Touring DC with the siblings

My brother, sister, and sister-in-law came for a visit last week.  Jennifer had never been to the National Mall, so we spent a day touring the area.  Jennifer hooked us up with a tour of the White House and the Capitol Building, which was cool. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the White House, so we don't have any pictures from there. Between tours, we mostly just walked around the National Mall and visited some museums.

I was seven and a half months pregnant and still touring around the National Mall and downtown DC with my siblings.  Temperatures were nearing 100 degrees and the humidity was unbearable.  I was swollen, sore, and sweaty... but still having fun with the family!

(The pictures are out of order, but you get the idea.)

Diva Aunties giving Amelia some lovin' in front of the Capitol Building

Steven in Chinatown

Steven and Jessica in front of the US Customs and Boarder Patrol Agency

Jimmy and I relaxing at the Museum of Natural History
I think we stayed on that bench for about an hour.

I finally got up off the bench for a quick picture with Jessica.

(Museum of Natural History)

Downtown DC with Jessica

It was sooooo HOT and HUMID that day! 

Jimmy and I are holding up our hands because they were so swollen.

Jennifer and the Washington Monument

Jessica in front of one of the Smithsonians

Inside (that's right, INSIDE) the Capitol Building

Jennifer hooked us up with a tour!

Me in the Capitol Building... on a bench, resting as usual.

Diva poses in front of the Capitol Building

Our traditional pose in front of the fountain

(We take a picture here evey time we go to the National Mall)

Girls only shot... sistaaaas!

Jennifer and Steven in front of the Capitol Building

Seven months pregnant and roaming the city in 97 degree weather... no big deal.

Metro!

Just outside the Museum of Modern Art

Jessica posing with the statues

(Museum of Modern Art)

Another pose with some artwork

(Museum of Modern Art)

Me again, resting my feet at the Museum of Modern Art

I probably sat here for an hour.

Jimmy joining me at the Museum of Modern Art

This is how Jessica feels after hours of walking in her new sandals... and new blisters

The Capital

Inside the Capitol

This is what the dome looks like.

Jimmy and I (and Jennifer) if front of the Capitol

The Library of Congress

Jessica in front of an Andy Warhol piece in the Museum of Modern Art

Steven and Jessica riding the Metro

Week 30

I'm so sorry for the late post!  We have had guests in our home for the past 2 weeks, so I'm more than a week behind on my blog. 

There are just a few things that stick out in my mind about week 30...

-I think my nose got bigger and wider! I thought I was going crazy, but I looked it up and it's common in pregnant women.  Apparently all the hormones can make your nose temporarily larger.  I sure hope it goes back to normal after I have the baby!

-Some random guy in the elevator looked at my giant belly and asked, "Any day now, right? You look like you're about to pop."  I was so embarrassed when I told him I still had 10 weeks to go.  Did I mention the elevator was full of people?  What a dick head!  He made me feel like a big fat cow. 

-I started getting Braxton Hicks.  The false contractions freak me out!  They don't really hurt, but they make me feel very uncomfortable.

-I was sitting on a bench and a 17 year old tried to hit on me.  He was asking me my age and if I "had a man."  I don't think he even realized I was pregnant.  When I had just about enough, I told him I was pregnant, married, and 29 and walked off.  I felt so dirty afterwards.

-My belly button sticks out so far that I've been putting a band aid over it to push it down.  I call it my third nipple... and it needs a bra.

-I think a waddle when I walk now.

Week 31 1/2 Belly Shot

I have a band aid over my belly button, but you can still see it!

Week 29

Month 7 (weeks 29-32)

Miss Mia is now the size of a squash

According to the "Ultimate Man Guide to Baby Sizes" our little Mia is also as long as an original Big Wheel.

I had another rough week and am so glad to have week 29 under my belt.  It is HOT, HOT, HOT, and HUMID in DC!! 

I really think the extreme heat and humidity is really starting to affect my body.  I'll be perfectly fine in the house or in the office, but as soon as I go outside, my body swells up.  It's really annoying.  The other day, when it was only 70 degrees outside and there was very little humidity, my body was perfectly fine.  However, all the other days, it's been super hot and humid, so I haven't been as lucky. 

I commute to work using the Metro and I end up walking a little over a mile (outside) a day.  It's tough when it's 6:45am and the temperature outside is already 80 degrees and by the time I get home at 4pm it's even more hot.  Jimmy has been nice enough to drop me off and pick me up a few days this week, but I know I just have to suck it up. 

I took off my wedding rings because I'm worried that one day, they'll get stuck.  (In fact, my band was stuck for a few days.)  After a few days of not wearing them, I never realized how attached I was to the rings.  I feel so naked and weird without them on.  My friends suggested wearing them around my neck, but I'm not sure.  Jimmy said he forgot to put his ring on one day after the gym and he felt weird about not having it on for a day too.  They're like my security blanket.

Not only am I swelling up... I am SICK!  I have major congestion and a sore throat.  It's been hard because there's very little I can do/take to ease my symptoms.  So, like I said, it's been a miserable week.  I also popped a blood vessel in my eye, which looks pretty nasty.  Thank goodness it's under my eyelid and it's barely noticeable unless I want to show people.  

Little Mia is doing well, she moves almost constantly right now, so I'm glad she's an active baby.  We have been reading parenting books, signing up for classes (lactation, birthing, and parenting), and seminars (cloth diapering).  I know we probably still won't be prepared for what's to come, but we're doing our best to learn as much as we can.  We're pretty much on our own out here in DC since we don't have any family around to help us. 

Jimmy likes to read the parenting books out loud to Mia before bed.  He says it doesn't matter what he reads to her, just as long as she can hear his voice.  She gets to hear my voice all day, so I'm glad Jimmy makes time to be with her too.  Jimmy is the best! 

