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27 week Bumpdate!

This week: Mama's a little tired this week. I am trying to enjoy the three days that I have off between regular school and summer school but that has consisted of housework, errands, appointments, then collapsing in exhaustion. I am SO glad to be saying peace out to the first of two grad classes this summer. I had my glucose test yesterday and I have to say, it wasn't what I thought it would be. Maybe I'm a weirdo but I thought it was pretty good. It tasted like a teeny drink from back in the day. Yum! Still, let's hope I don't hear from the doctor's office.

How far along? 27 weeks!

Baby's size: Baby P is the size of a rutabaga! I tried to find a rutabaga at the grocery store but these fruit and veggie comparisons are getting out of control.

Total weight gain: I'm up one pound as of yesterday's appointment for a total of 5 lbs. Please don't throw rutabaga's at me, I have no effin' clue how it's happening. My doctor said I am doing a good job with weight gain and to remember that my metabolism is working harder right now. Where was the fast metabolism after college? wtf

Maternity clothes? Still mixing regular dresses, yoga pants, and long tanks with maternity tanks. If I don't wash everything every 4-5 days, I have nothing. It's too hot to go shopping, though.

Stretch marks: Belly is stretch mark free!

Sleep: Some nights I'm not sure if I'm even sleeping. I wake up and my face is puffed out and looks like I got in a fight. Jeff started letting Rocky in our bed - bad news, I know - and even though he's so damn cute and a pretty good snuggler, he's stealing my blanket and pregnancy pillow. I'm also up to pee, usually at least once sometimes more.

My spot seems to be getting smaller

Best moment this week: We got our first gifts sent to us off the baby registry and having real baby gear in the house brings it to a whole new level.  Last week was also the last week of school and my co-workers threw a little shower for me and they were too sweet and so generous. They ordered from my favorite pizza place and had all pink everything. Some of my students also gave me baby gifts instead of an end of the year gift. I don't work in the type of school where I am loaded up on end of the year gifts. Some kids make cards and sometimes a Dunks gift card or two rolls in but this year, there were some flowers and baby gifts! As in, Babies R' Us gift cards and adorable outfits for my sweet thing. It just blows my mind that these 10 year olds went out of their way to pick out gifts for my baby. Love.

Rocky's already on duty in his baby sister's room.

(The red compressor in the back is a sign of the finishing touches in the room!)

What I miss: Sleep. Getting out of bed without breaking a sweat. Doing anything without breaking a sweat. This heat wave needs to chillax.

Movement: She's a wiggler! She was all over the place after I drank my glucose drink yesterday. I also had my first painful kicks earlier in the week. Sharp twinges on my bladder? or cervix? Something down low that shouldn't be kicked.

Food cravings: The colder the better.. ice cream, slush, popsicles, super cold water & apple juice with lots of ice. Oh, and I just had to have cinnamon powdered donuts. Seriously, pregnant women shouldn't be allowed to grocery shop.

Food aversions: Nothing new.

Gender: Baby girl!

Belly button - in or out? In but weird. Sometimes when I take a deep breath, my belly button pushes out. Jeff told me recently that he's glad that his belly is such an innie because then it won't pop out. Um, what?

Wedding rings - on or off? On but getting a bit snug in this heat. I may need to make the call soon.

Symptoms: Even though it's hot as hell, I'm feeling pretty good. If I don't have cankles, it's a good day. My biggest complaint is not being able to get out of bed without breaking a sweat. I swear some nights when I'm trying to get out to go to the bathroom, I'm pushing off the dog's head, Jeff's booty, anything to get me off the bed before my bladder explodes.

Mood: Happy! In love!

Looking forward to: Putting baby girl's crib together! Of course, we have to get the crib first. It's ready for pick up and I have the most hilarious story to share this week; the first time I almost peed my pants during this pregnancy. The bedding should be here TODAY and I am so excited!! We also just booked out next ultrasound, which I wasn't sure when/if we would get, so that is awesome. I'm also really looking forward to next week.. Jeff just told me that he's on schedule to finish a big job by Monday and most likely closing the office for the second half of next week. I can't wait for us to both have some time off together, this never happens! 

Five on Friday

It's the first day of summer and the last day of school. Sounds like a perfect Friday! :)

I'm linking up for Five on Friday for the first time this week because let's face it, I love me a link-up and  the only type of blogging I can do right now is the random kind.

{one} Did you catch that first sentence? First day of summer, last day of school. Is there a more perfect pair?! I have never been more ready to say goodbye to a class than I was today. It was actually really weird because it is usually so hard to let those babies go off into the world without me but this year's group challenged me in every way possible and that made it a little easier to go our separate ways. They taught me things about myself that I didn't know and of patience. They taught me how some children just need more and that sometimes so many of them need more that it's okay to completely overhaul my teaching style to accommodate them. They also showed me compassion in so many ways, even when it wasn't always obvious. While it was the toughest group that I've had, I still found myself today with armloads of flowers, thoughtful baby gifts, and sweet fifth graders, and they reminded me that all is good in the world. 

