Maternity Portrait

A few weeks ago, we had some maternity portraits taken. Jeff Weber of jWeber Studio took the photos for us. He is a friend of our family and also took beautiful pictures of our wedding. We also plan to have him come to our home for a newborn photo session after baby is born.

The picture above is my favorite, but we have a beautiful framed print of 4 of the photos that we plan to hang in the baby's nursery. I'm so glad we had these pictures taken. They will help us to remember this very special time in our lives...expecting our first baby!

35 weeks!

Only 5 weeks to go! I was officially 35 weeks yesterday. Baby should weigh about 5 1/4 lbs (the size of a honeydew). She is just fattening up!

I'm trying to get some of my organizing finished. Packing my hospital bag is one of my top priorities. If you have any recommendations of what to bring/what not to bring, please let me know. I have been told to definitely pack my robe. I'm also packing my own toiletries, and going home clothes for me and baby are already in the bag. We will need to pack the camera and Flip video camera for Ryan.

At this point, Sugar and Spice could come at any time...although I'm really hoping she will hold off until December. The heartburn is now an everyday occurrence...I've heard this means the baby probably has hair! I'm also having trouble getting off the couch if I am sitting in a reclining position. I am finding I need 2 pillows behind my back to prop myself up.

Ryan and I have been enjoying 2 snow days at home. We got almost 2 feet of snow in Denver! I haven't left the house since Tuesday. I might normally be getting stir crazy, but since I'm so tired and heavy from the pregnancy I'm not minding staying warm and cozy in the house. It's a good excuse to drink hot tea and cocoa and make my favorite dinner of late...soup and grilled cheese!

Colorado Baby Shower

On Saturday, I had my Colorado Baby Shower. Thanks to Jan Fugler, Erin Fugler Thompson and Courtney Borus for planning a beautiful shower! The weather was nice, the food and games were great (and so was the Celestial Seasonings peppermint tea!), and the company was the best. So many friends and family were able to attend, and baby and I feel absolutely spoiled. We received such generous presents that there are only a handful of items that Ryan and I will need before the baby is born...we are almost completely stocked!

Delicious cupcakes from Happy Cakes in Denver


Tea Party place settings


Playing a game


My belly! 34 weeks (8 1/2 months)


Me and "Grandma Lindsay" (my mom)

"Grandma Fugler" (hostess) and me


Me and "Aunt Erin" (hostess)

Courtney (hostess) and me

Erin's belly at 26 weeks and my belly at 34 weeks. Cousins!

It's all coming together

I finally feel like some of the preparations for baby are coming together. This week, I picked up our stroller (and all of the attachments) and our dresser/changer is supposed to be delivered today. Also, my mom arrived in town with all of our bedding, window treatments, etc...so we can finally set up the nursery! I've even bought a few pieces of art for the walls. I can't wait to see how everything comes together.

Ryan and I have just begun assembling the millions of things that baby will need. Last weekend, I put together the cutest little bouncer (very easy assembly). Last night, Ryan assembled our stroller (also easy...just attach the wheels). This weekend we will work on hanging curtains, assembling the dresser/changer (hopefully), and maybe even assembling the pack n play! I can't wait to get everything out of the boxes to see what these things look like!

Where did my figure go?

At my midwife appointment yesterday, I got on the scale (as usual) and found out that I have gained about 26 pounds during pregnancy...and I still have 6 weeks to go! While I know that this is good for baby, I am just hoping I won't find it to hard to get back down to my normal weight.

Above is a picture of me and Ryan on our anniversary (New Year's Eve) 2008. It's pretty obvious that I won't be looking like this on New Year's Eve 2009, but we will be glad to be celebrating our 4th anniversary, and the new year, with our new bundle of joy.

Usually, I don't have to exercise much or watch what I eat to maintain my weight. However, during pregnancy I have been giving in to desires for unhealthy treats (like milk shakes, Little Debbie snack cakes, etc) more often than I normally would. Also, I have been enjoying not exercising. Even though I bought 3 pre-natal workout dvds, I find that I am not in the mood to do them after I get home from work. I feel like I've been staying pretty active during my pregnancy...just not with traditional exercise, per se. I let my household chores and walks with Humphrey serve as my exercise. After baby arrives, it's back to healthy snacking and regular (3+ times per week) exercise... OR, maybe that'll start AFTER the holidays. We'll see!

