28 week update

How far along? 28 weeks

Total weight gain? 20.8 lbs

Maternity clothes? I officially own 1 maternity dress, which also required purchase of maternity tights and some new riding boots, which are probably the only thing I'll be wearing that are non-maternity.

Sleep? Sleep now includes drooling . I would love to hear the medical reason for this. Simple preparation for what I will soon encounter?

Best moment this week? Completing my last business trip. No more travel for me and the nutter butter!

Movement? Woke up at 5:30 am to Peanut kicking and punching me at the same time. This was new - usually it's one or the other.

Gender? According to the room service woman, who I believe is highly qualified in predicting gender, it's a boy.

Labor signs? Nada - I have a feeling this baby isn't going to want to go anywhere. Especially if I keep feeding him holiday Oreos.

Belly Button in or out? Out. I need to find a piece of duct tape so it doesn't poke anyone's eye out.

What I miss? Being able to bend over and tie my shoes without getting winded.

What I am looking forward to? My last pre-mommy Hoochies weekend in Chicago the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Weekly Wisdom? The Korean woman who owns the dry cleaner in my office building told me that I just need to think about what I want my baby to be when he grows up and it will happen. She wanted "a very smart child who wore thick glasses and now she's a lawyer!" I said I would cast my thoughts on having a professional baseball player who can take care of me in retirement.

Milestones? In my third trimester, have my glucose screen this week to check for gestational diabetes, still can't find the H1N1 shot, having a husband who is wondering how in the world I can get any bigger and finally "leaking" (I shall say no more on this topic).

I'm convinced

I ordered $43 worth of room service last night to celebrate that it was going to be my LAST night in a hotel for business purposes for quite some time. A woman brought my food to my room, set it down on the desk, looked at me and said "Oh, you're having a boy!" She said it with such conviction that I almost ordered a ultrasound that moment to see if she was right.

Peanut - if you in fact are a girl, please know that you have pulled the wool over (almost) all of our eyes. I'm already having daddy look into a tracking system for your car when you turn 16 because I know what's in store for us.

Childbirth classes

We're locked into our childbirth classes which are coming up in December and January. First up is Buttons and Bows! Adam lucked out when they moved the classes to Thursday night so he didn't have to miss Monday night football.

Fun with names

Thanks to Jamie and Aune for reminding me about how careful we need to be when naming Peanut. A couple worth noting:

Arthur Barthalamule Hardt = Art Bart Hardt in a pinch

Banff Hardt (say it quickly)

Hello 3rd Trimester!

I am officially in my third trimester and am feeling the glory days of my second trimester slip away quickly.

My food no longer has anywhere to go.....

A good nights sleep is a long distant memory....

I'm outgrowing the newer, bigger bra I bought two short months ago...

The sciatic nerve in my right leg makes it difficult to sit in a confined space for more than thirty minutes....

I'm gaining weight - quickly......

But, my complaining stops there because........

I'm in the home stretch - WOO HOO!

25 Week Update

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? 17.8 lbs

Maternity clothes? Just bought myself that much needed winter coat. Thank goodness for Old Navy maternity

Sleep? I think I'm past the stage of getting a full nights rest at this point

Best moment this week? Discussing baby names

Movement? Yes, and I'm able to see my belly move on some of the stronger kicks/punches

Gender? Still haven't changed our mind about finding out!

Food cravings? No pickles and ice cream for me

Labor signs? Holding strong

Belly Button in or out? She's about to blow

What I miss? Sleeping through the entire night on my back

What I am looking forward to? Thanksgiving

Weekly Wisdom? When someone asks if it's ok to eat vodka sauce on your pasta (while you are eating it) exclaim "Yes, it's the only way I get any alcohol these days!"

Milestones? Had my 6 month check up last week and everything is looking good. Placenta has moved out of the way, so no need for c-section at this point.

The "linea nigra" running above and below my ready-to-pop belly button. Apparently this line does go away after birth.

And Peanut's name will be......

......kept a secret until "he" is born! Adam and I discussed names today for the first time. We both came up with our own lists for boy's and girl's names and then talked them through. Although we didn't love each of the names that the other one came up with, it wasn't hard for us to nail down a couple of options for each gender that we both really like. Looking forward to meeting First Name Middle Name Hardt, aren't you?

