Lucianna's Birth Story

It has been forever since I last wrote... but for all those who love birth stories (I'm one of those people!), I figure it is never too late to tell Lucie's! For those of you who do not want to know all of the nitty-gritty details of her birth 6 months ago, just know I had a baby un-medicated, she was a 9lbs 4oz, clam, sweet little girl with tons of hair.

Lucianna’s Birth Story

Sunday a week before she was born I started having contractions. I really, really thought I was going into labor. I’d had Braxton Hicks contractions here and there with both Hazel and Lucie, but had never experienced them this deep, painful and consistent. I was so sure that I panicked and tried to get everything done I’d wanted to do before the baby came that night. I fell asleep exhausted. The contractions went away, and I woke up and started moving around and they started again. I told Jon I was pretty sure she was coming and to tell work to keep him close to Sacramento because I was having a baby any hour. This went on all week. On Friday I was so sick of it that I decided to go on a run in an effort to really get labor started. I put on my workout gear and ran sprints up and down the hills by our house. Three cars stopped to ask how far along I was… obviously they thought I was nuts running around when I looked like I could pop. One of them told me I should be resting... And really, honestly they were right.

This was for sure before the run.

I was convinced that it worked because the contractions got consistent and stayed consistent for a few hours. When they went away I was sad at first, but also exhausted and relieved I was not on my way to the delivery room. I slept well that night and woke up at 7:30 before our alarm was set because the contractions started again. This time they were deeper and burned, I started timing them, but they were inconsistent, every 2-5 min, and varying lengths. We were supposed to go Easter egg hunting with little miss Hazel at a community center and I debated going because I might be in labor. And then I had a breakdown because I was sick of my life being ruled by contractions that never produced a baby, and I was sick of people thinking I was crying wolf (because I HAD been every day for a week). After I dried my tears, I decided we’d get dressed and go. I mean, if it was really labor I’d just be sitting around at home having contractions, I might as well be having them in a park, while helping an adorable toddler look for plastic eggs RIGHT?

So we went. The contractions were still coming, still intense and still not really consistent - 2-6 min apart, 30 seconds to 90 seconds long. Hazel had SO much fun looking for eggs, I was really happy that I did not wimp out, and I was certain that this was the real deal. They had some music playing and some carnival type games, so we let Hazel do them, and we danced around all excited that baby girl was coming! Since Hazel was dressed up so nice and being so sweet, we decided to take her to the mall to get her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. We arrived at 10 and it turned out Easter bunny pictures did not start until 11 even though the mall open, I debated going home to labor there, but then decided that walking the mall might be good for me. So Jon and Hazel waited in line while I walked the mall, stopping every few min to let the contraction pass. Sometimes people would ask me if I was ok, It was fun to see the look on their face when I told them I was having contractions. There eyes got wide and they all wondered why I was not in route to the hospital. I bought a couple of bows for the baby’s head and went to go stand with my family in line. The Easter bunny pictures turned out REALLY good. So good that they asked us to sign a release so that they could use them in their marketing. I’m like yeah, quick though because I’m like really, really having a baby any hour! We decided to take Hazel straight to my parents’ house so I could labor some more at home before going to the hospital. We got home around noon and got out the exercise ball and heated rice packs and I tried to watch the last episode of season 4 of Downton Abby (I’d been binge watching when I could not sleep at night). It was getting so unbearable that I could not pay attention- and that is when I knew it was time to get everything together to go to the hospital even though the contractions were still varying lengths and between 2-5 min apart.

We got there at around 3:30 but we did not know where the valet parking was for expecting mothers so we parked on the maternity floor of the garage. Turns out it was MILES away from Labor & Delivery. OK, it really was not miles, but it felt like it to me- it was up some stairs, across a sky bridge, up and elevator, and then down a couple of halls…. 

