Happy Halloween!

I had a nice visit with my mom this past weekend and on Sunday we went over to Alexis’ house to watch football. I wasn’t feeling so great so I had Nick take me home at half time, where I proceeded to get in bed and not get out of it until the following morning. I've been struggling with some issues lately and a nice long nap definitely helped a little.

I’m a little late on the 20 week pregnancy pic. We are incredibly lucky to have power (I believe only about 600 out of the 12,000 homes in Dracut currently have it) but we do not have cable/internet/phone so I haven’t been able to use the computer. That pic (along with a few others) will be forthcoming as soon as I am able to get back on. Halloween trick or treating has been rescheduled from today until this Saturday, November 5th. Personally, I think that’s weird, but am glad I don’t yet have a super excited child that I have to explain that to!

If you’re in my area and need anything, please do not hesitate to let me know!

xoxo

Got me a Glider

My mom is visiting this weekend (she's off at a discount store as I'm typing this) and she bought me my glider. When I sat in this particular chair I was sooo comfortable, and even when I tried others I kept going back to it. I'm very excited, it's the first piece of furniture for the baby's room (and it's for me, heehee;) Because we bought it in a darker color, I switched the crib & changing table I originally registered for. It's never ending, but I'm having fun making changes and finding new things I like.

Here's a link to the glider- some recommended I go without the ottoman but it came with it, so if I don't use it I can always give to Nick for when he's on the couch- ha!

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3898876

xoxo

Where does the time go?

I can't believe I'm almost at the halfway point of my pregnancy. I feel like I just found out yesterday that we were having a baby. It's really very crazy. That's the only way I can put it.

One thing I never thought I'd do? Drink milk. Like, milk out of a glass. I know I never got enough calcium. I like cheese, I like ice cream, but only so much. So, I try to drink a glass or two a day to make sure I'm getting enough. I don't like it, but I do it. I drink low fat organic, and it's ok. I was drinking soy milk, but I have it in my head that cow's milk is "better" although the doctor said either is fine. By the way, I did also have some delicious ice cream tonight. It's made by Hood and it's actually low fat frozen yogurt - PB cups and fudge swirl. Try it if you can! I'm good about sticking to the serving size (I don't know how I do it...but I think eating really slow helps), but it is hard to not go back for seconds.

This weekend was a very busy one. Saturday I went to the gym for the first time in about a week. I have been exercising at home, but have been a bit tired so it's been difficult. I try to stretch for a few minutes each day because my hips, back, neck and shoulders have been achy. My neck and shoulders usually ache anyway, so now I've added hips and back to the fun. I'm glad it doesn't seem to be nerve related, and hope it stays that way. I haven't experienced any leg cramps/charley horses yet, and hope those stay away too! I'm honestly not complaining, because I know how bad some people have it! I feel very lucky to be feeling this good.

We registered at Babies R Us Saturday, as I talked about in a prior post, and I think I'm about done with touching the registry. I think I'll make myself crazy (as if I'm not already ;) and we can always buy anything else we need as we go along. A VERY special thank you to my friend Paula for giving a ton of input and help. My registry wouldn't have looked nearly as good without her! And thank you to my cousin Amber too - she recently had an adorable baby girl named Katie and she just emailed me some ideas as well. My friend Jen from high school already emailed me about a few items she is going to purchase elsewhere, so now I'm starting to get excited. Maybe this baby thing isn't so bad after all...heehee.

Sunday was another busy day. I woke up very early and went grocery shopping, then met my friend Jenn at the movies and then lunch. We saw Paranormal Activity 3 - I know I am in the minority when I say I LOVED the first two. I own them both and love the anticipation of being scared, and thought both of them had very satisfying endings (the ending of the second was awesome in my opinion). But this last movie should have never been made. The background was not well explained and I was left with way too many questions, and it was set up for a 4th movie, which I am not interested in at all. Major disappointment!

Saturday afternoon we went to Nick's cousin and his wife's house, Sam & Aisling. They recently moved from a townhouse in Arlington to a house in Wakefield. The house is great! Lots of space and very homey. A great backyard and a screened in area that will be so much fun in the summer. Their son Nicky is 3 1/2 and he is so smart- he already reads well and is such a cutie. Aisling was also a great help - she and I are very similar - blunt, straightforward, to the point - no BS :) So we get along great! She also talked to me about baby stuff in general and gave me a bunch of clothes - very excited! Now we just need to start working on the nursery so I have somewhere to put them. When we got home I cooked food for my friend Katy who just had a baby and also made Halloween brownies for my co-workers. I have a Betty Crocker calendar up in my cube at work (only me...hey it was free) and there was a picture of these brownies we have talked about every day in October. I managed to resist eating any, but were told they were delicious - and very easy!

