Monday, September 28, 2009

Brianna's COMPLETED Nursery

Wooo hooo...we think it's finally done (but you never know right?)! Here are a few pictures!
Crib and New Bedding (thanks to Mila, Gene, Scotti, Grandma Lois, and Padre)

Crib, Bookshelf (w/ all of the WONDERFUL books from the shower), Chair

Bookcase and Chair w/ Boppy (Nursing Pillow)

Chair, Changing Pad, and Changing Converter Table (w/ the pictures I pained above it)

Changing Pad, and Changing Converter Table (w/ the pictures I pained above it)

Door into Brianna's Room (double closet doors on right)

Double Closet Doors and Crib

Looking at the BEAUTIFUL Bedding Inside the Crib


The Sign-In from Brianna's Baby Shower

The Sign-In from Brianna's Baby Shower


Frontal View of Inside the Closet

Yes, the clothes go ON and ON!

Brianna is going to be the BEST DRESSED little girl EVER!
(Eric has convinced himself that she does not need ANY clothes until she's at least 1 years old. I am not arguing with him. I think she has more clothes than we do combined and she's not even here yet!)

Baby Shower Pictures

Here are just a FEW of the thousands of baby shower pictures. I tried to include the pictures for those of you who read this and were not able to be at the shower. If I forgot your picture of me opening your gift, please forgive me (and blame it on Pregnancy Brain...ha ha!) We missed having a lot of you guys there but you were there in spirit for sure!
Eric and I
Travel System from Jim and Margie (Eric's Parents)...assembled photos to come soon...


One of Reese and Stephanie's Gifts (there were tons of others from them too)



Mom aka "MomBA", Me, and Margie aka "Nana"(Eric's Mom)

Opening Aunt Helen's Gifts (Eric's Aunt)


Opening Grandmother's Gift (Eric's Grandmother)


The Bibs Susan Got Us
("My Dad is Cooler than Your Dad" and "My Mom is Hotter than Your Mom")
Explaining Mama Mona's Gift


Contest on Making a Creative Baby Outfit
(They had a t-shirt, markers, and scissors.)
I had to laugh at Susan's outfit...it said, "Que Sue Papi?"
(should have said, "Quien es su Papi?" aka "Who's Your Daddy?")

Baby Shower Favors


29 Weeks (7 Months, 1 Week) Pregnant - Baby Butternut Squash





Wynne (34 Weeks Pregnant) and I (29 Weeks Pregnant)

Wynne (34 Weeks Pregnant) and I (29 Weeks Pregnant)

Susan, Me, and Mom

The WONDERFUL Hosts of My Shower
(Leila, Wynne, Margie, Mariam, and I)

The BEAUTIFUL Cake from Brianna's Baby Shower
(made by Noelle, my big sis from A-Phi)

Weekly Update: Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!). And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. (Ya, to say the least...I think she is starting to go under my ribs now. If I push one way to get her to move, she pushes right back. Right now I can't tell if it's her elbow, foot, or bottom but all I know is that sometimes it HURTS!) You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it. This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.

How you are feeling: Let's get right to the point: You're a bloated, water-retaining mess. Chances are good you can't get your sneakers on or your wedding ring off, (Yep, my finger was starting to swell and was hurting. When I took off my wedding ring my finger was pretty scaly and infected below so the nurse at school told me that it was time to retire my ring until Brianna arrives or have it expanded. Well, Eric and I decided that it would be a lot more expensive to expand my ring, so instead we bought me a temporary ring to wear in place of my wedding ring for now) so get comfy in your slippers. Your pants don't fit. Your shirts don't fit (Yep, I am now sleeping in Eric's shirts since mine are too tight). And now, thanks to the swelling in your feet, your shoes don't fit (all I have been wearing is flip flops so I am not sure if my "real shoes" still fit). You can thank a wonderful thing called edema for that. Go edema! Some old friends — heartburn, acid reflux, and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion, which in turn can cause gas, acid reflux and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation as well. (Everything I eat right now is causting the acid reflux. I am learning to sleep sitting almost straight up. It's no fun. TUMS have become my new best friend. Not only do they help with the acid reflux, but they also help with my constant leg cramps at night.
Keep your eye out. Eric and I finished (yes, you read that right) the nursery this past weekend. Pictures to arrive soon! :)

Monday, September 21, 2009

28 Weeks (7 Months) Pregnant - Baby Chinese Cabbage




28 Weeks Pregnant - Looking Super SWOLEN and TIRED

My Friend Wynne and I at her shower for her little boy Grayson. The funny thing is that she is 5 weeks ahead of me but we are the same belly size (when you do the string measurement). She is carrying a lot different (like a ball where I am like a watermelon). She was soooo tiny before she got pregnant (and still is...I am not quite sure where her 42 pounds gained are...I am determined that she is going to have a 42 pound baby...ha ha). I have officially gained 19 pounds now.