We got checked in and I don’t think they thought I was very far along. I do the labor thing really well…. Until my water breaks, then it all goes to crap. So we are telling them I’ve been in labor all day, but I went Easter egg hunting and to the mall and watched an episode of Downton Abby and they are looking at my like GURL you are not in labor… then they checked me and I was at 6 centimeters with a “bulging bag of waters”. They admitted us and asked if I would like tell the dr. to come break my water because it would go faster. We debated a bit and decided we wanted to get this show on the road. So the Dr. was called and we went to choose our room. It is a nice brand new hospital with rooms with views. Of course they were busy and the two rooms with the worst views were the only ones available. So I got a nice view of the freeway.

The nurse was really nice and had been working for Sutter for 30+ years. We figured out that she could have been the nurse who delivered me! I was born at the old Sutter downtown hospital. She said that she thought I would probably have the baby by the end of her shift at 6:30. That got us REALLY excited.. just a few hours more!  She was great, except she could not get the IV in, and nobody wants to have somebody digging around in their arm multiple times while having strong contractions. After she got it in, I told her I would drink lots of water if she did not hook it to anything so I could be free to walk around and move and try out some of the positions we learned in the last min refresher birthing class we went to the week before. Jon was a great coach, he guided me though the positions and breathed with me. We brought the picture of Hazel and the Easter bunny to be my happy place and when they got bad he would hold it in front of my face for me to look at. He gave me foot rubs and back massages, and rubbed oils on me even though he thinks they are dumb. They did not have tubs at this hospital, but they did have a shower I could go into and it was nice… but not as nice as a tub! 6:00 came and I started to stress out that the Dr. had not come to break my water, and I was not going to have this baby with the nurse that I liked, and I was bummed about it. 

The new nurse came about the same time as the Dr. around 7:00. I asked her to check me, certain that I must be like a 9… she said I was only a 7! Three hours of work and only one centimeter! I told her to go ahead and break my water, and then I regretted that decision because things got SO much more intense. I was wishing I would have gotten an epidural and wondering if it was still possible if I was only at a 7. The new nurse looked me in the eyes and said that she knew I could do it, that I did it once and I could do it again, and the more I work against the contractions the worse they are, and she could tell that it was going to go fast. That was just what I needed to hear. So along with that bit of encouragement and Jon really stepping up his coaching game, I stayed in control and continued to breathe through contractions (I struggled with that last time). The nurse also said that her head was right there and she thought I would dilate really fast. About 30 min of thinking I might die later- I force her to check me because I feel like I want to push. She did and said that there was just a little rim left and to wait 5 more contractions and she would get the Dr. in. 

Since nobody thought that I would dilate those 3 centimeters in 30 min, she was delivering another baby. I think when I found out she was not coming I said a curse word. LOL. I told the nurse that I was going to start pushing after 5 contractions, Dr. or not and she said that she just delivered a baby yesterday and it would be OK if I did. Right after the 5^th contraction a lady comes running in the room, they put my legs in stirrups and my nurse tells me to hold my legs myself and I go to do that but my hands are paralyzed and I can’t get them to open, I tried to show the nurse how they are stuck like lobster claws, but the contraction came, so I did the best I could with them and start pushing. I decided that the first push was kinda week and I should bare down more, so I did and then I felt the familiar feeling of a head in the birth canal. I remember thinking while pushing “Yeah!  I’m doing it right, I pushed 45 min for Hazel, maybe I’ll push only 20 min with this baby”, and before I even finished that thought I felt a huge release of pressure and the nurses were frantically telling me to stop pushing. I was really confused, then I realized that she came FLYING out and they had to adjust her shoulders to get her all the way out! 

 As soon as Jon saw her he said, Man! That’s a BIG baby! She did not cry, that had every one a little worried, but our nurse kept saying, yeah, but her color is perfect there is nothing wrong. After a few min everybody decided she was OK and put her on my chest. I told the nurses, “We did not even need  Dr.!” The lady who delivered my baby looked at me really confused in a thick Russian Accent said, “I am DR. See look at my badge!”. The whole time (ok, all 2 min 20 seconds of pushing) I thought she was a nurse who came into help. But she was an on call DR. who flew in at the last second. My Dr. (well the Dr. from my group who I had not met yet) came in and was surprised I’d already HAD the baby. She stitched me up and I held onto that big baby of mine for dear life, my hands were still not working quite right, but they were coming back to life. Of course the first thing I noticed about my beautiful new babe and her was her long dark hair and calm demeanor. She snuggled right up, so chill, like nothing happened. Such a little sweetheart! They let us soak her in for a bit, daddy took some pictures, then they took her to be weighed and measured in our room.

