33 Weeks

33 down, 7 to go! We started the official countdown to Little Man on our fridge this week, and even though it sounds silly, it's pretty exciting to watch the days melt away. I hate to wish the next seven weeks away (because I know I'm going to be a hormonal mess and wish I could have them back), but I can't wait to finally meet this little nugget. Spring weather finally hit its stride this week (after a crazy roller-coaster start), which means we're that much closer to June =]

How far along? 33 Weeks

Weight Gained 21 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Almost exclusively. My pre-preg jeans are on their last leg =[

Stretch marks? No new ones to report-- keep those fingers crossed!

Sleep Status Rolling over is definitely a chore these days (but that's probably because of this 4 lb. child I'm heaving around) but I usually wake up feeling pretty well-rested anyway. Finished student teaching on Friday, so I'm looking forward to sleeping in this week!

Best Moments this Week Maybe not the best moment, but definitely a silly one! I went to my doctor's appointment on Tuesday... which was actually scheduled for Wednesday. Naturally, the receptionist called me out on my baby brain right in the middle of the waiting room. Ohhhh, pregnancy.

Miss anything? Adult beverages. Don't judge.

Food Cravings Chocolate milk, BIRCH BEER, tartar sauce?! I'm a freak.

Aversions meat, dairy, and seafood

Showing? Oh yes! Baby is supposed to be the size of a honeydew, and I'm pretty sure he dropped this week, considering his precious little head is currently driving into my bladder. 

Rings? Still on!

Belly Button? Still kinda flat and weird.

Labor Signs Nothing too scary, just some crazy Braxton Hicks last week. My mom told me to stop being a sissy and drink some water, and promised that would make them go away. She was right (but don't tell her I said that).

Symptoms Heartburn, the return of the first-trimester eye twitch, and increasing anxiety (which probably has more to do with the fact that I've been off my meds for 7 months than anything else)

Mood Good! Getting impatient.. SO ready to meet this little man!

Looking forward to... treating myself to a pedicure tomorrow =]

eightmoreweeks!

If you ask me about any major life event, I could probably give you a song or two that I will forever associate with it. I'm a pretty big nerd when it comes to music (and, well, a lot of other things), so naturally this pregnancy has spawned a playlist:

Stop This Train John Mayer

"So scared of getting older-- I'm only good at being young."

It's mildly terrifying that in eight short weeks, I'm going to be responsible for another human being. Let's face it-- I can hardly remember to turn off my flat iron. Someone is actually going to put me in charge of a baby? In all seriousness, I know we'll be fine. Mike is going to be an awesome dad, and chances are I'm going to love this kid so much that no woman will ever be good enough for him. That doesn't change the fact that this is scary. Five minutes ago I was fratting at Penn State; fast forward ten years and we'll be three kids deep, shopping for a mini-van. I know that like all kids, Little Man will grow up and think we're old and lame.. at which point I will remind him that once upon a time, we were pretty cool.

93 Million Miles Jason Mraz

"In life you're gonna go far, and if you do it right you'll love where you are. Just know wherever you go you can always come home."

This song breaks my heart a little more every time I hear it. I know it's going to be quite a while before Little Man is all grown up (and towering a foot above me like his father), but it's still sad to imagine a time when I can't snuggle him up and keep him safe. If nothing else, I hope that I can give him the confidence to go out into the world and do big things; whether he sets out to cure cancer or sell tomatoes on the side of the road, I'm going to be his biggest fan. But at the end of the day, this cancer-curing tomato farmer will always be my sweet little boy.

The Woman I Love Jason Mraz

"And in those times when you stop loving that woman I adore, you can relax because babe I've got your back."

I was a pretty crazy person before I was pregnant (like when I cried on the Fourth of July because Papa John's said it would be two hours before they could deliver my pizza), but this baby has taken things to a whole new level. There was the time I drove an hour away for donuts, the time I made my husband inspect the underside of my belly for stretch marks, the time he wanted to take me out to dinner and I stood in front of my closet crying because nothing fit right.. let's suffice it to say that hormones are no joke. But no matter how anxious or emotional or downright crazy I am, my husband is right there to make everything better. I really don't know how or why he puts up with me sometimes, but I'm glad he does because I would be a hot mess without him.

