34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Size of baby: Average Cantaloupe (about 4 3/4 pounds and 18 inches long).

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time. The other night I noticed he was kicking up a storm after I had some ice cream - I think he might have liked the sugar :)
Sleep: Not so great lately. I get up even more times a night for the bathroom. I guess my body is just getting me ready for when our little guy comes!
What I miss: Nothing really.
Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets but I make sure and have protein with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet, backaches, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), carpal tunnel in hands at night ... and now I have definitely started the "nesting" phase. I feel like I cant get my house clean enough! I've tried to make room for his stuff in places throughout the house - I've cleared a cabinet in the kitchen for him, I've cleared out the spare bathroom (which used to house all of my stuff) for all of his bath stuff, I've cleared out a closet in the basement for all of his toys and I have cleared out some room in the garage for his toys. Some of these projects I could have definitely waited until he gets older but I just keep thinking I wont have time later.  
Best Moment this week: when we finally got our rocker and ottoman in. I had been waiting since June and I was just so excited to finally see the nursery come together. I usually go in the babys room every night and just piddle around ... now I usually also rock on the rocker for a while and just imagine what our little guy is going to look like :). 

Finally ... they're in!

This will be a short post but I just thought I'd share that our glider and ottoman have finally arrived! I love the way they look ... and I love that they are so comfy! I can't wait to start rocking our little guy to sleep in it :)

Shower #3

I had my third shower last Saturday. My best friends were the hostesses and it was just a small group of girlfriends. It was so much fun! They did a theme of "ready to pop". So, there was "pop" corn balls, jalapino "popper" dip,  ring "pops", blow "pops", etc. It was so cute! One of the big items we got was our carseat - which I am sooo excited about. Now, he can come home from the hospital :).

Here are some pics from the shower:


The Guests



The Hostesses



Ready to "Pop" theme



Ready to "Pop" theme



Bestie Preggos - Mel 33 weeks, Me 32 weeks

Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts!!! I am so lucky to have such great friends!!!

32 Weeks

Sorry, Jason had to leave early for work so I was half awake :)

How Far Along: 32 Weeks
Size of baby: large jicama (about 3.75 pounds and 16.7 inches long). I wasnt sure what a jicama was so i looked it up - apparently it is a root vegetable. Here it is:

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.

Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him throughout the day. I seem to feel him kick a lot more after I have had spicy food - which I like because then I know he is doing okay in there.
Sleep: I get up a couple times a night for the bathroom
What I miss: A good workout. Now-a-days I get winded coming up the stairs.
Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets but I make sure and have protien with every meal.

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet, backaches, and my newest symptom is symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD).
Per Babycenter.com, the two halves of your pelvis are connected at the front by a stiff joint called symphysis pubis. This joint is strengthened by a dense network of ligaments. To help your baby pass through your pelvis, your body produces a hormone called relaxin. Relaxin softens your ligaments. As a result, your pelvic joints move more during and just after pregnancy, causing inflammation and pain.
I only notice this when I try and go for walks. I can barely make 1/2 of a mile before I start to feel pains in my pelvis. My doctor just said to listen to my body and not to push it too hard. Its just so frustrating because the weather is just starting to get nice again!
Best Moment this week: So, I think I have said this in an earlier post but my belly button sticks out a little now. It isnt all the way out but its definately a little nubbin. However, Jason and I just discovered that when I laugh it sticks out even further! Its pops in and out every time I have a good laugh - which makes me laugh even harder. We think it is pretty funny so I thought I would classify this as the best moment of the week :). 

Shower #2

I had my second shower last Saturday. My Mom was the host and it was with her side of the family, plus my Dads side of the family. It was absolutely wonderful. One of the "big" items we got was our stroller. I am so excited about it! It is a jogging stroller but I can also use it when our little guy is in his car seat because there is a converter to snaps it in - so convenient!

Here are some pics from the shower:

Some of my moms sisters and me

My mom and me

My dads side of the family

 

Some of the girl cousins on my moms side



The dessert display

The diaper cake

The centerpieces                               

All the books I got!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts!!! Our baby is going to be one spoiled and well loved little boy! :)

DIY Chalkboard tags

I found these really cute chalkboard tags for baskets on Etsy. However, I decided I would try another DIY project to save money. So even though my tags are a little different from the ones on Etsy, I still think they are pretty cool.

To make it, I used the following:
- Chalkboard paint (Already had at my house from another project) 
- Paint brush (Had around the house)
- Four small wood pieces (0.19 cents each at Michaels)
- Four large wood pieces for background (four for $1.49 at Michaels)
- White spray paint (.99 cents from Lowes)
- Hot glue gun (Had around the house)
- Drill (Had around the house) 
- Brown twine for hanging ($5.17 from Hobby Lobby)
- Chalkboard paint pen (Had around the house - you can use regular chalk but I feel like the paint pen works better)

I started with chalkboard paint. I had a can leftover from another project so I just used it but I think this project would be even easier if I had spray paint (less mess).

Then I painted the small wood pieces with the chalkboard paint. I only needed one coat.

