Time is FLYING....

I can not believe I am 28 weeks pregnant!?
Man I need a tan! Bring on the sun and the heat!


How far along? 28 weeks 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: My glucose test is Thursday and I will be jumping on the scale! My prediction is I have gained 4-5 lbs in 3 weeks. My hope is I have gained 2 or 3. Let's see which one wins. I only weigh at the OB's office.

Maternity clothes? I actually found a ton of dresses at Old Navy this past week (non maternity) that will work through my entire spring pregnancy and after. I can't wait!

Stretch marks? Not YET....Purtty tummy.

Sleep: Hasnt been so hot since I have been sick. More tossing and turning and some back problems. The heating pad and I were good friends last week, but things are looking up. I am regaining control of my nights sleep.

Best moment this week: We got our new car and lots of celebrations (Amy's 25th Surprise and Marissa's Bridal Shower!)

Worst moment this week: Getting sick, my back problems, the drapes came and I was not happy with them.... back to the seamstress they go.

Movement: All day long. Lots more rolling and visible movement. I have a feeling a foot print or handprint is coming soon! I need to video this. Time to learn how to use video and post.

Food cravings: milk (which Im avoiding at the present moment bc of my sore throat), cottage cheese (protein!), matzo ball soup, hot tea, sushi.

Gender prediction: This won't change. For sure a BOY :)

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but its apperance seems to change daily!

Wedding rings on or off? Still on...

Weekly Wisdom: wash hands constantly! make sure you know where a bathroom is at all times (I went 15+ times on Sunday) and..."having a pregnant wife has its perks" - philip (we have received some exceptional service as a result of me being pregnant ha!)

Milestones: I no longer can run outside (only on a treadmill). I am running to the bathroom constantly and feel like my bladder is ALWAYS full :)

Looking forward to next week: My cousins baby shower in Charleston and my baby shower with my Charlotte GIRLS!!!!!

Nursery Update:

As I mentioned....The drapes came in but they were not what I ordered so they are going back. I am picky, I admit. But I want them the way I paid/ordered them. I love the big plaid and the brown pom poms but photos will have to wait at least another 2-3 weeks. We are also waiting to hang things on the walls till we hang the drapes because we want to see how it all looks.

Matzo Ball Soup, Cough Drops and Cars

It all started off with a sore throat....

Then it moved to a hacking wheezing cough...which always happens to me because I had whopping cough years ago....

Then it kept me up all night - sitting straight up....(fun times when your 7+ months pregnant!)

Now I'd like to call this "semi sick". Really its not all that bad. But for someone that despises being sick and has avoided getting sick like the plague during my pregnancy this blows. I am anti medicine to top it off. Class A, Class C, Class X. I don't care. UNLESS I get desperate. I am not there yet.

So I am typing and sucking on Vitamin C and Sugar Free Lemon-Mint Oral Pain Reliever Throat Drops (Since I have my Glucose test this week). I'm drinking decaf hot tea like its my job and downing bowls of matzo ball soup (that I MADE!). I think I am right at the end. My body is draining (sounds pleasant doesnt it?). I am still working out because I am convinced that is how I am going to sweat all of the toxins out and I think its working. I'm going to beat this cold in under 4 days from beginning to end.

*******

Aside from getting sick we got a NEW CAR THIS WEEKEND!!!!! We have been talking about getting this car for over a year. We always lease one car and own another. My lease was going to be up in 30 days so it was time to make the move. Perfect timing with the down turn of the car industry/economy. The car gods were on our side.

We negotiated ourselves out of our last month of my beloved 2006 Honda Accord (which honestly I LOVED) and into a brand spanking new 2009 Honda Pilot. It was quite a deal especially since we looked 9 months ago and then again 3 months ago and the price wouldve been much more, even on an 08. My payment barely went up but the size of our car GREW! Here she is in all her glory. Someone in our family locally FINALLY owns an SUV - and it's US! No more mooching off our friends to pick things up at Home Depot or Lowe's- HALLELUYAH!

Our Pilot is this exact color with Tan interior :)

All things baby!

Oh baby baby....

