Random thoughts of the day

My goodness, I think this baby has grown 2 lbs and 5 inches overnight. My giant belly suddenly feels to small to hold him in. He is kicking and sticking his little butt out and rubbing his elbow across my whole stomach. He's very active and lots of times, convenient times like during church and meetings at work, he moves so much my belly jiggles all over the place. I haven't seen anyone notice yet, except Kyle, but if they were looking they could totally see him. Good little boy that he is though, he never starts making a ruckus until after 8:30am. He must be a late sleeper like his Mama.

Early on in my pregnancy, I read somewhere that pumping gas could be hazardous to the baby's health. My dr. was not convinced that this was a legitimate concern, but since my husband is so wonderful he took over that job for me anyway. So I really haven't pumped gas since October! But alas, the dream was destined to die someday...and that was today. Yesterday, the gas light came on as I drove to work (which is about 23 miles). I coasted back home on fumes and then promptly forgot about it. So I had to stop on my way to work today and I wasn't really sure what side of the car the tank was on! Luckily I made a good guess.

Last time I tried to pump gas, I was such a paranoid freak that I tried to hold my breath the whole time. That was not a good idea as I almost passed out! This time I breathed normal, just turned my body away and tried to stay up-wind.

Lastly, I must say that Super Wal-Mart is just too gigantic for a pregnant lady to navigate. Next time I go, can I get one of those hover-rounds to zip around on?

A Touring We Will Go

Yesterday we toured the hospital. Grandma Marble, Grandma & Grandpa Lein, and me and Kyle all went. What a place! The new addition to St Mary's is gorgeous and the rooms are huge. They sure knew how to handle a group of preggos....they had water and brownies for us - what more could we ask for?! While it was good to see where we need to go and what we need to do on the big day, I have to admit that I really wasn't paying too much attention. I figure that's Kyle's job. I'll be too busy to remember how to navigate the maze of hallways to the check-in desk!

Being at the hospital was quite the reality check that caused a minor meltdown. Ok, maybe it was a major meltdown. Let me just say that while the other moms were listening and looking around excitedly, I was blowing my nose. All I could think was "this is gonna hurt!". Halfway through I pulled it together and was fine the rest of the tour. Can we say overtired and emotional? Not a good combo for Preggy Preggerson.

Isn't my mom the best!? She drove all the way from Michigan just to come on the tour with me. We had a great weekend together, the only problem was it was a little too short. Now I know I'm 33 weeks and getting gynormous, but my goodness, my mom looks shrimpy next to me here!

High Maintenance?

Believe it or not, I've been called high maintenance a time or two in my life. In fact my sister used to call me HM for short. I never really understood why. Could it be the fact that I grew up in the U.P. but don't prefer to wear hoodies every day? Or maybe it's that I like to wear shoes with heels sometimes, even in the snow.

Whatever it was, I never really thought the nickname fit. I mean I've done some serious roughin it in my day and I thought for sure that would erase all memory of the dreaded nickname. I've visited Guatemala twice, and let me tell ya, it was amazing, but it was not luxurious.

The first time I stayed at an orphanage with ice cold showers. My bunk bed collapsed nearly on top of me and the roof leaked so bad my bed got soaked, not just once, but twice!

The second time we stayed in a motel that cost $8 a night. The room was so dark we had to wear headlamps to look in our suitcases. The shower head was attached by duct tape and the water ran into the room during every shower. We rode in the back of a pickup truck for an hour to get to our worksite, all the while wearing hankerchiefs like bandits to breath through all the dust. Once on the job there were no bathrooms, unless you count the dried up cornfield which provided little privacy.

If those two trips weren't rough enough, last summer Kyle and I spent a week in the boundary waters! No showers, pit toilets with no walls, and worst of all NO MAKEUP - thanks a lot Mark. At least in Guatemala I had my makeup!

