Don't be Rash

This week was supposed to be amazing.  Two day work week and then 5 day weekend.  Instead, I have an encounter with a sago palm and end up with a nasty allergic reaction.  It spread up my arm and across my chest.  It is currently not getting better.  It is so gross and itchy I had to start taking Benadryl every 4 hours and applying Caladryl every 2 hours. 

This week also brought with it knees and elbows.  Jake has gone from a slight fluttery feeling to a full blown karate kick.  They get harder and stronger every day and now can actually make me catch my breath  from time to time.  Rocky likes it because he can feel him now, and I can't imagine how crazy it is going to be when he gets bigger!

Tomorrow we are off to East Texas for some turkey and family time.  Can't wait to see everyone and relax a little bit!

Halfway There!

So we are officially halfway at 20 weeks.  The belly is starting to get bigger by the day.  I wake up every morning convinced it has doubled in size while I slept.  One night I gained a whole pound overnight!  My waist is now the same size as my husbands, measuring a whopping 34 inches.  That is 5 inches and 5 pounds in 5 months.  Holy cow!  Maybe Jake will come on April 5th instead of 9th... just in time for The Toddfather's birthday!  Rocky also was able to feel him for the first time this weekend.  That was pretty cool and he was beside himself.  He has been waiting to feel him since we found out we were pregnant.

20 Weeks Belly Shot.. it really popped! 

I also started a blog just for Jake.  Well, actually it's for Jake's grandparents, aunts, and uncle.  I don't want to post all his pictures and happenings on Facebook so this way family and friends who are interested can keep up with the little mover and shaker without Mom looking like a crazy person on Facebook.   

The waiting game is the longest thing ever.  I spend a lot of time on pinterest and etsy helping past the time.  Lately, some pretty funny baby stuff has popped up.  Here are a few of my favorites: 

I also found this ADORABLE outfit that I think I am going to get for Jake to wear to Kimmi's wedding with little black pants.  We were going to leave him at home, but Aisha didn't really want to babysit since he will only be a few weeks old and I don't think we will start the bottle that soon so we are dragging him along.  He has to be dressed for the occasion.  He might want to dance with the bride during the dollar dance so he needs to be ready. 

My latest craft project was a holiday wreath, which turned out to be much bigger than I had originally planned.  It took a while to make, but it was fun and I am mostly happy with the results. 

I also enjoy googling my dreams to see if they have any significant meaning.  I compare the dream interpretation site's ideas with my own interpretation.  Here are some of my recent ones. 

One recurring dream involves beer.  In my dream I am drinking beer after beer.  Finally, around my third one I remember I am pregnant and decided I should probably stop... after I finish the one I am on.  

Dream website interpreted says: "To dream that you are drinking alcohol in excess signifies feelings of insecurity and regret. You may be worried that people will discover your true identity."  

Shalinda says: "I'm pretty sure my true identity was discovered aLONG time ago.  I'm not one to hold back.  I think the dream means... that I need a freaking beer!  I'm a teacher for crying out loud." 

Another recurring theme is cars.  Sometimes I am stuck in the car, sometimes I'm in a car accident, sometimes I am trying to drive and the car is controlling itself.  

Dream website says: "Such dreams are related to the level of control you have in your life. The physical condition of the car, as well as your location in the car (for example: Are you the one driving, or are you a passenger?) are reflections of how in control you are feeling." 

Shalinda says: "I'm a terrible driver.  My husband is a fast and aggressive driver.  Riding with him makes me sick and gives me a headache from anxiety.  I have terrible road rage.  I have totaled 3 cars since I have lived in Austin, two within a year of each other.  I'm pretty sure I never feel completely in control in the car.  I would rather take a bus or train and add hours to my trip.  Dream means HIRE A DRIVER WHEN THE BABY COMES!"  

Now, Rocky is having crazy dream! 

It's a Boy!

So now that we KNOW it's a boy all the fun as started.  Jake Hudson Kelley is already shaking things up!  I arrived at school Tuesday morning to a surprise!

To be honest, it took me a minute to figure out what was going on.  I knew it wasn't my birthday and I was a little confused until I read the "It's a Boy!" balloon.  I am totally blaming it on Pregnant Brain, which has become such a prominent part of my life it has become a proper noun and deserves to be capitalized. 

Christine and Amanda had decorated my side of the room in blue and white streamers and balloons and made a cute little sign with Jake's name on it!  It seriously made me giddy.  All day my students came in and read it as asked, "Who's having a baby?"  Nice.  They also gave Jake a cute little gift that his daddy really liked.  Somehow, I already know he's probably going to grow into it...literally, and we can thank his granddad for that!   

I also didn't waste anytime getting started on the nursery.  I agonized and went back and forth trying to find bedding that I liked.  Rocky was very little help...he liked everything and didn't have a favorite at all!  I even went to an amazing website where you can click and drag fabrics to design your own bedding.  Nothing worked.  The poor girls I work with spent hours listening to me.  By the end of the day they were even online trying to help!  Finally, I decided to look for a design I liked and work backwards from there.  The modern designs really stood out and I liked the clean lines and bold colors.  Pinterest was my best friend during this phase.  I drew some inspiration from rooms like these from http://www.babylifestyles.com/  (another new favorite) and went from there. 

