Sewing mama.

I feel pretty good about myself today! I completed a few sewing projects that have been on my to-do list. Sewing is something that has only recently become a skill of mine and this was after many years of watching my mom sew LOTS of projects. Today I felt confident enough to take on a few projects myself!

• I fixed the seam on one of my pants (no I did not break out of them haha I bought them defective but got a giant discount for them! Go me!
• I hemmed curtains (this one impressed me--simple task and yet they could have went wrong)
• I made a few burp cloths
• I made a family of four set of nesting puppets. (Idea found here )

FRONTS:

 BACKS:

 They all fit inside eachother too to teach sizing :)

Pretty productive for a girl who napped all morning ;)

Emails to Baby.

Whoooo's Nesting??

Corny, right? Yep, but the cute owl is from a birthday card my sister sent me and I had to come up with a way to display it. So there it was :)

I feel like I got so much done today I could not be more proud of myself. 

From my to-do list, I....

• Registered us for the car seat installation class
• Washed all of baby's bedding and clothes through 0-3 months.
• Purchased all the last of the stuff I need for packing my hospital bag

Thank you doctor for motivating me to get going with my finishing preparations for baby. Somehow her "maybe I will see you at the hospital to deliver before your appointment next week" kicked me into high drive.

I have so many ideas for blog posts that need to be posted before mini bee arrives. Kind of wondering how many days I have to write them and yet if he decides to bake awhile longer, I dont' want to use them all up. Dilemmas.

Well here is one of the ideas. Check out this video. It is absolutely amazing and a great idea. Not sure if we will do it or not.



I only wish this was something my parents could have done for me when I was little. It would be so fascinating to see what they captured and had to say back then.....

36 Weeks.

36 Weeks!!

Baby Development:
Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, 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 full mature but everyday he gets a little closer to breathing on his own.

Dr. Checkup:

Today was the first of my weekly checkups. I found out some encouraging news. I am currently 3 cm dialated and my cervix is 70% effaced. I could stay in this state for awhile or I could go into labor soon. The doctor seemed very surprised that I was already so far and I was relieved to hear that progress is being made. Even better that I am dialating without too much pain. I figure less to dialate when the contractions actually begin! Mentally I am preparing for becoming a mommy possibly very soon with results like this! Also, doctor mentioned I am at a safe point to go into labor and that they would not stop me. Good to know :)

Cravings:
None too many. I just seem to be enjoying food overall. Never has it tasted so good in my life and I feel like I need to eat a lot to begin to feel full. I think Mini Bee is growing like crazy and trying to steal all my food :)


Mommy Symptoms:
Still occasional swelling which I feel is pretty old news by now. Sleeping is becoming a hard thing to manage at night. Naps are key to helping me function! I also have been experiencing back labor pains. Not real enjoyable and make me worried for how I am going to handle real labor pains since honestly some of these seem really unpleasant.

Big Accomplishments:
Let's check out the to-do list to see what progress has been made.



Here is an update on the to-do list we made:

• Wash baby's laundry--this will need to happen soon
• Pack our hospital bags--Pretty much packed minus bathroom stuff
• Put together a playlist for the nursery--not yet but did buy a projector with soothing baby sounds that could be used for a while.
• Make a labor playlist--Well I always have playlists on the ipod but none specific for labor yet.
• Clean out the cup cupboard to make room for bottles--Nope
• Finish baby book up to birth part (new addition)--Yep!
• Write up our birth plan--Yep!
• Clean the Garage--YES!!! And it's amazing to walk into.
• Put up gates--No but these are more for the dog for now.
• Finalize baby's middle name--we have a few finalists. This may have been determined!
• Take a babymoon-Yep!

What i am Excited For:
I mentioned to the doctor that I have been having a hard time sleeping and she mentioned that I could try a Tylenol PM so honestly that is what I am excited for at the moment because I am so tired and sleep sounds amazing :)

happy birthday.

A birthday card from my husband. Gotta love him :)

Countdown.

It's a big day today for a few reasons.....

Til Mini Bee's Due Date!

Until My Birthday!

And... we have a clean garage folks!! 

Woo-Hoo!!

It feels good :)

The Nursery.