Well, we are officially in the Home Stretch...aka the 3rd Trimester!!! Only 83 days to go!!! The good news is that my 2nd round (yes, I failed the first round) of gestational diabetes testing came back in the clear (normal)! I am so glad it did after no food or drink (yes, that includes water and even brushing your teeth...yes, I know...gross!) for 12 hours, drinking a totally nasty suggary drink (on an empty stomach), and then 4 blood draws in 3 hours. Needless to say, we are so glad it's OVER and Brianna and I are safe and diabetes free!

As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she's doing). Other highlights this week:Your baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it's fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as she has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We'll be here all week.)Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they'll most likely change soon. Sorry.Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds. She sucks her thumb and her taste buds have developed. The baby kicks, stretches, and moves frequently in the uterus. These movements, which are readily observable to others (a lot of friends have actually FINALLY been able to feel her move around and Daddy gets to watch her move at night when I lay down...she is big enough that you can see my stomach move with each of her moves...it's SO EXCITING!), are often keenly felt by the mother. Some mothers may find that the pressure of the growing uterus against the stomach by this week causes heartburn. (I don't have the heartburn, but I sure have acid reflux...especially when I lay down! TUMS have become my new best friend right before bed.) The fundus, the top of the uterus, is now about one-third of the distance between the umbilicus (bellybutton) and the xiphoid cartilage. Uterine growth combined with increased maternal weight gain contribute to a recurrence of fatigue similar to that during the early weeks of pregnancy (that or my kindergartners are making me tired...maybe the combination of both...ha ha!).
Well, this coming Saturday is my baby shower for Brianna. I am sooooooo incredibly excited to see a bunch of you that I don't get to see too often!!! If you are coming, please know that it's NOT at Eric and I's house (a lot of you have asked since the invitation says "The Grounds' House"...it's at Eric's mom and dad's house (also in our neighborhood so if you come here, you are close). Eric will be here just in case you need directions though. See you Saturday!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

A Very Cool Picture from Mariam's Bridal Portraits SEVERAL Weeks Ago

I wanted to share this picture with all of you guys. This was SEVERAL weeks ago (I was about 16-17 weeks pregnant I think). It was taken by Mariam's photographer during her bridal pictures when Mariam and Leila were feeling my belly. Eric and I absolutely love this picture so I had to share it!

27 Weeks (6 3/4 months) Pregnant - Baby Head of Cauliflower











Eric and I both were in a good friends' wedding this past weekend (Mariam and Philip). Luckily my bridesmaid dress still fit (just barely as you can see!) considering we bought it back in February before we knew that Brianna was on the way (we found out the first weekend of April). Leila, one of the other bridesmaids, got a great picture in the moment of Eric rubbing on my belly right after we ate. (Isn't it just the cutest picture? It really shows how great of a Daddy Eric is going to be!).

Your baby's done a lot of growing over the past few months. Her length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that's not the only thing growing—baby's brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. Her brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby.This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.
Your uterus continues to climb the height of your stomach during pregnancy at 27 weeks, now measuring almost 2.8 inches above your belly button. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. You may start to notice that the abundant energy you experienced toward the first part of the second trimester is fading somewhat as you approach the third trimester. Your growing uterus is placing increasing demands on your circulation and your body during pregnancy 27 weeks and beyond. Remember it takes a lot of energy to create life. Try to get some much needed extra rests in the form of a nap or two if you can during the day. Even a small catnap in the front seat of your car if you are at work may be helpful.
You may start feeling increased Braxton hicks contractions during pregnancy at 27 weeks or later as you gear up for the third trimester. Again for most women Braxton hicks are simply the pre contractions that prepare you for labor and delivery. They are usually nothing to worry about unless you have a history or pre-term labor.
This past week brought a lot of new things. Brianna moves around more and more every day. Eric has actually been able to feel her move (not just kick). We can't quite tell if it's an arm or leg yet, but she moves constantly.

