35 Weeks

35 Weeks...also known as the milestone where the doctors will no longer prevent labor should it begin (scary!!!) and

SPILLS.

Seriously. I spill on the bump EVERY day. Perhaps I should invent bibs for moms-to-be, guess it's not just babies who need them!

And of course it's smack-dab in the middle of my shirt. Maybe it draws attention away from the belly button?? :)

This week we did a little more prepping for the baby -- Ian put together the playmat which Izzy promptly claimed as her own. Guess we're going to have to teach her to share! 
(In her defense, it is covered in fish and she is a hunter.)

 Speaking of teaching, hopefully Louis V will teach her proper etiquette when being held...this was right before she treated Ian's hand like a chew and claw toy. Oh, Izzy, our little monster.

Kip practiced his job as doorman/did his best monkey impression!

And even though it's not warm enough to swim yet, we got the pool open and running this weekend!

Looks oh-so-inviting, right?!

Berta's "I hate swimming" face.

While she doesn't enjoy going into the water, she does enjoy drinking it off the cover. (Gross!)

She attempts to look ashamed to be drinking the green nastiness, but we all know she's not.

After the cover was off, us belly buddies decided to get some sun! The wonderful thing about being this pregnant is that you just don't care about letting it all hang out. The not so wonderful thing...you can't roll over, so I got a lovely half-tan. :) I cannot tell you how amazing the warm sunshine felt after 7 months of winter even if it did turn my front half red and left my back half white!

Berta and her belly enjoying a lazy Sunday.

We finished the weekend with a delicious Easter meal at the Belby house, it was a great day! 

Starting this week, the runs got slower and shorter, but I'm still going!!

Another week down and next week's post will be kicking off 

DUE DATE MONTH!!!

 

Question and Answer Time:

How far along: 35 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Coconut, this will be the one and only time I will love coconut! His hearing is fully developed, his circulatory and musculoskeletal (whatever that is) systems are complete and his lungs are mature. And while he's not growing too much more in length from here on out, he is getting fatter by the day!

Weight gain: I'm not sure, hopefully not much! I'm told by my app that my uterus has officially grown to be 1,000 times the size it originally was, it feels like the rest of me followed suit. All for a great cause, so I won't complain. :)

Maternity clothes:  Different week, same answer. Today's bump photo dress is a roomy, non-maternity gem from Target.

Stretch marks: And more of the same here, still a no.

Belly button in or out: No change, still weirdly an innie-outie.
Sleep: I have periods of insomnia (usually after trip #5 to the bathroom) where my brain runs through a million things I need to do, none of which are so important that they should keep me from sleeping. But, some nights, I'm able to sleep great...other than the 8 pee breaks.

Best moment this week: Finishing childbirth class and getting a little tan while opening the pool.

Worst moment this week: Saying goodbye to my mama as she headed to Vegas. Hearing her say "Call me IMMEDIATELY if you go into labor" and knowing it could possibly happen was frightening!! I'm pretty confident Louis V will keep baking while she's away though. :)

Miss anything: Not spilling on myself. And missing having more energy.

Movement: It feels as though he's doing the YMCA on repeat in there!

Cravings: No cravings. I'm definitely running out of room in there, too.

Queasy or sick: Nope!  
Baby items of the week: This ADORABLE outfit for newborn photos, I'm ridiculously excited about it:

 Also, our car seat and stroller came, so as Ian pointed out, we can actually have the baby now because we have a way to bring him home! (But, he made it clear he still wasn't ready.) Lastly, I got an adorable "baby bouquet" from my former co-worker, Stacy. I was too excited to pull the goodies off the skewers that I forgot to take a photo of it!

Looking forward to: A weekend of co-hosting celebrations! Friday night we're celebrating Wendi and the Geller twins and Saturday is all about the bride-to-be, Maggie! Let's hope I can make it through a baby shower, bridal shower and bachelorette party (complete with party bus) in one piece! 
I'm already excited for a nice cat-nap on Sunday. ;)

 I'm also looking forward to celebrating my boo's birthday on Tuesday!

34 Weeks

We're 6 short weeks away from DUE DAY!! 

 

 

 A bonus photo without the suit jacket for full belly effect:

We're growing like weeds these days!!

It wasn't a wildly exciting or busy week this week, but here's a recap:

I got some kitten love at our first annual Volunteer Appreciation Night at the Humane Society:

 

The bump got some kitten love at home:

I ran a 5K with Wendy to benefit the kids of Project Renewal through Live Uncommon:

 And had I known how ridiculously hilly the course was, I probably would've stayed in bed. Big thanks to Wendy for walking up the hills with my preggo belly! 

  We finished in a respectable-for-being-33-weeks-pregnant time of about 32-minutes!

