Got baby fever? I can help you with that.

Pregnancy is the best birth control.  Besides the fact that it's not possible to get pregnant while already pregnant, being pregnant is the best way to cure the baby fever that might creep up on you in the future.

Too late?  You already have the fever...the crazy overwhelming desire to have another squishy baby right-this-minute to love and nurture forever?  Baby, baby, baby is all you can think about both night and day?  You see pregnant women everywhere and are insanely jealous of their cute baby bump?

I've been there and I can help you with that.  Full term pregnancy is the cure, possibly the only cure, for baby fever.

Let me remind you of just how terribly uncomfortable it gets in the last week(s)...

• I must lasso my underwear on in the morning, hoping to rope in that leg before I fall over.
• It is painful to stand, or sit, or lay down for more than ten minutes at a time.
• When you tell someone when your baby is due they literally take a step back, like you are going to give birth right then, on them.
• Having the urge to pee again the second you stand up from peeing, and yet again the second you leave the bathroom. And again five minute later.
• Heartburn and indigestion from drinking water...um, yes, it happens.
• Putting on your own shoes is a dangerous act and bending down to put on your toddler's shoes is worse.
• Torturing yourself with your own thoughts, "Will the baby come today?" and "What was that pain?" is enough to drive yourself insane.
•  Pregnancy face...enough said.

Are you cured yet?

Must I remind you that NONE of your clothes will fit you that last week?  Or that if you think you are tired now, just wait until that baby comes? (You know it's true.  Pregnancy is the best cure for baby fever.)

How about this basketball sized belly...does this help break your fever?

So yeah, technically this shirt still fits, but it use to work with leggings.  Not anymore.

Unsolicited pregnancy advice

Back in 2010, when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Leila, I found out that two of my best friends from home were expecting their first child.  I decided to share with them some of the things I had learned along my journey. 

Now my youngest sister is 36 weeks pregnant with her first child (my first nephew!)  I revisited the list of advice I titled: Candid Pregnancy Advice from a VERY Pregnant Jen and sent it to her too.

Well...just today, I found myself NOT following my own advice! (Will I ever learn?)  So I figured it was time to revisit my list once again, to remind myself of what I learned the first time around, and share it with you.

Candid Pregnancy Advice from my VERY Pregnant Self:

• Trust your instincts! Enough said. 

• Do not research anything on the internet! Just like no one talks about how many people made it home safely (without getting shot, stabbed, in a car accident, or plane crash) the internet only tells the BAD stuff. Make a promise to yourself that you will not research pregnancy related symptoms online. 

• Yes it’s normal. What?!!? Yep…it’s normal. Anything you can imagine can and will happen to your body. Of course it is important to know the warning signs of something atypical but again, remember #1…trust your instincts. 

• Never look at your butt in the mirror. I am seriously sad that I did. Really…do not. (BIG MISTAKE that I made today!)

• Cellulite will appear in places you never expected. Think of it positively…my baby needs this or it wouldn't happen. 

• It is okay to eat deli meat, drink caffeine (200-300 mg is in a cup of coffee or a soda), hot dogs, AND...ice cream cures everything. 

• You will need to buy bigger underwear. Granny panties rock. 

• Wear your regular clothes as long as possible. Maternity clothes were very exciting at 16 weeks…not so much at 35 weeks when you are still wearing the same stupid maternity clothes. 

• Buy lots of clothes in bigger sizes.  What you wear in the 2nd trimester will not necessarily fit you in the 3rd trimester. 

• Don’t get hung up on the 25-35 lbs weight gain suggested to you by your doctor. It will make you cry and want to eat ice cream when you pass it up. (Unless, of course, your doctor says something to you specifically about your weight gain or lack of at an appointment. Mine laughed at me when I was concerned saying that no one really stays within those guidelines.) 

• Buy lots of toilet paper. You will pee 800 times a day/night. I sit down, pee, wipe, stand up and repeat (2 or 3x) before I am ready to leave the bathroom. Lean forward when you pee to get the last few drops out.

• You will be thirstier than you ever imagined. Water will keep you from major swelling, but 3rd trimester swelling will come. It will be funny when you can’t make a fist, see your ankle bones, have chubby knees, and fingerprints leave indents in your legs. 

• Everything (yes, even an apple) can give you heartburn and indigestion. Be smart and take Tums before you eat. 

