Merry Christmas from the Swanson's!

Shopping carts and car seats

Someone needs to invent a shopping cart that is actually appropriate to set a car seat on. I hate going to the store and putting Brayden's car seat up on top of the shopping carts. Every mom has done it and it's just not safe. The only place that they actually sit nicely is at Babies R Us..but that should be a given at a baby store, right? The worst place is at Wal-mart. If I only need to pick up a few things, I will put the car seat down in the bottom big part of the cart, but on days like today when I am making a full grocery trip, I can't really do that. But it's always made me very nervous. I walk with my index fingers and thumbs holding onto the car seat and the cart at the same time so, god forbid, if it were to shift, I would be able to stop it.

Today was a shopping trip like any other. I was heading out of the store and the sidewalks are so crappy and bumpy. We went over one bump and the car seat slide to one side, crushing my hand in between it and the cart. If I hadn't already had my hand there holding it, the car seat could have likely tipped right off the cart. Thankfully, that didn't happen, but I was panic stricken nonetheless. I immediately started bawling..but what else is new. It scared me so much.

I called Zach when I got into the car and told him what happened, and he started saying that Brayden is okay and next time we will do the grocery shopping together so that we don't have to put the car seat on top of the cart. That definitely scared me ..so someone needs to invent a better shopping cart.

Ain't that sweet

Zach and are lying in bed and he rolls over and says to me "do you want to know what I was just thinking?"

And I say, "I didn't know you thought about stuff when you're in bed."

"Well I was just thinking about that day that I came home from work and you told me you were pregnant and how small Brayden was then."

Aww. Isn't that sweet?

Our boy has grown so much.

If I can do it, so can you

You know how people always say giving birth to a baby is the easiest pain to forget? When I gave birth to Brayden I cursed every woman who ever said that to me, sure that they all lied. How could I ever forget the greatest pain I've ever experienced?

Well, I think I finally have. I have not forgotten that it was the hardest thing I've ever done and a terrible (and by terrible, I mean terribly wonderful!) experience. But I don't remember feeling the pain. Of course, it was worth it. Seeing my son for the first time was the most amazing thing I've ever experienced. My labor was long and at the end my pain meds were mostly if not completely gone, so I think it's okay for me to be honest and say that it was terrible. Twenty-one hours of labor with four hours of pushing, I was so exhausted that I was sure I wasn't going to be able to do it by myself (not to mention I'm a big baby when it comes to pain). I felt like I had been pushing forever and that nothing was happening, like we were just pushing for fun or for practice. The pressure was incredible, almost unbearable, and all I wanted to do was eat and sleep ( I hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours so I was already throwing up and shaking from hunger ). Then all of the sudden the doctor was there with the suction tool. He said he would try to help me but I still had to do all of the work. When I pushed he would be able to hold the baby in place in the birth canal so he wouldn't move back up in between pushes. At this point, we were about five minutes from meeting our baby boy (which actually felt like 12 hours to me), and I started to hyperventilate because I couldn't catch my breath between holding it to push and trying to breathe through the pain. The one thing that I can remember clearly during this is the doctor stopping to calm me down and saying that I needed to breathe or we weren't going forward. I needed to give him one more good push and the baby would be here. Then I said "do you promise?" Everyone thought that was funny, but not me. I wanted to make sure he wasn't just saying that. I can also remember three or four people standing around me, including Zach, yelling and cheering me on. Zach was literally jumping up and down next to me. This was actually very helpful. Sort of like when you're doing a hardcore workout and just want to give up but have a trainer screaming in your face..it pumps you up. So I put all my energy behind it and out came his head. I couldn't stop at that point. There's just something in your body that wants you to keep pushing. Then the nurses started yelling at me telling me to stop, because I guess they have to turn the baby before the shoulders come out, and all I could think was are you kidding me?? You just told me to give it all I had and now you want me to stop? Three seconds later, Brayden graced us with his presence. The rest is a bit of a blur. The doctor tossed him onto my chest, Zach was telling me to look at my baby, but I couldn't see him. I think I might have blacked out for a short time. Then as quickly as all the people came rushing in and around me, they were gone and the room was dark with just my little family.

