Baby Schuchter: Week 26

Baby Size: Head of lettuce

How I am Feeling: Overall, good!  There aren't any life altering symptoms and I still can get around pretty well!  It is fun being in the stage where I am obviously pregnant.  It is also super fun feeling the baby kick and flip like crazy.  It can get a little uncomfortable sometimes, but I love the little jabs reminding me that he/she is in there.

The medicine for my face the doctor put me on worked wonders this week.  My face was hardly broken out and I finally looked like myself.  The downside is that the medicine was only for a week and I am back to being a spotty, red mess.  To the allergist we go I guess!

I have not eaten dairy in almost 2 weeks, but there must be something else going on for the rash to reappear. Boo!  It is all teaching me to be sacrificial and die to myself for sure.  If this means a healthy baby is born in 13 weeks, I'll take it.

Food Cravings/Aversions: This one is funny.  Other than my usual chocolate cravings which are heightened by my inability to have dairy, I seriously wanted a ho-ho yesterday.  It was all I could think about for a solid 5 minutes.  Darn you dairy!

What I am Excited About: Planning the nursery.  I am constantly on Pinterest figuring out exactly what I want to do.  There are way too many colors combinations I like.  I want it to be simple and no overwhelming themes, but I am indecisive.  Since we cannot paint, this raises my need for creativity.  I want to be crafty and make things to hang on the walls and from the ceiling, but again picking colors is so hard!!!!!

Sweet Thing the Husband did for Me: Crossroads is doing a beans and rice fast this week and so David decided last night for dinner that's what we would do.  I had to work late so it was up to him to make dinner.  He is not a beans person so he subbed sweet potatoes in.  It all turned out great!  Go Husband!

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: Attending my first baby shower!  It was fun and I felt incredibly blessed by how generous everyone was.  We got a lot of the necessary items so the planner side of me feels very content and more prepared.

Funny Moment: I had a very life like dream yesterday about giving birth and having the baby here.  I went into labor at 27 weeks, but it came on super quick.  My mom had to deliver the baby and we were on a swing set.  Weird.

In the dream I kept forgetting where I last left the baby.  I would set he/she down and then walk away and not remember.  I also was apparently back in school and had to try and nurse in class.

I am very thankful I will not have to give birth on a swing set, I will be more aware of my baby than in the dream, and I won't have to nurse in the middle of class :)

Facts for the Week:

Boxes of baby clothes to sort through: 19 (yep, we are good on clothes)
Days left until due date: 92
Days until 3rd trimester: 1 or 8... depending on if it is 27 or 28 weeks
Trips to the gym: 3!

Question for Moms:  What is your favorite baby carrier that is actually worth the investment?  With having a summer baby I want to take into account the heat factor too.  How long can you use the popular ones for (Moby, Ergo, etc.)?



Bump Picture: 

Baby Schuchter: Week 25

Baby Size: Cauliflower.  I bought cauliflower for the first time this week and this might be the first time where I feel like the vegetable/fruit accurately portrays how I feel.  Those things are big!

How I am Feeling: I am hoping this is the last week I will have to write about my face breaking out!  I have not had dairy in 4-5 days and there is a significant difference.  My eyes, forehead, and neck have not broken out in a rash since I stopped anything containing milk.  Yay!!!!  It is not completely cleared up, but I am not complaining!

While most of my face looks almost normal, my lips severely broke out on Saturday.  It hurts to eat, talk, and smile :(  I broke down and went to the doctor's after this going on for a month (yes, I am stubborn).  He agreed that it is probably an allergic reaction.  I was prescribed something that leaves a horrible taste in my mouth (some sort of steroid?) and said to take Claritan or Zyrtec everyday.  My lips do look slightly better today.

The next step is to see an allergist and get tested if things do not improve.  I just hope this dairy issue goes away after I have the baby.  I love cheese and ice cream.  What will I do?! 

Food Cravings/Aversions: Skyline and Arby's fish sandwiches.  Again, I just really want these things.  I have no idea if it has to do with being pregnant.

