Week 32--An Update

I am now 32 weeks into the pregnancy and I had an appointment with Dr. Reimnitz this morning. It looks as though everything is going well and she said that both my blood pressure and my weight gain are on track. I found out that the baby is head down and the movement I have been feeling at the top of my stomach is from her legs/feet.

We talked a bit about the upcoming c-section and I can't believe it is in 7 weeks. At this point, I will be seeing the doctor every 2 weeks and the next ultrasound is scheduled in a month.

Next Tuesday is the breastfeeding class at Good Sam and I know that the weeks will continue to fly by. Though I am still feeling good, the extra weight is definitely getting a bit more cumbersome. My crazy work schedule is becoming a bit more of a challenge and I will be tweaking my schedule and slowing down a bit as we round into my final weeks of work before my maternity leave.

Hospital Tour

Tonight, Allen, JoAnn and I went on a hospital tour at Good Sam. It was really nice to see everything beforehand and I am very excited that Al, the baby & I will have our own room in the hospital. The tour was informative and a bit overwhelming, as I realize that this means that we are truly in the "home stretch" of the pregnancy.

While we were on the tour, we ran into a couple that was checking into the hospital. The woman's husband marched past us and said "this is not a drill!"--he looked much more nervous than she did!

Next on the agenda for us is the breastfeeding class (Tuesday night) and I have heard from a number of people that this class should be pretty helpful. I have my 32 week appointment with Dr. Reimnitz on Thursday and we will be reviewing my x-rays and discussing my anesthesia options. I'm pretty sure that I will start going to the doctor every 2 weeks now, and am a bit nervous about stepping on the scale--I feel pretty large these days! :)

Family Baby Shower

Last Saturday, my Aunt Julie and Godmother JoAnn hosted a shower for the baby and I at JoAnn's house. This was such a fun day, and it was wonderful to see so many people who have been a part of my life for such a long time. My cousins Kim & Emily helped out tremendously, as did JoAnn's daughter Amy and granddaughter Caitlin.

The food was delicious and the decorations were adorable! All of the women wrote pieces of advice on paper baby "onesies" and these were all hung on a clothesline. One of my favorite pieces of advice came from my Nana--she said "get lots of sleep--NOW!" She always knows how to make me laugh and I was so happy that she was there to celebrate this special day.

Here are some more pictures from the shower...

We received so many wonderful gifts and I am very excited to start setting up the baby's room. The baby will be very well dressed and I can't wait to post pictures of her in all her new clothes!

As I mentioned in previous posts, I have a few pieces of my mom's art that will be displayed as we get the baby's room together. At the end of the shower, I was told that the final gift came from my mom. When I started to open the package, I could see that it was a cabinet that she painted in 1999. Queen P (a dear friend of my mom's) had held on to it for all these years to give to me at the right time. Though I miss my mom tremendously--especially now, somehow she always finds a way to show me that she is still here watching out for me and this was no exception. I have such an amazing community of women that support me and I feel so blessed that I will be bringing my own daughter into this extended family as well.

Here's a picture of the cabinet...

Hope everyone is staying cool--this weather is insane!

Week 31!???!!!!!

Where does the time go? I am just wrapping up week 31 of the pregnancy and am happy to report that I am feeling really well. The week started out a bit rough, as I was feeling run down and thought I might be catching a nasty cold. I'm sure now that it was more allergies than a cold and am much better.

This week, we had our first baby preparation class--"Preparing for Your C-Section". Both Allen and I were less than thrilled with the class and felt pretty out of place with the group. We were the youngest couple in the group by far and the only people who were not having multiples. The class seemed to be geared toward women who have never had surgery, and I feel like the information that my doctor has given me has been much better than what was communicated last night. Allen and I joke that I'm an "old pro" when it comes to surgery, so hopefully the c-section won't be too bad!

In baby news...Majestica is moving a lot. Until we have a "real" name for the baby, my coworkers have started calling her Majestica. According to all my reading, she is more than 3 pounds and approximately the size of a large squash (butternut, not summer!). At this point, her brain is developing at a rapid rate and I am supposed to be eating foods that promote brain growth. I'm keeping up with yoga and have really enjoyed making some new friends in the class. In addition, my friend Marianne is due with her first baby in October and she has been joining us at yoga as well.

Today I was able to visit my friend Shelley and her son Dominic. Dom is just about 2 weeks old and I can't wait for the two of us to get our babies together. He is absolutely beautiful and it was so amazing to meet the little guy for the first time.

I'm starting to try and figure out my maternity leave and it looks like my doctor doesn't want me to work as long as I had originally planned. That being said, it is crazy to think that I may only have a few more weeks left at work.

Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather!

Easter Weekend--Lots to Share!

Time is really starting to fly by! We are now officially less than two months away from the big day and I can't believe it. On Saturday, my Aunt Julie and Godmother JoAnn hosted a shower for the baby and I. It was a wonderful day and I was so touched by all the well wishes from so many amazing people. I am usually really good about taking pictures, but only managed to snap a few from this special event. Once I get some more from AJ and JoAnn, I will post and share this incredible day with everyone.

