31 Week Pregnancy Journal

How far along?  31 weeks 

Size of Baby: 18" and 3 pounds 5 ounces.  This weight was confirmed at our ultrasound appointment Monday. 43 percentile!

Gender: July 3!

Weight Gain: Same 3 pounds total. 

Maternity Clothes:  I got some JCrew white maternity jeans this week so that is my first pair of maternity pants.  Have I mentioned how much I love the Lilly travel pants while being pregnant and in regular life?  Elastic waistband!!  Kevin now calls them my old faithfuls!

Nursery:  Currently a disaster with half our master bath in there!  We should be wrapping up that renovation next week and hopefully our house, including the nursery will look more normal. Crib mattress came this week so I'm anxious to put all the bedding on. 

Movement: All the time!

Symptoms:  I'll be honest, this gestational diabetes has thrown me for a huge loop.  I'm just so upset about it but the dietician I met with Tuesday assured me that it's nothing I did or could have done differently. It all makes more sense now after learning a lot more about it. Now I prick myself 4 times a day to check my blood sugar.  I hope to control it with diet instead of having to do insulin.  I'll know by next week when I go back for my check up and they analyze my numbers.  It's a numbers game and Baby and I are gonna win!!!!

Sleep: Benadryl is assisting my sleep. Still coughing. Do I have pneumonia at this point?  Who on earth knows ugh!

Cravings:  Sweets because now I can't have them.  Word to my pregnant girls - eat what you want until you take your GD test in case you fail!  I'm having regrets over that!

What I Miss:  Eating whatever I want and not caring that much about food in general. Now I feel like it rules my life but it's only my second day of the diet so I'm not totally used to it yet.  

Best Moment This Week:  30 week ultrasound and getting to see that sweet baby in 3D!!!

Looking Forward To:  A neighborhood baby shower that mom is coming down for and my SIL is coming up for. And my nieces will be here too!  My neighborhood girls have been too kind - FOUR of them asked me separately if they could throw me a shower!  These are girls I've only known for two years. Really, really nice, right?!  

8 Years

Today is a cool day.  It marks 8 years with my company. I worked for a civil engineering consulting firm for my first year and ten months after I graduated from NC State.  I figured out that consulting and sitting in an office all day wasn't for me so I started looking in December 2006 and found this job in February 2007.  I started working April 29th after I wrapped projects up at my old gig.  

So now I work for a small commercial developer that develops the most square feet annually among other Charlotte developers. The funny thing is - we do nothing in Charlotte. As you all know, I'm on the road often.  But when I'm not, I walk this hallway to the stairs or elevator and go up to our floor. 

Some fun things:

1.  The company is run by father and son and the father is in his 80's but still comes in every day. He's SO sweet. 

2.  I've worked here longer than I've known Kevin which is super crazy. I met him in November 2007.  

3.  I lived in Southpark (Phillips Place to be exact) when I first started working here. 

4.  My coworkers aren't coworkers, they're family. We don't have any of that silly petty stuff go on at our office. We genuinely like being with each other. It is a good thing since we travel together often.  We do dinners with our spouses in Charlotte and our boss takes us on trips for fun (been to Vegas, New Orleans, Bahamas) - no work, all play.  I love that Kevin knows all my coworkers well and I know all of their spouses well. 

5.  I've gotten SO many awesome experiences from working here. Insane dinners, seeing places I never would have and holding a famous trophy that I can't talk about!

6.  Some people dread work - this isn't work to me. I love it!  I love the people we do business with, I love going to my office and seeing people and I love what I do (most days ha!).  

7.  I feel fortunate to work with GOOD people.  Our mission is faith based and prayer begins every corporate meeting and company social event.  

8.  Last one for 8 years - they have truly been incredibly accommodating to me the entire time I've been here, but especially with being pregnant.  They have no idea how you do not find employers any more (or very rarely) that say - go and do what you need to do with appointments. Or if you aren't feeling good, go work from home. Or if you need to pick that baby up from day care - go and do it, you don't have to tell us.  Truly family oriented and I couldn't be more thankful for that as I move to this new phase in life. 

So here's to 8 years today and many more!!!!

Very low key weekend

This weekend was very necessary. I did essentially nothing. 

