Words of Advice from Strangers

Now that I am pretty obviously pregnant, I've been getting a lot of unsolicited comments and advice. I think it's hilarious! Why do people feel like they can do that?

I wish I would have started keeping track of these comments and advice earlier. . .

Random person at school: Did you know you're supposed to bite your baby's nails off instead of cutting them?


Male Teenage Cashier at Menards:  Do you want help getting that into your car? (I was getting dog food)
Me: Sure- that would be really helpful.
MTCAM: What kind of dog do you have?
Me: A labradoodle and a lab.
MTCAM: (While looking at my belly) Is it a boy?
Me: The baby? It's a girl.
MTCAM: My sister just had a girl. Like a month ago.
Me: Awe! So she's still a little baby?
MTCAM: Nope. She's like. . . 12 pounds now. She's healthy and big because my sister breastfeeds her a lot. So. . .
A teenage boy basically implied that I should breastfeed. Haha!


Cashier at Target (I was getting baby sized hangers): Awe I forgot about all the little hangers and things you need to get for a baby. I wish my son was little again.When he was quiet, didn't talk back, or ask why all the time.



"Get and epidural. Or a c-section." - Some kid at my school's family member



"Sleep now- once the baby is born, you won't really sleep ever again. Especially on Christmas- but holidays are exciting and fun" - parent of a student




As I was walking out of school, a grandma was waiting to pick up her grandkids and said something about me being pregnant. She said, "are you having a girl?" and I told her I was. She told me she could tell by the way I'm carrying. She has six grandkids, so she's good at that kind of thing :)



Teacher at school: Have your husband give you lots of massages.
Now that is the kind of advice I can follow through on! :)



"How are you sleeping? You should sleep as much as you can now because you aren't going to get any sleep once that baby is born."




"It's good you started trying when you did. My daughter didn't until she finished graduate school and I lost hope that she was ever going to get pregnant. If you don't try when you are really young, you might not ever have kids."  Okkkaayyy




"If you're active during pregnancy, you're going to have a really active baby"



A guy at the grocery store shouted out across some veggie aisles: "Little girl?" I smiled and said, "Yep!" He said, "I knew it! I could tell by the way you were walking."



"When you want to go into labor, take a spoonful of castor oil. It works every time."

Weekend Goodness

My parents came over on Saturday to help Dan move the cables and internet stuff out of the nursery and into the living room. Now we just need to update the inside, shelves, and hardware on this cabinet thing and it will be beautiful! 

Alli and I went over to Sarah's on Saturday night for treats, snacks, and hanging out. It was a fun evening! And it might be the last time we were able to get together before the baby is born!

Chrysanthemum was just so comfy this morning :)

The diapers have been washed and organized!

Chrysanthemum had such a snuggly day today.
I spent the day cleaning. . . and now I'm wiped out!
Dan worked on the dining room table he's building for us.
Now, it's time to relax!

Only four more school days until spring break!

36 Weeks!

How far along? 36 weeks. I really can't believe it! Only about 4 weeks left (that's less than a month!)!!

Total weight gain: Same as last week. 

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. 

Stretch marks? None that I've noticed. 

Sleep: It's still really hard for me to get comfortable. When I finally do, I usually have to pee or get heartburn or something. 

Best moment this week: My niece and nephew were born! I cannot wait to be able to meet them! I'm sad it won't be for a couple of months though. 

Miss Anything? Definitely my energy. School is getting tough and I'm really ready to go home by the end of the day. Being with a bunch of active 4K kids is both good and bad- they've helped keep me active through out my entire pregnancy and I don't really have time to think about how tired I am during the day. As soon as they leave and I sit down at my desk, the tiredness kicks in big time. 
Movement: She is such a busy baby! At my appointment on Monday, she was a little wiggle worm again :) My doctor asked me if she was still moving a lot as she was checking the heart beat and got some nice big wiggles in reply. It's really cute to me. 

Food cravings: Frozen rasps, frozen mango, custard. . . 

Anything making you queasy or sick: ugh still cigarette smoke smell. It's still extra gross to me. Garlic and/or onions still give me heartburn. 