Here's a pic:

And here's the recipe:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/trick-or-treat-brownie-cupcakes/e60918bc-0554-41c2-816d-4372a63bccd4#?st=7&term=halloween%20brownies

I couldn't find the small snickers or whatever they were using, so I used Rolos...and it went like this: one for the top of the cupcake...one for my mouth.

One more simple and delicious recipe? Nick's cousin Sam made this for dessert: 15 oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, pumpkin) and a box of chocolate cake mix (dark chocolate if you can find it). Mix and put in a bundt pan. Bake until done. You'd be AMAZED at how good it is. You can do the same with a box of spice mix and pumpkin - perfect for fall.

And...I just addressed my Christmas cards. Yep, Christmas. Let's hope no one moves before December.

Apparently I wasn't as tired as I thought...I'm very chatty tonight. Off to take a bath and lay around now!

xoxo

Crystal

Registry Time!

Nick and I spent about an hour and a half at Babies R Us today, and I won't tell you how much time I spend fiddling with the registry at home. I know I've talked to a few of you, but if you want to check out my registry and offer any tips, they would be greatly appreciated!

It wasn't as overwhelming as I thought, and I'm slowly learning what everything does. Plus, I'm happy to say the store is getting a little easier to maneuver.

We went up to Nashua for Nick's cousin Shawn's 27th birthday. It was great to see alot of the family because it has been awhile. We also saw Quinton and Dan beforehand - I can't believe how big he is getting! He's an adorable, smiley, happy baby, and he looks exactly like Dan. I can only hope our kid is as cute as he is!

xoxo

Congratulations to Katy & Dan

Congratulations to our friends Katy & Dan Halligan. Katy gave birth to a beautiful baby boy today, Declan Jack Halligan. We will visit them within the next few days, and I can't wait to meet the little guy! I got to see a picture on FB and he is just perfect. Katy had him at Lowell General, where I will be giving birth, so I'm excited to see how everything went for her (and maybe to hear about the labor...maybe ;)


xoxo

The Big Brother

Just two funny pics of Dexter I took recently.

He tends to lay on belly for most of the night.

Dexter usually avoids the bathroom all together, because it's where he normally gets his bath. Now as I'm filling the tub he sits there and stares, like he's expecting to get in the tub with me. Cracks me up. :)

18 Week Check Up

I had my routine 18 week check up today and it was the first time I've seen a doctor since becoming pregnant (other than Dr. Beazley that I saw at LGH on Friday when she checked out my ultrasound). I got to see Dr. Galvin at Women's Health in North Chelmsford - I believe he is the head of obstetrics there and I loved him! He was very personable, smart, and took the time to listen to and thoroughly answer my questions.

The updates:

1. I have gained 3.8 pounds total so far (I gained 2 pounds since my last visit on September 19th). I was really surprised by this. I don't feel bigger, but I still don't have a very good diet. I'm not gorging (is that a word?) myself, but as I tell people I'm on a mostly all carb diet. I exercise almost every day, for at least a half hour, and I know that no alcohol has really helped me as well. The doctor was happy that I gained and all my stats were good. My blood pressure was 114/70 and the baby's heart rate was between 158 and 163.

2. In talking to the doctor, I chose to cancel the fetal echocardiogram I had scheduled for Friday. He said where the specialist from Tufts saw no issues with my ultrasound, the only real benefit of me having the echo was to give the doctor's at Tufts more money (I appreciated his honesty). He will review the ultrasound when he gets it and tell me if he feels any differently.

3. I was laying on my back when he examined my stomach, but Nick said he was pushing and mushing it all around and it looked pretty funny - but the doc said everything looked and felt just fine.

4. He talked to me about 5 important things

-Finding a pediatrician - I have a few in mind and have gotten advice from friends, so now I just have to make the phone call which I will do this week.

