Wedding + Independence Day + Visit from Friends + Otter Creek + 3 Month Stats

The crappy quality of some of these pictures are due to being from my mom's phone ... however, they are super cute and hence blogworthy. Last weekend we went to a friend's wedding in Rice Lake. We were not too sure how Hazel would do, but we were optimistic and it paid off. We were late to the wedding (obviously) and had to creep up to the balcony instead of walking in between members of the wedding party. This worked in our favor because we could stand with Hazel as she got squirmy. We then took the hour between the ceremony and reception to pump in the nursery instead of rush to start drinking and had to laugh at just how much life has changed (but of course in a wonderful way). It was a very fun night and beautiful wedding and Haze did wonderfully.




4th of July was so great this year. My sister, brother-in-law, and their 4 kidlets came to visit. We spent the early afternoon at the festivities in Carson Park and then hung out in our backyard playing beanbags and enjoying the beautiful day. After they headed home to Stillwater, the three of us went over to Ceej's aunt and uncles for dinner and fireworks. Well done, Altoona - you began before and ended after Eau Claire's fireworks (we could hear). Quite impressive.


One Saturday afternoon Ceej and I decided to take our honey to Otter Creek. We hiked through the woods to reach the pretty little creek and took a dip. Back in the days of dating and newlywed bliss we used to bike the path and swim. It was fun to reminisce about those sweet days and introduce Hazel to one of Altoona's little gems. She did surprisingly well and seemed to enjoy the feeling of sand in the water, despite the water being pretty darn chilly. We were slightly worried Child Protective Services would interrupt because it was so cold, but then we decided her first experience in the sand and water was worth a few days in jail. Thankfully they didn't arrive.


This is slightly out of order. I had 2 great friends visit from the cities. You know those people that are so wonderful that you don't even have to plan anything and you just have fun? That's them. We were friends and roommates from undergrad, and it always amazes me how close we are and lucky to have found one another. Truly genuine and good friendships are hard to find. We started with turkey burgers at our place and then made our way to the Livery followed by the Wigwam for karaoke, then back to the Livery. It was my first night out without Hazel or Ceej, and I was happy to be with these 2 girls (my other family).

Now for the 3 month stats: Hazel Leann Thurner is approximately 23 inches long & weighs approximately 13.5 pounds. Emphasis on "approximately" as this was not done at a hospital but rather on my 90 year old bathroom scale and paper "growth chart" on the wall. I wouldn't bet lunch on its accuracy. Anyway, she is practically out of size 1-2s and quickly fitting into size 2 diapers. She is now out of the expensive diapers with the lovable "wetness indicator" and soft fabric-like cover(Pampers) and into the more reasonable ones albeit equally effective ones (Luvs). She has 5 rolls in each arm. Her record in the stroller is 75 minutes. She has giggled exactly one time, on my Birthday (more on that day at a later post). Overall likes tummy time & sometimes gets mad enough that I think she's about to roll over ... but then I cave and pick her up. Has slept an 8 hour stretch, but last night decided to wake up at 2, 3, 4, and finally up for the day at 5. Now, at 6:45, after mommy has had her caffeine and is wide awake, she is sleeping blissfully on my arm. Not impressed, Haze. She loves touching her hair when she's nursing or sleeping. Likes her pacifier, but it pops out a lot still (we're working on those oral motor skills). She is happy, and so are we. I just love her so much.

Lately

Oh, my sweet little honey girl ...












There is just too much to write about ... so I'll do a quickie "catch up" post so that I'm not as overwhelmed with posting next time.

As I sit here snuggling my little peanut, I can't believe how much she's grown! At her 8 week appointment she weighed 11 pounds, 11 ounces. Now at 11 weeks, she's a tank. The little honey went from 10th percentile for weight at birth to 70th. She's a wonderful cuddler and is becoming a wonderful sleeper as well, giving mommy a 7 hour stretch at night. Evenings can be rough, but ... she's improving and we'll just leave it at that.



Hazel spent her first weekend at my family's cabin in Balsam Lake. We have years and years of memories here (it's been in my family for generations), so I was quite excited to show her the ropes. We went for lots of walks & watched daddy fish & went to the flea market. What a fun, relaxing weekend!





