*Week 39*

CURRENT STATS

Percentage Cooked: 98%!

Baby Size: 7 lb. 2 oz. estimate, as of Wednesday – GOOOO Baby!

Countdown to Baby: 1 week (273 days down, 7 OR LESS to go!)

Symptoms: How small ARE those piggy bones?  My poor, swollen feet!

Hips hurt.

Hourly bathroom breaks.

LOTS of Baby movement!

I’m super hot, but I can blame a lot of that on our weather (that the non-pregnant me LOVES!)!

 Cravings: Oreos, ice cream, jelly beans, Sierra Mist

Weight Gain: Well, I was up 37 lbs. as of Wednesday, but then lost a pound as of Friday – so 36 lbs. (this may be my last Dr. weigh in)…that’s right, it’s time to LOSE weight!

Related Purchases: Nothing exciting – hand sanitizer, a travel wipe holder, snacks for the hospital, more thank you cards

Fear of the Week: I’M HAVING A BABY THIS WEEK!

I have fear about our baby’s health and safety, but faith that God is fair and good and will protect us both.  Prayers for this little one are welcomed and appreciated  ♥

Relief of the Week: WE’RE GOING TO MEET OUR BABY THIS WEEK!

There is a plan in place…I promise to share it all (well, all to a point!) after the dust settles.  Just know for now that we are having the baby this week…in a day that ends with “day”… but doesn’t start with an “s.”

What?  I’m sorry!  I am definitely an oversharer, but need to draw the line somewhere!!!

Randomness: Is it wrong or is it wrong to play “Only The Good Die Young” at an OBGYN’s office?  I mean, it innocently came on the radio, but…seriously?

We have been very productive!  Remember our house to-do list?  Well, we killed it AND MORE (mostly over the past 2 months).  Everything is checked off, except for some unnecessary items on the wish list (like getting a hanging plant for outside) and the washing down all of the baseboards etc.  This house is ready for a whole new kind of chaos.  ;)

 Scott’s Quote of the Week: If only I could show you what Scott’s face looked like when he gave me a foot massage last night.  It was the only one that I asked for throughout this pregnancy and it was well deserved!  I swear, the swelling went down immediately!  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?  Poor Scott hated every second of it, but sucked it up (the hating, not my toes).  He’s such a trooper – thanks, love!

Me [totally sad about how my face looks in a picture]: “Wahhhh”

Scott: “You’re supposed to look like that!”

Me: “Babe, I really wanted to wash down all of the baseboards in the house, but by the time I got to doing it – I realized that I waited too long.  It’s really hard to get up and down so I just did it in the family room.”

Scott [totally kidding]: “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  I MEAN, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?!”

Haha – love him!

So I will be signing off for a week or so.  I will catch everyone up as soon as I can.  Please stay tuned…you know you can’t live without knowing if it’s a BOY or a GIRL and what we name this sweet angel!!!

xoxo

p.s. Next time you hear from me, I’m going to be a MOMMY!!!

p.s.s. For those of you who know more info – ZIP IT!  It’s our secret to tell  ♥ (This goes for on Facebook, too!)

p.s.s.s. Check out Weeks 13-38 below!  (You’ll get to see all of the belly pics in a row nicely at a later date!)

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 92° 

“Star of Mommy’s Blog”

Ain’t that the truth! 

Thanks, Aunt Christina!  xoxo

p.s. Gotta love my pregnancy sweat glow!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 97° 

The Olympic games start Friday, folks, and man am I excited.  I’ve always loved watching the Summer Olympic games!  I love the gymnastics, swimming, and diving.  This year, I may have to check out synchronized swimming, trampoline, table tennis, and badminton because…well…just because!

via

Since I’m still pregnant and it’s still hot outside, I plan on catching LOTS of the Olympic games this year.  I wish this girl was going to compete!

 Shawn Johnson –  gymnast – retired at age 20!

But seriously, let’s talk about my ideas for the Pregnancy Olympics.  It would be hysterically embarassing…and get amazing ratings on TV.  (Think Wipe Out or Bachelor Pad.)  Check it out…

Events where I’d would lose.  badly.

- potato sack racing

- remembering what day it is

- keeping my emotions in check (hello inappropriately loud and hysterical laughter!)

- chinese fire drills [I realize this is probably no longer a PC term, but I don't know what else to call it - I apologize!]

- sleeping

- walking

An olympiad, I’d be…Events where I’d KILL IT.

- turning on a gas stove…handsfree…with.ma.belly

- giving a urine sample without incident (this IS a sport – you CANNOT see a thang)

- leg shaving – again, without being able to see squat

- worrying

- toenail painting (there would have to be some serious censoring on this one as it is best executed naked!)