-Breast feeding - this I found really useful. I really appreciated his tips and he talked very candidly about it. I plan to breast feed, and I will be committed to it, so I hope it works out for me. He basically told me the first two weeks are horrible and mentioned cracked skin, pain when you become engorged, you're engorged when the baby's sleeping, etc., but try to be committed for 3 weeks minimum before giving up. He also said to not use a breast pump the first month, because the baby has to work at getting milk from your breast, if you give him the bottle which is much easier, he is less likely to take to your breast. This made sense to me and it was not something I had thought of before.

-Birthing classes - Nick and I will definitely be doing this (I'm sure Nick has the sweats just thinking about it...you know...since he's the one giving birth and all)

- Parenting books/classes - he said you can never really be prepared for when you bring your infant home, but reading up a little bit can only help you - I thought this made sense and plan to get a book or two and do some reading, and avoid the ridiculous internet (suggestions mommies?)

- Flu shot - I was on the fence about getting it, but chose to get it because the NP and doctor both recommended it. I told Nick he was off the hook this year, even though I wanted him to get it, but he'd definitely be getting it next year. As we were leaving the doctor asked if Nick had gotten one, and he told him he better get it...so Nick will be going to the doctor soon :)

I had a few questions for the doctor - I have an app on my phone where I get weekly updates from "What to Expect" this week it talked about Vitamin D, B12, and Iron. It stated most women do not get enough Iron, even if they eat meat. I do not eat red meat at all, and was instantly concerned. I asked the doctor about these three vitamins as well as if there was any benefit to soy v. cow's milk. I was drinking soy milk and then switched to organic cow's milk because I though there was more calcium and protein in cow's milk. After I read the label, I found they are actually the same, except cow's milk has more fat & calories (which doesn't bother me, I'm just pointing out the differences). He said a few things that I really liked. As far as Vitamin D, Iron, and B12 goes, he told me no, there were no need for the supplements. My Iron will be tested at 28 weeks (I'll be tested for anemia) and we will discuss a supplement then if needed. Same goes for D and B12, I get it from my multi vitamin so no need for "extra". As far as the milk goes, this is what I really liked - obviously I do not know much about babies and pregnancy, and he told me the baby will take what it needs from me. The only person who might "lack" some nutrients will be me, but the baby will basically take what it needs. That is really all I care about - If I was told to eat red meat every day for my baby, I would do it - I just want to make sure I'm doing the right, or best, or healthiest thing for my baby, and he made me feel comfortable and confident in doing so, so I am happy.

This was a long one...thanks for reading. :) I welcome any comments!

xoxo

Baby Registry

I went to a baby shower today for Nick's cousin's wife Courtney. I think it gave me a little baby fever because I came home and started a registry on Babies R' Us. How overwhelming! I don't know the first thing about what I do and do not need. I have a few ideas about what I'd like to do, but I don't even know simple things like the difference between an infant car seat and a convertible car seat. Is one better than the other? Should I get one and not the other? I am certain most women feel like this. I started on the website a little and Nick and I are going to the store next weekend. I'm just hoping we can work with someone nice and helpful at the store to put me (a little bit) at ease. Many friends have offered to help me and I'm so thankful for that! Plus I have a bunch of friends/family members that are currently pregnant so I've been peeking at their registries and that has been a big help too.

Tomorrow night Nick and I have a pregnancy class at Lowell General, it's called "Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy You" I think it's more for me than it is for Nick, but the sign up sheet said supports person welcome, so he's stuck coming with me!

We've also been playing around with different boy names. As of right now we are on Nicholas (after his grandfather) Joseph (my dad), although I'm wondering if maybe we should come up with something different. So far the names I like (Ace, Brent) Nick hates, and he has promised he will come up with a few suggestions. I've been looking at baby name websites and I'm sure something will eventually jump out at me.

We found a tiny tick on Dexter yesterday. It was still very small but the area around where it had bitten into him was very red. We managed to get the tick out but it looks pretty bad. We're giving it a few days to see if it goes away, but otherwise we'll be bringing him to the vet. I declined the lyme vaccination because I've discussed it with many people, and most feel the risks far outweigh the benefits of the shot...of course now I'm concerned that I made a mistake. Please think good thoughts for our first little boy! :)

xoxo

Baby Drista Pics; 18 Weeks

Here are the pics from today:

The Left Foot

Nick's favorite of course....it's a boy!

My personal favorite, I said "my baby has a Halloween mask for a face!" The technician laughed and said "Mommy doesn't mean it" to my belly..and I said "yes I do!"

