Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[pancake]

Dandi - I had that congestion for my entire pregnancy too! I remember a few days after giving birth, suddenly realising in the wee hours that, "OMG! I can breathe through my nose!"

 

[Dandi]

Oh pancake, you poor love!! I had a terrible fever today so I still can't decide if it's pregnancy related or not! Hopefully the Rhinocort will do its thing. I have all week off work just in case, I couldn't stand to have a scrub mask on right now.

 

[Buttons]

Dandi yippee on the new car! We are picking ours up tomorrow, I'm very excited Those tightenings you're describing sound like Braxton Hicks to me - or at least when I get them I put them down to being BH!

Re allergies etc.... you have my sympathies in abundance!!! It seems like pregnancy congestion is really common but no-one ever mentions it - I have had so many work colleagues tell me either they or their wives suffered with it too yet I had never heard of it before as a pregnancy symptom.

Anyway I have had horrible hay fever and rhinitis / sinusitis throughout this pregnancy. My hay fever and animal dander allergies get so bad I get itchy everywhere and sometimes I scratch at my arms and legs until they are raw. I even scratch the edges of my mouth in my sleep - I thought I had cold sores at the end of the first trimester but I've since worked out that the scabs are from me scratching at my mouth in my sleep I haven't been able to limit my exposure as much as usual as I've been having to mind my parents' doggy while they have building work done on their house. The doggy is gorgeous and adorable but my allergies are not appreciative! I also suffer from horrible headaches which are all bound up in my having a general tendency towards rhinitis / sinusitis in any event, and those have been exacerbated by pregnancy.

Anyway normally my doctor has me on a nasal spray very similar to Nasacort (mine's an OTC version) together with a Clarityn (loratadine) tablet daily and that helps a lot, but she told me to come off both for the duration of the pregnancy. I also used to do a nasal douche a couple of times a week and found that amazing but since getting pregnant the sensation has made me vomit so I haven't been able to do that either. So I've been limited to using a saline nasal spray and taking Piriton (chlorphenamine maleate) but the Piriton knocks me out cold so alas it's no use taking it during the day (it's great at night though!). Then at 16 weeks I went to the doctor as I couldn't take the morning sickness any more and it turned out I'd been battling a viral sinus infection for the previous month. She had me start steaming my nasal passages a couple of times a day and running a humidifier in the bedroom at night, which helped a bit. I just had a look back over my old posts when I asked the other ladies for advice on how to tackle all my horrible symptoms and here's a list of some of the stuff I tried (both pre and during pregnancy, as maybe some of the stuff that doesn't work for me while pregnant might still work for you!):

* Saline nasal spray (obviously your Nasacort will work even better but if you need some additional relief this might be an option)
* Piriton antihistamines as needed (I tried to take them as little as possible - the doc said I can take up to 6 a day but at worst I tried to keep myself to 2 a day and most days I try to do without - as I said before these make me horribly drowsy)
* Nasal douche or neti pot or similar (makes me gag and vomit since I got pregnant but was a huge relief and a great preventive measure before)
* Facial steamer to ease the congestion - I sometimes put a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil or Vicks or whatever into the water
* Humidifier in bedroom at night
* Apple cider vinegar (boosts the immune system apparently and is supposed to help with allergies)
* Keeping Olbas Oil or something similar on my tissues / hankies (eucalyptus or peppermint oil also good!)
* 4Head or something similar - I didn't manage to lay my hands on this so I just put Vicks on my sinus points (between my eyebrows, my temples, and when I had bad coughing I also put it on my chest and on the soles of my feet at night)
* Cold compresses on the sinus points when the pain was very bad
* Cough sweets and, funnily enough, orange juice always ease any soft palate / throat pain for me (but I have to be careful not to have too much of either as sugar is another one of my allergy triggers)
* More water than you think you need in a million years! Seriously, guzzle oceans of the stuff. The more water I drink the better everything is. And this is coming from someone who is normally like a camel and has very little interest in water...

