Where have I been lately? Nowhere. Just not on wordpress. I mean, I’ve been here, I’ve just been lazy. I’d rather read everyone else’s posts instead of write my own!

Here we are at the 30 week mark of pregnancy! Well maybe a couple days past it, but like I said, I’m being lazy so I need to play catch up while I’m on here.
Here’s what mount Bell looks like:

And here’s what my anthropologie bikini is supposed to look like compared to what it actually looks like:

Yea…the top had to stay in my bikini basket…there’s no strapping those puppies in a bikini right now.  I’ll bet your asking yourself why am I being a creepy weirdo with my bikini on in January, in the states, where it’s 35 degrees.  I’ll tell you why.  Because you wanted to know, right?  I’ve been feeling off today.  Something is just NOT right with my person.  I don’t know what it is.  I just know every time I stand up, it feels like my uh…pelvic floor…is breaking in half.  Better description:  Have you ever ridden a horse, and aren’t an avid rider?  Do you know what your AREA 51 feels like the day after you ride that horse?  THAT is what I’m feeling.  Except I didn’t ride any horses.  I’ve also been having a pain I can’t even really describe except for it COULD be braxton hicks, gas, the baby moving his feet further into my AREA, or early labor.  I don’t know what it is, but it’s not good, I’m on edge about it, and I need it to go away.  Until I’m sure it’s something terrible, I’m going to wait until my Thursday appointment to mention it to my doctor.  I am just FOR SURE she will put me back on pericardia (the medicine that makes my blood pressure drop to about 70/40 – the dead person zone) and I just would rather eat a worm than take it.  I’m so scared she will put me back on it, I don’t even really want to go to my appointment at all!!  I had a hangover for 3 days after my last dose.

Oh wait, I was telling you why I was in my bikini…  It was bath time, I was hurting, and I wanted in the bath too (because it holds up the weight of the bump).  The days of naked bathing are over for ME with Harper.  It’s not that it’s inappropriate at this age, but she grabs at cool new things she sees…and well…that’s just weird for me.  All of my “cool new things” just need to be covered up.  IE- bikini!

Sweet isn’t she?  Here’s the face she was making last night:

TEETH SUCK.

Anyway, here are the 30 week pregnancy stats:

 30 week statsSize of the baby: Hisboyscanswim.com says our boy is around 16 inches long, which is the size of the front tire on the original Big Wheel.  The bump.com says he is now strong enough to grasp our a finger.  They also say he’s getting a bigger brain.

Weight gain: I have reached bison status.  With 2 more months to go,  I’m a little worried for myself.  There’s just NO way I will skip the stretch marks this time…no way.

Gender: In case you missed our gender reveal video:

Movement: Violent movement.  Like some Fred Flinstone movement in my AREA.  It’s not good.  I remember loving it when I would feel  Harper…I just cannot say it’s pleasant this time.  Of course I want to feel it, but that doesn’t mean I love it.   OUCH.

What I miss: Going to church.  Some things are just overwhelming.  They’re not overwhelming ALL the time, but some days it’s just EVERYTHING.  Last sunday I drove all the way to church WITH Harper.  Our church is about 40 minutes away.  So it’s not just down the street.  I get there exactly on time.  Which is late, since I have to park, put her in the nursery, and find a seat.  My church is BIG.  CRAZY BIG.  They have 3 services every sunday, all of which are packed tight.  This day was no different.  Parking was a nightmare.  I drove around 10 minutes looking for a good spot.  I didn’t want to carry a baby (literally) a half a mile to get into the church doors, and that’s where all the parking attendants wanted me to park.  Even the handicapped parking was booked solid.  I know, what was I thinking, trying to find a handicapped spot in a CHURCH when I’m not legally handicapped…but I was desperate!  I have a full on waddle and my AREA is breaking.  I realize the time, realize I’ve missed my favorite part of the pregame church music, and would still love to grab a hot chocolate, AND check the kid in the nursery.  I mean, I might as well just go in and get a hot chocolate and leave because the service will basically be over by then.  I do what any rational person would do.  I cry hysterically and leave church.

Cravings: Steak subs from Jersey Mikes and soda.  Fail of the week:  Went to Jersey Mike’s and got it to go since Harper was being mean to me, place my super healthy mountain dew on top of my car while loading up, and hear it fall off the roof as I pulled out of the parking lot.  UGH.  Can something go right!?

Symptoms: Pains.  Back, V-jay, and stomach mainly.  Restlessness…I’d like to blame it on the pains I’m having, but I’m not 100% sure that’s the problem.  When I can’t sleep at night, it’s because I’m obsessing over things.  I think it was sparked by the early labor a couple of weeks ago.  I’m realizing hardly anything is done.  When we were in the hospital, the crib was not even at our house…and if it was, there would’ve been no room for it!  John’s parent’s generously brought it over this weekend, and all I could think about was how it didn’t have any sort of bedding.  Well not MY bedding.  I don’t know why, but the bedding and curtains are the most important thing to me in the room.  I know those things don’t complete a room, but they set it up so nicely, and I can build around and match things to them!  Last night I was obsessing over what colors to pain the room.  So I did the sane thing, and got up to paint horazontal stripes on the wall at midnight.  Although they came out way better than I expected, the paint was just too dark.  We bought the right paint today and who knows, it’s only 10pm, I could paint the whole room at 3am right?  Is this what nesting is like?  I don’t remember obsessing so much over getting things done with Harper this soon.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I kept putting it off.

