Getting Closer...

35 weeks down, 5 to go. It is good to see that we are getting closer. In fact, we are supposed to pack our hospital bag and install the car seat this week. Yikes! We are ready though whenever this little thing wants to come out. We are far enough along that the baby should be healthy and I am getting more and more uncomfortable... I'm sure the same goes for the squished baby. :) Brett is even ready so that says a lot.

The baby should be about 6 pounds in the 36th week, and around 18 inches long. We have our (probably) last ultrasound in about a week so we will know how the baby is positioned and if he or she is still growing appropriately. After that, I will be going to the doctor weekly until the baby comes.

We took a breastfeeding class over the weekend. It was actually really good. The lady who taught it had a lot of experience and did a good job teaching. Now hopefully we can use what we learned and be successful. I guess we'll find out in the weeks to come.

There are just a few things that should probably be done before the big day. Most important is probably having a list of potential boy names. We are still struggling with that. We also need to do some final cleaning and laundering of the baby's room, clothes, and diapers. And we are planning to order a glider in the next couple of days.

30 Weeks - Shower Invitations, Hiccups

Only 10 weeks to go! That seems kind of crazy. Are we really ready for our lives to change? Well, they are going to whether we are ready or not.

Not a lot to update on at the moment but I did want to show off my baby shower invitations. They are soooo cute! My very talented aunt Sandy designed and made them. Check out her website here. Thanks Sandy!!!

There is a small insert that looks like a book which requests guests to bring a book rather than a card and write a small inscription or sign inside the cover of the book. I think this is a super cute idea and I am excited to see what books we get. I was a total book worm when I was younger (and still would be if I had the time). The invitation itself is designed to be a bookmark. So creative!

Shower Invitation

In other news, the baby now has regular bouts of the hiccups. I notice them at least twice, sometimes three times each day. I have also recently found out that he or she does get startled by loud noises. The Big XII basketball tournament has been going on this week. We went to a couple of games the other night and the little tyke would stir around when the crowd would get noisy. The same thing happened last night when the Jayhawks went ahead and we happened to be in probably the most crowded KU bar in Missouri.

We had our second (and final) birthing class this morning. It was somewhat informative and the videos we had to watch today were much less graphic than the previous class. We had to bring pillows and a blanket to class so we thought that it would be the typical breathing exercises you see on TV. Not the case - at the end of class we just did a really weird relaxation exercise. It was definitely not our thing. We were supposed to imagine we were in the uterus and our breaths were bright lights. Then we were lying on a beach having contractions. It was quite amusing and needless to say, I got nothing out of that (nor do I think I will be using that technique during contractions).

We have a check-up with the doctor on Monday but no ultrasound so it will probably be pretty quick and routine. Other than that... I am just working through busy season and we have been watching a lot of basketball. Neither of these things is helping get the nursery ready. Oh well, I guess we should be enjoying this free time while we have it, right?

29 Weeks - Birthing Classes

As of today, we have made it through 29 weeks of pregnancy. Our 30th week starts tomorrow which means only about 10 more weeks until the baby is due. It has gone pretty fast and I hope the remaining 10 weeks go somewhat quickly as well. I am ready for tax season to be over with so I am not working late or on the weekends. I am also ready for the weather to stay nice so we can do more things outside. We took the dogs to the dog park yesterday and it was great to get some fresh air. I can't wait to open up all the windows and turn the heat off. And I am most ready to meet this baby and find out if it is a boy or a girl! I'm sure once the time gets here and I am living off of no sleep I will wonder what I was thinking. But as of now, I am really ready for this baby. Well... I guess we aren't "really" ready yet since we have almost no baby stuff.

I think I have mentioned this before but Brett is not a big fan of the prego belly. He has always said that he thinks pregnant women are gross and doesn't like to look at them. He is not interested in touching my belly or feeling the baby. It just weirds him out. I have known all this for a long time so it doesn't really bother me and was not a shock after I got pregnant. Although I did think that if it was his own wife and baby he might not think it was so bad... not really the case though. :) When I asked if he was bonding with the baby - that's what all the books say about dads feeling the baby move - he said that's what all the ultrasounds are for. He also says he would rather just wait until the baby is born to be touching it. So needless to say it had been a while since he felt the baby kick or move - probably over a month. This morning we were lying next to one another and my stomach was touching him. Of course the active little guy or girl was kicking him and he couldn't believe it wasn't me hiccuping or something. Nope, it was just our powerful and growing baby!

We have had a more productive weekend in terms of getting ready for the baby this week. Saturday morning we started our birthing classes. I took notes on the best things to pack. We learned all about labor and delivery. We went over the different stages of labor and Brett took notes on what to expect and what his "job" would be. We also had to watch videos of labors and deliveries... let's just say it was way more graphic than the high school health class video. The worst part was that they showed the placenta being delivered. Yuck! Brett was glad he wore a hat so that he could shield his eyes from everything. Afterward he told me that it was a good thing we didn't take that class before I got pregnant or we would not be having a kid.

Last night we finally got the desk moved out of the nursery. Andy and Sarah came over and Andy was so nice to help move the desk even though he was under the weather. Thanks Uncle Andy! So now we can say that even though we haven't started on anything at least the room is not an office anymore. I think I am going to try to clear out the rest of the non-baby stuff from that room tonight. Then it is just getting the baby things and putting the room together. We will probably wait until after the shower to do much on that. Speaking of the shower, we also finalized the date and time. The baby shower is going to be May 27 at 2:30 here in the KC area. My amazing aunts and mom are getting everything in order which is greatly appreciated. Invitations will probably go out sometime this week. Let me know if you don't get one... my pregnant brain likes to forget things!