Only 6 weeks to go!

Today we are 34 weeks pregnant (8 1/2 months). Only 6 weeks until my December 2 due date! Baby should be about 4 3/4 lbs, around the size of a cantaloupe.

I had a midwife appointment this morning, and it seems like everything is going just fine. I didn't get the exact measurement, but the midwife said my fundal height (size of my uterus) is normal. Baby is head-down with her legs spread-eagle in a very unladylike "froggy" position...so I can feel her kicks and knee jabs on both sides of my stomach.

Also, I got a lesson in pre-natal "exercises" that I should be doing every day between now and when the baby is born. Baby needs to be encouraged to settle into my belly with all of her heavy parts (bottom, back, etc) resting against the front of my stomach...we ideally want her facing backward for birth, head-down. So, I'm supposed to squat on all fours and do pelvic tilts 50-100 times a day to "rock" her into the correct position. Once she learns how comfy she can be in that position, she should choose to settle that way on her own...which is supposed to make my life easier during the birth process. This seems a little crazy to me, but if it will make birth easier I'm willing to try it!

Baby Book Club

The girls at my book club surprised me last night with a "Baby Book Club" children's book shower for Baby Sugar and Spice. What a great group of girls to throw me such a sweet surprise!

We have made a tradition of helping our expectant mothers in book club stock their nursery book shelf with wonderful stories to read to our children. Thanks to my book club gals, we will have a great start on our children's book collection. Now I just need a bookshelf to display all of the great books!

Thanks girls! I'll be back to my glass of wine at book club in December ;)

Will she have hair?

Here's the question I've been asking myself...will our baby have hair when she is born? Apparently some things you can't plan for, but I wish I knew what she is going to look like when she is born!

This weekend, I went shopping at the Junior League of Denver Holiday Mart. Many of the vendors there had cute, handmade baby items. From dresses to sock puppets to fancy burp cloths, they had everything. I wanted to buy Baby Sugar and Spice something special to wear on her head (to show she is a girl) for her newborn photo that may appear on her birth announcement. BUT since I don't know if she'll have hair or not, I had to buy one of everything. So she now has a hair bow, a headband and a hat with a bow on it. I'm prepared no matter what!

Also, I think it is very strange to think about a little person inside me growing a lot of hair. Generally, when you think of hair you think of it being on the exterior of a person. How weird is it that hair is growing inside of my body right now?? True, it is hair for another person...and it will eventually be on the exterior...but it's still weird.

If you like Pina Coladas

Ok, so maybe the baby isn't the size of a Pina Colada...maybe I just want one! We hit the 33 week mark on Wednesday. Baby Sugar and Spice is a little over 4 lbs now and is approximately the weight of a pineapple. She supposedly looks less wrinkly now as she is fattening up and her skeleton is hardening.

Baby has been loving to move around during the night. I hope this isn't a habit she keeps after birth! When I roll over in the night, she starts moving like she thinks it's time to wake up. This morning, she even kicked up into my ribs while I was laying in bed snuggling with Humphrey (he needs attention early in the morning). I can almost feel the outline of her little legs and feet when she kicks!

Also, I recently read about Braxton Hicks contractions, and I think I may have begun feeling them. They apparently are painless uterine contractions that are considered "practice" for labor. The uterus tightens and hardens for a short amount of time and then goes back to normal. At first, I just though this was the baby curling up into a tight little ball in my stomach...but now I am second guessing that. At any rate, I'm not feeling it often enough for it to be considered a problem. I've read that these contractions are very normal. If these contractions are anything like labor contractions, I think I'll be able to handle it. Unfortunately, I think labor contractions might be a bit more difficult to manage...

Tum ta tum tum tums!

