Belly By the Week: Round 6

Week 32
Okay, folks! We are 8 months as of last Sunday! I have an 8-month check-up this morning and thought I'd get up a little early to post belly pics. Baby is definitely growing in there! Baby's energy seems to be increasing as mine is decreasing. Sleep is very difficult for me at this point, but I guess its just good practice for middle of the night diaper changes, rocking, and feedings. Waddle is my new walk and I am scared to see how much more my stomach is going to grow...it is constantly hard as a rock and I feel like its already to its bursting point! I started looking online for some Homemade Baby Announcement Inspiration...I am planning on making/assembling  what I can a head of time and printing out the info and attaching a photo when its time to send out....its getting close! 
I added in a front view of my belly just for giggles. I don't quite have an "outie" yet, but it's very close! Happy Wednesday!

29 Weeks

30 Weeks

31 Weeks

31 Weeks (Front)

32 Weeks

Easy-Peezy, Lemon Squeezy

Week 32
Obviously, by reading the title, this post is not on my views of how labor will be... haha
I honestly have no idea what to expect, nor is there any real answer that anyone can give me in what life with a newborn is like (or labor). This post is about the things I hope to do ahead of time in order to make life a little easier in the beginning for us after we bring baby home. 

1.Stock-Up

Items that I intend to stock up (at least 3 months supply on)

My goal is for Andrew to only have to stop at the store for Milk, OJ, Cheese, Yogurt, Fruit (Apples and Bananas) and Sour Cream...as needed

• Toiletries (toilet/face tissue, soaps, shampoo, deodorants, lotions, toothpaste, etc)
• Meats (pork, beef, chicken, turkey) to portion freeze
• Canned goods to create crock-pot meals
• Household items (paper towels, dish/laundry soap, tin foil, freezer bags)
• Baby Wipes
• Coffee/K-cups
• Cleaning Products (Lysol Wipes/ Spray)

2. Deep Clean house

Household chores I want done at 36 weeks (this will help in bringing baby home to an extra-clean home and reduce my house-work as we will have parents staying with us the first few weeks) My GG has volunteered to come down and help me with all these chores...

• Steam Clean all Tile or Wood Floors
• Laundry and change all linens
• Clean Upholstery on Couches
• Wash and Iron all curtains
• Wipe Down all wall trim
• Clean/dust all ceiling fans and lighting fixtures
• Polish wood furniture pieces
• Both bathrooms fully sanitized
• Kitchen appliances sanitized
• Washing Machine sanitized
• Wash Windows inside and out
• Clean window blinds

3. Crock-Pot/ Freezer Meals

I teeter tottered back and forth on the options I could do with freezer and/or crock-pot meals and have decided that I will mostly stock up on canned goods for crock-pot meals, a few freezer meals, and portioned freezer meats.

I already try and make the effort to stay stocked up on meats, fries/hash browns, breads, and garlic bread in the freezer. Some things that I have been doing in portion/preparations for future meals...

GARLIC BREAD

Portioned Garlic Bread (Stacked 2-high)

We go through a lot of garlic bread. I came up with my own recipe that we think is better than any store bought kind...I premix the butter/seasonings/cheeses (total about $4) and buy a loaf of french bread ($1.99). I spread the mixture on each cut (1" thick) portion of french bread. I then portion for a two person meal, put foil or wax paper in between the two pieces (mixture face toward one another) and freeze in quart size freezer bags. I typically get about 18 (2-person) meals out of this.

MEATS 

Seasoned Taco Meat

Portioned Salmon

I will buy large packages and separate them out into appropriate portions for a typical 2-person meal. For example, I will take a package of 16 chicken legs and cut it in half to make for 2 future meal portions. Or with fish I will separate so I only have to thaw one meal portion at a time. With ground burger, I like to separate into thirds--one third gets pre-seasoned for chili meat with chili powder, and garlic powder; the second portion gets seasoned for taco meat with a little chili powder, fajita seasoning, garlic, and cumin; then whatever is leftover, I pre-form hamburger patties with (seasoned with S&P)-then package them into one meal (2-person) portions with foil or wax paper separating the two patties.  So Out of one big container of ground beef (aprox. $8-10) I potentially get anywhere from 3-6+ meals (depending on how many patties I get from the leftovers). I put the (uncooked) taco meat and chili meat into a gallon freezer bag and roll it out flat, then seal it with as little air as possible (rolling it out flat helps reduce the amount of air trapped and saves a TON of room in the freezer since you can stack them! AND they thaw out 10x faster than a big package!)  * Don't forget to label and date.