We spent the past weekend in Hartford for my cousin's bridal shower. It was so great to see her and the rest of the family and spend some quality time with them. It's a long trip (4 hours!), and Hazel was a champ. Hazel met a lot of new people - here she is with her great papa Neil



That Sunday was Ceej's first Father's day. We brought him breakfast in bed (never mind that it was Triscuits with mozzarella balls) and spent time with gram before making the trek back home. We stopped in the Dells for lunch and a little shopping at the fabulous Tanger Outlets... ahh good bargain-finding memories... and after we got home went for dinner with Ceej's family. Hazel made her daddy a stepping stone with her little footprint in it for our dirt garden. This will be our tradition, I've decided (except hopefully we'll have flowers next year).



We took the little lady to Phoenix Park for our favorite summer event: Sounds Like Summer concert series. She loved the live music and fun atmosphere. She laid on this blanket in the grass for 2 hours. Awake & happy - 2 good things.



Hazel has a new boyfriend! Landon Robert is finally here. I can't believe how big/slightly obese Hazel looks next to him. Just 11 weeks ago she was a full pound smaller than this handsome little guy. I told her not to worry - she won't always be the larger one.



We've also begun house browsing! We are going to walk through 5 tonight ... oh boy! I say browsing because we aren't desperate, but we are ready if/when we find something perfect for us.

In other news, I start my second 3 month long fieldwork at a hospital July 11th. I am so sad to be leaving my baby. Although I have been blessed to be spending her first 14 weeks with her, it feels too soon. 1 year would be sufficient, I reckon. Or maybe 5. Okay, 18. I am only now starting to feel the sweet in the bittersweet and feeling some excitement in getting back on the track of becoming an occupational therapist (just a week ago I would start crying at the thought of not spending every day with her ... yes, I am one of those moms.). I never thought that after working so hard & so long for my education in a field that I adore I would feel so fulfilled staying home with my baby. I never looked down on anyone who chose to stay home, I just didn't think I would wish I could be one of them. I will press on and be a working mom, but it breaks my heart. I am so thankful to have my mother-in-law able to take care of Hazel every day, because I know she will always be with someone who adores her.

That's my life lately. Very happy. Very fulfilling. Very wonderful.

First Mother's Day

Impressed by my speed at another post? Thought so. I was so looking forward to my very first Mother's Day. After spending 5 weeks completely devoted to my daughter, I realized that this day was more important to me than my Birthday or any other holiday. I don't dis anyone that doesn't really care about it, but I do.

The day started with a little extra sleep - Ceej got up with Hazel after her feeding from 6 to 7:30. We relaxed before church at 10:30 (the days of waking up at 10 and speeding out the door are long gone). My mom and his family were at Mass, and then my mom and brother came to our house for brunch. Ceej made eggs benedict with a family recipe (impressed, elementarycooking?), and it was superb. After brunch we headed to Irvine Park for a walk around the zoo. It was our first time going & we were both really happy with the free little zoo and park. It was a beautiful day & the park was full of families. Very cool.

We decided that since they were such a popular site, I should take a picture with Hazel in front of these steal animals. We thought it would be fun to have one of the first time she was there because we assume she will want pictures with them as she grows up (we came to this conclusion because I had to wait in a line of children to get the picture).

After the park we relaxed at home for a bit and then went to Ceej's parents' house for dinner. It was great to be able to spend the time as a family but also with both of our moms - not many people get to do that. Hazel got me a beautiful necklace with her birthstone in it - one that she will get someday when I die or just when I'm really super old, I haven't decided yet. Anyway, it was a very special day and definitely lived up to my high expectations :).

Hazel.