So after all that hard work at clearing my name of the high maintenance label, times are a changing. Baby boy Lein has made me more high maintenance than ever. Not just in the fact that I'm tired and so I like someone to bring me snacks or drinks, or a pillow, or the remote, or whatever I may desire at the moment. But now I love girlie things more than ever! A mani-pedi would be divine! These new shoes shown in the picture made my whole week! A cool new handbag or some fun accessories which were great before, now can make me ecstatic! Wearing pretty smelling lotions or perfumes make me feel like a whole new woman! The less comfortable my clothes are, the more I love these little girlie treasures.

So here's a tip to anyone out there who's pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant: While we can't all afford mani-pedi's once a month, we can take time to pamper ourselves a little. And a little goes a long way! A new eye shadow or haircut can make you feel good for a month. Soaking your feet or doing a body scrub on the weekend can rejuvinate you for days. And getting all the rest you want or need is an absolute must. Remember: a body pillow is a preggo's best friend!

Well I guess my sister was right when she named me HM. She couldn't have known at the time how spot-on it would be. It's time for me to give up the fight and let my true self be known. Until next blog.......sincerely, HM

33 Pounds & 12 Inches Later....

....I've abandoned my beautiful rings....I've given up on my watch....and I've long since stopped wearing any shoes other than sandals. It's impossible to bend over gracefully and my belly has started reinacting scenes from Alien. We had our 32 week dr. appt today and in the waiting room the little man was kicking up a visual storm! My stomach danced this way and that and Kyle and I just cracked up. The other patients in the waiting room must've though we were obnoxious but at least we were having fun!

Dr. says everything looks great. She thinks Baby boy is about straight up and down now, and they almost never turn back around. So that sounds good to me! Kyle entertained me and the doctor with his grave concerns over having to deliver the baby at home. He never even realized calling 911 was an option! =) We decided a barrett would be the best household item to clamp off the cord with and Dr Thousand is going to pass that along to her other patients. So if you notice Kyle has started carrying a barrett around in his pocket, he's not hoping for a girl, he's just prepared.

Go Meat!!

So far my pregnancy has gone pretty smoothly, praise the Lord! But it's been hard in many ways I didn't expect. I've never had heartburn before in my life - now it's a daily occurance. When I'm tired - I'M TIRED! Like someone unplugged me from the socket and I can go no further. I can't wear my rings anymore and I often feel starved, thirsty, and so full I could lose it - all at the same time. How is that even possible?

I don't think I've been overly emotional, which is good. But ask my husband and maybe he'll tell you differently. The one crazy tearfest that's most memorable happened about two weeks ago. Suddenly baby Lein decided enough of the fruits and veggies, a real little man needs meat! It was my strongest craving ever. It didn't matter what kind, but I wanted meat for dinner!

It was a Monday night, and as luck would have it, our fridge/freezer looked as though vegetarians lived here. And so the meltdown ensued. I started to cry and a bewildered Kyle asked what was wrong. "I want meat!" was my desperate reply. So my wonderful husband jumped in the car, shot over to the Piggly Wiggly and got me some Johnsonville Turkey Cheddar Brats. He hurried home to get the grill out of the shed, only to find that last fall it was put away dirty. So he cleaned it up as fast as he could and had a steamin plate of brats in front of me in no time at all.

In the words of Salt N Peppa "What a man, what a mighty, might good man!"

April showers bring June babies!

My first baby shower and boy did we get spoiled! About 25 people showed up for great food (thanks Patties) and fun games (oh yeah sister Sara), many with babies in tow. The gifts were unbelievable! Our nursery is packed! Our friends and families have been very generous.


You know, I was thinking... Target should give you a present for registering there. We've brought them quite a lot of business between wedding and baby showers! Anybody know a big-wig at Target I could talk to about this?

Lots O' Love

I thought twice about putting a picture of my bare belly online....but if you can't show your belly to your friends or family, who can you show your belly to? As the belly grows, so does the love!

Daddy & Lu Get Ready

Thanks to Grandma & Grandpa Marble, we now have a trendy stroller for Baby Boy to tool around in. Dad put it together no sweat, while Lula supervised. We plan to be an active, outdoor family and this stroller will get lots of road time!