This weekend was our first baby shower. It is real. I can't believe it. In less than 13 weeks I will not only be a mommy but I will be holding my baby in my own very arms. The morning of the baby shower Philip surprised me with a balloon and corsage (so thoughtful of him). Both of our mom's, Eliza, Grandma Pearl, Aunt Diane and Aunt Janice threw us a beautiful baby shower. All of our family and family friends were invited and it was quite a party. Unfortunately, Grandma and Janice came down with the flu and were not able to make it however there love was there in spirit.

The shower was hosted at the Brookhaven Club House (which is amazing!). Eliza's fiance Rich played the piano for the first half and hour as everyone arrived and socialized. It was such a special touch and I can not thank him enough! Chef Lori from the Temple catered the brunch and the food was delicious (as always). The weather was so gorgeous we were able to leave the front doors to the club house open the entire shower....so lovely.

We were so blessed. We got so many wonderful wonderful things for our little man.
Some noteable things are:
· 4 bumbo seats and 4 bumbo trays (all at one shower thanks to the lovely and crappy registry systems at both Babies R' Us and Target)

· My horse rocker from almost 30 years ago that my mom had refinished and a new mane and tail replaced to match the nursery. It also came with a horse riding hand knitted blanket. I almost died.... this gift is so special to me.

· Philip's mezzuzah, baby rattle, tooth brush and comb

· A hand knitted blanket from Susan Coen to match our nursery and boo boo bunnies

· The Medela Breast pump and Svan High Chair that I am obsessed with

· TONS OF BOOKS (which we LOVE!)

· My all time favorite outfit from my sister....but I am waiting to post a photo of Asher in it!
...just to name a few!

Thank you to everyone for an absolutely wonderful shower. We are so thankful to have you in our lives. Please enjoy the slideshow from the shower

Belly update: 27 weeks... 3rd trimester. Thanks to my newly positioned (anterior) placenta I have really popped out. You are pretty much staring at my placenta and not necessarily my baby. But it does make me stick out a lot more and I am indeed POINTY looking. I love my growing belly. Strangely enough I love when people touch it. I love when people ask about my pregnancy. I love spreading the word that pregnancy CAN be pleasant and that you can LOVE IT.

I was so excited when the weather warmed up so that I no longer had to bundle up and hide it! I even laid out in the backyard for some much needed Vitamin D.

For the remainder of the pregnancy I am going to complete this Survey as my belly update to keep you updated on all things belly, baby and pregnancy:

How far along? 27 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: last time we checked 12.6 lbs...but I can promise you its at least 2 more lbs since then because that was 2 weeks ago!
Maternity clothes? Yes... or long tops. I mostly spend my time in yoga pants these days but am looking forward to spring dresses and skirts. I got a taste of that this weekend.
Stretch marks? Nope and rubbing Palmer's daily! Purtty tummy.
Sleep: Like a Brick. I get up to go to the bathroom 1-2 times a night....and the frequency is picking up as I am further along. I always need a sip of water after I use the restroom.
Best moment this week: My first baby shower and seeing our little man on the 3d/4d
Worst moment this week: Getting upset/stressed about some things I have no control over. Thanks to my wonderful husband he was able to quickly turn my outlook around and cheer me up. (Which he has been exceptionally great at lately!)
Movement: All day long. Rolling, kicking, punching, turning. He does not wake me up though...which I am thankful for.
Food cravings: milk, dove chocolate (1 piece), chicken divan and sushi.
Gender prediction: This won't change. For sure a BOY :)
Labor Signs: thank goodness no :) Stay in there for at lesat another 12 weeks little man!
Belly Button in or out? Still in. I am really unsure what is going to happen with my belly button. It looks like it could go. It definitely is sore and he pushes on it constantly!
Wedding rings on or off? Still on...I lost enough weight pre-pregnancy that they were quite large so I think I will be ok wearing them the entire time.
Weekly Wisdom: Let go of the things I have no control over. Be Thankful for all of life's blessings.
Milestones: 3d/4d ultrasound, constant movement inside and out and plans for matenrity pictures during week 31 with Nicole!
Looking forward to next week: Possibly getting a new car... my mommy SUV, Honda Pilot!

Nursery Updates:

Philip ran to Ikea this weekend while we had Eliza's SUV to pick up the bookcase just in time for all of the books to arrive. All we are missing is our light fixture (that black lamp has got to go) and drapes which should be ready this weekend!

