March 14, 2011... The first day of the rest of our lives
Steve told me that Id been really bitchy lately & that he thought I was probably pregnant. I didn't believe him, but made an appointment with my doctor anyways. We weren't exactly trying for a baby, but weren't preventing it either, so I don't know what we thought was going to happen. Sure enough, Doc runs the test and it comes up positive in less than 2 seconds... that's when I hear
"Yep, you're realllly pregnant! Congratulations!"
I was happy and shocked at the same time. I called Steve after leaving the appointment and said
"Guess who's going to be a Daddy!?"
He was so excited & he immediately asked if he could tell people. I was only 4 weeks 3 days at that time, so it's not exactly "pregnancy etiquette" to tell people before 3 months, since miscarriage is such a higher risk at that time. But I didn't care. I was too excited to hold it in, so I told him he could tell whoever he wanted.
I headed to work & called a few people... My Mom, Nanny, Kristina (Steve's sister) & Kari! They were both happy for us... but those were just 2 of the MANY that were to find out.
That night I got home to a vase of multicolored flowers from my wonderful husband. We went out to eat, of all places, BIG DADDY'S BURGER BAR! Ha, it was a fitting place for the occasion.
right around 3 months or so
3 weeks later I got the worst "morning sickness" ever. Its called Hyper Emesis, and about 5% of pregnant women suffer from this, and I was part of that lucky 5%. Basically, I was sick morning, noon and night. I couldn't keep any food or drink down whatsoever. I had originally decided to use Bradford Clinic as my OB, but they wouldn't see me unless I was 8 weeks or further along. So when I called explaining my symptoms they sent me to the ER & Urgent Care multiple times for IV fluids. I couldn't continue to feel this way & miss so much work, so I had to find a new doctor who would see me.
Luckily, Southeast OB got me in the same day I called & admitted me right away. I was severely dehydrated & weak. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. On the night before discharge, they started a Reglin Pump. Its a tiny pump that resembles a diabetes monitor. I would poke a small needle into the fatty part of my stomach & then it would release anti-nausea medication. I was on this pump for close to 2 months. It was a complete pain in my butt, but it did help ease the nausea enough for me to eat. During my stay at the hospital I lost 12 lbs, bringing me down to 100lbs. I hadn't weight 100lbs in years.
Dr. Salvemini was my attending doctor at Southeast & I could not have been happier with her. She was also pregnant the same time as me, and her due date was the day after mine! How crazy is that? It's was nice to know that when she said "I know what you're going through", she really did. She wasn't a man who had read it in a book & been told that pregnancy is what it is. Hats off to Dr. Sal & the entire staff at Southeast OB/GYN. They took great care of me & I could not be more grateful.
Work Troubles...
At about 3 & half months along, we moved to Madison Park to be closer to Mama & Nanny for when the you came. This was great because you would be the first Grandbaby for my Mama & first Great Grandbaby for Nanny. Not to mention MY Great grandma would now have a Great Great Grandbaby. Amazing to have 5 generations of women, all born in Charlotte, living in the same neighborhood.
Being so sick & in & out of work did not make me look good. My supervisor was not happy with the amount of work I was missing, regardless of me being admitted to the hospital for high risk pregnancy. I felt bullied & harassed to be on point & make my quota. There was one time where I was having an asthma attack & needed to go home to use my nebulizer. I was told that if I left early again, or missed another day of work, I would be fired. So I had to sit at my desk & suffer through not being able to breath. It was one of the scariest asthma attacks I had had in years.
A few weeks later, I was fired from my job at Lending Tree. They say it was due to me not informing 3 customers in 1 day that "my call may be recorded". I believe that my pregnancy played a huge part in my being fired. I was devastated. During the time that I was working there I was a high # producing employee who was well liked & successful. But its business & they have to do what they feel is best for the company. Who cares about the employees...
So there I was, unemployed. I felt like such a failure. Like I had failed myself, my husband, & you. I was in the deepest depression in years. I was out of work for a total of 7 weeks. I had tried so hard to collect unemployment. I even appealed the denial twice, with no luck. Lending Tree never responded to the Unemployment Office, which meant they only had my side of the story to go off. I tried to explain in my appeal that I felt discriminated against due to my pregnancy, but they would not allow that go on the record. If it was not stated in my termination interview, it would not be relevant to my case. Can you imagine how upset Mama was?
