33 Weeks!!!

The past couple weeks (week 32 and now 33) I often find myself asking why I feel drained down to my bones in energy. I think my 8 month picture answers my question quite well...our little guy is growing and needs all the help he can get! As tired as I am it makes me feel great knowing I am the one to help him!

Speaking of growing...I've seemed to have grown a lot over the past 8 months as well. (and not just in my stomach!) However, I am OK with that. I am still in the range of normal weight gain for pregnancy AND this time it's not medicine making me big...it's our Eric!!! So all is good!

Apparently some of the people I hold closest to my heart think it's a good thing as well. There have been some (very loving) jokes along the way of my pregnancy that are too good to go without mentioning. Again...it's a great thing that I am getting bigger. It means our Eric is too and that's the best news ever! So by no means have any of these jokes ever offended me. It's just a fun thing to joke about when it's for such a good reason.

My loving, will do anything for you, Mom.
Jen: (in an email) "Hi family! I updated my blog with the newest picture of me. Do me a favor and just look at the belly...not the butt!"
Mom: (in an email) replies with "Is your butt on the right or left?????????"

My absolute best friend, can't live without, Husband.
Paul: (as I walk out of the bathroom in my pajamas, Paul proceeds to laugh hysterically and says) "Hey, it's Tweedle Dee & Tweddle Dum!" Just in case you forgot what they look like. Let me help refresh your memory!


Paul: As we are sleeping (I love to sleep on an incline, Paul loves to sleep completely flat) I roll over and land on his head. He wakes and asks "What was that!?!" I reply with "Ohh...I'm sorry...it was my shoulder" He then replies with "Oh...I thought it was your butt it was so big!" (Within seconds he is wide awake and says..."I swear I didn't mean it like that...I promise!" hahahaha)

Our ever so loving friend Nick. **deep breath** where do I begin....
Jen: "Gosh...my flip flops are SO loud."
Nick: "Oh...is that what that is. I thought that was your ankles screaming!"

Nick: (as Jessica was about to get close as she walked by me) "Hey Jess, be careful! You don't want to get pulled in by the gravitational pull"

Nick: (as I walk into a meeting with a good amout of people in it) "Speaking of basketballs!"

Ugh...it kills me because I know there are 100 more from the mouth of Mr. Bruno...but they happen on an every day basis so it's hard to recall them all. But these should give you a good idea of what I'm talking about!

A co-worker of ours:
As he walks by me without a single bit of hesitation, "What's up Chubs!" And continues to walk by me before I can even process what was just said!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!! I'm going to go have a large cheese pizza now with a huge bowl of ice cream for dessert!!! hahaha!

It's Panoramic Jr.!!!!

As most of you know I'm a bit of a nut and name Paul's freckles! I know...I know! But what most of you don't know is Paul has the widest first toes known to man kind! They are so wide and fat that they too needed a name. So years ago I started calling them Panoramic (since they take on the shape of a panoramic photograph!)

Yesterday we had an appointment to see little Eric again! (Thursday, Sept. 18. Tomorrow I'll be 32 weeks!) As the technician was scanning to make sure everything was OK, this perfect little foot came into view! It was so precious to see all his little toes and to feel her scanning right where I feel him pushing out lately. I loved knowing that was the little foot that likes to stretch out at times. So Paul and I, in unison, go "awwwww...how cute is that!" The technician agrees but instantly asks, "Ok...which one of you two has a big first toe!" I immediately point to Paul and say..."He does! It's so wide I named it Panoramic!" She then proceeded with..."Well you now have Panoramic Jr. on your hands because he inherited a big first toe from Daddy!"

She then proceeded to zoom in on his toe (to write Dad's Foot, Large Toe) which made all his other little toes disappear on the scan :( (Eric...you have no idea how badly your Mommy would like to have control over that machine! I would have a picture of your perfect little foot with all your five toes showing. Not one where it looks like you only have two toes!!!) Either way...knowing you have Daddy's big first toes makes me love you that much more!!!!

