24 weeks - Starting our collection of baby things!

24 weeks already?! I can't believe it. And I already feel HUGE!!!! I mean look at me! lol I love the changes though. This week we have another appointment with our midwife, Debbie, I love going to visit her. I'm so glad that I get to go see a midwife instead of a doctor. She actually takes time to talk with me and cares about me and my pregnancy. This visit I hand in another food log to so she can determine if I get to drink the icky juice or the grape juice for my gestational diabetes testing in 4 weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for the grape juice! I've been pretty darn good with sticking to the diet.  And I've been really good at remembering to take the recommended vitamins every morning!

24 week bump!

Sunday we met up with Levi's friend Sandy who was generous enough to gift us a bunch of baby 'supplies'! I am so thankful for her gifting. We got a car seat/stroller system (which I was afraid we wouldn't be able to use but after extensive research it is safe to go!), an ERGObaby carrier, a boppy pillow, 2 play sets, a grocery cart cover and some other random things! I can't thank her enough for everything. 

The Boober got to help test everything out!

Morning routine.

Every morning I take all 4 of these things, recommended by my midwife (I trust her recommendations over a doctor anyday)  D3 for calcium balancing, immunity boosting, cell growth, and insulin secretion. Perfect prenatal for everything. Fish Oil for Omega-3 fatty acids to help baby's neurological system develop. Floradix for a little boost of iron for blood production.

23 weeks - Buddha Belly!

This week has been all sorts of exciting! We finally decided just to paint the Nursery the Beige that the rest of the house is so that it would match with everything and when we buy a house and rent the condo we won't have to repaint! So the room went like this...

I also ordered these pictures for above baby's crib

And here's the bump at 23 weeks!

How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: This week I fluctuated between 125 and 130. yikes!
Maternity clothes? Same 2 pairs of shorts and squeezing into my tshirts. I ordered some jeans from Old Navy so we'll see how those fit.
Stretch marks? Nothin! Praying to the Mamma Mio godess still!
Sleep: I've been sleeping great this week! Having a litte trouble waking up but thats ok.
Best moment this week: Feeling him dance around while watching How To Train a Dragon! and Levi got to feel him too!
Miss Anything? Sushi! We had a conversation about it last night, I can't wait until I can eat it again!
Movement: Again yes! He's still got room and he's enjoying every moment of it

Food cravings: Nothing really
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Have you started to show yet: Oh Yes :)
Gender: A Boy!!!
Symptoms: Acid Reflux/Heart burn, it's been killer

Belly Button in or out? Completely flat now!
Looking forward to: Picking up nursery furniture, Getting the 4 prints I ordered!

22 Weeks - Boy! Oh Boy!

Welcome to what is now my pregnancy blog! I debated on whether or not to do this but I like to write and keep everyone updated so let's do this! I'm starting this off over half way through...

Last Sunday we went in for an elective 3d/4d ultrasound at a wonderful place called 4d Imaging in Arlington Heights. We weren't planning on doing a 3d ultrasound but when our medical ultrasound was so unfriendly and we didn't find out the gender we decided we had to get another one. The result was, as many of you may have seen on facebook, it's a BOY! Levi and I couldn't be more excited (even though we both previously had dreams about girls, but it doesn't matter what it is as long as it's healthy)!

Here are some pictures for fun :-)

12 weeks

22 weeks

Our Little Man!

How far along? 22 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss: I'm at about 126 lbs according to my cheapy scale. I started off this adventure at 123lbs and lost about 7lbs in the first trimester.
Maternity clothes? I have 2 pairs of maternity shorts I alternate, I think it might be time to in some maternity jeans tho as it's been getting chilly at night/morning
Stretch marks? Nothin! I hope this mama mio stuff really works!
Sleep: I sleep pretty well in general, sometimes he wakes me up kicking in the middle of the night, but that's just preparing me right?!
Best moment this week:  Starting BRIO/Bradley Birthing classes and showing off my baby belly at Susie's Birthday dinner! lol
Miss Anything? Sushi! We had a conversation about it last night, I can't wait until I can eat it again!
Movement: Yes! All the time! He's a wiggle worm!

Food cravings: I still haven't really had any cravings, except the few times I wanted cheese fries

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!

Have you started to show yet: Oh Yes :)
Gender:  A Boy!!!

Symptoms:  Round ligament pain this week, what fun.

Belly Button in or out? It's kinda flattened out and disappeared
Looking forward to: Getting started on the Nursery!

Sometimes things just don't go the way you expect

So now that everyone knows and we announced to the world that Levi & I are expecting a little bundle of joy, I'm going to try to keep everyone posted through blog posts.

Yesterday was supposed to be the day that we found out the gender of our baby. We kept facebook in the dark about the pregnancy because we wanted to know the gender first and we we're only supposed to have 1 ultrasound. Well things don't always go as planned.

It was a very exciting morning with a rather upsetting afternoon. The ultrasound tech didn't really speak to us at all, told us she doesn't tell gender and that the radiologist would tell us with the other results. She also didn't let me see the screen until the end and she showed me the head, hands and legs really quick and that was it. She sent us out to the waiting room where we were led to believe we were going to see radiologist next. Turns out we weren't. They gave us a CD with pictures (Crummy ones we can't really decipher) and sent us on our way.

We went home between that and our midwife appointment to look at the pictures on the CD and I had a melt down. I guess I spend too much time on the internet but I was disappointed I didn't get to watch the whole ultrasound on the screen and I didn't get cute side profile picture that you always see all over the internet.

We went to see Debbie, our super awesome wonderful midwife, and told her about our experience and she was pissed! She called them up and chewed them out. But really there was nothing they could do for us now unless we went and got another ultrasound. But that was out of the question due to insurance reasons.

So our friend Christy suggested 4d imaging LLC in Arlington Heights. Where last week she got a gender scan from Yolanda. So we have our appointment scheduled for Sunday. We shall see how this one goes!

"The Walker"

I see my fair share of strange people at my job. As I'm sure most of us do. Unless you don't work with the public. Or maybe you work with strange people. In any case we've all encountered strange people. I think I'm going to try turn this into a series of stories about some odd regular customers we have.

We'll start out with "The Walker"

"The Walker" is a lady that comes in every so often, so walks from the park across the street, with her 90's head phones over her ears and her walkman in her pocket. She's a quiet lady, doesn't say much. She has a routine. She walks in the front door, turns to the left and walks right over the the candy shelves. Stands in front of the candy, stares for a while then picks up her selections. Comes over to the counter, pays for her candy, grabs her bag and walks to the back of the greenhouse to the coffee machine. I'm not sure whether she gets coffee, or hot chocolate or maybe even cappuccino. Then she walks out the door and back across the busy road and continues on her walk. She started this routine late this past summer and has come back for her candy and coffee every week or every other week ever since. She buys nothing else. Which I find very odd because we are a garden center... Who goes to a garden center for candy? She even does this in the coldest snowiest weather the midwest has to offer.

Packing Peanuts in the Box

Packing peanuts are the root of all evil! Ok, maybe not but I despise them!!!! Working in a small business/retail store we get packages all the time with new merchandise to put out on the floor. A LOT of the time, those packages contain material to protect the items during shipment. Most materials I am ok with, especially Bubble Wrap. I love that stuff. But packing peanuts I can't stand. Luckily they have been showing up less and less.

When opening a box full of packing peanuts, they're bound to escape. There's no chance in hell you can open a box or take things out of the box without at least some of the light fluffy Polystyrene pillows flying out. They just spring out at you like excited puppies that have been stuck in a box for hours waiting to see someone they can lick. They're so light and fluffy that they're impossible sweep up with a broom. They have to be picked up one at a time, or if you're really skilled (lucky) you can grab handfuls of them, but usually a few escape your grip.

WARNING: If you're not careful they'll stick to you without you ever realizing they're there. You could be walking around with a tush covered in peanuts and you'd never have a clue. And more than likely no one is going to tell you.

What really kills me is that even though they are recyclable. I don't think anyone realizes that. And they get tossed into the trash along with everything else. Polystyrene takes hundreds of years to break down in nature. So once your peanuts get to the local dump they just sit there. If the bag/box/container they were captured in breaks open... Peanuts everywhere.

In theory they are a good idea, soft pillowly cushion to stop things from breaking when the UPS man throws them into the truck. But there are other packing materials that do the same thing and are either more fun (Bubble wrap) or more environmentally friendly (newspaper or any paper for that matter)

Packing Peanuts just need to go!

Jacki's Random Household Items Astrology

After the whole "changing zodiac signs" a few weeks ago that unnecessarily freaked everyone on facebook out. I decided to come up with my own... (and hopefully everyone will freak out over this one too!)

March 21st - April 19th Air Freshener - You are a breath of fresh air, you keep everything smelling good and you always want everything to be fresh and new. A clear mind is a must for you. You're perfectly matched with the Garbage bag and the Ceiling fan, but stay away from the Toaster and the Tooth Brush you'll make them sick.

April 20th - May 20th Tooth Brush - You always make people smile bright, keep things fresh to death and minty fresh. Your perfect match is the Sponge or the Vacuum because you both love to clean things.

May 21st - June 20th Toaster - You warm things up and keep them toasty. You warm peoples heart and soul and keep them feeling good. You're perfect match is the Bowl because you both love to be in the kitchen!

June 21st - July 22nd Bowl - you hold lots of things and feed the needs of others. You need to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied all the time. Your perfect match is the Toaster because you both love to be in the kitchen

July 23rd - August 22nd Kitchen Table - You like to get everyone gathered together for a good time, whether it's eating dinner or playing games (board or drinking) you just like to have a good time. Your perfect match is the sofa because you both love to have parties

August 23rd - September 22nd Ceiling fan - You keep things flowing, moving along smoothly at an even pace. You also like circles and anything circular. Your perfect match is the lamp just because alot of ceiling fans come with lamps on them.

September 23rd - October 22nd Garbage Bag - You hold on to grudges and never let anything go, but if you meet your match (the air freshener) You'll learn to lighten up a bit. Your perfect match is the air freshener, you cancel each other out.

October 23rd - November 21st Sofa -You're comfy and love to cuddle. You like to take care of people when they're feeling sick or sleepy and you love to entertain as well. Your perfect match is the Kitchen Table because you both love to have parties

November 22nd - December 21st Sponge -You take in everything and hold on to it for a while. You love learning and absorbing information from everything you read. Your perfect match is the Vacuum cause you're both neat freaks

December 22nd - January 19th Vacuum - You're a neat freak, love to clean everything all the time no matter where you are. You suck alot, JK! Your perfect match is the Sponge or the Garbage Bag, with the Sponge you'll both enjoy cleaning together and with the Garbage can you can unload all your stress and junk onto them after a long day of cleaning and it won't mind.

January 20th - February 18th Freezer - You're always cold but you love the winter time. And food! You can't get enough! Your perfect match is the Toaster, your both foodies and it can warm up your insides.

February 19th - March 20th Lamp- You light up everyone's life, put a smile on their face and warm their hearts. Your perfect match is the Sofa or the Ceiling fan.