3.31.2012

The day our lives changed for the better.

She here safely after quite an unexpected arrival, she's fabulous, and I can't wait to properly introduce her soon!

xoxo,
Lulu

Recapping 39 Weeks

(39 weeks and letting it all hang out- no makeup, natural hair, headed to what we now realize was our last prenatal appointment)

Cooking Time?: 39 weeks, 6 days today. Tomorrow? I'll be having a baby.

Whatever happened to the phenomenon everyone warned me about, where the last few weeks of pregnancy would seemingly to creep to a grinding halt? I've felt no such halt, I will tell you that much.

I am honestly just now settling into the feeling of *being* pregnant, and this whole tremendous, life-altering event in life could be over in 48 hours or less. I'm still figuring out how to navigate life with a protruding belly, which seems to get smacked into doorknobs and wall partitions more than I'd care to admit, and have just now mastered the best way to awkwardly squat/bend down to pick things off the floor. I've only recently gotten used to catching my exaggerated reflection in the mirror, and am at peace with the additional weight pregnancy has put on that reflected face. You can no longer see the ribs on my small frame, and I have actually forgotten what my body felt like with a waistline (though the dozens of high-waisted dressed abandoned in my closet remind me that there had to be one there at some point). But the belly will be gone soon, and will be replaced with a squirmy, snuggly baby girl.

Cravings: Cadbury eggs, cereal

Baby size: The Dr projected the little martini olive to be about 7 lbs 3 oz this past Friday... We'll soon see how closely she clocks to that!

Daddy's Questions For The Doctor: Other than an entertaining grocery exchange last week, where the Mr. convinced me to swap my Honey Bunches of Oats request for a healthier box of Kashi, he's been a real gem for the last stretch.

State of the Union: This is where the big news comes in- if all goes well, I'm being induced tomorrow, my due date! Many people have asked me why we're moving forward with induction at 40 weeks, and why I'm not just going to sit and let nature take it's course. The basic answer here is "this is the best decision for our family". Conditions are favorable (a phrase which reminds me more of sailing conditions than something you would say about prepping for a baby) so we're going to go for it.

Highlights: It was very surreal, going through this entire week knowing it's your last as a non-mother. I hope to recap the last week a little more for posterity's sake soon, but in all honesty my brain is just too overwhelmed to process things at this point!

Annoyances: I'm having a baby tomorrow! It just feels wrong to complain at this point...

Recapping 37 Weeks

(Love seeing the Mr watching CU basketball in the background... Exciting Thursday night around here, folks!)

Cooking Time: 38 weeks today, holy cow! I'll be recapping week 37 below. I really expected the days to start slowing down at this point, like everyone told me they would... I still feel like time is absolutely flying by, cannot believe my due date is 14 days from today!

Cravings: I'm up to at least 2 Cadbury eggs a day now (gotta get them in while I still can), and still more cereal. I'm still having a very tough time finding food that sounds interesting to eat. I have been eating meat during my pregnancy, because frankly it just tasted good, but I've started to turn off meat again and am trending back towards my old vegetarian ways.

Baby Size: TBD, since our next Dr appointment isn't until the 19th. I'm going to guess she's at least 7 lbs now though, because I feel So. Full. Of. Baby.

Annoyances: Per Dr's orders, I'm now working at least 3 days a week from home. It's a relief not to put the extra strain of a commute on my body each day, and I'm able to feel much more productive at home when I don't have to get up and walk across the building to go to the restroom all day. However, I miss my coworkers and feel frustrated that I can't perform simple tasks such as getting up and ready for work each day. I'm trying to remind myself that I need to take it easy, but all the things I need to complete before the little lady gets here makes that very tough.

Daddy's Questions for the Doctor: Another week with no Dr appointment, so no silly questions to report (darn). The Mr has been taking me out for walks around the neighborhood every evening after he gets home from school, which is a nice chance to stretch my legs after a full day working from the couch. He also downloaded a contraction timer onto his iPhone last night, to prepare for the main event.

State of the Union: Still in the dark about what's going on down there. I had some time-able Braxton Hicks on Saturday night, but they were completely painless. Tuesday brought on some serious lower back cramps and a couple of menstrual-like cramps. Thursday night was the winner with 3 or 4 legit, time-able contractions with a small amount of pain associated. I think the ol' body is starting to get prepped for the main event?

Highlights: This was a big weekend for our household - the Mr. celebrated his 31st birthday on the 11th! I've been planning a very special weekend for him since Christmas. I realized that this weekend fell just after he completed mid-terms, so he wouldn't have any big school projects to work on (a first since most of his weekends are occupied by school stuff). I secretly reached out to all his closest guy friends, and planned a surprise pre-fatherhood guys weekend for him to enjoy. This man of mine has taken such good care of his pregnant wife that he totally deserved a little spoiling before his daughter arrived.

