showers & nursery, oh my...

I've had two awesome weekends in a row. Last weekend, I headed home for my first baby shower in Eau Claire, given by AJ, Kristin, Brooke and Steph...it was a Dr Seuss themed shower and was above and beyond anything I could have imagined. I had so much fun, eating and catching up with everyone there. And I seriously have the most generous family and friends in the world...we received so many great gifts! Thanks again ladies for hosting such an AWESOME baby shower, I love you girls!

We've also made some progress on the nursery...still have to hang stuff on the wall and get a few things like the monitor and changing pad...but we are getting there!

And no worries folks....the blanket will be draped over the glider back once it arrives and the boppy and sea horse will find new homes once the baby arrives :)

One of Joe's old softball buddies stopped by this week with his wife and 5 year daughter...as we were standing in the kitchen chatting, we noticed their daughter had disappeared...we found her in the nursery, putting the panda bear into the swing.  It was so cute, we've left panda there :)

This weekend, we attended our birthing class. It was a very long day but we learned a ton...the instructor was very good, I'd highly recommend her. We also crossed off 2 of our "bucket list" of things we wanted to do before pumpkin seed arrives. We've been watching our pennies very tightly lately and trying to adjust the budget, so it's not such a shock when the daycare bills come along...so we rarely go out anymore. We had a really nice date night at Famous Dave's on Saturday night and today, we went to a movie and got ice cream afterwords. Before we know it, these 2 very simple tasks we normally don't think twice about, won't be as simple anymore...so we wanted to make sure to get out one last time while we could!

I have a short week of work and we'll be hitting up the State Fair on Friday, I'm so excited! Hopefully the weather cooperates...it's the only day we'll be able to go. Joe is heading to Winger this coming weekend for his Grandpa's 90th birthday party. I'll be staying home, since I'll be 34 weeks and we decided months ago, I wouldn't be leaving town after 9/1, unless it was an emergency. 

Hope you all have a great week!

33w0d

How far along? 33w0d or 82.5% or 8.5 months pregnant.

Total weight gain/loss: +22 pounds.

Size: Pineapple or Honeydew.  He's over 17 inches long and weighs a little over 4 pounds now.

Baby Development: He is rapidly losing the wrinkled alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together yet, which allows them to move and overlap slightly...this makes it easier to fit through the birth canal...and these bones don't full fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissues expand during infancy and childhood.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans (haven't bought maternity ones since I doubt I'll wear them much this summer)

How I'm feeling: For the most part I'm feeling good, I have the normal pregnancy aches and pains...but I manage to waddle myself around :) Swelling is back under control but my feet/ankles are puffy by the end of the day (which my doctor says is completely normal) and my fingers look puffy too...hopefully they go down a bit once it cools down next month.

Milestones/Best moment this week: We toured the Maple Grove Hospital last night, which was built in 2009...OMG...it's like a freaking spa!! We are fairly certain we will be delivering here...we have our birthing class at the other hospital option on Saturday and I'm not sure it will even compare to MG. Choosing the hospital is making this a lot MORE real though...I can't believe how close we are getting!


Still able to wear one of the last non maternity shirts that fits...granted, this shirt is meant to be a little baggy but it just barely still fits LOL :)

We've had a busy week during the evenings, so I promise to update about the WONDERFUL shower I had last weekend and some nursery progress...pics will be included, so stay tuned :)

 

32w0d

How far along? 32w0d or 80% or 8.25 months pregnant.

Total weight gain/loss: +21 pounds, ugh!

Size: Large jicama or Squash.  He's over 16.7 inches long and weighs about 3.75 pounds.

Baby Development: I should be gaining a pound per week, with half of that going to the baby. He will gain 1/3 to 1/2 of his weight during the next 7 weeks.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans (haven't bought maternity ones since I doubt I'll wear them much this summer)

How I'm feeling: For the most part I'm feeling good, I have the normal pregnancy aches and pains...but I manage to waddle myself around :) I'm also starting to swell, which is probably contributing to the sudden weight gain...guess I'm increasing my water intake to at least 72-96 oz now and see if that helps.

Milestones/Best moment this week: I had my checkup today and I'm measuring right at 32 weeks and his heartbeat was 130-140...it's always a big sigh of relief to know he's progressing well...I'm now going in every other week, I can't believe how fast the time is flying!

boppy covers...

