December Goals

Another month gone by, another un-checked to-do list!  Okay, I did manage to get some items checked off the list, but December is a busy month and there's a long list of things to get done this month, too!

 

Here's how I did in November.

 

November Goals

Get thank you notes out for both showers, and any gifts received for Baby M. - To be fair, a few have not been mailed out just yet, but they are written, in envelopes and I'm throwing them in holiday cards tonight.  #SavingonPostage

 

Update all the photos in our house, and add some picture frames to our TV stand in living room. - Fail!  Will be updating the hanging photos in our home in December, but going to wait until the new year to add the picture frames to our TV stand, since it's currently all Christmas-ed out!

 

Decide on a pediatrician for Baby M. - I've decided, but have yet to contact them to make sure they are accepting new patients.  Must.  Do.  Today.

Finally paint the little table for Baby M's nursery.

Organize kitchen cabinets. - Fail.  Maybe over my leave!

 

Order shelves for Baby M's nursery. - We lucked out and ended up finding the perfect shelves at Target for way cheaper than I thought I was going to have to spend!  HH put them up already, and they look darling.

 

Wash Baby M's newborn and 0-3 months and organize her dresser.

Purge and organize master bedroom closet, and dresser. - Fail.  A lot of a the reason I wanted to do this was to get my maternity vs. non-maternity clothes seperated, and since I am slowly trickling down the days of the huge belly (I'm well aware it won't pop back to it's pre-pregnancy size after delivery), I may wait until after Baby M arrives to do this.  My closet does need a cleaning in general though, being that there is very little floor currently visible.

Start organizing Baby M's closet - purchase modular unit and have HH set up! - We bought it, HH put it together, and it's already full of goodies for our little princess!

 

Order remaining wall decor for nursery. - Fail!  Must do soon!

 

Make mobile and crib skirt for Baby M's nursery. - Fail!  I did manage to make some adorable burp cloths with Gardening Momma though (post to come!).  Crib skirt will be made within the next two weeks, and the mobile may be on hold until Christmas comes and goes.  We'll see.

 

December Goals

Update photos hanging in our house and add photos to frames in Baby M's nursery.

 

Contact pediatrician for Baby M, and make sure they are accepting new patients and are aware of my due date.

 

Clean master bedroom closet.

 

Clean master bedroom: clear off top of dresser, floor surround bed, nightstands, etc.

 

Order or make remaining wall decor for Baby M's nursery.

 

Make crib skirt for Baby M's nursery.

 

Send thank you notes for Christmas gifts - if Baby M hasn't arrived by then, I figure I should get them done right after the holiday while I can! 

 



 

New Years Baby Bumpdate: Week 35

 
35 weeks on Thanksgiving Day

What's up with Baby this week? Baby is six pounds this week, and up to 20 inches long!  She has formed all her soft bones and cartilage, to protect her through the journey she's gearing up to make her way out of there!

Symptoms? General aches and pains that make it hard to move, and are much much worse at night is all I've really been dealing with this week.  Also, I'm not sure that I've mentioned it, but I completely fell victim to tiger stripes (awful stretch marks).  It's embarassing and incredibly ugly, and something I had really hoped to avoid.  Unfortunately, there is not much (read: nothing) I can do about it, and I'll have to live with them forever.  Hoping my baby girl will make me forget about how ugly they look by how pretty she is!

Gender? Lady.

Excited For? Hitting full-term next week (remember these Bumpdates are a week behind) and my final ultrasound to try and get a peak at how big this baby might be!

Maternity Clothes? Have switched over to casual tops with scrub bottoms almost exclusively, and the only non-maternity I can get away with outside of work is some sweaters, yoga pants, sweats, and big t-shirts to sleep in.

Sleep? Sleep is okay, my bathroom breaks have actually decreased, but I think that has more to do with my water intake decreasing a bit recently (shame on me) than anything else.

Movement? She definitely feels a little more cramped in there, as big kicks are few and far between nowadays, but she wiggles and squirms all the time, still.

Belly Button Status? I don't know that I'd call it in anymore, it's more...flush with the belly at this point.  I don't think it's going to be popping.

Missing Anything? Beer.  And also, not feeling like I got hit by a truck by 7pm every day.

Milestones?

35w Baby's first Thanksgiving (in utero)!  If this little girl wants to surprise me and make her first Christmas in 2013 instead of 2014, I will be more than happy!

Cravings? Apples are back.

Weight Gain? My doctor says up 30 pounds, which officially makes me scared.  30 was what I was hoping not to pass, but with four weeks left until my due date, that is going to be impossible (obviously).

My, how I've grown!

