Yum-O!

My friend Brook posted about cravings on her baby blog (baby blogs are sweeping the nation-yay!) which got me thinking, I haven't talked about cravings!

Well I haven't wanted anything weird, and only once (when I was sick) did I actually send Jeremy out to get me something. But here are a few things that have treated me well during this pregnancy:

Not normally on my menu...nuggets, strips, fingers...whatever you call them I want them

Pebbles likes calcium- meaning Mama likes cheese!

I moved to sorbets, italian ice or sherbet instead of sweet ice creams. Just tastes better to me now- and usually lower calorie!

Pebbles and I have a bowl of Cheerios or All Bran almost every night- the yogurt kind is the best!

And after Jeremy tried cooking them in the first trimester and I almost tossed my cookies, I still have not quite recovered. So it is safe to say something Pebbles and I DO NOT like is:

Pork Chops- YUCK! :-P

Crib Time

Yesterday we got our crib! Thanks Grandma Day!!

(I'm trying to learn to stop spelling it Gramaw because I realize that's wrong...just the way I've always spelled it!)

Rosie's helping read directions


Finished product- Jeremy did the crib and I put together the mobile- which is not as easy at it might seem!
Hey people out there- they're doing strange things to this room!
Just to be clear- these are MY new toys right Mom?

Babymoon

Regarding my previous post about our trip to NYC, I just heard the proper term for this which is called your 'babymoon'...the last grown up trip that mom and dad take before baby is born and life changes forever. Babymoon should include adult activities, fancy restaurants and relaxation time.

I like that :)

Have Great Weekends!

Involuntary Vacation

This is one of those opportunities that doesn't come along every day, and needs to be taken advantage of. Jeremy's company offered him a nice bonus with the stipulation that the money MUST be spent on vacation expenses. He can turn in receipts for hotel, airfare, food and entertainment but they will not accept at receipt for say....Home Depot in Greenwood :) Whatever we do must also have a receipt- no gambling it all in Vegas.

And here's the kicker- the receipts must be turned in by July 1, the end of the fiscal year. We went round and round- do we travel now before I'm too big?..or take Pebbles with us when she is 1 month-6wks old? Hmmm...

So we decided to take the opportunity to have our last ADULT vacation and live high on the hog, eating at fancy restaurants and seeing Broadway shows. Our attitude being- after Pebbles when will we get to do this again? Who knows?! So yes we are on our way back to NYC!!

I will be in Austin, TX Feb 11-17 for ACA's National Conference, then Jeremy and I will scoot of for a 4 day weekend in NYC...hitting just a couple of weeks below the wire for travel approval from doctor (he says no after 34 wks, I will be 31).

Here's what we have planned so far

3 Nights in King mini-suite at the Waldorf Astoria- wowsa! Jeremy promised me one morning of room service breakfast in bed


Sunday brunch at Tavern on the Green- yummy and fun and an NYC land mark


Tickets to 2, maybe 3 Broadway shows depending on energy level. We already have tix to The Drowsy Chaperone and Prelude to a Kiss

Food food and more food- we set aside a chunk of budget to spend on fancy restaurants- the kind of places we cannot eat at in Greenwood, IN. Because honestly, after Pebbles is born who knows when we'll get to these type of places again??

We also will set aside $ for cabs where we would normally walk/subway, with the assumption that after Conference my feet will be swollen and tired. And yes lots of room in the schedule for sleeping in and naps in our fancy hotel room!

I'M SO EXCITED!!

Let the bidding begin!

I've found yet another wonderful resource for Pebbles-- Ebay! I go through spurts with Ebay, then I forget how fabulous it is for a while. SO much baby stuff! I had to stop myself from bidding on a set of 4 new dresses, currently at $25...because we have clothes and I'm sure we'll get more.

But here's what I AM bidding on- our first diaper purchase from the Fuzzi Bunz brand. A lot of 6 of these in size small which fits 7lbs-18lbs (adjustable snaps), never used. The cheapest diaper option made even cheaper by Ebay!

You skeptics will see cloth has come a long way. Fuzzi Bunz is a kind of All-In-One meaning you don't need a cover, you just wash this whole thing, and you can stuff with extra padding for a heavy wetter.

We're really looking into the BumGenius 2.0 as well because it fits from size 8lb-35lbs....so basically you buy one lot and you're set until potty training!(and save about $1200 on diapering!).The reviews say these are a little bulky for the little babies though- so we will probably buy these when Pebbles grows out of her size small FB's.

We're very lucky to have a friend at church who does CDing, and we are going to take a 'diaper tour' of her setup. She has lots of different brands to look at. Yay!

