29 weeks

We are at the 29 week mark! Each passing week, to me, just means that she's that much bigger, healthier, and better able to make it if she was born tomorrow. We are 73% of the way through this pregnancy and that much closer to meeting our little munchkin...who we secretly want to bake just a bit longer yet. :)

Maddie decided to help out with this week's picture, too. Jessie is in another one, but I didn't post that one b/c it was so similar to the rest. Let's see, this week has brought about a few more changes/feelings/symptoms with me, so I'll touch on those a bit. I'm currently going through another growth spurt and finally think I'm on the tail end of this one today. I don't mind them, but in the middle of a spurt, my belly gets pretty stretched out and not necessarily uncomfortable, but, well, uncomfortable. Once I'm used to the new size or position of the baby, all is well again until about another 2 weeks later.

I've also acquired this odd pain just under my left ribs. Let me digress for a second - Baby has discovered my ribs. I didn't think she'd be that high yet so I posted it in my birthclub to see what they thought, and they all said she's there. Enjoy and get used to it until she's born. Humph. It's not bad...just uncomfy at times and after I give her a little push, she kicks elsewhere a few times and leaves me alone...for a while. :) Back to the odd pain. Right around the area where she's been taking up camp around my ribs (usually the left side), I've had this odd pain the last day or so that when it comes on, I push on it to relieve it and then suddenly I'm in some sort of really bad pain that is only temporary, but hurts. A friend thinks I may have just pulled some muscles/ligaments which is not out of the question...but who knows. If it doesn't go away by next week, I'll call the doctor...but I'm going to visit her on Thursday anyway, so likely I'll just wait. Perhaps I should use this as an excuse to get out of weeding or raking out bark in the flower beds...but that's not me.


Another thing that happened this week was that my allergies turned into a cold. It's hard to say if I had a cold until just the past few days b/c my symptoms were pretty similar to the allergies that pregnancy has helped me avoid this year. Several nights ago I was up often b/c my upper lungs felt like they were burning and hurt quite badly. Then things were ok again until last night when I woke up around 1:30am coughing...and coughing...and coughing. I finally went out to sleep on the couch b/c I felt bad keeping Adam up (he kept telling me to stay put but like I said, I felt bad). So I went on the couch, coughed myself to sleep, and woke up an hour or two later and was much better. Back to bed and slept well. The coughs were productive too, so it wasn't like a drink of water or teaspoon of honey (home remedy) would have helped. Anyway, I hope it stays away tonight and I get some sleep so I can be up and at 'em tomorrow for the internet guy to get here sometime between, say, 8am-12pm. I love the 4 hour window...not so much.


Lastly, our little girl is quite the squirm-monster. She really doesn't hurt me yet with giant punches/kicks but some of her long, drawn out pushes that travel across my belly and feel "odd." She especially likes the 9pm hour and gets pretty active then just before bed. Did I post that yesterday? I might have...but am not enthusiastic enough to go back and check. Our little girl is growing fast!

Today was also fun b/c I went window shopping (more like educating, peace of mind-ing) with my speechie friends Abbie & Denise. It went really well and I now feel much more comfortable with registering, our choice of travel system, and am now REALLY looking forward to take Adam shopping for her crib and dresser(s) Saturday after his well-deserved round of golf. More soon! Adam is calling...who knows what he wants now... ;-)

Feeling pretty big today...

So the belly feels big today. And not big. I mean BIG. I noticed today that when I walk, I can't necessarily see my entire foot anymore...most of it/them, but not the whole thing. Oh boy. I was facebooking with some friends about my hugeness, but within a day or two, I'm sure that I will feel like I still have more room again. Just not today. This happens every week or two (I'm sure I've posted about this) and it's just that time again where she gets bigger, stretches out, and makes me feel like I could bounce a quarter off my belly - temporarily. I've also come to the conclusion (well, this happened a while ago actually) that she really likes the 9pm hour. She is kicking less when I go to bed after 10pm; she used to be super active during that time. Hmm...perhaps she could keep this schedule when she's here for feedings...? Could a mommy be so lucky? Feed her b/w 9-10pm, sleep until 2/3am, feed her again, and then back to bed? Hee hee hee, I'll laugh right along with you. We can all have wishful thinking, no?

I worked yesterday for 7 hours straight (ate on the run/drive) and today for 6 hrs. Adam has occasionally been joining me at the AEA for lunch that I bring us on days that I work, which I tend to enjoy. It helps break up the day and I always like to see him...unless he's picking on my belly of course. But when he does this, he usually has a big grin on his face and is happy. I love to see that look on his face, to be honest, when he just looks so proud and excited and eager for her to get here (after appropriate baking time of course). We were chatting landscaping last night when we were walking around the yard and he clearly has well thought out plans for her softball "field." We "have to make sure there's a backdrop so the ball stops somewhere" but he still has concerns that if we put it where he's thinking, that she's going to be hitting balls into the creek before we know it. Adam's going to be an amazing father. I'm so proud that he's my husband and my "baby's daddy." I heart him.

