Mom and Dad-to-be Prepare, But in Different Ways

With under 6 weeks to go until our 1/22 due date, you may imagine there’s a flurry of activity going on at our household. Well, with my burgeoning belly and the lung capacity of a chain smoker, I can’t exactly “flurry,” but I think you get the drift. I’ve been busy putting finishing touches on the nursery, washing, organizing, and putting away clothes, and securing the last items on our must-have baby item list, like the car seat.

While I’ve been doing this, baby Daddy has been busy...hunting. Maybe it’s a reflection of Greg wanting to get as much hunting in as possible before the baby arrives, since he realizes that he won’t get much free time once she does. Or, maybe it’s some instinctual male urge to go hunt game and provide food for his growing family. If the latter is the case, then he gets the father-to-be award for stocking up our freezer. We have all the vacuum sealed pheasant, quail and woodcock he shot in October, plus, as soon as the processor gets done, we’ll have pounds and pounds of venison from the buck he shot on Sunday. This much is clear: we’re going to have to buy a new chest freezer.

With that being said, I won’t go into how much this particular deer cost, factoring in the processing, new freezer, and speeding ticket he got while down in South Georgia. And why, you ask, won’t I lament about the speeding ticket? Well, yours truly got not one, but two tickets herself last fall in the exact same speed trap within a few weeks of each other. And my forgiving husband wasn’t mad at me, or the $300 in fines I had to pay right before Christmas, so we’re just calling this one even. Just know that if you are invited over for a venison dinner, I’ll expect you to treat it like you’re eating a Kobe steak, because they cost about the same per pound!

Last Party....Before the Welcome Party!

Saturday, my good friends Danielle, Beth and Natalie hosted Panda’s last (of three!) baby showers. We had a lot of fun and especially enjoyed the fondue bar and the “Baby Daddy Game.” Let’s just say that Dad needs to take a newborn care class ASAP, and get a better idea of how big mom’s belly actually is (hint: it’s not even close to her wingspan). See the 3rd photo....no explanation needed.

Though KC gets the prize for traveling the furthest (all the way from WI) we did get two ladies from South Georgia. Thanks so much for making the trip for us! And a special thanks to Katie for bringing her sweet baby boy, Owen. He is adorable! It was great seeing everyone and getting spoiled with so many special gifts. Panda was showered with several handmade items, including an awesome "Wisconsin" book from the scrapbooker extraordinaire, KC, an embroidered hooded towel, burp cloth, and sleep dress from the master seamstress, Heather, and a personalized Panda painting from our resident artist, Natalie. We are so fortunate to have such talented people so excited about Panda’s arrival!

Speaking of Panda's arrival, what’s your best guess on when she’ll arrive? Check out the poll in the upper right corner of the blog and cast your vote!

Getting Closer

I commissioned our weekend house guest, KC, to take this beautiful photo over the weekend and couldn't resist sharing it! We are approaching week 34 and can't wait to meet our baby girl!

33 Weeks and Counting

Here's a recent photo from the office baby shower my co-workers threw Tuesday. Both Jennifer and I are 33 weeks along now, but if you recall from a previous post, she’s having twins (the same photo pose is posted in November if you want to see how much I've grown). I am so thankful to be having just one baby! My office was so generous with lots of baby necessities for little Panda, and some fun things, too, like the Gimini and Bath Luv Frog. I can't believe she'll be using all these things soon!

Yesterday afternoon, I waited over 90 minutes at the Doctor’s office to spend less than 10 minutes getting my checkup. Doctor's office waits are sooo frustrating! But on a good note, my Doctor said I’m doing great. My blood pressure is very good and she commented that my weight gain so far is excellent. I love the Doctor’s office scale! It’s much kinder than ours at home.

