Showered with Love Again!

I was given my second and final baby shower this past Saturday. There was such a good turnout and we received so many wonderful things. Between the showers in Cochran and Fort Valley, I am very humbled by how generous everyone was in giving us gifts to prepare for Reese's arrival.

My Fort Valley shower was hosted by a combination of my friends, my cousin, and some of my Mom's friends who have known me practically since birth. Like I said, we received so many nice, useful, and cute things, but the biggest surprise was getting our swing! We did not register for a swing because the one we wanted was only at Walmart.com or Amazon.com, so we figured we'd just get it on our own. Well, I had mentioned this to one of the hostesses and she remembered and that's what the hostesses gave us! I was so surprised when I opened it. Now we have to finish doing some laundry, get stuff on the walls, and put some stuff together (like the swing, stoller, and carseat). Here are some pictures from the shower!

My haul...

The hostesses and me (we had two hostesses missing)

I had a few friends from dental school that were able to make it...it was great to see them!

Best Husband Award

I know that most wives out there consider their husbands to be the best, sweetest, cutest husband in the world. But, I'm gonna have to beg to differ, because mine pretty much takes the cake. I am a little biased, but I truly have hit the husband jackpot when it comes to Cameron. And this is not a recent development. We have been married almost 2 years (I guess I could have made this an anniversary post, but he's just so dang sweet, I didn't want to wait) and together for 5 1/2. And he has spoiled me and doted on me the entire time. He doesn't just take care of me because he feels obligated to...he genuinely wants to take care of me and finds joy in doing so (most of the time anyway). He not only treats me this way, but he extends this to other women, too. He is a good son, grandson, son-in-law, brother, brother-in-law and just general good human being. However, he has taken it above and beyond during this pregnancy. We have both been working full time throughout the pregnancy and both work pretty hard. Cameron drives 20 minutes both ways for work, so he usually doesn't get home until after 6. But, without fail, he comes home, cooks supper and cleans up afterward, all while I sit with my feet propped up. Every now and then I'll get a wild hair and fix supper, but he does it 95% of the time. He has been to almost every doctor's appointment with me, even the little check-ups. He is very concerned about my well-being and Reese's well-being. He is constantly telling me how I am already such a good Mommy to Reese and that he is so excited about the addition to our family. He has put up with me and my hormones (which of course, I don't think have been too bad) like a champ and I love him more and more all the time. He likes to surprise me with treats sometimes too, whether it be flowers, a good kind of dessert, or just something little I said I wanted. Today I had kind of a strange day. I felt a little off this afternoon and my blood pressure was a little high (for me) and my heartrate has been elevated. I told him about how I was feeling and he immediately commanded me to sit on the sofa and to only get up to go to the bathroom. When he got home from work, he had the most beautiful flowers for me. A mixture of lillies, gladiolas, and calla lillies (on of my favorites). He said he got them for me because I didn't feel good. It's the little things like that that make me realize how lucky I am to be married to someone as wonderful as Cameron. He is going to be a wonderful father and will set such a good example for Reese on how to be a loving, honorable, fantastic man.

My beautiful flowers

Getting Educated

Well, I don't know if I would go so far as to say I'm an expert in childbirth now, but I'm pretty dang close. KIDDING!!! Cameron and I went to Macon twice this week for three different classes held at the hospital. Thursday was our Childbirth Preparedness class. It was pretty much pointless except for a tour of the maternity floor, but at least they were free. The rooms look pretty nice and they are all private. You have the labor, delivery, and recovery rooms and then I will be moved to a separate postpartum room, which I think I'm going to like better than staying in the same room the whole time. Something about moving rooms will make me feel, I don't know...more clean, maybe. In the class they briefly went over relaxation techniques and different stages of labor, but nothing in too much detail. We did get a couple of good books that seem like they have some good information. However, I do realize that I will probably forget what I learned and nature will take it's course and I'll have the baby anyway.

Saturday we went back up to Macon for two classes, a morning breastfeeding class and an afternoon infant care class. The information in these classes was much better and more informative. The care class was actually taught by the pediatrician we have chosen to use, so it was nice to kind of get a feel for him! He came highly recommended by my friend Kathryn and I can see why.

All of the classes made me all the more excited and ready for Reese to get here. I am starting to get nervous about L & D, but I know the end result will be worth it. We only have 6 weeks left! Here are a couple of 34 week belly pictures...enjoy! I feel like a whale...

This picture kinda cracks me up because my head looks kinda little compared to the rest of my body.

Obligatory close-up

Adventures in Nurseryland, Part 2 - A Work in Progress

Like I said earlier, we had a very busy weekend last weekend. Our biggest accomplishment was getting the nursery painted. And we got the nursery painted because our bedding finally came in! We decided on yellow, which I am really loving. It's so bright and cheerful and looks so great with the furniture and the bedding. I'm very happy with the way things are looking so far. Cameron worked really hard to get it done and he essentially did it with no help. My Dad helped him move some of the furniture but other than that, he did everything by himself! We don't have anything to go on the walls yet, but we have ideas of what we're going to do. Cameron and I were born in the same hospital, which also happens to be the same hospital I will deliver Reese. Back when we were born, all the newborns got little t-shirts that say "Life Begins at Coliseum", mine in pink and his in blue (I actually still have mine!). So we thought it would be cute if we framed our pictures and then added one of Reese in his t-shirt. So, that's one idea for one wall (probably the one above the changing table). My mother is going make letters spelling his name for above the crib. The last thing we have planned is a picture of our animals. There is a local artist that has long ties to my family and she is going to paint a whimsical picture of Ella and Carter. I think it's going to be really cute! Well, without further ado, here are some pictures of the nursery so far!

The view from the door. It's kinda awkard to get the whole room in one picture because of the size of the room. On a side note, the piece of furniture we are using as the changing table is a vanity (sans mirror) from the bedroom set Cameron's grandparents bought when they first got married. We found the receipt in the drawer of the dresser and I think they paid like $50 for the bed, vanity, and dresser...pretty cool!

The view from beside the changing table. We obviously have not organized the bookcase yet!

This is a close-up of the bedding, which really doesn't do it justice. You can't see the colors very well in the picture, but I promise it's cute. Come visit if you don't believe me!

A little better view of the bumpers. The stuffed cow is a present from my Dad. I think it looks like a hedgehog, but we were told it was a cow!

Everything is coming along nicely. Now all we need is a mattress, stuff on the wall, and Reese!

I'm Sorry...Did My Doctor Just Laugh at Me?

33 Weeks!! Whoo-hoo!! Seriously, don't know how I'm going to last 7 more weeks, but I very well might. I had a doctor's appointment today that was slightly entertaining. Let me preface this by saying my doctor has a very dry sense of humor and is very quiet and not real chatty. As I have mentioned before Dr. Paul has commented that my uterus is measuring ahead (meaning big baby, not early baby). So today, I asked him what I was measuring and he laughed and said 35 (cm) and continued laughing. He then (while still laughing) said "...big baby!" Gee thanks, Dr. Paul. So I just laughed and said "Yeah, let's talk about that for a minute." BTW, my uterus has grown 3 cm in two weeks, verses 1 cm in two weeks which is what it grew last time. That was when he mentioned the "c-word". Basically he said if he determines the baby is getting too big then we'll have to do a c-section. Obviously this is not what I want to happen, but if it is the best interest of me and the baby, then of course I'll be okay with it. He said that there is no really good way to predict the size of the baby. Ultrasound is the best way to predict and even that's not very good or accurate. He did say that he has done c-sections in the past where the baby was supposedly really large and ended up being a pound or more smaller. He also made sure to tell me to think about size not being equal to maturity so just because he bigger than normal doesn't mean he's ahead in development. I definitely want Reese to stay in a cook as long as possible! So, I did ask him about maybe just being off on my due date. He said that as inaccurate as ultrasound is at predicting the size of the baby late in pregnancy, it is pretty much spot on in the beginning, usually off by only a couple of days when determining the due date. So there goes my theory of delivering early cuz the due date was wrong. I need to just get that though out of my head. It is what it is and I just need to be prepared for both scenarios.

I am still feeling pretty good most of the time. I am really starting to get uncomfortable in my hips and with the whole breathing thing. It really does make me realize how much I take breathing deeply for granted. If I sit in one position or lay on one side for too long my hips reallyh start to hurt and feel stiff. I am getting up average 3 times a night to pee. Usually about every 2 hours. On nights I get to sleep longer, it's usually 4 times. The other night I went to bed around 11 and didn't get up until like 4:30 for the first time...I was soooo excited!! Well, things could be worse and I truly do try not to complain because I have had it so easy. Here are the 33 week belly pictures! Enjoy!

Full body view

Close up...look out!!

Showered with Love

We had a very busy and productive weekend! We got a ton done with nursery (more on that another time) and Reese and I had our first baby shower this weekend. Yesterday we ventured to Cochran for a very lovely shower at Cameron's Aunt Dawn's house. My mom and cousin Shelly went too. It was a very nice afternoon. Reese got a lot of really nice things. Lots of cute clothes, picture frames, tons of cute Georgia Bulldog stuff, the travel system and exersaucer. Here are some pictures from the day!

Can't say I've ever seen a diaper monkey before, but it was really cute!

This is the really awesome diaper cake made by Cameron's friend, Allison and the cute centerpiece his Grandmother made.

My haul...everyone was so generous it was truly humbling.

My other shower is in two weeks in Fort Valley. I can't wait for it and all the cute little stuff just makes me that more excited for Reese to get here!

Random Additional Thoughts

One: I have successfully quit biting 6 of 10 nails. 3 on each hand. I think I'm doing pretty good with it. Sometimes when I scratch, like my leg for example, I actually do it hard enough to draw blood (gross, I know, but I'm not used to having any nails at all!). The prenatal vitamins are making them very strong, too. Gotta learn to have a gentle touch before that baby gets here, otherwise he might not like Mommy too much!

Two: My swelling has gotten annoying. My fingers are swollen to the point where I can only wear my wedding band. But hey, at least it beautiful! And I won't get dirty looks from the elderly for having a bare fourth finger on my left hand. The other swollen bit that is annoying...my nose! I mean seriously, it is getting out of control.

Three: Here is a funny little interchange between a random patient and me...

Me: Okay, we're gonna get started. You let me know if you have any discomfort.

Random Patient (RP): Why do doctors say "discomfort" when they really mean excrutiating pain?" (Keep in mind RP has already had the shot and is numb) It's like when a male doctor tells you a Papsmear is gonna be a "little pinch." (True, but waaaay TMI!)

Me: Yeah, those are especially fun when you're pregnant. (Maybe TMI on my part, but I was just rollin' with it)

RP, ten minutes later: So, do you have little ones?

Me: I'm expecting my first one in about 8 weeks!

RP, looking down at my obviously rotund, pregnant stomach: Oh! I just thought you were chubby! (Please refer to the picture in the post two posts ago to refresh your memory as to what my "chubby" belly looks like)

This interchange was pretty funny to me. It amazes me that people will not hesitate to say whatever is on their mind.

Four: Is it a bad sign that I have a little bit of a mild panic attack every time I walk down the hall now and see the crib setup in the room? Actually seeing the crib together and in the nursery just makes it that much more real. As if Reese kicking me under my ribs 80 billion times a day isn't real enough! And it's not that I'm so much nervous about being a parent as excited. Okay, I'm lying...there is definitely a little (okay, maybe a lot) nervousness, too. I think I'm just anxious because I just have this gut feeling that he's gonna be early and I want to be ready. Not necessarily early as in pre-mature, but early because they miscalculated my due date. I guess we'll see soon enough. Any guesses as to when Reese will make his appearance? Post in the comments!