Lucianna May Hoof

Born March 26, 2016 - 7:39pm

9lbs 4oz

Hazel's Birth Story

For those of you who want to read the poorly written nitty gritty details of Hazels birth… here they are! For those of you who want a short sweet version- I had a baby naturally, everything went really well and it hurt. Jon was a great support; I could not have done it without him. We are so grateful that she was born perfect with all of her fingers and toes and no problems, PLUS she was really cute right from the start. The end.

On Thursday May 15^th we had a doctor’s appointment where I was being stress tested/monitored. I’d been monitored 2x a week for the last 2 weeks because I had some odd things come up in my labs, and the baby was borderline not having enough amniotic fluid. So they were being cautious and doing extra monitoring and ultrasounds to ensure everything was OK. I’d also been put on modified bed-rest (I did not need to stay in bed, but she did not want me doing anything more than light housework). That got me out of work a week or so early. SA-WEET!  So on Thursday she offered to check me again to see how far I was dilated. The Thursday prior (at 38 weeks) I was dilated to a 1 and 30% effaced… so things were progressing, and looking on target for my due date. She checked again at 39 weeks and I was dilated to a 2 and 50% effaced. They saw on the monitor that I was having a lot of little contractions- like constantly. So it made sense why I felt like it was “that time of the month” all the time. I also was complaining that she had a foot stuck back in my ribs, acid reflux was worse that day and it was hard to breath. So I was pretty miserable and hoping baby would just get the heck out of there. After the appointment I felt those little contractions get a stronger and felt pretty sorry for myself because most likely I’d be uncomfortable for another week until my due date or beyond.

The next morning on Friday May 16, I woke up at about 6 AM TOTALLY panicked because I could not feel the baby kicking. She kicks pretty much constantly, and I could not feel her. ALSO I was usually up every two hours with acid reflux/kicking during the night, and I had slept for 8 hours straight. I drank some ice water and poked my belly trying to get her to move, still nothing. I was terrified that those cramps that I had the day before were a bad thing. I remembered that when she did not move during one of our monitoring appointments the Dr. put some loud vibrating thing on my belly. I found Jon’s electric razor and put the flat edge against my bump and EUREKA! She moved! After all the panic I started to notice that those obnoxious cramps seemed to be getting more intense. I laid back in bed and got comfy enough to fall in and out of sleep until about 8 am.

I got up at 8 and started timing the contractions. They were stronger, and lasting about 30 seconds, but not super consistent. When Jon work up around (A rare day he got to sleep in!) 9 he saw me on the couch breathing funny and staring at the timer on my phone. He asked me if I was OK and I just looked at him and said “I’m pretty sure we are having a baby today!”. My plan was to labor at home for at least a few hours before we headed to the hospital. It is really obnoxious that the hospital is 1 hour away. I did not want to go there too early and just get sent back an hour home. But I also did not want to wait so long that I was having the baby in the car. I kept on trying to call my mom in Sacramento, but she was NOWHERE to be found. Her flight was 4 days away and I knew she would be mad if the baby came before she got here! Jon and I started to frantically accomplish everything that we wanted to get done before baby got here. I cleaned house, did the dishes, and hauled the laundry to the complex laundry mat. Jon fixed a water leak in our car and went to the neighboring town to vacuum out the water that had accumulated in there. We did some research if I should eat anything, and decided to just eat some cucumber and tomato slices for lunch. All the while contractions where getting stronger and fairly consistently 5 min apart. I called my Dr. office around 1 to let them know I was in active labor, and the gal on the other end just said “uh, why are you calling us? Go to the hospital!” I did not feel like it was time yet, so I spent an hour curling my hair and applying make-up. LOL! Then we started getting our bags together and gathering electronics/pillows/snacks and other miscellaneous things that were not in our bags yet and packed everything in the car for the long trip to the hospital.