{two} This happened this week.

Leave it to a pregnant woman to walk into the store to pick up milk, see a gallon of slush, buy it, but then panic that it's not real "slush" and still go to the ice cream shop to get one. In case you're wondering, it's real, it's just not 'easy scoop' as advertised.

{three} We got our first baby gifts sent to the house this week off of our registry and received gifts on three out of five days this week. People have been so generous and having baby stuff in the house makes it even more real. I am beside myself waiting for the email that the crib is in. Can't. frickin. wait.

Um, seriously? I can't stand it.

{four} I did a little more of this than usual this week..

Is there anything better than family nap time in the afternoon? Doubt it.

{five} We're loving that our beloved Bruins are in the Stanley Cup Finals and we may be moving a little slower than usual this week from an obscene amount of overtimes on work nights. But seriously, how cute are my boys? Love.

Happy Friday, loves!

SO WHAT! Wednesday!

I'm linking up with Shannon this week for SO WHAT! Wednesday. Go join in on the fun!

SO WHAT! if...

• I've been staying up late every night because I'm backed up on grad school work, grades, and baby stuff.. There is way too much going on lately!
• I've been trying to remember if my snow days were worth it now that I'm not getting paid to work this week and only have three days off in between regular school and summer school. I kinda think they were.
• I've been drinking a Butter Pecan iced coffee with extra cream from Dunks every day this week, it's too damn good not to!
• I watched two episodes of RHONJ and looked up everyone's net worth with Jeff last night instead of working on assignment. I worked an 11 hour school day yesterday, I seriously deserved it. In case you are wondering, Jeff and I (and I'm sure all of you) are worth more than the Giudice's and Gorga's combined, thanks to their debt!
• I'm more glad than I've ever been to say goodbye to this group of students that I have. Don't let the door hit ya on the way out, kid!
• I think grad school is the biggest waste of time EVER. I can't even tell you most of what I've learned and when my binder got wet, I threw the whole thing away without a second thought. This almost makes me sad because I loved my undergrad program but I can't be the only teacher in America who finds this to be true?!

26 week Bumpdate!

This week: It's a busy one! It's the last week of school!! Well, until summer school starts. We celebrated Father's Day and my BABY brother turned 20! Yikes!

How far along? 26 weeks! Less than 100 days to go! How did that happen?!?

Baby's size: Baby P is the size of a head of lettuce!

Total weight gain: 4 pounds

Maternity clothes? My outfits are on repeat. I just bought the dress in the picture at TJ Maxx and it's not maternity but it fits perfectly and is SO comfortable! I need to find a million more just like it.

Stretch marks: So I had some stretch marks on my hips and thighs from before pregnancy and I can't tell if I'm making it up but I think they're getting worse :( They're super small and light but I'm noticing them more now, which makes me think they are worse than they were before.

Sleep: It's okay. I mostly wake up feeling like I didn't sleep much and feeling like I can't even move because I have to pee so bad. 

Best moment this week: We celebrated Father's Day! Jeff chose his favorite breakfast place because he said, "I'm a dad now, right? So it's my day?" hah! Love that guy! He also got a teeny bit emotional when he opened his card and gift. He originally said, "Did you get me a Bjorn?!?!" He wants one so bad! haha but that will come.. Until then, how stinkin' cute are these?? He loved them!

What I miss: I wouldn't mind an icy cold beer or margarita.

Movement: SO much! It's getting more and more powerful and she is on the move all day.

Food cravings: I'm a mess, as soon as I see or hear of someone eating something, I want it immediately. I nearly polished off an entire watermelon this weekend and need to go get more ASAP, so it's probably safe to say that watermelon is the big one this week. I also can't get enough Butter Pecan iced coffee from Dunks! So good!

Food aversions: Back to meat.. particularly steak tips. Which is so weird because I LOVEEE steak tips. But I can have ground meat, burgers, nuggets, just not tips.

Gender: Daddy's girl

Belly button - in or out? In but flattening out.

Wedding rings - on or off? On!

Symptoms: Nothing new this week! Feeling pretty good!

Mood: So happy! I'm in my element!

Looking forward to: Our crib and custom bedding arriving! I. can't. wait. Um, the last day of school is looking good, too. :)

Here's a comparison from 10 weeks ago. Oh, baby!

25 week Bumpdate!

This week: We celebrated Jeff's birthday! :) My parents also celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary!

How far along? 25 weeks! 

Baby's size: Baby P is the size of an eggplant!

