Never Volunteer An Introvert…Unless There Is A Competition

Last week, Tom and I had our last baby class. Five weeks of class means that we are totally ready for George right?

This last class was all about infant care and what to expect after delivery and those first few days at home.

Yes we got to play with creepy infant dolls.

So we are going along in the class, and it is actually pretty beneficial. Some stuff I already know from common sense, but how my son may be circumcised was new for me. Learn something every day…

Anyway, I am feeling good about this process and not stressed at all about having to take care of a human being soon.

Then the nurse asked for 2 couples to volunteer. She didn’t say why, just that she needed volunteers.

I gave Tom a glare and mouthed, “Don’t you dare. Do NOT volunteer us.”

If there is one thing that I as an introvert hate more than anything, it is being surprised into an activity in a room full of strangers. Cue panic attack in my head.

I just keep looking at Tom pleading with him not to break the silence that has entered the room.

No one wants to volunteer here. And I especially do not want to do something in a room full of soon-to-be-new parents so they can see how un-ready we are.

My husband, the big extrovert, jumped up and said “Oh we’ll do it,” as he grinned mischievously at me. He said something quippy about being an introvert and just giggled at me. I don’t remember what he said because I was dying inside.

I was not very happy with him. I did a teenagery pout up to the front as we waited for another couple to volunteer for this mysterious task. I did not want to look at my husband. How dare he volunteer me for such random torture.

Finally another couple (well a mom-to-be and her mom) stepped up to the plate.

The nurse explained that we were going to race to properly diaper, clothe, and swaddle one of the naked baby dolls. The trick though was that we had to hold hands and could only use our outer hands to do the task. So instead of having 4 hands, we only had two. And by the way we were standing also meant that we would be using our non-dominant hands for the task-I had my left and he had his right.

Oh this random activity that my husband forced me into is a competition.

Game face on!

Tom and I are very serious when it comes to competition.

And can you believe it that the other couple tried trash talking us before-hand? The mom-to-be tried scaring us even further saying they had a ringer with Grandma being a baby expert on the team.

Bring it.

You can’t make me more nervous lady. My husband just blindly volunteered his introvert wife. Your trash talk only fuels this fire to get this thing done with.

So Tom and I joined hands for the competition of a life-time. Yes it is that serious when you are in a room full of strangers trying to prove you can be parents together. (Because this race totally means that we are going to be experts at being parents…)

We made that baby so comfy in that diaper, onsie, swaddle blanket! Everything just went so smoothly. We owned that activity. Tom and I communicated coolly and quickly to make our baby not be a creepy flasher. Then we held that baby up Lion King style. I call that a parent success.

And we killed it with time. By the time we finished, the “expert mom” and her spawn were still fumbling with the onsie.

But I am not trying to rub it in or anything…Ok I am.

Take that! We are going to rock this parent thing.

10399209_525219943431_2868_n

Plus we got a goody bag with some diapers and wipes for winning the race. So maybe it was ok to be volunteered by the hubs. I can’t say no to free diapers.

But now I can sit down and calm my heart rate.

Does you partner ever volunteer you for random things? Are you competitive?

Bumpdate Week 33

Week 33

How far along: 33 weeks…in the single digits of weeks left! Ahhhh!

Sex of Baby W: A boy is a noise with dirt on it.

Weight gain: I have gained 11 pounds, but it feels like so much more.

Size of Baby W: He should weigh around 4 pounds, or the size of a pineapple. It is hard to believe there is a pineapple hanging out in my stomach.

Maternity clothes: I am purely in either maternity tops or baggy/flowy items. I will say that I have been able to wear quite a few of my previously owned dresses because of their stretchy material. I can only wear my medium t-shirts (unless I want to try the crop top look) which has cut out about 85% of my t-shirt collection. Sad day, but on the flip side I am taking this opportunity to purge some shirts that I had been keeping for no reason. Donate! I have been getting self-conscious a lot because of the expanding belly and my image. I probably ask Tom at least a handful of times a day if I look OK. (I am pleased to report that he always says I look great.)

Baby items: We have really picked up our game this past month. With the help of our family, our registry doesn’t stress me out so much, and I am feeling a little more prepared with the things we need. There are only a few more things that we could use, but a lot of our bigger items have been taken care of. Now it is just those last little pieces, so if you are wanting to spoil or welcome George to the world our registries are still open at Target and Amazon! Tom and I (mostly Tom) worked on putting together the nursery furniture. We now have a crib and a couple bookshelves to add to our existing rocking chair!

Stretch marks: Not that I am aware of…

Belly button in or out: I have a flattie.

Sleep: This is getting more difficult. I flop around all night. I wake up probably every other hour because I ended up on my back or cannot get comfortable. But I haven’t had to get up to pee as often, so I guess there is a win there…

Best moment the past few weeks: Getting some more things done with the nursery

Worst moment the past few weeks: My step-grandmother had a stroke. It is hard to not be there for family. This week was also a big test in my effort to always look for the positives. Ugh sometimes life just throws you curve-balls…

dogs loving baby

I can’t help but smile with these two!