We had a few grand saved up, as we were planning to buy a house later in the year. But that was all gone before we could blink twice. After rent, car & insurance payments, utilities, food, gas, etc. we were broke. Steve had worked so hard on painting the house inside & getting everything decorated, having to debate moving was like a slap in the face. We ended up taking out a loan to help make ends meet, or we would've been evicted. I looked for jobs online all day, went to multiple interviews & got maybe 1 or 2 callbacks. The pressure was definitely on... making me even more stressed about finding a job. I hated that Steve had to hold all of the weight of our lives on his shoulders. He is such an amazing man, husband, & my best friend for years. I know he was extremely stressed with a sickly, pregnant wife at home... slowing falling into a depression. But he stuck by me & that made me love him even more.. which I didn't think was possible.
((( During this time, we found out that we were having a BABY GIRL. I had known all along it was a girl & so did Steve. We just had that feeling. Knowing the sex made things even more real for us. )))
That same weekend, we broke the news to my Mama & Grandma that we would be moving into Steve's parents house. After looking into the cost of day care (freaking unbelievable fees), we knew we would not be able to stay in Madison Park. I was so sad to leave the neighborhood where my Mama & Nanny were, since that's the main reason we moved to that area in the first place. If my Nanny didn't have my Nanny Green to care for, she could have watched Madison for free, & everything would have stayed the same. But that just wasn't going to work out. Nanny Green will be 101 on Christmas, so she is basically an infant herself. That would be entirely too much for her to handle. I know it broke their hearts that we were moving, but we had to do what was best for our family.
A little retreat....
At 4 months along, Steve planned a surprise mini-vacation for us. A night at the exclusive Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte. Talk about FANCY! Earlier that day though, I was admitted to labor & delivery once again, for good poisoning of all things. I had been doing so well & had not been sick for a few weeks, then BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE... vomiting every hour on the hour for 2 days. I was only in the hospital for 4 hours to get fluids & anti nausea medications. I told Dr. Sal that I HAD to be discharged that day because of the night Steve had planned for us. She made it happen :) I still didn't feel 100% but it was so nice to get away from the house, the dogs & just have a night to ourselves in a gorgeous hotel. He even splurged & got me a massage. I love this man, have I mentioned that yet?
Trip to Savannah Georgia.....
September 23rd, we made our way to Savannah, Georgia for our very good friends wedding. Katie & Robert. We met Robert & his brother Doug on Craigslist, of all places. We were selling our couch & they happen to be the ones to buy it... becoming our best friends in the process. Katie came along a few months later & we couldn't be happier to have met such amazing people.
We had a great time in Savannah. The rehearsal dinner was awesome! They had it at Bubba's Raw Bar & Crab Shack. Low country boil & vegetables. I could not have been happier with the spread. Not to mention Katie & Robert being so completely in love it showed for miles & miles.
Robert had a beach house for all the guys in his bridal party, so we went to hang out with them after the dinner on the beach. As pregnant & as tired as I was, (I wore heals to the dinner, bad idea!) we hung out on the beach, in the dark, while the boys played guitar & sang. It was relaxing once I made my fanny down to the sand & laid my head in Steve's lap. 2 of the guys that were there with us were Mike & Tony. A gay couple from Mobile, AL. These guys were hilarious & we hung out with them most of the time that night, as well as at the wedding reception.
The wedding... was beautiful. It was at the Mackey House. The original ceremony was to be in the garden under an arch... but the weather had different plans. It poured for about 30 minutes right before the ceremony was supposed to start, so all the chairs were moved to the covered patio (still just as gorgeous). Katie looked absolutely radiant in her gown. She's not one for make up, glitz & glam... but she was astonishing. Robert looked so dapper in his tux. It was definitely a sight to see. Both Katie & Robert are pretty much hippies, so seeing them all done up was crazy.
The father & daughter dance was adorable. They started out as if they were going to do a slow dance, but ended up breaking it down! Her dad was in a kilt backing it up & doing the running man. Talk about awesome. My father & daughter dance was on a gravel lot, at a motorcycle lodge, to a slow country song, & we both cried our eyes out. Dad is such a sap ;)
Baby Shower.....
