This Unfamiliar Road

Only 8 weeks (or less) until we get to meet Bean! I am feeling great still, and trying to cherish those little kicks for as long as I can.

32 Weeks:


What's New: Mild discomfort at night-usually my back or hips. I would love to sleep on my back again! LOTS of Bean movement now! Until now, I have been a little concerned at how lazy this baby is (compared to Peyton) but I am eating my words now! Kicks, rolls, punches...loving every one of them :)

What's Old: The pressure...it's only getting worse!

Baby: About 4 lbs and 17 inches long. At our appointment today, I learned that Bean is HEAD DOWN!

Gender: HR 150's today...this kid is all over the place! Wendy (the midwife who delivered P!) is predicting boy; Ben says boy; Peyton typically says there is a 'baby brother' in there.

Belly: Still measuring on track...starting to feel quite large!

Cravings: Still loving lemon goodies! I've had a bit of a sweet tooth this week.


Until next time!

We didn't intend to wait over 2 years for Peyton to experience her first ice cream cone, I promise! It seems we just never took the opportunity to do it.

Last Saturday was pretty low-key, including an early dinner. The weather was perfect, and Ben thought it would be a great time for us to go out for ice cream! As soon as we walked up to the window, P exclaims "We're gonna have an ice cream cone!" She was definitely excited. She requested "pink" and proceeded to devour it (with very little mess, I should add).






One of the most fun things about being a parent is watching kids experience new things in life...especially ice cream cones! We are definitely enjoying this summer, and the final weeks as a family of three :)

A few weeks ago, I posted about some changes that were coming our way. (I mean...besides a new family member!) Here's an update:

Home Refinance: We closed on our refinance last week, and the process went so smoothly! I could not be more thankful for this change because it will really allow us to achieve some important financial goals.


Work Changes: I have been offered/officially accepted a new position at work. My new job title is Anchor Nurse-basically it's like a charge nurse for the nursery. I won't have assigned patients; rather, I will be responsible for the overall care of all newborns on our unit. Anchor nurses also perform the initial assessment on brand new babies. I have been working towards securing this position in the last few years, so I am really excited about achieving this goal!
Another huge change...I am going back to nights! Yikes...I know, it seems crazy after I couldn't wait to get on day shift. However, I will be going part time so this involves working 2 nights per week (from 7pm-7am).
It will definitely be an adjustment for everyone, but I truly think this is the best decision for our growing family.



On the Home: We are diligently working on Peyton's big girl room and I hope to have it ready in the next 2 weeks. For now, we plan to move her crib into the new room because I am hanging on to crib sleeping as long as I can. I need Peyton contained so I can rest during naps (for night shift work and a new baby!). I would also like to get this kiddo potty trained before Bean arrives. More to come on these things :)


I am truly feeling blessed with the changes that are coming our way! Check back soon to see how we are handling things :)

Everyone keeps asking me if I am tired of being pregnant/assuming that I am reaching the point of being ready to get this baby out. That is a resounding NO!

Surprise, surprise...I am not much closer to having Peyton's room ready or preparing in other ways for this kiddo to make an appearance. And I know that right now, Bean is much less work inside than out, so I will gladly take every bit of my remaining 10 weeks of pregnancy.

30 Weeks:

What's New: I passed my one-hour glucose test! Hooray! With Peyton, I failed my one-hour, but passed the three-hour test and I really assumed it would be the same this time around. I am so happy I didn't have to deal with that. I am slightly anemic, but have vowed for a better vitamin regimen and kale smoothies rather than iron supplements. Hoping this works for now :)

What's Old: Insomnia. It's not nighttime discomfort, or getting up to pee every hour. I just wake up in the middle of the night, and stay awake for at least an hour. I am almost positive it's because I have so much to do before Bean arrives, and I am feeling anxious about this to-do list. I think the only solution is to get some things crossed off!

Baby: Size of a cucumber..about 16 inches and 3 pounds. Bean is now strong enough to grasp a finger...so sweet
               
Gender: Still no clue. I do feel like this pregnancy has been easier in general, but it's probably because I've done it before, I am distracted with P, and I haven't gained as much weight. HR 140's.

Belly: Growing and growing...measuring on track!

Cravings: Lemon, Lemon, Lemon.


I had the opportunity to be a "model" for some labor and delivery nurses at work who were taking an ultrasound class. We managed to capture a few pics of Bean, although s/he is bigger now so it's hard to see everything!


                
        

Like many people, I had very mixed feelings about my 10-year high school reunion. Most of my closest friends in high school are people that I still hang out with now, so why bother, right?
Wrong.
I decided to attend the reunion, and I am SO glad that I did!
Ben and I graduated from the same class, so that contributed a lot to our decision. I realized that a) We will only have one 10-year reunion and b) If it ends up being super lame, at least I get a date night with the hubby and my best friend!

Our class officers worked very hard to put on a great party for us, and it was definitely not super lame. I truly enjoyed catching up with folks I had not seen in 10 years, and was really surprised at the people I ended up chatting with. I think a lot of the high school drama was beginning to wear off by this time.


I was curious to see how Facebook and other social media would change the tone of a high school reunion. I thought people would have nothing to talk about since "they saw on Facebook...."
However, I think it really helped to have a general idea of what was going on in people's lives. Status updates made a great conversation starter, and allowed us to skip the annoying small talk!
And you might be thinking what's the point of even going, since you already know everything from social media. The reunion really offered that human interaction component that I think we all forget about sometimes ;)




Our event was held at Atlanta National Golf Club and they really did an excellent job! It was supposed to be from 7-10p, but I think we wrapped up the party around 11:30p because we were all having such a good time! Most folks went out afterwards, too! This preggo had to be up at 5:00am the next day, so we called it a night :)


If you are on the fence about attending your high school reunion, I would definitely urge you to GO! It was really fun catching up with people (ahem....face to face) and seeing how much things have changed in 10 years.
As we left, there were discussions of a 15-year reunion so we could do this again sooner!

You just never know what you will discover :)