And the grand total is...

10

pounds

in

one

month.

28 days.

4 weeks.

10 pounds.

Yes, it's true. I went in for my doctor's appt. yesterday afternoon and the scale said I was up 10 pounds from a mere 4 weeks (to the day) ago. HOLY COW! I had a minor panic attack and then, when the doctor came in, I bombarded her with the news.

"Did you know I gained 10 lbs. this month?!"

She said not to worry and that it was totally fine, she was not worried about my weight gain and, after all, we had just had the holidays.

(Plus, I'd always been weighed in the morning and, again, everyone knows that morning weight is NOT afternoon weight.)

So, I'm trying to relax about it. I am going to watch the junk food a little more carefully (hopefully now that the holidays are winding down, the cakes, cookies, and candy will not be as omnipresent.) because that junk food doesn't benefit me or the baby (excluding ice cream...hello, calcium!!! ha ha.) But I'm still going to eat well because, hey...I'm pregnant. And baby is hungry.

According to my original weight, my weight gain should be 25-35 pounds by delivery. We will see though.

So, week 25...I'm up 17 lbs. from my original weight.

(Allow me to point out that my dear mother gained like 17 lbs her ENTIRE PREGNANCY. Silly thin woman.)

Grand Weigh In

Today I have my monthly OBGYN appointment. It's at 4:45. An interesting part, of course, is the weigh-in. I don't weigh myself between visits so it's always a surprise to see how much weight I've gained with this little fellow. For morbid curiosity and the sake of total disclosure, I will give you all the numbers:

Week 8: -4 lbs. from original weight ( I was sick a lot during the 1st trimester)

Week 12: -2 lbs. from original weight

Week 16: +1 lb. from original weight

Week 21: +7 lbs. from original weight (ha, I clearly enjoyed Thanksgiving!)

Week 25: We will see.....

Any bets?

Although, I feel I should warn you. All my doctor's appointments until now have been in the early morning and today's will be at 4:45 p.m. EVERYONE knows that evening weight is totally different from morning weight. Who bothers to weigh themselves in the evening? I only bother to weigh myself butt naked, with dry hair, straight out of bed, after I pee but before I drink ANYTHING.

So hedge your bets for the grand ol' weigh-in!

Uncle Free Free and Aunt Brooklyn

A year ago today, we were getting ready to pick up these two yahoos from the airport in Cleveland.  They were coming to visit us, not knowing for sure yet if Freeland was accepted into med school but hoping that he was.  And lo and behold, here they are a year later.  Just tonight, they sat at our kitchen table and ate Adam's special quesadillas (recipe coming one day, I promise).  

We are beyond blessed by Brooke & Freeland's continued friendship- from Waco, Texas to Erie, Pennsylvania...not many friends get to live in the same town twice across the country (does that make sense?  You know what I mean.)  We love them and I'm excited for this baby to meet his Uncle FreeFree and Aunt Brooklyn.  

P.S. I did see Aunt Brooklyn's new hair do today for the first time in person, and it looks REALLY GOOD people.  Just to reassure y'all in case you were worried.  She looks adorable.

Nesting Time

We are in ultimate nesting mode.  I knew as soon as Christmas was over and January started creeping up, this whole baby thing would start seeming really, really real.  Adam is actually more in nesting mode than even I am.  Since we got back last night, he's been non-stop:  moving guest room furniture to make room for the nursery, ripping up the carpets, working on the floors, trips to Lowe's... this baby's really coming!  We don't have the baby furniture yet but I suppose we could clear out a sock drawer if all else fails  (just kidding, we do have a pack n' play we plan on using as a bassinet for the first bit).  

It's actually really fun getting everything ready but I find myself having to take more breaks and do a little stretchy action every so often.  I guess that's just part of carrying a big ol' basketball under your shirt.  I suppose it's a pretty good excuse to sit back with a nice cold cup of water and watch a good lookin' man sweat it out.  Thank you Lord for my fine husband (with a headlamp on his head as he works.  He never takes it off.) 

Meanwhile, I must go back and continue cleaning.  The counters must be bleached, the ceiling must be dusted, all c.d.'s must be alphabetized....the baby is coming, the baby is coming!

60

We are baaaack.  Betcha didn't even know we were gone, huh?  Adam & I spent a glorious few days in Texas with his family.  Even though it wasn't sunbathing weather, we still sat outside and rolled up our pants and sleeves.  Adam even took off his shirt on the coldest day there (the temp was in the 40's).  

