I don't need a camera cord?

While I was looking for my camera cord yesterday, Sean looked at me (with pity and disbelief) and said, "You don't need a camera cord.  Our computer has a card reader.  Just stick your card right in the top of the computer."

Ooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.  Good to know.

So now some picture catch-up from this past month...

Snow in Katy, Texas!!

This is me and my student teacher, Alyce.  Look at those flakes coming down!

Two of my teammates, Emily and Sarah.  Aren't they cute?

The kids, needless to say, were totally crazy this day.  Some of them had never seen snow before so it was a pretty big deal.  It was really cool... the snow stuck on the ground for a few hours and it looked beautiful!  We let the kids stay out just long enough to come in fairly soaked!

My house!  With snow on the ground!

Baby Shower!

My mom and sisters and aunts all worked together to throw me my first baby shower.  The food was sooo good!  I only wish I could have had a mimosa too!

Here's my grandmother measuring my belly.  Trust me, it's much bigger than it looks in this picture!

Here's one (of about 50) of me opening a gift. I got so many really nice things!  And, my dutiful picture taker, Sean's cousin Lisa, took at least one for each gift I opened! This is one with a less dorky look on my face, in most of them I look like this...

The shower was so much fun!  I laughed when I saw the next picture, because it looks like everyone is having possibly the worst time ever. 

I promise it wasn't this boring! Ha!

Here's Sean's mom and my mom.  They are both so excited! 

Me and my grandmother.  She and Grandpa flew in all the way from Wisconsin and stayed with me for the week.  I wish Sean had been home because we all really missed him.  My dog was SO happy they were here- he loves how much they spoil him!

Here's me and my aunt Nina.  This picture is a good reminder that I should never have a full-body picture taken while pregnant, standing next to skinny people!  I look like a monster!

Here's me and my aunt Stephie.  She helped me so much over the week!  We had dinner at my house four times and she was right there in the kitchen with me each time- thank goodness!  I'm always a little too ambitious and stress myself out, so having her help was priceless!  Nina and Steph both flew in from Minnesota.  I wish they lived closer!

We went home and in an EXHAUSTED DAZE I watched my mom and Stephie set up the nursery.  I felt like I was going to cry I was so tired.  It had been such a long and busy week.  After I ate some dinner, I felt a little better, but WOAH was I tired.  So, I was totally useless while setting up the baby room, but my mom and aunt Stephie got it all done.  It was hard to get a good picture due to the angles in the room, but here are couple...

Like the nighstand? Ha!

Needless to say it's still in progress, but it's looking so cute already!  Sean has gone in about three times since he's been home just to take a look.  So cute!

Well, for now, that's about it.  I need to do a TON of Christmas prep this week.  And, coincidentally, Sean is out of town again!  I wonder if he planned to be gone hunting while I will be shopping for gifts, cleaning the house, and baking and prepping food for Christmas Day- when all our family and friends are coming over?  Hmmmm....

Quick Update

Appointment and ultrasound yesterday!  This little boy is doing great- at 32 weeks, he's about 4 lb. 3 oz.  That's the 40th percentile. (I didn't know what that meant... embarrassing.)  I had the kids in my class guess how much the baby weighed before I told them (thought it would be good for a laugh, it was).  One little girl said, after I told them how much he actually weighed, "I'm surprised he only weighs four pounds, because you eat A LOT!"  Ha!!!

Sean is currently off-shore and missed it, but honestly, the baby's getting so big it was hard to see anything.  Except his little package- he is certainly proud of it! 

Sean will be back Friday (late) and he leaves again on Sunday morning to go duck hunting until Wednesday.  He reminded me that he "did not think he'd be off-shore so close to this trip he planned"... well, it still stinks. 

I have LOTS of pictures and fun things to type about, but again, still looking for the cord for my camera.  Will (hopefully) find it and catch up over the weekend.

OH!  I almost forgot!  I lost a pound!  Probably not, actually, but at least that means I didn't gain any!  Whoo hoo!

After I have the baby...

I will lose all the weight I've gained, plus 5.
I will get facial liposuction.
I will work out more.
I will do crunches.
I will not eat sugar.
I will be bathing-suit ready by July.
I will get a tan (real or fake).
(I will try not to cry as I come to grips with reality. I can already hear all the moms laughing.)


