25 Weeks

A sick Mom makes for a short blog today.  So, today, while I slept on the couch with an extremely sore throat, a suspected fever, and two shiny dachshunds, the darling husband put together all of the nursery furniture.  This took him approximately 4 hours, record time for him.  I'm slowly but surely coming together with a decorating plan.  But, here is what I have so far.  I couldn't wait to put the linens on the crib, since they have been sitting in the closet for the last month or so.  You will also see in the corner my DIY forest lamp which cost about 34 dollars with the new lamp shade and craft supplies.

On the other side of this wall will be a dresser (kind of a boring picture) and a PBK chair that is on its way in cranberry red.  A little token to make the room "pop."  We've got some new curtains that will be going up soon (when we get the chair cover) and I'm working on some wall decorations (well, I have the supplies, the work was put on hiatus today with my cold).

Ok, so a simple OWT for the week, since my brain hurts and I'm having a hard time focusing on my computer.  This week, I made a chicken and Scott saved the wishbone.  OWT states that if Mom pulls the bigger half, it's a GIRL and if Dad pulls the bigger half it's a BOY.  Well, despite being sick, my brute strength defeated the mighty Scott and this OWT states that we are having a GIRL.  Here's to hoping I feel better!

Girl - 11
Boy - 10

24 Weeks

Ahhh, the nursery planning has started.  We have the spare bedroom all cleared out and my husband has painted over the sage green portion of the room.   We went searching high and low for different goodies to add a little bit of character and the nursery is quickly turning into a DIY project.  We finally invested in our Pottery Barn Kids chair that Scott is in love with (goodbye tax return) and found some pretty eclectic stuff to give us some ideas.  First project: make your own lamps.  Stay tuned to the blog for outcomes...or tears.  I don't have a whole lot to say today, which is rare for me, my husband got me a prenatal massage and a preggo pillow on Friday to help me sleep better (such a sweet man) and then last night, we went out with some friends of ours to dinner and some bars to sing watch people sing karaoke.  It's amazing how many stares you get at 1am when you're in a bar, in heels, with a big belly.

So, the OWT for today (I have 2).  I've been chatting quite a bit with Lori (my sister-in-law) and she's been telling me how out of breath she is lately and comparatively, I'm not really experiencing a whole lot of shortness of breath.  However, I just seem to breathe a little heavier.  In the handy-dandy OWT book, the book states that if Mom notices that breathing is more difficult since pregnancy, a BOY is on the way.  If Mom is breathing free and clear, a GIRL is growing in her belly.  Since I'm not huffing and puffing, I'll call this one a GIRL.

Now, this OWT is not in the book per-say, but I have heard of it before.  Kids have an uncanny ability to predict the sex of the baby in an expectant Mother's belly.  Last night, we hung out with Corinne, a fabulous 2 1/2 year old who put her hand on my belly and when asked if it's a girl or a boy, she said GIRL without any hesitation.

Boy - 10
Girl - 10

A Reality Check

You know, to be honest with you, this whole pregnancy hasn’t really felt real up until this past Sunday.  I’ve been growing - attributing it to the cheeseburgers and caramel pecan sundaes that I’ve been indulging in - my pants have not been fitting without a rubber band – also attributed to the cheeseburgers and caramel pecan sundaes - my shirts have been stretching and I’m beginning to look more and more like the small basketball in my stomach is starting to expand into a Zepplin.  I’m the heaviest I’ve been in my entire life, weighing in at a whopping 157lbs this week, up 22 from my initial 135lbs.  It’s absolutely petrifying.  And now, 24 weeks in, I feel as though I finally have something to show for it, a protruding belly and now, an adorable memory that my engineering husband has engrained in my brain that I am sure not to forget. 

