2.29.2012

Babywise: A Book Review

Oh, I'm anticipating all the comments I'm going to get for this post...

At the suggestion of several friends and a family member, I borrowed this book from my bestie.


Source: amazon.com via Sarah on Pinterest


On Becoming Babwise is a parenting book, like all others, full of suggestions and helpful tips to get you through the first weeks and months of your baby's life. Knowing other women/families who have done this method with their babies, I was pretty excited to read it. I actually started reading it during my first trimester, but my wise bestie told me it'd probably benefit me more later. She was probably right because pregnancy brain is serious business! So, about a week and a half ago I picked it up again. And couldn't put it down. Not because it's a stimulating read {I mean, it is non-fiction ;)}, but because I can totally see how this method works.

The "Babwise method,"as most people call it now, is based on one simple - yet very controversial - little thing called Parent-Directed Feeding (PDF). This is basically the complete opposite of demand feeding and everything attachment parenting-related, which I feel like has led to all of the controversy. The authors describe PDF as this:

"Parent-directed feeding is a twenty-four hour infant-management strategy designed to help moms connect with their babies and their babies connect with them. It is a proactive approach to infant care, meeting the needs of the newborn and those of the rest of the family... PDF is the center point between hyper scheduling on one extreme and attachment parenting at the other. It has enough structure to bring security and order to your baby's world, yet enough flexibility to give mom the freedom to respond to any need at any time."


So let's see... We're meeting the needs of the newborn and the rest of the family. We're not hyper scheduling; we're structured, yet flexible. I'm thinking this sounds pretty good. What about you?

The book goes on to talk about the differences between demand feeding, clock feeding {hyper scheduling} and PDF. I'm going to condense it a bit for you, so you can really see the difference.

Demand Feeding: Hunger Cue {from baby} + Nothing = Feeding Time


Clock Feeding: Clock {time} + Nothing = Feeding Time


PDF: Hunger Cue + Clock + PA {Parental Assessment} = Feeding Time


Just based on those mini-equations, I can see which one makes the most sense. I've known women who have demand fed... Offered the breast {or bottle} at any little sign of fussiness, without evaluating if their child was actually hungry. Babies can be fussy for pretty much any reason... So why offer food at the tiniest sign of fussiness? I just don't get it...

Babywise suggests that a feeding philosophy {PDF, demand feeding, clock feeding} "represents more than just passing on nourishment to a baby; it represents a complex value system with its own set of expectations and beliefs about what is best for a child."


Babywise is also more than just a feeding philosophy. It's also a sleep-training method. One of the opening lines in the book goes something like "who wouldn't want their infant to sleep?" Pretty sure the answer to that is obvious. Everyone wants sleep, even babies. Babywise combines Parent-Directed Feeding and Sleep/Wake cycles.

For example, you feed baby every 2.5-3.5 hours and begin the sleep/wake cycle with the first morning feeding. So, say baby gets up to eat at 7. You feed them, put them down for a little awake time and then down for a nap when they get sleepy. Let them nap and feed them again around 9 or 9:30. This is where the parental assessment comes in. The 2.5-3.5 hours between feedings is a suggested guideline. It's not set in stone. In fact, they say over and over again throughout the book that if you think your baby is hungry, feed the baby. The goal is just to keep them on a schedule that is flexible so that they get enough to eat and enough sleep. It's really that simple.

Contrary to popular belief, the authors of Babywise don't want you to starve your infant. It's in no way dangerous to put your newborn on a schedule. In fact, if you're breast feeding, it's better have a schedule! Why? Because if your baby is being fed on-demand, say, every 45 minutes, they don't get to the "hind milk" which has all the nutrition and antibodies their bodies really need. So basically we're talking quality feedings versus quantity feedings. More feedings don't mean they're getting more nutrition. Make sense?!

To take on more of the controversy behind this book, here are the guidelines for the first week of the baby's life:


  • Don't focus on the clock or time between feedings.
  • Focus on getting full feedings, which may mean keeping the baby awake to eat. {Feedings should last 30-45 minutes.}
  • Focus on getting at least 8 feedings in a 24 hour period.