We left for the hospital at 3pm and arrived around 4pm. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. We stopped for Jon to get a slurpee, and some water for me to drink. The windy ride down along the ocean was uncomfortable. Contractions were stronger and I was getting anxious to get there! We made bets on how far along I was dilated. Jon thought 4 and I was hoping for 5. We were so sure that we were staying that upon arriving  Jon lugged in our two suitcases, camera, tripod, two pillows and a boppy behind me as I waddled into the birthing center. I looked at the receptionist, smiled and told her that we were here to have a baby. I don’t think she took me seriously, probably because I was smiling and my hair and make-up were flawless. It was a really good hair day- I regret not taking a picture! We went into a tiny monitoring room where they hooked me up and we could see that the contractions were pretty strong and pretty consistent. I stood up because they were stronger when I was standing and I did not want them to send me home! I also wanted them to do the work that they needed to do so that the baby would come out as soon as possible. She measured me and I was dilated to a 4 (Jon won!) and 75% effaced. They admitted us and we got the room we requested. Availability permitting, you could either have a garden view room with a bigger tub, or a mountain view room that still had a tub with jets, just not as big. I wanted a mountain view room, because the mountains are SO pretty. The nurse tried to talk me into a garden view because the tub was bigger and I was going to try to go natural, but I stayed strong. I was happy that I did. Looking at the mountains outside my window on such a pretty day helped during contractions.

We got to our room and they hooked me up to a monitor. I let them know that I would like to move around, and on the tour of the hospital she made it sound like they only did wireless monitoring. She said that she would look for the wireless monitor, and would ask my Dr. if I could just be monitored once an hour.  My Dr. was in the hospital until 9 that night! That was lucky because I go to a group of Dr’s and it is kinda just luck of the draw who actually delivers you. I REALLY liked my dr. and my second choice would be the midwife from the same group. Both of them encourage natural birth, and Dr. Stickly had worked with me for 6 months to GET pregnant, and was the main person I saw while pregnant. I did see the other dr’s at least once so that I would not have a stranger deliver me. We’d been trying for about a year before going to her for infertility. So it was kinda cool that we were finally to the point of having a BABY! I was happy to see Dr. Stickly there and she said that they could take me off the monitor. Not being tethered to the bed we started walking the halls, and I started doing squats. The contractions were getting more intense, but Jon was a good coach helping me breath through them, rubbing my back and shoulders and squeezing my hand. I had consistent 3-5 min breaks in between contractions. Periodically I was texting my family on group chat what was happening. They joked that it was just a hoax because how on earth would I be able to text while having a baby! I felt just fine in between contractions though. 

They got us a birth ball and I sat on it and rocked back and forth and Jon massaged my lower back. While we were doing this around 7PM a new nurse came in and started asking all of sorts of questions that probably should have been asked upon arrival…. Like if I take any medications, am I allergic to anything, family medical history (mine is pretty long LOL). So I’m having some pretty intense contractions while she is asking all of this and I need to stop every few min to breathe through them. I’d been doing such a good job and keeping my cool that I don’t think she thought I’d progressed much- plus my hair still looked too good to take me seriously. I asked her when they would check to see how far along I was. She said that they usually do not unless there is a reason to, but she would since I asked. So I got on the bed and as soon as I did I felt super nauseated. I told her that I thought that I was going to throw up, but she did not hear me, so I said it again. She still did not hear me, so I said it again and Jon said at the same time GET THAT TRASH CAN, SHE IS GOING TO THROW UP. Right then I put my hand over my mouth and started throwing up. BUT since I had only drunk water and Jello the last 7 hours the throw up went through my fingers and I sprayed it ALL OVER the nurse! Not just on her clothes or shoes, but in her face and hair and all over that side of the room. It was like a water hose when you put your thumb over it to make it project farther. She grabbed the trash can real quick and I continued to do my thing while she went over to the mirror to whip off her face and hair and scrubs. I felt SOOOOO bad. She assured me that she has 4 kids at home and this was no big deal for her and that they had extra scrubs at the hospital that she could change into. She also said that it was a good sign that I was in transition and that now she had a reason to check me. Sure enough, I was at a 7. I’m pretty sure watching me throw up in her face was a close second to the actual birth of our baby for Jon. He still tells me how awesome that was. 

