Merry Christmas!!

It's the crazy week of Christmas!! :) This week is a little hectic at our house between both of our works schedules, baby classes, call, and Pat's interviews the holidays get a little crazy around our house! Last Saturday we had a "friends xmas" at our house and our close friends came over with their kids for appetizers/drinks. It's amazing to me that our house is becoming more and more babyproof!! It's getting easier for our friends to let their kids run around and we actually have toys, beds, cribs, and high chairs to use so it's alot easier for the little ones. Last night we had another friend's xmas at the Durrett's with the Bakers and Uberta's it was really nice! We all pulled names and they put Jack's name in the drawing. We had Hannah and little Eli had Jack...Jack got some ADORABLE Polo boots, jeans, and shirts. He is going to look so handsome :).

I'm still feeling great, but in the mix of work, parties, wedding I'm definitely feeling tired. Last Friday I worked all day, then raced home to get ready for a wedding, then went to a downtown wedding. Friday nights are rough enough after being on my feet all day but with a wedding it was really hard. My ankles were HUGE and after the dances my back started to really hurt. After a glass of water my back kept hurting so me and Pat snuck out a little earlier. Once I got home and put my feet up and drank more water I was good, but I was starting to get worried that it was possibly back labor. My doctor's have officially drilled into my brain to definitely pay attention to new back pain, more than 4 contractions an hour, and severe swelling.

Jack is getting bigger and bigger! Today when I tried to get measurements I got him weighing in at 5lbs 8oz. I say "tried" bc his head is extremely low so it's really difficult to get accurate measurements on him. Yesterday I scanned a baby that was 1 day old and she was only 2 weeks older than Jack! She was due on Jan. 22 but actually went into preterm labor and delivered early. She was doing great. She wasn't in the NICU, she wasn't on oxygen, and was planned to go home the next day! I can't believe that in 2 weeks if Jack was born he would be OK and would be about her size!! I hope he definitely stays in and cooks as LONG as possible, but it is somewhat calming to know that he's be OK.

Our upcoming Holiday schedules start Thursday night. Thursday we are going duckpin bowling with the Rooney's and the Duhaime's. I'm on call Thursday night from 11p-noon. Then Xmas eve we are going to church and then to the Clements' for dinner. Xmas day I'm on call and we are going to my grandpa's and later in the evening heading up to Pat's moms house once I go off call at 730p. Sunday we are heading over to the Rooney's for xmas with James. I'm so thankful to have so many places to go and so many important people to see! I'm hoping me and Jack make it to all of them and aren't falling asleep.

My doctor's appointments are going great. Last time I had gained a pound and I was still measuring small. The doctor was really sweet and said at my size it's normal to measure small and not to worry a bit. She did put me on an iron supplement bc I was borderline anemic and obviously will be losing some blood in the upcoming months. I go again next Tuesday (34 weeks) and hoping it goes as smooth! I guess they start to check cervix at 35 weeks so the next time should be interesting!

I'm starting to get more and more anxious that we don't have everything ready...so this week I've been washing, cleaning, and trying to get a little more organized. I think our friend Jenny is also going to come help get me organized since she already has two kids and knows what we need where. Tonight I also picked up the bassinett that my friend Shawn is letting us borrow. I'm SO glad she is letting us use hers...it saves us some money and also they aren't in the bassinett for that long. Little Jack will love it and he can be closer to his crazy mom at night :)

Hello Crazy holiday season and crazy schedules!

Well we have ALOT coming up and I'm hoping I'll having the energy through all these holiday weeks! Lately I've been short of breathe from the little one being so high and in my rib cage so by the end of the day I'm exhausted. It's amazing how quickly I pass out! This week is a big week for us Monday I have a scan & Tuesday I have my 32 week appointment with another Dr. Smidt. On thursday we have our "breastfeeding" class. The classes through St. Francis have been really helpful. This past Thursday we went to "Newborn care" and learned alot. The teacher was a NICU nurse and gave us so much great info. I know Pat wasn't REALLY looking forward to the class, missing "guys night" and all~ha, but he was taking notes and got a lot out of it. They showed us different ways newborns can look when immediately out of the womb and I think it was great for Pat to see that they don't come out looking pink and perfect. First borns usually have coneheads from being in the birth canal longer. They gave us a great list of medical stuff to have in the nursery and also showed us how to bathe the little one and what to do before the cord falls of and working with the circumcision~~things I had NO CLUE about.