Here are some of the 'easy meal' recipes I plan to do....

Crock Pot Meals In Planning

• Chili (Consisting mostly of canned goods and a freezer portion of pre-seasoned beef or sausage)
• 2-Dark Red Kidney Beans
• 2-Light Red Kidney Beans
• 2-Chili Beans
• Canned tomatoes (I use rotell because we like a little heat)
• 1-Black Beans
• 1-Corn
• Pre-Seasoned Beef or Sausage that I will portion, cook, and freeze ahead of time.
• Pre-made corn bread that I will freeze and have to reheat in oven.
• Toppings that Andrew will have to pick-up: Sour Cream and Possibly Cheese
• Beef Roast (with frozen vegetables, potatoes, and garlic bread), (Beef Dip Sandwiches)
• 1- Beef Roast
• 1-Bag of Frozen Veggies
• Several Cut up Potatoes (red)
• Pre-Made Garlic Bread that will be portioned and frozen
• Onion Buns
• Horseradish 
• Beef Broth for Au Jus dipping.
• Fries
• Andrew will have to stop and get Swiss cheese from the store
• Spare Ribs (I recently did this one and we both loved it!)
• St Louis Style Spare Rack of Ribs
• Applesauce
• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce
• Water
• I medium Onion
• Pre-Made Garlic Bread
• Canned Vegetable
• Pork Chops (havent exactly decided what recipe yet...)
• Package of Pork Chops
• Vegetable
• Bread

Frozen Meals in Planning

• Chicken Pot Pie
• Pre made Pie Crusts
• Package of Frozen Veggies
• 1-2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom
• 1 large can of chicken
• Shredded Pork (1/2 plain, 1/2 BBQ) *Expecting to get several meals from this....
• Pork Roast
• BBQ pulled pork sandwiches
• Pulled pork and vegetables
• Plain Pork Sandwiches (lunches)
• BBQ sauce
• Vegetable
• Sandwich Buns
• Meatballs (I love to make meatballs, but have never pre-made and froze them)
• 1/2 Ground Turkey and 1/2 Ground Beef
• Meatball Marinara Sandwiches
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Marinara Sauce
• Sub Buns
• Pasta Sauce
• Spaghetti Noodles
• Andrew will have to stop and get mozzarella cheese.
• Sloppy Joes
• Ground Beef
• Burger Buns
• Ketchup
• Mustard
• Vinegar
• Brown Sugar
• Fries or Vegetable

Easy On-Hand Meals In Planning

• Breakfast Burritos
• Tortillas ( we always have in stock at home)
• Eggs (we buy fresh farm from our neighbors)
• Potatos (fresh or frozen)
• Sausage (frozen)
• Salsa (homemade canned)
• Andrew will possibly have to grab sour cream and cheese from store
• Fetticine Alfredo (homemade)
• Cream Cheese
• Parmesean Powder Cheese
• Butter
• Milk
• Fetticine Noodles
• Broccoli (frozen)
• Frozen chicken or fish
• Garlic Bread
• Lasagna
• Lasagna Noodles
• Pasta Sauce (homemade frozen or canned)
• Ground Beef (frozen)
• Andrew will need to pick up Cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream
• Garlic Bread
• Enchiladas
• Tortillas
• Chicken (Frozen, pre-seasoned for fajitas)
• Corn
• Rotell tomatoes (canned)
• Cream Cheese (seasoned)
• Enchilada Sauce (canned)
• Refriend Beans (canned)
• Andrew will need to get sour cream, cheese, and possibly red/orange peppers

I will let you know how these all turn out. I plan to stock up on all canned goods and portioned meats/breads for the freezer at 36 weeks. Andrew will have to make a weekly trip to the store, but I will try to plan our meals for what I need from the store that week (example plan meals that require sour cream together so it reduced waste # of items we need from the store in future weeks).

Message me if you would like specific recipes (portions) etc...