I'm also really excited for tomorrow - well, after the errands are run. I have to run the Highlander back to the dealership b/c we discovered a small chip in the windshield a few miles away from the dealership (with no time to turn around) and I just have a few questions about a few things. Then off to the Kirby store for more carpet shampoo, and then I finally get to start the fun with some work friends, Abbie and Denise. Abbie has a 5-month old and has some serious experience and knowledge about baby equipment. Since we're currently in the market to buy a crib, dressers, and for tomorrow's focus, travel (ie. car seat, stroller, etc.), we're going to go to Target and Babies 'R Us to chat about different features and choices. At least that's what I'm pretty sure we're doing. :) Then lunch and perhaps some other shopping or home to work on some things. Either way, it's always fun hanging out with my fellow speechies so I'm looking forward to it.

Watch for our 29-week picture(s) tomorrow! If I really look like I feel, it might shock you! :)

BIG weekend!

We had a great, BIG weekend this past weekend. Let me begin with Thursday evening...

Thursday night we went to the Quad Cities in search of the vehicle that would replace our wonderful Murano that has been acting up in very random, expensive ways lately. To be honest, at this point I'm pretty sure that was the night that we looked at the Pathfinder again but I can't recall. We were there late. Oh yes, we also stopped at Highland Toyota and a few other lots before getting to LuJack's (big dealer in the QCs). Nothing really caught our eye or the salesman that we talked to at the other places didn't make us feel quite right (Adam's great at this btw), so we ended up at LuJack's and left trying to choose between the Toyota Highlander in Muscatine, Nissan Pathfinder at LuJacks, or Trailblazer at LuJacks. Sigh. Long process even though Adam was a trooper about this car purchase and sped up the process since the Murano made me nervous to drive.

Friday. We have finally ruled out the Trailblazer by mid/late in the day. So now all we have to do is choose between the Highlander or Pathfinder. I was all for the Pathfinder since it was just like the Murano and I would buy Nissan every time if it worked out that way. Adam's voice of reason (which it didn't feel like at the time) said we need to go home and decide tonight b/c there were some equal concerns/pros/cons with either one. I was pretty sad when it was time to realize that I was likely NOT going to be getting the Pathfinder. I understood and agreed why it wasn't our best option (higher miles, among other things), but I wasn't convinced I wanted the mediocre (in my mind) Highlander from Muscatine. Besides, Adam didn't particularly like the sales guy either, which always puts an interesting spin on things b/c he's in sales and knows how it goes for the most part.

SO, Saturday morning I wake up and lay there thinking about what we SHOULD do and what we were going to do. The thing is, I wanted this done asap and I wanted something that would work for us through the next two babies at least, maybe even with a 3rd on the way (if we get that far with number of babies, that is). So I finally wake him up and say listen, let's just go to Toyota in Musc and get the Highlander. It makes the most sense and I want this all-consuming car shopping over. So just before he starts to get ready, Adam goes online to look around again. If I had known he was doing this, I would have been frustrated b/c that would have meant potential MORE cars to look at which was NOT an option I was considering at this point. Anyway, all of a sudden he calls me in the office and asks what I think of this red Highlander at Highland Toyota in Moline, where we had been less than 48 hours earlier but not seen anything we liked (and had a TERRIBLE salesman who we found out is thisclose to being fired for being terrible). I start looking at the features which included LOW mileage (25, almost 26K), 2005 (which means only ~6K miles/year), and then all the good stuff that I was fully convinced I would be giving up after we traded in the Murano (which was the top end of its year, leather, stereo, etc) - it had leather seats, 3rd row seating, control buttons on the steering wheel, SEAT HEAT!!, among other such great features. I told him let's shower, get everything together that we needed for our trip to Milwaukee and the Brewer game, you call the guy to have it set aside, and then we're outta here to go drive and likely buy that car if the test drive goes well. So we hustle and hustle and...the salesman was awesome. He had hidden the car around back so it was ready for us as Adam told him we were in a hurry to get out of town to head to Milwaukee so we traded keys (so they could determine a trade-in value on the Murano) and went for a test drive. Needless to say, I could have turned around within 45 seconds b/c I knew this was the one. Not only did it have all the things about it that we wanted in a long-term vehicle, but all the bells and whistles that I wanted but thought I'd have to give up. Adam wanted to drive it all over the place to make sure, which we did, but the whole time I knew I wanted this vehicle. So after some LONG paperwork, discussions, etc., we drove away my new (to me) RED 2005 Toyota Highlander, Limited Edition on our way to Milwaukee. It was such a great feeling knowing that it wouldn't act up in start/stop traffic and that I could rely on this vehicle for quite some time to come. Good things for peace of mind with a baby on the way. :) Happy mommy!

Then we went to the Brewer game (albeit a little later than we had hoped) to tailgate for a bit before heading in to the game with my Dad & Sue, Adam's parents, and my brother Ross and his fiance Kristen. It was a great time, I got cotten candy (which I've been craving lately), and the Brewers won. Like I said, GREAT day. :) We stayed overnight in Milwaukee and then headed home to the puppies to get started on some seriously neglected house duties...like cleaning out the lawnmower (Adam's job) while I worked on taking things out of the garage so Adam could go through it, I could sweep, and we could get it all put back together in some sort of order, and then went in to relax and have a really great dinner - roasted chicken, fresh green beans, and baked potatoes. It was really a great weekend and I couldn't ask for a better one. Also, the baby was super cooperative at the game and kicked every one of our family members there. :) The next morning when I was lying awake (sore hips again, go figure), Adam had draped his arm across my huge belly bump...and Baby went crazy! She did NOT like the extra weight on her space and proceeded to royally kick his arm for a good 5-10 minutes until he finally moved it out of her way. Sure made us laugh though. Little stinker...