Then, Friday we have a wedding....Saturday we have Friend's Christmas Party...and Sunday I'm on call....then let xmas week craziness begin. Needless to say this weekend we are sitting on our butts doing NOTHING!!!! It's been great!! Here's a pic of my snowed-in furbabies while I drink some hot chocolate :)

3d photoshoot time

Anytime I get a chance I'll check & see jack's position and if he's in the right one I can grab a 3d pic. I'm beginning to think we have a lil character on our hands:)
He has his mouth open in one & his foot/toes in his nose in the other haha!









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heading into month 8

It's been a while since I've taken a belly pic! I'm 31 weeks in these :)

Let it snow!

Well in Indiana it's now snowing. Which is crazy to me, because in the heat of the summer I always told myself that when it's snowing I will know that it's almost time for Jack to make his debut~~OH MY GOD it's snowing lol!! This weekend we had Lucy's 1st BDAY!!!! It was adorable...I can't believe she's one. I still remember every detail of that night, Melinda was on a texting and words with friends roll and suddenly there were no texts no contact and I had heard she went in for an emergency c-section. All of us friends were calling/texting back in forth at 1-2 in the morning worried like crazy something went wrong. Then, we finally heard mommy and baby were ok and I saw my first pic of Lucy and fell in love with the little glowworm :)

Today Jack had the hiccups (again) he's been getting them alot lately, but I love it because it means he's practicing breathing and sometimes you don't see that until 36-38 weeks :). He gave me two great 3d pics today, he never gets his foot/hand away from his mouth so it's really difficult to work around can't believe how limber he is!

Last night we put up the bookshelf/toy storage and put the books away. I started reading the different messages in each book and they are all so sweet that I couldn't help but tear up. He will absolutely LOVE them! I also read some of the books that people had said were their favorites and they are all so special!

30 weeks questionaire

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: 0 between appointments....15 total

Maternity clothes? depends on the outfit but yes in jeans, still wearing same scrubs

Sleep: getting less frequent, peeing and rotating take up alot of my night

Best moment this week: pat bringing home baby stuff that he picked out all by himself :)

Movement: this boy is nonstop the second I put my feet up!

Gender: Boy :)

Labor Signs: NONE.

Belly Button in or out? On it's way out...good by innie

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably

What I am looking forward to: Holding him

Weekly Wisdom: Take inventory of all the newborn/early clothes we have so I can get bigger clothes if needed since our closet is starting to overflow

Milestones: Making it to week 30!!!

30 weeks!

30 weeks appointment went good! I was super nervous before the weigh in thinking that I would be given a speech after 3 thanksgivings and eating so many sweets for each of them I thought I'd gain about 6 lbs atleast since my last appt. But, I didn't gain any? Which is weird bc I've been doing great keeping an even weight gain even if it's a little lower than normal. I saw a nurse practitioner and she said I looked small and measured me small so that made my heart drop thinking something was wrong! She had the ultrasound tech scan me to make sure everything was going OK with the lil one and that my fluid wasn't low and everything looked wonderful! She asked if I have been working out/dieting and that answer was a huge NO lol, but she thinks that just carrying around him and these extra lbs. is actually burning calories and I don't really realize it.

Sleeping is becoming more difficult but that's about it on the negative side...well besides my evening cankles :) . I really can't believe that in 3 weeks I should be packing my bags and in 7 weeks he would be considered full-term. He is getting bigger and stronger by the day! I can see huge movements of arms and legs when I lay back. Today during the scan he weighed 3 lbs 10 oz....quite the lil chunker for his gestational age ;). He must like to eat as much as his mommy!