Here we are almost four months later. So, yes I have forgotten the pain, but I can still remember my feelings about the pain. This girl is definitely not ready to do that again for awhile. For now, we will just enjoy our perfect little bundle of joy :-)

So in love...

For a baby with eczema that was pretty terrible just a few days ago, look how perfect he is. I couldn't dream of a cuter baby boy..

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I still consider myself an amateur blogger, even though I've had umpteen different blogs since before I graduated college. I'm getting serious about this particular one and am working to get it to be more appealing and not just text and photos. I've recently become a member of Top Baby Blogs, so if you like reading my blog (or love me at all), please go to the following website and vote for my blog!

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Crisco baby

Two things..

First, Brayden has a possible diagnosis for his skin. The dermatologist is treating him for atopic eczema. The reason that it looks so bad and puffy and gross is because it's possibly infected. She swabbed his skin and they're doing whatever tests they have to do to find out if there is infection. If there is, then we will have to put him on medication. I hope there is not, but the yellowish scabs indicate that it is.

Here is what I know about eczema. The cause is unknown. It is an inflammation of the skin that is accompanied by itching. Atopic eczema in infants is usually thought to be traceable to sensitivity to milk or some other allergic reaction, although it may not be that at all. Most infants grow out of it and may only have a few "flair ups" here and there throughout their childhood (this is good news). About 5% of the U.S. population have this condition. Still.. I almost cried. Hormones. Poor little Brayden.

Treatment? Grease that baby up with every ointment and grease (quite literally) that you can find!! Literally. She gave us an antibiotic ointment to help with any infection, and a hydro-cortizone cream for itching and inflammation. And the last thing... CRISCO. That's right. The kind that you use in the kitchen. We could also use aquaphor (which we have one tube of - thank you Kristen!), but it is $8 for one little tube!! We will be going through that stuff like crazy, so the cheaper alternative is Crisco.

There's a very specific grease-tastic routine that I won't bore you with..but let's just say it's a little bit of a pain in the butt. Brayden will be hanging out in his plain old white onsies all day unless we are going somewhere, otherwise there will be grease everywhere. Regardless, we will do anything to make him better. After two weeks we will check back in with the dermatologist and go from there. I should get the lab results in two days.

Second thing.. Brayden rolled to his side!! As soon as we got back home from the doctor's today, I layed him down on his play mat and he grabbed his feet and rolled to his side! And then he did it like five more times! I don't know if I'm ready for that. If I wake up in the middle of the night and see him lying on his belly I think I will panic at first. A side note about that, we finally got the monitor charger in the mail so I will be able to sleep in our room again!

Pictures following.

This is a photo of Brayden's forearm.


It's kind of hard to tell and it's a grainy photo, but this is him all greased up, happy as a clam.


And here he is right after he rolled to his side!!

Itching for Relief

Well, cutting milk out of my diet completely has not done anything for Brayden's skin. I feel so bad. I think it's getting worse. He has been miserable and I know that it is itching him. He rubs his head back and forth when he's lying down and when he gets his nails on his head and realizes he's scratching, he goes at it and then ends up bleeding. He's been sleeping a lot during the day and not playing as much. When he wakes up from his naps he immediately starts crying.

I called the doctor back today to let them know and they referred me to a dermatologist. We have an appointment on Thursday for him. I hope we can figure out what this is so we can make him feel better. It just breaks my heart.

On another note.. the kitties chewed through the cord to our baby monitor (while it was plugged in and charging!). Now we have no way to charge the monitor, so I've been sleeping in the nursery with Brayden until we get the replacement part in the mail. It's taking like TWO WEEKS! Ugh.

It doesn’t matter where you go in life, what you do ….. it’s who you have beside you.

Two years ago I married a wonderful man. He's the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, and the glue that holds me together. Time has flown by, and all of the sudden two became three (or should I say five?..can't forget Mikey and Leo!!). I truly am blessed for everything that I have. Happy Anniversary Zachary!!