Top 10 Useless Baby Products

We were in Babies R' Us today to order a crib (thank you Gramaw Day!) and check out play yards as ours is no longer available in the store. We registered for a new one :)

One thing everyone can agree on is that Babies R' Us is like any other store and there's LOTS of things to buy that you don't really need. We tried hard to keep our registry slim and not overdo it (although I really HAD to have a onesie w/ a wiener dog on it today)

But just for fun here are even more stupid things to buy for baby: http://shiveredsky.blogspot.com/2006/12/top-10-most-ridiculous-products-for.html

Hospital Tour and More Decisions....

Belly shot- 25 wks, 4 days. Apparently my feet aren't only things swelling- look at that chin!

Well we've had an eventful and busy week. Tuesday we took the 'Breastfeeding Basics' class...yes 'we', because the hospital requests dads to be present for all classes. So Jeremy learned all about it too! It was a good class-- not much new or surprising info but good references. Our teacher was a lactation consultant at St. Francis. So I'm planning to BF for a year if I can..Here's hoping anyway!

Thursday night was Birthing Class #2 including a tour of the hospital and all I have to say is WOW...St. Francis is finishing a remodel of their labor ward and it is nice! I was suprised at the room, called an "LDR" for 'labor, delivery and recovery room"...SO NICE! Every single person gets a private room with bathroom, lots of space, rocking chairs, a fold out bed, tv and dvd, etc. It seems alot less scary now because I'm no longer scared of the hospital. We also learned all about where babies go for NICU, the other parts of the postpardum ward and how to get to the cafeteria :)

We spoke this week about natural childbirth techniques, and next week will talk about drug options...and so far we have concluded that we would like to **try** natural childbirth. Try meaning I want to give it my best shot, if I scream for mercy we may reconsider. Here's what I think:

• I'm pretty certain I do NOT want an analgesic...these are the overall meds that make you sleepy, like laughing gas at the dentist. I know my tolerance to drugs and I know I would be stoned and I don't want to be.
• I MAY want an epidural (numbs from waste down) if I really really need it. It scares me though with possible complications, and some women can't even push because they can't feel their 'area' at all.
• Also with the epidural you are stuck in bed because you can't walk or move your legs. Our birthing coach talked to us about moving,walking and using the yoga ball....and how you're almost guaranteed to have an easier shorter labor if you do those things than lay paralyzed in your bed.
• This may be crazy and naive and you can laugh if you want- but I think there's something weird and unatural about being stoned and/or half paralyzed for the birth of my child. Basically I don't want to unless I have to. Millions of women have done this- can't I give it a try?
  
  So Jer and I are going to practice labor breathing, massage and are planning to take my yoga ball to the hospital after we learned some techniques with it.
  
  **Note- if I change my mind and you see me in the hospital stoned and paralyzed no one is allowed to make fun....I've never done this before so I might change my mind!**
  
  I know I have mommy blog readers out there- PLEASE share your thoughts or advice on childbirth. It is almost controversial NOT to use drugs, and people think we're crazy. Are we crazy?

Doc's Appt and Birthing Class

We've had a semi-eventful week in baby land with our 25 wk doc's appointment and the start of birthing classes. Next week we continue with birthing class (4 wks total) and are also taking a birthing class! Hopefully we are learning everything you need to know....but I have a feeling there are some things that's cannot be taught!!

The doctor's appointment was short and good. I continue to get high marks for blood pressure, weight gain, and baby's heartrate. I also got clearance from the doctor to attend my company's National Conference- so I will be in Austin TX in February at 30 wks. I'm happy about that- really wanted to go!!

Thursday night was our first in a series of four 'Expectant Parent's' classes. This is held at St. Francis and there are about 12 other first time couples in there. Boy do we look like a scared group!

We covered the basics of early labor, what do to expect, and what to do. I've read alot of this in our pregnancy book, but our teacher has a really dry humor and way of explaining things so they aren't so scary. She also encourages lots and lots of questions.

So things I learned:
-- Contractions themselves are no big deal and I should expect to start feeling them (also we talked about what they feel like). There is only a concern when I start to feel them often, or in a rhythm... who knew!! I'm glad she told us that cause otherwise I would call the doc and freak out if I felt one!
-- Dehydration is the #1 cause of pre-term labor. Who knew? So drink drink drink!
-- You can be gross and examine the placenta with the doctor if you ask to. I only know this because Jeremy raised his hand and asked this question, and now I'm sure our classmates think we're freaks. Apparently docs are more than happy to share gorry details if he wants them, and so Jeremy also let me know in case of C-section he will be peaking over the screen at my innards.

And lastly, to quench any curiosity, yes Pebbles does have a full name which we use at home. But we are choosing to keep in secret until birth so you'll have to keep waiting. If you'd like to make any guesses we're open to them! No it's not Penny Bennington :-)

Sick + Pregnant= Sucks

I had a little sinus infection at 6 wks and have been the picture of health since. I was beginning to believe that the extra oxigenated blood and prenatal vitamins made me an inpenetrable fortress to the flu bugs that have been flying around.