October 2nd 2011... Steve's parents house. We had the BIGGEST baby shower I think there has ever been. It was more of a cookout/party than a baby shower. Everyone was invited, men included. I'm so not traditional, so an all girl baby shower was NOT something I was going to do. I wanted my hubby to be involved in everything! We had smoked BBQ compliments of Butch (what an amazing cook I must say!) & all the fixin's. There were more than 60 people there & it warmed my heart to know that we had that much support behind us & our baby Maddie. We got everything that we registered for & were more grateful than you can imagine. Dad, Lisa & Mollie made it up from Birmingham, AL to be there for us. Cheryl also came up from Ridgeland, SC to be there for us. For all of them to make the trip for a baby shower meant so much to us. (I worked with Cheryl at Lending Tree & we become best friends so fast... that when she moved it hurt my heart... so seeing her for a few hours was much needed)
Nanny hasn't been able to leave the house for the past few years now, since Nanny Green has gotten harder to handle at 100 years old. For them to make it out to the shower meant soooo much to me. Ceal, Tim, & Lauren drove Nanny & Nanny Green out to the party & they stayed as long as they could. Nanny Green gets cold real easy since she's so tiny, so they had to leave before we opened gifts. I know Nanny was happy to be able to come, no matter how stressful it was to get Nanny Green in & out the car. Ill never forget it. Just wish I had more pictures with them from the shower.
There were a few games that Mama had planned. One was the Baby Beer Bottle race. You forget how hard it is to chug an actual baby bottle, so it was hilarious to watch the fellas suck their hardest! Robert was that one. Another one was to guess the inches of my waist. Fun for others, but not so much for me, but whatever. Mama made me come out in the middle of the crowd & do a nice little spin so everyone could get a good look. 40 inches was the actual measurement & I think 6 people guessed it right! Nanny was one of the winners. Taylor's guess 80 inches!!! I was appalled! I'm barely 60 inches tall. Lord love her.
Needless to say, we had a great time. Food, friends, family, support all the way around. By the end of the day I was exhausted, my head was spinning, & my cheeks were killing me from all the smiling. I could barely open all the gifts that were brought for Maddie.
A big thank you to Mama, Butch & Dana for making our baby shower as amazing as it was! What would we do without you guys!!??
Here are a few pics from the shower...
The weekend of October 28th, my last week of work, we moved into Steve's parents house. As crazy as some people may think we are, mostly me, for moving in with my in-laws... I have no problems with it. I love them & they love me. We get along great & I couldn't ask for more. We have the bonus room as our bedroom & nursery. The middle bedroom is set up as our living room. It was a bit of a stressful move, as our landlord didn't give us til the exact end of the month, which we paid in full for. But we made it happen. Well, Steve, Mama & Jesse made it happen. Once again, I couldn't have done anything without the help of my loving husband & family. Moving is always stressful, pregnant or not... but we were only in the house on Wexford for what? 5 months.. had just gotten settled & then we had to move again. Not the ideal situation, but like I said, you do what you have to do. Bubba & Daisy got added into the family of dogs here at the Hopkins house... 5 Cocker Spaniels (Bubba, Copper, Lady, Dixie & Sumo) & a Daisy, whatever mut mix she is.
Getting used to staying home all day was hard to do. I'm sure most people would love to just sit around, watching TV, sleeping in, etc. I loved it for the first week, but after that I got super restless. I've been working for years, almost 10 years, so it was killing me to not be productive. On top of being 8 months pregnant, I was alone all day. I was not used to not having contact with people all day long, since I've always worked with the public. You would think I would've liked the peace & quiet & kept myself busy with cleaning, washing & rewashing baby clothes & accessories, but nesting did NOT happen for me. If anything, I got even more lazy the bigger & more swollen I got. I had no desire to go anywhere because that meant Id have to actually get ready, put on make up & find SOMETHING to wear that didn't constrict my airways! Oh, the joys of pregnancy. 1 more month... just 1 more month!
Luckily, Southeast OB got me in the same day I called & admitted me right away. I was severely dehydrated & weak. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. On the night before discharge, they started a Reglin Pump. Its a tiny pump that resembles a diabetes monitor. I would poke a small needle into the fatty part of my stomach & then it would release anti-nausea medication. I was on this pump for close to 2 months. It was a complete pain in my butt, but it did help ease the nausea enough for me to eat. During my stay at the hospital I lost 12 lbs, bringing me down to 100lbs. I hadn't weight 100lbs in years.