• Prune juice is not so bad. Splurge on the good shit…the generic is just not the same. It works wonders and is totally necessary.   I drink it daily. Just close your eyes because it looks a little like au jus. 

• One word: EXERCISE. It boosts your mood, helps you poop, and keeps you from feeling bad about the shit you ate the day before. 

• Take weekly pictures of your belly. You will look back and laugh at when you “thought you looked pregnant” (me at week 10) and pray to just have that little bloated bump again someday! 

This last one is so true.  Here's the first bump picture of this pregnancy...
  

Huge at 13 weeks, huh?!

What would pregnancy advice would you need to remind yourself of the second (or third) time around?

Baby Shower {Children's book theme}

Last Saturday I hosted my first baby shower.

Our friend Courtney is expecting her first baby boy this summer.

Doesn't she look amazing!
I spent some time on Pinterest, of course, searching for a theme that was not too over the top. With the beautiful backdrop of the restaurant patio, I knew simplicity was key!

I loved the invitations I found here.

Our no-sew version turned out just as cute!

I purchased some stuffed animal and book sets at Kohls and used them as table decorations. (If you don't already know about their $5 book and stuffed animal deals, check it out here.)

One of the books was set out for guests to sign. You can see in the picture that I glued the invitation to the from cover.


The dessert was homemade by Betsy! She made Lemonade Rice Krispie Treats and Red Velvet Ding Dongs (Courtney's favorite). I had one of each and wanted more.

I asked everyone to bring a book instead of a card. Guests that were not able to attend sent books too. Thanks to everyone's generosity, Baby boy T has quite the book collection already!



I purchased enough fabric to make this double sided pennant banner. I wish I could take credit for how perfect this turned out! My mom and aunt Carrie planned and executed the whole project. I love the buttons they sewed to each corner. The weight of the bottom button held the fabric in place in the breeze.


Courtney was showered with love and gifts. I think everyone had a fun and relaxing time.

We cannot wait to meet her little guy this summer!

I swear my kid is cute

Not that you can tell from these pictures, but Leila is actually a cute kid.

I went to the hospital at noon on September 21, 2010 (my due date!) to be induced due to high blood pressure. Twelve hours and twenty-six minutes later I had a a baby.

She looked like this...



I loved her anyways. People told me she was beautiful and I believed them.



You can decide for yourself.



I'm linking up again this week with Mama G over at Growing up Geeky. This Tuesday's topic is Photo Bloopers. Link up here...

The Name Game

I've known parents that have taken days to name their newborn baby. I've read stories about mothers and fathers hating the name they picked for their child so much that they legally changed it. Most parents-to-be that I know, can't pick just one name, so they wait until they meet their little one to make the final decision.

Our story...

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I started thinking about baby names.

Who am I kidding? Years before I was even married, my best friends and I spent many afternoon drinking champagne and talking baby names.

I started list titled, Names I like, on my computer; one column for girls, one column for boys.

Girls:
Ava
Leah Renee
Sophia
Leila Renee

Boys:
Dylan
Isaiah
Ethan
Nathan

My mom bought us a baby name book. Betsy sent me daily texts of names she had heard. It was the most popular topic for conversation when I was around. But we still didn't know the gender of our baby.

I'm sure I didn't sleep the night I found out I was having a girl. The name game had officially begun.

Jeff and I started "trying out" names for our unborn baby girl. One week we called her Sophia. One day we called her Nadia. Valerie and Betsy refused to call her anything but Valeriebetsy.

Leila was the last name we had to try.

To this day, Jeff and I know we picked the perfect name for Leila. Somehow it just fits her personality! One of the meanings of Leila is "night beauty" or "born at night". Turns out she was born in the middle of the night, 12:26 a.m. to be exact.

We wanted a family name for her middle name. Renee is my cousin...the last one of us girls born, the first one to have a baby. I admire her family values, trust her advice, and love her positive spirit.

And I have to say, Leila Renee has a beautiful ring to it.

This is Renee with Leila Renee!July 2011

I'm linking up this week with Mama G over at Growing up Geeky. This Tuesday's topic was baby names! Check out some other TAT posts or link up a post of your own.


Naming your little one(s) can be fun and stressful. There's a lot to think about...

How did you decide on your baby's name?

If I hang them....

