Week 38

There has been quite a bit of action going on this week inside of me. I have been going on plenty of walks, have been eating pineapple and spicy foods, drinking a lot of red raspberry leaf tea, and doing the other things that supposedly help labor to come, and I have been feeling many exciting things happening.

On Wednesday night during my sleep I could feel the baby get lower down. I was contracting all night long and it was making it difficult to sleep because 1) I was excited and wanted to feel the contractions, and 2) because they were adding so much pressure to my bladder and making me need to get up to pee very frequently. I felt a sudden jolt of back pain and I thought, "is this it?" Everyone keeps telling me, "Oh, you'll know..." so I ignored the feeling. I knew that if it was the actual start of labor that I would know, and since I was able to ignore it and it went away that meant that it was not labor. My body is definitely getting ready though.

Then a couple of nights later I felt her drop yet again. This picture shows that now she's kind of starting to hang. When I walk and contract I feel like I need to hold her up. We'll see what the coming week brings!

Week 37

This week marked my final week EVER as a student teacher, and oh my was it a busy week. I got little to no sleep because I had so much planning to do for my last week with my kids. But I made it through and it feels wonderful!

Here's the belly.

On Tuesday in class my classmates totally surprised me and threw me a little baby shower celebration. It was so incredibly nice of them and I was not expecting it at all. During the break during our class I was talking to my professor and they were setting up the party behind me without me knowing. When they all shouted "Surprise!" I thought it must have been my professor's birthday and I felt bad for not knowing. Haha. They're so, so sweet to me!

They gave me gifts and goodies and so much!
Here are my lovely classmates. :)
On Friday, my last day, my kids and the teacher with whom I work told me I need to go see the principal (an attempt to get me out of the room) and when I walked back in there was pizza and soda, a beautiful cake and diaper cake, and little notes from my students. It was wonderful. The kids couldn't keep their cool all week so I know they had something planned but I wasn't sure what. The teacher I work with told me they were all so glad I left early on Tuesday because that's the day they made the diaper cake. The kids helped roll the diapers for it. This is the most immaculate diaper cake I've seen!

These roses are from the student of mine who gave me the most challenging behaviors. The day before my last day he told me, "you're the best teacher I've ever had" and then he gave me a dozen roses. Such a sweet boy.

On Friday night Chad played a show at Hell's Kitchen to celebrate Blake's birthday. I stayed out too late after a long week.

On Saturday Cheryl, Grandma Fran, Tiffany, Evelynn, and I went to go see the tulips in the Skagit Valley. It definitely was not the best weekend to go, as the weather was not great and most of the tulips were not yet in bloom. It was still a fun day.

Daffodil field on the side of the road.
A not super flattering picture of us... but I like showing updates of our bellies.
Oh, beautiful Spring!

Saturday night after the tulips I went to the Rainier's game with the boys and it was SO MUCH FUN! They drank A LOT of beer since it was free. The only bad part is that we were out really late again... and I was so dang tired by the end of all this.

Sunday was nice though because I had my last prenatal yoga class and I did not have any stress about what to plan to teach for the week since I was all done teaching at this point. Woo! Now I only need to finish up my classes, my crazy amounts of homework assignments, my Master's project, and my competency notebook (I guess that's still quite a lot...).

Milestone: Entering My Due Range

It is official! Today is the start day of week 37... full term! I have made it this far and boy does it feel soon. Today marks the first day of my last week teaching my kiddos, which I am excited for because I would LOVE a little break before my baby makes her appearance into this lovely world, but at the same time I sure will miss them. They add a little more light to my life.

Updates coming soon!

Week 36 - Welcome to the Ninth Month!

I have been pregnant for eight months!!! Wow! Here's the 36 week belly:

According to the babycorner.com "The baby is now about 18-19 inches long and around 6 pounds. [She is] gaining an average of an ounce daily." Next week I enter my due range. This is nuts.Yesterday the boys, Paul and Blake, painted the baby room with a coat of white semi-gloss paint. I needed some new paint on the walls so I could stick stickers to them. Becky and I put up this lovely little tree. I love how well it matches the changing pad cover.