Kevin and I went to an easy dinner Friday night.  Saturday morning I went to flywheel mainly for mental stability. I did not care if I just sat on that bike and pedaled. I did not care if I coughed through the whole thing. I just needed exercise and flywheel in a bad way.  And it was everything I hoped for. Ha!  

Then I walked across the parking lot and met my friend Fran for a bagel. She was back in town and I just loved catching up with her. She is 22 weeks pregnant with little Maggie!

The rest of Saturday consisted of this while Kevin worked all day. 

That night we went to dinner with his parents and niece. Afterwards best buy and petsmart. Kendall loved all the fish!

Sunday we went to breakfast which wasn't very pleasant for me because I can't eat anything except eggs and sausage but I really wanted French toast.  So that stunk but oh well.  

Kevin went to target and teeter with lists we made while I laid down all day.  Seriously it's the only way I can survive this rib stuff. It's horrendous. Mom thinks I broke a rib early on and that's why my right side has hurt since 14 weeks. OVER IT.  But it was very nice of kev to go do those errands I usually do. He didn't mind one bit either.  I only got 3 texts with questions ha. 

I tried to eat dinner per the dietician but I can't have red sauce. Just shoot me. So mills and I went for a walk after dinner then we all crashed. 

Let the chaos begin!

Five on Friday

No time this week but still trying to get it done. 

1. Mills has enjoyed the guys being at our house working on our bathroom!  He thinks they're there to play ball with him! ;)

2.  Lots of bloggers went to Dallas yesterday for the Rewards Style conference. I went to play in the mud and see a project we have under construction!  Quite the opposite of all those fancy fashion bloggers, ha!

3.  The sign of a good site visit on a rental car. 

4.  Our bathroom has been transformed this week!  I've loved taking progress pictures. 

5.  30 weeks today. Regular clothes though I did bring my Bella band to work in case I get miserable in my lilly white jeans!  Bump is there!!

Week 30 Pregnancy Journal

I'm going to be straight up honest.  This has been the worst week of my pregnancy by far.  Monday I found out I failed the three hour gestational diabetes test (while I was at my office so that was fun).  I'm still coughing 2.5 weeks later. I flew to DC late Monday night after being a disaster all Monday afternoon about the diabetes thing.  Flying is basically killing me at this point because of sitting for so long.  My right ribs have been hurting when sitting but then I woke up yesterday with my left side in an indescribable about of pain.  After a visit to the doc, she informed me that was a rib problem too.  I just can't win!!  Imagine coughing with screwed up ribs. No meds work.  Just shoot me.  But today I'm on a plane again and mom told me to go with plastic bags and ask if they'll fill them with ice to lay on my ribs. We shall see.  

How far along?  30 weeks 

Size of Baby: 15.7" and almost 3 pounds.  Size of a large cabbage

Gender: Not finding out and by the way, it's gotten easier not knowing as the time keeps ticking.

Weight Gain:  Ugh since I've been trying to stick to this new way of eating per the diabetes thing and I actually lost the few pounds I had gained.  The doc doesn't care since all is well with the baby.  

Maternity Clothes: Not really, just the shorts I wore in St. Thomas last week.  I got a few gap tees and I've tried them on but I look goofy because my stomach isn't big enough.  My baby shower dress was regular Lilly, just a size up for comfort. 

Nursery:  Dad hung the drapes and they look even better than I thought they would!

Movement: All the time!

Symptoms:  See above.  Trying to take things day by day. And countdown 10 more weeks.  It could be worse. 

Sleep: Mostly ok but the last couple nights I just ache. Benadryl is assisting my sleep. 

Cravings:  None.  Nothing I'm supposed to eat for this diabetes sounds good so this should be interesting.  When I meet with the consultant about it I'm going to tell her to give me a few things for each meal I can eat then I'll eat the same on repeat for 10 weeks. 

What I Miss:  I shouldn't go there this week. Sorry I'm not a happy person right now.

Best Moment This Week:  Our baby shower!!!  Thank you all for your sweet comments yesterday on it!

Looking Forward To:  This weekend and I don't plan to sit the entire time. Only standing or laying.  :)

And poor Kevin. He's been a champ through all of this. He met me at home mid afternoon Monday just to listen to me and was the voice of reason. I didn't ask him to leave work early, he just showed up at the house because he just knew I needed him.  He steps in and cooks dinner. He's been taking care of things at the house because we had to move out of our bedroom and bathroom while our bathroom renovation is going on for a couple weeks. He's taking good care of mills. Basically he's been amazing.  

