Got the rocker --- CHECK!

The last thing we needed for his room was a chair ... and now that's done --- thanks to my wonderful husband! He was out the other day and came across a great deal on this recliner! He knew I was looking for something smaller and a recliner/rocker and he found it! It's even chocolate brown leather and matches his room perfectly. The nice thing is we can always put this chair in another room some day. It is really comfy and not too big, which I like. More modern and sleek ... and the price was unbeatable! Meant to be! Also included is a 35-week pic of me! Hard to believe we're on the week-to-week countdown now!

Child Preparation Classes --- CHECK!

Well, last weekend Blake and I finished our child prep classes. For those of you that didn't know we were doing it, it was a series of classes offered through the hosptial specifically catered to first-time parents and touched on everything from having the baby to feedings to medicines to infant CPR and more!

It was us and a few other couples and done classroom style. The teacher we had was really informative and we got a lot of great learning materials. The best advice I received from a friend is to read up, take some notes, then wing it when the baby gets here! She said half the fun is "figuring it out as you go along" with the first kid. We know that we'll probably make some mistakes, feed the baby wrong, swaddle incorrectly, but that's how we'll learn best!

Don't worry -- Blake and I will defintitely people know if we need some help, but right now we're excited to give some things the 'old college try on our own! It's going to be such a fun, new experience being parents and we are excited to pave the road together ... just don't make fun of us if our baby's diaper is on backwards!

34.5 weeks moving around in mommy's belly!

Here he is movin' and groovin' in my tummy! Especially watch the right side of my tummy, that's where he is!

I like the way you moooooooove

A lot of people have been asking me to descrbie what it feels like to feel him move inside my belly. This was something that I too was SO curious about. I remember when my friends were pregnant asking them and feeling like they never gave me a "good enough" answer. A lot would say, "I don't know, it just feels like he/she is moving." ...not a good answer for someone who's never been pregnant!

Here is kind of what I think it feels like:
• Little movement - you know when your eye spazes out and won't stop twitching? Kinda like that but in concentrated spots.
• Sharp jab - if I were to come up behind you and stick the eraser side of a pencil into your side really quickly. You'd feel it at first, but then like a few seconds later the pain would kind of hit you.
• Hanging on my rib - no way to sugar coat this one. It's like someone came and punched me in my rib!
• Rolling - this is what I am experiencing now. He is much bigger and I have less fluid, so I don't feel the pokes, prods, and jabs anymore. Now its the large pressing, stretching, and what I think is rolling. And here I go, being just like my friends who I used to think gave me lame answers ... but it feels EXACTLY like how you think it would feel to put a small person, animal or anything live underneath your skin and have it stretch! It is just this hard, concentrated pressure that expands until your skin can't stretch anymore, and then it slowly lets off.

Hope that helps! I will take a video of him tonight moving and upload it so you can see how crazy my stomach has gotten!

Since you've been asking!!!

A lot of you have been asking about my growth chart that I received at my baby shower! So here is a quick way to answer the questions for those who are intersted!

1) Erinn Larsen is the girl who painted it. She is a VERY talented artist and a friend of mine and if you are interested in having her do something, please contact me and I can give you her email address (I don't want to publicly post it without having her consent!).

2) No! If you can believe it, she didn't have fabric sample! She did that by looking at pics of his bedding on the website --- I know, amazing!

3) Attached is a pic below so you can see how spot on it is ... his quilt is on the laundry basket next to the growth chart. Even the boxes have the same design!

You are amazing, Erinn!!!!

Hiccups, contractions, stretching – oh my!

Wow, there is definitely an active little boy in my belly! He has been going crazy today! He gets the hiccups about 5+ times a day (usually a few minutes after I am done eating) and they last about 15 minutes at a time. Now that he is getting bigger you can see my stomach twitch in time to his little burps!

Also, what I thought was him pressing his head/legs/butt against my stomach I have found out are little contractions! When we were at the hosptial recently they had me hooked up to a fetal monitor and I got to see these little contractions every 20 minutes or so. Now I know that slight tightening isn't him pressing, but a minor contraction!

But, that doesn't mean he doesn't stretech. I have a few ribs that I think are barely hanging on. He's head down and his body wraps around the right side of my stomach, so his knees come across my left side, then feet are tucked back under my right rib cage. May be hard to imgaine, but ohhhhh man do I feel him! He gets those little feet moving and I just hold my ribs and brace!

Have another Dr appt on Monday, so I'll keep you posted!

His room is almost done!!!

Here are some update pics of his room! We're getting closer! Clothes have been washed and put away, his bedding was dry-cleaned (my friends are going to tell me I'm an idiot for that), pictures are hung on the wall, carpets have been shampooed, black-out shades have been installed, curtains hung, baskets are filled with diapers and wipes .... almost ready to go! Last things we need are a chair and I'm still looking for a baby blue rug to match the colors in his bedding ... I'm going to start calling it the "unicorn" because I don't believe what i want exists out there!!

My Baby Shower!!!

Yesterday I had a baby shower thrown by my amazing friends, Julianne, Meg, and Wendi! OMG, I can't even explain how much work and detail they put into everything! It was all a surprise to me --- everything from the colors, to theme, to games! The color theme was orange and blue (colors in his room) and they went to sooooooo much effort to make it wonderful! First there was AMAZING food! We had hommade maple glazed cinnamon rolls, a breakfast quiche, fruit, mimosas, punch and more!

There were also personalized gifts for attendees with blue bath salt in mini baby bottles and even the silverware were wrapped in handmade crafty goodness!!!! We played three awesome games: 1) was me and 3 frineds talking on a cell phone, holdling a baby (cabbage patch dolls), and trying to fold laundry ... whoever did it fastest won! ... it wasn't me!!! 2) was pass the present...a multi-layered tissue wrapped present passed around and questions were asked at each layer; whoever got the answer to the question got to take off the next layer and the last person to unwrap the last layer won the gift! 3) we played baby shower bingo! people wrote down what they thought I would get and prizes were handed out each time someone got a bingo as I was unwrapping gifts!

Speaking of gifts ---- I have some of the most wonderful and generous girlfriends every! I got so much fabulous stuff and I can't wait until he's here to put it to good use! I'm so thankful for all of you in my life and thank you for coming to shower. Our little man is going to have more Aunties that he knows what to do with!!!!!!!!!!

And a special thanks to Julianne, Meg, and Wendi for planning one of the best showers ever! I was so stunned with everything and it was so fun. I love you all so much and I just can't tell you how much I appreciate all the effort you went to! Thanks for everything!!!!! Love you!

A pic of the party:


The centerpieces for the tables!

This is from Auntie Michelle and Auntie Wendi --- it is a handpainted growth chart that matches his room PERFECTLY! It is amazing how well this turned out. I was so amazed and shocked! Blake is hanging it today!

I got some SWEET Paul Frank duds for him! I love PF and the outfits I got were classic!!! Definitely taking one to the hospital with me!

Auntie Barb MADE this bedding for a moses basket for him! They used one a lot with Odin so she made one just for me ... polka dots and everything!!!!!! It is so special! I also got a couple homemade blankets that I love! I have the most talented friends in the world!!!

Hosptial Registration ---- CHECK!

We are getting closer! Today Blake and I did the hosptial walk through and registration. We just love Kadlec and are so excited to be having our baby there!! Definitely going through the registration, completing the birth plan, talking through what happens during labor/immediately after, etc sure makes it feel more real!

We're going to "pack a bag" in a couple weeks and start practicing learning how to work the car seat with his "bubba" (stuffed fishing bear ... thanks Brady!!!). I am now focused on doing a deeeeep clean of the house (HELLO NESTING!!) and getting everything perfect before he comes!

I have also been feeling the need to purge everything ... so friends, you're in luck! I'm giving away towels, pictures, decorations ... you name it! I want things nice and clean and sparse! Can you tell I hate clutter???

Just a few weeks and counting now! Can't wait to meet you, son! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Our BabyMoon!

Well, we just got home from our babymoon ... and boy was it the break we needed!!!! Our last two weeks have been so hectic and an emotional rollercoaster, so a break from everything was just perfect!

We got into town on Friday and went straight to the outdoor mecca of sporting good stores for Blake. I walked around silently behind him trying to keep myself from stabbing my eyes out. Then we went to a speciality camera store where I spec-ed out my next big camera purchase---to which Blake walked silently behind me I'm sure ready to stab his eyes out! This store was my dream store (next to Sephora of course). It had every camera do-dad you could imagine. And my new camera is now less than a month away!!!!

That night we had sushi (well, i had vegetarian rolls, which were not as good as the real thing, but it's as close as I've been to it in 8 months!!!), then went to the movies and saw Inglorious Bastards. OMG - best movie I have seen in a long time! Defintiely had some parts I had to close my eyes through, but all-in-all I highly suggest you all see this movie!!! QT's best one yet!! Movie got done about 10-ish and we went and had a fashionably late dinner!

Saturday we woke up to rain ... and did you think we packed for it? NO! Blake didn't even bring a long sleeve, and I had only flip flops and heels. Good lord. Luckily for Blake the rain let up 10 mins before I was about to purchase a new pair of shoes to get me through the wet morning :) We shopped all around downtown then went back and took a nap, got up and went down to the water to eat some fresh seafood! After dinner we made our way back to the hotel and got ready for the play! Wicked was AMAZING. The stage, costumes, special effects ... everything . We both really enjoyed it! We're already scoping out the next one to see when we head back to NYC! After the play we went to the Cheesecake Factory for some delicious cheesecake (I got snickers, Blake got red velvet)...then off to bed!

It was a wonderful, romantic, relaxing, happy, and bittersweet weekend. We are so excited for the next stage in our lives, but weekends like this remind us how much we enjoy being together as just "the two of us." Although. we're sure "the three of us" will be equally exciting in new ways we could have never imagined. For the next 45+ days, I'll soak up all the together time I can get! Weekends like this make me fall in love with my baby balooga all over again :)

I won't give up my Paul Frank nightgown! (33 weeks)

I have to share how funny this is ... my favorite PJ shirt is a Paul Frank sleepshirt. No matter how big I get, I keep putting it on at night because it's so comfy! I was walking by a mirror yesterday and realized how RIDICULOUS it looks with my basketball sized tummy stretching all the monkeys out!! Anyways, I'll probably STILL wear it to the hosptial :)

Happy Anniversary, Baby!!!

Happy Anniversary, baby! I wish you were here and not in TN, but at least this is the last trip until our baby boy comes! I know you will be checking this today and just wanted to send you a note and let you know how lucky I feel to be married to you! I love you more every day and have had the opportunity over the last 8 months to fall in love with you all over again in a brand new way! I can't wait to start our family together and see what fun the coming years have in store for us. I don't know what I would do without you ... You are my baby balooooooooga!!! :) I love you-ededededed!!!