There Must Be More To Life Than Dishes and Laundry...

Happy 4th Wedding Anniversary, My Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:46:00 +0000

4 years ago today, on May 24, 2008, I married my best friend. I can't imagine life without you Nate and I feel so blessed to share my life with you. We are perfect compliments to each other. Where I am weak you are strong and vice versa. Thank you for being a wonderful husband, father, provider, best friend, and partner in life. I love you!

Baby Brown Has Arrived

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:09:00 +0000

It's a boy!!!

"Your first breath took ours away". With joy we welcome Orion Alexander! Born May 5, 2012 at 7:53am. 7 lbs 15oz 20 inches. Mom and baby are doing well! More pictures and his birth story to come.

39.5 Week Pregnancy Update (aka You Haven't Had The Baby Yet?)

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

I haven't done a pregnancy update in almost 10 weeks! At least a lot of my posts have been baby related so everyone still probably is somewhat up-to-date.

39.5 weeks 4/30/2012

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 39.5 weeks

Maternity clothes: My belly has gotten so big almost none of my maternity clothes fit. Most of the shirts are like the one in this picture, too short. I can't stand anything tight on my belly so I am limited in the pants department too. I am definitely looking forward to not wearing maternity clothes.

Baby bump: For weeks it has felt like my belly can't get any bigger but it still does.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name once the baby is born.

Heartbeat: The past few weeks the baby's heart rate has been in the 130's and goes up to the 140's when the baby is moving which is perfect.

Movement: Late 3rd trimester movement is different than earlier movement. It get elbows and knees and shifts in position but the baby is out of room. My baby has never been a big mover though. I hope that means the baby is a calm baby.

Symptoms: Late 3rd trimester pregnancy sucks! There isn't a nice way to put it. You don't sleep, you're huge, you're uncomfortable, everything hurts, you are just ready to meet your baby!

Tests and midwife appointment updates: All my appointments the last 10 weeks have been very low key. Only trace amounts of protein, great heart rate for the baby, measuring right on track via fundal height. I have been allowing myself extra time to arrive at my appointments so I am not rushed and using my Hypnobabies techniques once I am there to relax and help lower my blood pressure and have been very successful. My blood pressure has been great at all my last appointments and was only 102/70 on Friday which is amazing for me. I am GBS negative which is great since I want a natural childbirth and don't want to be hooked up to an IV. It also allows me to labor longer at home because I won't need to receive to doses of antibiotics before baby is born. Honestly everything at my appointments has been great!

Exercise: I did prenatal water aerobics until about 35 weeks but then just had too many conflicts with the kids schedule so I stopped. I have been still walking 4-5 times per week since the weather has been great.

Next Appointment: Friday, May 4th, my due date.

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 39 Weeks some of the highlights are: your baby is ready to greet the world. He continues to build a layer of fat to regulate his body temperature after birth though he is likely to measure 20 inches and weigh over 7 pounds.

Happy 12th Birthday Brennan!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:50:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that 12 years have passed since my baby boy was born. At 5'1" and 105 pounds he isn't much of a baby anymore. He is almost done with his first year of middle school and is excelling in many areas. Brennan I love you more than words can describe. I am proud of the young man you are becoming and proud to be your mom. Happy 12th birthday!

Love,

Mom

No better birthday gift for a 12 year old than his own set of tools

and money, a book, and candy

July 2011 Yellowstone

Kindergarten graduation May 2006

November 2001, 18 months

May 2000, newborn

Maternity Clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:06:00 +0000

Finding cute and stylish maternity clothes is quite the challenge. 12 years ago when I was pregnant with Brennan maternity clothes were even more frumpy. I was excited to be contacted by Seraphine, maker of stylish and fashionable maternity clothes. Their clothes are even a favorite among celebrities .

The hardest part about finding cute maternity clothes that fit well is the different stages of pregnancy. This being my 2nd pregnancy I began to show early, around 10 weeks along. I was pretty thin before getting pregnant and wore a size 4 or 6 depending upon the brand. According to all the maternity sizing charts this would make me a size small. I am also tall though so in pants and long sleeve shirts small typically doesn't fit me. I did buy some size small stuff at the beginning of my pregnancy because my pre-pregnancy clothes didn't fit and medium and large seemed huge at that point. Those things lasted until about 25 weeks when some of them began to feel very snug. I then invested a a few medium and large items which lasted me through the middle stage of my pregnancy. I am now 39 weeks pregnant and for the last few weeks not much fits or is comfortable anymore.

I decided to review the Blue Wash Straight Leg Maternity Jeans when I was first contacted by Seraphine, in my 22nd week of pregnancy. At the time it was cold outside and I have a few pairs of cute knee boots I was dying to wear but tucking my boot cut maternity jeans into them wasn't going to cut it. A cute pair of skinny jeans was just the right thing. Based upon their sizing charts of my pre-pregnancy size I would wear a Seraphine size 1 (US size 4) or Seraphine size 2 (US size 6). I went with the Seraphine size 2 because I had gained some weight and didn't want the pants to be too tight. Shipping was very quick but unfortunately the jeans were too tight to be comfortable. After talking with my contact at Seraphine and describing my fit problems they suggested going up two sizes to a Seraphine size 4. My contact indicated that the smaller sizes are cut slimmer through the butt and hips and that was where the jeans were too tight. I am glad I went with the size 4. They are comfortable even at this stage in pregnancy and don't look sloppy at all. Colorado has had an unseasonably warm spring so I haven't gotten to wear them with boots but I think they look cute with ballet flats too. Another thing I like about not having a full belly panel is that these jeans will work for the postpartum period when my pre-pregnancy clothes still don't fit but I don't want to be wearing frumpy, full belly panel, maternity jeans.

Check out the pictures yourself, the jeans are super cute, even at 37.5 weeks pregnant!

Disclosure statement: I was provided a pair of jeans at no charge by Seraphine in order to facilitate this review. All statements and opinions are my own.

Responsibility/Chore Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:07:00 +0000

Our family is in the middle of a war, a war over the kids responsibility/chore chart. As our kids have gotten older they have slowly taken on more and more responsibility for getting themselves ready and doing simple, daily chores. The way our system works is once they are ready for the morning/night they then have free time to watch TV, play video games, go on the computer, etc. This should be motivation to get ready quickly, right? The quicker you get ready the more electronic time you have. In order to motivate them to do their chores they are paid 50 cents daily allowance. If their chores don't get done they are not paid for that day. Wynter and Brennan split the dishes and Phoenix takes out the trash and recycling.

