My 2011 Book List (a little late)

If you've known me for any length of time, you know that I absolutely love to read. It has been my hobby for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I could put down a chapter book a day if I wasn't in school. Vacations were taken with bags full of books and I would usually finish them all. When we went to Florida a few years ago, I read all my books and had to go to the store to get a few more. There is absolutely nothing more relaxing to me then sitting down with a good book.

I also love getting recommendations for books. My mom and I have similar taste in books, so we are often recommending books to one another. I've also found a lot of great blogs this past year that have suggested some great books. I will be forever thankful to Mojito Maven for blogging about The Hunger Games Trilogy. FANTASTIC. I could write a lot about those books; I don't even like science fiction but I couldn't read them fast enough. I actually was reading The Hunger Games when I found out I was pregnant but couldn't tell anyone (more on that soon). That book kept me company on a few sleepless nights when all I could think was OHMYGOSHI'MPREGNANTANDNOONEKNOWSANDOHMYGOSHI'MPREGNANT.

Anyway.

I do. I love to read. Going to the library is absolutely one of my favorite activities and it always has been. Cincinnati has a fantastic library system and the main library downtown is one of my favorite parts of living in this city. I am hoping that in the next year or so, I will get a Kindle as a gift (we're trying to save money, THANKS DAVE RAMSEY), but I really do love holding an actual book. I'm not big into buying books because I know I can get them at the library for free. Actually, I take that back. I am big into buying books that I write in, i.e. books about spiritual growth. There are a few books below that I will be buying so that I can write in them. However, most will be checked out at the library and I am totally okay with that.

This is my list of books that I want to read in 2011. I know there will be more because due to being in the car a lot (trips to Michigan, you know), I get a lot of reading done. I am so thankful that I don't get carsick when I read. I also am a very fast reader. I actually have three of these books finished already, which is why I didn't assign them to specific months. I may read three books per month, I may not even finish one. I do realize that in about 5ish weeks, a new person will be coming to live at our house and my free time will be limited, but I think that reading will give me the peaceful break that I need whenever I can get it. I will also try to review the book when I'm finished with it-- emphasis on the word TRY. I'm pretty sure I don't know what's about to hit me in 5 weeks, but you never know! I have a whole list of things I need to blog about right now and I don't have a person relying on me for their every need... not too promising! Oh, well.

Month 1-- Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks Finished!

Month 2-- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls Finished!

Month 3-- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Month 4-- The School for Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister Finished!

Month 5-- Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love by Larry Levin

Month 6-- One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

Month 7-- The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Month 8-- Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Month 9-- Decision Points by George W. Bush

Month 10-- Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Month 11-- Radical by David Platt

Month 12-- The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian

If you have read any of these, I would love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear those as well. I'm always looking for good book! I am on Goodreads as well-- come and find me!  

32 and 33 Weeks

I'm going to have to upload my 33 week picture later-- whoops!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 32 and 33 weeks

Size of Baby: At 32 weeks, he weighed 3.75 pounds and was the size of a large jicama, whatever the heck that is. He was also about 16 inches long. At 33 weeks, he is a little over 4 pounds and is the size of a pineapple! It honestly does feel and look like I've swallowed something that is equivalent to the size of a a whole pineapple.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 23 pounds and NO, I don't want to talk about it.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants (other than yoga/sweat pants) and a mix of maternity/ non-maternity shirts. I did find a random pair of pants from Gap Body that my friend Debbie gave me and I have been living in those!

Gender: Boy! I think he has a name. I might be giving into Tyler's choice... might.

Movement: He still moves a ton, but it's a lot of slower movements. I think he's getting a little cramped. Sorry, little buddy! I love feeling specific body parts, like his teeny legs and feet. Pregnancy is such an awesome miracle; I'm not sure how anyone who has been pregnant could say there isn't a God! 

Sleep: I wake up once or twice in the middle of the night. I also sleep with approximately 54 pillows which is really pleasant for Tyler.

What I Miss: I guess I miss not having a tiny person cramming his feet into my ribs. :)

Cravings: Oooooh, slurpees! I want them all the time!

Symptoms: There are things I cannot share on this blog that I am experiencing. They are not fun. I guess if I think of symptoms, I would just say that I am feeling way pregnant in every possible way. And... I love it. :)

Best Moment This Week: I had my first baby shower! I must share pictures soon and I promise I will! The shower was thrown by a dear family friend, Suzy, and it was fabulous. Suzy and her husband, Mike, are like second parents to me-- I love them so much. I actually found out I was pregnant while I was up north at their cottage this summer. It killed me not to say anything, but I'm pretty sure they just knew. I don't hide things super well. Anyway, the shower was perfect and I can't wait to post about it. One of the best parts was that their daughter, Jesse, who is absolutely one of my favorite people on Earth, flew in from Denver to surprise me. It was the BEST BEST BEST! I can't wait to share more about it, but it was an amazing day. This baby is so loved by so many people!  