The only bad thing that came out of the weekend was that these "allergies" I felt like I had most of last week is really a cold that makes my upper lung region really hurt...and a slightly runny nose. Since I've gotten up this morning, it's been better and doesn't sting as much, but I think I'm still going to take it easy and do easy productive things today instead of housework that requires me to be up and around a lot. Baby doesn't like it and is kicking me a LOT this morning, but that's just because me being up and around lulls her to sleep so she's probably just confused about what's going on out in the real world. :) Sorry for the long post, but there was a lot to catch up on since my last exciting post. Now that the car thing is taken care of, on to taking care of buying furniture and getting our registries going. Well, they're going, but not added to yet! For those of you that want to know, we are (going to be) registered at Target, Babies 'R Us, Walmart, and then a place in Neenah, WI (Mom & Pop Place) and Davenport, IA (Green bottoms) for our BumGenius diapers (cloth) that we are really excited about. Ok, on to other things for the day besides sitting on the computer...and to find a reason to take the Highlander for a spin. :)

7 Months!

7 months (28 weeks) preggo with Baby Schmidt #1!

And here we are, 28 weeks along, or 7 months pregnant. The time is going very quickly now, and with Adam being so busy with class, work, and his man-weekend away to the Ozarks, we have lots of things to catch up on (since I can't necessarily carry a box of books or move a bed from one floor to another). To top it all off, we're working on buying a newer vehicle since our Murano is right at the make or break point - and we're choosing to break ties and get something newer with less miles on it. BUSY!

28-week belly. Looks pretty similar to last week...

But not too busy to go to our doctor's appointments, including glucose testing, ultrasound, and checkup. Yesterday I went in for all of these things and as far as I know, they went well! I first went in to drink the orange goop for my glucose testing (which is a routine test for gestational diabetes). I was slightly worried it would be gross, but really it tasted like souped-up orange Hi-C from McDonald's, which I actually like. The aftertaste wasn't great, but part one of three events that day, check. Then I waited for a bit in radiology for Adam to get there and then we were on to our 28-week ultrasound (see pics below). We had a great tech and she first started measuring away. We saw little Baby Schmidt's arms, legs, belly, and even the umbilical cord (which I thought you couldn't see very well on u/s) among many other things. The placenta is located on the back of my uterus which is considered good - well, anywhere but over my cervix is good, so I was pleased to hear/see that. At the time of the u/s, she was in a head-down position which is great, but she could easily flip around at any time so that doesn't necessarily mean she'll stay there until birth. Hopefully she does so we don't have a breech baby on the big day. So on we go with measuring until we get to have some "fun time" as the tech called it - translate - looking at the baby for fun and not measurement purposes. So we're looking at her profile and watching her play with her fingers, and she takes her little hand and rubs her eye. Aww...really cute. And then, out of the blue, she moves her hand down, turns her little head towards the "camera," and looks right at us. It was so much like she was saying "Hi Mommy and Daddy!" and then went right back to playing with her fingers. Thankfully she did it twice so the tech was ready and took a great picture of her little face. Amazing. Then we got the traditional profile pic, one of her feet, and her fingers. Adam's convinced she was sucking her thumb in her fingers picture. :) So part two, check. I quickly got poked in the lab for the rest of the glucose testing, and then we went on to the doctor appointment. This was the easy part, as she answered some simple questions, measured her heart rate (which I believe was 133? 138? Within normal limits either way), and then we were out of there. GREAT way to spend an hour and a half. :) Mostly b/c of the u/s.

Do you see her face?? Top of her head is to the right, right eye towards the top, nose, cheeks, chin, and hands tucked under her chin...amazing. She "looked" at us!!

The traditional profile picture. She doesn't quite fit into this one as well as she did in her 20-week profile pic...getting to be a big girl! (And yes, still a girl. We checked.)

So now we're all set for our last ultrasound (unless my doc wants another one - she mentioned she might want to do another one later to check positioning - I LOVE that she's u/s happy!). Our next one is a 4D ultrasound that they do right in the doctor's office (not in radiology like they typically are) and we're scheduled for Aug. 11th. For those of you that don't know, 4D u/s are the orange/black ones that you sometimes see on the internet or TV. It's relatively new and gives you a really great picture of what they look like at this point. The u/s tech did warn us though, that to get the really great pics of say, the face, there has to be a fair amount of fluid b/w her face and uteran wall. We shall see - she's been rather cooperative thus far!

Above is a tiny foot that actually looks big in this picture (the tech zoomed in a bit).

Here's her tiny fingers where Adam thought she was sucking her thumb.