...she will come. The one and only movie quote I know is from "Field of Dreams", not because I am a huge fan of Kevin Costner, baseball, or fields in general, but for some reason the quote, "If you build it, they will come." stuck with me all these years. So now, four (4, quatro, IV, 肆) days until my due date I cannot get my version of the movie quote out of my head. This led me to get a move on finishing and hanging the wooden name letters for her nursery.

Valerie and I started working on these letter quite some time ago by painting and then sanding the sides of each letter for a distressed vintage look. After at least a month of staring at them she came over last week for some more crafting. We choose the scrapbook paper we liked the best, traced each letter onto the back of the paper, and cut it out just a bit inside the pencil line. We used Mod Podge to adher the paper to the front of each letter and then coated the top of the paper with more Mod Podge for a finished look. Ta da...

Baby-Watch-2010

My quick 20 minute doctor's appointment turned into a four hour ordeal. My blood pressure was a little high, and being 39 weeks, preeclampsia was a concern. After being told I may be induced today we headed to the hospital for blood work, blood pressure monitoring, and fetal monitoring. Well, I walked out without a baby today AND although her birthday is right around the corner, I realized I'm not quite ready yet...Packing the hospital bag today just in case Friday's appointment takes a different turn. Wills did not get the win, but I did learn today that anything can happen!

Safety first

Jeff and I were told at one of our baby classes that 96% of people install a car seat incorrectly. We were pretty surprised...I mean, how difficult could it be...but being the worrier that I am, we decided to get it checked out at the local CHP station at one of their "Car Seat Safety" events.

Last night at about 7pm we began to read the directions and get the seat installed. No more than 20 minutes later we were confident that we were the 4%, laughing at the ease of installation. I am sure you can tell where this is going...

FAIL! As difficult as it is to admit, we are not better than 96% of people at installing a car seat;) Damn...I really wanted this bragging right.

Well, HELLO September!

Jeff and I have been saying that we're having a baby "next month" since the beginning of August. Although this was a true statement, September is the next month after August, the fact is that when we started saying this I still had 7 weeks to go! When August 21st arrived we said it again, "next month" or "one more month". Needless to say...August has been the longest month of my life!

September has officially arrived. Whooo-hooo! We are having a baby THIS month. Earlier this year September seemed so far away. I stayed positive and enjoyed being pregnant, going with the flow, not really knowing what to expect. I can laugh now at the first bump picture I took at 10 weeks (and never posted) thinking I looked pregnant, saying farewell to my pants at a mere 14 weeks (this should have been my clue that I would be HUGE by September!), and giving up on decent sleep at 18 weeks. I obviously had NO IDEA what was to come. No one can prepare you for middle to late third trimester when baby is the size of a watermelon, your face is the size of basketball, and your legs no longer feel like your own (how I can even walk without falling over is amazing)!

I am thrilled that I have carried this little girl full term. I have been assured by many books and websites (even a Dr. friend or two) that she is ready to come into the world now. These last three weeks will be filled with anticipation! Not only are we going to get to meet our baby, we are anticipating the arrival of our families, and of course...FOOTBALL season:) Hello September, I've been waiting for you!

An August Full Moon Baby

As I mentioned in an earlier post it is an old wives tale that the full moon can cause one's water to break. Well...yesterday, August 24th, 2010, was a full moon and as I predicted Noah James Thompson made his arrival in the early hours of August 25th. Can I just say, I WANT THIS TO BE ME!!!!! The next full moon is on September 23rd, 2010 and this baby wants to be born on September 24th (my first Momma instinct). She is welcome to make her appearance any time after September 1st, but if she knows what is best she will decide to share a birthday with Grandma Julie!

Buddha Bump Watch

Ha...and I thought my Buddha belly was big before! Here it is at 36 weeks:

***SORRY!!!! Having trouble getting my resized pictures from my new camera to post successfully. I still consider myself new at this:)***
Side shot:

Thank you Target

Dear Target,

Thank you for carrying a label that makes XS dresses that fit a 9 month pregnant lady. I don't care that the dresses are made from stretchable pajama-like fabric. I will wear them like they aren't. You really know how to boost my confidence!

Sincerely,
Jen

(Should have used my new camera for waaaayy better photo quality!)

35/35

35 weeks with 35 days to go! Jeff and I were testing out the new camera on a walk today...