Snuggle time

Momma needed some snuggle time when she got home from work late at night.. :-) :-)

Milk Allergy

I want to start off by saying that having Brayden has been the most rewarding and special experience in my life and I can't imagine life without him. Of course, it's not always easy. During the first few days home from the hospital I was so overwhelmed that I wasn't sure if I was cut out to be a mom. I shed some tears and had some heart to heart conversations with Zach, and that feeling went away as quickly as it had hit me. It was just so different having a house filled with baby junk, lack of sleep, being at home instead of at the office, having a person who depends on me 100%, and just not really knowing what I'm doing at all. On top of that, I had to take care of myself so that I could heal properly. I guess you could say that I had a little bit of postpartum depression, although I don't know if that was actually true. Life has definitely changed, but has just gotten so much better.

Since three months has already passed, I probably have lots of stories to write about, but I will start with what's currently happening in the Swanson household.

When Brayden was born he was perfect. He had (and still has) the most beautiful dark blue/gray eyes, little round nose, and perfect lips all on his perfectly symmetrical face. You might think it's strange that I would refer to my son's face as symmetrical. It never occurred to me that this is partially what makes a person beautiful, until we had a 3D ultrasound at 24 weeks and the ultrasound technician told us that he was beautiful based on how perfectly symmetrical his face was. For some reason, her comment just stuck in my mind. I digress.

Brayden was perfect, and the most perfect thing about him was his skin. Well, it's not so perfect anymore. The skin on his head is so flaky and crusty that I don't know how his body grows new skin so fast to replace what falls off (gross, yes). His cheeks get red and inflamed, and even his legs, arms and chest feel like there is an extra "tough" layer of skin overlaying what used to be so soft. Sometimes he scratches it accidentally and his razor like finger nails slice right through it because of how dry it is. Underneath the crust is a sort of oil. Lots of people told me that their babies went through a "bad skin" phase and that he will grow out of it. Well, it's not going away and I can tell his head itches him. He rubs it back and forth whenever he's lying on the floor.

I called the doctor (I think they know me pretty well there by now with how many times I call with questions, but hey, that's what they're there for right?!) and the nurse said if there's something wrong with his skin that I should bring him in. Of course, Brayden is the happiest little camper (see below for some pictures of him in the doctor's office), but Dr. Van Roekel almost made me cry. I told him that Brayden's skin was actually a lot better compared to what it normally looks like and I was afraid that they were going to tell me that it was nothing. He told me that if this is what his skin is like when it's good then that's not good because "this is pretty bad." Am I a terrible mother for not taking him sooner? Poor little guy.

Dr. Van Roekel told me that this is classic for a milk allergy. Next step, Momma has to cut dairy completely out of her diet for the next 7 days (since I'm breastfeeding) to see if it improves. Ummm.. cheese? :-( Of course I can go 7 days without dairy. Right? If you know me, you know what I'm thinking.

After 7 days if his skin isn't better then we will go see a dermatologist. If it is better, then there's a good chance that it is a milk allergy. The good news is that lots of babies have that and they grow out it. The bad news...what in the world do I do with the freezer full of breast milk that I have stored?!? And on top of that, can I cut dairy out completely until I am done breastfeeding, or do we switch to non-dairy formula? I will be devastated to switch 100% to formula and there is no way I can get rid of my milk storage. It's ridiculous how much I have frozen. Zach would have to deal with it when I'm not home. People have told me I should donate it..which I think is a little weird, but apparently there are breast milk banks..kind of like sperm banks? Ha! I know my milk is good and healthy, because I would feed my own baby with it, so I guess that would be okay. One of my best friends just had a baby boy and she is not producing enough milk for him yet, so if she doesn't get that worked out, I would give it to her if she didn't think that was totally weird. I'm getting ahead of myself. We don't even know yet if this is even the case.

There is something self gratifying about being able to feed my baby from my own body. And hey, it's FREE! I had to work at Starbucks like an hour after I got home from the doctor's so I was kind of running around like crazy trying to figure out what to do for Zach to be able to feed him for the rest of the day. I had bottles of milk in the fridge, but I had like three glasses of milk in the last 12 hours (and who knows how much cheese!). I decided to freeze all that (in case we will be able to use it) and had Zach go buy soy formula until I could get caught up with a few fresh (and dairy free!) bottles of milk for Zach to feed while I'm working. The next day, Brayden had a solid turd in his diaper! So weird. Must've been the soy?

I will be sure to update on this. Look at the happy baby..


By the way, happy three month birthday to Brayden!!!

Changing Focus

Hello again!

