35 weeks today. Wow. In no more than seven weeks, we'll have a baby. That's weird to think about. I went to a very standard dr. appointment on Tuesday with Dr. Elliot. I was weighed and, while I'm not gaining the lb/week that they recommend, I am gaining again so it looks like I've gotten my diet on track and figured out how to handle these stupid diabetes restrictions. Again, Dr. Elliot was cute. I asked him if he expected me to get much bigger and he said, "Oh my, yes. Right now, your abs are keeping that baby in there good and tight, but there's going to come a point where they won't be able to anymore." I was surprised to hear it, as I'd kind of assumed I was winding down on the growth and weight gain scene. If the websites are correct and baby is already 5.5 lbs, then it probably won't gain much more than 2-3 lbs, so I'm just really surprised to hear that he's expecting me to get a lot bigger. But Aunt Amy suggested kind of the same thing. I told her that I didn't think my bellybutton was going to pop but she said that, with as close as it is now, she thinks it will. And, while she didn't come right out and say that she thinks I'll get a lot bigger, she gave me the impression that she thought it. Very interesting. We'll see. At least there is no more flying in my future, so I won't have to worry about getting stuff from under the seat with an even BIGGER belly. It was hard enough with this one. Anyway, the exciting news from the dr. appt is that I have a sonogram scheduled for Monday at 10:45! Hooray!! We'll find out at that point how big the baby is. I'm super excited about it, especially since they put me on this diet because they thought I was at risk for a high birth weight baby. This will help us see if there's good reason for that worry or not.
Also, I've noticed in the past that Baby tends to get very very active when I have an upset stomach. It made me feel very sad once I realized it because that made me think it was upsetting him, too. Last night, though, baby was SO active that I couldn't sleep. And my tummy didn't hurt at all. At about 3am I got so fed up with it that I nearly started crying and told that baby he better calm down or else! Believe it or not, it did not work. But he was literally flipping back and forth, as if he couldn't get comfortable. For HOURS. It was so frustrating. I can handle kicks and punches, but those HUGE movements are really fun when I'm awake but terrible when I'm trying to sleep. Anyway, around 6 am, I did start to get a tummy ache so I got up and took some Tums (which are now gluten free, I'm pleased to report). Baby stopped moving in about 15 minutes. Which got me thinking: maybe baby just wanted some sugar. I ate a really big lunch yesterday around 3 pm, so I didn't eat dinner or a late snack or anything. Megan told me that her baby used to get very active when she was postponing meal time, so maybe my baby was jumping up and down asking to be fed. Interesting concept. I'm going to test this theory out next time Baby gets very active in the middle of the night by getting a little snack if he won't calm down. It'll be awesome if that fixes things, though a little annoying that it took me so long to figure it out... especially since ALL pregnancy diets say how important it is to eat all day long. So if I've been dealing with this stupid sleeplessness when I had the answer right at my fingertips the entire time, I will noo be pleased, I can tell you. :) Either way, I won't have to think about it too much longer. I can't believe we'll for sure have a baby in less than seven weeks (and maybe a heck of a lot sooner)!!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
34 weeks, 4 days - Babysitting
As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm in Atlanta with Matt, watching little Cousin Carter while Aunt Amy, Uncle Dave, Cousin Brooklyn, and Grandma & Grandpa Rehbein are up in Pittsburgh for a wedding. I go home today and it's going to be a very sad good bye. I don't know how anyone in the whole world could do this if they weren't expecting a baby in a few weeks. Little Carter is so good and sweet and snuggly. He goes to sleep easily and loves to eat. He loves to play and wears himself out well, but he also loves to cuddle and be held. I do not want to give him back. At all. I'm sure it's hormonal and extra emotions and what not, but I feel like I would cry when I gave him back if I wasn't expecting my own so soon. I only hope that I like our baby as much as I am enamored with him. He's just so good and sweet and beautiful. I'm glad we didn't take any pictures of Matt or me taking care of him, because I'm pretty sure it would make me cry. Matt is really going to be a great, great dad. He's really fabulous with that baby. I am a little concerned that he's going to be a crazy worry wart, since