My Birthday!

It was my birthday about a week ago! And I must say, I had a great day. I got to do whatever I wanted! If I wanted to go to Target, we went. If I didn't want to do the dishes, I wouldn't. If I wanted to stroll Hobby Lobby, we would. I never had to compromise! ha ha. 

Cory surprised me with a couples massage that afternoon. I mentioned a couple months ago how I would love to get a prenatal massage. I didn't realize he was actually listening! What a great husband. I was surprised Cory got one with me. He hates people touching him. And he's really specific about how you massage him. He always said he would never get a professional massage. But he knew I wanted him there. And his palpation class may have made him a little more comfortable with the idea. Even though we didn't talk during our massages, it was still nice knowing he was right next to me. I'm so glad he got one with me!

Afterwards, we tried out a Mexican restaurant we heard was good. (Thanks Tamara!) It was better than we expected! The menu was even in Spanish. Good thing Cory speaks it. I had to ask him what a couple of things said.  He ordered tacos. I ordered tacos, enchiladas, a side of rice, and a side of beans. When our food came out, the server asked individually, "rice...beans...enchiladas... tacos?" To each, I answered, "right here!" She laughed at me as she walked away. I was hungry okay?!? It sure was yummy! 

We also got me a birthday cake and cuddled up to watch the football game. We lost. Really bad. So I'm going to forget that part. I had a really good day. Thanks Cory for making it great!

Labor Day Trip

Over the weekend we drove to Ohio to visit Jimett and her husband Tom and their kids. For those who don't know, Jimett is my Aunt but more like my older sister since she lived with us for the majority of my childhood. I have missed them very much. It was so good to see them again. We played games, watched home movies, and had lots of treats! Jimett and I were even able to sneak away for some smoothies. It was fun to have Cory FINALLY meet Tom and the kids. He met Jimett at our wedding but it was more like a quick hello. I wish we could have stayed longer! We had a lot of fun.

Here they all are in their cute Labor Day Attire.

A little something I learned today...

I need to lay off the Tums.

This picture describes almost perfectly how I felt about Tums a few days ago. Yes, I found it from Google images.

I happened to learn this little piece of information from my Hypnobabies home study course. This week I'm learning about nutrition during pregnancy. I need lots of protein. I need lots of calcium... Yeah, yeah I know. Taking Tums is bad... wait what?? ( it was not phrased that way of course). I was taking Tums for my heartburn. What I learned is this--Tums neutralizes stomach acid (duh). But protein and calcium can't be absorbed properly without acid. Antacids such as Tums "deplete the body of proteins and calcium." When A LOT are taken, it can affect the liver, " thereby causing toxemia" (a.k.a. pre-eclampsia). Of course if you're getting what you need, you won't have this problem. But in my case, since I have been taking many many Tums, it made me take a step back. I should probably hold off on those as much as I can.

Another interesting fact: Taking Tums as a calcium supplement is practically useless. You need magnesium and vitamin D in order for calcium to be absorbed and used properly. I have never taken Tums for that reason but if I hated milk or were lactose intolerant, I probably would. Let's face it. Tums tastes amazing. It's like candy. Luckily I absolutely love milk. Whole milk especially. I've struggled with adjusting to 1% since W.I.C. doesn't pay for whole milk until the baby is born. Trust me, this has been cruel. I'm getting off track... The reason I mention this is because I have always wondered how great of a calcium supplement Tums actually is. They claim to be an excellent source of calcium. Now I know. 

Because Hypnobabies is so great (I'm sorry. I love Hypnobabies right now), they have compiled a few things you can do to ease heartburn.

-Eat several small snack-meals rather than 3 big meals.

-Drink liquids separately from solid food.

-Avoid greasy or heavily spiced foods. (This one is hard for me because I love spicy food)

-Sit up after you eat anything.

What they say can ease heartburn:

-Papaya enzymes (whatever that is), or drink papaya juice (that is probably disgusting so I won't attempt that one).

