Diaper System

Let me take a moment to tell you about our diaper situation.

When Steven and I first started planning for the baby, I was determined to use cloth diapers. He wasn't easily convinced and I knew I didn't want to fight the uphill battle of forcing him to use a system he wasn't comfortable with. He also brought up a good point - did I really want to be washing loads of diapers once I went back to work full time? I couldn't argue with that.

After some extensive research, I settled on gDiapers. You can go to their website for more information, but the gist is that gDiapers are a hybrid between cloth and disposables.

The system is made up of two parts: washable cloth 'pants' and disposable liners. Yes, yes, they have a disposable component - but it's not as bad as you think. The liner is made of only pulp and paper products, no plastics. That means the liner can be flushed in a toilet or, if you have to throw it in the garbage, it will break down in 50-100 days as opposed to however long it takes a traditional disposable diaper to decompose. But wait, it gets better. If the liner is only wet, but not dirty, the liner can be tossed in a compost bin to help provide rich nutrients for our lawn and garden.

The cloth pants require an upfront cost but the liners cost less per unit than a traditional disposable diaper.

To me, it was the perfect compromise. I get the reduced environmental impact and (some) cost savings associated with cloth diapering without the increased workload.

Of course, I haven't put them to the test yet. Once I have I'll report back and let you know if they're as great as I think they're going to be.

Nursery Fan

Over the weekend we completed the last of the major nursery projects - we replaced the ceiling fan.

There was nothing "wrong" with the existing fan, but with its 52" span and wood tones I thought it was too large and dark for our bright little nursery.


Apparently, the previous owners of our house used the nursery as a man cave - complete with surround sound - and I'm sure in that situation, this fan fit the bill. But it's all wrong for a baby's room so it had to go. One feature we kept was the wall mounted double dimmer switch. Since we used the existing wiring we are still able to adjust the light and fan levels, perfect for late night diaper changes.

Now in its place is a bright and crisp 42" model, much more appropriate for the size of the room. See how the white on white layering helps it to recede into the ceiling? Much better, if you ask me.

I am also loving the crisp lines and simple details - much more my style.

The icing on the cake is that we were able to sell the old fan on Craigslist so the new fan project wasn't expensive at all!

Gold Stars All Around

By now we all know that I'm a Type-A person, but apparently my lady bits like to over-achieve as well.

Friday I went for my weekly OB appointment. Since I was past the 38 week mark, the midwives added vaginal exams to my weekly visits.

First, Jessie felt my belly to determine the baby's size and position. She said the baby felt small, which makes me so happy. The smaller the baby, the easier my job will be. During the internal exam Jessie said she liked what she felt. She didn't give me any dilation or effacement numbers, but she said I seemed "ripe, soft, etc" and that she could feel the baby's head. She also joked that given my 'situation' I might not be pregnant anymore by next Friday's appointment.

Now, I don't want to brag, but Jessie happened to mention that most first-time moms don't progress this quickly before their due date. So, clearly, my cervix is somewhat of a rock star.

Of course, none of this information guarantees that I will go in to labor early so I will just go along with business as usual until the contractions begin.

My Birth Plan

As promised, I am going to share my birth plan with you. Please don't think I am doing this to try to prove a point or lecture anyone if they chose/choose to do things differently. I just figured this would give me additional motivation to stick to this plan because, admittedly, some of these things are going to take a large act of strength and will power.

Also, please don't think I'm one of those crazy militant people who really think I am able to plan my delivery. Every intervention has its place, and if I need one then I need one.

So, without further ado, I present my Birth Plan:

Allison and Steven - Birth Preferences

Due Date: July 8

Introduction: Assuming that we have an uncomplicated labor and delivery, Allison and Steven would like to have an unmedicated, all natural birth. Please do not offer pain medication. Allison will ask for it if she wants it. Our birth preferences are listed below. We understand the unpredictability of birth and that these are merely preferences. We will appreciate your input and guidance should a complication arise. Our priority is healthy mom, healthy baby. Please be aware that Allison is afraid of needles and would like to avoid them if at all possible. The sex of Baby is unknown and Steven would like to announce the gender to Allison.