I made the chore chart about a year and half ago. Originally it really helped keep the kids on track and minimized the chaos of bedtime and morning getting ready time. In addition to rewarding the kids for good behavior with money for completing their chores and electronic time for getting ready early there are also consequences for not completing chores or getting ready on time. This has recently become a big struggle and honestly I'm getting tired of it.

One thing I know as a parent I need to work on is disciplining without getting overly emotional. When you feel like you are constantly being ignored by your children it gets frustrating. I know I need to remind myself that my kids are generally well behaved and responsible but at almost 12, 11, and 9 they are old enough to get themselves ready in the morning and evening and complete simple chores. The chore chart is very easy to use and helps the kids remember each thing that needs done. The stars are put up on the chart and they take down the stars one by one as they complete each item. There really is no reason if I give them enough time that anything should be forgotten.

The past few months have been a constant back and forth struggle in this area. They don't get paid for their chores that aren't done or they get their privileges taken away then the next day we're back to square one. They tell me everything is done, I let them watch TV or play electronics, it's time for bed and half their list hasn't been done. There are clothes and towels strewn about in the bathroom, their rooms look like bombs have gone off, usually they've showered and put pajamas on, about 75% of the time their lunch has been packed, the other 25% of time it has been "forgotten", Wynter and Brennan manage to do their chores about 90% of the time, Phoenix I'm lucky if she's even made an attempt 20% of the time and even then she has usually checked 1 or 2 trashes and left the overflowing one and never takes the barrels to the street unless I specifically tell her. I am out of ideas on how to motivate/discipline them in this regard and would love an feedback or suggestions. For awhile money was their biggest motivator, followed by electronic privileges but none of that seems to matter at this point. The two things I am going to do are once again go over consequences, instill them consistently and unemotionally, and I am going to go back to checking everything on their list before granting electronic time. I think for the next week until we can get into a better routine we will just eliminate before school and before bed electronic time and allow their free time to be playing, reading, or board games. I know once we have an infant in the house (any day now) I am going to have even less time to oversee every task they do but until they show me they can once again be responsible for their daily activities I am going to have to pull in the reigns a bit.

Baby's Nursery

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:58:00 +0000

Since we don't know Baby Brown's gender finding gender neutral nursery decor that Nate and I both liked proved to be difficult. At first there was nothing we liked and we considered holding off on decorating the nursery until after baby arrived. I am way too much of a planner for that idea to last long. Thankfully we both fell in love with the Bumble nursery set at Babies R Us and it was the inspiration for the baby's nursery.

We decided to skip the traditional bedding package with fitted sheets, crib bumpers, and a quilt. The set was expensive and I have mixed feelings about bumpers. I used crib bumpers with Brennan but as soon as they start to pull up you have to take them out of the crib. Also, in the last 12 years there have been concerns raised about the safety of crib bumpers in regard to SIDS. The quilt was beautiful but also due to SIDS concerns you are not supposed to have any soft bedding in bed with baby so it would only be for display not for real use. I did like the sheets included with the set better than the ones sold separately and the crib skirt was very cute but in the end we decided to just register for pieces of the set. We went with the fitted sheet, the mobile, the wall art, the wall decals, and the fuzzy blanket from the set. I had trouble finding a crib skirt sold separately that coordinated so I made my own, despite my limited sewing skills. We wanted to crib skirt to be green since the walls were yellow.

Everything turned out perfectly and I couldn't be happier with our adorable bee themed nursery!

Baby's crib and the crib skirt I made

Close up of the crib. The fuzzy yellow blanket will come with us to the hospital. The bear is a sound machine from my mom that is attached to the crib bar with velcro.

Rocker with handmade ABC quilt from Brennan's grandma (on his dad's side)

I love how the wall decorations turned out!

And a quick peek at how Baby Brown is looking these days. 37.5 weeks, 4/16/2012.

C'mon baby, we're ready to meet you!

Bumble Bee Themed Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:25:00 +0000

Last month was my baby shower. It was such a great day and everything turned out completely perfect. I am so lucky to have such amazing friends and family. My sister, and two friends, Becca and Catherine hosted the shower for me. They knew Baby Brown's nursery was going to be bee themed and I shared a picture or two from Pinterest and they ran with it. The shower, food, and decorations turned out even more perfect than I could've imagined. It was so nice to visit with family and friends to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our new baby.

Handmade bumble bee cupcakes

Wishes for baby

Honeycomb guessing game

Sweet treats and honey nut cheerio bars

Me and all the lovely hostesses (my sister)

Becca and I

Catherine and I

Baby shower guests

More guests

Opening gifts

All the wonderful gifts Baby Brown received

Baby Pool for Baby Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:48:00 +0000

We've created a free, online baby pool for Baby Brown. Enter your guess about when Baby Brown will arrive, time, weight, length, and gender. A small prize will be sent out to the winner. Happy guessing!

Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:11:00 +0000

Progress is being made on our big construction project, aka the biggest stress in my life right now. When we were looking for houses last year either having a 5th bedroom (which almost none of the houses did) or an unfinished basement where we could build a bedroom was important to us. We knew we would eventually be having another baby and wanted the kids to still each have their own room. When we bought the house we didn't know we'd start trying to have a baby last summer but once we found out we were pregnant we knew building Brennan a bedroom in the basement had to get started.

Building a 10 x 12 room in the basement seems like an easy enough task and since we were planning to do all the work ourselves (with lots of help from Nate's dad and brother) we thought it would be reasonably affordable. We were wrong on both accounts. The project was difficult, time consuming, and very expensive. It took 3 weeks longer than we originally anticipated, despite hiring contractors to drywall, mud, tape, and texture. It also cost about $1000 more than our high end estimate. Needless to say we aren't in a hurry to finish the rest of the basement though it will get done eventually.

I've also realized I hate painting with a passion. I bought Sherwin Williams paint on sale, though it was still more expensive than Lowe's or Home Depot. They had a highly recommended no VOC brand and since I did 95% of the painting myself I wanted no VOC. The paint quality was ok but honestly not worth the extra money for me. The high end paint at Lowe's seems to work just as well and honestly the sales people at Lowe's gave me much better guidance when I explained the problems I was having. The heavy knockdown texture we have in our house is a pain to paint. New drywall absorbs primer at alarming rates so we needed a lot more of that than I expected and it took longer. The biggest struggle I had was getting a nice tape line between the ceiling and wall. I painted the walls the same dark beige color the rest of our house is and the ceilings the same off white color the rest of our ceilings are. The contrast is dramatic, especially when the line isn't perfect. The more expensive painter's tape didn't help and I was disappointed with the results. Needless to say in the baby's room I am trying a different technique and so far I have gotten much better results even though it has been just as time consuming to paint.