Sunday afternoon, after a long day of day drinking (for Scott) and Cubbies Spring Training in the sun (thank goodness for frozen lemonade), we lay on the couch, snuggling, despite the awful scent of residual hops on my husband’s breath. And then, there it was…not only did I feel the young Chuck Norris kick, but I saw it.  For the first time, I felt implanted in the movie Alien, just waiting for this creepy little head to pop out of my belly, screetching at the top of their lungs.  No such thing happened, but I saw it again and said to Scott, “look, there it is” ever so gently as to not disturb their delicate ballet practice.  Then, he saw it and stated, “How did you do that?”  Then there was a pause.  A long pause.  Now, granted, my husband had a few drinks, BUT, with his engineering brain, I would hope he’d be able to put two and two together or at least remember what was going on in my belly.  I said “really?  You think that I’d be able to telepathically move my child’s foot and protrude it through my belly?”  “Well, I don’t know.” I simply looked at him, smiled and chuckled. 

My sweet husband.

23 Weeks

So, I guess that each time you read this, I have just completed the week that I'm writing about.  As I continue to look at different websites, I get a lot of confusing information about how many weeks I am.  But - I think I have figured it out.  According to gerber.com (great resources) I'm in my 24th week of development, which means that I have made it through 23 weeks, right (according to thebump.com)?  I think that's right.  It's all too complicated to figure out before 10am.  I'm quite sad that today is Daylight Savings Time, which means that I'm an hour further away from all of my friends to the East of me.

So, I am still having crazy, crazy dreams (even about the TV show "Sister Wives" - yipes!) and my cheeseburger cravings, but overall - I'm feeling pretty okay.  The only thing is - I pretty much want to sleep all day long.  It's crazy - I went to a wedding (congrats Marissa and Ryan) last night and I was so tired, I didn't even stay for cake.  I know, I know, a crime in itself, but honestly - sleep weighs higher in my book than cake.  Besides, I'll head to the market today and pick up a piece for dessert.  Nom Nom.  One piece of Red Velvet?  Yes, please.

Speaking of food, this blog is for the boys.  Lori, my lovely, 7 1/2 month pregnant sister-in-law, said that she was talking with her future husband and he was looking in the mirror and said "I. Am. Chub. By."  Which I thought was hilarious until I talked to my husband, who stated "You being pregnant = Me gaining 14 lbs.  I'm going on a diet."  So, now, I am stuck in the middle of a South Beach frenzy in the Scheider household, but at least it's a healthy diet that I can add some individual carbs into.  So, here's the OWT for today.

OWT states that sometimes fathers gain weight too, with pregnancy.  Nothing new in that, but what does it mean when Dad gets heavier as Mom's pregnancy advances?  Well, it means that a BOY is on the way.  If the Dad does not gain any weight, a GIRL is on the way.  So, looks like at this time, we will be having a BOY, as will Lori and Addison.

I'm going to get back to my biscuits and gravy - as my husband is eating his strict South Beach eggs and turkey bacon.

Boy - 10
Girl - 8

22 Weeks

So this week, Scott and I decided to take a "babymoon" to the wonderful, blustery cold, city of Chicago.  I'll post some pictures, one of which you're bound to get a kick out of.  There are lots of different things that I decided:

1.  I still love cheeseburgers (Kopp's up in MKE last night was pretty spectacular).
2.  Chicago Hot-Dogs are a close running for my second favorite food right now, sans the peppers d/t the limited availability of Tums.
3.  Deep dish pizza from Giordano's is still pretty amazing, whether it's hot or cold, AND it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner.
4.  The baby loves Science (you'll see a picture soon of this).
5.  My husband is still the sweetest man ever.
6.  Garrett popcorn (particularly the pecan-carmel) is also pretty spectacular.

With that being said, I owe you a wives' tale today, despite the fact that I have 2 very exhausted dachshunds sleeping on my lap and I can barely keep my eyes open from exhaustion (we also spent 3 days with our favorite nieces who tuckered us out).  So, this one is for my Mom.  I really hope she doesn't get upset that I noticed this...

The Grandmother's influence is a "Gray" area for this one.  If the Maternal Grandmother has gray hair, natural or dyed, the Mother will deliver a BOY and if the Maternal Grandmother has another hair color (other than gray), the Mother will deliver a GIRL.

Seeing as though I just visited with my lovely Mother this morning and noticed that she's a day or two overdue for a dye-job, we'll just say that I'm going to deliver a BOY and leave it at that.  I had a pretty wonderful time and it was hard to say goodbye to my family, particularly my brother since the next time he sees me, I'll have a little one of my own.

Girl - 8
Boy - 9