Dr. Salvemini was my attending doctor at Southeast & I could not have been happier with her. She was also pregnant the same time as me, and her due date was the day after mine! How crazy is that? It's was nice to know that when she said "I know what you're going through", she really did. She wasn't a man who had read it in a book & been told that pregnancy is what it is. Hats off to Dr. Sal & the entire staff at Southeast OB/GYN. They took great care of me & I could not be more grateful.
Work Troubles...
At about 3 & half months along, we moved to Madison Park to be closer to Mama & Nanny for when the you came. This was great because you would be the first Grandbaby for my Mama & first Great Grandbaby for Nanny. Not to mention MY Great grandma would now have a Great Great Grandbaby. Amazing to have 5 generations of women, all born in Charlotte, living in the same neighborhood.
Being so sick & in & out of work did not make me look good. My supervisor was not happy with the amount of work I was missing, regardless of me being admitted to the hospital for high risk pregnancy. I felt bullied & harassed to be on point & make my quota. There was one time where I was having an asthma attack & needed to go home to use my nebulizer. I was told that if I left early again, or missed another day of work, I would be fired. So I had to sit at my desk & suffer through not being able to breath. It was one of the scariest asthma attacks I had had in years.
A few weeks later, I was fired from my job at Lending Tree. They say it was due to me not informing 3 customers in 1 day that "my call may be recorded". I believe that my pregnancy played a huge part in my being fired. I was devastated. During the time that I was working there I was a high # producing employee who was well liked & successful. But its business & they have to do what they feel is best for the company. Who cares about the employees...
So there I was, unemployed. I felt like such a failure. Like I had failed myself, my husband, & you. I was in the deepest depression in years. I was out of work for a total of 7 weeks. I had tried so hard to collect unemployment. I even appealed the denial twice, with no luck. Lending Tree never responded to the Unemployment Office, which meant they only had my side of the story to go off. I tried to explain in my appeal that I felt discriminated against due to my pregnancy, but they would not allow that go on the record. If it was not stated in my termination interview, it would not be relevant to my case. Can you imagine how upset Mama was?
We had a few grand saved up, as we were planning to buy a house later in the year. But that was all gone before we could blink twice. After rent, car & insurance payments, utilities, food, gas, etc. we were broke. Steve had worked so hard on painting the house inside & getting everything decorated, having to debate moving was like a slap in the face. We ended up taking out a loan to help make ends meet, or we would've been evicted. I looked for jobs online all day, went to multiple interviews & got maybe 1 or 2 callbacks. The pressure was definitely on... making me even more stressed about finding a job. I hated that Steve had to hold all of the weight of our lives on his shoulders. He is such an amazing man, husband, & my best friend for years. I know he was extremely stressed with a sickly, pregnant wife at home... slowing falling into a depression. But he stuck by me & that made me love him even more.. which I didn't think was possible.
((( During this time, we found out that we were having a BABY GIRL. I had known all along it was a girl & so did Steve. We just had that feeling. Knowing the sex made things even more real for us. )))
I eventually fell back on a previous job & was hired right away. Banfield The Pet Hospital was hiring at their new location in Cotswold & Dr. Collins was the attending doctor. I was so excited to start working again, that I really pushed myself, even with being 5 months pregnant. I felt validated again. Needed. Important. Working, pulling my own weight, & bringing in money to help catch up on bills. I had worked for Banfield for 2 years from 2007-2009 in Matthews & not much had changed since I left. So getting back into the swing of things was a piece of cake. I enjoyed being a receptionist. Helping clients with their pets, which were really like their children. I had reunited with some of my regulars from the Matthews location, making me feel even better about working there. It made me feel amazing that I had made such an impact on these clients years before & that they still remembered me.
Mama & Ginger Grillo.. one of my many favorites. I held her til she woke up from anesthesia after her dental cleaning. What a sweet baby. I will miss my furry friends.
Cohen - He was waking up from sedation after we took Xrays of his spine. Look at that face!