Next big order of business - choosing one of two equally qualified vehicles to trade the Murano in for. Like I said earlier, the Murano is at the make or break point and we're ready for something new. I've loved that vehicle, but it's time. We're torn b/w a 2008 Trailblazer (features: 10K miles, 2wd, $2K more) or a 2006 Nissan Pathfinder (features: 44K miles, 4wd, $2K less). I'm ready to sign on the dotted line for the Pathfinder (especially since it's so similar to the Murano - basically one size up, a few less features, but same company - ?make? - Nissan, which I would buy forever) but Adam is not quite as convinced. Either one is a smart purchase, so that's making it even more difficult. Hopefully we'll have signed on the dotted line by tonight and I'll be able to post a picture of our newest "gadget". :) Enjoy the pictures of the baby in the mean time! :)

Icky body today

Adam finally came home from the Ozarks today! Sounds like he had a good time, and I'm really glad he got to go...won't get to do things like that as easily soon enough!

I woke up today feeling a little icky...mild/mod sore throat and not hungry at all (gasp! Melissa not hungry? Shocker!!). So I stayed in bed a little longer than I normally do and tried to chalk it up to "dry air" since it hasn't rained in, say, 4 days or so. Not so much...so I forced down some breakfast since the baby's gotta eat, right? Relaxed for a bit and then decided the list needed some serious attention. I made some good progress but then my stomach decided it was going to send me to the bathroom more than I would have liked throughout the day but nothing I couldn't handle. The baby was kicking PLENTY today, especially when I convinced myself to sit down here and there so I'm not too worried about this little blip in the health radar.

I'm so pleased that I managed to get another room in the house/on the list DONE!! It's in the trash! AND, I was able to clean the bathroom and vacuum the entire first floor (which is really the only place we hang out in the summertime) before making veggie lasagna (so good) and then finally crashing on the couch...well, recliner for now. I was sitting on the couch earlier and the baby went back and forth several times which leads me to believe she's trying to get me to fall off the couch or something. Active little bugger today. I hope that doesn't mean she feels icky too. I'm guessing she's fine in her liquid bubble. Now I'm just watching the ESPYs, trying not to fall asleep before drinking some serious fluids, while Adam works on one of his 2-20 page papers that are due mid-week for his MBA classes. Ick. I don't envy him at all. Besides today, I am still feeling pretty good. I feel very lucky each day that goes by that pregnancy has treated me relatively well thus far.

One other thing...I looked online at IKEA today since we had planned to go there next weekend after the Brewer game to get the baby's furniture...but they only have a small handful of cribs!! Say...3! That's no good...so I think we might forgo the IKEA trip for her room and just check things out locally. No need to go through the trouble if we likely won't find what we're looking for...ho hum. Hopefully we find it soon. I plan to get the nursery emptied out of the queen-sized bed that's in there sometime this week (with help, don't worry) so we can just GO with it and set it up as things are purchased. Can't wait!!

Too much Pound Cake...

So today was Casey's baby shower (a girl we met/know here in Iowa through Adam's work) and I ate waaayyyy too much of this amazing pound cake that was made to look like a little duck. Yellow frosting and everything. It was amazing. It was fun to see all the different things she received and get some ideas of my own to add to our (not even close to started in some cases) registries.

Speaking of registries, we will be registering for Bum Genius diapers, and yes, they are cloth. And no, I don't care. I know we will (and have) gotten "the looks" indicating that we have no idea what we're going to get ourselves into, or we have no clue b/c we're first-timers, but I don't really care. A friend of mine, Abbie, is using them and has for her daughter for the past 4 months or so and is still alive. These are NOT your mother's cloth diapers...you know, the ones that were pinned, leaked all over, and you had to put a vinyl outer layer on just to make sure nothing gross happened. Look it up online - trust me. And they come in all sorts of cute colors (9, to be exact) and can easily be matched to outfits to look like they are part of the outfit. The great thing is that they grow with the baby and can be worn from birth to potty training. Pretty slick deal, huh? :) That's what we're doing and we're sticking to it for now. Baby will have and use disposable diapers at first just b/c she's going to go through 10+ per day, but once her little system calms down a bit after the first few weeks, that's what we've decided to do. We will still keep disposables on hand for convenience during travel or whatnot, but for the most part, Bum Genius diapers it is! :) Here's a website so you can see what they look like (it's the top row of them...not the organic ones): http://www.cottonbabies.com/index.php?cPath=98&gclid=CLH5g7SJ3psCFRJexwod-2xOaw

Work in progress...

Please don't mind the state my blog is currently in if it's all weird when you're reading it...I'm working on getting a new background and hopefully I'll get it sooner rather than later...apologies!

27 Weeks! 13 to go...

So here we are, 27 weeks into this mess. Just kidding!! Not a mess at all!! It's been an amazing adventure and I love being preggers...although I'm noticing people staring more when I'm out in public, I miss being able to freely turn over in bed without 3-4 point turns, and I miss seeing my feet. It's all worth it though to know that this little girl is going to come into this world and we are going to love her more than anything in our family...

It has also come to my attention (via these pictures) that I seem to have acquired quite the bum since last week! I've been excited thus far that my bigger belly has made my bum look smaller which is usually the opposite when I'm not pregnant. I weighed myself for the first time since my last doctor's appointment and was fully expecting to see my next dreaded number...and then didn't!! Was rather excited about that, and if we're going by my scale (which seems to be more forgiving than the doctor's...go figure), then I've gained right around 22lbs. Fine by me!!