Now that baby is here and I am no longer pregnant, I am changing the focus of my blog. I've obviously taken some off (ahem, trying to get some sleep), but I've decided it could be fun to chronicle my first time mommy adventures. This comes from a suggestion from my sister because she seems to think that the stories I have to tell are entertaining. Now that Brayden is turning three months (are you kidding me?!), we've gotten into a routine that seems to work and I may be able to sit in front of the computer a few minutes a day to write.

By the way, I don't even recognize myself in that picture in my previous post of Zach, me and Brayden right after he was born. Apparently 21 hours of labor will make you all puffy like that! Eek!

More blog posts to follow. For now, look how cute...

Baby's here!

I've totally neglected this blog.

In my last post on July 11th I said I would take a belly picture on Wednesday at 40 weeks since I forgot to take one at 39 weeks. Well, that didn't happen because my water broke that day!! Here's the story.

Zach and I went to dinner Tuesday evening the 12th for a "last date" together just the two of us. I totally thought I would be still pregnant into the next week, but at 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday the 13th I woke up in bed and felt a little wet. Just thinking I had to pee, I went to the bathroom and went. When I stood up I felt a whole lot of wet and heard a little splat on the floor. At first I thought I might have peed myself, but then I stood there for a minute to see if anything else would dribble. Sure enough, it did! My heart started racing and I called for Zach. He stumbled into the bathroom, saw me staring at the floor between my legs and said, "well, I guess that means we should go to the hospital." Haha, it was all very calm for us. I jumped into the shower and Zach started throwing together his hospital bag since he hadn't packed it yet. Then off we went.

21 hours later, a beautiful baby boy was born. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, but like everyone says.. it was worth it.

Brayden William Swanson was born July 14th at 12:05 a.m. weighing in at 7 pounds 3 ounces and 19 1/2 inches. Here are some of the first photos of Brayden.

Swollen Feet

Most of you probably don't know what my feet normally look like, but this isn't it. Usually you can see both ankle bones sticking out and the bones in the top of my feet. There's so much fluid up on top of my feet and my toes feel like they're going to pop off (and have little fat rolls on them haha, like little smokies). You can press and leave an indentation..it's pretty gross, but Zach likes it.

Here's the dent..don't mind the chipped nail polish and un-manicured feet :-)

39 weeks and not so happy

Well, no picture for 39 weeks. I'll take one on Wednesday which will be 40 weeks (if this baby doesn't decide to arrive before then, which I'm thinking he won't). Mostly, I've been really grumpy and didn't feel like I could smile for a picture. It was really disappointing last Tuesday at my doctor's appointment when I still wasn't dilated at all. He also said my cervix is still pointing backwards.. I don't really know much about what exactly that means, but it makes me think the baby is not even close to being ready to come out and see us. So I've been really down in the dumps. Having lots of different aches and pains and always wondering if it's going to be time. I'm just ready for this already!! I'm getting pretty miserable.

Next appointment is Wednesday (which is also my due date!) so we will find out if there has been any progress and how long they are going to let me go and all that. I don't really want to be induced, but we will do whatever is best for me and baby. I would really like to experience the whole "Zach I think I'm starting labor!" thing..and us getting our stuff and going to the hospital. Making an appointment and just showing up doesn't sound as fun. I don't know if I can wait another whole week..ugh! I'm just a really impatient person to begin with..and this is such a big life changing event that the anxiety is even worse just waiting! I don't have anything else to do around the house, so I spend a lot of time sleeping haha.

We are going to ask the doctor Wednesday if they can give me an excuse to start my maternity leave Thursday. At my job, maternity leave doesn't start until you go into labor, unless you have a medical reason to leave early. Work is so stressful lately that we don't even have a chance to breathe and it's just really hard on my body it seems. They've implemented mandatory overtime from now on until who knows when. So I think (and Zach thinks) that it's time for me to try to relax until the baby comes. We'll see. Maybe this baby will start to make his arrival tonight! That would be so exciting!

