31 weeks, 4 days

Quick update..I finished the baby sling I was making! So excited about it :) Jesse is still working hard on the changing pad he is making, but in all fairness, his pattern is harder to follow and understand than the one for the sling. While my pattern was at least loosely translated from the original Chinese, I think his was left in Chinese. Just because you pick a pattern brand called "Simplicity" does not mean they are simple.
And, he is using nylon/rip-stop nylon: RIDICULOUS to work with because it slides all over the place.
Showing off my iron and ironing board..
showing where Lily will go in the sling. And then we wanted to test it out for real..and didn't have a baby on hand..
65lb+ Boxer will work in a pinch. He is obviously thrilled with the situation he has found himself in. And I am not going to elaborate on how we got him IN the sling..but it was exciting. [note: this is not how I will carry Lily in the sling]

All in all, it was a lot of fun to make! I only got frustrated at the end when I started to get really particular about what little details looked like and I ended up ripping out a bunch of seams because it wasn't straight enough. No blood was drawn on pins, but I DID manage to break two needles! Two!

That's it, I was just really excited about my sling. Jesse and I are going to pick up our crib this weekend, next weekend is Pagano-fest '10 (aka Pagano family reunion! YAY!) and then in a few weeks after that is family gathering on Jesse's side of the family. Busy busy..Jesse commented today that he thought 9 months was a really long time to take to grow a person. Because he is ready to meet her and hold her NOW. This led to a discussion on how her due date being 8.5 weeks away seems like not as much time as saying 2 months. Which is true somehow.

31 weeks, 2 days

9 weeks to go!! Yikes! And the crib should be finished Monday, so we will be needing to plan a trip up to Amish country in Ohio here soon. Honestly if it's not done Monday, they may very well get a phone call from a grumpy pregnant lady, so let's hope it doesn't come to that! The guy I talked to said it'd be ready between the 13-26 of this month..

This is what it'll look like when it's done. Not with that bedding though, so picture more of a safari theme (picked by Jesse).

Not a ton is going on, but it's raining and I felt like blogging, so here it is. Lily is definitely getting bigger..no one can deny this now, and Jesse and I have been enjoying the random conversations we've had with strangers in random places. The current favorite is when the cashier at the grocery store today asked how far along I was, and then proceeded to tell me how she was also pregnant, but nobody believed her 'cause she didn't have a belly yet. Since she was only 4 months along, and she seemed so excited to start to show, I didn't tell her that I didn't REALLY start to noticeably show until a month or so ago..

Overall, I've still been feeling great, nothing worth even mentioning if I've been uncomfortable. But honestly, this entire last week was sooooo ridiculously humid in preparation for the rain we FINALLY are getting right now that yes, I was a bit uncomfortable. I'm praying that fall weather comes fast in WV..I've really started to notice how big Lily is getting when I try and reach down for something, or even put socks on. This is kind of weird for me, as I've always been flexible and able to touch my toes..now I have to try and bring my toes to me while sitting to put my socks on. And for those of you who know me well and know I never tie my shoes: THIS is why! I don't have to bend over to tie them now, I can just slip 'em on. And yes, I am going to claim that this is the reason that I haven't tied my shoes (except running shoes) since high school.
I haven't experienced anything I would consider Braxton Hicks or contractions yet (my midwife asked, that's the only reason I bring it up). Except maybe I can write off the cramping and tightening I've felt since the beginning of the second trimester as this..but I'm not sure yet. I just normally assume it's baby growing and the tendons have to stretch to accommodate. Maybe I should find out what BH really feels like..

Now that the midwife has told me that Lily is head down (oops, didn't know), I've been able to try and notice specific movements and figure out which limb she is flailing about. So far, no success. But, everyone promises that I'll be able to tell before too long that hey, that was a foot. Jesse really has been enjoying her growth spurts, as he can now physically see her moving and watch my stomach move. His exact words were "whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooaa...it's like you have a little alien in there!" Zeke doesn't seem to care too much about anything at this point, and except for some sporadic pacing, he's acted exactly the same. However, we will be putting the new car seat in the back of the car before we take a roadtrip with him next so he can get used to not being able to sprawl out on the back seat!