Oh boy. The long awaited update has arrived! I know, it's been far too long, dear blogging friends - but in the past 7 weeks, when I haven't been holding/feeding/loving on my sweet (or crabbing) baby girl I have been speed cleaning my house, folding laundry (WHO KNEW that a family of 3 could have 6x the laundry loads than a family of 2?), or doing the other 100 things that need doing. The general update (for those who don't thrive on details): Hazel Leann Thurner arrived on 4/1/11 weighing in at 6 pounds 12 ounces and 19 inches long. She is now 7 weeks old with a beautiful smile and chubby thighs and bright eyes. We have spent the past 7 weeks discovering the she is lactose intolerant, has overall tummy issues/is colicky, benefits from chiropractic care, loves her musical lamb, loves baths, hates her car seat/stroller/not being held by mommy or daddy. We are crazy about her. Seriously.

Now for the details: Let's start with Thursday, March 31st. This is the day I reached the all time low point of pregnancy: I knowingly & willing peed my pants. You did not read that wrong. Here's the deal, I was on a 70 minute walk, I was going to be running late for an appointment, I had to pee desperately, and I was stinkin' tired. I was also contracting (but I had been for weeks, so this was not new). The closest bathroom was at Altoona Library, a whopping 2 blocks out of the way (okay, 1.25). During a tough contraction I squatted to get through the pain (this was not out of ordinary), and during this said squat, pee leaked out. I was 30 minutes from home, and I still had to go (the leak did not help). I weighed the odds, and I let it all flow out. Before you judge me, I was wearing black pants (you could NOT tell), and IF someone had the nerve to ask me about it, I decided that I would tell them that my water broke. Problem solved. I walked the rest of the way with soaked pants & wet socks. AS I SAID - low point. Anyway, after a quick *and needed* shower, I went to the chiropractor to get my back and fascia straightened out (I still do not know what this "fascia" is, even having participated in a full cadaver lab and 2 anatomy courses throughout my undergraduate and graduate careers - however she said it would help me dilate and progress through labor quickly, so I did not ask questions.). After the appointment we went for dinner at the Trachsels. I had a backache at this point, but I attributed it to being the size of a whale and/or getting cracked into place by the chiro. As the night progressed, my backache was getting worse, to the point that I could not sleep when I got into bed. I realized that the pain was no longer constant but spaced apart. I was not in denial that labor was starting, but after 3 weeks of contracting and backaches, I was not convinced. I rested until 2:30am, when it was too painful to lay there. I got up and took a bath to relax my muscles. After an hour I went downstairs to eat something, and by this point the contractions were more painful than anything I had ever experienced.

Here is the point I should tell you - I have what I considered to be a zero pain tolerance. I have literally passed out from the pain you get in your chest from swallowing wrong (twice) and from getting blood taken when the nurse couldn't find the vein. I have never broken a bone. My biggest pain prior to birth was the said swallowing wrong. Seriously. However, I was determined to have a 100% natural birth and did a lot to prepare myself physically and mentally to help me do so. This included researching about epidurals, staying active throughout pregnancy, chiropractic care, birthing class, and having married a wonderfully supportive man.

Okay, back to the birth story.

By this time, I was 90% sure I was in labor. Another hour went by and that percentage increased. I woke up Ceej (who had slept on the couch for the first time to give us both more sleep because by this point in pregnancy I was tossing and turning for several hours before finally falling asleep at night). At 4am we watched Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice On Demand and he helped me through contractions. They sucked. Even at this point. They were 7ish minutes apart & lasting about 45 seconds to one minute. We decided it would be a long day, so Ceej should sleep more and I should rest, so we spent about 2 hours doing so. I was having all the pain in my lower back, and Ceej was wonderful at pushing on it with a tennis ball very diligently. At 10am, after a terrible contraction on my big ball, I threw up all over the kitchen floor. This was followed by Ceej cleaning it up, running to the sink, and throwing up himself. He had to step outside because he kept throwing up "every time (he) thought about (my) puke". Wonderful. We are obviously champs at this labor thing. The contractions were about 1.5-2 minutes long but still 6 minutes apart. We were advised to stay home until the were 3-4 minutes apart, so we kept on truckin'. I took another bath. We ordered Erbs & Gerbs. We took a "walk" and contracted throughout. I threw up again. While walking the contractions increased to 3-4 minutes and we decided to go to the hospital because the pain was getting very intense and I had to know where I was at/how long this was going to be. My contractions returned to 6 minutes apart while driving, and Ceej did not want to bring in The Bags for fear we were going to be sent home. I made him do so. We got to the hospital at 2:30 to find out that I was 5 cm dilated and very much in labor.