Hope something in there helps! Pregnancy congestion sucks!

 

[Buttons]

Hi ladies!

JGator hope you had a fabulous trip to the West Coast! I spent some time before in that part of the States, it's so beautiful. You sound very organised, more organised than me anyway! So cool that your DH is getting to enjoy all the movement now too

bibiloves you poor thing you are really being put through the wringer! They don't routinely test Mums for Strep B where I am, they just treat the babies if they show any signs of it after birth, so I wouldn't worry about the antibiotics. And there are so many antibiotics that have been tested extensively, I would feel sure your doctor will put you on something very safe. Sending you lots of hugs and hoping it is plain sailing from here on out!!!

Haven so glad to hear your nausea has eased and you are managing to cope so well at work! How did you get to be 25 weeks?!? Where is the time going?! Congrats on passing the GD test

===

AFM 38 weeks today, woohoo!!! At most only four more weeks to go!

Having a pretty good day today, the weather is glorious and I have plenty of energy for a change! Am trying to be careful not to overdo it but it is tempting to try and get loads of chores done when you feel well - must be sensible and not wear myself out

We had a nice weekend, although it was a bit of a busy one. Two of DH's good friends were visiting from abroad so we had to make time to see them both. One of them stayed with us for a couple of nights but he was a very laid back house guest and was happy to just hang out at home with pizza and sit around chatting so that was fine. The other friend we had to do an hour's drive to go and meet for dinner, but I was very surprised by how well I held up and it was a lovely evening in the end.

We also did a fair bit of tidying on the house and are beginning to get a handle on where things will go once baby is home. As we are only here for a few months it doesn't make sense to do a proper nursery but we have come up with a plan so that all the baby's stuff can go in the one room so that will be nice, to have a special space for the baby's things. That is the job for next weekend, to clean out that room and tidy it up ready for baby.

Our buggy is sitting at the bottom of the stairs and it makes me smile every time I go up or down the stairs, to think Wee Button will be hanging out in there in a month or less

No other news here, just truckin' along. Hope you all had lovely weekends and are keeping well!

 

[Dandi]

Oh my goodness Buttons, you poor thing! My bout is pretty benign compared to what you've been suffering, yikes!! Thankyou so much for taking the time to give me all that advice, I have heard apple cider vinegar is great for easing congestion. It's funny, you're so right about preggy congestion being so common but rarely spoken about I have found that too. I've been using the facial steamer with Vicks and a tiny bit of tea tree oil which works really well but only for an hour or so. So what car did you get???

 

[Haven]

I've been super congested, too! I had no idea it was probably pregnancy-related, I just cursed some new phantom seasonal allergy.

Buttons--How did YOU get to 38 weeks?! So exciting! I'm so sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. But can I just tell you how much I smiled when I read what you wrote about your "Wee Button" being here in about a month?! A-dorable.

Andi--I hope your fever goes away very quickly. So exciting about your new car! Thank you for your kind words.

How are you Dani? And everyone else I'm missing?

I had a fit of inspiration and took a bump picture yesterday. So much for my "weekly" bump pics, I'm lucky to get a monthly pic at this point. Anyway, I definitely think I've popped, which is both exciting and terrifying, to be honest. I wanted to take these wearing the same outfit every time, but now I just feel lucky to be showered and energetic enough to muster up what's necessary to take the actual picture. I'm so lazy.

 

[Dandi]

Awwww!! Haven you look amazing! You are one gorgeous preggy lady!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Haven, good to see you posting again. Sorry to hear you are still suffering a bit, but I'm glad it is more manageable. Looking great! I had good intentions for weekly and uniform pictures too, but it just didn't happen. I'm guessing my son isn't really going to care too much anyway, but it's fun for me to capture a picture every few weeks.