This past week was thanksgiving and to be honest I couldn't be more thankful for my Patrick. I wouldn't be able to get through all this without him. I'm super tired in the morning and he will grab my scrubs, take care of the dogs, get laundry out of dryer, find my keys, start my car, find my id badge which is usually right in front of me. I know he's super stressed about his job, but I couldn't need his help more as I have trouble getting out of bed :). I hear horror stories of husbands freaking out about weight gain and all the changes in pregnancy, and Pat has never made me feel so great about myself. Never once has he made me feel like the fatty that I feel like I am some days when I eat yet another cookie :) .. he texts me checking on jack and his hot momma and makes me feel better than ever. Last night he came home with a bookshelf/toyshelf for the nursery and like 8 outfits for Jack and baby socks :) My favorite thing throughout this pregnancy is seeing what Pat picks out for Jack. It is always the cutest little outfits and I love to hear is reasoning for each item. Jack is going to love is Daddy so much! How will me and the girls even compete :)

29.5 weeks!! Turkey Day :)

We've made it to week 30 :). This past week has been pretty busy, I've had a pretty hectic work schedule and also thanksgiving was Thursday. On actually thanksgiving I was on call (but never got called in!) and we went to my family's in Mooresville~~it was delicious! Friday I had to work and then we went to the Rooney's for some of Lisa's yummy homemade noodles and tons of food and played some bingo...we actually won a few times and got a $25 gift card for best buy~~we def. need it since our xmas gift to each other will be to buy a nice camcorder. Tomorrow (sunday) we are heading up to see Loren ( pat's mom) and Don (pat's stepdad) for some more eating and visiting :).

Today we ran to buybuybaby to get a breastfeeding book I wanted, a baby gate, and humidifier. I was reading the breastfeeding book earlier and can't BELIEVE all the benefits that I had never even heard before. From less diseases, better smelling poopy diapers (ha), less problems with teeth, cancers, obesity, diabetes, personality/mental disorders, allergies, basically anything you can think of. I've enjoyed the book so far and I've been totally sold on breastfeeding just from my mom and from working in the health field, but part of me always worries that the milk won't come in or something will fall through. I know it'll will be difficult, especially going back to work, but in the end it's something that's very important for me to atleast try. But, this book really coaches you even if you have a baby in the NICU how to get through any of the pitfalls. I think I'm going to purchase the Medela freestyle pump~~it's pretty pricey but I've found it 100 dollars cheaper at Burlington and it is such a great brand and alot of people use it for many babies! Also I figure spending that much won't be as bad bc my sister, dana, and kim could just buy new parts and use the machine.

I'm getting excited for my little Lucy's 1st bday party next weekend! It's Sunday and someone from work is covering my call for me. I haven't seen her really since Kim's wedding?? so it's been way too long and I'm having Lucy withdrawals. We are sending her gift in the mail this week so I'm excited to see what they think! (I know her mom sometimes reads this so I can't put what we got her).

Ok back to watching Borat with the husband~~I'm getting pretty bored ;)

7 months!! 3rd Trimester!

We've made it into month 7! Everything is still going wonderful I'm about 28.5 weeks and going strong! I had my 28 week appointment that I was so nervous about since they draw blood and test for gestational diabetes. All my tests came back NEGATIVE :) We couldn't be happier with the results!! I met with Dr. Bowers another male Dr. in the practice who was really nice. He told me Baby jack and me are right on track! Things are looking great weight and measurement-wise. Since I'm now into 3rd trimester I will now go to the Dr. every 2 weeks so they can closely monitor the signs of pre-term labor, pre-eclampsia, or any other problems. It's going to be hectic getting there every 2 weeks but honestly it sort of calms me bc they will be able to catch any issues early and working in a hospital it just is amazing how important good prenatal care is. After the great appointment me pat and the Durrett's went out to eat to celebrate! We went to the Cheesecake factory and it was DELICIOUS and we got red velvet cheesecake..yum!!!