- Oreo-eating (duh)

- list-making

- not sleeping

What Olympic game would be your jam?  Which real summer sport?  Which made-up sport (these are just more fun to think about!)?  

Pregnancy alone IS a 40-week long Olympic trial, if you ask me…but, as usual, no one did.

xoxo

p.s. They replay Olympic events in the middle of the night, right?

p.s.s. All this London talk makes me reminisce about our royal wedding shenanigans!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 96° 

FINALLY a quick update on Spunky (isn’t the first child always ignored and neglected?!).  [Well, Spikey was really the first!]

November 14th, 2011 – the last documented mention of Spunky on the blog ::GASP:: (Me and Lisa from her and Seth’s 36 Hours of Fun!!!) 

Yesterday – July 24th, 2012

Check out those ridiculously pale tree stumps AND THEN check out Spunky (holy overly-pregnant-and-swollen monster legs — yikes!).

Hopefully you can tell that Spunky has grown quite a bit and is looking more and more like a real palm tree!  We are very proud!  It was quite windy when this photo was taken, so Spunky was definitely one with Willow Smith — “I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair back and forth…”

Please, for the love of the [dry] earth, check out our HORRIBLE lawn.  We’ve had NO working sprinklers all year.  The HOA has been working on it (something about salt water in the well), but for now – we have very burnt “grass.”  Gross. This drives my poor husband to CRAZYtown on a daily basis!

Happy Dr. Appointment Day Hump Day – I’ll keep y’all posted!

xoxo

 p.s. I fulfilled my fish & chips craving last night at Pearlz downtown.  YUM!  We headed to Bakehouse for a decaf frappe afterwards and then sat at Waterfront Park by the pineapple fountain for a while.  A perfect pre-baby date night…love my hubby! ♥

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 96° 

*Week 38*

CURRENT STATS

Percentage Cooked: 95%!

Baby Size: Over 6 lbs.?

Countdown to Baby: Less than 2 weeks (268 days down, 12 to go!)

Symptoms: Just about everything is sore.

Sleep has actually gotten a little bit better, shockingly.

I’m super hungry all of the time.  See wait gain…not good.

Hourly bathroom breaks.

Swollen feet and fingers, but now my hands/arms fall asleep quickly!

Vivid dreams – some related to labor and delivery, but some not.

LOTS of movement and hiccups from Baby, mostly at night.

We’re having cranky moments (all 3 of us).

We’re ready for ya, Baby!!!

 Cravings: Oreos, ice cream, fruit, Root Beer, I’m gonna throw you for a loop here - fish & chips!

Weight Gain: 35 lbs. as of last Wednesday…ugh, enough with the weight

Related Purchases: Some baby book items – yes, I’m attempting to make my own.  Otherwise, we are all set with baby items…as far as we know!

Fear of the Week: I have 2 Dr.’s appointments this week…I’m thinking we should have our hospital bags in the car, just in case?!

Relief of the Week: We get to see the baby this week – we’re going to have an ultrasound.  Yay!

I’m thankful that we’ve made it this far in the pregnancy.  Baby T. is already so strong!

Randomness: I’m sick of ALL of my clothes!

I saw this cartoon and thought of Scott →

Another funny one.  A little over the top, but funny! →

I can relate with the ice cream, nap, massage, and pjs!

 Scott’s Quote of the Week: Let’s give this week’s quote to my neighbor…

 Neighbor: “Oh, wow, when are you due?”

Me: “A couple more weeks!”

Neighbor: “My co-worker is due right around you, then.”

Me: “Oh fun – how’s her belly?  Is she ready to go, like me?” – ::for the record – dumb question::

Neighbor: “Well, she’s really petite – so her belly’s huge!”

Me: “OH, GOTCHA.” {insert sad face}

Me [after Scott and I got into the car]: “Um, I used to be ‘petite’ – what the heck!!!”

I mean, I’m not skinny anymore – but I am still only 4’11″.  Geesh!  Throw a pregnant girl a bone…or at least an Oreo.

Oy – I think I only have one week left in me!!!

xoxo

p.s. Any guesses on when this baby is going to come?!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 91° 

My parents, Scott, and I tackled the freezer meal situation last week.  As in – organized it, cleaned it out, and filled it to the brim with meals ready-to-go.

Success!!!