Funny enough, the breastfeeding class I went to yesterday suggested the same things!

After the first week, Babywise suggests the following:


  • 7+ days: start the eat/wake/sleep cycle at the early morning feeding
  • 10+ days: start Parent-Directed Feeding cycles, feeding every 2.5 - 3 hours from beginning of one feeding to beginning of the next feeding. 


The authors also state that by 7-10 days, most babies will fall into a feeding schedule. But, as always, the parent is encouraged to feed the baby sooner than 2.5 hours if baby is showing signs of hunger.

Then at 5-8 weeks, the feeding cycles can grow to 3.5 hours in between feedings. They may have a growth spurt, but the parent is encouraged to add in an extra feeding, instead of letting the baby snack or cluster-feed. This goes back to quantity vs. quality feedings.

At around 8 weeks, most babies who are "on" the Babywise method start sleeping through the night. All babies are different, so not all of them do sleep through the night. The question is why do they sleep through the night so early?! Without overanalyzing anything, they're getting enough feedings during the day and they're getting good naps and wake times in.

Babywise also holds the standpoint that sleeping through the night is a very healthy attribute for babies.

"Imagine your spouse getting no more than three hours sleep at a stretch for one week. Would you expect this to impact his or her attitudes, actions, and overall accountability? Certainly the negative effects on his or her mature central nervous system are widely known... Now consider an infant whose central nervous system is still developing. Even more is at stake. To what extent, then, does sleep deprivation negatively impact and infant's developing central nervous system? Imagine parenting in such a way that your baby is not allowed to sleep continuously for eight hours for even one night our of three hundred and sixty five."


There is so much more that this book talks about {sleep props, baby wearing, co-sleeping} that I can hardly get into in one blog post. Here's what I'm trying to say:


  • Babywise won't harm your baby.
  • Feeding on a flexible schedule won't harm your baby.
  • Training your baby to sleep through eat/wake/sleep cycles won't harm your baby.
  • All parenting books are guidelines for parents to follow and Babywise is another.


I plan on implementing the Babywise method once Charlotte is here. I can tell you that I feel much more comfortable with this method than the attachment parenting, demand-feeding method. As pointed out in the book, Joe and I feel that our child can gain nothing better by sleeping in our room and being fed every hour than she can gain by sleeping in her crib, in her room and being fed on a flexible schedule. {Babywise suggests that co-sleeping can produce feelings of insecurity - rather than security - when you eventually move the baby out of your bed or room.} Personally, knowing that I will have a schedule for her provides me with so much more comfort and peace of mind than the thought of feeding her whenever she cries. I should also add {to combat the "this isn't healthy for your child" comments} that my bestie and my SIL both have implemented this method with their babies. All 3 of the babies are happy, healthy, well-fed, have never gone hungry and have never been watched for being underweight.

Now, I realize that many people are attachment, demand-feeding parents. I can't - and won't - tell you what is best for your child, so please extend me the same courtesy. I see so many benefits from using the Babywise method that I can't find any reason not to do it. Many of you may feel the same about your methods. While I would love to turn an attachment parent into a Babywise parent, I won't pressure anyone. =) I will say, though, that if you're pregnant or looking to change things with your baby's schedule {or lack thereof} get this book!

If you're interested, there's also a Babywise mom blog out there called, Chronicles of a Babywise Mom, that has some really great tips. She probably explains this method far better than I ever could.

NOTE: I was in no way compensated for reviewing On Becoming Babywise. This was simply something suggested to me by friends and family that I wanted to share with my readers.

Thirty Four


How far along: 34 weeks!!! Crazy, crazy!

Weight gain/loss: Probably about the same as last week - total gain of 29 lbs.