At the Dr. appointment the Dr. asked how I was honestly feeling and if I feel Jack moving. I really can't believe it, but pregnancy has been the best time of my life! I feel great and can't believe all the miracles that are happening right inside me. I now feel like as Jack gets bigger I get to know him more and more. I have his movements down pat, I know that he will wake up more at night (like his mommy and daddy) and I know that I rock him to sleep all day at work. I know that when I get nervous or stressed he will wiggle around and it's almost like he's trying to calm me down letting me know he's there and if I just put my hand on my belly it will calm him down. It's the best feeling in the world. I think I'm probably one in a million to say this but I'm REALLY going to miss being pregnant. I told Pat this morning that I know it sounds crazy and I know our little Jack will have to face this crazy world and I can't wait to see him follow his dreams, but I love knowing that he is just so safe right here with me. With all the child molesters, rapists, crazy people that are in this world it's so nice to know that innocent Jack is cozy warm and safe right in my belly. I know that no one is hurting him, I know when he's hungry, I know that he's right here safe and sound. I guess seeing all the suffering and crazy stories that go in/out of the ER's I've worked in have really made me realize how lucky we have it!

Baby Shower!!! :)

Well this past Saturday was Jack's AMAZING baby shower!! I really can't believe how many people took time out of their crazy busy weekend schedules to come see us let alone bring SO MANY wonderful gifts. It just goes to show how many wonderful people we have in our lives and really brings a tear to my eye when I see a room of crowded people that are so supportive of our little one that isn't even here yet. We really couldn't be more thankful especially on the week of Thanksgiving to see such giving people!! We got everything that we would EVER need for baby Jack! Also my friends did such a great job planning and preparing everything from the games, cupcakes, food, and organizing such a big party. They also made a "vintage table" that had alot of me and pat's old baby/kid stuff. It was so cute to see little pat's old tae kwan do (?spelling) jackets and old notre dame tees.

We got some really special gifts. Pat's parents gave him a book that had notes from each parent from when he was little written to him. I read some to Pat this morning and it is just such a special gift to hear exactly what was happening in their lives at certain times and see such cute milestones. It will be neat to compare where Jack is and where Pat was at different stages. I will definitely try to do it for Jack. Our friends the Bakers had a build-a-bear made with Jack's heartbeat recorded so when you squeeze his hand you hear the little heart beating~~it's the best sound in the world to me so it makes me smile everytime I hear it~~I may be sleeping with it instead of Jack haha. After the shower our family and friends came over to see the baby room which is looking great!

Once everyone left me and Pat started to go through the gifts so he could see all the goodies. It was so cute because he absolutely wanted to open everything and put everything together ASAP. I told him it's a little too soon, but there was no stopping him. He put the carseat together, the stroller together, & the swing together. Well he started with the swing and then Dustin and Jared stopped in (thank god) and helped him finish it. After that we had a bonfire with a few close friends and passed out cold!

28 weeks

This weekend was a blast! One of my best friend's Courtney turned 29! We all rented a 15 passenger van and took off to Indiana Live Casino in Shelbyville. It was so much fun, and I SAFELY drove us all there and back. Pretty crazy to see behind such a HUGE vehicle! It was great so everyone didn't have to worry about driving and DD's parking and we were all together.

I've still been feeling really good! I'm getting pretty anxious for my Dr. Appt on Thursday that they do the blood draw for Gestational Diabetes but I'm praying that since I've been healthier with this pregnancy than I have been in my entire life that it's negative :)

My mom and aunt Kathy (the twins) have started on the wall murals!! They look great!! With the shower coming up this weekend I'm so excited that they got them done in time. I'm getting so excited for the shower!!!

Heading into third trimester! Can't believe it! Reading my books/info this trimester doesn't really look like as much fun as 2nd but HOPEFULLY things will stay smooth! I do notice my body trying to adjust to the weight of my belly. At night whichever hip I'm laying on really starts to hurt so it's a rotating game between bathroom trips :) but my body pillow helps tremendously! I really don't know the exact amount I've gained until my dr appt next thursday, but I'm pretty sure I'm back on normal wt gain track for my bmi/week. I can't imagine packing on 20 more lbs to make 35 my back and hips may give up! Right now Jack's head is literally in my ribcage so I haven't been as starving as earlier weeks which may actually be a good thing-ha! He is getting so big I just love scanning and seeing his cute lil lips!