in the three days we were watching Carter, Matt decided that he gave Carter a cold from the bath not being full enough or warm enough, Carter must be either too hot or too cold while he's sleeping/napping, Carter has a rash or a bug bite or bumped his head when we weren't paying close enough attention because there was a red spot above his eye, he must have gotten soap in Carter's eyes while he was giving him a bath because his eyes are red and now he's fussy (mind you, it's almost 8:00 pm and he usually goes to bed between 7 and 7:30), maybe Carter is getting carsick or something is terribly wrong because he's making a cooing sound and now he's fussing after being in the car for nearly two hours... and on and on and on. I just had to keep reminding myself that I don't have a lot of room to poke fun because I come from a family of worriers and I'll probably be just as bad. I just hope he doesn't make me crazy with his worry for our baby when he/she gets her. But really, he's pretty great with that little boy. I just can't believe we're going to have a baby in less than two months! We'll be induced if it goes past 42 weeks, so really, we're down to less than eight weeks for sure. And Just over five weeks until our due date. And just over two weeks until we're officially considered "full term." So so so crazy.
Oh, also, I suspect that Baby has "dropped" because I haven't felt a foot in my ribs in several days, I'm feeling more movement much much lower, and my tummy actually looks smaller to me rather than larger. I don't really know how you know other than if your doctor tells you, but again, I'm not in that constant state of uncomfortableness from Baby's foot so either he/she took the message about getting out of my rib, or he/she has officially dropped. In case you don't know what that means, here's what Babycenter says:
Oh, also, I suspect that Baby has "dropped" because I haven't felt a foot in my ribs in several days, I'm feeling more movement much much lower, and my tummy actually looks smaller to me rather than larger. I don't really know how you know other than if your doctor tells you, but again, I'm not in that constant state of uncomfortableness from Baby's foot so either he/she took the message about getting out of my rib, or he/she has officially dropped. In case you don't know what that means, here's what Babycenter says:
It's impossible to say precisely when your baby will "drop" or descend into your pelvis, because every pregnancy is unique. If this is your first baby, this process, which is also called lightening, is likely to occur several weeks before labor begins, though it may happen later. For subsequent pregnancies, lightening often doesn't occur before labor starts.
You may find that you feel a little different after your baby has dropped. Some pregnancy complaints may get worse, while others may improve. On the one hand, your baby will be taking up more room in your pelvis, so you'll probably find that you have to urinate even more often than before. You may get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure deep in your pelvis, feel increasing discomfort when you walk, and even begin to waddle a bit.
On the other hand, with less pressure on your stomach, you'll be able to eat a little more without feeling uncomfortably full, and if you've been suffering from heartburn, you may get some relief. You'll probably find that breathing feels easier, too.
While lightening isn't a predictor of when labor will start, it is a sign that your body's getting ready. It's normal to feel lightening up to four weeks before your due date. If you feel an increase in pelvic pressure or the sensation that your baby is "pushing down" before then, call your healthcare provider so she can evaluate you for preterm labor.
You may find that you feel a little different after your baby has dropped. Some pregnancy complaints may get worse, while others may improve. On the one hand, your baby will be taking up more room in your pelvis, so you'll probably find that you have to urinate even more often than before. You may get an uncomfortable feeling of pressure deep in your pelvis, feel increasing discomfort when you walk, and even begin to waddle a bit.
On the other hand, with less pressure on your stomach, you'll be able to eat a little more without feeling uncomfortably full, and if you've been suffering from heartburn, you may get some relief. You'll probably find that breathing feels easier, too.
While lightening isn't a predictor of when labor will start, it is a sign that your body's getting ready. It's normal to feel lightening up to four weeks before your due date. If you feel an increase in pelvic pressure or the sensation that your baby is "pushing down" before then, call your healthcare provider so she can evaluate you for preterm labor.