Buttons, 38 weeks! That's so exciting. Chances are you will be meeting that little one before too long. Don't blame you for not overdoing it with setting up a room if you will be moving in a few months. We're not going anywhere in the near future, and I'm still finding it hard to get myself organized. Maybe someday the baby will have use of his closet That or we will move into a bigger house before he needs more than just a dresser....

Dandi, add me to the list of those suffering with sinus issues. I've had issues intermittently throughout the whole pregnancy. It was better for awhile, but now it is getting worse again. That combined with the acid reflux/heartburn is making me a not so happy mother to be lately. Really looking forward to feeling like myself again in a few weeks! You should definitely post an updated pic!

Bibiloves, as I understand it, they do not normally test you for strep B until late pregnancy because it doesn't cause any potential harm until delivery, but I agree that you shouldn't worry about the antibiotics. I think I read up to 25% of woman have strep B and take antibiotics for it during labor/delivery.

JGator, hope you had a nice trip. Looks like you are moving right along with the planning and organizing. Less than 10 weeks to go for you now! DH and I starting to get a bit anxious about actually having the baby lately. DH's sister lost a baby in a tragic birth accident 11 years ago (something that could have been prevented with proper fetal heart monitoring during labor), so DH is very anxious about the birth and I think that is stressing him out lately. I'm pretty much pushing the actual birth out of my mind because I know it is just something I have to go through, but I'm more worried about feeling incompetent and overwhelmed with caring for an infant full-time.

Rachel, just a few days behind you and I completely understand how you are feeling. Running out of clothes that I feel presentable in but refusing to buy more at this point, sleeping like crap, and growing seemingly bigger everyday. The third trimester is not for wussies! Sounds like you are in good shape. I don't have very many newborn things, but I don't think I will need much. DH and I were both 8 pounders, so I'm not expecting a petite baby. We however have way too many 0-3 month clothes. I'm not going to wash all of them because I'm pretty sure I'll be taking back some of them. At least the ones with gift receipts.

Hi Sunnyd, FDL, and Lulu, and any others I missed.

AFM, had a nice, relaxing weekend. We set up the glider, and now all I need to do is finalize our changing station and put up some wall decor, and we somewhat have a nursery In other news, some colleagues at work are throwing a shower for me tomorrow, which is sweet, but kind of awkward. I haven't mentioned it much on this thread, but I don't exactly have the most ideal work environment or warm and fuzzy colleagues, so I completely didn't expect or WANT any big to-do about this pregnancy. And while I'm appreciative of their thoughtfulness, the whole thing makes me feel more awkward than anything. I was pretty insistent that they request no gifts, so hopefully, people won't feel obliged and will just show up for a quick piece of cake. I hope that doesn't make me sound like an ingrate. It's just a complicated situation, and I'll be glad when it is over.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Just a quick pop-in for Haven. Haven, I'm so, so sorry that you're still experiencing nausea. But I thought about you when re-reading a baby book this weekend--the book is Brain Rules for Babies and it's about all the things you can (and can't) do to help your child's brain develop. Not surprisingly, this is the first book my husband bought when we found out I was pregnant. Anyway, here is an exerpt:

"One study...looked at children whose mothers suffered from major nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. When the children reached school age, 21% scored 130 or more points on a standard IQ test, a level considered gifted. If their mothers had no morning sickness, only 7% of kids did that well."

Apparently hormones that stimulate a woman to vomit may aslo act like a neural fertilizer for the baby's developing brian. The more vomiting, the more fertilizer! Anyway, I just thought I'd share because I remember it reassuring me when I was vomitting for weeks and weeks on end.

Cheering all of you on!! I love seeing your adorable baby bumps!

 

[monkeyprincess]

"One study...looked at children whose mothers suffered from major nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. When the children reached school age, 21% scored 130 or more points on a standard IQ test, a level considered gifted. If their mothers had no morning sickness, only 7% of kids did that well."