Ceej helped me through each and every contraction. I could not have done it without him - and I'm not just saying that. He was so wonderful and attentive, and I was so thankful for him/to him for that. I was loving that tennis ball on my back and the pain stayed there the entire day. We spent time on the ball & in the tub & walking the halls. I threw up 2 more times. Labor actually progressed quickly for a first time momma - by 6pm I was 6 cm dilated, and by 8:20 I was pushing. Hazel was born a little over 2 hours later at 10:34pm - so beautiful and perfect. I honestly was blessed to have had a wonderful labor & delivery experience and actually think back about it often. I'm so proud and thankful for Ceej and I getting through it without medication or the epidural, and I am so thankful for and happy with my sweet baby girl.

It has been a crazy change of pace these past 7 weeks. I am more relaxed but more busy. I get less done and spend more time just sitting and cuddling. Life is more simple and yet 100 times more enriched. I am truly trying to enjoy each special moment with my beautiful daughter, and I love watching her grow and change every day. Time is going by so fast. Too fast. I am treasuring her as my tiny little peanut girl, but I'm also so thrilled to see her get stronger and bigger each day. I look forward to our future and am so thankful for the present. I have been so blessed, life is good, and we are happy.

"Enjoy your sleep while you can!"

This. This is perhaps the most annoying comment you can give a woman who is past her due date (Or just late in pregnancy. Or just pregnant.). This is annoying because A.) You have no idea how she slept the night before (which probably sucked), and B.) You have no idea how wonderful or how poorly her infant will sleep. If you have said this to me at any point throughout my pregnancy, you may have seen a smile and shrug, but you missed me thinking "oh shut. your. mouth." That being said, it is much different for me now that my internship is done. This is because now "if" I don't sleep well, I can sleep in (note: by "if" I mean "when"). I am not exaggerating when I say that in the past week, I have spent most of my time in bed. For example, last night I went to bed with Ceej at 9pm. It takes 2-3 hours to fall asleep because the baby likes to head-butt my bladder causing me to get up every 20 minutes for those first few hours to use the bathroom (pretty sure my newborn will not be doing that). Then I woke up every hour to pee from 12-4:30am. Then I was awake 4:30-6:30, just chillin' in bed. In this time, I got up to cut up an apple for my husband to eat for breakfast (I bet you're expecting me to say "just kidding" - but this is actually true). After this I finally slept well and "only" woke up every 2 hours to pee from 6:30-12:00. Your math is correct in that I was in bed for a total of 15 hours. Am I enjoying being able to do this? Yes, I am. Do I remember what it was like to sleep through the night (with one pee break, obviously). No, I do not.

Here are some other things I have learned, being over-due and all:
1. Catcalls while power-walking/waddling still exist, but they seem even more pathetic.
2. Manners during phone calls no longer exist. For example, it is now acceptable for all individuals to answer my calls with "ARE YOU IN LABOR????" No, but thanks for the reminder.
3. That being said, my phone calls are answered more often and/or called back in a much more efficient manner than ever before.
4. I now know very intimate details of the births and pregnancies of many different women/strangers. Case in point: I was in the computer lab at an elementary school during my internship and a teacher whom I had never seen before started telling me about the black hair that covered her stomach and back during her pregnancy. Lovely.
5. I have been asked very intimate details about my body from strangers. Family, friends, and medical professionals are one thing - but if I do not know your first OR last name, I do not wish to discuss discharge, weight, or how far my cervix is dilated. Thank you.
6. There is such a thing as being too clean and organized.
7. Bones of the back, hips, and butt endure a sad life while hosting a growing fetus.
8. You never feel totally ready for baby, but there comes a point when there's just nothing else you can do to get ready for baby.

