Putting together the Nursery

I have started to put together the Nursery... here are a few sneak peek photos! I can't wait to finish :)

32 Weeks

So the theme for the week has been swollen ankles and no more ab muscles! Yes during my visit to Raleigh for the baby shower I was on my feel quite a lot… it didn’t take long for my ankles to swell. Now I know one would say it has to do with the pregnancy… yes that might be the case but I haven’t had this problem since Nov (when I was on my feet for a wedding )! I drank so much water to try and make them go down but that did not work. I am home now and they are back to normal… it must have been all the excitement and me just being on my feet.

Things have been getting increasingly more and more difficult. Everyday things are a pain haha! My belly is getting in the way with the counters… I turn to the side to let people through (that’s stupid cause I am wider sideways that frontways… oh I am a nerd). I ran errands all day the other day and when I got home I had to have Joe unload the car; I was exhausted! Oh and getting into the car… now that’s a trip! Leaning over to pick something up… nope. Standing from a sitting position… I grunt ~ haha! I am up 3 times every night to go to the restroom ~ that’s normal I know but seriously! And when I am so tired and don’t wake up to go to the bathroom… I can barely move and need Joe to shove me out of bed. Good thing Joe is a good sport :)  My life is quite comical I must say… The sling however is making my life a little more comfortable (minus the heartburn it creates by pushing everything up!)… but hey you gotta take the good with the bad :)

So while I was in Raleigh, Joe stayed in Beaufort. His dad flew down to help him with some home renovations and repairs. They were quite busy and got a lot done! They primed the kitchen and it looks so amazing white! Finally my whit appliances don’t stand out like a sore thumb with the dark cabinets! The master bathroom is still under construction but I will post pictures when its done!!

Dad and I managed to fit everything into the car for my trip back home. Once I got here… it was Joe’s job to unload it all as most of it was quite heavy. I can’t say it enough… but he is such a trooper. I think he has noticed that things are getting more difficult for me and he lends a hand and is a huge help!

So yeah 32 weeks… 8 months! Wowza!! It’s hard to believe that we are 2 months away. Here are the updates with Michael:

In the latest womb reports, Michael has now developed sensitivity to temperature!

Which means I’m likely to get a swift kick if I put a hot pad or bag of ice on my ginormous belly.

For the Elton John lovers out there - baby’s got blue eyes.

Actually, even if you're too young to know who Elton is, all babies have blue eyes at this point.

This could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is.

Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a strengthening immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week survive!

So – we can go ahead and throw a mini-party right now because it’s pretty much a done deal - we've got a human-bean that's going to make it!

That's not to say we actually want our wee womb-squatter to pack their bags and move out now, because they'd still end up in the ICU for a good while, rather than in our arms at home.

Babies are best when fully baked!

Baby Shower

Last weekend I went to Raleigh for my baby shower. It was so much fun! It was a full weekend of family and friends! At one point we had 16 people sleeping at our house… now that’s a slumber party! We had family and friends from all over the States… California, Minnesota, New Jersey and Ohio. How wonderful it was to spend so much quality time with everyone! It was so special!

Dad was a good sport, aside from 4 month old Jacob, he was the only male in the house!

Saturday was the actual baby shower and we had some friends from the Raleigh area come to the party as well! Michael got so many great gifts! I know he will love them all as Little Jacob got to test out a good portion of them and he approves with giggles and smiles!

Look forward to photos of the Nursery as I start to put things away and get it all organized with all the wonderful gifts :)

Now here are a few photos from the shower!

Yummy blue fruit dip!

Shower Favors... Shea Butter Soaps!

Love the cake!! It was orange flavored :)

Gift from the Wesley's... can you guess what it is??

The Ohio State University Football Stadium... Love It!!

The cake says "Mommy to Bee!"

I'm cutting the cake!

Fun Collage... I couldn't help myself!

31 Weeks

I won’t got into too much detail as I am posting this 31 week update really really late.

