Our weekend

We had a fun-filled, busy weekend. Friday night, I got a bunch of laundry done and my kitchen cleaned (yes, I really do consider that fun, or at least satisfying!) Then on Saturday we had our second-to-last childbirth class, and we went to Biaggi's afterward (we kind of got in the habit of always going out to eat after our class, which is fun). Here I am before we headed to the class; I'm 37 weeks, 3 days in this picture.



We then headed to Rori's birthday party for her friends, which was held at Bounce U. The kids LOVED it, and Dan and I even said that we would have fun doing all the activities (when I'm not pregnant, of course!)


Rori and Kirsti racing down the slide










Waiting to get crowned...









Today was Rori's family birthday party, which was also a lot of fun. Dan and I got her a really cool hoodie and matching tank top to go underneath (she LOVES clothes, even though she's only 7; she always has). We also got her a book (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and a lip gloss/chapstick/nail polish/body gel set from Lip Smackers. She seemed to really like it :) She had a Princess & the Frog theme for both parties, so that was really cute.




Laughing at our singing....




This was a gift from her mom and dad, but I thought her expression was so cute!


Opening our card...


Opening our gifts...


She seemed to like the hoodie we got her!



Last night, when we were shopping for Rori's gift, we also got the "coming home" outfit for the baby. We, obviously, bought one for each sex, and then we'll just return the one we end up not needing. They're so cute, but so tiny! I can't believe I'm going to have a tiny little human being that will fit in these soon!

So I'm full-term as of Wednesday!

I can't believe it! On Wednesday the 27th, I officially turned 37 weeks, and therefore am full-term. We had our midwife appointment, which went well, although I tested positive as a carrier for Group B strep, which means that can pass from the mother to baby during the birth, so I'll have to have IVs with antibiotics during labor to reduce the risk of transmission to the baby. It's not a big deal, I suppose, but I was thinking I wouldn't have it, since our midwives told us that 70% of women test negative for Group B Strep. I wasn't really thinking that I'd be in that 30% that tested positive! Oh well, at least we know, so we can take steps to reduce the risk of transmission to the baby (they say that antibiotics during labor are 96% effective with regards to preventing transmission to the baby).

After our appointment, I went out with some friends to try this new place called Bonfyre; it was a really cool atmosphere, and the food was pretty good (although the butternut squash soup I had was spicy, which seemed weird!) It was funny because they were all saying, "Oh, I bet we won't be able to get together again before the baby is born; you could go at any time!" I'm thinking, "Yes, anything is technically possible, but I have a feeling this baby is going to be in here for a looooong time!"

This weekend we have Rori's two parties; her family one and her friend one. I cannot believe she is almost 7; I remember the day she was born so clearly, and can't believe how much time has flown by! She is so excited for the baby and will be such a cute helper; I can't wait to see the two of them together.

Our Weekend

Well, we had a nice, relaxing weekend. We saw two movies--Sherlock Holmes and The Lovely Bones--both of which were excellent. We figured we should see as many movies as we can now, since who knows when we'll be able to go again once the baby is born! We also had our fifth childbirth class (only two more to go!) This one was on complications, which was interesting and reassuring, since they detailed the common fixes for any complications that may arise.

I turn 37 weeks on Wednesday; full-term! I can't believe it. I still kind of hope this baby goes late, though; I really would like a March baby. Then again, I'm kind of sick of being pregnant, so maybe I don't want to go 12 days over!

Childbirth classes are going well!

We had our third one today (it's technically the fourth class in the series, but we missed the second one since we were still in Utah), and we talked a lot about pushing and crowning.... yikes. Looks painful! Dan, of course, is so sweet and always pays so much attention during the classes and asks a lot of questions; it really means so much to me to have such an amazing husband who is so involved with this pregnancy. How did I get so lucky?!?

Afterward, we went to Toys R' Us to get our stroller, which Nancy got for us as a shower gift. I can't wait to put it together and actually get to USE it! It's really cute; I'll post pictures once we get it put together. I think we're also going to get the crib and bassinet this weekend, thanks to all the gift cards we got from the shower (and the big one from my mom! :)) Dan also wants to see Avatar, so I think we'll do that today, too.

