 weeks, and have been incredibly spoiled with too much generosity.

its really overwhelming how much we have been gifted, truly we are spoiled.

pips bedroom is much more organized and ready than its ever been, thanks to my mom who came to sort, fold and organize all the little baby clothes by size; and then put them all into the dresser:)
the crib mattress arrived this week, the sheets are on and blankets are draped over the edge.
(not that he will be sleeping in there day 1, but still, it looks great!)

 we completed the hospital tour this past weekend...on the way to the hospital DB asked,
"can we stop for a burger on the way?"

we shall see if thats what he asks for when we head down to the hospital for the real thing:)

2013.....already?!

Can't believe its the New Year, and I am so behind in my weekly pregnancy photos/updates!
In addition from Thanksgiving to New Years....so much to document and recap.

Growing up, one of my favorite meals was the "smorgasbord"; a compalation of whatever was around, a little bit of everything; I liked it due to the variety. 
maybe the title of my post tonight should be "my smorgasbord recap"
thanksgiving golfing tradition


31 weeks pregnant



32 weeks pregnant



33 weeks pregnant



christmas day belly shot
(33.5 weeks pregnant)

 
reflections of weeks 31-33 of pregnancy
--i have enjoyed feeling Pip move a ton, even when he wakes me up
--DB is able to make him go back to sleep/calming down (sometimes) by simply putting his hand on my belly
--its crazy seeing my shirt move as Pip works on his mad acrobatic skills
--my organs/stomach/bladder are feeling a bit more squished/challenged for space
--my stomach looks and feels bigger everyday...which is crazy!
--my skin is extra tight, but thanks to palmers cocoa butter, it stays hydrated
--my belly button might just pop out afterall, maybe next week (week 35) 
--if i bend over after eating, its incredibly uncomfortable and sometimes makes me throw up
--if Pip kicks.moves a lot after I eat, such movement makes me throw up
--bending over to pick stuff up off the ground, is incredibly hard.
--when i drop things i often times don't want to pick them up, cause its a lot of work
--walking up a few hills from my store to my car makes me breathe really heavy
--i feel extra tired sometimes

baby showers
in the month of december, we were blessed and spoiled with 2 baby showers 
hosted by people we love and people who love us
my friend katie took this picture of us at one of the showers


christmas day engagement photo shoot
 DB's brother and fiance (my new SIL!)
DB and I took photos for them, and it was incredibly fun...6 months till wedding time!


post christmas family time at the lodge
my parents hosted 20 of us for a post holiday get together in the snow.

it was lovely to be away for a few days, even though i am not a huge fan of the freezing cold weather
i did host cookie decorating with the littles, and that was fun

db, dad and i went into the quaint little town one afternoon to hang out
 
 

and now....into 2013
this past year has flown by!!
we have 5 weeks till due date
i'll be working a few more weeks...to get everything ready before I take off to hang out with Pip
--the crib and dresser have been assembled
--we bought a pack of diapers and wipes
--we have miniature clothing that'll be worn by our little man
(seriously... newborn clothes are tiny)
--the crib mattress has been ordered and is en route, thanks fed ex
--the car seat still needs to be installed into the car, and our bags still need to get packed
all in all, we are getting ready.....and very much excited!