Bumpdate: Week 26

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, y'all! I can see July from here! That, coupled with some FABULOUS extra help at work has made for a better week in the Valentine household. 

Plus, we did several fun things - baked some cookies, organized closets, and painted the nursery - which lifted my mood a little, too. The nursery now looks more like a nursery, and less like a chaotic former-office-now-stuffed-with-lots-of-baby-stuff room. Up next is the chair rail...but that's going to require some outside help (Daddy to the rescue!)

We did have a bit of a hiccup early last week (with some shenanigans involving our home insurance company and mortgage holder), but that seems to have been cleared up, thank goodness. 

To round out the "betterness" of this week, we drove to Arkansas this weekend! The Boy & the fur kids are joining me for my week "in" the office, which always makes for a better time. Plus, I'm off work on Friday and my parents will be driving to OKC that day to spend the weekend with us and help us get the nursery assembled - cannot wait to see them and finally get that room looking like it's ready for a baby!

Now, without further ado, a bumpdate!

She's gettin' up there in length! Hard to imagine her getting as big as she is, but exciting, too. She's big enough now that when she kicks, you can see my whole belly move - which is weird and wonderful all at the same time. Speaking of my belly, now that she's fairly obvious, I'm starting to get the occasional compliment (which makes me feel cute instead of huge - nice bonus). 

I'm also starting to feel the results of her getting bigger in my back, though, which is a constant reminder that I cannot do all the things I expect I should still be able to do (like bake 10 dozen cookies in a week). Thank goodness for a hubby who puts up with my tendency to over-commit (and helps by picking up the slack when I just can't do it anymore).

I'm learning I have to slow down, now if I could just remember how to sleep...

Til next week, friends!

Bumpdate: Week 25

Hi there, friends!

It's been another long week in the Valentine household. I'm very over June at this point. The good news is that July is just around the corner and it promises a respite from the long hours and stress, even if not from the heat. (At this point, however, I'll take heat over stress. Call me when they invent a system that can minimize stress at a whim like my beloved AC unit.)

Despite the long week, there were quite a few bright moments - I got to meet a precious friend's new baby boy (and cuddle him for a nice long while) and my work girls and I snuck away on Friday to catch the new Pixar film. I mean, how could we not? A movie about emotions and how the human brain processes feelings and motivations? The Planning department was sold - hook, line, & sinker.

(FYI, it's adorable. But maybe bring a few tissues.)

Another highlight: we are now down to DOUBLE DIGITS between now and the due date. Cue simultaneous panic and excitement...and a crazy rush to get the nursery in working order.

While we work on that, here's your bumpdate for last week:

All I can say after this week is thank goodness for patient, supportive husbands and virtually limitless access to chocolate. Here's to shorter days, earlier bedtimes, and more time to relax. Hurry up, July!

Til next time, friends!

Bumpdate: Week 24

Last week was hard, y'all. It was one of those emotional roller coaster weeks - with lows where stress and hormones resulted in complete breakdowns and highs of sheer joy at seeing our little one move around on screen.

Lots of prayers and tears and texts and conversations (and one Red Velvet frappuccino) got me through the week, but it was rough. It's honestly left me with a bit of an emotional hangover this week, too. Mommas out there going through the same stuff, I feel for you. This job is not for the faint of heart.

I won't go into detail on the week, but continued thoughts and prayers are always welcome (thank you all for loving on me and this little one). We both need and appreciate it.

Speaking of our little one, here's a bumpdate!

A whole foot long from head to heel - a whole FOOT! And, according to our ultrasound, she weighs in at about 1.5 pounds. There's definitely no denying she's there now - breathing, eating, even standing up is all getting trickier. Plus, look at this comparison!

It's amazing what can happen in five months. 

So excited our little one is growing and healthy. Keep it up, Baby Girl!

Bumpdate: Week 23

Dear June - 

I need you to calm down, mmk? It's already too hot and you've been here a week. You don't have to prove anything - we get you. Point made. Also, whatever is going on in the universe to make everyone crazy right now needs to sort itself out REAL quick. We're all apparently too hot and it's going to our heads. Just play nice, okay? Please?

Signed, 

Pregnant, Hot, and Baby-brained

.  .  .

Last week was a little crazy. The Boy and I packed up all the fur kids and hauled 'em to Arkansas with us for the week. He was off work and, since weeks away are always better when they're away with him, he joined me on my weekly pilgrimage. We have the luxury of staying in our own apartment when we're there, so traveling with the pets isn't THAT much of a hassle...it's just extra things to pack and think about and carry and corral. 

I honestly can't decide if the week was slow and the events were a little crazy, or if the week was insane overall and the events were just a side-effect. I don't feel like I worked a lot extra or ran around more than normal...but somehow, everything was weird. People were weird, work was weird, the town was weird, traffic was weird. Everything happened really fast and really slow all at the same time...and no one was patient about anything. 

Just one of those weeks, I guess. Time passes differently these days, so that could have something to do with it. That and it was Shareholders week for Walmart...new plan: let's blame it on having thousands of extra folks in our tiny town. Done. 

Crazy or not, we enjoyed our week - we got some shopping done, had many, many wonderful meals with some of our favorite people, I read a book (for FUN!), and we got to attend First Friday with some dear friends. 

Plus, Tiny is much more active and predictable now - I've started to notice patterns throughout the day when I'll feel her kick. It's fun getting to know her "schedule" (and makes talking to her all the more special when I know she's awake). 

Now, if we could just stay cooled off and get a bit more sleep...

While I continue that day dream, here's your bumpdate!

Fun Fact: Canary Melons exist! And they're super pretty! (the things you discover while on a "size" hunt in the produce section and they're out of squash)

She's getting so BIG! And she's finally starting to look like a real bump (not just an "I ate too much at lunch" bump). That makes Momma super happy, 'cause I was getting a little self-conscious about my lack of baby bump. It's weird how pregnancy makes you go from years of "Ugh, my belly looks huge today" to "Ugh, my belly looks so small today." Keep growing, Baby Girl! Momma wants people to know you're there!

Speaking of growing - guess what, y'all! We get to see Tiny this week! The doctor wants us to have monthly ultrasounds from here on out to make sure she's progressing as expected (not that we're worried she won't, I just have a medical history the doctor wants to be conscious of). That said, maybe I'll have pictures to share next week! Stay tuned!

Bumpdate: Week 22

Last week FLEW by! We were busy at home, plus it was a short week at work which always speeds things along. Despite the busy, it was fairly uneventful - mostly working around the house (nesting has hit with FULL force) and getting ready for our trip to Arkansas this week.

We did have a few really fun moments - the best of which was The Boy got to feel Tiny kick for the first time! She hasn't wanted to show off for him much (she gets super still when he touches my belly - fingers crossed Daddy's calming influence continues after she's born), but she did give him a few little kicks! It was fun to see him experience that part of our little world. Up til now, those little kicks have mostly been Momma & Tiny's secret, but it's nice to bring Daddy in on the fun.

In addition, we nailed down a paint scheme for the nursery and chose a photographer for Tiny's first photos. Checking things off the list!

Speaking of lists, here's your bumpdate recap of the week:

She just keeps growing! It's exciting now, but someone needs to figure out how to make this speedy growth stop once she arrives. I'll have none of that "blink and she's a toddler business." Nope. Little forever. Make it happen.

Til next week, friends!