Body changes: Not much that I can tell... Stretch marks, but I haven't really noticed any new ones. Boobs are still huge. =P Oh and I think my belly is growing still. No photo this week, though, because I spaced. Busy day today and I want to post this. I may add the photo later. =)



Updated to add photo:




Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: Lots, lots, lots. I feel her on and off throughout the day. Sometimes she gets really excited and moves/squirms a lot. And sometimes that hurts. Her kicks and punches are so much stronger now!

Sleep: About the same... I'm waking up now more because I'm in pain rather than that I actually need to go to the bathroom. But getting up helps the back pain, so I do. I think I'm sleeping harder which is making the back/hip pain worse. What can you do?

What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower this weekend!!! I am so, SO excited! I'm also looking forward to finishing her room {hopefully next week}, having an ultrasound {because of the hypertension} and doing maternity photos next week! Lots of exciting things happening!

What I miss: Um, being able to eat what I want, not having heartburn {I really wanna know how 150mg of Zantac a day is NOT helping}, and sleeping on my tummy. Oh and not having back pain every. single. morning/night.

Cravings: Basically everything I can't have. Although, I have found a way to have a little bit of chocolate/sweets here and there. It's a bit tricky, but it really helps me feel like I'm not completely deprived.

Symptoms: Intermittent heartburn, back/hip pain, occasional Braxton Hicks, and I'm starting to get tired really easily.

Best moment this week: Going to breastfeeding/child birth classes and feeling like I already had a good handle on the topics. More on those later, plus a review of the book On Becoming Babywise. =)

Getting my sewing "equipment" out of the nursery. It actually looks like we're having a baby now! {Well, you know, other than the obvious basketball I have where my stomach used to be. You know what I mean. ;-)}

Pics are from left to right when you enter the room:

Wardrobe, bouncy and dresser/changing table.

Rocking chair, crib and other things that need to be put away.

Looking much more like a nursery now, right?! The only downside to having a nursery instead of a sewing room is this:


Laundry plus sewing room. =/ The lighting is a bit better, but it's crowded in there. Not to mention it gets really hot in there when the dryer is going...and I have hardly any room to cut and iron fabric. Not the ideal situation, but I don't really have a choice anymore. Fortunately, it's had no effect on craftiness as I've done these two projects in the last few days:

Framed fabric to hang in the nursery.

Receiving blanket made from fabric used for decoration at our wedding. =)

2.28.2012

Challenges...

Sunday was one of those eye-opening days for me. It's been a while since that's happened {mainly because of my own close-mindedness}, so it kind of took me by surprise.

In our Sunday school class, we've been doing a study of sorts on Deuteronomy. If you're anything like me, you can get really bogged down in the Old Testament. I have a hard time reading {and understanding} it sometimes. Anyway. One of the co-teachers is actually a professor on the OT at a university here. And, he's kind of awesome.

In class, we went over some things in the last few chapters of Deut. about Moses, the promised land {Canaan}, the Israelites and Joshua. To make a long story short, Moses dies before the Israelites enter the promised land. Joshua is the one assigned with the task to take their people in. Moses was this great prophet and man of God...and Joshua had to follow him. As in, he was the "head guy" after Moses died. Talk about pressure!! I can just hear his thoughts... "I can never measure up to all that Moses was." "I'll never do ___ like Moses did." Before Moses dies, God tells him to remind Joshua to "be strong and of good courage" because God has gone before him.

After going through this, David {who's teaching the lesson} tells/reminds us that we each have challenges in our lives. All of us have people - Christians - we look up to and strive to be like. But the thing is, we're not those people. We can try to be like them, which isn't a bad thing, but we'll never actually be them. We shouldn't try to live up to someone else's standards. We need to "be strong and of good courage" because not only will God be with us through it all, He's gone before us into the unknown territory, just as He did with Joshua.

That's when it hit me.

All the challenges I'm facing right now - GD, hypertension, Joe going to WLC this week, extra OB checkups - God saw a long time ago. Not only that, God made me and my body to do this whole pregnancy thing. GD, hypertension, child birth... All of it. Worrying about it isn't going to help. Worrying could even make it worse. I can't really do anything to change any of this. But there's one thing I can do.





