; 38 Weeks ;

Baby's now the size of a watermelon!

The last bits of vernix caseosa (the white goo keeping baby's skin moist) and lanugo (downy hair) are slowly shedding into your amniotic fluid. Baby's head is about the same circumference as his abdomen, and his head could be covered in an inch or so of hair. Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long. He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.  Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Pregnancy Highlights

Due Date: May 6, 2011 
Total weight gain: 29 lbs.
Cravings: anything chocolaty or spicy
Sleep: not really getting anymore than I have been.........probably less than ever
I can't live without:  Lance & Brayden; they make each day amazing & make me smile just because :)
I miss: being able to bend over to do simple things like pick up toys or clean up around the the house with out feeling like I am going to fall over
I am looking forward to: hopefully Colton's "on time" arrival in the next few weeks
Milestones: I am "full term" now so we are just waiting & getting ready for his arrival
Exercise: lots of walking & stair climbing have been under way & hopefully this will get things going with Colton's progression (I walked 3-4 times a day with B & still had to be induced a week late) but I am going to try to stay positive & pray that he comes all on his own
Diet:  lots of chicken, fresh fruits & veggies
Maternity Clothes:  pants yes - shirts a mixture
Movement: yep!!
Gender: Boy; Colton
Labor Signs: braxton hicks are coming often but that's about it; went to the doctor yesterday & they didn't check me but said next week they will for sure & I am keeping my fingers crossed
Belly Shots:

Wonderful Park Weather

I feel like I have haven't posted anything about what we have been up to around here in so long that I don't even know where to begin.  I feel like we have been so busy but also feel like not much has really been going on; does that even make sense?  Mainly we have been enjoying the amazing weather & preparing for Colton's arrival (which for Lance & I means getting a crazy amount of things done & taken care of around the house & I will post on that separately).

I don't know if I have talked about this yet but Lance switched jobs & it now at a dealership closer to home; the hours are longer than they were before but it is a better fit for him & since he is only 5 minutes away from work we see him almost everyday for lunch.  It is was a hard decision for he & I to make but we made the right choice for our family & that is what is most important.  With that being said; I will again say the hours are really long & that means B & I get most of our days (& nights) together just he & I so we have been enjoying the beautiful weather & getting outside as much as possible.

We have been to the park a good bit these past few weeks; our little boy is defiantly all boy all the time & enjoys climbing, running, jumping & whatever else he can do outside & I LOVE to watch him play.  He is getting more & more daring with each visit to the park & attempts to do more & more all by his little self........which is kind of scary.  He is so independent & wants to do it all on his own all of the time but doesn't seem to understand that he is still little & needs help sometimes.

He walked over to the big section of the playground & climbed p to this big slide like it was nothing; thankfully he let me slide down with him since there was no one at the bottom to catch him.

I love that I get so much time with B & am cherishing every single moment of it since soon there will be 2 little boys in my life that need me & my time will be split.  Lance & I have talked about the fact that B & I will be able to get to the park less since packing up 2 little ones is so much harder than just one toddler so we are looking at a play ground type thing for our backyard in the next few weeks.  We are hoping to get one picked out & here to the house before Colton arrives so that Lance & my dad can get it put together.  We think that B will love it & that it will help with the transition a tad bit too but picking one out is becoming quite a chore.  We don't want to pick one out that is too big but we also don't want to get one that B will out grow next year since they are quite pricey.............decisions, decisions, decisions!  I'll make sure you see which one we chose when we finally make our decision.

Wordless Wednesday..........

I have so much to catch up on since it has been so long since I posted anything & I will start updating more on what we have been doing later today, I promise!!

For now here are some of my favorite photos from mine & B's photo shoot together with CK Photography on 4/1/11 (I sneak peaked a few last Wednesday here).

So Happy This Week Is Over!!

I have had quite a week (again) & actually don't think that it is fair that I have had so much bad luck these past few months; I would like to share my bad luck with anyone willing to have some!!

Monday I got stung by a bee/wasp or bite by a spider on my middle finger; we were playing outside which means we were playing in the backyard then going through the gate & running around the front yard & pulling out all B's toys from the garage too & when I grabbed the gate to open it I think I heard a "buzzzzz" & felt the sting of a bee but was so concerned about B getting stunk that I never looked to make sure what got me.  I thought nothing  much of it, put some ice on it & we went on playing.

That evening when Lance got home from work I told him about it, he looked at it & said it looks swollen so make sure to ice it again when I got up Tuesday & that was that.  Tuesday we ran errands while B was a school & the darn thing itched like crazy & was a tad bit red but it was a bee sting so to me that was normal.  What wasn't normal was when I woke up at midnight from a dead sleep because the itching was out of control; not to mention the fact that my finger was so swollen by this point I couldn't even bend it.  I woke Lance up to see what he thought (I should have done it differently because he thought the baby was coming & jumped up in a panic) & he thought it looked really bad & that I should head to the ER...........so I did!

I got there at 12:45am & got home at 4:15am; somehow what ever got my finger caused a pretty serious infection pretty quickly & they had to give me antibiotics to help.  I hate taking anything while pregnant but of course took this since I didn't want to lose my finger!!  I decided to stay up & not lay back down since I had no idea what time little butt would be waking up that morning.  On top of the fact that I wanted to cut my finger off our little guy got his crib converted to a toddler bed because he was escaping & we were fearful that he would hurt himself while getting out of it.

We actually bought a side rail from Babies R Us for it & decided to use that as well as the top rail from his crib for the time being.  When we just put the side rail on it he would get in & go crazy jumping in his bed & we were fearful that he would fall over the side rail so we put the top bar back on it in the hopes that it would catch him if he did jump & it would also slow him down from getting in & out of bed.  Amazingly enough he isn't doing too bad with the transition & it only takes about 30 minutes to get him down each nap & night......with the exception of last night.  Last night he was in & out & up & down for almost a full hour BUT it is all new to him & these nights are going to happen!!

