32 weeks - PA Showers bring May Flowers

Already time for another post? Time is flying by for sure! 31 weeks marked our first shower in Pennsylvania. We were really excited to take half a day off from work on Friday and venture the 4ish hours to the great state of P-A to see friends, family and some darling babies!

But before we made it all the way to the Keystone State, we had to drop our pal Jerome off with his Grandma! Thank goodness she lives so close and is always willing to take the little bugger in. 

Look how excited hims is! 

After that quick pitstop we were gung-ho to make it on time for dinner with my best girls and their significant others. Erin organized a dinner the night before the shower so we all could have a chance to stuff our faces with delicious Italian food and (they) could drink some wine and we could catch up like old times. 

We surprisingly enough made it there a bit early despite ridiculous PA traffic because it's "construction season" and took some time to snap a few pix. Note to self : buying dresses size large in F21 does not make them look like a cute tunic. I fell in love with the color of this dress but am realizing now in photos it may not be the most flattering. 

It was great to take some time before the shower to relax! 

Each of these fab ladies did such a great job organizing the food, decor, invites, favors and dessert -- we definitely are very blessed to have them in our life! Although we live hours apart and don't get to see each other often, we always pick up right where we left off. Between new houses, new babies, career ventures, and other exciting changes in their lives, I am so glad to stay in touch and still crack up about our Clarion days!

After a week of beautiful weather, Saturday started off with some rain...but what is a baby shower without rain? I do love me some Springtime weather! Our friends John and Lindsey graciously allowed us to crash at their place for about the 378th time, and Linds offered to drive to the shower so Glenn could come later to say his hellos, open gifts and carry the loot!

After much debating with myself over comfort, fashion, and "does this actually look decentism" I decided to rock this $20.00 Marshalls (non -maternity) number over another blue dress. Blue for boy, and Glenn said he liked it most. Badabing, badabump. 

Sweet baby Emilia rode along with us to the shower and enjoyed herself socializing (and catching some Z's). 

Lil E brought baby Claire who also stole the show! It hurts my heart to get to see these little loves but a few time a year, sometimes I wish we could pick up and move to PA (or NY for that matter) and have our babes grow up together! I am going to need to make more MD friends who are mommies of little babies come May! 

Maria made some delicious food, (2 soups, 2 salads, and a bonus pasta from Valerie) and Erin went all out with having a cake prepared. Seriously, how adorable. 

Glenn arrived just in time to cut the cake and open some awesome gifts! The girls got us a bassinet filled with goodies, and we also got our Boppy and Swing, and a number of great books and much-needed baby essentials!

Including some toys that make noise, yay!

I think Glenn has a new girlfriend

After a few hours of food, friends, family and fun (yay, alliteration) it was time to go back to the Simon abode to catch a quick catnap before I took Lindsey for a night on the town (her first in over 15 months!) She is a SAHM to Emi, and I give her all the props in the world. Sister needed a martini or 2! Doesn't she look great?

All in all it was a great, albeit tiring weekend. Really hoping to make a trip back out to PA once our little guy has arrived...hopefully this summer for Claire's 1st birthday! 

Now without further ado - some weekly updates! We finally busted out the DSLR and I thought it would be a prime time to take the new with the old, and take some throwback pix in the kitchen. (Okay the blue sports bra has been resurrected and that was half my impetus)

And because I love a good comp .... here we are 7 weeksish and 31 weeks 6 days (damn near 32 weeks. Apparently 25 weeks ago I was tanner and sweated more. Glenn says I look more "buff" in the latter pix but I think he is just being kind. (Bless his heart!)

How far along? THE BIG 3-2! For some reason it was this number that has stuck out in my head as having "made it" far into pregnancy. 32 weeks is a nice, sturdy, even number. This means 5-8 more weeks until we meet baby boy -- so crazy to feel like you've been pregnant for what seems like forever, and are finally hitting that finish line. 

Total weight gain: up to a grand 27-28 lbs...that's right folks, 178 and counting! Things have *knock on wood* seemed to slow a bit, and for that I am thankful. My coworker's best friend is pregnant and sent me pictures of her at 31 weeks. Homegirl looks like me at 14 weeks, shit you not. I was like, "where is she hiding the baby?" But we all carry different, I seem to carry front and prominent. Glenn's sister who is an ultrasound tech felt my belly at the shower and said I have alot of amniotic fluid so maybe that has something to do with my gargantuanness? 
Maternity clothes? Not for my shower! POW! I had vowed to not wear something hideous and matronly and managed to succeed in that. Death to all ugly frocks!
Stretch marks? Still holding strong, although each week I can feel my body changing...he still favors my right side all the time, and my ribs still seem to be stretching quite a bit...I am sure he's gonna keep on keepin on, so we may not be out of the woods yet. 