After leaving my appointment, I went to pick up a few items at Publix. After leaving the store with my groceries, one the baggers came out after me asking if I was missing an item that was left in the bagging area. I asked what it was, and he showed me a Panda Pez dispenser. Is that a weird coincidence or what? It wasn’t mine, but it does remind me of the time I accidentally bought a giant match lighter because I mistakenly used it to separate my groceries on the conveyer belt from the person behind me. Greg loves that lighter and still teases me about it to this day.

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you on Saturday at the Atlanta baby shower! Safe travels everyone!

I Heart the Waffle House

This weekend marked our last planned out of town jaunt before Panda arrives. We drove up to Charlotte Thanksgiving morning to spend the weekend with my parents and my uncle and his family who drove down from Pittsburgh. We left on the 4.5 hour trek a little before 9am and intentionally let snack-less. I knew this was a mistake, but I was out of snacks at the house, plus figured I’d need to pee every few hours and would want to get out of the car to stretch, so could pick up a snack or lunch as needed along the way. I didn’t count on the fact that every free standing fast food establishment would be closed on Thanksgiving, which we found out only after exiting the highway and trying to find someplace to eat.

We had stopped for gas earlier in the morning at a travel plaza and observed that their restaurants were open, so after finding the other places closed, strategized that finding another travel plaza was our best option. We spotted a billboard for one with a Wendy’s and Dairy Queen a few miles up the road at SC 106, and decided to try the odds there. I was really hungry and also had to pee, so was really ready to stop. Greg seemed poised to exit; he was in the right lane when the exit approached, yet sailed right by it doing 75 as I frantically exclaimed, “Hey, that’s our exit!” But it was too late. And it was the last travel plaza for the next 40 miles. Trust me, I know that stretch of highway well.

I was extremely unhappy with Baby Daddy and was ready to give him the silent treatment until he suggested stopping at a Waffle House because they are always open. I clearly picked a good mate because this was the best idea EVER. It was also one of the best Waffle House experiences ever! Not only did I enjoy a delicious patty melt (no hash browns, I had to save some room for Thanksgiving dinner), but our waitress even asked me if we were having a boy or a girl – becoming the first stranger to assume I was pregnant and not just smuggling a pumpkin under my shirt. God bless the Waffle House. Clearly, the North just doesn’t know what they are missing.

Baby Shower!

My Mom and closest friend, Heather, hosted a baby shower for little Panda this past Saturday in Charlotte. They did a wonderful job with everything from the pink punch, to the “onesie clothesline” to the Panda Bear cake. Tera did a fantastic job creating the diaper cake and hid lots of goodies in it, including Green Bay Packer and Tar Heel bibs to give equal play to dad and mom’s favorite sports teams. It was so much fun spending time with the girls, including Atlanta defects Angela and Allyson and a good friend from college, Cindy. Baby boys Harrison and Andrew certainly didn’t mind being around so many ladies!

Everyone was extremely generous with baby gifts for Panda. She got several necessities and lots of fun outfits…including an officially licensed UNC Tar Heels cheerleading ensemble. Too bad it’s too big for her to wear home from the hospital….Hey, she IS scheduled to arrive during peak ACC conference play!

Do your boobs hang low? Do they wobble to and fro?

I’ve been having significant bra issues over the past week. I’m not sure what is going on, but my bra (the underwire?) is slipping down and rubbing the skin underneath my rack, leaving it red, chafed, and irritated. Both of the styles of bras I bought inflict this unpleasant sensation, so I’m guessing that maybe they just aren’t supportive enough any more. The cups do runneth over a bit, but I was hoping to hold out for nursing bras so that I’d only have to buy new bras one more time. Clearly, that’s not going to happen as I can’t get any relief from the situation. Not wearing a bra is not an option, since each boob now is the size and weight of a cantelope and I absolutely hate the feeling of being unsupported. Plus, gravity affects the unsupported boob and causes it to rest against the chafed area. Any false move and ouch! So, it's time for some bra shopping this weekend. I’ll definitely be enlisting the help of the sales girl wherever I go. Wish her luck as I unleash the girls on her.