I can be strong and take comfort in the fact that God has gone before me into all the unknown ahead, and that He'll be with me every step of the way. It's still somewhat scary {I can't lie - the idea of giving birth is kind of freaking me out}, and that's ok.

So yeah. Big eye-opening day for me. It's been a long time coming and I'm glad it finally happened. I can't say that I'm fully back on track, but I'm definitely headed in the right direction. For those of you who have said prayers for me regarding this, thank you! Now let's just hope and pray that nothing eventful happens in the next few weeks. I'm tired of being a Debbie Downer!

2.22.2012

Thirty Three and More Frustration


How far along: 33 weeks!

Weight gain/loss: Since starting the GD diet, I've actually lost 2 pounds. It's really weird to me. I know that I made a big change, so I shouldn't be surprised but I am. It's weird to think about losing weight in the 3rd trimester. So overall, I've gained 29 pounds.

Body changes: Just more stretch marks as my belly gets bigger.

I find it crazy that I still have to get bigger before she gets here! Look at that belly!

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: Allll the time! She kicks and punches pretty frequently. I know people say that hiccups don't bother babies, but she moves so much when she has them. Even more if she's had them for a long time. If hers are anything like mine, I really can't blame her for being so irritated!

Sleep: About the same. I get up a few times a night for a bathroom run {more like waddle}, but it's not so bad. =)

What I'm looking forward to: Baby shower in 2 weeks!!! =D Finishing her room, getting her crib bedding from my bestie... All kinds of fun stuff. =)

What I miss: Um, let's see... Good - okay, bad food. ;-) I get plenty of good food. I miss not waddling... Being able to see my feet... Sleeping on my stomach... And not feeling exhausted.

Cravings: Pretty much everything I can't have. I think that comes with the territory, though. I did find some sugar free candy and cookies last week, and those definitely help. It's just that I can't have as much of them as I'd like!

Symptoms: Back and hip pain when I get out of bed in the mornings. Heart burn here and there, even with Zantac. I really don't want to know what it'd be like if I wasn't taking it! Had a couple Braxton Hicks last week, but none so far this week.

Best moment this week: Joe playing with baby girl via my belly. =) We were laying on the couch and she started really moving and kicking. So I had him put his hand on my belly to feel her. Her kicks and punches are so much more defined now and he's not always around when she's moving. Anyway. She would kick and then he would poke or press on my belly to see what she would do. Well, she just kept kicking him back! It was so cute. =) Well, it was cute until she started kicking my ribs anyway.

Oh, we also picked up {and put together} the carseat and stroller my mom got for us this weekend!

And when I say "we," clearly I mean Joe. ;-)

Side view.

Front/baby view!

We went with gender neutral since we're planning on having more than one kiddo. =) And I really like this set! The carseat should last us a while too... It'll hold her up to 35 pounds!

This brings us to the not-so-fun stuff.

I had another OB appointment today, and I thought it went really well. I noticed my blood pressure was a little bit high, but no one said anything about it so I didn't worry. Charlotte's heart rate was great and normal, I'm measuring pretty close to normal and that was that.

Then, TWO HOURS LATER... The doctor I saw today called me. "I just now noticed that your blood pressure was elevated this afternoon. I want to repeat the labs you had last week and monitor you in L&D again."

I wanted to scream!!! He seriously didn't even take a look at my chart while I was there! Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to inform him 1) that I was already home and 2) I had done the 24 hr urine collection and dropped it off this afternoon. That bought me 30 minutes because the results hadn't come back yet.

Almost exactly 30 minutes later, he calls back. Turns out I'm not preeclamptic. {Already knew that, but thanks.} However, I apparently "fit the bill" for hypertension. And this is where the suck comes in. He wants to add NSTs to my weekly visits and do a growth scan. He actually wants me to do two NSTs a week. Sadly I don't think well on my feet and didn't think to tell him that, no, I won't actually be able to drive to Tripler twice a week. I know they're worried about me and her, but I really just can't do that. We only have one freakin' car and since I don't work, Joe kind of needs it. And I don't even want to throw in the gas prices and travel time. It's ridiculous. They can do what they need to once a week, when I'm already going. It's not going to hurt anyone, least of all them. So, I guess I'm going to be a bad patient, but there's just no way...

At the moment, I'm just really frustrated. I'm frustrated with my body for sucking and I'm frustrated with Dr. Doesn't Look at the Chart. I just... I don't even really know how to put into words how I really feel. I hate this. I hate that there's something else wrong with me. I feel like I'm never, ever, ever going to be healthy - not even for my baby girl. I can't even do this properly. I know there's nothing I can really do, and nothing I could have done to prevent it, but that doesn't help. I just don't understand why on earth all this is happening.

I'm really trying to remember that God has a plan in all this, but it's hard. I'm not going to lie, I've had issues talking to God about all this health stuff lately. I guess I'm just so upset that I don't even want to try... But at the same time I'm praying He'll help me. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? =P It's really hard to explain. Hopefully some of you have been there before and understand what I'm getting at. I know I need to talk to Him about the GD and now this hypertension stuff, and all my frustrations but I just can't. get. there. There's so much other stuff going on with Joe and the Army, that I'm kind of overwhelmed with it all.

I know this post is super long now, so I'm just gonna say this: Please say some prayers for me. I'm really, really struggling...even though I may seem like I have it together and I'm perfectly happy. That's me trying to do this on my own and obviously it's not doing the trick.

2.21.2012

Seriously?!

You know how they say "when it rains, it pours?" Well... I'm pretty sure that's accurate, at least it feels that way lately.


Source: etsy.com via Sarah on Pinterest


First, I fail the glucose test. Then my aunt gets put in the hospital. Then I fail the second glucose test and get diagnosed with GD. Then my aunt passed away... Somewhere in there, we found out about the longer shifts Joe's going to be working and that he's going to WLC. Then last week I have the high blood pressure issue, get sent to L&D, and home to do a 24 hr urine collection {which I'm doing today and loathe...super yuck}.

That brings us to today. Apparently the entire Army stationed on this island participated in the Great Aloha Run this year. Because thousands of people participate in this 8 mile run, you have to get there early. And groups have to get there even earlier. Busses left the post at like 2am today... So Joe got up at midnight in order to get ready and get there for accountability and all that stuff. Bleh. Because I'm me, I worried about him not eating, then running with thousands of other people. Seriously, I was terrified he'd fall during the run or something.

He called me at like 11 this morning {after they'd gotten back to post and everything}, telling me he was getting his shoulder looked at. Geesh. To be honest, I wasn't so worried. Turns out he can put on a pretty good "face" for me over the phone. {And of course now I'm wondering how often that happened while he was deployed...} They gave him some pretty heavy painkillers and one of his friends brought him home. It wasn't until he walked in the door in a sling, with ice packs and glassed over eyes that I really grasped the fact that something was actually wrong.

We're still not sure what the heck happened with his shoulder. They took X-rays, but won't have the results until tomorrow morning. They sent him home with some pain meds to take because, holy wow was he in pain. You really have to know my husband - he doesn't go to the doctor or ask for pain meds unless he's REALLY in pain. So, to have him come home all drugged up with 3 different prescriptions... Yeah, I was a little freaked out. Fortunately, he took a nap and woke up more like himself. {Read: not nearly as drugged. =P}

I feel so bad for him... He has no clue if he did something while running or if it's a weird, random muscle spasm. The really not-so-great part about this is that I'm kind of large. =P It's not easy for me to do things around the house, and sometimes I need help! Shoot, half the time I need help getting off the couch! And, being pregnant, I don't always feel normal. I felt crummy all afternoon. Couldn't tell you exactly what was wrong, but I just couldn't keep going. From laundry to dishes, to taking care of my injured hubby... It was a lot.

