Pregnancy: 30 weeks....

11.29.11 – 30 weeks

Perhaps yoga pants weren't the best choice, but I was just too tired to change from uniform pants to jeans to yoga pants. One change of pants was all I could muster. 

THIRTY WEEKS! I can’t even believe it! My sweet baby is three-quarters baked. And I just know these next ten weeks will fly by with Christmas coming. Oh, how I can’t wait to meet and snuggle my precious baby boy.

I’m not sure what the deal is, but I’m having trouble sleeping again. I wake up at around 1:00am and can’t seem to fall asleep until after 3:00am. It wasn’t terrible when I was off work last week, but it was not fun getting up at 5:30am today after a poor night’s sleep. When people hear me say that I haven’t been sleeping well, they tell me to “get used to it.” I understand what they’re saying – soon I’ll be up at all hours of the night every night. However, at least there will be a reason to be up. Right now, I just roll back and forth, bored and staring into darkness.

I seem to be getting full more quickly lately. I must be running out of room in there. I also have been struggling because no foods really sound all that amazing – at least not normal foods. Dave and I sit down and try to think of dinners for the week, and nothing sounds good. This week, I just wanted stroganoff, but I don’t want the beef in it.

I am officially in all maternity clothes, unless I can find shirts that were really long on me before pregnancy, but I don’t have many of those. The bummer is that I don’t have many maternity clothes, so I feel like I wear the same thing all the time. On the plus side though, because I wear a uniform to school, just a few shirts really will get me through this pregnancy – big money saver. But I do need to go get a couple of larger uniform shirts. Mine are getting a little short.

This past weekend, Dave and I completely emptied the baby’s room! Such a relief to have that done. You seriously have no idea how much junk was in there. It was our catch-all room for the last seven years: computer desk, file cabinet, bookshelves, scrapbooking stuff, sewing stuff, my purses, gift wrapping stuff, and so much more. Dave spent Saturday and Sunday patching the walls; between the nail pops, screw holes, chips on the corners, and random dents in the wall, this was a pretty big job. We bought the paint and Dave is planning to paint this weekend. Oh, and we noticed a ripple in the carpet. While we would both love to just get all new carpet for our whole house, that is definitely not going to happen. But my handy husband bought a tool to stretch carpet for way cheap and he is planning to fix it himself. He is also building some new shelves, because right now it has wire shelving {not so great for books and such}. I love having a husband that can build and fix literally anything.

My second baby shower {the Nowak family shower} is this weekend! Wahoo! So excited to see Dave’s extended family, who all live at least two hours away, and enjoy a fun afternoon.

Name Blocks...

I have this very dear, very creative friend named Katie. Katie is pretty crafty and makes some pretty cool stuff. One of my favorite things she makes are custom blocks. She amkes them with names, snowmen, fun holiday sayings, photos, and the list goes on.

Recently, Katie started selling her blocks, and I knew I wanted to order some with our little one's name as soon as we had chosen one. Well, Katie was kind enough to make some for me as a gift, and I just love them!

While you might not get free ones, because you haven't known her since first grade like I have, you can certainly order some custom blocks for yourself. Her prices are very reasonable and she will even ship them to you.

Here are a couple of pictures from her facebook page.

If you would like to see more, you can find her on facebook {Katie Bug's Custom Creations} or on etsy.

Thanks so much, Katie, for the name blocks! I can't wait to display them in his room.

Black Friday...

I LOVE Black Friday shopping - not gonna lie. I am usually one of those crazy people standing outside Walmart or Target or Kohl's in the wee hours of the morning ready to wrestle other shoppers to the ground for a good deal.

My sister and I have gone together for years, and two years ago, I started going with my older brother, Jim. He's seriously a Black Friday ninja, always getting everything on his list and even helping others in the process. {Last year, he got his daughter a Barbie Power Wheel Jeep, and saw a little older lady that was hoping to get one, so he told her to stay where she was and quickly grabbed one and threw it over a crowd of people so that it landed in her cart. Like I said, ninja.}

This year, however, I am neither thin enough or fast enough to make it through the crowds. Plus, I was a little nervous that I might get accidentally elbowed in the belly. So, I decided not to shop. Instead, I watched my niece, so that Jim and Melinda could go out together.

I did miss the madness, I have to say. But I managed to get a good deal today anyway. I saw online that my rocker/recliner for the baby's room was on sale at Art Van. It was already a good deal, and now it was even cheaper! I couldn't pass this up. I headed to Art Van this afternoon, when hopefully the traffic wouldn't be too bad, and ordered my chair. It was out of stock in the store and online, but they are expecting more in mid-December. This works out perfectly, because I don't really have a place to put it yet, but I still get the good deal.