I have finally fallen victim to another lovely side effect of pregnancy...heartburn. I had actually never experienced heartburn before I got pregnant. Now that I know what it is, I will do my best to avoid it in the future. My heartburn symptoms are more in my throat than in my heart. The feeling is similar to food forcing itself back up your throat from your stomach. Not pleasant. Thankfully, pregnant women are allowed to take Tums (one of the few medicines we are allowed), so I keep a bottle of Tums next to our sofa so I can take one after dinner. My heartburn usually strikes at night, but I wouldn't be surprised if it shows up more regularly now that I am well into my third trimester. Let's hope I don't have any more strange side effects for the next 2 months!

Snuggle Bug

Humphrey (our spoiled almost 60 lb shar pei mix - aka mutt) has certainly been acting differently lately. I don't know if he knows that we are having a baby, but he definitely has been soaking up all the attention he can get from me and Ryan.

Here's a taste of how spoiled Humphrey is. He is home with Ryan all day (since Ryan works from a home office), so he is able to sit out in the sun on sunny days and snuggle on the sofa on cold days. Humphrey is allowed on almost all of the furniture in our house. He has his own bed, but he usually chooses to sleep with us on our bed or on the sofa or big chair. He has his own bucket of toys and his own cookie jar filled with treats. He gets all of our attention.

Lately, Humphrey has enjoyed sleeping right in between Ryan and I during early mornings. He snuggles in and puts his head right on our pillows. Last night, he even crawled up next to me both on the sofa and on the bed to rest his head on my belly. When I rolled over to go to sleep, he climbed off the bed and came over to my side to nestle his head under mine (literally, he burrowed his head under mine until I wasn't even sure if he could breathe!). I wonder if he is doing these things because he knows a big change is coming...and he won't be the center of attention anymore. Ryan and I aren't sure...but we are becoming more positive that Humphrey will be a loving big brother to our little Baby Sugar and Spice when the time comes. Our dog is so sensitive, it's hard to imaging him wanting to do anything with a baby other than snuggle and kiss her.

It's too (cold) too (cold) too (cold) too (cold).

...Gotta run for (sweaters). Gotta run for (scarves).

So Denver got it's first snow yesterday. This snow is earlier than most of our first fall/winter snows, so I am wondering what this means for winter. If it is a cold winter, Ryan and I will have to crank up the heat to make sure our baby stays nice and warm.

Today I was out shopping around for closet storage (Ryan and I decided to go with a changing table with shelves rather than a dresser because we couldn't find a quality dresser/changer that we liked, so we will need drawers in the closet for her little clothes and other items), and I ended up in the winter baby clothes section. I found the cutest "My First Christmas" fleece sleeper, so I had to buy it for Baby Sugar and Spice. This will be her "casual" Christmas outfit!

Can't wait to see her in her little outfit!

Everyone knows what jicama is, right?

Today we are 32 weeks pregnant - 8 months! Baby Sugar and Spice should weigh about 3 3/4 lbs, which is about the size of a large jicama (see picture if you aren't familiar with jicama). That's already a big baby! No wonder my back is aching!

Now she is supposed to be packing on the pounds, which means I will probably be packing on the pounds as well.

It is getting harder for me to roll over in the night, but I need to because my hips start hurting if I stay in one position for too long. I'd really like to sleep flat on my back, but I know it's bad for circulation when you are in your third trimester (evidenced by the fact that I got very dizzy and light-headed at my last ultrasound from lying back in a reclined position). So I continue to roll from side to side.

I'm also finding it difficult to get in and out of bed for my nightly bathroom visits. I definitely have to ease up to a sitting position before I stand. No "hopping" out of bed for me!

Another Day, Another Midwife Visit

Today we had our 32 week appointment and met the 4th (and final) midwife in our practice. I've really liked everyone we have met! We won't know until delivery time who will be the midwife in the delivery room with us, but I don't think we can go wrong.

We heard the heartbeat (in the 150-ish beats per minute range), and the midwife thinks that baby already has her head down. Apparently this is a good sign. If the baby has her head down at 32 weeks, chances are it will stay that way for birth. Let's hope so, because I really want to delivery quickly and naturally if at all possible (although I am not opposed to drugs if I need them).

