Almost 32 Weeks

I realized that it was time to post another picture and had Geoff take one last night. I've been such a slacker about blogging, I know the only lurkers out there now are the ones waiting to see when the next preggie pic would be up. I think I'll probably take one every 2 weeks from here on out. We'll see if they show any differences and if so, I will try to post them. And hopefully today or sometime shortly, I will post a slideshow from my June 13th shower, pictures taken by my sister-in-law Shelby. I keep meaning to do this, and as I'm about to have 2 more showers, I'd better do it soon!At first glance, this picture doesn't look too changed from four weeks ago, but note how far up on my belly that shirt is now going. Claire, at the very least, has grown a ton since 27 weeks, and at this point her arrival seems so much closer.

I finally got the nesting bug that everyone's been telling me would come. I woke up early this morning thinking about everything that I wanted to do today. Geoff went to the pull-a-part in Montgomery with a friend. They're going to try to find me a replacement hubcap among other things. And I thought I'd use this time to get some things done around here. I have a list of things that need to be done, including some sewing projects that I am waiting for mom's visit to handle. This morning I've been washing all of these baby clothes from my sister, sister-in-law and shower gifts. My sister had washed a bunch for me already and I hadn't fully organized things by size because some was washed and some wasn't. With two showers coming up the week after next, I figured I'd better organize what I have so that I know what I still need. I keep continually updating my registries based on what I've gotten, so hopefully this baby will be well-supplied when she arrives.

Yesterday was a great day. I went to the spa (courtesy of my boss) and had a massage, facial, and pedicure. I went to the pool with Geoff and all of his family. And Geoff and I had a great date night in Columbus, shopping a little for Claire at Babies R Us clearance racks and buying her a Yo-Yo Ma CD at Barnes and Noble. I've been wanting to do this for ages due to the fact that she seems to go crazy anytime she hears the cello. We also got her a complete works of Hans Christian Anderson leatherbound collectible book that was on sale at a great price. I already like to read to her and she's not even here yet.

We're really starting the countdown in earnest now. I've had a lot of folks tell me that they think she'll make an early appearance. I'm not sure if she will or not, but I don't think she's going to delay for too much longer!

Cliare's New Nickname

I have decided to give my daughter a new nickname - at least while she's still in the womb. I am calling her the Hamm. As in Mia Hamm the soccer player. There's a whole lot of kicking going on in there!
She actually has a few nicknames so far, none very original. Mostly we call her Clairebear. A lot of times she's the wiggleworm or the kicker or the jumping bean. My dad says he just likes that she already has a name and we use it all the time like she's already here. I like that too. I know a lot of folks find it fun to be surprised, but for me, knowing ahead of time who she is has allowed me a lot of quality bonding before she gets here.

We're working our way closer to the end of this pregnancy journey and all I can say is "Bring on the showers!" My first one is this weekend. I'm hoping to post some pictures soon...

27 Weeks and Picture Time Again

It feels like it was only yesterday that I was posting a preggie pic, but apparently it's been four weeks. In fact, I only have 3 days left of my 2nd trimester, so we're rounding 3rd base and on our way to the home stretch. These pictures are all starting to look the same to me. It's funny that one day I will feel huge and the next not so much.

I don't have much to report. I've finished up my summer travels (got them over early in the month of May), so now Geoff and I are planning on relaxing and just piddling around until Claire comes. He actually asked me to give him a honey-do list, which I wasn't going to do because I didn't want him to feel like there were 10,000 tiny things that needed doing before the end of August.

I'm excited to have some showers coming up and can't wait to pull everything together so we're really ready for when she gets here. I'm also thinking about starting some sewing projects soon - I figure I can use my afternoons off in August to work on some little things for my little girl. We'll see what my energy level is like at that point.

Well, that's it. There's the 27 week photo for those who've asked for one.

Post #175

I thought I would write a quick post before I head out of town yet again this month - this time for the big Ingram family reunion in Jackson, MS. I don't have a lot to report other than to say things are going pretty well. Claire continues to astound me with her rapid growth and constant movement. She's gotten to that point where folks can hear her heartbeat simply by putting their ear on my stomach.
I had a doctor's appointment a week ago and everything went well. My blood glucose test went fine - so no chances of gestational diabetes. She was measuring "textbook perfect" as my doctor likes to say. The doctor went over all my meds with Geoff and I and has decided I will continue everything to 36 weeks (two weeks longer than we had initially discussed). Then he was blunt and said that basically if I went into labor before 38 weeks I could hemmorhage and die (yes, he said it just like that) because of the medication still being in my system. So, Claire, don't come early! He said there were things they could do to prevent it and it was unlikely, but that he had to warn me. Lovely, huh? Geoff's decided he really likes the doc, though, which is good.
Oh - after that sugary beverage they give you for the glucose test, Claire's heartrate was 177. Note to all her grandparents out there - you will not want to give this grandchild sugar while she's in your care. It really takes effect!
One of these days I'll post some pictures of our garden. We are seeing the beginnings of squash, bell peppers and tomatoes, and there are flowers on our canteloupe and cucumber plants. I don't think we've lost a single plant and are going to have lots of yummy things to eat this summer.
This weekend trip will mark the end of travelling for me I think. It just seems to really wear me out! I've been asked why I'm not sewing up a storm for Claire and I think that's probably quickly approaching on the horizon. I want to get past my showers and then I will probably be embroidering some of her bibs and things and maybe smocking or making other items for her. My return to part-time work at the start of August should help increase my time to sew. Oh - and I'm planning on making my own hospital gown for her delivery, so be sure to note what it looks like (if I allow any pictures of me at the hospital to be put on this blog)!
Well, that's all for now. Gotta go get ready to see my family of 50+!