Gender: She's a girl! 

Labor Signs: I hope I have no signs anytime before I'm supposed to. . . my doctor said that if I went into labor now, they wouldn't do anything to stop it. Babies born at this point usually do really well. Baby day is getting closer and closer! 

Belly Button in or out? Kind of flattish, kind of outtish. My 4K kids think its really funny to poke it. 

Wedding rings on or off? They're on still. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: 90% happy 10% moody. Things about babies, moms, old people, animals, kids, relationships, sad things, and inspirational things make me teary. I also want everything to be perfect for our baby and get stressed making choices sometimes. Like what kind of dryer balls to get. I know that realistically, the type of dryer balls (or swaddles, take home outfit, bottle brush, nursing tank, etc.) I get is not something I need to stress over. They also aren't things we need in order to take care of her well. That doesn't stop my emotional, pregnant self from wanting to make the best decisions possible :) 

Looking forward to: Spring break. Still. I have one more day with 4K kids and a professional development day this week, 4 more days of school next week, then spring break here I come! I'm also hanging out with my friends  on Saturday night- it might be the last time the four of us get together like this pre-baby (I'm getting teary thinking about this!). 

Weekend Goodness- Baby Shower and Irish Dancing Edition

Friday:

I know it's not the weekend, and it was actually during the school day, but it was too cute/fun not to share! 

We had a mini "Irish Fest" on Friday for some of my 4K kids and some of the daycare kids from the daycare next to my school. Although Rosie hasn't Irish danced in a really long time, she came to dance for the kids since I couldn't do a whole lot of that :) 

The kids loved it! Even the really little ones watched quietly and nicely :)
Rosie did a jig, reel, and hornpipe (and then jig again because it was requested by the little ones) by herself. I joined her for a quick treble reel. 

I did "St. Patrick's Day" by myself.
Man, was it hard work! Whew!
Rosie said all the moms and teachers watching were worried that I was going to go into labor :) 

After all the really little kids left, Rosie and I taught the 4K kids a jig.
They were adorable! 

 The best part of Friday: My niece and nephew were born! Evelyn and Jack :) They live about 6 hours away, so I won't get to meet them for a while :( But the pictures I have seen are adorable. I am SO excited they were born and that they are healthy! Happy birthday, little babies :)



Saturday:
My  mom came over in the morning and helped me organize the nursery. I'll post pictures of it soon! Saturday afternoon was filled with more baby things- Dan's side of the family had a baby shower for us. The theme was "Welcome to the World, Little One"

Dan was fishing all weekend with friends, so I left all the baby shower gifts at his moms because it would be too hard for me to bring them all home. I had nothing to organize that afternoon but felt like I needed to do something. I decided a good 'something' would be to look at baby clothes and get a cinnabon. It went well- I found 2 cute little newborn-sized outfits and a women in front of me in line at cinnabon turned around and said "Oh you just look adorable! Your belly is so cute!" :)

Sunday:
My mom and I went to a baby consignment store. It was okay- there wasn't a very good selection of things. I did a million loads of laundry when I got home and then waited for Dan to get home from fishing. Once he did, we picked up the shower gifts from his mom's and I organized them. It was good/busy/tiring weekend!


Only 2 more weeks until spring break! I am so ready for it!

Things Kids Said on a Thursday

Boy: How come _____ has a bandana in her hair? Can she wear that?
Me: Uh-huh
Boy: But bandanas are gangster. How come she can wear one to school?
Me: Well she's wearing it in her hair like a headband, not cuz she's gangster.
Boy: But she couldn't wear it on her face, right? Like covering her mouth?
Me: right.
Boy: Cuz gangsters do that and there's no gangsters at school.
Me. Exactly.



"He's literally sitting right on my spot right now."



Boy 1: But we're family
Boy 2: Actually, we're not family.
Boy 1: I thought we was!
Boy 2: We're friends. But your mama's my godmama, so it's like we're family.



"Ms. Kelwee. . . Butterflies can't die." After I told him that butterflies die when they get old, he said, "But bees can't die. They eat honey and honey can last forever!"



