Week 30

Week 30:  July 18-24

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 30 weeks

Total weight gain: +17 pounds (That makes 3 pounds in 3 weeks---ALL ice cream.)  At my doctor's appointment on July 20th, I had another ultrasound. This was probably my last ultrasound until the very end of the pregnancy.  Baby Boy measured to be 3.7 pounds and 16 inches long, and he was wiggling around the whole time again.  He would not cooperate and take a good 3-D picture, even thought the ultrasound tech tried patiently to move him around.  His hands and the cord kept getting in the way of his face in the pictures.  (According to BabyCenter, he is about the size of a head of cabbage this week.) 
Maternity clothes? I've had some questions from friends and anonymous readers (I know---so exciting that I have readers I don't even know!) about where my maternity clothes are from in the chalkboard pictures.  This dress is from Motherhood Maternity/Destination Maternity and is super comfy.  However, I was asked by multiple people (ahem) if I just attached the "rope" or if it was supposed to be part of the dress.  I had thought about wearing this dress for my maternity pictures we're having taken next week--time for Plan B after those questions.  What do you think I should wear for the photo session??  It is being shot at Deer Path Park in Readington, NJ. 
Stretch marks? none yet!  Lots of blue veins though!
Sleep:  I stayed over my parents' house one night this week, and my sister couldn't get over the number of times I went to the bathroom during the middle of the night.  That's an indicator of how soundly I am sleeping.  Luckily I've been able to take some naps by the poolside during the day.  :-)
Best moment this week:  I got a lot of "nesting" done.  Here's a list of things of things we accomplished this week: 

• cleaned all of the downstairs windows (this took forever)
• emptied out all of the kitchen cabinets and made a cabinet for baby bottles and such
• my family dropped off the dresser and changing table for the nursery
• cleared out most of my "office" and put the baby's things away in his room...next step is washing blankets/sheets/some clothes
• JB cleaned out his office and you can see the floor again  :-)
• tried out a new Pinterest cleaning trick for the shower/bathtub--and it worked!
•  took my car to the shop to get fixed THREE times  (yes, this is what happens when you buy a new car---everything goes wrong with your other car)

Miss Anything? My BFF--I can't wait to go visit her and sweet baby Evelyn next week for a couple of days! 

Movement: Yes!  :-)  The party of baby dancing around 9:30 continues.  I've also been getting lots of Braxton-Hicks (practice) contractions where my whole belly gets really hard for about 20 seconds and then that goes away.  Very strange... 
Food cravings: Fruit, yellow American cheese, and cereal

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really--still not eating too much meat or drinking coffee.  I have had a cup or two of decaf coffee over the past couple weeks, but after a few sips I'm not interested in it anymore.    

Gender:  It's a BOY!

Labor Signs: No....thank goodness!
Symptoms:  I told the doctor that I'm having some trouble "catching my breath" after I've been sitting for a while.  (In fact this is happening right now as I sit on the couch typing this.)  She said it's completely normal, and it's just everything in there crunching my diaphragm and preventing deep breaths.  So, I'm guessing that will probably only get worse as I keep getting bigger.  I'm still trying to stay out of the heat or in the pool if I'm outside.  The heat and humidity this week was unbearable at times, and it just makes me feel yucky.  We barely turned on our A/C last year, but you can be assured that it's on full blast this year.  All in all, I feel lucky to have had such a pleasant pregnancy and I'm still feeling great most of the time. 
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake--but teetering on being an "outie"  It definitely sticks out after I've eaten a lot!
Wedding rings on or off? on--I'm really surprised that my hands and feet haven't become swollen with the heat.  I guess it helps that I'm not standing a lot or doing anything too strenuous.  
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy :-)
Looking forward to: 

1.  Going to see some of my brother Tim's games this coming weekend as he plays the Trenton Thunder in Trenton.  Come out and cheer him on if you are local! 

2.  Going to visit Ang, Joey, and Evelyn on Monday for a couple of days.  I can't wait to kiss those sweet cheeks and chubby baby toes of hers!

3.  Trying to get at least one or two non-pregnancy related posts written this week.  Check back to see if I actually accomplish this goal! 

 

This picture is a little more accurate--The top one makes me seem a lot bigger than I really am!

