Baby Furnishings

So today Aaron and I made a "quick" stop at one of our favorite baby boutiques here in Austin called GaGa. Its Aaron's favorite store and since he was driving I was basically hijacked into going. Not that I don't like going, but baby stuff is so expensive and it just makes me feel bad that I cant afford these nice things. Also, we've been putting off purchasing things until we get into our new place. Ive had too many past regrettable purchases thinking things would fit in a future home and they end up not working.

Alas, into GaGa we go. They have an adorable assortment of all things baby, but also giving off that local boutique feel. From the moment we stepped foot in those doors I knew I was in trouble, and by that I mean our wallets. We found a lamp, Penelope's first stuffed animal, and a miniature rocking chair...all on SALE! We scored some major deals, and GaGa scored some major points in my opinion. While we are trying to stay away from big box stores, its hard to find unique local pieces at an affordable price.

Here is the adorable Penelope-sized bright red rocking chair with the fox.

Tilly thought it was pretty rad.

Meet Penelope's first stuffed animal, the fox.

A side view showing its awesome tail.

The adorable owl lamp, it looks smaller in this picture than real life.

I am so excited to get Penelope's room all set up. I picture her sitting in her rocker reading a book to her Fox under the lamp.

GaGa is fast becoming one of my favorite stores now as well.



Less than 10 weeks to go...

As of today I have 9 weeks, and 6 days remaining until my due date. That's less than 10 weeks! Your probably not as shocked as I am. I feel like it was just yesterday I found out I was 6 weeks pregnant.

Its bizarre to think that in 10 weeks (hopefully she doesn't want to stay in there too much longer than that) Aaron and I will get to hold our sweet little Penelope. And by little I mean giant, of course.  

Also, according to What to Except When Your Expecting, Penelope is the size of a head of lettuce, being 18 inches, and 3.2 lbs. I don't think Ive ever seen a head of lettuce 18 inches across, seems the Penelope of lettuce.

Discomfort

I was a home-body before getting pregnant and now even more so. I enjoy cooking dinner and staying in, part of it is the money saving aspect and the other is the comfort level. I don't need to reapply my makeup or even put on regular clothes for that matter, pajama pants and tank tops for the win! While I enjoy all of my maternity clothes, most of it is still tight fitting by design and constricting.

As of lately the comfort level has taken a complete nose dive. Much to my dismay our couch is not large belly friendly, it requires one it sit extremely far back while your feet dangle off the floor. Adding a large belly into that mix destroys ones back.  The large seat cushion was the ascetic I was aiming for when we purchased it, I liked the idea of feeling like a little kid on a giant couch. Currently I am not so much a fan.

In addition, Penelope herself adds discomfort on a whole new level. According to my pregnancy books she weighs a little over 3 lbs right now and is 15 inches long. Of course, since its my giant Penelope I think 5 lbs would be a little more accurate. Giant baby. Having something that large inside of your belly is bizarre. But not as bizarre as when she decides to do her kickboxing workout, which seems to be very often. I don't have anything to compare it to but damn, this girl is so active! Its constant kicks, jabs, somersaults. It wouldn't surprise me if the inside of my stomach has bruising. While I know her movements mean she is healthy, sometimes I cant help but want her to take a nap. To give her Mom a break from the incessant kicking. Aaron thinks this is all very hilarious. Sometimes he tells her to be nice to her Mom and other times he chants "Get her Penelope, get her!" 

My Daily Giggle

I have spent all but one month of my pregnancy in school, nothing I recommend to anyone. So naturally if I'm not at work I am at home studying. Our defined study areas in our apartment leaves much to be desired. We have one small desk with a crappy chair that Aaron uses everyday. The chair has a mind of its own and wont stay in the tall position, it slowly shrinks to the smallest-chair-ever on a nightly basis. Watching this happen is probably the best/cheapest form of entertainment ever. Aaron's disgusted and pissed off look just adds laughter to this ridiculous sight.

Giant Man vs. Little Chair

Aaron has literally complained about that chair since we moved in together. IKEA probably isn't the place to purchase an office chair, especially one that is sat in hours on end each day. That is why I promised Aaron that when we move we will be buying a new desk and professional chair for our office (An actual office! Instead of our hall/living room/bedroom). A ritual burning of the current chair will be sure to take place as well.

Gestational Diabetes

During our last group Centering session it was my turn to take the Glucose Test. It is a test given at 28 weeks of pregnancy that tests for Gestational Diabetes. Our midwife told us that they can never predict who gets Gestational Diabetes or who doesnt. Sometimes, she said, its the most fit woman who pays attention to her diet. I wasn't worried I would test positive until she said that. Then the worry set in. I don't want there to be even the slightest possibility of having to give birth at a hospital.

