28 Weeks down...12 Weeks to go... 8 Weeks left in my career!

28 Week Belly Shot (in my new JCP "tall length" full belly panel maternity jeans)  Can I get an AMEN tall girls out there!?

(I love my baby ticker.)  Today is the first day of my third trimester!  Some of the symptoms from my first trimester have returned.  The heartburn has come back as well as the upset stomach.  I have to eat often again.  Time to go buy another block of cheese!  I wake up with horribly stiff hands but I have my pillow routine down so that I can manage the poor circulation problem enough to sleep well.  I literally have to pee every 45 to 60 minutes.  I am pretty sure Baby Girl is sitting low and right on my bladder.  She is kicking tons and last night I think she was practicing her high kicks because my stomach was bouncing all over the place!  It is pretty fun to watch!  I am getting really excited to meet her in 12 weeks!

Today also starts my countdown till maternity leave.  While no official decision has been made most likely I will not return to my teaching position after Baby Shack is born.  Yes, we will most likely try to take the plunge and become a ONE INCOME family.  In Southern California that is pretty rare and not an easy task.  I have promised myself (and Dan) that I will become a frugal, coupon clipping housewife!  I am already well acquainted with our neighborhood thrift store and have begun baking our own bread (who knew how easy this was!) and cooking more meals at home rather than going out.  I have invested in cloth diapers and begun to acquaint myself with how to make your own baby food.  I am really looking forward to this transition that will happen in just 8 short weeks (October 28th)!  (Any and all advice, tips, and encouragement welcome!)

Halloween is my first day of maternity leave and I am so glad I don't have to teach on that day.  Most teachers HATE teaching on Halloween which is just as bad as teaching on a rainy day in So. Cal- when kids are SOOO distracted because "Oh my gosh, there is like water coming from the sky!!!"  And if there happens to be thunder and lightning, well you just might as well give up!  Halloween is also the date of our next big ultrasound at 36 weeks where the doctor will check to see what position the baby is in.  At my last check up this past Monday Dr. B said everything looks great!  My blood pressure was 122/80, my weight was only up 4 pounds from my visit four weeks ago, the baby's heart was beating strong, and everything was measuring just right.  I am so blessed!  Dan and I have taken advantage of the BabiesRUs Great Trade-in Event that is going on right now.  We have picked up some really cheap (like $3-$4) old baby items from the thrift store and then traded them in for 25% off coupons to purchase a few larger items off our registry.  This travel lite crib by Graco is one of the few items we purchased.  It is hard to believe that in just 12 short weeks Baby Girl Shack will be sleeping next to me in this cute little crib!

Baby Girl Shack's First Shower!

Some of the very lovely ladies in my family!

This past weekend we had my first baby shower with family and work friends in honor of Baby Girl!  It was great to celebrate our long awaited girl with pretty outfits, fun toys, and practical accessories.  The prize for the most creative gift goes to my neighbor Ginny who made this personalized diaper cake! 

The BELLY at 27 weeks!

My mom surprised me by restoring many of my baby dresses that I wore in the late 1970s and displayed them with pictures of me wearing the outfits.  My cousin Rachel planned a few really fun games with prizes and my cousin Karen spoke some special words about me and Baby Girl Shack and then prayed over us.

 My mom, sister, and sisters-in-law worked hard to make yummy food and drinks to go with the bright colored decorations. 

Thanks to my family and friends for making this day so special and exciting!  I will post pictures of the progress in the nursery soon!

These are the headlines that make a woman with IF go CRAZY!

Favorite Things: Baby Legs!!!

So one of the baby/kids items that I think are so cute are the leg warmers from Baby Legs.  Today and tomorrow only (Aug. 22-23) the entire site is 50% off and shipping is only $3.95 or free if you order $30 or more.  The coupon code is "Halfoff".  Happy shopping!


Of course  my favorites are the newborn BabyLegs:

These are called "Little Sunshine" and it is one of my favorite styles.

Double Digits!