Support Team: Allison requests that Steven remain with her at all times. Kimberly (Allison's mother) and Stephanie (Steven's mother) are welcome in the L&D room during labor, but will return to the family waiting area when it is time to deliver Baby. If any other family members should arrive at the hospital we would like for them to remain in the waiting area until after the birth and we decide we are ready for visitors.

PRE-LABOR & LABOR STAGE 1
IDEAL
- monitoring via doppler or limited EFM
- drug-free induction if it's necessary (i.e. foley bulb, membrane stripping, etc)
- receiving fluids and nourishment by drinking and light snacking
- minimal vaginal exams
- allow time for labor to progress naturally
- manage pain with massage, walking, birth ball, shower/tub, varying positions
- please offer any suggestions or alternatives for natural pain relief
NOT PREFERRED
- monitoring via continuous EFM
- induction unless absolutely necessary
- any drugs (pitocin or pain medications)
- IV for fluid intake
- saline lock
- routine blood tests
- any measures to speed labor unless medically necessary

LABOR STAGE 2
IDEAL
- upright delivery, freedom to change position
- avoid tearing - slow and/or controlled pushing, perineal support, warm compresses
- Steven to announce sex of Baby
NOT PREFERRED
- any drugs (pitocin or pain medications)
- episiotomy
- vacuum or forceps
- C-section

POST LABOR
IDEAL
- deliver placenta naturally
- topical numbing cream prior to repairs
- allow cord to go flat & white prior to cutting
- Allison to immediately nurse baby
NOT PREFERRED
- pitocin to deliver placenta
- injected anesthetics prior to repairs

INFANT CARE
IDEAL
- breastfeed exclusively
- delay newborn treatments 2 hours - bath, shots, tests, exams and eye treatment
- all newborn treatments to be done in room
- Baby to remain with Allison and/or Steven
NOT PREFERRED
- bottles
- formula
- Baby taken to nursery for extended periods
- any treatments or procedures done with Allison or Steven present

SPECIAL REQUESTS
- Please consult with us prior to procedures, interventions or medications.
- We request private time to discuss options if non-emergency complications arise.
- If C-Section: Allison awake, 1 hand free, able to touch and handle Baby, nurse immediately

So that's my birth plan. If you disagree with me, please don't leave any nasty comments. However, if you have legitimate questions about what I hope to do, please leave me a comment and I would be happy to talk with you!

Nursery Art: Part 3

After all my rambling about mobiles and embroidery hoops you'll probably appreciate this post because it's short and sweet!

My friend and co-worker Cydney made this adorable bunting for Peanut. Doesn't it look cute above the door?


I can't resist a detail shot...

I just love having handmade gifts! Every time I look around the nursery I can see how much love our friends and family already have for the Peanut.

Nursery Bedding

The crib skirt is finally finished! I say finally because I have had the fabric since early March and the crib skirt just made its way onto the crib. Now don't go thinking that I have some crazy, complicated crib skirt that took 3 months to construct. Nope, I'm just terrible at sewing and had to wait until my back-up (aka Brettany) could come help me. She did all the hard work - I just did the SUPER important things like measuring and ironing. Seriously, I can't even be trusted to pin a hem.

But enough about how lame I am. Let's marvel over my crib skirt!

Yum. It's crisp and clean. The fabric is fun and kid-friendly without being tacky or overdone. Let's marvel at the close-up:



That, my friends, is a pattern from Amy Butler's spring collection. What nursery doesn't need a little Amy Butler?

But wait, there's more! This simple crib skirt has some tricks up its sleeves. Bedding can have sleeves, right? Because my crib is adjustable, the crib skirt has to be adjustable too. As baby gets taller the mattress platform can be lowered to offer more containment protection, which means the crib skirt has to get shorter. Yes, I could re-hem it each time, but then I can't re-use it for baby #2 further down the road.