For now, I will try not to look at any pictures of myself. It's like when you hear a recording of your voice and think, "do I really sound like that?" I look at a picture of myself and think, "do I really look like that? What the hell happened to me?" Pregnancy is beautiful- it's just not beautiful spread out all over my ass.


I am strong. I don't need the cheesecake. I don't need the pumpkin pie. I want the salad. I want the lean meat and skim milk. I want to exercise. I don't. Aww, shit.


On one hand, I want my body back and am ready to have the baby. On the other hand, I am freaked out about being a mom and what I'm actually going to be dealing with and I am not ready to have the baby. I also know that I sound like a huge baby and need to grow up. Why am I so pathetic? Why am I so obsessed with my pregnancy weight? And why do I share it so freely with the Internet world? (I start sweating when someone tells me in person that they read my blog. I immediately feel the need to apologize.)


BTW- in my haste to find the actual number of pounds I've gained, I messed up my mental math. I'm not up to 30 pounds yet, so far I've gained 25 pounds. I'm sure it'll be 30 by my next appointment. I needed to post that correction for very obvious reasons.


I read somewhere that you should take the pregnancy photos even if you don't think you want to, because someday you'll be happy you did. I disagree. Who wants to remember themselves when they were at their highest weight and lowest self-esteem? I think people are idiots.


I promise I'll stop bitching now. I'm even making myself nauseated.

(OK, completely unrelated... I changed my blog backgroud to the most boring ever because I keep having trouble with the formatting of my text. Was my background just uncompatible with blogger, or is blogger just really crappy? We shall see.)

(Also unrelated- I can't find the cord for my digital camera.  So... I  have lots of cute pictures to post and stories to tell, and can't.  Although I can't really use that as an excuse for this whiny post.)

Update

Oh my goodness! Thanks so much for all the advice and freebies... Kristin and Roni I'll be emailing you! :)

I had a massage today, and it was heaven. Heaven. I am so glad I went. I am pretty sure that my back will still bother me until after I deliver, but why not get the massage anyway? Plus I really love my massage lady... highly recommend Gaynell! She's at least 100 times better than any spa massage you'll ever get. Seriously- try her!

I will probably hold off on the pillow for now, and see if I can get by with my make-shift system. I would rather spend my money on something else... we'll see.

I went back to the doctor yesterday, and everything looks fine! I got checked for leaking again, this time it came back negative! My doctor basically told me she thinks I peed my pants on Monday, but I really don't think I did. I have a lot of experience peeing and I really don't think that was it. Oh well. As long as the boy is good, then I'm good. I guess I'd rather pee my pants everyday than have something happen to this little guy. That's so strange to say.

I also got to see a little glimpse of him since Dr. Levin did a short ultrasound to check my water level. He is definitely a boy! He was showing off his man business big time! I cracked up when she said, "There's his scrotum, and there's his hand!" Ha!!! He's playing with himself already! He was also head down and lots bigger than our 20 week ultrasound. He wouldn't really let us get a look at his face, so I'm looking forward to my next appointment when I'll have another ultrasound to check his weight and position. I can't believe how close we're getting to meeting him.

Sean's outside putting up Christmas lights, so I think I'll go check it out. I'm so excited!

A Scare and a Couple of Questions

Today I was walking around my classroom when I felt a sudden (and very gross) wet feeling. I decided to go to the bathroom to check it out, I mean I had just been there about 5 minutes ago, so why not go back?

What I saw freaked me out enough to think that maybe I was leaking amniotic fluid. But who knows, I mean, pregnancy has blessed me with lots of gross symptoms, so maybe this was just another one? I called the doctor's office and they had me come in for an exam.

The adorable doctor's assistant used a little strip to say whether or not I was leaking fluid... and it came back positive. YIKES! I was instantly freaking out, visions of bed rest over my favorite of favorite holiday seasons filling my head... but then Dr. Levin came to examine me and she said she really didn't think I was leaking fluid, but to make sure, she wanted me to come back and get checked again tomorrow. I think everything is OK. I am praying everything will be OK. This baby is just too little to come out yet. He needs to stay in the oven!!