They spent the day in a cabana at a local casino resort, and then gambled and caused mayhem all night. So much for a relaxing birthday, weekend, eh? When my Braxton Hicks contractions started Saturday night, I could only imagine how hilarious it would be if I went into labor right then, where he would be forced to cab it to the hospital and go through labor while simultaneously sobering up from a day of pool drinking. Feeling very thankful that didn't occur! He was beyond surprised, and so thankful for the gesture. A family BBQ at his sister's house Sunday night (after a day of recovery napping) capped off a perfect birthday weekend. Now it's time to see what surprises week 38 has in store for us!

xoxo,

Lulu

Recapping Week 36

(An exhausted, unflattering photo of 36w6d. I tell it like it is.)

Cooking Time: Trying very hard not to get off-track with these recaps! I'll be recapping week 36 below, so I don't lose track of the time and get too confused about what happened when (Ah, pregnancy brain, you are no friend of mine!) I'm 37 weeks as of March 9th, or full-term, baby! Now I don't have to feel quite so bad about secretly wishing we could get this show on the road already, since I know that she'd be in good shape to come out at any time. I'm starting to feel like a licking time bomb since my due date is coming so quickly, but also know that she could still be a whole month away.

Cravings: Cadbury Eggs are my favorite candy, so I'm pleased as punch to be having a spring pregnancy that coincides with eating too many creme-filled eggs. Still on a cereal kick (I have at least 1 bowl each of Frosted Mini-Wheats and Honey bunches of Oats every day), and now I'm also on to minty things. I've been stealing hostess stand peppermints from restaurants like a fiend, and have even been brushing my teeth more since I crave that minty fresh feeling. Pregnancy weirdness at its finest.

Baby Size: TBD, since our next Dr appointment isn't until the 19th.

Annoyances: I'm trying to come up with clever ways to say I keep swelling, but there are none. Swelling, swelling, swelling. I'm down to rUnning shoes and 1 pair of flip flops that still fit my feet. I've also started to feel dizzy every now and then, which is a reminder that I'm pushing myself a little to hard at this point.

Daddy's Questions for the Doctor: With no appointment this week, the Mr has kept any tattletale questions to himself. He has been hyper-sensitive to any mention I make about back pain (my upper back has been killing me due to not sleeping well)- any time I mention my back aching, his eyes get bigger and he says "lower back pain?!" God bless him for paying such good attention in birthing class and knowing that lower back pain can be a sign of early labor.

State of the Union: I forgot to mention that Baby Girl dropped it like its HOT on March 3rd, sinking a few solid inches down my pelvis. I was sitting on the couch watching Hugo, and could literally feel her shifting down. This has brought on a new case of awkward baby placement, since her hiccups now jar my hip bones and her tiny feet keep getting stuck in my rib cage. I literally have to drive my minivan like a lowrider vehicle, tilted back a good 45 degrees so I can drive. Pure class.

Highlights: Attending my co-worker's baby shower, who is due 2 weeks after me with a little boy. The Mr. had midterms this week, which is just 1 more step towards his graduation in late April. Insane to think that he's almost done with his full-time MBA program, and that he'll be walking across that stage not only as a graduate but as a father now, too! Never saw that one coming! haha

xoxo,

Lulu

36 Weeks

(The Mr. wanted to sneak in on a photo)

Cooking Time: 36 weeks this past Friday, or officially 9 months pregnant! (I'm recapping late, because my Dr. had to reschedule our 36 week appointment for this past Monday.) Nobody ever seems to talk about the fact that pregnancy is indeed 10 months long (40 weeks divided by 4 weeks in a month equals 10 months, yo), so I've been confusing people when I say I'm 9 months pregnant and I still have 4 weeks left until my due date. The photo is from this past Thursday night at 35w6d, so I'll be recapping week 35.

Cravings: Sadly, nothing. I've basically lost my appetite this week, making life a little difficult because I still have a human growing inside me that needs nourishment, you know? Nothing really sounds good to eat at each meal, which makes me feel like a picky toddler when it comes time to figure out what's for dinner.

Baby Size: We're thinking somewhere between 5.5 - 6 lbs already, which is about ready to surpass my 5 lb 12 oz birthweight. Sounds like she'll be closer to her daddy's 7 lbs and change.

Annoyances: Swelling, swelling, swelling. I worked from home on Monday due to the sheer misery swollen feet and ankles were bringing me... I've since been sporting the oh-so-chic fashion combo of support hose, the Mr's running socks, and loosely-laced running shoes to work with my dress pants and dress/leggings ensembles. Totally against the business casual dress code here in Corporate America, but if it makes the difference between me physically being able to walk or not I'll take my chances. Walking and talking is actually quite a challange right now, which makes me feel a bit like a Biggest Loser contestant.

