Not So Silently Freaking Out

This past Wednesday we had an additional ultra sound at our 28 week appointment. Our OB's office doesn't usually do one at point in the pregnancy, but since Sasquatch (lovingly nick named by his two aunties!) was measuring a bit short at our 20 week ultrasound, the doctor wanted another look.
Well, shockingly enough, he is still showing up as pretty dang behind in length. 3 weeks plus, to be more specific. Last time he was only 2 weeks behind. Luckily, he is still growing strong and everything else looks perfectly healthy. 42nd percentile for weight, so that's pretty good! (Right? I don't really now, but the tech sounded happy about it. So I'll take it.)
BUT. I am still freaking out. We have to go back in a couple weeks for a high risk, level 2 ultrasound at a specialist's office per the doctor's recommendation. I know we shouldn't have any reason to worry, especially since the genetic testing was normal and everything else looks fine, but I am an absolute mess. 
Let's not forget to mention that mama is 4'11" and dad is only 5'9-10" so it would be perfectly reasonable to expect our babe to be a bit short. BUT. I'm 35. I have a brother with Downs. And if this was someone else's pregnancy, they'd be freaking out too. It's pretty easy to do when you're hormonal and responsible for the well being of a teeny little human that's growing inside you.
I'm not looking for advice or sympathy, I just need to vent a bit to get it out of my system for a few hours. And this is what this space is for me. A place to get out the stuff rambling around in my brain. Nothing like a mother's love for her child to make pregnancy super scary and anxiety ridden, eh? I'm sure if it wasn't this freaking me out, it would be something else. I'm a natural worrier. 
And so is my husband. So when he sent me a message yesterday a few hours after we left our appointment in tears, I knew everything is going to be fine. He said, "I don't know what we expected to hear from the extra ultrasound. We're both short. You're abnormally short. Your parents are abnormally short. My parents are pretty short. I'm short. Why did we think that after 8 weeks our son was magically going to grow to be a normal length? It's just not genetically possible for us to have a normal height child. He's growing fine and the doctor's are just double, triple checking to make sure they are covering all the bases." 
I know he's right, and I know everything will be fine. As long as we tackle whatever life throws at us together, we can handle it. And in the end, I know if our son has Downs or some other diagnosis, everything will still be good. Just a bit different than expected.

{Jude at 28 weeks and 3 days gestation and his Uncle Will at around a year and a half. Both are pretty stinking cute and can be found sitting on the window ledge behind my desk at work. A pretty sweet sight and nice change of scenery from my spreadsheets!}

Week 28 Bump Date!

{I am the queen of poorly lit bump photos, I tell you what!}
How Far Along: 28 weeks, hello third trimester!!!
Baby's Size: 2.25 pounds and almost 15 inches long, or the size of a large eggplant.  We'll see if he's actually that long. We have an ultrasound Wednesday to check his growth since he was measuring a bit short at 21 weeks. Luckily the doctor isn't worried and is just being cautious. And let's be honest, this kid is going to be short. His mama is 4'11" and his dad isn't breaking any growth charts and 5'10" or so.
Symptoms: Swollen feet and legs, super uncomfortable after small amounts of activity, Braxton Hicks contractions in the evenings, lots of cravings for milkshakes, lots of trips to the bathroom, breathlessness from simple activities, inability to reach my feet...the list goes on and on. Let's just say, I'm lucky this baby is healthy and the only thing I have to worry about is how uncomfortable I am these days.
Movement: Still tons in the evenings and after I eat. Baby L loves him some chocolate, too. I swear he does karate in there after I eat something sweet. It's pretty funny!
Sleep: It has improved since we got a new mattress a month or so ago, but the bathroom trips have certainly not decreased in frequency. I am so relieved to be having less hip pain from pressure points and an old mattress. Round ligament pains are a whole other story, but I'll take my victories where I can these days.
Nursery: Oh-mah-gosh is it so stinking cute. We got the dresser put together a couple weeks ago, and well, let's just say that IKEA and I are no longer BFF. The Hemnes dresser is such a b****h to put together!!!! Do not undertake this task over 5 months pregnant. Consider yourself warned.
The Name Game: Nothing new to report here. Still undecided on that middle name and no signs of that changing.
Looking Forward To: Organizing the dresser drawers!!! Even though putting the dresser together almost killed me, I cannot get enough of the teeny baby accessories that I get to put in it! Squee!!!
Some Great Things From Week 28: Another ultrasound, the upcoming Christmas holiday, and ordering new leggings on super duper sale! Despite all the discomfort, things are pretty peachy around these parts!
Rings: Getting more and more snug as the days pass. I bet by week 32 they'll be on a necklace. This water retention is no joke...
Missing Most: Brie. So much brie...  Oh, and also being able to wear any of my boots or shoes.
Left to Do: Baby shower number 2, pack hospital bags, and a few things around the nursery. Ooh, and schedule a carpet cleaning for February. Hooray for nesting!!!!

Christmas Greetings

I may not love Christmas, but I always love a good excuse to send mail the old fashioned way! And made to order stationery and cards make my Emily Post loving heart skip a beat. This year I opted to address the cards all myself, but I think next year I'm going to utilize the pre-printed addresses and return label. I'm guessing holidays with a baby aren't as free wheeling as they are this year. Ha. So without further ado, from our family to yours, Happy Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate and have a fantastic New Year! This year's card might be the best one yet. So much good stuff to celebrate and be thankful for. I think pregnancy is making me a bit sentimental. Don't tell my husband, I argued that it wouldn't many months ago. And I hate admitting when I'm wrong.

