Silas

I'm in love.

John and I met our nephew Silas for the first time last week. He's a little over a month old now and beyond adorable. I thought our visit was a great opportunity for me to learn how to change a diaper and hold a newborn. I was able to accomplish both, and now I feel like I can conquer the world. Motherhood? Bring it on!

While spending time with Silas, I learned a few things.

1. Holding a baby is not all that difficult.

I used to be terrified of holding a baby. I wasn't sure about the positioning, how to support their heads, if I was holding them too tightly, etc. And then if they start crying, it's all downhill from there. But I was able to hold baby Silas with ease. He was so cute and snuggly and I honestly never wanted to let go.

2. Babies poop. A lot.

So this is something I actually already knew on some level. But it wasn't until last week that I truly realized how much babies poop. For example, I was cradling Silas in my arms and when I lifted him up, I saw that his diaper had leaked and there was poop on my J. Crew jacket. I decided at that moment that I was not going to wear anything nice around Lil Bit once he's born. 

3. Changing diapers is easy.

I told Julie that the number one thing I wanted to do in Maryland was learn how to change a baby's diaper. At first, it seemed like such an overwhelming, complicated task. But she showed me how to wipe, powder, and put on a diaper and in the end, I felt it wasn't so bad. Sure, it's not exactly a fun or pleasant task, but you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

4. Babies are stronger than you think.

So remember when I said babies poop a lot? Well, with that comes multiple outfit changes. Before, I just imagined one onesie a day. Nope - you gotta change 'em when there's an accident, and there will be plenty of them. I was really nervous to pull Silas' arms through the holes, but Julie reassured me that babies are really strong and I won't hurt him. So I successfully changed Silas out of and into a new onesie. I was on a roll...

5. John will make a wonderful dad (and I won't be too shabby as a mom).

John was so good with Silas. He's just a natural when it comes to children. He's amazing with our other nephew Eli. And I'm getting better as well. I actually played with him and made him laugh, which is the first time I've ever made a child laugh. I was on a high.

Spending time with Silas and Eli this week makes me so excited for motherhood. At first, I wasn't sure how well I'd do raising a boy. But now I feel so confident and excited to meet our little guy.

Baby Bump: Week 28

28 Weeks

At 28 weeks pregnant, I've come to the point where my fingers have swelled so much that putting on and taking off my rings is quite difficult. I still wear my wedding band, but my engagement ring, for whatever reason, is so much more difficult to put on that I've decided to stop wearing it. Makes me a bit sad, but I know it's temporary.

I'm about 7 months pregnant now, and I often hear that even after you have the baby, you will still look about 7-8 months pregnant. With that in mind, I'm always looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, "Hmm, this is what I'll have to deal with after the baby's born." 

So this is what I'll look like after baby??? Ooph.

At this point in my pregnancy, I've gained about 27 pounds. I'm not sure how accurate this number is, so that's why I rarely post my weight in the "By The Numbers" section to the right. I always weigh myself at the grocery store, my gym, and then whenever I got to the doctor's office, and all three always tell me something different. So I only post the weight I find out from my doctor's appointments because I figure that's the most accurate one. 

If the 27 pounds is accurate, then I certainly have my work cut out for me once the baby's born! I already have a plan in mind to lose the baby weight, which includes breastfeeding (I hear you can lose about 500 calories a day on breastfeeding alone!), eating a clean diet (no fried foods or sweets), and exercising regularly (with lots of cardio!). I went shopping today and bought a dress in my pre-pregnancy size 0 and I hope that I'll be able to fit into it soon after Lil Bit's born. Wish me luck!

Have Baby, Will Travel

28 Weeks

John and I traveled to Maryland this week to visit John's brother and sister-in-law Ben and Julie, along with their adorable sons Elijah and Silas. Since I'm in my third trimester, I wasn't sure if flying would be a problem. Julie told me a story about one of her pregnant friends who had such a difficult time at the airport. I didn't want to end up in her shoes, so I decided to get my doctor to write me a letter that I could present to any employee at the airport that gave me a hard time. When I asked my doctor's office for this letter, they'd actually never heard of anyone needing a letter for flying before, but I insisted so they wrote me a note on their office letterhead. And in case you're curious, here's what the letter states:

To whom it may concern

Stephanie is an obstetric patient under my care at Generation to Generation. Her due date is 10/14/12 and she will be 28 weeks as of 7/22/12. Stephanie is not experiencing any complications at this time and I feel it would be safe for her to fly on an airplane. 

