Avery says...

welcome to the wonderful world of acid reflux! I am definitely thankful that I made it 28 years without knowing the joys of acid reflux but apparently our little Avery has taken over all available space and squeezed out some of the room for my stomach. For the last two days I had no idea what this new pregnancy symptom was (yes, now that Bri diagnosed me it is obvious but I had never experienced reflux before). So my new game plan is reflux management = )

- Chewing gum after every meal
- Eating smaller more frequent meals
- Drinking a little ginger-ale throughout the day (hopefully there is a little ginger in there)
- Sleeping with my head elevated
- And of course if these don't work...medicine

I have always loved pillows but this is getting ridiculous. Travis bought me the massive Comfort-U pillow for my birthday b/c I am a back sleeper which is not recommended during pregnancy. So I have this fabulous U shaped pillow - one end propped between my knees, a small portion tucked under my belly, top part under my head, and the back portion propping up my back so that I won't roll over. And now I have an extra pillow under my head to elevate...there is officially a mountain separating my side of the bed from Trav's.

Baby Belly - 23 Weeks

It looks like Avery is the size of a Papaya for all of Month 5 so no new fruit today = ) Her little face is fully formed...minus the baby fat, of course. The next task at hand for baby: sprouting two teeny-tiny nipples (sorry Travis, just passing on info from the Bump.com)!

Avery did very well at her Saturday Dr. appt. Now that she is so much bigger it is quite easy to find her heartbeat. And all screening tests came back negative and ultrasound results came back perfect. Apparently I have a very good placenta but it is front and center which creates a bit of a cushion between my hand and Avery. Looks like we won't be able to feel her kicks from my belly until there is absolutely no room in there.

Go 'Topes!

The to-do list for the weekend seems to be pretty long but we do have two fantastic dates planned! We are going to an Isotopes game this weekend and we definitely have a movie date on the schedule. I just got the reminder call for our Dr. Appt tomorrow so listening to little Avery's heart beat is the top of our things to-do this weekend!

More of the Belly

If one of my best commenters (is that even a word) requests more pictures of me then she will get more pictures of me! I figured it was time for another real belly shot. Travis would like it noted that he does not approve = )

I decided to take myself on a hot date yesterday afternoon to see The Time Traveler's Wife. I had been holding off on seeing it b/c I wasn't sure if I would like the movie despite my love of Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. Turns out I really liked the movie and definitely recommend it if you're in the mood for a little romance. Preggo warning - I teared up probably 4 times (once during previews)...just be prepared but it could be my preggo hormones = )

Avery's Room

With some of the furniture in place it is definitely time now to put some paint on the walls! And yes, Avery already owns two pairs of Nike's thanks to Grampa Steve = )

Little Helper

Remi got in a bit of trouble on Sunday...while Travis and I worked on the nursery, Remi's world revolved around getting to play with Travis' SCAC baseball from college. Remi eventually learned that the baseball was off limits so he placed it between his paws and rested his head on it in defeat. He of course lifted his head when he saw the camera come out...but this is close to the adorable scene = )

Another step towards nursery completion...I have ordered our Restoration Hardware Bright Silver Sage paint for the nursery walls. We still haven't found the perfect wainscoting so we're still working on the game plan but it will involve either wainscoting or a chair rail, espresso paint, white paint, and bright silver sage...can't wait! I will upload some pics tomorrow of our work in progress.

Baby Belly - 22 Weeks

Avery is now the size of a Papaya! She is settling into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. Its not very hard to figure out when as her little kicks are getting stronger when she's awake (something about Home Depot definitely got her going yesterday)! I still haven't felt her kick by hand but as soon as I do I'll have Travis clocking some belly hours so that he can feel too!

The bump also states that real estate in my belly is getting tight and my belly button might pop out any day now. I don't see any signs of that happening just yet but its another fun change to watch out for!