I suppose I should post Baby's stats this week (which are quite impressive, I might add):
Weight: almost 2lbs!!
Length: 14.5" long (might be longer if she has the Seefeldt genes here)
Brain: is getting very active now...
Other: Hiccups are completely common by now...I'd have to pay pretty close attention, I think, to know whether or not she's got them, but I'm sure she's had them a time or two by this point...

Some people in my birth month group online have mentioned that they are worried that their babies aren't turned head-down yet. I don't think this is a problem at this point since she's got 13 weeks to go and can really turn at any point - some babies in the middle of birth! Just something I found interesting...and not something to worry about for me just yet. We have our next ultrasound next week at my 28 week/7 month appointment, so we'll see where she's at then. Who knows...she'll probably start the u/s upside down and then turn right-side up by the end. That's my little stinker! :)


Other than the baby and belly growing like weeds, not much else is going on here in Iowa. Adam is currently en route to the Ozarks with 5 other guys for a weekend of fishing, hiking, and poker. Sounds perfect since he's not had an opportunity like this in recent memory and with the past year he's (and the guys he's with) had with work, he really deserves it.

I've had to work the past two days at least 7 hrs each day, with some paperwork things being done in a few hours on Tuesday. Next week I'm only scheduled to work Wednesday, but I have several reports due so I will probably go in for a few hours on Monday to get that taken care of. I'm positively petrified of all the paperwork and things I have to get in order outside of the normal beginning of the year things to prep for my subs. I believe I will just have 3...one for my preschool evaluations/0-3 program, one for the high school (half day), and one for my elementary school in Davenport. I just hope they don't all think I'm crazy or find major errors that I made and didn't know about...

One more pregnancy symptom besides the fatigue I talked about earlier...a tight back. It doesn't hurt but I can feel knots forming especially when I had Adam rub it out a bit the other night. I'm thankful that it's the muscular portions of my back and not my spine area...which is usually where my back hurts if it's going to. It's not bad yet...but will likely get worse as I go. I've come to terms with it. As long as I continue to have a great husband who will help me out there once in a while, it's all good. :)

Getting Adam ready...

So big on tonight's agenda is getting Adam ready for his guys' weekend to the Ozarks with friends from Muscatine. I'm not sure how to necessarily do this since every time packing takes place in this house (save for work), I'm packing for 2 humans and 2 dogs. Packing for one guy is going to be different. I'm sure I'm going to send too much food but at least all the guys will be fed - I figure they'll probably eat it all anyway...who knows. He's scheduled to go with 5 other guys and spend some serious time fishing, hiking, swimming (I'm assuming), and whatever else it is that guys do on a guys' weekend.

Ok...on to baby things. She hasn't made my belly significantly or spontaneously grow like mad, but I think that a symptom of the 1st and 3rd trimesters is trying to sneak in a little early...fatigue. I am used to going and being on the move until at least 9pm, but the past few nights I've been lucky to see 7:30pm and not be seated on a couch at that time. I didn't really care for this symptom when I had it in the 1st trimester, but I suppose that carrying around 20+ lbs around makes for a more fatigued body...go figure.

I've been thinking a little bit more about my weight gain the past few days. I know what has sparked it, and while I'm so happy for that sparking reason, it still makes me nervous that I'm not going to be able to lose it in a timely manner (thinking realistically, don't worry). It's not weighing (no pun intended) on me heavily, but it's something that's in the back of my mind often.

Ok...off to go water the flowers (first time we've needed to all summer!) and get some things done around the house. 27 weeks tomorrow!! Oh wow, this is getting closer...

First time working since...June 24th!

Ok, I broke down and went in to the office today to make a ring of communication pictures for a little guy I have on my birth-3 caseload. First time back since June 23rd! It was nice to just be in for a few hours, get some things accomplished, answer some emails, and jet outta there and back home to the list. :) I work tomorrow and Thursday for most of each day and will be ready for the break on Friday...I'm getting soft with this summer off thing (save for my 0-3 kiddos) but we'll just blame in the baby and being preggers, how's that...?

We had a good weekend this weekend, although suddenly baby brain has taken over and I've forgotten most of what we did. Hmm...Oh yes, Friday night we had to go to Menards and get some stakes and chicken wire so we could keep our DOGS out of the garden!! They were caught eating our peas twice and so we had to put the quash on that one. Darn dogs. I would have thought I'd have to protect my plants from deer or rabbits...nope. My herbivore dogs who just so happen to like squirrels and rabbits, too. I suppose they are omnivores then. They'll really eat anything.

Saturday, Adam went golfing first thing in the morning while I relaxed after several days of working on the list. I started researching travel systems and I think we have it down to 2, but will most likely register for one that we really liked at Babies 'R Us...which someone walked up to us and told us that the handle on hers broke! I was upset b/c I loved that one and didn't want any reason for Adam to disagree with me, but it turns out he likes the handle on that one more than the other one we like, so I might get my wish after all. :) We then took it easy in the early afternoon before heading to the Quad Cities where Adam got super lucky at Golf Discount where he found an $80 Nike shirt for $20, a 3-wood club (which he's been needing for quite some time) for wayyyyy cheaper than he'd seen anywhere else, and then some golf gloves on super sale. Then Buffalo Wild Wings (Adam's craving, not mine) before going to physically look at the travel systems I'd researched that morning.