What I am Excited About: Filling out a baby name March Madness bracket!  I do not pay any attention to sports, but I might this year just to see how our baby names battle it out!  We put our top choices for all the 1 seeds and then ridiculous names or ex-significant others as the 16 seeds.

 It was highly entertaining to rate names we like and also helped us come up with some back up options.  I change my mind often so it would not surprise me at all if we settle on a name and then in the delivery room I tell David that I think we have it all wrong.  We will just have to take the bracket with us!

Sweet Thing the Husband did for Me:  Yesterday I had a hard day because I was so exhausted from a lack of sleep due to my lips hurting.  His only day off is on Mondays so normally this is his day to rest and gear up for the week to come.  Even though this is the case, he asked me what he could do to help me that day to make it easier on me.  Things as simple as vacuuming, taking out the garbage, and chopping up carrots for dinner helped me to relax and give me a break.

He was also beyond patient with me while I tried to pick out a new purse at Target.  He even helped me with the pros and cons of different sizes and colors!  Ladies, that is a good man!

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: Picked out some more first and middle name options, worked on the baby blanket, and looked into some sewing projects I can work on for the babe!

Funny Moment: Over the past few weeks we have spent a lot of time at US Bank trying to combine bank accounts.  Because of this, I have become friends with one of the ladies who works there.  When I walked in on Friday, she saw me and yelled out, "Hi Momma-to-be!"  I don't think she knows my name, but it is fun having a nick name called out to you when you go into the bank!

Facts for the Week:

Boxes of baby clothes sitting in our hallway: 7
Days left until due date: 99 (so excited about this)
Friends that are due before me: 5 (it was 6)
Days until my first baby shower: 5

Glucose test passed: YES :)
Iron deficiency: Yes :(


Bump Picture: 

25 weeks 6 days!

Baby Schuchter: Week 24

How I am Feeling: Great!  By narrowing down some things that make my face better and worse, it is much more under control!  Cutting out tomatoes and significantly limiting dairy helps a lot.  Also, we got a humidifier from David's parents so I am hoping all these steps keep the redness to a minimum!  Though when I asked my doctor about my face he did say he didn't think it was pregnancy related.  Who knows!  Whether it is just super dry air in our apartment or my hormones messing things up, we will never know!

I love the stage of pregnancy I am in right now.  My belly is growing, baby is doing great, and I feel good!  I just told David that I think I may actually miss being pregnant when this is all over.  Please don't quote this to me when in the future I say how unpleasant being pregnant can be :)

Food Cravings/Aversions: No aversions still! Cravings are the same.  Chocolate and potato chips!

What I am Excited About: All of the baby clothes I got yesterday!  A friend let me go through all the newborn to 12 month clothes she has and pick out anything I wanted.  5 boxes and one bag later, I think we are doing well on clothes!  It was so fun imagining our baby wearing them and picking out clothes for when he/she is here!  My friend even had a lot of preemie clothes which will probably be great because I am anticipating a small baby.  We will see if I am right!

Sweet Thing the Husband did for Me:  Yesterday was my birthday so he went all out!  Even though he did not have to work yesterday, he got up and made me cinnamon rolls.  Next, he drove to his parents to pick up the humidifier in hopes of helping my face feel better.  He was understanding and comforting when I had a little emotional breakdown about missing my family on my birthday.  Then, he took me out for my birthday dinner at Nada (yummmmm).  Finally, after dinner he drove us to my parents' house so I could see my mom, dad, and all my siblings.  It was a great birthday and he made me feel incredibly loved!

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby: Sorted through tons of clothes yesterday!  Next step is organizing them in the baby's room.

Next steps are picking out paint for the crib and getting that room cleaned up more! Oh, and finding a pediatrician!

