For All You Single Gals...and Even You Married Ones...

If you have known me since at least say, oh high school, you know that the fact that I didn't get married until I was 26 was hard on me.

As it is on a lot of single ladies out there.

I spent a lot of time and emotions on asking myself and asking God questions like, "What's wrong with me? Why wasn't he the one? Am I going to be single for the rest of my life?"

In hindsight, 26 is not old to get married, or anything! Now, I see that it's not age that matters, it was my willingness to be happy with who I was, no matter what the circumstances in my life were at the time.

By the time I got married to my amazing husband, I had completed four years of college. I bought my own home. I lived by myself for 2 1/2 years. I lived financially independent for 4 years. I worked my job as a teacher, with a contract for 4 years. I moved across the country for fun.

Once I realized I didn't need a husband to enjoy my life, I began enjoying my life! Was it easy?

No.

Because all I ever really wanted was to be a wife and mother.

Read this post from Big Mama. She says it best and I won't repeat everything she says, just to say it.

Now, I am thankful I didn't move straight from the dorm room to an apartment with my husband. I am actually grateful for those few years of independent singledom. They shaped me into becoming a better wife (and soon to be mom) and created who I am today.

Does anyone feel the same way I do? Or maybe you're in the midst of being single and asking all those questions that I mentioned above and you're tired of people like me telling you, just wait...

God will exceed your expectations. And you probably won't realize it until after it's happened, but it's even sweeter then.

32 Weeks...

Only 8 weeks left! Baby Bruce has nails now and the hair is coming in thicker. I have read that Baby will not be as active because of lack of space from now on, but so far, this is not the case. Because Baby is getting more cramped, his/her movements are actually more visual! My belly moves back and forth and sometimes looks lopsided when I'm sitting. I'll try to get some movements on video sometime. It's pretty entertaining, especially from my view up above!
I should have been posting these pictures each week because I think they're really cool!

And here I am, in all my glory! By the way, as you can tell, I don't believe in wearing make-up when I am home all day.

"This week your baby is tipping the scales at almost 4 pounds and topping out at just about 19 inches. And growing isn't the only thing on the agenda these days. While you're busy getting everything ready for baby's arrival, baby's busy prepping for that big debut, too. In these last few weeks, it's all about practice, practice, practice, as he or she hones the skills needed to survive outside the womb, from swallowing and breathing to kicking and sucking. And speaking of sucking, your little one has been able to suck his or her thumb for a while now (okay, maybe it's not a survival skill, but it sure is cute). Another change this week: Your baby's skin is no longer see-through. As more and more fat accumulates under the skin, it's finally opaque (just like yours!).

~ What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition

We have Baby's dresser and the glider and ottoman set up in Baby's room and we should be getting the crib in the next week or so! I'm going to wait to post pictures until I can show the finished product. The walls desperately need paint, even if it's just a coat of plain white right now. We've had renters in the house for almost 5 years, so the amount of screws and patches on the walls is crazy!

That's about it. My grandparents (Mom's dad and step-mom) are coming to the Rocky Mountain state tomorrow for the weekend, so I'm excited to see them! And Riley is looking forward to seeing their little Shih-Tzu, Molly, too. (Yeah, right....) Haha. Riley is very patient with her, but you can tell by the look on her face, she's thinking, "Why do you do this to me?"

PS - the cake I made yesterday was delicious and continues to be delicious. Love it.

Cake...

This afternoon, I decided I needed some cake. Thank goodness cake mixes were on sale last week so we had a couple of boxes on hand and I could make it fast.

The yellow cake that I am going to top with chocolate fudge frosting is baking away in the oven as we speak, and the smell is absolutely torturing me.

Riley concurs.

This might be my first real craving, where I have to have it, no matter what. And it's weird because I don't usually like cake all that much. I usually would rather have cookies or brownies. But I am going to enjoy every bite of that 9 x 13. Huzz will help me eat it. I promised him he could have a piece.

31 Weeks...

Here I am, 31 weeks along! Only 63 days to go...

I think this week's picture is much better. My face doesn't look so...puffy.

I went for my bi-weekly check-up today and all went well. I have met all four of the doctors in the office, so I shouldn't see any strange faces staring back at me while I scream and writhe in pain in a couple of months!

They are all so nice. They're all women, and no offense, men, but I'm much more comfortable with a woman inspecting my business. I am so thankful that I was able to find such a great doctor's office and hospital...and all just 3 blocks away from our house!