Wow, there really is a study for everything. Guess that means I'm not carrying a prodigy??? Sorry, little buddy, guess I should have thrown up more

Forgot to attach this to my earlier post. Me at 34 weeks, and looking a bit like a hot mess after my walk. We are running out of room!

 

[Prana]

Phew Haven I was honestly so worried about you! You usually post so often and I hadn't seen you around. I'm glad to hear that you are OK, but not glad to hear that you are still suffering from nausea. You look fantastic, as usual!

I'm sorry not to post to individuals. I've been lurking here and there. It's hard for me to keep up with everything, plus I've been super busy. But I do think about you all and hope that everything is going super well for you!

AFM: 22 weeks tomorrow, feeling tons of movement. Had our 20 week scan and our baby is super cute. Can't wait to meet him/her in real life!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Looked at one of those week-by-week charts this last week, and noticed the following statistics:

--Baby takes 22.5 weeks to hit the 1 pound mark;
--Baby doubles to 2 pound mark around 6 weeks later (~28.5w);
--Baby double again to 4 pound mark 6 weeks later (~34.5w);
--Baby doubles again to 8 pounds in 6 weeks again (between weeks 40-41)!

(Now that I'm 22w, there's definitely a pregnancy bump.... I can't even fathom how it's going to be like at 34 weeks and realize, good god, this giant stretched orb is going to grow twice as big before this is over!)

 

[Haven]

Awww, you ladies are so awesome. I was feeling so down about how sick I was with this pregnancy for a while that I just avoided this thread because I didn't want to be a constant Debbie Downer, so now I'm so happy I came back and you all are being so welcoming.

The MS is so much better now that it feels like NOTHING, and I am so grateful. I can totally handle an early morning retch and a post-shower sick every day--piece of cake! I'm totally functional now, so I am not complaining. If all I have to deal with the next 15 weeks is my morning "routine" and intermittent nausea, I will be grateful.

F-D-L--OY! Those stats are scary. I keep on thinking, How am I going to manage this when it gets BIGGER?! And it is going to get MUCH bigger, for both of us!

Prana--Yay for a cute baby scan! And, you are so kind, thank you. I've been lurking all this time to keep track of everyone, I should have popped in more to say Hi.

MP--I'm sure there's a study out there saying that frequent nausea indicates some horrible outcome later in life, too. I'll try to dig that one up for you! You have such a great bump, and I am so jealous of your slender arms!
I hope your office shower goes off without incident. I understand how awkward that could be, so here's to a quick and easy experience.

NEL--Thank you for sharing that study! When I'm sick in the mornings I'm going to take solace in those numbers and tell myself that our kid will be in that 21%. I'm really involved with gifted education, and I've never heard of that study. Maybe I'll do an informal poll of the parents in our program: Excuse me, but were you very sick when pregnant with your gifted child?

Andi--Oh my gosh, girl, are you okay? You're so sweet, thank you. I feel like an oily monster lately, good thing these photos are taken at a distance.

 

[mlk]

Hi ladies, mind if I join in?

I know many of you from the TTC and JBP threads, and am looking foreward t getting to know everyone else.

I am 18 weeks today and have my morphology/anomoly scan in a week and am really looking forward to seeing baby looking like an actual baby this time. This is our first baby and we are on team green as many of you also are.

I hope to keep up with all the posts and post to individuals shortly, but just thought i'd start off with hi

 

[Buttons]

mlk congratulations and welcome!!!

Haven add me to the list of people who think you look fab-u-lous darling! You have definitely popped and you are most certainly in that adorable cute preggo stage - enjoy it and embrace it!!! So glad to hear your nausea is ebbing to a manageable level. Hang in there Mama!

