36 weeks...28 days to go!!!!

Yesterday P'nut & I had an appointment. Things are progressing normally and we are doing really good except for when it's time to get on the scale. Not being a fan of the scale in normal circumstances makes it harder when you are carrying around 20+ extra pounds but I remind myself that our little boy is growing in there. He is roughly 6 pounds and measures 18 1/2 inches long, it's no wonder I can't breathe! He is compared to a crenshaw melon this week. I have never ever heard of a crenshaw melon. At the end of this week little p'nut will be considered full-term! The other night I ate a 6inch sub from subway, a handful of chips & a rootbeer float for dinner but I felt like I had just left a buffet. I read I need to eat smaller meals now in order to avoid feeling like the Goodyear Blimp but friends what I consumed IS a small meal compared to what I normally put away. I guess I need to shoot for smaller :(



Yesterday was also Group B Strep day, it felt a little weird nothing major but it always feels a little weird when I am spreadeagle at the Dr.'s office. We will find the results out next week. We attended a breastfeeding class on Tuesday, I am more determined to breastfeed than ever! It was a one on one type class with a lactation consultant. At first I thought that this wasn't going to work, she opened by saying she didn't have anything planned, she just wanted us to ask questions. 1) I didn't have any questions wrote down, 2) are you kidding me? To my surprise once question #1 was out there I was full of questions, we left with a notepad full of 42 questions and answers plus a few brochures. She was great. We learned about the importance of positioning, we were showed how to cradle hold, cross cradle/over, clutch or football hold the baby. I feel more at ease and confident that we can do this; lots of women work and continue to breastfeed their child, so I am hoping to do the same.



Currently I am a little uneasy regarding the state of our house, we are remodeling a few things, the contractor isn't starting until the 2nd week in May. He states it will take him a week but I doubt it. I don't cope well with not being in control. The nursery is almost complete but I can't put up p'nuts clothes or finish decorating until this man is finished. I know it isn't the end of the world if p'nuts nursery isn't complete by the time he arrives but that was my goal. I have been washing his little clothes & storing them in totes for now, his little clothes are so freaking cute! At one of his showers he got a onsie that says....wait for it....."stud (with a picture of a little muffin next to it)". I can't wait to see him in it!



With our due date 4 weeks ago I am starting to get nervous about the labor. Our birth plan is to have a natural childbirth. I have had a few braxton hicks contractions and some pelvic pain that stops me in my tracks here and there. I am trying to stay positive about being able to handle it all. My sweet husband is ready to give all the support I need.



We were talking the other night about this being the last Easter, last Mother's Day before our little miracle is here to share in all the holidays. We are looking forward to the new experiences we will share with p'nut, his first 4th of July, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving and first Christmas. We can't wait to meet him & hold him!

Belly Bump Shoot

These are the contenders. We are going to have one of these shots blown up & hung in the Nursery. Which one do you like the best?

Ay Dios Mio! 32 weeks means 8 weeks to go!

(hands on my cheeks!)

I can't believe my little kickboxer is so big already. I have the belly to prove it now! I don't know exactly how much he weighs right now, he has always weighed more than my readings allow. This week they are comparing his weight to a Jicama. Jicama is a sweet, root vegetable that looks like a turnip. Jicama makes me think of this delicious cold fruit salad that one of my favorite restaurants in Tucson serves. With its giant portions of mango, watermelon, pineapple, jicama all lightly seasoned with lime juice and chili powder. They call it Pico de Gallo, which is a little odd since pico de gallo is a salsa that contains tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. The name isn't important though, just know it is a delectable fruit dish and my mouth is kinda watering right now. Our little guy is making me really hungry these days, all I think about is FOOD (can you tell)! Moving on...P'nut makes me smile everytime I feel him move; it feels so weird now, I know I have said that before but his kicks are so much stronger. Little Cheli got to see my belly move yesterday and she said "wow, that's weird Tia". She is convinced she is going to babysit P'nut while I work. I am a little scared for P'nut because that 4 1/2 year old is something else! On another front; my work clothes are fitting really snug, thank goodness for my BFF Kelly and her mathernity wardrobe hand-me-downs! This Saturday we have our Belly Shoot, I am really excited to pick out the nursery picture. Excitement is everywhere, our baby shower is planned for April 9th and a work shower follows April 15th. P'nut and I feel so loved!

Amati got Married!

It has been exactly one year to the date that my dear friend Gayle Amati moved back home to Las Cruces, NM then relocated to Houston, TX (well Spring, TX). More than a friend she is like a sister to me and I miss her dearly. Lucky for us we got to fly out to be with her on her very special day. Even with all the festivities that caused her to run around like a chicken with her head chopped off, it was nice to catch up with her. It was great reminiscing about her time here in NC. In my pregnant state I wasn't able to hang out too late but the time spent with her was fabulous! Her wedding was beautiful, her and Steve made a handsome bride and groom. I am glad we were able to be a part of her wedding. P'nut flew for the first time and had his first visit to Houston this past weekend. I think he missed our bed and pregnancy pillow but other than that he had a good time!