I am satisfied with my one Black Friday purchase this year. But next year, you can bet that I will be out with the crazies again. You can't keep me away for too long.

Two Delicious Desserts...

This Thanksgiving, Dave and I have two dinners to attend. One at my sister's house and one at his sister's house. Thankfully, everyone lives in Traverse City, so it's not too hard to go to more than one dinner.

For both dinners, I was asked to bring a dessert. In general, I like my desserts rich, decadent, and CHOCOLATE. However, these two are favorites of mine that happen to not be chocolate. That doesn't happen very often. I'm pretty sure I've shared these desserts on my old blog, but since I'm all fresh and new over here, I thought I'd share them again.

The first one is a jello dessert that Dave's family loves. I'm not a big jello person, but I love this stuff. It's really the only jello I like. Dave's mom has made it for family events for basically forever, and a few years ago, she shared the recipe with me. Now, I am usually the one to make it for our gatherings. I have made it for my family too, and they love it as well. {A plus for my family is that it's gluten-free, so my sister and my brother's girlfriend can have it.}

Warning: It takes a long time to make, because you have to wait for each layer to set. But if you wait too long between layers, the white layer starts to set and the last one will be lumpy. It may take a few times making it to get your rhythm down - sometimes my top white layer is still lumpy and I've lost count how many times I've made it. The important thing is that is still tastes good even when it looks like crap.

Ribbon Jello

Ingredients:
3 oz. package lime jello
3 oz. package lemon jello
3 oz. package orange jello
3 oz. package strawberry jellow {You can use any flavors really, but these are what I use}
2 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
2 Cups milk
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup cold water
1 pint sour cream

Directions:
Lightly butter a 9 x 13 dish. Dissolve one package of jello in 1 1/2 cups boiling water and pour into the dish. Chill until firm {the first layer takes the longest to set}. When the first layer is almost set, bring milk to a boil. Add sugar. Dissolve unflavored gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water. Add with sour cream to milk. Whip. When the first layer of jello is firm, pour 1 1/2 cups milk mixture on top and chill until firm.

While the white layer is chilling, dissolve another package of jello in 1 1/2 cups boiling water. Gently pour over the white layer when it is firm. Make sure it is firm or else the second color of jello will go right through the white layer. In my experience, it is best for the jello to not be too hot, because it will firm faster. But if it cools too much before you can add it to the dish, then it starts to firm and you have a lumpy, uneven layer. That's why I boil the water right after putting the white layer on, so it has some time to cool, but doesn't firm.

Continue alternating white layers and colored layers. It looks so pretty when it's done and it tastes super yummy! Like I said, it may take a few tries to get your rhythm down, but once you do, it's easy.

The finished product

Side view...see the bumpy top white layer? Eh...still tastes good.

This is a picture of one that I made a few years ago, using cranberry and cherry flavors just to try something different. Dave really liked it, but I prefer the regular recipe.

A little sidenote on the jello. Dave's mom has a certain order that she puts the colors in, and Dave's sister claims that it tastes the best that way. We have actually had arguments over this - not serious arguments, but it has been a running joke in the family that I make it wrong. I put them in rainbow order because I'm a teacher that makes the most sense to me {and because I kind of like to drive his sister crazy sometimes}. Hey, if anyone else wants to learn how to make it "the right way" and volunteer to make it for every family event, they can go right ahead.

The second dessert recipe is one of my very favorite desserts. It's from Paula Dean. It's super easy to make and is seriously so good!

Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding

I'm usually not a "fruit" dessert person. But this doesn't have an overwhelming banana flavor. The pudding is seriously to die for. I am always thankful that the recipe makes a little more pudding than what will fit in the dish, because I like to eat the pudding by itself. You know, as my treat for slaving over this dessert.

Ingredients:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies {This year, I am taking this to my sister's gluten-free Thanksgiving, so I bought gluten-free shortbread cookies instead of the Chessman cookies}

6 to 8 bananas, sliced

2 cups milk

1 (5-ounce) box instant french vanilla pudding

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened, condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed

Directions:

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 This is made with the Chessman cookies. The picture is from my old blog post.

If you brought either of these to a family, work, or friend gathering, I guarantee they will not disappoint!

Pregnancy: 29 weeks...