We can't wait too see Panoramic Jr. in person!!!

In just 9 short weeks...

this will no longer be my point of view when I sit :(
(thankfully Eric will be here to make up for it!)

That was amazing!!!

I was sitting at my desk working and I started to feel Eric move around. When this happens I normally like to sit back and laugh at my stomach bouncing around. His movements are always really quick bumps and rolls...at times it looks like pop corn is popping in there! However, this time he pushed out and just held it there. I immediately put my hand there to try and catch him before he moved! It worked! He acutally gave me enough time to touch him! It was amazing...my stomach was rock solid in that little spot and after just a few seconds of him pushing on my hand he gently pulled away! I instantly picked up the phone to call Paul! I hope he continues to do that so Paul can experience it as well. That was by far the most amazing moment of being pregnant so far!

10 More Weeks!!!!

10 more weeks! Aaaah!!! It's so exciting to be able to count down the amount of weeks on both hands now! Makes it seem so close! In so many ways I want to rush to the day that Paul and I get to drive home with little Eric in the car (I look so forward to that moment of bringing him home with us)...but in so many other ways I want this time to go by so slow. I have enjoyed being pregnant so much that I don't want it end. Not to mention the fact that it's so exciting preparing for his arrival! This weekend we finished painting his (one) wall and hung up curtains in our room for him! Now all we need is his crib to arrive and we'll be all set!

There are so many things I am going to miss about being pregnant.
-I absolutely love the way Eric makes us laugh without even being born. If I have my hands resting on my stomach he will without fail kick me. I'm not sure if he is saying get off of me...or hello...but it sure is hysterical!

-I love the way I can't walk by Paul without him giving my belly a quick rub. He is drawn to it like a magnet. I think he's going to really miss his pregnant belly!
-I love when I look in the mirror and get a glance at my stomach. At times it still amazes me that I am pregnant. It's always been something I've had to visualize in my head as I stood to the side, so it still catches me by surprise at times that this is really happening!
-I love the way that everyone glances down at my stomach. In restaurants, grocery stores, walking into an elevator. They always do a quick eye dart down and back up. I'm not sure if they are thinking..."Oh cute...she is pregnant" or "Man she is huge!" Either way it doesn't matter...I love the glace!

-I love the fact that Eric gives us a Dr.'s appointment to look forward to!
-I love knowing that when Paul and I hug our little guy is safely tucked between us!

And then there are things that I'm not going to miss so much. (I will refrain from using the word "hate" as Lauren informed me last night on the phone that it's a bad word. So I'll just say...dislike.)
-I dislike the fact that I am off balance. I have a really bad equilibrium to begin with (my vertigo now acts approx. 4 to 5 mornings out of the week) so I don't think the added weight has helped with my balance.
-I dislike the fact that, in the past week, I've started to find it very uncomfortable to sit in front of my computer. If I don't lean back and stretch constantly...my rib cage will remind me to. They start to get really achy by mid day :(
-I dislike the fact that I have to use my left foot in order to scratch my right foot. Over the past week it's been really uncomfortable to bend over...and pretty impossible to bring my leg up to my hands. So my feet have to do all the work when I get bit by a mosquito like I did last week!

Updates:
-I am here to report great news! I found the solution to my hips hurting....sleeping on an air mattress! It's as if they are as good as new! Which is a very good thing due to the fact that there used to be days where they felt as if they were breaking! (No, Paul and I are not sleeping separately for the next 10 weeks. It's actually been quite fun. We've just been renting movies and having a bit of a slumber party sleeping out in the family room!)

-Also...I just found out this morning that I once again failed my glucose test. Bummer. So I have to go speak to a dietitian and start to test my blood sugars on a daily basis. Thankfully the Dr. is only having me do this as a precaution (I'm not a severe case). So knowing this is just to be on the safe side helps a lot. However...it's just another thing to have to think about.

Just so we end on a good note....We get to see Eric on Wednesday!!! Can't wait!!!