Kapow!

I love my daughter so much and she's not even here yet. One of my most favorite things has been trying to figure out her personality through the womb. While I'm sure she's like every other fetus in many ways, I swear she's got one feisty attitude already. First of all, she's my daughter. How could she not have some feistiness!? Second of all, she's also an offspring of her father. We were definitely not opposites attract in this department. It's a wicked combination.

Today I was at the doctors for my monthly visit...which by the way, go bi-weekly starting now. It's getting closer! Anyways, at this routine visit, they always check her heartbeat. As the doc was lubing up an area of my belly, she was running through her normal checklist of questions on baby's well-being. This time, however, Adly was not about to sit silently through the appointment.

She put the heart sonogram on my belly and starting moving around to find her heartbeat, at which time she got to the question, "and she's moving 3-4 times an hour?"

As if on cue, my little princess channeled her inner Jackie Chan and blasted a kung-fu dropkick right to where the heart sonogram thing was. This created a loud noise on the machine and for it to bounce up off my belly. The doctor actually even jumped back a little, cracking up at the irony.

"Does that answer your question?" was my response.

Nursery

The nursery has been a work in progress for many months. I certainly continued my wedding craziness craftiness and tried to do as many things as possible handmade. The color scheme we decided from early on would be browns and sage green. Those are colors we both like and back then thought we wouldn't know the gender. Since we rent, we weren't going to paint the walls so the color had to come from the room.

Over time though, our color scheme has changed quite a bit, especially since we found out we are having a girl. People keep asking me our color scheme, and the best way I can explain it is sage green, browns, purples, yellow and then a whole lot of other colors. We probably went a little overboard on the colors, but we love it and honestly, will she care? No. As long as she has a boob available to keep her full and loving arms to keep her warm and safe.

Any of you who know me know how I feel about my plans and having things organized. It has been agonizing for me to wait this long in order to have it finished. Of course, we're still 7 weeks out, but now I can breathe easy. We absolutely love how it turned out and cannot wait until she is here to enjoy it.

Dresser:

Once we found out she was a girl, we started looking for a pop of color to add to the room. That's when I saw inspiration at a ridiculously overpriced furniture store. They had this beautiful deep purple dresser that I loved. Thankfully my husband agreed with my vision and that is how I set about refinishing the $30 thrift store find of a dresser in dark purple. Along the way, we realized it was also the same color we had in our wedding. Fate. We purchased the adorable flower drawer pulls from World Market for a low $3.99 a piece. Love.
On top of the dresser is going to go a gasp! new TV. This was a recommendation from a few new parents we know. I know what you're thinking. A TV!?! In a nursery!?! Awful, awful parents! In fact, it's a genius idea. It will be there to entertain Adam and I through middle of the night feedings where our little dear refuses to sleep.


Rug:

Then there is the rug. Ugh. The rug. You all know about that. Not much to say other than, it's a rug. And I painstakingly made it over three months. I do, however, like how it looks in the nursery.



Crib:

The crib came from Adly's grandpa Dan. We got the crib from Target and it is the Graco Lauren style. A steal for the look and high safety ratings of the crib. So far, we've been very happy with it.



Crib Skirt:

The crib skirt was sewn by cousin Emily, who has done so much to help get this room done. (Enjoy it Em, this is the only compliment I'll give you in public). She and I painstakingly cut the fabric, sewed the ruffles and put it all together to cover up all the storage I've needed under the crib.



Changing Table:

The changing table was the start of us adding sage green to the room. Adam and I found it at a little furniture shop near our house and fell in love with it. I think it's such a unique, beautiful piece. It also has a ton of storage for goodies underneath like diapers and wipes.



Rocker/Glider:

For this, like so many other items for our nursery, we found thanks to a recommendation from our new parent friends Laura and Reggie. The rocker was something Adam wanted a big say in. It needed to be big enough for him and comfortable for both of us. Reggie highly recommended theirs and it even reclined. We thank you guys for yet another fabulous recommendation!



Door Hangers:

I purchased these green heart shaped hooks from World Market. That place is awesome. For now, they're being used as her towel holder and adorable hat holders. The hat in the middle is a knitted boob hat. Our friends Dan and Lisa betrothed that beauty onto us. Of course, I can't wait to adorn her beautiful head with it....at least long enough to take pictures to save for blackmail when she's a crazy teenager. 

Monkey:

I fell in love with this sock monkey at an antique store while Adam and I were out browsing one day. For whatever reason, I immediately pictured our future child toddling around, dragging the monkey behind it. Adam shot me down right away, saying it was a waste of money. Sure enough, two days later I came home to find the beloved sock monkey as a gift from the sweetest husband ever.



Picture Frame Wall:

This idea came from many hours of pinning on Pinterest and finding some cute, cheap frames during my adventure at IKEA. There is a map of Michigan and a map of Illinois so Adly always knows where her roots are from. I saw this idea on Martha Stewart where she had actually sewn hearts, but I'm not that talented. There is a picture of her ultrasound (the one where she's totally ready to box whoever woke her up). A wedding picture of us, flowers from the big day, and then empty frames to be filled with her beautiful face once she's here.


A-Z:

Adam painted this beauty for his baby girl. Hearing him talk about this painting brings me to tears nearly every time. He is so excited to be rocking her at night, talking about the letters of the alphabet. I hope she gets some of his artistic talents when it comes to painting. Maybe, just maybe if she's lucky, she'll even be a more organized crafter than her mom.

Side Table:

I spotted this lampshade in Emily's storage closet and immediately confiscated it. I knew it would go along with some of the many colors in the nursery. The hunt for the lamp base was not so easy. After a few botched purchases, I finally headed to good ole World Market, lampshade in hand, to find the perfect base. That's where I found this beautiful little owl. Love it. 

In addition, there's another picture frame waiting to be filled with Adly's face and an iPhone speaker for music to help when it comes time for me to have to sing nursery rhymes. I make stray cats run for cover. Finally, I added drawer pulls to Adam's side table he refuses to give up from his bachelor days. At least its girlified now. The pulls also came from World Market. 

I'm incredibly in love with the way the nursery turned out. It is so very representative of Adam and I and also so unique. There are many personal touches throughout the room to wrap Adly with love every time she enters it.

A huge THANK YOU to all of you who helped to create, purchase, shop for, and donate things to fill  her nursery and make it one of a kind. She is one very lucky and loved lady.

Crack Pie

What...you think it's odd to come to a blog about pregnancy and babies and you see a title of a post with the word "crack" in it? Not in my world.

You see, this pie is absolutely like crack. OMG. It is the most amazing thing I've had in the last 8 months. It's every bit as terrible for you as the title eludes. In fact, I've never felt so guilty even just buying the ingredients. It is made of everything you shouldn't be eating. But let me tell you, it is so worth it in the end! It could also be made to be lighter. But I was making it for Emily's Memorial Day weekend BBQ and since I can't drink, this is going to be my guilty pleasure. So for this version, it is 100% fat.

I also have to note that I had this pie for the first time at Laura's house, back when I was around 16 weeks. Laura passed on the recipe to me, but I haven't made it since. I remembered it around Thursday of last week and I am not kidding when I say I've been thinking about and dreaming of it since then. It is a pregnant ladies' heaven. I knew I couldn't be trusted to have so much amazingness sitting in my freezer for more than a day as it would have magically disappeared. Right into my belly.

So my friends, here it is! I even took some pictures along the way to test out my foodie pic taking abilities. I'm still an amateur. Also, as a note, I made mine in a baking pan. The original recipe is designed to be made into 2 pies. Here we go.

Ingredients:
-2 packaged Oreo pie crusts. (I couldn't find these, so I bought Oreos and put them in the food processor. Even fatter=even better).
-1 8oz package of cream cheese
-1-1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
-1 cup of peanut butter
-1 cup of milk
-1 16oz package of cool whip (unthawed)

If you didn't buy the prepackaged crusts, process a handful of Oreos until crumb consistency. Pour the crumbs into the pan of your choosing and pack down. Or just pull out your pre-made crusts.

In a mixer, combine the powdered sugar and cream cheese. Beat until smooth. 

Next, pour in milk and peanut butter. It will be runny at first. Mix until combined and smooth. 

Then gently fold in the whipped cream into the mixture until combined. You don't have to use the whole tub if you don't want to. I did. 

Meanwhile, in your food processor, chop a handful of Reese's peanut butter cups. I chose to use the dark chocolate ones. Because they're healthier. Riiiiiight. 

Pour the mixture from your mixing bowl over the crust. Smooth over with a spatula. Then top with chopped Reese's and drizzle with fudge. Cover and place in freezer overnight. 

There you have it, crack in a pan! Enjoy every last sinful bite. I promise, you won't regret it. 

Finally, a HUGE thank you to all of the men and women who have fought for our country, especially my brother, Christopher Johnson. Without your sacrifices, we would not be able to live freely as we do. I love you, brother and am so very proud of you!!

The Swell and the not so Swell

In the latest turn of events in this saga known as pregnancy, my feet have begun their descent into swollen territory.

I only noticed for the first time the other day when I took off my socks...yes, we are still needing socks in the end of May. Once they unveiled my beautiful ankles and toes, I realized that my ankle bones had almost disappeared. Normally, they protrude out on both sides of my feet. This particular evening, my right foot had no ankle bones and the left had a small bit of it sticking out. At this point in pregnancy, your blood volume goes way up, helping the swelling along. The heat also doesn't help. So to that I say, Helllooooooo Cankles! Nice to meet you!

Just when I was about to get frustrated by the addition of the swelling as a symptom, my little darling went ahead woke me up this morning from my slumber with a good head to toe stretch and then a swift kick to the ribs. You wanna know what that feels like? A fat snake unraveling lengthwise in your stomach and then a kung fu ninja taking his anger out on the bottom part of your rib cage. Believe it or not, this I will actually miss greatly. I can't believe I'm already getting wishy-washy about not being pregnant. Damn you, hormones!

Speaking of movement, I just found a video on my phone from early last week I forgot I took. When I went to bed Tuesday night, I was reading on my phone when Adly stuck either her head or her rear out in my belly. To the point where I could grab hold of it. I quickly switched to video and was able to catch some of her movement on video. These days, she's not as much of a kicker but more of a mover and a shaker. She moves her whole body from side to side or stretches out, or rolls around. It's pretty aggressive and I've tried with all my might to catch it on video to remember this stuff.

Excuse our conversation in the video. Two things. One, Adam is upset because I didn't call him in to feel her head. It happened so fast! Two, I say "like" a lot. Who am I? Alicia Silverstone!? As we're talking though, you can quite clearly see her body on the right side of my belly moving all around and then once I start talking she heads for my belly button.

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope wherever you are, it is warm out as it most definitely is not here. Therefore, I'm spending the rest of my weekend nesting in the nursery that looks like a bomb went off in it. 

body image

I was in line at the grocery the other day when a front page of the gossip rag caught my eye. "I'll Show You Fat!" was the headline and there was a picture of good ole Kim K in a swimsuit, 8 months pregnant. You know, that celebrity that's trying to take the pregnancy spotlight from me by having her baby be due when mine is.

I immediately picked it up and started looking at the pictures of her. I just couldn't help it. Of course, all I wanted to do was compare her body at 31 weeks to mine. It was then that I started to think just how sad our world is when it comes to pregnancy and weight gain. And I'm a part of it too, just by picking up this magazine and divulging.

We as women are brought up to scrutinize every pound we gain and do everything in our power to keep it off. Women spend thousands upon thousands of dollars a year to be thin and now we've reached the point where even pregnant women are no longer off limits. We're surrounded by celebrities who do bikini bathing suit photo shoots 6 weeks after birth, proclaiming "I hardly work out. I guess I just try to eat right. The weight just came off! It was so easy!" This is the standard that us normal girls are compared against. We without access to personal trainers, dietitians, plastic surgeons, nannies, and home gyms. It's really not just "so easy".

I think it's sad. I can't stand Kim K. any more than the rest of the world, but I also think it's pathetic to see how low we've gone when it comes to making her or anyone else feel like absolute garbage for any weight gain. A woman is supposed to gain weight while pregnant. It's not because she's fat. It's because the baby needs it. Shouldn't we care more about our baby's health than anything else??

Yet, I still find myself on the scale every morning, checking to see how much more I've gained. I've accepted the fact that I'm going to gain weight, most definitely. But the fact of the matter is, if you are an average woman in America it is still scary. I know I'm going to be expected to lose it once she's here. I know I'm going to feel pressure to fit into my old clothes again. Some of this pressure is internal, yet most of that is due to the outside factors of the world we live in. I know the standard I'm held against and so does almost every other woman in my situation.

One could argue that celebrities give up their right to personal space and judgement-free zones by being in the spotlight. They're paid to be scrutinized. True, to a point. I think the unfortunate side effect of this is that is has carried over into normal civilians being held to the same standard. Hey, if I had access to all of Heidi Klum's people, you better bet your ass I'd be rocking her body. How could you not?! If I had a personal chef to make me the healthiest, best tasting meals on a daily basis, I'd bounce back in no time. But the reality is, most of us do not have those options.

So instead of reading the article about how fat Kim K has gotten and how skinny Kate Middleton is at 8 months, I put it down and resigned myself to not worrying about it. I am who I am, and I will be who I will be when this ride is over.

But as long as I can see the floor, I still want to see that weight slowly creep up every morning.

32 Weeks

The last two weeks have flown by. And as they've flown by, this belly of mine grew. And grew big time. I can't believe I have 8 more weeks to go. I'm not really sure where she has room to go from here? But alas, in the world of pregnancy, you and I both know she'll find it. And she'll take every last bit of room she can. Probably creating stretch marks as she goes. Sigh. 

32 weeks:

-On the first night of 32 weeks, I experienced my first bout of pregnancy insomnia. After teaching all day with no AC and then visiting my brother in law and his gf in their new place sans AC, I was a overheated to the core. I think that contributed to the restlessness.

-While I haven't been having insomnia every night, I'm definitely sleeping more restlessly. More trips to the bathroom, more tossing and turning.

-Cramp! My left leg has started cramping in my sleep. This is also beginning to contribute to lack of sleep, although for now I've managed to keep dreaming as I try to stretch out the cramp. It's one of those things I wake up thinking, "did my leg really cramp up for a while last night?!"

-My belly button continues to creep out. I'm still convinced it's not going to fully pop out. Wishful thinking.

-Last week, I learned the hard way that drinking water is of utmost importance. Therefore, I'm now a lean, mean, (rather, a large and in charge) peeing machine.

-I've now resorted to fumbling open the Tums bottle that resides next to my bed in the dark, desperately grabbing for relief in the middle of the night. Damn you heartburn! This, I cannot wait for to end.

-For the first time this pregnancy, I am getting full much faster. Smaller, more frequent meals are becoming a necessity. I'm kind of sad to see my now-normal truck stop sized meals coming to an end.

-Adly's body moves all around and you can see it from the outside. This is quite cool. I've tried all week to catch it on video. She is quite sneaky. It appears she lacks her mothers love for the spotlight. But I have faith I can train her in that.

If I had to wrap up 32 weeks in one word, it would be ginormous. So many of my clothes have suddenly refused to fit and with the weather getting hotter I'm getting more and more nervous for the dreaded heat of June. Fingers crossed these cold fronts keep coming through. I know, I'm selfish. But believe me, you all want to spare yourself the moaning, complaining, and swear words that are going to flow when I'm stuck in a building all day with no AC, hot, sticky, sweaty and 9 months pregnant for the entire month of June.

Here's a snapshot of 32 weeks:

Breast is Best!

We recently had our second prenatal education class, called Breastfeeding 101. I wanted to take the class because I have no prior experience in acting as a human cow and not a clue what I need to do in order to make that happen.

The class was truly very interesting. We watched a video of this baby who was brand new. The doctors put her on her mom's belly and she crawled her up to the boob and started sucking- all on her own. It was incredible to see. I took a lot of notes because as always my dear husband remembered 95% more than I did after taking the class. We also got to hold a newborn doll and slap it up against my boobs to "feel" how to hold the baby when feeding. I know they try to make it as real as possible, but these dolls just don't do it for me. All in all, we did learn some great things, but something tells me that will all go out the window once she's here. At least I'll have notes to refer to when I'm in a panic at home, no one is around and I've got a screaming newborn and milk squirting out of my nips. Good visual, eh? 

Even though my attention span got the best of me, I walked away with one great piece of learning. It was a quote from the lactation consultant teacher, who is going to retire any day now and was hilarious. 

"One of the best benefits of breast milk is that it comes in the hottest designer bottles you can find out there."

Got milk?