Highly anticipated, right? I feel like I am letting a big secret out of the box....
I have strung you along long enough and finally everything in the nursery is complete! Boy does it feel good.
All of the decor in the nursery is based off the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle. Being a preschool teacher, I have loved this book for a while but even more than the story and the important concepts it teaches, I love the colors! They are so vibrant!
I could not be more pleased with the way the nursery turned out and before the big reveal I must say thank you to my mom. Without her, the room would be pretty empty and lacking color. She completed all the sewing projects and helped me to wrap the canvases.

I think Mini Bee may already be the luckiest boy! :)

All of the wall art is fabric wrapped on blank canvases, except the caterpillar above the rocking chair. Mini Bee's daddy very carefully cut apart lots of paint samples to make the special art piece for the nursery. (So touching!)

 Above the crib is blank because we will hang Mini Bee's name above the crib. I am so proud of the letters. Wish I could share them because I mod podged bright colored fabric on the letters to spell out his name. I will have to share it after he is born :) 

Also, in the crib are stickers for the wall. Oops. They aren't put up yet.

 Curtains my mom made. They have the caterpillars food running down the middle.

 Hard to see but on top of the book shelf on the left, there is a white frame next to the diaper cake. Inside that frame there is Mini Bee's ultrasound and under the picture it says "My First Picture". Fitting right, for a photographer's son!

Can't wait to bring home Mini Bee to his nursery!

Thank you Mom! Love you!

What to Pack.

I decided to compile several suggested packing lists I have found to share with other expecting mommies looking for the same list. Keep in mind, I like to be prepared for anything otherwise I stress out about forgetting/needing something. Being in labor is the minute in my life where I want an extra stressor. So somebody a little more minimal could cross off a few things possibly.

What to pack for Mommy:

• Robe
• Slippers/Socks
• Pajamas
• Nursing Bra/Tank
• Nursing Pads
• Nursing Cream
• Boppy Pillow
• Pads
• Purse w/ insurance info, phone, & charger
• Comfy Pants
• Going Home Outfit
• Pillow
• Underwear
• Snacks
• Birth Plan
• Toiletries (hair care, toothpaste/brush, contacts, solution, glasses, hair dryer, makeup, soap, shampoo/cond, comb, prescriptions)

Our Lamaze Instructor also mentioned some "Princess Box" Items that aren't necessary but make labor a little more pleasant. These items include:

• Ponytail Holders
• Squeezy Ball
• Cards
• Chapstick
• Hard Candy--sugarfree
• Focus point (book with pics, stuffed animal, etc)
• Massage Lotion / Oil
• Small Fan
• Massage Tools
• Ipod with Dock
• Vending Money

What to Pack: Hubby (A tech-saavy one in my case)

• Clothes
• Snacks / Drinks
• Computer
• Ipad / Charger
• Phone / Charger
• Camera / Charger / Memory Stick
• Video Camera (for after delivery haha)
• Toiletries
• Pillow / Blanket

What to Pack: Baby

• 1st Picture Outfit
• Socks
• Mittens
• Wipes
• Diaper Bag
• Hats
• Blankets (min of 3)
• Going home outfit
• Carseat
• Baby book
• Boppy Pillow

Maybe I will pack our bags tomorrow :)

Babymoon.

This past weekend Mitch and I took a babymoon as our final chance to escape as a couple, no baby. Seemed like a good opportunity since we didn't have plans yet and it was my last chance to feel like I could be safe traveling out of town. We went to Sioux Falls, SD. I didn't realize how many great things there were to do in this town. I have went there many times but only for shopping, never for site seeing.
We got into town late Friday night and only had time for visiting my brother and his family. Then checked into our hotel.
Saturday we went Great Plains Zoo.

It is such a nice zoo and the weather was nice and cool so that helped me to feel more comfortable.
Here are a few pictures that Mitch took while we were there. (Thinking of maybe putting together an animal album for Mini Bee when he gets older and we can share our trip with him!)

A baby monkey with his mom--so cute!

 LOVE the cats!!

 A baby rhino--we bought a stuffed baby rhino for Mini Bee as a reminder of our special trip.

 A  (big) 1 yr old tiger getting a drink.

 A very feisty and cranky cat!!

Seems like a good time to travel to the zoo. Lots of babies were born recently and in the cages on exhibit!

All Images Property of mJoy Photography

After the zoo we went to the mall to check out a kids clothing store, a few parks, Falls Park (beautiful), World Market to browse, Sonic to try their slushees, and finished our day off with a swim in the hotel pool. Thankfully the pool water was warm so it was enjoyable to swim in. 