We only have eight more weeks to go, and it's starting to feel bittersweet. On one hand, I just want this kid out of me already. On the other hand, I know I'm going to miss feeling this close to him. June will be here before we know it, and then it's on to the next big adventure =]


How far along? 32 Weeks
Weight Gained 17+ lbs.
Maternity Clothes? Still in the same boat.. wishing some of my old clothes still fit! It's kind of hard to plan my summer wardrobe because I'm not sure what to expect post-baby.
Stretch marks? A few fine ones here and there, but nothing to really freak out about. I'm trying to accept the fact that I'm growing another person so yea, things are going to change.. but it still sucks.
Sleep Status Waking up for student teaching is starting to get to me. I'm seriously exhausted! I'm way ready for May to get here so I can lay in bed until 11 watching Kathy Lee and Hoda. 
Best Moments This Week I got a massage yesterday and it was great! Someone should have warned me about how sore I would be today though.. totally not prepared for this! I feel like someone beat me.
Miss Anything? My life before heartburn
Food Cravings Sprite, Rita's, and raisin toast
Aversions seafood, meat, and alfredo sauce. YUCK!
Showing? I'm probably a week away from eclipsing the sun with this thing
Rings? still on!
Belly Button? still weird
Mood Good! Tired, but good.
Looking forward to... my hair appointment Monday and going to see our doctor on Tuesday! Mike hasn't been able to come with me since our 20 week appointment, so I'm excited for him to be a part of this one.

31 Weeks

I'm officially 31 weeks today, and my belly is EXPLODING. I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who will be quick to tell me to stop whining and eat a few dozen cupcakes (seriously, I realize this could be a lot worse) but I'm starting to feel like a whale. 

I've accepted the fact that my body no longer belongs to me, but is rather the property of the squirmy frog-legged child growing inside me (whose favorite pastime is ramming his hip directly where my belly button used to be). I've also decided that my mom was probably right when she said that God designed the last trimester of pregnancy to BLOW so that by the time your water breaks, you'll put up with just about anything short of actually dying to get this baby out of your body. 

Don't get me wrong, pregnancy is an incredible adventure. Nothing will ever compare to feeling those first little flutters, or the first time Mike could feel Little Man kick. It's a crazy wonderful thing to watch the changes happening from week to week, and to know that we created this little person (that we finally get to meet in two short months!). There are some days that I just want to keep him snuggled up in there forever, safe and sound; I get emotional just thinking that one day, he'll be all grown up and too cool for me (yea, I'm not hormonal at all). But most days, I want him to hurry up and get here already!

How far along? 31 Weeks

Weight Gained 17 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? Lots of maternity tops (some pre-pregnancy tees and tanks still fit), but I'm still managing to fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! The belly band has been saving the day lately when it comes to dress pants for school, and leggings are definitely a staple of my wardrobe.

Stretch marks? Still none on the belly! A few small, silvery ones made their big debut on my hips recently (fingers crossed they don't get worse).. the girlfriends up top have probably taken the biggest hit =[

Sleep Status When Little Man is on the move (which is basically all the time), it's pretty hard to fall asleep. I wake up once in a while through the night, mostly because rolling over takes a concentrated effort these days.. and usually wakes up my husband (sorry I'm not sorry).

Best Moments this Week We finally scheduled our maternity pictures! One of our close friends happens to be a cinematographer, and put together an amazing video for our wedding. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm1XNiZA618

So excited that he could squeeze us in!

Miss Anything? My old clothes =[  My collection of summer dresses are looking pretty sad and lonely. It would also be nice to get a good night's sleep and maybe, just maybe be able to eat anything without a handful of TUMS in tow.

Food Cravings chocolate milk, iced coffee (oops), and all things fruity

Aversions anything that might remotely result in heartburn (it's a growing list), seafood, and meat

Showing? Oh yes! I'm pretty positive I feel a growth spurt coming on. Yikes!

Rings? Still on!

Belly button? Getting weirder by the minute-- almost completely flat.

Mood Good! A little overwhelmed with the start of student teaching this week, but tomorrow's Friday and I'm still alive so we're doing pretty well!

Looking forward to... Baby showers! One of my best friends is actually due on the same day as me (INSANE!) and her shower is next weekend. Can't wait to spoil her with even more goodies and catch up with some old friends =]

on family.

Family gatherings always have a way of making me feel like I'm ten years old again. It doesn't matter how old we get, we all seem to fall back into our childhood-selves as soon as we walk into my mom's house. Even if just for a second, there we all are-- it's the late 90s and everything is just as it always was.

Adam and Jake are always on the verge of doing something really stupid. There was the time they locked themselves in their room and pulled all the hair out of our cat's tail.. the time they threw walnuts at the windows to see if they could break them.. the time they put on brand new socks and walked in the mud, just because. The living and breathing manifestation of Step-Brothers (Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly, in all their glory), their brilliant ideas never cease to amaze. I'm sure if their Batman and Red Power Ranger costumes (circa 1998) still fit, they would wear them with pride as often as possible.