The only thing we will need to keep our eye on is my uterus measurements. To measure the uterus, the midwife feels around on your stomach until she feels the top and bottom of the uterus (from the outside) and measures the tummy/uterus height (also called fundal height) with a measuring tape. I am measuring 29 1/2 cm, and the uterus usually measures within 2 cms of the week you are at. Ideally, I should be at 32 cm at 32 weeks. Since I am at 29 1/2 cm at 32 weeks, my uterus is measuring a little small. The midwife said she is not concerned because of the positioning of the baby. She felt all of the major body parts (since baby was sticking her bottom and feet out during the measuring process). Also, baby has a healthy heart beat so all signs point to healthy growth. At my next appointment, if I am still measuring small they may order another ultrasound just to double check on growth...but I have a strong feeling that everything is just fine because her growth has generally been on track with the last 2 ultrasounds.

I have gained a total of 23 lbs total as of today (no weight gain since last appt, but that could just be the difference between the morning appointment today and the afternoon appointment 2 weeks ago), so I'd say growth is coming along just fine! I'll have a few extra Reese's cups today to help things along. :)

Weekend of Pampering

This weekend I was able to do some much needed pre-baby pampering. I had my final pre-baby hair appointment and darkened up the locks for fall (by Ryan's request). After that, I went to this wonderful little pregnancy shop in Cherry Creek, Belly Bliss, for a pre-natal massage courtesy of Katie and Vanessa (thanks ladies!). It was soooo relaxing and probably one of the best pre-natal massages I have had during my pregnancy (and I've treated myself and been treated to a few!).

After my massage, I was feeling relaxed and stretched out like a healthy mom-to-be...so I treated myself to a delicious Jamba Juice all-fruit smoothie to top it off!

Also, I was able to use some of the gift cards I had gotten from the NC baby shower to buy some things we definitely needed - a convertible car seat and a Pack N Play. Slowly but surely we are getting the things we need. We still need to buy a dresser/changer (Babies R Us didn't have the one we wanted in the color we wanted, so we will need to order it...same as the crib), and I will need to make a special trip to REI to get my BOB stroller and infant car seat adaptor sometime before the baby arrives. It is overwhelming how much stuff this baby will need! Of course, I'm sure we'll learn as we go just as all parents do and we will find out what we really need and what we don't really need. Good thing I have her closet all cleaned out to accommodate all of her new little girl clothes, accessories and such. She is already starting quite the collection!

Bowl Full of Jelly

Here are some more pictures of my growing belly!

31 weeks/7 months 3 weeks

Just a peek of the belly! It's getting cold out here in Colorado!

Humphrey still doesn't know what to think.

Today is October 2 - exactly 2 calendar months until our due date. I'm ready for December to get here already, but we still have a lot to do. We need to do a big shopping trip to get everything else we need, and I am taking direction from recent moms about what I will need post-partum (nursing tanks, stuff for my hospital bag, etc).

My grandmother and mom have been working on the bedding, window treatments, and other fabric items for the nursery. We should be able to set most of that stuff up before the end of October...and I am so excited to see how everything came together! In the meantime, I am looking for nature and bird-themed accessories for the nursery. Looks like I will need a few art pieces for the walls as well as a pretty mirror. I'm hoping to make the room seem a little girly with the accessories since the fabric is pretty gender neutral. I'll post pictures once I've gotten everything put together!

31 Weeks

As of yesterday, we are now 31 weeks pregnant. The baby is approximately 3.3 lbs (can you believe that?). It's like I'm carrying around 4 navel oranges (plus 20 additional pounds that are taking up space inside my body).

Ryan and I still cannot believe that there is an actual human inside of my tummy. We feel her move and kick every day, so we know she's active and has lots of personality. I wonder what life is like for her inside my stomach. I wonder if she is getting bored in there and what she is thinking. I wonder what she'll act like when she comes home with us.

Tomorrow is October 2...which means only 2 calendar months until our due date. Ryan and I may celebrate by finally purchasing the dresser/changer for the nursery. We need some storage for the stash of baby items I brought home with me from my shower in NC! The other big things we still need include a glider, a pack n play (since we plan to use the bassinet feature), and a stroller. Oh, and diapers and wipes. Good thing we have a Costco membership. I think we'll be making a trip in the next few months to stock up on all of the necessities!