Can You Guess?

Can You Guess??

Milan and I thought it would be fun to see if everyone tries to guess when little Eli will enter the world. His official due date (which hasn't changed the whole time I have been pregnant) is December 21st.

Please leave a comment indicating the day you think he will arrive, his weight, and his length. After comments are left I will post them on my blog so we can see who the winner will be!

Milan has it in his mind (especially since his work vacation starts on December 13th) that Eli will be born on December 14th. I have tried explaining to him about a million times that first time moms often go past their due date but he is sticking by his prediction. We'll see... :)

I predict that my little guy will take his dear sweet time getting into the world. Therefore, my guess is December 27th. I am really praying that Eli decides to come before or after Dec. 24th and 25th. My doctor is not on call either one of those days and I really want him to deliver Eli so let's just hope Eli doesn't want to share his special day with Christmas. :)

As they say, what's meant to be will be! In the meantime, it is fun to guess!

Our Neighborhood...

Milan and I live in a wonderful neighborhood! When we first started looking for a house in Georgia we looked at this neighborhood and saw that the houses were really close together. When I say close I mean you could practically reach out the window and pass sugar to your neighbor should they need it. It was a big draw back for us so we decided to keep looking. I wanted a fenced in yard for the dog and room to "breathe". After a lot of looking we just kept coming back to this neighborhood. As with all the moves we had to weigh our options so we decided we would give up the idea of a big fenced in yard for Jack. I can tell you that we knew we made the right decision after only a few days of living here.

The people in this neighborhood are beyond friendly. The first week we lived here our doorbell rang daily. There was always someone coming by to meet us and bring us a "welcome to the neighborhood" gift. We soon found out that there were monthly block parties and summer gatherings at the pool. I went from wanting privacy and a big backyard to loving the fact all the neighbors live so close to each other. There were very few nights this summer that Milan and I didn't sit on the front porch with Jack just hanging out with whoever else was outside. It felt like a flashback to the 1950's. There is nothing better than knowing everyone on your street by name. You come to think of people as friends and not just neighbors. They become people you can trust and know will look out for you and your house.

I was 6 weeks pregnant when we moved into our house. Milan was telling people the minute he met them. I kept thinking it was too soon to be running around telling strangers our business but he was just too excited and I couldn't burst that bubble! So as summer progressed and my belly continued to grow and grow the neighbors have kept up with me and always ask how I'm feeling. You can tell they are genuinely excited that we will be bringing another member into the neighborhood!

There are 3 couples in our neighborhood whom Milan and I have become good friends with. The girls in the picture below threw me a baby shower this past weekend. It was such a nice gesture for them to offer to throw the shower! Who would have ever thought that the neighborhood you live in matters this much? I have always been concerned with the location or type of house. I always thought having a nice neighbor would be a bonus but it wasn't top priority. It is going to be so hard to move away this time. I highly doubt we will ever come close to living in a neighborhood like this ever again.

Thank you girls for hosting the shower! It was a lot of fun! Little Eli is already spoiled by all the gifts he has received at all 3 of my showers. I can't wait for him to meet all of you! It's so nice to know I have a handful of babysitters lined up waiting!

Courtney, Jen (Eli's there you just can't see him!), Kristin, & Cassie

How cute is this Steelers onesie! It already fits.

Is it just me or do I have chipmunk cheeks now? I think it's all of the nuts I have been eating. Remember the sugar detox I had to go through? Yah well it's now all about the salt. I have always loved nuts- the saltier the better. But now, I can't get enough of them. It's all about walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pecans! The problem with the sugar was the fact that I couldn't justify eating it. There was no nutritional value whatsoever. The nuts on the other hand can be justified so I feel no guilt while downing handfuls of them at a time. It's winter and like squirrels I need to pack on the pounds (for Eli of course) by eating nuts and berries (I eat a lot of Craisins for my sweet tooth). Ahh, only 5 more weeks of this. :)

Week 34- Already?!

Belly? What Belly?

Black is so slimming isn't it ladies?

Oh that Belly!

Yep, it's still there and still growing like a pumpkin in a pumpkin patch.

