Melissa and Jonathan in Town (26 weeks 3 days)

We had a fun weekend! Melissa and Jonathan were in town. They are always so much fun. On Friday Brian and Melissa's cousin Micheal got married. We all went to the wedding together. It was an hour drive to get there. During the drive, we laughed so hard it was unbelieveable. Brian actually missed our exit to get off because we were all talking so much. You put Brian, Melissa, and Jonathan together and there is nothing but laughter.

The wedding was really nice. It was great to see their dad's side of the family. Unfortunately we do not see them often. They are all crazy fun too. Now I know where Melissa gets it from. :)

Once we got home, I was tired. Melissa said I was cranky. She actually called me bad words but we will not repeat her language. Besides, I don't believe it anyway. Melissa told Brian to put me to bed but I refused. Instead I played Wii with Melissa and Jonathan. Then I finally went to bed.

On Saturday Brian and I got ready for our annual fall outdoor movie night. The weather was great. It sprinkled a little bit but after that it was fine. People came over around 5:30pm and we hung out until 8pm when we started the movie. Everyone who came over also got to see baby's room. It is almost all done! We need our blinds to come in and order a mattress.

We watched the movie "The Strangers". I did not like it. It was a weird movie. I really don't know how else to describe it. Some people stayed outside and watched another movie "The Crazies". I did not want to watch another movie so I hung out inside and talked with some friends. It was another fun night.

On Sunday we put up Christmas lights because it was almost 80 degrees. The weather was spectacular! We only put them on the house because it would seem a little too weird to have them in our yard now. Plus we need all of our leaves to fall before we can do that. We made our first pass at raking leaves on Saturday morning.

Sunday evening Brian and I walked a Metropark. I never understood why there were benches along the trails in the park. I do now! They are for pregnagnat women would need to take breaks because they can't breathe.

After our walk we went to the Halloween store to get me a dog costume. My mother in law made me a Moondog jersey (the Cavs Mascot for those who don't know) so I decided to be Moondog for Halloween. We bought a dog mask and a tail so on Saturday night when we go to the Cavs game I can be a pregnant Moondog! It's the halloween night themed game. I'm really excited.

Overall I'm feeling good. Baby has been really active lately. I now feel many movements thoughout the day. Its such a wonderful feeling!

Crib Assembly (25 weeks 4 days)

I am feeling better from my UTI. That was not fun but at least I am better now. I have even been able to sleep in bed all night long for the last 5 days. Sleeping in our bed has been a challenge because either I was sick and I did not want to wake Brian up with all my moving around or I hadn’t learned how to sleep on my side yet so I would end up on the couch in the middle of the night.

This weekend was our 6 year anniversary. Unfortunately we did not have our scheduled date night on Friday night because I was so exhausted from working! We did go out to the Cavs game Saturday night which was fun. We always enjoy going up to the Q. We still planning on going out to a movie soon but have not scheduled it yet. The matinee showing is at 3:55 and recently neither of us have been getting out of work early enough to pull that off.


On Sunday, we put the crib together. We have heard horror stories about assembling cribs but luckily it went smoothly for us. Brian is an engineer so one would think he could put a crib together, and he did without any difficulty. I basically just sat there and only helped when needed. It was fun and scary to put it together. It made baby seem more real. With just new dressers in the bedroom, it could be setup for anyone. However the crib is definitely for our baby!



After putting the crib together we realized we hate the closet doors in baby’s room. We were going to replace them in a few years but decided Sunday night they were getting replaced this week. Monday we went to Home Depot and bought new mirror sliding doors like we have on all the other closets. Brian put them up Monday night. I would have pictures of Brian putting them up however I had a little melt down.

Last week, work was the week from hell. This weekend we were very busy doing many little things so I did not have much time to relax. When Monday came around, I was done! Brian needed my help holding the top panel for the closet doors so he could screw it in. I could barely reach it. (Which I expected Brian to know that since I am short and usually cannot reach anything high). Finally we got me a stool to stand on, then I had to hold it for what seemed forever to me. My arms were sore from exercising on Sunday. (I am still lifting weights weekly). Plus my body is adjusting to carrying an extra 15 pounds on it all the time! It is not easy being pregnant. (I am not complaining but it’s definitely different than what I expected). Finally I told Brian to hurry up and he could tell I did not want any part of this. So he sent me downstairs to relax on the couch. Therefore I did not take any pictures. Sorry!

This weekend Brian’s cousin is getting married. We are going to the wedding on Friday. Melissa and Jonathan are coming up for the wedding too. My dad is going to pick them up tomorrow at the airport. It will be fun to see all of Brian and Melissa’s Dad’s side of the family. We know his dad would be excited about our baby. It’s sad that he is no longer with us but we know he’s watching over us everyday.

It is going to be another busy weekend for baby and I. We really do not know how to relax much these days. All this craziness is preparing us for once baby is born.

Doctor's Appointment (24 weeks 5 days)

On Monday, we went to the doctor for our regular 4 week check up. I was having some bladder spasms and urinary discomfort. I thought something was probably going on like a urinary tract infection. I was happy though that I was home with these issues and not somewhere overseas on vacation.

The doctor was happy with my weight and blood pressure. I have gained 14 pounds total so far. My blood pressure has been good. They tested my urine and I have some blood in it. You cannot see it with your eyes though. So they sent out cultures and I was suppose to get results today. They are not back yet. He started me on Macrobid (an antibiotic). I was not happy about taking medication but I have to so that it does not get too severe and harm baby. This is the first medicine that I have taken other than prenatal vitamins. I have been very compliant with my medication. Brian also makes sure that I take it!

