Ultrasound

Yesterday Jim and I had our ultrasound to check our little one's size and everything came out great. The amount of fluid is right where it needs to be and the baby is measuring right on target as well. She is-by measurements- 7lb 9oz, which they say is usually pretty inaccurate and probably more like 7lbs. She measured 37 weeks and 4 days, which is perfect! We have our 38 week appointment tomorrow and we will update again then!

37 Weeks

Here I am at 37 weeks, being goofy and looking huge...that's pregnancy for ya!!

Full Term

Well we are officially full term now. We had our 37 week appointment yesterday and were told that we could go into labor at any point and they wouldn't stop it. Almost everything checked out well at the appointment. Last week, at 36 weeks, we had the group B strep test which came back negative and the blood work came back good as well. When she checked me last week I was still completely closed and hard and she couldn't be 100% certain that baby was head down. At this appointment I was softer, although still not dialated at all, and the baby is for sure head down which they confirmed with a little ultrasound machine.

Last week I had measured a little big and it wasn't quite on track with how I had been growing so the Dr. said she was going to keep an eye on it. At this appointment I measured big again and so she has decided to send me in for an ultrasound on Monday to get an idea of the size of the baby and to check the fluid levels and make sure there is not too much fluid. It isn't really something to be concerned about, just so that we know what is going on. Also, my doctor cannot do c-sections, so if they think that may be a possibility they want to introduce me to an OB so I will be familiar with them, but that should only be the case if they find out the baby is for some reason gigantic.

Until next week...

The Nursery

Today Jim and I made great progress on the nursery so we thought we would post some photos so you all could see. We need to take some pictures in the day light because it is even cuter, but here is the progress thus far, not much else to do!

We love the mosquito netting!

This is the mirror Deb made

On the back of the rocker is the vintage quilt and a crocheted blanket from when I was a kid.

There is baby C's very own big dog!

Our Showers

Jim and I spent last weekend and the weekend before indulging in 2 baby showers that were thrown for us by our families. First, we headed to Dubuque the weekend of March 7th. Jim's mom and sister organized quite a nice shower. They have a conference room at hy-vee that they rented and provided all of the guest with vegetables, fruit, nuts, mints, cake, and punch. Most of Jim's family was able to come which was very nice because that included a drive for most of them. Some old family friends were also there, I had met them before at my bridal shower and it was nice to see them again.
Everyone got a chance to visit and be entertained by Jackson, he was quite the social boy! He especially likes Jim when he is around, and I can't blame him, Jim is pretty awesome! Barb organized some games including guessing what the baby animal is called (for example, a baby platypus is called a puggle). We also had to remember all of the baby stuff on a tray, which is always a fun game for the Mom-to-be! Barb picked out some awesome stuff for that game!
Gifts are always a good time! Everyone got us very nice things. We got quite a few clothes, toys, blankets and books. Jim's mom and sister had gotten us the crib and crib mattress so they passed around this picture to show everyone.

Jim's dad and his wife got us our travel system which is fantastic, because now we can actually bring the baby home from the hospital! One of our favorite gifts came from his cousin's wife, Annette. She is a nurse and got us the best of everything medical wise for the baby. We were especially excited about the thermometor she got is because they are newer, and they just roll across the forehead to get the temperature, and we had heard good things about them from a few of Jim's friends who had them but when we went to register for them, we couldn't find one so needless to say we were pumped.

The funniest part of the afternoon was when they decided they should try to guess what baby C stood for. The first guess was Chelsea, which is the 3rd time someone guessed that right off, which is funny to me of course, because of my sister. So I told them they could keep guessing because I really didn't think they would guess it. Low and behold the next name was guessed by his Aunt Sandie, and she was right! Not only did she guess the name, she guessed the nickname too, all in one fell swoop!! My jaw hit the floor, and my reaction in no way could hide that she was right. It was too funny and a great addition to our wonderful day. Thank you Joy and Barb for all of your work!

