HUNDRED

We are ONE HUNDRED days away from our due date … see ya later, 3-digits!

Last weekend we went to Pittsburgh, PA for a family wedding in celebration of a beautiful couple, Greg + Susan.  My family is spread across the miles, literally from coast-to-coast.  So, being together again resurrected a collection of old memories and also created new ones - many of which I am still laughing about! The wedding reception was at Heinz Field, which was a little sliver of heaven for Jonny and me. Even though March Madness is a blast (especially as proud residents of Indianapolis), we are SO ready for football season to start. And after our Pittsburgh trip, Baby P has a collection of black + gold fashions for the 2013 season. Thanks for Jonny's birthday gifts, Mama Dub + Rachel!! GO STEELERS!! 

Steelers Onesies + Bib ... HERE WE GO!

We were given a tour of the Hall of Fame at Heinz Field and a security guard even escorted us into the stands for some photos. In honor of Week 25, we took a picture in front of the 25 yard-line:

25 Yard Line @ Heinz Field ... 15 weeks to go! 

I had another baby dream this week … this time about a boy!  I dreamt that the doctor wrote the results of my glucose tolerance test on the inside of one of my favorite cookbooks (so weird, I know). The note said that my glucose results were normal, but that I was having “a very large BABY BOY.” Eeeeekkkkkk!!! So, my girl:boy dream ratio is now 5:2. For whatever reason, I’m still thinking girl … 

The most fun development this week is that Baby P’s hair color is defined. We are so very curious about what color it will be. I keep wondering if maybe the baby will get Jonny’s blue eyes and my brown hair: a little smidgen of us both!

25 week chalkboard photo --- crazy to look at this one vs. the one we took week 17! 

VIABLE

Baby P’s heartbeat pounded proudly & strongly again at this week’s doctor’s appointment: 145 BPM! And we learned that week 24 is a milestone because our baby is considered “viable.” In the laymen’s terms, “viable” means that our baby could now survive outside the womb thanks to neonatal intensive care and technology.  Knowing this information gives me wonderful relief, but also makes me wish there was a happier word than “viable” to describe the joyous news. Viable sounds very sterile - like cold metal.  Someone should invent a warmer word. I’ll get right on that…

I have read that weeks 24-28 are some of the most active weeks because the baby has motor skills and plenty of room to move around.  So far, that information has proved correct … our wiggleworm is very wiggly, especially after a meal or a workout. Sometimes it’s hard for Jonny to feel, so this week we tried playing music close to my tummy to see if that would ignite a big kick, but nothing happened. Maybe that’s just the baby’s way of telling us he’s calmest when our hands are on top of him?

I had two more baby dreams this week and the baby was a girl in both. So my girl:boy dream ratio is now 5:1. It’s going to be such a big surprise when we finally find out!

We had our 2^nd childbirth prep class this week and a NEW instructor, who was fantastic. She spoke to us about the rollercoaster of emotions that parents go through after labor --- that even though the pregnancy is over, the real journey is just beginning!  She also gave a very well-rounded education on medical interventions and comfort measures to use during labor.  Jonny says his favorite technique is the “wrap-around hug” – when he stands behind me and lifts up on my stomach to take weight off my pelvis and spine. I don’t think my tummy is big enough to fully enjoy the benefits of this yet, but I’ll never tire of receiving his foot & back rubs!  Finally, I made a hilarious friend in class who is 36 weeks into her pregnancy and lives near us in Broad Ripple. We exchanged numbers and have planned a date for next week!

Today is Jonny’s birthday and we are headed to Pittsburgh for my cousin Gregory’s wedding. The reception will be held at Heinz Field … home to the STEELERS (“here we go”)!  Another city to add to Baby P’s travel map: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=200492718152374733412.0004d4969fc41f7542181&msa=0

SHAMROCK

It’s week 24 and it’s St. Patrick’s Day! Our little shamrock is 12” long, weighs 1 pound, and only 16 weeks away from joining our family. I remember finding out we were pregnant and being told that we would have to wait 3 weeks until our first doctor’s appointment. Those initial 21 days of waiting dragged on-and-on, but time since then has been flying! So much so, that we forgot to take a chalkboard picture last week (whoops)! Week 24 is below:

Week 24 - Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This past week we had our first Childbirth Prep Class. Overall, it was super informative and I am glad we are going, but the instructor and I had a moment where our horns locked a bit.  I asked her how we should know "when" to go to the hospital such that it won't be too late to receive the epidural. She replied "it's never too late to have an epidural." She was one of those childbirth-should-be-a-natural-thing-and-it's-so-easy kind of instructors --- the kind that no information-seeking first-time-parents appreciate having.  I gave her an eye-gesture that read "that’s not what I have heard" and shared that I have at least 5 girlfriends who arrived at the hospital and were told they were too far along into labor to receive one.  After saying this, the instructor repeated herself and said "it is never too late to have an epidural."   Insert Sarcasm: Thanks for the super helpful answer to my question. I'm pregnant ... not deaf!    Despite this hiccup, Jonny and I did laugh a lot --- especially through the breathing exercises. Never one to be shy or embarrassed in a crowd of strangers, Jonny put A LOT of enthusiasm into his exhales ("aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!").  