I’d been reserving getting into the tub for when I got to about a 7. So in the jet tub I went. Jon put some orange vanilla scented essential oil in the tub with me and dimmed the lights and put on some relaxing music. During contractions he would sprinkle water over my shoulders and hold my hand. We were in there for about an hour and a half before I got out to be monitored. PLUS I was turning into a raisin. It was around 9pm at this point and I’d progressed to about 8.5-9 but that her head was not down very far because my water had not broken. The nurse said that as soon as it did that the baby’s head should come right down into position. I told her to just break my water so we could get this party started, and she said that it will probably break on its own and just to keep going. So we got on the birthing ball out again, and I did some squats and rocked and bounced. I was feeling pretty good about how everything had gone. Probably too good. I was feeling like super woman, and that having a baby really was not all too painful and that either everybody else were just big wimps, or I must have amazing pain tolerance/self control. 

We were on the ball for about an hour, heavy contractions. Jon helping me breathe through them, getting me hard candy to suck on, massaging my back and getting countless ice chips. My Dr. had been called into surgery and the mid-wife Tina Doyle (my second choice to deliver me) just got there. She apologized for not being there earlier because her kid was graduating from the 1^st grade. Now it all made sense why nobody would break my water an hour ago! So she broke my water and announced that baby had pooped in it. I was worried, but she said that it would be OK, and to keep going and if the baby did not cry right away she would suction out her mouth. The contractions after my water broke were different. They were stronger, and I was more tired. I LOST it. I asked how long it would be before I would have the baby and she said it could be up to 3 hours. I started to cry and told her that I could not do it for 3 more hours and that I needed drugs, some sort of drugs, ANY SORT OF DRUGS. The contractions got harder and harder, my breathing fell apart, Jon was scared because I was in so much pain. The nurses all kept telling me to breathe because I was mostly crying/yelling/holding my breath during contractions. So turns out I am NOT super woman, and my hair was a disaster and it turns out you really don’t care how you look or if you drug your baby, or even in you get a dreaded C-section you just want it over. 

The Mid-wife suggested that I get back in the tub and she would talk to the anesthesiologist. It turns out the anesthesiologist thing was all a rouse, it was too late to do anything, and she knew I wanted to go natural and told me she would talk to him to trick me. Jon managed to get me in the tub, but it was not the relaxing experience it was before. Now I was just a WET hot mess. Not doing any better at breathing, and clinging onto the hope that any minuet the anesthesiologist would come in and save the day (Joke was on me!). After an hour of horrible pain they put me back on the bed and checked me and she said that baby was down and I was a 10 and ready to push!!!!!

When I got to push it was a totally different experience. It hurt worse, but somehow I was outside of my body. Also I was STARVING, and all I could think about was the faster I can get this baby out, the sooner I can eat. That was incentive enough. In the movies it seems like when they say the head is there and it is time to push, you push like 2 times and the baby was out. That is a bunch of bull. I impressed the nurses with how strong I pushed. I broke a whole bunch of blood vessels in my face I was pushing so hard. They kept tell me she had lots of hair, and I kept thinking that she would be out the next push. Nope. It took 39 min of pushing. The nurses all said that was really good for your first baby. Maybe they were just being nice. She came out screaming. What a relief! Surprisingly Jon cut the cord, he has been anti cord-cutting, but after seeing what he saw, he said in the moment it was not as gross as he thought it would be. They put her right on me and we got to snuggle. She did have a lot of hair and really big eyes staring at me.  I was shaking and getting stitches, and clutching onto my new baby for dear life. Jon held us both and we were in that moment for about an hour. It seemed like 5 min. We could not get enough of her. The nurses came in with a scale and a bath she was weighed her in our room and cleaned up a bit. Jon started snapping pictures. Hazel Kalia Hoof was born at 11:39 on Friday May 16^th 2014. She weighed 7pounds 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. 