Last weekend, March 14th, we headed to Omaha for our next shower. My Mom and Cheryl worked to plan this one. They did a fantastic job! We had it at the librarry community room and the decorated it very springy and bright with pinwheels and more. Deb made the cake, and it was amazing! Not only did it look awesome (she made the topper herself) but it tasted fantastic too. They also served crackers and cheese, spinch dip and beer bread, sherbert punch, mints, and nuts. No one could go hungry!

I couldn't believe everyone who was able to make it to the shower. It was so great to see everyone! There was all of the family and lots of old family friends that I hadn't seen in quite awhile. We had such an awesome time visiting and spending time together. My Aunt Bobette was able to come which I was especially thankful to be able to see her. It was so great to be able to visit with her and also very hard. I am truly hoping we have the opportunity to introdue her to our little girl.

My Mom had planned some games as well. It started with a baby C guessing game, to see who could come up with the most names beginning with C. My Aunt Misty guessed baby C's nickname, so from there we had them guess until they had the name. We just had to let them after what happened at the other shower! We also had a remember what is on the tray kind of game, only all the items had been laid out on the table the whole time. When the questions came, it wasn't about just what was on the table, but specifics about it (color, quantity, what it said, etc...).
After games we started food, and while everyone finished eating we began presents. Holy cow was everyone so incredibly generous! We couldn't believe everything we recieved. Of course we loved everything we got, but we did have some favorites. Deb made us a mirror for the baby's room that turned out wonderfully. She also got us a quilt made with vintage chenille and other fabrics that I just love! It is so funky and fun! My Mom got baby C her very own big dog and ruby slippers, both reminiscent of my childhood. My Dad got her everything under the sun that she might need, he has apparently been accumulating it for months. Needless to say it was a wonderful time and I can't thank my Mom and Cheryl enough for all of their hard work!

The PRIZE!

Jim and I finally decided on the prize for the game. Jim says it automatically calculates points based on correct/incorrect guesses once all of the real information is entered. So, the person with the lowest number of points (meaning they are closest to the real answers) will be the first person, besides Jim and I, to hold Baby C after she is born (assuming they are here).

So, I hope you guessed well!! Good Luck!

The Empathy Belly

Our last childbirth class was last Wednesday and Jim was lucky enough to try on the empathy belly. Unfortunately, she had a hard time getting it around to everyone who wanted to try it (or everyone who had a wife insisting they try it) so he didn't have it on for long, but the pictures are still pretty funny, so enjoy!

Weekend in Kansas City

For Valentine's Day this year I gave Jim (and myself) one last weekend away before Baby C arrives. I had a wedding to shoot the weekend of the 14th so instead we went the weekend of the 21st.

We had a doctor's appointment at 1:30 on Friday afternoon and we stopped home, grabbed our stuff, and headed out right after that. We were in KC before the sun went down. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency at the Crown Center.

The weekend was definately relaxing. We visited the Crown Center Friday night where we walked around and ate dinner. Then we just chilled at the hotel, enjoying cable and eachother's company.

Saturday we went back to the Crown Center for a 70th Anniversary of Wizard of Oz trivia session and exhibit. It was not what we thought it would be, but it was ok. The exhibit was primarily directed toward kids, although even Jim can have a good scare in the Wizard's castle!
After that we headed to Union Station. That is where I met a gigantic bear with my very own mantra on his t-shirt. We went back to the hotel to relax until dinner that night. We had reservations at Skye, a restaurant on the top of our hotel that spins and gives you a whole view of the city. This was my favorite thing we did all weekend. The food was wonderful and we were tucked away at a little two person table right by the windows and it was nice and romantic. I think we both enjoyed this alone time together to enjoy eachother...and our food!

Sunday we visited Country Club Plaza before leaving town. We went to some of the shops and ate some KC bar-b-que at Jack Stack. The BBQ was good, but nothing beat their carrot cake!! I think we would both consider going back down for that alone!

We hit the road and were home about 5:30. It was nice to enjoy our time together and our last weekend away for awhile.

The Baby C Game!

Follow the link below and take a guess about the arrival of Baby C! Guess with thought...the winner may recieve a prize!

http://www.expectnet.com/logingame.php?game_name=JIM_MANDY_GAME