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!