Monday night we got Brennan all moved into his new room, furniture, decorations, 100% set up. The next step was steaming his carpets and moving Phoenix into his old room. Phoenix's old room is tiny and much better suited for a nursery. She also could not fit her full size bed in her old room so we decided moving her and giving the baby the small room was the best plan. Wednesday night we moved all her furniture and yesterday I organized her stuff and put up decorations. She is thrilled to have more space and have her big bed back. It's been in the basement since we moved from Maryland.

Yesterday I was able to get started on painting the nursery. Progress is slow because I am painting the nursery light yellow and it is currently a medium purple which is hard to cover. I have most of today to paint and would be very happy if all the painting could be done by the end of the day tomorrow. The baby's crib is set to arrive tomorrow. I can't wait to move the baby's stuff into their room and get my loft organized again. Baby's guess date (what we call due dates in Hypnobabies) is just over a month away and baby will be full term in 2 weeks so we are in the home stretch. I am really looking forward to wrapping up all these projects and being able to relax a bit before baby arrives. Wish me luck!

Maternity Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:33:00 +0000

On March 10th, when I was 32 weeks pregnant I had maternity photos taken. The very talented Maren Miller of Maren Miller Photography took the photos for us. She took family photos for us this summer that turned out great (and are in my header) so I contacted her to do maternity photos and she'll be back to take newborn photos of the baby once they arrive.

Our gender predictions! Nate (girl), Me (boy), Phoenix (girl), Wynter (boy), and Brennan (boy)

Over It

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:47:00 +0000

I'm one day shy of 33 weeks today and starting Monday it happened, I'm over being pregnant. I don't want that to sound totally negative but all week I've been feeling hugely pregnant, exhausted, and uncomfortable. I think everyone hits this point at sometime in the 3rd trimester but I was a little surprised that it happened so soon for me.

When I was pregnant with Brennan I worked up until I went into labor and until 39 weeks I was on my feet for 9 hours per day. Honestly looking back I'm not quite sure how I made it. I didn't get terribly uncomfortable until 38 weeks. The last two weeks were quite miserable but I know it happens much earlier for most pregnant women so I tried not to complain too much. I was very thankful that I went into labor with Brennan on my due date and he was born the next morning. Due dates aren't expiration dates but after 9 months of anticipation and having your body completely taken over I think the mental aspect of going past your due date can get tough.

Babies are considered full-term from 37-42 weeks so I have between 4-9 weeks left. The planning part of me says if the baby comes in 4 weeks there is no way we'll be ready. We're still working on Brennan's room in the basement. It is coming along, the drywall and texture are done, electrical is all done and the lights are installed and working. Today I am going to buy paint and start priming, and carpet will be installed next Wednesday. If everything goes well the basement room could be done in a week and half. After the room is done we still have to move Brennan into that room, move Phoenix into Brennan's room, and then we can start on painting and putting together the baby's room. So far we have a cherry wood with ivory cushion rocker and no other furniture. The crib we had registered for is suddenly no longer available anywhere. This sent me into a bit of a panic Monday. After looking at all the cribs at Babies R Us I found one I loved in our price range. Babies R Us is in the middle of their 20% off crib sale and when I looked online yesterday it was no longer in stock. It also is a dark cherry finish which is closer to Espresso so I am not sure it will match the rocker. The baby's room is tiny so I am not sure even a small dresser will fit in there so I am unsure what to do about that. Good thing the baby will be in our room at first because they very well make their appearance before their room is completely put together.

So, been there, done that moms, how do I stay sane this next month or two? My iron levels were a bit low at my latest CBC so I'm working on increasing my iron levels which I know won't hurt my energy levels. I'm also going to go back to my early pregnancy (vitamin rich) diet. At my 28 week appointment the midwife mentioned I should slow down my weight gain so I stopped trying to squeeze in everything and did lose a pound the first week but I think it has affected how I feel. I don't want to gain a ton of weight but if it is healthy calories and it makes me feel better I'll take the extra weight. I've tried a lot of different things to get some better rest which I know would help me feel better and maintain a more positive outlook but sleep is still elusive for me. I use my Hypnobabies techniques which help but I still don't sleep well. This last week I've been so exhausted and not felt so uncomfortable by early afternoon that I take about an hour each afternoon to practice my Hypnobabies scripts and take some time in bed to rest and recharge which helps some. The time slot of prenatal water aerobics I was taking was canceled and the only other time is very inconvenient so I can only commit to going once per week. This is kind of a bummer. I wish I could go more because being in the water feels good and being active for an hour straight is always good. The weather has been nice so I need to make going on walks a priority. I get frustrated that after only a 2.5-3 mile walk I'm exhausted even on days when I'm otherwise feeling ok. I guess I need to remind myself that even a mile or two walk is better than nothing, especially if I do it every day or almost everyday. Not sure what else to try.

I can't wait to meet our precious baby. I know they are going to be just perfect and the last piece of the puzzle to complete our family. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with another child and I feel grateful to be able to carry this baby. Both my pregnancies have been fairly easy with no real morning sickness, which I know a lot of women struggle with. Besides the insomnia, 1st trimester high blood pressure, moderate protein levels at 26 weeks (which seemed to have resolved itself), and gaining more weight than I'd like, this pregnancy has been pretty easy as well. The baby has been growing well, always has a nice, strong heartbeat, and looked perfect at our 20 week ultrasound. I know I'm truly blessed and hopefully I can find some ways to make the next month or two more comfortable and try to enjoy my last time being pregnant. Either way I know it is worth it in the end.

Sleep, Oh Sweet Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:06:00 +0000

I'm writing this at 3:30am not because I was up late after a wild night of partying. I'm writing this at 3:30am because during this entire pregnancy sleep has been a bit elusive for me. I hate to complain because I've had a pretty great pregnancy and no morning sickness. I'll be honest though, the insomnia is rough.

The hardest part for me is I am truly a sleep lover! I am one of those people who functions best at 9-9.5 hours of sleep. If you aren't one of those people who needs a lot of sleep you probably think that is crazy but those who are sleep lovers know what I'm talking about. Of course I can function on 5-6 hours of sleep but it isn't pretty. I walk around in a bit of a haze most of the day, only to collapse at the end of the day craving the sleep I missed.

