By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he is wrong. 

                                                                                                                                                           ---- Charles Wadsworth

28 Weeks

I like this photo of 28 weeks better ...

But Chris says this one is closer to the perspective I usually post!

I'm excited to report that I've put on 1.5 pound sin the last three days by eating out two nights in a row and having dessert and pasta. That will please my awesome Baby Doc and certainly puts my worries to ease.

One of my girlfriends did mention that she could see the weight gain in my a** but that "I still looked great." I'm choosing to focus on the latter part of her comment instead of obsessing about the size of my caboose. 

Baby Cuteness

The perfect baby boy goodies

Thank you Grandma Kelly and Grandpa Winston for the adorable baby boy goodies. Even the coloring goes with the new baby room. Stay tuned for photos this week of the baby room - it's coming together!

First Order of Diapers!

I just ordered our first order of diapers from Diapers.com. One of the baby magazines I read said to buy diapers every time you go to the store so that you won't feel so overwhelmed when it's actually 'Go Time!' But, I'm worried that the baby won't like some of the diapers - or they won't work well - so I'm using this opportunity to 'sample' lots of different diapers. Plus, Diapers.com has this 30% credit program for the next 3 months - so they credit back 30% of our purchases for the next 3 months - and a 30% discount + free shipping was too much of a deal to pass up.

It's my hope that at 10 diapers per day to have the first 60 days worth of diapers, from different brands, ordered and here, stocked in the nursery by the time little Jameson/Caron/Alexander arrives.

27 Weeks

Growing, Growing ...

Things are growing in the Renoud Household! But not quite fast enough. I've only put on 1/2 pound in the last 30 days so I've been instructed by my Doc to eat one extra snack per day - which is not a hardship. Because of my Leiden Factor (blood clotting disorder), it's really important to monitor weight gain. It's one indication that our little Bump de Renoud is growing at an appropriate rate. Leiden Factor can make tears in the placenta and micro-clots more prevalent. Either would mean that Baby isn't getting enough nutrients to grow properly. So we want to see me adding just as much weight as the baby does at this point. But it's just a very mild concern, and nothing that the Doctor is worried about (and nothing my Dad is too concerned about either).

Filling the Closet

If we had had a girl ... I have SO many girl clothes!

But, we're slowly getting just as many boy clothes!

Check out the generous gift from Chris' parents! Woah! Hello super fashion plate Bramble Bump!

Things Making Me Laugh Today

Awkward Pregnancy Photos (post with a bunch more photos here)  

On breastfeeding: "Finally on the third day my milk came in. I couldn't believe it. My body was actually producing food. It was like dispensing jelly beans out of my elbow."

On the stages of pregnancy: "Stage 5: You feel enormous and none of your maternity clothes fit. You want to crash through walls and shout "oh yeah!" like the KoolAid man. People keep saying "Haven't you had that baby yet?" You have a new appreciation for how difficult it is for the elderly and morbidly obese to get around and swear you're going to become an advocate for their rights once you catch your breath. You're no longer scared of birth you just want this kid out of you and if that means pulling it through your right nostril, so be it. "

On things they don't tell you about AFTER giving birth: "7. You might hate your husband. I have two theories of nature. One, babies look like their fathers when they are born so the father is reassured that the baby is his and won't take off. Two, nature takes care of you not conceiving right after giving birth by making you want to punch in his face every time you see him. Again, it's probably hormone related. Again, this isn't always the case but I'm just warning you that you might stare at his peaceful sleeping face at 2am and wonder what the hell the point of him is and how can that son of a bitch just lie there sleeping like while you try to get your baby to sleep for the umpteenth time. You're not alone and a jury full of mothers with newborns wouldn't convict you if you bludgeoned him to death with a breast pump. That said, he may be worth keeping around so take a deep breath and ignore the urge......for now."

Things Never to Say to a Pregnant Woman "Should you be eating that?" This whole website is about people embellishing myths and half truths to scare the crap out of pregnant ladies. So unless she's about to accidentally snack on dog sh** , don't say anything and let the poor girl eat.

Read more about that list here.

On one of the Pros for formula feeding:
"You can drink tequila and shoot heroin to your heart's content."

Still Working the Treadmill Desk

6 months, 3 weeks, 1 day along

I'm trying hard not to remember the day when I looked like this on the treadmill desk; oh what a difference a half a year makes:

Rockin' the Prego-Tard

I'm unsure why I didn't get this pregnancy unitard to work out in before (probably pride). All pride has disappeared from my vocabulary as I wear this little sassy number to the gym now. No more showing off my belly to unsuspecting passerby - no, it is firmly covered in this hot little number.

Baby Invites are Here

It seems hard to believe, but we are having not one, but THREE baby showers. A couples shower, a girls giggly shower and a work shower with Chris's company. That is a lot of celebration for this wanted little one in my belly. It's also a lot of handwriting for invites!

These are the two invite designs I've chosen (onesie for girls-only shower; cupcake for couples shower):

And then, the thank you notes:

In keeping with my general obsession with Etsy, they are purchased from a vendor off of Etsy (Gracie Girl Notes) who makes the cutest little sigh-inducing cards.

6 1/2 Month Bump Report

That photo was taken in the morning. It's subtle, but I do grow a little bit during the day, every day (water retention, food etc...). I tried to do a photo that showed the growth but it's not as impressive to look at as it feels.

According to my multiple baby sites, apps and books - the baby is anywhere between 13 1/2 ounces to 1.7 pounds and is either the size of a 12" ear of corn to a 15" giant squash.

Thank goodness I can still fit into my winter jacket!

My stomach, at its widest widest point is 35 1/2" wide. I'm too scared to measure my rear or hips. I'm in a good mood and don't feel like taking the time for the crying jag that would ensue after that little experiment.

Overall, pregnancy has been good. But, I'm pregnant. So I don't feel all "top of the morning to ya'!" every morning. I feel more like 1/2 of my normal self with energy level and mood. That probably has a lot to do with the pregnancy insomnia that seems to have moved into our home. I still work out 5-6 times per week but have changed my work out substantially. I've added Prenatal Pilates, Prenatal Yoga, walking, elliptical trainer, and light weights. This week, I might make it to water aerobics since jogging and jazzercise bit the dust around month 5. My feet hurt too much with both of those. Probably the extra weight? Or maybe my spreading feet size?

This week, I'm going to be focusing on moving my office into the new baby-centric office, complete with a rocking chair, a new desk and Moses basket (or pack'n'play - I'm not sure yet). We can't wait to meet this little one. 

My Morning Routine

Since I'm a high risk pregnancy (two genetic blood clotting mutations that put me and baby at high risk for developing blood clots), my morning routine is pretty intense.

My 'sharps container' with my detailed shot notes

For the last six months, I've been injecting myself with shots of Lovenox, a blood thinner. The bruises at first were brutal.

Now, they're a lot better because I have my injection technique and tricks down. Icing is a big part of this. But icing takes ten minutes or so.

The "shrine"

I use this time to bond with the baby. I have a cute little "shrine" set up with healthy baby boy photos. I sing to the baby. I talk to our handsome son and tell him the same few phrases every morning. And, I go through positive birth affirmations. By the time that's all done, I'm ready for the shot.

 Bruising from 2 weeks ago; that's my thigh in case you're curious. I hit a big blood vessel. Whoops.

The shot itself is a 30-50 second injection. The medicine burns going in so it's easier to do it slowly. And then, if I'm lucky, no bleeding and it's off to work. If I'm not lucky, I'll hit a blood vessel that will not stop bleeding (no duh - I'm on blood thinners!) and I have to stay at home until I quit bleeding through bandages. The shortest stop-flow time was 30 minutes. The longest was 12 hours. That was a weekend so I stayed home, bled through 3 bandaids, my sweats and left a bloodstain on the sheets. Whoops. Could have been worse. It could have been the couch.

All in all, I feel incredibly thankful that me and the baby have the best medical care - a high risk OBGYN and a consulting perioneonatologist from University of Washington.

Snow Day

Chris is out shoveling the driveway now to get my car out. Our driveway turns into an ice machine after snowy days. He had planned to play golf today but now, not so much.

Baby's Heartbeat, 152 BPM

24 Weeks Along

Baby kept me up all night last night! I maybe got 3 hours of sleep between the kicking and the general insomnia ... Gotta love the little guy.

6 Months Photo

You can see my belly better in the unedited version of this though: It's a 6 months preggers belly!

 

Baby has been really fun this week. He's moving around a lot and I can see him move my shirt when he thumps really hard now.  I'm sure glad he's getting out all of his extra energy now so he'll just be a nice, easy going baby when he comes out in April.