Our new routine is to play lullaby music to Mia before we go to bed.  Jimmy has been reading about soothing techniques and sleeping methods for babies.  He downloaded some special lullaby music that mimics the heartbeat.  You're not really supposed to use it until AFTER the baby is born, but (in true Jimmy style) he wants Mia to be ahead of the game.  We play it for her for about 20 minutes while we're in bed.  Jimmy says the music lulls him to sleep too.  I know, I know, we a both nerds, but we are just so excited!

Week 30 1/2 belly shot...

less than 10 weeks to go!

Front view

I feel WIDE.

The Locke Hoff Family

We didn't want to pay the fatty $22 the Aquarium was charging for one picture. I decided to be "ghetto" and just take a picture of the picture from the computer ;0)  It's too bad little Abe was sleeping, otherwise, it would have been a great group photo! 

We finally got to meet Abe!  What a cutie!  He'll be just about 1 year older than Amelia. 

We are hoping Abe and Amelia will be friends if/when they go to Whitman College.  Half of Whitman students marry another Whitman student...hmmmmm

Jimmy already posted a blog about Neil, Emily, and Abe's visit, but I just wanted to add that it was so awesome to see them!  Neil and Emily went to college with Jimmy and I at Whitman.  They have been living in Alaska for the past few years and we've been on the East Coast, so it's been hard to meet up.  You know you have true, genuine friendships with people when time and distance doesn't change anything.  Seeing them was so refreshing and it was just like the "good old days."  We had so much fun! 

I know, in the future, we'll all end up back in Washington (state) with our kids where we will surely meet up for Mariner's games and play many games Settlers of Catan. 

Funtime with Neil, Emily, and Abe

My old roommate Neil and his family were in town last week. Neil was attending some CODIS training for his job and he decided to extend his trip through the weekend so we could catch up. We first met up Wednesday night to catch a stunning (kidding) Nationals vs. Pirates game. We had really good seats, but it was raining slightly so we sat up under cover instead.

Friday night Neil and Emily came over and we went out to a really good Korean place nearby. We had a long week so we took it easy that night and just chatted. Saturday we hung out at the pool (until it started to drizzle) and played a bunch of Settlers of Catan. Mary and I were novices, but I learned quickly (mostly because I am a huge nerd and looked up strategies on the internet).

Sunday was our day out. We drove up to Baltimore, since Neil and Emily had already done some sightseeing in D.C. throughout the week. We ended up going to the Inner Harbor (like there is anything else to do in Baltimore) and the National Aquarium. It was great catching up with old friends and also getting a small glimpse into what early parenting will bring.

Enjoying the baseball game.

Settlers of Catan

It's hard to see because of the light, but we are standing in the mouth of a prehistoric shark.

Playing with the children's exhibits at the aquarium.

Abe enjoying the same toy.

Week 28

Week 28 was a tough week and I'm so glad it's over!  Last week, I started swelling up in my fingers and toes.  I'm not sure if it's do to the extreme heat (90+ degrees) and humidity (DC was built on a swamp) we've been experiencing in DC, or if the swelling is just due to regular pregnancy aliments.  I'm thinking the swelling is triggered by the heat, because my body is normal until I go outside... who's idea was it for me to be in my third trimester during the summer anyways??? 

I'm pretty sure my wedding band is stuck on my finger.  Luckily, I was able to take off my engagement ring a few days ago.  When my fingers get fat, I like to call them my sausage fingers.  When I go outside or if I stand for long periods of time, my toes get swollen and my shoes get really tight.  I get tired a lot more easily and my back, legs, and feet start to get sore if I'm sitting or up on my feet for long periods of time.  It's so frustrating.  I definitely want my old body back, but then I think about Mia and realize that it will be so worth it in the end!

I also had another prenatal appointment last week and Jimmy was nice enough to join me!  Baby Mia is doing well and her head in still positioned in the lower right part of my belly.  The doctor says she's still laying really really low in my stomach.  Her heart rate was at 156 bpm and I've officially gained 20 pounds!  In my mind, I'd like to think the scale is off because I had all my clothes and shoes on when they weighed me, hmmmm.  With about 10 weeks left until my due date, I'm sure I'll hit the 30 pound mark, which kind of freaks me out. 

At my appointment, they also tested me for gestational diabetes, which requires drinking nasty juice and sitting in the waiting room for 1 hour.  Jimmy stayed to hang out with me, which was cool.  The only annoying part was that he spent most of the time criticizing the laboratory procedures at the hospital.  He'll be managing that section when the two hospitals merge, so he was playing the "secret shopper" and got some ideas on how to improve the process.  Anyways...

I am so thankful that my work has been very flexible with my schedule.  I was able to work from home on Thursday and Friday last week and plan to work from home at least one day a week until I'm ready to go on maternity leave.  My coworkers are all very supportive and helpful, so it's been really nice.  Three out of the 15 people (not including myself) in my section have had babies in the last 2 years or are currently pregnant.  My supervisor had a baby last year, another just had a baby in February, and another is due in December.  It's a very baby/pregnancy friendly workplace.  There must be something is the water... and all baby girls too!

Belly shot for week 29 1/2

My gigantic 20 pound belly!

Lucy on baby stuff

At first, we used to try to keep the cats off all the baby stuff.  We soon realized that it was a futile endeavor considering they pretty much rule the house anyways.  Hopefully, little Mia will enjoy sharing her stuff with the kitties, especially Lucy.  Lucy just loves all her new "kitty beds."  Here's a Lucy montage...

Lucy sleeping in the pack n play

Lucy sleeping on the changing table...

On the changing table again...

and again.

Lucy sleeping, while sitting up, in the Bumbo box

Lucy in the crib...

and again