11.22.11 – 29 weeks

I was told at my baby shower that my pictures online make me look bigger than I really am, which I consider a good thing. I decided to zoom out a little this week and see if that gives a more accurate picture.

The last few weeks, no matter how tired I am, I get this weird, restless feeling. I want to sit still, but my body just feels like it needs to move. I change sitting and sleeping positions a lot. It’s kind of hard to explain, and I didn’t understand what was going on. Then I just read on one of my weekly pregnancy e-mails that women might start to experience “Restless Legs Syndrome” around this time in pregnancy. I guess that’s what it must be. My mom has RLS, and to be honest, I never understood what it meant. I just thought if your legs feel like they need to move, maybe you should…you know…move them. Take a walk, do some jumping jacks, something. But it’s totally different than I thought it was. It’s nothing terrible, but just a weird feeling.

I am STARVING all the time lately. I eat breakfast at about 6:30, and am hungry again before I get to school, which is around 7:30. I’m hungry all day, but I’m usually ok after I eat dinner. That is, until 1:00am rolls around. I wake up so hungry. I don’t want to get up and eat (because I’m tired), but I can’t sleep when I’m so hungry. Little man must be hitting a growth spurt.

I’m generally one of those people who is cold all the time. Like, freezing cold. Even in the summer, I always have a sweatshirt with me just in case I might need it, and I always wear socks to bed. At school, I am always sporting my fleece jacket or vest with my uniform. Over the last couple of weeks, however, I have felt like a furnace. I get so hot, so fast. I now have an idea of what hot flashes might feel like. I always imagined that I would like to be one of those “warm” people, because being cold all the time isn’t very comfortable. But I have to say that being hot is no picnic either. But I guess if I’m going to experience these “hot flashes,” the winter months are definitely a better time to have them than the summer months. At least I find some relief in stepping outside.

I am off work this week. THE WHOLE WEEK. It’s pretty much fantastic. I’m spending the first few days packin’ up my scrapbook/sewing/craft/office room so Dave can move it and he said he wants to paint the room THIS WEEKEND! Eeeeek! I can’t even describe how excited I am about this. Because he has to patch some corners in the room, he may not be able to finish painting this weekend, but we are going to buy the paint and he’ll probably get one coat of paint done. WAHOO!

I had an appointment today with Dr. Bump. It was my first time meeting one of the other doctors in the office. The appointment was fine. My blood pressure was on the low side again (90/60…last time it was 88/44), but Dr. Bump said it’s still in the normal range and as long as I feel fine, he’s not concerned. I explained that I do feel really tired and kind of dizzy about an hour after I eat breakfast, and he said that it’s probably my blood sugar dropping and suggested that I eat more protein in the morning. I guess my toaster waffles with peanut butter aren’t quite enough. Other than the BP, everything else is perfect: weight gain, measurement and heartbeat are all right on track. I go back in two weeks to meet with Annie, the midwife, at the office.

Meeting Miss Kennedi...

I was finally able to drive down to Lansing yesterday to meet my newest niece. I was sick for a few weeks when she was born, and then she was sick last weekend, so this was the first chance I was able to. And, boy, did I snatch it up.

Dave's mom and I drove down together, and April {Dave's sister}, Joel and kiddos met us down there. We spent a lovely afternoon taking turns holding the little princess, eating pizza and yummy desserts and just hanging out.

Kennedi is such a little peanut. She is the smallest Nowak baby to date {which means she's a normal size baby, really, but she seems so tiny to us}. I just loved snuggling her and staring her cute little face and beautiful blue eyes.

But enough talk from me...check out the pictures.

Kennedi Elizabeth Nowak

Born October 26, 2011

Jake (April and Joel's son...my nephew) checking out his new cousin

(Kennedi's mama, Danielle, is in the background)

Kennedi, Jake, and Grandma Patti

Jon with Lukas (April and Joel's younger son)

April

Joel

Proud daddy Jon

And me with her...ignore my gigantic upper half nearly suffocating her and focus on her adorable tiny sweetness

I was so glad I could visit. And they're coming up to Traverse City in a couple weeks for my Nowak baby shower, so I'll get to see her again!

First Baby Shower...

Today was my very first baby shower. I was so excited about it that I barely slept last night. I don't necessarily love getting a lot of attention, but having my shower just made it all seem so real and so close!!!

My shower was thrown by my sister-in-law Melinda, sisters Colleen and Jan, and my mom. They did a wonderful job.