Only 99 days left until baby girl Shack's due date!  Lately she has been moving and kicking a ton!  She likes to move especially after I eat and late at night.  The numbness in my hands has continued to worsen but thankfully I have been able to sleep a little better the last few nights due to a special pillow I bought called the Luna Lullaby Bosom Baby.  I did read that because of the increased blood flow in my body pressure is being applied to my median nerve which causes temporary carpal tunnel in my hands which is why they feel so stiff and sore.  I was glad to learn that I am not doing any permanent damage to my hands as I am quite fond of them.  ; )  I have lately taken on the challenge of finding cute and comfortable shoes for my gigantic swollen feet.  I was already a size 9.5 pre-pregnancy so it is a little hard to find shoes large and wide enough for me.  I have to return to teaching in a few weeks and we are not supposed to wear flip flops.  I got lucky a few times at the thrift store and found a couple cute pairs of wedges in 10wide and size 11 that feel comfy and fit well.  I am wondering just what my shoe size will end up being in the end because pretty much all moms have told me their shoe size never goes back to being what it was before pregnancy.  I have also been trying to find some clothing items that are work appropriate.  JC Penny was helpful as has been Old Navy Maternity.  This dress from JC Penny has been my absolute favorite lately!  I got it in both pink and black.  It is so comfy and cute!  I have taken to wearing dresses a lot more these days as they are much more comfortable in this hot weather than pants.  I still haven't taken  a belly shot yet.  Maybe soon...

Look what is back on Kidsteals.com!

Last January my cousin (Rachel Lesiw) did an adoption sale in honor of baby Shack's March transfer with her awesome blooms from http://www.littlelesiw.com/.  Today only her blooms are 50% off at http://kidsteals.stealnetwork.com/index.php  My favorites are:

the Modern Set in White, Ocean, and Red and....

  and the Bright Polka Dots Set!  

 

 

 Rachel and her husband Bob are in the process of fundraising for their third adoption.  Go to Kidsteals today and support them!

Thoughts from an Infertile-Though-Now-Pregnant Woman

Out where we live in dairy country, our neighborhood is surrounded by large pens of dairy cows.  On the street nearest to our house is one of the many birthing pens where the dairy farmers put all the pregnant cows in one place.  I often drive by this birthing pen or walk by on my way to the nearby dog park.  The past three years since we moved here I often had mixed emotions when I would see this pen full of pregnant or new mommy cows.  I would coo and sigh at the site of a new shinny baby calf in the pen but then a sadness would set in.  I actually felt jealous of all of these cows that seemed to endlessly get pregnant and give birth to their young - something I could not do.  I consider it a low point in my fertility story that I actually harbored jealous feelings towards pregnant cows.  It was a constant visual and auditory reminder (because you could hear them moo like crazy from our house when they are in labor) of my inability to create a family for Dan and I.

Similarly, we had our beautiful dog Jersey spayed a few years ago.  Then and now I often look at her and feel guilt and sadness.  I willingly took away her fertility.  She is such a beautiful and good-natured dog that I feel sad there won't be anymore Jerseys in the world because of our decision.  Her bloodline ends when she dies.  We didn't make a bad decision to have her spayed.  I am all for spaying and neuturing your pets and adopting shelter/rescue dogs and cats rather than purchasing from breeders.  But it is funny how in life I have projected my own experience with infertility onto others.  I see things in the world differently because of my infertility.

Now that I am 24 weeks pregnant I don't think these thoughts quite so often.  I have found a great joy in carrying our miracle girl thanks to embryo adoption.  But our infertility will always be part of our story.  My current pregnancy doesn't erase all that we went through to get here.  I still look at Dan's gorgeous ice blue eyes (the same eyes his dad and grandpa all had) and feel sad that his bloodline ends when he dies.  It amongst others are thoughts that still occasionally push their way into my mind despite our joyful anticipation of baby girl Shack.  While bloodline is not what is most important to Dan and I (obviously or we would have done IVF rather than embryo adoption), losing your ability to produce a genetic child is in fact a loss.  It would have been neat to see what a genetic mix of Dan and I turned out to be but I so look forward to meeting baby girl Shack and learning what she will uniquely bring to our family.  What habits and traits will she pick up from Dan?  What will she pick up from me?  I am excited to get to know our little girl!