Here's to long weekends! Especially long weekends full of family and good food. Because of the baby timetable, we got to spend this Thanksgiving in Wisconsin. It was the first time in 12 years that Eric's family has all been together for Thanksgiving, and needless to say, we had a great time!
Over the past 5 years, I've seen many Wisconsin women's hockey games, but this weekend I got to experience my first men's game! Although it was not the same frenzied excitement as Assembly Hall on a Hoosier basketball game day, it was still pretty crazy. I'll cut the Bucky fans a little slack since it was a holiday weekend.
And, finally, and maybe most fun was the baby shower on Saturday with all my favorite Brigowatz ladies! Thanks to Beth, Jen, and Emily for throwing such a great shower. We now have almost everything from our registry! I loved hearing all the baby advice (there is a lot of it to pass around on that side of the family). So, now it's a race to the finish with Dee!
Coming up at our household this week:
Back to a full work-week
Finishing up 2 more Christmas gifts and decorating the house on Sunday
Birthing class all day Saturday!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Nesting
I have always liked a clean house, and generally like to live by the rule that "everything has a place." I strongly dislike clutter, and like order, maybe to a fault. But lately I've been more driven than usual to keep the laundry caught up, the carpets swept, floors cleaned, bathrooms bleached, and furniture dusted. Lots of hours have been spent getting the nursery in order, and although it isn't quite done yet, I think we've got a pretty good start. In short, I believe what I've been doing is nesting. See for yourself...
Neutral wall color, neutral theme.
Love the hand-painted toy chest from Aunt Beth and the knitted blanket from Grandma P.
This wall needs some work. Still to come a lamp and changing station for baby.
Diaper stacker, already full to the top with cloth diapers! Eventually it will have a home near the changing station on the dresser.
Beautiful closet organizers!
Farm-themed bedding, what else?
New in baby development this week: lots and lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions. Actually, I've been having these for a few weeks, but finally figured out what they were (duh), and have been having them more frequently. Definitely new THIS week: hiccups. After a very delicious Thanksgiving dinner last night, the baby must have been working overtime trying to digest, and developed quite the case of hiccups! Pretty funny.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Growing
33 weeks
Not the most flattering of photos, but I think you can see the growing belly from the 28 weeks pictures. The baby is in the 49th percentile for weight at this stage. So, while we won't be having a linebacker, we also are fairly certain we won't be having the next champion featherweight either!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Do I Really....?
I've said it once, and I'll say it again. It takes a lot of stuff to raise a baby! I don't want to take away from the message by posting all of my thoughts about the endless plastic paraphernalia inside various baby stores. Instead, I'll just simply say, "Thank You!"
We had a beautiful, wonderful, generous baby shower on Sunday. And boy did we come home with more than we ever expected! I've spent more time in the nursery in recent weeks than most any other room in the house. It looks almost ready to house junior! Pictures are coming soon, I promise.
Until then, I'll be snipping off tags, washing, folding, organizing, re-organizing, and just generally gushing with an excitement that I cannot ever recall feeling before.
Stay tuned for nursery pics by the weekend. I swear. It's on my mile long to-do list!
We had a beautiful, wonderful, generous baby shower on Sunday. And boy did we come home with more than we ever expected! I've spent more time in the nursery in recent weeks than most any other room in the house. It looks almost ready to house junior! Pictures are coming soon, I promise.
Until then, I'll be snipping off tags, washing, folding, organizing, re-organizing, and just generally gushing with an excitement that I cannot ever recall feeling before.
Stay tuned for nursery pics by the weekend. I swear. It's on my mile long to-do list!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Darn you, Heartburn
Only because I find this particularly amusing...
Below, a list of foods that are consistently giving me heartburn. I bet you'll find some surprises (hint, nothing spicy is listed!).
1. Chocolate
In any form and under all circumstances, chocolate has been consistently causing raging heartburn. I came across an article that said 3-4 servings of chocolate per week was really good for a developing baby. Good enough for me! I'll suffer for the sake of healthy development....if I HAVE to.
2. Bananas
I don't get it, but it's entirely true. I'm suffering through though, because A) I like bananas, and B) potassium is good for fighting off the evil leg cramps that have been tormenting my less-than-restful sleep.
3. Pop-tarts
I guess this isn't too surprising since there is absolutely zero nutritional value in pop-tarts. It's probably my body's way of saying, "hey, knock if off!" So, I have actually given these up.
4. Tortilla Chips
Weird, huh? Is it the wholesome corn goodness? I'm not really sure, again. At first I thought it might be the salsa causing heartburn, so I gave that up, but the heartburn kept coming with just plain tortillas. Could it be that my body had conditioned itself to expect salsa with tortillas Pavlov-style? Possible. Or, more likely, it wasn't the salsa at all, but rather the tortillas, that were the culprit.