-Ginger

-Peppermint tea

-Almond milk

-Apple cider vinegar

-Hansen's Natural Soda

How to neutralize pH level:

-Add lime juice to your water

-Add 1/8 tsp of baking soda to 2 oz of water

I must say that I have already tried eating small meals, standing or sitting after I eat, and tried not to drink anything with my food. The only thing that slightly helped was drinking throughout the day and not with my food. But that is extremely hard to do! And it does not matter what I eat, I always get heartburn. Most of the time it's not right after I eat. It's several hours after I eat. Usually at night. So, I'm going to try some of these things to see if they help. Next time I'm at the store, I'm getting me some peppermint tea!

My Current Craze

I would like to apologize right now to those who follow me on Pinterest for all of my maternity pic pins. I am obsessed. I really should not have spent all morning searching the internet for photos I like. Let me explain myself before you all stop following me. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of maternity pictures. Most of the time I think they are weird and cheesy. But for some reason I still want to have them done! Over the past few weeks I have been going back and forth on whether this would actually be fun. I must say that after an entire morning of hunting Pinterest and blogs, I now REALLY want to do it. I feel a lot more confident.

I mean, how beautiful is this....

And how cute is this...

Now I need to find something to wear...

Babymoon

Cory and I spent the weekend in Chicago for a little vacay. We went to BuyBuyBaby (since there's not one in QC...boo!) They were having a clearance sale so we got a little outfit for our baby boy. It's adorable. I should have taken a picture. Anyway, after we had lunch we stopped in downtown to visit the XXI there. They have a maternity section there... but I was hoping for something a little bigger than just 2 small racks. Although, it was fun to walk around downtown. That night we went to a White Sox vs Texas Ranger game. The Rangers are Cory's favorite team. And I claim them as my favorite as well... since we want to move to TX. Unfortunately they lost by one point. It was still fun though! They had a firework show after the game which was nice. Sunday morning we strolled the outlets. We were passing them on the way home and couldn't resist! The weather was beautiful that morning. They were having some great sales too. I was surprised. They had a Van Heusen outlet and a Carter's outlet. We want to go back up eventually to actually buy something. We had to hurry home because Cory had a review to go to and 2 big tests the next day... yuck. (He did really well on both though!) We had a good trip. It was good to spend time together before our little one comes. 

Here's our lovely phone pic at the game.

July Craft

So.... Here's what I did for July.

A grocery bag holder!

I had been wanting to make one for quite some time now. It probably would have been cheaper to just buy one somewhere. But I needed more sewing practice. And I really love the fabric.

I am not sure where I want to hang it. So for the past month it has been hanging above our trash can. And as you can see, it is already bulging with bags!  HERE is where I got the tutorial.

I'm not going to put a craft up for August. We have been busy doing lots of baby things. Right now, we are in the midst of a major craft. I'll post about it when it's finished. Hopefully it will be done by October. But don't worry. I'll make up for my lost August craft. I am definitely planning on doing lots of Halloween stuff. There is so much I want to do! I told myself I'm not allowed to start any Halloween decorations or crafts until September. One more week until Spooktakular September!

What I Didn't Expect With Pregnancy

-Not being able to stand for very long without feeling dizzy or lightheaded.

-Having Braxton Hicks as early as 18 weeks AND getting like 10 a day despite being hydrated.

-Rolling over in the middle of the night to find my shirt wet... This early! ( I know, I know. TMI) But I'm still in shock with this one.

-Carrying Tums around with me everywhere because my indigestion is so bad. 

-Not being able to sleep. Not because I'm uncomfortable. Because this baby won't stop kicking! :) 

-Speaking of sleeping, I did not know I would have trouble breathing this early. Isn't this all supposed to come very late in the 3rd trimester?? My midwife told me some women have to sleep in a recliner. BLEH.

-I have not had a headache in 6 weeks! I did not think this was even possible for me. Of course now I'm going to get one. I am thrilled nonetheless! 

-The sudden appearance of stretchmarks. They honestly came overnight...

-Waves of breakouts. I thought I would be over with this in the first trimester and my skin would be GLOWING during the second trimester...?

-Cory says he loves this baby more than me. Cute huh?

And... I'm 22 weeks today.