Wow, I miss feeling like I felt in my Week 15 picture - sexy and confident!

It's December!

In November...

 

Handsome Husband spent a few days in Portland, Oregon at a Negotiation competition, and found out he would be traveling to a few competitions in 2014 also!

I got to spend the morning catching up with Cousin Snapshot and Best Cousin during Cousin S' visit to So Cal. 

L-R: Cousin Snapshot, Me, Best Cousin

 

We hosted a fun birthday dinner at our house for birthday girl, Mother-in-Law Red!

 

Gardening Mom, Sisters Singer and Swimmer and their friends and BF YOLO, Handsome Husband and I kicked off the holiday season with the Tree Lighting Ceremony we attend every year!

HH and I at Tree Lighting

 

HH and I commemorated this pregnancy with some maternity photos (that I've yet to share on the blog...coming soon, promise!) in Old Towne Orange.

 

Sneak peak - I'll share more soon!

 

Handsome Husband kicked his studying into gear for finals - and we started getting really excited that once he is done with finals, little Baby M will be making her grand debut any day!  (And because I'm neurotic, I started worrying about what I would do if I went in to labor during one of his 3+ hour long finals.)

 

Cousin Study Buddy and Mr. UNC accompanied HH and myself to a USC basketball game when we were lucky enough to get courtside seats from Gardening Momma's boss.  The game was exciting, but I was a little nervous the entire time shielding my basketball (aka my baby belly) from stray balls and players.  Luckily we stayed out of the action.

 

Best Friend Cute Apartment hosted a lovely baby shower for me to celebrate Baby M's upcoming arrival with all of my closest girlfriends.  It was gorgeous, and I will be sharing details soon!

Me and the hostess with the mostess, Cute Apartment

 

The family got together to celebrate the birthday of Tutor Girl - she's getting close to the big 3-0, and I admire her for loving that instead of loathing it as I do!

 

We attended the wedding reception of a good friend of HH's from law school, and were happy to celebrate their recent nuptuals with them.

 

Aunt Fancy Chef treated the ladies in HH's family to a day of yummy food!  First we had a lovely breakfast, followed by a super fun cooking class!  I can't wait to go back, the cooking class was so much fun!

 

Thanksgiving was full of family and great food and as usual, we were feeling blessed to be able to see both my side and HH's side of the family on the holiday.

 

I opted out of Black Friday shopping, and instead chose to do some Black Friday crafting and wrapping with Gardening Mom and Sister Swimmer.  Gardening Mom and I managed to crank out some adorable burp cloths which will be making their way to the blog very soon!

 

We wrapped up the month with a lovely Hannukah Dinner at Gardening Mom and Hat Dad's house - and I got my annual fix of potato latkes!  I can never get enough, especially leftovers!

 

In December?  I'm crossing my fingers for a slightly early arrival of little miss Baby M, and we've got lots of fun holiday events to attend!



Quotable Tuesdays

5 on Friday, v.6

5 Things...

 

...I'm working on today

 

1. Crib skirt for Baby M's nursery

 

2. Burp cloths (also for Baby M, in case you thought I had a spit up problem).

 

3. Wrapping presents - yay for Christmas!

4. Leftovers.

 

5. Wining back the family poker trophy - poker night is tonight!

 

...I'm excited about

1. I officially have only 15 days left of work before my maternity leave starts!

 

2. Christmas is less than a month away!

 

3. With Christmas less than a month away, that means Baby M's due date is fast approaching!

 

4. Finally getting to put some Christmas decor up in our house - yep I'm one of those who waits until after Thanksgiving is over.

 

5. Um...leftovers, duh.
 

...Happening in 2014

1. While I'd love for her to show up a little early in 2013, by 2014, Baby M will definitely be here!!

2. Handsome Husband will finish his second, and start his third year of law school.

3. I will have three months off work to bond with my new little friend.

4. HH and I will turn 26 - yikes.

Celebrating our 25th birthday this year, tacky Las Vegas style!

 

5. We will celebrate our third wedding anniversary, and our sixth year of being together as a couple.

New Years Baby Bumpdate: Week 34

Happy Thanksgiving, Stress Case readers!  Hope you're having a lovely day filled with family, friends, and lots of good food!

Would you believe it if I told you I managed to forget to take a bumpdate picture this week?  Not proud, let me tell you!  This really not great photo of me at a cooking class with the ladies from HH's family last weekend will have to suffice.  As you can see, the bump is really getting large and in charge.

with MIL Red and Cousin Study Buddy

What's up with Baby this week? Baby girl is about 20 inches tall, and is pretty maxed out on height.  She will still steadily gain weight until she arrives, and currently weighs as much as 5.5 pounds!