Friday, June 29, 2012
34 weeks, 1 day - 99% Safe!
Big milestone yesterday! 99% of babies who are born at 34 weeks live and have no long term problems related to premature birth. In fact, if you have problems after 34 weeks, doctors will frequently just go in and get the baby rather than putting you on bedrest or giving you drugs to keep you from going into labor. That is a comforting thought indeed!
I can't believe we're already at 34 weeks. I'm in Atlanta right now, going through a dry run of mommy-hood with little Cousin Carter. His birthday is 8/7, two days before Baby is due. I envision them becoming very close since they'll be so close in age. That makes me happy to think about. Of course, I'm not sure how this weekend is going to prepare me for motherhood in reality, since Carter is just a little angel and is so easy to deal with. I hope it doesn't set unrealistic expectations of how our baby is supposed to behave. We'll see if I still think he's such a good little man after the weekend, but so far, he's pretty fantastic.
I'm getting good and big these days. People still like to tell me how tiny I am, but now that strangers are able recognize that I'm pregnant and not just chubby, I don't mind as much. I can't imagine, though, how uncomfortable it must be if you really do get huge. I've gotten to a point where I get fairly regular nausea and cramping in my legs, I can't bend over very easily, and I have trouble sleeping. If my belly was as big as many of those I've seen, I can't even imagine how grumpy I'd be. I haven't had hot flashes or been unduly put out by the heat, even this recent heat wave that's put us into the triple digits. Don't get me wrong; I'd rather it be 85 all the time, but I don't think I'm any more uncomfortable with this heat than I was last year. The diabetes diet is going ok, but it makes me kind of grumpy. I started out by actually losing weight while I was trying to figure out what I could and couldn't eat, but I think that's mostly subsided. I don't have a scale here but my weight had stabilized last time I checked it. Not up to quite what they recommend you put on for this point, but I seem to put it on in spurts rather than a steady pound per week, so I'm not too worried.
Anyway, Carter is awake so I'm going to go get him. It's not too much longer now before I'll be saying that about our own little Baby! I just can't believe we're in the home stretch!!
I can't believe we're already at 34 weeks. I'm in Atlanta right now, going through a dry run of mommy-hood with little Cousin Carter. His birthday is 8/7, two days before Baby is due. I envision them becoming very close since they'll be so close in age. That makes me happy to think about. Of course, I'm not sure how this weekend is going to prepare me for motherhood in reality, since Carter is just a little angel and is so easy to deal with. I hope it doesn't set unrealistic expectations of how our baby is supposed to behave. We'll see if I still think he's such a good little man after the weekend, but so far, he's pretty fantastic.
I'm getting good and big these days. People still like to tell me how tiny I am, but now that strangers are able recognize that I'm pregnant and not just chubby, I don't mind as much. I can't imagine, though, how uncomfortable it must be if you really do get huge. I've gotten to a point where I get fairly regular nausea and cramping in my legs, I can't bend over very easily, and I have trouble sleeping. If my belly was as big as many of those I've seen, I can't even imagine how grumpy I'd be. I haven't had hot flashes or been unduly put out by the heat, even this recent heat wave that's put us into the triple digits. Don't get me wrong; I'd rather it be 85 all the time, but I don't think I'm any more uncomfortable with this heat than I was last year. The diabetes diet is going ok, but it makes me kind of grumpy. I started out by actually losing weight while I was trying to figure out what I could and couldn't eat, but I think that's mostly subsided. I don't have a scale here but my weight had stabilized last time I checked it. Not up to quite what they recommend you put on for this point, but I seem to put it on in spurts rather than a steady pound per week, so I'm not too worried.
Anyway, Carter is awake so I'm going to go get him. It's not too much longer now before I'll be saying that about our own little Baby! I just can't believe we're in the home stretch!!
Friday, June 22, 2012
33 weeks, 1 day - Dear Baby
Dear Baby,
Thank you for not giving me stretch marks thus far, but please, please, please get out of my ribs. Those little feet of yours really hurt. Though, based on how big you are now, I can see why it would be difficult for you.
