100 Days

And here's the latest baby update. :-)

Tomorrow marks 99 days until Monkey's due date. Double digits!! Holy cow, that doesn't seem like much...especially since we started counting with about 240 days to go. BUT it still seems like so far away!

The closer September gets, the more nervous I get...mostly about getting the big stuff done. You know, starting the nursery (did that!), buying furniture, deciding on a definitive baby shower date, registering for childbirth classes (did that too!)...what else? It's kinda scary. I WANT to do it all, but there's a part of me that's still scared it will all be for nothing (someone please slap me for that...).

Yesterday we finally had the new carpet installed in the nursery, and it is sooo nice! SUPER soft and bouncy. Scott and I were just hanging out on the floor last night enjoying the smell and the newness of it. We're definitely getting the same carpet in the living room when we have the money to do so. We probably could have saved money on the installation by doing it all at once, but it would have more than doubled the cost and there are other things we need the money for right now so the living room has to wait. So now the nursery is painted and carpeted, we just need to figure out what we're doing with the closet (organization wise), buy furniture, and decorate! I guess I shouldn't say "just", because there's a lot involved with those three steps, lol!

There are SO many options when it comes to furniture...it's very overwhelming! I know I want a convertible crib...one that can convert from a crib to a toddler bed, daybed and then twin or full size bed. I also know I want a long dresser to be used as a changing table. We'll just put a changing pad on top of it and then when it will be used simply as a dresser down the road. That's the current trend, and I think it's smart. Or maybe it's an old trend that has stayed popular, 'cause it's what my parents did for me too. :-) Furniture is also kinda expensive. I mean, we want good quality, all wood (not particle board) furniture. If we do this right, this could end up being Monkey's forever furniture...that she takes to college with her. YIKES, okay, thinking too far ahead...but you get the idea. I guess my point is we could go buy a cheap crib for $100 that would definitely do the job, or we could spend a few hundred on a good quality one that should last a looooong time. Same with the dresser. We plan to make this purchase sometime in July. We're kinda hoping for some good 4th of July sales, hehe. :-)

I changed the bedding set again. The one I posted before suddenly became unavailable at Target (Target was the only place it could be purchased from...even through Amazon or other online retailers, they all went back to Target.com). I was so bummed! But then I found this one and fell in love with the flowery design. :-) The one at Target did become available again, but we're still going with the other one instead because it's better quality AND we don't want to overdo the monkey theme. She will have plenty of monkey stuff (clothes, stuffed animals, blankets, etc) without having to do the whole room in monkeys. SO, that's the plan. And again, I'm waiting to see if there will be a 4th of July sale before I pay full price for the bedding set...because my 20% off BRU coupon is only good for in-store items, and this one is only avaliable online (of course!). Oh, from the picture...I plan on getting the bedding set, wall border, pillow (for the chair) and rug...but not the other stuff. Plus, I want to make my own window covering. The wood blinds definitely keep light out, but I think curtains (pulled to the sides) would add a nice touch and a pop of color. :-)

Hmmm, what else. Oh, I cannot wait until June 29th! That's when we get our next ultrasound, and hopefully we'll get a 3D picture of her! I'll be just over 28 weeks at that time and 3D pictures are usually really good at that point because babies are starting to put on the fat and get those cute little chubby cheeks by then. :-)

Speaking of fat, the scale is rather depressing lately!! And I do not care to share the number anymore, HA! I'm still right on track, but sheesh. I eat the same as I did before I was pregnant...how the heck does my body know to gain this much weight this fast?? I sure hope it comes off easily afterwards! I had to go buy a couple more pairs of shorts yesterday because the maternity shorts I bought at the beginning of my 2nd trimester no longer fit. Now THAT is depressing! Seriously, why does my butt have to think it's pregnant too? Can't it leave the growing to my belly?? Haha. So I bought two more pairs of shorts that will at least fit for now. The funny thing is they are NOT maternity, they are junior's sizes. Go figure. They sit low enough that they fit right under my belly and are quite comfy, and they are shorter than most maternity shorts, which I like. They're not super extremely short or anything, but they're not 5+ inch inseams like most maternity shorts...that's just too long!! I also found a pair of stretchy black cotton capri's (kinda like gauchos) at Target that are super comfy and don't make me look like a total pear! Yay for comfy clothes! Let's just hope I don't have to buy anything else! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shopping for clothes...but I DON'T like being forced to shop for bigger sizes! Lol.

ON another note, I know that Monkey is growing too...because she's getting more and more active all the time. In the past week I've started feeling her on both sides of my belly at the same time. She'll kick to the right and then almost immediately or at the same time I'll feel something on the left too...and that never used to happen, it was always one side or the other! Plus I think she's learned how to do summersaults now, and let me tell you that is the WEIRDEST and coolest feeling ever!! She still has days where I don't feel much at all, or have to bug her (wiggle and poke my belly until she responds) just to get her to move. I HATE days like that. And it seems to happen right after a super active day. She'll be going nuts one day, moving almost constantly, and then the next day hardly anything. Way to make mommy nervous, Monkey! It's days like those where I am glad I have the doppler so I can check up on her. Plus the doppler tends to make her mad now and she starts kicking it, which of course I love. Best $60 ever spent. :-)

I have to be careful, though, because a few weeks ago the doppler itself actually caused me to freak out. Monkey was having a lazy day, so I decided to use it. And I kept hearing a missed heartbeat every few seconds, not regular or predictable at all...but several times a minute. I checked every couple hours, and she was still skipping heartbeats here and there. I had to go to work that night and totally had a meltdown in front of my co-workers (who were wonderful by the way). Later that night I confided in one of them who used to be a labor and delivery nurse and she said she had heard that many times before and it was normal. She also told me that if I still heard it in the morning to call my Dr to ease my mind. Well, I still heard it the next morning when I got home, so I texted my Dr and she called me back and immediately offered to let me come to the office so she could check it out. I brought my doppler with me, but we heard the same thing a few times on HER doppler (which is infinitely more expensive), and she said it was just Monkey moving around and the doppler not being able to pick up every single beat. We heard a very strong and regular heartbeat otherwise. I felt kinda stupid, but she was so nice! And I felt so much better after being reassured that Monkey was okay. Stupid doppler. I was NOT happy with it that day. But in the few times I've used it since (on her lazy days) I have not heard the same skipping sound, so I'm glad for that!

What else, what else...it's been almost a month since I've given a baby update, so it feels like I have so much to say! I think I've covered pretty much everything, though. I'll try not to let it go that long again. I'll be taking another picture in the next few days and I'll try to post that next week. My last week in the 2nd trimester starts tomorrow! Third trimester officially starts at 26w6d, and that will be next Saturday the 19th. Wow! Scott's laptop finally died on us (the power cord plug-in port has been slowly failing), so I haven't been able to upload my pictures very easily. I have one from 24 weeks (and another at 24w5d because I thought my belly totally popped out in just 5 days!) that I'll try to share when I upload the one I take in a few days. My laptop is just soooo slow...and the desktop I'm using now cannot upload pics from my camera's memory card. SO it will have to wait.

Scott and I are off to get Chipotle and see Robin Hood tonight! Later!

~Abigail~