Valentine's Day and Reflections

I Love Rob xoxo

Always the romantic my husband....
Despite the fact this is our 9th Valentine's Day together, Rob always knows how to be so romantic and adorable and make my heart melt! When I went downstairs Monday morning to leave for work, there were a dozen roses waiting for me, a very sweet card and a frog lawn ornament (I love frogs). I love the fact that he always gets into Valentine's day and tries hard to surprise me each year.

To celebrate, this past weekend we had quite the "wild" date planned. After my work event on Saturday, we decided to go out to dinner, shop at Target and catch a movie. Well, after we finished our appetizer, our plans quickly changed. I looked at him and said, "There is no way I can make it past Target." Rob totally understood and felt the same way. After a delicious dinner at Chilis, we made a quick stop at Giant for a dessert craving (doesn't happen too often) but I really, really wanted red velvet cupcakes and we did a few laps in Target to look around. We got home, found a movie on TV, I took a few bites of ONE cupcake (all of that and I could barely eat one) and I was done for the night. Off to bed I marched at 9:30PM....YAY date night :-)

Reflections

If you would have asked me before I got pregnant or during the first 14 weeks what my thoughts were on pregnancy, I would have said-miserable. A common theme I have noticed while being pregnant is getting the same question over and over..."How do you feel?" I answer them back honestly when I say, "Amazing." I truly love being pregnant. It is definitely a lot different than I imagined- much better in fact. I thought I would be a miserable, fat cow and would just want to sit on the couch and eat junk...hardly the case at all!

I am enjoying every single minute, every movement/kick she makes, every 'stare' I receive from students in my building (I guess they aren't use to seeing pregnant women), every time someone asks me when I'm due and everything else involved in this process. Being pregnant is absolutely fabulous and I am so blessed that everything has been so smooth (for the most part). Even though I am excited for her arrival, I am really trying to enjoy the next 9 weeks I have with her in this intimate way.

IF I had to eliminate two negative items of pregnancy, I would definitely say:

a. The excessive bathroom trips at night every two hours (poor Rob gets up a few times to use the bathroom now as well).

b. Rolling over at night (You try rolling over with 18 extra pounds on your belly...not so fun!) That's what I tell Rob when he asks why I made a "grunting noise" every time I roll from one side to the other.

Other than that....it's been a joy!

Baby Schab Updates

Well folks, the countdown has reached the single digits...9 weeks to go!

Enjoy some Baby Schab updates below...

I PASSED!

Last Friday, I had my three hour glucose test and found out yesterday I passed! Thank the lord! Even though I heard it isn't uncommon to fail the first time, I didn't want to take the easy road/attitude going into the test. I worked really hard to eliminate extra carbs/sugar and load up on more protein. I ordered eggs each morning and ate turkey burgers (no roll) at night. Even though I passed, I am going to still try and incorporate more protein in my diet. So for those who may not be familiar with how the three hour test works, let me enlighten your day with the fun I got to experience...

I had to show up to the lab at 7AM (let me point out I don't have to be at work until 8:30AM) so it was a really fun way to start my day. I had to fast for about 12 hours prior to the test, so I was feeling a bit faint driving in. I work better in tough situations when I can breakdown each step and almost form a countdown for myself. So in total, 6 steps separated me and the door to freedom. Step #1: finger prick (I was actually dreading this part the most and started to feel a little uneasy when the nurse had to ask another nurse for assistance...) Step #2: Blood Draw #1 Step #3: Drink the orange liquid (equivalent to 2 1/2 paper cups and tastes like flat orange soda). After these three steps, I went to the "tolerance" room where I would wait for one hour. At this point, wasn't feeling the best, I was starving and a bit tired. Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira from the Today Show kept me company for the first hour. After the timer went off, Step #4: Blood Draw #2 and back to the tolerance room for another hour. Mamma Summers kept me entertained on the phone for the next hour. Step #5: Blood Draw #3 and back to the room for the last hour, where I watched Bringing Home Baby on TLC. Step #6: Blood Draw #4 (same nurse who needed help with the finger prick tried a different arm and couldn't find the vein/get the blood), so technically on to Step #7: Blood Draw #5....DONE!

Nursery Updates

My dear husband always has to be kept busy (his choice). Despite the fact her nursery was completed, he felt the need for another 'project.' So that brings us to Rob's latest project, building a toy box for her room from scratch. It is about 80% done and looks adorable! I am not sure how he does it, but he was able to find wood scraps left over from other projects and put together a really cute toy box. He has to assemble the top and then it's done! I really love that he took on this project and it is something she can say, "My dad built this for me."

SURPRISE

Over the past year, I was a volunteer for the youth group at the church I am a member at. The youth would meet every Sunday night for two hours and I would assist with their activities/discussions. It is a very small group (10 youth) and I had a wonderful time getting to know them. I let the Youth Pastor know that February would be my last month to volunteer and wanted to take March to 'prepare/take a rest' for Baby Schab. The youth would not be meeting next week and due to a trip to Long Island the following Sunday, this past Sunday was my last night. Imagine my suprise after when the Youth Pastor asked me to help her get items for the kitchen after their activity. SURPRISE! I was 100% shocked and blown away. They had pink cupcakes, snacks and even gifts. Each student brought a baby gift and everything was adorable. A few other church leaders also came out that night as well. It meant so much to me and Rob and I had a great time looking at alllll of the adorable items we were now blessed with. Baby Schab is one lucky lady!