30 weeks, 6 days

I think that Lily has been going through a growth spurt the last week and a half or so..I feel like my tummy has gotten a lot bigger. AND, you can really tell that I am in fact pregnant now, so random people have started to ask me if I'm pregnant/how far along I am/if I know if I'm having a boy or girl. Unfortunately, all these people have been really nice about asking, so I haven't had a good opportunity to pull out a shocked expression and say "I'm NOT pregnant.." [ed. note: no, I will probably never do this, no worries]

Went to see one of the midwives today..everything is looking good, and she said the heartbeat sounds great. Actually, what she said was "oh my, she's sure moving around a lot, but her heartbeat sounds good!" which I take to mean basically the same thing. Midwife Rhonda also said that my belly size is measuring right, so I'm not sure how big everyone else was around 7ish months, because I've gotten tons and TONS of comments about how "small" I still look for being this far along. **shrug** who knows! I guess everyone really is different.
Oh, but more importantly, I do NOT have gestational diabetes and I am NOT anemic. Woohoo! They did forget to test my TSH levels (for my thyroid) last time when they were testing my blood, so I don't know how that's doing..they took plenty of blood last time, you'd think they would have remembered all of the tests. Oh well :)

But that's really about it..nothing too exciting to report. I finished the book Jesse bought me, "How to Have Your Second Child First." I really enjoyed it..pretty informative, written with a sense of humor (always a good option), and have already marked all the little tips I want Jesse to read so I know we're on the same page with stuff. Several of the tips were about things that very well could happen, so I felt it important that Jesse be just as aware of how I might respond/act as I was. For example, one of the second time mom's in the book admitted to not letting Dad do his own thing with the baby, but rather hovered over him, always correcting every move he made. I don't really see myself doing this, but I felt Jesse had a right to know that, hey, I just might (obviously I am going to try not to, but who knows how I'll react?).

It's so easy to say what I want to do and how I want things to run now. Who knows what will really happen once she's here?

Zeke wanted to be in this picture with me.

29 weeks, 7 days

So last night, I commented to Jesse that tomorrow I would officially be at 30 weeks, meaning Lily was 30 weeks old. He kind of rolled with it and just nodded like "ok, that's nice," not really seeing the point or understanding the significance, so I had to help him out a little by explaining that meant there were only 10ish weeks left until she was born. That got his attention..his eyes got really big and could only respond with "oooooooo." You could definitely see the slightly panicked/overwhelmed look on his face. I laughed a little, but it's true, just about 10 weeks left to go! And I think I'm allowed to be a little nervous :) At the same time, I've recently been getting super excited for her to be here and hold her and love on her.

Also this last week, I got a book entitled "How to Have Your Second Child First" which I have been enjoying reading so far. It's 100 tips from second time parents to try and make the first go-round easier. Some of my favorites: don't be afraid to ask for help, you really CAN shower, and babies really WILL sleep through the noise (and will learn to quickly if they don't at first). I'm assuming most second time parents would vouch for this: the first baby, you panic if you drop the pacifier and rush home to sterilize it; the second, you catch eating dirt and don't worry about it. Being a second child, I am going to assume this is 100% truth. Anyway, I've been pretty excited to read this book..I wasn't worried about the pregnancy part at all (meaning I read part of one pregnancy book and got bored). What I've been concerned with is the parenting part: how do I know and learn how to take care of the little person that Jesse and I are now solely responsible for?

My current "oh no, we don't have THIS yet" is diapers. Odd, I know..but kind of important I hear. We have decided we're going to use the gDiapers system, which I'm excited about, but we don't have the essentials to get started. gDiapers are pretty slick, as far as diapers are concerned, in my opinion..the disposable inserts can be trashed (and decompose in 50-150 days, vs 500 yrs of regular diapers), flushed (win) or composted for a garden (if you're into that kind of thing). They also have cloth inserts, which we are going to be trying to use the majority of the time I think..and so far, of the required "getting started" stuff, we have a 2 cases of disposable inserts. hm...I feel we'll be needing plenty more of everything.