This is what we did…

First Mom and Dad made some meals of their own to freeze for themselves (they have A LOT of company headed their way in the next few months!) and then shared the wealth with us.  Thanks to them our freezer now has lasagna rolls, chicken madeira, bolognese sauce, and a gazillion meatballs (Mom made 100 or so…she’s incapable of just doubling a recipe – ha!).  That was an AWESOME start!

I had specific ideas of what else I wanted at my fingertips.  The garbage bread was already taken care of, but I wanted to tackle macaroni and cheese, turkey burgers, some crock pot recipes, cooked bacon & chicken for salads (or whatever), and blueberry muffins.  Mom and Dad came over for the day and we banged it all out (other than the muffins, I did those the next day).  I found the crock pot recipes on Pinterest (thanks for the tip, Heidi!) – terikyaki chicken, chicken enchiladas, and sausage & peppers.  Strawberries were also on sale, so we got some of those to freeze as well.

I am not at all saying that my freezer is full of the most nutritious and fat-free meals; instead I went for easy, filling, and yummy.  We organized everything by container/freezer bag, shelf, and bins – all labeled and ready to go.  I wrote the cooking directions on everything so it’s fool proof while I’m cooking through my eyelids.  We’re also ready for company (hello turkey burgers, thanks Christina!).

Look at the list that now lives on the side of the fridge…I am my parents’ daughter!

42ish meals later – I am ready for some easy meals on some maybe not so easy evenings.  Who else is excited?!

I’m embarrassed to say how excited I am that we now have bins in the freezer. WHAT…a dork.

In lieu of making this blog post ridiculously long, I am going to refrain from posting recipes.  However – if you want ‘em, I’ll share ‘em.  Ya just gotta ask!

This week, I’m going to make spicy Chex Mix, sweet Chex Mix (monkey munch or whatever people call it), and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I absolutely suggest doing this pre-baby, if you can.  I am so glad that this task is completed!  

How was everyone’s weekend?!  Week 38 post coming atcha tomorrow!

xoxo

p.s. I’m a die hard Bachelorette fan and was THRILLED with last night’s finale!  (I won’t spoil it, just in case you haven’t seen it yet!).  How about Emily saying that she wants to get married in CHARLESTON?!  LOVE IT!!!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 92° 

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making yesterday the day with the most ever views on Charm of Charleston!

ALL OF YOU have been so incredibly supportive and positive throughout this pregnancy…it honestly warms my heart.

I, of course, appreciate all of my friends and family for following us on this journey.  But I also very much appreciate my blog family (blamily? okay – maybe not) – the family of people who comment and follow religiously, even though we have never even met.  THANK YOU!

Even though this blog started as a way to share my love for Charleston (which I still love to pieces), it really is a blog about my life.  The focus of my life has changed, as it tends to do, and hence so has this blog.  This is my life documented, folks; heck – lately, it’s been a pregnancy journal!  Stick around to see what’s next – it’ll be a surprise to both of us!

But for now, just know that you’ve made my day!!!

Taking it back to this blog’s roots real quick, check out this article that was published last week on the Huffington Post website - Nine Things We Love About Charleston, SC.  I’m not sure how they ever narrowed it down to nine! 

 Downtown Summerville this week (The Eclectic Chef was delish!)

xoxo

p.s. Thoughts and prayers to Aurora, Colorado.  My brother was at the very same midnight showing in NYC.  Feeling pretty thankful.

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 91° 

I AM NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER.

(I repeat)

I AM NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER!

I absolutely admit that I have a semi-fancy camera and have not a clue what to do with it (hello, automatic setting!).  Scott and I both tried our very best to document Baby T.’s completed nursery, just like I am going to try my very best at this moment to let these photos speak for themselves and stop yapping.  always a struggle.

ENJOY! 

Okay, you know I wouldn’t be able to just leave it at that!  I’m a natural born narrator – I can’t help myself!!!

Note to Self (YOURself included): Planning a nursery without knowing the baby’s gender DOES present some challenges.  We chose to start with the primary colors from the bedding and the rug that we love and roll with the rest.  Yellow, gray, and red quickly became our accent colors.  We love the blue wall color and think it screams “baby!” without necessarily screaming “baby BOY!”  It’s just a sweet color.  We didn’t really theme-it-out, but went with a few different ideas that tickled our fancies.  It’s the only room in the house that we’ve planned from paint to curtain pullback and it’s the most serene-feeling room in the house.  We’re really happy with how it came together!!!

C’mon with the NY and SC prints – love ‘em, right?!  They’re so meaningful to us.

We found all of the wall art on Etsy, except for the gorgeous and thoughtful quote art.  My great friend in NY made that for me – thanks, Jenn!!!