Best moment this week: Ordering most of our bedding and buying our curtain material to send to my mother in law, since she did such a fabulous job on Harper’s curtains!  I told her she could probably go into business selling them!  I’m sure they’re too much work to actually do that with all the time, but still, they’re great!

OH YEA, AND IT SNOWED IN ALABAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Worst moment this week:  No need to even list it, I’ve already made an entirely Negative Nancy post.

There you have it, our week.

Say a prayer for my AREA if you have time.

Hope everyone else’s AREA is good!!!!

While you’re here, please VOTE for our blog on Top Baby Blogs since they reset their stats today!!  🙂  If you feel extra sorry for me vote again tomorrow since you can vote every 24 hours!!

XOXO

Bell

Let’s ignore that I picked the channel with the nastiest rap ever!!!   I’ll have to mute that if I show it to her later in life!!!!  WHOOPS.

Hope you’re dancing too.

XOXO

Bell

I have been on a DIY rampage lately. Well, I mean, I just found 4 projects I wanted to do that took minimal effort.

1. Paint chip mobile -Google it to know what it’s SUPPOSED to look like, and keep in mind, it’s almost totally free to make!!!! I’m into that.

2. Paint chip rose Valentine’s Day wreath. PAIN IN THE _ _ _!!!! It was just so pretty online I couldn’t resist. Appealing parts : It’s really cool and cheap. 8$ total to make. Parts that make you want to stab yourself with your fiskers: It takes FOREVER. No really. It does. I’m factoring in around 2-3 hours per night for 5 nights. THEN add the part where you have to rape your local home depot of your favorite color paint swatches. I did a really dumb thing, I only wanted one color. I had to take every single dusty rose paint sample from THREE different home depots. THREE. There are no dusty rose paint swatches in the greater birmingham area now. I’m sure of it.

My wreath isn’t complete yet, I still have to fill in some bald spots, but since it’s raining and I can’t display it yet, I am giving myself a break until the sun comes back around. Here it is: Cute even though unfinished!

3. Paint chip Valentine’s day cards. I was going for a very hand made look for this one. I sent out 25 Valentines this year. Each card contains 10 paint chip hearts. (10 because you have to do one on front, and one on back of each heart) So I hand constructed 250 hearts taped to 25 strings of yarn for the total project. It was a little more in depth than I expected, but it was a total cost of 6$ and a few hours of work one night. Totally worth it since professionally made Valentine’s day cards (with person photos on them) will run you 2.00 or more. No thanks.

Here’s my result:

4. Kissing booth. I had to have a picture to put in my cards. I’d already bought Harper some ultra cute valentine’s clothing and was just going to throw a picture of her in a pink dress in each card. BUT my friend sent me a picture of a newborn photo shot, a little baby girl in a basket with a sign labeled “kisses 5 cents” above it. Que the pinterest searches for real kissing booths and I’d figured out what we would be doing for the next week.

As I emptied a ginormous box of diapers (one of the huggies 250 counts from costco), it came to me. HOLY CRAP THIS BOX IS PERFECT SIZE FOR A KISSING BOOTH!!!! I immediately cut the top flap off and scooted downstairs to spray paint the whole thing black. I stenciled my letters and cut out hearts onto my pieces and glued the top flap on with hot glue and wooden dowels I had laying around. PERFECTO!!!! And cheap. Really cheap. Free since I had all the supplies at home. It just needed a finishing touch of balloons. 6$ at party city. Here is my 6$ photo booth!

HAPPY EARLY VALENTINES DAY, PEOPLE!!!!

She is yelling at our cat, Tom.

Mom, did you know that Tom is over there?!

My Mammaw’s necklace added a perfect touch, don’t ya think?!

She is blowing us a kiss!! SO SMART!

XOXO

Bell and Harper

The past 2 weeks are getting to me. My doctor confirmed that I do indeed have a breeched m17 hellcat in my stomach. This explains why I feel like there are 2 whole feet in my VERY low pelvic region. Every twist and turn hurts! I’m too afraid to take a mirror down there, because I’m just sure a foot is sticking out. So, for selfish reasons only, I would like to de breech this kid. I’m 90% sure we will have a c section since it’s been so soon since we had Harper via c section, so it really is my SELFISH need to feel better. I’m only a little over 7 months pregnant, and am freaking out at the prospect of getting more uncomfortable than I already am. 2 months of progressively getting worse. I shudder.

Here’s a short practice run on project debreech (a breech tilt):

Note to self: My boobs look so much better upside down.

I’ve also been doing the cat stretch, knee-chest position, and downing lots of orange juice.

Anyone have any success with non-painful methods?

Everyone say a prayer that soon, I will have more room in my pelvis. Because things are just not working out right now down there.

XOXO

Bell