While Madison and Jerome maintain that they hate each other's guts, this picture is proof that there was a time when they were total BFFs. Only 18 months apart, these two were always together-- and then middle school happened and I guess being best friends with your little sister wasn't so cool anymore. While they put on a front like they hate each other, I'm pretty confident they're lying. Ten years from now, when they're done being weird teenagers, they'll be holding hands on a dirt pile again somewhere and we'll all say "I told you so."

The first and the favorite (naturally), I will always be the first to boss everyone around. Grown-ups call it nice things like "micro-managing" and "being assertive," but let's call a spade a spade-- I was a dictator. Summer vacation usually consisted of me forcing my younger siblings to play endless games of "house" and "school," and tattling on them when they didn't play right. And though it's been years since our last game of "house," the Angelica in me always rears her head when the situation calls for it. What can I say? Old habits die hard.

And then there are these crazy kids. Since remarrying a few years ago, my mom added two more little nuggets to the bunch. It's kind of funny to think about where they're going to fit in with the rest of us-- what stories will they have to tell in ten or twenty years? I'm sure Little Man will be giving them a run for their money in no time.

Now that the big kids have started leaving home, it's rare that we're all in the same place. And even though we're pretty good about getting together for the holidays, we didn't quite make it this Easter. My mom still made a yummy spread of all our favorite foods, Madison and Jerome still pretended to hate each other, and the little guys still managed to steal the show.. but without Adam and Jake, it wasn't quite the same. 

Somewhere between the Batman and Red Power Ranger costumes, the dirt pile, and the two-millionth game of "school," we had something pretty special. If you had told us then, we wouldn't have believed you. But now? Now I know it was.

saturdays.

the lovefest i wake up to every Saturday morning.

can't wait until Little Man is here to snuggle too <3

daily mantra: i'm pregnant, not fat.

I'm 30 weeks (and one day) pregnant, and I'd like to think I'm looking pretty good. 

Somehow, between my late-night chili dog cravings and chocolate-iced donut binges, I've managed to only put on 13 pounds-- and most of it is belly and boobs, thank the good lord. I'm still rocking the pre-pregnancy jeans (thank you, American Eagle Boyfriend Fit), but things in the undies department aren't quite so fab.

Let me clarify.

I don't have a huge ass. It's actually pretty nice (and one of the reasons my husband married me, I'm pretty sure). But one of the horrible realities of pregnancy is that it doesn't matter if you maintain twig-status or become morbidly obese, your ass will get fat. Even a couple of pounds can take you out of those teeny sexy pre-preg panties in a heartbeat, and land you right where you never thought you would be-- shopping for size large cotton panties at Victoria's Secret. 

It's a land almost as barren and sad as Cumberland, MD (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, just picture a town where everyone has about five teeth and going to Wal-Mart is a special occasion). 

And the girls who work at Victoria's Secret? They will judge you. They will judge you first for bee-lining to the cotton underwear, and then again for bending your pregnant self over far enough to reach the "large" drawer.

At first glance, large cotton underwear seem pretty ridiculous. Is my ass actually this fat?! Here I am, in the middle of all things sexy and lacy, holding up cotton underwear that could probably fit Shamu. Pre-preg Erica was a healthy size 6 (and, for the most part, I still am)-- the definition of a medium in every way. Throw a fetus into the mix, and things are bound to change-- I get it. But large cotton underwear? Scary.

Eventually, I got over myself and bought the stupid large underwear. I convinced myself that they would shrink in the wash, and by the time I dried them at a face-melting temperature they would be a little less scary. And it would be a refreshing change for my underwear to not cut off my circulation. Little Man will make his big debut on or around June 14th, and until that point (and a little while after) the teeny sexy pre-preg panties will have to hang out in the back of my underwear drawer... and life will go on.

And the judgy girls who work at Victoria's Secret? Their day will come.

beginning.

I've been contemplating blogging for a long time.

But each time I work up an "imgonnadothis" attitude, I start thinking about how ridiculously egocentric it makes me seem to assume that anyone might even remotely care about the things I may or may not post for all the world to see.

Here's the thing-- I don't really care if three people, three thousand people, or no people read this. I kind of don't care if it makes me egocentric to think that anybody would. I know that there are at least three blogs I anonymously follow, and it makes me feel good to know that there are at least three other twenty-somethings going through the same things I am. 

So even if there's just one person out there who anonymously reads this-- and who is subsequently made fun of by their husband for being a creepy stalker [true life]-- this is for you.

Otherwise this is just for me, and that's okay too.

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"One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year." [Emerson]