Huzz and I went to our "Labor, Birth, & Beyond" class at the hospital this past weekend and it was really good. I know Huzz learned a lot and I did, too, even though I have a lot of experience with babies. As part of our class, we got to go on a tour of the labor and delivery wing. It is an awesome facility that I felt really comfortable in.

One of the things that we looked at at the class was a picture of what happens to all my organs during pregnancy. Let's put it this way: it completely made sense why I have to run to the bathroom all the time, and why I can't breathe anymore.

Here is what the website says for this week:

"Chances are your diaphragm is feeling a little cramped these days. Okay, a lot cramped. That's because your uterus is pushing up against it, crowding your lungs and making it more difficult for them to expand fully. The result: Your body is spare on air, and will be until your baby drops near the end of pregnancy in preparation for birth. Your baby, however, is happy as a clam since he gets all the oxygen he needs through the placenta. Weighing in at three-plus pounds and measuring 18 inches long, he's quickly approaching his birth length though he's got to pack on another three to five pounds before D-day. Also developing at an impressive clip: your baby's brain connections (he's got to make trillions of them!). He's now processing information, tracking light, and perceiving signals from all five senses. He's also putting in longer stretches of sleep, which is why you're probably noticing more defined patterns of awake (and moving) periods and sleeping (pretty still) periods."

~www.whattoexpect.com

Heartburn continues to torture me. The nurse who taught our class explained why even water can give us preggos heartburn. And she's right. Water gives me heartburn.

We went to the all things baby super store the other night and purchased all of our baby furniture, since the sale they were having ends today. I am so excited to get it all in the nursery! The dresser is in the garage, waiting for our dear friend to come and help Huzz move it into the house, since I'm not much of a help these days! The crib will be ready to pick up in a couple of weeks, and we are going to pick up the glider and ottoman tomorrow. I need to go to the Depot and pick up some paint samples and decide exactly what I want to do in there. I have some ideas...

Huzz told me last night that he thinks that going to the class really gave him a reality check, of sorts. He was so great at the class, putting up with all the videos. It's kind of funny how much modesty is lacking in those things! However, I'm glad the ladies in the videos aren't hiding things because then I can see exactly what they're talking about!

Things are plugging along... The Huskers play this weekend and I get to watch it! Wa-hoo! Go Big Red, beat V-Tech!!!

Also, I see that as of right now, there are 9 votes for a boy, and 8 votes for a girl. Almost a tie! Keep the votes coming!

Whoops...

Huzz emailed me this little video, since we've been going to so many baseball games.

Pretty funny!

What Do You Think?

If you look to the right-hand side of my bloggity-blog, you can see a neat, little poll! We have a family pool going that my cuz, Jaimie, put together when we were all at the Lake this summer and I believe she is wrapping things up at my cuz's wedding in October.

Here's a chance to get in your two cents!

So, what do you think? Am I having a boy or a girl?

Maybe you're my dad and you "just KNOW it's a girl." Maybe you think I look like I'm carrying a boy.

Maybe because I've loved ice cream since the beginning of the pregnancy, you think I'm having a sweet girl.

I don't know what I'm having! So, I'm not trying to trick you in any way. I just think it'll be fun to have everyone vote on what they think.

Family: if you've already guessed for the pool, cast your vote on here, too!

You all have until Halloween night at 11:00 PM MST to voice your opinion.

Also, what do you think of my new blog background? Do you likey?

30 Weeks...

30 Weeks! 10 weeks to go! Wow.


Today, I am feeling all 30 weeks. I just feel huge. And when I look at this picture, I see that I am! Man, my face is really filling out. I've already gained 30 pounds, so I should have a fun time losing that in a few months!


I even feel like I've been really good about eating wholesome, healthy food. My latest craving lately is fruit. You can't go wrong with that! And every meal, I make sure I have some sort of protein. And I eat all whole grains and I'm drinking my milk! I do still like ice cream and I made some brownies over the weekend that I enjoyed too much.


Whatever. My doctors say my weight gain is fine and I'm healthy and everything is looking groovy, so I'll worry about my weight later.


When they took my bloodwork, they found that my iron is low, so I've started an iron supplement to go along with my prenatal vitamin. The good news is that I haven't noticed any side effects from taking that. I think they're drawing my blood again next week to check my iron level.


