pre-labor to do list

First of all, I had to get up at 4:30 this morning to make it to work by 5:15 and I saw something so pretty. I pulled the curtains and looked out into the darkness – behold, the lightning bugs! They were amazingly crisp and bright on the black horizon. I’m not sure if it was the big rainstorm we had yesterday or what, but it was something to see.

According to my due date, we’re T-minus 7 weeks until this second baby arrives. When you look at 7 out of 40 weeks, we are very close! It’s funny, because I’m not that anxious about labor and delivery (not looking forward to it, but not really scared); more so, I’m thinking about all the things I need to get done before kiddo gets here. I’m sure that’s a natural thought for a working mom that already has a two-year-old (right?!).

Either way, I’ve been running my to do list through my head for quite some time now and here are the main things I’ve come up with:

• husband’s cousin’s graduation & party this weekend
• teach lifeguard class at work next week
• hang misc. items on the walls to finish nesting in the new house then blog with some photos
• baby shower next Saturday
• animal park with husband, son, & church kids in a couple weeks
• anniversary celebration at work in a few weeks (plan & work)
• wedding last weekend of the month (thankfully, I’m just a spectator and it’s local so no travel needed)
• work 4th of July 5K race (probably sit and take registrations at that point!)
• paint bookshelf in bedroom (thankfully it’s small)
• wash newborn clothes & put away
• make sure breast pump still works
• pack hospital bag
• spot read “Becoming Babywise” to familiarize myself with the eat/wake/sleep routine (it worked very well with our first child)
• clean up & assemble infant car seat
• sort & organize my own clothes so I will have something to wear after baby gets here (without having to dig through everything)
• make up some freezer meals for easy dinners post baby (thanks to A Daily Dose of Fit for this great idea!)…I wish my younger sister was here to help me on this one – she’s great in the kitchen!
• sort through papers and file/trash (stuff that’s accumulated over the past 6 months or so – yikes!)

I think that does it for the most part…Of course, there are the daily things like work and take care of our sweet little boy, but these are the main things I want to do between now and then. Ambitious, huh? Thankfully, I have a 3 day weekend starting tomorrow and my husband is off so he can help me with some of these things!

I’m feeling MUCH better and seem to have kicked this old stomach bug (I think), so maybe I will have my energy back now. I also increased my iron intake like I did during my last pregnancy just to be on the proactive side since I’ve been feeling a little tired.

So, what’s on YOUR to-do list for the next several weeks?

just keep swimming

If you have young children, chances are when you hear “Just keep swimming”, you hear Dory in Finding Nemo. If not, a clip is included below for your viewing pleasure.

Either way, I finally swam today after 2 weeks of missing it. It just seemed like I never made time to swim, even though I was in the water with personal training clients. So, today, I got my 22 laps in and it felt great! Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise for us pregnant ladies, so I plan to make it a bigger part of my routine for the next several weeks.

Just wanted to share a blurb from http://www.babycenter.com/0_great-pregnancy-exercise-swimming_7822.bc

“Any type of aerobic exercise during pregnancy helps increase your body’s ability to process and utilize oxygen, which is important for you and your baby. But swimming is great exercise because it uses both large muscle groups (arms and legs). And although it’s a low-impact activity, swimming provides good cardiovascular benefits and allows expectant women to feel weightless despite the extra pounds added by pregnancy.

Swimming also improves circulation, increases muscle tone and strength, and builds endurance.

Swimming helps counteract the increased back strain from your expanding belly. Pregnancy forces the spine and shoulders to round forward and the pelvis to tilt out of alignment, but swimming gently strengthens the muscles and offsets this tendency. The water also protects you from overheating and supports your joints and ligaments as you exercise, preventing injury.

If you swim, you burn calories, feel less fatigued, sleep better, and are better equipped to handle pregnancy’s physical and emotional challenges. Swimming also helps you keep your weight within a healthy range, and some women say swimming also makes them feel less bloated.”

Not sure if swimming during pregnancy is right for you? Check with your doctor and hopefully you’ll get the green light.

the good and not so good

I talked to my younger sister last night who reminded me that I haven’t blogged much lately. Of course, my excuse was “I’m so busy!” which is true. I miss blogging terribly and thought I would MAKE time to post something, even if it’s a little quick. 🙂

32 week pregnant shadow

This is a pregnant shadow picture of me, now 32 weeks along (33 tomorrow, actually). I can’t believe I’m only about 7 weeks from baby #2 being in my arms instead of my belly. In this shot, I was huffing it up a hill with my two year old son. He insisted walking down this big, steep bank in the field. He did great walking about a half mile, then I ended up carrying him the last eighth or so to his Granny and Poppy’s house. Thirty pounds in your arms and 20 some in your belly make for a good workout!

My son insisting we go through the gate and into the field

There’s been lots of good and not so good things happening this week. Here’s my list to keep it simple…

THE GOOD

• Got my son’s twin bed from IKEA assembled last Tuesday evening in less than 2 hours. He loves it, thankfully!
  

  Forgive the blurriness, but this is my pregnant self after assembling the cool bed last week. I AM a carpenter’s daughter.

• My garden is surviving and starting to come along. I picked up some watermelon and cantaloupe plants today to add as well.
• Had a wonderful visit with my brother in law and his family the weekend before last. They came all the way from Colorado to see us!
• Mom hemmed my curtains I’d gotten from IKEA so now most of my windows are dressed. I got 2 sets of curtains & 4 valances for $20…thrifty!
  

  My living room curtains

THE NOT SO GOOD

• Woke up sick with a stomach bug last Wednesday morning and it’s hung on for almost a week! I never get sick, so this has drained me. The baby is moving a lot, so that’s good, but my exercise has slacked. I’ve done more yoga (which is GOOD), but that’s about all besides walking around the farm with my kiddo.
• Didn’t pass my BodyPump assessment video to become certified as an instructor. Thankfully, they give you another chance and they’ve extended my submission date till the end of September since I’m so pregnant. I’ll get it next time.

Well, let’s get busy again. I hope to share some more pictures from my good camera soon. I’ve gotten some good shots here lately in the beautiful Virginia springtime that I really want to share. Have a blessed day!

poppies and more

There’s a gazillion things I’d love to blog about, but you (my readers) seem to be more like me and prefer pictures. So, I’ll let you create your own story about what I’ve been up to lately…

My son pointing to something in the field

Virginia dogwoods bloomed beautifully this year

I see the moon and the moon sees me…God bless the moon and God bless me…

Playing in the woods like usual

My son insisted on playing in the rain on a cold May day

This is one of my favorite shots of my son. He loves poppies.

I love poppies too

My son and his “poppy”

Father and son going fishing

My son and one of his Colorado cousins home for a visit

The other sweet Colorado cousin

popsicle soldier

Forgive the blurry picture, but there is a cute story here.  My son and I were playing with his soldiers today and I noticed this soldier holding something in his hand. I asked my boy “What’s he holding in his hand? A bell or a flashlight?” The two-year-old whiz said, “Um, uh, a popsicle!” I didn’t know soldiers in battle ate popsicles. Gotta love toddler wisdom.

m.i.a. blogger

It’s been over a week since my last blog post and it makes me sad. I have thought of so many good things to blog about, but life has gotten in the way. I’m thankful to be needed and wanted, but I miss getting my thoughts out there! I have some good pictures to post, but not with me, so that will have to be a separate post (hopefully not NEXT week).

The 84 degree temperatures yesterday made my mid-July due date a big reality yesterday! Only 10 weeks until baby #2 is here in my arms (or less if I don’t make it the full 40 weeks). I’m excited and nervous at the same time…not about the labor part, but just about the adjustment period and recovery at home. I’m hoping our 2 year old will cope well and understand. We keep talking to him about the new baby, but he just doesn’t seem to get it. He’s 27 months old and will be almost 2.5 when the baby gets here, so I’m hoping he understands by then. Either way, I’m sure it will be fine. In the meantime, I have to get the new baby’s room together. I have our old baby clothes separated now, so at least that’s taken care of. If this one is a boy, we’ll be set on clothes…if it’s a girl, I have enough neutrals to tide me over until we can swap them out for girl stuff. Thank goodness for baby consignment stores now, huh?!

Work is keeping me busy, too! I taught my first lifeguard class a week and a half ago and all 4 people passed, thankfully. I’m on the last week of our weight loss contest where I’m heading up a team of 5 ladies with nutrition advice and 1 hour of personal training each week. I love the contest, but it’s very demanding and I’m looking forward to the slower pace of next week. We have plenty of other things coming up that I have to prepare for like a 5k race in July and a 10th anniversary celebration in June. I’ll be busy right up until this baby gets here. OH! I got my BodyPump video recorded and uploaded as well so here’s hoping I will be certified by the middle of May. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I’ve been back on a cooking kick and have tried some good recipes. Here’s a quick recap:

• Stuffed Shells – made this one last Tuesday and it was good (4/5 stars)! I used manicotti instead of shells.
• Chicken Chimi in the Oven – this was Monday’s dinner in celebration of Cinco De Mayo. I give it 3/5 stars…I will omit the cinnamon in the future, I think.
• Dad’s Breakfast Pizza – loved this one so much I made it twice in one week (5/5 stars).  The first time I made it, I followed the recipe but used crescent rolls instead of biscuits and I did over easy eggs instead of scrambled…I just cooked my eggs up in a pan with a little olive  oil before placing them on the pizza. The second go round, I made my husband’s half with sausage, cheese, and over easy eggs. My half was onions, cheese, scrambled eggs and I topped with salsa and avocado when it came out of the oven. So yummy!

I signed up for the PRO account with allrecipes.com and now I have a meal planner feature. You just add your recipes you’ve saved and it creates a grocery list for you. Very neat indeed and it’s only $9.95 for 6 months, so I can discontinue it if I don’t use it enough between now and then.

Last but not least, I got my very first garden planted on Monday! I planted butternut squash, yellow squash, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce. I also threw in some sunflower seeds I’d gotten. I have to plant my eggplants and tomatoes, but my seedlings aren’t doing great, so we’ll see how that goes. I might have to buy some plants that are already started for a few things, but that can wait until next week.

For Mother’s Day, I asked my darling husband to fence in the garden to keep out the dogs, rabbits, toddler, etc. I also asked to watch The Great Gatsby on DVD Sunday night after we put our son to bed. We have that song on our BodyPump playlist and I want to see the movie. I’m only what, a year behind?

Well, let’s take a rest. I promise to post something interesting soon!