Week 36: Pure Baby

This past week was a whirlwind.  We accomplished a lot of baby related business.

Crossed off our list:

*get the car seat checked by a fireman.  As it turns out, I had installed the car seat correctly!  Kyle was incredibly surprised by this.  It still needed to be tightened quite a bit, but I still feel good about installing it since it wasn't as easy as one would think!

*Pack baby boy's bag.

In accordance with my list from the doctor, baby's bag contains: three diapers, one nightgown, a pair of socks, a receiving blanket, a blanket for the car, and two going home outfits.  We decided to pack one teeny tiny outfit and one regular newborn outfit, since we have no idea how big he's going to be!

You might be wondering how my hospital bag looks.

Yup, empty, except for a strand of Mardi Gras beads Kyle left in the bag from his trip to New Orleans.   I guess part of me thinks, the babe won't come if my bag isn't packed.  The same part of my genius mind thinks early labor won't be that bad, and I'll be able to pack it then.  In reality, I just need to pack.

*wash all of babies clothes and blankets with baby-friendly detergent. 

In case you were wondering, this kid has plenty of clothes.  He's pretty much set until he's 12 months. He has the cutest onesies, tiny pants, little hats, socks, and sleepers!  So excited to see him wearing them!

*buy a pump.  Thank goodness for Babies'R'Us coupons and gift cards!  We invested in the Medela Freestyle since I will be using it 2 or 3 times a day, 5 days a week when I go back to work.  I cringe a little thinking about it, but thanks to Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding, I know breastfeeding is best for our little guy!

*finish the nursery.  It's quite possibly the most complete room in our house.  It feels homey, and is all ready for little one to arrive!

On Saturday, my sister-in-law Caitlin hosted a baby shower with Kyle's family and neighbors.  She cooked up an amazing spread based on my 'cravings.'  Since I haven't had real cravings, I just told her foods I like to eat- donuts, crab rangoon, vegetables, Chinese food, and fresh fruit.  Completely random and utterly delicious.  I had a great time playing games (which were really tough) and talking with friends and family.  It was great seeing people who I hadn't seen in so long!  Of course, McBaby received some awesome gifts.  Hopefully he'll be able to wear his Cardinal's t-shirt when he arrives in a few weeks!

How adorable is the clothesline!?  Little did we all know, it was all part of a game.

I obviously haven't gotten the memo about it being fall.  Still rocking my only maternity dress while I can, even if it is summery!

Caramel-filled apple banana cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  These weren't a craving before, but they are now.  Nice work, Caitlin!

I've been more obsessed with my stomach than ever this week.  It all started when I looked in the mirror one night and saw something poking out of the side of it.  Now, I've seen movement from week 20 on, but never just like a foot or elbow poked out in one position.  It was awesome.  I flipped out and kept repeating, "This is the coolest thing ever."  Thus, my obsession of staring at my stomach in the mirror began.  The bump picture gives you some idea of how big this stomach is, just try to ignore the lazy eye.  Or enjoy it, whichever.

Week 35: Shower at the Hanneke Homestead

I am not a fan of Facebook shout outs.  Blog shout-outs on the other hand?  I'm for 'em!  I've got to give a shout-out to my BFF Jessica, sister Rita, Aunt Laurel, and everyone else who helped to make my shower amazing yesterday!  The decorations were perfect, the food was delicious, and the company couldn't be beat. 

FAVORS!  Psst- aren't the nests amazing?

Fresh shrimp and salad greens flown in from South Carolina

After eating lunch, we played a game.   The first game had us writing down baby necessities for every letter of the alphabet.  Naturally, I thought I'd rock at this, having looked at every baby product known to man while registering.  Despite going through my entire registry in my mind, I failed to dominate even come close to winning. Aunt Kathy took home the trophy for this game- she had an item for every letter!  

 

 The second game we played was guess the poop where you pass around soiled diapers and have to guess what animal the excrement came from. 

Teamwork

"Hey, this looks familiar!"

Laugh now mom, you'll be seeing a lot of the human variety soon enough,

Getting a second opinion

This game was a hoot and the best part was that everyone was a winner!  Evidently, we all know our poop candy bars.

Of course Baby M received some amazing gifts, and I had fun opening them for him!

We now have enough necessities where I can honestly say, we're ready for him to come!  Before the shower, he would have been sleeping in a diaper on the plastic covering of the mattress, now he has comfy sheets, swaddles, and so much more! One of the cutest gifts was a gift the grandmas received.