Next Thursday is a big


appointment for me, coming out of 2nd trimester they take blood (uggh) and test for gestational diabetes. I'm dreading it! My sugars have always been crazy so I feel like I'd be more prone to getting it. If so it's not the end of the world but just tracking sugars/blood until he's here. Also I meet a different doctor this time around, with a first baby it's hard to predict when he'll be here so I'll actually meet with a the practicing dr's.

I'm getting so excited for jack's baby shower! It's next weekend and its combined family, friend, coworkers...with my call schedule & holidays it's so great to have it all in one--I'm sure it'll be pretty overwhelming but hey it's just one day! I actually just found the cutest gifts for my hostesses who basically are doing/cooking triple the amount than normal baby showers. I'm hoping they arrive in the mail in time!


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A few of my Favorite things..

Since I've been prego a lot of people have asked how it's been and what things I cannot live without so they can purchase for expecting friends/family:

#1 The baby books Mel got me~~they coach me through the time periods between Dr. visits and Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy is WONDERFUL

#2 Mamma mio Belly Butter~~I bought mine at Destination Maternity. It's the same thing as cocoa butter but the smell of palmer's cocoa butter EVERY morning started to make me gag. This stuff smells great/clean and I love it!

#3 Baby Bargains~~My father-in-law bought this book for me and it is fantastic. I wouldn't of been able to walk through buybuybaby and make informed decisions without this book. It is based on saving and based on SAFETY which for me is the most stressful. We narrowed down our crib, mattress, carseat, stroller, high chair, breast pump all by this book. I would also compare ratings online and on consumer reports and it all matched up correctly!

#4 Boppy body pillow for prego moms~~Our friends the Baker's bought me this pillow when I was about 12 weeks pregnant. I'm not lying when I say I've used this pillow EVERY single night and nap. It takes the weight off your hips and definitely makes sleeping so much more comfortable.

Happy Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!! We had so much fun at my cousin Dana's halloween party :)

Dad's Perspective # 2

Another good night. I went to Dustin's for some "guy time" on "Thirsty Thursday" and now am home snuggling with my three "girls"--Denise, Lila, and pearl--thank God Jack is a boy and can help balance out the ratio! I still can't believe Denise can stay up almost as late as me and then gets up and out the door while I'm still half-dead, especially since the "girls" have been keeping us up as much or hopefully more than Jack will (I think they've been hunting possums--since I found a "fresh kill" in the yard this week). Work has still been slow which sucks for bills, but has been nice to get Jack's room and the rest of the house finished/cleaned up so that we may actually be ready when he gets here. Can't wait to see/hold him! So proud of Denise for how healthy she's been. We always joke that Jack's lucky it's her carrying him because I would try to pretend it's still the 1950s and its "OK" to drink/smoke the whole pregnancy. Excited daddy to be signing off.

25 weeks!

Well we've made it to 25 weeks! The pictures above I took today and I can't believe how big he's getting. One is his cute little face, another is his HUGE foot that has been kicking my ribs, and the other is his "boy parts" that he is sure not shy to show the world each time anyone scans him. I have been so excited to make it to this week bc they start to consider Jack viable!! If he was born the NICU could try to help and save him :) even though he'd be in the hospital for a while....it's still calming to reach to this point. I've scanned countless girls who end up delivering at 22 weeks and it's always a terrible outcome :(. I still feel wonderful, and I'm still LOVING being pregnant. I wish I felt like this all time! My uterus is bigger than a soccer ball and Jack is hitting 2 lbs soon! I can't believe it!!

It's been an exciting week gathering up my shower invite addresses and I can't wait to see everyone and celebrate! We are just having one big shower friends, family, and everyone so that is so nice because I honestly don't have that many free weekends because of my call schedule. My friend Melinda is the lead organizer and my friends steph, daner, and court are all helping~~I really can't wait to see what they get together.

