Five weeks until "D" Day!

Five years of marriage...11 years of love!

My hubby is the big 2-9!

The past few days have been very eventful! March 5 was our five-year wedding anniversary. We celebrated with a nice dinner at Indochine in downtown Tacoma and dessert at Costco...hey, we had to buy a few things and the frozen yogurt was calling to us.

Saturday was my "family" shower at my Aunt Cindy's in Olympia. Cindy and my mom did a great job putting everything together and Stacy and Laura planned some really fun games with great prizes. It was so nice to see everyone and visit. We got some really nice gifts as well!

On Sunday and Monday I noticed that my blood pressure was high and that I wasn't feeling well, so I went to the midwife and had a non-stress test. Baby boy is doing great and it was really neat to hear his little heartbeat for nearly 30 minutes. My blood pressure is high, but not dangerously so. Just to be safe, I will have non-stress tests each week at my weekly appointments.

Tomorrow we get to see the little man on ultrasound again. I'll get pictures posted soon! I can't believe we have made it 35 weeks...only five more to go!

I am starting to get things ready for my hospital bag and called St. Joe's today to verify that I am pre-registered.

As I am typing this, Jim pulled up from work and the dogs are going crazy with excitement. Made me smile thinking about how our little boy will also be just as excited when daddy gets home!

Six weeks and counting!

Well, we've hit 34 weeks and we have so much accomplished! We have been hard at work on home projects and are feeling very good about all of the things we have been able to check off of our list.

The nursery is almost complete and we will be posting pictures soon! We've washed all of the crib, bassinet and cradle bedding (yes, our son has three sleeping options...what can we say, we are blessed with generous family and friends) and washed all of his blankets, burp cloths and onsies. We are going to hold off washing all of his sweet little outfits until we see just how big he is.

Our next appointment with the midwife is Thursday, so we should have a better idea of exactly how big he is and what that means. We will also know when our next ultrasound is. If anything, we feel fortunate that we get to check in on Mr. Man more frequently.

My rash is almost totally gone and my stomach looks so much better! I still have stretch marks, but nothing compared to what I thought. The rash was making everything really red and much more dramatic.

My family baby shower is this Saturday at my Aunt Cindy's house in Olympia. She and my mom are putting it on and I can't wait to see everyone. I'll be sure to post pictures. Jim and I are celebrating our five year anniversary this Friday and Jim's 29th birthday this Sunday, so it's a weekend of celebration. Can't wait!

Showers and rashes and 33 weeks, oh my!

I am officially 33 weeks pregnant! Holy moly! The baby is now the size of a honeydew...

Your Baby: Month 8
18.2 in., 5.8 lbs.
Baby's senses are continuing to improve--when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs…time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

I had my first baby shower on Saturday, Feb. 20 at Jim and Sue's. Megan, Misty and Maile put it on for me and it was fabulous. There were 24 people there and we were bombarded with wonderful gifts. It was great!

Megan brought these delicious cakes from a place called Nothing Bundt Cakes in Reno. Red Velvet and White Chocolate Raspberry with cream cheese frosting. Swoon!















Maile, Misty, me and Megan

We got SO much stuff! We are very blessed!

At my last appointment, my midwife told me that I was measuring two weeks ahead in my belly, so she ordered an ultrasound. It was so great to see our little man and we got to see a great shot of his cute little face (to be posted soon)! The technician was able to tell us that he's measuring around 5 lbs. 4 oz. That's pretty much all she could say. I spoke to my midwife today, because I have an itchy rash all over my torso, arms, hand, legs and feet. I was treated at urgent care and given some medicine that I pray will help. This itch is out of control!

Anyway, little man isn't so little...he's in the 95th percentile! They are going to take a look at him again in three weeks to see how he's progressing. She also mentioned that I have a lot of amniotic fluid, but didn't elaborate to tell me what that means. We see her again March 4, so we will have a lot of questions at that time! Sounds like I'll have to do the dreaded glucose test again, blech. But, what ever is best for my son is what I will do!

Overall, I am doing really well. Things are getting cramped in my belly and the little guy is kicking me much more swiftly, but I am still really enjoying being a pregnant lady!

30 weeks! The 10 week countdown is on!

We cannot believe that we only have 10(ish) weeks left! Time has really flown by. I am looking forward to my baby showers...I have great friends and family and it's going to be so much fun to get everyone together to celebrate our little man.

We finished all of our classes and our Breast Feeding Prep class. It was really interesting and answered a lot of our questions. I can't wait to feed my little man.

We are busy working on the nursery...the main wall color is a light mocha, which was already in the room. We painted an accent wall red and blue with a white trim and white wainscoting. We are going to add little horseshoes to finish it off. We have been taking a lot of pictures to document the process, so we'll get them posted soon!

Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom (Grandma Terry)!

Baby is 29 weeks old and as big as a squash!

Baby is 16.7 in. and 3.8 lbs. Wow!
Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments."

We went to an orientation at a pediatric clinic near our house last night to tour the office and meet one of their five doctors. We got a lot of questions answered and feel very comfortable! Now, we just have to decide which doctor we want for mister man. They all seem very capable, but we have to do some more research.

We finished our birthing classes and learned a lot! I feel much more confident about labor now. Don't get me wrong...I'm still nervous, but I feel better. We have a breast feeding class on Monday at the hospital and then we are done with the classes. Only about 10 more weeks until we get to meet our sweet baby boy! We can't wait!

A Newborn's Conversation with God

Jim's grandma sent this to me and it brought tears to my eyes—beautiful!

A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'

God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?'

God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

28 weeks...so much done, so much left to do!

The past seven months have flown by! I can't believe we only have 11 more weeks (give or take) before we meet our son. I've been overly emotional lately thinking about it. It's so overwhelming...What kind of person will he be? What kind of parents will we be? How will our world change?

I've been feeling good, except for the past couple days. Baby boy is resting his body on my left side. Obviously I don't know how he's positioned, but it feels like he is totally stretched out. I can feel his hard little body right above my pubic bone and right under my ribs. This is the first time that I have been really uncomfortable. Jim has had to help me get (or roll) out of bed in the morning and the two or three times in the night that I get up to pee. The great thing is that mister man is moving a ton. There's nothing quite like feeling him move. Even if it's uncomfortable, it's so magical and reassuring.

I had my glucose tolerance test this morning...man, that sugary drink is nasty. I haven't received the results yet, but I had a raging headache and felt like poo all day after drinking the stuff. Not fun!

Here's what we've accomplished so far...

• Purchased nursery furniture and bedding;
• Purchased some baby clothing (we couldn't help ourselves);
• Toured the hospital and pre-registered;
• Started our child birth prep courses (we have one more on Monday and then we have one breastfeeding prep course);
• Selected a pediatrician (we have a welcome meeting next week to tour the facility);
• Finished our birth plan;
• Finished our registries (Target and Babies R' Us) this was really overwhelming and took more than one trip and lots of research to complete; and
• Purchased baby book.

Here's what we still have to do...

• Start baby book;
• Finish hallway closet so that we can transfer guest bedroom closet items into new closet and storage;
• Finish remodeling the kitchen;
• Paint an accent wall and the molding in the nursery;
• Install new blinds in nursery;
• Put our guest bedroom furniture in storage and set up nursery furniture;
• Have my baby showers! (The "friend" shower is Feb. 20 and the "family" shower is March 6...so excited);
• Wash nursery bedding and baby clothing and organize dressers and closet;
• Pack mommy/daddy hospital bag and baby hospital bag;
• Install car seat in car and have it inspected for safety;
• Cook and freeze dinners; and
• Hire a cleaning service do a deep clean of the house.

Phew! It looks like a huge list, but most of it will be really fun and the rest will fall right into place. My dad is going to help with the remodeling and I know that I can count on my mom and friends to help with the nursery if needed. We cannot wait to decorate and set up the nursery. I think that will make it feel so real.

Baby is still the size of an eggplant this week. New veggie next week!

We still get questions about the name, but we don't have one selected. Our lips are sealed until he's born anyway!

Hello third trimester!

I'm 27 weeks along and officially in my third trimester! We are so excited for April to come so that we can meet our little boy!

Our childbirth classes are going well and we are learning a lot. We are busy getting the house ready and will pick up the nursery furniture in early February. It will be so much fun setting things up and decorating. I can't wait!

As we get going on decorating, I'll be sure to post pictures.

The question we most often get is "Have you picked any names?" The answer is yes...and no. We each have a name that we like, but we haven't been able to sell each other on it. Our plan is to wait and meet our little boy and see if either name fits him. We aren't going to tell people the names, only because we don't want to hear negative reactions or "I knew a boy with that name and he was..." You get my drift!

Christmas pictures at Fort Steilacoom Park

We had Christmas pictures taken in early December at a park near our house. Our friend's daughter, Kylie, took them and did a great job. http://www.kyliedanielson.com/.

Here are our favorites!

It's been a month and boy have things been happening!

We are 26 weeks pregnant! Our little boy is now the size of an eggplant and likes to move and grove in my belly! It's amazing to watch my skin roll and he moves underneath it. Sometimes I can lightly push on him and he pushes back, which is so neat! He's approximately 1.5 to 2 lb. and 13.6 to 14.8 in.

We had a great Christmas and spent lots of time with family and friends. We cannot wait until next year when we will have an eight-month-old! April will be here before we know it, so we are starting to get things ready. Our guest bedroom was set up as a guest bedroom, so we have to store the bed and take the wardrobe and cedar chest to my mom's for storage. Once that is done, we can paint an accent wall (the room is a chocolate milk color and matches the bedding well) and then pick up the nursery furniture.

My wonderful friends have started planning a baby shower in February and my mom and my aunt are planning one in March. This little guy is going to be set!

We started our childbirth prep classes last week and will go every Monday this month. There are about 10 other couples in the class and everyone is really nice. I'll also take a breastfeeding class the first Monday in February.