Fleur de Lis those are some very cool stats! Don't be worrying too much about the growth rate though, remember as baby grows it curls up in there rather than being stretched out. At almost 39 weeks I can say the bump - while admittedly HUGE - is not actually as bad as I had imagined it would be

Prana delighted to hear all is good with you and that your 20 week scan went well! And yippee for lots of movement!

monkeyprincess where's the photo of the woman looking a hot mess, I think you forgot to attach it? You look amazing, I have to admit I also ogled your skinny arms. You look like one of those women with really long slender limbs, I am way jealous I hope the shower situation with work turned out OK in the end.

NEL that is really interesting! Unfortunately for me I suffered with horrible nausea but had relatively little actual vomiting. So I got all of the misery but without any brain boosting hormones for baby? Ooops! And our friends are already teasing us about the pressure that will be on poor baby as both DH and I have doctorates...

DandiAndi I found the steamer to be very much temporary relief too, but hey it was something right? Another thing you can do which I forgot to mention as I haven't tried it yet is to put a few drops of a sinus clearing essential oil into the corner of the shower furthest away from the water and let the vapours come up around you while you are in there (dilute it in some carrier oil like sweet almond oil first). I really hope you feel better soon! On the car, we got a Volvo V50 - my car before this was smaller than a Ford Fiesta so I hardly know myself now

===

AFM I've had a rough couple of nights with not sleeping (my usual insomnia, plus the pregnancy itching and my allergies) which has of course led to a rough couple of days. The trip to collect the new car really took it out of me yesterday and led to a bit of an all night long crying fit. Poor DH was an angel today and he put me back to bed this morning and then sat with me till I calmed down and fell asleep (he's working from home this week) - don't know what I'd do without him. Going to go for a walk this evening to try and wear myself out a bit before bed and hopefully I'll get a GREAT night's sleep tonight

I'm stressing myself out a lot about some work loose ends I have to tie up, including doing all my tax returns. Need to get those bits and pieces sorted out this week so I can mentally get myself prepared for Wee Button arriving. I really believe while I am all wound up like this my body won't relax enough to go into labour by itself so I need to sort it out pronto!

In nicer news, I was over with my parents last night showing them the new car and my Mum had made a load of slip covers for the mattress in the pram! She took some old candy stripe flannelette sheets we had on our beds growing up and she cut them up and sewed them to just the right size. They are so soft and cute and it is such a sentimental thing as it seems like everyone used these sheets in the 80s so both DH and I have baby photos of us curled up in bed under sheets like these - and now Wee Button will have them too - this makes me so happy

I will try and take a bump photo today, I've been very lax...

Hope you are all keeping well ladies, take care

 

[Missy0483]

MP - This brings back memories seeing your bump pic since we're both short waisted! I am sorry to say that it will get bigger! But you look great though!!! Will you have any ultrasounds coming up?

 

[monkeyprincess]

Missy, hey, thanks for checking in! Hope you are doing well and enjoying being on the other side. Yes, that bump of mine has nowhere to go but out unfortunately, which you can relate to. There is virtually no separation between my belly and my chest, and my bra band size (but not cup size) keeps going up, so I've had to buy bra extenders to avoid buying yet another set of bras Unless my doctor has any concerns in the next few weeks, I'm not scheduled for any ultrasounds. As much as I would love a sneak peek of the little guy, I'm relieved there haven't been any complications that have warranted another ultrasound thus far.

Buttons, aw thanks, you are sweet.You are not seeing the hot mess part because I cut off my head in the picture I do have long limbs for my height, which is why my DH came up with the nickname "monkeyprincess" for me. They are not feeling so slender these days though! You should definitely post a bump picture. I bet you are looking great as always! Take it easy and try not to let yourself stress too much these last few days! You are in the home stretch now.

MLK, welcome! I can't believe you are already 18 weeks. Almost halfway there!

Haven, thanks! I think that plain old t-shirt is a flattering cut for my bump. Other shirts, not so much. There are times when I look in the mirror and can't do anything but laugh at how enormous I'm looking, otherwise I'd cry. You're at that great point where it is just becoming unmistakeable that you are pregnant, and I have a feeling you are going to carry well even to the end. Really hoping that you finally start to get some m/s free days, which you so deserve.

FDL, that stat sounds terrifying. Fortunately, as Buttons mentioned, your bump most likely will not actually double in size as the baby does, even though it feels like it some days. I have noticed though that now that the baby's only jump is fatten up, my belly feels SO heavy!

Prana, glad to hear you and the babe are doing well!

AFM, the work shower is this afternoon. I'm feeling slightly awkward because I keep overhearing my secretary and others discuss the preparations and go in and out of the conference room, while I try to pretend to be oblivious. As I said, I really appreciate that they are doing this for me, but my group is just socially awkward and terrible at making people feel comfortable. I can't imagine this little shindig is going to be an exception. Attorneys! I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[sunnyd]

Hellooooo ladies! Good to hear everyone is doing well, I think this is the calm before the next baby storm! It seems like there are a lot of us due in the next month+. Woohoo!

MP, I feel ya on the heavy belly. Most evenings I feel like I need a wheelbarrow to lug this kid around! I think I've started having BH contractions as well. At least ones that I can notice, since my belly always feels like an over-inflated balloon when I stand up. But these feel different. Six weeks seems SO far away at this point! And I'm sure it will be seven, since my cycle has an extra week in it. Bah! I will go crazy! She'll be worth the wait, that's what I keep telling myself...

Buttons, I hope you can get some sleep tonight! That's so cute that your mum made sheets out of your sheets! Love it!

Welcome MLK!

Welcome back Haven! You look great, enjoy small, cute, comfy bump phase! Hehe.

Dandi, my SIL had horrible sinus issues the last trimester. I have managed to elude them for now, I hope they stay away! Feel better, mama.

Hi to everyone I missed, I'm really bad at the replying game, haha.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Just needed to say how great all you mamas look! Such wonderful baby bumps!!

I miss this thread (and many aspects of pregnancy, actually!), but I'm following along and rooting for those of you who are in the home stretch! Can't wait to see those adorable, squishy newborns!

 

[Haven]

Just popping back in to wish MonkeyPrincess a tolerable office shower!!!!
When the moments get really awkward, just think of how many laughs you'll get recounting them over here in this thread. There's a silver lining!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Haven, ha thanks. I survived! The shower started off super awkward as the hosts were all busy doing other things and weren't even there at first, which left me to host my own shower with everyone standing on the opposite side of the conference room! It ended up turning out okay though and there was a really nice turnout. I guess I'm a little harder on some of the people here than I should be....

I was actually hoping you would check in because I have a question! I gather you're a sort of an etiquette expert around here. What is the best way to make sure I thank everyone who either helped organize my work shower (paid for the cake, flowers, etc.) and for the people who brought a gift or contributed to a group gift. I normally wouldn't do an email or a group email for thank yous, but for work, is that an okay thing to do? It seems awkward to give some of them handwritten thank yous just because of the kind of people they are. But maybe I should just do it anyway and leave them on their desks??? I appreciate any thoughts anyone might have!!!

 

[Haven]

I'm so glad to hear it wasn't as bad as it could have been!

I would probably write everyone who hosted, and all the gift-givers, a handwritten thank you note on my "professional" thank you cards, aka: the boring ones. I wouldn't be gushy or anything, but I'd still do the individual notes. I may be totally off about work-related etiquette, though--I sent thank you letters to everyone who interviewed me, but then when I served on a search committee last year not one candidate sent a thank you letter! That being said, I still keep a stash of boring thank you notes at work to send off to people whenever necessary. I'm serving on the search committee again this year, let's see if this round of candidates sends any thank yous!

I was teaching high school when DH and I were married, and my entire department got together and gave us a gift. I wrote the individual notes then, too. But then a colleague had a baby, so we gave him a gift as a department, but his wife just wrote one handwritten card and sent it to the department--that could be another option for you, too. I like that better than an email.