Frames I made for the Nursery

Moquito Mobile

Homemade Lamps and Frame, Ikea stand

After the weekend was over we sat back to take it all in. What a whirlwind! Philip looked at me and said, "I'm done with baby stuff for the weekend." Oh boy.... is in he for a surprise in 12 weeks. ALL BABY BABY haha. But in all seriousness. Philip has been PHENOMENAL. He has been going OUT of his way to do things for me without thinking twice. I know I have not been easy to deal with but he has been wonderful despite my moodiness!

The future Carney's

My little sister.

This weekend kicked off what will be many future wedding celebrations for Eliza and Rich, The Future Carney's. My parents threw an Engagement Party for family and friends at Upstream. We had a wonderful luncheon and got a chance to meet some of Rich's family. Everyone got along wonderfully (of course!) and it was great to see some of Eliza's friends that I had not seen in several years.

It was quite a party and I put my new little camera to work....I am still learning and getting reacquainted with my new love....and of course Philip is learning too as you can see (since I am in some of the photos).

The Bridesmaids minus Kim :(

Jen, Eliza, Me and Mary

My sister's new family...

All of their friends!

Kelly introduced Eliza and Rich...

The Jodi/e's and their husband's!

The Bass Girls....

Me and my only Sissy!

The menu.... Yum!

Chicken, Salmon or Ranch Burger

The Bride and Groom in their new aprons!

too cute for words....

more friends...

The Banner

Our family gift to them...

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...

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The groom....hahahaah!

I can't blame him. (just kidding this was staged!)

The Day Off...

After my near hellish week I needed a day off. I earned it as far as I was concerned.

I scheduled a 3d/4d Ultrasound at the Prenatal Picture here in Charlotte since I knew my sister and Grandma would be in town. I thought it would be a special treat that they would get to come (for me at least!). Unfortunately Grandma came down with the flu and Eliza's travel plans didnt pan out in time for the appointment, but the Ultrasound still went on!

Both sets of parents came.

Theatre style seating on couches. Large projection screen.

There he was in all of his glory. My handsome husband's clone.

His plump and juicy lips, his precious flared nose and (we think) his MUST HAVE clef chin!

He was everything I could've hoped for and more.

He is our baby. Our very first born.

I can' wait to set my eyes on him in another 13 weeks and hold him in my arms.

This was an opportunity to see into my incubator. To live his life for just 30 minutes.

Oh I love you... you are your father!

Philip was so sweet. He looked at me and said, "Honey I hope/bet he has your beautiful blue eyes!" I think I melted.

We found out that I have an anterior placenta which made the ultrasound a little more difficult. Don't worry an anterior placent isnt anything to worry about. It just means that for right now my placenta is in front of the baby between my belly and the baby vs in the back. This is also the reason why I have popped out so quickly these past few weeks and my belly is so pointy! There is a very high chance that it will move to a posterior position (which is a little more common). During the ultrasound you could see the placenta as a haze over his head. The umbiblical cord also was often seen floating near his stomach, arms and face. He was even holding on to the cord at times. We also saw him sucking his thumb! We walked away with several great shots and a 30 minute DVD of all the action.

He has 10 fingers and 10 toes and we are so blessed!

After the ultrasound I ran around town getting errands done before our family came in town for the Shower weekend (Eliza's Engagement and my First Baby Shower). I was exhausted by the end of the day but got the energy to go to Big Daddy's for dinner with Aunt Diane. Don't worry I ate a Turkey Burger!

After dinner we made a quick stop at Roni's Bat Mitzvah Party. If I had more energy and wasnt 6 1/2 months pregnant I would've been out there jammin with those 13 year old's. What I would do to be 13 again. They were having an ABSOLUTE BLAST!

What a wonderful and exhausting day off!

Trash TV

I cant believe I am even wasting a blog on this.

After tracking this show since its first season I am quite disgusted.

I thought they finally had it right. A great story. A great guy. A sweet kid.

WRONG.

ALL WRONG.

Trash I tell you. Absolute junk. And I get sucked in. Ridiculous.

How can you come on a show where you have already been "heartbroken" twice and do the same thing to to someone else? How can you NOT know what you want at this point in your life and reveal that to millions of viewers? How can you walk away and actually be ok with being seen in public!?

