Motivation

I have already started planning my post-pregnancy workout regimen. I really want to get back in shape STAT! This is my motivation...a simple cocktail dress from Banana Republic. I love the color and think it is the perfect combination of sexy/conservative. Jeff, if you are reading this...I am a size 2 and would ADORE the matching belt and some earrings! I hear a new outfit hanging in the closet helps women to lose the baby weight super fast.

Jeff's First Triatholon

Sunday was Jeff's first time competing in a triatholon. He participated in the Island Lake triatholon, which consisted of a half mile swim, 12 mile bike, and 5k.

Before the race...lucky #25!

Coming out of the water after the swim. Brr!

Taking off for the bike ride!

Coming in after the bike ride.


Crossing the finish line! His time was 1:27:45. Very impressive for a first time triathlete.

There's no place like home...

With a baby on the way, Jeff and I have been making plans for the past 7 months. There is so much to think about when a child enters the picture. Planning for child care, college, and how we want to raise our son has been at the heart of most of our discussions lately. With that said, we have decided to move back to Grand Rapids! We are very excited!!! We will be moving after the baby is born in mid-November.

Now, we just need to find a place to live!

30 Weeks!

Sorry no photo this time...maybe this weekend I will take one. I am 30 weeks pregnant, hitting the home stretch! The baby is kicking and moving more than ever! I cannot wait for our son to be here. 8 more weeks of work...10 more weeks of pregnancy (hopefully)!

Where are the cravings?

Everyone told me to wait until my third trimester...that food would taste like it never has before in my life...that my cravings would be so overwhelming they would cause me to rush to the grocery store at all hours of the day just to satisfy them. Being a food lover, I was very excited for this. Well, I am 30 weeks pregnant and I have not had one single craving. Of course I feel like certain foods more than others, but that isn't atypical of my behavior when I am not pregnant.

In the beginning of my pregnancy, I had a taste for lemonade and licorice, but this faded quickly and wasn't really that strong. So where are the cravings? I guess I shouldn't speak too soon, I have 10 weeks left...perhaps they will surface in the next week or two.

Swimming

Last night I stayed home from school to spend some time with Jeff. It is getting harder and harder to keep up with my schedule. Working all day, then going to school where I am on my feet all night is exhausting. So, I thought I deserved a night off!

Jeff is training for a triatholon that he will swim/bike/run this coming Sunday. So, I thought I would buy a swimsuit and swim alongside him while he trained last night. I bought the swimsuit (above) from Target. It was so nice to feel "weightless," in the pool, and I know that Jeff really appreciated all of the "thumbs up," and "high fives." I wish we got to spend every night together. April 2009 cannot come soon enough! (My tentative graduation date)

Things I want to teach my son

I have been doing a lot of reading on brain development in the early years and I think it is important for parents to play an active role in a child's development. I have collected all sorts of articles on teaching children to talk, read, and truly enjoy learning. With all of this reading, I started to think of all of the things that I would want to teach my son someday...

- A language. Young children have the capability to learn 24 new words each day. I think it is important to expose children to another language. Language is an important skill that will help to develop his eager brain and serve him well someday if he chooses to be a part of the business world.

- To play an instrument. Reading music and developing an appreciation for the arts is great for a developing mind. The brain is a muscle...and in my opinion must be exercised. Numerous studies have shown that children who play an instrument, particularly the piano, score higher on both standard and spatial cognitive development tests alike.

- To ski. I grew up skiing and so did Jeff. It is a sport that we can enjoy as a family and will teach our little man to pick himself up after he falls and try again.

- To cook. OK, this might seem a little "dainty," to some, but cooking is an important life skill to everyone...not just women. By teaching a child to prepare meals for himself, it encourages healthy eating and responsibility for one's own health and well being.

- To mind his own business. My parents taught me the value of a dollar at an early age. I always had a job and learned to value hard work and the rewards that hard work can bring. They also taught me to budget and to mind my own finances. Money is a taboo subject, but it is one that faces every individual every day. I want my son to build a healthy relationship with money and to understand the importance of budgeting/saving.

-To be bold. I would like for my son to be bold - to hold true to his own values and convictions. This is not to say that I expect my son to be a saint. I just want him to stand up for what he believes in, even if the person he is standing up to is me.

This is a pretty "bold" list to make. If I accomplish one thing on this list, I will be happy. I have read that it is unhealthy to set expectations on a child before he/she is even born. I wouldn't say that I am setting expectations, I would just say that I am excited to have my son in my life and want the best of everything for him. If he hates learning a language or playing the piano, that is fine by me. I would just like him to have the opportunity to try new things and to find what truly makes him happy in life.