Crab Baby Shower

Goodness, I don't even know where to start on this post because it was the sweetest day and one I'll remember forever!

My girls hosted a baby shower for us!  Seriously, how cute is the shower?  It was only appropriate being crab themed since I'm from Maryland.  They had framed the invitation and had everyone sign it.  This was at the beginning of the shower.  I don't want to show the end result because a lot of people used their last names.  

The hostesses were from all over the east coast so I told them to have it at our house and nothing would make me happier than having all my friends under our roof...and they could see the nursery progress too!

The flowers....wow.  They were stunning!  My friend Sarah's Mom did them!

Elizabeth made the cookies and aren't they adorable?  They are little crabs!

And have my monogram all different ways.  Presch!!

The drink table with lots of wine on the side of the table in a big tub.

This cake!!!  The top layer was vanilla and the bottom was almond.  The detail is unreal!

A little red headed baby on top in a boat with a crab.  Oh my goodness!

This is the food table minus a few things, including Mom's crab dip of course! ;)  The girls put in a special request for her to make it!

They had it catered by whole foods.

So good!  The salt and vinegar chips in the middle made my day because a special friend of ours went out that morning and got them at 7am and had them brought to the shower.  Very thoughtful since those are my very favorite!

The flowers!

The ladies who made it all possible and I - Kimmy, Sarah, me, Suz, Kelly and Beth who is not pictured because she lives in Boston.  Thankful for my bestest girls!!!

Nana and Nannie!  Kevin's Mom and my Mom with a sneak peak of the nursery in the background!

My friend Courtney came...she is a sorority sister and has always been sweet to include me in everything in Charlotte when I first moved to town and still to this day (10 years later)!  This girl sends cards for everything and remembers every occasion!  

All sorority sisters!

Lauren!

Kim!

Shauna!

Tara, Kathryn, Me, Lauren!

My blogging girls turned bestests!  Sarah, Me, April and Katie + Lauren had to leave for a wedding

Emily!

Opening gifts...A LOT of gifts from A LOT of thoughtful friends and family!

The quilt!

Crabs!

The diaper bag!

Kevin and Dad got home towards the end of the shower and waited out back for us to finish up.  Then they came in to say hello to all of the girls which they both secretly loved I think! ;) 

This picture is kinda funny to Kevin and I.  For many, many years he has always liked putting his hand on my stomach for pics and I always have told him to stop because it makes me look pregnant.  Well now he can haha!

Two scared soon-to-be parents!

But we're ready! ...we think!

The girls had asked him a bunch of questions about what he thought things were going to be like after the baby arrives.  His answers were precious and I will put them in the baby's book!

Two of my oldest friends came to our shower.  Sara on the left flew down from NY and left her three young boys and hubby for the weekend.  And Ashley on the right came down from Raleigh with her two girls and hubby for the weekend.  I grew up with these girls in Maryland and they are very special to me.  Two of my bestests and I'm thankful we all still stay in touch!  (This picture was later that night as they stayed and hung out with my parents, Kevin and I.  We had a fancy dinner of Marco's Pizza but most importantly I loved catching up and spending time with these two!)

Thank you ALL for a wonderful shower and one of my most favorite days!  I just LOVED having all my people in our home to celebrate the baby coming!!!!  Crazy that all this getting so close!  Love yall!!!

Scenes from this weekend

I can't wait to recap the amazing baby shower my girls threw for us!!  Until then, here are some scenes from the weekend. 

My parents came to town last Thursday. Dad was freezing in our house. I told him he's getting old!

Basically Kevin and I didn't exist in Mills' world. He is obsessed with his Nannie and poppa. He slept in their room every night.  

His girlfriend Whimsy came to see him all the way from Rhode Island and that was the most energy I had seen out of mills in days since he came home from camp. He loves his girl!  

I thought it was a grand idea to get this China cabinet off the moms in charge FB page on the same day as our baby shower which took place at our house. Dad and Kevin worked magic and got that thing to our house.  It looks so good in our dining room. I'll share pics soon!

Sunday AM I stood in a target line for 5 minutes before they opened. I didn't really care if I got anything or not but I did get these sweet 12m pieces!

And yesterday this happened to our master bathroom.  Can't wait for the final product!