To future pregnant me.

I will apologize in advance for the rant that is about to ensue, but I need to write a note to my future self when I decide to plan for baby number two. I feel like pregnancy was always a little bit of a mystery for me, but one that I could easily see myself navigating through. I was wrong, this is not easy. Although I should be thanking my stars that I've had such an unremarkable pregnancy the past 8 months, there are still a few blips along the road that could have been a lot smoother had I been ready for them. So just in case I forget on the next go around, here are some things to keep in mind and take note of if and when I become pregnant again.

1. Metamucil doesn't help you poop, nothing will. For the first trimester and a half, you will be miserably bloated and uncomfortable. Drink a LOT of water, and try to get some fiber into every meal, but learn to deal with the fact that you will get stopped up. It goes away soon, don't fret too much.

2. Invest in some real maternity pants, shorts, or bottoms of any kind. When your pants are too tight, you will be in pain, and it will ruin most of the time spent out and about. So don't be cheap and invest in some good staple pieces that are comfortable. They not only save you money, but tears and ridiculous tantrums.

3. You will get lonely. They never tell you how lonely you will be. The friends that you see on a regular basis will start to diminish and act like nothing has changed. You will have to hear about how fun blahblah was and that it's too bad you couldn't go see blahblahblah, and you will just deal with it because you know it either wouldn't have been as fun as they thought it was or they didn't invite you to begin with. When you are no longer the life of the party, you stop getting invited.

4. So to fix the above issue, find a legitimate hobby or you will lose your mind. Reality TV and Facebook do not count as good time filler, and sometimes reading just reiterates how alone you feel, so find something (preferably active) to do with your off days. And stop bugging your boyfriend... he has actual work to do. 

5. Don't stop working out! You will get cellulite. Your thighs will start to touch. You will have non-baby related love handles showing up and your arms will move too much when you wave. Being pregnant doesn't give you the excuse to get lazy. It's healthy for you and for baby, mentally and physically, to get off your ass and at least go for a walk. If not, you'll get to the point I'm at- you hate the sight of your body and you're out of breath before you even make it to the seventh stair.

6. It's totally ok to cry. You will get weepy at the most random things, and (I hope this goes away when I'm not pregnant anymore) you will sob when you laugh too hard. And that is quite alright. You have a lot of hormones pulsing through your body, it's ok to feel a little overwhelmed. Don't be embarrassed and don't hide it from your loved ones, they will understand and might even be able to help soothe you.

7. There are a lot of aches and pains. You don't need to freak out if you sciatica starts acting up, or you start getting shooting pains down the sides of your abdomen, because that is all part of this miracle of life. When the baby kicks too hard, you will feel it in your cervix or hip bones or kidneys and you will make a ridiculous face and probably audibly show how much you dislike what is going on, and you will immediately think something is wrong. Nothing is wrong, the baby is just testing your love for her and you will deal with it after cursing her out and then you will smile when she wiggles back into her little ball and you realize it is all worth it. 

8. DON'T DRINK SODA, it will give you a UTI and they suck hard core. Honestly, try to stick with water or tea or coffee as long as you can. It's not even the UTI that hurts, its the pressure from the baby on your already inflamed bladder that will make you wince and tear up for a couple weeks and it isn't worth that delicious Pepsi that you want so badly. I promise.

9. Ask the doctor a million and one questions, she won't bat an eye and you'll feel a whole lot better about everything you are going through. Although I've gotten this far with keeping my mouth shut and just riding it out, I wish I would've talked to the doctor about so many things that would have eased my worries and eliminated unneeded stress. They went to school for a long time for a reason, they know what they're doing. (Also, side note, make sure to find a doctor that you like right off the bat. Don't switch mid pregnancy, it takes a lot of time and energy.)

10. Lastly, enjoy this whole experience. It is intense and scary and beautiful and it really does fly by. As much as I'm dying to meet our little girl and get this whole ordeal over with, I already know that I'm going to miss parts of it. Even with all the pain and energy you have to put into it, this is one of the most reflective and peaceful times of your life... take advantage of every moment. 

Tomorrow I will be 8 months along... I can't believe she is almost here.

[Week 31.6]

Whooooo loves you baby?