Can't wait to see you in a few weeks! We're super duper excited!!
Love, Mama
Thank you for not giving me stretch marks thus far, but please, please, please get out of my ribs. Those little feet of yours really hurt. Though, based on how big you are now, I can see why it would be difficult for you.
Love, Mama
Thursday, June 21, 2012
33 weeks, 0 days - Uncle Andrew Got Married
The whirlwind of events that took place last week began with Uncle Andrew's wedding and concluded with the surprise shower, so we should be all caught up and up to date after this one.
Matt and I ended up staying at a hotel near where the wedding was being held even though it was just outside of Atlanta. Grandma Rehbein booked us a room for convenience sake, which was really nice. It made things so much easier and allowed Matt to hang with his family a lot longer while I went to bed good and early. Matt took Uncle Andrew out for his bachelor party on Thursday night, then the groomsmen went to a swanky barbershop for a shave and a haircut on Friday morning. This barbershop served whiskey along with the shave, so it was a nice event for the boys. I got in on Friday and we went almost immediately to the hotel so Matt could be there for the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was at a little Italian place and all guests were invited, which was really nice since it feels like you never really get to see people at weddings. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Allie handed out very nice, thoughtful gifts to their bridal party. Matt got lion head cuff links and a fancy flask set. We debated whether the lion heads signified Gryffindor House or House Lannister but no decision was made really (personally, I think he's too much of a dummkopf to be in either but that's neither here nor there).
I had an exciting moment while getting ready for the wedding. Matt left early as he was the best man, so I was left to get ready by myself. Right before I stepped into the shower, I decided to bolt my hotel room door just to be sure the housekeeper didn't come in at a bad time. It turned out to be a very wise decision because the front desk gave our room away to Matt's cousin, Steven Rehbein (though I'd never met him or his wife, so I didn't know this at the time). Right as I stepped out of the shower, I heard someone fiddling with the door. I threw on a towel and ran over to the peephole and was surprised to find two people trying to get into my room. Again, good thing I had bolted the door, otherwise, I'd have met some extended Rehbein family under very inauspicious circumstances, indeed! Anyway, after a couple of minutes, they decided that their key didn't work and went down to the desk. The front desk then called my room and said, "Hi, this is the front desk; who is in this room?" I responded that I was with Matt Rehbein as part of the Susan Rehbein group. The girl responded with, "Well, this room is reserved for the wedding." Yeah, ok, well a) I'm WITH THE WEDDING... check the last name, genius and b) even if I wasn't, how is that my problem? It's not like I snuck in, illicitly checked myself into a room, and then attempted to sabotage the hotel's reservation system. Come on! I told her that I was with the wedding and she hung up in a huff, reminding me to get my keys reactivated. It was really weird.
Aside from that, the weekend was just lovely. The wedding itself was lovely. The weather was great, the location was gorgeous, bride and groom looked so happy and everyone seemed to have a very nice time. Everything seemed to go very well and Uncle Andrew was just so cute to watch. He just looked so very very happy to be surrounded by so many people that he loved. Many of his college friends were able to make it down and he was just such a joy to watch. Matt's best man speech was really great, but Grandpa Rehbein really stole the show by starting out with a strong speech at the rehearsal dinner then busting everyone up with a few words at the wedding. Grandma Rehbein should have been very proud of her boys that day, for certain. :)
To follow are a few pics of Matthew that I pulled from the photographer's site, since I didn't take any pics at the wedding. You can see my dress in the family pic. I got lots of compliments on it and felt really, really good about how I was dressed, considering I was nearly 32 weeks pregnant at the time. :) It's not much of a belly shot, but the girls at the front desk of the hotel kept chirping over me, over and over. They were really cute and just couldn't stop gushing about how great I looked and how much they hoped to look as good as I do when they're pregnant and how my dress was just so perfect and on and on. It was enough to make me forgive them for being accusatory jerks earlier about the room mix up. Again, all in all, it was a very nice event and watching how happy it made Uncle Andrew was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.
Matt and I ended up staying at a hotel near where the wedding was being held even though it was just outside of Atlanta. Grandma Rehbein booked us a room for convenience sake, which was really nice. It made things so much easier and allowed Matt to hang with his family a lot longer while I went to bed good and early. Matt took Uncle Andrew out for his bachelor party on Thursday night, then the groomsmen went to a swanky barbershop for a shave and a haircut on Friday morning. This barbershop served whiskey along with the shave, so it was a nice event for the boys. I got in on Friday and we went almost immediately to the hotel so Matt could be there for the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was at a little Italian place and all guests were invited, which was really nice since it feels like you never really get to see people at weddings. Uncle Andrew and Aunt Allie handed out very nice, thoughtful gifts to their bridal party. Matt got lion head cuff links and a fancy flask set. We debated whether the lion heads signified Gryffindor House or House Lannister but no decision was made really (personally, I think he's too much of a dummkopf to be in either but that's neither here nor there).
I had an exciting moment while getting ready for the wedding. Matt left early as he was the best man, so I was left to get ready by myself. Right before I stepped into the shower, I decided to bolt my hotel room door just to be sure the housekeeper didn't come in at a bad time. It turned out to be a very wise decision because the front desk gave our room away to Matt's cousin, Steven Rehbein (though I'd never met him or his wife, so I didn't know this at the time). Right as I stepped out of the shower, I heard someone fiddling with the door. I threw on a towel and ran over to the peephole and was surprised to find two people trying to get into my room. Again, good thing I had bolted the door, otherwise, I'd have met some extended Rehbein family under very inauspicious circumstances, indeed! Anyway, after a couple of minutes, they decided that their key didn't work and went down to the desk. The front desk then called my room and said, "Hi, this is the front desk; who is in this room?" I responded that I was with Matt Rehbein as part of the Susan Rehbein group. The girl responded with, "Well, this room is reserved for the wedding." Yeah, ok, well a) I'm WITH THE WEDDING... check the last name, genius and b) even if I wasn't, how is that my problem? It's not like I snuck in, illicitly checked myself into a room, and then attempted to sabotage the hotel's reservation system. Come on! I told her that I was with the wedding and she hung up in a huff, reminding me to get my keys reactivated. It was really weird.
Aside from that, the weekend was just lovely. The wedding itself was lovely. The weather was great, the location was gorgeous, bride and groom looked so happy and everyone seemed to have a very nice time. Everything seemed to go very well and Uncle Andrew was just so cute to watch. He just looked so very very happy to be surrounded by so many people that he loved. Many of his college friends were able to make it down and he was just such a joy to watch. Matt's best man speech was really great, but Grandpa Rehbein really stole the show by starting out with a strong speech at the rehearsal dinner then busting everyone up with a few words at the wedding. Grandma Rehbein should have been very proud of her boys that day, for certain. :)
To follow are a few pics of Matthew that I pulled from the photographer's site, since I didn't take any pics at the wedding. You can see my dress in the family pic. I got lots of compliments on it and felt really, really good about how I was dressed, considering I was nearly 32 weeks pregnant at the time. :) It's not much of a belly shot, but the girls at the front desk of the hotel kept chirping over me, over and over. They were really cute and just couldn't stop gushing about how great I looked and how much they hoped to look as good as I do when they're pregnant and how my dress was just so perfect and on and on. It was enough to make me forgive them for being accusatory jerks earlier about the room mix up. Again, all in all, it was a very nice event and watching how happy it made Uncle Andrew was just about the sweetest thing I've ever seen.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
32 weeks, 6 days - Surprise Shower!
Before I tell the sweet story of our fabulous shower surprise, I just want to let it be known that there are 50 days left until our due date! Holy moses!!!
