Almost 34 Weeks!

Holy heartburn Batman!!  Last night was so awful with the heartburn. I was told that it is quite common in late pregnancy but seriously all night I felt like I was breathing fire, or about to puke... either way it SUCKED.  Oh I hope this isn't a nightly thing because I already get very little sleep with my partyboy in the belly.  I know I should focus on the blessing of a very healthy/active little guy (with a head full of hair if the wives tale holds true) but right now I just want to whine!!   Today I will go pick up some pregnancy safe heartburn medication and make sure I start that routine before bed, then hopefully I don't have to deal with this anymore.

Going for my 34 week appointment on Thursday, I am very excited to get some more time with the Dr since I'm still showing signs that he might be coming early.  It always feels so good to hear the heartbeat and be told everything is great.  I cannot believe we are only 6 weeks away!  I hope my mom makes it down here before Baby K makes his appearance.  Too much to look forward to.. I have a babyshower here on Saturday, it's my birthday next week, then Christmas, my mom and dad coming down, New Years and then baby!!  It'll go so fast.

Thank goodness we've gotten most of our Christmas shopping done already as I'm sure I'll get grumpier as I get bigger.  This year it seems we are all going in together to buy one big thing for everyone. I'm looking forward to seeing how this family does holiday traditions but I'm missing my Canada family so much!  I have so many cousins/aunts/uncles that I am close to and I sure miss all the traditions we have up there (ice skating, banana cream pie, present stealing game!) I'll have to bring some of the fun down here, although there are NO ice skating rinks in this part of New Mexico, lol. 

Well I think that is all the updates I have so far, after the babyshower and birthday I'll have more pictures to share so keep checking back! 

Thanks for reading,
Sarah

Already Break Time

I'm sorry I wasn't consistent with the updates the past little while, I was out of town for 5 days and then I just couldn't get motivated to write a big post about it.  Time to get my behind in gear so I can keep documenting all the things happening down here in the Southwest.

I went on my first desert camping/hunting trip!  As most that know me could expect I didn't shoot anything but I feel like I was supportive of CK and his mom and step-dad while they did.  I got to ride on the quad (4-wheeler) with a very cushy rear end support pillow and enjoy high temperatures even in November!  I took so many beautiful pictures of the desert scenery that is just so unique from what I know at 'home' in Canada.  There are so many things growing in that dust that can hurt you, it was a learning experience for sure.  Thank goodness it's getting a little late in the year for rattlesnakes and other critters and I didn't end up sleeping on top of the trailer.

 

 

 

It was also an experience watching the different stages of the hunt as we scouted sometimes as early as 5am and all day long, to finding the deer, and then hearing the gunshots in the canyon after the boys went chasing after them and then finally the whole process of preparing the meat and the trophies to take home. I didn't help as much as I'm sure they'd have liked but I am proud that I didn't have an emotional meltdown (anxiety and sadness come with death for me, even more so in pregnancy) and I stomached some things I didn't think I could. Maybe in time I'll get more used to it, but even if not I can enjoy the camping.

My favorite part was the stars by the campfire each night. Even though they look different than at home it is always amazing to see the stars when you are out in the middle of nowhere. You could clearly see the Milky Way streaked over head every night and we would sit around burning collected Mesquite branches and enjoying the smell of that.  I love camping.

Baby is doing really well, I have scheduled a 3D ultrasound for early next week. I am headed to El Paso for my sister-in-law who is having a baby hopefully any minute here and found a lab that will do a private one well within our budget. I am looking forward to seeing the baby's face and getting to know him a little better! He is still a very active little man, even though Mama is on pretty strict relax and rest orders to see him to full term. I'm just very glad I didn't go into labor while camping near the Mexican border!

Mostly I'm just trying to enjoy online episodes of shows I've been behind on, reading books, and visiting blogs of amazing ladies that inspire me to either redecorate my house or bake something for 50!  I'll really enjoy getting to cuddle a sweet baby girl when she decides to make her appearance in El Paso just 9 weeks before her cousin arrives. So much to do coming up but I'll try to keep updated on here, time is still flying!

Sarah

Hello Third Trimester!