PS - Adam just announced that "he is ready to have the baby now" that he has finished reading the 30 page, large-font book I bought him called "My Boys Can Swim."

Baby books we're reading

There are TONS of baby books out there these days. Here are the ones we are referencing/reading!

Nicole's Bookshelf

Adam's Bookshelf

My naming rights have been revoked

Here is how far we've gotten in the "Naming Peanut Something Other than Peanut" contest:

Nicole: "I'm reading this book where the cat's name is Muffin!"

Adam: (barely shows any signs of hearing my comment)

Nicole: "I don't know if I've ever told you this, but the cat I had growing up was named Muffin. He was a boy though! Can you believe I named my male cat Muffin?"

Adam: "That just confirms that you have no naming rights to our child."

24 week fall walk

Today we took a little walk through the park and snapped a couple of photos. Still trying to learn the new camera so only have one decent one to share. More photos from our walk can be seen here.

Will Peanut be a rebel?

For those of you who believe in hocus-pocus-scientology-I'm a goat not a ram-mumbo jumbo, there is a good chance that Peanut is going to be an Aquarius. How does this bode for his demeanor? How does it compare to Adam and my sign? Read on....

Peanut:
Aquarius Strength Keywords:
- Witty
- Clever
- Humanitarian
- Inventive
- Original

Aquarius Weakness Keywords:
- Stubborn
- Unemotional
- Sarcastic
- Rebellious
- Aloof

Adam:
Cancer Strength Keywords:
- Loyalty
- Dependable
- Caring
- Adaptable
- Responsive

Cancer Weakness Keywords:
- Moody
- Clingy
- Self-pitying
- Oversensitive
- Self-absorbed

Nicole:
Capricorn Strength Keywords:
- Responsible
- Patient
- Ambitious
- Resourceful
- Loyal

Capricorn Weakness Keywords:
- Dictatorial
- Inhibited
- Conceited
- Distrusting
- Unimaginative

Phil made me promise that if I have 2 in there I have to give him 1

Phil and me in front of the bean in Chicago last weekend

She said what?

I was in hot, hot Houston this week for work and was sitting in my first meeting after having not been down there for almost 2 months. There were about 25 people in the room and we all had to introduce ourselves, telling our role on the project, our favorite sports team, and what we like to do in our spare time. This is how this little story played out:

Me: "Hi, I'm Nicole Hardt with Towers Perrin. I'm working on the service delivery workstream and my favorite sports team is the Badgers and the Packers, minus Favre. In my spare time I like to travel." The part about the Packers isn't really true, but had to throw that in for a little laugh.

Client: "And Nicole is going to have a new role in February."

Me: slightly embarrassed, but not sure why.... "Yes, I'm going to be a mom!" Round of applause ensues.

Random other client that I don't know: "Well we know what you like to do in your spare time!"

I'm pretty sure I turned Badger red.......

Trying to send us a message?

Peanut received these in the mail today from Aunt Jamie. My question is, are you trying to send us subliminal messages that we should move back to WI? A onesie with a cow on it and the other one saying "Grandma loves me"???? My bags are packed.....now I just need to get Adam on board.

23 Week Update

Have been really busy at work, and along with some weekend travel, haven't posted in a bit. So, here is a quick update:

How far along? 23 weeks

Total weight gain? An even 15 lbs

Maternity clothes? Yes, and need to buy a new winter coat now too

Sleep? Definitely sleeping on my sides more now

Best moment this week? Having friends feel Peanut kick and punch his way around my uterus

Movement? Yes, frequently now. Makes me laugh every time

Gender? Not going to find out

Food cravings? Nothing unusual, but do I sure love me a slice of pizza

Labor signs? none

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but definitely ready to turn itself inside out.

What I miss? I'd be lying if I didn't say a WOODCHUCK (or 6)

What I am looking forward to? Now that fall is here, hunkering down and doing some serious planning

Weekly Wisdom? People, especially those in older generations, love that we're not finding out the gender. Given that they couldn't do such things in their times, it must feel a little sci-fi for them to think about being able to name a baby before it's even born.

Milestones? Peanut is developing nipples this week. Haha