Parental Fail

Is this what we have to look forward to one day?

Mortifying? Sure. Hilarious? Definitely.

Think she's scarred for life?

Meet Mozart & Friends

In general, I'm not a big fan of stuffed animals for small children. I don't like most of the materials that they are made of and they always seem kind of dirty and gross. The only thing I really wanted Liam to have was a Sock Monkey--they're cute and classic and typically woven cotton instead of yucky polyester.

At my baby shower in SC, my dad had a special gift for Liam-- Meet "Mozart":

I am in love with this little guy! (Well, he's actually kind of big-- he's 22" tall!) Mozart is a 100% cotton hand knitted blabla doll-- he's soft, cuddly, bright and fun. I love that he's a Sock Monkey with a modern twist.

Mozart has been our test monkey for all of Liam's new gear-- here he is trying out the rocker, the swing and the bumbo:

I can't wait to see Liam dragging him around the house by the tail.

When I started thinking about items to put on the shelves in the nursery, I decided that Mozart needed some friends. Meet Lemonade, who is about 10" tall:

I obviously spent too much time roaming around the blabla website-- I stumbled onto the rattle section. These are little 6" dolls with a rattle inside. Oh my goodness. My heart hurts from the cuteness. Lucky for me, Rob agrees that these are the cutest things in the world.

A monkey in a turtleneck! An elephant in shorts! Ahh!! To see Liam's little fingers wrapped around these, smiling when he hears them rattle... now that will be a sweet day. I can't wait for him to meet his new friends.

(At Rob's request, the family portrait!)

34 Weeks!

After a rough Week 33, Week 34 is starting off great!

Last week, my nasty stomach virus really took a lot out of me and it took 3-4 days to recover. While my stomach was hurting, my back was also hurting, I was having some cramping, and the little guy is stuffed so far into my lungs right now I can hardly breathe. I can't wait for him to drop in a few short weeks-- not only will I be able to breathe again, but maybe the acid reflux will let up a bit.

I have to be honest-- I've been blessed with such an easy pregnancy and I've tried to remember that during the times I've been uncomfortable... but when you are sick, exhausted, sore, and emotional it's difficult to keep your perspective. I was feeling particularly bad on Sunday evening and as Rob rubbed my belly, trying to soothe me, I started to cry. "I can't feel like this for another 6 weeks!"

Then, I started crying even harder because I felt so guilty for saying that. When Rob asked why I was getting more upset, I told him that every single day I am so thankful for this pregnancy-- and for how smoothly it has gone. A year ago, when we were struggling to get pregnant, I would have done anything to be in this position, no matter how uncomfortable-- complaining about any pregnancy symptom makes me feel horrible and ungrateful for this miracle that we've been given.

But through a little bit of talking (and a bit more belly rubbing), Rob helped me find that perspective-- and helped me see that a few days of feeling less than my best, doesn't make me ungrateful for my baby. Monday morning, I woke up feeling like a new woman.

Yesterday, at my 34 week checkup, when my doc asked how I had been feeling, I was honest and told her about my rough week. In addition to confirming that she had seen lots of cases of the stomach bug, she said, "Ahhh, you hit the 34 week wall. Even women with perfect pregnancies have to start being uncomfortable at some point, and it's usually right about now."

Enough said.

This week, baby is the size of an (amazingly creepy) American Girl Doll:

And looks like this (*gasp--head down!!*):
Baking Baby Blakely

"Your baby kind of looks like she's coated in a layer of cream cheese these days. The thick, white substance that protects her skin from pruning in the amniotic fluid is called vernix. When she's born you'll probably see some vernix lingering in her "hard-to-reach" places like under her arms, behind her ears and around her va-jay-jay, if she's a she...

Other news from the womb this week:

The soft fur, lanugo, that covered your baby's body for much of her stay in the womb is now almost completely gone.

Your baby begins to develop her own immune system, instead of relying solely on antibodies received through the placenta. This will come in handy when some grubby relative manhandles the baby without washing his hands first.

This week, your baby measures about 17¾ inches, as almost as long as an American Girl Doll (!) and weighs almost 5 pounds, as heavy as a bag of sugar, minus the cup you put in your decaf this morning."