 Daddy got to hold her skin to skin while they got me out of bed and made sure I was OK. When I got back in bed (about 3 am) I was wired, and the baby was wired, and Jon was dead dog tired. I told him he could sleep for an hour or so because I had too much adrenaline/hormones or whatever going through me to sleep anyway. Me and baby Hazy ended up staring at each other for 3 hours straight until the sun started coming up. It seemed as though we were both in awe of what happened to us. I am so grateful that she was born healthy without any complications. I can’t believe that I was able to go through with a natural birth. I had my doubts. If you asked me right after she was born if I would go natural again, I would say NO WAY. But a couple of days removed I was already planning the next natural birth. So I think I will go in with the same mindset that I did this time, I will go to the hospital prepared for natural, and see how it goes. I am not anti-epidural, and I am not hardcore enough to have a baby at home. But I do think it is amazing what our bodies can do and labor went so well for us that I can’t imagine it any other way.

 It was not until we were walking out of the hospital and getting into the car a couple of days later that it really hit me that we were leaving as a FAMILY! So happy/relieved/thankful that I cried tears of JOY the whole way home. We love you baby Hazel! 

39 Weeks and a Little Cyber Baby Shower!

I'm 39 weeks today!! I'm feeling lots of little contractions, and I'm super tired. I finished getting everything washed for baby, and got our hospital bags all packed up... so I'm feeling ready for her to come. I've been spending my days organizing, reading and buying stuff from kids on campus to get the house ready for baby and visitors.

We moved into a NEW place last week. We were one of the few lucky couples who got to move into the apartments that were just built 6 months ago. The bedrooms are tiny, but we have 2 rooms with DOORS now. Our old place was technically a studio and not a one bedroom because there was only a partial wall dividing the the living room from our bedroom and no door, just a make-shift curtain. So there will be much more privacy for when our live-in Nanny/Nurse gets here! (My mommy!!) I feel like we just moved from the ghetto to the Ritz. The ceilings are so high that Jon's 9' surfboard can stand against the wall upright and not need to be on its side. There are tons of cupboards... a lot of them are too high to reach but I'm not complaining, we have a place besides under the bed to fit Christmas decor and camping gear.

Baby's room is the most exciting. She has her own little baby closet, a swing and a changing table. The bassinet will go in our room right next to our bed for the first month or so, and we'll be making room for a twin sized bed to go in baby's room for now (for the nanny :-) until she gets a real crib down the road.

I actually got this from my parents for my birthday, It is super fancy and converts to being a bouncy chair too!

I can't wait to play with our little doll and dress her up in all her clothes! Here is what I picked out for her coming home outfit. The gals at work threw me a little shower a few weeks ago and she scored big time! This is from one of them:

On Sunday eve my thoughtful amazing little sis threw a cyber shower for me. It was filled with technical problems as expected, but I got to see most of my family and feel their love and support. Since not everybody could see me towards the end, I thought I would do a little re-cap of some of the gifts we received. This baby is SO spoiled already!

My Sister-in-law Katrina made this ADORABLE car seat cover. I told her I liked tribal prints and she found the cutest fabric with Teepee's on it for our little native baby girl. She was also clever enough to make a little pacifier clippy and hair bow out of the fabric too. I can't wait to put her in her car seat and lug it all over town!

Mama Hoof sent us these cute onesies. Don't they look SOOO snuggley?? And I am in love with the sea horses!

Aunt Suzy sent the baby carrier I registered for and it is EVEN COOLER than I knew it was! It will turn into a back carrier too when baby gets bigger, and it is oh so cute :-) Also that little learning toy- hoping she has the brains to match her beauty!