Daddy's Questions for the Doctor: The Mr. was able to attend my appointment, so no bizarro questions for this week!

State of the Union: My poor doctor tore her ACL last week, so we had to reschedule our typical weekly Friday morning appointment to Monday. Luckily she was able to see us on Monday, because we were able to see our little girl on our last ultrasound! She has chubby little fists, a button nose, and definitely has her mother's Reese Witherspoon-style pointy chin. We think she was doing some thumb sucking in there as well, which takes after me. I'm 75% effaced, but dilated just a fingertip. Sadly, my doctor's knee surgery will put her out of the game for a few weeks... We'll be skipping our 37 week and 38 week appointments, and picking up at 38.5 weeks. I'm sure I'll have a lot more change to record then!

Highlights: My sister-in-law threw me a baby shower on Sunday the 26th, with all my nearest and dearest in Arizona. This was my third and final shower, each one having been everything I could have ever hoped for and more. I'll be recapping the shower in a later post, but it was certainly the highlight of the week this week.

Coming in a close second would be the final baby shopping trip I took with my mother on Saturday, where we purchased our crib bedding. It's NOTHING like I had in mind, and yet is absolutely perfect for our family. Yes, I have always planned on making the little martini olive's bedding myself, but let's be real here- we have 5 weeks to go, and I still haven't found the time to do it. Sometimes you have to just accept the fact that you can't do it all- a lesson I've been slow to learn this pregnancy, but am becoming more aware by the minute I need to embrace. Photos of the nursery to come when I can get all the shower gifts put away.

Other Thoughts: Still the same "holy cow, this is about to happen" mindset, though feeling so much bigger and slower is starting to make the days fly by less slowly.

xoxo,

Lulu

35 Weeks Today

I had every intention of fastidiously recording each week of my pregnancy.

Really, I did.

But week 6 hit me like a full-speed freight train and trapped in a prison of nauseous misery 24/7. I didn't break out of the misery until sometime between week 16 and week 17, so the last thing I wanted to do was take a picture of myself all raggedy and in a coma of anti-nausea meds, and record just how crappy I felt week after week.

My 'wild' 29th birthday weekend- full horizontal position, snuggie, and cold compress with ginger drink, water, and apple cinnamon tea at the ready. The glamour of it all. (6 weeks, 2 days pregnant).

You can bet your bottom dollar that weeks 7-17 looked basically the same, except they brought forth a lovely pregnancy-induced rash around my nose and mouth that no makeup seemed to hide and no medicine seemed to cure. Weekly blog fodder? Notsomuch.

I considered it a win of epic proportions just to take a shower each day (which I did sitting on the floor of the tub, thankyouverymuch), so blogging (or grocery shopping, or trying to leave the house looking like a functional adult) was just not high on the priority list.

Fast forward to now, 35 weeks pregnant on the button and seeing the end clearly in view. I thought it'd be fun to track the last 6(ish?) weeks of pregnancy on here, now that I feel (somewhat) like a normal human being again, so I could look back and remember how the final stretch panned out. I'll be more or less borrowing my pregnant blogger friend-turned-supermama Kate's weekly update format, since she did such a fine job recording her pregnancy for posterity. So, without further ado, let's get to updating!

Cooking Time: 35 weeks today (photo is from last night at 34w6d), so I'll be recapping week 34

Cravings: Last week was Cheetos, this week it's Frosted Mini-Wheats all the way. And trying to OD on OJ for the cold I've been trying to avoid, which is weird for me since I'm not a juice fan.

Baby Size: The Dr. is estimating the little lady at about 5.5 lbs and 17 inches long... My birthweight was 5 lbs 12 oz, and I was 2 weeks late at that, so it sounds like she's going to far surpass where I clocked in.

Annoyances: Bring on the swelling. I finally had to take my wedding rings off on Tuesday (sad!) due to an increasing case of puffy fingers. My feet feel like 2 lead bricks by the end of the day, and my legs feel like I just finished a long run. This is only going to get worse over the coming weeks, so I pray this doesn't affect my ability to go to work.

Daddy's Questions for the Doctor: I've taken up the practice of asking my husband if he has any questions for the doctor (he doesn't usually attend my check-ups), more for sheer entertainment purposes than to actually assuage any of his worries. Entertainment because he likes to use this Q&A forum as an excuse to call out the things he doesn't think I should be doing, and use the it as a way of tattling on me to my lovely OB which I find absolutely hilarious.

Questions The Mr. told me to ask the doctor this week:

"Should you be eating more salad every night with dinner?"

(which comes in response to the nightly argument we've had the last week over me not wanting salad with my dinner entree. Since, you know, I'M FULL OF BABY and all, which makes 3-course meals kind of unappealing for a squished stomach)

And the other gem...