We did put together the crib so here are some photos of that. I was trying to help Joe but I couldn’t help but have the camera in my hand while I was holding pieces! I thought the pictures turned out pretty cute :)

This week, Michael  measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's moving a lot, too, so I have trouble sleeping because our baby's kicks and somersaults keep me up. All this moving is a sign that Michael is active and healthy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Valentines Day was quite nice I must say! I went onto base to go visit Joe for lunch. We got Subway, nothing special but it was still nice to see Joe :)

When Joe got home from work we decided to go run to Lowe’s and buy the vanity for our master bathroom remodel. I know don’t be jealous, not all women can say their husbands got them a vanity for Valentines Day! Well as it turns out… I got TWO vanities… one for the master and one for the hall bath! Yup… hehe! Lowe’s was having a deal where if you buy the vanity you get the counter top sink for free… good thing we went to go buy them on Valentines Day because it was the last day for the sale. I love saving money and Joe and I ended up saving just a little over $600 that night at Lowe’s!

To top the night off, we drove out to Boondocks for all you can eat crab! Yum! We both enjoyed crackin and eating our crab! Joe is getting better with cracking and the nice thing about all you can eat is that… if it doesn’t come out… just get another leg! Gotta Love it!

Maternity Photos

Julie Gayler and I decided to swap Maternity Photos! We along with our hubbies drove to Savannah one afternoon and took some photos of each other. We had a blast! I was finally able to get some good use out of my new camera lens… and as it turns out, so did Julie! What I find quite comical is that we took these photos on Feb 13^th 2011… last year on Feb 13^th 2010, Joe and I had out Engagement Photos taken. It just must be our favorite day for photos! I loved how the pictures turned out! Julie and I might get together to take a few more sometime in March… we shall see!



Meeting our Doula

Joe and I hired a Doula to help and attend the Birth of Michael. A doula provides physical, emotional & informational support to women before, during & after childbirth. Sabrina has been attending the Birth Classes at the Birth Center. During the last class we learned that she has finished all her Doula classes and is now in the certification process. In order for her to gain her certification she needs to attend a few births and gain some feedback and reviews. Joe and I excitedly asked if she is still in need of clients and as it turns out she took us on!

We had our first meeting with Sabrina Saturday Feb 12^th. She came by our house and the three of us sat and discussed many different things for a couple of hours. Many good points came up over the conversation, like who will be in the room, what I/Joe thought would be good pain distraction and management. What our expectations were and our desires. Some of which we have to sit and discuss in further detail of course but I think the first meeting brought up some great things! I am excited to have Sabrina with us. She has been through both kinds of birth Hospital with medical intervention and the Birth Center. Having her with me talking through some of the harder contractions I feel will prove very helpful. As much as I love Joe, he has never been through this before. He will be great support for me but with Sabrina; it will be a different kind of support. We are starting to build a level of trust and comfortability that will grow with each meeting.

As Sabrina left that afternoon, Joe and I felt more at ease with everything. We know that this is a great choice for us and we look forward to working with her in the next few weeks!

Some pictures from Amanda's Baby Shower!

30 Weeks

Yes I am 30 Weeks 6 Days… and I am just now posting on the 30 week milestone.   Its crazy because at this point I can’t even think back that far! What a mess I am! It is amazing to think that in aprox 10 weeks Joe and I will be taking care of a newborn! Everyone always asks him if he is nervous. His response usually is along the lines of…

“Yeah, kinda… The way I look at it; there are many people out there more stupid and clueless than me and they take home babies all the time and they turn out just fine!”

Well said sweetie!

Michael is getting pretty big! I don’t think he spends much time head down right now… he is flip flopping all around. Kind of a weird feeling. Joe loves to watch and feel him move! Its very special to watch him interact with him through my stomach.

How Michael is growing:

Our baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in my uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face.  ~ something tells me his vision wont get much better if he’s a product of me! :)

A Psychology Lesson For You All!

