Turning 30 (weeks)

******************************** Week 30 ********************************

******************************** Week 31 ********************************

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Two weeks ago...we had our friends from Mike's work come for dinner and we had delicious grilled salmon.  Mike went back to the eye doctor and got his prescriptions straightened out (we hope).  Wednesday we went to Mass and Thursday was our third labor/birth class.

Last weekend we had an overnight church retreat at St. Mary's.  It was hosted by a group we joined for young adults in their 20's and 30's called Metanoia.  We really enjoyed getting to know people our age in the local parishes.  I didn't stay overnight because everyone slept on the ground, but Mike did.  I returned in the morning for Mass.

We played an epic game called Ninja...

...that ended with Mike in a one-on-one battle with Father.

Mike attacks!  Father makes a counter attack...and Mike throws a quick swipe and gets the victory.

They grilled hot dogs and burgers for dinner

We sat outside and enjoyed beverages, including Mike's beer

We listened to some of the leaders give speeches

A few people chose to share some experiences

Then the women and men split up for small group discussions

The night ended with Adoration, confession and a bonfire (which didn't really kick off, since it was raining on and off).  After I left I hear that Mike was very popular playing guitar for hours into the night.

Last Saturday I took Mike out to breakfast at the Tea Room then we spent the afternoon at one of the couple's houses that we know through the Metanoia group (Amanda and Anthony).  Sunday we had our Pre-Jordan baptism class.  It wasn't what I was expecting...the director spent half the time sharing general comments about being parents.  Then we watched an ANCIENT video that apparently was supposed to explain the baptism?  I'm not even sure.

Breakfast at the tea room

 

I got a mint polish,
Mom went with purple

This past week was nice.  We had Theology on Tap and had a newly ordained priest give a talk on the inspiration of the Bible.  Mom and I went to the nail salon to use her mani/pedi gift cards, but it ended up working out that we both paid for my manicure, so she got the giftcard back. lol  I rejoined the library--I know that I'm aging and turning into a mother (more specifically, turning into MY mother) because I was so excited to go, and when I got there I was like a kid in a candy shop.  I wanted to get everything! (Not that there's anything wrong with that, Mom.) I mostly went to get a cake decorating book, because we're donating one for our church's picnic in September.  We also had our final labor/birth class.  In two weeks we'll start a two-session newborn care class.

This weekend we had some friends over.  Dan and his girlfriend Kaylee spent half the day on Saturday here.  It was a very nice visit--we mostly just hung out in our apartment, although we did take them to the Sinful Cupcake. :D  That night our friend Chris, who we met at Theology on Tap, came over, drank beer with Mike and played guitar and video games.  In other words, they had a guy's night and I read my latest Patricia Cornwell novel (don't judge).  Sunday morning we had brunch with the family who we sit next to at football.  It was really nice catching up with them; we look forward to seeing them in two weeks at our first Nova football game.  Then we went to Lowe's and got some paint samples for the baby's room.  The plan is to paint it next weekend.  Also, I FINALLY got a lamp for my bedside for reading!

The best french toast ever!

A very healthy, delicious breakfast I enjoyed 

I spend time one night making a tasty dinner - baked Parmesan tilapia (very good, but needed some kind of drizzle on top), roasted garlic scalloped potatoes, and mushrooms with a soy sauce glaze, which I thought were amazing.

Another Week in August

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Two weeks ago
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Week 29 

Elaine is staying quite active (probably thanks to the 3doz. chocolate chip cookies Mike made).  I am definitely noticing she is reacting more to outside stimulus.  One evening, I was really uncomfortable; I felt motion sick or something.  I gently pushed on my stomach to see where she was, and I encountered a large hard spot, which I haven't really felt before, and I thought must be some part of her anatomy sticking out.  As I felt around trying to figure out if it was her head, an arm or a leg, it moved away--and suddenly I felt so much better.  I felt around more to see if I could find a foot or her head again or something, and she kept pushing back.  It was pretty cool!  I imagined that she was protesting being poked.

I still feel great.  I am perhaps noticing slightly more fatigue and very minor discomfort occasionally.  I still have a major sweet tooth, unfortunately.  But I continue to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.  We've been into pineapples recently--which are sweet enough for to satiate my cravings for sure.