Welcome to the third trimester!  It's been a less than wonderful introduction but I am pretty excited that we're on the downhill slope of this crazy journey.  So far this week though I've started with blood tests for glucose levels, a Rhogan shot, more Braxton Hicks and finally a diagnosis for the 'not normal' pain I've been feeling in my hips/pelvis.  After yet another doctor ignored me and said it was just ligament pain I went to a chiropractor and he quickly noticed that because of all that ligament loosening going on my pelvis had slipped over an inch!  He did a quick adjustment on me and while my muscles/ligaments are still sore from being stretched at least I think I'm on the 'normal pain' train.  I knew that most pregnant women did not dislocate their hips rolling over in bed or when bending over.  I feel so relieved!

Other than the ignoring of my pain complaint I'm super happy with the new doctors office. They are very friendly and explain everything they are doing upfront, they laid out how my insurance works and they gave me some neat magazines (with fetal pictures through ultrasound of each stage).  They in general just seem to be happier about birth than the other place, and since I'm one that believes it's not a DISEASE I'm way more on board with these guys. Transferring thank goodness, was not difficult.

Anybody watching GLEE? I love this show!  I love musicals in general but this is a quirky mash-up (great word from the show) of teenage drama, funny comedy and amazing musical. I like nearly all the characters or at least care about what happens to them.  Catch it on tv if you can.

Yesterday was a fun day. CK had to help his mom sight in her rifles for her upcoming deer hunt but he also brought along a .45 for me to shoot (at cans), I felt gangsta lol but it was kinda fun. Poor baby doesn't like guns either (maybe it's just the noise because he ran from chainsaws too)

Last story before this gets too long but I love my adopted kitty Sugar! I'll need to upload the photo when my hunter comes home with our camera but Sugar loves laying on my belly and cuddling. She'll even wrap her little paws around any part of me she can get, what a snuggle bug! Anyway she also has a really loud purr. Well she was snuggling with the belly last night and purring really loud, the baby thought she must be playing with him so he started nudging her face where it was up against my tummy. She tolerated it for a little while then looked up at me and rolled her eyes. Oh I laughed so hard and almost cried with the sweetness of it all!  My sweet kitty and baby.

Back in Town

Well we spent almost a whole week at our new place, now it's back up to where the rest of the family lives in order for another chance at a bear. Seriously Mom, I told him to take a picture of me in my camouflage using a GPS compass to find a certain tree and hiking up and down dry river beds on a bear hunt. It's pure comedy but at least I got out for a walk today! 

Then it was back to the Nana's house where I took a nap and assembled my awesome Quinny baby stroller that arrived in the mail this week while he went back out with a much more experienced and enthusiastic hunting partner.  *update: I just got the call.. no bear tonight, dang. In other news, my stroller is AWESOME.

Well this is my Friday night, haha. I'm sitting in my pajamas wondering why we never have any plans anymore, but secretly loving not having to fit into something presentable to wear, gosh I'm so huge lately.  That reminds me, we DID take a picture today of the belly (26 weeks!) so I have to upload those over to my Facebook account. Baby is very very active and just about at my ribs now, he doesn't seem to kick hard yet, thank goodness but it's still sweet to see him wiggling around.

In other news, our friends had their baby girl 2 days ago and I got to snuggle a precious newborn for over an hour in the hospital just thinking of the day when I get one all of my own!  It's coming up fast, specially with all the holidays and things we have going on at the moment.  I really need to get the baby's room started so that when that nesting instinct kicks in, I don't murder my husband for all his Army/hunting mess in there currently. We need the furniture first though, then some storage solutions. I'm happy with how it's coming together so far but it's far from done.

So that was kind of a random post.

Oh..  Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends/family!

No Longer Homeless!

We got a house.  Well, a condo.  I'm very happy with it because I want to be spoiled in the months surrounding this baby and this particular condo is a gated community, with a pool and white sandy beach, a private movie theater, rec room and spacious gym, and the best part... our own space!  We get our household goods shipped from the Army tomorrow morning (quicker than I expected with the Army in charge) and I can officially move in and get myself busy making things for Baby K's room and being a grown up again. I'll be sure to post pictures as the place comes together. Not sure about all the space, already I don't think we'll fit into this little 2 bedroom but we'll make it work while we build or scout our dream home for next year!