But then we came back and Badabing!  It is in the 60's here in Erie!  All the snow is melted!  (Embarrassingly enough, the snow melted to reveal two very rotten pumpkins on our porch.  Whoops.)  Now we are all reunited with Powers and enjoying some good old fashioned living room time.  

We had such a good time in Texas.  Besides getting to spend a lot of restful time with Adam's family, we also saw my parents for lunch.  They went out of their way and drove through and so we ate some delicious (seriously) mexican food from Uncle Julio's.  It was wonderful to see them.  My mom informed me that I am growing by leaps and bounds (outward).  

Adam's parents spoiled us and Adam's dad bought ice cream for me since I couldn't partake in the Christmas toasting.  Good man.   Adam's an only child and so it was fun to see his parents' excitement over their first grandbaby!

Hope y'all had a merry christmas, too.  Now, off to move the sunken-in pumpkins from the front porch.  

She's A-Growing

Week 24 Baby Belly

( I feel I should note that although my tights appear black in this photo, they are in fact dark brown. Therefore, I am not wearing black tights with a brown dress. Thank you.)

Also, Friday is cowboy boot's day.  I implemented that four weeks ago at work. So far, I am the only participant.

I feel like I should edit my Seven Pounds post.  My impression of the movie could have to do more with my delicate hormones.  Adam said that, although it was depressing, he left with a renewed appreciation of life and wanting to bless other while he lives.   ANYWHOOS...

The temperature here in Erie is currently 13 degrees.  So Adam & I laced up and took a walk in the fresh snow.  It may sound crazy but I love my snowy walks.  It feels so good once you're done and you walk back into the warm house and defrost in front of the fire.  Niiiiiiice.  I'm definitely enjoying Adam's break from school.  Lots of time to hang out and let Adam's brain atrophy.  Hoorah!

We've been reading the Christmas story to Baby Jennings.  You think you'd feel weird reading aloud to your stomach but it actually feels pretty natural.  I guess all these years of talking to myself have prepared me for talking to a little guy inside my belly.

Buddies

Don't go see the movie, "Seven Pounds" unless you want to cry and then take a couple of hours to recover from the emotional trauma.  

Well-made movie?  Sure.  We like Will Smith?   Of course.  Would I ever watch it again?  Nope.

Depressing.  Sad.

Productive Day!

Hey, you know what's fun?  When you go to work at 8 a.m. and then the electricity goes out at 11:30 due to an ice/snow storm thus rending your office void of computer or telephone but you still have to stay at work and so you and your coworkers just stare at each other for five stinking hours, broken up only by intermittent games of charades, desert island, christmas caroling, and MASH.  

That's fun.  

I was tagged!

Hannah tagged me and so I had to find the fourth picture from the fourth folder on my computer and explain what was happening so here goes...

Kinda boring...Powers taking a nap on the red couch.  He does this a lot.  I'm so glad that the fourth picture in the fourth folder on my computer wasn't a double chin shot of me eating a burrito.

We have guests!

With Brooke and Freeland in God's country (Texas), Oliver and Madeline are at our house!  Powers is so happy to have friends.  They can take turns peeing on the same spot over and over in the backyard!  

Fried Hair

My Aliyah hair mishap retelling reminded me of another bad hair experience.  Ironically enough, this also happened my freshman year of college.  (What are the odds?)

So, once my weave was taken out and I had grown my hair out a few inches, I decided that I should get a "body wave."  Ah, 2001- the year of the body wave.  Basically, a body wave is like a perm but not so spiral-y.  It's perm-lite.  For folks that want to look like you have effortless, wavy hair without actually being born with any curl in your hair.  

Anywhoos, so I secretly went to this place and got a body wave by the only free stylist (maybe that should've been my first clue?  The non-booked stylist?)  At this point in life, my hair had been highlighted, low lighted, and colored within an inch of it's life.  So, the body wave probably wasn't the best idea.  

This was confirmed when he took out all the curlers and said, "Oh wow."  

Not like, "Oh wow! Yippee."  Like, "Yikes...oh whoops."

My hair was fried, folks.  Fried like a #2 from KFC.  I slept with conditioner in it every night and wore it in a ponytail during the day.  I used my roommate's hair dryer to try and straighten out my long bangs but they just stuck out STRAIGHT to the side like a reverse Alfalfa hairdo. 

Worst of all?  Me, being so smooth, decided to just fib.  I was embarrassed that I'd gotten a body wave so, when people asked, I just told them my hair must be getting curlier (scratch that, frizzier and wiry-like) in my old age.  Eight months later, I had grown out the monstrous fried atrocity and chopped it off into a cute bob of  brown, straight locks.  And that's the way we like it.  

Aliyah Hair.

My friend Brooke is trying to figure out her next hair-move (feel free to vote on her blog!) and it reminded me of my many hair mishaps over the years. I am a recovering dye/color-aholic and have had my hair many a hue. One hair mistake of note:


1. When I was a freshman in college, I had really short hair and decided to get extensions. After all, celebrities get them all the time and their hair looks great, right? So, my friend, Mary Hurst, and I went down to a place called Queens by La'trice one Saturday morning and I spent 4 hours in the chair. (La'trice had me pick up my extensions from a beauty supply the day before). First of all, she braided all of my hair to my head (very tightly- ow). Then, she sewed the extensions onto my hair. Then, she trimmed up the extensions into a fashionable, layery cut. The only problem? Well, I basically had African American hair on my pale, freckly Caucasian face. It was like Aliyah's hair on my head (rest in peace). It just did not look right, people. Plain and simple.

I left the extensions in for approximately three days. I spent most of these three days with my hair in a ponytail. Then, my scalp was itching and I couldn't reach it except by jamming pencil lead into my skull and so I surrendered and walked down to my friend Mary's dorm room and she cut out all my extensions.

P.S. I only have one photo documenting this hair excursion. It was taken on a disposable camera and my hair is in a ponytail at a Baylor football game. I kinda wish I had some more documentation for you.

Fa Ra Ra

One of my neighbor's has a lamp in his front window that is an exact replica of the leg lamp from the Christmas Story.

I almost drove the car into the ditch the first time I passed it, I was laughing so hard. Genius, I tell you. And class.

Adam & I attended a one-year-old's birthday party yesterday. He was so sad to be pulled away from his presents (or at least the wrapping paper) to go and eat his first piece of cake. He had no idea what he was about get into. His life was about to change...forever.

He stared the cake down and hesitantly reached for the it, alternating right hand then left hand, right hand then left hand. Then he dug his hand in for his first bite of oreo cake (or any cake for that matter). And he brought his clenched fist to his lips and slowly, carefully released the delicious chocolate into his mouth and the house filled with his sweet laughter. It was a sight to be seen.

He continued until moments later, he chunked the entire plate into the air and half of the cake landed on his high chair tray (score!) and the other half on the floor (score for the dog!)

Speaking of, I do think that Powers will make a good clean-up crew for our son's messy eating days.

Shout Out!

I just have to give a quick promo. for my friend, Lesli and her three fat chick friends.  This is their new blog and they are getting healthy together and it is such a good read.  Let's face it, we women all (mostly) can have some crazy image, food, or health issues that can creep up on us like a sneak attack from a ninja.  We feel defeated by weird standards and comparisons and sometimes we drown that defeat in a pint of ben & jerry's or a heap of chips & salsa.  

Anywhoos, it's an honest, hilarious, and vulnerable blog that will inspire you and make you giggle a time or two.  Enjoy!

Let us rejoice!

Liquid diet stopped, Stomach problems ceased... Praise the Good Lord!

I like to think that Baby Boy is enjoying the return to normal foods too. (Did you know that the amniotic fluid he drinks tastes different according to what the mom eats?) So I'm sure he's glad to not be drinking sprite and (gag me) chicken broth.

I was reading the beginning of Luke this morning where a pregnant Mary walks in and says "Hey!" to Elizabeth (pregnant with John the Baptist) and John the Baptist leaps for joy in her womb and Elizabeth was immediately filled with the Holy Spirit and knew it was the Messiah in Mary's womb. How cool was that?!?

Where's the beef?

My stomach issues swung back last night but with a little added twist, of which I won't go into detail. Therefore, I am on a clear liquids diet today, by doctor's orders.



Let me tell you who a clear liquids diet is NOT for: A starving pregnant woman!!!!!

Feliz Navidad... dodoo dubedoo

Feliz Navidad....dodoo dubedoo

Adam's hair was growing into a flowing mullet and so, this weekend, he asked me to trim up the back.  Now, I've cut Adam's hair before but not when it's long.  Not when it's glorious long, blond beauty.  But I put on my big girl panties and took the scissors to his locks.  

At first, I couldn't stop laughing.  I had cut the back of his hair straight across and he looked like a little Dutch boy.  Like a girl with a bob haircut.  Bad.  

