31 weeks

This past week has been interesting...
I realized that what I thought was Brycen moving into weird positions for the past few weeks, is probably, most likely braxton hicks contractions.  Everyone told me "you'll know if they are contractions" - yeah well as a first time mom, I don't didn't know.  I got curious and of course used the powers of Google to determine that yup, these are contractions.  
Also this week, I've experienced the joys of Brycen kicking my diaphragm and making it VERY difficult to breath.  Other than the uncomfortable feeling like I have something stuck under my ribs, it hasn't been painful (yet)!  It's a feeling that I don't think I'll EVER get used to.
We started our Child Birth classes yesterday at the hospital where I'll deliver.  It's hard to believe that once these classes are over (6 weeks), I'll only have a couple of weeks (hopefully) before Brycen arrives!  Makes it feel REALLY close now.
We are patiently awaiting the birth of my cousin and his wife's daughter, Madison.I'm praying and hoping that I'm not like her and end up over my due date!(ya hear that Brycen, no going over your due date!!)I think I'm so excited for Madison to arrive because that means it's EVEN CLOSER to Brycen's due date.  Once we get Madison here, we have Payton's arrival in June (my other cousin and his wife) and then finally Brycen in July!
I still cannot believe that we have 3 babies coming into the family within 2 months of each other.  Hopefully we can all find time to be home at the same time - that's the only bad thing about living all over the country :(

Weekly Stats and Reflection
Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2011
How far along? 31 weeks... Approximately 63 days to go
How Big is Baby (from thebump.com) - Baby is still the size of a squash!  Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)

Maternity Clothes -  LOVE my maternity clothes (pants, shorts, dresses)... still in longer non maternity shirts thoughWeight gain - 9.8 pounds as of 5/19/11...next update will be 6/2/11
Food aversions - Sausage
Cravings - Sweets, freezie pops
Symptoms - Heartburn, shortness of breath, back pain
Movement - he's a mover and a shaker - all day long!
Belly Button - Innie
Labor Signs - None!
Goal for the coming week - Get some baby shower gifts out in the mail as well as all my thank you cards!
What I'm looking forward to - Final baby shower on June 5th! 

I've been working a lot on Brycen's room this week - trying to get organized and find a home for everything that we got at the baby showers.  I need to find a shelf in our kitchen to clean off so Brycen can take over that room as well!  I think the only room he won't take over right away is the basement.
Our lives as we know it, will never be the same!

Baby Shower #2

Well today was baby shower #2 hosted by 3 of my good friends.It was a great afternoon catching up with some friends that I honestly do not see nearly enough!
Brycen, of course, got many wonderful gifts...We are truly blessed to have so many friends that care so much about Brycen!

 Here are some pics:

Diaper bag and accessories made by Brandy

I am super excited about these bath mitts!

chocolate cake with pistachios!
Not the original cake due to a cake/heat disaster, but it still tasted amazing!

Diaper cake

Thank you to everyone that made the day so special!

Gifts

As a closing to my RCIA classes at church, we met tonight for a final get together and pot luck dinner.Our RCIA team gave us this blanket for Brycen:

Without knowing what our nursery "theme" was, they did an excellent job guessing!

I received a few more items that I purchased on ebay too... books of course :)

By the time he gets here, he'll have a nice size library to call his own!

Belly comparison

I was just looking back at belly pictures and thought it would be neat to compare my growth over the past 7 weeks.  It is amazing how much I have grown!

30 weeks

One more week down.
I see the end in sight and I couldn't be more excited!
I've been working on getting everything washed and put away from my NY family baby shower.  Hubby thinks I should wait until I'm home on leave before Brycen arrives - however I just find the thought of waiting to be too overwhelming!  There is going to be plenty to do before he arrives (like nest).
Speaking of nesting... 
I think it may have hit me!
We went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, and hubby went to put groceries in the fridge and I told him no way... I then proceeded to tear apart and scrub the fridge.  This of course was after we spent a good part of the day cleaning up from the renovations (literally, floor to ceiling cleaning).
I kinda hope this sticks around because I love nothing more than a clean house!

Weekly Stats and Reflection
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2011
How far along? 30 weeks... Approximately 70 days to go
How Big is Baby (from thebump.com) - Baby is still the size of a squash!  As baby's skin smooths out, his brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. He's also adding some brawn -- his grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger.

Maternity Clothes -  Most everything... still in longer non maternity shirts thoughWeight gain - 9.8 pounds as of 5/19/11
Food aversions - Still sausage - I really hope this goes away... and soon!
Cravings - Sweets
Symptoms - Back pain and heartburn
Movement - He never stops!
Belly Button - Innie
Labor Signs - None!
Goal for the coming week -
What I'm looking forward to - Baby shower #2 as well as getting the baseboards stained so they can be installed and our renovations can be COMPLETELY finished

As you know by now, I was home in NY this past week... It was a great trip (as always), and despite already posting (SOME) shower pictures, I received a few additional gifts that I wanted to post...

Handmade Stuffed Elephant - it is so furry and soft!
From Deb

Crocheted blanket (finished in under a week!!)
From Deb

Jumper
From Stacey and Nikki

Swing
From Kerry

I have one major pregnancy complaint that even my husband didn't know about until just recently, but it's been happening so much more lately that I had to tell someone...I have the WORST nightmares ever since becoming pregnant!What's so bad you ask?They are ALWAYS murder dreams... and I ALWAYS remember them!They are aimed at myself, Brian or Bella (yes, the dog)... Brycen is never in any of them!I've had them since about 12 weeks and they only get worse as time goes on.
I don't know if my sub conscious is on high alert or what, but they are always the worst when it's noisy around the house at night (as in storms, wind, etc).  The sounds outside play into the dream and usually end up waking me up.  I hope this goes away... sooner... rather than later please!
I also have a great update on the dog's sleeping situation.Since the renovations have been "done", we've been sleeping with our bedroom door open and no gate at the top of the stairs.  Bella normally sleeps on my side of the bed, however early last week she slept on the floor at the foot of the bed.  Then later in the week slept in the hallway at the top of the stairs.  Last night however, she slept on her bed in the living room.  As soon as she heard me moving around this morning, she came bounding up the stairs to check on things.
Brian doesn't like her being so far from us, but I think it's a great sign - she knows where she needs to be to protect us should anything happen!  I really do think she senses all the changes with the baby and is already making adjustments to her "routine".
That's all for now
Cannot believe there are less than 10 weeks to go!

Baby Shower

This past Saturday, we were blessed with a wonderful baby shower with some of my family and friends in NY.  
Brian and I are truly thankful to have family and friends that love Brycen so much (already!).It was a great day, great food (and cake!) with great people.Brycen got so many amazing gifts!

Brycen received so many cute outfits!

Sabres outfit from Aunt Judy

Bills outfits from Aunt Diane

Baby high tops!

Christening Gown - made from my grandmothers wedding dress.
A lot of family members have used this gown over the years!
I am honored to have this for our children!

Ducky Punch - too cute!

Cake made by Jen - Dinosaurs matched the invitations

Part 1 of the gifts - all ready to be packed up!

Part 2 of the gifts

Brian and I had planned ahead and packed our clothes into our smallest suitcases and put them into our larger suitcases for the flight home.  I am SO happy we did this - because the empty suitcases came in so handy when packing up all of the shower gifts.
We cannot thank our friends and family enough for making the day so special!
I would especially like to take the time to thank my mom for putting this together for us!Although on a sad note, I just realized that I didn't get a single picture with her :(

3d ultrasound

I knew from the start that I wanted to do a 3d/4d ultrasound.
Brian on the other hand, thought it was a waste of money.He said "it'll only show us this creepy looking baby"
Well...
I am pleased to announce that he loved the ultrasound about as much as I did!
I got to share the moment with my husband, mom, grandma, and 2 sisters.  It truly was a great experience.

Looks like he's giving kisses!

Burrito Baby

Favorite picture!  Love his little nose :)

Trying to eat his arm!

Legs are crossed, but he is still a boy!

I am utterly amazed at how detailed the pictures are!
At one point, we could count all his fingers and toes.He is currently curled up like a little burrito (feet are near his hands which are ALWAYS by his face).He has mommy's nose and (currently) daddy's hairdo (ie. bald).
We had a tough time getting some good pictures because he was ALWAYS moving.The tech was amazed at how active he was - and he insisted that his hands/arms be near his face.At one point during the scan, he completely blocked his face as if to say "no more pics mom".We all enjoyed seeing him move around, blink his eyes, yawn, smile and even pout.  
We simply CANNOT wait to meet our little man!

29 weeks

what.a.week it has been!
Even though I had a short work week, it felt like one of the longest in a while!I'm happy to say that I am off work for nearly an ENTIRE week.
I wish I could say that this coming week is going to be relaxing, but truth be told, it's going to be very busy!  I'm especially looking forward to Saturday - why you ask...because we get to see Brycen again (3d/4d ultrasound),as well as our first shower with friends and family!
I'm also looking forward to some good home "cooking"...pizza.... wings.... cheeseburgers.... sponge candy.... chicken burritos....Gosh I love food from back home!
I've spent some time working on Brycen's room too!  I finally figured out an arrangement for the shelving I purchased, and cannot wait to fill them with keepsakes (like the Willow Tree Angel!)

Weekly Stats and Reflection
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2011
How far along? 29 weeks... Approximately 77 days to go
How Big is Baby (from thebump.com) - Baby's now the size of a squash!  Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin.  And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb.  What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs.

Maternity Clothes -  So glad I've invested in dresses and shorts, because it is already turning out to be a HOT summer... in place of maternity shirts, I just picked up some longer t-shirts/tank topsWeight gain - 6.2 pounds as of 28 weeks - next update: 30 weeks
Food aversions - sausage... still
Cravings - candy
Symptoms - Back pain
Movement - Lots of movement - can't wait to find out how he's positioned this weekend!
Belly Button - Innie
Labor Signs - None!
Goal for the coming week - Enjoy my time off of work!
What I'm looking forward to - (in no particular order): 3d/4d ultrasound... baby shower #1... seeing friends and family... GOOD NY food (pizza and wings)
Since I forgot to take a belly pic last week, I made sure it was high on my list of things to do today!

I love my ever growing belly :)

Well that's all for tonight... relatively short post because I have SO much to do before vacation!
I promise that I'll have LOTS to update next week!