Total weight gain: 4 pounds

Maternity clothes? Wearing a lot of the same stuff every week. On Sundays, I feel like if I don't wash everything I wore that week I will have nothing for the next week. I LOVE my new maternity jean capris from Target! SO comfy and they really look like regular jeans.

Stretch marks: Nope

Sleep: Eh. Tossing and turning. I always feel like I just fell asleep when I wake up and I've started getting up to pee again in the middle of the night.

Best moment this week: We ordered our crib!! We also got the fabric samples for the bedding and I love it! We started our registry on Saturday and Jeff was precious in Babies R' Us. I think he had a moment where it really hit him and he needed to "have a hug" after picking out our crib. Then he had to sit and peruse the safety section of the registry booklet and make sure that we covered everything to keep her safe. He's the sweetest.

What I miss: Not much right now. I am really loving being pregnant.

Movement: All the time. She's really active at night, just like her mama.

Food cravings: Still lemonade and slush. I finally got some slush and may or may not have had it four nights this week. SO good!

Food aversions: I finally had a steak tip and actually enjoyed it but the sound of chicken still grosses me out.

Gender: Sweet baby girl!

Belly button - in or out? In but weird looking.

Wedding rings - on or off? Still on. The weather is back to normal and the swelling went away.

Symptoms: Starting to break out again. Grr! I also experienced an apparent "normal" pregnancy symptom that is also really annoying. I'll leave it at that.

Mood: Happy! Happy! I really love being pregnant!

Looking forward to: Picking up our crib and setting it up in the nursery! :)

The Coach's Wife

I have been a "Coach's Wife" for about five years now. I know I've only been a wife for a year, but Jeff has coached baseball for five. I've learned that being the Coach's Wife is way more difficult than having a spouse that plays a sport. I know this from personal experience since as long as I've known Jeff he has played or coached baseball. 

Jeff was the starting catcher for our college team and it was fun to head to the games with my girlfriends and sip on iced coffees. Of course, I was also a member of the elite 'Baseball Wifeys Club'. There was also something so special about the way he looked at me or walked over to me after the game; I could tell that he really loved that I was at his games. You also can't go wrong lovin' a boy who wears baseball pants. Am I right or am I right? Sigh. 

 {via}

In 2007, a month after we graduated from college, Jeff was drafted as a free agent for the Toronto Blue Jays. Even dating a professional athlete was not as all-consuming as being the Coach's Wife. Yes, Jeff lived in Florida during the season and for spring training but we talked every day and I visited so it wasn't too bad. Dating a professional athlete was also quite appealing and certainly has it's perks. And the baseball pants got even better. Tighter and whiter :) Then he played for a fun league in the summers when he came home and I loved going to the games and then hanging in the bleachers after with pizza and beer. Sometimes we'd even venture across the street to the pub and continue our post-game celebration. Summer baseball at it's finest.

When Jeff started coaching, it was a totally different vibe. He was very serious and of course, most of the fans at the game are parents and it just had a different feel. I still enjoy going to his games but it's not as fun when he isn't actually playing. Luckily the other coach and his wife are great and we've always enjoyed it, but volunteering to coach a team is so time-consuming. From meetings to practice to games to prepping and recording stats, he has a big job. It is all volunteer, too, which is what really makes it hard on a Coach's family. He doesn't bring home a paycheck to make up for all the dinners and family events that he misses. Not that money can even replace those things but it definitely helps. From the pre-season to the post-season, we miss a lot of our life. Last year on our honeymoon, when the season is usually over, we were even getting Facebook updates since his team made it to the playoffs and ended up winning the league title.

Last year, Jeff took his first paid position as an assistant coach for our Alma mater. We both love our college and we were excited for the opportunity and the extra income doesn't hurt. That ended up being way more than he bargained for so this year he took a position as the assistant coach for his high school team. He is so much happier in that position and we both really love the head coach, who was a college classmate, former teammate, and dear friend of ours. As much as we love the school and the team, it still takes away from so much. Especially considering he still coaches the volunteer team so the two seasons are literally back to back.

Last night, I helped out at the end of the year banquet and it was really amazing to watch how it all came together and see how appreciative and respectful the players are. I guess the team hasn't had a banquet in a few years and since both Jeff and the head coach were new to the team this year, they not only brought it back but they totally rocked it. They had a certificate and really nice things to say about every player, which was awesome. They also presented engraved bats to the seniors. It was very clear the minute that the bats were revealed, that the players and parents were so grateful for the gesture. They really did a great job with everything. I would have taken pictures but I was working the raffle table and it was go-go-go all night. Jeff was so taken back and proud when the seniors presented their gifts - new bats, a senior picture, and a team picture signed by each player. It was the first real gift that he's ever received as a coach.