Please call the office at 633-0880 if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you.

So if you're in your third trimester and needing to fly, it wouldn't be a bad idea to obtain a letter like this from your doctor just in case. In the end, I didn't have to use it, but I would rather have had it and not needed it than needed it and not had it.

Baby Bump: Week 27

27 Weeks

Today, John and I went to our good friends Joey and Katherine's baby shower. We are so excited for them - they are going to be awesome parents! Their little boy is so lucky to have them.

It's been great having pregnant friends who can relate to exactly everything you're going through. We are both first time parents and it's been wonderful having their support. 

What I'm Wearing

Blue Bombus Dress by LeifNotes

Bracelet by Express

By the way, what do you guys think is the insect on my dress? Bumblebee or regular 'ol house fly? There seemed to be much debate about it today.

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start. Thanks for stopping by!

The Star Of My Blog

My wonderful friends Kelsey and Scott got me the cutest bib ever.

He certainly is the star of my blog :)

My brother asked me earlier this evening how long I would be writing this blog. Well, I'm going to make a promise right now to try to consistently write posts for you all. I would love to keep you updated on how John and I are doing and of course how our little star is doing. But I'm fully aware that life and my priorities will change dramatically once our baby is born, so maintaining this blog will be a huge task in and of itself. My writing may become less inspiring, but I'll do my best to post pictures of Lil Bit as he grows.

Happy Friday and I hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Night Owl

A couple days ago, I mentioned how my sweet little boy is not-so-sweetly kicking his mama while she tries to sleep at night, instead of during the day when she's wide awake and anxiously awaiting his every movement. Well, I read that the reason babies tend to kick more during the night is because your constant movement during the day creates a sort of rhythmic rocking motion that lulls the baby to sleep. Then, when you settle in for the night and your body is not moving anymore, the rocking that your baby has been enjoying peacefully during the day is interrupted and he wakes up. Makes sense. 

Not only is my Lil Bit keeping me up at night with his little kicks, but he's also keeping me up by making me go to the bathroom at least three times a night. I think during week 25, I started averaging about 5 times a night. I know what everyone says - this'll give me good practice for when the baby wakes me up multiple times a night for his feedings. And honestly, I think I've been in training for this whole pregnancy thing for a long time. I've always had to get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. I don't know what it is, but I have not had an uninterrupted night of sleep in many many years. Also, I'm a teacher. How does this help you might ask? Well, being a teacher, we are oftentimes tied to our classrooms because we simply can't leave 25+ kids unattended. So for several years, I'd gotten used to using the restroom approximately twice a day - during my planning period and after school. So in other words, I was used to, um, holding it in. This is highly NOT recommended, as it can cause a UTI, which is what I found out I had during one of my prenatal visits (apparently, it's quite common for pregnant women). Treatment is no biggie though - just some prescription pills you have to take twice a day for about two weeks. So now, being 27 weeks pregnant, I've made it a point to use the restroom before I leave the house and make note of all nearby restrooms wherever I go.

A Bun In The Oven

27 weeks pregnant in 90+ degree Florida weather.

For awhile, I thought I was doing pretty well dealing with the heat and ignoring all the exclamations of, "Oh, you're pregnant during the summer! How miserable you must be!" But now I'm starting to get to the point where I have to turn down our AC and I admit there've been a few times where John has caught me standing in front of our open refrigerator and freezer. People keep telling me I have the "pregnancy glow." I joke with them and tell them it's just the sweat from all the heat.

And speaking of my little bun in the oven, we don't seem to be on the same sleep patterns. He seems to be awake while I'm asleep, as evidenced by all the kicking he does at night. But during the day, I don't feel him that much at all. Which is disappointing because John would love to feel him, too. It seems nowadays when he's moving during the day, I'll alert John, but as soon as he puts his hand on my belly, the baby stops kicking. I just hope that by the time he's born, we'll get on the same sleep schedule. I'm currently reading On Becoming Baby Wise, which gives parents advice and tips on how to get your baby to sleep through the night by 9 weeks. Stay tuned for a book review!