Another shot of the face

We think he is sucking his thumb here, it is his head and those little "lines" are his fingers

Profile Pic

Another profile pic - looks like he'll have a button nose ;)

It's a...

…boy! I have a bunch of ultrasound pictures to upload which I will do later tonight or tomorrow. Nick was very excited, he patted my arm and said “good job.”

Everything looks good, he is about 8 ounces now and his arms and legs are a little less than 2 inches long. I forgot how long he is as a whole though, but he was the right size and on track with our due date. His heartbeat was at 152 which was a healthy range. There were no noticeable defects with the heart, but as a precaution I am having a fetal echocardiogram in Boston next Friday.

A very special thank you to Katy (who is ready to have her own first baby any day now!), Jessie Jenn P., Caroline, Maggie, and Noelle who reached out to me this morning to wish me luck. I’m very fortunate to have such amazing friends!

Recent Movies I've Seen

I saw a few movies recently and thought I’d give you my quick opinion/review, in case you were thinking about seeing any of them.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

I actually saw this movie a few months ago but forgot about it until I was at the theater last night. Steve Carrell is incredibly endearing as a middle aged “loser” whose wife of several years wants a divorce. He meets the oh so gorgeous Ryan Gosling in a bar one night, and Gosling’s character decides to help him “find himself” again. Although the movie was a bit long, I really enjoyed it. Carrell is one of my favorite actors – he is just so likable, and Gosling and Stone have great chemistry on screen. The ending had a twist that I never saw coming, although once it happened I couldn’t figure out how I didn’t catch it. I don’t want to give away too much, but I’d say see this flick if you can still find it in the theater.

50/50

This was a great flick. It wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be (or as the previews lead you to believe), but the cast was fantastic. I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is an amazing actor. Seth Rogen was his usual screwball self, but endearing in parts. The chemistry between JGL and Anna Kendrick was wonderful, she has really grown on me, considering how annoying I found her in the first Twilight movie (but she grew on me there too- and was fantastic in Up In the Air). If you aren’t familiar with this story, it is loosely based on the life of comedy writer Will Reiser who is friends in real life with Seth Rogen. He was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the age of 27 and had to go undergo chemotherapy to shrink the tumors and then hopefully have them removed. I won’t give away the ending, but I thought this was a great film and definitely worth the ticket out. See it if you have a chance.

Dream House

I think my one sentence text to my friend with my review will sum this up perfectly: Dream House…shoulda been called Sh!t House.
Ok, so I saw this for $4 at a first showing in Tyngsboro this past weekend. I love Rachel Weisz, mainly because I am obsessed with The Mummy & The Mummy Returns. I am also always interested to see a movie where the two main characters fell in love in real life (Weisz & Craig were married recently). But, the acting was terrible, the story was terrible, and I really wanted to leave the theater. There was one twist that I did not see coming, but it still couldn’t save the story. Do not waste your time on this!

What’s Your Number?

It’s ok to laugh at me for seeing this. I saw this with my mother in law Tami last night – we both think Anna Faris is adorable – we weren’t expecting something great, just cute and funny, and that is what we got. Chris Evans – delicious on screen! Yes, just about all of the funny parts were in the previews, but I still thought this was a cute, nonsense flick. Wait for the DVD.

Weekend Fun

Katie & Nick’s wedding on Friday was a blast. We only knew a few people there, and it was great that we sat at a table with Paula & Jared and Jackie & Warren, a group that we know very well! Both Paula & Jackie are moms (1 for Paula, 2 for Jackie) and they look amazing. So I know there’s hope for me after having a baby ;) The wedding was very small, maybe around 100 people, and since we’ve been to so many weddings it is nice to feel “special” when you’re included in such a small, select group. Katie looked beyond gorgeous and Nick looked great, relaxed and so happy. The food was yummy and my club sodas and ginger ales were made just right, heehee. Nick put on quite a show while he slid and fist pumped across the dance floor. My personal favorite though, was when he tried to do some kind of “drop down” maneuver and ended up hitting a guy in the butt with his head – I’m still laughing about it!

Saturday was a nice lazy day, I grocery shopped, went to the movies (more about that later), and cleaned the house. I had a terrible headache for most of the day – I’m a lucky person that rarely gets headaches so when I do it is more annoying than anything. I attribute it to hormones and just tried to relax and took a few naps throughout the day, which seemed to help. Erik & Joe got in late Saturday night, around midnight (I was in bed). Sunday morning we went to Smolak Farms in N. Andover. I had never been and thought it would be fun to check out. We each got a pumpkin (crazy expensive… .60 cents a pound) and walked around – it was a gorgeous day! We also bought some apple cider donuts – so good – and got lemon ices..I finished mine and Nick still had half left..he saw me eyeballing it and was kind enough to hand it over. Here's Nick and I with our 33 pound pumpkin - it looks great on our porch!