The pregnancy insomnia started around 8 weeks pregnant. With both my pregnancies first trimester brought the fun, "I have to pee all the freaking time" symptom. I assume this is hormonally related and it is different from the third trimester, "I feel like I have to pee all the freaking time but really it is just the baby's head smashing my bladder" symptom. Totally different but equally annoying. So early in my pregnancy I was waking to pee 3-4 times per night. A bit annoying but I lived with it. I am a bit of a water-o-holic which doesn't help but as long as I can fall asleep within 10-15 minutes at bedtime and can fall back asleep within 5 minutes of getting up to pee it really doesn't bother me. I can almost get a restful night sleep getting up 3-4 times if I can fall back asleep immediately. Of course the nights I only get up 1-2 times are much better.

The insomnia part that makes me even more crazy is the waking up and being unable to fall back asleep. I've seen 1am-3am more times this pregnancy than even when I was 21 years old. I wake up, go pee, lay back down, and lay there wide awake unable sleep, thinking, "again?!" "why me?". Eventually after 30 minutes or so of tossing and turning and listening to my stomach grumble I go try a snack. My midwives suggested something with protein so usually I just grab a cheese stick and head back to bed.

I first realized maybe hunger was waking me up around 12 weeks pregnant. After weeks of horrible insomnia I put two and and two together and tried to ward off the problem by having a healthy snack right before bed. It seemed to make sense since I have been super hungry this entire pregnancy. At first it did work some. Adding a snack before bed cut back the long, middle of the night awake periods to 2-3 times per week which seemed more manageable albeit annoying.

I tried asking women in my baby group from Baby Center that are due around the same time as me for suggestions. I even asked my midwife for suggestions. I did receive some good ones, though not all worked for me. Some were: cut back on evening water intake, stick with a relaxing bedtime routine/allow unwinding time, exercise but not in the evening, and try a over the counter remedy such as Unisom. While the midwife said Unisom was safe after the 1st trimester I still don't want to try it. Hubby thought it was a bad idea and having to take medicine to make me fall asleep seems like a bad idea.

Since starting my Hypnobabies child birth preparation in mid-January the self hypnosis and relaxation techniques have also helped me sleep better and have less nights with long awake periods. It just seem to alternate between a very restful night of sleep followed by an extremely crappy one. I was beginning to think going to bed earlier helped but last night I was in bed early and still have been awake for about 2 hours.

I am definitely taking this in strides. It is all worth it in the end and in about 2 months (hopefully a little less) I'll be meeting my precious new baby. I wonder if pregnancy insomnia is God's way of preparing the mom-to-be for all the middle of the night feedings and lack of sleep that the newborn phase entails?

30 Week Pregnancy Update

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000

Can I say it's hard for me to believe that I'm already 30 weeks along and in a little over 2 months we'll be meeting our baby? It's crazy how quickly the time goes! I'm trying to enjoy every minute since I know this will be the last time I'm pregnant. Pregnancy is hard work though.

30 weeks along

Side view

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 30 weeks

Maternity clothes: Ha! With a belly like that it has to be maternity. The shirt in the photo is a size small maternity top and it isn't going to fit another 3 months.

Baby bump: See for yourself in the pictures.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name once the baby is born.

Heartbeat: My 30 week appointment was on Friday and the baby's heartbeat was in the 140's.

Movement: I do have an anterior placenta which was confirmed at my ultrasound. I don't feel as much movement as people generally feel at this stage of pregnancy though the baby's movement is consistent and increasing. I still haven't felt the baby get hiccups yet but I know that is coming too.

Symptoms: Overall I still feel great and honestly feel really blessed to have avoided terrible morning sickness in both my pregnancies. My back hurts at the end of most days but it depends on my activity for the day. If I've been sitting a lot it tends to be worse. Sleep comes and goes for me. It is definitely better than it was from 8-18 weeks which I had horrible insomnia. About once a week I have a night where I am up for and hour or two but overall have been sleeping better. Last night I slept for 7 hours almost straight. For someone who needs 9-10 hours to function well that isn't a lot but compared to being up for 1-2 hours in the middle of the night I'll take it. We finished our 6 week Hypnobabies childbirth preparation course last week and the self hypnosis and relaxation techniques really help me sleep better.

Tests and midwife appointment updates: After the drama of my 26 week appointment, both my 28 and 30 week appointments were pretty low key. Last Friday was my 30 week appointment. I had lost a pound (yay, since I have gained more than I'd like already), baby was measuring 31 cm, and my blood pressure was still great (116/74). At both my 28 week and 30 week appointments I still did have trace amounts of white blood cells and protein in my urine but neither midwife seemed concerned since I passed the 24 hour urine screen with only moderate amounts and all my blood work came back normal. I'm glad to not have to worry about protein levels and increase in blood pressure for now. My next appointment is at 32 weeks with one of the midwives I haven't seen since 14 weeks so I am looking forward to chatting with her more.

Exercise: My 2nd session of prenatal water aerobics just ended and they canceled that time slot :-( I am now going to try dropping in to the other prenatal water aerobics class that isn't at a very convenient time and also dropping into a classic water aerobics class and just doing some modifications for pregnancy since I am familiar with the routines at this point. I'm still hoping for some nicer weather so the kids and I can get out and walk but lately there hasn't been much. The days in the 40's have had 40-50 MPH or greater winds so that doesn't make for great walking weather.

Next Appointment: Thursday, March 8th.

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 30 Weeks Some of the highlights: your baby is about 15.7 inches long and almost 3 pounds. A pint and half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume decreases as she gets bigger, and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it is not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision - which means she'll only be able to make out objects a few inches from her face.

Paid Cash For Our New Car!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:26:00 +0000

It is probably something I don't talk about enough on my blog: money! If you've read over my goals the past two years it is probably no secret that we do things different than most Americans. We've loosely been following Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover plan since 2008. I say loosely because we've fallen off the wagon a few times and made some modifications for our specific circumstances but we've adhered the basic principles.

Some of the basic principles are: debt is bad, once you can pay off your debt you will reduce your stress dramatically, increase your quality of life dramatically, and begin to quickly build wealth. In America we are raised in a society of instant gratification. If you can't afford it, charge it! Everyone has two car loans, a mortgage they can't afford, and some credit card debt, as long as you can make the payments it's no big deal, right? Wrong!

Dave Ramsey's plan is laid out clearly and simply. The first step is to build a "baby emergency fund" of $1000 so you can stop putting emergency purchases on the credit card. Then you start hacking away at your debt in a very deliberate manner. You list all your debts, smallest to largest, regardless of interest rate and you start throwing all your extra money at the smallest. I would've paid towards the highest interest debt but seeing one thing after another paid off encourages you to keep going. At first you think you have no extra money but once you make a budget you realize you probably do and you probably can make some cuts to the budget. If you absolutely have no extra money Dave Ramsey suggests getting a 2nd job in the short term, selling items you can live without, or even selling cars with big car payments to free up money in the budget. If there's a will, there's a way!