Weekend Recap

Yay for weddings! We went to our friends Ben and Tammy's wedding on Saturday = ) It was a beautiful wedding, a fantastic reception (and pre-reception party with co-workers at Stoneface) and one of our few excuses to get dressed up and go out with friends! The ceremony was at the chapel at Hotel Albuquerque and reception at the Balloon Fiesta Museum. I had never been to either location so it was a fun chance to experience a little more of ABQ. I was down to exactly one dress that would still fit my belly for this event so I told Avery she wasn't allowed to grow anymore until after Saturday. She minds well = )

And Sunday was Baby Day! We finally moved out all remaining clutter from our nursery, did a thorough cleaning and put together crib and dresser! Ok, there may have been one emergency phone call to one of my vball friends to help us get the dresser up our stairs...thank goodness for friends!

Charlie's Sandbox

My Thursday night crew = ) These are the kids I play volleyball with every Thursday at Charlie's Sandbox...Thomas, Kelly, Abe, myself, and Tony. We won both of our games last night and I'm definitely hoping for a Championship shirt for my last season until Avery is born! Last night it became increasingly apparent that my mobility is decreasing...bad news for tournament!

Play Date!

Remi had a new kind of play date yesterday afternoon...my friend Siera and 19 month old Jayden came over to play. This was Remi's first experience with a little one in the house and I'm happy to say he did quite well! Thank goodness Jayden loves dogs and found it hilarious when Remi ran around in circles.

Note to self:

Remi does not share his toys well with little kiddos (barking ensued)
Remi WILL NOT share his dog pillow with little kiddos (he could not figure out why this little person was on his beloved pillows and the moment Jayden got up, Remi plopped down)
Remi did not chew on a single toddler toy!

At least he knows which toys are his and which aren't! Good news for Avery = )

This was the first of many playdates...Siera is expecting baby #2 in April! Avery won't have to wait too long for her friend to arrive = )

For your viewing pleasure...

Remi would like to share some footage of his Cousins Gabby & Denton. They got to go on vacation this past weekend while Shae went out to DC to visit Michael. Some of their pool time was caught on tape and posted on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkXQ41Rw0vA

Season End

It may not have been the best game to end the season on...but at least the boys looked good in navy! What are we supposed to do on Tuesdays now?!

Our Constant To-Do List

Every time we mark something off of our baby to-do list it seems we add about three more things! Vicious cycle = ) We finally removed Travis' desk, computer desk, and hutch out of his former home office! We even posted them on Craigslist and sold them in one day! They are going to a good family and will finally be picked up on Wednesday so that we can get our house back in order.

Now our nursery is complete...except that we still have to put together the crib and dresser, get the carpets cleaned, paint the walls, order wainscoting or a chair rail, purchase a glider, refinish old furniture to turn it into baby furniture...eeek! Its going to be adorable once finished...I just don't know what that timeline is anymore = )

So I apparently lied last Tuesday b/c due to a previously rained out softball game tonight is Travis' last softball game! At least I get in one more evening in the bleachers = ) I'm expecting a home run from the hubby...no pressure!

Baby Belly - 21 Weeks

Baby is now the size of a Banana...why do I feel like we're suddenly going backwards = ) Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion, and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And since our baby is a girl, her womb is now stocked up with her lifetime supply of six million eggs (the number will drop to around one million by birth).

I can't wait for Travis to vomit at the first sight of meconium! (He doesn't do well with dog poo...I'm pretty sure black tarry poo won't be much better even if it is coming from his precious little girl).

Weekend Game Plan

Major baby plan for the weekend - get all office furniture out of the baby nursery! Time to start getting the room ready for our little one!

Non-baby plans for the weekend...

I lose Travis for a chunk of the day Saturday to his Fantasy Football league. He is part of a very exclusive group who will gather together to make thier picks...very cut throat business. Obviously I am not invited but I do get to provide a snack or a dessert = )

And Saturday evening I am out for an evening of Bachelorette fun to celebrate Tammy's last weekend as a single woman! Bring on the shot glasses of water! Obviously Travis is not invited but I think I'll let him provide a snack or dessert for the festivities = )

Oh yes, also on the agenda...NAPS, lots and lots of NAPS!