On Monday Erik, Joe, and I went shopping again, and I actually made a great dent in my Christmas shopping! I got a few things for Nick and finished Erik & Joe, which is great, because they’re not the easiest guys to buy for. I also bought a couple of cute shirts for myself, although I bought one in a Medium – it fits now but I must have forgotten I was pregnant…so I’ll hopefully be able to wear it a few times and then save it for next year.

Now I’m back at work – it’s always that much harder when you have such a beautiful, long, fun weekend! But just a few more days until we find out if we’re having a boy or girl – Hope the little one cooperates!

xoxo

You know it's cold when...

Dexter is sleeping like this (his head is in my lap, that's my belly above).

The house was 59 degrees this morning, so we bit the bullet and put the heat on for a little while. If we didn't have Dexter and our 2 cats, we probably wouldn't. We have a vent in front of our sink that Dexter loves, and the second the heat clicked on he curled right up into it.

Katie & Nick's wedding tonight! I'll be leaving work at 2:30 (yay!) and we need to be up in Manchester by 6. It should be a fun time. :)

xoxo

Prenatal Yoga

I had my first Prenatal Yoga class last night. It takes place at Lowell General Hospital (where I will deliver) and it was about an hour long. While it was relaxing and good to slow down, I didn't really love the class itself. She did alot of floor work and stretching of the legs, which I know is important, but none of my favorite moves - Warrior, Triangle, etc. She seems like the type of teacher to change it up so I hope the next session will be better. I have a prenatal yoga video that I can do at home so I plan to try and do it more often. It is nice to get out though, and to make sure I'm doing the positions correctly.

Work has quieted down this week which is nice. My co-worker is on vacation until next Wednesday (lucky girl!) and thankfully she doesn't have too much going on so it shouldn't be bad. Tomorrow we have our 10th of 11 weddings this year, it's for Nick's high school friend, also Nick, and Katie. I don't know Katie well but she's very sweet and I know they both love t party, so the wedding will be a blast for sure! Already got my long blue maternity dress picked out ;)

My brother and Joe are also visiting this weekend (coming Saturday night) and I can't wait! They haven't been up here sinc my 30th birthday so I'm really looking forward to it.

xoxo

Boo to the flu!

I had my first ever flu shot today- the shot itself was fine, but my upper arm is a bit uncomfortable/numb now. Of course I have my first prenatal yoga class tomorrow so I'm hoping it wears off quickly. I am one of those lucky people that rarely gets sick, and the last time I had the flu I was 10 years old (and half the school had it). But, being pregnant the nurse recommended I get one so I went for it. I informed Nick he will be getting one with me next year since we will have an infant in the house.

Nick and I had a great anniversary yesterday, we went to dinner at Orzo in North Andover (I highly recommend it) and before that we went bowling - I beat Nick the first two games and we tied the last game. Thankfully neither of us are overly competitive and it was just a fun time. Nick bought me beautiful flowers, a cute pumpkin cake, and got me a very nice card. I felt bad, I didn't even get him a card! But Nick said the perfect thing - I am carrying his child and that is the best present (it's ok if you gag now).

xoxo

3 Year Anniversary

Happy 3 year wedding anniversary to my boo, Nick. He is the best man I have ever known and I count my blessings every day that I have him in my life, that he loves me, and that he puts up with me :). I cannot wait to see him with our child, he will be the most amazing father ever – he has a great role model in his own dad, George.

We're keeping it low key, no gifts. I wanted to go pumpkin or apple picking but the weather is kind of crummy. Maybe bowling and dinner? I'm taking a half day from work and can't wait to get out of here.

xoxo

16 Weeks

Hey Everyone,

Here's the 16 week baby bump pic. Nick was kind enough to point out how much smaller I looked in last month's pic (such a doll). I still don't really feel
different, but I guess I am showing more than I thought I was! Plus, you'll notice the darker hair, which I don't love, but I'm trying to dye my hair less and am going to try and go back to my natural color, which is brownish, blondeish, somethingish. :)

xoxo