So, surprise shower. And what a surprise it was! Originally, we were told that we needed to check out of the cabin by 10:00 am on Saturday because they had another group coming in later that day, but while we were there, the folks we were renting from told us that the other group cancelled so we could take our time. That sounded delightful to us, but Matt started acting a little weird about it on Friday night, implying heavily that we needed to be to have the boat to the dock around 10:00 am. He's always a little weird, so I didn't question it too much, but I wasn't really sure what his problem was. Why not spend another day on the lake and just go home after? But again, without saying that it NEEDED to be back by 10, he gave me the impression that we should have it back by then so that's what we did. We packed up as much as we could on Friday night, then got up at 7:00 am on Saturday to finish packing and straightening and cleaning so we could get the car packed and get Matt onto the boat at 9:30. I drove the car over and met him at the marina where the boat is permanently docked and we were on the road for Atlanta shortly after 10, right on schedule.
I should have sniffed that something was up because his mom called then Amy called then Amy called again then Matt called Amy then Amy called again. I mean, I know they love each other but that's a lot for even them. We pulled into Matt's parents' house around 12:30 to drop off stuff that we'd borrowed (Alabama is an hour behind Georgia... and about a light year behind the rest of the country) and Amy and Brooklyn came out to say hello to us. They walked us in and, as we were coming in the foyer, I saw gifts and a baby shower sign. "Aww, what little tricksters," I thought to myself, "they're throwing us a shower." Then, as I continued into the room, I saw a teenager that I didn't recognize, Matt's Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, my Aunt Gretchen, and Matt's Grandma. Wait. What? Run that by me again. A teenager that I DID recognize -- namely Bridget Toolan -- Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, Gretchen Toolan, and Matt's Grandma! What the what?! Two worlds colliding in a very unexpected location. I was so surprised!!! And a little confused, to be honest. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand what my family was doing in Matt's parents' house. I think my face says it all in this pic:
So yeah. A little surprised. And confused. Hahaha, oh jeez. What an embarrassing moment to be captured. Anyway, after that there was much hugging and visiting and belly discussion and snacks, followed by present opening, lunch, and more visiting. There may have been laughing involved, too. The second pic was taken when I'm over my stunned confusion and on to being pleased and touched that my family loved me enough to come all the way from New Jersey for my shower, so I'm showing off my belly for Bridge.
All in all, our families were so incredibly thoughtful and generous. We opened gifts for what seemed like forever and people just gave us so many nice things. We were a little bit overwhelmed with the generosity and the love we felt through the notes and cards we received. And especially for Aunt Amy and Grandma Rehbein for organizing the shower and Great Aunt Gretchen and Cousin Bridget for coming all the way down just for the day. How lucky, lucky, lucky we are to have so many people love us so much.
There are lots of cute photos from the shower, so I'll just post some of my favorites below:
So, surprise shower. And what a surprise it was! Originally, we were told that we needed to check out of the cabin by 10:00 am on Saturday because they had another group coming in later that day, but while we were there, the folks we were renting from told us that the other group cancelled so we could take our time. That sounded delightful to us, but Matt started acting a little weird about it on Friday night, implying heavily that we needed to be to have the boat to the dock around 10:00 am. He's always a little weird, so I didn't question it too much, but I wasn't really sure what his problem was. Why not spend another day on the lake and just go home after? But again, without saying that it NEEDED to be back by 10, he gave me the impression that we should have it back by then so that's what we did. We packed up as much as we could on Friday night, then got up at 7:00 am on Saturday to finish packing and straightening and cleaning so we could get the car packed and get Matt onto the boat at 9:30. I drove the car over and met him at the marina where the boat is permanently docked and we were on the road for Atlanta shortly after 10, right on schedule.