My latest obsession

Alright being obsessed with clothes shopping is NOT a new thing for me. It is no secret that I love to shop. It is in my blood and has been since...FOREVER (right Mom?!) Having a baby girl makes this obsession much harder to control. Everything looks adorable, cute, and fun in a mini-size (and since I am opposite of a mini-size, shopping for myself is just plain pointless). I have loved getting hand-me-downs from Amelia and have also received many outfits as gifts that are just too cute to describe. Check them out!
California Girl! This one was a gift from a parent and student in my class last year. Mini-jean shorts. Who could resist?!!?




Little Black Dress! I have been on a mission to find baby clothes in black...yep, black. Everything for girls seems to be pink but I heard that black is the new pink;)




Aunt Betsy knows best!



Here's the not-so-mini-me at 34 weeks! Check out my HOT new camera (thanks Val, Betsy, Maggie, and their men!)

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Lots of love

Jeff and I are feeling lots of love after a wonderful baby shower hosted by Amy and Colin. Their backyard was the perfect backdrop for the party.


The food and drinks (non-alcoholic mojito for me!) were tasty...street tacos prepared by a an experienced taco maker, cheese dip, salsa, no-onion guacamole especially for onion haters (OK, just me), fruit salad, lemon cupcakes, and chocolate bunt cake.


Amy planned a bunch of baby shower games to properly display everyone's true talents. Dr. Courtney can easily distinguish rice from a safety pin (phew!), Pat's water broke without a mess, Bridget and Val have an eye for how big around I am, Betsy knows the title and artist to every popular song with the word "baby" in it, and Val was able to travel back in time to figure out what we all looked like as babies. Each guest was invited to showcase their artistic abilities using colored sharpie markers and a white onesie as a canvas. Let's just say we have some very creative and clever friends. She'll be the best dressed baby on the west coast:)


When it was time to open gifts I could tell Jeff was feeling a little overwhelmed. I think he's just use to his big pregnant wife getting all the attention (you can't miss me)! As all the gifts were being opened we felt really spoiled. We got everything we need for this little girl and TONS of things we wanted! I cannot express enough gratitude and appreciation for the things we received. Jeff continues to be in disbelief as we stare at the pile of amazing gifts.


THANK YOU EVERYONE for being a part of our lives. We are very excited for this new time in our life and are so lucky to be able to share it with you! Lots of love!

33

Thirty three must be my lucky number. How random that I turn 33 years old the same week I am 33 weeks pregnant! Jeff thinks it could happen again, not turning 33 of course, but I disagree and think this is one lucky week:)

Summertime fun

Jeff and I went to the Padres v. Dodgers game on Thursday afternoon. We bought tickets a few months ago, knowing this was game 3 of the series. The series was tied 1-1 going into Thursday's game...and the Padres pulled through for the win! We had great seats in the shade (even though it has been nothing but shady here at the beach lately). Good thing...otherwise my ice cream cone would have totally melted:) I did get a couple of "bless your heart", "stay hydrated", and "oh sorry, don't want to have to make the pregnant woman get up" comments. I milked it knowing I surely looked more uncomfortable than I was (padded seats at the baseball game = SWEET!)

32 weeks and my shirt is too small

55 days until my due date...but who's counting?!?! If I was a betting woman (oh wait..I am!) then I would bet that with the full moon coming on September 23rd, I will deliver on September 24th. I asked my doc about this old wives tale and she confirmed it by saying that it seemed in her experience that ladies go into labor before the full moon or otherwise miss it completely (weeks later they go into labor). Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Regardless of what Google searches may or may not confirm, I am still placing my bet on 9-24-10 in hopes that this baby girl will have the same birthday as her maternal grandma.

Me...pregnant 32 weeks:

Seconds

I now eat seconds. Now I don't mean a second helping, I mean I eat two meals. Betsy has coined the term I have come to love..."second breakfast". I have added "second lunch" and "second dinner" to my vocabulary as well. I can no longer eat as much in one sitting so instead I just eat each meal twice! I just finished "second dinner" which was my favorite cereal, Kashi Heart to Heart Toasted Oats. I think I could eat it for first and seconds...it's that good!

Two more months

My official due date was two months from yesterday! We finished everything in the nursery for now. Aunt Joan made the valance and crib skirt and it looks great! We'll deal with the rest of the stuff next month:) We do have to add some wall art! Betsy said she's willing to help me decorate large wooden letters to spell baby girl's name. We also found some wall stickers to add on the crib wall. We don't have a nursery theme or specific colors, basically everything goes...

This is the view from the doorway (now just imagine that Jeff's bike is somewhere in the room).


Here's a shot taken from the window.