Melinda made the invitations by hand. She is so creative and just awesome in general. I love that she made them to go along with my turtle/frog theme. {She made Thank You cards too with turtles on them...ADORABLE!}

The shower was absolutely lovely. The food was delicious.

Lasagna (three different kinds made by my mom, Jan, and Melinda), salad, fruit, veggies, and punch.

 Cupcake cake - yummy!

This shower was my side of the family and a few friends. Several people couldn't make it, which was a bummer, but I guess I have to expect that so close to Thanksgiving. Many people did come, however, and it was wonderful to see them.

Colleen, Jan, me, and Melinda

The three prego sisters. That's right. Melinda is due in April. Colleen is due in June.

It's raining babies!!!

My baby's grandmas - my mom and Dave's mom

My sweet niece, Ella. Going to be a big sister soon!

Aunt Patty, Grandma Josie, me, and cousin Hayley

Me with my Dairyville faves: Susan (DV owner), Esther (regular costumer, sort of an adopted grandparent), and Niki (co-worker at DV and going to be our baby's daycare provider)

Grandma Johnson, Aunt Margy, and Aunt Therese (my stepdad's mom and sisters)

Me with my wonderful friend, Rebecca, her daughter Sophia and friend Kayla

Me with Lori and Krina. Krina was a student in my class for two years and Lori and I became pretty close. I just adore that family.

 Me with my sweet friend, Corinn. Too bad I didn't get a picture of her adorable boy, Weston.

Leland got some pretty great gifts...

A painting for his room. I am in love with this painting from Target. There are two more smaller ones that go with it that I want to get for his room.

Bouncy seat, play mat, boppy pillow, onesie stickers (love these...I've been looking at them on Etsy for a while), swaddle blankets, stuffed animals, diapers, wipes, monitors...

We are a Ford family - won't drive anything else. Rebecca knows us so well.

Some cute clothes. I can't wait to put these on him!

Baby bath and lots of bath stuff

Nancy Tillman books. I love these books and they are the current series on sale at Kohl's.

Some other books Leland received

Books for the mama! I can't wait to make his baby food myself. And...I firmly believe that babies on a sleep schedule are the happiest babies. I look forward to reading these books.

And my friend Kristina couldn't make it to the shower {she lives in Kansas now}, but she did send my swing...

And this adorable musical turtle toy. 

I am just so happy with how the day went. I have a wonderful family and terrific friends and feel so blessed to have them in our lives. Looking forward to my next baby shower in just two weeks!

Seasons of Friendship...

Have you ever heard the term "seasons of friendship?" I've heard it before and always thought it was true of certain friendships. There are some friendships that seem to come along just when you need them. For whatever reason, you and the friend are drawn together for a period of time, but eventually the friendship fades and the "season" has come to an end.

I have certainly experienced this in the past. There are high school friends; some continue beyond high school, but most fade away. Similarly, there are college friends. There are work friends, who are great when you work together, but sometimes the friendship doesn't last after the work relationship ends.

Usually, there's no great, significant event that leads to the friendship changing; the friendship just gradually changes until you're mere acquaintances. And usually, you feel the change coming. You may miss the friend, but you're not incredibly heartbroken.

Then there are your forever friends - your friends through all seasons. Maybe you see each other all the time or maybe just once in a while, but there is never a question that the friendship is real and true and will always be there.

Unfortunately, sometimes we have a friend who we thought was a "forever" friend, but they turn out to be a "seasonal" friend. Let me tell you, few things are more painful than realizing the friend you thought was forever has given up on the friendship.

It's a hard pill to swallow. It leaves you questioning what you did wrong or what you could have done better. Obviously, friendship is a two-way street, so you must have done something - things don't just fall apart for no reason. You try to fix it, but after a while, you have to bite the bullet and realize that they don't care anymore and it's time to give up.


This is a lesson I have recently learned. Sometimes you have no choice but to give up.

I'm at that point now. I can't try anymore. Trying is useless and it has done nothing but hurt me more. And I know that even if they suddenly decided they really wanted the friendship, it would never be the same.

I do take some responsibility, though I'm not really sure what for. Like I said, things don't just fall apart for no reason. Obviously I did something to hurt this person or made them feel that I wasn't a good friend anymore. But it's time to move on, I guess, as efforts on my side have failed to regain the relationship. I am thankful for the friendship while it lasted. I just wish it would have, you know, lasted.

As much as it sucks, I have to remember that I am blessed with several other friends who truly are forever friends.

Gross...