34 Week Belly Pic
Other updates from my 34 week checkup:

• I lost 2 lbs from my 31 week appt-- doc is not concerned.
• Baby Belly is measuring right on track.
• I go back at 36 weeks, then start weekly appointments.
• Next appointment we'll do the Strep B test and I'll have my first internal exam.
• Baby's position will be determined then-- if she can't tell when she checks my cervix, she'll do an ultrasound. (I think he's already head down. Fingers crossed!!)
• TSH levels look good-- almost down to the level my RE considered ideal! I'm convinced that this is what's controlling my weight gain. I must be losing weight as I gain the baby weight. (Currently -3lbs from pre-pregnancy weight, +3lbs from lowest weight.)
• Started a new prescription acid reflux medicine-- hopefully this one works!!

I checked a lot of things off my To Do list from last week including tons of laundry--one more load and everything is washed. Plenty more to do, but I'm relieved to see that list getting smaller and smaller, as I get bigger and bigger!

Showered with Love (Part II)

It's taken me forever to post about my second baby shower-- I caught a nasty stomach bug this week that sent me straight to bed for several days! Took a little while to recover, but I'm feeling much better now.

This shower was so much fun-- My family is the best and my aunts and cousins put so much hard work into making this a special day for me.

Their attention to detail was incredible-- everything from the balloons marking the directions to the refreshments matched the black, white and green theme of our nursery! They served a delicious lime punch, had my favorite chicken salad, mini carrot cakes from my favorite bakery, and special ordered yummy cookies in the shape of rockets to match my nursery fabric and baby Liam's monogram! How adorable are these?!

My beautiful cousins and aunts who planned the party-- some of them even wore green and white to continue the theme!

I also got to see my aunt and cousin on my dad's side, who I don't get to see often!

I had so much fun with friends-- The lovely ladies of our trivia team:

My friend Alice (who was one of my bridesmaids) even flew in from Chicago for the occasion!!

In addition to having a wonderful time with family and friends, we received so many generous gifts! We are so lucky to have so many people that love and care about us, and want to help us prepare for this baby's arrival.

A huge gift-- my aunts and cousins all went in together to get us our Pack n' Play!! Everyone needs one of these for traveling or for company who have children (Rob's sis, her husband, her infant and possibly her toddler are coming for Thanksgiving!). I know we'll get tons of use out of this.

A jogging stroller! My cousins and aunt on my dad's side all went in together to get us this-- I'm thrilled! Rob is a runner and this stroller just might provide me with a little "me time" when Rob takes Liam with him on some of his runs. It will also come in handy when we use our new zoo membership to go walking after the baby gets here! It's a very cool stroller with an ipod adapter and speakers.

I thought we didn't need any more baby clothes-- clearly, I was wrong. I adore this monogrammed romper and can't wait to dress Liam in it!!

My mom got us this beautiful Vera Bradley Diaper Bag--it has tons of pockets and will be awesome to carry around all of Liam's stuff!

My dad got us these awesome aden+anais swaddling blankets-- I've heard nothing but amazing reviews and can't wait to snuggle our little guy up in these tiffany blue and brown themed "Little Man" muslin blankets.

Ok, nothing could have prepared me for these-- these baby Chuck Taylors were hand knitted by Rob's 93 year old grandmother!! She knitted us some very traditional baby gifts-- a sweet sweater, some blue booties and she included a note letting us know that she is working on a quilt and will send it when it's ready. But these? These. Are. Awesome. (Not to mention totally cool and unexpected. She could make a killing selling them on etsy.)

We got so many other things that we needed, too-- bath suppplies, tummy mats, books and diaper bag essentials. It's a bit overwhelming how many wonderful gifts we received-- we are incredibly thankful!

33 Weeks!

This week's update comes a day late-- we just didn't get around to taking a belly pic yesterday-- Rob was working late and I was hard at work on some projects for the nursery, which isn't quite finished yet, but should be in a few weeks. I want to wait and post pics when it's completely done!

This week, baby is the size of a pearl necklace:

And looks like this:

Baking Baby Blakely

"The big news this week is lung development—baby's respiratory system is almost completely mature. That means if your baby was born this week, odds are he'd be a healthy bouncing baby with a just a little help from his friends (aka, the NICU).