Sleep: On days I work out (4 times week 31) I sleep pretty well...unfortunately I have been waking up at night as of late with leg cramps. Not like full on charley horses, but achey legs that feel like someone has beat them with a bat. The pain doesn't go away no matter how many times I flex and stretch in bed, I usually have to get up and walk around. A few times Glenn has had some nice, early wake ups (cough, cough 4:30AM) because they hurt so bad I need him to rub them. What a trooper that guy is. I also have unfortunately noticed alot more pelvic pressure similar to our pain escapade of weeks 20ish-22 when turning over. I wince each time and it is getting annoying, but the snoogle pillow has helped matters greatly. At my latest doctors appointment I told the nurse practitioner about the leg pain and she asked if I worked out. Pshhh do I work out? YES. She said I was probably "doing too much"  and should slow down. My thing is, I really don't want to until my body tells me to (much like my pelvic bone pain). A few leg cramps here and there aren't going to stop me from sweating. She said that blood flow to extremities changes when pregnant and it's harder on the legs. That and I'm carrying around damn near 30 POUNDS OF BABY, may have something to do with it. I got some calcium chews and eat bananas like its my job on top of the gallon plus jug of water I take in each day...so....we'll continue to do our best.
Best moment this week: Seeing so many people we love, and smooching the beautiful babes! That and we have done alot of work in getting everything squared away in the nursery. All newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed and Glenn has put up a new (AWESOME) light fixture. Next up, cloth diaper wash! We also are going to build a cornice for the curtains Easter weekend, and then after that really need to get on taking some "finished" pictures of the nursery!

this kids room outcools the other 89% of our house

Miss Anything? The joy of long shirts...even my longest of long shirts are getting a little tough to make work, and at least one pair of my maternity pants seem to be screaming at the belly panel like ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. 
Movement: Still loving feeling him! He still rocks my belly all night long but spends a good bit of time making his presence known during the day. He was jamming out on the way home in the car with the top down listening to some R&B 1990's classics, and still stays huddled on my right side. Still head down, and feet toward my (sore) ribs
Food cravings: Fruit, hummus, vegetables. Boring right? On the way to PA I made Glenn stop off at a grocery store so I could buy Naked juice, hummus and carrots because my body craved eating something clean after being stuck in the car for hours. Daily meals are usually made up of the following - fiber one bar for early breakfast (to take prenatals), 1/2 a fiber bran muffin at work (Moral Fiber), then either a banana, apple or greek yogurt for a snack. Lunch is an arugula and romaine mixed salad with fresh berries, onions, tomatoes and cranberry trail mix. Snack is either a string cheese or my beloved edamame hummus with sugar snap peas and carrots. I've been drinking alot of mama tea also. Dinner is usually a toss up depending on if I have dinner plans because I am TURBO POPULAR, but usually is a protein Glenn grills for me and some steamed veggies. Also chocolate happens EVERYDAY. Kid knows what he likes. 

I can't get over how much he is growing OUT

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not so much sick, but let's just say pregnancy gas is a riot. It comes out of nowhere and is uncontrollable and surprisingly usually doesn't emit an odor but does cause some loud noises. Glenn is just the luckiest guy ever.
Gender: Team Blue all the way!
Labor Signs: Nothing specific I can point to -- but I think I have started Braxton Hicks. When I work out I've felt my uterus get hard for months now, but I think per my Nurse Practitioner that Braxton Hicks are when your "FUNDUS" up high gets hard. It's like one big muscle clenching. Red Raspberry Leaf Tea is still being imbibed so I hope my pal of a uterus will hold us strong until the very end! 
Symptoms: I have noticed, this week especially that things are slowing down....well, I am slowing down. Mentally at work my capacity is about blown. It's hard for me to plan events in April and May when all I can think about is how in April I will be having a baby in a month...a baby in MAY! Makes webinars that much more dull. I also am slower walking around, more inclined to be out of breath, and can't stay up with my favorite lesbian gurus Jackie and Jillian as much as I used to. I' m still trying my darndest! I wore my heartrate monitor to work today for 9 hours just to see how many sedentary calories were burned, = 1646....then Glenn and I walked 2.5 miles and I did a Jackie workout= 546 calories. I wish I could better understand  how all this math equates in preggo ville but I guess I could say I am doing pretty damn good over here.
Belly Button in or out? Half in half out? It looks creepy as all getout in this pic below:

Wedding rings on or off? on! My NP seemed surprised (?) I was not swelling yet. Hrmmm. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy Happy Happy with a side of needing to cry every once in again -- so much to look forward to, so little time left remaining til we meet our babe!
Looking forward to: Shower number 2, aka co-ed party extravaganza! Grandma Niter has been crafting away and we are thrilled to see what Tanner's got up her sleeve!

31ish weeks pregnant - 8 months and counting!

Third trimester keeps on chugging along! We are at almost 31 weeks (30 weeks 5 days today) which most people equate to 8 months pregnant. In my mind that means I should only have 4 more weeks, but this gestation game is pretty tricky. Women are technically pregnant for 10 months/40 weeks .... 36 weeks = 9 months, when baby is "full term", however those last few weeks really matter for brain development. So we have anywhere from 6-9 weeks left! 


I see a ton of posts on babycenter about girls "hoping" their May babies are April babies and I can't imagine (okay, other than sheer excitement and being over feeling like a bloated waddling cowbeast) why anyone would want to have their babies come early. Last I checked the NICU is terrifying and expensive and full of beeps and blurps and your precious baby being confined to a plastic case. Yes, of course babies are born healthy at 36 weeks and way earlier...but if your body can hold the little guy in for those few weeks, why bitch about it? Barring medical complications to mother or infant it just really rubs me the wrong way. Okay, and I will now get off my paraben-free hypoallergenic soapbox. 

8 months pregnant belly full o' fetus. Can you tell which side he hangs out on? Hint: it's the right (picture reversed)

This past week has been awesome, weather-wise and hanging out with friends-wise, and counting down til showers-wise. We celebrated Glenn's birthday by having some awesome G&M crabcakes (a Maryland classic and favorite). I may have hit a hormonal streak at dinner because something was said earlier in the day that offended me and I couldn't get over it until I shed a little tear or 2 over my side salad while the waiter awkwardly kept stopping by to refill our waters. Yes, I had to release some tears, even though I wasn't really even that upset...but 2 minutes later I felt perfectly fine. THANKS HORMONES! Always keeping things interesting, especially in public 


Saturday was Saint Patrick's Day/football - so we enjoyed being out in the crazy 74 degree weather (IN MARCH IKNOWRITE) eating cupcakes made by our pal, and imbibing on some good beverages. Well I had some St Pauly girl, but Glenn enjoyed some shots. 

somebody got a boo boo that day

melty, cakey deliciousness. Thanks, Kara!

And Tanner made some pretty noxious jello shots!

and I wore a maxi dress because that is all I ever do anymore. 

March 15th isn't just Glenn's birthday, but my pal Alexis' too  -- we spent some quality time brunching at the National Harbor and enjoyed chitty chatting about life. 

Pretty Lex

There is also a PEEPS STORE at the National Harbor that sells all things PEEPS including this $150 lil guy

This week the good weather and fortune have continued -- I caught up with one Mr. BY and noshed on pho and delicious fro yo. He was really sweet to have "come my way" which means alot when the majority of my social life involves driving to the city and having to try to find parking, and driving another 25 minutes back in rush hour traffic...while having to pee. Friends that have come over/gotten away from the city/met me in the burbs, I salute you! 

He is really, really excellent at picking out flavor combinations. One would think he had weird palate preggo cravings. 

This week also means we are SUPER CLOSE to our 1st shower in the great state of Pennsylvania! My amazing hostesses, Val, Erin, and Maria have done a stellar job of organizing this event. It will allow for alot of Glenn's family and some other great friends to help us celebrate and I'm so thankful for them for organizing a shower! I'm looking forward to catching up with them and maybe smooching their babies. Definitely smooching their babies. 

They surprised me with a visit for Lovelaceapalooza!

Celebrating Baby Easton at Val's Shower

Out to dinner, and celebrating Erin's pregnancy (super early on)

They have been great girlfriends (FAB 4 for Life! (HAAAA)) and I've loved watching all of us "grow up" together, albeit separated by miles. They've been a wealth of support for me during this pregnancy and I really just am so excited to celebrate this weekend!