It's a suitcase!  In what insane fantasy world does all of a baby's necessities for a weekend fit in this?  I don't know, but I already want to live there!  Or maybe it's like a bottomless Mary Poppin's bag?  Either way, it's adorable, and I know Laura's chomping at the bit for little boy to be here to use it!  After presents, it was time to chow down on dessert.  Raspberry tart? Bird's nest cookie?  Cake ball?  Eclair (not pictured, but still amazing)?  YES PLEASE!  Being pregnant is the best when it comes to dessert because I feel no guilt.  None whatsoever, just pure deliciousness!

 

I want to thank everyone who came out to the shower!  It was a beautiful day, and I truly felt loved (even if that's not what you were going for)!  Kyle and I can't wait for Baby M to arrive next month, and it's clear quite a few other family members are anxious for his arrival as well!  We feel blessed to have such  great family to help us raise our little guy! 

 P.S. Did you know it's good luck to have a pregnant lady scratch off your numbers on a lottery ticket?  Jessica won $15 and a photo of herself on the blog!

Week 26: Why are Baby Clothes so Freakin' Cute!?

 I bought the first piece of clothing for this child when I was 14.  I was browsing the clearance rack of Baby Gap when I came across the above little number.  I was going through a goat phase at the time (okay, I still am), so I just had to buy the jacket and onesie.  Some Most people think it's weird that I bought clothes for my future children when I was still in high school.  Somehow, I find it normal.  I just won't be able to use the  collection below for a while.

  

This weekend, my obsession with baby clothes was rekindled at none other than a rummage sale.  Kyle, Caitlin, and I stopped by the sale on our way to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.  The table piled high with baby clothes was like a magnet.  I headed straight towards it and began digging.  Whenever I found something cute, I handed it to Kyle for quality control.  He's quickly becoming an expert stain-checker!  Although he could have a better attitude about it.  I repeatedly asked him, "Did I force you into having this baby?"  To which he replied, "No, but you forced me to go to this garage sale."  Oh, true.  Anyhow, as we were scouring the table for clothing I heard one of the ladies in charge of the sale say, "Our baby clothes are 5 for a $1."  WHAT?!  AH-MAZING!  We ended up buying three dollars worth of adorable clothing ranging in size from 3 to 18 months.  Who knows how fast the babe will grow or if he'll be able to wear half the clothes, but it was so fun buying them!  But my favorite part of the baby clothes?  Washing them and putting them away.  Love, love, love doing this.

 

So far the baby clothes have been contained to a dresser in the nursery.   This dresser has a ton of drawers- there are four small drawers- one for bibs, one for socks, another for hats, and still another for small blankets.  The four large drawers are storage for a lot of baby randomness right now, but the ones full of clothes are organized by size.  Why are baby clothes so much more fun to put away than my clothes? 

As you can tell from the above picture, the nursery is a work in progress right now, but I have an interior decorator coming this week to help me out with it. 

Okay, so my BFF Jessica's not a professional interior decorator, but she was an interior design major for one semester of college which is good enough for me!  I'm hoping she'll either affirm the ideas I already have for the space or give me some new ideas.  She also likes to paint, so I was thinking about hiding her car keys until the room is completely redone.   Even I'm surprised at how immature brilliant that idea sounds! : )

Here's a little bit about the baby this week.  He's really growing!

"Your baby might be developing an adorable habit this week: thumb-sucking. While the baby's hands remain clenched most of the day, he/she might unclench and stick out his/her thumb every now and then. If the baby likes the comfort from sucking, it might just be a well-established habit way before a pacifier is ever seen"  source

"He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days." source

For an update on how I'm feeling, the only word that comes to mind is: okay.  I had a bout of nausea this weekend- the morning after a massive decadent meal followed by Sparky's ice cream with Kyle's family.  After suffering for about an hour, I took a Zantac 75 and instantly felt better.  It was the acid reflux/heartburn acting up that made me feel yuck.  I'm trying to take the minimal approach with medicines even though the doctor says I can take up to two Zantac 150s a day.  So for now, I am taking the Zantac as needed, trying to eat smaller meals, and stopping my eating for the day well before bedtime.  Additionally, I need to cut back on fatty  as well as acidic foods.  I wonder if the heartburn explains why I've had an aversion to processed tomato products, most recently tomato sauce and tomato soup.  They've both just tasted gross, but fresh tomatoes have still been FABULOUS.  I'm still obsessed with the tomato, cucumber, and red onion salad.

My mood swings were ridiculous last week. I asked Kyle repeatedly if there were an 'undo button.'  He kept answering no.  Really, I was just feeling overwhelmed and totally freaked out.  This week I'm in 'learn everything I possibly can about taking care of a baby' mode.  I've signed up for a childbirth class and a breastfeeding class.  I've also started reading The Happiest Baby on the Block.  The book is fascinating, and I'm learning a ton!  My goal is to have the book finished by the end of the week.  Then it's Kyle's turn!  I want us to read the same baby books so that we're on the same page with the child-rearing!