Baby Shower/Nursery and Updates (picture heavy)

So I wanted to blog about the baby shower and nursery a couple of days ago but blogger was on the fritz! Anyway, the baby shower was great! Hubby and I really enjoyed ourselves! We had a sports-themed baby shower, which meant people were supposed to wear the jerseys or hats of their favorite sports team. Some participated and some didn't. But overall the event was fun and light-hearted and we received sooooo many gifts!

Here are a few pics:Me in my Redskins gear!

My Sorors


Men sucking juice out of the bottles! Hilarious!

Getting ready to open gifts!


Personalized afghan; absolutely beautiful!

It's reversible! (it says L.J.!)

LOL...our hats! :)

A great time was had by all! Needless to say after all the gifts were transported to the house I had to have plenty of help! My aunt, mom, mother in law and two cousins helped me organize and get everything into the nursery. However, I had to wash ALL the clothes:

Yea! Lots of clothes! Keep in mind that this doesn't include the clothes my mother and I had already started to accumulate at her house. LOL! No matter at least I won't have to go clothing shopping for a while...right?

And now...the long awaited nursery:


Hubby just finished putting together the 2 and 1 swing/bouncer and we finally got the shades up. We're waiting on the rocking chair, lamp and a few small items, but other than that the nursery is finished! Mom, hubby, dad and I all worked so hard to finish everything. I'm so glad the big stuff is done and all that's left to do is very minor.

I had a great doctor's appointment this past Friday. Of course they checked my cervix and because of the cerclage its still closed and of course the cerclage is still in place. This coming Friday is D day for the cerclage. It's coming out! At this point L.J. should be about 5lbs or so and he may make his appearance shortly after the cerclage comes out. Yay!

My doctor informed me that L.J. will be over 6lbs...that's a good size baby! I'm happy as long as he's healthy. My doctor even asked me what my plans were for my birthday (May 27th...I'll be 37 weeks). I asked him sarcastically...."I'm not sure but what should I do doc...lol" He suggested that if I go out that I go out near Holy Cross Hospital which is where I'll deliver. *Sigh* no offense but I want to enjoy my birthday not be couped up in the house! :( It's my LAST birthday in my 20's so I just want to be out on the town with my friends and hubby. But I guess going into labor and having a baby on my birthday would be an awesome gift! :) Either way I haven't made any plans so we'll see what happens.

This and That

So the much awaited baby shower is tomorrow! Needless to say I'll be doing some running around with my Mother and Mother in Law today in preparation for the shower. I'm so excited to see everyone and finally be able to go shopping for things we need but don't receive from the shower (yes I'm a bit of a shop-a-holic...recovering though :) )

YES I admit I've been registry stalking. So far not much has been purchased but I'm not going to worry I'll be thankful for whatever we receive from friends and family. We actually already received two gifts in the mail so we'll see what happens. I know a lot of family and friends that are coming to the shower are very last minute shoppers so I'm sure all will be fine! And if not again...SHOPPING!!!!

I've also been dying to post nursery pictures, but I only want to show the finished product and unfortunately, the furniture is in place but windows still need to be washed, shades put up and the bed set needs to be purchased (hoping to get this tomorrow as a gift). Needless to say much has been done but there's still more to do. But after this weekend the goal will be to finish everything before next weekend.

Hubby and I had a maternity photo shoot last Friday, which initially I was really excited about then I canceled it due to monetary concerns and just feeling blah about my appearance. But my Mom rescued me from my feelings and told me to reschedule the shoot, which I did but with a different photographer. So happy Hubby and I decided to move forward with this and for your viewing pleasure this is the photo we chose to display at the shower:


As far as L.J. goes, the last appointment when measurements were taken he was 3 lbs 8oz. This was about 3 weeks ago and I'm not sure when I'll be getting another ultrasound for measurements since this ultrasound served as my last cervical check (Thank God). I do have an appointment next week and after that I go weekly until L.J. gets here! I'm soooo excited that the pregnancy is coming to an end and in a few short weeks Hubs and I will be parents!

Well once the shower is over I'll be back to of course post pics!

It's Becoming Real!

So I guess I can't really complain too much anymore! I feel like my hubby and I have accomplished so much this past week, which consequently was his spring break!

