29 years and 35 weeks

Happy Birthday to Me!
Posing for a photo contest to win Coconut Water

Today is my 29th birthday and I am 35 weeks pregnant. This will be the last birthday I will celebrate before I am forever known as "Mom" to someone. Today has been a busy day. Nick and I started with our first baptism class this morning at St. Louis Catholic Church. The class will meet each Sunday for 4 weeks.  After class we went to eat breakfast and then ran some errands. What I really wanted for my birthday was a pedicure. My feet have been aching and swollen a lot the last couple weeks. Nick and I both got deluxe pedicures and enjoyed the massage and paraffin wax treatments. It was Nick's first time to have a pedicure. It was a nice treat!

 This weekend we have been busy getting more prepared for the baby's arrival. Nick finished assembling the dresser and last night finished laundering all the baby's clothes. She has a LOT of cute clothes and will be well-dressed in her infancy. We also put the Pack 'n Play together and have continued to buy diapers and wipes with our other purchases when we go to the store. Tomorrow night we will go to Seton Williamson Hospital for our tour of the maternity ward and see where this blessed event will happen. Nick is really excited about that. Oh, and what I am really happy about it my birthday present from Nick. He got me a Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. He had the bag filled with wrapped goodies such as wipes, lotions, and other baby accessories to keep us clean and organized. Nick really likes buying things for the baby and I have to keep an eye on him because he can go a little crazy at Buy Buy Baby store.

Tortie on the outside looking in as we prepare baby's room

Assembling Pack n' Play

Nick relaxes at the nail salon

Yaso Visits Austin

On Friday, my friend Yaso flew into town from New York City. I met Yaso back at UT on the first day of classes in 2001. She and I were in the same calculus II class and she helped me get through that treacherous semester of math, which felt like a foreign language to me! Over the years, we have stayed in touch. I visited her in San Francisco in 2005 and she came to our wedding there in 2009. In 2011 we visited in her NY, where she lives and works. She has a very exciting career in the beauty industry and has come a long way since our days at the University. It was great seeing her and hanging out this weekend.

Yaso and Me at the Four Seasons, Austin

We started our day with a breakfast at Kerbey Lane and then went to campus and walked around a bit, but it was too hot to spend much time outside. We ended up at Jim-Jim's for a water ice and then came back to the apartment to spend time in the pool. That night we had dinner on the East side at a Mexican Cantina, Papi Tinos, and finished up at the bars on Rainey Street. On Saturday, Nick joined us and we had brunch at South Congress Cafe, did some shopping, stopped for Macarons at La Patisserie and then another round at Jim-Jim's. More pool time was followed by dinner at House Pizza and drinks at the Four Seasons before we went to watch the bats on Congress Street Bridge. Phew! What a weekend.

Baby Bassett will be in high fashion

Yaso came bearing gifts, too. She is very excited about the baby and loves shopping for baby clothes. She bought the most precious dress from Janie & Jack and the softest blanket I have ever felt from Tourance, a French company. And for me, she came with a wonderful stash of makeup products. What a treat!

Assembly required

Today, Nick and I went and bought a dresser for the baby and have begun to assemble. Over the last two weekends we have been getting more items, such as a pack n' play, rock n' sleeper, diapers and other odd and ends. The baby has a lot of really cute clothes. We are also on the lookout for a rocker/glider, but having a hard time finding one that suits someone tall like me. We have about 5 weeks until the due date and it's coming quick!

Head Down

Today was my 33 week appointment with Dr. Brown. She performed an ultrasound and I was delighted to hear that Baby is already in good position with her head down, ready to be born! Her heart rate is 133 bpm today and things are looking good! In two weeks I will go back and have a pelvic exam to check my cervix and after that I will see the doctor weekly to monitor my blood pressure and urine. So far I have gained 23 pounds and I think that is pretty good.

Tomorrow I have an appointment to meet the pediatrician, Dr. Miller at noon for an hour-long class. I am just checking things off the list now. Last night we bought the stroller frame and an extra car set base for Nick's car. All we really need now is a rocker/glider, dresser and breastfeeding pump. We will also get a crib, but don't plan on having it right away.

The doctor asked me how I was feeling and I told her that I am now starting to feel more aches and pains. She said "it's only going to get worse!" She said that I should do whatever I need to do now because once the baby is here, it will be too difficult to leave the house and that cars are actually the most dangerous threat to babies. After hearing her say this, it made me really glad that we are living in The Domain. I dont think that I will face the risk of isolation like I would have if we were still in Pflugerville. Dr. Brown encouraged daily walks and sunshine. I think the Baby and I will be quite content window shopping and going to the tea shop in her early weeks...and hopefully we will have plenty of visitors to keep us company!

My Wishes for You

I realized that after the shower, everyone left "Wishes for Baby" except me! So here are mine...

I hope you learn at an early age the importance of being able to say "no" (just not to Me!).
I hope you aren't afraid to stand up to the mistreatment of others.
I hope you love the arts, cooking with me, and using your imagination.
I hope you get to see all the places in the world you dream of going.
I hope you laugh all night long with your friends at slumber parties.
I hope you never forget that it's never too late to say "I'm sorry" or "I love you."
I hope you ignore any voice in your head that says "I am not good enough."
I hope you become a kind and generous woman.
I hope you respect time and being punctual & dependable.
I hope you grow up to be comfortable in your own skin.