Week 29

Week 29:  July 11-17

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain: +14 pounds (as of my Dr. appointment on June 29th) I have an appointment this coming Friday (July 20th), and I have a feeling this number will change. 
Maternity clothes? Yes...I have been known to rip off the over the belly shorts at home though, because I can breathe better when I'm not all "suited up"!
Stretch marks? none yet!  There is still some time to stretch some more though.
Sleep:  Sleep has been rough this week.  Part of this has to do with JB's allergies keeping him awake all night--which makes me be awake all night.  I suppose that both of our bodies are getting us ready for the late night feedings. 
Best moment this week:  Our nursery is coming together!  I will do a separate post on this with lots of pictures once it is all put together.  This weekend, JB and my dad worked on redesigning Baby Boy's closet to give him lots of drawers, shelving, and clothing bars.  It looks great!  We also assembled the crib together without any catastrophes.  The dresser and changing table will be added to the room this weekend.  I also received a note from the woman I hired on Etsy to create/sew the crib bedding.  She's busily working away on the bedding, and it should be finished soon.  My mom made a curtain with the same fabric, and it turned out so cute.  I love it with the finished paint color on the walls.  Pictures to come soon!
Miss Anything? A good glass of Cabernet on date night

Movement: Yes!  :-)  There is a party in my tummy at exactly 9:30 pm every night.  He moves a lot throughout the day at different times, but I can always count on 9:30 pm as being his most active time.  
Food cravings: Fruit (peaches, nectarines, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries)....You name the fruit, and I have probably consumed it this week.  I'm still liking ice cream to cool down, and I've also had several apples with peanut butter this week.  I'm not normally a soda drinker at all.  However, I've been getting REALLY tired of drinking water.  There are only so many ways to doctor up plain old water (adding lemons, oranges, cucumbers, making it carbonated in the soda stream machine).  One day, I decided I really wanted a Root Beer instead of water.  Strange--I know.  But, it is caffeine free!  

Anything making you queasy or sick:  I'm getting hungry in the middle of the night when I'm wide awake, which makes me nauseous.  So, one night at 2:30 am, I came downstairs and then went back upstairs to eat a banana with peanut butter in bed.  I felt better afterwards.  

Gender:  It's a BOY!

Labor Signs: No....thank goodness!
Symptoms:  Nothing new...I'm starting to get a little tired later in the day.  I've been trying to go to the gym, and I've found that I have more energy on the days that I do make it to the gym in the morning to walk on the treadmill. 
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake--but teetering on being an "outie"  It definitely sticks out after I've eaten a lot!
Wedding rings on or off? on--I'm waiting for the summer swelling to start.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy :-)
Looking forward to:  Seeing Baby Boy on the ultrasound this Friday!  I'll start having bi-weekly appointments after this week.  From this point on, all of my Dr.'s appointments need to take place in the hospital doctor's office--just in case.  (They have several office locations.)  On Friday night, we're also taking our first "Baby Readiness" class.  It should be fun to see JB learning how to change a diaper.  :-)  

And baby's name is.... _________!

Happy Monday!  I hope ya'll had a great weekend.  We were so productive and got lots of projects done around the house.  Tomorrow I'll post my Week 29 picture and post, because week 30 starts on Wednesday already! Here's a sneak peak: 

What's in a Name??

So, the great debate of naming Baby Boy Dustin has kicked into full gear.  We have chosen not to share our final name choice with everyone until Baby is actually here.  We decided this, because of several different reasons.  

#1.  We realize that everyone has their own opinion, and we may not always like those opinions.  When he's here and named, there isn't much anyone can say about it!  :-)  

#2.  We want to make sure he actually looks like his name.  What if he comes out, and he doesn't look anything like the name we have chosen?

#3.  We want everyone to be as surprised and excited as we are to announce his name.

Now, there have been plenty of suggestions given by my family in particular.  Most of them are funny and completely ridiculous.  I think the top contender right now is:   Farkle Dudley Pocket Abraham Dustin.  **This name is a combination of suggestions made by Andrea, my mom's friend Lynn, Tim, and Nick.  They are a funny bunch. 

Here's Where We Are in the Process:

My Opinion:  As a teacher, I have SO many name associations with students' (and parents') names from my past teaching days.  Some are good...and some are---well, not so good.  I do not want to choose a super popular name, because I don't want our kid to be one of four kids in his class with the same name.  At the same time, I'm open to both old-fashioned and unique names.  As much as I like the name Joe, we've decided that a Joseph Jr. is not in the cards--too confusing.  I'm open to using family names if they happen to work with our last name. 

