Tim & Christie

So, a few weeks ago a former colleague of mine asked if I could help her out doing some contract work for a few weeks. I took the job and it is just about winding down. It was tough getting back into the work groove but I was so happy the opportunity came along. I have known Carol for years and we've always gotten along well. It meant a lot to me that she thought of me for the job. She is so appreciative and thankful and that really makes all the difference.

Anyway, on to more exciting things than work!

Two weeks ago my cousin Tim got married and I was so thankful we were able to make it to the festivities. There was flooding on Long Island and we weren't going to stay at my brother's, but had no one that could watch Dexter. My Aunt and Uncle (Tim's Mom & Dad and it's my Mom's sister) were kind enough to open their home to us. Tim and his wife Christie are expecting their first child, a girl, this coming October. Tim and I were close growing up, I remember getting together often and we'd torment his younger sister, my cousin Jen (sorry Jen:) He is only a year younger than me and we've always gotten along well. It meant so much to me to be there. It was also my first time meeting Christie and I couldn't help but notice during the vows the way Tim looked at her. So clearly in love and it brought tears to my eyes. They are going to be such wonderful parents, I just know it.

Back to Work

Hey Everyone,

I went back to work today and it was easy peasy. My mom is visiting for two weeks so that is a big help. She and Nicholas had a great first day together, they took a short walk and he was very happy mpost of the day. Although he did have a gigantic poop explosion, my mom informing me "I've never seen so much poop in my life". I told her "welcome to my world!" People at work were very welcoming, and it felt (almost) good to be back. I had a few new files and the day just flew by. Nick sent me beautiful flowers from him and Nicholas that put the biggest smile on my face.

I have to admit, it was great to have some adult conversations and I probably talked twice as much as usual (who knew THAT was possible). Overall, I'm happy to be back and have a bit more structure to my day. People were surprised I didn't call my mom 100 times, I called her once, to make sure more than anything she was ok and not too overwhelmed, but she's a pro.


xoxo

37 Weeks and 5 Days - but who's counting?

I had my 37/38 week check up at the doctor today and it went well. I am measuring at 37 weeks and have gained a little under 25 pounds (I no longer take my huge boots off when I weigh in because it’d probably take me an hour). Babe’s heartbeat is in the 140-150 range and he’s doing well. His legs/knees/feet are up at the top of my stomach so he’s definitely remaining in the head down position and I hope he stays there. Even though he’s on my sciatic nerve and it’s quite painful, I’d rather have him stay there because I know it's where he's meant to be.

I was wearing a striped shirt today and told the doc it’s my co-worker’s favorite because you can really see the rippling of my belly when he moves. She felt my belly and said “oh wow, you’re all baby, no fat.” Did I mention how much I love my doctor’s office??

My co-workers have been really great lately. Yesterday two of them wanted to go get my car and then clean it off for me because we’ve got our first snow all winter. I managed just fine, but it was very sweet of them to offer. I told them I should just get pregnant every winter from now on!

Not too much else is going on – I don’t think he’s really “dropped” yet so I’m just going with the “I’m ready for him when he’s ready” mentality, and will be so happy once he finally arrives. I really can’t believe how fast the time went, and how any day now we will be holding him in our arms! We jokingly practice hold with Dexter on his back – he is not amused by it at all! I can’t wait to see Dexter with the baby, I know he’s going to be just fine. He's been around a lot of babies and toddlers and is excited that they are at his level.

Hope everyone is well!

xoxo

Work Baby Shower Photos

Here are a few pics from the work baby shower - Blogger has had issues with uploading photos for days, so I'm finally able to post them (thanks Brooke :)

The beautiful and delicious cake!

Curious George Book (and DVD) from my friend Joan A.

The Exersaucer - it is exerawesome (heehee)

Beautiful handmade sweater from my friend Diane, she also made a matching hat and the buttons on the sweater are little teddy bears

Cookie Monster towel...not gonna lie, I put it on my head when I got home

Work Baby Shower

The ladies at work threw me a (round two) baby shower this past Tuesday, since silly Nicholas decided to cause issues on the day the surprise was supposed to take place.

The people I work with are so incredibly generous - when I got married in 2008 they threw me a bridal shower and gave me an astronomical amount of cash and bought the casual china I had registered for. I work with about 100 or so people in my office and they are just awesome.

My baby shower was no exception - we got a ton of gifts, gift cards, and adorable Red Sox clothing (Nick was pumped) just to name a few items. Two of my co-workers, Diane and Elaine, made Nicholas beautiful hand knit sweaters. Brooke took a few pics at the shower, so I'm waiting for her to send me those and I'll post as soon as I have them (hear that Brooke? ;)

It's a snowy mess outside today and I'm thrilled to have a nice quiet weekend. I'm trying to savor them as much as possible since I know it will be chaos once the baby arrives.

Hope everyone is well!

xoxo

2 days til Christmas!

So far the blood sugar testing has gone perfectly - it hasn't been over 100 since Thursday (which is a good reading). It's still overwhelming, but I will of course do whatever it takes to be sure that the baby and I are healthy. I'm trying different combos of food to see what does/doesn't affect the number as well...it's almost...fun? :)

I went to a new hair dresser last night and chopped off my hair. I'm not sure why I didn't go to my own hair dresser, I guess I just wanted to try something new. Here's the pics...

