Week 34

If I weren't sick, third trimester wouldn't be so bad. I think the worst part about it is the coughing at night. I'm already waking up 5-6 times a night to pee, and then on top of that, I get waken up by random bouts of coughing that seem to not want to end. I get up, drink some water and settle down. Oh, on a side note, last night, as I was hovering over the humidifier in the dark, I felt a creepy crawly on my back. Instinctively, I brushed it off with my hand as I screamed. I quickly ran towards the light switch and to my surprise, found that it was a little scorpion. (about 1.5 inches long). Thank God I did not get stung.

On to the positives. Our little Honey Bun is still fairly active. He squirms around a lot and I can see him undulate beneath my stomach. I sometimes play with him by poking his little foot and he would respond by kicking back. It's really amazing.

 This morning, I looked at the stack of books that I've read so far relating to pregnancy and it's a big stack. I'm definitely keeping up with my new years resolution of a book a month. At first, I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to make it, but these pregnancy books helped me meet my quota and then some. Recently, I've been reading up on breastfeeding. There's a lot of good information on how to do it. Part of me is thinking, how hard can it be, but I know so many people who had trouble with it and quit after a few weeks. I'm thinking about attending some La Leche League meetings. I'm starting to get a bit bored around the house, so today I made a breastfeeding cover. I got the instructions here: DIY Breastfeeding cover

 

I was so surprised at how easy and cheap it was to make. I used fabric that I already had on hand ($4.00 worth) and for the boning (extra support near the neck so I can see the action underneath), I used a part of an oatmeal container lid. I also sewed towels on the corners as pockets and as an extra absorbent material to wipe up any leaks or "spills."  Retail, they sell for $20.00+

6 more weeks!

What I learned about Cloth Diapering

All cloth diapers consists of some sort of system that involves a layer of absorbent material and then a waterproof layer to protect your furniture from being stained from pee and poop.

Part 1: The absorbent stuff.

There are so many products out there, but this is a breakdown of the stuff that you can use as the absorbent layer in a diaper.

• Prefolds: A rectangular fabric with layers that have been sewn together. You wrap these around your baby's bum and fasten them with a snappy or pin.  

• Contour diapers: Basically a prefold that has been gathered (with elastic) around where the baby's legs would go. You also need to fasten these with a snappy or a pin.

• Fitted Diapers: A fancier version of contour diapers, but they have snaps, loops, or velcro to keep the diaper in place. These look like a disposable diaper, but are not waterproof. 

 In addition, you can add absorbency to these diapers with strips of cloth sewn together called doublers. These can be made of different materials. Also, when the kid gets a bit older and solid waste becomes more of an issue, you can put liners in the diaper to make solid waste removal a bit easier. Liners come in cloth or biodegradable paper.

Part II: Outer shell 

• Diaper Covers: This is the most basic outer shell. It is simply a waterproof cover made of polyester, nylon, fleece, or wool. You simply wrap this shell around the absorbent part of the diaper. The good thing about these covers is that they can be used multiple times before needing to wash. You just replace the absorbent material (usually a prefold). Velcro or snaps are how these covers are usually attached to baby. Snaps may be a bit better because babies find it easier to pull on the velcro tabs.

•  Pocket Diapers: Are waterproof covers that require absorbent material to be stuffed inside the "pockets" You can use doubler, prefolds, or special inserts that go with the pocket diapers. 

•  All in Two (AI2): Are similar to pocket diapers, but they snap onto a special contour diaper (with snaps). Like the simple diaper cover, you can reuse the outer layer multiple times by just replacing the fitted diaper. 
• There are special hybrid diapers, which are basically AI2s, but the removable liner can be tossed, flushed, or composted. Hybrids can use special disposable liners, or cloth liners. 

• All in Ones (AIO): Are pretty much just like disposables, but instead of throwing them out, you wash the diaper. The absorbent layer and waterproof layer are attached. This may be the easiest to use, but is expensive and the diapers may take longer to dry.

 Our plan: After weighing the pros and cons of the different systems, I think we've decided to go with mostly prefolds and diaper covers. I'm starting out with 30 prefolds and 4-5 different diaper covers. I've ordered one of each different brand so that I can see which I like the best. I've also ordered a few doublers (to add absorbency when needed) and a couple of fitted diapers so that our honey bun's buns can air out a bit (not being constricted by a waterproof layer). Later, I may try All in Twos or All in Ones if I can find them used.

I've also ordered cloth wipes. I had originally thought about using disposables, but I guess if we are already washing diapers, whats a few more wipes thrown in?

33 Weeks

Only 7 more weeks to go! This week has been a bit exciting. A few days ago, our newest niece came into the world. During that time, I got a chance to babysit her older sister and learned a lot of things about parenting.

As a side note, I currently have a cold. Luckily, I've been able to sit on my butt all day and rest, except for one day when I had to hold 4 hour-long sessions at a professional development for science teachers. The next day, I pretty much lost my voice. Other than that, chicken soup and smoothies have been my savior. In fact, today I was able to attend zumba and go to the grocery store. I think I should be in tip top shape by this weekend.