Love, Mom

Preparing for Birth

This week Nick and I started to formally focus on birth education and preparation. I have been reading a book about Hypnobirthing and watching YouTube videos of hypnobirths and find it to be quite fascinating. Since we had already signed up for childbirthing classes through Seton hospital, I wasn't about to register for a Hypnobirthing series as well. Instead, I found a local therapist who specializes in hypnosis and contacted her about meeting with us for the specific purpose of training for birth using hypnosis as a tool for relaxation and pain relief.

When I first mentioned this idea to Nick about 6 weeks ago, he was supportive of me doing it. I called and talked to the therapist and she asked if I had a birth partner (yes) and if he was supportive (yes). I said that he wasn't really into "this kind of thing" and that I would be coming on my own. She said that it would be best if Nick came with me. I discussed it with him and he was agreeable, but was firm on the fact that I would be the one being hypnotized, and not him.

So we went Monday for our first visit. Like most therapy sessions, the hour flies by. I cant say that I was hypnotized, but the whole process felt like a meditation exercise or a relaxation tool. The therapist guided me through breathing and imagery. She tried to levitate my arm, which was not really working and encouraged me to practice every day. I am supposed to think of "safe place" images over the newt two weeks. Nick's role will be to help guide and coach me and support me with verbal and physical cues. His role in the session was basically an observer. At moments it did feel a little awkward. I would try not to laugh and was thinking about what he must be thinking! We go back in 2 weeks.

Wednesday night our 6-session childbirth classes started at Seton. They are from 7-9 p.m. every week and the first one was pretty basic. There were about 8 couples in the class and three of us all have the same due date, September 21! That was kind of funny. I was getting really tired by the end of it. We watched a 12-min birth video and learned birth lingo and stages of birth. It's hard to believe that we will be putting all of this into practice in just 7 weeks.

Today I am 33 weeks pregnant and I can officially say now that it's August, we are going to have baby NEXT MONTH!!

Tea Party Shower

Yesterday my friends and sister hosted a baby shower for me at one of my favorite places in town, The Tea Embassy! The Tea Embassy is a tea shop that is in a historic home in downtown Austin. It was a really lovely time! We enjoyed tea, french macarons (my favorite!), pastries and tea sandwiches. It was decorated so nicely and Sarah took some great pictures. I really enjoyed all my sweet friends and the loved showered on Baby and me!

Each guest wrote out a card, "Wishes for Baby" and here are some of my favorite wishes...
" I hope you respect spiritual/faith traditions."- Elizabeth
" I hope you get very few time-outs." -Alicia
" I hope you become an artist in your mind." -Emily
" I hope you ignore FOX news." - Sarah
" I hope you ignore haters."- Jess
" I hope you learn to play an instrument." - Darshana
" I hope you grow more than 5 feet tall!!"- Doran
" I hope you become as cool as your mom."- Stephanie
" I hope you respect your elders."- Lisa
" I hope you never forget your roots." -Steph
" I hope you never forget how much you will be loved."- Dad

Sarah and Me (32w1d)

Slowing Down

I am slowing down. This weekend I had such lofty goals. A checklist of things that have been begging to be crossed off.  Actually my Friday was quite slow and I did not even leave the apartment until after 5. I thought with such a restful end to a busy week, I would be energized for the weekend.

Prenatal Pilates Class

In fact, I woke up early to attend a free pre-natal pilates class at Lululemon in The Domain. The class was sponsored through The Bump Club of Austin and I was excited because I haven't done a pilates class in years. When I arrived at the store, I quickly felt like I might not belong. First, I was not dressed clad in Lululemon apparel, wasn't carrying a designer handbag, and had absolutely no make-up on. It was 8:15 on a Saturday...who has time to primp before an exercise class? And who spends $100+ on yoga pants, anyway? Evidently these people do.

Anyway, the class began and it was so hot. I was already sweating before the class began, and wished I'd worn shorts. The instructor said the mall controls the A/C so there was no way to make it cooler. This was starting to feel cruel. About half way into the class I started to feel dizzy and my head was tingling. I had to stop. I sat down on the exercise ball and tried to recover gracefully while the others continued. I couldn't believe I was the only one suffering here! I came back to finish the class and stayed to see the "fashion show" at the end, where everyone "oohed and aaahed" over the overpriced bras, shrugs, pants and tank-tops (Have these people never heard of Target?).

After class I met a friend downtown for brunch and had a nice time catching up with her. After that, I hit a wall. All I could think about was laying down, and staying down. And that is pretty much what I did the rest of the day and night. Walking is starting to feel like a chore. My belly aches when I change positions in the bed. My back is tight. Sunday wasn't much different. Nick and I walked across the street for breakfast and then set off on some errands. I would not have made it out on my own. Grocery shopping is even starting to get to be too much- and I enjoy that normally. I didn't have the energy to make my Sunday yoga class, even though the stretching would have been nice. I said I would go Monday night instead. Come Monday, and all I could think about was laying down when I came home from work, which is what I did.

Suffering from insomnia?

One thing that is probably a good source of my struggle is that I have insomnia. I wake up at strange hours, with my mind wandering, worrying. I cant get back to sleep and then I am exhausted when it is time to get up, or mid-day when I need to be the most productive. This morning I woke and went to get some cereal, checked my email. It was funny because I had just received an email from "What to Expect" about insomnia, which evidently affects 75% of pregnant women in the third trimester. That's me!