This guy needs theraphy. He has no clue what he wants just like oh so many men out there that break my single friend's hearts on a regular basis. I depsise you. Even worse is the pathetic girl who took him back after he dumped her on live national television.

In past seasons I knew things wouldnt work out. It was mostly entertainment. But this time I thought I was wrong. Oh ABC, I bet you staged this. This was in your plans all along and you paid them good money to shed some tears on live national television.

This should be called: The Bachelor meets Jerry Springer

meets

Gag me! What a waste!

Airport Humor

I was wearing this very same velour zip up jacket. I probably look just like this girl in size.
I approached airport security. Removed my real houndstooth jacket and scarf.
Put it in the bin.
The lady asked me to remove the stuff from my pocket's in my velour top.
There was NOTHING in my pockets. Just a baby in my belly.
I explained this clearly.
She asked again.
I repeated, "Ma'am I am pregnant"
She asked again.
I was about to rip her head off, but decided against this idea since it was afterall airport security.
As I rubbed my belly I repeated nicely, "Ma'am this ia maternity top, I am pregnant, there is a baby in there and there is nothing in my pocket's"

No response. She just stared at me like I had flat out lied to her.
I swear I look pregnant!?

Oy vey. Now I know why your not supposed to travel pregnant lol.

Achoooo!

IKEA IS OPEN.....and I saw it with my own eyes!

I had a wild idea that I wanted to go to IKEA (yeah its only been open for 2 weeks). I am sure it was because I was "Nesting", but then again I always Nest. I reoganized and cleaned out my dresser drawers and the entire art room (partially because all of our family is coming this upcoming weekend for my sister's engagement party and a family baby shower). I was determined to get what we needed for the nursery and get it done now. This week would be too busy with a business trip to KY.


The husband complained the entire car ride because in all honesty it was POURING. But I HAD to go to IKEA. Go figure. We ended up having a grand ole time till I about had a temper tantrum because the bookcase I wanted to buy for the nursery was to big for our car. I settled on a cinnamon bun. Great compromise, right? Thank god my lease is up next month and we will be getting an SUV.

We enjoyed all things IKEA... the cafeteria, the showrooms, the kids section, furniture and the pushing people. We are thankful that our house is fully furnished and decorated because that place could get someone into a lot of trouble.

We ended up buying several things and one of them was a small table for Asher's nursery. Philip enjoyed putting it together with the "help of my dad". You can see how helpful my dad was!

Happy Birthday Mom & Dad!

The Bass parent's happen to be one day and two years apart so every year we are blessed with a double birthday celebration on March 1st and 2nd.


Unfortunately our bowling & dinner birthday plans got squashed when we got hit with a huge snow storm around 5 PM on Sunday so we decided to get together for some good ole take out from Brooklyn Pizza. We all enjoyed chicken parmesean, pizza and salad. For dessert we had a lovely chocolate and oreo birthday cake.

Pregnancy Update:

This week marks the beginning of my 3rd trimester at 26 weeks!

There is no more hiding the fact that I AM INDEED PREGNANT! I feel fantastic STILL and am waiting for the workouts to start getting harder. I've done great this week with cutting out cheeseburger's, french fries and limiting the Oreo's. I am sure it will pay off in more weight gain regardless... I'm pregnant afterall. Friday we go for our 3d/4d Ultrasound and we can't wait to see Asher again on the big screen! We havent seen him since my 20 weeks check up and this will probably be the last time we see him before he is in our very own hands! My sister and grandma will also be in town in time for the Ultrasound and they will get their first peak out their new Nephew/Great Grandson! So far no stretch marks and no dark line down my belly. I can see my face changing as my belly grows...but I sure do love it.

Pregnancy Secret: Achooooo! I finally sneezed and accidentally peed (just a tiny, dont worry....no need to get out the Depends yet!) Yup. Everyone talked about it and I did it twice this weekend. I guess I need to make sure my bladder is fully empty all of the time from now on!

We finished our Bradley classes and we are really excited about our plans for an ALL Natural Birth. No drugs, no epidural, no IV, no nada. (we are flexible though...FYI) Our birth plan is typed up and ready to go! I'm praciting my kegels, squats, hip tilts, rocks and hoping my little man is heading in the right direction!