Sunday found us headed to a PGA golf event in the Quad Cities - The John Deere Classic. Adam had tickets from work since it was rained out on Friday when he was supposed to go, so we had tickets to a suite that had unlimited food/drink and a great view of the 17th and 18th holes, as well as some of the 15th hole. I got to see Zach Johnson (finished T-2nd) about 4' away from me twice! I would have probably fainted if it had been Tiger Woods, but ZJ was a nice 2nd. :) The day was overall really nice, and after stopping at a quick softball game for Adam on the way home, we let the dogs out and did some things around the house before calling it a day.

On to baby things...finally, I'm sure you're thinking! :) I woke up yesterday morning (Monday) and was quite surprised to find that I swear the baby grew and made my belly an extra 2-3" overnight! Even Adam noticed without me saying anything...my guess is she was just positioned differently, but I felt pretty big all day and the tank top (non-maternity) that I had been having no problem wearing suddenly let my belly peek out the bottom! I had to put forth an effort to keep it covered, and while I don't mind that happening at home, I don't want my belly peeking out in public. Which is where I was when I met Adam for lunch and spilled oil on my belly before going to run errands. I was a mess physically and mentally yesterday. I had several moments of brain delays or even absences throughout the day...but made it through just fine. Whew.

Update on the list: I have 2 rooms done! TWO! Well, actually 2.5, since the 1st floor bath is almost done too. I will need Adam's help for recauking the tub, but otherwise, that room is done too! I'm going to work on the kitchen next, with one major item of business being where in the world to store bottles. I'm really excited about the progress I made, and I think I've discovered a new love for two of my appliances. We received a Bissel spot treater (carpet) and after some vigerous use of that and my Kirby shampooer, the office and master bedroom's carpets look almost new. I was pretty proud of myself after that day. We'll see how the carpet in the front living room goes...it's been a long time and we've had two puppies and a husband on that carpet for quite some time. I'm thinking double spot treatment and shampooing for that room. Then I'll head upstairs for the nursery before organizing the basement storage/laundry room. I've got my work cut out for me. For those who thought summer break meant sitting around doing nothing, that's not the case this year!

Ok, off to go mow the lawn. More pics soon at 27 weeks, and then we get our 3rd ultrasound on the 23rd! So excited for that one...

26 Weeks - 6 1/2 months down!

Less than 100 days to go! 97 to be exact...wow. It's getting close very quickly. We still don't know when we're going to go get her furniture, but I'm hoping next weekend will work out for us to go to IKEA just outside of Chicago but a few other things need to fall into place first. I've been doing some "super nesting" this past week and it's been going well. I went through each room in our house and wrote down each (realistic) thing that needed to be done before I head back to school in August. Today I plan to be able to take 2 rooms off the list pending Adam helps me hang a series of picture frames in the office when he gets home from the John Deere Classic golf tournament later today (if they don't get completely rained out). Very exciting stuff. I think I might tackle the nursery next so it is all ready to go if/when we bring home her furniture next weekend...fingers crossed!

Stats (per "average" baby growth/development):
Baby - 14" long
1 2/3 lbs!!


Me - I have no idea how much I weigh now. I haven't weighed myself since I was at the doctor last. I figure since I'm eating pretty well on track and not sitting on my bum all day while I'm home that I should be alright. My belly is getting much bigger though, as you can see from the pictures, and yesterday I measured it with a steel tape measure (not 100% accurate since it's not very flexible) and was around 41.5" around the biggest part of my belly. That seemed pretty on track with the women in my birth month group online, so that's good (even though I feel and worry like I'm too big for my weeks progression). I've also noticed that I'm starting to feel her move in more deliberate, sweeping movements across my belly. She's kicking harder (not sure how much more I can keep saying that...our little peanut is just getting so strong!) and sometimes I wonder if she's just going to kick a hole right through my stomach. I can see how some of these kicks will hurt later. They don't now, but sometimes I flinch during the big ones b/c it feels like it might...but then doesn't. It's just such a neat experience. I'm truly blessed to be in this position, getting ready to be a mommy. It's more than I could ever have imagined already!

I must also take a moment to let you know that my friend, Sara, and her husband got to welcome their DAUGHTER (they thought boy, but didn't find out for sure until she got here) on July 6th just before 9am! Congrats! They posted some amazing pictures from just before they left the hospital...and I cried and cried they were so cute!! I think the pictures just made me want to hold our little girl so badly now that two of my close friends have had their daughters in the past several months...but she needs to "bake" for a while yet so no baby for us until October, hopefully. Anyway, congrats to them! Her name is Grace Elizabeth, by the way.

Sidenote - I'm trying new things for posting slideshows, which I'm going to try doing by trimester now instead of the whole journey. Bear with me...a few of my friends have figured out how to do this well so I just need to find some time to do the same...but with that awesome list, time is a hot commodity. :) Trimester #2 is almost over! Wow!