The test consisted of a flavored fizzy drink that I had to drink in less than 5 minutes.  I then had to wait an hour and have my blood drawn for tests. I'd heard from a lot of women that the drink made them sick due to being packed with sugar. But I really liked mine! It was orange flavored and tasted just like the orange soda I would drink as a kid. After a while though, it did make it feel a little lightheaded and woozy.

The nurse said no news is good news and since its been over a week I think its safe to assume I tested negative for Gestational Diabetes. HALLELUJAH! While I will always find something to worry about, at least this is one less thing.

The Search has Ended!

After an extremely long and stressful search Aaron and I have finally signed a lease on a 3 bedroom apartment.  Going into this process we had no idea it would be as tough as it was. We knew Austin was a fast growing city with limited rentals but it came as a surprise to learn that Georgetown, a small town thirty miles from Austin, was the exact same way.  Originally we thought we would have our pick of rentals under our budget in this area, turns out we were wrong. In Georgetown, rental homes currently stay on the market for an average of three days! THREE DAYS! With that rate and our schedules combined it doesn't make for a pleasant search process. Not to mention our cohort of animals.  Georgetown landlords aren't as pet friendly as Austin has previously been.

Our new apartment isn't as nice as what we are used to, in fact its about as nice as my very first apartment. That should tell you something. But nonetheless we will have space for Penelope and even an office, which will turn to a guestroom when needed.  Unlike at any other place we have lived we made a pact to make this new apartment as home like as possible. We have always had this intention with every other place we have lived but it never quite gets done. We never hang pictures on the walls or fully decorate because by the time we get settled we usually only have a few months left on the lease, so we figure why bother? But this place will be different. We will be painting and completely decorating. We already have the different paints picked out as well as some new furniture pieces. If we have to live in a shitty apartment we are going to try our hardest to make it the nicest place we can.  We hope to stay here for two years, which is our remaining time in Texas.

Stay tuned for before and after pictures.

Ellen's Mother's Day Show

A few weeks ago I realized I would be pregnant during Ellen's famous Mother's Day Show! If you haven't seen the show in the past the entire audience is filled with pregnant women.  The show is essentially a day of baby give aways for new moms. I envisioned myself winning tickets and getting everything we would need for Penelope, all thanks to Ellen. After looking into the contest details I realized that an essay was needed in order to submit my application. What I mistakenly read limited the essay to 1,500 words, while in actuality it was limited to 1,500 characters. This is a huge difference. Since I was only able to share 1,500 characters of my essay with Ellen I figured I'd share all 4,588 with you. The prompt simply said "Tell us about yourself:"

My name is Emma Sanders.  I am twenty six years old and I currently reside in Austin, Texas.  I moved here five years ago, and it is where I met my wonderful partner, Aaron.  Aaron and I have been together for four years, and they have been the happiest years of our lives.

A look into our relationship will reveal that on the surface, Aaron and I represent the meeting of complete opposites.  I am an only child born from a middle class family.  I was raised in a West Seattle suburb, enjoying most of the benefits a child could hope to enjoy.  Aaron, on the other hand, was born of two migrant field workers who migrated to the United States from Mexico when he was three years old.  He, along with his three older brothers, were raised in poverty in Anthony, New Mexico.   Coming from different cultures and socioeconomic levels, you would think Aaron and I are completely different, but we are actually one and the same.  We have bonded in a way that neither of us thought could ever be possible.

Realizing the incredible bond Aaron and I have, we’ve known we want to get married for several years now.  However, our finances will not allow it.  I’m ok with a courthouse marriage, but Aaron keeps insisting that he wants to give me the wedding of my dreams. (Secretly, I think it is the wedding of his dreams).  Despite not being able to get married at this point, it has not stopped us from starting our own family.  With us we have our four “babies” – all adopted.  They are Zeus, our big, lazy hundred pound Argentine Dogo; Louisa, our sweet, spunky 7 pound Chihuahua; Rooney, our bipolar cat who demands to be loved on her terms; and our other cat, Tilly, who only asks that we feed her and leave her alone.

Aaron and I are both returning college students, so our family of six was plenty big for both of us.  Between school and our restaurant jobs, our little family seemed to be all we could handle – both financially and time wise.  However, on November 15, 2011 it all changed.  We found out we were pregnant! While this came as a surprise, it was a surprise we lovingly embraced together.  Immediately our thought process switched from us as a couple to us as a family.