Some of the specifics are:

Your baby can now detect light and tell the difference between night and day (of course that ability will miraculously disappear once he's born and up all night screaming). His pupils will constrict and dilate in response to light. If you shine a flashlight on your belly, your baby may shy away from the light as if to say, "Cut it out, Ma. You're soooo annoying."

The bones in your baby's skull are soft and are not yet fused together. In other words, now is not the time to teach him how to do a headspin while breakdancing. This pliability allows the bones to overlap; making that trip down the tight birth canal possible (and resulting in that surprising cone head look your baby will sport for the first few days post-birth. Don't worry, it's totally normal and that's what hats are for.)

Your baby will continue to pack on the pounds gaining around ½ pound a week from here on out.Your baby weighs about 4½ pounds, as much as a grownup duck, and is approximately 17.5 inches long, about the same as a collarbone-length pearl necklace. (Did somebody say push present?)"

33 Week Belly Pics

There's a lot of stuff that we've put off for 33 weeks-- But with only seven weeks to go, we've really started doing a lot to prepare. My mom delivered my brother and I almost two weeks early, and although this doesn't indicate that Liam will be born early, I know that we need to be prepared before we hit 40 weeks.

There's laundry to do-- Between blankets, diapers, washcloths, towels, clothes, burp cloths, sheets, mattress covers, changing pad covers, etc. I'll be washing for a while.

There's sterilizing to do-- pump parts, bottles (which we don't plan on using until breastfeeding is established) and pacifiers (ditto).

There's packing to do-- I'm making lists of what we need to take to the hospital and what we need to stock in the diaper bags.

There's shopping to do-- We made a list several months ago of all of the things that we need before he arrives and we've checked off so many things! The problem is that we keep adding things to the list-- just last night, I realized that we don't have any health/hygiene stuff! We need a thermometer, nail clippers, a nasal aspirator, baby Tylenol, gas drops, a comb/brush, diaper rash cream, vaseline, medicine dispenser, etc. None of these are a huge expense-- they're just things that we can't forget to buy!

There's cooking to do-- As of now, I have the beginning of my freezer stash: 4 casseroles, 2 containers of fresh green beans, 6 containers of soup/chili and 3 loaves of banana bread. I hope to (at least) double this before he gets here.

I'm so thankful that I'm not working-- there's plenty to do around here!

Piccolino is Here!!

The biggest congrats to Kate & Benjamin over at This Place is Now a Home-- their beautiful son Owen James arrived today at 12:36pm. Click here to see his first pics and wish them well!

32 Weeks!

Hard to believe that we only have 8 weeks to go! Each week, we're getting more prepared-- we received so many nice things at our showers the past two weeks (pics to come!) and we've done a little shopping to get the rest of the things we need. Now, I just need to wash and organize!

This week, baby is the size of a knee high boot:

And looks like this:

Baking Baby Blakely

"Although your baby will still remain active, his days of trying out for Cirque du Soleil are nearly over. About this time your baby will settle into the head-down position in preparation for birth.

Other fascinating facts:

Both you and baby are putting on some serious weight at this point. You'll probably gain about a pound a week for the next few weeks, with half of that poundage bulking up baby. He'll likely double his weight in the next eight weeks.

Ever wonder what your baby is doing in there these days? He's busy blinking, looking around, grabbing things, making faces, practicing his breathing, peeing and listening to everything around him—pretty much exactly what he'll be doing for the first three months of his life, sans the adoring audience and the flashing camera.

Your baby may (or may not) have a full head of hair now. If he's a baldy, don't worry. You can always buy a Baby Toupee.

By the end of this week, your baby will weigh about 4 pounds and measure over 17 inches long—about the length of a hot pair of above-the-knee boots. Christian Louboutin? Manolo Blahnik? We're thinking Isaac Mizrahi for Target—you've got a nursery to furnish!"

32 Week Belly Baby

We're finishing up our classes at the hospital this week-- tonight we tour Labor and Delivery Floor and the Birthing Suites and Thursday we have a breastfeeding class. It feels great to check these off our (never ending) list of things to do!