I was pretty much the only receptionist for the 1st month I was there, as Stephanie was moving back to Miami. Fine with me, because it was a growing practice, so business was slow. Once we started hiring more receptionists, even though we were still a small practice, it became very stressful. I don't feel that I am a very good teacher, so training these girls was tough. Mentally I was not able to focus as I should have to train them to the fullest of my ability. I just wanted to do everything myself. I knew that if I did it, it would be done right & wouldn't have to be done again. But I had to learn how to let go of the reigns a little bit so that they could learn the position. 12 hour shifts started taking a toll on me & my ever changing body around 7 months along. I would come home so sore, exhausted & irritable that I would just want to take a hot bath, & go to bed. Making it hard to stay up & watch our favorite shows together. God, how I missed my normal routine with my husband. Just 2 more months I told myself... 2 more months.
My office manager, Kandice, ended up shortening my days. Having extra hands on deck made it easier for me to come in a little later & leave a litter early if I was feeling beat. I basically got to come & go as I pleased as long as things were running smoothly. Eventually, it all fell into place.. & then it was time to take my leave. My last day at Banfield was October 28th. Sad & happy to be leaving, as I had made a few friends in PetSmart & Grooming. I'm sure the girls at Banfield were ready for me to leave. I was hard on these girls while training them, because they had very little time to learn A LOT of information.That same weekend, we broke the news to my Mama & Grandma that we would be moving into Steve's parents house. After looking into the cost of day care (freaking unbelievable fees), we knew we would not be able to stay in Madison Park. I was so sad to leave the neighborhood where my Mama & Nanny were, since that's the main reason we moved to that area in the first place. If my Nanny didn't have my Nanny Green to care for, she could have watched Madison for free, & everything would have stayed the same. But that just wasn't going to work out. Nanny Green will be 101 on Christmas, so she is basically an infant herself. That would be entirely too much for her to handle. I know it broke their hearts that we were moving, but we had to do what was best for our family.
A little retreat....
At 4 months along, Steve planned a surprise mini-vacation for us. A night at the exclusive Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte. Talk about FANCY! Earlier that day though, I was admitted to labor & delivery once again, for good poisoning of all things. I had been doing so well & had not been sick for a few weeks, then BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE... vomiting every hour on the hour for 2 days. I was only in the hospital for 4 hours to get fluids & anti nausea medications. I told Dr. Sal that I HAD to be discharged that day because of the night Steve had planned for us. She made it happen :) I still didn't feel 100% but it was so nice to get away from the house, the dogs & just have a night to ourselves in a gorgeous hotel. He even splurged & got me a massage. I love this man, have I mentioned that yet?
15 weeks & 5 days
Trip to Savannah Georgia.....
September 23rd, we made our way to Savannah, Georgia for our very good friends wedding. Katie & Robert. We met Robert & his brother Doug on Craigslist, of all places. We were selling our couch & they happen to be the ones to buy it... becoming our best friends in the process. Katie came along a few months later & we couldn't be happier to have met such amazing people.
We had a great time in Savannah. The rehearsal dinner was awesome! They had it at Bubba's Raw Bar & Crab Shack. Low country boil & vegetables. I could not have been happier with the spread. Not to mention Katie & Robert being so completely in love it showed for miles & miles.
Robert had a beach house for all the guys in his bridal party, so we went to hang out with them after the dinner on the beach. As pregnant & as tired as I was, (I wore heals to the dinner, bad idea!) we hung out on the beach, in the dark, while the boys played guitar & sang. It was relaxing once I made my fanny down to the sand & laid my head in Steve's lap. 2 of the guys that were there with us were Mike & Tony. A gay couple from Mobile, AL. These guys were hilarious & we hung out with them most of the time that night, as well as at the wedding reception.
Here's Mama, 7 months pregnant in the sticky heat of Savannah, GA.
The wedding... was beautiful. It was at the Mackey House. The original ceremony was to be in the garden under an arch... but the weather had different plans. It poured for about 30 minutes right before the ceremony was supposed to start, so all the chairs were moved to the covered patio (still just as gorgeous). Katie looked absolutely radiant in her gown. She's not one for make up, glitz & glam... but she was astonishing. Robert looked so dapper in his tux. It was definitely a sight to see. Both Katie & Robert are pretty much hippies, so seeing them all done up was crazy.
The father & daughter dance was adorable. They started out as if they were going to do a slow dance, but ended up breaking it down! Her dad was in a kilt backing it up & doing the running man. Talk about awesome. My father & daughter dance was on a gravel lot, at a motorcycle lodge, to a slow country song, & we both cried our eyes out. Dad is such a sap ;)
Baby Shower.....