We made this change on Tuesday before so this was before my visit to the ER Wednesday morning & also before my return visit to the doctor on Thursday because I had an allergic reaction to the medicine as well!!  I woke up Thursday morning & felt a tad off but I just look at my swollen face in the mirror & thought "damn you look tired" & jumped in the shower.  Everything was OK until my belly & thighs were hit by the water & when that happened I thought the water coming out of the shower head was acid.  I looked down & almost had a heart attack because my big ol pregnant belly & down to my thighs was beet red & covered in bumps; couldn't the rash be somewhere else??  Why did it have to be where the baby is??  Why did I have to all of a sudden have an allergic reaction to an antibiotic when I have never had an issue in my whole 34 years of life??  Why, why, why??

I quickly finish in the shower & again freak Lance out when I wake him up & then we both have a tiny panic attack as I call my insurance advice nurse for the next step.  I was ready to jump in the car wet hair & all & head back to the ER but Lance said to wait since the baby was moving & everything seemed normal except for the fact my mid section was on fire, itchy & red.  I already had my OB appt. that morning so they told me to go to that appt. & then head to the adult medicine part of the building for a 2nd appt. to get my ugly rash having skin looked at (one of the up sides to Kaiser is everything is in one building).

The baby is of course fine & I am on the mend now too; both my finger & the rash are getting better slowly & will hopefully be completely gone all together in the next few days.  I am exhausted both physically & mentally & really just want the next 3 weeks of this pregnancy to go with out another issue; I am really hoping that this little guy decides to come all on his own sooner rather than later but my body is giving me the same signals that it did with Brayden which is I am in for another induction so just be patient!!  Either way as long as Colton is healthy I am happy.........BUT PLEASE no more trips to the ER, bug bites, infections, rashes, & PLEASE let B get the hang of his "big boy bed" by the time Colton does arrive just for a tad bit of peace of mind!!

; 37 Weeks ;

Baby's now the size of a watermelon!

Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. He's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).  Even though your due date is three weeks away; if you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)  Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel.  Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Pregnancy Highlights

Due Date: May 6, 2011 
Total weight gain: 28 lbs.
Cravings: peanut M&M's & spicy everything
Sleep: yeah, this is just getting worse & worse; I keep thinking that I am going to get at least one good nights sleep because of exhaustion but NOPE!!
I can't live without:  Lance & Brayden; they make each day amazing 
I miss: this week I actually missed red wine
I am looking forward to: hopefully Colton's "on time" arrival in the next few weeks
Milestones: I am officially considered FULL TERM
Exercise: lots of walking & stair climbing are going to be happening in the next few weeks to hopefully get things going with Colton's progression (I walked 3-4 times a day with B & still had to be induced a week late) but I am going to try to stay positive & pray that he comes all on his own
Diet:  lots of chicken, fresh fruits & veggies
Maternity Clothes:  pants yes - shirts a mixture
Movement: yep!!
Gender: Boy; Colton
Labor Signs: still having braxton hicks but was checked last Thursday & nothing was going on
Belly Shots: 

Wordless Wednesday..............Sneak Peak

Photos taken by CK Photography

Spring Means Fun in the Sun, BBQ's & Entertaining.......

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pier 1. All opinions are 100% mine.

After a pretty cold winter I am so happy that spring is finally here & what a better way to spend the spring/summer afternoons & evenings than entertaining & BBQing in the comfort of your own backyard.  Of course for me this means that I need to spruce it up & make it all look pretty & one of my favorite places to go to do this is Pier 1.

Pier 1 is always one of my 1st stops when I am looking for our home decor but when spring hits & their seasonal stuff hits the store I am there!!  They have everything you need to make your outdoor areas look & feel comfortable yet elegant; you can get anything from beautiful outdoor planters like these to make your patio look amazing everyday.......

 

to items like these hanging lanterns that you might just want to have when having company over.

 

Right now I am personally eye balling these lanterns that they have & think that they would really give our patio a new & fresh updated look & I also want these adorable Tasting Party dishes for an upcoming baby shower I will be hosting.  As for dream items I wish that I had a place for this swingasan chair because in my head I can already see myself curled up in it with a good book & a yummy cocktail!!  

No matter the occasion or if there is no occasion & you just want something fresh, new & affordable Pier One has everything that you might want or need for you home & outdoor areas.  The variety that Pier 1 has both on line & in store is ultimate perfection but if you feel like you need an ever better value check out their  clearance section as well.

Make sure you click this link Pier 1 Tweetups; Pier 1 might be coming to a city near you very soon!!!

; 36 Weeks ;

Baby's now the size of a honeydew!

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, his gums are rigid, his liver and kidneys are in working order, and his circulation and immune system are basically good to go. His lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day he gets a little closer to breathing on his own. Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.  At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position.

~Pregnancy Highlights~

Due Date: May 6, 2011 
Total weight gain: 27 lbs.
Cravings: sweet & spicy
Sleep: what does this word mean???
I can't live without:  water; I have been so thirsty lately 
I miss: being able to move around without losing my breath
I am looking forward to: being "full term" next week; there is a huge amount of comfort in knowing that he will be ok if born early (even though I am sure that he will NOT come early)
Milestones: nothing major this week
Exercise: back to walking with Brayden 3 days a week & I am getting back to the stairs this week too; my leg & feet swelling has started to get worse so I am hoping that it will continue to help
Diet:  lots of chicken, fresh fruits & veggies
Maternity Clothes:  pants yes - shirts a mixture
Movement: he is a mover & shaker!!
Gender: Boy; Colton
Labor Signs: braxton hicks
Belly Shots: