Dog Days Are Over...

Have you guys heard that song? Its totally rad...even though the video is super weird. Check it out.

Dog days are over is also a good way to describe the changes that are going to happen in our house over the next few months. For about 3 years now our puppies have been the apple of our eye. We have called them our babies and spoiled the rotten. Well they are in for a big surprise because a real baby is coming soon!

Are you wondering how we are going to handle a newborn and 4 rambunctious puppies all at the same time!?! Well we were wondering too so we've been doing some research and asking around. We've come up with a few strategies we plan to use in order to make it a smooth transition for everyone (including our 4 first borns :)

One of the first tips we heard was to let the dogs in the baby's room before he is born. They say its important for that new room not to be a mystery to the dogs once the baby comes. Of course, when he comes they will only be allowed in there if we are in there with them. But for now, we are letting the dogs sniff everything they want to in that room so they get comfortable with the changes in "stuff" in there.

Probably the tip we heard the most was to bring home one of the baby's blankets from the hospital and let the dogs smell it before we bring the baby home. This is supposed to get the dogs used to the baby's scent before we bring him home. We plan to do that.

Another tip was to make sure and set aside some special time for each pet, to make sure they don't feel abandoned or slighted after the baby comes. Of course, we won't be able to devote the time and energy to the dogs they are used to but we are going to try our best to pay attention to each of them everyday so they won't get mad at the baby. After all we are their mommy and daddy too! Besides how could you not find some time to cuddle these adorable faces?

We've already made some changes around here to get ready for the baby. We used to let the dogs cuddle on our bed and even let Freckles sleep with us at night. We have stopped that a few months ago and it seems to be going fine. We don't want any accidents with a dog jumping up on the bed if the baby is on there too. They have adjusted well to this change and we hope they will have no problem adjusting to the other changes when the baby comes!

I'm sure we will have much more adjusting to do when the baby comes but hopefully we can all become one big, happy family!

Wish us luck!

29 Weeks...Kinda Scary!

I just need to get this out of the way: the second trimester rocks and I miss it so much. I am glad to be progressing in my pregnancy and glad the baby is growing and getting bigger but this third trimester stuff is really difficult. I mentioned before that it seemed like as soon as I hit the 3rd trimester mark, I started with the tell tale symptoms. Well that certainly has continued. I didn't expect to feel so uncomfortable so quickly. This week I have really noticed how heavy my belly is feeling. I guess it makes sense for that to happen but I didn't expect it. The belly is really getting in my way now and restricts what I can. Also, the baby is kicking super hard now. He wakes me up all the time with his kicks and makes me stop what I'm doing when I'm awake because they are so strong.

I knew going into the 3rd trimester that things could start to get serious. Well as usual, my pregnancy lived up to that! We had a bit of a scare this week. I had been having some pains and feeling pressure so I called the nurse line and they were pretty concerned. They said to call the doctor right away because those could be signs of preterm labor. I called the doctor that night but couldn't get in till noon the next day. Everything turned out fine, and I wasn't having labor. He said I should just try to take it easy and let him know if I develop any contractions or any other symptoms. But that was really scary for a minute there! Because of that scary situation, I decided not to go on my last work trip next week. I don't think getting on a plane and working long hours is a good idea right now. Luckily, my work was very understanding.

Here's how huge the belly is this week:

So this 3rd trimester really is no joke. As it gets closer to the due date, I'm having a much harder time sleeping, probably also because my belly is so uncomfortable now. I also am having a harder time with worrying all night long. So that's no fun! I used to be able to go right back to sleep every night after getting up to pee but now sometimes I just start thinking and worrying and I can't fall back asleep! It sucks! I guess that is how its going to be from now as a mother, so I should just get used to it!

Steve and I took our first childbirth/preparation class this weekend. It was a loooong day. We went from 9am to 4pm. We learned a lot and the class was pretty interesting. It was also a lot of information to take in so I hope we can remember it all! We have that class again next weekend. Also, next weekend is my first baby shower! I'm so excited!

This week the baby's muscles and lungs are maturing. His head is also growing bigger this week to fit his brain that continues to develop! Keep growing your head baby, make room for that brain! Here's how the baby is looking this week:

Exciting Moment of the Week: Well I dunno about good exciting, but we did have some excitement trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Luckily everything turned out ok and Steve and I are praying for a smooth rest of the pregnancy, no more "excitement".

What I am Missing this Week: A good night's sleep! Its so hard to sleep with this belly in the way and I am really missing being able to just lay however I want in bed and turn over with no problems. Its a process just to get adjusted in bed now!

Symptoms this Week: Well I think I've complained enough about those already! :)

Obsessions this Week: Steve and I were really excited for the childbirth class this week. We really liked the teacher, and felt like it was a great opportunity to ask a ton of questions. We both learned a lot, I think.

Message to the Baby: Baby, we are super excited that you are going to be coming in the next 10 weeks or so. Just don't come too early!!! We love you and want you to develop as much as you can before you come into this world.