Then last night after a nice little nap I met up with Whitney for a pedicure. Man, was that nice. I hadn't been in that nail place since the day before my wedding... eight months ago! Then Whitney and I went to my sister's house to see her adorable baby room. She also had a bag of clothes for me. Though the bag doesn't look super full it actually is. This baby is all set with clothes now! The room only needs a few more things go to be COMPLETE!

Week 35

This week was the first week of spring quarter. I arrived on a very gray campus Monday afternoon to the oh-so beautiful cherry blossom trees in the quad. Every year they amaze me! Classes seem great so far, and I have A LOT of work to do this quarter. I think I can... I think I can...

I received an adorable card from one of my students this week. I love children.

"Dear Mrs. Asheball... I know that deep down in my heart I know that your baby will be the most specilist baby in the whole world..."

On Sunday we had dinner at my mom and dad's to celebrate David's, Chad's, and my birthday. It's always lovely to see my family and to see the kiddos whom I absolutely adore.

Week 34

This week we had Baby Shower #2! Some people think I'm weird or greedy for having multiple showers, but I'm doing it all for good reason. My bridal shower felt too packed and it seemed to have too many groups of people... my family, Chad's family, friends from college and work, and friends from growing up. I was overwhelmed so I figured that separating the showers up and having multiple ones for different groups of people would be better. It seems to be working, though I'm learning a bit more about how best to do it each time.

The shower was a lot of fun! My aunt Cheryl let us have it at her house and my lovely friends helped me put it together. I was amazed, once again, by the amount of wonderful things we received. People truly are amazing. I know some great people.

After the shower Becky helped me unpack some things and organize the baby room a bit more... and then my headache turned into a migraine. It was awful! For the VERY FIRST TIME since I've been pregnant I had to take acetaminophen. In the entire eight months I have gotten many headaches (still don't know what the cause of these is) and I have been able to combat them all. This time, however, it was bad. I called Dr. Mom and she told me to tell Chad to go to the store and get me acetaminophen. She said that if I want pickles and ice cream that he has to get me that, too. Haha. I love moms. So after another gruesome hour after getting my meds my headache finally went away. The result: not nearly enough sleep and a very tired week.

PICTURES TO COME! I'm waiting for my shower pictures.

How a Pacifier Might Save Baby's Life!

Pacifiers might reduce the risk of SIDS -- the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pacifiers for napping and bedtime during baby's first year. While breastfeeding proponents say you should start a pacifier after your feeding routine is established, there's no proof that a binky will cause nipple confusion. When babies use a pacifier (and sleep on their back) their risk of SIDS plunges by two thirds compared with babies who sleep without a pacifier, says Dr. Keenan. One possible reason it's effective: Babies who suck a Binky don't sleep as deeply. Don't force your baby to take one if he refuses, and there's no need to reinsert it if it falls out.

Breastfeed, if You Can

When the AAP Task Force wrote its report in 2005, it concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to say that breastfeeding reduced the risk of SIDS. But research in the last few years has confirmed that nursing does offer protection. Most recently, a German study found that exclusively breastfed babies are only half as likely to die and that even partial nursing is beneficial. It may be that breastfeeding, like using a pacifier, keeps babies from sleeping too deeply. "Breast milk has anti-inflammatory effects as well, and this may be protective," Dr. Hauck says.

from parents.com

Week 33

March 17, 2011 - the day before my 24th birthday.

Week 32

This picture makes me realize how BIG my baby is! This week she is around 16 1/2 and 17 inches in length and about 4-4 1/2 pounds. She is growing so quickly!

This week was my last week of winter quarter (hooray!) and we had our first baby shower. My sister had hers, too. Chad's mother (grandma-to-be) threw us a beautiful shower at her place.