Miss anything: Shaving my legs normally. It’s like doing acrobats trying to shave my legs comfortably, which is not really possible. I miss steaks cooked the way I want. I do not like them cooked all the way, but that is the best way until George comes out. I miss eating normally, meaning I can’t lean over my plate comfortably. I am a messy/clumsy eater so I like to be over my plate like a normal person, but it makes me feel like I am squishing George and it hurts a little. Although, I am perfecting balancing plates on my belly.

Cravings: Perry Fosters BBQ. Any people from the Burg know what I am talking about? There is no way to cure this craving seeing as I am in KY and not MO.

Movement: Um this child is either 100% on or I wonder if he is alive he is so still. (Not kidding, I almost went to the hospital this weekend because he was so quiet in there.)

For the most part he is a little like this…

or this…

He has taken to sticking his hand or foot in the same spot right above my hip like he is trying to give us a high five or break out out of there karate chop style. This is a daily occurrence and now you can not only feel it but you can see him trying to protrude out of there…

He has also started rolling around which you can see, and it feels like a wave in my tummy, which I have to say is pretty cool. He still will sit mainly on my right side causing a lopsided belly. It looks and feels really odd, but I guess that is where he is most comfortable.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have had some discharge issues that has had to be monitored. Gross I know. I also have been having some severe tailbone pain. I can’t sit for very long before my butt is throbbing from pain. After consulting my OB, she said this is normal. However, because I broke my tailbone years ago, I am going to feel this pain even more than most women. Awesomely excruciating. George is also growing a lot faster than I am so it constantly feels like I pulled a muscle all over my stomach. I also want a nap every day. I have noticed that I have started the preggo waddle just a little bit too (more often than not it comes out when I am running to the bathroom.)

Looking forward to: Weekends. It is a time for me to relax and do lots of purging and reorganizing. Next up kitchen! We are also going to be getting our maternity pictures done soon!

33 weeks

Read All About Baby Shower #2

Other than the popcorn bar that I had for shower #1, the only other theme I wanted for a shower was books.

I love books, and I hope that George has a tenacity for diving into stories as well.

So I gave my sister-in-law the task of doing a simple book theme for our shower in Tom’s hometown, and I adored what she came up with.

IMG_4435

My sister-in-law, Emily, and my niece

Book Themed Baby Shower

All the centerpieces were piles of books.

Baby Shower Activity

Again, I didn’t want typical “measure the tummy” kind of activities. Emily brought plain white onsies and iron on art. Very practical!

Baby Shower Activity

There were all kinds of sizes of onsies and designs the guests could choose from.

Baby Shower Activity

These homemade ones are some of my favorite onsies! So much fun!

Book Themed Baby Shower

All the decorations had book pages on them. So simple but perfectly sweet.

Book Themed Baby Shower

Everything was so cute.

Book Themed Baby Shower

Those cupcakes were delicious.

Book Themed Baby Shower

The spread.

Book Themed Baby Shower

The layout. It was fun to have the baby shower in the church where we got married.

IMG_4415

Ava was my little helper with the gifts. She is very invested in her cousin.

IMG_4419

Tom’s grandma made this quilt. It is beautiful and wonderful. The colors are so perfect, even more so with the elephants.

IMG_4381

She adores her Nuncle Tom.

IMG_4441

Oh goodness, we are going to be parents.

 We loved both of our showers. We were so thankful for those who were there in person and in spirit!

Popping in on Baby Shower #1

One of our road trips was to have our first baby shower in my hometown.

Thanks to Pinterest, I have wanted to do a “She’s about to POP” theme since before I was pregnant. My hometown is home to Topsy’s which is a popcorn place that is huge around Christmas, so I knew that having a popcorn bar of sorts was a must. Then everything else was kind of a perk of the party.

My sister-in-law and my two closest girlfriends planned and hosted the shower for us. Now that I have had time to go through the pictures, I see that I have no pictures of Emily (SIL) and I…

IMG_4367

Jeannette and Annette are the best gal pals I could ever ask for! I wish we lived closer together. Someday we will all be in the same state.

They did such a great job with everything. The decorations were adorable.

Pop Baby Shower

Everything Poppy

Cake Pops

These cake pops were delicious. And chocolate!

Pop Baby Shower

We had regular popcorn, cheese, cinnamon, and caramel. If you are ever in KC and need a popcorn fixing, look up Topsy’s! And I now regret not taking the left over home with us….

Pop Baby Shower

Ring Pops…who doesn’t love these candy treats?

Pop Baby Shower

These two were adorable, and so well behaved too.

We got a lot of great gifts! These are some of my more flattering pictures. Sometimes, your best side doesn’t fit with your preggo side…

IMG_4229

Active Doodie onsie

With a mixture of Tom and I’s bowels, this couldn’t be a truer statement…this just makes me chuckle.

Clemson onsie

He is going to have no idea what team to root for. We have outfits for Clemson, Royals, Chiefs, and Iowa State. I really need a Central Missouri outfit to round out the collection.