Things are starting to get exciting around here! We had the baby shower that my mom threw us on Sunday at Grandma's house and it went wonderfully. Most of the women in the family and, of course, mom's close friends were there, and Tiffany came with me, Shannon and Blade's cousin, Jacque. We got practically all the large items that we had registered for: crib, rocker, stroller, highchair, 2 bouncers, baby monitors, etc. We also got a ton of really cute outfits and books. I'm a little worried that we will have to buy a lot of the necessities, but we still have our BBQ shower in November, and hopefully that will help. I don't blame anyone though, shopping for little girls is so much fun and you immediately get drawn to the adorable outfits. Mom did the most amazing job with the theme and decorations; made her own banner, did all of the cooking, and even made a "Mother's Wisdom" tree so all the ladies could write down some advice for me in the future. 

 ^^All the hors d'oeuvres were delicious. And the pom poms came home with us

The "Mother's Wisdom" tree vvv

^^Made out like a bandit 

 ^^This cake was DELICIOUS! We took the top home like you do at weddings, but it's not going to last until her first birthday, sorry Atti!

Three (and a half) generations of Zismer women. I love my family so much.

I spent the rest of that night setting up everything that we had gotten and making note of what we are still needing. Basics like bedding, changing tables accessories, and onesies are pretty much what we're looking at- I just can't wait to bring her home! She is still being a little monster in there, getting wedged into my hips now, but I love being able to feel her move so much. We have officially changed hospitals, and will be finishing out the pregnancy and giving birth at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Truman waited so long to treat me for the UTI when it could have been avoided, they don't have direct contact with the practitioners and we never got to see the same one, and honestly the place gives me the creeps. So on Halloween, I will be going to meet our new OB, Dr. Julie Martin. I don't want to take any risks with our baby girl, and they have a new birthing center at SMMC that looks like a day spa which doesn't hurt. 

Here is an updated bump photo from last week; I'm starting to run out of outfits to fit into and have been getting creative. Belted cardigans and maxi dresses are fantastic!

Three weeks until our baby shower, five weeks until Thanksgiving, seven weeks until maternity leave= 9 more weeks until I am ready to pop (and Christmas!!!!!).... I wish it were sooner!

[Week 31.1]

Home stretch!

We have finally made it to the THIRD TRIMESTER! As of two days ago, I am officially 7 months along, aka two thirds of the way to meeting our little monster. One thing is for sure, I cannot hide being pregnant anymore, this belly is enormous. I can't see my feet at all, my waddle is more duck like, and my leggings are starting to get uncomfortable. I haven't updated any pictures because I haven't had much time to, I've been working quite a bit and now that I can drive (yay for getting my license taken care of!!!!) I have been able to run errands and get things taken care of without waiting around for Blade to chauffeur me around KC. One main thing that I've been able to take care of, however, is painting the nursery. It took quite a bit of time and energy, and a lot of motivation to get off my butt, to get it finished, but it is done and it looks beautiful!!!

^^It took almost three coats of paint on the walls and four coats on the edges to cover all of the blue, but the yellow cream looks fantastic and really opens up the room. Then I started with the vertical lines on the accent wall- I just eyeballed everything, but I think it made the pattern look better that way. Side note- always use the Frog Painters Tape for latex paint... the blue paint bled a lot.

Then onto the diagonal lines: I measured out three different lines to start with and then eyeballed the rest to fill in randomly. I had to go back and re-align some of them when I stepped back, but it was fairly simple. I used a meter stick and, starting on the far left vertical line, measured and marked every 24" up, then the same downward on the next vertical line, and then lined up those two with the diagonal strip of tape as my starters. ^^^

^^^This is the wall that juts out about 4 inches. I used the same color as the wall but did three coats to make it a little bit darker and to cover the blue since I didn't do the yellow base color. I'm going to turn this into the height measurement chart with some gold paint by hand.

The FINAL PRODUCT turned out fantastically!!! I will have to go back and touch up some parts that bled under the tape in a couple areas, but nothing too severe at all. The key was that I did a heavy layer starting on the left side with a smaller roller and Blade followed behind me to do the edges. As soon as I finished the entire wall, I started to peel the tape from the side that I started painting- the paint hadn't fully dried, so it didn't pull off chunks of the coral paint (it's a love/hate relationship with latex paint). All in all, I think it came out fantastic, and I believe that Atti will adore her room- everyone is really impressed!