You can imagine my surprise when the coaches were thanking people and took the time to personally thank their wives. They presented us with flowers and mentioned how grateful they are that we give up our husbands all season and put up with late dinners, early mornings, missed events, and sometimes a grumpy husband after a tough loss. I was completely moved by what a simple but thoughtful gesture that it was. I admit, I'm not always the best about his schedule and I sometimes complain that he misses out or that he's gone too long but it was nice to see that it is recognized and that they appreciate being able to have the time to do something that they love.

 

Being a Coach's Wife is a title that I wear proudly. Regardless of the hectic schedule, I am so grateful and proud to have a husband who is so passionate about what he loves and that he has the heart and talent to share that passion with these young men.

24 week Bumpdate!

This week: It is hot. That's all I can think about this week. Oh, and that June is finally here!! :) I've also reached viability!! It is amazing to think that our baby girl is just growing bigger and stronger from here on out.

How far along? 24 weeks! 

Baby's size: Baby P is the size of a cantaloupe!

Total weight gain: At my appt. yesterday, I was up 1 pound, for a total of 4 lbs. I seriously don't know how I'm not gaining more weight but my doctor told me that everything is good, so I'm good. I know I'm walking way more and probably eating better.

Maternity clothes? Rotating the same old. I got to try out my maternity bathing suit this weekend and it was pretty comfy.

Stretch marks: Negative.

Sleep: Not good in the heat but glorious in the AC. I'm still so tired in the morning, though.

Best moment this week: Jeff got to feel the little miss move!! His face was precious when he felt it and it was so amazing to be able to share that with him.

What I miss: Same. Summer drinks. Oh, and New England June weather. What's up with the heatwave?!

Movement: All the time! She is one very active little girl! I've noticed my belly moving and it's the coolest thing to watch.

Food cravings: Pink lemonade and slush!! I have yet to find a place around here that sells slush. So weird.

Food aversions: I think meat still. I haven't even tried to eat it. 

Gender: Pink! Pink! :)

Belly button - in or out? In but it's a weird shape.

Wedding rings - on or off? Rings are on. If it's hot at night I will take them off but they're mostly back on with the AC on.

Symptoms: Tired and hot. Oh, and swollen feet. I legitimately had cankles the other night. Frickin' cankles!!!!!!

Mood: It was an emotional weekend, my hormones are out of control, but I think that was a fluke and I'm mostly happy.

Looking forward to: Registering and furniture shopping!! Haven't I said this the past two weeks? I think we're really going this weekend. I also ordered fabric swatches for the custom crib bedding and I can't wait to see it!

Weekend Shenanigans

This weekend was pretty good, minus the fact that it was a million degrees.

Friday night, the baseball team Jeff coaches had a playoff game, so Rocky and I went. It was ridiculously hot and they ended up losing, no fun. We still enjoyed the game and Rocky especially enjoyed waiting for a baseball to come near him.

 He is not often found without an ear flipped over.

Saturday started off with me working on a paper for grad school and Jeff working on the stairs. We had intentions of shopping and starting our registry but things went off course. Jeff was using a product that he swore was safe, as long as the house was well-ventilated. Well-ventilated, as in, turn off the central air on a 90* day. Well, I started getting a headache and made him double-check the label, which apparently he never single-checked and it said right on it, "not safe for pregnant women". You can imagine the scene in our house but I wasn't happy. I lugged my laptop, papers, books, iced coffee, and the dog outside to keep working. I almost died in the heat and decided that as soon as I finished, I was heading to my parents house. They live on the beach and I needed some refreshment. I also needed to get away from Jeff before I threw something at him.  :)   (For the record, he apologized profusely but seeing as he was in the middle of the stairs, he had no option but to continue.)

I ended up having a lovely little impromptu beach day with my mom, sister, and niece. It was perfect and just what I needed to cool off and cool down. First beach day of the season. Bring it!

Is she not the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?!

I ended up finishing my paper later with the Bruins over Chipotle chips and guac. Not so bad.

Sunday morning, we had plans with friends that were cancelled last minute so I was a lazy bones and stayed in my nice cool bed checking out nursery plans. Jeff finished the stairs and we headed to the Border Cafe for lunch, then to Pottery Barn Kids and Crate and Barrel. I am on a mission to get a crib and a glider ordered. I never should have started Jeff in PBK because now he wants to BUILD the crib. He is pretty handy, I'll give him that, but there are so many safety standards to keep in mind, that it makes me nervous. Hopefully we can find something cheaper at Babies 'R Us soon. 

 He looks good waiting for a baby girl!

Despite the bright spots, I'll take a cooler weekend next time. I wonder if the heat had any effect on my emotions this weekend, too. They were all over the damn place. This preggo isn't going to make it until September unless someone turns the heat down a few notches.