Enter my dear friend velcro. Instead of making a traditional crib skirt that is built like a dust ruffle, we made 3 flat fabric panels - left, right and front - that are attached to the mattress platform with velcro squares. Then we added additional "receiving" velcro on the platform so I can move the panel inward, effectively shortening it without having to cut it when it's time to adjust the mattress height. So simple.

I should probably point out that I could have done this project, on my own, without a sewing machine if I used iron on hemming tape, but that isn't as durable after multiple washings. Since it's always a safe bet that anything in a nursery will need to be washed at some point, I took Brettany's advice and had her sew it for me.

Brettany, being the wonderful friend that she is, had set aside a whole day to help me sew and after the crib skirt was complete we still had plenty of time and fabric to use. The original plan was to make a crib bumper, but we realized those take a lot of work. And they might not even be necessary.* It just seemed like too much trouble for something that may or may not be purely aesthetic, so we scrapped that idea.

Not wanting my fabulous and expensive fabric go to waste, I had the idea of buying a wicker basket and creating a simple liner to turn it into a laundry hamper. So that's what we did. We picked up a Smith & Hawken basket (on sale!) from Target on our lunch/errands break and, with less than 2 hours of sewing, we had a laundry hamper in no time!

As you can see, it's nice and roomy but it's not too big for a baby-sized laundry pile. The liner bag is a 5-sided cube with just enough wiggle room to fold the top over for a nice finished edge. Plus, the liner is removable - and washable - in case we get some seriously dirty laundry going on.

And how cute is the "laundry" tag? The little placard came attached to the basket and, with no more than some acrylic paint and a tiny brush, Brettany had this labeled in only a few minutes! No, I'm not completely helpless, but her handwriting is much nicer than mine.

Here you can see my adorable hamper in its new home next to the changing table.

So there you have it. My DIY crib skirt and laundry hamper that only took on afternoon of sewing!

*I've read lots of (potentially fear mongering) articles about how crib bumpers are just evil things waiting to strangle or suffocate your helpless baby. Yes, they help prevent baby from bumping his head on the crib rails, but once baby is mobile enough to be head-bumping he is also mobile enough to detach the bumper and fall prey to its evil powers. I don't really know how I feel about all that, but I wasn't so attached to the idea of a bumper that it seemed worth it to me. If it's really a problem, I'll buy one in the future.

Bump Photo - Week 37

Bump Photo - Swimsuit Edition



This week I got brave and took my weekly photo on the way to the pool. Please disregard the extreme pasty-ness of my thighs.

Hat: Panama Jack
Sunglasses: DKNY
Swimsuit: Motherhood Maternity

Older Photos
Week 36
Week 35

Nursery Art: Part 2

Remember when I told you that the bunting for my shower was made from scraps from another project? Well, the time has come to reveal why I bought all that fabric in the first place...

I made an embroidery hoop display to hang over the changing table! Much like the tea towel calendar, I wanted something soft and lightweight on the wall in case some super squirming causes things to fall down.


First I hit up the fabric store searching for fat quarters and boy was I picky! The fabrics had to be gender neutral, have coordinating color palettes, have a consistent level of "busy-ness" and all live up to my insanely high standards. In the end I found a beautiful collection of fabrics - I am loving all the ways I have managed to use pattern mixing in the nursery.


Creating this project could not have been easier. I bought 7 inexpensive wood embroidery hoops from a craft store, stretched the fabric in the hoops then trimmed and glued the fabric on the back to give it some long-term holding power. But since I can never leave an easy project alone, I upped the ante on a few of the hoops and embroidered a little something fun (more on that in a minute).


In order to figure out the spacing, I moved the hoops around on top of the changing table - this was perfect because I wanted to center my composition in that horizontal space and it gave me a good reference for the vertical spacing as well.