My mother-in-law finished the boppy covers over the weekend...we have 3 in total, which will definitely come in handy when one gets dirty! She had enough fabric to make the third, which has a side of each of the fabrics...

The total cost for the 3 boppy covers was $17.27 (including tax):
1.5 yards Baseball Fabric: $7.19
1.5 yards Bone Fabric: $6.42
2 Zippers: $3.66 (Wanda had the third zipper on hand already)

Considering these sell for at least $20 each in the stores and we really didn't love any of the options at Target...this was a steal. Special thanks to my mother-in-law for sewing these...I know I wouldn't have been able to tackle this one myself :)

Link to Tutorial

31w0d

How far along? 31w0d or 77.5% or 8 months pregnant.
Total weight gain/loss: +18 pounds.

Size: Four naval oranges or Squash.  He's over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds.

Baby Development: He can turn his head from side to side and his arms, legs, and body are starting to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's also still going through major brain and nerve development. His irises now react to light and all 5 senses are in working order.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans (haven't bought maternity ones since I doubt I'll wear them much this summer)

How I'm feeling: For the most part I'm feeling good, I have the normal pregnancy aches and pains...but I manage to waddle myself around :)

Milestones/Best moment this week: I felt him move/kick above my belly button for the first time, which means he might be getting ready to move into the head down position some time soon....I've read he could be dropping in the next couple of weeks, which blows my mind...how did this fly so fast?!?

life updates...

It's been a slow day at work, can you tell? :)  So thought I'd do a quick update of what we have been up to lately...

Life has been busy lately...I'm looking forward to September, which is when this pregnant lady is staying put and not venturing far from home anymore. I'll be 34 weeks by then, so crazy! We've had a few busy weekends so far and three more coming up.

We finally decided on a rocker for the nursery...and probably just in the nick of time! We had gone to BRU about a month ago, wanting to sit in all the rockers available to figure out what we liked best (per the suggestion of AJ, which we can't thank her enough for!). We found one that we both loved and is ssoooo comfortable. It was 20% off but I was convinced I could find it elsewhere and for cheaper...well to my surprise, BRU has many "exclusive" items and this of course was one of them. So I called back the next week to see how long the sale was going. She told me through mid-August but if we ordered a color/fabric other than what the floor model was, it would be 10-12 weeks before it arrived. CRAP! I was 29 weeks at the time and we definitely did NOT want the floor model fabric, so we got ourselves to BRU that night and ordered it right away...so *hopefully* it arrives in time!

We recently took the plunge...a plunge I swore I would never take. We traded in one of the last pieces we have from our "past life" and proved we once lived a fun, carefree life...Joe's beloved truck is now a silver beauty of a mini van! We went to the dealership just to look at a used van he found online (and it wasn't the one we walked out with) so we hadn't showered and didn't have the truck title/extra keys with us.  We had no intentions of buying that day, we had been pre-approved through our credit union, so we knew our limit and what would fit our budget...but that was the furthest we had gotten in the process. We seriously were going to drive down quick, take a peak, grab some lunch and head home to get out of the extreme heat temperatures outside. Six hours later, the paperwork was signed and we were the proud owners of a Chrysler Town & Country. It isn't brand new but we weren't in the market for one...it's used but we still have a few miles before the factory warranty is up too, so it's practically brand new and we got a great deal on it :) And seriously...we have SO much room for baby and puppy...and more than enough room for when our family grows.

 

One final shot before we said goodbye...we really loved this truck...but we just couldn't justify the risk for baby (pickups aren't as save in accidents) and the cost of gas it would take to travel, since my car is no longer an option when Shiloh comes along (and she comes along 99% of the time)...so I turned 30 and bought a mini van just a few weeks apart...gosh, I'm feeling old! 