The decorations were beautiful.
And the games were so much fun. Cheri and Stefani and party-throwing-pros! I cannot thank them enough.
Here's the sister week 32 bump.
And here we are after Tiffany's shower. Her shower turned out beautifully and she really enjoyed it. We got so many amazing things. It blows my mind how generous people are. :)

Week 31

Here's the belly. The icky marks on me are from my band that I hate. I don't have enough maternity clothes nor will I because I don't have extra money for them, so I rely on the uncomfortable band, which somewhat holds my non-maternity pants up. If I worked a job where I could wear spandex and jeans each day I totally would, but I try to look somewhat professional when I teach.
The baby is moving around as I'm typing this! She's very active. It's pretty cool. :)

This is the only thing in baby girl's room that is finished. Though her room has some furniture and some clothes here and there, it is nowhere near ready for a baby. At least we have stories we can read! Research shows that having books in your house makes you a better reader. Therefore, we shall have books!

30 Weeks

There's no stopping that crazy outie... I'm excited to have my innie back someday.

Wowza! Only ten more weeks (or less since I enter my due range in seven short weeks)... that means I only have a quarter left. I've been living my life in quarters for the past six years ( we can blame college for that) and a quarter goes by VERY FAST! That means this baby is going to be here with us VERY SOON. Wooohoooo!

I went to an appointment this week and everything's looking good, minus the fact that I am still anemic. I'm measuring in at 31 centimeters, so she's right on track (a little bigger) and she's already head down (THANK YOU baby for being so smart already!!) So my focus now needs to be on really trying to get more iron into my system and keep on trucking, eating healthy, not stressing myself out too much, and doing yoga as much as I can. Here we go!

29 Weeks

Our daddy showing off his beer belly and my sister and I showing off our 29-week preggy bellies.

Though we're both not looking our hottest we have an excuse... we're pregnant, damn it! This summer we'll be hot and sexy again and have beautiful little girls in their teeny weeny bikinis, too!

Reminder: You're a Human BEING Not a Human Doing...

by Mastin Kipp on February 15, 2011
Article obtained from The Daily Love

Give yourself room to be today. In today’s hustle and bustle, we rarely take time to actually rest. There is a belief that permeates our culture which says “If I’m not always busy, I’m not accomplishing anything and I don’t feel valuable.

Your worth is not related to being too busy, too stressed and having a maximized schedule. Your worth, your value comes from within and is something that is there no matter how much you “produce” or get done in a day.

We have turned into a culture of “Human Doings” and forgotten that we are “Human Beings”. Take a breath today. Let yourself off the hook; don’t try to accomplish EVERYTHING, because it’s impossible to get it all done, anyway. Instead, focus on doing what brings you joy, because that is what life is truly all about, if you decide it to be. A joyful life doesn’t have to be a stressed, overworked and underpaid life.

Take time today to focus on what brings you joy. It may be a person, a creation, a flower, the sun or an idea that you’ve wanted to bring into creation. Take time out of your day today to focus on joy. Start flexing your “joy muscles” and they’ll get stronger. Remember that you are a human “being” not a human “doing”. Celebrate not getting it all done because you have finally realized you can’t and you’re not supposed to.

If you want to live a life of joy, you have to give joy room to grow in your life. If you are constantly doing, doing and doing, you are not cultivating room for joy, for happiness and for love in your life. When you get to the final chapter of your life, you won’t celebrate how many “to do” lists that you completed; what you will cherish the most is the amount of joy you had and gave away. Don’t wait until then to figure this out. Be a JOYFUL human BEING today!

Love, Mastin

I really, truly love this article. Thank you Kirsten for The Daily Love website! It seems as if daily I am in a mental battle with myself over this whole concept... I work too hard, I don't get paid, I just want to sleep and do yoga and give myself time to just be me. Perhaps I need this reminder more often: I am a human BEING; I am not a human doing. Sometimes I just need time to be me...

Baby Shopping - A Success!

Today grandma-to-be (Chad's mother) and mama-to-be (me!) successfully made two baby registries! I went to Babies R Us for the first time and I was oh-so excited to get to park in the special expectant mother parking that I had heard so much about! I was so excited that I had to take a picture of the sign (oh, and it was last parking spot left of its kind; so I really had to take it).

After spending three hours at the crazy baby store we headed to lunch and then to Target where we made another registry. I cannot believe how expensive it is to become a parent for the first time... everything is SO expensive! I have yet to hit up thrift stores but that is definitely on my agenda, especially for clothes. I am thankful for registries, however, and since I registered for my wedding I have had the opportunity to buy people things off of their registries and I realize how nice it is to have those.