JB's Opinion:  He is more concerned with the flow of a full name and the nicknames/initials associated with a full name.  He generally doesn't care for how names sound with 2 syllables or first names that end with an "n".  Hmmm---Doesn't that sound like my name??  Megan Dustin.

What Do I Need From You??

So, with all of that being said, I'm looking for some inspiration and suggestions from you--my readers!  How did you choose a name for your child?  What is your name suggestion for us?  You may be the lucky winner---how exciting would that be??  

Down below, click where it says Post a Comment (Found under:  No Comments or # comments).  In the comments section, write your suggestion or advice for baby naming.  You can either leave the comment with your gmail account name or leave a comment anonymously. If you want to leave it with your gmail account, you may need to log in to gmail if you are not already.  I can't wait to read your ideas.  Have a great week!

Week 28

 Chalkboard #1 Bites the Dust. 

Week 28:  July 4-11

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain: +14 pounds (as of my Dr. appointment on June 29th)
Maternity clothes? Yes...but I can still fit into some of my pre-preggo clothes.  I'm wearing a mix of both maternity/non-maternity clothes most days.  Don't mind the picture above---I had just gotten home from the gym, but wanted to make sure I took a picture before Week 28 passed us by!
Stretch marks? none yet!  However, my sista was kinda enough to point out all of the big blue veins on my belly that were not there previously.  The belly was out and about in the pool this week....it brings a new meaning to itty bitty teeny weeny bikini....no yellow polka dots.  :-) 
Sleep:  I'm starting to get a little restless, and I'm up at least 6x every night to go to the bathroom.  Thank goodness for the SNOOGLE!
Best moment this week:  On Sunday morning, I got a very exciting phone call from Angela's sister, Ashley, telling me that Baby Evelyn was finally here!  Ashley was awesome about keeping me in the loop during the labor process, and I got updates all through the weekend.  My heart is just FILLED up with happy for the Edel family, and I can't wait to meet Evelyn Michele on Wednesday!    
Miss Anything?  I miss going to my BodyPump class.  I realized that when I was at the gym this morning.  The doctor has limited my exercise to walking (slowly) on the treadmill and using the stationary bike.  BORING!

Movement: Yes!  :-)  Little Man LOVES to jump around all day long.  
Food cravings: Chocolate Milk, Fruit (watermelon, cold grapes, and strawberries) and Ice Cream

Anything making you queasy or sick:  I'm starting to get nauseous again when I get hungry.  So, I'm pretty much grazing ALL of the time. 

Gender:  It's a BOY!

Labor Signs: No....thank goodness!
Symptoms:  I have lots of heartburn this week.  I'm not sure where it's coming from, because it's not even always after I eat.  
Belly Button in or out? flat as a pancake--but teetering on being an "outie"
Wedding rings on or off? on--I'm waiting for the summer swelling to start.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy :-)
Looking forward to:

1.  Seeing the nursery with finished paint

2.  Putting together the crib and dresser that we received from Baby D.'s generous grandparents

3.  Meeting Sweet Baby Evelyn Edel

Week 27

       Hi Friends!  For those who follow each week, there is not an "official chalkboard belly picture" this week, because my chalkboard suffered an untimely death on our basement floor.  No worries though.  We have a new chalkboard and I will be back to updating for week 28.  Luckily, we had a lot going on last week so there is plenty to write about.

       Our good friends, Ryan and Melissa made the LOOOONNNGG drive from Morrisville, NC all the way to Hampton, NJ to visit us for a few days.  We spent 5 fun days with them and their sweet 4-year olds (our goddaughters) Livi and Eleana.  Leaving them behind in NC was one of the hardest parts of our move last year.  But, I love how we can pick up right where we've left off anytime we get the chance to get together.  Take a look at some of the fun things we did while they were here! 

Pool time at my parents' pool---Livi was FEARLESS and jumped right in without swimmies as soon as we got there.  Lifeguard Lulu had to make an emergency rescue!

"Snacks by the Pool"--Look at those beautiful eyes!

"4th of July Party" with our fun neighbors

We did lots of relaxing and hanging out enjoying the sunshine!

"Daddy's Girls"

Beautiful Family Shot...Celebrating the 4th of July before fireworks!

Roasting S'mores in the Backyard....Livi kept saying, "I want more SHMARSHmallows!

They loved this...so fun (and messy)!

Mmmmmm....

Pretty Girl

It was such a great visit, and we can't wait to plan the next one!  We love you Beene Family!