Working in the restaurant industry I am not fortunate enough to benefit from health insurance.  Immediately after finding out we were pregnant I applied for Medicaid for pregnant women, which I was denied, saying I made too much money.  I then applied for a different program that provides medical coverage to women with higher incomes, this I was also denied, due to making too little money. I once again applied for Medicaid and never heard back from anyone.  This deeply disturbed me, as someone who truly needed these benefits, that there are thousands of cases per year of those abusing the Medicaid system.  After considering our options we ultimately decided on becoming patients of Austin Area Birthing Center.   Our decision was based solely on the health of our baby; financial aspects came into play later. Additionally, we understand that there is anecdotal evidence attributing a child’s brightness to a natural birthing method.  But even if it’s anecdotal, why would we not make that effort? I want no medical intervention; I want to be present for the birth of our first child, not drug induced.  While this method seems odd in the American culture, it is the norm in most cultures worldwide.

As a way to inform my family, as well as Aaron’s, neither of which live close, of the progress of our pregnancy I started my first blog.  It has been a lot of fun to sit down, formulate my ideas, and publish them for our friends and family to read.  Plus our families enjoy the growing belly picture updates, as well as photos from our one and only ultrasound.

One of the downsides of not having family nearby is the lack of support.  In four weeks Aaron and I will be moving thirty miles north of Austin to Georgetown, home to his Southwestern University. While this small town seems to be an excellent place to raise a family, I can’t help but have some apprehensions.  Aaron and I both work in downtown Austin, and I attend college at St. Edwards University just a few miles from my work.  This move forces us to commute long distances as a means to support our family and continue my educational goals.  We cannot afford to put our baby in daycare so we have arranged our college and work schedules around each other.   Aaron is my best friend, and I fear that with this new adjustment I won’t be able to spend necessary time with him.  And ultimately we won’t be able to spend time together as a family unit.

As first time parents, Aaron and I are extremely ecstatic.  Our thoughts and actions revolve around our baby girl, who is set to arrive in three months. With what little money we do have we find it impossible not to buy her adorable baby clothes and books. We have spent many nights awake having conversations with my belly. Aaron has even started a journal with the intention of giving it to her on her eighteenth birthday. He frequently writes in it hoping to provide insight into our daily lives.  However his main intention is to have an additional conversation with her.  He wants his journal to function as an additional medium to provide her with advice and communicate his hopes and dreams to her.

Despite the challenges that lay ahead Aaron and I are committed to providing the best possible upbringing for our daughter, Penelope.  Although our finances are limited, we are confident that we will provide her with what is most important- a loving household, an enriching environment and a concern for her fellow man. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the small quarter of this essay I was able to submit will win me tickets to LA and all the goods I could never need for baby Penelope. Keep those fingers crossed for me, I need all the luck I can get.

Belly Button

Well, its official the belly button piercing had to finally come it. I thought for sure having the maternity barbell would save me from having to it take it out but I was wrong. After 10 solid years of belly button goodness it all ended in a matter of seconds. I don't really care about the belly ring but Ive had it for so long that it looks bizarre to me without it, its so naked looking. The pressure pushing from within became too much as the two holes became really red and tender. After about 2 days of naked belly button the irritation went away, thank god! Last thing I needed was something else to make me feel uncomfortable. Not only does it feel much better, but my pregnancy induced "outtie" is sticking out even farther. The barbell was holding back the protruding button. "Let me free, let me free!" it screamed.

Kicks

So around 28 weeks  of pregnancy women are supposed to start doing "Kick Counts." This consists of counting the kicks, rolls, swishes, or any other movements their little acrobat is performing. While all doctors and midwives have slightly different approaches the norm seems to be counting the movements twice a day for an hour each sitting. The ideal is to feel the baby move at least 10 times within that one hour period. These "Kick Counts" are supposed to be kept for the remainder of the pregnancy. It gives you a way to gauge your babies movements and be able to tell if something doesn't seem right.

I don't know if Penelope is more active than other babies but I can count 10 movements in less than five minutes, no need for that whole hour. She does karate punches at my stomach, back flips, somersaults, and plenty of rolling around. I love when she moves but let me tell you it is creepy! I can watch my stomach move on its own, it reminds me of Aliens, or that part from Space Balls when the alien crawls out of the guys stomach (Watch the clip HERE). That's definitely going to give me pregnancy nightmares. While it doesn't usually hurt, it doesn't feel good either, mostly uncomfortable. Especially when she kicks at my sides where there is less padding. Ouch! It mostly just feels like I don't have enough room for her in there for her to be doing the type of gymnastics she wants to do. Already testing her mothers limits. I keep telling Aaron I am secretly having Chuck Norris' and Jackie Chan's baby but for some reason he doesn't believe me. Whenever Aaron calls me out for having Third Trimester Rage, he always follows it with a command for Penelope to kick me. "Get her Penelope, get her!"    