I've also finally registered at Babies R Us for the baby showers that are coming up in the next two months. Mom is throwing one at Grandma's house for the family and her friends, and then Blade and I are throwing a large co-ed bonfire bash at our house later down the road. Registering was probably one of the most fun things I've gotten to do so far for the baby, and thanks to our amazing families all of the big items are already taken care of. I can't wait to start getting things together of our baby girl, less than 12 weeks before our due date!

Pregnancy Update

How far along: 28 weeks

Weight gain: 8 lbs since last visit, 13 lbs total

Yay!: I can feel her move on a regular and almost timed basis. She had normal sleep and wake cycles and responds to certain things throughout the day. Usually right after I eat, right before I go to bed and right after I wake up are when I can feel her the most. She is a spit fire...I can actually see my belly moving around now and it's really neat letting my friends feel her kick. It is the most amazing and intense thing I've ever felt in my life. It's not so much creepy anymore as it is entertaining. Also, my hair looks fantastic! These prenatal vitamins are doing me very well. Now that I'm taking good care of my skin I haven't had an outbreak since that first trimester, I'm still stretch mark and varicose vein free, and I'm getting some inches on my locks finally. 

Nay!: I have a kidney infection. Pregnant women are more susceptible to getting UTIs and I had apparently gotten one that has now gone to my kidneys. It is extremely painful: it's all in my lower abdomen, with sharper pain on the right side, and it feels like a constant pressure and aching. Moving fast or trying to re-position myself at night really upsets it, it slowly builds up to a worse and worse pain throughout the day so nighttime isn't very fun. I started taking antibiotics two days ago so we hope to see it cleared up within the next week. Thankfully it doesn't effect baby girl, but it's still very scary to have something wrong with my body knowing that she's in there. Her awesome wiggle worm action works against the pain as well considering she kicks and puts more pressure on my lower abdomen when she's awake; this whole situation is taking away from the beauty of being pregnant.

Food: I have random cravings for things I see randomly throughout the day that stay with me if I don't fill the need. Currently, I have been dying to have some cheese fries from Steak N Shake. Only from there and only the cheese fries. Still no aversions, thankfully, but my weird love for Pepsi nowadays has to be put to rest because the extra sugar in my diet is negatively effecting my infection. I really need to stop eating like a fat kid anyway, I'm pushing it a little bit now a days and I can see the weight gain a little in my love handles and my arms.

Belly button: I'm going to call it a middie right now. I'm slowly starting to pop out from the right side over now. I never thought I'd see the inside of my navel... and I really don't want to again, it's weird.

Sleep: I am now on a 2 hour time clock for bathroom breaks starting the minute I hit the pillow. It's been harder for me to fall asleep but no full on insomnia, thankfully. I'm getting up around 10am every day now, give or take, but usually feel like I need a nap by at least 1 o'clock or I start to bob my head a little. 

Exercise: I have officially given up. I keep hurting myself and I feel like I'm too weak and have too many aches and pains to try anymore. I shouldn't have waited until I was already preggo to start getting my butt into shape. In the meantime I will just try to avoid being a couch potato and stay on my feet, and then I will have to bust my butt harder than I was expecting to at the gym once I pop out Bean.

Excited for: THE ROYALS POSTSEASON!!! That's right, you read that correctly, the Royals have made it into the playoffs. We beat the A's in the Wild Card game 9-8 in the most amazing 12 innings I've ever seen, and then won our first ALDS game againt Anaheim last night. We are currently playing the second game, 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth... I thought this year couldn't get any better, but HOLY SHIT! 

....oh, you mean related to preggo stuff: I can't wait for the baby showers! Mom's is in two weeks and then ours is three weeks after and then Christmas is 6 weeks later!!!! 

Missing: being able to wear what I want! I will never complain about being fat again! I miss the cute skinny jeans and slender tops, or the chunky sweaters that don't make me look like a Weeble Wobble now that I'm sporting this basketball size belly. Leggings are great, but they don't really make much of a fashion statement. Also, being able to buckle my sandals without having to be a contortionist or just picking anything up off the floor without being in pain or uncomfortable, or just bending at the waist in general. This belly is getting to be in the way! (Worth it, but still).

We have appointments every two weeks now that I've hit the last trimester, and I am still measuring two weeks behind so I will be able to post new sonogram pictures after the next one since they want to measure her again. Keep your fingers crossed that she isn't sitting breech anymore.. we need this baby to start making her way into the Exit Position so mommy doesn't have to make a smiley scar on her tummy. Other than the infection, we are both happy and healthy and I hope to keep it that way!

[Week 28.3]