33 weeks and counting...

With the baby shower just days away, we've already received some awesome gifts from friends and family, including these fun New Orleans onesies. Dad and Cindy surprised us with the changing table Saturday night. It was already assembled too, which Jeremy appreciates! Jeremy will be with me on Saturday and we're really looking forward to seeing everyone.

Here's the baby update... Bambino is weighing in at approximately 4.5 lbs (about as heavy as a pineapple) and is about 17 inches long. And I just loved this comment from the website I use... Baby is "rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his/her skeleton is hardening." Well that's good to know! We certainly don't want little bambino coming out looking like an alien!!

We visited the doctor on Monday and while we were waiting, something weird happened. I'm laying on the hospital bed and I look down to see the right side of my belly LITERALLY raised about 2 inches higher than my left side. I guess baby was just stretching, but man, did that look creepy!?! Even Jeremy was a little weirded out. Ha, just wait til the birth!

At our visit, we also decided, well, I decided that we would no longer look at the scale. It's just too depressing. So I got on the scale as usual, and made Jeremy look away. As soon as the doctor walks in, she says, looking good, gained 2 more lbs! Ugh, I wanted to ring her neck!

Well, that's about all of the updates I have for now. Only seven weeks to go! Hope everyone has a nice week and we're very excited to see all of the ladies at Baby Starr's shower!

An "outside" baby shower in JUNE?!

Today, we celebrated Christina at her baby shower. Not sure who had the "fun" idea to have a baby shower outside, in June, in New Orleans... did I mention OUTSIDE!? But Christina looked wonderful, as you can see, and Baby Grandt received some really nice gifts. (Christina is about 5 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy.)

But damn, it was freaking hott!! Forget the "pregnancy glow." I sweat so much today in that sun that even bambino was asking for a snoball as we drove home. (FYI, his/her favorite flavor is nectar cream too!) Thanks to Mom for coming and sweating it out with me. She's always such good company.

I got into my truck on the way home, and the temperature was 101 degrees! Gotta love Summer in New Orleans. Just think, I've got two more months of being preggo (getting bigger by the second) and it's only going to get hotter! We spent Friday night at Mom's in the pool til 11:30 p.m., which was such a relief. I'd be OK with just living in that pool for the next two months, pruned up fingers and all!

Well, enjoy the pictures from Christina's Shower. And if we're not home, we'll either be poolside, or at the snoball stand of course!

Back from St. Louis

We just got back from a 3-day trip to St. Louis visiting with the Dahl's. It was a great trip. We ate way too much as usual, took a few naps, and did some sight-seeing. But the best part was spending time with Brandon, Stephanie, Owen and of course, Cleo. They were wonderful hosts and it was so cool seeing how much Owen had changed in only 6 months! Here are some photos from the trip. We toured Grant's Farm, stopped to take a picture in front of the arches, and visited with the Dahl family for Memorial Day. Most of the photos are from the farm. Oh and the one with some weird guy hugging Cleo, that's Jeremy telling her goodbye. He's REALLY going to miss her...

So I'll be 31 weeks preggo this week, almost 8 months, and BIGGER than EVER! I got another, "Is it twins?" on our way home from St. Louis. Awesome. I'm really thinking about just kicking rude people in the shins for fun.

So here are some fun bambino facts: baby is around 3.3 lbs. and approximately 16 inches long. He/she is constantly kicking and moving around. Here's a little bit too much information... I read that this is around when the baby's head turns downward. That would make sense considering the weird kicks I've been getting at the top of my belly. I've also read that the baby is starting to plump up. Ha, baby isn't the only one "plumping up." Let's just say that getting all this weight off is not going to be nearly as fun as it was putting it on! I'll miss those fried shrimp poboys, pulled pork sandwiches, cheeseburgers, and don't even say the "S" word... SNOBALLS!!!

We had quite a few appointments last week. The first was to discuss the logistics, the second a regular check-up, and the third was a visit with the anesthesiologist, a.k.a. my future best friend. It's all becoming more and more real. Baby is doing well. Heart rate was at 140 and my blood pressure was normal. The anesthesiologist informed me that once I get my epidural, I get my own little button. Feel a little pain, press the button, feel more pain, press the button. Works for me. This labor/delivery stuff should all be a piece of cake, right?! Mmm, cake!!

Thanks for reading. Have a great week!

"Keeping the crib warm"

The furniture is in. The curtains are up. And Callie is ready to give plenty of kisses to her new brother or sister! Thanks to Mom for the furniture, and to Dad for putting it all together before we got home from work.

I'll be 29 weeks along, which is 7 months and one week. Last night at the grocery store, the cashier asked me how far along I was and when I told her, her response was, "I don't know, you're awfully big! Are you sure you're not further along?" Really?!? So nice of her, don't you think?? The amazingly rude things people say...