Beach Vacation

I thought I'd post a few pics from our trip to Panama City this past weekend. This was the best Mother's Day present yet and we both had a really good time. Of course, we were so busy having a good time that 1, we didn't get many pictures, and 2, I didn't notice I had sprained my ankle until we were on the way home.
So first off, in PCB there were quite a few of these man-of-war jellies on the beach. There was a group of older ladies walking who stopped to chat with us and asked Geoff to point these things out to them. There were plenty to point out, which kept me out of the water during the morning there in PCB. So we walked on the beach for awhile.

On our way to the beach from the hotel, we had seen a sign for a lunch cruise to Shell Island, which is part of St. Andrews State Park, and it was reasonably priced and available, so we decided to give it a go.

This is not the most flattering picture of me, but I'll post it anyway. This boat ride was really probably the most amazing part of our trip. Those who know me well know I've always struggled with motion sickness, so the fact that I even got on a boat in the ocean was a bit of a stretch. But I did great for most of the ride. We went to check out a big group of dolphins and the boat kept getting turned and turned and tossed by the waves and before you know it, it seemed like we were on a bad ride at an amusement park. Only those last about 90 seconds and this was more like 20 minutes! Even Claire seemed to be bracing herself as we rocked from side to side. I finally just had to sit down on the floor and brace myself. You can tell from the picture of the other "ship" out on the water that we were tilting and creating waves.

The ride back was smooth sailing - Geoff even found time for a nap.

We came back to the hotel, got cleaned up and went out to a nice dinner and called it a night.

The next day we went out to St. Joseph State Park Peninsula - about an hour drive from PCB, but Geoff had fond memories of camping there, and after going, I can see why.

We spent a lot of time in the actual ocean - yes, even me!

And we tried out some neat restaurants - including a place that had a real toucan that Claire apparently did not like (everytime it screeched, she kicked me - hard). Putt-putt was one of the best parts of the trip and by the time we got back to the hotel I had wrenched my ankle something fierce. So we came back home and went to the doctor and now I'm following up on my vacation by walking around in a lovely boot on crutches for the next 2 weeks. Yippee!

Registries/Gift Ideas

Just FYI for anyone wondering, I spent about an hour going through my registries tonight updating everything. Here's the deal -
The real (or complete) registry is the one at Target. I put everything I could think of on that registry and then some. I found it to be much easier to register with Target both in-store and online, and they had almost everything that I needed.
The one thing that is ESSENTIAL on my Babies R Us registry is my travel system, which Geoff and I painstakingly have hunted for over the last year or so, and we are really excited about the one we chose. There was no comparable system available through target, so I had to create the Babies R Us registry. I found a few cute things there, but you can definitely tell that's a much shorter list.
As far as diapers and wipes go, I've heard Huggies are best for boys, but since I don't have to worry about that, I feel comfortable saying buy anything and buy multiple sizes. We have a 112 pack of size 1 diapers so far I believe. As far as wipes, same thing as diapers. I haven't started collecting these things, so anything that works will do.
Also, if it's not on my registry and it's a major thing you think I've omitted, I probably already have it. I have an indoor swing, a crib, a changing table, a rocker, a mattress, a breast pump, a boppy, a bumbo seat, a high chair, etc. I have people already committed to giving me a video camera (HOORAY!), and an outdoor swing (YEAH!). I couldn't find a way to register for baby books, but I would love some of the classics like the Boynton books and Goodnight moon. Actually, I've found Walmart has a good selection of these hard baby books, and wouldn't turn down some soft baby books as well.
If anyone is wondering if I would be happy with hand-me-downs, note that most of what I have purchased thus far is consignment, so I'd be thrilled to receive anything that might be helpful.
I will be doing one last update of both registries somewhere around Memorial Day in order to make sure that I've cleared items that are no longer available and registered for clothing that's in stock/in season at the time of my first shower. Happy gifting! :)