Baby shower #2!

Our home has been invaded by baby stuff. We are talking baby overload. Everywhere you look, baby stuff. And so it begins.... (insert huge smile here.)

Where did all this glorious stuff come from? My baby shower on Saturday! My lovely sister and bestest good friend hosted a fantastic shower for me at Grandma V's house. Everything was picturesque. Brunch was beyond yummy, the decorations were adorable, and there was a killer pile of gifts waiting for me. I did have some helpers with the gift-opening, as the shower was sprinkled with lots of tiny girls that were eager to help.

My registry was just about wiped clean. This baby will be well-fed, well-entertained, and smell like heaven :) We got our stroller/car seat system, bouncer, swing, exersaucer, bassinet, and monitor, plus tons of diapers, toys, and all the other baby necessities. Not to mention I now have the most precious, to-die-for hospital outfits for Baby Reeder, 1 boy and 1 girl, just in case. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such generous women in my life.

Thanks again for a fantastic time, girls. You went above and beyond to make the whole experience very special for Baby Reeder and I! Love you!

Smiling.

I woke up not feeling so great this morning. Before he left for work, I asked the husband for a big hug, as I often do when I need a pick-me-up. Mid-embrace, Baby Reeder kicked me pretty hard, hard enough that he also kicked his daddy. It was as if he was saying "Have a good day, Dad!" Instant smile from mama. Definitely the pick-me-up I needed.

You're already melting my heart, little one.

Happy mama :)

I'm a happy mama today. I've felt pretty good this week compared to the 2 previous weeks. My back still has its moments, but has really improved. And breathing is still very hard at times. But I haven't had the same "how will I survive 2 1/2 more months of this?" panic attacks this week! Hooray!

How far along?: 29 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: -1 this week, +10 overall. sigh. Don't worry, I stopped at Servatii's for double chocolate muffins this morning to console myself. I love how we call them "muffins" to justify eating giant cupcakes for breakfast :)
How big is baby?: Approximately 2 1/2 lbs. and 15 inches long. Bones are really growing this week, so I'm going to do my part by chugging some milk and eating ice cream to supply extra calcium to get the job done!
Maternity clothes?: Comfy wintery maternity shirts were purchased and I'm in love. Also I've started wearing some of the husband's t-shirts (the ones too small for him to wear), as mine are just about done.
Sleep: Oh, the discomfort! You know the feeling after you haven't worked out in a long time or you do something strenuous that uses muscles you don't often use and then you wake up really sore the next day? Yeah, I feel that way every morning. I think I'm going to try Tylenol PM this weekend.
Movement: Rib kicks. Lots and lots of rib kicks. And rolling so intense it startles me. As does the shaking (as if the baby is shivering or something.)
Labor signs: Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then. Never more than 4 an hour though, which is the benchmark for calling the doctor.
Food cravings: Cereal, specifically Cheerios. Not so much a craving, but it's the only thing that always sounds good. I'm around a bowl a day now.
Gender: Preparing for either :)
Belly button in or out?: I don't think it will ever come out, but it may reach the surface.
What I miss: Long jeans. Maternity jeans are just too short for my preference.
What I am looking forward to: My baby shower this weekend! The girls have all sorts of surprises cookin'. I can't wait :)
Best moment this week: Securing a pediatrician for my little lady (and future children!)
Milestones: Baby Reeder is officially transverse. No joke this time (all those other times I said she was, I didn't know what I was talking about.) Hiccups have moved from way down south to my right side, so clearly there's a head over there. Craziness!

Objects in picture...

...are much smaller than they appear in real life. Or at least they feel like it.

Baby Reeder at 28w5d

Happenings.

No big events in the Reeder household lately, so I thought I'd just catch y'all up on some of the latest in Baby Reeder happenings:

- We have a pediatrician! As of last Friday, we are "in the books" at Montgomery Pediatrics. Yes, this was my doctor's office when I was a child...go figure. Since I'm so familiar with the office, procedures, and even our doctor (though different from my own as a child), we get to forego the awkward meet n' greet as well!

- We've finally revisited the nursery this week, after a several-weeks-long decorating hiatus. A lovely ceiling light was installed over the weekend (that I'm quite thrilled about!!) Window valances are underway, thanks to Grandma. Also, I'm finally giving serious thought to what we will put on all those blank blue walls. Baby Reeder needs to be visually stimulated by something, right?

- I'm pretty sure Baby Reeder has hooked his foot around my ribs and is now hanging monkey-bar style. He's positioned so high that I swear he'll never "drop". I rarely feel movement below my belly button anymore, except for hiccups (no longer adorable, btw) and the occasion jabs to my bladder. And, I must admit, I've started pushing back when he gets so high that I can't breathe.