And because I have already written a novel, now onto the requisite weekly update: 

How far along? Pictured above, 30 weeks 5 days -- post Jillian "Shed and Shred" which is my new favorite everything. 

Total weight gain: Drumroll please....27 lbs! Looking back at week 26 we were at around 170-173 lbs...and now at damn near 31 we are at about 177 lbs...so I would say I am holding strong in the "about a pound a week" regime. Still feeling pretty good, no real swelling to note, and I think all the rest of my parts look mostly "normal" compared to this big belly. Knock on wood this continues. I would like to not max out at 40 lbs plus if at all possible, but again I'm still doing 45 minutes of lifting and 40 plus minutes of cardio/walking 2.5 miles a few times a week ... baby is holding onto what baby needs to hold onto I suppose. 

Maternity clothes? Did you hear about these things called maxi dresses? Yeah it's all I'm into these days. They are the rage. Like muumuus for the fashion set. 

Stretch marks? Maybe? None that I can fully tell, but the area where my belly button ring was (Ew, I know....I was 16) is sorta pink and hasn't changed in color. It doesn't "look" like a stretch mark to me, but it is a different color than the linea negra next to it. Stay tuned for future updates on this gross patch of skin. 

Sleep: They say the 3rd trimester can sack you into the sleepzone like the 1st trimester, but I haven't noticed its effects quite yet. I do get tired and don't often feel as excited to work out as I did in the golden ages of the 2nd trimester...but sleep still pretty much stays the same. It is definitely harder to turn over in bed, I do get a bit of the pelvic/hip pain reminiscent of the awful SPD days but hope that it disappears soon. 

Best moment this week: Enjoying Glenn's birthday, the sunshine and good friends! All in all we are riding on a high, counting down these weeks! Also my pops sent us our "travel system" and Glenn had a great time putting it together. It smells so plasticky and new (am I the only one who loves that smell?) and imagining bringing him HOME with us just tickles me to bits. I love the color combo. 

also, people have been telling me it looks like he's "dropped"....your thoughts? 

Graco Snugrides are supposed to be one of the safest..and I really dig the gender neutralness of this whole set. 

Baby goes here:

Improvising with monkey:

THANKS DAD!!!

Miss Anything? A real beer on the first hot day of the year. St. Pauly Girl did the job though. 

Movement: Baby boy is head down and has a pretty active lifestyle these days, still most active at night. I've been drinking my Red Raspberry Leaf tea as much as possible (6 cups a week at last count) and I think he must dig those teeny uterine contractions. Also I think he likes "hip hop" music more than indie stuff...based all on what sort of reactions I get whilst cruising the greater Howard County highways on the way to work. 

Food cravings: Greens and fruits and citrus and smoothies and everyday I have something chocolate. Chocolate is a constant. Orange juice also hits the spot. I found a new smoothie place I have yet to try out and am turbo hype. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Physically, no...emotionally my hormones may make things wonky at times. Glad I'm not completely crazy and this range of emotions is normal. It's nice to seek solace in friends!

Gender: #teamtinypenisinsideme

Labor Signs: Nope, nope, nope, let's keep it that way

Symptoms: Lots of kicking, and I think my equilibrium is becoming more and more "off". It's not something I notice when working out, more like when I fail to throw the recycling in the box that is .2 feet away from me or absentmindedly bang my hand into the wall. 

Belly Button in or out? It has not fully popped but boy oh man does it look weird. I would say by the next few weeks it may be in full outtie status. 

Wedding rings on or off? on. (Someone asked about this - the question is whether or not you have had to take rings off due to swelling yet)

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Why not be? It's springtime, the season of all things fresh and green and new, and we are just WEEKS, single digit WEEKS from meeting this sweet little baby!

Looking forward to: Pennsylvania, family, friends, fun, and smooching babies! 

18 & 5 and 20 & 6, respectively

So this is what a few weeks of growth look like....no wonder I have been constantly starved! I definitely think baby is in a growth spurt. 


Some shots from tonight, and the last time we took pix but didn't post. (18 weeks 5 days, and 20 weeks 6 days)

18 on the left, 20 on the right - 13 lbs of love in the middle

Oh, and we also got the crib at 19 weeks - it is mostly put together sans a few screws. 

ho-lee-cats...no wonder I feel "wider"

anddd......I guess it's time to start wearing muumuus

So what do we think, is this child an amazon or do I just carry huge? 


