Non-Stress, No Problem!

What a ham!

The bean was such a show-off at my non-stress test, Friday. The doctor hooked me up to all kinds of fun contraptions to monitor my baby's heart rate and movement. Gotta say, that was the easiest doctor's appointment ever: lay there and push a button every time he moves... yeah, I think I can handle that, haha! The way this kid moves, I can't say I was too worried. In no time flat he had moved so much that the belts strapped to my belly had nearly slid off where the nurse placed them!

Bottom line: the doctor said the charts didn't look good... they looked PERFECT! God is truly watching over our baby boy and I couldn't feel more blessed.

What gets awkward is nearly every appointment, the doctor asks me if I have had contractions...and I generally answer "no". Honestly, I think I have had a few Braxton Hicks going off what I've read they feel like, but that's just it, I have no idea what a contraction feels like! I've had TONS of strange feelings ranging from a little pressure, to pains shooting down my legs, but how the heck am I supposed to answer that daunting question when this is my first pregnancy and I have no clue what anything feels like?! So frustrating. I'm sure I'll know when I'm in labor...? Oh, here's a random question for any of my fellow lady friends out there who are or have been preggers: did you have nausea this late (37 weeks) in the game? I was one of the lucky few out there that didn't have morning sickness whatsoever early on, but last night and a few other times I've felt the urge to get sick. Thankfully, I haven't, but I have clung to the trashcan anticipating the worst.

On a lighter note, I got more work done in his nursery this weekend, and that's lifting so much stress off my shoulders. I basically just have to add a few decorative touches and it should be done (not that the kid will spend much time in there at first)!

Don't worry, the blanket will come down. It's just decorative :)

37 Weeks!

Happy 37 weeks (and 2 days now, haha) to baby Jack! I can't wait for his arrival! I'd take any prayers and positive thoughts you might be willing to share for not only a healthy baby, but for patience. I just want him here, selfishly, and I know he's going to stay put until he's ready... so it's out of my control, and that is just killing me!

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Back to the grind tomorrow. Let's do this.

Also, feel free to connect with me on my Facebook page and via Twitter! I promise not to clog up your news feeds :)

C'mon Bean, I'm ready for You!

Patience. I lack it.

On Friday, I will officially clock in at 37 weeks pregnant! Ding! Ding! Ding! That means baby Jack would not be considered premature if I had him any point after! That being said, bring on the bean!

I have baby on the brain, and that's about it. I find myself hoping each day will go quickly, because that means I'm one day closer to meeting this little guy. Do you realize how long that makes the work week feel? Today I thought it was Friday at one point... it's Wednesday. When I'm not at work, I just want to work on baby Jack's nursery, or clean (that's definitely me nesting because Lord knows, I'm not a neat freak, haha!). I hate feeling like this. I keep trying to remind myself that I need to enjoy some quality time with Aaron while it's just the two of us because those moments will be few and far between when the baby arrives. I just can't help all the butterflies I keep getting!

Have I mentioned that I have the best husband ever? The past few weeks have been tough because he's going back to school for his MBA, but he made up for it 10 fold this weekend alone. Before I even woke up Saturday morning, he already got the oil changed in my car and was going grocery shopping for me. Yes, he was GROCERY SHOPPING! He LOATHES tackling my 2 week grocery lists alone (I can't blame him, I hate tackling them alone too). Then, when he got back we both worked on painting. He tackled kitchen cabinets, and I started on the ceiling in the baby's room. We soon realized that I'm not good at painting the ceiling... so he took over, and I worked on baby shower thank-you notes. Aaron also knows I've been getting increasingly uncomfortable, so he takes it upon himself to give this sore mama a back massage. Anywho, brag session over, but I seriously don't know what I'd do without him. He's going to be such an amazing dad.

My aunt and uncle were also a huge help this weekend. They loaded up their van with all my baby shower goodies and drove it from St. Louis to our house just for the weekend. My aunt single=handedly organized all our mudroom (which was filled to the brim with baby goodies), and ran stuff either down a flight of stairs to the basement, or up a flight of stairs to the nursery... what a workout! We girls had to have some fun though, so we did a little shopping! I pretty much have refused to by any clothes for the bean since everyone else has done such a good job of that for me, but I caved when I saw a hilarious onsie at Babies R Us. It took everything I had not to buy the whole darn wall of clothes, including a ridiculously cute leather jacket (it was $36...babies just don't wear stuff long enough to make that price tag justifiable)!

Baby Jack will look like such a gentleman in his new onsie!

Next up on my to-do list... pack my hospital bag! Maybe that will encourage him to hurry up and get here, haha! But seriously, any suggestions of what to pack? I want to make the whole hospital thing as simple, yet comfortable, as possible.

Also, check out this story Eyewitness News did on the "Polar Vortex" baby boom. It's so true! I have a half dozen friends popping out children around the same time as I'm scheduled to!

Ready to Launch!

He's head down, folks!

The exercises my doctor told me to do to turn my breech baby around... worked! He told me last week that he felt like the baby had rotated, but today we got the proof thanks to an ultra sound. You know what that means? This girl's c-section has been canceled! Whew hoo! I'd do anything to have my baby come out safe and sound, but I'm rather glad that I don't have to dread surgery.

My appointment today was filled with fun facts! Baby bean now weighs a whopping 5 pounds 10 ounces, which puts him on track to weigh 7 pounds 10 ounces at birth (if he makes it the full 40 weeks). If you recall, my due date is September 5, but my doctor is predicting he comes on Labor Day... how appropriate, yes? haha! So far my doctor is 2 for 2 on his guesses (first guess was that the baby was a boy, second guess was that he had his head down), so I'm assuming he'll be right on this one too. The baby is sitting low, and I can tell! It feels like he's going to fall out sometimes when I get up out of my chair or when I'm walking around. I told this to my doctor and he said that would certainly be a first, haha! I'm so thankful my appointment went well today! God is looking out of my little family.

My goal this weekend is to finish painting Jack's room and get it organized. Neither of these tasks will be easy, but they both need to get done. Then, I'll just sit back and wait for this little guy to make his great escape. I'm so ready to meet him! I know he needs to cook longer, but I wouldn't be upset if he came early as long as I'm all organized and his room is ready, haha! Maybe I'm being selfish, but I'm ready to get my body back. It's amazing how the human body can grow another, but it also isn't the most comfortable thing in the world. Thank God I have a good husband who doesn't mind giving me a back massage, and co workers who aren't too weirded out by me producing a newscast standing on my knees to give my ribs a break, haha!

I'm officially 36 weeks which means the countdown is on. Moms and dads out there, what one thing would you make a priority before the baby arrives? Relaxation? Organization? Share your thoughts!

Showered With Love Part 2: Busy and Blessed

Two showers in two days = one tired mama!

My gorgeous shower cake!

Aaron and I hit the road this weekend for food, fun and lots of family! And what kind of adventure would it be if we didn't encounter at least one snag? Well at least it came early in the trip so we got it over with quickly. Bright and early Friday morning, Aaron and I grabbed our suitcases, packed up the car and pointed it south (ish) to Missouri, but we didn't get too far. We recently had the transmission replaced in our car (that's a whole other story), but to make a long story short, it started acting up again. We turned the car around, dropped it off at the shop and once again, hit the road. Sadly, that little excursion cost us a good 3 hours out of our lives we'll never get back, not to mention it tacked on extra time in the car that this mom-to-be was less than thrilled about (those seats are not meant for tall, pregnant women). Oh well, the transmission is covered under a warranty, and after our detour, we still made it to Aaron's family's house by about 6:30 Friday night. 

Aaron's middle brother started the weekend of baby parties off with one all the men out there can appreciate: a diaper party at a bar on a Friday night. Booze and babies? Who says they can't be combined... haha! His friends donated diapers of all brands and sizes, along with some wipes and dreft detergent. Not too shabby considering most of the party goers were dudes in their twenties. 

Saturday marked round one of the official celebrations for the bean. This party came complete with Aaron's grandma's AMAZING cooking! Can you say homemade Mexican food? What more does one need?!?! Aaron and I made out like a bandit! We got several things off our registry and his great aunt sewed us a whole box of homemade goodies! There's nothing better than crocheted baby blankets and soft flannel burp rags (among tons of other homemade stuff)! Aaron's mom planned out the party and didn't skimp on the details, like delicious bakery cupcakes and cute decorations. I'm so thankful I have great in-laws to party with and I know they can't wait to meet baby Jack.

Aaron and I hopped in the car and made the 1.5 hour trek to my hometown Saturday night so we could hang out with my family ahead of shower #2 on Sunday. When we woke up, right away the gift opening began! From cute clothes, to a diaper bag stuffed with everything a new mom needs, to a soft quilt with family connections, they spared no time spoiling the bean before his shower! And as far as the shower goes, no words can describe how truly epic it was. It was a Cardinals' fan's paradise! Cracker "Jack" and peanut party favors, baseball decorations, this shower had it all! My aunt planned out the party and I have to say, I'm pretty sure she should make a living out of work like that. My entire family made it out, some of whom I haven't seen in a couple years. Again, Aaron and I raked in the goodies, but I have to say, the best part was really just seeing everyone. 

My mom, AKA "Glam-ma" and I at the shower!

Thankfully, my aunt and uncle like us enough to see us again this coming weekend. They're bringing up all the goodies we couldn't fit in our car (most of which didn't fit). I can't wait to dig into everything and get it organized!

In the meantime, I have an ultra sound this week to see if baby bean has finally rotated himself in the proper position. I stick by my gut feeling that he's gonna come early. Did anyone else have nausea and side paints in the last trimester? I was lucky enough to bypass morning sickness early on but I feel like it's been catching up with me recently. I'm also tired 24/7. 

That being said, my eyes are rolling into the back of my head as I finish up this post. I'll leave you all with one more question: what was the shower gift you received that you found to be something you couldn't live with out?