The ultrasound went well!

Although I'll be honest; I don't really understand why people get SO gaga over them; I couldn't really tell what I was looking at half the time. But it was still cool to see, and the good thing is, the baby is not breech! YAY!

Here's a profile shot of the baby; it's not the best, since I had to take a picture of a picture :)



So the top/back of its head is to the right of the picture, and then you can see its nose and upper lip more on the left side (the baby basically looks like it's laying on its back, and it's kind of kicking itself in the nose with its foot). I admit, when I saw this profile shot, I did feel a rush of excitement, like, "Oh my gosh, there really is a BABY in there!" I think it's pretty cute, if I do say so myself ;)

Helping Haiti

I normally don't like to talk about donating to charities, lest it come across as bragging or boastful. But, there is this wonderful blog that I frequent (moneysavingmom.com), and she and her husband have committed to send $10 for each person that blogs about what they've done to help Haiti and leaves a comment on her website. Wow! Imagine how many people they'll be able to reach through their donations!

So, I am blogging today to let you know that we donated $20 to the American Red Cross's relief efforts in Haiti. It is so easy to drop $20 on nothing; I can go into Walgreens and easily spend that on candy and cosmetics that I really don't need, but people often clutch their wallets a little bit tighter when it comes to charitable giving. But we are all SO blessed. Even those in America who live in poverty will never, ever know the extreme poverty and devastation that Haitian people endure (even before the earthquake!) So please, if you can, donate something, anything, to the relief efforts. Heck, you can even TEXT your donation through the Red Cross! How easy is that? (Just text "Haiti" to 90999, and that will send $10 to the relief efforts, and the charge will show up on your next cell phone bill.)

And, of course, if you have a blog, be sure to post about what you're doing, and then link it on moneysavingmom.com by the 21st of January. Through efforts like this, my $20 becomes $30 to help those in need, and for people who live on less than $2.00 a DAY, this money is truly appreciated.

Finally got the ultrasound scheduled!

After a ton of runaround from my health insurance, we got our ultrasound scheduled for 3 pm tomorrow. I really hope the baby is not breech; we'll know for sure tomorrow. If it is, my midwives say they have lots they can do to try and turn it, including acupuncture, before they actually attempt to manually turn it. Fingers crossed that this is a moot point anyway, and the baby is exactly where it's supposed to be.

Shower pictures

Nancy threw me the cutest shower; we had the best time!




People had to choose whether they thought it was going to be a boy or girl, and then sit on the appropriate side.




I thought the way she had her house decorated was so cute!








The guys by the Wassail fountain; we had the best food and beverages. The Wassail was amazing, and then we had Chick-Fil-A nuggets, crackers and cream cheese dip, spinach and artichoke dip, and a chocolate fountain in which we could dip all sorts of fruits, rice krispies treats, marshmallows, etc.












My mom always has her presents wrapped so cute.


My mom gave us a bunch of cute "My first" outfits; "my first halloween," "my first 4th of July" etc.


I think this one is so cute; a "my first St. Patrick's Day" onesie.
















Me, Sarah, and Stephanie; some of the girls I was friends with in elementary school and junior high :)

Christmas pictures!

We had such a wonderful Christmas! We love hanging out with my family and Nancy and Jason; we miss Dan's mom, Gail, a lot, but hopefully she will be in Utah for next Christmas! Here's some snapshots from Christmas morning; we don't really have a lot from Christmas Eve, since we didn't even get in until 7:30 pm!




An adorable white, cozy bunting to bring the baby home from the birth center in; February in Wisconsin can be freezing, so this little sack will keep it warm!


Before the presents are opened...




Don't know why I have such a weird expression in this photo... anyway, I still get American Girl dolls every Christmas since I've been collecting them since I was 8 or so! Hopefully I will have a girl at one point to play with them :) This one is Rebecca Rubin, the daughter of Jewish immigrants living in NYC in 1914.






I can't wait to read this book to the baby; it's called "Hello? Is this Grandma?"