After I was satisfied with my arrangement I stretched a level line using thread and 2 thumbtacks. I marked 2 points on the thread, one directly above each edge of the dresser, to represent the bottom corners of the dresser. This made placing my nails super easy. I measured the horizontal and vertical distances from the dresser corners then I could duplicate that spacing by measuring from my reference "corners" on the thread.


That little technique made hanging these a snap! Also, the placement wasn't an exact science so it didn't matter if I was off by a little bit. In the end it only took me about 15 painless minutes to hang all 7 hoops.


Now for the extra embroidery part of the project. To tie in some of the navy accents in the room, I bought solid navy fabric for one of the hoops knowing I would use some fun details to jazz it up. I used little scraps from the other hoops and scraps from the bunting to make this sweet little birds on a wire scene.


Again, this wasn't an exact science. I drew out my bird shapes on paper, cut them out and played with the arrangement before I committed anything to fabric. Then I just traced the outlines onto the fabric, cut them out and tacked them down with a simple whip stitch.

Voila! More custom art for very little money. Stay tuned for more nursery decor on the cheap!

Musings

I've had a few things on my mind lately, but none are worthy of their own post. Consider this a post-pourri, if you will. Sorry, I love puns.

- My hair is finally long enough to pull back into a (very tiny) ponytail.

Please excuse the terrible picture. I was standing, back to the bathroom mirror, with my iphone over my head. This is the only picture, out of about 50, that even come close to showing my whole head.

Pre-pregnancy, I had subtle variations of the same short haircut for the last 2 years. Now that may look like a low-maintenance, mom-friendly haircut, but let me assure you it's not. It takes quite a bit of blow drying and flat ironing to make it look like that. If I let it air dry, it's all wavy and frizzy. Plus I immediately got tired of having my bangs in my face.

So, once I found out I was pregnant I decided to start growing it out so that I might be able to pull it back once the baby got here. It may not be the most glamorous thing in the world, but I consider that tiny ponytail a victory.

- We picked a pediatrician. I originally had my mind set on using a family practitioner rather than a specialist, but then Laura had a pediatrician come to one of our birth classes to give some basic information on newborn care. It just so happened that Dr. G has an office close to our house and, since she just opened her own practice, she is accepting new patients. That's not all. If she's away from her office, phone calls automatically forward to her cell phone. And she always answers it. Even on nights and weekends. How could I not fall in love with her for that? So after making sure she's covered by our insurance, we swooped in and scheduled an appointment. I love when awesome people just fall into my lap without me having to do any research.

- Not a single stranger has touched my bump. I had heard so many women complain about this that I just assumed it would happen to me too. No one, not even little old ladies, have reached out a curious hand. Even my own family asks me before they cop a feel! Maybe my anti-social tendencies are more palpable than I realized?

- My bump has, however, been a magnet for food stains. I cannot go a single day without getting a food stain on my shirt. I wasn't that clumsy before I was pregnant, so maybe the spazzing is a side-effect. Today I dropped mayonnaise on a white t-shirt and even that managed to leave a stain.

- I got a pre-natal massage. Cheryl was so wonderful when she visited our birth class Steven thought I might enjoy a session as a mother's day gift. Steven thought right. I had never had a massage before and I was surprised by how much they hurt! She did a good bit of deep tissue work on my legs, glutes and pelvis and the pain was almost more than I could take. But after she was finished, all my back pain was gone and my pelvis felt less disjointed. The best part about the pre-natal session is that it's a two-for-one deal. After I deliver I can come back for a free realignment session to help put my joints and organs back where they're supposed to be. I can't wait!

Nursery Lamp

I love, love, love this lamp. It used to live in our bedroom but it's so much more appropriate for a nursery, don't you think?


This little darling came from Urban Outfitters several years ago and I'm so glad I snagged it when I did. I didn't have a use for it at the time, but it's so perfect now I can't imagine not having it!