Another thing he hammers home is delayed gratification. You do not buy a new car or go on vacation until you can pay for it with cash. How many people do you know without a car payment? Not many, I bet! I will tell you from personal experience this has freed up the most money in our budget and helped us the most in making progress in paying off our debts. Prior to starting the Total Money Makeover hubby and I each had $300 per month car payments, yikes! If you need or want a new car you don't buy it until you have the cash to pay for it. Even if you can afford it he never suggests buying a brand new car because they lose so much value in the first two years. If you can afford it he suggests buying a 2 year old car with low miles. This way it is very reliable but has already depreciated significantly while you weren't the owner. Saving cash to pay for a car in our credit based society sounds crazy but it is easily attainable once you pay off your other debts. For example if you previously had $600 in car payments and $400 in credit card payments. Once those are paid off you have $1000 extra each month. If you want to buy a $12,000 car you would only have to save for 12 months and you'd never have a car payment.

Since we started the plan we have paid off both our car loans, all our credit debt (we had A LOT), and have a 4 month living expenses emergency fund (though as a single income household our goal is 6 months living expenses). Due to financial freedom we now have without all that debt, we were able to purchase our first house this year. Our new home is much nicer and much bigger than our rental home but the mortgage is the same. Hubby and I both still have large balances on our student loans and our next goal will be to pay those off entirely. Since we owe so much it will likely be at least 3 years before we meet that goal but it will be so great to be debt free besides our mortgage. After that we start chipping away at our mortgage. Long before retirement our mortgage will be paid off and we'll enter retirement completely debt free. We are also able to be a single income family and I am able to stay home now while our children are little, which I am very thankful for.

We made a big step in our Total Money Makeover journey this past week. We purchased our first new (used) car entirely with cash. What an amazing feeling! In the process of negotiating the deal the dealer could not get the car within our budget at first and suggested we finance the difference. We held firm and told him we don't finance cars and don't take on new debt. The dealer flat out told us that paying cash for a car is un-American. Hubby and I silently chuckled to ourselves and knew we were on the right track. Dave Ramsey says in his book when people start telling you you're crazy for doing things this way you know you're on the right track! Another family with 5 kids was purchasing a different minivan and peeked their heads in at the end and said good job paying cash for our car. Apparently they overheard and the dealer said they also paid cash for their van, another Dave Ramsey follower I bet.

We now have a van that seats 7 and plenty of room for our soon-to-be family of 6. We got what we wanted and still don't have a car payment. It truly is an amazing feeling and I couldn't be happier!

Front view of our 2005 Toyota Sienna

Side view of our new car

Summer Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:19:00 +0000

My two oldest kids are both 11 years old this year and I wanted to send them to summer camp this summer. We started looking into prices and quickly realized with 3 kids at home and another on the way summer camp was out of our price range. You'll imagine how thrilled I was to hear that The SITS Girls were giving away a free session of summer camp to Catalina Island Camps . The giveaway is for one child and a friend so both my older kids could go together! I am entering to win a session of summer camp for a child at Catalina Island Camps from The SITS Girls!

The other neat part is that I have a lot of family in Southern California. My mom grew up in Palos Verdes and they had a sail boat growing up. They often sailed to Catalina Island. How neat would it be for my kids to go to summer camp the same place my mom played as a kid!

My two older kids would also love the independence. They would both be excited to fly alone to California and spend two weeks at summer camp without mom or dad. After browsing the website my kids would love all the activities. They love the beach, they love the water, and they love any outdoor activity. The activities highlighted on the Catalina Island Camps website are: skin diving (probably would be my daughter's favorite), kayaking, sailing, power boat activities, stand up paddleboards, target sports (would be my son's favorite), climbing, ropes course, challenge, gardening and composting, nature, outdoor cooking, photo journalism, arts and crafts, day trips, overnights, and Thursday morning adventure trips. All of those sound like so much fun.

I went to summer camp with church each summer in middle school and high school and had such a great time. I still have amazing memories of the fun times we had at camp. There is something about being away from home, having some independence, being surrounded by friends, and enjoying nature, that is so great for kids. I would feel so blessed if I won this giveaway and could give my kids this experience that they wouldn't otherwise have.

Confessions of the Formerly Habitually Late

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:24:00 +0000

My name is Michelle and I have a problem. No, I'm not a alcoholic, I'm habitually late. I've always been late for as long as I can remember. This problem bothered me some, mostly I was bothered by the consequences of being late to important events. Mainly I accepted it as a personality flaw and went about my life. You can't change who you are, right?

Last year in writing my goals, I set a personal goal to be more on time during 2011. And guess what some amazing things happened. Not only have I made some great improvements in this area. I now often show up early to meetings or events. There is nothing that makes a person who has been habitually late more happy than to be the first person to show up to a meeting or event. In the past 6 months I've often been the first one to show up to meetings with friends or events. Just this week hubby and I were the first ones to show up to the hospital tour and even beat the instructor there. Once it was 3-4 minutes before and none of the other 6 couples or instructor were there I even began to wonder if we were in the right place. Waiting for other people who are late doesn't bother me in fact it makes me happy to be the first one there. Each time is a tiny triumph for this formerly habitually late person.

So what have I been doing differently? There still aren't enough hours in the day. I still want to try to finish one last thing before I leave. I still underestimate how long it takes me to finish that one last thing. I also still underestimate how long it takes me to get places. The biggest thing I've changed in the past year is building in a time "buffer". If I think it will take me 15 minutes to get somewhere I plan to leave 30 minutes before. This way if I leave 5 minutes late and hit 5 minutes of traffic, I'll still be a few minutes early. If I think it will take me an hour to get ready for something I give myself an hour and half. It has been working great for me. Every time I have somewhere to be I add some extra time onto my leaving time and have been really successful at not being late. Sometimes I'm right on time or a few minutes early, sometimes I'm 10 minutes or more early, and sometimes I'm still late but the improvement for me personally has been amazing.

Giving myself more time to get places and get ready has really lowered my stress level. Since I was habitually late I didn't stress about it too much since it was my way of life. Now that I am on time or early 8/10 times I realize how much less stressful being early or on time is. Hubby generally runs on time so I think being more on time has made him happier too.

You too can recover from your habitual lateness. It just takes some extra planning and thought on your part and a desire to make being on time a priority. I'm not perfect but I love the improvements I've made and continue to delight on each on time or early arrival I make. Next time we meet for coffee, don't worry I'll be there 5 minutes early and silently delighting in my little triumph.

27 Week Update

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:30:00 +0000

I can't believe I haven't updated since 20 weeks! Here are some of my pregnancy photos from this last week.