Here's a basic rundown on what was done:

Nursery closets FINALLY painted!
Baby mattress cleaned!
Carpets in the house cleaned!
Crib 99.5% complete!
One bathroom painted (one more to go)!
Hospital pre-natal tour complete!
My car trunk was de-cluttered!
50% finished with switching my closets from winter to summer clothes!

I know it doesn't sound like a lot but it truly is! Once my dad comes over today I'll probably ask him to pull out another clothes bin for me so I can finish organizing my clothes. Plus I'll ask him to finish up the crib by installing the footboard.

Of course I took pictures of hubby putting the crib together but I refuse to post any pics until the nursery is complete...which at the rate we're going won't be until after L.J.'s arrival! LOL! No that's not true because that would drive me up a wall! I'm too much of a planner/organizer for that last minute crap! Unfortunately, I know I've been getting on my husband's nerves but he deals pretty well.

Fortunately, for all parties involved (yes I feel like I'm getting on everyone's nerves...lol) there are only a few more things left to do:

Put the dresser in the nursery
Finish organizing the closets in the nursery
Wash all baby items (probably won't do this until after the shower)
Decorate the nursery (again not until after the shower)

So yesterday, it was sooo humid here but hubby and I decided to just utilize the fans in the house since its a little earl y for air conditioning in this area. However, I felt like I was going to pass out so I went to sit downstairs where its like 20 degrees cooler. After coming back upstairs, we decided the air MUST be turned on. I've never felt faint or that hot in my life. So my new rule until I'm postpartum is to stay inside in the air conditioning. Honestly I feel like I cannot regulate my temperature and I don't want to get sick and risk anything happening to myself or my baby boy.

One a happy note, we had our hospital tour last night and it was so informative and exciting to think that in a couple of weeks hubby and I will arrive at the hospital and leave with L.J. in our arms. I'm soooo excited and nervous all at the same time.

Next weekend is my baby shower! FINALLY! I can't wait! I do hope that people purchase items from our registry. I worked so hard on putting them together and I definitely don't want family and friends purchasing clothes! We soooo don't need clothes! LOL! But whatever they purchase I'll just smile and say thank you :)

The Waiting Game

Countdown: 31 weeks 3 days Preggo! 8 weeks and 4 days (60 days) to go before we lay our eyes on our lil man!

Yesterday was me and my husband's one year wedding anniversary! It was so surreal watching our wedding video and cutting/eating the top layer of our wedding cake.

Anyway rewind back to Friday and I had yet another great appointment. I think its safe to say I'm definitely out of the woods with L.J. My blood pressure has been completely normal throughout the pregnancy, my cervix is holding strong and even lengthened, and L.J. is 3.5 lbs! I can even feel him hiccuping now! :) Doctor told me my cerclage will be removed at 36 weeks (1 week before my 29th birthday) and at that point its on L.J. as to when he wants to make his appearance.

So while things are great with my body and L.J. I'm still disappointed and frustrated with the progress of the nursery! Especially since I'm approaching 32 weeks! Hubby just started painting the closets (FINALLY!!!) and carpets will be cleaned this weekend (AGAIN...FINALLY!!!). I kinda wish we had bothered to open the closets when we had the nursery painted in the first place because we would have seen that those too needed to be painted and everything could have been done at one time. I feel like we're back tracking...ugh! So after the carpets are cleaned on Saturday, it is my hope that Hubby and I can put the crib together on Sunday.

I guess I've been nesting for a while and honestly it really bothers me that I can just get up and do things like I used to. I'm not the kind of person who sits back and waits on others to do things. I want things done when I want them done and most of the time, this only happens when you do it yourself. *shrugs*

Anyway, baby shower...today is the last day for RSVP's and 2 more weeks til the shower. I believe we're expecting around 80-85 people! I don't mean to sound tacky...but I hope that means lots of gifts! We're still in need of many many many items...clothes not being one of them! LOL. I'm prepared to purchase a glider/ottoman set, breast pump and bedding set. Well, my mother said she would purchase the bedding set for us, but seen as how she's one of the people putting on the baby shower, I really don't want her to purchase this. So, fingers crossed that people will actually purchase things from one of the four registries we have.

I hate playing the waiting game but I continue not to have a choice. I am thankful however to be able to do what I can to speed things along...at least for now! :)

I Passed!!!