30 Weeks and counting!

Wow! I have officially moved into a whole new category for "weeks" (and for weight, too) lol...

I am officially out of the 20's and into the 30's....

30 Weeks and so much to update on!

Stage Fright Has Disappeared!

So Baby Schab is no longer "timid" to kick in front of Daddy anymore. Last week, Rob FINALLY got to feel her kick. It was truly one of the best moments ever. She has been moving up a storm lately- to the point where she keeps me up at night, we certainly have a night owl on our hands! So I was feeling very optimistic that he would be able to feel her real soon. We were watching TV in bed and as part of our ritual night time routine- I grabbed his hand and told him to feel. All of a sudden he quickly moved his hand off my belly and was like, "Whoa!" At that moment, I knew it had happened. "Did you feel that, did you feel that?" He appeared to be a little startled/freaked out and quietly goes, "She kicked me." LOL I started shrieking and gave him a huge kiss- I was so happy! Rob on the other hand was a tiny bit surprised and I think startled by this new development for him. A few days after that, I told him to try and feel again- this time, I could see his whole hand shake when she kicked and I knew he felt her again. I have waited for this moment for so long and feel so blessed that he could finally feel our princess kick!

You Failed!
Growing up, academics were very, very important to my family. Maybe it was the fact that both of my parents were teachers, but in our household B's were not seen as "a good thing." We were always pushed to reach for that "A." So when I arrived to my routine Dr appointment last week, imagine my surprise when the nurse starts off by informing me that not only am I anemic (that does help explain why I have been so tired recently), but I also failed my glucose test. Wait a minute, did she say fail?? I never fail at tests! Automatically, the good girl in me starts questioning everything I have done my whole pregnancy- I have not gone nuts with sweets or junk food, how could I have possibly failed? She said sometimes it may not be what you have done/eaten- but what you are not. Ok, point taken. I'm not a huge fan of protein (eggs, meats, chickens) and I think my body was lacking in that area. I also had to really curb the carbs (I already miss my peanut butter sandwiches I would eat every day and spaghetti I would eat at night). So as she is explaining this, all I kept thinking was I failed, I failed. I started to cry a tiny bit when I was asking what I could do and how to pass the 3 hour glucose test. Suddenly, the tears became heavier and I started crying to the point I couldn't stop. She gave me some tissues, asked if I had any other questions and left the room to get the Dr who would finish my appointment. I must have been crying so loud that as soon as she shut the door, she came right back in to check on me again. (Another point to make, this is the same nurse who conducted my first pre natal appointment where I also cried as well). After she left the room again, I started to cry even more. I think obviously hearing this news, on top of my work stress and the thought of taking the longer test- I just let it allllll out. Well, imagine the Dr. 's surprise when she came in and saw me hysterical. I am quite the drama queen and I haven't even given birth yet. Boy, oh boy, does Rob have his hands full!

Baby Class 101
Rob and I had our first baby class last night (part 1 of 7). I felt like we were in college all over again taking a night class together. I started off real strong and happy, but by the end, I was exhausted! Class until 9PM while your pregnant...kind of tough! Overall, it went very, very well. I feel like we walked away with a lot of great knowledge and tips. To prepare for class, we need to bring a "baby", diaper and blanket. During the part on how to "swaddle your baby"- I had to use the bathroom really bad. I threw our baby at Rob and dashed out of the room. Well, I must have missed the "how to part" because when I got back- Rob seemed a bit clueless of what to do. When I started asking him what to do, he got a bit annoyed and handed our "baby" and blanket back at me. Oooopps! I have definitely learned over the years that Rob is not the best multi tasker in the world and gets overwhelmed when I ask questions and he's trying to learn. So the couple sitting next to us, swaddled our child for us...pathetic! (lol) During our first break, Rob and I went up to the instructor and asked her to show us again. She said, "Start off by putting your blanket into a kite form." So what do I do, I start folding it into a triangle. She goes, "No dear, a kite- not a triangle." Eventually we both got the hang of it and successfully swaddled our baby. We also were successful in putting on a diaper as well. Rob was a wonderful and attentive student and actually took notes for us the whole time.
Nursery Updates
Our glider has arrived and it looks absolutely beautiful in the nursery! About two weekends ago, Rob's parents came down and stayed with us for the weekend and brought down the glider they purchased for us as a baby gift. It looks very stunning and I know we will get a lot of good use out of it! We can't thank them enough!

Checking in with Baby Schab (unexpectedly)
Last Friday, I was using the bathroom when I noticed I was lightly spotting. Just a few pink marks, but enough to make my heart absolutely sink. I rushed back to my office and called the Dr. They didn't appear to be too concerned, but asked if I could make it in. I literally flew to their office in record time. They completed an ultra sound/internal exam and didn't see anything to be alarmed of. To be on the safe side, they sent me for an additional ultra sound later that afternoon. Once again, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, which was wonderful, wonderful news. I did get to see Baby Schab again via ultra sound. I haven't seen her since week 19 and it was pretty neat to see her development. At one point, she turned her head to face me- and you could definitely see that her eyes were open. Melts my heart to see her and I am so relieved to know that everything is ok.