32 weeks & a baby shower

This past Saturday my friends B & J hosted a baby shower with some of my favorite friends. It was perfectly laid back, with delicious brunch treats and drinks. I loved catching up with everyone - and making them take a drink of their beverage every time I said the word "cute".

Here are a few photos of the day...



 

I'm just so thankful for loving and supportive friends!

In other news, "pregnancy brain" is in fact a real thing. I used to think it was just a silly made-up phrase. It's been pretty intense this week, and I find myself very distracted and forgetful. I've been trying to be patient with myself, but it's pretty difficult {especially since I'm a very task-oriented person...}. Oh, well.

I can't believe I'm 32 weeks now. I see the midwife every 2 weeks, and then at 36 weeks I'll start going each week until "the end". Eek!



xoxo,

PJ

 

January 13, 2013

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. The holidays have come and gone, and we're 13 days into this new year. This year, Hubby and I were able to spend time with his side of the family for Christmas and New Year's. It was really nice to be out of the City and with family. We also got to meet our niece, Stella and hang out with her parents who live in Colorado. Super fun. FYI - She's absolutely adorable and it makes me even more excited for our little dude's arrival.

This past weekend, Hubby and I took our first "baby" class - a breast feeding class. It was awesome. I learned a ton, and feel really encouraged. I'm also keeping an open mind about my expectations {especially the length of time that I'd like to be able to breastfeed}. Heading back to work after 12 weeks is going to be difficult and one of the things I was really worried about was figuring out a pumping schedule. Now, I have a bunch of resources about setting up a realistic schedule prior to my return to work and tips about adjusting baby to bottle feeds. Overall, I'm pumped {pun intended}. Later this month we're taking our two-day birthing class via Mother Me, Inc. I'm really excited!

One of my favorite things about having a kiddo a little later than our friends is their incredible generosity of passing on hand-me-downs for little dude. Seriously! Maternity clothes {thanks, B!}, clothes, toys, bottles, and accessories for this mama has saved us literally hundreds of dollars. I'm so thankful and grateful for the support of our friends. I haven't purchased more than $40 worth of clothes, and this little dude is set for at least his 6 months. Though there are still a million more things it feels like we should have -- we can now afford to purchase the items that we really want because of the support {like our stroller}.

Here are the last two pregnancy update photos ...





xoxo,

PJ

oh boy oh boy oh boy

Last week we had our milestone 20-week ultrasound. I was so nervous {because working in a hospital full of sick children makes me think that there is something wrong with each child} headed in to the ultrasound. I'm happy to report that little bebe was moving around and looks to be right on track with growth and development! Little bebe measured in at 14 ounces, 61st percentile for weight at 20 weeks {which is just an estimation, but still ... that's great!}.

Our ultrasound tech was a rockstar and did just what we asked by not revealing bebe's sex to us during the ultrasound; instead she printed off the gender revealing ultrasound photo and tucked it inside an envelope for Hubby and I to open privately together. She also packed our little gift to open later in the evening with our family.

Hubby and I went to dinner together after our appointment at one of our favorite spots: Uncommon Ground. We knew we couldn't wait until the end of the meal - so we opened it immediately after we ordered, and toasted to the little one {with our ice water}.



I teared up a little bit thinking about our little dude and the fact that now we know a little bit more about the little that's been moving around inside me.

Later in the evening, we gathered our family members in person, via Skype, and Facetime to share the news. We opened our little package that the ultrasound tech packed for us with the onesie and the envelope labeled "BOY" with the little photo tucked inside. It was a fun way to share with our family our news about the baby's gender.



The next day, Hubby and I took the photo to announce to extended family and friends. My initial idea fell through because of the madness of Halloween weekend in Chicago. I planned to get lettered balloons to spell out "BOY" but the party stores were a nightmare. Alternate plan included what was available at our local grocery store. It was incredibly windy so it didn't turn out quite as nice as I'd hoped but it was still fun.



Though Lennon didn't behave well for the photos, we got him at the end by promising him some treats.

This photo shows what he was really like during our attempts ...



Though I am a little freaked out about having a boy {I've only got sisters, and lots of females in my side of the family}, I know that this little dude is going to steal my heart and the heart of his papa. That's a pretty sweet feeling.

xoxo,

PJ