PS: I have more than one sports bra, I swear. 

Health and Exercise (or lack there of)

As I am wont to do - I will continue to relinquish any self-abashment. I figure I have shared this blog with enough people who know me and love me to not care how much I really put myself on front street. That being said, I feel like a huge bloated whale. While I know pregnancy is the most rewarding gift a woman can ever experience, I'll be damned if it isn't a shot to the esteem to not fully be "showing" and have this constant bloating feeling.


Pre-pregnancy I used to go to the (bourgeois, fancy, rich white people) gym fairly frequently (okay 3 times a week if I was lucky) or run outside to stay fit. I especially loved the high impact weight lifting and cycling classes. As soon as I found out I was pregnant I fell into the fear-induced rut that somehow working out (other than walking or swimming slow) would somehow increase my odds of miscarriage or somehow hinder the healthy growth of baby Lovelace. 


Well, I've just about had it with feeling like a cesspool of sleepiness and pudge. Why am I not "glowing" yet? (Nice) people in the know have been telling me I look great, but it's hard to step on the scale everyday and wonder if these 4 lbs of weight gain are healthy pounds full of nourishment for the baby, or if mama has just been enjoying those vanilla muffins and skim milk too much. THE BABY CRAVED IT OKAY. 


My darling nurse practitioner wasn't providing any revolutionary guidelines on what I should or should not be doing exercise wise, and since I won't know til week 12 the stability of my cervix (thanks HPV!) I have been taking it relatively easy. I have gone running approximately twice, and done the elliptical twice in....NINE WEEKS AND 4 DAYS. No wonder I feel like a blimp. 


Today I did the elliptical for 35 minutes set to cross-training, and then did some weight training - arms. I must say it felt amazing to sweat, and for once I didn't have headaches. I am looking to purchase a probably turbo-expensive heartrate monitor to keep below that (140-160 beats per minute) dreaded fetus stressing number. 


I still got it!

9 weeks 4 days in the ladies restroom at Lifetime Fitness - whatofit?

Pumpkin-Love

This week draws us to 9...ever so close but seemingly so far to our "safety zone" and that first ultrasound. We are now 2 days out and I'm still impatient but hopeful. New symptoms are on and off headaches (more on than off as of late) and some shortness of breath. Not like, an exercise out of breath sort of scenario, but I find when I am doing trainings I have to pause more often instead of having run on sentences explaining how to move slides on a webinar. 


My patience is still wore thin to none. Some days are such a frustrating blur, I can't wait to get home to crash on the couch. Other days I do get some reprieve to do some babyboarding (not at all like waterboarding) but more of a forum of crazy moms-to-be, as well as utilizing Pinterest to keep track of some nursery room inspiration. It's a pretty fun site where you "pin" (duh) images/links to relevant interests. The other fun aspect is that you can friend people who can also pin to your board if they think it suits your fancy. Join and pin me!


This weekend we got to share the news with some more friends, by way of a pumpkin carving contest.

Ours is 3rd from the right -- A Jerome dog Yorkie!

I have for the past few years, been blessed with the friendship of several wonderful gay men, and letting them know about the ol pumpkin I'm harvesting (harharhar) has been precious. I think the range of emotions has gone from being teary-eyed, to shocked, to super curious about women bits, to excited. I know one thing is for sure, this child will have no shortage of fantastic uncles. (Or Aunts as Chris would favor)

Uncle Peetz, Auntie Chris, Uncle Bee Why - pondering their niece or nephew

Pizza gets the prize for most emotional reaction

October always brings fall festive cheer, pumpkins, and support for breast cancer awareness -- by way of Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. I have served on the Race Executive Board for the past 3 years as the Information Chair and it has been awesome being involved in a volunteer capacity for the biggest foot race in Maryland. I am however, hanging up my pink gear and probably stepping down, as we will have a 5 monthish old and I figure I will have my hands (and boobs) full. 


Race committee folks like myself have to show up at 4:30AM, and it was a long, cold and tiring day but I was glad to enjoy some sunshine and cheer on the survivors. Behold: your Komenesque exhausted post-race requisite belly shots:

4 hours of sleep and some facepaint later...

grow, baby gourd, grow!