This morning, I opened the garage door to head to work, and this is what I saw...

Yes, it's this dark when I leave for school in the morning.

Disgusting.

Yeah, I know it looks pretty to everyone who doesn't have to live in it for the next five months or so. But to me, it's gross. I don't see beautiful, fluffy white stuff. I see scraping and brushing my car, slushy/slippery roads, recess duty in the cold, wet feet, etc. And today is the start of it all.

Bleh.

Oh yeah, and the roads were horrible this morning. Thank goodness I just had new all-season tires put on yesterday, so I made it to work safe and sound.

Pregnancy: 28 weeks and an announcement...

11.15.11 – 28 weeks

Hard to tell in the pictures, but I just got highlights and low lights in my hair tonight. I've never had low lights, so I was a little nervous. But I've decided that I want to gradually go darker and I thought this would be the best way. I have to say that I am in love with the new color!

I cannot believe I am 28 weeks pregnant. For some reason 28 weeks seems like so much further along than 26 or 27. I am officially in the third trimester, which just makes me so incredibly excited and anxious. I cannot wait to meet this little boy and bring him home.

I have to say that this pregnancy seems to be about the easiest pregnancy in the history of the world. I never had any morning sickness; some slight nausea in the beginning, but really nothing uncomfortable. I have felt great the entire time, and haven’t had any difficulties. This week was the first week that I had any really uncomfortable symptoms.

Like…holy heartburn, Batman! I felt some really mild heartburn several weeks (months?) ago and it really didn’t bother me at all. But this week, it has been really bad. Like, bad enough to make it difficult to fall {and stay} asleep. And I’m definitely experiencing some acid reflux.

Oh yeah, and two nights ago, I had some serious leg cramps! My alarm went off and I rolled over to turn it off and immediately felt excruciating pain surge through my calf. It didn’t last long, but it hurt bad! Honestly, though, I would take heartburn and leg cramps every day for the rest of my life if it meant snuggling my sweet baby in just 12 weeks {12 weeks! Ahhhh….I’m getting giddy!}.

I have been living off of bread lately. I can’t seem to get enough carbs. But it works out ok, because it keeps my hunger at bay for a decent amount of time and nothing else ever sounds that great.

I am still super tired, which I think is due to not drinking enough water, which is leading to low blood pressure. I can really feel when my BP is low lately. I’m sleeping great at night, with the exception of the last few nights because I’m so excited about things happening this week: my first baby shower coming up this Saturday, ordering Christmas cards with our maternity pictures on them {the first time I’ve ever ordered/sent cards with our pictures on them}, my sister-in-law finding out the gender of her baby this week, getting the baby’s room ready, and stuff going on at school.

I read somewhere that during pregnancy you can develop some temporary skin changes, like red spots, etc. I haven’t noticed any on my skin, but for the last few weeks, I have had a small red spot on my lower lip. I don’t know what it is or what it could be if it’s not pregnancy related.

As for the announcement...Dave and I have pretty much settled on a first name for our sweet boy. Dave came up with the name and it grew on me. Once I loved it, Dave wasn't sure. Now, we're both pretty sure that this will be his name. Of course, we could change our minds, but for now, we're pretty well set on the first name Leland. As for a middle name, I like John {after my dad}, but Dave doesn't like it because John is also my brother's name and his brother's name. We're tossing around different names, but haven't come up with the perfect one yet. We're thinking John, James, and Henry so far. We shall see.

My first baby shower is this weekend and I am so excited to see my family and friends!

Maternity Shoot Outtakes...

One of the great things about having Melinda do our photo shoot is that I get to keep all of the pictures, including the ones that didn't turn out so great.

Because I have an amazing sense of humor, and I think you all do too, I decided to share with you a few outtakes.

Because Dave is so tall, and I am so...not tall, it was actually somewhat awkward for him to put his hands on my belly. They don't quite reach. So he was making fun of himself here and Melinda was able to capture it.

Have you ever seen Talladega Nights? In the movie, Ricky Bobby is in a commercial and he doesn't know what to do with his hands, so he holds them up in the air like this. Well, here, Dave said, "I don't know what to do with my hands," and did the same thing.

I was playing around and Melinda decided to take a picture, because it was a cute pose. But Dave was lurking in the background making fun of me and ended up in the shot. I had to pose again with him out of the shot.

Me...talking and pointing

Talking...deciding what to do next.

I think the first one is my favorite. Dave wants me to delete it and never speak of it again. Sorry, honey, it's now on the internets for all the world to see.