Then I spray painted the large wood pieces white.

Then I used hot glue to hold the two pieces together.

Then I had Jason drill the two holes on the sides of the larger wood piece (I am not good with a drill so I didnt even try to attempt to do it myself).

Finally, I used my chalkboard paint pen to write different labels for the baskets and used the brown twine to tie the tag to my basket.

I love how organized it looks ... and best thing, I did all of them for less than $8.50!

Another Couples Sprinkle

Over the weekend Jason and I (with our friends Kristi, Greg, Kelly & Jim) hosted another couples Sprinkle. This time it was for our friends Melissa and Andy. Melissa and I are due a week apart and we are both having boys - we couldn't be more excited! I used a lot of the same concepts for the decorations as I did for my other Sprinkle but I still think it turned out really cute :).

Here are some pics:

The Girls

Melissa & I with our bumps



The dessert and diaper tower



Diaper wreath



Monthly onesies



Table

And I had to put this too because how cute is my friends baby girl, Kimber?!



California Part 2

The second part of our California trip was my baby shower - which was held on Sunday. It was absolutely perfect! A bunch of our friends helped with the shower so thank you to all! It was decorated so cute and we got tons of great things for our little guy :).

Here are some pictures from the party:


Ali, me & Jess



The Girls - a couple had already left before I remembered to get a group shot :(



The Moms - a couple had already left before I remembered to get a group shot :(



The food spread



Hanging onesies (Its hard to read but the white ones spell out baby) 



Beautiful center pieces



The favors that Sharon made - so creative!

The yummy cupcakes

The awesome view from Jill's house

Oh and I cant forget Goose! My friend, Kelly, flew in from San Francisco for the party and she brought her little English Bulldog. Isnt he the cutest?!

You might be wondering how we got all of our shower gifts from California to St Louis but luckily our friend Mike works for a shipping company and he was able to ship everything to us for free - so thanks so much Cathy & Mike!

30 Weeks

How Far Along: 30 Weeks ... and a day and a half (I took this one last night)
Size of baby: Head of cabbage (weighs 3 pounds and measures 15.7 inches)

Maternity Clothes: most definitely.
Gender: Boy!

Movement: I feel him all the time. The weirdest thing is in the morning, after I have been sleeping on my side, I roll onto my back and he is completely on one side of my stomach. So, my stomach looks totally lopsided. Then my stomach evens out after I sit up but Jason and I think its so fun wondering which part of his body is sticking out the most - I think its his booty! :)
Sleep: I get up a couple times a night for the bathroom
What I miss: Sleeping through the night without getting up - I probably wont get that for a long time though :).

Cravings: I still crave fruit and sweets - which apparently is not the best for me. I got my Glucose test back and my numbers were very slightly elevated. I had to give blood again, after I ate a balanced meal, to see how my body digested the food. Everything came back normal which was great news. However, they now just want me to incorporate more protein into my diet. So, I need to cut back on my carbs/sugars - which is what I crave! Oh well, it really isn't that big of a deal to throw in a side of eggs with my morning cereal - as long as my little guy is okay. 

Aversions: None

Symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, still breaking out, swelling of my hands and feet and my back still kills me by the end of the day. The worst was the plane rides! The seats are so erect and there is no back support. I had to stuff my sweater behind my back for support and it still didn't completely alleviate the pain. It also didn't help that I wasn't able to get up and move around too much without the flight attendant giving me the stink eye -  I felt like those damn fasten seat belt signs were ALWAYS on! 
Best Moment this week: Traveling to California for my friends bridal shower and my baby shower. It definitely took a lot out of me but it was worth it. Every time I visit those friends, its like I never left. Those are the best type of friends!

California Part 1

I went to Southern California over the weekend and had an absolute blast! It was so great to see all of my old friends and catch up. My mom and I flew in on Friday afternoon and then split up (she stayed at her girlfriends house and I stayed at mine). I stayed with my friend, Ali (aka "The Bride"), and I was finally able to meet her fiancee. He was, of course, an awesome guy and I'm so happy that they found each other. I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in her wedding but our little guy made other plans :). Their wedding is Oct 6th and my due date is Oct 11th. So, flying to California is definitely out of the question. However, I am SO glad that I was able to fly out now to at least attend the shower on Saturday. It was absolutely lovely - the other bridesmaids did such a great job setting it all up. Here are some pictures from her shower:



The Bridal Party

 

Address Book Sign In



I tried to get this picture to turn but I cant figure it out - any suggestions? Anyway, I wanted to post it because I thought it was so cute. All of the guests brought a recipe card and we close pinned them to an apron. So cute!

Beverages



Delicious Food Spread



The Bride and me





Happy Birthday to Me!

I have really been wanting a nice camera for when the baby arrives. All of my friends who have kids say it is a "must have". So for my birthday I asked for cash from my parents and Jasons parents. That way, I can just apply it towards a new camera. I decided on the Canon Rebel T3i and I LOVE IT!

Hopefully now my pictures will be a lot clearer :) Here is one of my first test shots - my mom and I on our way to California!