Can't Wait!

Though I can wait until after opening weekend... my experience with an audience filled of tweens at The Lady in Black has left me leery of opening weekends. I thought this was so funny - though working out is the last thing on my mind these days, I think I totally had this thought at one point during the books - would I have survived the hunger games? Probably not.

32 Weeks!

To mark the day I turned 32 weeks pregnant, I got to hear the following comments from my children:

As I get out of the shower, Miles opens the bathroom door (dang, forgot to lock it!) and he starts laughing, hard. He points at me and says, "Mommy, funny body!! Funny body!" Everything is about his body lately - for example, he says poop comes out of his body, not his bum. I guess my big belly is funny to him these days.

Then later in the day, Claire says, "Mom, why is your bum so big?" I said to balance out my big belly so I don't fall over. I guess that wasn't a good enough answer because she said, "But WHY is it so big?"

Sheesh, children! I told Claire to not every tell anyone they have a big bum, ever. And in my mind I was thinking, and especially not to a hormonal, sensitive pregnant lady who really does have one...

Claire's Family Art

Claire has been drawing and painting our family a lot lately. She loves to paint especially, and thank goodness MeMa lets her paint every time she has the kids because I usually stick to crayons and colored pencils.

A Hiller family portrait


Claire painted this picture of me - note my huge belly, with a little baby inside. I also liked the blue arms :)

Claire said this is a picture of Matt in a crown - he's the king of our castle :)

Go Tiger Lillies!

I am now a mini van driving soccer mom - literally. Claire started the Rainbow Youth Soccer League on a 6 and under all girls team and Matt is the assistant coach. We are lucky to have our friend Tom as the coach with his daughter Reagan on the team as well. Claire really liked the name Tiger Lillies, though she originally asked for the Princess Tiger Lillies.

Their first game was this past Saturday - a double header. The girls had fun - and the score is irrelevant (I kept reminding myself). We weren't supposed to talk about who won or lost (they won 1, lost 1). :)

It was all to have fun and get some great exercise. That's a lot of running on little legs. Go #8!

Kid Quotes

I have started writing quotes into my phone so I don't forget them - I wish I could have everything they say recorded so you can hear their inflections - that's half the fun for me.

Miles latest answer to a question like, "Do you like that Miles?" or "How is your food?" is, "Ummmm....Not bad."

Claire is very into crafting lately, mainly making cards and pictures for people. She said, "I'm going to make something for Tessa and Mia (two of our regular babysitters) because they are nice and say nice words like please pass the pickles and thank you and you're welcome. And they wipe their feet on the rug. That's good manners."

We were talking about painting our house (fingers crossed) before the baby comes and I asked Claire about colors she would like. She said, "I desire.... pink!" Desire?? Her vocab choices crack me up sometimes.

Claire and Miles were absolutely going crazy jumping off the couch and onto a pile of cushions they had built. I was just waiting for the tears to start when Claire stops mid-hysteria and says, "Mom, why did you decide to have two kids?" I said, "I don't know Claire, I really don't know..." and I just started laughing so hard because I was just thinking - why did I decide to have THREE kids? It had been at tough day and she caught me off guard, but we all ended up laughing together.

In big news, Miles said APPLE!! No more wah-wahs around here. He saw an apple outside, and then I put up a wreath with green apples on it and Matt pointed at the wreath and said Miles, say ap-ple. And Miles did! I guess he finally decided to not be so stubborn. I knew he could say it all along.

Oh, That's More Comforting

Check out the new name of my perinatologist's office. It just changed from the Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine (CMFM) to the High Risk Pregnancy Center. I know seeing a perinatologist means you basically have a high-risk pregnancy for some reason or another, but there is no comfort(or doubt about why you are there in the first place) when you walk in and see this sign. Who was their PR person who recommended this new branding? :)

Is There Anything Better?

Than fresh cinnamon rolls out of the oven? I finally made this recipe from The Pioneer Woman, and while there are a ton of steps that are spread out over a few hours, they are perhaps the best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten. Fair warning, the recipe makes 7+ pans, so plan to share or find some freezer space. I think the secret is that you put the maple frosting on while the rolls are hot, so the frosting oozes all over and soaks into the bread. And it's not too mapley, don't worry. Also, the recipe says to let the finished dough chill for awhile before rolling it out. I made half the dough before chilling, and the other half the next day. The chilled dough definitely made for a prettier, more held together cinnamon roll, though they both tasted the same.

This photo does not do them justice, and I obviously don't have the Pioneer Woman's food photography skills (just the ole iPhone).

Pity Party, Party of One

I wish I could say I am up at 5 am because I want to be extra productive today (though I did just start a load of laundry), and get to work at 6:30 am or something. Not so. I am up because I can't breathe. And I can't breathe because I am pregnant and basically have a cold for 9 months every time I have a baby. But the real kicker this time is that for the next two weeks, I am not allowed to blow my nose. This is akin to insomnia for me. I hate breathing out of my mouth!

