Helloo Third Trimester!

We are officially in the third trimester, baby girl, and it is just 12 more weeks until we get to meet you! I can't believe how strong you are getting.  You are kicking me all over, sometimes hard enough to startle me.  But I love it!  Everyone loves feeling you too.  I still can't believe you are in there.

Here is what is going on lately..

Your Mimi has been planning your baby shower with all of our family and friends! The theme is pink (ofcourse) and elephants (because your Momma is slightly obsessed) I am very excited! I love any reason for a party but celebrating your arrival is going to be extra special! You are so lucky to have such amazing people in your life and you are so loved already.  I am so excited for you to meet all of them.

Your dad has been frantically getting your room ready.  He decided to knock down all the walls so he could re insulate them so you are nice and cozy in the cold winter.  He added a few more outlets in your room and in the process wiped out the electricity on one side of the house.  oops! I'm hoping he can fix it!  Right now your room is not very impressive.  Still needs a lot of work. But I promise it will be just perfect by the time you get here.  Your rug came this week and it is beautiful! First nursery purchase down..a lot more to go!

As for me I am still loving watching my belly grow and feeling you move all around.  I am still craving lemonade and grapefruit juice.  My big belly is starting to take a toll on my back, especially at work.  Your dad has been nice enough to rub it for me and my heating pad came today which I think will help a lot.  Our next doctors appointment is in a week and a half and I am excited because I will get to see you through ultrasound.  Those visits are my favorite.

We've had a very good 7 months, baby girl, lets finish strong! 91 days to go...

A Few Things I've Learned Recently

Yes, pregnancy is amazing.  It is a true miracle.  Society portrays it to be a magical time in every woman's life.  It is, but like a bad tampon commercial you may find yourself thinking there might be more to this than people let on. It's true there are just a few things that no one warns you about ... a few things you will find out when you join the knocked up club.   I'm here to tell you a few..

1.  Pregnancy is not 9 months.  It is 10.. I do not know why anyone would lie about such a thing but it's true.  10 months sounds so much longer than 9 doesn't it?

2. For the first 12 weeks you will most likely feel like you have been hit by a bus ....repeatedly.  You will have zero energy to do anything.  You literally see the 2 pinks lines, hug your hubby and proceed to hibernate without a problem. Kiss insomnia goodbye because you will have zero problems sleeping and sleeping and sleeping for those first three months. 

3.  The heartburn is real.  You will pop tums like candy.  And that's ok.

4. You will lose control of bodily functions.  TMI? someone has got to tell you.  When you sneeze, you pee. When you walk or for no reason at all, you fart.  No control.  It's embarrassing but you get a pass, you are pregnant after all. 

5. People will say the dumbest things to you and everyone will have an opinion about how big or small you are. "Are you sure there is just one baby in there?" is my favorite.  Every woman and baby is different and where you are at is just fine!

6. People think it's okay to touch and rub your belly without asking. This is strange.  

7. You will have to learn to sleep on your side if you enjoy breathing and the benefits of blood circulating through your entire body. Invest in a body pillow. 

8. Your boobs may leak long before the baby is due (this was disturbing)  I was always under the impression that this came after the baby was born.  Mistaken yet again.

9. You may become a chainsaw like snorer due to inability to breathe and increased congestion ( I was convinced hubby was exaggerating until I actually woke myself up)

10. You may develop pubescent style acne (I thought that was over too)

11.  You will get winded very easily.  Your body is dealing with almost 2 and a half times as much blood as it is used to so that it can give the placenta and baby everything it needs.  Amazing how the body adapts, yes.  This also means your heart is working overtime to pump that blood which will leave you gasping after minimal exertion.  This may be why a friendly usher pointed me towards a handicap bathroom at a show last week after watching me pathetically try to climb the two flights the first time.

12.  I've been reading some childbirth books because knowledge is power right? Wrong, knowledge is FEAR! I learned that the epidural doesn't reach the cervix.. WAIT.. BACK UP.. What?! you mean the epidural doesn't numb EVERYTHING? This by far has been the most devastating realization of them all.  