38 weeks

Had my doctor's appointment today and no news to report! I am not dilating yet. Boo.. Oh well. I guess baby boy Swanson has some more cooking to do! How fun would it be to have a firecracker baby this weekend though!! I am ready. I am so HOT, all I want to do is sit in the AC. I am also incredibly tired. This past weekend I think I slept more than I was awake and every day after work I don't have energy to make dinner and so we have been ordering out a lot. That definitely won't be able to continue once the baby is here. Too expensive! My sausage feet ache and Zach doesn't like to rub them because he says they are dirty haha.

Update from babycenter.com:

our baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her 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 she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she'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.)

Maternity Photo Shoot

Zach and I went to Blind Photography last Monday to do a pregnancy photo shoot. We were recommended to Becca by our friends Carlie and Joey. It was super fun and I think we got some good shots out of it. I uploaded them to facebook just because it was taking too long to email them. Here are some of my favorites, but definitely not all of them. Let me know if you want the original file to make a print or something.

FULL TERM BABY - 37 weeks

I look tired there..because I am!! :-)

Yesterday we had a doctor's appointment and I was under the impression from the nurses and receptionist that they would be checking my cervix. They didn't, because I was 36.6 weeks and not 37 until today. Ridiculous! Never thought I would say that I was disappointed to miss THAT kind of appointment haha! Anyways, next week they will do that and hopefully I'll be dilated!! Very exciting. Just three weeks to go! Everything is good and normal. Next appointment is Wednesday.

I had to laugh because when we were in the waiting room, I asked Zach what he would do if we went in there and I was 4 or 5 cm dilated and they sent us to the hospital. His response was, "Well, we'd have to go get the bag." It's so funny to me that the hospital bag is the first thing he thought of, especially since there's nothing in there for him. He makes me laugh :-)

Update from babycenter.com:
Your baby is now considered "full term," 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.

Jumping Belly

Here's a short video. I was trying to get it when the baby was bouncing around. You'll see him push out and then sort of jump a few times. Mostly on the left side. Not a great video but just thought I'd post it! Cute! :-)

36 weeks (late)

This post is a little late. We were really busy last week, but this week we don't have anything going on after work except my doctor's appointment. Tuesday is the first time they check my cervix, and it's probably the only time I'll ever be excited about that kind of appointment haha!!

I tested positive for Group B Strep at my last appointment. This just means that the bacteria is on my skin. I'm not sick or infected, but I am carrying the bacteria. Just because I tested positive now doesn't mean I always would or that I even would during my next pregnancy. The only thing that it means for the pregnancy is that I will be given antibiotics in my IV drip during labor and delivery to make sure the bacteria doesn't pass to the baby during a vaginal delivery. If the bacteria passed to the baby, he could get really sick. The chances of that happening if antibiotics are given is rare, so we are not worried :-)

The nurse also pressed on my belly and said that the baby's head is low in my pelvis. That's a good sign :-) I can feel that he's started to drop. Aside from not being able to see my belly button from above anymore, I can feel my bladder being flattened. Zach and I took the baby basics class at the hospital which taught basic things like bathing, feeding, diapering, swaddling, etc... This week I'm going to look into the infant CPR class. This one isn't free, but in the chance that we need to know something like that, we both want to be prepared.

I can't honestly say that I'm feeling great anymore. I seem to sleep good, when I can actually sleep. I get up at least three times a night to pee, and I roll a lot. Rolling is really hard to do lol. There is so much weight in my belly that any position I am lying in hurts. My feet ache all of the time and they are pretty constantly sausage feet. I think I'm getting ready to be done being pregnant. I really want to hold our baby boy :-) A little more than 3 weeks to go!!!

Update from babycenter.com:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her 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 her 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 she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

35 weeks

Haha don't mind my white belly compared to the rest of my body!! Belly is getting bigger and bigger! The little guy sure is growing.

I'm feeling good...sleeping okay and not awful sore. The worst part is my feet. They hurt so bad that sometimes it keeps me awake. I've started swelling around the ankles and feet each day until I can get home and put up my feet. Doc says that's normal, which I knew, but I still mentioned it to him at my appointment on Wednesday. Everything was good, gained three more pounds. Baby's doing good. Now my appointments will be once a week and in two weeks he will start checking my cervix. How exciting! I was thinking that 5 weeks seems so long, but when I think about being at the doctor each week and possibly being dilated in two, it doesn't really seem that long. I'm so excited!