Crafty Mama

Week 31

So for the past few weeks I have been working on finishing up some sewing/craft projects I am making for baby. I have had a small baby necessities business since high school that I really enjoy doing in my free time. Its called, Sissy Boo Baby. I have done a few craft shows, done a few orders from etsy.com, but mostly do private orders. My main selling (and favorite to make) items are custom baby bibs and burp-cloths. I have even gone as far as blankets, changing pads, hooded towels, onesies, handmade custom appliques and other misc. items. I knew I would make my own baby's necessities one day, and that day had come :) Making our own bibs and burp-cloths for the baby is also my way of contributing since I am staying home and have no income coming in (other than the occasional baby necessities order). Two things: first,(Once baby arrives) I have decided to use up what I have of my stocked fabrics and stock-pile as many bibs and burp-cloth sets as I can. I plan to attend craft shows (goal is at least one large one a year) and any $$ I make will go into a "fun/travel" fund for the family. We will use this towards gas on our coming home trips to MI and/or for spontaneous weekend fun. It is a way that I came up with where I can feel like I am contributing to our expenses. (*Future post: Ways I plan to help save $) 

Secondly, I finally finished my first two rounds of bibs and burp-cloth sets for our baby. We obviously went with neutral fabrics, but with some fun prints I already had on stock in my fabric closet. The plan is once the baby is here, I will make a few more sets (gender appropriate) and jazz them up a bit more.

I know there wasn't supposed to be a third point, but small side note...Andrew bought me a new sewing machine (in other words replaced my 14 year old one) with a brand spankin' new top of the line Sewing/Embroidery combo machine. It has so many bells and whistles, I don't even know where to begin. So excited in the new potential it gives Sissy Boo Baby to expand into embroidery and all the cute outfit possibilities I can make for baby once he/she is here! 

Here are the Bibs and Burp-cloths I recently made for baby (and two blankets)

4 bibs and burp-cloths in first set made for baby!

Close-up of two fabrics...

Second set of Burp-cloths made for baby. (Love this fun fabric!)

Another set of characters in the second set of burp-cloths.

Andrew suggested I do appliques of some of
the animals on the bibs to make them unique...
Here is Mr. Fox.

Mr. Beaver

Mr. Turtle

Mr. Owl

Boring picture, but this is the color fabric I used for blanket #1

Pattern and color I used for blanket #2

Mama-Sense

So last week was miserable, scary, painful, boring, and tiring all in one.
I started having more pain the weekend before last and just blamed it on me over-doing it again (which I really hadn't) and/or experiencing more "lightening" pain--although it wasn't the same. So I relaxed and drank as much water as I could. Sleep was impossible. So I told myself if it gets any worse or doesn't get any better by Monday, I would go into my Dr. Well it didn't get any better. I called my nurse and she told me to come in right away for some tests (mostly because I hadn't felt the baby in the time table she had asked)...She informed me that my Dr. is not in the office on Mondays, so I would see Dr. Childs, the on-call. She also informed me that I may be in pre-term labor. I got off the phone with her and called Andrew only to break down on the phone. He insisted on coming with me when he could sense how scared I was (did I mention yet...BEST Husband of the YEAR award....) So I picked Andrew up from work and away we went. They got me right in and said they would first have me give a urine sample, and second have me sit through a stress-test. A stress-test is a very simple test where I sit in an amazingly comfortable recliner chair and they strap two pod looking things to monitor #1 baby's heartbeat and #2 they didn't tell me in the beginning what that was for. Our sweet stubborn baby gave us a laugh when he/she continuously kept kicking the monitor. So we sat there for 10 minutes and the Nurse Practitioner came in to check us. First thing she did was move the #2 sensor because according to her it was in the wrong place. While she was fixing the #2 sensor, another girl came in with her mother and Andrew had to be asked to leave because he (being a male) wasn't allowed to be in the room while another woman was partially undressed (her stomach). So they had Andrew leave and let her mom come in to be with her in Andrews place (don't get me started on how wrong I felt this was!) The nurse practitioner stayed in with me and after moving the #2 sensor (and seconds after Andrew was asked to leave) she came over and asked me a few questions....she confirmed that I was having contractions. (WHAT!?!) She monitored me for a few more minutes and confirmed another one. She sent Dr. Childs in and he spoke with me and put me on "couch potato" rest until my next appointment with Dr. Carr (2 weeks away). He restricted me to the couch, but allowed me to attend school temporarily. No stairs allowed. They did an additional test which eventually ruled out pre-term labor (thank goodness), but he decided to keep me on "couch-potato" rest until Dr. Carr could decide otherwise. They sent me home and I broke the news to Andrew in the waiting room. (He wasn't impressed either that they had left him uninformed and clueless in the waiting room while all this was going on.) 