- I've started doing kick counts every so often, mostly when I haven't felt him bustin' a move in a while. They say to give him 1 hour to move 10 times. My child knocks this out in 10 minutes or less. Already an overachiever like both his parents :)

- I am so delighted that it's October because we're that much closer to meeting this little one. I cannot wait, honestly. It's seriously all I ever think about. I'm especially excited to see his sweet little face and figure out his personality. Despite all of the aches and pains, this pregnancy has been the greatest gift I've ever been given. I'm going to (try to) cherish it while it lasts, but I can't help but be excited for Christmas!

28 weeks.

I'm exhausted. Had my RhoGAM shot this morning - didn't go so well. I got up at 6 to make it to the hospital at 7, in hopes that I'd have enough time to get it done before my 7:50 OB appt next door. Wrong. I wasn't feeling good to begin with - I could feel the nerves working themselves up, but hoped it was more because I just can't breathe well anymore. Go up to L&D, they check my temp and BP, all the while I'm doing fine. She gives me the injection (which was in the hip, by the way - awkward...) Then she tells me she wants to wait 10 minutes and check my temp/BP again to make sure I didn't react to the shot.

About 9 min and 30 sec later, I start to feel it coming. "It" being my classic hyperventilation symptoms I've grown to know so well - clamminess, trouble breathing, sweating profusely, muffled hearing, blurry vision, immediately very pale. The nurse came in right as it was starting and could tell I wasn't doing well (perhaps because I was sweating through my shirt and colorless). My BP had dropped, but luckily picked back up after a few minutes. I'm fine, but it completely drained me of energy (of which I had little to begin with due to a restless night). I'm not sure what brings this on, but I attribute it to nerves and low blood sugar (apparently a bowl of Cheerios wasn't enough today.)

I ended up being 20 minutes late to my appt (probably also a contributing factor to my nerves,) but they were sympathetic! The appt was great, as usual. Baby Reeder's heartbeat is still at 140 bpm and everything "feels" good to the doc. They had me up 6 lbs for the month, versus my 4 lb at-home assessment (I weigh myself at the same time every day wearing exactly the same thing), so I attribute the extra 2 to heavier winter clothing :) She's not worried that my resting heart rate is now around 100 bpm - it was sure worrying the crap out of me! I go back in 4 weeks, at which time I'll start bi-weekly appts (hooray!)

How far along?: 28 weeks, 0 days.
Total weight gain/loss: +0.5 this week, +11 overall.
How big is baby?: Approximately 2 1/4 lbs. and 14.8 inches long.
Maternity clothes?: Officially have to retire all summer things (why hello, autumn!) so I need to go get a few more comfy wintery maternity shirts.
Sleep: Ditto last week. Still touch and go, the back is improving overall but not when it comes time for bed. Gravity causes my heavy belly to ache when I lay down, but positions that provide relief (far on my side so it actually rests on a pillow) end up hurting the back and irritating the baby.
Movement: Dance party in my tummy these days. I feel EVERY little movement this kid makes. I believe we are now transverse, but the OB says the baby switches positions up to 20 times a day, so I'm sure he won't stay this way.
Labor signs: Pretty confident these are Braxton Hicks contractions I'm feeling every so often.
Food cravings: Sugar.
Gender: Getting really excited to find out!
Belly button in or out?: Definitely surfacing, though it has a ways to go.
What I miss: My heels. I bought supportive old lady shoes yesterday. Sacrificing fashion for my child for the first of what I'm sure will be many times.
What I am looking forward to: December 23rd :)
Best moment this week: Love this - So I bought a supportive bra this weekend to help alleviate some back pain (very tight and slightly painful is apparently a good thing.) After a long day wearing the new bra, I couldn't take the pressure anymore, so off it came when I got home. When the husband got home, there it sat right next to me on the floor. The look of confusion on his face was priceless. :)
Weekly Wisdom: "Supportive" does indeed mean ugly 99% of the time.
Milestones: I'm starting to be able to distinguish body parts when the baby presses against my belly. Weird!

Ribs.

No, I'm not talking about the delicious BBQ-sauce-covered, Montgomery Inn kind. I'm talking about the ones that Baby Reeder keeps round-house kicking with wild abandon. Ouch. As if it weren't hard enough to breath already...

Also lung-constricting is the fact that I'm carrying Jackie Chan pretty high, as evidenced by the fact that my belly and my Girls now touch. I told the husband last night that it felt like they were resting on my belly, to which he replied "That's because they are..." while making a scared-looking face (scared of the body changes or scared I'd slap him for commenting on it? I'm not sure.) I guess it was bound to happen at some point. And I'm pretty sure I'd rather be carrying high than having to literally carry a low-lying belly around.

I know I sound like a whiner, but it's been a very rough 7 days. On the bright side, the back is (I think) on the road to recovery plus I'm going to make it through a full day at work! Speaking of work, only about 2 months to go (and I'm having "The Talk" with my boss next week!!)