We celebrated Jonny’s birthday this weekend with an Indianapolis bar crawl. It was a St. Patrick’s Day celebration filled with green-tongues, leprechauns, kilts, and so many of our crazy-fun friends!  In some ways it felt like closing a chapter filled with responsibility-free birthdays, but in other ways it felt like a kick-off to all future birthdays that will include the best gift of all: our little shamrock. Our friends were all so gracious to ask lots of questions about the baby … and a few of them touched my belly and enjoyed imagining something the size of a spaghetti squash fidgeting around inside.

Jonny + Justin's Irish Jig - Top of the Mornin'

Indianapolis Bar Crawl - Happy St. "Pritchard" Day!

I have received 2 baby shower invitations and they are so totes adorbs that I had to post pictures.  Both of these were personally designed and created by the shower hosts themselves, so if you ever want a gorgeously unique invitation for an event, lemme know and I’ll connect you to my girls!

Indianapolis shower hosted by Lindsay and Pam

Cincinnati Shower hosted by Jenn, Mel, + Anne

We have a 24 week appointment with the doctor is this coming Tuesday --- time to hear our favorite heartbeat again! 

ELBOW

Bye-Bye tummy flutters … Baby P has started to jab, poke, rumble-and-roll!

This past weekend we visited my family in San Francisco to celebrate “Kiki’s” (my mom’s) birthday. We took a coastal drive south to the city of Carmel, which was just like a little corner of Europe. It’s a town complete with dog-walking, hotels with no elevators, ornate gift shops, and cobblestone patios. Carmel even smells like Europe with all the bakeries, which keep their front & back doors open to let the smells of fresh sourdough permeate the streets.   We also visited the Pebble Beach Golf Course, where the grass is an unbelievable color of green and the sunsets make you realize just how far “West” you’re standing. I had a moment on the beach where I realized that I was one of the last people in America to see that day’s sun … it was breathtaking & so peaceful.    The trip to Pebble inspired me to want to play my first-ever round of golf, which I did on my parent’s course (Stonebrae) on the last day of our trip.  I had a few strokes of beginner’s luck and even more strokes of embarrassment, but Jonny and my family are GREAT golfers and they gave me lots of tips. Playing golf is always more fun than watching from the sidelines and as it turns out, golf is excellent exercise – especially when you have to chase the ball all over the course like I did (ha)! 

Pebble Beach Golf Course 

Jonny & I (and baby) with feet in the Pebbles 

Kiki (birthday girl) and I watching the sun go down! 

Mama Dub + Jonny at Bird Rock 

After our trip to Carmel we were treated to an overnight stay at the Fairmont Hotel in Nob Hill (downtown SanFran). We had a dee-licious birthday-girl dinner at a teeny Italian restaurant called Venticello and then returned to the hotel where Korey had a surprise for us:  a trip to The Tonga Room in the hotel basement. The Tonga Room is a bar with a gigantic pool in the middle of the room and floating on the pool is a large boat that carries a 4-man band. During certain songs (“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” – CCR), the ceiling would erupt with noise and rain would actually start falling into the pool. Korey drank a cocktail out of a pineapple and my mom tore up the dance floor (“Play that Funky Music”)!  It was really fun to see how much my family has come into their own in San Francisco and we absolutely loved visiting our “home” on the West Coast!  

Korey's Pineapple Delight @ Tonga Room 

View from Fairmont Hotel (see the cable car + the bay?)

Nice view, JP  (Stonebrae TPC)

Kiki taught me that when you're mentally done with a hole, you say "I'M IN!" 

Dad, you are lookin' good big-guy! :) 

Love our beautiful family! 

Proof that I played ... and that I don't know how to swing (ha)! 

One night after returning home to Indy, we were watching TV when I felt a little poke on the lower right side of my abdomen. I gave Jonny a look that said, “What the heck was that??”  He put his hand on my stomach and after about 10 more minutes we felt another jab. This time we both looked at each other with big eyes that said, “Did you feel that too??” And no imagination about it, our Baby P was provoking us with a little knee or elbow. I was over-the-moon that we experienced that moment together! I’m sure the “kicks” will start getting bigger & bigger as our pregnancy progresses!

22 WEEKS and LOVING IT! 

Until next time San Francisco! 

Here are some other little updates:

·         BELLY: I can no longer see my toes when I stand in the shower and this makes me laugh. 

·         EXERCISE: I continue to love my Barre class, the elliptical, and Yoga, but they are getting much harder.  It kind of feels like I have an inner-tube around my stomach. Thankfully the weather is turning warmer and I’m sure walks outside will soon become a big part of my routine.

·         CRAVINGS:  Sweets (in moderation)!  Cookies, brownies, ice cream … you name it.  

·         CLOTHES:  I’m in full-blown maternity clothes now, which I am having fun with! Even my workout tops are fitting more snuggly, so it’s time for a shopping trip (WhooHoo)!

·         NURSERY: We have all of our nursery furniture assembled! Soon we’ll be painting the walls, filling the drawers with onesies, and making the bed. Our bedding has evolved from a chevron-pattern to more of a blue/green stripe/diamond palate.  Conley peeks in the nursery every day to see if anything has changed (and/or to try & steal one of the baby’s stuffed animals) … I wonder if he knows a baby is coming??

·          BOY/GIRL: Everyone keeps guessing that I’m having a boy. Any guesses from you readers??