Looking back, I should have painted my belly orange for Halloween and painted a face on it. Now that would have made a great costume!

I just told my mom today that there is no way my belly can get any bigger than this because my skin is stretched so tight! My belly is as hard as a rock. I like to tell people I have abs of steel. It feels like I have been working out like a maniac! Ha, if only that were the case. This baby is growing like a weed. I have to take deep breaths all the time because he has discovered my rib cage to be the perfect resting spot for his feet. Milan and I were joking today that Eli is going to have legs like his Uncle Adam. Super long! Then we started thinking and listing all of the men in the family whose genes he could have acquired for these long legs. Let's see Milan, my Dad, Milan's Dad, Milan's brothers, Milan's Uncle George, my Dad's two sisters, the list can go on and on. I'm going to start calling Eli my Little String Bean instead of my Little Peach. I wouldn't be surprised if he measures 30 inches long at birth! :) Milan prays nightly that these legs are going to be part of our son's god given athletic talent!

Fall in Georgia

Seriously, it can't get much better than this! Fall in Georgia is beautiful. It is 70 degrees and sunny on November 8th. Living in this climate makes the feeling of homesickness disappear quite quickly! If only all of our family and friends could move down here! Last I heard it was in the 30's and raining up in Chicago today. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of extra maternity clothes that I would need if I was living there pregnant instead of here. I just keep washing and wearing the same mild weather clothes over and over! No coats, turtlenecks, and layered sweaters needed here! :)

With the weather being so nice lately, we took the opportunity to take some pictures of the outside of our new house (now that I got out of my lazy funk and decided to decorate a bit). I can't wait to rock my little guy in our classic Georgia front porch rocking chairs.

The Three E's

The Three E's... About 6 years ago my very close friend Rosa became pregnant. She was my first friend to have a baby so everything about having a baby was completely foreign to me. So I decided that I would read all her pregnancy books with her so we could talk about it even though I wasn't pregnant. Of course Rosa rushed right out and purchased the classic What to Expect When You Are Expecting book. As her pregnancy progressed and we got further and further into the book we decided that neither one of us wanted anything to do with the terms that began with the letter E. Those words being, enema, episiotomy, and epidural. I'll have you all know that I have not forgotten those words over the past 6 years and now that they are possibly around the corner I am doing everything in my power to steer clear of them! :)

I feel very fortunate to be able to say that I have never spent any time in the hospital. When I was about 5 years old I was bit by a horse and had to get stitches in my finger but other than that trip to the ER I have never been back for anything other than the occasional immediate care visit for the flu or something common like that. Before becoming pregnant I can only recall giving blood one time when I had stomach issues and that was so traumatic I said I was never going back to the doctor again. I have tried to take medicine and it makes my stomach turn so I quit taking prescriptions for anything- I'll survive. Oh and just to add a little story about pills: I was on a prescription from the dermatologist once (desperate times call for desperate measures I looked like I was 12) and apparently I didn't swallow the pill with enough water so the capsule dissolved in my throat and backed up into my sinuses and out my nose. I was foaming at the nose and my throat was on fire. Milan had to call poison control at midnight. I survived but my throat and nose were both burned from it. Dave lovingly calls me "green snot" now. Nice. Anyway, I have tried taking vitamins and we all know from a previous blog that I am incapable of that as well. I refuse to take over the counter medicaton for a cold (remember when I puked Nyquil all over you mom?) nor will I take aspirin or any of that stuff. It too makes my stomach turn. When it comes right down to it I am a complete wreck. I prefer pain over intervention.

Onto another subject... Gestational diabetes testing. During the third trimester they make you go in and get tested for diabetes. I do have to say for the record that I am getting better at giving blood. After much practice of mental relaxation I can now give blood without getting an upset stomach. I really am proud of myself. Anyway, the doctor told me to eat like normal that day- so I did (no Twizzlers of course). I went in drank my bottle of "kool-aid" and waited the full boring hour until they could draw blood. Two weeks later I go in for my visit and I'm told I didn't pass the test. What? Ok, imagine me freaking out about this. All I can see is visions of Twizzlers dancing in my head. I am told to come into the office the next day for the 3 hour test. Oh my god, three hours! I had to fast after midnight. I have never fasted in my life. I honestly thought I was going to die the next morning without my breakfast and water. Anyway, I get to the office, they draw blood, and I drink that nasty sweet drink again. You can't walk around or leave so you just sit for an hour until they can draw your blood again. You do this for a total of 3 hours. Oh did I people watch! But that's another story. In the end, I was nauseous, thirsty, starving, and my arm hurt from all the needle poking! But none the less I survived. Now I get to wait for the big news of whether I have diabetes or not. I knew that if I did I wasn't going to be able to forgive myself for all those Twizzlers I ate. Finally after a long few days of waiting I call the office and the nurse tells me that my numbers came back really low and everything looks great. WHAT? Then why on earth didn't I pass the first test? Come to find out at my appointment today I was only one point above normal so it automatically pushed me into the 3 hour test requirement. Are you kidding me! As ridiculous as all of this may sound to the average person you need to see that to me that is traumatic. :)

Back to the three E's. I waited to get pregnant for many reasons but the biggest reason had to do with the fact that it requires me to have medical things done. Now that I have survived two root canals and crowns put on my teeth I knew I had graduated into the world of being a big girl. If I can get a root canal done certainly I can have a baby. If you have never had a root canal done then make sure you are taking extra special care of your teeth so you don't need one done. It is terrible. Here's another look into the life of Jen. When I was 23 I had my wisdom teeth removed. How bad could that be? Oh how naive I was! I was nervous but I honestly don't get as afraid at the dentist as I do at the doctor. Anyway, I sit in the chair and suddenly I am being strapped down and givin a big needle in my arm. I immediately start crying. I don't know what came over me but I had no control of myself. The nurse had to wipe my eyes and nose because my hands were strapped down. It was pathetic and scary. The next thing I know the surgery is over and they are waking me up. What do you think the first thing I did was? Cried of course. I started crying all over again. It was as if I had never been out. I picked up right where I left off! You would have thought I had lost a limb and not 4 teeth. Anyway, back to the three E's.

After I found out I was pregnant the first thing I did was get a bunch of books to read. I knew I had 9 months to psych myself up for this. Fortunately the lady I babysit for had just given birth to twins so she was my daily resource for pregnancy conversation. It wasn't long before she was sharing her own stories and suggesting reading material. Little did I know that my meeting her would change my entire outlook on giving birth. I didn't know people actually gave birth without the 3 E's. I also didn't know that my list of things to be afraid of would be much longer than my little list of the 3 E's. The most powerful thing for me has been learning that I have control over the interventions that happen at my birth. You don't have to do things just because that's the way the hospital tells you to do it or that's the way most women today do things. I felt so liberated learning about this and reading all of the material supporting and encouraging natural child birth. Remember... I am the girl who would choose pain over intervention. In my quest for a birth that I can handle I have hired a doula and found birth classes that support and encourage natural child birth. Over the past 7 months I have bombarded Milan with snippets of info from all of the books I have read and he is completely on board with me for this journey. It is a journey much different than my friends have taken but I do believe it is one woman were created to do without too much unnecessary intervention.

I had planned to share my funny birth class stories tonight but it seems as though I have gone off on a tangent. I will save my stories for another day. Taking traditional birth classes at the hospital and taking alternative birth classes are much different and we are totally enjoying the experience. I will paint the picture for you next time. I hope you enjoyed my chatter. I needed to get it out! :)

7 1/2 Months

7 1/2 Months Looks Like This!

Here is the Little Peach! I guess I can't really call him little anymore. But he will always be "my little peach" even when he is 10 and tells me to stop calling him that! As I have mentioned before, my back is killing me. When I look at a picture of myself I can totally see why! It's starting to be shaped like a U. I feel like he is pulling me forward and I always want to correct my posture but it doesn't work at all. It's hopeless. I am finally having to give in to the inevitable pregnancy waddle.