Bump Photo - Week 36

There's not much to say about this outfit. We were out running weekend errands yesterday and I just wanted to be comfortable, and this cotton sundress was perfect for that. It has gotten so hot lately that I can hardly stand to wear pants, and sadly I only have 1 pair of maternity shorts. Luckily I can still wear several of my non-maternity skirts and dresses - stretchy is the name of the game!

Dress: Wal-Mart
Sunglasses: Nautica

Older Photos
Week 35
Week 34

Nursery Art: Part 1

After hanging the mobile I knew I wanted some soft art to hang over the crib - nothing heavy that could fall on the baby! - and that same day I read a blog post about how tea towel calendars are making a resurgence. I just love when my brain dovetails so well with the internet!

I decided a tea towel calendar was just what I needed - they are lightweight, soft and I could mark the baby's birth date and keep it as a memento of the big day.


After some digging I found a blank calendar on Etsy. The seller provided me with a linen tea towel with a screen-printed 2010 calendar and an empty box at the top for personalization.


Being the crafty gal that I am, I whipped out my embroidery hoop and stitched this elephant family - complete with a trumpeting Dad!


Once the baby is born I will go back and stitch something around his or her birthday to further personalize this sweetie of a calendar.

I Have Been Thoroughly Showered

On Saturday I attended the last of my 4 baby showers. That's right, 4. I knew I would be having 3 showers, but then Steven's office hosted a casual after-work party for me and another pregnant employee and, to our surprise, people brought gifts! I am one lucky mama-to-be, that's for sure! So now I think I have all the baby loot I could ever need, and then some.

Rambling. Back to Saturday's shower.

It was hosted by my Mom at her house. For those of you who don't know me personally, therefore haven't had the pleasure of meeting her, you should know when she entertains she goes all out. Let me paint you a picture:

There is a new wreath on the front door. The house and the front porch are cleaned and decorated. There is a professional floral arrangement as a centerpiece for the buffet. All the serving pieces, plates and napkins match each other and the centerpiece. All the food is homemade*, very tasty and very fancy. A smart person would have taken pictures of the food to prove all this to you, but I did not. Because I'm not smart. At least not when it's effing hot outside.

*It should be noted that for my entire life I have never had a store-bought birthday cake. My birthday cakes were always homemade, delicious and meticulously carved/iced/adorned to match the theme of my (elaborate, yet tasteful) birthday party.

The (entirely made from scratch) menu included:
-small bowls of pastel candy and nuts, served with my Mom's sterling silver baby spoons, courtesy of my grandmother
-hot artichoke and shrimp dip with baguette slices
-miniature pastry shells with chicken salad filling
-fresh veggies with veggie dip
-individual cheese balls skewered on a pretzel stick, a la baby rattles
-fresh fruit served in a hollowed-out watermelon carved to look like a baby carriage, complete with a rind handle and orange slice wheels
-sugar cookies in the shape of feet (as in the pitter, patter of)
-miniature grand marnier creme brulee (the woman owns her own creme brulee torch)
-cake balls (they're very hard to describe, but very tasty - trust me on this)
-lime sherbet punch - We're Southern. You can't host a party without pastel colored punch.

So you see what I mean by all out. It should also be noted that she pulled an all-nighter getting ready for the shower.

So, clearly you have never lived until you have eaten at my Mom's table. If I had thought ahead of time I would have invited all you readers to join us. Like I said, we're Southern. There's always extra food.

Bump Photo - Week 35

Here's me, with only 5 weeks until my due date. It's hard to believe how big I've gotten! One thing I am thankful for is my office's relaxed dress code. There are only 4 of us so we can get away with being fairly casual, which is a good thing when I'm this big and it's this hot.

Tank: Liz Lange Maternity, for Target
Jeans: free from Freecycle, hemmed into capris by Cydney

Older Photos
Week 34

Week 32

Nursery Mobile

What is that light and airy thing hanging over the crib? It's a mobile! And not just any mobile, a mobile made by yours truly.