Gatinburg, TN Vacation 2009

You'd think that since I'm not working this week that I'd have all this time to post or do other things I said I was going to do in a prompt manner...but that's not the case apparently. So here is a brief synopsis of our vacation and a catch up on some pictures, including the 25 week pics since tomorrow will be 26 already (6.5 months)!

We left Sunday morning (06.28.09) rather early - by 6am - and after some pleading with the dogs to be good for our parents, we headed south to TN. The drive was easy and actually went rather fast. We were about 45 minutes from our destination when the weather turned pretty rough, but thankfully we were just in torrential rain/lightning (not wind and hail as predicted) and got to see some of the most amazing rainbows ever! The neat thing was we could see where they originated...but no pot of gold. Ho hum. Unfortunately, the stress of the weather and riding (I can be a nervous rider) set off a series of Braxton Hicks contractions (BHCs) which got us worried since I'm not really supposed to have more than 6/hr. Then it's time to call the doc and maybe go in. We only made it to 4 so that was good. We checked in after about 12.5 hrs of driving and were very pleased with the views of the Smokey Mountains - we were located right in them at around 2,500 ft. elevation. Gorgeous.


The next day consisted of a short meeting for the resort and then some down time in the afternoon. We went to an outlet mall (b/c that's what you do on vacation!) and got something for each of us...including the baby. :) Then it was dinner at our condo and more relaxing. Tuesday we went to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies (I think that was the name) and got to see some pretty cool water critters. This was the first time I was able to look at pictures and see myself gaining weight in other places besides my belly...namely my arms. :( Boo. I feel like a little is in my face too, but my wonderful husband tells me it's just arms and belly. I love him for his honesty. Or half honesty. It's perfect either way. :) Tuesday afternoon consisted of relaxing by the pool and consequently burning. Adam got it worse than I did, but it's a very different ball game when the giant belly is pink from the sun. Almost comical...but after an entire bottle of aloe vera later, we are both doing well post-peeling. Whew. Another night of dinner in, Sportscenter (go figure) for Adam while I read, and then bed.

Underwater tunnel

Funny-looking trio of fish (they were rather huge)

Adam and some gigantic crab

Wednesday we decided to go on a "hike" which consisted of a half mile of rather flat terrain with a ranger/guide to Cateract Falls in the Smokey Mountains National Park. I asked the activities person at our resort to tell us where to go for a "bears free" short hike - and that's exactly what we got. It was nice but I wish it had been longer...but with all the BHCs, it was probably better than it wasn't. On our way back (unguided), we came across this little family with an 18-month old boy, his parents, and a set of grandparents all hanging out by the small river bed. The mom yells out to me and asks when I'm due...I tell her mid-Oct. She tells me huh! I'm due Oct. 22! To which I stammered, "That's great, good luck" or something along those lines...b/c I couldn't tell she was pregnant!! She looked a little chubby in the trunk but NOTHING like the giant basketball I have under my shirt (my uterus is actually the size of a soccer ball at the moment) ...which then prompts me to keep walking faster and start crying. Adam was so sweet and told me how much he likes my belly and this is just how my body works right now...to which I said but she should be even bigger than me since she just had one and this is her second! I felt a little better after a hug, but I think b/w that encounter from tiny mom and the pictures really starting to show my weight gain over the vacation, I am beginning that downward spiral of missing my old body that allowed me to see all parts of my feet at once without leaning forward. Ho hum. After the "hike," we hung out in downtown Gatlinburg where we had lunch and did some window shopping. We're not much for junk collecting so we didn't get any suveniers outside of some candy (you know, for the baby). After that we were both pretty tuckered out, applied more aloe, and took a nice long nap at the condo. This is where it gets interesting again...we decided that we would go out for a nice dinner and then catch a comedy show at the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge (which was about 10 minutes away) for the evening. Well, to get to PF, you have to go through the national park...in which we found a HUGE traffic jam. After almost an hour of stop/start/going nowhere traffic across about 1.5 miles, we found that we had been in a tree jam - a tree had fallen off the mountain and was blocking the tunnel we needed to go through to get to PF. That took care of us going out to dinner at a nice place, so we just went straight to the Comedy Barn and got cotton candy (finally!! I've been wanting this since the beginning of JUNE!) and Adam got his tub of popcorn. Guilty feelin' momma, let me tell you. Here, baby, have some cotton candy for supper. So anyway, we did the CB which was funny, but something I'd only need to see once, and then realized that pretty much every restaurant was closed at 10:30pm on a week night. So, instead of a nice dinner out, we had McDonald's but at least I got a grilled chix salad without bacon so I didn't feel too bad. Busy day!