In my psychology class (This is Brittany posting, not Amanda) we were discussing the first few stages of Freud's psychosexual development. We digressed from this topic and started talking about how the parents shouldn't change ANYTHING about the baby's room for the first 2 years. Not to add anything new to the walls or to add new furniture, and to definitely not change the color of the walls. Having their room be the same adds stability for them. It allows them to feel comfortable. When something changes it can have a negative effect on them because what was familiar has become foreign and is scary. Something so small to us is huge for the baby. It adds a lot of stress on them. We then talked about the transition between the crib and the bed. When its time to move to having the child sleep in a bed keep the crib in the room for a while (at least 2 weeks). It makes the transition much easier because the child still has the comfort of having the familiar (the crib) in the room and they still feel comforted. The bed seems more normal. It can be very hard on a child if the crib is taken out completely because that was his "home" and "safe haven" for so long! Take your time with the transitions. It will put the child at more ease, which will in turn make the child happier, and that will make the parents happy!!

I thought this was very interesting and thought i would share it!

Braxton Hicks?

Braxton hicks… Yep! I always thought they were supposed to be slightly painful but then again, what do I know about being pregnant? At the class we had a conversation on them and many of the women have been experiencing. I thought to myself… nope I don’t this we fall under that category. It was explained that it is a tightening of the uterus, sort of in a ball shape.  Interesting I know! Well last night I was lying on the couch with Joe and I felt some tightness (I have felt it prior but thought nothing of it). I felt my stomach and Michael was all squished in a ball low in my stomach… I told Joe I thought this might be a Braxton hick! He laughed it off but felt the hard ball in my stomach. About 2 min later it had passed and it was soft again.

So now that I am pretty sure this is what it is I am more aware! I have had about 5 since I got up this morning… it is an interesting feel. Doesn’t hurt but just feels tight. This is all a good sign… just thought I would share!

Oh and I was looking in the mirror today... wow i don't look like myself anymore ?!?! I need to get the maternity photos taken pronto becuase my face is looking fat... Ugh!

Oh and here is a photo of mom painting the nursery!

29 Weeks

Let me start with just a quick follow up from last weeks post:

Joe and I want and look forward to visitors after Michael is born. I was not trying to deter any visitors. We are hoping to stagger visitors so that we don’t get too overwhelmed and allows us to spend time together as a family while learning and developing our own routine. So far the feedback I have received has been positive and understanding.

Ok so now onto week 29…

Joe and I went to the Birth Center yesterday for a check-up and class. Last night the class was on ‘Preparing for Labor’. Basically we talked about the stages of labor and what to look for as signs of when labor is starting. We were happily instructed to not head straight to the Birth Center as soon as the rushes start coming… to take our time to ensure that it’s progressing before we jump in the car.

Joe and I will start to get our bag together. It will take a few weeks to collect what we will need but we were instructed on what would be best to bring. We will have to come up with a list of food to get before we head to Savannah as well. I love the fact that I am encouraged to eat and drink. It never made much sense to starve laboring women… isn’t the point to have enough energy to push in the end?!?

My parents came down from Raleigh this past weekend for the 3D ultrasound. Although there were a few delays with the ultrasound we really enjoyed the experience. They were a HUGE help as they painted most of the nursery! We just have one more coat of the yellow and it will be finished. I already ordered a honeycomb stencil so once we finish with the yellow paint I will add some honeycomb splotches! I can’t wait to see what it is going to look like done.

Joe’s parents were so gracious and bought us a glider. It is fabulous… thank you so much! At the moment it is in the living room for all to enjoy. I sit in it all the time and dream of life when Michael makes his appearance! It will match perfectly in the nursery! It is beautiful!

Here is what is going on with Michael this week:

Our baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, I'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, I have to be sure to drink my milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in our baby's hardening skeleton each day.