I learned a few things while swimming and being pregnant.

My body feels super light in the water---BUT feels twice as heavy out of the water afterwards!

My body floats very easily in the pool!

Doing the backstroke leaves your tummy hanging above the water like a turtle shell :)

Sunday we went to the Sertoma Buttefly House . Pretty cool experience. A little spendy but understandable with all the butterflies they purchase to fly around and apparently the butterflies only have a 2-4 week lifespan. The day we were there, the butteflies were super active and a little intimidating by flying at your face and landing on you. A little creepy but honestly they were beautiful. It has to be warm in there for the butterflies so naturally I started to puff up. After the visit there, we headed back home to the fur babies--our pets.

Here are two pictures from the butterfly house.

Again, Images property of mJoy Photography

It was a refreshing getaway for the two of us and now we are home and ready to take on our next adventure as new parents :)

35 Weeks.

Time for the 35 Week Update:

Baby Development:
He is continuing to gain weight (as my bladder feels) and continues to respond to sound since his hearing is developed. It says that they respond best to higher pitches--thinking he is going to become buddies with our dog Mac since he has the highest pitch bark ever. He is probably pretty familiar by now. HAHA.

Dr. Checkup:
Had my 35 week check-up today and doctors were concerned with my weight gain from two weeks ago. Then they looked at my ankles and figured out what is going on. I am retaining water in my joints, but especially in my feet making me feel very uncomfortable these days.  Only five more weeks right??
The doctor was also trying to feel if Mini Bee is still head down. She had a hard time determining his position but after paying attention to his hiccups I think his head seems to be down. (Fingers crossed)
My tummy also is measuring right on track now. Guess that may have been why it was hurting lately. It was stretching out! 

Cravings:

I did discover a wonderful treat at Sonic this past weekend--Strawberry (real fruit) Slushees. Very good however without it here, there isn't even a possibilty that it could become a craving. :( I kind have been on the fruit kick again eating lots of strawberries and watermelon. The sweet tooth has mostly left me.

Mommy Symptoms:

NEED I SAY MORE? :)

Swelling and over all just feeling uncomfortable. My joints are swollen and tight feeling. I also asked the doctor about some symptoms I was experiencing with my wrist and evidentally I have carpal tunnel--pregnancy related. Its funny how all these odd things kick in with being pregnant and will magically disappear as soon as baby comes. At least this is what I am told. Still having problems getting comfortable at night to sleep but managing to get some rest still. So grateful that I have the Summer off because I can't even imagine trying to work all day on my feet. 

Big Accomplishments:
The baby registry purchasing is pretty much complete. I think we have bought all of the baby essentials. Should have enough diapers to get us through the first few weeks (hopefully). Now if only I could buy hours of sleep for that first month, right? 

Here is an update on the to-do list we made:

• Wash baby's laundry
• Pack our hospital bags
• Put together a playlist for the nursery
• Make a labor playlist
• Clean out the cup cupboard to make room for bottles
• Write up our birth plan
• Clean the Garage
• Put up gates
• Finalize baby's middle name--we have a few finalists. This may have been determined!
• Take a babymoon (recently added) Yes. More on that to come in a future post!
•  
• Ok so not too much accomplished this past week but hopefully we will do more this week. With being close to delivery, I will have a lot more weekend time on my hands to do some jobs. 

What i am Excited For:

• I am excited to have the nursery finished and all items in place waiting for him!! 
• MY BIRTHDAY (in less than a week) 
• As always meeting Mini Bee :)

No baby bump picture yet for this week. Will keep you posted.

A Mother's Poem to her Baby.

While checking over all the blogs I read, I came across a mother that had reached her due date and had yet to make any progress towards meeting her little one. She wrote a poem to her baby in anticipation for her arrival. It is the most beautiful letter I have ever read, partly because it is so much of what I feel yet was unable to write it like that. Enjoy!