I LOVE the nursing/reading nook by the window.  It’s so cozy.  Didn’t my Mom do an awesome job recovering the glider???  NAILED IT.  It’s perfect – thanks, Mom!  ♥

DIY Projects: I added the yellow ribbon to the chalkboard and lampshades.  I also made the curtain pullbacks with the yellow ribbon (and other small and cheap hardware pieces).  I made the mobile and I added the hearts to our home cities (Albany and Charleston) onto the state maps.

I threw that clock in the cube organizer last minute (I had a book opened and standing in place of it originally).  We still CANNOT figure out the perfect spot for that thing, but it’ll live there for now.  or for at least the next 5 minutes.  What a pain that clock has been – location suggestions welcome!

We love that there is still a lot of room to grow (re: space within the furniture, closet, bins, and baskets) and wall space to adorn, if and when we so chose.  I picture some large canvas prints on either wall in the nursing/reading nook of some pregnancy photos and then Baby T.’s newborn photos.  I also imagine a growth chart on the wall in the corner by the cube organizer and closet door. Maybe a little kid-sized coat rack somewhere.  Some more decorations on the top of the bookcase.  Baby’s name somewhere, even?  A baby will soon be in that crib…THAT I am sure of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My favorite parts of the room are the personalized ones…the glider, the DIY projects, the blocks, the books, and the state prints.  What’s your favorite part?  What am I missing/what did I forget?  Anything look completely impractical?  What’s your favorite part of YOUR baby’s nursery?  

Phew – another BIG project checked off of the list!!!  I hope you enjoyed the big reveal!

HAPPY WEEKEND!

p.s. 17 days or less was YESTERDAY’S count.  Now 16 is the number – EEK and YAY! 

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 89° 

You voted for it -

You picked my favorite (16 votes outta 30)-

You get to see the result -

(it’s only right!)

*DRUMROLL PLEASE*

(Excuse my bra strap.  For the record, I won’t be wearing one.)  I present, me in my lovely hospital gown…

Doesn’t it look like I stuffed the gown with a big ol’ pillow or something?  Like that isn’t actually my belly?  SO BIG!

Scott was disappointed that it wasn’t smaller/fitted/red carpet ready.  I tried to explain that it’s still what I’ll deliver a baby in…and that it needs to be loose and comfy.

He sorta gets it. 

Maybe I’ll add a belt?

Ha!

Thanks for all of the votes, peeps!

I am going to balance out all of the blue with some hot pink fingers and toes. 

xoxo

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 92° 

*Week 37*

CURRENT STATS

Percentage Cooked: 93%!

Baby Size:  About 6 lbs. ← this would be wonderful! (bigger than a honeydew melon but smaller than a watermelon?!)

Countdown to Baby: Less than 3 weeks (262 days down, 18 to go!)

Symptoms: Hips hurt.

Feet hurt.

I’m ginormous.

Skin is horrendous.  Worse than puberty ever offered me.

Sleep is rough.

Sausage toes.

I’m glowing…from sweat…every second…[hmph]

On the positive side: It could be A LOT worse!  Most of these symptoms only really bother me at the end of the day…after I’ve probably overdone it again.  Promise – I’m really holding up okay!  LOTS of energy!

 Cravings: Oreos, ice cream, yellow Vitamin Water – “Energy” (I should’ve mentioned this one a while ago!)

Weight Gain: 33 lbs. as of last Thursday (up an ellbee from the week before)

Related Purchases: IT’S DONE…except for a damn rogue clock that has no obvious home…nursery reveal THIS WEEK!  ♥

Fear of the Week: That this baby will come while my Dr. is off for a whole week…eeeeek!

Relief of the Week: Baby is considered full term - we made it!  SUPERBABY!!!

via here

We get an update on baby this morning!

Randomness: We have 30ish meals ready to go in the freezer – yay!  I hope to share a post with recipes and such, for those interested!  For now, check out my blueberry muffins…before some of them sunk in from the weight of the yummy crumb topping.  Oops.

Scott’s Quote of the Week: We’ve been all business this week, I think.  That or I can’t remember any quotes.  I blame “pregnancy brain.”  Mostly because I can’t use that excuse much longer!!!

58% of voters think girl…not as much of a landslide as I anticipated!  Getting really anxious to find out!!!   

xoxo

p.s. Dad: “Sarah – I have a question for you, but you can’t put it on the blog.” hahahaha

p.s.s. Does anyone else think my belly looks a little lower this week???  Say yes, say yes!!!

Beach Count: 77  

Pool Count: 32 

High Temperature: 92°