And finally, in other news, Jesse and I decided that because of the uncertainty of the contract he is working on, now is not the best time for us to be buying a house. As a result, we decided it was in our best interest, and that of our family, to use some of the money we'd saved for a down payment to buy a car that has more than 2 doors and actually has some space :) and, while I was at work one evening, Jesse went out and bought this:
It's unnamed right now, but don't worry, a name is coming sometime. Jesse thinks it's a she, I think it's a he, but I guess we'll have to wait and see, so for now, "it" is a Ford 500..with TONS of space. Which is perfect. You know you have a lot of backseat space when your 6'4" husband can comfortably sit in the back and say "I have enough leg room" (which I almost never here).
Jesse's favorite part is how much room there is in the trunk..so we are excited that we now have room to travel places with the two of us, Lily and all the things you need to travel with a baby, plus Zeke :) Jesse was concerned about Zeke riding in the backseat with Lily, and I told him (and if you have met my dog, you know this is true) that the absolute worst that could happen is that Zeke will lick/slobber on her. So I think we'll be ok :)

29 weeks, 1 day

I don't have anything of importance to announce today..but felt that since I am 100% officially into the 7th month and the third trimester I should make a post. According to my countdown, Lily should be here in 76 days (yikes) and is the size of a squash, according to thebump.com.

"Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments."

So, apparently, that is what Lily is up to! I have been very blessed so far, she seems to be positioned in a very comfortable way, because I haven't felt any of these "kicks and jabs to the ribs." I am feeling lots of movement, but it's more like she is just shifting around and stretching out, not kicking and jabbing. I guess that could still be coming, but like I said, I've been blessed so far!

Jesse and I were at Target the other night looking at some baby things I still feel we need. I apologized for sounding so selfish when I refer to these items as things "I" think we need, as opposed to what "we" will need. He kind of looked at me funny, and I explained that as far as HE was concerned, we already had all the items HE wanted (Butt Paste Diaper Cream..he loved it when he saw it in the store), but there were still some items I think we'll be wanting (you know, silly things like..a mattress for her crib? And I DEFINITELY want a Boppy still). He laughed and said it was okay. So glad I have an understanding husband. I did make a list of the things I still feel we could use, and fortunately it's not too long! This must mean that we almost have our acts together!? By looking at the baby room, you wouldn't guess that..it has our current creativity projects in the middle of the room (quite the mess). Speaking of which, we have officially started on making things from the patterns he bought..Jesse is making a portable changing pad, and I'm making a sling to hold Lily. Jesse was kind of bummed when we went to Target and found basically the EXACT SAME changing pad that he was making- for $10- when he spent $12 on one piece of fabric..haha oh well, it's a learning experience :)

That's about it from here! I am missing coffee this morning..We drove an hour and 15 minutes to go to a drive-in movie in Pennsylvania and didn't get home until 2am (WAAAAAAY past my bedtime!), and Zeke was ready to be up and out of his cage around 830am. But, I can't complain, we did leave him for 8 hours last night to go on our adventure, and he is a good doggie :)

This is a picture of Zeke traveling in his preferred method..with his head sticking out the window, ears flapping in the wind :)

28 weeks, 6 days

I can't believe I'm getting into the 7th month of pregnancy..and the last trimester *slight panic attack*. Things are coming together, and our crib should hopefully be done and ready for pick up in the next week or two. Since we ordered a crib from an Amish crafted furniture store, Joel requested that we have an Amish person deliver it, in horse and buggy of course. After I told him the ridiculous price they charge for delivery, and the fact we're out of state, he agreed it would be best for us to make a trip and pick it up ourselves. Everything else is..getting there :) I think we're more or less set on clothes from 6 months on, and I'm kind of waiting until fall/winter clothes come out to really go get anything I feel we'll need in the 0-6 month range. There are only a few items we'd still like to purchase, but otherwise..I think we have almost enough stuff :)

The 28 week midwife appointment was this morning..fairly quick, a little pain, and to the point. This appointment held the repeat glucose test (super fun) and then the RhoGAM shot. I met with the final midwife we hadn't met yet, and I think we're going to be able to narrow it down to who we want to request to deliver Lily, but it's not official yet, or that we'll even really request one in particular. The RhoGAM shot was super lame, especially since I haven't gotten a shot since maybe freshman/sophomore year of college and apparently they think I'm big kid enough to not need a cool Batman bandaid!? What's up with that?!