The 26 week belly, 1-29-2012

26 week profile shot, 1-29-2012

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 27 weeks

Maternity clothes: Ha! With a belly like that it has to be maternity. The shirt in the photo is a size small maternity top and it isn't going to fit another 3 months.

Baby bump: This last week I definitely "popped" again. Between 26-27 weeks I started to feel huge and there is no question I have a big baby bump. I can't even imagine how much bigger it will get in the next 3 months. Hubby and I were looking at Brennan's baby book and I'm about the same size as I was at 35 weeks with Brennan.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name once the baby is born.

Heartbeat: The baby is getting bigger and their heart rate has slowed a bit. At my 26 week appointment it was 145-150 depending upon if the baby was moving or not. This last time the baby didn't want to stay still and let the midwife get a good heart rate.

Movement: I do have an anterior placenta which was confirmed at my ultrasound. I don't feel as much movement as people generally feel at this stage of pregnancy. I do feel at least 10 spontaneous movements throughout the day but rarely feel more than 1 kick or punch in a row. Yesterday the baby was extremely active and moving all over the place so maybe the baby is finally getting big enough that I can feel the movements despite the placement of my placenta. This past week I've definitely gotten some rib jabs and punches to the cervix. I've haven't felt the baby get hiccups yet but I know that is coming too.

Symptoms: Overall I still feel great and honestly feel really blessed to have avoided terrible morning sickness in both my pregnancies. I have been sleeping better these past few weeks. We started our Hypnobabies childbirth preparation and I think that has really helped me to relax and sleep better since we do our practice before bed. I'll write a separate post about why we chose Hypnobabies and what our experience with it has been so far. My back is starting to hurt, especially at the end of the day or if I have to do any extended periods of sitting.

Tests and midwife appointment updates: Baby was back to measuring right on track after measuring 2 weeks ahead at my 22 week appointment and 5 days ahead at my ultrasound. I guess the baby must have just been in the middle of a growth spurt around 22 weeks. At 26 weeks I had my gestational diabetes screen which I passed with flying colors. The solution wasn't as bad as I remembered it though I did request lemon lime and drank it ice cold. At my 26 week appointment there was a moderate amount of protein in my urine as well as trace amounts of white blood cells. Due to my first trimester high blood pressure this warranted further testing. My midwife explained that there was a note in my chart to due the testing at 28 weeks due to my first trimester high blood pressure and that due to the protein it was safer to do it now rather than wait two weeks. My blood pressure was still 116/74 so at least that was good. in order to officially have pre-eclampsia you have to have both high protein levels (mine were moderate) and high blood pressure (mine was still normal). I had to do a 24 hour urine screen and a metabolic panel, both pre-eclampsia tests, to make sure that wasn't beginning to develop. I was stressing out over the weekend about the tests and the possibility of developing pre-eclampsia this early in my pregnancy since the only cure is delivery of the baby. I ended up getting several bad headaches but was able to determine they were sinus (and probably stress too) related. I completed the test Sunday since I had to essentially be home for 24 hours straight which rarely happens. Monday afternoon I heard back from the midwife and got some decent news. First my blood test results were all great and someone developing or who has pre-eclampsia should have markers in their blood to indicate that as well. My protein results were only ok. A normal result would be 50-70, mine was 168, but the 24 hr protein level has to be 300 or greater to be considered pre-eclampsia. My midwife said I would have to repeat the 24 hour urine screen and blood work at 28 weeks but to not worry and carry on like normal until then. She said it is possible with my Crohn's and medication I take that my baseline protein number is just simply higher. I'm slightly unsure about that because according to the in office screen at 8, 10, and 14 weeks I didn't have an protein in my urine (I transferred care at 14 weeks and this midwife practice doesn't routinely screen your urine in office until 26 weeks). Reading online there is a small possibility that a UTI can cause protein or white blood cells to show up in your urine. It doesn't seem like the likely cause but I am going to ask at my next appointment whether my urine was tested for a UTI and if not request it is before we do another 24 hour urine screen. Send prayers and good thoughts my way that this is just normal for my body and not the beginning of pre-eclampsia. Also in monitoring my blood pressure at home this week it has been slightly higher but staying under 130/85. My midwife did not seem concerned about this at all since she said they said now that I'm in the 3rd trimester that they expect my blood pressure to return to 1st trimester levels which for me were high. Every pregnant woman has lower blood pressure during the 2nd trimester due to hormonal changes in pregnancy.

Exercise: I'm doing much better with exercise! I love my prenatal water aerobics class. It is great to have 2 days per week with a full hour of physical activity. It is nice to get out of the house and spend time with other pregnant women. My first session ended and I just started a 2nd session this week. We've also had several days of weather in the 40's and 50's and the kids and I have been going for walks of about 2 miles or so. Between the walking and water aerobics I am getting 4-5 days of exercise which makes me happy. The water aerobics class isn't very strenuous but it is still a full hour of physical activity so I'll take it.

Next Appointment: I'm in the third trimester now so I have appointments every 2 weeks. My next appointment is on Friday, February 10th. Last appointment was the first pregnancy related thing hubby couldn't make it to. Now that my appointments are more frequent I am going to schedule them for Friday mornings because it is hard for him to get out of work at 3:30pm and then we have the problem of who is going to watch the kids. He's met a few of the midwives and I'll make sure at the end of the pregnancy when I schedule appointments with midwives he hasn't met to make the appointments for when he can go.

Here is the link to the Baby Center Your Pregnancy: 27 weeks . Some of the highlights: your baby weighs about 2 pounds now (size of a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping at regular intervals and waking at regular intervals and opening and closing her eyes and perhaps even sucking her thumb. Your baby's brain is very active. While her lungs are capable of functioning outside the womb with a lot of medical help they are still immature. Hiccups are common for babies at this point in pregnancy. At this point in pregnancy back pain and leg cramps are common.

Scientists Abound!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:25:00 +0000

Last week was a busy week for our family. Wynter participated in the all subjects fair at her school and Brennan participated in an inventor's fair for district middle school students hosted by a local company.

Wynter's school hosts an all subjects fair instead of a science fair. The idea is the same as the science fair but students were not limited to only science topics to research. Wynter's project was titled, "Healthy Life" and focused on a healthy diet and exercise. It was neat that she chose to study healthy diet and exercise all on her own. I think she learned a few things and having to manage an 8 week long project with interim guidelines, a paper, and a presentation is a great skill to have.