Sleeping is getting extremely difficult. I'm grateful I don't have any leg cramps or anything like that yet (knock on wood), but I feel like my belly isn't supported or something. And anytime I have to use my stomach muscles to sit up or shift myself, it really wears me out! I'm getting my best sleep between 6-10 am.


"What's 17 inches long, just over 3 pounds in weight, and cute all over? It's your baby - and he or she is getting bigger by the day (in case you couldn't tell from the size of your belly). Also getting bigger daily is baby's brain, which is preparing for life outside the womb - and for a lifetime of learning. Starting this week, your baby's brain is starting to look like one, taking on those characteristic grooves and indentations. These wrinkles allow for future expansion of brain tissue that is crucial as your baby goes from helpless newborn to responsive infant to verbal toddler to curious preschooler and beyond. Your baby's bigger and better brain is also starting to take on tasks previously delegated to other parts of the body, like temperature regulation. Now that the brain is capable of turning up the heat (with the help of that growing supply of baby fat), your baby will start shedding lanugo, the downy, soft body hair that has been keeping him or her warm up to this point. Which means that by the time your baby is born, he or she probably won't be fuzzy wuzzy anymore."
~ What to Expect When You're Expecting, Vol. 4

29 Weeks...

Today, I am 29 weeks pregnant!

Even more exciting (just for the day) is the fact that College Football Season 2009 starts today!

So, I'm wearing my Huskers jersey to show my enthusiasm. Good thing my Dad bought me such a huge one a few years ago because now it fits over my bulging belly! I hardly ever wore it before because I thought it made me look pregnant. Now, it doesn't matter!

I am really excited for Husker football this year, since I didn't get to watch any games last year when we were in the big K. I know, boo-hoo. Woe is me.

Nebraska plays their first game on Saturday, vs. Florida Atlantic, at home, so they better win.

The first televised game that isn't PPV isn't until September 19, vs. Virginia Tech, at VT. That should be a good game!

Anyway, yes, I am 29 weeks along. I had my doctor's appointment on Tuesday and met another one of the doctors in the office and I really liked her. It was her first day with the practice, but I was really happy with her. I meet another doctor at my next appointment and if she's as great as the other two have been, I don't think I'll care who delivers my baby! Everyone has been so nice and friendly and competent. I am truly grateful for that.

As the picture shows above, Baby Bruce is apparently the size of a squash now.

I dunno. Whatever.

My heartburn, more specifically my acid reflux has been absolutely horrendous lately. It's so bad, it makes me feel gross and I get it pretty much every time I eat, no matter what I eat. I mentioned it to my doctor at my appointment and she suggested trying Maalox. That seems to be helping a lot, thank goodness!

My lower back is also hurting more sharply and consistently, but she said I can put my heating pad on it for relief. It's still a little too warm here for that, but as soon as the cooler weather sets in, I will be using it nightly, I bet.

Here's what the Book says,

"Your baby can be as tall as 17 inches now and can weigh nearly 3 pounds. Though already coming pretty close (within 3 inches or so) of his or her ultimate birth length, baby still has lots to gain. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, your baby more than doubles - and may even come close to tripling - his or her weight. Much of that weight will come from the fat accumulating under his or her skin right now. And as your baby plumps up, the room in your womb will start to feel a little cramped, making it less likely that you'll feel hard kicks from your little one, and more likely that you'll be feeling jabs and pokes from elbows and knees."

- What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition

I'm still working on getting the baby's room cleared out of everything we dumped in there when we moved our stuff in. I'm trying to go with the flow, but I'm getting more frustrated because I'll plan the night before to work on unpacking the stuff and organizing it and then when I wake up in the morning, I am a total zombie. It takes me a good hour to wake up, so I eat breakfast and watch Regis & Kelly or people make fools of themselves on the Price Is Right. I'll get dressed and clean whatever room I've told myself I'm supposed to clean for the day. And then, I'm shot. For instance, right now, I have a splitting headache and I just want to lay down and take a nap. Then, it will be time to fix dinner and once we eat dinner and I clean up from that, I sit on the couch with Huzz and do nothing.

I have so much to do, but I'm just so exhausted! I know it's normal, but I'm frustrated.

Anyway, I'm going to recline on the couch and watch the rest of the Rockies game, in which it looks like they're losing to the Mets. Absolutely inexcusable.