31 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Size of Baby: He is over 16 inches long and weighs around 3.3 pounds. He is the size of four navel oranges and is about to start a growth spurt!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: As of Tuesday, I have gained 20 pounds. Gulp.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants (other than yoga/sweat pants) and a mix of maternity/ non-maternity shirts.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: He is still moving a lot and now that I know he is head down, I can identify some of his limbs! I love when he moves slowly and I can feel with my hand his little legs or knees. On Sunday, he was moving like a wild man and Tyler got to watch my belly move back and forth all on its own. It was funny to see his reaction! :)

Sleep: Oh, sleep. How I miss thee and my melatonin. I can always fall asleep super fast, but it just depends on the night whether or not I can sleep all the way through. On Thursday, I was just so exhausted that I got the best nights sleep I've had in ages. It was glorious! I think my body is just getting ready for a tiny person who doesn't care if it's 3 AM or not.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my back and not worrying about him constantly. Welcome to the rest of my life-- ha!

Cravings: Still Vernors and sweet things. I actually fluctuate between Vernors and Cherry 7 Up.

Symptoms: A little bit of heartburn and some odd pains in different places. Anytime I have ANY pain, I get nervous. I also keep running into things with my stomach. Apparently I have misjudged my size. Yesterday, I hit a kid in the head with my stomach while I was walking around the room. WHOOPS! 

Best Moment This Week: We got his crib and crib mattress! Hooray! Also, we had a fantastic doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Have I mentioned that I absolutely LOVE my doctor? Actually, there are two. They are the only ones in the practice, so it gives me a lot of peace to know my OB pretty well. We went over my birth plan with him and he was incredibly supportive of our decision to go natural-- he actually prefers to deliver naturally! I am so thankful that God provided him to deliver our son. Seriously, huge blessing. Also, I found out that a woman I work with had her second son with my doctor! We talked about him for a long time and she made me feel even more positive about him. God already has his hand on this birth-- I know that for a fact!

30 Weeks

I feel like I put a disclaimer before every picture, but here I go again. I had just found out that my childhood dog, Georgie, had died, so I am looking rough. Oh, well. I am also currently 31 weeks pregnant, so I'm almost caught up!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of baby: He is about 16 inches long and weighs almost 3 pounds! He is the size of a head of cabbage.

 Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still 18 pounds, but I have a feeling my scale is of the broken nature. It never fluctuates. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing!

 Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but a combination of maternity and normal shirts.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: He is a restless little thing! I am now to the point where I can actually feel limbs and things! CRAZY! Feeling him move has really been one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. There is nothing like it!

Sleep: I'm still waking up in the middle of the night, but last night, I slept pretty soundly. However, I was exhausted, so maybe that's the key!

What I miss: Sleeping on my back!

Cravings: I never used to be like this, but every night after supper, I always need something sweet! It doesn't have to be a lot, but I absolutely NEED something!

Symptoms: I have the occasional bout of heartburn, but thanks to the Tums that my dad gave me, it goes away pretty quickly. I also am feeling some pressure in some odd places in my stomach depending on the time of day. I'm guessing it's due to his position.

Best Moment this week: We finally picked his bedding! HALLELUJAH! It was a hard choice for me to make, but once I decided, I haven't had one second thought. I love it SO much. I can't wait to see what his room will look like when we have it all put together! I love Glenna Jean bedding and knew that I wanted something from this line. I am so tickled!

 

28 and 29 Weeks

   

I think my New Years Resolution needs to be focused on being a better blogger. Oops. I have the pictures, just not the blog entries! With the craziness that is visiting both of our families for Christmas, I actually forgot to take an actual picture for 29 weeks The picture above is from the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party with our friends in Michigan. I guess it's better than nothing!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28, then 29 weeks

Size of baby: At 28 weeks, he was about 2 1/4 pounds like a Chinese cabbage! He was approximately 14.8 inches from head to heel. At 29 weeks, he is 2 1/2 pounds like a butternut squash! He is just a little over 15 inches and growing!

 Total Weight Gain/Loss: My scale still has me at 18 pounds. I feel better about this. Not great, but certainly better! I know that this is the time where the pounds really start to come on as the baby grows and grows. Yay for a growing baby! 

 Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but a combination of maternity and normal shirts.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: He moves a lot! He gets a little crazy in the morning and the evening and after I eat. 

Sleep: I can fall asleep very easily but am having trouble with waking up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. This has not been so fun. 

What I miss: Sleeping through the night, but I know I need to get used to my new normal! :)

Cravings: Vernors Ginger Ale! This is a Michigan based soda, but thankfully they sell it here!

Symptoms: Nothing that I can think of at the moment!

Best Moment this week: Right before Christmas, I was given the most precious gift for our baby boy. A sweet friend at my school who is a fabulous quilter made the baby a play quilt! I really need to get a picture of it to put on here. It is full of bright colors and the most fun squares that she chose. It is large and soft and will be the perfect thing for the baby to lie on while he is playing on the floor. When she gave it to me, I cried. This has not been an easy year for me at work. I actually have a fabulous and pretty easy class, but there have been some other things that have been hard. Getting this quilt was just the most precious reminder that there are people there who love and care about me and the baby. I know that in my heart, but it was so amazing to get such a tangible reminder. It is so fun to look at and think about what a special thing it will be for the baby! 

26 and 27 Weeks

I have been crazy busy, so I'm combining these updates. I am 28 weeks TOMORROW, so I thought I'd better get on the ball and post!

 

Pregnancy Highlights: 

How Far Along: 26, then 27 weeks

Size of baby: At 26 weeks, he was about a pound and two-thirds and was the length of a hothouses cucumber (I actually know what those are, thank you, Food Network), which is about 14 inches. Now at 27 weeks, he is about 2 pounds and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. All in all, they compare him to a head of cauliflower!

 Total Weight Gain/Loss: Why did I put this part on here? Sigh. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I have gained a total of... 18 pounds. Whew, that is hard to type. I know I'm supposed to be gaining weight, though. I asked my doctor several times if I was gaining too much weight and he assured me that he feels as though I am right on track. Alright, pity party OVER.

 Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants, but a combination of maternity and normal shirts. Gender: Boy!

Movement: He moves all the time. It's my favorite thing! I looooove that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can always feel him rolling around in there.

Sleep: I'm still sleeping great!

What I miss: Cookie dough. I'm in the midst of all my holiday baking planning and I feel sad that I can't indulge in my favorite holiday treat (the dough).

Cravings: Food in general. That's not really anything new, though!

Symptoms: This isn't a symptom, but it's getting harder and harder to tie my shoes and put socks on. I don't do very well bending over, either. My big old belly keeps getting in the way! 

Best Moment this week: Ty and I went to Babies 'R Us on Sunday and looked at cribs and rockers. I love going in that store and thinking about how our house will be overrun with baby gear soon! We are also still working on the name and it's fun to talk over those things together. I just love the new level that this pregnancy is giving to our marriage! One sad moment was that our Bradley class met for the last time. We absolutely loved the sweet woman that taught our class and I am so thankful to have her as a resource during my pregnancy and upcoming labor. I need to write a post on the class soon! It was fantastic.

 

Thank you so much for all your sweet encouragement in many different forms about my discouragement last week. I am feeling a lot better-- thank you, Lord! I do think that a lot of it is hormones, but I also need to learn to be not so stinking sensitive! I'm working on it. :)

Christmas Cards

Last year was the first year I sent out photo Christmas cards. I really enjoyed the process of picking out a picture and finding the perfect card. I think there is something so special about getting a Christmas card with a picture on it. I love seeing how children have grown and how families have progressed throughout the year. Getting the mail is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season simply because of Christmas cards! It always has been. I get so excited to go home at Christmas and go through my parent's basket of Christmas cards as well.

I have never used Shutterfly before, but after taking some time to browse the products that they offer, I feel like it would be hard to use another company! Everything is so quality and professional, and the process is easy for someone who gets frustrated with technology sometimes (me).

I love, love, love their photo holiday cards and I think that this one is my favorite. I hope they have it around next year, because I think it is a darling option for a family.

I also think that their Christmas invitations are just perfect. We are having our small group Christmas party on Sunday and the girls are doing a cookie swap. If it were a bigger event with just women (and I had more money), I would love to send out this invitation. Maybe next year!

I also think that it would be fun to make a family photo calendar next year. If I'd thought of it earlier, I would have done one the last few years. My aunt used to do one for our grandparents. Maybe that's a 2011 Christmas gift idea! I also love the calendar poster. If I were going back to work after the baby is born, it would be a fun way to have a calendar to see his sweet face everyday!

Shutterfly is obviously a great company that offers many different photo products. It's great to have Christmas cards be an easy part of the holiday season! Merry Christmas!