Wynter's Healthy Life project

For Brennan's inventor's fair he could invent anything that didn't exist or make significant improvements to an existing product, similar to the guidelines for obtaining a patent. The company that hosted the inventor's fair was Wasson-ECE Instrumentation and they were very gracious hosts. They definitely encouraged the invention process within the kids. Each invention was judged and the students had to defend and discuss their inventions with the judges. The company provided plenty of snacks during the morning and while the judging results were tallied we were taken on a tour of their facility. While the entry materials said the top 20 inventions would receive $100 cash prize, all 32 entries received $100 cash. The top 3 inventions also received an opportunity to shadow one of the engineers at the company for 1/2 day.

Brennan's invention was a solar powered light built into a nook cover. He has a Nook Simple Touch which is not backlight so he can't read in the dark. He likes reading in bed and doesn't have a bedside lamp and also likes reading in the car. Since it gets dark so early often our car trips are in the dark too. He wanted a case with a light built in but when he searched for one he couldn't find it. Making it solar powered was just an added bonus so you never have to plug it in. After some research and discussions with my hubby, who thank goodness is a mechanical engineer himself, Brennan designed and built the case and solar powered light himself. It turned out great and he was super excited to receive the $100 cash prize!

His invention was called Solstice

Close up of invention and backboard

Certificate of completion and $100

Happy 9th Birthday Phoenix!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Happy 9th birthday Phoenix! You are such a joy to our family. You are smart and witty and cute and petite. You'll only be the baby of the family for a few more months so enjoy it but then you'll even have a more important role, big sister. I can't wait to watch you flourish and grow as a big sister. I'm proud of the young lady you are becoming. You definitely are not a baby anymore. Keep up the good work. We love you!

Baby Phoenix on the right

Phoenix's 1st day of kindergarten

My beautiful ballerina, 2010

July 2011

The birthday table all set for the birthday girl

The birthday girl on her way to school this morning

2012 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:22:00 +0000

Last year writing out my goals on my blog and updating on my progress throughout the year helped keep me accountable so for 2012 I'm doing the same. Some are personal goals, some are financial goals, some are fitness goals, and some are family goals.

1. Be more patient with my children. Generally speaking I am a relatively patient person but I know I could grow in this area this year. Honestly now that my kids are older my expectations for them are high and I get frustrated when they do things like ignore me over and over again or fight non-stop with each other. These and other behaviors are not acceptable but my response needs to be more patient and I need to institute appropriate consequences for the misbehavior, and not lose my temper or yell. I think this is a very important goal for me this year with the new baby coming in May.

2. Spend more quality time with my husband, go on dates more, and make it a priority to spend at least two weekends with him this year completely kid-free. Last week we had a nice treat, 24 hours kid-free. I can't even describe how it refreshed my soul. Hubby and I had a wonderful date and lots of time to just be a couple and take a break from parenting. We got about halfway through The Love Dare book last year and we need to make it a priority to finish it over the next couple months. I'd also love to get involved with a small group or marriage study at church if there is one available that fits our schedule.

3. Make more local friends. Spend more time with my long time friends. I'm a people person, plain and simple. People feed my soul and I need that interaction with friends on a regular basis. I'd love to meet more local women to get together with regularly. I'd also love to get together more regularly with my long time girlfriends who I love spending time with but most live 45 minutes away or so. A little progress in both regards this year would make me happy.

4. Learn more about parenting tweens and teens. I feel very unprepared for the challenges that lay ahead now that I have an 11, 11, and almost 9 year old. Babies, toddler, preschoolers, I'm an expert at, but teens they are almost alien like creatures. Luckily none of my kids have gotten to the stage where they "hate" me and think everything I do is wrong. Both 11 year olds have attitudes though drastically different due to gender and personality. The 9 year still hasn't hit the attitude, pre-teen stage yet but I told hubby we've got 1 more good year out of her at most before it starts with her too.

5. Stick to a budget! I am awful at this. I make a budget, I'm frugal, yet we still overspend. It is vicious cycle. Life with three kids isn't cheap but we should be saving and paying off debt quicker than we are. My number one financial goal this year is to stick to a budget. Nate is now helping more with the finances instead of all of it resting on my shoulders and we implemented a new system to track the budget this year so I am hoping it works.

6. Find little ways to cut back on spending. Cut grocery bill down even more, restart The Grocery Game, 2nd hand shop for the kids as much as possible (in 2011 I had great luck with consignment sales and a local consignment shop), cut back on eating out, and any other little way I can figure out. It may only total up to $100-$200 per month but if that can be paid towards student loans and less interest the impact is magnified.

7. Fully fund a 6 month emergency fund, then start paying down student loans. We're having a baby in May. We have a lot of large expenses the first half of this year, $3000 deductible and co-insurance for delivery, a new car that seats 6, finishing a bedroom in the basement for Brennan, and re-decorating Phoenix's old room for the baby. These things are going to take a lot of our extra income for the first 6 months of the year, not to mention everything the baby needs like furniture, gear, clothes, etc. Being realistic my goal would be to have our 6 month emergency fund fully funded by the end of April. Given the expenses we have coming up this year, after our emergency fund is fully funded my goal for our student loans would be to pay $10,000 towards student loans by the end of 2012. That isn't much at all considering the huge amount of student loans hubby and I have but it would be a start in the right direction. I think that amount could at least pay off both of our private student loans and leave us both with only Federal Stafford loans which have low interest rates and the most flexible repayment terms.

8. Get back into running. I was running until about 13-14 weeks pregnant but then it got cold here in Colorado and I can't seem to get the motivation back. I was really hoping to keep running my entire pregnancy and run a fall 2012 half marathon but that goal may be too big for this year. Plus the half marathon I wanted to run is now when we'll be out of town in September. Running a summer 5K and a fall 10K and training well for them are probably better postpartum goals. This will leave me ready to train for a spring 2013 half marathon and the Colorado Marathon is my first choice. It will also leave me very well trained to run a fast (for me) 2013 Bolder Boulder. Running the Bolder Boulder has been my dream since I got into running but this year I'll only be a couple weeks postpartum so it will have to be delayed until 2013.

So those are my goals for 2012. Thanks for helping keep me accountable!

Introducing Baby Brown

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:38:00 +0000

The baby's first photos! We had our first and likely only ultrasound on Tuesday. It was the 20 week anatomy scan though we waited until I was 22 weeks 4 days so it would be in the 2012 plan year for our insurance deductible.

It was so amazing to see the baby. My favorite part was the tech got an up close shot of the baby's little lips and nose, and they looked just adorable. The tech said everything looked great and got all the measurements we needed. We left there with about 15 profile photos of the baby and a live action DVD of the whole thing. Technology has definitely improved over the past 12 years since I've been pregnant!