Last weekend, we headed to the lake to visit my parents. It was kinda of a rainy weekend, so we headed to Turtle Lake to press our luck...we didn't win but I did get carded TWICE, while they didn't even look twice at Joe (and he turns 30 in December). LOL. One of the guys did apologize after seeing I was thirty...but I said, don't even worry about it...I take it as a compliment! Although I then started to wonder afterwords if I look like a girl that could be on Teen Mom or something...because seriously, I'm almost 8 months pregnant and know I look at least 21. But I'll take the carding while I can, there will come a day when it won't happen anymore and I'll be wishing it did :)

This weekend I'm heading home for Krista's bridal shower, I'm very excited to see my girls from home, eat lots of yummy food and help celebrate her upcoming wedding! She is getting married October 7th, which is exactly 1 week before my due date so my chances of attending are questionable, at best. So I'm excited I can be part of this celebration for her.

The following weekend is my baby shower in EC....seriously can't wait! I know the girls have been busy planning away and I can't wait to see them and enjoy what they've planned. I'm seriously so blessed with the family and friends in my life, they are truly the most wonderful people and their generosity never seizes to amaze me. Also my friend Kristin from Hawaii will be back in WI during that weekend, so I hope we can all meet up and visit!

The last weekend of August is our birthing class and tour of both hospitals I can deliver at. My doctor has privileges at two places and we'll decide where we will go, after we've seen them both. We might also hit up the state fair on that Sunday, weather permitting of course. Otherwise, we'll take a day off during the week to go...whatever day is forecasted to be the coolest of them all :)

Then it's buying all the last minute things we will need for pumpkin seed, finishing up the nursery and *patiently* awaiting his arrival.

first sewing project...

...was a success! I finished the car seat cover last night, I just need to attach the ties but we need to wait until we buy our carseat so we know where they should go so they line up with the handle...I think it turned out pretty well, considering how long it's been since I've sewed anything!

Total cost with tax was $15.75, all fabrics were 30-40% off and I also had a 20% off entire purchase coupon which helped.

0.75 yards Bone Fabric - $2.45

1.5 yards Dog Fabric - $4.31
1.5 yards Minky Fabric - $8.99

I have a little extra of the minky fabric leftover but I think I'll make a ribbon blanket from it at some point.  I used most of the other fabrics.

Link to Tutorial

 



nesting...in full effect...

So I've been nesting...and it's in full effect these days. I stumbled across this blog with some awesome patterns for baby things. My mother-in-law has already agreed to make us a few boppy covers...I'm going to attempt the car seat cover and nursing cover over the next few weeks.  I seriously can't wait to leave work so I can head to JoAnn's tonight, LOL. I'll keep you updated on the progress we make...

Check out this website for the patterns/instructions if you are looking to make some of these things too (see tutorial section): http://www.vanillajoy.com

nursery update...

So I took a chance on ordering an area rug online...we wanted a chocolate brown, approximately 5x7 rug for the nursery but didn't want to spend a lot of money since I think that money is better spent on other essentials we will need for pumpkin seed and not on a rug. It arrived on Friday and it was better than I had thought it would be. It's definitely not a soft, plushy rug like I would have liked but for now, it will work just fine, we just need something to cushion the hardwood floors a bit if we need to walk/stand with the baby. And for the low price of $24.88, I think it will serve its purpose well.

 

If you need a cheap rug, I'd definitely recommend it. It's free shipping to home and got great reviews online...

http://www.walmart.com/ip/5-x-7-Ivy-Pattern-Area-Rug-Brown/11620203 

30w0d

How far along? 30w0d or 75%. A side note...I will be EIGHT months starting next week, holy crap!
Total weight gain/loss: +16 pounds (no change).

Size: Head of cabbage or Squash.  He is about 15.7 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds.

Baby Development: His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen. Even after birth, he will keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him now but it will start to decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room.

Movement: YES! Both movements and kicks happen regularly throughout the day and night now.

Food cravings: Nothing new lately.

Food aversions: None.

What I miss: Jimmy John's, alcohol, my jeans (haven't bought maternity ones since I doubt I'll wear them much this summer)

How I'm feeling: I'm getting more and more tired...otherwise I'm feeling pretty good. Also, my non-maternity gap tank tops (which are naturally super long) that I bought in June are starting to get too short...they either are showing too much on top or the paneling in my pants show a little...how did that happen so fast?!?

Milestones/Best moment this week: Finding a steal of a deal on an area rug for the nursery on walmart.com...it's arriving today, I hope it works! If we like it, I'll make sure to post pics :)