I should have sniffed that something was up because his mom called then Amy called then Amy called again then Matt called Amy then Amy called again. I mean, I know they love each other but that's a lot for even them. We pulled into Matt's parents' house around 12:30 to drop off stuff that we'd borrowed (Alabama is an hour behind Georgia... and about a light year behind the rest of the country) and Amy and Brooklyn came out to say hello to us. They walked us in and, as we were coming in the foyer, I saw gifts and a baby shower sign. "Aww, what little tricksters," I thought to myself, "they're throwing us a shower." Then, as I continued into the room, I saw a teenager that I didn't recognize, Matt's Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, my Aunt Gretchen, and Matt's Grandma. Wait. What? Run that by me again. A teenager that I DID recognize -- namely Bridget Toolan -- Aunt Kathy, Grandma Rehbein, Gretchen Toolan, and Matt's Grandma! What the what?! Two worlds colliding in a very unexpected location. I was so surprised!!! And a little confused, to be honest. It took me an embarrassingly long time to understand what my family was doing in Matt's parents' house. I think my face says it all in this pic:
All in all, our families were so incredibly thoughtful and generous. We opened gifts for what seemed like forever and people just gave us so many nice things. We were a little bit overwhelmed with the generosity and the love we felt through the notes and cards we received. And especially for Aunt Amy and Grandma Rehbein for organizing the shower and Great Aunt Gretchen and Cousin Bridget for coming all the way down just for the day. How lucky, lucky, lucky we are to have so many people love us so much.
There are lots of cute photos from the shower, so I'll just post some of my favorites below:
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| Whaa? An ORANGE outfit from Great Aunt Gretchen? Has the world gone mad?!! |
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
32 weeks, 5 days - Babymoon!
As you may or may not know, Matt and I were on our Babymoon from June 10 through June 16 at Lake Wedowee, AL. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, a babymoon is like a honeymoon, only you take it before your baby comes instead of after you get married. It's an opportunity to get away and spend time together before the chaos of a new baby enters your life. We thought it was an important thing for us to do since we don't get to see each other very often and when we do, there are usually a million other things we have to do and people we have to see so that precious alone time is hard to come by. We chose Lake Wedowee because Matt's parents have their boat docked there and it's an easy place for us to get to. We talked about a lot of other options, but I wasn't too keen on being at the beach (a) I'm so fat and b) I could get knocked over by the waves and c) I can't drink and d) I don't really want to lay in the sun), I get winded too easily for the mountains to make sense (since I can't really hike around to appreciate them), I don't like spas, and historic touristy destinations are super expensive and again, I get tired so easily that I was afraid we wouldn't appreciate it as much as I should. The boat just seemed like a perfect place to relax and float around in the water, cook our favorite meals, and be alone together. And it was.
The cabin we rented was awesome. We got a great deal for a whole week and the couple we rented from was super nice. There was a dock right outside the cabin where we tied up the boat, so each morning, it was just a matter of getting out of bed and rolling down to the dock.
The town itself was... interesting. Wedowee, AL. I'm pretty sure it's the area Deliverance was based on. And if not Deliverance, at least My Cousin Vinny. Matt and I quoted that one an awful lot, especially after we "got mud in our tires." Amazing, really. I saw a sign outside a cemetery that read, "Before opening graves, call (xxx) xxx-xxxx." What the what?! Is that for grave robbers or what? Who the heck "opens" graves? I also saw a sign on the side of a building that read, "YOUR ADD HERE." So... are we advertising that we have attention deficit disorder or what? It was all very strange. The accents were VERY thick, much of the food was deep fried, and believe it or not, there were not many gluten free options in the grocery store. Our menu became a little more creative than I'd originally planned, but that was fine. Over all, it was just what we were looking for: laying on the boat reading to each other, floating in the water, cruising around the lake, and cooking our favorite foods, all on nobody's schedule but our own. The weather was great, the location was beautiful, and everything was just about perfect. Needless to say, it was very very difficult to come home on Sunday.
Below are a few pics we snapped during the event. I ended up buying a bikini because maternity suits made me feel like a walrus and I wasn't around anyone besides Matt so I didn't have to be embarrassed by my big belly or my fat thighs. I draped my swimsuit cover-up over my tummy when I laid in the sun so Baby wouldn't get cooked, which is why my arms look so brown and my tummy still looks so white.
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