Gail, the midwife of the day, recommended I go see a dermatologist for my lovely rash. Woohoo. She said it looked exactly like poison ivy to her (the common consensus), but she thought that it was nothing some prednisone couldn't hurt. And since it won't hurt the baby, I'm all for it so I can hopefully FINALLY stop itching EVERYWHERE. The other night after I got home from work, I'm pretty sure I sat on the floor for 15 minutes scratching my legs and feet (where it's the worst), while poor Jesse sat and tried to comfort me. Yes, I know you're not supposed to scratch when it itches..so shoot me. The worst it's going to do is leave scars, and I have worse :P I feel I've tried everything to find relief, and the ONLY thing that works is running my hands and feet under scorching hot water for a few minutes, so I'm all for this prednisone stuff. I told Jesse that I'd rather be in pain than have to deal with how itchy I've been..I know how to handle pain. I don't know how to handle itching so badly that I wake up several times a night scratching my skin raw.

I guess that's about it from here..I got to see Aunt Lynn last Saturday before I headed home from my week of camp, and she gave us/Lily the most adorable little pink camouflage outfit and a nifty little cover for shopping carts. I'll try and take pictures at some point, but when I showed Jesse, he was inspired to go out and buy us about 5 patterns of baby things for US to try and make. I will post pictures of our adventures in creativity at some point also, but we got the fabric last night so hopefully we'll get going this weekend!!

28 weeks and some odd days picture. With Zeke looking snobby off to the side, pretending he doesn't want to be in the picture. Oh, and the paper chain in the background is the one that Emily and I made when she visited in March, counting down until Squirt's arrival..200 at the time, and I've completely failed at keeping up on it. So we have some decoration in Lily's room :)

28 weeks, 2 days

I made it back from a week of OSAS (Ohio Scottish Arts School)! This is the camp that Jess, Joel and I went to for years for dancing; and I got to go this year again as a photographer/counselor. It was so much fun to see some of the teachers and people from the 9ish years from where I spent a week each summer. Everyone was excited to find out that I am pregnant and that we're having a little girl named Lily. One girl that I met this week had no problem coming up and rubbing my belly and saying hi to Lily each time she saw me, and actually got to feel some movement at one point, which made her day.

It was a good week, but pretty uncomfortable to be really honest. We stayed in the Oberlin College dorms (with no air conditioning), and the day or so before I headed there, my body decided to break out in some random rashes. The doctor I grew up going to (and who actually was there at delivery for all of Team Pagano) goes to this camp still as a bagpiper, so he checked out my rashes and said it looked like mostly heat rash, some hives and something else. A few days later, he declared that he had no idea what this was because hives should be gone by now. Needless to say, I was thrilled when the temperature dropped for the week into the 70s.

I really enjoyed being able to go back and watch a few dance classes (while pretending to take pictures) and really made me miss dancing. Maybe after Lily arrives I'll get back into it..sometime.

After camp ended on Friday, Mom and I headed back to Findlay. I got to see Mama, Poppy, Aunt Lynn and the rest of the family for a little bit Friday evening and Saturday morning/afternoon before I headed home. It was a great and tiring week with lots of walking and not enough ice cream, but Lily and I enjoyed ourselves, and Grandma Milly (my mom) got to feel her move and kick a little bit. I have a midwife appointment Thursday for a repeat glucose test, so I'm obviously looking forward to that. And now, a few pictures from my week at camp so I can prove I actually did productive things and not just walk around for a week at camp.