We also got a call from our midwife yesterday going over the ultrasound report and she said everything looked perfect. We have a healthy baby growing in there! I wasn't worried something was wrong but hearing those words, "your baby looks perfect" sure felt great.

At my 22 week appointment I was measuring 24 weeks or 2 weeks ahead according to fundal height. At the ultrasound the baby was 1 pound 4 oz and measuring 5 days ahead. Since we're past the first trimester and babies grow at all different rates according to their genetics they will not adjust my due date but I'll likely have a bigger than average baby. Brennan was 8 lbs 1oz and I was 8lbs 12oz and hubby is 6'0" tall and 180 pounds so I wasn't expecting a small baby to start with. We were just happy to hear everything looks great and get a sneak peek at the baby. The day was even more special because hubby and the kids all got to be there to see the baby too. I can't believe the baby will be here in a little under 4 months!

Mommy and baby photos

Side view

The frame for our dresser

Baby

Love this profile shot!

A One Day Can Change the Course of the Rest of Your Life

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 01:59:00 +0000

6 years ago today, despite hubby going to the wrong Starbucks (there is one on every corner in Colorado) hubby and I had our first date. It is amazing how something so simple can truly change the course of the rest of your life. We had met on Match.com and had a few long phone conversations but had never met in person. If I hadn't realized he was at a different Starbucks we both would've probably thought we were stood up and moved on in our dating adventure. Lucky for both of us that isn't how things turned out. Our first date was wonderful and we spent hours sitting in Starbucks talking and laughing. The rest is pretty much history but 13 months later we were engaged and 2 1/2 years after our first date we were married. Now 6 years later we've been married 3 1/2 years and are expecting our first "together" baby.

I love you so much Nate and thank God each day for bringing you into my life. You are a wonderful husband, father, provider, companion, and my best friend. I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us with the arrival of our new baby and all the excitement that brings. Here's to 6 more and 60 more years of happiness together! I love you!

If you want to read more about our love story I wrote about it here.

Then

Now

Pregnancy: 20 Weeks

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:19:00 +0000

Due date: May 4, 2012

How far along: 20 weeks

Weight gain: 17 pounds. I think my 16 week update was a little off with 10 pounds because I was up 17 at my 18 week appointment. I gained 10 first trimester and still am hungry all the time. I've just come to terms with the fact I am going to gain 40 pounds again this time. Luckily with Brennan it came off right away with no work. Hoping for slow and steady the rest of my pregnancy.

Maternity clothes: All maternity clothes. A couple pre-pregnancy shirts and dresses fit. The dress and tank in the pictures above are not maternity.

Baby bump: Between 13-14 weeks my belly definitely "popped". While it has gotten bigger since then I think it has been more gradual. It also depends a lot upon what I'm wearing.

Gender: We aren't going to find out the gender. We are really excited to announce both the gender and the name on the day the baby is born.

Heartbeat: We got to hear the heartbeat at my 18 week appointment again. The baby had a nice strong heartbeat of 152 BPM. I can't wait to hear it again next week!

Movement: Still waiting to feel lots of movement throughout the day. Brennan and Wynter were able to feel the baby move around 18 weeks when the baby was really hyper. Nate and Phoenix still haven't been able to feel it :-( This last week I have been feeling a bit more spontaneous movement throughout the day which is exciting. I'll be interested to see if I have an anterior placenta at my ultrasound because that can muffle the movement of the baby's kicks. Either that or I just have a really chill baby. The baby is still most active around 9pm.

Symptoms: Overall I still feel great! I'm happy to report my blood pressure has been great since early November! After several weeks of normal readings at home and a great reading at my last appointment I have stopped monitoring it. I think worrying about it non-stop doesn't help and now that it has been normal I don't worry. I still severely limit my caffeine intake though I have been cheating more this past week. I also still take all my heart health supplements and the liquid iron and herbs the acupuncturist recommended and will continue those throughout my pregnancy as a preventative measure. After 4 sessions of acupuncture I have stopped that now due to cost and that my blood pressure is normal again. I would definitely consider it again in the future if my blood pressure goes up. I also happy to report the mid-pregnancy headaches that I complained of last update have subsided too. I'm still tired if I do a lot during the day and occasional sneak in a 30 minute nap but I can stay up late getting stuff done if need be. I did have horrible pregnancy insomnia from about 8 weeks until about 18 weeks. I tried to just chalk it up to normal pregnancy stuff but it was starting to wear on me. After chatting with some other women at similar stages of pregnancy the biggest things I've done is add a snack right before bed so I don't wake up hungry, limit water intake after dinner which was hard because I am a water-o-holic, and sleep with a body pillow. The body pillow helps a lot more than I thought. I still toss and turn a bit and often I don't wake up with the body pillow but I always start with it. I really can't complain much though, just like with Brennan I am having a pretty easy pregnancy!

Exercise: I am still doing horrible with exercise which is disappointing to me since I was so active before. The cold weather really is my enemy! I signed up for an hour long prenatal water aerobics class two days per week the entire month of January so I hope paying for that and putting in on my calendar will keep me accountable. I need to get running again because I know if I take 6 months off it will be harder to pick up postpartum. Anyone want to be my running buddy? I run really slowly, especially pregnant ;-)

Next Appointment: Friday, December 30th. I'll be 22 weeks and Nate and the kids will all be coming. The kids don't have school so I thought I'd take the opportunity to let them meet the midwives and hear the baby's heartbeat. I know they can't wait. I hope the exam room doesn't feel too crowded with 6 people in it. Our ultrasound is scheduled for January 3rd and the kids get to come to that too!

Here is the link to the Baby Center: Your Pregnancy: 20 weeks. Some of the highlights are: baby is now 10 1/2 ounces and 6 1/2 inches. He is swallowing more these days and his digestive system is getting some practice. Your uterus is now level with your belly button and you've likely gained around 10 pounds (ha!). Expect to gain about a pound or so per week the rest of your pregnancy.

Brennan's New Etsy Shop

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:08:00 +0000

My 11 year old son, Brennan recently opened his own Etsy shop. I'm so proud of him! He makes custom made duct tape items. Right now his shop is offering wallets, purses, checker boards, and bull whips with plans to add more items as business expands. Each item is made to order with your specifications. You chose the color and can even add a custom design. His prices are very reasonable too. Please take the time to click over and check out his shop.

Orders placed by 12/16 will be shipped in time for Christmas delivery.

An example of a wallet

Woven wallet

Bull whip

Checker board, includes duct tape checkers

Purse, size can be customized as well as colors

Current colors he has available

Thanks for looking!