Look what I can still do!

Thursday was our second labor/birthing class.  We went over stage 1 of labor (when the woman is having contractions, but they're not bad enough to freak out and start cursing yet) and ways to get through contractions.  We practiced some of the methods (yay massages!) and positions (awkwardly kneeling and bent over my chair and the strange "hip squeeze").  It was very helpful and informative.  It made me realize how long one minute truly is when we practiced breathing and massaging through an imaginary contraction.

Tutoring ended Friday (a week from yesterday).  My student is moving into Lehigh this week from now to start his first semester, so he gets the week off.  He was a really sweet kid, I think Mike and I will miss seeing him around.  He gave us a baby gift that he picked out--a duck outfit and a giraffe outfit.  I told him, you didn't know this but there is a special place in my heart for ducks--I had a pet duck for 13 years!

Mike and I (and I suppose Elaine, by default) had another date night Friday.  Mike took me out to see the new Will Ferrell/Zach Galifianakis comedy called "The Campaign."  I really enjoyed it (and my pop-corn); I always get a kick out of Will Ferrell.  Mike enjoyed it too, though he's more of a Galifianakis fan.

Saturday we did absolutely nothing.  Not completely true--we stayed home and got caught up on our to-do lists.  I did have to get up early to go get blood work done to check for gestational diabetes (I hope Mike's batch of cookies doesn't skew my numbers!).  We went for a walk that was supposed to be a long one, but it was cut short by rain and thunder.  At 9PM we decided to run out to Barne's and Noble to look for food science books.  Since Mike has such natural talent for cooking, we thought it would be great to put aside one night a week for him to work on creating new recipes/tweaking old ones.  He'd also like to look into taking a cooking class somewhere.

I borrowed a Patricia Cornwell novel from work,
which was done in two days.

The only other pictures I took this week were of my view while relaxing after work and on the weekend.

I finished the nonfiction work on
the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Growing bigger

*********************** Week 27 **********************

*********************** Week 28 ********************

Thiiiis captures what I mean when I say, I look fatter than those pictures through the mirror

Not sure if that line is just hair, or that skin pigment thing

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Our first labor/birth class was on Thursday.  I really enjoyed it!  There are about nine other couples.  The teacher gave us her background and the plan for the class.  Then we introduced ourselves and talked about our fears (I said I was terrified I would become a terrible person in labor and take it out on Mike); we discussed third trimester discomfort and ways to help alleviate them (I barely have any complaints, except frequent trips to the bathroom); then watched a video on labor.  I think it's helping me consider all options for labor and I am getting closer to a decision on a birth plan.

Friday we went for a walk on main street in Skippack.  It's a really cute area with lots of neat stores, like an Irish shop, cigar shop (two reasons I took Mike there, even though they were closed), cafes, and restaurants.  We discovered a small bakery.  We each got a cupcake--Mike got a peanut butter cream and I got the cookies and cream.  It was the best dessert I've ever had.  I can't wait to take someone back there! (I thought of Kelly and Sean, since they both enjoy desserts a lot.)  I'm a little embarrassed that this is the second weekend in a row where I took Mike out for a dessert...oh well.

Saturday we took a day trip to the beach.  It ended up being a perfect day, around 85F, though it felt hotter in the sun.  The water was the perfect temperature - cold enough to be really refreshing, but not too cold to be a nasty shock.  We were in the water for quite a long time throwing a wave runner (a little ball) back and forth and we went for a brief walk.  Elaine was really active when I lay on the beach; I think she liked all the activity.  We were both pooped today though.  And Mike and I were both quite burned...we reapplied sunscreen on the beach, but it wasn't enough I guess.

Sunday (today) was a rest and catch-up day.  We didn't do anything more for the baby...there isn't a whole lot for us to do right now.  Eventually we'll need to be buying more things, but there's no hurry for that.

This week will be a repeat of the last - three nights of tutoring, one night of labor/birth class, and one night an eye appointment for Mike.  Hopefully he can get his glasses ordered--his last pair broke and he's been wearing a very old pair.  I can't wait to see his new look.  :)