October 2nd 2011... Steve's parents house. We had the BIGGEST baby shower I think there has ever been. It was more of a cookout/party than a baby shower. Everyone was invited, men included. I'm so not traditional, so an all girl baby shower was NOT something I was going to do. I wanted my hubby to be involved in everything! We had smoked BBQ compliments of Butch (what an amazing cook I must say!) & all the fixin's. There were more than 60 people there & it warmed my heart to know that we had that much support behind us & our baby Maddie. We got everything that we registered for & were more grateful than you can imagine. Dad, Lisa & Mollie made it up from Birmingham, AL to be there for us. Cheryl also came up from Ridgeland, SC to be there for us. For all of them to make the trip for a baby shower meant so much to us. (I worked with Cheryl at Lending Tree & we become best friends so fast... that when she moved it hurt my heart... so seeing her for a few hours was much needed)
Nanny hasn't been able to leave the house for the past few years now, since Nanny Green has gotten harder to handle at 100 years old. For them to make it out to the shower meant soooo much to me. Ceal, Tim, & Lauren drove Nanny & Nanny Green out to the party & they stayed as long as they could. Nanny Green gets cold real easy since she's so tiny, so they had to leave before we opened gifts. I know Nanny was happy to be able to come, no matter how stressful it was to get Nanny Green in & out the car. Ill never forget it. Just wish I had more pictures with them from the shower.
There were a few games that Mama had planned. One was the Baby Beer Bottle race. You forget how hard it is to chug an actual baby bottle, so it was hilarious to watch the fellas suck their hardest! Robert was that one. Another one was to guess the inches of my waist. Fun for others, but not so much for me, but whatever. Mama made me come out in the middle of the crowd & do a nice little spin so everyone could get a good look. 40 inches was the actual measurement & I think 6 people guessed it right! Nanny was one of the winners. Taylor's guess 80 inches!!! I was appalled! I'm barely 60 inches tall. Lord love her.
Needless to say, we had a great time. Food, friends, family, support all the way around. By the end of the day I was exhausted, my head was spinning, & my cheeks were killing me from all the smiling. I could barely open all the gifts that were brought for Maddie.
A big thank you to Mama, Butch & Dana for making our baby shower as amazing as it was! What would we do without you guys!!??
Here are a few pics from the shower...
Gift Table just for Baby
Mama at 7 months
Daddy & Mama opening all your special gifts!
*he had to hand me the bags off the ground because it hurt to bend over*
Mama's cousin Jordy doing the baby beer bottle contest!
There's your Mimi, making sure no one is cheating!
Mama & Aunt Tina, Mimi's sister.
Mama & cousin Ginny.
Moving in......
The weekend of October 28th, my last week of work, we moved into Steve's parents house. As crazy as some people may think we are, mostly me, for moving in with my in-laws... I have no problems with it. I love them & they love me. We get along great & I couldn't ask for more. We have the bonus room as our bedroom & nursery. The middle bedroom is set up as our living room. It was a bit of a stressful move, as our landlord didn't give us til the exact end of the month, which we paid in full for. But we made it happen. Well, Steve, Mama & Jesse made it happen. Once again, I couldn't have done anything without the help of my loving husband & family. Moving is always stressful, pregnant or not... but we were only in the house on Wexford for what? 5 months.. had just gotten settled & then we had to move again. Not the ideal situation, but like I said, you do what you have to do. Bubba & Daisy got added into the family of dogs here at the Hopkins house... 5 Cocker Spaniels (Bubba, Copper, Lady, Dixie & Sumo) & a Daisy, whatever mut mix she is.
Getting used to staying home all day was hard to do. I'm sure most people would love to just sit around, watching TV, sleeping in, etc. I loved it for the first week, but after that I got super restless. I've been working for years, almost 10 years, so it was killing me to not be productive. On top of being 8 months pregnant, I was alone all day. I was not used to not having contact with people all day long, since I've always worked with the public. You would think I would've liked the peace & quiet & kept myself busy with cleaning, washing & rewashing baby clothes & accessories, but nesting did NOT happen for me. If anything, I got even more lazy the bigger & more swollen I got. I had no desire to go anywhere because that meant Id have to actually get ready, put on make up & find SOMETHING to wear that didn't constrict my airways! Oh, the joys of pregnancy. 1 more month... just 1 more month!