Graduating from Birth and Baby class

Last night Jeremy and I completed our fifth and final Birth and Baby class through the hospital.  The first four focused on information about labor and delivery, with a fun tour of the hospital in week four.  Last night was all about baby care, complete with little plastic baby dolls and tons of info packets to take home.  I took a backseat in all the practical stuff since the instructor told us to allow the person with less baby experience to get all hands on, and Jeremy rocked it.  Luckily, he's had lots of experience with friends' babies and with our niece, so I wasn't worried, but it warmed my heart to see him getting so involved.

I had some scared feelings since the instructor went over this huge, long list of reasons to call the doctor, all of which I know will have me agonizing someday.  They also showed us a video on "Purple crying, a previously unknown (to me) phenomenon in which babies cry inconsolably for hours (not colic) that tends to pop up between 1 1/2 to 5 months.  The main emphasis in the movie was that it can be so frustrating that it can drive caregivers to shake babies, so it's ok to walk away.  All I can say to this is, yikes.  I'm prepared for crying, but always assume that eventually I'll figure out (and address) the issue.  How does one learn to distinguish between "purple" crying and an issue you need to address that you haven't thought of yet?  I know I'll learn, but add it to the list of Reasons Brie is Anxious.

But despite all this, I'm feeling good.  The end of birth class gets us one step closer to actually doing this thing, by which I mean, getting this baby out of my belly.  So crazy that we're less than five weeks away!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Switching gears from all-baby, all-the-time, I thought I'd do a quick post on our Christmas decorations, now that they are up!  After just a week and a half of daily decking of the halls, here are some shots of my favorite holiday vignettes.  Unfortunately, I forgot to snap a pic of our Christmas tree and outside lights, but if you are burning with curiosity, just check out the posts from last year :-).

I'm a sucker for a good holiday mantel, as seen in our Christmas card this year.  Our stocking holders are all reindeer, three of which look like a little family.  Jeremy got the stag, I got the doe, and there's a reserved sign on the fawn :-).  I added three more classic reindeer to accommodate my parents and brother when they arrive!  I especially love the lighted garland, which reminds me of my favorite Christmas living room set up, as seen in the holiday M'Ms commercial (sounds silly, but pay attention next time, it's perfect!)

This is pretty much the same advent calendar that I had last year, but it was so cute I don't mind reusing it year after year!  I had to replace a couple of items that didn't survive the year in storage, but mostly it consists of ornaments, gift tags/embellishments, and vintage pins that belonged to my grandmother.  Check out my instagram feed from last year if you want any close-ups!

These frames are up year round, but at the holidays I add a little something to each one.  This year I have a little berry wreath, a fox ornament, some extra branches from our Christmas tree, and some fake red berries.

I think the dining room is my favorite space this year.  Somehow a metallics and green theme emerged, and with the chandelier dimmed at night this room positively glows!

For the table centerpiece I gathered all the silver ornaments we had and grouped them on my new gold chargers ($1 a piece at Michaels, score!)

This glittery deer was my Christmas decor splurge of the year at $15.  I decided to start throwing away old, tattered Christmas decor bought on major budget in college (so long Napoleon Dynamite Christmas card and stringy red garland) and replacing it with more tasteful pieces.  I really loved the look and lines of this guy, so I went for it!

And finally, this fun guy.  Yet again I totally stole an idea from Young House Love, who dressed up a moose head for Christmas.  I was smitten with the idea, so I pulled Billy the Bison from our library where he gets very little face time with guests, and decked him out in glitter and gold.  He's quite fabulous, albeit awkward in this space (seriously everyone bumped into him at my last craft night, whoops.)

So that's how the Fowlers are getting into the spirit this year, Merry Christmas!

Feeling large and in charge

It started.  Lately, when I'm not paying close attention, I have been waddling.  We're talking short, stumpy little steps, toes turned slightly out, and walking with hips out front.  Yikes.