Funny Moment: I subbed for a dance class this week for a class that I taught last year.  One of the little girls kept looking at me, and finally said, "Ms. Stacy, why is your stomach sticking out like that?"  Good thing I am pregnant because kids will say whatever is on their mind :)

Facts for the Week:

Boxes of baby clothes: 5
Baby blankets started: 1
Days left until due date: 106
Friends in labor right now: 1 (Go Rebecca!)

Bump Picture: 

David told me to look down at my belly.  My hair wasn't cooperative! 

24 weeks 6 days

Baby Schuchter: Week 23

Baby Size: Grapefruit

How I am Feeling: I am hanging in there!  The red rash on my face has gone from bad to much better!  A few people suggested to me that the rash could be a result of a food allergy.  I began testing out foods and found that after I ate some salsa my face and neck burned.  Kerry, I think you were right about the tomatoes!  I am wondering if other foods are still affecting me thought because I did relapse a little today.

I called my Ob/Gyn and asked them about the rash.  They told me to put hydro-cortisone cream on it over the weekend and see how things improved.  Between cutting out all tomatoes and the cream, I look way better!

Food Cravings/Aversions: Chocolate and potato chips!  I don't know if I can blame those things on pregnancy.

What I am Excited About: The diaper bag we registered for.  I was so impressed by the selection and that they actually looked cool.  I expected cheesy patterns and Winnie the Pooh all over.  I found a Columbia messenger bag diaper bag that I am just in love with.  A big perk is that David can carry it around without feeling silly.  It is no Petunia Pickle Bottom (never going to happen), but it is affordable and makes me excited!

Sweet Thing the Husband did for Me:  On Monday I did not have to work so we both got to stay home together!  While I was still sleeping, he got up and made cinnamon rolls.  I woke up right when the "ding" went off and could eat them immediately.  It was a wonderful way to wake up!

Something I have Done to Prepare for the Baby:  I did my baby registry!  It feels good to have it done, though I will probably continue to add and change things well after all of my showers.  Baby registries are way easier than a wedding registry!  While a lot of it is subjective and every baby is different, I feel like we have a solid starting place and we will see what works!

Figuring out what type of baby bath tub has been the hardest part.  Since I won't use it for too long, I don't want to put much money into it and we don't have the storage space for some big, bulky plastic tub.  I am not sure why this is the item I am worried about storing.  I seem to be forgetting about the swing, bouncy seat, Pack 'n Play, etc. that I will also be storing.

The minimalist in me is a little overwhelmed!  When can I just give the baby a bath in the sink?  I like that idea!

Funny Moment: While David and I were at the bank trying to combine bank accounts (for third time), we were talking to one of the ladies working that we had seen before.  She asked how I was feeling and I explained why my face was all red and blotchy.  As we were leaving, David said, "I am really glad you finally told them why your eyes look the way they do.  I don't want people to think I punched you!"  It is true.  I looked like I got punched.  Just some lovely pregnancy symptoms, not abuse.

Facts for the Week:

Number of baby jabs that made me jump: 2
Average number of Tums consumed daily: 5-6
Trips to the gym: 0
Number of ideas for knitting baby blanket: 3,8429,342
Baby blankets started: 0

If anyone knows how to knit a chevron afghan, please tell me.  I will come to you, bake you brownies, and forever be grateful that I don't have to learn off of confusing online patterns!

Bump Picture: 

23 weeks 6 days

Looks a little bigger here!

Freezer Burritos

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I work late at the dance studio so David is left to fend for himself for dinner.  Sometimes we have plenty of leftovers or he eats peanut butter and jelly.  This week and next will be a little busy so he will have no leftovers to live off.

A few months ago I found this recipe for burritos off of Money Saving Mom that you can makes tons of and freeze.  You can then easily take one out of the freezer and just pop it in the microwave or oven.

Tonight David was not home so I cut the recipe in half and did some cooking to pass the time!

I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great!  We don't ever eat refried beans, but love these burritos with them and it is a great way to make them more filling without paying for the meat.

I will definitely be making the full batch of these right before my due date!

Assembly line

Stuffing the burrito

Attempting to roll it up

The finished burrito pyramid