And there's only one month left before my first baby shower... crap, this is going to happen fast. But it feels nice to have one more thing checked off my list!

Week 28 & Third Trimester

This weeks marks the official start of the third trimester. Wow! Time definitely feels like it's going by at a snail's pace, but to think now that I'm nearing the end this feels crazy.
I'm going to have a baby soon!

Look at this image! My baby is that big?!

Yep, baby is big. She is now between 15 and 15 1/2 inches long and between 2 and 3 pounds.

Photo and information from thebabycorner.com.

Sleep-Better Secrets

Over the past week I have had a difficult time sleeping. I have so much going on right now so I'm getting tired quicker, and I'm constantly thinking about what's coming next so I have a difficult time falling asleep. Once I'm asleep I'm usually fine though. But Chad has been coming home super late at night (well, very early morning) the past couple of nights and I find myself waking up ten minutes before he comes home. Then we talk for awhile about our days and I can't for the life of me get back to sleep! I found this list and I find that it has some great ideas.

Photo from here.

___ Snag 20- to 30-minute catnaps on the weekends and if you get home from work on the early side -- but don't snooze for much more than this. Long naps can actually make you feel more tired than you were before you started.

___ Get some exercise (we know it's tough these days, but even a walk'll do). Active gals tend to sleep more soundly than couch potatoes. Just don't work out too close to bedtime (wrap it up at least two hours before) because you'll be hopped up on endorphins and may actually have a harder time dozing off.

___ Have a small, pre-bed snack. Try a handful of peanuts and a few crackers or whole-grain cereal with skim milk. These combos of carbs and tryptophan are known sleep-promoters.

___ Keep your bedroom on the cool side. Yes, even if it's winter! Feeling overheated is so common during pregnancy -- and you're never going to rest well if you're boiling. Tend to go hot-and-cold? Tuck an extra quilt at the foot of the bed to pull up if you start to feel chilly.

___ Go to bed with a clear head. To unload any worries before you turn in, keep a notebook on the night table. Much insomnia among preggo women stems from unresolved stresses -- especially with issues about the baby (labor, how you'll be as a mom, balancing work and fam, etc.).

___ Get yourself comfy! (Okay, no position may feel that cozy right about now.) But those long pregnancy pillows you always hear new moms raving about can help -- or you can also just build a little wall with a couple of regular pillows, roll onto your side, and throw a leg over one of them. Same idea.

Checklist from parents.com.

Exercise - check! New pillow - check! Snacks - check!

Now I just need to work on clearing this dang mind of mine...

Week 27

Oh man... what a week. I'm not sure what it was exactly but this week was SO tiring! I am pretty sure every day this week was just amazing all in its own ways.

I had a great week teaching and had some break-through moments. I really starting feeling like a teacher this week and it clicked to me that I have so much power to educate these children and introduce to them so many wonderful things that they can take with them forever. I suddenly feel such a connection with my students. It feels good.

Class this week was great! Everything about every class was so informative and applicable to what I am doing. Last quarter I hated the program and now I actually really enjoy it. I'm learning a lot and I'm very thankful for that. I look forward to class each day.

I have been doing yoga as often as I can and that means about three days a week. My prenatal class rocks and my classes at the YMCA have also been pretty good. It would be cool if every yoga class I attended was geared toward pregnant women, but you know, that's just not the case. I have been able to change my mindset this week and articles I have read in my Yoga Journal have helped a lot with that.

Last night I met up with some friends who I do not see nearly enough, and that was incredible, and the day before that I met up with a former roommate and amazing friend. I'm glad I got to squeeze in time to see some of the people I love who I really wish I saw more often.

And here are the belly pictures! My love handles are getting out of control these days. Baby girl has been moving around a lot and she definitely seems to have a schedule. Tonight at yoga I was in savasana (final relaxation pose) and baby was definitely NOT in the same pose as I was... I'm pretty sure she was in an intense flow sequence at that point. She makes me laugh.

And now it's time to hit the sack! I've got a busy weekend ahead of me and catching up on sleep is definitely on my agenda!

Week 26