Holy Moley....10 more weeks!

The fact that I have a little person in my belly that is growing, stretching and kicking; is still very surreal. He is very active these days, or should I say he is much stronger because I feel every move. I feel like he has NO room to be wallering around in there. This week P'nuts stats have him weighing 3lbs and 10oz (at last Dr. appt) and http://www.babycenter.com/ states that he is measuring 17in. Crazy to think about when a full term baby measures 19-21in. I am constantly amazed; right now he recognizes our voices, when Travis talks to him or puts his hand on my belly he starts showing out for his daddy. When someone else tries to feel him move he stops, almost like a button is pushed. He saves all his movements for us! Speaking of movements, his kicking and jabbing really hurt sometimes but all I do is smile, rub my belly to let him know I know he is in there. We have been going to Lamaze Childbirth Classes, they are nothing like TV shows or movies portray them. You think Lamaze and visualize women sitting on the floor, breathing heavily with their partners behind them or at least I did until I read the Lamaze book and attended these classes. I am really happy with our decision to learn about natural childbirth. It really doesn't have to be like an assembly line upon arriving at the hospital. I know many things can go wrong and a birth plan is just that a plan but we will try our hardest to keep it as natural as possible. Friends that have had babies are quick to discourage this notion because of their experience but every pregnancy and delivery is different. Our mindset going in, is that we can handle this, if it proves to be otherwise then we will adapt. I recently witnessed a real life labor and I must say it put things in perspective. I know what I want for our labor but I can just hope it works out that way. The important thing is to concentrate on the end result! Our baby boy!

Operation Baby Room

It seems like every weekend is planned out by the Monday before, this weekend not being any different we set out to get our baby's room ready. Friday morning while at work I noticed that the furniture we wanted was on SALE. I text Travis to tell him and we made a game plan for after work. When Travis got home from work that plan somehow was forgotten and talks about eating dinner and maybe watching a movie while in Asheville began. Friday night is usually our date night. We headed out...once at Target we find out they have only one crib and one dresser left but no changing table. We take the time to get a rain check for the changing table and then it came time to get the other furniture home. This is the first time we both realize that we drove our little car instead of the truck. I can't really explain the thoughts I had going on in my head but what I can tell you is that as fun as our plan seemed; it in fact was absolutely ridiculous..1)"how are we eating dinner and watching a movie with furniture in the back of the truck", 2) why would we get in the car and not the truck?" and most importantly 3)"are you kidding me? we are getting ready to have a child and we pull this!!!!!!!"

Travis suggests driving all the way home to get the truck but that sounds even more ridiculous in my head so I call my mom and ask if they could come bail us out of the predicament we were in. As we stand in the baby isles of Target looking at each other thinking we are idioits. I start mentally measuring our trunk, I suggest to Travis that they may fit once the seats are down, he looks at me like I've lost my mind. I tell him its worth a shot b/c if not we we"re eating dinner with my parents and heading home..no date night. He apparently was really looking forward to date night b/c against his better judgement he agreed and went to get the car. (I have to tell you guys this) We have had a giant bow and arrow thing that my father-in-law gave Travis in the back of the car, so I knew Travis was hating life right about then. 1) he hates looking dumb in front of people, 2) he already thinks the Target guy thinks we are stupid for even attempting to cram these huge boxes in a sports car, and 3) now the Target guy is going to see this bow, why would we ride around with a bow and arrow? Somehow Travis hides the bow between the seats,and with the help of the Target guy they start putting the boxes in.

By some sort of miracle both boxes fit, the trunk closes and we are on our way. I call my mom to tell her we figured it out. I wish I would have taken a picture of us in the car, our knees were touching the dashboard but the boxes were in and we were able to finish out our date night! Saturday morning Operation Baby Room continued.....I can't express how bad I wanted to help paint our little p'nuts room but it's frowned upon. The painting is complete minus a few touch ups and trim. Sunday Travis assembled the crib and the dresser. Our little guy's room is finally coming together. We are so excited! Here are a few pictures of our progress :)

Family Fotos

This past Saturday was a great day! For starters it was my brother's birthday & my sister-in-law's birthday and to top it off the sun was out and we were registering for our baby shower. My sister-in-law Tab is about to graduate from WCU in May. In preperation for this monumental event she had graduation pictures taken but was unhappy with them, so she scheduled a photo op for her and the rest of the clan. We were to wear our WCU shirts and meet in Asheville. After having breakfast with my love at Cracker Barrel we made our way over to the mall. Mind you I am not the biggest fan of pictures right now b/c of the extra weight I am packing but I am glad we did b/c we got great family portraits. That said, if you know me you know I don't go anywhere without my camera, I LOVE PICTURES! I love a hardcopy proof of a wonderful night out with friends or family, so there is no such thing as too many pictures. These pictures are special b/c the family is together, Tab is graduating and we are documenting the growth of our pregnancy. Travis and I have belly portraits with a local photographer later on this month; which I am really excited about, so I hadn't planned on having any belly shots taken this Saturday but the lady was a fan of the belly!