So there you have it. I am almost a week overdue, and thankfully still feeling well considering how long I've been pregnant. I've been walking every day, cleaning/organizing, meeting up with friends, cooking, playing games and doing fun dates with Ceej. Last Saturday we went swimming at Chaos water park and then out to dinner with my brother and his girlfriend. Swimming was not pretty to say the least - but my oh my! The glory of being free from the gravitational pull on my body was heavenly. I highly recommend it, although make sure you leave time for a nap afterward because your body forgets what it feels like to weigh a million pounds and does not remain light and free flowing. I'll leave it at that. I've been having semi-regular contractions (uncomfortable ones - not just the tightening of Braxton Hicks) for 2 and a half weeks now. They are less regular this week but more intense. Sometimes they cause me to drop to the floor in pain. My overall "readiness" is variable. 2 weeks ago I was pumped. Last week I was completely terrified with the thought of having a child. This week I'm excited to meet my baby and feel ready to quit prolonging the inevitable - life is going to change, and I'm ready for it to start. I keep thinking about holding him or her and watching him or her grow and change over the years - it's a pretty amazing & very exciting feeling.

I had an ultrasound last week just checking in, and our baby got 8/8 for health (yay!). They gave us a picture of its face, but I will not be posting it for fear you will think our baby looks like a pig. WHY they gave us the scary looking face shot rather than the cute profile of it sucking on its hand is beyond me. And no, they did not disclose the sex, and I could absolutely not tell what I was looking at enough to figure anything out. We still have the best surprise of our lives awaiting us.

39 weeks - I suck at posting regularly.

It's been a great 5 weeks since my last post. Let's see if I can remember everything. Hmm. First, a belly update:
36 weeks:

37 weeks:

38 weeks:

Pregnancy has been going great. I'm finally at the uncomfortable point where I feel ready to have the baby. Literally up until 38 weeks I was happy just being pregnant and not bursting to get the baby out. Since then, I've been contracting a ton - there was a period of 24 hours where I had painful contractions every 10 minutes. The kind where I had to breathe through and just laid in bed all day to rest between them and pray I could fall asleep. That was fun and restful. Not. We actually thought it was the big day, but alas, I am still pregnant. Since then (Monday) I've been contracting consistently throughout the days. Yesterday it was once every 30 minutes, today it was about every 10, but they haven't been nearly as painful as Monday's little treats. According to my midwife (I'll spare you the details) I probably won't last a full week. I'm getting less terrified about birth/parenthood and more and more excited to meet the little peanut!

On a different note, work/school has been going so well. I am done on Friday and can't believe it's worked out so perfectly (as in, I'm still pregnant). I've loved my experience in the Eau Claire school district, and I've learned so much! It makes me excited for all that I'll learn over the course of my career. It's fun stuff to love your future career. Obviously the belly has become a little distraction to some of my kiddos. Not only my own - the students in the school in general. Today, while washing my hands in the bathroom a 2nd grade girl came up to me and grabbed my belly. "Are you having a baby (with her hands still groping my stomach)?" "Yes." "HOW COULD I TELL?!?!" I've also used the words, "Please don't stare at Miss. Emily's stomach - it is work time" on more than one occasion. Oh, the joys of children :).

For those of you who know, Ceej has been in a new position at his work some months ago, and it is going great as well. He really likes it! God sure has been wonderful in this department.

I've also had another baby shower - my 3rd and final one. This one was with some friends and immediate family. It was so fun to see everyone! It was hosted by my mom, MIL, and my friend Jess, and it took place at my friend Jess' house (who is also pregnant, and who is my walking buddy. Currently we both contract throughout our walks, so the once 1-2 hour walks are now 20-30 minutes WITH a pee break at least once. We've decided it'll be faster to just roll down the street from now on. Plus, it's easier.). Guests included some people from Eau Claire and ex-roommates in the cities, and my aunt and cousin traveled from Winona/Hartford. They actually ended up staying over night. It was nice to catch up and spend quality time with them! We went to a Mardi Gras dinner at St. Mary's (catered by Cancun) and then attempted to listen to live music but ended up back at our house to chat and they had wine. Lucky ducks. I completely know it's okay to have a glass of wine at this point in the pregnancy, I just can't bring myself to do it. I came close when Ceej and I went out to dinner the other night, but then we were talking about it so much that it lost it's appeal (Ceej: "are you sure you wouldn't feel guilty if something happened?" me: "yes because I know it's fine, the midwife told me it's totally okay, and plus the baby is fully developed." Ceej: "even if you went in labor tonight? Or if the baby has a disability? I just don't want you to have regrets." me: "oh screw it.").