Today our recliner/glider was delivered and I LOVE it! I really couldn't give better compliments to Decor4 kids...they dropped it all off for free...It's HUGE but the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in~~which will be great for the 1,000 midnight feedings :). The nursery is slowly but surely getting there. The bedding I had picked before is now out of the picture~~the twins have stepped in and we are actually having a friend of theirs make a unique bedding. Also we are starting to plan the wall designs this weekend. I'm so excited to see Jack's nursery once it's all put together!

This weekend is halloween and we are heading to my cousin Dana's halloween party :) I'll post our costumes later in the weekend!

Showers and Registering

Well I got a TON accomplished today! We finally had a productive weekend for us, we have had so many weddings/events each weekend that we have totally neglected everything at home and our house was a MESS. All day saturday we spent painting/cleaning/organizing and piling up clothes that will go to the needy because it's pretty embarassing how much STUFF we have in this house. We really don't have many free weekends before the shower so we have to get the JUNK out. Saturday night we went to a bonfire at the Koers' residence and then Sunday I started registering! Our good friends Jon and Jenny have two little girls and she breastfed so she is well-informed on baby stuff! I dropped Pat off to help Jon watch the girls and watch football and Jenny and I went to Buybuybaby. I'm also going to register for some items at Target bc I don't think there is a buybuybaby is located on the northside. It is so overwhelming with all the different stuff in those stores so it was so nice to have someone atleast narrow things down to 2 or 3 items. If me and Pat would've gone alone I can't even imagine what would've happened haha. Me and Pat are going to go back and get the bigger items together like the stroller, carseat and pack & play so we can try them out too. I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have my friends help during all this!! I think I text my friend Melinda 1,000 times a day with the most retarded questions that a new mom could ask. And poor Jenny was so good at describing what in the world I do with the breastmilk to contain it once it's pumped...I had no idea they have freezer bags???

I think I'm going to borrow my friend Shawn's bassinett for our bedroom. Lord knows I can't even drop my dog's off at the vet without crying so who am I kidding that he will be separate the first few months :) Also, another exciting thing I registered for was a video monitor. I just know myself way too well and will have to SEE baby jack and know that he's safe plus these have a two way speaker so when he starts to understand/climb out you can catch him. I ended up registering for the same monitor my friend Jamie at work has and LOVES.

In the end, the last time I went to buybuybaby I felt like fainting and this time I left so much more confident :) Thank god for great friends!!

Week 24!

Things are going great and time is flying by!! The past couple weekends I've been so thankful to actually be on my feet and staying awake! We've had wedding after wedding, but my cousin Kim's wedding was this past Saturday & was a blast. We've been planning it for a while so it was so exciting to see that everything turned out great. I've also been terrified that I wouldn't be able to fit into my bridesmaid's dress, bc I had no IDEA that I was going to be 6 months prego at her wedding! Luckily the alteration place put in a corset tie on the back and it turned out to be beautiful. I was sooo much more nervous for Kim's wedding than my own?? I'm not sure if it was the fact that I could drink a little calming champagne before or what?? :) Also my best friend Mel's daughter was a flower girl and I think I was nervous knowing Mel was nervous haha~~we are a mess! In the end Lucy made her flower girl debut in a beautiful gold wagon pulled by kim's adorable cousin~~it was PERFECT!! Kim and Dustin got married at Sacred Heart (the same church as us) and the reception was at fountain square theatre where my grandparents used to go on dates. It was a great night!! Here are some pics!!

Anything like me song

Below I posted a country song I LOVE, and it's so true! It reminds me so much of Pat the first time I heard it it brought a tear to my eye. I can't wait to meet Pat's mini-me!!!

Brad Paisley - Anything Like Me (Lyrics)

we put the crib together :)

I couldn't be more excited we picked up the crib and me and pat put it together. It went soo much smoother than I thought! Can't wait to get started on the rest of Jack's room! We had two lil furry helpers :)

22week belly pics