100 Days to Go - A Preggo List

In honor of the 100th Day mark (eeep!) I'm giving you a preggo list.  I've actually been meaning to jot some of these down for a while now. It's mostly for my own reference for Stewart Little's future brother(s) and sister(s) but with so many preggo and new mommy friends, I thought some of you might have things to add, too.  (Boys, you might want to stop reading here.  Don't say I didn't warn you!)

• It's ok to take more than one pregnancy test.  It's fun to watch those little lines turn pink!
• It's also ok to save one or two - even if it really is just pee on a stick. (Don't forget to clean off the outside though - ew!)
• Digital pregnancy tests are awesome, but take a picture because the digital reading doesn't stay on longer than 24 hours.  (As of 25 weeks though, the plain old cheap ones with the lines are still crystal clear! Just sayin' . . .)
• Just because you're not throwing up in your first trimester doesn't mean you feel fine and dandy.  I've never had so much sleep and still be so utterly exhausted!
• For a long time, your boobs will be WAY bigger than your belly.  That part happens FAST! (And it hurts! Be prepared!)
• Ignore the coworkers who missed the announcement that you're expecting and then tell you they thought you'd been eating a few extra hamburgers.  They still mean well.  (This is not a joke!)
• You know the whole, thicker, fuller hair and longer, stronger nails myth?  It's true.
• What they don't tell you about that myth is that the thicker fuller hair part doesn't necessarily mean the hair on your head.  I'll leave it at that.
• Ok, no I won't.  I confess - I have been fighting off a rather dark Miss-stach for months now.  Future me, stock up on tweezers!
• Even before you're officially "showing", maternity pants are the MOST comfortable pants on earth!  Wear them early and be proud of it!
• Yeast infections suck.  I've had more in the last 3 months than I've ever had in my life.
• Likewise for colds.
• And pink eye!  I've NEVER had pink eye before!  (And it would show up IN BOTH EYES the day of my cousin's wedding when I'm a bridesmaid . . .)
• Be careful when brushing your back teeth.  Even if you've made it to the end of the 2nd trimester without puking, your toothbrush will still make you gag every morning.
• Eat a big Thanksgiving/Christmas feast if you want to feel those first movements!  Stewart Little LOVES Grandma's dressing recipe.  Her first kicks came right after Thanksgiving dinner.
• Stewart Little either loves Daddy's horn playing and tries to dance to it, or she desperately tries to get away from it.  Either way, she can't hold still if Daddy is playing!  I'm choosing to believe the first one!  
• Enjoy every kick and bask in every wiggle (even when it's on your bladder).  It means baby is healthy and growing - what a blessing!
• Orange juice, apple juice, and any type of fruit also make our baby girl wiggle!
• Sometimes it feels like I swallowed a jumping bean (and a rather large one at that).
• Speaking of large, in the last couple of weeks, I've actually started feeling "large" - particularly when trying to roll over in bed or get out of bed.  I can only imagine what that will be like by April and May!  Oy!
• Apparently it's normal, around 25 weeks, for your boobs to let you know they're ready and waiting for baby.  Yep, I'm officially wearing nursing pads and I won't actually be nursing for (hopefully) 3 more months!  THAT was a fun(ny) thing to wake up to this weekend.  
• Enjoy basking in the 5 and 6 month glow of pregnancy!  Strangers can finally tell you're pregnant and not just chubby around the middle - hooray!  I've never been told I'm beautiful/cute/adorable this much in my life.  I could get used to this . . .
• Oh, and watch out for too much of that "glow".  I have more pimples currently on my face than I did through my entire teenage years (yeah, I was lucky back then).  Seriously, my face rivals a 13 year old boy's right now.  Thank you, Lord for giving someone the brain to create cover-up makeup!  :)
• You know those stories you hear of pregnant women sneezing and, umm, leaking?  They're all true!  Note to self: don't sneeze when you're washing your hands in cold water.  You end up needing to wash a few more things, too!  Think of it as a right of passage.  
• Around 20ish weeks, start watch for your belly to start moving!  It makes everything so much more real!
• Speaking of that 20 week mark - I noticed a shift in my thinking somewhere around there.  The first half of my pregnancy I was still in awe and wonder that I was pregnant.  Now I'm in awe and wonder that we have a baby in there.  It's a subtle but important difference.  This is not about me, it's about her.  She's real!  And we'll be meeting her in 100 days or less!  Yippee and yikes!
• Never forget to stop and wonder about this beautiful miracle.  God is so good to allow us (girls) to experience, know, and love our babies before anyone else and like no one else can.  I am in constant amazement to the point that there are really no words . . .

A List (inspired by one Carrie Wiley)

1. I am still at school.  
2. It's 5:00.
3. I was done and ready to go home by 4:15.
4. I am avoiding my 40+ minute commute.
5. I'm also avoiding my empty house (Tuesdays and Thursdays are B's late days).
6. By avoiding it, I've managed to wait until peak rush hour.
7. I must be super smart.
8. I've accomplished nothing but this blog post and a few facebook messages in the last 45 minutes.
9. I'm very very tired.
10. I wish I could snap my fingers and be home.
11. Or maybe click my heels three times.
12. I might need cuter shoes for that.
13. I should probably just brave it and go.
14. I'm hungry.
15. That is all.

Random Thoughts

My mind is full of random thoughts today.  I thought I'd share a few - mostly so I don't forget them, but maybe they'll spark a good conversation or two as well. 

• I LOVE Sundays - especially when I get to sing with our Praise Team at Faith.

• I'm so happy to have the chance to sing with a great group again - especially at church!

• I'm so thankful to have a husband who supports me and believes in me!  

•  I've really missed singing (as in performing - not just for my students)

• I guess, if you think about it, I really do perform for my students every day.  I always try to set the example of using my "best singing voice".  I think some of them get that.

• I miss choral singing.  I wish we could have our little Kodaly ensemble with Soma year-round.

• I miss playing my horn, too.  Brandon is working on Mozart's 4th Horn Concerto right now.  Once upon a time I played that pretty well.

• I went on a shopping spree this afternoon with a gift card I've had for two months.  I'm not a good shopper - I spent over 2 hours in 2 stores and didn't actually pick something to buy until the last 15 minutes!

• I may be the most indecisive person I know.  Maybe . . .

• I need a personal shopper - someone who can wade through the ADD-ness that is department stores and find good, cute deals for me.

• Shopping is dangerous for me.  It's very hard to be content with what I have when I see what I could have.

• I did get a couple of cute blouses and cardigan and a necklace - and I still have $16 on my gift card!  Thanks for the card, Eloise!!  :)

• I love this glorious weather we're having right now!  I hope it stays!  So long winter!!

• Maybe I should move to Florida . . .

• I told you this was random . . .