Aunt Jill got her this cute little dolly and a sassy little outfit with a tutu. For sure she will have some sass-she is a Hoof after all!

Grandma D sent this super soft baby blanket a few months ago. It made my day to get it because on my way home from work I tripped over the sidewalk scratched up my arms and elbows pretty bad because I protected my baby bump. I was feeling pretty sad for myself... but then there was a package with this cute lil blankey waiting for me when I got home and it made a lot of the pain melt away!

AND I opened a cyber gift from the shower... I remember there was a cute nursing cover in there!! Thanks Aunt Sandy!

We've also received gift cards, love, and more baby goodies are on the way. Thank you everyone for coming to my cyber shower, or sending us your love and prayers. They are for sure appreciated and felt out here... sometimes I feel so far away from everyone who knows and loves me and it was a great reminder this weekend of how many people love baby Hoof already.

Now lets just hope she cooperates and gets here on or before my due date, healthy and happy and does not hurt mommy too bad :-)

32 Weeks: I look pregnant!

I finally look pregnant! I can’t tell you what a relief it is that I can wear maternity clothes and it is obvious that I am pregnant and not just gained a beer belly. I do have to say that one of the great things about living in Polynesia is that plenty of people told me that I looked better after gaining 20* pounds… even though they did not know that I was expecting. Bigger is better out here… and I don’t mind that one bit.

*I may or may not have gained more than this.

A conversation I have had more than once:

Local approaches me at the bank to make a deposit.

Me: Hey there, how is your Friday going?

Local: Good waves out der. Hey, you looking good sista. Like your face is fatter or something.

Me: Uh thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment!

On an unrelated note: I was completely pampered last weekend. After work I treated myself to pedicure… and I sprung for a mani too. I got pink sparkles in honor of baby girl!

Jon calls them my Barbie nails

When I came home he had spent his Saturday installing a shelf above our sink and a metal knife rack. It looks even better than I had imagined, and freed up some much needed space.

So nice to be married to a handyman!

THEN we got to go out to the movies for the first time since before Christmas. Divergent was pretty dang good. We read the book, and agreed that we liked the movie better. The book seemed to be reaching and poorly written and it was just too similar to the Hunger Games. But the movie was fun to watch, and the movie popcorn was the best I think I have ever had.

OK. Onto the things you really want to know! These are typical questions I get asked:

Do you have stretch marks? Not yet, but the other day I looked in the mirror and saw all of these crazy nasty looking stretch marks all up and down and side to side. I FREAKED. After10 min of heavy inspection I concluded that I must have just scratched my belly and the skin is more sensitive than it used to be… they were just big welts! I’ve evaded actual stretch marks for at least another week.

Have you started Nesting? I got the nesting bug a few months ago. I sold a TON of stuff and deep cleaned every nook and crany. I bought an expensive couch cover and re-arranged every room (haha that is funny since we pretty much live in a studio) with my super human pregnancy strength. I don’t think that the nesting bug has left me… I simply ran out of things to do/clean/organize. Now I am just stressing over all of the things I need to accumulate for baby.

Do you have any cravings? Not really… I am having a hard time eating right now. Everything gives me heartburn/acid reflux, so whatever I do eat I eat really small portions and chew really slowly. I’m also trying to get in as much protein as I can… so I eat a lot of peanut butter, eggs, avocados and I’ve started drinking ensure (to ensure that I am getting a protein shot and vitamins in the middle of my work shifts). Just today I ate a piece of bread with peanut butter on it and it took me almost 15 min to finish. I eat THAT slow. I’ve always been one to eat on the go, so I think this is a good change, and one I hope sticks. It sure seems like a waste of time though!

How are you feeling? Tired mostly. She is super active, and I love having a secret little companion jabbing me in the ribs or the bladder. I did not mean for that to sound sarcastic. I LOVE to feel her move. I am SO excited to be pregnant that I find myself at the verge of tears if I think about it too much. So lets add hormonal to the list :-).

I can’t believe I’ll be a mom in 8 weeks. EEEKKKKKKKKK!