Someone has a guardian angel...

My sister Arie has always been a risk taker. On family vacations, she was always the one sneaking under guard rails or running ahead on hikes. This in turn, has given my parents and myself quite a few scares. By the time she was two years old, Arie had been bitten by a dog (barely missing her eye), had to get stitches a second time after running into a glass table, and broke a finger from being slammed in her bedroom door. After all that, my mom and I made a pact...to keep Arie alive until she was 18. Well, Arie just had her 19th birthday a few months ago.

Sunday night, Arie escaped yet another scary situation. She was at her friends' apartment, when three gunmen burst through the door demanding money. Held at gunpoint, Arie was forced to turn over her purse. It makes me feel physically ill to think that my little sister was in such a terrifying position. Outside of her purse being taken and a red mark where the gun was held to her head, Arie is alright physically. I am sure it will take a long time before she feels truly safe again. I just keep thanking God that he was with her that night and kept her safe. It makes me believe that Arie has more than one guardian angel, she must have an army.

Kick Counts

Now that I have hit the third trimester, the doctor recommended that I take "kick counts," to track baby's movement. So, a few days go by and I keep track of the baby's movement, no problem, right? Well, I hit Thursday and the baby must have been pretty sleepy, because he hardly moved at all. Friday comes and no movement. I drink my glass of OJ, lay on my left side, and still after an hour not one single peep from him. I called the doctor's office just to see if this was normal...they send me to Beaumont. Apparently, not feeling very much fetal movement in two days is a big deal. So, naturally as any pregnant woman with her first child would do...tears welled up in my eyes and my brain started racing with "worse case scenario" scenes.

Two hours, a non stress test, and ultrasound later...baby is fine. Whew! According to the doctor, my placenta is in the front (sorry if that is TMI) and that means that it will be more challenging for me to feel fetal movement if the baby is in certain positions. This would have been nice to know...I don't know when they did the first ultrasound! Geez!

Baby Crafts!

Check out these ADORABLE onesies that my cousin Lisa made! She was watching an episode of Martha Stewart and decided to try this craft out. Lisa is notorious for avoiding crafts like the plague...but I knew she had it in her! My favorite is the lady bug!

Click here for directions to make your own!

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/potato-print-baby-clothes

BEST Lemonade Recipe!

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS

Using sugar syrup is key to making lemonade that is evenly sweetened and has no undissolved sugar at the bottom.

ingredients:
2 quarts plus 3/4 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 lemon, thinly sliced

directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the 3/4 cup of water with the sugar. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature.
In a large pitcher, combine the remaining 2 quarts of water with the lemon juice and sugar syrup. Add the lemon slices and refrigerate until chilled. Serve the lemonade over ice.

I just can't get enough of....

~"Flipping Out" reality show on Bravo featuring a saavy LA real estate investor with severe OCD

~ Blow drying! Who knew I would love round brushing so much?

~Smart H2O. My latest addiction. I don't know what they put in that bottled water that makes it taste superior to tap water or any other bottled water. I just can't get enough! Hey - if $1 a day for a bottled water is the only vice I have during my pregnancy...I think I can handle it.

~Pureology hair products. They have several deep conditioners that I have been using. A-mazing.

~TVM (time value of money) calculations. OK, yes I still love numbers. With planning for retirement/baby's college, I love to calculate the future value of investments made today.

Names of the Week!

Jeff and I are in disagreement with names for the baby...we have a couple we agree on, but I am still holding out for my favorites before I settle on one name! I also think we need to see our little man before we decide on a name. What if we pick something, call him that for the next three months, and he clearly does not look like the name we chose?! So, for now...I will share the names that I like. Here they are in no particular order...

~Beckham (More middle name potential)

~Benjamin

~Christian

~Christopher

~Knox (Haha...just kidding. Although, Jeff does love Brad Pitt)

~Matthew

~Michael

~Nicholas

~Stone (Jeff is not fond of this name, but it is one of my favorites!)

Third Trimester is Here!

Wow! Just entering my third trimester and the "bump" has definetely grown. I am in the home stretch now...yay!

So far...

Weeks: 27 1/2

Pounds gained: 15

Bump measurement: 13"

Feeling: Great! Still fitting into normal pants, low rise only of course.

Milestones: Others can feel the baby kick and Jeff can hear the baby's heartbeat by pressing his ear to my belly!

Days until due date: 87