32 & 33 Weeks - Pregnancy Style

I'm getting big. There is just no denying it. And my clothing options seem to be dwindling daily. Okay, so not daily, but you get the picture. I think I am at the point that wearing non-maternity shirts is no longer a good idea. They just aren't long enough to cover this ginormious belly of mine. And I am just not confident enough to bare the bump all over town. So, it is maternity clothes (at least shirts) from here on out for me.

I joked with my father-in-law last night that getting dressed isn't hard because I only have 5 options to choose from (slight exaggeration). He said it was really only 3 because 2 are probably dirty at all times...so true. Because of this, I am sorry that these posts really aren't showing style anymore (not that I had any to begin with) and really are just showing the bump baby continuing to grow.  Which, by the way, the nameless baby is said to be somewhere around 5 pounds right now. How crazy is that?!? This whole human-growing thing boggles my mind every time I do it (you know, all two times!).

Shirt: Topshop Maternity

Gachos: Old Navy Maternity

Flip Flops: Reef

Hair: It's been so hot, wearing it back is essential to my livelihood these days...though I am thinking of chopping it all off. Completely gone. Well, mostly gone.

Shirt: Old Navy Maternity

Necklace: Pac Sun

Skirt: Banana Republic

Shoes: H&M

An Open Letter

This is an open letter to all the strangers in the world. This letter is necessary due to not one, but two different strangers making comments about my size today. 


Dear Ignorant Stranger:

Please, I beg of you, do not come up to me and tell me I look like I am going to pop. And to make it worse, you make a horrible face when I tell you I have 6 weeks to go. So not cool. Many women before me have been in this position. Let me tell you, none of us like the size of our bodies being commented on...and pregnancy does NOT give you that right. If you don't watch out, I may start saying things back to you. I am thinking something like, "well, what's your excuse for your stomach?" And I won't even feel bad about saying these things. You see, I have an extraordinary amount of hormones flowing through me right now, so it is no telling what I will do or say. Because of this, and because of common courtesy in general, if you have nothing nice to say, please don't say it at all!!

And in case you are looking for tips on what to say to a pregnant person, here are some good examples:

You look adorable.
I wasn't that small when I was pregnant.
Pregnancy looks good on you.
Can I help you with your bags? Or perhaps your squirming toddler?

See? There are appropriate things to say to a pregnant woman. I thank you all for your kindness and complements during the last 6ish weeks of my pregnancy. And if you do happen to say something not so nice, remember I gave you fair warning.

Sincerely,
Jessica


Note: I seriously don't get why all these stupid comments always come from women. And older women at that. Women who have most likely had babies back in the day.  They are probably the same ones that offer the stupidest parenting advice too.

21 Months

 

Weight: 26.5lbs (my measurements)
Height: 33 inches (my measurements)

Accomplishments:
Says many words
Makes animal noises
Knows many of his body parts

Favorites:

Foods - rice, corn, bananas, tic-tacs (is that even a food?), cheese

Playing in water

Going on a bike ride in his trailer

Playing with cars

Reading - both by himself & being read to

Since Connor can't really talk much yet, he screams when he wants something. Because of this, we are working hard at teaching him specific words and that he needs to say those words rather than scream. Because if he screams, he doesn't get what he wants! Mama doesn't like the screaming. Though Connor doesn't talk in sentences, here are some of the words he can say (at least the ones I can think of right now) - Mama, Dad, hi, cheese, banana, more, tic-tac (this is what I use to bribe him), one (while holding one little finger up...I kid you not), light, fan. If I ask him to repeat a word, he generally will, but those are the words that are actually in his vocabulary and he knows what they mean.

One of Connor's big things now is answering yes or no (by shaking his head) to questions. He started out with yes and I was excited at the thought of him not being a no kid. Then the no came. And of course, no became his answer of choice. So, I decided to brainwash him a little. I try to mostly ask him questions I know he has to say yes to. Things like "do you want out of your bed?" or "do you want this cookie?" It works. And it makes me happy knowing that Connor really does know the difference between yes and no, as he always seems to answer the questions correctly.

We had to put a lock on our refrigerator because we started having problems with Connor opening the door and helping himself. He pretty much stays clear of the refrigerator and heads straight for the freezer. His snack of choice? Frozen thin mints! Never had one frozen before? They are good. You should try it next year when girl scout cookies are out again.

Shoes used to be Connor's favorite thing. In fact, it stressed him out to not have them on his feet. I kid you not. We went to a friend's house and the friend tried to take Connor's shoes off and Connor freaked out. It was kind of funny. Well, now he has turned a corner and takes his shoes off at every opportunity...in the house, in the car, in his stroller, in a shopping cart. I can usually get him to put his shoes on by telling him he has to have them on if he wants to leave the house. But usually, as soon as we leave the house, he pulls them off. So, these days he goes shoeless a lot. Watch out if you are around him. Those dirty feet seem to get all over clothes and leave pretty little marks!

Reading has become one of Connor's favorite past times. It is cute how he even has his favorite books - Things that Move, Go Dog Go, A Crack in the Track, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I find him a couple times a day sitting in his chair in his room reading books. He also likes being read to. If you let him, he will bring you 10-15 books to read. My favorite is when he hands me a book and says "more". Melts my heart. As I have said before, I love reading and want my kids to have that same love. And it makes me happy that Connor seems to be taking that love on.

That Mom

Recently, I mentioned something about not being that mom in a post and a few of you commented on it. It got me thinking...