The reason for my two week ban is that yesterday I went into an ear, nose and throat doctor because I have been having a lot of bloody noses for the past 4 weeks. Having a bloody nose is not uncommon while pregnant - all that extra blood going around in your body and all. But I was having some really bad bloody noses at least 2-3 times a day. I was joking with Matt that I could see a piece of brain tissue in there that must have gotten loose, hence all my dumb pregnant moments and the bloody noses.

But no, it wasn't my brain but it was an irritated piece of tissue around a ruptured blood vessel that had to be cauterized. So, the doc cut it out and put silver nitrate on the blood vessel (I now have dark silver stain all inside my nose). It felt like he was literally going up to my brain with the stuff, and all I could taste was metal for a few hours. So now, to protect this sensitive patch of skin I am not to blow my nose for 2 weeks. I said to the doctor, you're joking - that's impossible. I literally can't breathe already, I will never sleep again! He said, "Well, just sniff." SNIFF, sniff? I felt tears coming to my eyes. Oh boy...

I know this probably sounds silly to those who don't get this pregnancy cold but it is real, and it is miserable. I may have shared this before, but here is what BabyCenter.com had to say about it:

Believe it or not, it's pretty common to have a runny or stuffed-up nose during pregnancy. Up to 30 percent of pregnant women have congestion without having allergies or a viral infection like the common cold. This condition even has a name: rhinitis of pregnancy.

It can start as early as your second month and tends to worsen later in pregnancy. The congestion should ease up soon after you give birth and be gone completely within two weeks after delivery.

Higher amounts of estrogen during pregnancy can contribute to swelling in the mucous membranes lining the nose and even cause you to make more mucus. What's more, the amount of blood in your body increases during pregnancy, which may cause swelling in the tiny blood vessels in the lining of your nose and congestion in the surrounding tissue. Other hormones may also play a role.

So if you are around me during the next few weeks, I apologize in advance for my tired, listless, sniffly appearance. This is gonna be rough.

The Hiller Boys

30 Weeks

Oh my little head of cabbage, growing so fast! Last week the baby measured at 3.25 lbs during my ultrasound, though this week the average weight is supposed to be just under 3 lbs. The doc is happy about the weight - since it means the hyper thyroid isn't affecting the baby. The size of the baby's thyroid is measuring normal too. It's just amazing to me that they can see the thyroid at all in something so small.

I am now 30 weeks and well into my third trimester. What fun it has brought! More blood work, now visiting with my primary doctor every 2 weeks, plus the specialist every 3 weeks and thyroid level tests in between those appointments somehow.

Baby's Forearm and Fist


I have no idea what to expect for when I will go into labor. May 15th is my due date, but I had Claire only 3 days before her due date and Miles was 3 weeks early. Where's the consistency?

Can I vent on my pregnancy woes for a second? Just so my children can appreciate me someday :)

1. I am already so uncomfortable when trying to sleep - I can't figure out the right combination of pillows to use. I had a dream the other night that I just needed one more pillow, but I couldn't find one. So I went to the fridge and grabbed a head of broccoli and held on to that instead. Which is funny, because I would never buy broccoli!

2. Because of my blood type (O-, RH-), I have to get a shot of this stuff called RhoGam in my bum this week. Since Matt has RH+ blood, our kids end up with positive blood too. If my blood mixes with the baby at any point during pregnancy or delivery, I would develop antibodies that would basically attack the baby (Rh disease). So, RhoGam is a good thing, but it hurts like heck.

3. I am gaining weight like a sumo wrestler in training. Those months of no weight gain are far behind me, and I have caught up to my usual weight around this time. Why must my face, arms and legs also be pregnant, not just my belly? Kiddo, your mom will never be the same. But you're worth it.

4. I am a cranky pants a lot of the time, and it's a good thing I don't say half the things I want to say at work or I would be fired :) I just want to be so blunt sometimes, but I don't. I really think I can blame the Grave's Disease a little bit...

Who knows what other fun the next 7-10 weeks will bring?

Can New Makeup Bring You Happiness?

If none of your clothes fit, and even your shoes are starting to betray you, then yes, new makeup can be the boost you need. Here are my new favorites, some were a splurge but if I ask for makeup as a present, I don't feel the typical guilt at spending too much money. And if the products really work, then it's worth it to me to spend more.

Stila - Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner (in black). It dries super fast and really does last.


Stila - Smudgestick Waterproof Eyeliner (in Lionfish). At Sephora, the salesperson drew the eyeliner on her hand, waited about 10 seconds and then tried to rub it off. It didn't even smudge. I was sold.


Sally Hansen - Complete Salon Manicure nail polish - lasts for about 5 days with no chips. I like Kook-a-Mango, an orangy color. I also bought a dark purple/black color that I like a lot.


Make Up For Ever - HD Foundation - more than I would ever spend on foundation (hence the V-Day gift) but I love that they have a ton of shades and each color has a version with either yellow or pink undertones so you can always find a match.