This week will be week 31. I went to the doctor last week and found out that Eli is head down. I didn't really need the doctor to tell me that since I have been getting kicked in the ribs continuously but it was nice to have it confirmed. Let's just hope he stays put! I have had so many people share their pregnancy stories with me and no matter how well someone describes what it feels like when the baby moves there is no way to truly understand until you experience it for yourself. There are no words to describe the feeling. I am in awe everytime he moves. The kicks are one thing but the real movements are amazing. When you put aside the first trimester sickness, the second trimester clothing issues, and the third trimester discomforts you come to realize why so many women choose to do this over and over again. I'm already getting sad realizing it is coming to an end. At least there is something wonderful to look forward to.

I do have to say for the record that I am slowing down in all ways possible. My trips to the gym are shorter, my hours of sleep are shorter, my desire to socialize is shorter, my patience is shorter, and my ability to think rationally has just about diminished. I am angry over nothing important and then on the verge of tears over nothing important. I get mad at the TV because there is nothing worth watching. I am constantly antsy and bored out of my mind. Yet I can think of 10 things to do and don't want to do any of them. I feel like I am trapped inside of a cage yet the door to the cage is standing wide open so I can come and go freely. I think it must be time to start nesting. They say pregnant women start nesting around this time so maybe I need to do that. I had been holding off on getting the nursery put together since we thought we may be moving but now that I know we are not moving yet (thank goodness) I can put my focus on Eli's room.

Tomorrow will be birth class number 2. I will write about it this coming week. If it is anything like last week's class then let's just say it will be a blog worth reading... :)

The Happy Couple

Our trip to Marco Island

Us

Uncle George, Aunt Maria, & Us

Being pregnant is so enjoyable! Milan and I get along so well and enjoy this time together so much. Not that we didn't get along before but we are even closer now as we await Eli's arrival. It is so much fun waddling around getting attention from strangers and having Milan smile at my tummy. Our trip to Florida was wonderful. We relaxed a lot and just enjoyed the scenery. I would do anything to live near the beach. My hope is that Reynolds will move us near the ocean one of these days.

Now that we are back to reality again this has been a tough week. I feel like it is my first trimester all over again! I get tired so easily! I am also experiencing back pain for the first time. Apparently my little Eli is positioned on my sciatic nerve. I have shooting pains from my lower back into my hip and down my right hamstring. I am waddling around like a duck. So far I have managed to continue my trips to the gym but I must look quite uncomfortable as I waddle around the place. I had to take a break this morning from blow drying my hair because I was out of breath! What on earth is going on? Oh that's right all of my organs are up in my throat now. Speaking of my throat, I know digestion is an issue for woman in their third trimester so I wasn't surprised when I would feel full so quickly. But what I am surprised by is the fact that my food stays in my chest for hours and hours. I laid down in bed 5 hours after dinner and could feel the food in my chest. This morning I woke up and could still feel it there. All I can say to that is YUK!

Milan and I begin our birthing classes this week. There are 4 sessions on Sunday evenings from 5:00-8:00. I decided to take a less traditional class through a place that specializes in woman who are seeking a nonmedicated birth. I haven't really written much on here about my birth plan but yes I am crazy and yes I am going to try to do it without the epidural. I have hired a doula who will be there to help with pain mangement. Not that my dear sweet hubby couldn't be of help to me but this woman assists pregnant woman routinely and has a whole bag of tricks to help you get through labor. I can't wait to see the reaction on Milan's face when we get to the class and he gets introduced to the reality of child birth- the gory details and all. :)

I am now 7 months and in my third trimester. I think they call this the ready and able stage. I have to say that I am neither of those two things. Maybe next month. I am already feeling sad thinking about not being pregnant anymore. As much as I can't wait for my little guy to arrive I am in no hurry. I may say something else very shortly if he doesn't move and get off of my nerve, though! I have a doctor's appointment again this coming Monday. I am now visiting the doctor every two weeks instead of every four. I guess time is winding down huh? The next thing I know it will be every week! I'm pretty sure I will be getting scared right around that time.

I noticed our pictures from Florida really don't show my baby bump very well. I will have to get a better picture posted soon. He is growing and growing in there. Not to mention moving and moving. He now kicks my ribs. There is nothing funnier than when my stomach gets distorted looking or when my shirt just starts moving all around. I can't help but wonder what he looks like. I imagine it all the time.