All of us have things we are and aren't willing to do. I have friends that would never consider leaving the house without a full face of make up, their hair looking perfect and wearing the perfect outfit. On the flip side, I have friends that put on work out clothes to work out in the morning and never change out of them the whole day. Me? I am somewhere in the middle. My typical get up is jeans and a t-shirt with flip flops. I consider myself "put together" when I decide to wear mascara. Now, I have gone through phases where I was different. There was a time I wore heels every day and wore a full face of make up (Ian wasn't too fond of this stage...he is more into "low maintenance Jessica"). And there were times (in college) where I didn't shower everyday and had no problem leaving the house in sweats. And, as I said previously, I now rest somewhere in the middle. I need a shower every morning to jump start my day. But you will rarely find me in heels. Dainty clothes don't have a place anymore as they will just get ruined around Connor. And I'll be honest, I am happy where I am at (of course I was happy with myself in those other stages as well).

And all of that brings me to my point. That mom. That mom is the mom that does stuff (or really, does less stuff) that we as parents are not comfortable with. I dress Connor every day. Even when he was a tiny baby, he didn't leave the house in his pajamas. I don't, so why would I make him? I usually have him dressed and ready for the day before I am even ready. If I have to change a dirty diaper, I may as well change his clothes, right? I even always keep a spare shirt with me so I can change his shirt if he gets real dirty. I don't care if Connor goes and plays in the mud and gets himself all dirty, he just has to be cleaned up afterward. It's just who I am. I am that mom. I would never even think of taking Connor somewhere in just a diaper or even a diaper and a shirt. I am the mom that always wants her kid to look presentable, bribes him with tic-tacs so he won't scream in public (I am not fond of the parents that ignore their screaming children in public...sorry if any of you fall in that category), always has toys and snacks on hand, and will NEVER let my child stick stickers all over the car windows. I really don't get why parents let kids do that to their cars.

So there you have it. Now you know just exactly what type of mom I am AND what type of person I am. Don't you feel enlightened?

A Day in My Life {Friday}

I have seen a few people do this on their blogs lately and thought it was a cute idea. Everyone likes to have a glimpse into someone else's world, right? It reminds me of when I turned 25 (all those years ago) and decided to do A month in the life of Jessica , except taking pictures every day for a month does get a little old. And I will admit, my life just isn't that exciting to document for a whole month again. Looking back at those pictures though did bring back some good memories and made me see how far call phone camera capabilities have come along since then!

Enough with the reminiscing, here was my Friday:

Connor woke me up about 7:45

He ate some breakfast, while I read the paper

A friend came over and hung out until about 11am

Connor and I trashed played in his room until Ian got home from work

Ian got home from work just after noon (Ian only has to work half days on Fridays thru the summer. Oh how I am going to miss half day Fridays.)

After lunch, Connor went down for a nap.

I Convinced Ian to take a nap with me while Connor was sleeping.

After we got up, I washed and changed the sheets.

After Connor got up, we went on a walk to the store. I needed some watermelon* for a pot luck dinner I was headed to.

From 6 - 9:30, I spent time eating way too much and chatting with some wonderful ladies from my MOPS group.

I got home and chatted with Ian.

By 11:30, the dog was tired, so I decided it was time to turn in for the night.

I then spent some time reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, trying to pump myself up about a certain baby's upcoming birth, before turning off the lights at about 12:30.

* Watermelon has become my all time favorite thing this pregnancy. It is just so dang refreshing.

Connor Lately

1. Where's Connor?

2. There he is!

3. Sporting his white high top Converse for the first time

4. Playing with dad in the backyard

5. Cuddling with mom & Scout before bed

6. Riding a quarter ride

7. Playing at grandma's

8. Sleeping in the car

Awkward/Awesome {two}

I have decided to swipe Rachael's idea (from In Goodly Colors Gloriously Arranged) and introduce an awkward/awesome series on my blog. I am in no way as creative or consistent as she is, but I figure when the mood strikes (and enough things have transpired in my life to make a good post) I will do an awkward/awesome post.

So, without further ado, awkward/awesome {volume two}:

Awesome: Its a nice night, so we opened our windows to cool off the house.
Awkward: Our neighbors are smoking pot and the smell is coming into our house.

Awesome: My OB is really cool.
Awkward: For the second time she has referred to me as Mexican**. I corrected her the first time, but this time I just let it go.

Awkward: Coming across the lowest toilet known to man in a public restroom. It was well below my knees.
Awkward x2: Because it was so low, I couldn't "squat" over it and had to sit on it.
Awesome: The toilet seat wasn't wet or anything, so sitting on it wasn't a problem. 

Awkward: See the toilet paper under my foot in the picture (I was trying to show perspective as to how low the toilet was using my leg)? It stuck to my shoe and took me a while to realize this.

Awesome: We went for shaved ice to cool off from all the heat.
Awesome?: Connor enjoyed himself so much, we had to take his sticky clothes off of him.
Awkward: While walking to the car, we ran into someone I hadn't seen since high school. I found myself trying to explain that I am not that mom...I don't normally let my kid just run around in public (at a food place, non-the-less) in just a diaper.

Awesome: We got a dresser for the baby's room from Ikea.
Awesome: The husband put it together. And being the great wife that I am, I sat in there to watch/talk.
Awkward: Said husband kicked me out of the room because he said I was a distraction.

Awkward: Stealing someone's blog series idea and hoping they don't mind. Uh, thanks in advance Rachael for letting me steal your awesome idea!



** I am just an olive-skinned white girl, in case you are wondering.