The budget for our nursery project was tiny, so I knew if I wanted a mobile I would have to make one myself. After doing some browsing I fell in love with the pinwheel mobiles by Dosta Beba. Gorgeous, yes, but there was no way I was going to pay $70 for a mobile that I could make with my own two hands.

In fact, this project is simple enough that I am writing this post as a (kind of) how-to. You can follow along with my pictures, but there are so many ways to vary the process and make your mobile your own!

With a healthy dose of inspiration, I set about designing my pinwheels. My first decision was what to use for the pattern - scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, starched fabric? After much deliberation I decided to go with something more personal. I chose to draw my own patterns rather than use something store bought. Then, instead of paper or card stock I chose vellum for the pinwheels to add to the light, ethereal feeling.

First I picked 4" for my pinwheel size and cut out 7 squares of graph paper, each 4" x 4". Then I drafted each of my patterns onto the graph paper. Some just came to me, some required some tweaking. I definitely made some mistakes, so I would advise working first in pencil or cutting some back-up squares. Once my designs were final I went over them with pen to make them more visible.

Next I broke out my Prismacolor markers, left over from my design school days, to trace the patterns on the vellum. If you don't have any of these (pricey) markers, there's no need to rush out and buy some. You can use anything you want to make your patterns - paint, colored pencils, colorful masking tape. Heck, you could even skip the hand-drawing and print a design with your printer!

I decided on these shades of blue and green to compliment the wall color, but not match it exactly (much like the wallpaper on the dresser).

Here you can see some completed patterns, which are just traced copies of my pen-on-graph paper originals. I found it easiest to draw the pattern on the paper, then cut the perimeter and corner-to-corner lines. If you aren't sure where to make your cuts, a simple spin around Google should clear things up.

The next task was to turn my squares into pinwheels. I used 2 different glues to make these, rubber cement and tacky glue, both of which are available at most craft stores.

I applied a thin layer of rubber cement to the end of every other point (the part that gets glued down) and to the center of the square (where the points are placed). Rubber cement works best if you let all the glue dry for about 30 seconds, or to the point where it feels sticky and no longer looks shiny. Then I folded the glued points onto the center and pressed to bond the glue.

The second step secured the bond and gave the pinwheel a more finished look. I applied a small dab of tacky glue to the back of a button and pressed it onto the center of the pinwheel. I had to hold it for a bit to let it set, but tacky glue dries quickly so that didn't take long. Both rubber cement and tacky glue dry clear so I didn't worry if I got some excess around the middle.

Now that the pinwheels were complete it was time to construct the mobile. I cut a 1/4" round dowel into 3 pieces, each 12" long. Next I drilled a small hole in the center of each dowel and 1/4" in from each end.

Now I needed to decide how low I wanted my pinwheels to hang from the supports - I decided on 6" for the center pinwheel and 4", 6" and 8" (2 each) for the outer pinwheels - and cut my thread accordingly. I doubled the length (you'll see why in a minute) then added about 8 extra inches to give myself some wiggle room. I used white sewing thread because I wanted it to recede visually, but you can mix it up with some colored string or even use clear fishing line.

Using a thumb tack, I poked a hole through each of the 4 button holes, making sure to pierce through all layers of glue and paper. I used a needle to "sew" the criss-cross through the button, with two even lengths of thread hanging out the back of the pinwheel. I tied the two pieces of thread in a knot at the base to create a double strand.

Next I attached the pinwheels to the dowels. I used a needle to pull the thread through the drilled holes, wrapped the thread around the dowel a few times and tied it off. I chose to use a bit of glue to attach the loose ends to the dowel, giving the thread a stronger hold and a more polished look.

After all the pinwheels were tied onto the dowels it was time to glue the 3 dowels together. After much trial and error, I found the easiest way to do this was to make friends with gravity. I cut a 10' long piece of thread, folded it in half and used my needle to run it through the first 2 dowels - the one with the 3 pinwheels must go on the bottom - then tied the whole thing to my ceiling fan to give me some hands-free support. I eyeballed a 60 degree angle between the 2 dowels and glued them in place. After that dried, I added the third dowel and glued it in place using the same method.