Symptoms? My lovely new groin pain is alive and well, especially at night.

Gender? Girl.

Excited For? More progress on Baby M's nursery!  I've also started washing her clothes, and am looking forward to finishing those up and looking at drawers full (okay okay, like half way full, baby girl isn't that much of a diva).  I am also looking forward to a little crafting and present wrapping day at my Gardening Mom's house over the holiday weekend! 

Maternity Clothes? Have switched over to casual tops with scrub bottoms almost exclusively, and the only non-maternity I can get away with outside of work is some sweaters, yoga pants, sweats, and big t-shirts to sleep in.

Sleep? Sleeping okay, but lots of waking up for bathroom breaks and some pains in the middle of the night that are waking me up.

Movement? I think she has moved positions recently, because I feel her pushing very far over to the side, whereas before it was mainly in the middle.  Who knows how this little girl is hanging out in there!

Belly Button Status? I don't know that I'd call it in anymore, it's more...flush with the belly at this point.

Missing Anything? Easily being able to pick things up from the floor, and sleeping on my stomach and back.

Milestones?

34w2d Started doing baby laundry for the first time!  It is way more fun to wash these teeny pink and frilly clothes and blankets than it is to wash my own!

Cravings? Nothing special this week.

Weight Gain? My doctor says up 26 pounds. Which isn't so bad except for that I am terrified that I am going to be gaining a pound a week at this rate and I've still got 7 weeks left!

A Blog Rut

As some of you very diligent readers may have noticed, I am in a bit of a blog rut. 

 

I'm simply finding myself out of things to say, and all that I have to talk about relates to pregnancy and Baby M and I'm reluctant to let this blog turn into a complete pregnancy gab-fest.  Though it might be better than letting it turn into a non-active blog, I suppose!

 

I don't want to stop blogging, I love sharing my thoughts here and being able to look back over the years.  I will continue to blog, but it may not be as regular as it has been in the past.  Or perhaps I will feel overwhelmed with inspiration again, and I will get back to posting like my life depends on it.  Only time will tell.

 

Are there any topics you'd like to read about on Stress Case?  If so, please do tell!  Maybe you'll inspire me to blog more often, I might just be missing your great idea!

Quotable Tuesdays

New Years Baby: Week 33

33w2d

 

What's up with Baby this week? Little one is 5 pounds, and could be as long as 20 inches!  Her fingernails are full grown now, and will be ready for a trim almost as soon as she makes her appearance!

Symptoms? I've been having a new mysterious pain in the ... groin area?  My OB says it's from the baby pushing down, and that it's completely normal.  But it is rough, especially at night.  Heartburn is still a nightmare.

Gender? Little lady.

Excited For? Thanksgiving!  I'm not a huge Thanksgiving dinner fan, but I love the warm fuzzy feeling that the holiday brings!  I am also attending a fun cooking class with some ladies in HH's family on Sunday I am looking forward to.

Maternity Clothes? Have switched over to casual tops with scrub bottoms about 50% of the time at work, because my tops are getting a little too snug.

Sleep? Not getting great sleep the past week.  It is incredibly painful every time I turn over, and I get up at least twice a night to hit the little girls' room.

Movement? Little miss has active days and slower days, but I feel her every day and I can't wait to meet this little kicker.

Belly Button Status? I don't know that I'd call it in anymore, it's more...flush with the belly at this point.

Missing Anything? My clothes, high heels and being able to bend over at the waist.

Milestones?

33w2d My second and final lovely baby shower thrown by Best Friend Cute Apartment!

Cravings? Craving water all the time, and ice!  I'd still eat a few apples a day if I ever bought enough.

Weight Gain? My doctor says up 26 pounds. Which isn't so bad except for that I am terrified that I am going to be gaining a pound a week at this rate and I've still got 7 weeks left!

My how I've grown!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Maybe A Few of my Hopefully, if I'm Lucky, Favorite Things would have been a more fitting title for this little Christmas wishlist post!  I always know when we're really getting into the holiday shopping season when I start getting requests from Gardening Mom and Grandma Beach Bum for a wishlist, and both have asked in the past week, so it looks like Christmas time is a'comin!

Here are some things on my wishlist this year:

{1} Graco Pack and Play {2} A new makeup bag/case {3} An HD video camera that I can easily connect to my computer {4} Perfume!  Chanel Chance is one of my favorites {5} Photoshop Elements {6} Polar Fitness Heart Rate Monitor {7} Ergo baby carrier {8} Timi and Leslie diaper bag

As you can see, this year my list is a little dominated by Baby M items, but what can I say?  I'm excited!

What's on your list this year?

{Down with the Dearmore's}