Earlier this week, I was having a lot of urinary discomfort especially after urinating but things seem to be getting better. Thank goodness! I was miserable for a few days. I could not sleep and I really wanted to rip my bladder out.

Everything else is going well. I am back to work and it is crazy there. I have been working about 10 hour days. That is a little too much. I am exhausted. Last night, I took a nap on the couch. I woke up and the clock said 6:30. Well I thought it was morning (I have been sleeping on the couch since I have not felt well). I ran upstairs and started getting dressed for work all along wondering where Brian was and why he did not wake me up. I thought he had already left for work. My heart was pounding because I thought I was late to work. Finally after about 5 minutes I realized that it was still evening and I still had 12 hours before returning to work. Brian was playing basketball and hadn't gotten home yet. That is how crazy the pregnancy has made me!

I am so grateful that tomorrow is Friday. I really need the weekend to relax! It is our 6 year anniversary this weekend. I cannot believe that we have been married for 6 years already. Where has all the time gone? In a few months, are lives are going to change even more. We really enjoyed our time alone together but are ready to start a family!

End of Vacation (24 weeks 1 day)

We are back home now. Vacation was wonderful. Brian and I really enjoyed our trip together. We got to do some really cool things plus relax a lot too. It is amazing to think that baby has already went through the Panama Canal with us. Baby sure has been a lot of places already! Baby was good throughout the trip. I was nervous that I might have problems while far from home and go into labor or something crazy but everything went really well.

Baby was really active during the beginning of our trip then he/she calmed down a bit. On the last few days of the cruise I barely felt baby move. Of course, we got nervous since I was not feeling baby as much. He/she is back to being active again, so there are no worries. Baby is most active first thing in the morning (before I get out of bed).

We did end up buying the cute baby outfit we saw on the cruise. We think it is cute now but in a few months we probably won’t find the party at 3am in baby’s room as amusing. We read a lot about breastfeeding while we were on this trip. That is going to be a challenge. I really hope that baby and I are successful but time will tell. I think I am more nervous about breastfeeding than labor. That is a scary thought.

At the end of our cruise, Brian and I were emotional. We knew that so much is going to change for us starting at the end of this trip. The obvious is that we will not be traveling as extensively and exotically. However we also have a lot of things going on with our family, work, and leisure. Brian’s grandfather (Gramps) was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. He is still undergoing additional tests so we don’t know much yet. This is going to be really difficult time for our family on many levels. Brian and Gramps have a close relationship. They are very similar in many ways and Brian has learned so much from him.

I never realized how much knowing that you are having a baby changes you. It makes you think of things from the past and, of course, the future. The main theme that always comes up is family. It is neat because we are now creating our own family. However it is also sad because we know that our baby may not really ever know some very important people that helped shape our lives. Baby will never know Brian’s dad since he passed away 5 years ago. We are sad about that. When Brian’s dad was dying in the hospital, Brian was outside the hospital using a cell phone to call family from out of town. While talking he saw a pregnant woman go into the hospital and a baby leaving with new parents. It made him think of the circle of life. That is becoming extremely real for us now. Grandma and Gramps are still doing extremely well for their age and hopefully have many more quality years left. However realistically baby will not know them as well as we do. It’s really sad just because baby will not be able to remember these young years. We are going to buy a video camera and tape some interactions with Grandma and Gramps so one day we will be able to show our son/daughter these amazing people.

Then we have work that is also changing for us too. Another company bought out Brian’s company. This happened while we were on the cruise. We are optimistic that it will end up being a positive thing but you never know. My job has been going through a lot of changes and they will be continuing. Before I went on vacation, I was not able to sleep well at all. Interestingly, while on vacation I was able to sleep very well. I am beginning to think stress has something to do with it. Also I may be finally getting used to sleeping on my side.

On the leisure side, our travel will be more low key and domestic in the short term. We also won't be able to go to every Cavs game like we have for the past several years. For the first time in a while, the Cavs are no longer considered a candidate to win it all this year. Changes, changes, and more changes.

I have been more emotional than usual however it is probably due to all the changes that are occurring for us right now. I have also not been feeling like doing too much. I get tired so easily. I really could take a nap everyday. It is time for me and baby to relax. Bye for now.

Vacation (23 weeks 1 day)

I am writing this post right now because Auntie Melissa thinks I have stopped caring about baby because I have only been updating the travel blog. In my defense, I have mentioned baby a lot throughout my travel blog.

I was thinking I would blog more while on this trip however to be honest I have been lazy. A full day excursion about wears me out so baby and I are resting on our days off. We really enjoy our daily naps! Baby has been more active recently. I feel him/her at least once a day. Usually once baby gets moving, I feel him/her on and off for about 5 minutes. Brian has felt baby on a few occasions too throughout the trip.

We had a lot of reservations about this trip. Should we go? Is baby going to be okay? How will I feel? But we are really glad we took this trip. I have felt good except a little tried here and there. Baby seems to enjoy it too since he/she is more active these days.

I have been able to stay active with is great. We have gone kayaking and mild white water rafting and I have felt fine. I have had no pain. I have not felt like I was unable to do it at anytime. I want to stay active for myself. I do eat a lot these days so just being a couch potato would not be good for anyone.

On the cruise ship, we saw the cutest baby outfit ever! I think it is so adorable. We have not decided yet if we are going to get it though. It is a little expensive for one outfit but it is funny.

I don’t think I have gotten much bigger. It is hard because I have not weighed myself since I left home. I wear maternity clothes now so of course all of my clothes will still fit. That is such a great feeling. I may have gained a few more pounds but nothing too significant. Some people still cannot even tell I am pregnant!

Auntie Melissa: What is baby Mattie going to call you? It may be awhile before he/she can say Auntie Melissa?