Having some pretty bad pains now with the pregnancy. They call it round ligament pain and some days I can't even stand or walk by the end.  Wearing my Bella Band has helped a little and today when we go back to the new place we'll stop by the mall and buy me a better belly support, it seems to help. After 3 more months of this I think I'll be thrilled with labor, just to end the constant pulling and cramping! The new pool will be a lifesaver as well because I can still keep active without the weight and pressure down below.  This baby has yet to move from his low-lying home so while my friends say I should thank my lucky stars he doesn't sleep in my ribs, my pelvis might never be the same.

CK is out hunting a bear for the second day in a row, I can't even describe the 'recipe' for bear bait but let's be glad this season wasn't through my first trimester, yuck!  I am very much looking forward to having my own soft bear rug so he's under strict orders to find me a pretty one, although I think he's trying to score points with game and fish and has been pursuing a 'problem bear' in one area that keeps giving them trouble.

Karma

So very big news today... I'm extremely glad we didn't end up taking that near perfect house the other day, turns out after talking to real estate agents and the police for the last hour that it was a big scam and several people are out nearly a thousand dollars each!  Not us though, we were smart and careful and may help a lot with the police investigation (if they actually do anything about it). It felt really good to use my computer skills to track down IP addresses, phone numbers and title searches on the property/email contact and I hope we help them catch these guys. Internet fraud is just so rampant these days, it's scary. Scary and sad, what a selfish world.

Needless to say now we need to find another place to rent, we should have something by tomorrow though, I sure hope so anyway!  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Then I can set up my little nest and send my hunter off to find his bear.

Pregnancy Pondering

It's very weird to me now that here at 24+ weeks, almost done my whole second trimester and I just FINALLY feel like what I thought pregnant would be. I have a little moving hard lump in my belly I can see and feel, I've slowed down and definitely have trouble getting into our big truck, and I'm having to make adjustments to my life due to the 'belly's demands'. I'm kind of sad it took this long since it's already almost over but I also hear that time tries to stand still so maybe I'll get sick of it yet. I really thought I would have been more 'pregnant' til this point but I am glad for the experience now!

Baby update: still no name but lots of healthy kicking.

Last night we had fun with some of CK's buddies. We went to probably the largest house in this town, which was not quite done being built but the pool was! I didn't go swimming but some people were having a blast and there were neat sitting areas all in this indoor pool, one corner was Mayan themed, the other Pirate themed. Cool owners! CK got to hang with some friends and drink a few beers and all that wanted one had a safe ride home thanks to fatty-pants me over here.

The only other thing kind of blog-worthy about last night was the incredibly long demonstration of male hormones after the beer was gone and the night winding down. I'm talking about the Sat night amateur mixed martial arts wrestling, or whatever they want to call it. I've seen it plenty with CK and his Army buddies but this was pretty intense, the men got right into it!! So a whole crew of sore boys today, CK with a twisted back, another with a torn up shoulder, and one more with 2 black eyes... oh and a wife that laughs at them because they brought it on themselves.

Finding a House

Today was a setback day. We thought we had found the perfect house, the right price in the right neighborhood... well close. This house is about 3 blocks on the wrong side of the neighborhood and with a new baby on the way I don't know if I can do it. At least with my computer savvy skills I did find the title on the house to match the people claiming to rent to us, so having a landlord out of our business all the way in England would have been nice. Anyway, I think I must drag CK down to the new town to check it out for ourselves (thank you anyway JK) as well as some other more expensive rentals I have listed.

I'm very disappointed that we didn't get to buy our first home this month but I am also glad my CK gets his time to wind down from the military without taking a job that he won't like. In the grand scheme of things we will be paying for the rest of our lives, 6 months rent won't kill us. Maybe it'll be best anyway to spend some time in this new country/state/city with our growing family before we sign away the rights to over $100,000.

Still plenty to look forward to, and that's what I'll keep telling myself in the frustrating moments of being homeless.

Here I Go!

Trying out this blogging thing again, really have to keep up with the memories of this first pregnancy and the whole moving process. Welcome to my blog, can't wait to get in touch with all of you out there being more consistent than me!