Helpful, right? Sorry! Hopefully someone else will chime in with solid advice.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Haven, I think you're right. I'd much rather err on the side of caution and have someone think I was weird for given them a handwritten thank you than for them to be offended that I did not. Some of the people are work with are just the opposite of warm and fuzzy, so wording will be tricky!

Okay, enough about me!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Yes, handwritten thank you notes. Arrive early one morning and leave them on peoples' desks before they come in so it doesn't feel like you're in the second grade and passing out Valentine's Day cards to your classmates who don't eat their boogers.

Note: cross-posted

 

[NovemberBride]

I'm not Haven, but here's what I did for my work shower - it was on a Friday and Monday morning I brought in bagels and coffee as a thank you and emailed the whole department thanking them and letting them know the bagels and coffee were in the kitchen. One reason I didn't do handwritten notes (which I usually advocate) is that I was given a large gift "from the group", so it was hard to know who to thank (we usually just take up a collection, but don't identify who gave vs. who didn't).Everyone likes free breakfast so I figured that made up of not giving individual notes.

 

[missrachelk]

Hi!

Great to see you MLK and Haven! MLK especially I remember your posts from when I was on the TTC board so it's great to see you over here.

Haven, you look great, and here's hoping the nausea keeps dwindling down. It blows my mind how differently pregnanct affects different people. I know this isn't helpful but I haven't actually thrown up once the whole time - and I can always produce a barf so I was and am really suprised! I know lots of others have tons of bad pelvic pain, other pains etc while some have none of those either. I guess it really shows us that we're all individuals even though we're in the same process.

Here's another one shocked at the size of her own belly! It's definitely heavy too, and uncomfortable sometimes. I've found the past few days that my spanx do seem to help support the belly, so I'm planning to wear them more often and maybe get a support band too. Anyone using a support band? The spanx also help facilitate more dress-wearing - personally even my softest panel pants and even PJ's are uncomfortable on the bottom of my belly. I currently have my PJ tank pulled up under my bust because my skin is just so tender and sensitive today. I keep pushing it against my desk at work reaching for things and that's what irritated it today : (

We got our stroller today!!!! It's so pretty : ) We have to get the car seat adapters online or at another store, they weren't in stock but that's it! And the nursery has really come along in the past few days too - we got a neat little bench from Martha (Stewart the one and only) at Home Depot that holds 3 of those fabric bins and has a cushion on top. It will be a nice place for someone else to sit while we're rocking the baby. Shelving and brackets have been purchased, along with some artwork and frames as well as curtains. So a blackout liner, curtain rod and bracket and maybe a print or two from the maternity session and we're DONE! Well, I guess if I stretched we need more crib sheets, bassinet and the list goes on with a few other small things but there are 2 more showers coming up so I'm waiting to see what else we get as gifts.

My parents are moving to our area right before the baby is due! I'm so glad and it's a really good thing for them. They've had a really hard run the last few years and I think this is a big turnaround for them. They're going to be about 40 miles away, but that's much better than 3 states away : ) Here's hoping baby comes on time so that I can have Mom all settled before I need her here! Other than that I'm telling baby girl daily that she's welcome to come any time : )

Buttons hang in there lady!

 

[monkeyprincess]

I'm not Haven, but here's what I did for my work shower - it was on a Friday and Monday morning I brought in bagels and coffee as a thank you and emailed the whole department thanking them and letting them know the bagels and coffee were in the kitchen. One reason I didn't do handwritten notes (which I usually advocate) is that I was given a large gift "from the group", so it was hard to know who to thank (we usually just take up a collection, but don't identify who gave vs. who didn't).Everyone likes free breakfast so I figured that made up of not giving individual notes.