The one comforting thing that all the books and professionals DO say is that you will go back to your old self, for the most part, once the baby is born. Your hormones are just joy riding for 10 months. And when all else fails, remember you are in good company.  Although it may feel like it, you are not the first woman to go through this. In fact, people in the olden days pre boppy body pillows, tums and epidurals had it much worse so count your lucky stars. It will all be ok. It will all be worth it and you will forget all about it once you hold that little miracle in your arms. 

25 Weeks

I cannot believe that I am 25 weeks pregnant.  Time is flying.  I thought 9 months would drag by..maybe that comes towards the end of the third trimester, the week long minutes. I am feeling all the emotions.  SO excited to meet you, nervous to get you here and anxious to be your mama. Your daddy is feeling similar emotions.  He is very protective of you already.  I can't wait to see the two of you together.  I know you two will have something so special.

I have to say I have had a pretty good pregnancy so far.  I was one of the lucky ones who never experienced morning sickness. Three other women on my unit at work are pregnant as well and after seeing them suffer through those first 12 weeks I was very thankful to dodge that bullet!  I never really got the pregnancy glow as much as I got acne and gray hair. You are definitely sucking any beauty your mama had right out, but that's ok with me.

It is really crazy watching my body change each day.  When they say you "pop" overnight, you really do!  I literally went to bed one night looking like I may need to lay off the donuts to waking up a very obvious pregnant lady.  My body does not belong to me right now.  Everything I do and don't do is for you. My body knows you comes first. Which might explain why I can't breathe after walking up a flight of stairs! I've always known the human body is amazing but being pregnant and seeing and reading how it adapts to grow a life is really, truly a miracle.  I feel very blessed that I am able to do this. Sometimes when I get scared of giving birth I just remember that my body knows what to do.. my body was made to be able to do this.

I started to feel your little kicks around 18 weeks.  Looking back I think I probably felt you earlier but I thought it was gas! Feeling you move around inside my belly is like nothing else in the world. I do notice that you are getting stronger and stronger as the weeks go on. The doctor says you are no small fry! Definitely growing big and strong.  Mimi has informed me that our family has big babies! This makes me a little nervous for obvious reasons but we will get through it!

I have been steadily building your wardrobe. I have to say you are going to be one stylish baby girl.  I think you already have more clothes than me.  This is going to get dangerous.  I might have to start pacing myself now.  Your daddy just looks at me and shakes his head..I have a feeling he will be doing that a lot to us in the years ahead :)

Two Years in a Nutshell

I know I haven't posted in quite a long time.  There have been quite a few life blessings since the last time I wrote.  I am at such an exciting time in my life right now that I feel like I need to start this up again as a way to document everything!

Let me get you up to speed..

I got married!  I was lucky enough to marry my best friend 9/21/12.  We had a perfect day surrounded by our family and friends.  There is something so amazing about walking in to a room and having everyone you love in the same place. We are so lucky to be surrounded but such wonderful people.  We feel so blessed to have found each other and  it seems to get better and better.

My husband is a police officer! ahhh so that is scary.  I am not excited about him working in such bad areas with people that commit real crimes everyday but he loves it.  I have never seen him so happy, so fulfilled, he's a different person.  I am so happy he found his calling.  I love my officer.

In February 2014 we closed on our first home together in Massapequa Park. Wowzerz did we ever dive head first into adulthood!  Being a homeowner is the greatest and worst thing in the world.  I feel an enormous sense of accomplishment and am proud to be a homeowner, especially in this day and age.  Long Island ain't cheap! However, I do miss being able to take vacations, shopping sprees and dine out with by hubby. We are officially in the poor house at the moment.  But it will all be worth it right? Let's hope so.

Two weeks after we closed on our home we got the two pink lines...we're pregnant! ahhh how did that happen?  Well, I know how it happened but it still feels surreal. I guess you try so long not to get pregnant that you are shocked when you do.  We found out we are having a little girl and we couldn't be more excited. Frank is already worrying about her dating, driving and going away to school.  He has ultimately decided she will be allowed to date.. never, he will be her personal taxi driver for her whole life and local school is a must.  Good thing I have lots of time to work on him.  I know she is going to have him wrapped around her little finger..he's doomed.

And that's the last two years in a nutshell.