Ceej and I have been enjoying our last weeks as just us - we go out on dates every weekend and enjoy down time to relax with one another. I've also been cleaning the ENTIRE house top to bottom every weekend, "just in case I have the baby this week."

OH, and how could I forget: Here is a list of things NOT to say to a pregnant person. Ever. As you might guess, these things have been said to me throughout my pregnancy. Do people NOT have manners? Seriously.
1. "You're wider from the back than you are forward!"
2. "You're poking out from every angle!"
3. "You got thick fast, so it's good you look more pregnant now."
4. "HEY FATTY!!! HOW'S MY FAT GIRL???" (Thank you, Grandma.)
5. "Have you gained a lot of weight since I last saw you (last week)?" NO.
6. "Yeah, I can definitely tell you're pregnant from the back."

That's all! Maybe the next time I post it'll be about our little baby's arrival!

34 weeks - a Shower and Valentines' Day Celebration

Last weekend I had my second baby shower with my aunts, cousins, and grandparents from Hartford. I hadn't been there in a while, so it was great to see everyone and just be there! I have always loved going to visit, and it never happens enough. My grandparents are the best ever - I could not ask for a more sweet set! The shower was perfect - we had a yummy lunch, fun games, and very nice gifts. I was quite spoiled. It was especially fun that most of my family stuck around all afternoon until the evening, so we got to catch up thoroughly. The 4 hour drive got pretty long and my back was quite achy by the end, but it was well worth it. Next trip down will probably not be until June for my cousin's bridal shower, so lots of changes until then! Unfortunately my designated photographer forgot that I told her "half way down to focus, all the way down to take the picture," so the pictures did not turn out. Bummer! Below is a picture of the blanket that my gram knit for us. It has baby footprints knit right into the pattern on each square. She also knit a sweet little sweater and hat. The girl's got skills.

Ceej and I celebrated Valentines' day last night. We went to Fanny Hill for the dinner theater combination. Thank goodness we like each other and have fun together, because we were not impressed with the dinner or the show. In fact, we left at the intermission. It was 9 o'clock, and if we're going to stay up much past that, it's got to be good. We had a very fun night together, and spent a lot of time talking about all of our past Valentine's days (there's been TEN!). Oh how times have changed over the years ... from our very first spent eating dinner with his parents, the next one with no contact, the next one where I was in Australia, there were 4 in Madison where I was either home or he came to visit, our first married spent at Metropolis overnight and at a comedy show - I tell ya folks, it's been a wild and wonderful ride. It's fun to think that we'll always remember this year as our last one without kids, and it's so fun to think how this day will be spent in future years. I really could not have asked for a better Valentine/husband/life.

Pregnancy at 34 weeks feels great. I love love love feeling baby move and jump and poke and prod. I can now tell whether it's rolling or kicking or punching, what position he/she is in (especially when those hiccups are going, still at least once a day), and whether he/she is happy or sad. Okay, that last part is false. Baby is awake a lot during the day and only occasionally wakes up in the night when I get up to use the bathroom (which is on the DOT every 2 hours). At the moment I have a little booty poking by my right rib. I'm still working out and working fulling time at my internship. It's going great - exhausting, but good! I now have 10 kiddos on my caseload, and I continue to learn a lot daily from my supervisors. So all in all, life is going so well. We have been so blessed in all aspects and continue to just thank God for all he's done. Another side note, I have reached the point where I can no longer paint my own toenails due to belly engorgement. Thank goodness I have a sweet husband (and hence, cute painted toes!).