Her link: http://summerharms.blogspot.com/

Here is a copy of the letter she wrote since the link isn't directly to that entry.

dear baby

today is your due date! this day has been looming in my mind for so long that it has felt almost hypothetical. like when we reached it the world might just stop. but that day is real. it's here. i woke up and ate cheerios with granola. i gave your daddy a kiss. i checked the weather and facebook. i took a shower. i'm celebrating by doing normal things. because even though it's here, you're still in there- not to put any pressure on you. i'm done counting days! i'll just be patient until you're ready. i know life must be pretty sweet, sharing chipotle burritos with me. i wouldn't want to leave either.

but just so you know, i'm ready for you. the house is clean, laundry is caught up, diapers are standing by, meals are in the freezer, and my commitments are none. all i have to do is eat and drink and sleep until you come! speaking of which, i wonder when i will get caught by you. what will i be in the middle of when you decide it's time? i'm trying to stay on top of my showering, just in case.

there are so many things i need to get down before it's too late and you're not inside me anymore. i can't imagine that right now, but i know some morning soon i will wake up and be a little freaked out that yes, the bump really is gone. (and i will be able to see your face instead!) i have loved the curve you created in my figure. i love to take extra time staring at this stomach, trying to figure out the miracle. i've loved communicating with you through the funny barrier of my skin. i love to run my fingers over the firmness and picture you waking up from my touch. i love to talk to you every morning while we lay in bed, and ask you if you'll come today?

i've loved the shiver of your stretches, the mystery appendage that pokes my left side, the pressure from your burrowing head, the throb of your tiny hiccups, the lump of your bum pushing straight out in front.. you are so amazing to feel. no one else gets to know you like this. no one else gets to have this time with you. i will savor it until the end.

it's crazy how close we are to meeting. you'd think i'd have a better idea of what you will be like on the outside, but i am stumped. completely. come show me! all i know for sure is that it's going to be miraculous. our tiny family will be three. because you're ours! our baby. 
who i get to meet any. minute. now.

i love you,
your mom

BEAUTIFUL! :)

34 Weeks + Baby Bump Pic.

I missed the update from last week so I will combine the information from weeks 33/34.

I am officially 8 months pregnant as of last week! Can you believe it?!?! Mini Bee will soon be here.
Tomorrow I will be 34 weeks and for weeks 33-36 baby will be the size of a CANTALOUPE!

Baby Development:
Baby's senses are continuing to develop and when light shines through my stretched and thinned out belly, mini bee's eyelids and irises blink and dilate. He can even react and recognize simple songs that he hears.

Dr. Checkup:
Last week I went to the doctor for a checkup. Everything still checked out well. I have another checkup at 35 weeks and then start them every week until Mini Bee arrives! So crazy we are finally getting to that point. It seemed like it would never come.

Cravings:
I still like ice water but lately the sweet tooth has been hitting me in overdrive!!

Mommy Symptoms:
Still experiencing swelling in my legs/toes and now my fingers too when I am up and moving for long hours especially out in that nice warm summer sun.
Having a hard time sleeping. It seems like my belly is at an awkward stage again. Its too big to shove a pillow under and yet it is too big to support itself while laying on my side. Lots of naps are being taken.

Big Accomplishments:
I have taken lots of naps and made lots of goodies HAHA. We finished our class on breastfeeding and Lamaze. We know feel more prepared to take on a new baby in our household and know more about what is headed our way, especially in the hours of labor. It was very reassuring to visit with the nurses and tour the hospital floor that we will be delivering on soon!
I also have managed to put together a short to-do list in preparation for delivery:

• Wash baby's laundry
• Pack our hospital bags
• Put together a playlist for the nursery
• Make a labor playlist
• Clean out the cup cupboard to make room for bottles
• Write up our birth plan
• Clean the Garage
• Put up gates
• Finalize baby's middle name--we have a few finalists.

The planner in me has been wanting to pack our hospital bags for a while but most things that I need to pack are things I will wear over the next few weeks. Will see how long I can put it off....

What i am Excited For:
Mini Bee's arrival... I swear the first several months are just to get you to start thinking about a baby and all the goods you need and life adjustments you need to make. The last 1 -2 are when you start to get really excited! Only now am I starting to actually envision a REAL baby in OUR house! Somedays I just pace around looking for projects trying to stall myself in anticipation for this baby. It might be a long few weeks!
Along with his arrival, I look forward to the first moment Mitch and I get to meet him. That first glance is surely something that I will never forget!
I think mentally I am getting more ready though because I have had several dreams either being pregnant and/or with our new baby. These are changes that have taken place only recently. Most nights I wouldn't dream of being pregnant and would forget until I would try to roll over to get out of bed in the morning... That surely reminded me that I am indeed pregnant. :)

And while I am still officially 33 weeks pregnant for a half an hour more.... :)

Baby Shower 2.