Last Friday I took a 1/2 day to go to my regular doctor appointment (I gained 7 pounds in the last 4 weeks...oops, but now have gained a total of 19 pounds so I am still okay) and my glucose (gestational diabetes) testing. I had breakfast at 6:30 a.m. I called on my way over there at 11:58 a.m., told the receptionist my name and that I was having my glucose test. I told her I was hungry and asked if I could stop and get something on the way to eat. She said, "Sure, no problem...just no sweets." I drove over to the doctor's office, drank the "magic potion" and then proceeded to eat my lunch while I was waiting the hour (you drink this stuff that tastes like orange Gatorade and then sit there an hour and at 1 hour, they draw your blood and test it). Well, as I am eating the lady that takes my blood just happens to walk into the waiting room and saw me eating and said, "What are you doing? You are not supposed to eat!!!" I was LIVID. I turned around and looked through the window and said to the receptionist, "YOU SAID I COULD EAT!!!! I SPECIFICALLY CALLED YOU TO ASK THAT!!!" Her response: "Oh, I must have misunderstood you and you mis understood me." UHHH...NO. They then took a urine sample and it read 250 for glucose (apparently it should be 0) which meant that then my blood was probably reading similar. So ya, they called me yesterday and told me that I now have to come back for the 3 hour test by this Friday...so yep, I have to use ANOTHER one of MY vacation days (that I should be saving up for my maternity leave since it's not paid) b/c of them...nice huh? Needless to say, I am not happy. This test I drink the stuff and then sit there for 3 hours...every hour on the hour they take blood. UGH...not what I want to do with my Friday and/or vacation days... Please keep Eric, Brianna, and I in your prayers in that I do not have gestational diabetes. We have already said that if I do, we will be okay obviously, however, it sure will change things...

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

26 Weeks (6 1/2 months) Pregnant - Baby English Hothouse Cucumber











So I had no idea what an "English Hot House Cucumber" was...so attached is a picture. HA HA! Looks like an oversized cucumber to me...
I appologize about the pictures of my belly, but I know a lot of you guys are interested in seeing it bare. Well, here it is for sure. You can definitely tell where she is sitting and growing. My belly is taking on a WHOLE NEW SHAPE. People are finally being brave enough to ask if "it's a baby belly."
Deep breath! Air sacks are developing in your baby's lungs, which means it just might be possible for your baby to take a breath at the end of this week. The air sacks (technically called alveoli) will continue to grow for the next nine years. The membrane that keeps the alveoli separate from the blood vessels is now thin enough to allow for that oxygen–carbon dioxide exchange we call breathing. The retina completes the development of its normal layers this week—all the better to see you with. Well not you, per se, because her eyes are still sealed shut and it's really dark in there, but your baby's eyes are now fully developed. Brainwaves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in baby's noggin this week. That means baby's brain is registering things like sound and light. She can't understand what any of it means yet, but she's on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time! As hearing continues to develop, your baby will start to recognize your voice. One hint that your karaoke rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" is not the best would be when the baby starts banging on your gut. Your bambino will also start to recognize your partner's voice. He may feel silly talking to your stomach, but assure him that somebody other than you is definitely listening. Research has shown that newborns actually recognize familiar sounds after birth. Proof that your baby has been paying attention all along. Break out the sparkling apple juice—baby has now completed two-thirds of her stay in Hotel Womb. Your baby is about 1 2/3 pounds and is 14 inches long head-to-heel, or about the length of a burp cloth (otherwise known as your primary wardrobe accessory for the next several months). Your baby's heart continues to grow and develop during pregnancy at 26 weeks. You may even be able to hear your baby's heart beat through a traditional stethoscope placed on your stomach by 26 weeks pregnant. Don't get too excited though, some women can go their entire pregnancy without being able to locate their baby's heartbeat using a stethoscope. The Doppler is a much more effective and efficient way of measuring your baby's heartbeat throughout pregnancy.

Your uterus should now be about 2 and a half inches above your belly button. Your uterus will continue growing at a rate of about 1 centimeter each week as you continue your pregnancy week by week. You have probably put on some weight at this point in time, (looks like I have now gained about 20 pounds...scary) up to 23 pounds for some women. Your weight may fluctuate from day to day due to water retention so try not to weight yourself every day if you can avoid it, as this could prove discouraging during your pregnancy. You are probably starting to experience more discomfort including pressure and back pain as your belly continues to grow larger. Leg cramps may be common. (I have them almost every night now...thank goodness for Tums!) Be sure to stretch out your legs as much as possible and eat a nutritious diet to ensure your body is receiving the nutrients it needs to keep up with your baby's development.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Only 100 Days to Go!

Wow...only 100 days to go! That's so crazy. Eric and I are both so excited to have Brianna here so soon. Our neighbors, Roy and Heather, just had their little baby boy, Paxton, on Wednesday. We went to see them and he is such a beautiful (handsome, I guess...ha ha) little boy. Eric and I both held him of course and loved it! We can't wait to have our own. :) Until Monday or Tuesday of next week...