And don't forget about our girl Maggie, bringing up the rear on the back of the card. Love that rotten pup!

{Shout out to Groupon for the wonderful coupon for 50%. And then a second shout out to Cyber Monday for the 50% off sale at Shutterfly when I realized I needed at least 45 more cards...}

All I want for Christmas is My...

...two feet that fit in my cute shoes...oh, and an unlimited supply of chocolate milkshakes. But since that's probably not a feasible gift option, here are a few of the things that will never cease to make me smile on Christmas day!
I know everyone is crazy about the Nest and Diptyque Candles, but I'm over here like, give me everything Seda France in French Tulip.

Don't get me wrong, I love the other two lines, but I am flat out obsessed with French Tulip ANYTHING.

And just like everyone else, I also cannot get enough of Rifle Paper Company. Our personalized wedding thank you notes and return labels came from there as well as the calendar I used in our pregnancy announcement. (see picture below.)

It's all just so pretty!!!!

My poor hubs has the worst time shopping for me since I'm not patient enough to wait and ask for anything. I'm so used to being single and buying my own stuff that I forget about waiting! I really am the worst about it. So this year I suggested that he buy some of the wedding everyday china we didn't get off our registry. I absolutely love our dinnerware, but we didn't get a ton of it as gifts. (I didn't really expect to, we really wanted charitable donations and I think that message was well received!)

It really is so pretty on any tablescape, and since it's one of Juliska's most popular patterns, I'm not worried about it being discontinued before we can purchase a whole set.

So, that's what Santa could bring me this year if he really wanted. What are you asking for and giving this year?

Nursery Update

The nursery is really coming together, and I'm so excited with how it's turning out. Now that I've found bedding that I like, everything else seems to be falling into place!

Here's a peek at what it's looking like in baby land these days.

{Layette and beanie shown so you know where the baby goes. You're welcome.}

The bed linens are a mix of brands from a variety of places, but mostly Petit Pehr from either Nordstrom or Amazon. Can't wait for the baby poo and snot to get all over those fancy linens! Ha!

{Hey, Jude don't look so sad. I bought this plaid chair and had it monogrammed.}

The PB Kids Anywhere Chair was on major sale this past week, so I went ahead and ordered it for my unborn, unable to hold his head up (not to mention can't even sit on his own) baby boy. I can't pass up a good sale. Or I have a shopping problem. Let's go with the former, shall we?

The "drapes" (ahem, shower curtains I tried to pass off as drapes) are going to be replaced with the right length actual drapes. Because let's face it, I'm too lazy to sew use iron on hem tape to add an additional section of fabric on the bottom like I planned. And the drapes were in stock and on sale on Cyber Monday. So hurrah for drapes that hit the floor!

I'm currently trying to convince myself that Jude doesn't need the 5 foot tall Melissa and Doug stuffed giraffe that's on sale at our local TJ Maxx. Wish me luck!

Christmas with a Cranky Pregnant Lady

Well, today is December 1st and no longer can I protest Christmas decorations going up at our house. It looks like this weekend is the big weekend for decorating and that demonic Elf on the Shelf to make his appearance.

Mad props to all you mama's out there that are creative enough and have your shit together enough to remember to move that stupid Elf every night. FYI, there is no difference in behavior whether Charlie is present or not, hence my reluctance to want to deal with him. That and I am a giant Scrooge. Have I mentioned that before?
Anyway, moving on. The good news is that even though I greatly dislike the general Christmas season, I do enjoy having an excuse to get something special for my loved ones and being with family. So basically, there's no reason for me to dislike Christmas. But whatever, I'm cranky and stubborn. I will not be changing my ways this year. 
With that being said, I am pleased that I'm ahead of the game in getting gifts crossed off my list this year too. So hurrah for that! It does make me less stabby this time of year when I don't have to fight the masses at shopping centers.
I digress though. Besides the gift giving and family merriment, what I wanted to discuss today was the joy of giving. (Whoa, did this post take an unexpected turn or what...) Christmas is the time of year when we all try and remember to put some good ju-ju out into the world, via cash, volunteering, or donating used goods to someone else that needs them. I think that it might be the only thing that keeps me sane this time of year, actually.
So if anyone is looking for some good local charities to donate to, here are a few that got some of my money this year.
www.dayspringky.org - Day Spring Community Living: a community of resources for those with special needs. This is the charity I help plan a gala for every spring. I'm pretty partial to them since I have two family members that live there and a brother on the waiting list. 
https://growappalachia.berea.edu/ - Grow Appalachia through Berea College. Make sure to note that you want your donation to go to Grow Appalachia, not just the general fund. They help provide people the means to set up farming efforts in food insufficient areas of Appalachia. Because you can't "better yourself" when you're starving, folks. It's as simple as that.
http://www.kyymca.org/ - Kentucky Youth YMCA hosts a variety of conferences and leadership programs that inspire young people to become valuable leaders in the future. I went through these programs in middle and high school and cannot rave enough about the influence they had on the person I grew up to become. Leadership skills and service to the community are just grazing the surface of the values I learned through these groups.
These are just a few places in Kentucky that I think are fantastic places to donate or volunteer if you are so inclined. Hopefully I'll get around to listing some more throughout the month.
Happy holidays, y'all.