This post is long overdue. I will share my second baby shower that I had on May 5th. It was with all the wonderful ladies I teach with during the school year.
A picture of the gang:

The shower was thrown by my co-teacher in my classroom and it was fun to see all the wonderful little details she put into the shower. She went off the "mini bee" theme so everything was black and yellow and with bees on it.
Here we are together:

Here is a picture of me as the guest of honor aka Queen Mama to Bee--Isn't that sash so cute? Just one of the many little touches that made the day very special.

We played two games at the shower. The first one the guests each got to write down their baby name guesses for Mini Bee. I then picked the name that I liked the best. Thankfully no one wrote the actual name we have picked out. I was worried how I would cover up that awkwardness.
Second game involved them guessing how much ribbon would be enough to wrap around my baby belly. There were two that were close, the rest chose WAY too much ribbon.

The yummy cake!

 It was a really fun shower and a good chance to celebrate with the other teachers who I work with. We all see each other at work amongst the stress of the job. It is good to get a chance to mingle with each other outside of work so that you can talk about anything other than work. It was a good way to end the school year :)

Thank you Julie :) and of course to the other shower guests!

Ribfest. Jackpot.

Today was the most amazing weathered day. The type of day with the warm summer sun and a light breeze to keep you cool. The smell of sunscreen reminded me of when we are on the beaches in Mexico.
Ahhhh..... So this is what we have been waiting how many months for? So glad that Summer is here and starting to show up more then once a week.
To enjoy the weather we headed out to Ribfest. Ribfest is where several vendors who have perfected their own type of ribs and pulled pork set up to sell their sandwiches and ribs. No worries, there are also lots of fair type foods available. It is a pregnant woman's heaven really. I used to be not very adventurous with my eating but since becoming pregnant and going past the nauseau stage of course, I feel more like eating things I typically would push away. We went to the Porky n Beans stand from Florida and ordered a pulled pork sandwich, beans, potato salad and corn bread. It was delicious! Of course I had to get an order of Cheese Curds too before leaving. Those are a must at any fair type festival for me.
Besides the food, there was another type of jackpot I found..... (the pictures tell it all)

And my favorite mascot there....

Baby Classes.

Mitch and I are a few steps closer to being ready for this mini bee to make his appearance. Last night we attended our first baby class and the topic was breastfeeding. This is a topic that makes me kind of nervous because it is important to me but it seems like lots of moms have problems with it. After attending the class I felt like I was set up for success. The hospital I will be delivering at, Essentia Health, really seems to have a good support team for breastfeeding. I felt good knowing that someone will be there to help me and will follow up even after I return home with baby.
Tonight we had the first of two sessions for Lamaze. The first information kind of freaked me out initially talking about how far you dialate and watching birthing videos. Not new information, especially with the degree I received from college, however the information is a little more pertinent when you have a baby inside of you and it needs to come out someway soon.
The best part of lamaze tonight was when the instructor had our partners practice the different massages on us to keep us comfortable during labor. Awesome! I should be in good hand.
The most touching thing that happened tonight at Lamaze though was hearing two different lullabies go off during our session. At the hospital, they play a lullaby every time a baby is born. Hearing the lullaby made me realize that in less than two months, we would be hearing a lullaby play signaling to the (hospital) world that our baby had arrived. It was so exciting and so real to think about and amazing to think that two babies were born while we were talking about our own child's birth.
Mitch has been holding up well during the classes. I wasn't sure what he would think about all the information with it being so female anatomy oriented but he seems to be taking in a lot of information which makes me that much more reassured that he will be helpful to me during delivery. It's awesome to see him involved with every aspect of this pregnancy. He was one of few dads at the breastfeeding class and I was glad he agreed to come because in my mind it will still take teamwork and support from him for me to be successful. Major points for him! :)
It just makes me love him that much more and know that he is going to be an awesome daddy!
Now some comics/cartoons to make the post even more entertaining...

This comic reminds me of something funny tonight. The instructor was explaining how one of the pre-labor signs can be if the mother starts nesting (i.e. making lists, cleaning, having stuff in order). My husband the smart-alec raises his hand and asks the instructor, "What if she has been doing that for the past nine months?" 

All I can say is I hope our mini bee gets his witty sense of humor :)