The "Elf Tree"

Cataract Falls

The Comedy Barn

Thursday, we went golfing in the morning which was outstanding! The belly wasn't in my way yet and the front 9 holes were great. I actually golfed out of my mind and had a career low 47!! I can beat some of our guy friends with that score (or at least make them nervous). :) Adam had a 44 and looked rather nervous at the end...then the back 9 was MUCH more difficult as it was all in the mountains. By hole 15, I had had 3 BHCs within a short amount of time, so we decided I should just ride along for the rest which was fine with me as I was getting pretty tired by this point anyway. It was a great time though for my last golfing of this season. We headed back to the condo to change/shower and get lunch before heading off to a scenic driving tour of the national park. It was 11 miles long and had the Murano not acted up (it has issues with start/stop traffic), I would have enjoyed it much more than I did. But it was still really neat and we got to see a turkey, some deer (including Bambi), and a young bear that was only 50 yds from us in a field! We then headed back to Gatlinburg for that nice dinner we hadn't had the night before. The restaurant I found was at the top of this mountain and built so that you looked out the windows and straight down the cliff of the mountain. I got a weird vibe from the place b/c it was dark, quiet, and there was hardly anyone there...like the waitstaff was going to come out horror-flick style and tell us we were doomed and had to stay there forever...or give them the baby or something...food was good, but not sure if I'd go back. We packed (ok, I packed, Adam watched Sportscenter...ok, I'm lying, he packed a bit) and then headed for bed to rest up for another long drive in the morning.

25 weeks!

Adam golfing at Bent River Creek Golf Course

Somewhere on the 11-mile loop of the scenic drive tour in the national park

See the bear??

Friday we drove back with more and longer stops. It was an uneventful ride and the Murano behaved beautifully. Whew! I knew it would though...then Adam's parents came to IA Saturday morning with the dogs (who we missed so much!) before leaving Monday morning. It was a nice vacation and I loved not having to send Adam off on a plane after seeing him for maybe 48 hrs like we did all June long. May have to take the fam back there sometime when the kids are a little older. I think we'll just work on this ONE for now though. :)

Wedding pictures post

Here are some pictures from the wedding I was in at the end of June for my bff back home, Steph, and her husband, Patt's, wedding. It was a GREAT time, as I stated in my last post, but I don't want to forget the pictures!! Enjoy...more to come on vacation and baby progression soon...it's been a long day on the computer catching up on things, posting/sending pictures elsewhere, etc...I need a break soon!

The blushing bride pre-wedding.

Just for fun, I sort of like to call this my "knocked up bridesmaid" dress.

Outside after the wedding

Steph and I after the wedding, before pictures

The wedding party

What?!? You're pregnant?!?

What?!? You're married!??!

Adam & I at the reception...where I did more sitting than dancing. :-( Darn giant belly...

It's been a while!

Hi!! We're back to the land of home, the wedding complete, vacation memories logged, and just waiting for the dogs to get home from WI with Adam's parents on a rainy 4th of July Saturday morning. There are SOOO many things I want to blog about since my last post, so I'll likely do it in chunks so it's not one massive posting that gets too long to read. I'll start with the wedding and then post later about vacation and such. It's been a really great 2 weeks!

Starting with Steph and Patt's wedding weekend in Green Bay, WI...I packed up the dogs and all the things they would need while we were gone along with wedding and vacation things successfully. We made it home in good time and then relaxed that Wednesday afternoon/evening and relishing the fact that I could see Adam and not send him on a plane the next day or two for work. We had the rehearsal Thursday night which was fun b/c several of the groomsmen had never been in a wedding so us girls/bridesmaids had to show them a thing or two about how to crook their arms, walk the right speed, etc. Adam tried to take Steph out after the rehearsal with a blind spray from the windshield wipers, but all was well. The dinner we had afterwards was very nice and at UWGB, which I never knew held more formal events such as that. We also went to see Patt's dad's (who passed away when Patt was little) theatre that was named after him...which I had actually had a class in when I was younger, cooler, and went to band camp. Yup, I went to band camp in middle school. Ha!

The next day was the wedding and save for some minor bumps in the road (the makeup person decided to go to the bank instead of do the bride's makeup!!....but made it back in time) things went really well and Steph was amazing. I managed to keep the tears from getting out of hand (you can never tell with these hormones what will set me over the edge and have me hysterically sobbing) but did have one minor mishap that set the whole wedding party off b/c I went to the front at the wrong time...oh well. For some reason everyone thought it was the best man who was off so it turned out ok. ;-) Then we went on a trolley ride for pictures and to the reception site, where everything was absolutely beautiful. My speech was well-received (thank God, I was really nervous about it) and as soon as I was done, there was a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. :) I'll post pictures of everything later...just haven't quite gotten that far yet. I thankfully fit into my dress that day, but wearing a bridesmaid dress 6-months pregnant is a WHOLE different ball game than not pregnant. Interesting. Like I said...at least it fit. We were getting pretty close.

Saturday brought a morning of relaxing and discussing vacation planning before heading to Steph & Patt's for an open house and then sending them on their honeymoon. We then went to my cousin, Ryan, and his girlfriend Tiffany's housewarming party and wish we could have stayed longer....it was SOOOO good to see that side of the family but we had so many other places to go yet and had not packed for vacation...so unfortunately we were only able to stay a few hours - but hours well spent!!

Ok...time for me to go shower and head to the grocery store. It is rather bare around the Schmidt household since we were gone for just under 2 weeks...I'm sure I'll remember a million things about the wedding that I didn't mention thus far, but this will have to do for now. Happy Fourth of July!!