After letting the whole thing dry overnight I installed a small hook in the ceiling and hung the bad boy up!

Here's a Peanut's-eye-view:


So what do you think? Can you see yourself making a mobile for a wee one in your life?

Funny Shower Card

There are many times in life when others are compelled to shower you with gifts and greeting cards - graduations, weddings, pregnancies, etc. The cards are always heart-warming and/or funny, and as much as I would like to keep them I must say "no" to my inner pack rat. However, before I make my way to the recycling bin I had to show you one of my favorite cards.



I'm not big on schmaltz, so I always appreciate a funny card in a sea of sappy. Any card with cartoon sperm on it is OK in my book.

Reason #347 That I Love My Husband

So, there's no delicate way to ease into this topic, so I'm just going to dive in.

When you're pregnant some things don't work like they used to. Like your pooper.

That's right. I'm talking about constipation. If you don't want to read about poop, I suggest you stop reading now. Constipation is one of those pregnancy symptoms no one warns you about. So, for those of you readers who have never had the burden pleasure of growing a person , let this be your warning. There may come a time in your life when successfully going #2 will be an event worthy of a high five.

For most of my pregnancy, consipation has been only an intermittent symptom, and usually nothing worth worrying about. Every now and then, however, it morphs into painful, PAINFUL indigestion where I feel like I might poop, and vomit, and have my innards explode at any given moment.

That high five I mentioned? That's where my husband comes in. Some people say that a marriage is better if you leave a little mystery. That's good in theory, but sometimes I have to talk about my poop.*

*Don't go feeling sorry for him. We talk about his poop too.

Case in point: yesterday morning. Steven and I were scheduled to take our first of seven (yes, seven) professional licencing exams at 8:00 am. We got up early to beat the rush hour traffic, knowing we would stop for breakfast closer to the test center. I woke up with the feeling that I needed to go. Attempt 1 - nothing happened. I had a big glass of water, got dressed and piddled around the house until it was time to leave (gravity and fluids are ALWAYS your friend in this matter). I sat at the table to have another glass of water, and Steven asked if I was ready to leave. "Maybe," I said "but I might have to poop."

He answered "We don't have to leave for several minutes, so take your time."

Isn't he sweet? Attempt 2 - nothing. I was really afraid that if I didn't resolve this situation quickly that it would rear its head, so to speak, in the middle of my very expensive, timed exam.

We left on time and I continued drinking water in the car. It was now becoming increasingly uncomfortable to stay seated. But, we were in a moving vehicle so I had no other options. We got to our destination and found a fast-food place nearby. I decided to attack my problem from every angle and ordered yogurt with granola (bacteria and fiber), apple juice in a humiliatingly small juice box (more fiber, I think), a plain biscuit (because I'm pregnant and I wanted it) and a bottled water (more fluids, duh).

Being seated was still uncomfortable so I ate quickly for the sake of time and my bum. Attempt 3 - mission accomplished. I returned to the table and Steven said "Well?"

"It's all taken care of" I replied.

"Good. I was worried that would distract you during the test."

So there you have it. That's one of the many reasons I love him. Because he talks about poop, in the most casual way, and isn't grossed out. Or he's very good at pretending not to be grossed out.

Bump Photo - Week 34

At this point, comfort is pretty much the name of the game. I do not normally consider myself a leggings enthusiast, nor do I believe they are a substitute for pants. However, I'm pregnant and therefore exempt from fashion rules.

My maternity leggings are one of the few bottoms I own that don't bunch, sag or fall down. Leggings win.

I wanted to show off more of my shirt because I love it! I picked it up at Merlefest and not only is it pretty but the cotton is insanely soft (back to comfort again).

T-Shirt: Yee-Haw Industries
Leggings: Motherhood Maternity

Older Photos

Week 32

Week 30