To take my mind off of this scare I decided to make a pumpkin pie. I didn't get nearly enough last week and I thought I could use some more. Especially since they told me today that I don't have gestational diabetes. Free pass for more pie! (Did you know that it takes over an hour for it to bake, and then two hours for it to cool!!! BS! I am dying here!) I am anemic, however, and will begin taking iron supplements tomorrow.


Now, for a couple of questions for the moms out there...


1. What do I do about back pain?

I have been having lower back pain, and all-over back pain the past few days and I'm wondering if this is just to be expected, or if there's anything I can do about it. It's been really hard to get comfortable- especially at night. Which leads me to my next question,


2. Are body pillows a good investment?

I have been propping pillows around myself and between my knees for a while now, and it seems like one pillow is too small and the other is too big... they move around and I have to readjust them... so, do I buy the $50 body pillow or what? Does anyone have one, and is it worth it? If it will truly improve my sleeping the next couple of months, then it would be worth it.


And, to wrap this post up, I must tell you how goofy my stomach looks. It is not cute and round. It is like a torpedo projecting from my body. The biggest part is right below my belly button (which is huge and stretched out). I look huge. Pictures to come... I'm wearing a really ugly outfit right now, and cannot take a picture.

Oh, and I've gained 30 pounds. Yep.

Thankful

I can't believe how much can change in a year. Not even a year ago, Sean and I were trying to get pregnant and had no idea why it wasn't happening. I guess we had been trying for several months at that point, and I was getting pretty frustrated. Not long after I made that post (and after the urging of a friend who thought "something wasn't right"), I went to my new doctor, was diagnosed with a uterine fibroid, and had surgery.

And now, here I am, typing this while my unborn son wiggles all over in my belly. I've got a crib in the bedroom down the hall. Next month I'll be going to my very own baby shower. My son will be here in less than three months. I can't believe it. I am absolutely floored at how my prayers have been answered totally and completely.

With Thanksgiving next week, I know exactly how much I have to be thankful for. I am amazed. I can't wait to see what another year brings!

Top Ten Thoughts This Week

1. Acid Reflux
Sucks.

2. Breech baby?
I'm feeling lots of crazy-low movement. I think this little stinker is breech. I hope he moves... but on the other hand, I am totally freaked about pushing him out, so maybe a c-section wouldn't be so bad?

3. Did I just get hit on?
I met a very friendly dad at Open House the other night. It is very possible that he was interested in more than his child's progress in math class. But that can't be possible, right? I mean, I'm seven months pregnant!

4. My Dog is Horny
Jet had his way with a blanket yesterday. This poor dog needs a girlfriend. There's a really good chance that he'll be a daddy sometime next year... so cute little Jet puppies will be available! Let the line start here!

5. The Real Housewives
Holy crap- the OC wives are so hot! I'm so glad I live in Richmond, Texas and not Coto de Caza! I can't compete with that! Just thinking of how much time they must spend grooming each day exhausts me.

6. Organizing, is it worth it?
I decided to organize my recipes. I'm now thinking that this is way too big of a job and maybe I should just shove all this stuff in a box. These are also my feelings on scrap booking.

7. Should I be buying stuff?
I don't have any baby stuff. Should I be buying stuff, and what?!? This boy will be here in less than three months and I am not prepared.

8. I should live in Venezuela.
I had the sweetest mom tell me how she "knew I was expecting a boy, because I'm getting prettier and prettier!" Her son agreed. Ha! She said that "in her country, everyone knows if you're having a boy your skin looks amazing, and you glow!" I think I should live in her country. Or in Mexico City- because one of my brother-in-law's friends, Juan Pablo, said the same thing. I love it!

9. Tired and Mean.
I picked a stupid, ugly fight with Sean last night. I think I just got too tired and took it out on him. I feel terrible about it. I hope I'm not always this mean. I don't even know what to say now. It was that bad.

10. Holidays.
I love, love, love the holidays. But it's starting to become obvious that with my parents separated, things are going to be different this year. I'm OK with different, but I don't know if my whole family is OK yet. I'm a little nervous about what to expect.