Third Trimester Rage

Aaron has decided that I have, what he scientifically calls, Third Trimester Rage. He is positive my hormones are once again out of whack and that I am complete nut case. I could agree or disagree with this opinion. However, I see things from a different perspective.

From my point of view I have so much going on in my life right now (work, school, pregnancy, finding a place to live, bills, etc. I could go on and on). With everything going on I have little patience for anything else, aka bullshit. Yes, sometimes this leaves me on edge, leaving me to snap at his comments. My favorite has to be when I am in the bathroom blow drying my hair with the fan on and he attempts a conversation. At first I try real hard to hear what he is saying "Whats that Aaron? Speak louder!" This fails every time and always ends with "You know I cant hear a damn thing your saying, this happens everyday day, UGH!" His response is always the same "THIRD TRIMESTER RAGE, THIRD TRIMESTER RAGE!" This usually adds another level to my annoyance.

Maybe I do have the Rage. I always tell him even if I wasn't pregnant I would still have the same bitchy response. But who knows. Poor Aaron. He always puts me ahead of anything else in his life, like when he can barely keep his eyes open because he pulled an all-nighter writing a paper, yet still manages to stay awake long enough to rub my feet. Now is the time I especially need to learn patience for Aaron's sake as well as Penelope's.

Rental Market

Aaron and I live in a nice new condo in downtown, its been home for 2 years. While the annoyance of downtown living gets to me sometimes, its been a great place to live. However, it isn't the best place to have a baby. Our condo is the industrial loft style, with no walls around the bedroom and cement floors. Aaron and I have lived together for 3 years, this being our 3rd apartment and we have never had walls around any of our bedrooms. I'm ready for some damn walls and doors. Especially with a baby on the way, Penelope needs her own space and we need ours.

But! Finding a new place to live is proving to be quite the challenge. We haven't had to apartment/house search in 2 years and in that time Austin's rental market has really inflated. I thought we could get a nice 2 bedroom duplex in North Austin for a little cheaper than what we pay now. Suburbs here we come. But we cant! Rentals have gone up at least $200 since we last looked, not to mention we are now looking for a 2 or more bedroom.

I don't know what the deal is but all the duplex/house rentals are so nasty and depressing. The carpets look like we would get hepatitis just from taking off our shoes. The appliances literally are from the 1970's and probably cost a fortune to use. We would probably spend just as much on utilities as we would on rent, that's how energy efficient these dumps are. Ive never bought appliances but the average-level appliance cant be that much money! I would be so embarrassed if I was a landlord who was leasing these dumps to people. Talk about not owning something your proud of.

I thought a few visualizations of the lovely rental market would really let you all know what we and hundreds of other families are up against. These pictures are of all different rentals! Let me warn you it is not pretty:

What a lovely spacious bedroom with tons of natural light. Not that you can see any of it because its a picture of a corner with a giant TV positioned right in the middle of the window.

Rent our duplex, we cant even fix the door for the advertising photos but your sure to love it here.

Carpeting in all bedrooms! What a plus! We 'promise' to get them professionally cleaned before move-in, just not before the advertising pictures, that would just be silly.

 Here is our shitty ass cabinetry and counter tops. Just in case you forgot your 20 year old broom head we left one for you!

We offer tons of cabinetry, some that even float in the middle of the wall. We realize none of the cabinet doors match up but that's nothing a little duct tape cant fix, am I right? Comes with dishwasher and stove, circa 1985.

 My favorite room in the house, doesn't this picture just make you want to curl up with a good book and relax?

 This house just screams "Welcome Home!" What a safe and inviting entrance.

Your new home includes a walk out patio!! What a deal!! Perfect place for kids to play with giant pieces of cement, watch your step! And even though this picture was taken 3 years ago I'm sure the patio situation hasn't gotten worse at all.

So the search continues, updates are sure to follow.

Realizations

Today I realized that when Penelope graduates high school it will be 2030 or 2031!!

She'll be a summer baby so it depends on when we put her in school but isn't that crazy? Do you think she'll drive to school in her flying car? Or will she teleport there? Will she eat her food in pill form? Will the everlasting American Idol (Season 60) still be on? Will we have a robot maid?