Anyway, bambino is doing plenty of kicking. He/she does a great job of keeping me up at night between all the movement and back pain. And when it's not baby, it's usually Jeremy's snoring! Hahaha! Baby is about 2.5 lbs. and approximately 16 inches tall. We're not going to discuss what I'm weighing in at these days. Oh, and the mood swings are definitely in play. I've cried at work twice, pouted on several occasions and the turrets in the car is at an all time high. But no worries, just keeping Jeremy on his toes. He's a good sport. And he's going to be a fantastic dad.

Hope you're all doing well and that you're having a nice, cool May!

April, what a great month!

I'm just passed 6 and 1/2 months. I'll be 27 weeks this Thursday. Here's a quick baby update... Bambino can now hear, and reacts to sounds and light. He/she weighs almost 2 lbs. and his/her eyes have almost fully formed. The brain is very active and he/she is approximately 14 and 1/2 in. long.

Odds are not in my favor for a girl. The last five girls at work have all had, or are having girls! And my cousin Drea is having a girl too! Deep down, "I guess" it doesn't matter. Last Thursday, I took my gestational diabetes test and it went well. No diabetes for me! We also had another ultrasound. Last month, the ultrasound doctor asked us to come back in six weeks so that he could take a closer look at the chambers of the heart. It's amazing what they can see from that ultrasound! This time around, we brought Dad with us. We told him to look away, but he didn't. It's OK though because I don't think he knew what he was looking at anyway. The baby kicked so much, we couldn't get any pictures of the feet. But we did get a profile. And since I told Mom she couldn't put any more uterus pictures on facebook, here's one on my blog just for her. So, enjoy Mom!!



We've been celebrating birthdays like crazy this month. First, we had mom's birthday. Then, we surprised Jeremy with a fiesta. And for my birthday, we had a BBQ at mom's. Carol and Debbie took us to Impastato's, then Mom took us to Galatoire's. I can't wait to get on the scale next month! **Sarcasm** Anyway, it's been a fun and relaxing month with family and friends. Here are some pictures from the fiesta, along with one from our dinner at Galatoire's. The months are just flying by...

Big... and getting bigger!

Here's a photo of me from less than a week ago, at exactly six months. I'll be at 25 weeks this Thursday. And I can't imagine getting any bigger than I already am! Jeremy and I went "baby registering" and I have to say that it was not nearly as fun as registering for the wedding! We have absolutely no idea what we're doing and the trip to BabiesRUs consisted of Jeremy scanning whatever he thought looked like fun, including one of those cups that stops boys from peeing all over the place. It said "Tinkle, Tinkle Little Star"... How appropriate. Oh, and it's official. I am now waddling. I can't believe I have three more months of this!

We're slowly starting to prepare the nursery, and we are very excited for the furniture to come in. Bambino is about 1.25 lbs. and can now touch his/her feet and make a fist. I can't wait to see what he/she will look like! Unfortunately, whether he/she takes after Mom or Dad, I think our little bambino is doomed to have a really big butt!

Welcome to our blog!

Hello family and friends! I stole Kathryn and Martin's idea and thought it would be fun to start a blog. With so much going on over the next year, Jeremy and I will have plenty we want to share with you. And instead of posting ALL of my thoughts, comments, pictures and even videos on facebook, I figured a blog might be a better way to go. That way, if I ever give "too much information" I'll feel good knowing you went in search of it all on your own, and that it wasn't given on my facebook news feed! So I'm giving you fair warning now that sometimes, it might be a little cheesy, especially when I'm on maternity leave and all I'll want to do is take pictures of the bambino over and over and over again!

So I'm six months pregnant today and as you all know, it's been a pretty easy-going pregnancy. We visited the doctor this week and all is well. Bambino has been kicking a lot more. For some reason, he/she stops kicking every time I get Jeremy to put his hand on my belly. I guess bambino finds Daddy's touch very calming, which is a good thing, especially since he'll probably end up being the "patient one.''

We ordered the crib and dresser yesterday and they should arrive in 2-3 weeks. We're so excited! Bedding is picked out too. We'll probably need some help moving furniture to the attic in the next few weeks, so Grandpas, you're on deck! Here's a sneak preview of the crib we selected, along witht the 5-drawer dresser. We still need to find a changing table, but there's plenty of time for that. I can't wait to get everything set up for little bambino!

Thanks to babycenter.com, I know that bambino is just over a pound and almost a foot long. (Let's not talk about how many lbs. I've actually put on, LOL!) Tastebuds and lungs growing strong. Skin is still translucent. But bambino can definitely hear and see light. Bambino will already be used to Callie's barking when he/she arrives.

Well, I hope you all enjoy this blog. And if you don't, the good thing is that you don't have to read it! No quizzes, I promise. Thanks for being such an important part of our lives. We can't wait to share bambino with all of you!!