Thanks November, this is a good idea too. My situation is a little different because I asked the organizers to tell people that gifts were not necessary, and most people complied. I only have to write thank you notes to about 12 or so people who specifically gave me a gift, "hosted" the shower or otherwise contributed to the shower by getting the cake, etc. There was no big group gift, although I'm pretty sure I'll get a gift from the law firm after the baby is born, at which time I'll have to send another thank you note which will be posted in a common area.

 

[Dandi]

mlk, yippee!!!Welcome welcome, I'm so rapt to see you here! I'm so happy that all is going well with you, hun. What pram did you end up getting??

rachel, how awesome you are going to have your parents closer to you when baby arrives, that's so good for you, and for them. My parents only live 10 minutes away and I'm so grateful for them, sometimes I wish they were even closer!

mp, you look SO amazingly gorgeous, that is one beautiful bump! I have to say I've enjoyed having a bit of a giggle at your posts re. your awkward shower, I'm glad it wasn't so bad.

Thankyou sunny, I actually feel better already! My GP and OB both prescribed me the same nasal spray, a corticosteroid that I can use once daily through the whole pregnancy as I need to, and it's really good. I actually slept last night!! And none gets absorbed by baby, thank goodness. Thank, lovely.
Hellooooooo Buttons, Prana, f-d-l, Haven, JGator, lulu, bibloves, Dani, and any other ladies I may have missed!

ACK!! Fiiiiiiiiinally, I can post pictures again. Pluck a duck! So here is my 26 week pic! DH and I were about to head out to a friend's 40th so I quickly snapped this pic before we left. Excuse the clothes dumped on the spa bath.

Thankfully the old Rhinocort spray is helping my congestion alot, I'm so relieved to finally be able to exercise and sleep again. Although I have completely lost my sense of taste and smell. Blech. So I've just been eating bowls of steamed veggies for dinner, as it doesn't matter how bland my food is or isn't, I can't taste it anyway!

27 weeks 0 days

 

[mlk]

Buttons, thanks for the warm welcome. Wow 39 weeks maybe wee button will have a laugh and come before you tie up all the loose ends? You mum sounds like a real sweetie, you sound like you have a great relationship too which is lovely at this new chapter in your lives.

Monkey, hi there can't believe how far along you are now, I wish my pregnancy was going as fast as your seems to be! You and your bump look great by the way. Glad to hear your work shower was not too painful. Typical lawyers to stand on opposite sides of the boardroom though. How are you going with the expectation of billable hours and making plans for after maternity leave? It is such a demanding job and I am worried how I will cope but my firm us one of the better ones with regard to hours etc!

Sunnyd, thanks for the welcome. Not long to go for you too looks like there will be a baby boom on ps soon.

Hi haven you look gorgeous as usual!

Rachel, I think you were the first person who got a bfp when I joined the ttc thread (well unofficially since I was on a dr enforced embargo) but I can't believe you are almost at the top of the list.

Dandi, hi there Aussie friend! You too are looking great can't believe you are 27 weeks and have a real bump. And by the way your bathroom is gorgeous and oh so tidy. How are you enjoying the Melbourne weather? It was 27 here today and just lovely although it made me wonder how I was going to cope with the predicted hot summer! I actually ended up buying my stroller about 2 weeks ago. It is the bugaboo cameleon special edition all black with a jade green hood it is just lovely and the exact one I wanted. David jones was having a sale as the new model came in this week and I got $1000 off. Too hard to refuse! So I have been pushing it around the house whenever I get a chance. DH thinks I'm mad...

AFM nothing to report since yesterday just holding out for my scan, this week is gonna go so slow...

 

[Dandi]

mlk, 27 degrees sounds heavenly! The first few days of spring have been unbelievably beautiful, about 20 degrees most days, but last night and tonight the weather has been wild! There's been so much damage from the winds - trees coming down on houses and cars, etc - and it has rained ALOT! The next few days are forecast to be lovely, so it should be a greta weekend weatherwise. I had a giggle about you pushing the pram around the house, I do the same thing! The Bugaboos are SO cute, you must be thrilled!