I had this moment of realization today as I walked downtown to run some errands as usual and I noticed that my shadow looked not only huge but slow.  I checked in with my body and realized that I was just lumbering along, with much slower steps than usual.  I took a moment to remember how I usually walk, upright with hips swaying, but I could only keep that up for about a block before it got too tiresome and I stopped.  Good grief!

I also had a sad moment when I started to walk from my office to run errands in the downtown area (usually about a mile walk that I enjoy) and I realized that my pregnancy brain forgot my wallet.  Whoops.  After walking back across two streets and up the stairs to my office, I had to talk myself back into walking instead of driving, since parking is horrendous and the bank (the farthest point) was only a third of a mile away.  To my credit, I did end up walking the whole thing, but darn this easily tired body of mine!

Overall, I have to say that I am feeling great, especially relative to other pregnant people at this stage.  However, this lack of stamina is getting a little old.  Someday soon I may have to endure labor and delivery for hours, so I am definitely not allowed to get so tired after only a little walking!  I better keep up with physical activity in these last few weeks, if only to get myself ready.

Until then, if you catch me waddling, please stop me!

So, how have you been sleeping?

I get this question a lot, presumably because quite a few pregnant ladies have trouble sleeping by this point.  My answer, so far, has been pretty normally, thank you very much!  Thanks to the Snoogle I have the right head and back support, and I don't seem to need belly support too much, although its there if/when I do.  I also have benefitted somewhat from the Bun being head up, because most of her weight is concentrated high, aka not on my bladder.  For this reason, I'm guessing, I haven't gotten up during the night to use the bathroom more than a handful of times this whole pregnancy.  I also have been comfortable in most positions, including on my back, and only need a couple of small adjustments with the Snoogle if anything feels uncomfortable.  So, I have been really lucky and sleeping through the night very consistently.

Jeremy, however, has been woken up during the night quite a few times, and here's why.  The Epic Snoring Beast (me).  Pregnancy has led me to be more congested, and some of the adjustments to help me sleep comfortably involve bending my neck and shoulders in a certain way, all of which has led me to be an ESB.  I am so sorry for this.  Whenever he wakes me up to help me adjust, I'm immediately hit with guilt and shame.  I know it's normal, and Jeremy is very sweet about it and never complains, he actually never even mentions it unless I ask about the night before, but geez.  This has got to be rough for him, and I consistently wake up with a sore throat from so much snoring.  Stupid congestion.

But other than that, I'm doing well and saving up memories of long nights of sleep.  Thank goodness for king sized beds and Snoogle!

Nesting

In general I believe I am a nester.  I was the girl in college that would be unpacked and moved into her dorm room in one day.  I even unpacked in my first apartment in Williamsburg in one day, a day that also included painting three walls.  I can't really feel settled in a place until all of my things are completely out of boxes, so I always spend the first week or so focused solely on the house, down to the minutia of decorations and hanging art.  Around Christmas time, the halls are decked in one afternoon (although this year it was spread over a week since I can neither get the boxes from the attic nor put them back solo).  I am the kind of person who makes the bed every morning and straightens the house every night, just because it feels nice to be in a clean home.  So when I read about what it's like to nest, I thought to myself, "uh-oh, if this is my standard, what will nesting be like for me?!"  Or on the other hand, will I even notice if I start to nest?

Last night, I think I got my first glimpse into nesting.  I have a couple of pregnancy apps on my phone that give me updates on common pregnancy symptoms, average baby sizes at each week, and checklists of things to accomplish by a certain time.  Yesterday, I read that one should have four separate bags packed for the hospital by week 34 (aka last week for me) - a labor bag with all of the things one can use while laboring, a postpartum bag for me after the baby is here and I'm staying in the hospital, a baby bag for her to go home with, and a bag for Jeremy since he will be with me during labor and staying there with us overnight.  A few simultaneous thoughts/panics hit me as I read that I should have these packed.  1) I didn't.  2) I should.  3) I like to be prepared.

Allow me to share the aftermath of these thoughts, stream of consciousness style.

OK, I'll pack my favorite duffel bag for labor stuff, right now because I only need a couple of things, all of which I shouldn't end up needing between now and then.  Oh, shoot, I don't have a bunch of things the books say I need, I should add them to my Amazon list.  Will family be comfortable buying me a sports nursing bra?  Oh well, if they don't at least I have it saved in a place that I can buy it from later.  Should I add tiny things like facial lotion and dry shampoo to my Amazon list, or just get them myself from the drugstore?  Let's say Amazon list because it makes me feel better to be keeping track of the things I need and I won't worry about forgetting them.  Dangit, this list is getting long, maybe I need to start a bigger bag.  It sure would be great to have the larger size duffel in this same Vera Bradley pattern, I wonder if I could add that to my Amazon list since people need gift ideas for me.  Crap, it's a retired pattern.  Ebay? Nope.  Nothing that's big enough.  Ok, I have two pieces in this color pattern, I'll just pare down what I need for labor in the small tote bag and just focus on packing the postpartum bag.  Let me walk to every corner of my house as inefficiently as possible to grab lots of random tiny things I could possibly need, since it's impractical to pack the clothes I would want to wear home as I will likely want to wear them again in the last six weeks of my pregnancy.  Well, maybe I could pack them and always remember that they are in there so that if they are not being worn or washed, they are packed and ready to go.  No, that's silly.  Or maybe not.  Ugh!  Ok, focusing on baby stuff since I know I won't be using that in the next six weeks.  Which bag should I pack?  How about the future diaper bag?  Brilliant!  Oh wait, that's my current work bag.  Can't pack that yet.  But I'm so anxious!  I have to pack something!  I know, I'll pick out her coming home outfit.  Double brilliant!  Oh wait, I only washed the newborn sizes, what if she needs 0-3 because she's too tall/big?  Did I waste money buying newborn stuff?  Should I wash all the 0-3 stuff RIGHT NOW?

You get the idea.

My you-are-a-crazy-nester self awareness moment came when I was literally walking in circles in the bedroom while Jeremy stared at me from the bed.  I took a breath.  I thought about what they said in the birthing class about the time early labor can take.  I thought about the fact that I would be pacing the house impatiently waiting for the right time to go to the hospital, needing something to occupy myself.  I thought about the fact that the hospital is less than a mile from our house, so if I desperately need something Jeremy can very easily pop home to get it. I reminded myself that I have six weeks left.  Then I collapsed in bed.

I know that everything will be ok and I won't be in a situation where I don't have what I need.  I also know that when it comes time to organize her closet (hopefully after I get the closet organizers I want for Christmas!) this will all start again, and it's totally normal.  Better buy a hat and hold onto it, I guess!

33 week doctor's appointment

At this regularly scheduled appointment I got to have another ultrasound to check her position, after the doctor two weeks ago noted that she was "concerned" that she couldn't tell if the bump she was feeling was head or tail.  I was a little frustrated with this doctor, who I know has a sub-par bedside manner (she's not mean, just all business and no softness) for using the word "concerned" when I know that it shouldn't be a concern whether she is in the right position until week 37, and this was at week 31!  But oh well, I'll take any excuse to see my little girl before the big day :-).

The appointment yesterday went fine, turns out she is in the "frank breech" position, which means she has her head and feet up, and her tush down.  She has plenty of room and amniotic fluid to turn, not to mention time to turn, so I'm not too worried.  The doctor that I saw this time, who I love, was very positive and comforting.  She also mentioned that she was unhappy with the last doctor for being "concerned," and even told her that!  Ha!  Anyway, she has until 37 weeks to do the flip before we start talking about options.  Until then, I did a little bit of research about yoga poses I can do to encourage her giant head to do the bouyant thing and float where it needs to go (lots of head down/hips up stuff) although the book says to do it 20 minutes a day, three times a day!  Um, yeah, no.  We'll see how desperate I get by the end, but for now if I do it once a day I'll be excited with myself.  She should turn on her own anyway, the doctor that I like said that only 3% of babies aren't in the right position by the end.  Also, a labor-free scheduled C-section on a pre-determined day, followed by four days in the hospital with lactation consultants and lots of support doesn't sound like the worst delivery to have ;-).

Until then I will try to take everything one day at a time, and enjoy this little gem, obtained through the miracle of modern sound wave imaging!

I may be a little biased, but this is honestly the most angelic baby face ever!

Thanksgiving with more than just the dressing in the oven

Sorry for the long delay, what a fun holiday at the Fowler homestead! 

This year I was blessed to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in our home, meaning I got to avoid the whole crazy holiday travel thing, cook in my own kitchen, and, of course, enjoy smoked turkey courtesy of my talented husband.  It was our year to spend turkey day with the Fowler side of the family, meaning Jeremy's sister, her husband, their daughter, and Jeremy's parents.  Usually we go to his parents' home in Florida, but this year (due to obvious constraints) they were gracious enough to come to us.  I was very much looking forward to this, but found that I had less energy than usual to prep the house with decorations and to clean it thoroughly, so I am eternally grateful that a) Jeremy rocks and picked up the cleaning slack and b) I took lots of pictures of the decorations last year so I just had to recreate instead of shop/create. 

The days before Thanksgiving were a blur of parenting classes, grocery shopping, and bleary-eyed family members who traveled on busy travel days.  I made pies, wrapped Christmas gifts to be taken home instead of shipped, and felt guilty about sitting with my feet up so often (which I know is silly, my family was so understanding and sweet!).

On Thanksgiving Day, Jeremy and Katie were the MVPs, knocking out all the food and encouraging me to sit and hydrate.  I got to watch the whole parade (!!!), peruse the Black Friday ads, and anticipate a tasty meal.  Even though I didn't cook, I didn't have to do the dishes (big up to Sahil on that one), so it was pretty much a perfect afternoon.

I also did a little bit of shopping on Thursday (I know), and hear me out.  Black Friday has always been the perfect combination of shopping conditions: first, I have to buy Christmas gifts for pretty much everyone, so there are lots of things I am justified in buying.  Second, there are tons of deals to be scored, so I feel less guilty because I am saving so much.  Third, there is a good degree of strategizing to do, so it's like a fun puzzle to figure out where to go and when.  And finally, there is something to be said for finding exactly what you are looking for, it's like a little rush to grab your coveted item off the shelf!  The one draw back was always having to start at 4 am, which meant getting up at 3:30 after only a couple of hours of sleep.  It may be a horrible sign of our times, but for me, stores opening at 8 on Thanksgiving Thursday is a blessing for that reason.

I usually hit up Kohls, Best Buy, and Target first, all of which were open Thursday evening.  This year both Kohls and Best Buy had their doorbusters available online, so I was able to avoid their lines/crowds completely.  Since I didn't want to miss out on the experience completely, and because only a couple of the items I wanted from Target were available online, Katie and I braved Target right at 8pm.  Because we came armed with a plan and I spend more time in that Target than I would like to admit, we were in and out in 15 minutes, all of the coveted deals in hand!

On Friday we went out to the outlets and I found that I had a lot less energy than usual (surprise, surprise!), but was able to score a sweater dress and earrings from Banana Republic, as well as a couple of Christmas gifts.  After a lunch and sitting break at home I got myself out to Kohls again to score some jewelry deals and a little toy for Lark to occupy her at dinner.  After that, I collapsed!  Maybe next year I will have more energy, or maybe my most active Black Fridays are behind me :-).

All in all, a truly awesome Thanksgiving. I'm definitely looking forward to the Christmas season, starting with  a little bit of decorating every day since I (again) don't have my usual energy for seasonal festivities.

Happy holidays, everyone!!