And that, my friends, is the list. Short and sweet!
Below, a list of foods that are consistently giving me heartburn. I bet you'll find some surprises (hint, nothing spicy is listed!).
1. Chocolate
In any form and under all circumstances, chocolate has been consistently causing raging heartburn. I came across an article that said 3-4 servings of chocolate per week was really good for a developing baby. Good enough for me! I'll suffer for the sake of healthy development....if I HAVE to.
2. Bananas
I don't get it, but it's entirely true. I'm suffering through though, because A) I like bananas, and B) potassium is good for fighting off the evil leg cramps that have been tormenting my less-than-restful sleep.
3. Pop-tarts
I guess this isn't too surprising since there is absolutely zero nutritional value in pop-tarts. It's probably my body's way of saying, "hey, knock if off!" So, I have actually given these up.
4. Tortilla Chips
Weird, huh? Is it the wholesome corn goodness? I'm not really sure, again. At first I thought it might be the salsa causing heartburn, so I gave that up, but the heartburn kept coming with just plain tortillas. Could it be that my body had conditioned itself to expect salsa with tortillas Pavlov-style? Possible. Or, more likely, it wasn't the salsa at all, but rather the tortillas, that were the culprit.
And that, my friends, is the list. Short and sweet!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Practice Makes Perfect
With just about 8 weeks to go, we are in full-on baby prep mode at the Kranz Household. Everyone is lending a hand. The baby is doing his (or her) part to keep me full sleep deprived. I think this is some sort of initiation ritual so that the post-delivery experience is not quite so traumatic. He (or she) has been increasingly active, and is now doing all sorts of acrobatics in utero that I find incredibly amusing to watch. At any given moment you can see the baby doing somersaults across my belly, and then a foot will kick out to the left, then hands out to the right! It is very entertaining, albeit a little uncomfortable now that there is some weight behind those kicks and punches. In fact, a few days ago I got what I'm fairly sure was a hand lodged between two ribs! I won't even get into how pleasant that was.
In addition to baby's efforts, Bernie has also been lending a hand. I've been convinced for a few weeks that he knows something is up. Our usually clingy dog has been glued to my side. Instead of laying next to me, he now lays across my belly. He has been frantic with worry if I leave the room without him. None of this is too much of a stretch for him, but he has really amped up his need to be near me. Hopefully this is a sign of future positive behavior from him once the baby is born. (Or, as it was theorized last night, that the baby is a boy because, you know, the classic tale of a boy and his dog.)
So, anyway, Bernie is getting in on the practice action, too. All day Thursday I could tell he just was not feeling well (I later learned he ate some trash Thursday morning). He moped around, didn't eat much, and finally went to sleep in our bed at whatever time I went to sleep. He was restless all night, and finally at about 2:30 he was sitting next to me, staring directly at me, whining. We (me and Bernie) got up, and I thought he needed to go out, but instead he wanted a drink. After putting down nearly an entire bowl of water, we went back to bed. All was well until about 6:30 when he was up again, this time to throw up, all over the floor. I rushed him outside, and spent the next 15 minutes scrubbing dog vomit up. He was fine after that, just still not himself until last night. As any good Dad would do, Eric got up to let him out this morning when he woke up. And now the two of them around sound asleep together.
As you can see, we'll be well-versed in the world of parenthood sleeplessness well before the babe shows. Although, at this point, I can safely say that I have had enough practice, and would like a few consecutive nights of restful sleep. I'm thinking they could be my last few for, oh, the next 22 years....
In addition to baby's efforts, Bernie has also been lending a hand. I've been convinced for a few weeks that he knows something is up. Our usually clingy dog has been glued to my side. Instead of laying next to me, he now lays across my belly. He has been frantic with worry if I leave the room without him. None of this is too much of a stretch for him, but he has really amped up his need to be near me. Hopefully this is a sign of future positive behavior from him once the baby is born. (Or, as it was theorized last night, that the baby is a boy because, you know, the classic tale of a boy and his dog.)
So, anyway, Bernie is getting in on the practice action, too. All day Thursday I could tell he just was not feeling well (I later learned he ate some trash Thursday morning). He moped around, didn't eat much, and finally went to sleep in our bed at whatever time I went to sleep. He was restless all night, and finally at about 2:30 he was sitting next to me, staring directly at me, whining. We (me and Bernie) got up, and I thought he needed to go out, but instead he wanted a drink. After putting down nearly an entire bowl of water, we went back to bed. All was well until about 6:30 when he was up again, this time to throw up, all over the floor. I rushed him outside, and spent the next 15 minutes scrubbing dog vomit up. He was fine after that, just still not himself until last night. As any good Dad would do, Eric got up to let him out this morning when he woke up. And now the two of them around sound asleep together.