This weekend is my baby shower here in Iowa. Other things to do this weekend: pack the hospital bag, finish the nursery, wash baby clothes/sheets. We're ready!!! :-)

Update from babycenter.com:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Prenatal Massage

I haven't been too uncomfortable or sore..mostly just my back and my feet at times, but I decided to get a prenatal massage on Friday since Zach went down to Texas for the weekend. Well, I guess I was disappointed. I've never had a massage so I didn't know what to except, but I was expecting it to feel absolutely amazing to the point where I would actually fall asleep (and I can't sleep through anything at all). And maybe a regular massage would feel that way, but a prenatal massage is different in a way because it is mostly for relaxation and the massage isn't too intense. She had my lay on my side while she worked one side of my back and leg, and then roll over to do the same on the other side. I think I had a hard time relaxing because I've never had a massage before and I'm not used to a stranger touching me so personally. For the last part, she had my lay on my back to do my arms and neck/face. I've been told and read that you shouldn't lay on your back later in the pregnancy because the weight of the uterus can pinch a main blood vessel to the heart on the spine. I knew this, but figured that a few minutes wouldn't hurt. But after five minutes, I started to feel dizzy and a little nauseous. I wasn't really thinking anything of it until my arms both started to shake and I started sweating. I started to feel like circulation was actually being cut off somewhere and like I might pass out, so I told her I had to roll over. I guess I didn't really believe that lying on your back could be dangerous. Sometimes I wake up in bed on my back, but our mattress is so soft and I have so many pillows that I'm never actually flat on my back. The table I was on for the massage was really flat, so I think that's what made the difference. Needless to say, I guess it wasn't the greatest experience. I kind of wish I hadn't spent the money on it, but I didn't know. I think a real massage where you actually lay on your belly and/or back would be nice, so maybe I'll have to do that after the baby sometime.

Memorial Day

Even though Zach didn't really want to go to the pool today, he took me because he thought that it would help with my back pain. And also, at the beginning of the pregnancy he had promised that he would take me on hot days since my body temperature is like 20 degrees hotter. AND it's Memorial Day, so why not? Right? :-)

I thought that being in the water would make me feel like I was floating and 25 pounds lighter. I didn't feel any different, but it WAS very refreshing to be in the water. I did feel 25 pounds heavier when I climbed up the ladder out of the pool and stood. It was really strange haha! Anyway, hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day and thanks to those who gave us our freedom!

Getting the nursery together

Last night I went pretty crazy unpacking all of the baby shower gifts from their boxes and gift bags. Once I started, I couldn't stop and before I knew it, it was 10 p.m. and everything was away. We don't have our dresser or anything yet, so a lot of the stuff is in a temporary place but for now it works and boy did it feel good!! The crib was delivered so we just spent the last few hours re-arranging and putting together the crib. Thanks to my wonderful husband for getting it together with only one knick in the wood! We are still waiting on the bedding and some other things to arrive. Here are some photos from the evening!

33 weeks

Oh boy look at that! I was too lazy tonight to run upstairs and put on a tank top, so you get bare belly this time! I'm getting tired. I've been working overtime at work lately. Between going in super early and being more pregnant, I am completely exhausted. I am starting to have lots of lower back pain from my spine being forced to curve forward, which is also causing a waddle. My feet ache so bad every day like I've been standing for eight hours, when in fact, I've actually been sitting for nearly eight hours. How does that work? Haha. The doctors said the ligaments in your body loosen during pregnancy, including in your feet which causes them to spread out a bit and I guess get sore. Zach doesn't like to rub my feet :-( I'm thinking about going to get a pregnancy massage this weekend. That sounds like a fantastic plan!

Baby is still moving around a ton. Actually, it's almost constant unless I'm moving around, and even then he is sometimes dancing around. I wonder what he's doing in there?

Zach and I have picked a name that we've decided to try calling baby for a little while to kind of test it out and see how it feels. For now, we'll keep it to ourselves :-)

Update from babycenter.com:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (think a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance). These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Highlights from the baby shower

I can only say thank you from the bottom of my heart to my mom, Aunt Bon, sister Mandy and mother-in-law Sharon for throwing me the best baby shower ever. It was perfect and I couldn't have asked for anything more. Here are a few photos from the day.