The shower was such a special event for me and I can't wait to share my favorite moments on the blog. I promise to get some pictures up within the next few days! :)

Easter was a lot of fun as well. Allen and I joined Ron, JoAnn, Chad, Amy, Connor & Caitlin for Easter brunch at Stacks and we spent some time at the Farmer's Market in downtown Campbell. The weather was perfect and we spent the remainder of the afternoon at Ron & JoAnn's dyeing eggs and relaxing.

I am now in the 30th week of pregnancy and happy to report that I am feeling good. My back pain is gone (hopefully for good) and I have been sleeping much better. I feel like I might be catching a cold, so I am hoping that a lot of vitamin C and rest will do the trick to beat the bug. Allen and I spent Easter dinner at Aunt Julie & Uncle Steve's house and everyone was trying to get the baby to move. Just like me, she seems to be motivated by food and is always most active after I have eaten. She decided not to be all that active for the family tonight, but is kicking up a storm after my second glass of juice. I hope that this defiance isn't a sign of what is to come! :)

Here is a picture from 30 weeks...Looking at this, I can't believe that there are two months remaining--how much bigger can I possibly get???? Yikes!!!!!!

Exploring Our Creative Sides

In earlier posts, I mentioned that my mom was an avid painter. Her art was quite impressive and I never really got the "bug" so to speak. I believe that this is all due to the fact that I did not inherit any artistic ability whatsoever, but my Godmother JoAnn REALLY wants me to be artistic. :) This desire is so strong, that when I met her this morning, she informed me that she, Ron & I would be spending the afternoon in an art class.

Though a bit hesitant, Ron and I jumped on board and the three of us started work on our very first canvasses. The class took place at University Art in San Jose and we learned about it from Dolores (a TRUE artist whom I admire tremendously). The class was small today, so it was perfect for the three of us. In fact, I met a woman who used to teach art classes with my mom and it was fun to visit with her for a bit. JoAnn decided to paint a tree on a hill, Ron selected a still life with a wagon and greenery and my piece is a close up of a blooming yellow rose. The class paints with oils, but it was recommended that I use acrylics as they are "safer" (at least that is my understanding).

Once we got started, it was actually a lot of fun. I still believe that the art gene somehow skipped me, but have promised JoAnn that I will complete the canvas before the baby comes. I won't be able to attend class next week, but it looks like Ron & JoAnn will be going back for more. Who knows, maybe this art thing skips generations and the baby will be a painter...

Here are some pictures from the class...

Ron and I joked that we should bring our completed work to Paris and try to sell our "art" to American tourists in Montmartre!

Happy Easter to everyone!

Good Fortune!

It was another busy weekend, but I am happy to say that we were able to accomplish a lot! I worked on Saturday morning and Allen met me in Almaden after his bike ride. I have to say that it makes me feel like such a lazy bum when I hop in the car and drive from Morgan Hill to San Jose and he rides his bike the same distance!

Saturday's work event was a success and we spent the afternoon running various errands and really starting to get things ready for the baby's arrival. On Saturday afternoon, we ordered the crib and changing table and as luck would have it, the changing table was in stock. It looks like the crib will be arriving at the end of the month and I can't wait to see it! We chose a convertible crib (it will convert into a daybed and a full-sized bed) and it has special meaning to us because it was a gift from my nana (the baby's great-grandmother). See below for a picture of the changing table. The crib is the exact same color wood and I will post a picture as soon as it arrives!

The changing table is currently in our kitchen and I have to say that I actually like the way it looks in there! It is much nicer than our kitchen table/chairs (they are an Ikea find from my college apartment) and I'm somewhat tempted to start storing our kitchen gear inside! :)

Yesterday afternoon, Allen and I went to Ron & JoAnn's to drop off some stuff and assemble a crib that was handed down to us from some friends. Had I been thinking, I would have taken some pictures of Ron & Allen during the assembly process--it was pretty funny! At one point, Ron was actually inside of the crib and we all had to lift it up so that he could crawl out from underneath. Next time I'm over there, I will take some pictures as it is a very pretty piece of furniture and I know that the baby will be spending a lot of time in the crib.

Today, we decided to take advantage of the amazing weather and spend some time outside. We took Scout over to the ponds and let her swim and run around. Allen is still working on training her for the coming duck season and she really seems to be coming along. Scout LOVES Allen and it is cute to see them together. I really like this picture of the two of them.

Allen and I had Chinese food over the weekend (another random craving of mine--why can't I crave broccoli & brussels sprouts??) and I loved the fortune that came in my cookie. It stated: "There are big changes ahead for you." I think I am going to save it and put it in a book with some other things I have saved for the baby. On the flip side, Al's fortune said "Be adventuresome and try a new look"!

I am very excited to mention that my friend Shelley gave birth to baby Dominic on Thursday night. She is going to be an amazing mom and I can't wait to meet the newest addition to their family. We are rapidly approaching the 2 month countdown and I know that the time will continue to fly by.