I guess I'm just worried that he's actually injured and won't be back to normal for a while. If that's the case, my house may be looking like a wreck pretty soon. And really, did we need something else to worry about right now!? GD, possible {but not really likely - at least I think so} preeclampsia, and a hurt hubby. *sigh*

Here's hoping for nothing eventful between now and the end of March.


2.17.2012

Free Trip to L&D

Don't panic. Miss Charlotte is still safe and snug in my belly. =)

But I did get a free trip to L&D today, and I totally blame it on the hell that is Tripler Army Medical Center. Here's the thing about Tripler (ok, more that one thing}:

It's just outside Honolulu.

It's on a freakin' mountain.

It's a nightmare to navigate.

It's just outside Honolulu. {It's there twice for a reason.}

Oh, and it serves all the military {and veterans} on the whole island.

{via}

Please tell me you can see the ridiculousness of the parking setup here. It's dumb and I almost always have to park in the BFE. The OB clinic is on the back side {aka mountainside} of the hospital, where there is one tiny parking lot. Today, I drove around said parking lot for about 15 minutes before giving up and driving around to the front. Enter traffic. Lots of traffic, all of us trying to find parking. Right as I see someone going to their car, some jerk of a Soldier cuts me off and steals the spot. Thanks for stealing a spot from a very pregnant woman, dude. Finally, 10 minutes before my appointment, I found a spot and hightailed it into the hospital, up 4 floors, and across that floor.

Because I got there pretty much right on time, they called me back immediately. And, guess what? My blood pressure was high. I wasn't surprised at all, but I know that's not a good thing. The doctor comes in about 10 minutes later. A male doctor I don't know, accompanied by an intern/student/1LT person. So, I'm a little nervous. {I should note I don't always do well with male doctors. My first GYN experience - which was not good - was with a male doctor... Pretty sure I'm scarred for life.} He takes my blood pressure again and it's still high. 

Then he says he wants to do lab work, a 24 hr urine collection {great} and monitor me in L&D for an hour. I was really more frustrated than worried, but I'll admit that I almost started crying. I just didn't want something else to be wrong with me, you know? 

I found a spot with good reception {yet another reason to hate Tripler} and called Joe to let him know what was going on and headed for L&D. And then I got lost. Apparently the L&D tour did me no good whatsoever. I took elevators up the the 6th floor and somehow ended up on the 3rd floor, without going down any stairs or elevators. {This is what I meant about the navigation...} Thanks to a nice orderly, I finally found my way to L&D.

They got me into triage right away and hooked me up to monitors. The nurse found her right away, and I got to listen to her heartbeat the whole time. =) But wait, it gets better. My blood pressure was totally normal the entire time. In fact, it was pretty darn perfect. Dr. Overreacter can eat his words now. My super awesome nurse agreed that if he'd given me enough time to calm down that it would have been fine. They let me go after 45 minutes because I was doing so well. And Charlotte was doing even better, though she did move away from the monitor at one point. Sadly, they're still making me do the 24 hr urine collection. =( I really, really, really don't want to especially since there's really nothing wrong with me. But the triage doctor thinks it's still "a good idea to have." Bleh. Basically, I just have to do it within the next week. Though I didn't think of it earlier, I'm hoping I'll be able to take it to the lab in the clinic on post so that I don't have to drive all the way to Tripler. If I can, it would really make my life a lot easier. 

So, that was my first trip to L&D. And I'm hoping it's the last before I'm actually in labor. 

Please stay put for a little while longer, little girl!

2.16.2012

Sew Crazy

Apparently I've gone on a little bit of a sewing craze since finding out I was preggo. I was going through drawers in the dresser I'm going to use for baby girl the other day and decided I'd rearrange things a bit. So naturally I pulled out all the stuff I've made. I really didn't realize I'd done so much already. =P

Here's {almost} all of what I've made:


Since you can't really see all of it {because holy wow at all the pink!}, I'll break it down for you. Here, we have four rectangle burp cloths. All but one are pink on the front...and all of them have pink flannel on the back. =P


4 more burp cloths. 2 rounded and 2 square-ish. The square-ish ones were a preggo brain accident. The rounded ones match a quilt I made.