I went to class Tuesday and was really feeling bad after getting home from that. But I did as I was told and sat on the couch all day. By the time Andrew got home I could not sit up on my own because the pain in my stomach was so bad. I went to bed early and slept nothing during the night. Wednesday I got up early and hoped that by starting my normal morning routine, it would help start the day off better, so I showered, dressed, and ate breakfast, then plopped on the couch for the day. By afternoon, I sensed that something just wasn't right. There just was no explanation given to me why I should be in this much pain. I called my nurse once more, and she once again told me to come in immediately. But that the only test they could do this time that wasn't done last time was an ultrasound of my cervix to be sure that it wasn't showing any pre-term labor signs (uh, I thought that we had ruled that out Monday?) Because Andrew had to sit in the waiting room the entire time on Monday, I went to this appointment alone. I got there, gave a urine sample and got the ultrasound done. As a precaution, my Dr also checked me herself to be sure I wasn't thinning out or dilating. All the tests came back negative for pre-term labor once again (thankfully), but it didn't answer my question of why I was in so much pain. The Dr went out and came back with some questions (and an answer that no longer made me feel like a paranoid crazy pregnant lady)...blood in my urine. I had a bladder and quite possibly a kidney infection. I was given an antibiotic shot to jump start the meds, a prescription for a week, and removed from couch-potato rest because all preterm labor had been ruled out. 

It took most the week and weekend for the meds to fully start taking affect. But as of yesterday, I am feeling quite back to normal. **One of the questions Dr Childs had asked me when I was in on Monday was if I had any sugar that morning (because I had glucose in my urine) and how much water I had been drinking; I had only had orange juice and more water bottles than I could recall ( I guessed 4-5). One of the first signs of a bladder infection for pregnancy is too much glucose in the urine, but him not being my Dr and the bigger concern of my contractions, maybe it just didn't occur to anyone that the pain was from a bladder infection. I have had several bladder infections in my day and normally spot one the day it starts. Anyway, no cause for concern, everything is back to normal and through all the tests, baby is still head down and looks "perfect" according to the Dr. We are right back where we need to be. We have made it to 30 weeks!

Moral of the drama last week is, every pregnancy is different, but if you get a mama-sense that something is wrong....it probably is. 

My post inspiration is beginning to dwindle down and any suggestions or requests on what you would like to see in a future post would be much appreciated! 
p.s. The nursery is now 95% complete!

Prepping the Pups for Baby

Something that we have started in the past few weeks is preparing Royce and Reba (our two large breed dogs) for the baby. Obviously we could never have them fully prepared, but given their size and excitement when there is a "newbie" in the house, we decided to start taking baby steps with them (pun intended). Many people have told me already that there is no need to do this with the dogs because they will adjust after the baby comes. However, I feel that having a baby jump into their lives (and take away some of their attention) all in one week could be a little traumatizing and unfair. Plus I want them to love their little brother or sister. So, for the past couple weeks we have done little things around the house to let them adjust. I started with the nursery door. Whenever I was working in there I would leave the door open so they could see what was going on... either put the gate up (if i was painting) or  allow them to lay in the doorway and occasionally come in and sniff around when I had added something new. This will continue after the baby comes. Last week we put up the baby swing and rearranged the furniture in the living room to accommodate it. This meant moving (one of three) Royce's toy box. My fear with the baby swing is that Royce, being the big special boy he is, would just walk right into it while it was swinging, send the baby flying across the room from the collision. (Obviously this is very far fetched, as the baby will be buckled into the swing seat) However, the first thing he does when he walked in to discover this new "toy" in the living room....exactly as I predicted. He stood there and let the swing hit him over and over. (I did find this humorous at the time.) We were unable to put up the stuffed toy mobile attached to the swing, because someone thinks its a game. The next step that we plan to introduce this week is the activity center. Obviously the baby will not be able to use it until they can hold their head up, etc, but the biggest challenge with the dogs will be keeping a drawn invisible line with baby toys vs. dog toys. Now that I am home during the week, I am also bringing the dogs inside to be with me whenever possible. Normally, they are outside (weather permitting) everyday and brought indoors to be with us in the evening when we get home. However, the excitement of being let indoors every evening causes an earthquake when their tails get wagging and body's get to pushing for attention. The excitement is #1 because Royce gets to eat and #2 because they are just excited to see us, or whoever else is here if we have guests. I know they will always be excited to see us, and showing that excitement is fine, but when I am carrying a newborn up the stairs after letting them in, I cannot have them pushing on me and catching me off balance. I have already seen an improvement and the last time we had company, they were on their best behavior. They are the best pups any baby could wish to have in their new life. I know we will all be just fine.