As far as symptoms go, I'm feeling a bit less tired, but lots more hot flashes. They come and go. My head just suddenly gets super hot and my face gets really flushed.

Our little honey bun is currently moving, kicking and elbowing a lot. I feel like it's probably going to peak this week and then settle down in a few days because he is now growing faster than after. Soon, he won't have much room to move around. I can't imagine how it would feel if you can't move for a few weeks.

Tomorrow, we finally get to attend our cloth diapering class. It got canceled a few weeks ago because the instructor was sick. I can't wait to see all the different options so we can start ordering some diapers before our little one comes home. I'm a bit apprehensive about using cloth diapers, but with the help of a modern high efficiency washer and dryer, I can lessen my carbon footprint in this world. I may even have a special post about cloth diapering.

32 Weeks

Since my last post, I haven't had much changes in any pregnancy symptoms; however, Steve seems to have picked up a few. 1) He's been hungrier and have been craving snacks during the day (we have never been really big snackers) 2) A few days ago, he was a so tired that he needed to take a nap in the afternoon. (this was not on a biking day) 3) Wednesday, he felt nauseous in the morning. I don't think I will post a picture this week because I feel like I haven't changed much, but I will definitely post a picture next week.

Today I met my newest niece. Her name is Hazel and she was born last night. As I watched her sleep and nuzzle next to her mom, I couldn't help but think that in less than 8 weeks, we would have our very own baby to hold and love. It really hasn't sunk in yet, but we're waiting for the moment when we are like, "Woah, we're having a baby." Perhaps this will strike us in a few days, but I think more likely, we won't feel it until we meet the little one. But when that day comes, I'm sure that God will give us the strength and confidence to raise our honey bun to become an amazing young man.

BTW, it turns out that Steve had food poisoning. Basically, a 24 hour bug. I'm still trying to figure out how he ended up with it and I didn't.

31 Weeks

Pregnancy at 31 weeks is still not bad. I'm still mobile, I can still zumba, swim, bike ride, lift weights and get around fairly well. The only new symptom that has showed up are hot flashes. They only happen when I'm napping or sleeping. Suddenly, I'll wake up and my head is steaming hot. Luckily, it goes away in a few minutes, but it's a bit annoying. And my appetite is finally getting better. I feel like I'm hungry more often, so I eat frequent, small meals. A new thing that I've added to my snack repertoire are kale chips. They are incredibly easy to make and very yummy. I take a half a bunch of kale, tear off the leaves, drizzle some garlic infused olive oil over them and gently toss. Then, I bake them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and eat. They are quite delicious.

All throughout the first 2 trimesters, I've been doing really well with controlling my sweets intake. However, I feel that lately, I've been indulging more than I should be. I really need to work on that this week.

Apparently our Honey Bun is now 16 inches long and about 3.3 pounds. He's moving a lot more and the movements are more like twists and turns instead of short kicks. He is most active in the morning and in the evening. I can feel it when he hiccups and it's really cute. I'm not sure if I'm getting any braxton hicks contractions yet, but if I am, they are not painful. I can sometimes feel my stomach turn hard, but I don't know if it's a contraction, or if it's just gas. =P

This Friday, I'm going to go to a cloth diapering class to learn more about this whole system. Hopefully, but this weekend, I will have decided on a system and can start to order some diapers so they will get in on time. 

My friend Kathleen (a fellow sheep lover) got our Honey Bun some presents. They are soooo cute. Check them out:

Sheep Booties! 

Well, I think I'm happy with the nursery. All the main components are up. Here's a sneak peak.

I finally got the valence to stay up. Thanks to Melissa who suggested 3M command strips.

That's it for now. 9 Weeks to go! 

Week 30 ...10 More Weeks to Go

 Nursery Update: I've used up the last of the elephant fabric along with some styrofoam to make a window valence. I really like how it turned out, but I need to figure out another way of attaching it to the wall. I originally used some velcro sticky dots, but those were not strong enough. I'd love any suggestions.

We finally put up the floating shelves that we got from the pottery barn and have found that they don't sit flat. It's a pretty fancy system where you hang up a metal bar and then you just hang the shelf off the bar. Well, when we put the shelf on the bar, the shelf droops down, so if you put anything against the wall, it will start to slide towards you. Actually, the slope isn't that bad, but I'd like flat shelves.

Other than that, I think I like how the nursery is turning out, although, I feel it's a bit cluttered. Steve says once I clean up the trash, packaging and put up the toys, it will look better. I hope so. 

When I see people, usually the first thing they ask me is "How are you feeling?" and "Do you have any weird cravings?" I have been telling them that I feel fine, but I get tired in the afternoons and that I don't really have any cravings. Well, I recently realized that I may have cravings for papaya. I've been buying papayas every time I see a ripe one at the store. I've been freezing them and making papaya milkshakes with them, which are very yummy. However, I've always liked papaya milkshakes (It's a Taiwanese thing) so I don't know if I am craving them, or just been buying them because it's summer and papaya season.