I finally found a few that I liked, but still couldn't decide.  As a last ditch effort I spent an afternoon on Etsy and came across a bumper that caught my eye.  After looking around at a few decorative accessories and getting approval from Rocky, I decided that this was the one.  It's simple with bold colors that will be easy to accent.  I'm getting the bumper and crib skirt in the tree material and then I will match my own sheets (I didn't love the ones in the picture).  I already have a plan!

I am also in love with funky modern mobiles and found one perfect for the nursery for $50!  After a little investigation I determined that I can totally make it myself so that is what I am going to do.  I'll use the main colors and then accent with a print to make it pop.  So easy!  When finished, I hope it looks something like this. 

No more baby blues!  I think all I needed was a project!

Introducing...

Well, the long anticipated day has finally arrived!  We went today to see the baby in 4D and find out the gender.  We got a good look at all the vital organs, tiny ribs, and long legs.  Then the tech tried to determine boy or girl and the umbilical cord was in the way.  Of course.  I managed to get this appointment moved up two weeks and now I was going to have to wait even longer to find out the gender.  The universe is cruel like that.  Eventually, the baby moved and we were able to get a good look... the "money shot" as my friend Tiffany calls it.

So, we would like to introduce JAKE to everyone! 

    

We are thrilled about having a healthy baby boy.  We would have been happy with a healthy girl, but this is like an added bonus!  He is right on track, although he looks long to me already.  It's early, only 18 weeks, so he still looks a little alien-ish, but it was so exciting to see him.  And he is a mover and a shaker.  No more calm baby.  He was kicking, flipping, and stretching the entire time we were watching him.  We have a lot a video from this appointment, but the 4D is the most amazing.   

 



Randomness from a Pregnant Brain

I think with every passing day my belly gets bigger and my brain gets mushier.  I am so forgetful Rocky makes me put reminders in my phone for everything.  Today I went to make lunch and by time I got to the kitchen 15 feet away I had forgotten what I was going in the kitchen to do.  Nice.  So this post is full of all the randomness that is my life (and brain) right now.  First, belly pic from 16 weeks. 

This year for Halloween I escaped dressing up once again.  Unfortunately, Aisha did not.  I bought her first ever shirt.  Poor thing.  I adopted her over 6 years ago and never in all that time has she ever worn a shirt.  However, I decided that since we were handing out candy this year, we needed to be a bit more festive.  She was so confused.  She walked around without bending her legs for some reason.  It was actually pretty funny, but I did feel a little bad for her.  When I took it off, she grabbed it out of my hands and took of running with it in her mouth.  She dropped it on her bed and laid on top of it while chewing on the corner.  I'm thinking she was trying to send a message... possible the same one I have been trying to send to Rocky about Halloween for years.  Still, she looked pretty cute.

 
So I avoided Halloween this year by suggesting Rocky go to Matagorda fishing.  As it turned out, our friend Tony was available so the boys set out for a guys' weekend.  I was left at home to watch trash tv, be lazy, organize, and be creative.  I decided to tackle a fall wreath.  I didn't want anything too over the top so I settled for a simple burlap wreath with scrap material flowers.  Super easy project that kept me busy while I sat at home and watched old episodes of Real Housewives. 

I think Aisha is figuring out that something is going on.  She has been more clingy than usual and has started letting herself into our bed.  I could possible be to blame for this a bit since I always let her sleep with me when Rocky is gone.  But it has gotten pretty bad.  Now she gets in bed even when he's home.  I usually go to be a lot earlier than he does so she just crawls on up.  When he gets ready to come to bed, there we are.  She even lays on his pillow now...

Back to pregnancy topics...cravings.  I still haven't had any real cravings, thank goodness.  So far, two main things stick out as cravings.  The first one is milk.  I drink so much milk.  Today, I finally stopped after my fourth glass because I was afraid I was going to grow utters (wait, that might have actually already happened...)  But seriously, I'm not sure if there is a limit to how much milk you should consume in one day.  It's 1% but still, I'm thinking the fat adds up.  Here is what is left of the gallon of milk I bought 4 days ago. 

My other major craving...beer.  I actually envisioned liking Rocky's tongue the other day while he was drinking a beer.  That's when I thought I might have an issue.  I haven't been indulging it other than a little tiny sip from time to time.  The closest I have gotten is O'Doul's and Buckler.  Of course after downing a few of those on top of pregnant brain, it's almost like I'm drunk.  

My other new favorite "drink" is Fre wine.  Not even close to the real thing, but it looks like wine and it's not water.  It allows me to participate in book club and girls' nights without feeling completely lame. 

Once more thing... I have been trying to stay active and in the gym, but I'm getting a little bored with it now that I don't have any workout buddies.  I've been running in the neighborhood, which helps, but now Aisha has trouble keeping up in her old age so I have to go alone, which sucks.  Randomly, I put in the Wii Sport disc the other day to see if there was something on there I could do to at least feel like I had done something besides sit on the sofa (which I had done plenty of) and  a new obsession was born.  Wii boxing is my new obsession.  I moved through the first few levels pretty quickly, but now I am having trouble with this one nasty biotch who keeps kicking my butt.  It is starting to really piss me off.  I spent a significant amount of time today trying to beat her, and now I cannot raise my arms over my head without moaning.  I AM SO SORE!  Maybe I am finding a productive outlet for my aggression and annoyance (one night this week Rocky was picking on me and I actually said to my husband, "You're going to get hit so you better tell me where you want it").  Trying to beat "Kathrin" is a bit more productive and a lot less domestic violence-ish.  And who knows, maybe I'll be ripped by time the baby comes.