"You've been rolling over and sleeping on your back sometimes at night, which I read is dangerous. Should I be somehow wedging you into place on your side, or tying you down or something?"

(TYING ME DOWN IN PLACE. For real.)

State of the Union: Today was my first examination to determine what's going on in baby land, that whole "turn your head and cough" situation pregnant ladies face towards the end of the journey. Pleasant. I'll be calling this the State of the Union from now on, because call me old fashioned but I really just don't want to plaster words like "cervical" all over the ol' blog here. However- I do want to keep record of this if/when we go round 2 on the baby front, and posting it on my blog will probably be the only place I won't lose the information. So if you're not into these kinds of details, feel free to skip ahead.

Dr. W says I'm 1/3 of the way thinned out, with no dilation, and have shifted towards a more anterior position. This baby's been super head down since the get-go, so both the Dr. and I were a bit surprised to find out that Little Miss Martini's head is sitting on top of the front of my pelvic bone, instead of being down in my pelvis like we presumed she was. I'm hoping she'll shift her little noggin back and down into position soon, but I also know that means I'll have to use the ladies room about 1,000 times more than usual which I'm not looking super forward to. The bathroom is on the other side of the office, so the thought of making that trip more often with these 2 lead feet is not the slightest bit appealing.

Highlights: She's been wiggling up a storm the last few weeks, which is equal parts adorable and uncomfortable. She loves to stick her feet in my ribs, which feels like I'm being violently tickled from the inside. She's also been doing these crazy rolls from side to side in the evenings, which makes my stomach undulate like the surface of a waterbed. It looks highly creepy, but is pretty miraculous at the same time. I just keep thinking "There's a HUMAN in there, yo!" My mom also flew in yesterday to attend my AZ baby shower this weekend, so I'm excited to have her help around the house while the Mr. studies.

Other Thoughts: The last 2 friends to be due before me have had their babies (Carla welcomed Asher Mills and Kate welcomed sweet LJH, so I'm literally the last man standing at this point. The next one to have a baby. All I keep thinking is "It's about to get realllll up in here, realllll quick....."

xoxo,

Lulu

Anybody Still Out There?

Just checking in on this ol' blog of mine...

T-minus 7 weeks and counting until the little martini olive makes HER grand appearance... The last 5 months have been a wild ride, indeed.

I suppose I can't really tell people I'm a blogger if I haven't blogged in the last 5 months... I really miss blogging, so hoping I can renew my 'blogger' status here in the near future. Changes are obviously on the horizon, and I'm hoping I can get back into the swing of things to capture the memories.

Hope to be back soon...

xoxo,

Lulu

Life and Love, By The Numbers

3 years ago last week, a little gal by the name of Lulu was sitting at her desk one afternoon, wondering how to fill up a little bit of free time left by her job as an assistant at an interior design studio in SoHo.

Energized by the new-found creative energy she held from quitting her job in Corporate America, ditching her heels and suit jackets and jumping ship for a life of Starbucks runs, fabric sample hunts, and scouring 20,000 square foot mansions in Greenwich top to bottom to count the number of doorknobs and window hinges she need to custom order, she decided to start a blog.

I keep thinking back to what life was like back then... Some days it seems like I left New York City last month, and other days it feels like I never lived there in the first place. Then I take 1 step further, and realize what a journey the Mr. and I have been on together thus far.

The Mr. and I have been together for 6 years in December. In that time...

23 - the number of times we have collectively moved apartments (!!!)

11 - the combined number of jobs we have held

5 - the number of different countries the Mr. has lived in

5 - the number of ferrets yours truly has owned

3 - the number of times one of us has been "funemployed"

2 - the number of times we have moved cross-country

We've gone on vacation, gotten engaged, lived in an Ikea loft bunk bed while sharing a 1,000 square foot apartment with 2 other roommates and 3 ferrets, gotten married, and have survived (the first half of) life on 1 salary while the Mr. slaves away in graduate school to complete his MBA degree.

When you break it down by the numbers, it's all been quite the adventure.

However, one number sticks out far more than all the others combined:

1 - the number of babies we're expecting in March 2012

xoxo,

Lulu

Greetings!

Well, I didn't expect my first post back from an unintended blogging hiatus to be some random link the virus currently nesting in my computer decided to post! haha

I wish I could say that there has been some fun, super-secret reason why I temporarily abandoned this little blog of mine, but that just isn't the case. I've been equal parts lazy & over-committed with extracurricular activities, life has been vanilla & perfectly lovely.

I'm still very much alive & kicking, hope to get back into the blogging swing of things in the near future. In the meantime, you can find me on Twitter if you're interested in hearing from me more than once every 2 months!

xoxo,

Lulu

Bradley Cooper Speaking French.

You're welcome.