Guess I was wrong. Jeremy was sick over Xmas break and though I was sure I wouldn't, I finally caught it around New Years. I've been battling it for about a week now and home sick since Thursday.

Granted I waited a little long to go to the docs, and being that my drug options basically include sudafed and tylenol, I was unpleasantly greeted with an 'oh my!' when doc looked in my throat. She thought I had strep but praise be to God I did not! Just a sinus infection/cold type thing. She gave me an antibiotic and perscribed more sudafed, more tylenol, and a very specific cough med that's okay for preggers.

I had big plans of waking up Saturday morning feeling good. We even got up and went for a walk. I was going to get my hair done and go to my cousins' (yes double plural as in twins) birthday party! The stitch in that plan is that I am allergic to pennicilin and have been for about 15 years. The antibiotic doc perscribed was a close cousin- but being that my options for other meds is small and doc really thought I should take it- and that the likelihood of reacting to it were 'very small'...I took 2 doses on Fri and 1 on Saturday morning.

After dose three I broke out in hives all over my legs. I knew right away what was happening- this is how I react to pennicilin. So ceased use of my wonder drug and cancelled my Saturday plans to instead heavily dope on Benadryl per doc's orders. Waah!

Doing a little better today but not perfect. Got a little too hot and dizzy in church this morning and came home to lay down- probably still fighting off the drug allergy as I have two big hives still on the back of my legs. Jeremy left for CA this afternoon- his first business trip since the beginning of December.

I'm hungry for the first time in about 4 days- waiting for my dinner delivery :-O

I gotta say even though I've been mopey and depressed about being so sick- I've got to remember that I am still blessed with a very healthy pregnancy and baby- so I have no room to complain!! Pebbles continues to dance- she must feel better than I do :)

Ciao! LB

Christmas Review

Well it's been a while since a blog so we should update! We had a great Christmas break. I got 10 days paid Xmas vacation which is nice. Today is my first day back at work but taking a blogging break! Jeremy took the 10 days too.We didn't travel far this year- no planes anyway.

The highlight real:

-- on 12/23 we went downtown to the Scottish Rite Cathedral with Erin and Dustin and saw our friend Allison in a play version of Miracle on 34th Street. Beautiful facility, great show. Followed by decadent dessert at a restaurant downtown.

-- on 12/24 we spent the day at the farm with Mamaw and all of my family- had a big Christmas dinner and opened presents, etc.

--on Christmas Day we had our own little Christmas morning at our house- our last time without a baby. It was nice and relaxing. Christmas night we went to my brothers which is the super casual dinner...fried chicken and beer

-- 12/26-27 We went up to my Gramaw and Grampaw's in Elkhart, IN for some visiting, more relaxing and more eating

-- On 12/28-29 we had our nephews Mark and Bob (3.5 and 1.5) babysitting and even overnight! It wasn't that bad as they are very well behaved. We went tool shopping at Lowe's, out to the Japanese steakhouse and watched Cars twice!



Since then we have been cleaning out closets to make room for baby stuff, and relaxing and home and watching movies. I'll let our pictures speak for themselves....



3.5 generations of Creech women

12/3/06- our best Christmas 06 picture..that's our big tree!

Christmas at Andy's means fried chicken and beer and I've discovered Odouls is not that bad! The gang frying things in the barn.

Note to self- children like boxes better than the actual toys inside them. Case in point- nephew Bob and cousin Ashley with a room full of real presents to play with.

Visiting Gramaw and Grampaw Sargent...I bet you can guess who is the biggest person in the room!


My two best buds! :)

This can serve as my 23 week side belly shot

Hayden and Rosie say Happy Holidays!

The Gang on the couch- Dad, Andy, Baby Bob and Laura

Bob and I like to do gymnastics on the couch!

A picture of sheer Christmas delight!

In Baby news not alot to report but a few things...

-- Pebbles is moving alot and likes music- she especially dug Dreamgirls which I believe is the first inclination of great musical taste as the sountrack was outstanding! I'm trying to play a variety of good music in the car loud enough that she can hear it- need to stock the car up on broadway and classics, etc. Right now I am trying to ensure she will be a Newsboys fan by playing my favorite new cd alot!

-- I have only gained 18lbs at 24 wks and am pretty happy with that---hopefully I am on track to only gain 35 total. With Xmas parties, cookies at work, and tons of food over break I was happy to see I had only gained 2lbs the whole month of December. Yay!

-- My feet and hands are swollen and my ring now officially lives on a chain around my neck. I figure it's better to take it off than cut it off so..

-- We start birthing classes next Thursday- 2hrs a week for 4 weeks, and an additional nursing class. Wish us luck!!

-- Erin and I working on planning my shower which will take place Saturday, 2/24. For some reason our registry wasn't pulling up online because our name was in all caps...should work now.

Happy New Year!