I was standing in the girls bathroom making sure my girls weren't being extra silly when all of a sudden I heard a little guy's voice  right next to me say, "So this is what the girls' bathroom looks like!"



Recent baby name guesses: Gingerbread Man, T'Amiyah, Zaniyah, April, Kennedy, Tinkerbell, Elsa or Anna (or her first name could be Elsa and her second name could be Anna so she could have both!), Flowers, Hannah, Penelope, Little McElwee, Journey, X like the letter, Mrs. L, Kat with a K, The Little Mermaid (but don't let her lose her voice)

35 Weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks. My 4K kids remind me every day that my belly keeps getting bigger and that she'll be born soon. It's coming up so fast! 

Total weight gain: I'm up about 30 lbs. which to me is a lot, but my doctor isn't worried one bit. 

Maternity clothes? I wore a complete non-maternity outfit yesterday! I had on an Irish Fest t-shirt (it's big on me when I'm not pregnant, but still- I was wearing it!) and then black comfy pants. Other than that, it's all maternity, all the time. 

Stretch marks? Nothing so far!

Sleep: Is the same as it has been. It's hard to fall asleep and hard to stay asleep. And I don't want to get out of bed in the morning. 

Best moment this week: Celebrating St. Patrick's day this weekend was fun! I also had a doctor's appointment with my new ob/gyn (my old one is leaving the practice to do other things). I was nervous switching to a new doctor since I really liked my old one, but my new one seems good so far! As she was listening to the baby's heartbeat, the baby was wiggling all around and she couldn't get a good reading of it. She said, "Settle down in there, baby" and right after she said that, the baby did a huge wiggle! It was really funny to us :) After the wiggle, she settled down and my doctor was able to get her heartbeat clearly. 

Miss Anything? Getting out of bed, off the floor, and out of 4K sized chairs easily. 
Movement: Oh yes. She is one strong little girl! 

Food cravings: Cold foods still.  I had a random craving for m&m cookies, so I got some from the bakery section at the grocery store since I didn't feel like making any, and I've eaten all but one of them :/ They were delicious though! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Same things

Gender: She's a girl! 

Labor Signs: I hope I have no signs anytime before I'm supposed to.  

Belly Button in or out? It's consistently either flat or out. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. It has been SO incredibly hot in my classroom that I've been getting swollen in there and worried that my rings will get stuck on my fingers. Luckily, as soon as I leave the oven I teach in, my fingers go mostly back to normal. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Still mostly happy. 

Looking forward to: Spring break. I can't wait for it! I need a good week of relaxation and organization time :) Also, Dan's mom and sisters are having a baby shower for me this weekend- it should be fun! 

Weekend Goodness: St. Paddy's Day Edition

Look at that big basketball belly :) 

The weather was SO nice on Friday! 

So Dan and I went for a walk and got some frozen yogurt. Mmmm!

This Saturday was the St. Paddy's day parade.
I love parades!
The weather was perfect, I was with people I love, and we managed to get a great spot! 

My mom was in the parade with Wee Seamus :) 

And my dad was in the parade with the Milwaukee Hurling Club
(I didn't get any good during-parade-pics of him though)

Dan and I made reuben rolls post-parade. 

They were a delish afternoon snack

I also got some strawberry rhubarb pie (not homemade this time) in honor of Pi day!
I thought it was cool that it was 3.1415 this year :) 

 Somebody (Meagan) strategically placed little vikings around our house that we have been finding randomly :) 

Dan and I took Maggie and Nella for their first nice, long walk of the season.
They were wiped out afterwards! It was great :) 

Happy almost St. Patrick's Day!

Things Kids Said on a Thursday

"Where's your baby?" - said as a little guy pushes all over my belly



I gave each kid one thin mint as part of their snack today. They freaked out. I mean, I know thin mints are delicious and exciting, but getting a cookie with some goldfish crackers was like the best thing that ever happened :)



Boy commenting on the yellow hallway outside our classroom:  "How come the walls are still yellow? When will they be blue, like our classroom?"  Oh they will be (very bright) yellow for a long time.