As you can see, we'll be well-versed in the world of parenthood sleeplessness well before the babe shows. Although, at this point, I can safely say that I have had enough practice, and would like a few consecutive nights of restful sleep. I'm thinking they could be my last few for, oh, the next 22 years....
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Old Wives Tales
As you know from the previous post, we made the decision not to find out the baby's sex. This has created all sorts of buzz and speculation about whether we will be having a boy or girl. I don't have an overwhelming feeling one way or the other, and so far guesses seem to be split pretty evenly. I did find a pretty humorous online quiz consisting of about 20 Old Wives Tales that calculated the odds of having a boy versus girl. In case you're interested, the quiz indicated that there is a 67% chance we're having a boy! For whatever that's worth.
Part of my job is to visit my clients in their homes every 3 months. As you might imagine, I look pretty different now than I did 3 months ago when I last saw the group I'm visiting this month. Most of them didn't even know I was pregnant 3 months ago, and generally I try to keep the amount of personal information I share with them to a minimum. But old ladies just gush over the thought of a baby, and most of them are not shy about sharing advice and experiences of their own.
Today, I walked in to see a lady that I rather like and she wanted to inspect me from the front and from the side and then boldly declared, "You're having a girl." She went on to say that she has "never been wrong" when making such a statement, and felt confident that her record would not be blemished with this declaration. I asked her how she was so certain. She said, "Well, it's easy. When you're having a boy, you carry him way up high, like this (and she demonstrated). When you have a girl, you get real wide. Just look at yourself, it's obvious you're having a girl." Wide?! Real wide?! Uh, I'm not sure what planet she's been living on, but calling a pregnant woman real wide is not advisable.
I spent the rest of my visit with her mildly upset by her comments. She then asked if I would bring the baby with me on my next visit. Definitely, definitely not. Under no circumstances would that ever happen. But, I didn't tell her that, instead I made an excuse about it being February and flu season, but promised pictures. She said, "It's ok, I already know the baby is going to have blonde hair and blue eyes, just like you." Instantly I felt relieved. Clearly she has a visual impairment since I have neither blonde hair, nor blue eyes. Maybe she is mistaken about my width too.
On a lighter note, tomorrow officially marks 31 weeks. I have a check up and am now to be seen by the doctor every 2 weeks until, at some point, I think they want me to come weekly. I'm not really sure, to be honest. What I am sure about is that we have a full November, with 2 showers in our honor, as well as a tour of the hospital maternity unit, and in a mere month we are scheduled to attend birthing class. I also plan to write a heated letter to those Old Wives; they really know how to make a girl feel good...
Part of my job is to visit my clients in their homes every 3 months. As you might imagine, I look pretty different now than I did 3 months ago when I last saw the group I'm visiting this month. Most of them didn't even know I was pregnant 3 months ago, and generally I try to keep the amount of personal information I share with them to a minimum. But old ladies just gush over the thought of a baby, and most of them are not shy about sharing advice and experiences of their own.
Today, I walked in to see a lady that I rather like and she wanted to inspect me from the front and from the side and then boldly declared, "You're having a girl." She went on to say that she has "never been wrong" when making such a statement, and felt confident that her record would not be blemished with this declaration. I asked her how she was so certain. She said, "Well, it's easy. When you're having a boy, you carry him way up high, like this (and she demonstrated). When you have a girl, you get real wide. Just look at yourself, it's obvious you're having a girl." Wide?! Real wide?! Uh, I'm not sure what planet she's been living on, but calling a pregnant woman real wide is not advisable.
I spent the rest of my visit with her mildly upset by her comments. She then asked if I would bring the baby with me on my next visit. Definitely, definitely not. Under no circumstances would that ever happen. But, I didn't tell her that, instead I made an excuse about it being February and flu season, but promised pictures. She said, "It's ok, I already know the baby is going to have blonde hair and blue eyes, just like you." Instantly I felt relieved. Clearly she has a visual impairment since I have neither blonde hair, nor blue eyes. Maybe she is mistaken about my width too.
On a lighter note, tomorrow officially marks 31 weeks. I have a check up and am now to be seen by the doctor every 2 weeks until, at some point, I think they want me to come weekly. I'm not really sure, to be honest. What I am sure about is that we have a full November, with 2 showers in our honor, as well as a tour of the hospital maternity unit, and in a mere month we are scheduled to attend birthing class. I also plan to write a heated letter to those Old Wives; they really know how to make a girl feel good...
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