Somehow, though, I reached inside to every salon experience I've ever had and rounded it off.  I swept sections of hair up with my comb and began jabbing at it with my scissors to create layers.  Well, I am happy to report that amidst the piles of hair on the ground stood a fine looking man with a very nice haircut.  

Now I don't have the documentation currently since our camera is charging but just you wait.  I did that thing right.  

Monday Ramblings

Happy Monday from the Arctic tundra! Just kidding but, seriously folks, it was so cold this weekend. It was like the wind picked up the frigid air and snow and blasted them into your face mercilessly. But it sure did make you appreciate a good fire, a warm cup of tea, and a stinky dog to cuddle up against...mmhmm.


I am feeling a little bleh stomach icky today. Having some digestive troubles that I will not expound upon for the sake of your delicate ears. (But if you want to hear about them, call me! I love talking about it.) I cannot and will not complain though because I have had way too good of a 2nd trimester and baby boy is thumping away in there and we are just too stinking blessed. (Although might I suggest a change from the sandpaper industrial strength toilet paper at my workplace?)


This weekend heralds the 2nd annual girls' group Christmas party. Last year it was at our house and everyone wore tacky sweaters. This year it will be at Elizabeth's house and everyone will wear tacky sweaters again. (There's only so many occasions you can wear a good tacky Christmas sweater on, right?) Adam is nearing the finish line for this term and will soon have two weeks off in which he will begin Operation Nursery. Step 1- pulling out carpet in nursery to reveal...tadaaaa original wood floors.

Whoa Nelly!

Week (almost) 22

Pee Pee TeePee

Hope y'all are having a happy Thursday. This week is flying by and that's always a good thing in my book. Although it does mean that Christmas will be here and gone before you know it. So absorb the season!  Hurry before it's too late!  Run!  Faster, faster!  Christmas is almost here!!!

Whew.

Thanks for all the diaper bag advice.  I really appreciate the help and am currently looking at some options for cute...yet affordable...yet durable... diaper bags.  Also, I loved the comments about about little boys spraying the walls (Have you seen that hilarious diaper commercial?!)  Have y'all heard of the pee pee teepees?  Ha Ha- click here.    It's a hoot.  Perhaps practical though?  

So, when I was home, Mary Lou gave me some hand me down maternity clothes which I will have to show you the best of later. The best being a huge mu-mu night shirt that says "Bundle of Joy."  Her husband informed us that there was nothing like seeing your 8 month pregnant wife come out of the bathroom every night wearing that beauty.

Click here for pictures of Mary Lou's sweet baby girl! We got to see her over Thanksgiving and she is a doll baby!

Cartwheelin'

My shoveling boys shoveling away the snow for Mrs. Prego Jennings here.  

Had my monthly doctor's appt. this morning at 7 a.m.  Adam & I trooped downtown in the snow and were rewarded with hearing that little sweet boy's heart thumping away.  He was active and doing cartwheels, we think.  I would be interested to know what would have been my weigh-in last week (pre-thanksgiving) as opposed to today.  Hmmmm.  Oh well, I can't resist that spinach madeline!

Moving on to diaper Bags...what the heck? Some are $20 others are $750.  And there are like sixty kabillion with different features, functions, and foldy diaper pads included.  Any advice?

Mayo Boy

Back to the grind after returning from a nice Thanksgiving in Louisiana with my family. Such a wonderful, fast trip. We got to have a lot of family bonding time and enjoy fall down south (Yes, they are still in fall unlike us wintery northern dwellers). Adam announced he was never eating again on our flight back yesterday (Then we got pizza in the Memphis airport).


The cool news is that we are feeling the baby move! It started Tuesday night when I was laying in bed. All of a sudden, it was like my cell phone was vibrating inside my abdomen. That little munchkin was moving! Then, the next morning after we'd sprinted through the looong psychadelic tunnel system of the Detroit airport and finally been seated on our plane (in the nick of time!), I had a bite of a peanut butter bar that Brooke had made for us and our son must've liked it because he started moving like crazy again. This time, though, it was more like bubbles inside of me.

Side Note: When I relayed this story to my family, my eldest brother suggested that we name our son "Bubbles." Manly, huh?

Anyways, it is so incredible to feel this little guy moving around. Adam even got to feel it on Thursday morning. The whole new kicking revelation made me so excited to meet him and cuddle his little cute self. He is definitely a tiny miracle baby (Not to be confused with Miracle Whip baby...he is not a mayo boy).

P.S. Mom, will you send me the pictures from Thanksgiving? Thanks.