Reba and Royce

Life with PCOS

This is a very personal post for me, so I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to present it to you (or that I was 100% ready to share it all)...I decided to use a great article from WebMD and shape my answers (in grey italics) around questions in their article. (Most of the medical information is copy and paste) Please remember I am not a medical professional or an expert on PCOS. My hopes for this post is to bring more awareness to PCOS and help educate family members and friends of other women living with PCOS. Please also remember, symptoms appear differently in every woman with PCOS, just because I experience something, does not mean  you (if you have PCOS) or someone you know will be experiencing the same. Support and knowledge is power. I have included the links at the bottom of the page to some of the best websites and articles if you want to learn more.

What is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?
(say "pah-lee-SIS-tik OH-vuh-ree SIN-drohm")
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a problem in which a woman's hormones are out of balance. It can cause problems with your periods and make it difficult to get pregnant. PCOS has a variety of unwanted symptoms, many causing changes in the way you look. Women with PCOS are at higher risk for diabetes (including gestational diabetes for pregnant women) and heart disease.

What are hormones, and what happens in PCOS?
Hormones are chemical messengers that trigger many different processes, including growth and energy production. Often, the job of one hormone is to signal release of another hormone.

In PCOS the horomones get out of balance. One hormone triggers another, which changes another. For example:

• The sex hormones get out of balance. Normally, the ovaries make a tiny amount of male sex hormones (androgens). In PCOS, they make more, causing a woman with PCOS to stop ovulating, get acne, and/or grow extra facial and body hair.
• The body may also have a problem with insulin, called insulin resistance  When this happens, the body doesn't use insulin well, causing blood sugars levels to raise. Over time, this increases your chance of getting diabetes.

What are some symptoms of PCOS?

As I mentioned above, a woman with PCOS will experience few, some, or many (like me) of these symptoms....everyone is different. Also, I have noticed for me, that the symptoms will appear at different times. ( or I may experience one stronger than others.)

• Acne
• Weight gain and trouble losing weight
• Extra hair on the face and body (Typically thicker and darker)
• Thinning hair on the scalp
• Irregular Periods (Meaning less than 9 periods a year, no periods, or experiencing very light or very heavy bleeding.)
• Fertility Problems (Many women with PCOS have trouble getting pregnant)
• Depression

Most women with PCOS grow many small cysts on their ovaries. That is why it is called polycystic ovary syndrome. The cysts are not harmful, but can be painful and lead to hormone imbalances.

What causes PCOS?
The symptoms of PCOS are caused by changes in hormone levels. PCOS also seems to run in families. It can be passed down from either your mother's or father's side.

How is PCOS diagnosed?
Only a professional medical doctor can diagnose PCOS. They will ask about your health history, symptoms, menstrual cycles, and do a physical exam. You may also have a pelvic ultrasound to look at your ovaries for cysts. 
Below is a picture of a regular ovary and one from a woman with PCOS.

I was meeting with my gynecologist regularly, to discuss family planning once Andrew and  I decided we were ready. After a few months of trying, no ovulation (due to over-stimulated follicles and development of cysts in my ovaries as seen above in the picture example), no pregnancy, and my regular past of un-regular periods, she decided to have me do a pelvic ultrasound. This ultrasound, along with hormone levels from blood-work, confirmed me having PCOS and pointed us on a different course to get pregnant than we had originally planned. 

How is it treated?
Regular exercise, healthy foods, and weight control are key treatments for PCOS. Medicines to balance hormones may also be used. Getting treatment can reduce unpleasant symptoms and help prevent long-term health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

My gynecologist would like me to go on some type of birth-control after pregnancy to help balance my hormones and hopefully make getting pregnant easier the second time around. I have not made any decisions as to what treatment I will do after pregnancy, as I am living in the moment and trying to enjoy this amazing time in my life and keep myself healthy so I can provide baby with everything he/she needs.

It can be hard to deal with having PCOS. If you are feeling sad or depressed, it may help to talk to a counselor or to other women who have PCOS. Ask your doctor about local support groups, or look for an online group. It can make a big difference to know that you are not alone.


http://women.webmd.com/tc/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-topic-overview
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423
http://pcosfoundation.org/support-groups?gclid=COnctNuf_bkCFShp7AodgR4AUw

Belly By the Week: Round 5

Week: 28
We have made it to the third trimester! Hard to believe baby still needs 12 more weeks of growing time by the looks of my stomach! (*Please excuse the pillow marks on my belly on 26 and 28 weeks, and the poor resolution on week 27...Andrew had my camera in CO so I had to improvise!) Grow Baby, Grow!

25 Weeks

26 Weeks

27 Weeks

28 Weeks