Yes I passed my 1-hour glucose test! So happy I decided to only eat a broiled egg and drink water. I was so not trying to take the 3-hour version of the test. The thought of being stuck with a needle 4 times just does not sit well wit me...I HATE needles! Ugh!

I had yet another great visit this past Friday. Unfortunately, I can't give any stats on the baby because I got a ultrasound tech that was not very chatty, in fact she sucks and I really dread getting her when I go to the doctor. However, I do know that the baby is still head down so that's great news!

Still no real nursery progress...*sigh* I do have a feeling that after the baby shower the nursery renovation will be in full effect.

Baby shower invites are out and so far 27 RSVPs...excited!

I Need Batteries!

Yup I'm in desperate need of some batteries...for myself! As of late I'm sooooo tired and really I feel like its for no reason at all. Though I guess if housing a baby counts then, well, I guess I can complain just a tad about being tired.

My 2nd trimester wind has definitely died, and as my Sisterlocks client remarked to me yesterday I won't be getting a third! Darn! I can't lie though it is slightly frustrating to be this tired but I guess it is what it is....*shrug* not like I didn't know this repeat of the 1st trimester would rear its ugly head again. LOL

Anyway, still making small strides on the nursery. We still have a twin bed that needs to get gone and a chest that needs to be moved downstairs to the laundry room. Additionally, I need to order some shades (taking down the crappy cheap blinds) and get the carpet cleaned but all those things are small minor details. We did get the travel system put together *happy dance* so again, progress!

I can't believe that my shower or should I say our shower will be in a couple of weeks! YES! My mom got the paper invites in the mail and now its just all about who to invite. Either way all invites (paper and electronic) will go out by Friday, April 1st! AND maternity photos at the end of April, two weeks before the shower! Needless to say April is going to be an exciting month! Can't wait to post more pics...stay tuned!

Third Tri's the Charm

Yes I finally hit my third trimester yesterday! Woo-Hoo! Plus, I had an awesome appointment yesterday! Thank God! Cervix and cerclage are holding up well and I guess its due to me resting and working from home. I also cut back on my sorority duties as well so that probably helped as well.

Anyway, L.J. is growing nicely! He's 2.5 pounds and he turned; he is now head down and hopefully he stays that way LOL! I am now on bi-weekly appointments and on March 28th Hubs and I will attend our first child birthing class! Time seems to be flying by but I'm glad. I can't wait to hold my little guy and to get a break from work.

Fast-forward to earlier today...Hubs and I made some major moves in terms of cleaning house. Originally, all of his clothes were in the two nursery closets. I am no happy to say that he condensed his clothes and shoes into the one closet in the office. Honestly, I'm extremely happy with the move and it makes more sense to have his things in the office closet since that's like his mini "man cave." My winter clothes were moved out of our bedroom closet and put in the laundry room (we have shelves and a place to hang clothes there). Once Hubs brings up the bins, I can unpack some of my summer maternity things and hang them in the closet.

So in accomplishing the closet switch-a-roo, we threw out a lot of papers and junk that was just sitting around since we moved to the house back in 2009. Also, we discovered that we should probably paint the closets in the nursery. :( Not sure if this will happen though as its not urgent and we still have other items to purchase and things to do but its definitely on the to-do list, so we'll see what develops.

I personally cleaned two out of three bathrooms, swept the kitchen floor, vacuumed the living room and our bedroom, dusted our bedroom and cleaned the kitchen ceiling fan. Normally I'm a cleaning machine but after that I was pooped. And at this point I'd love to take a nap, but I'm waiting for my mom and mother in law to come over and listen to their plans about the baby shower.

In fact here's a peak at the paper (yes paper) shower invites (edited out all the personal info):



I found a cheap printer that will print 100 invites for FREE! You only pay $4.99 to upload your own design and of course shipping (which I think is $12.00). So if we have more than a 100 invitees (yes its going to be a huge co-ed shower) then they will get the electronic invite. Unfortunately, the next number of invites is 250 and we definitely don't need that many. I'm hoping 100 will do but we'll see.

Another reason for my napless day is Hubs and I are waiting for some of his fraternity bros to come by and help move all the baby stuff upstairs. Unfortunately, the baby stuff will go in the kitchen until we get the carpets cleaned next month. Ugh! Again...slow progress but progress nonetheless. I'll just be glad to have everything set up as I'm starting to feel like we're running out of time!