I'm pretty sure life will mimic the Jetsons. At least, I hope so.

Wahoo...Third Trimester!

Today is the first day of my third trimester, can I get a high-five?

I am so excited to be this far along and feeling as great as I do. So far, this pregnancy has been really easy for me - no morning sickness, no illnesses. Of course, some days are better than others. There was the day when I went to a really intense prenatal yoga class and couldn't stand up straight the next day because my back muscles were so sore. There were a couple days of eating dinner on the couch, lounging backward and the weight from Penelope pushing on my insides causing things to not move as they should. This began the worst stomach/gas pains ever. But it was fixed with a better seating position and Gas Ex on hand (Hallelujah!). Those bad days are few and far between, and usually exist because I push my body too far. It's Penelope's way of saying SLOW DOWN MOM. I guess she's already kicking my ass into gear.

I can still tie my own shoes. Of course, it involves sitting on the floor, then rolling my body to my hands and knees to get up (grunts included, of course), which looks absolutely ridiculous. I still get up every morning, even if it means at 7am, to walk the dogs with Aaron. We don't have a tub in our current apartment so shaving my legs in the stand-up shower can be very tricky. I usually end up throwing one of my legs on the wall, because bending over that far just isn't possible. I keep thinking I need to buy a stool to put my leg on but its one of those things that keeps escaping my mind. With a lot of maneuvering I can cut my own toenails. I haven't gotten any dreaded leg or feet swelling yet. Crossing my fingers I manage to skip that one. I can still run around straight for a 7 hour shift at work. People keep asking me how much longer I'll be able to work for. I tell them my water will probably break while waiting on a table before I throw in the towel. And even then Id probably tell myself I know I still have a few hours, let me finish out this last shift.

Exactly 13 weeks left until my 40 week mark!

Linea Nigra

The bottom portion of my linea nigra developed a few weeks ago, the portion from my belly button on down. And about 2 weeks ago I noticed the top portion had formed as well, from my belly button on up. The linea nigra is a dark line, or in my case not so dark, that becomes visible during pregnancy thanks again to those raging hormones.

I think my line is pretty rad, its one of those pregnancy markers. Just another one of my little reasons to do a little dance infront of the mirror after showering. Although I did find something odd about it. The top portion goes in a drastic curve around my belly button and doesn't match up with the bottom. I don't find the non-matching odd, but I do find the curve to be a bit strange. I am thinking it might have something to do with my belly button piercing, maybe? But I don't have any metal in it at the moment (yay for flexible maternity barbells). So really I have no idea why its so crooked, only guesses.

When I told Aaron the top portion of the line had developed he thought it was pretty cool. Then I told him, "but mine looks a little odd," and that very second he knew I was going to say that mine was crooked. "Of course its crooked, your always just a little off." I couldnt disagree.

PUPPS

While at my check up with the midwife last week she examined my belly and noticed a small patch of about 10 red bumps near the top of my belly button. I told her I didn't know what they were but I assumed with all the hormonal changes that they were little zits. She agreed saying that was definitely possible but that it also could be PUPPS, which stands for "pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy." These words mean absolutely nothing to me, just medical language garbage. While the cause of PUPPS isn't yet known it is believed to come from damage to the connective skin tissues from a rapidly growing belly. She told me to apply cortizone cream on them and see if it helps any.

Ive been using the cream for three days now and things are starting to look a little more pleasant on the belly. The red bumps are still visible but they are less inflamed looking.

This brings to me to a similar topic of the photoshopped belly. Pregnant bellies that we see in the media are not normal, they are photoshopped to death. They are not perfectly round, most seem to be typically pointy. They are not free from blemishes or hairs. Extreme hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy would never let a blemish-free belly pass by. Un-photoshopped bellies are beautiful, they just aren't what we, as a society, are used to seeing in the media. While I haven't fallen victim to the stretch mark doom yet, between PUPPS and that extra layer of peach fuzz my belly definitely isn't magazine worthy. And I wouldn't want it to be.

Photo Update and News!

Here is a photo update, this picture was taken yesterday at 26 weeks, 2 days. Aaron and I went on a date to celebrate our 4 year anniversary! It was such a nice break from our weekend filled with work and way too much studying.

Also, I have big news! Well big news to me. My belly button is officially an "outtie"! My belly button ring was holding part of it in so I moved it to the side and a few hours later BAM! Aaron says it feels like the little nub at the end of a balloon. Its weird to never have seen a part of your own body until now, I cant stop touching it. I should probably take this opportunity to deep clean it because after Penelope is born it will sneak back into hibernation.

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