Side note: last night I had a dream that I was feeling baby's hand and could actually feel it's little fingers. Then I was chatting with friends from high school (CHELSEA BARNES TUNE IN) and had them feel it. All of a sudden, THE BABY'S HAND POKED OUT OF MY STOMACH. Full on, old cemetery movie style. Then the whole body slid out of the little hole. It's feet were green and webbed (alien baby?). Right away Chel said "let's go to the hospital - I'll drive you," and Ceej met us there. Good thinking, Chel. Well the doctors were doing a bunch of measurements and tests to determine if they should put it back in the hole or leave it out, and it was determined to leave it out. It was a girl with a full head of hair, and she weighed 2 pounds, 7 ounces. That was weird.

32 Weeks

Here we are - 32 weeks along! I can't believe how fast it's going. I mean, one MONTH from today they would not stop labor if I went in. YIKES! I'm still at the "nervous and feeling good, so I'm not rushing this child out anytime soon if I can help it" phase. Thankfully, I have zero complaints about being pregnant - I've been so blessed to be healthy and comfortable throughout. Obviously I don't feel normal and there's always "something" new or different or even "less than optimal", but I've been overall very comfortable and even sleeping well with my 3-5 (last night 10) pee breaks.

What's new: As of lately I've started contracting during workouts. I'm actually doing a little experiment to test the waters, so to speak. I worked out 3/5 days of the week after working all day (I do walk and stand a lot during work) and then walked 30-70 minutes. I contracted during all of these, but I didn't realize they were contractions because it was just a constant "very tight tummy" and I forgot to pay attention to when it loosened back up (pregnancy brain, anyone?). My midwife confirmed it was indeed me contracting. Anyway, I skipped working out on Friday after the 3 days of contracting during workouts and then walked Saturday and Sunday for 45 minutes and felt fine. So at least I know I'm not out of the loop forever - I just have to be aware and have Ceej home when I go out walking (because, yes - my belly was so tight and uncomfortable on the third day that I squatted by Altoona Family Restaurant and had the dear boy come pick me up).

Fieldwork is going great - I love it! It is quite exhausting, which I don't really know if it's the learning all day in the professional setting OR being 2 months from birthing a human. All I know is that 2 nights last week I went to bed by 8pm and actually felt rested the next day. Either way, I'm tired. A lot.

In other events, Ceej and I had a very nice weekend! Friday we did nothing but relax and watch a movie. He made ravioli with sauteed shrimp and marinara for dinner and we went to bed early - sleeping for 11 hours (ahhh so wonderful). Saturday we went for a walk and I went grocery/stuff shopping. That night we went out for dinner with friends/sibling and out afterward. Sunday was church, a pancake breakfast at church, walking, dinner, and playing Scrabble. Hope you all were able to relax and enjoy the nice weather as well! Sunshine and non-bitter cold works for me.

Stillwater Shower

30 weeks pregnant! Baby is still super active, and I love feeling him or her move and move. He or she also gets hiccups at least once per day. I like feeling the little steady pound of hiccups (it's just so cute picturing the little tyke hiccuping), but I feel bad for the poor dear. I mean - hiccups every day? How annoying!

Yesterday I had my first baby shower ever! It was in Stillwater with my paternal aunts and sisters. I had a really fun day - tacos and cookies and games and just hanging out and chatting with family. I also got some very cute gifts for my very cute baby. I came home and sprawled them all out to show Ceej and washed all the clothes so I can organize them in baby's room. Nesting mode? YUP.


This weekend I also felt very sick. Turns out I have bronchitis. Super. I barely slept last night and this morning had no voice. I went to Urgent Care because this "cold" has been getting progressively worse since last weekend. What a treat that was. I had to wear a mask because I was coughing. Normally that is not a problem, but for a woman who is 30 weeks pregnant (AKA out of breath already) and has bronchitis - welp, we've got a wheezer on our hands. I was GASPING for air to the extent that the mask was sucking in my mouth. Pretty. When I was finally in the back room with just the nurse I asked if I could take it off (I was bright red and sweating and gasping at this point). She said no, because we "didn't want to spread anything, now do we?" LISTEN LADY. I told her okay, but I might end up passing out because I cannot breathe through this lead mask. I didn't actually say "lead" but it might as well have been lead. Are you trying to kill me people?! She let me poke my little (plugged up) nose out if I "needed to". YES I NEED TO THANKYOUVERYMUCH. Real helpful. Jerk. Anyway I now am on antibiotics and hoping this little peach passes on by right quick.