Kid: "Can you come to my birthday party? It's going to be at monkey joes!"
Me: "Your birthday was in September- are you having a birthday party now?"
Kid: "No. I will when it's my birthday!"
Me: "Sounds good- if you invite me, I will come."



"Ms. McElwee! It's almost April. Your baby is going to come  so soon."
I know kid, I know!



Boy 1: "Ms. McElweee!! ________ said 'donkey fart'!"
Me: "Gross"
Boy 2: "Yeah. Gross. That's not polite, right MissElly?"
Me: "Right."



"I sprayed water all over the bathroom last night cuz I thought it was fun. My mom got mad and I had to lay in bed early. And I cut the fuzzy hair off a head. My mom got mad at that too."



After singing the days of the week song and pointing to the "Thursday" square-
Me: What day of the week is it?
Kid 1: January!!
Me: That's a month and we already had that one. Do you want to try again? Look where the arrow is pointing and think of our days of the week song.
Kid 2: 2015!!
Me: Hmm. . . that's a year and we already had that too. Now it's 2016. Any other ideas?
K 1: Oh! Oh! Saturday!
Me: You're close! Saturday is a day of the week, but it isn't our day today.
K 3: Guys. It's Thursday!



Me: "Just so you know, I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I probably won't see you until Tuesday. Ms. H will still be here and you'll have a sub."
Girl: "Are they going to to cut your baby out?!"
Me: "Nope- it's just a check up to see how she's growing."



"Ms. McElwee- I drew this owl for you but then I scirbble-scrabbled all over it cuz it's choice time and it's okay if we do scribble-scrabble work during choice time, right?"

34 Weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks. April is coming up SO fast. 

Total weight gain: I have a doctors appointment tomorrow. . . so we shall see! I haven't been very good at remembering what the scale says. It's not really that important to me. Unless my doctor is worried, I'm not worried and so far I've been with in a healthy range. 

Maternity clothes? Yep. I did get a couple of non maternity camisoles that were on sale at target this past weekend (but I did get them in a medium so they would cover my bulging belly). 

Stretch marks? Nope. 

Sleep: Still tricky. I'm slowly taking over the bed (sorry Dan!) with my belly, pillows, and attempts at tossing and turning. Rolling over takes work! 

Best moment this week: The baby shower my mom and sisters threw this weekend was great :) It's been warming up a little this week. 

Miss Anything? Sitting on the floor/getting up from the floor easily :) I sat on the floor today with the kids and then just stayed there for a while because it was just too much work to stand up again. 
Movement: Yes! And she is strong! The kids in my afternoon class have been really into feeling her move- it's pretty cute. As soon as one little guy gets to school, he asks me where my baby is and then pushes around on my belly until he feels her move. 

Food cravings: cold foods (frozen rasps, popsicles, cold water, custard, ice, etc.)

Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm still staying away from onions and garlic, just incase. If I go too long in between snacks/meals, I get a little heartburn going on. 

Gender: She's a girl! 

Labor Signs: I hope I have no signs anytime before I'm supposed to.  

Belly Button in or out? Still sometimes flat and sometimes popped. It's funny to watch her little body parts slide over the spot where my belly button is- it goes from flat to popped to flat again :) 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy. Sometimes I get stressed about wanting things to be just right for my little one. Like this weekend, I was diaper bag shopping and I had the hardest time making a decision on which bag to buy. Logically, I knew it wasn't a big deal. I knew I should just buy a bag that I liked and it would be fine. But, my pregnancy self was worried that it wouldn't be big enough or it would be too big, the zippers would break, the pockets wouldn't be easily accessible, I wouldn't like the color. . . I ended up choosing a bag and still liked it when I got home :) 

Looking forward to: Spring break still! It's getting hard to be active with the 4K kids and a week off of school before baby arrives will be much needed :)  The St. Patrick's Day parade is this weekend too! Hopefully the weather forecast holds up. I love parades and love St. Paddy's day :) 

Weekend Goodness: Baby Shower Edition

The bump in action!
33 weeks and 3 days :) 

Most of the baby shower snacks.
There were: crab sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, veggie pizza, cranberry salsa, mini quiches (they went on the empty orange platter), mini lemon curd cupcakes, caramelly goodness brownies (my favorite), mini french silk pie.
There was red wine, white wine, and beer for the non-pregnant people/alcohol drinkers, and root beer and some other soda for the rest of us. 

2/4 sister picture

Sarah and I

Danielle, Alli, Me and my bump, Sarah, and Steph.
My friends are awesome. 

Anna helped me open my gifts (and throw all of the paper on the floor)! 

It was a great baby shower!
It started at 2, most people left between 4 and 4:30, and then a small bunch stayed until about 7.
The Bailey family came and were part of the late crew- it was SO good to see them! They live in La Crosse, which is about 3 hours away, and I was really happy they were able to come. 

I was wiped out after my busy shower day on Saturday. I went to bed early (and woke up early) but snuggled in bed until about 9:00 this morning- it was so relaxing and great! I was a little worried that Chrysanthemum died though. . . she was laying on my feet/legs, and even when I moved, she stayed sound asleep! Once I got up, she got up too. I guess she felt just as lazy and tired as I did. 

I worked on some (potential) art for the nursery this weekend.
I painted some sheets of paper and am thinking of doing some cut paper type flowers. We'll see though. 

After another busy day filled with basket and diaper bag shopping, Dan and I put together the baby swing my wonderful friends got us. Now it's going to hang out in our dining room for the next (hopefully) 6ish weeks :) 

Happy International Women's Day! And hopefully the "Spring Ahead" time change doesn't throw you off too much!

33 Weeks!

Whew! Today was a busy day! Between teaching a bunch of crazy (yet cute) 4Kers, getting ready for tomorrow and Friday's parent-teacher conferences, interviewing a potential sub for my maternity leave, and stopping at the grocery store, I am wiped out! As soon as I got home- way later than I normally do- I jumped in the shower. . . and never took a 33 week pic. Oh well. I have a shower coming up this weekend and I'm sure there will be lots of pics from that!

How far along? 33 weeks. . . where has the time gone?!

Total weight gain: Well I had a doctor's appointment last week Thursday, and now as I'm writing I can't remember what I weighed! I feel like I'm getting big. . . 

Maternity clothes? Yep! Dan and I went to a maternity clothes store while we were out and about running errands- I think I found a dress to wear to my upcoming baby shower :) 

Stretch marks? None that I have noticed!

Sleep: I've been having a hard time falling asleep this week but doing a better job of staying asleep. I have found a good pillow set up (at least for now) that helps keep me comfy for as long as possible (until I have to get up to pee, get heartburn, wake up for no reason. . .)! 

Best moment this week: On Friday, yy coworkers had a baby shower for me and a third grade teacher who is pregnant. It was really cute! They decorated the cafeteria in pink and blue baby things- I'm having a girl, she's having a boy.We had pasta and meatballs for lunch, opened gifts, and had cake! They got me the pack n play we registered for (!!!!), some cute outfits, some diapers (both cloth and disposables), and a few little toys. It was fun :) 

Miss Anything? Sitting in the car is becoming uncomfortable- the shape of the seat makes it a little hard for me to breath and makes my back hurt. My 45 minute drive to and from school is getting a little rough :/
Movement: Lots of it! My 4K kids like to put their heads on my tummy and tell me that she kicks them. 

Food cravings: Same old, same old 

Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm kind of avoiding garlic/onions. Usually. We had pizza at my parents house on Sunday and it came with garlic dipping sauce. The sauce sounded so good, I just had to indulge! That was a bad idea. I had garlic flavor in my mouth that I just couldn't get rid of and my tummy felt gurgly the rest of the day. 

Gender: She's a girl! 

Labor Signs: I hope I have no signs anytime before I'm supposed to.  

Belly Button in or out? Sometimes popped-ish, sometimes flattish. 

Wedding rings on or off? Still on. 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy with an occasional moody moment here-and-there. 

Looking forward to: Spring break! Haha- it's not until the beginning of April, but it will be a nice little break before (hopefully) baby arrives!