Before:

What I was going for:

And what I ended up with:

Here's a few with me and Dex:

I don't really love the cut, as it's about two inches shorter than what I was going for. But it's just hair, it'll grow back. It was certainly easy to style this morning.

I have a full day at work today and I think we're exchanging gifts on my team. Our boss always gets us something great and my two team mates always give me thoughtful gifts - so I'm really looking forward to it :) We also got to wear jeans today which is marvelous!

Hope everyone is doing well and going too crazy with the holidays so close.

xoxo

Visiting with Dad

My dad got here on Tuesday night and will be visiting for the next week or so. Last night he got to feel the baby kick for the first time and he was amazed. I asked him if he ever felt Riley kick when he was in Krista's belly (my brother Dylan's ex-wife) and he said "No, that wasn't my daughter." I think it's sad that my parents missed all of these milestones with Riley. For a long time I didn't know if I wanted children so Riley might have been the only grandchild. Luckily, I changed my mind ;) Krista is very close with her own family, so I don't "blame" her for anything - it's just the way it was. I always tell my parents and brother Erik how different it will be when our baby comes - and I'm really looking forward to that.

A co-worker got me sick on Friday, and I had to take a half day on Monday. More than anything, I'm annoyed because I don't get sick very often. I'm feeling better but skipped pre-natal yoga last night because I didn't want to risk getting any of the other moms sick. I went to the gym instead and worked out for about an hour. I'm pretty tired today but I'm glad that I went.

The holidays are always hectic, and I have plans almost every night from now until Christmas. I'm glad my Christmas shopping is just about done (I need to pick up a few random gift cards), so that's a big relief. Nick and I don't go overboard at the holidays - I told him I bought about 10 things, but nothing is over $30 :)I just love finding fun, inexpensive, thoughtful gifts, that are tailored for the person and will (hopefully) be appreciated.

Work has been very frustrating lately. Just little things going on with co-workers, not even worth typing about. We recently started a "check in-check out" time clock type thing, apparently to comply with the Department of Labor. It is no problem for me because I always get to work on time, and leave when I am supposed to. I'm not opposed to staying late, and have often done it, but it is frowned upon. I always feel like I have more accounts than anyone else, but I have no issue getting the work done. I can't explain the way I operate...maybe I'm just a wee bit crazy obsessive compulsive? :)

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

Ultrasound Appointment

My level 2 ultrasound is scheduled for October 14th! I'm so excited that we finally have a date and I'm hoping the babe cooperates so we can find out the sex. The appointment is early. We have to be there at 9 am (for genetic counseling, which sounds nice and terrifying) and the ultrasound itself is at 9:45. I'm told they basically scare the bejesus out of you with all the things that could show up before doing the actual ultrasound. I've been of the mindset lately that basically "everything will be fine." I'm not stressing or freaking out about anything. I don't really read alot about what is going on with my body, if something weird happens (like my bleeding gums!) I'll look it up to make sure it's nothing serious (it's totally normal), but that's about as far as I go.

Work has been rough lately, I've been working late alot and can't seem to get out of my own way. I also tend to just eat candy all day, snacking here and there. I didn't leave the office for lunch today, just ate soup at my desk and kept right on going. I left the office around 6 and I normally work til 4:30. Tomorrow I have to head to Milford, MA for a class, so I have to get up at the crack of dawn. Thankfully a co-worker is going to the same class and we're going to drive together, so the hour trip won't be too bad. I can't even remember what the class is about, but I'm sure it will be nice and boring. :)

This Saturday I have a manicure, pedicure, facial scheduled and I am BEYOND excited to just relax and be pampered. Nick's mom bought me a gift certificate for my birthday (or Christmas?) and I'm finally getting around to using it, so it's always free!

Hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

I think it's funny...

...the reaction that some people have when I tell them that I'm pregnant.

I'm not talking about close family and friends, because they know me pretty well. I'm not the type of person that oohs and ahhs and is all cutesy. I'm just not. I'm blunt, straightforward, and you basically always know where you stand with me. If I have a problem with you, you will know it. I haven't always said the nicest things to people, but I always try to speak the truth. With that being said - I actually am a really nice person (I feel the need to point that out after what I just wrote!) but don't ever expect me to act a certain way just because you think I should.

For example- today a co-worker asked me if I was pregnant because "I hadn't told her yet". Well...it's not as if I sat down every single person to announce what was going on with me. I told my boss, my team, HR, benefits, and of course people that I am close with. Other than that, I just kind of let news spread (because it always does). After I confirmed to my co-worker that I was pregnant ( I said yes with a smile) she asked..."well are you excited about it? you don't seem excited about it." Umm...did she expect me to jump up and down and giggle...is that what people do? I told her that yes, I was excited. And that was that.

I think part of me acting the way I have been is that I just don't feel pregnant yet. I am thrilled that everything is going so well (no morning sickness, no tiredness, no real weight gain), but it is just so WEIRD. My mom made me feel better when she said she didn't feel pregnant until she was 5 or 6 months along. It sounds silly but when I heard the heartbeat yesterday I actually thought "Ok, good, there's still a baby in there!" Obviously this is all new to me, and I'm sure once I get a bit bigger and feel the baby move, then I will actually feel pregnant.

xoxo