Oh Hey Blogging Friends!

I know - it's been a long time. Whoops! Here's a little recap of our life as of lately:

Finals week came and went. I went to Rochester 4 days early to focus and stay with some friends (other students) so we could plow through. It was a fun way to end and say goodbye. Because of that nasty snowfall, the 2 nights before my Neurorehabilitation final consisted of my friend and I shoveling out our cars (both covered to the windows). Night 1 = soft snow, took 1 hour for 2 cars. Night 2 = ice pile, took 2 hours with 3 people for 1 car. At least it was some heavy work to get us through finals... and a fun break! I passed, by the way :).

Graduation day was surreal. Met most of my family for breakfast and then a smaller group went to the cities for the Big Event. It still doesn't feel real, although I must admit I got used to not having to study all the time REAL quick.

Christmas - ahh the loveliness of it all! We had 6 Christmases in 8 days and they were splendid. Needless to say, my 2 weeks of break before starting fieldwork (my internship) went by very fast.


I met a group of my roommates from Madison in the Dells for a day of shopping and then staying at a hotel. It was so much fun to get to see everyone and catch up! I was extremely blessed to have been their roommates (7 girls living together and 0 fighting is a rare thing). They're wonderful women, and it's fun to see how different and changing all of our lives are now!


Bringin' in the New Year was a blast - Ceej and I agreed it was our favorite so far. We went to dinner with a group to Houligan's and then made our way to Playmaker's bar. We were there early so we had plenty of space. More friends came by and we ended up having a big group there. It's so exciting to think about what 2011 will bring! I don't really do "resolutions"... my goals for 2011 are to have a baby and get a job that I love.


Fieldwork is going well. I'm in my 2nd week in the Eau Claire school district and like it a lot so far! I am learning a ton, and it is much different than learning from reading books. To be honest, it's pretty exhausting, but I have great supervisors and know it's going to be a great experience. I feel like I've learned so much in just 2 weeks, and I am excited for all I'll learn after 3 months! I've started taking on kiddos (writing lesson plans/performing direct OT with them), and by the end I'll have the entire caseload! EEK! :)

For our nephew Alex's 3rd Birthday we took him to Blue's Clue's Live here in Eau Claire. It was super fun to see how in awe he was throughout the show! The world is so different through a child's eyes.

Pregnancy is also going well. I've gotten pretty big lately! 30 weeks have gone by too fast, and I cannot believe we could have a baby here in 10, 8, 6 weeks... YIKES! Ceej is getting really excited. I'm getting really SCARED (!!) plus really excited. Baby is moving up a storm, and I love love love feeling it roll and turn and punch and kick. It's amazing to actually know what it's doing in there and differentiating it's movements. Here I am at 28 weeks, but I think I look especially big because this was right after eating dinner at Tokyo. Ceej said I really look that big all the time, though ... hmm ... he's probably lying again.


At the moment I have a bad cold (thank you, week 1 of working with kiddos) and have broke down and taken meds to sleep (only those that are okay-ed for pregnancy ... but I still try to avoid them in general). I suck it up during the day, but before bed I steam my face to get the snot broken up and then take Tylenol and Mucinex. This was okay for the past week until last night when my sickness took a 180 in the nasty direction... leaving me up at 2 AM scrounging with our med box and looking up all of our medications online to see if I could take them. Turns out that of all of our nighttime meds, Benadryl was my only sanctuary. What a tease it was turning away from my Tylenol Cold PM, NyQuil, and like 3 others. They were like a Thanksgiving feast to a starving child. One little lick of that liquid gold was pretty tempting, but I resisted. Even though everything I took was okay-ed by my midwife, I still went to bed convinced I just gave my baby a Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

I have my first baby shower tomorrow with my aunts and sisters in Stillwater. I can't wait! Hopefully a lazy Friday night and Saturday day/night will get me healthy enough to get through it without passing out ;).