Rag quilt and super cute and girly blanket:


Apparently I did a better job on the pink blanket than I thought, because it's the perfect size for a crib!

 {Side one}

{Side two}

Here's a little sneak peek of the quilt I'm currently working on. All I have left to do is bind it, but I have no desire to do so at the moment. That's mostly because it'll require me to be in the floor pinning it together. Big preggo on the floor, pinning fabric....not really a good combo.


Last, but not least, I made a diaper clutch!! I mostly followed this tutorial, if you're interested. I goofed a little on the one I made, but it turned out okay I guess.



If nothing else, at least the fabric is really cute!! And, hey, it will get used. So I guess it's not a total loss. ;-) I'm sure I'll think of a few more projects to do before she gets here, but I think I've done all the sewing I'll need to for her for right now. I think. 

That said, I just got told that they increased Joe's WLC by one week...so I get to spend 21 days a month before my due date by myself ,which could mean more projects to keep me busy. Start praying hard that baby girl won't decide to show up too early. He'll be here on the island, but I don't know what will happen if I go into labor while he's in the field... And I really don't even want to think about it. 

Oh and it looks as if he won't be able to go to at least one of the two child birthing classes I have scheduled... :-/ I have to have a partner to go with me too... Anyone want to go?!

2.15.2012

Thirty Two {Plus a Little V-Day}


How far along: 32 weeks - holy moly!

Weight gain/loss: About the same as last time... I haven't gained any since I started the GD diet {and Joe has lost about 5 pounds since he's doing it with me...mostly}. I guess there's something to be said for cutting carbs!

Body changes: Nothing new... I have one, maybe two more stretch marks and the belly is definitely getting bigger.

I surprised my hubby a bit and dressed up a little for him for Valentine's Day. =)

Gender: It's a GIRL!

Movement: Lots, lots, lots! She makes my belly move all the time! Her most active times are still at night and in the morning... Today she was super active right after I ate lunch. Guess she liked the spicy food I had! =)

Sleep: Still okay. I've been going to bed a little later recently which means I sleep a little harder when I do sleep. The preggo pillow I bought forever ago is my saving grace. I still get up once or twice a night for a bathroom break, but after this long I'm used to it.

What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower in a few weeks! I got some messages from friends who got their invites today, which made me super excited! =D

What I miss: Definitely sleeping on my stomach. I will enjoy every minute of tummy sleeping once she gets here. I also still miss sweets. I can have them, but only in very small amounts. Sigh. Only 8 more weeks though!

Cravings: Everything I can't have. =P Sunday night I really, really, really wanted a bowl of ice cream.

Symptoms: Back and hip pain, and - new this week - Braxton Hicks! So far, they've actually kind of hurt... Sort of like rough cramps...but they don't last very long. Guess my body is getting ready!

Best moment this week: I have several! Being able to eat a fun-size Milky Way with a meal. =P Getting my pretty Valentine's Day tulips! Oh, and getting this coffee table for $20.


I really wanted a square/rectangle coffee table, but I think this one will do just fine. And, really, who can complain about getting a coffee table for twenty dollars?! I finally feel like we have a nice, put-together living room. Well, other than the fact that we have an extra couch still... Anyway.

Despite not going out, we had a very lovely V-Day evening. =) I made Joe a card and put some cute little decorations on the table... 


No worries - I moved my flowers elsewhere for dinner because they're leaning over. =P



And I made this for dinner:


With these:




And then some green beans to go with. Turns out it was pretty delicious! If I'd thought about it, I would have had Joe stop for a bottle of wine. A good red would have made this dinner a-mazing. Then we plopped on the couch and enjoyed each other's company for a while. Now he's in bed and I'm, well, here...not in bed. =P

Hope y'all had a great V-Day!

P.S. Does anyone else have trouble viewing the title of my post(s) and sidebars? I haven't seen them for days and have no idea what's going on...