IMG_4291

OVERALLS ARE THE CUTEST BABY THING!

IMG_4363

I love seeing my Grandma and Grandpa. This is not their first rodeo into the Great-Grandparentdom. They are pros at this!

 IMG_4277 IMG_4290

Tom is such a trooper and comes to these parties with me.

IMG_4318

He is so sweet with our niece.

IMG_4361

He is going to be such a great dad.

Baby shower games

I did not want any games or possibilities of people touching my belly for guessing games. My SIL came up with perfect activities like this one of writing on diapers to amuse Tom and I when we are half asleep with our little pooper. I haven’t looked through them yet. I want to be surprised, but I am sure you will see some late night Instagram posts capturing this here in the future.

IMG_4368

There are few people I would let touch my belly…These two are on this short list.

The three of us have always been super close, and this is a must have picture. See when Jeannette was pregs first?

182010_634618398051_7374253_n

I just hope that our kids like each other…

We are so fortunate to have family and friends to come out to help welcome George into our family.

Bumpdate Week 30

Week 30

How far along: Holy Cow! 30 weeks! I can’t believe we are down to 10 weeks until George’s due date.

Sex of Baby W: We saw his little man parts this week.

Weight gain: I have gained 5 pounds…finally. And this is officially the most I have ever weighed in my entire life, which can be a downer when I see that at first. Then I remember I am growing a human.

Size of Baby W: Yesterday, he weighed in at 3 lbs and 3 oz. He is about the size of a large cabbage.

Maternity clothes: I am really not sure why we wear buttons in the first place. Maternity pants and lots of elastic are the best thing! It will be hard going back to regular pants that have zippers and buttons. Maybe I will start a clothing revolution against fasteners…

Baby items: We had both of our baby showers where George was given lots of love! I was excited to see all the books and clothes we got. Baby things are so adorable!

gifts

These are some of my favorite onsies we have gotten so far. We asked for books instead of cards to help build a library for George. It was so fun to see all the books and notes to George! I hope he is as excited about them someday as I am!

We do still have a lot of things we need so we are working to figure out what’s a necessity versus want. It stresses me out to see all the things on our registry, but I know it will all work out before he gets here. Although, Target is having huge baby sale (baby items, not actual babies) this week…

Stretch marks: I haven’t noticed any still. Our prenatal class instructor says that stretch marks can’t be prevented by any lotion. Either you are predisposed to get them or you aren’t. Regardless, I will still be lathering on the lotion morning and night to help with all the itching.

Belly button in or out: It’s just a little indent now. Maybe by the next update it will be flat.

Sleep: Well the nights of good sleep have gone away. I have been super restless, and pains in my legs have been waking me up. I am pretty sure I get charlie horses in my left leg almost every night. Have I mentioned that I HATE laying on my left side exclusively? I am thinking that some of this had to do with all the traveling we were doing too. So hopefully now that I am in our own bed for more than a couple nights a week, it will get a little better. 

Best moment the past few weeks: Seeing all the friends and family over the past few weekends. My heart is full. It was also great seeing George again on our ultrasound yesterday. It had been a couple months, and he has grown so much! I will admit though that I didn’t know what half the things we were looking at where until the ultrasound tech explained it. But he and I are measuring exactly where we need to be and everything looks fantastic from what our doctor says. Pretty good news indeed.

Worst moment the past few weeks: The traveling has taken a toll on the Whitener family.

Miss anything: Running. I never thought I would say that.

Cravings: Greasy pizza, which was satisfied by Shakespeare’s Pizza during one of our trips to Columbia, MO.

Movement: I feel like George is trying to break free through my belly button. He is like a solid rock hanging out right there or on my kidney. He kicks and flicks around a lot right after I eat. He doesn’t really do much in the morning, so he takes after his night-owl dad. It’s still fun to feel him move, but he is definitely getting stronger. There are moments now where he is a little painful. It was also really fun to see my 4 year old niece feel him move. Such a fun moment to share with her. Oh and he definitely high-fived Tom on command last week-not even kidding.

George

Not sure if you can tell, but my belly is lopsided. Where the arrow is pointing, that is George’s rump. My belly button is about an inch and a half to the left of the arrow for reference. He likes to stick his butt up and make his presence known at all times. (Also I was parked in my driveway when I took this picture. I was not driving in case you were concerned.)

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have had a few bouts of nausea, but generally once I eat something I am fine. I am also getting a lot more exhausted. I can tell it takes a lot more out of me to walk the dogs every day, but I am still hitting the pavement with them. I could also do without the cramps.

Looking forward to: Now that we are not traveling as much anymore, we can actually get things organized and set up. I can’t wait to put everything up! We have a lot to do in ways of creating a space for George. This is his room right now…

2014-07-07 21.47.45

I am glad we are back to seeing the doctor every couple weeks. It is nice to be able to get that check up and make sure that everything is going well. It satisfies this worrying momma!

30 weeks