We started the moving process by clearing out the guest room furniture (and by "we" I mean "Ian"):

 "So, when's the new kid getting here??" - Kip and Berta

Ian put his handy skills to work and started setting up the "nursery":

 

 Fancy, huh!?

(Also now included is a glider courtesy of the Weigles, that'll come in very handy...and comfy for me!)  

Also, we got all our maternity photos in from Jenna and I thought I'd share a few more. :)

Bumperific!

While not the most riveting week to blog about, it was pretty productive (I finished all my thank-you notes from the baby showers, too, woohoo!) So, until next time...

Weekly Q&A

How far along: 34 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Cantaloupe melon (yum!) or butternut squash (also yum, but I feel like it's told me this one before?) He's still around the same size as last week, but he should be getting rounder by the day thanks to accumulating baby fat. His skin is smoother than ever as well!

Weight gain: 3 lbs from the last appointment, 33 lbs total. "It's all baby" is my story and I'm sticking to it!! :)

Maternity clothes:  It varies still. Wednesday I wore a maternity dress (thank you, Courtney and Target!), yesterday I got by with normal pants and a top, today is a mix of maternity pants with a normal top and suit jacket. I have a feeling I'm going to have a lot of repeat outfits these last several weeks as the bump gets bigger and my options become more limited. 

Stretch marks: No, still just rocking my shark bite scar and nothing else.

Belly button in or out: Is weird an option? Belly button piercings and pregnancy aren't the best match.
Sleep: Rolling over is such a chore!!

Best moment this week: Finishing the 5K with Wendy and the little guy's check up!

Worst moment this week: It snowed Monday, unbelievable. And house building stress isn't fun either. :(

Miss anything: I still miss my buddy, Wrigley, but since I don't see that changing anytime soon (or ever) this week will be the last time I use it as my answer. I also miss being able to put socks on without a struggle.

Movement: All the time!:)

Cravings: Been eating a lot of fruit this week. One of the many perks of my new-ish job -- a huge fruit delivery every Monday for all to enjoy!

Queasy or sick: Nope, just large.  
Baby items of the week: The "nursery" is set up!

Looking forward to: The office massage therapist coming this afternoon, don't mind if I do! :)

33 Weeks

We're cruising right along at breakneck speed...passing week marker 33!

 

We are now less than 50 days away from Louis V's estimated arrival date! 

 

The bump week started off on a somber note as we said goodbye to our beloved Wrigley.

 It was a very tough day for everyone and he is dearly missed.

I know he's up there somewhere watching over us and sending lots of cuddlebug love our way. I'm sure he's filling Shelby in on all that's happened the past 2 years and reminiscing about old times. I bet he's also found that spot of eternal sunshine at the Rainbow Bridge.

 Rest in peace, my sweet buddy. You were one of a kind.

While I certainly had my moments of weeping, I pulled myself together Friday night to welcome the Vegas Smith girls to town and get ready for baby shower fun!

The festivities kicked off on Saturday at Red Lantern where my fabulous friends hosted a "Shellebration" in honor of Louis V.

 

The decor was adorable (and delicious!):

The gifts were beyond generous:

(I had to include gift pics so you could see the precious "baby" banner, I love it!) 

The company was phenomenal:

The bumps were out in full force:

(Although, the rest of them were masking them in their black dresses.)

The hostesses were THE best:

 

And I felt like the luckiest girl in the world:

The fun continued on Sunday morning as Barbie Doll and Courtney opened the gates at the baseball shower:

The decor was Pinterest brought to life!

 

 The family showed up in full force (from both near and far):

 

I got to bust out my Swarovski flute and enjoy a tasty mocktail:

Louis V (and his parents) are so fortunate to have both sets of grandparents in the same town! He just so happens to have two of the best grandmas in the world...Nana Belby and Baba Smith.
 



 

 

Celebrating with my three favorite girls in the world!

 Samantha wants her baby cousin to hurry up and get here so she can love on him!

 

 

 

Baby Belby was spoiled like no other for the second day in a row, what a lucky boy! And he's ready to be a Met...

 

...just like his Daddy!

 

Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how I felt after the weekend of baby shower love. I always knew I had wonderful friends and family, but they all went above and beyond! I don't know that we'll ever be fully prepared for Louis V's arrival, but we're much closer now, thanks to the amazing people in our lives.
And we're about to have one more. :)

 Q&A
How far along: 33 weeks

Baby is the size of a: Durian Fruit!? (I've never heard of this.) He's anywhere from 4.2 lbs to 5.8 lbs and 17.2 inches to 18.7 inches...he's getting BIG!! (And he might grow another whole inch this week alone!) He's turning into a curious kid who can keep his eyes open while awake, and he's coordinating his breathing with his sucking and swallowing. Also, his baby bones are continuing to harden in preparation of his arrival in the real world. Last but not least, his brain is going through more major development, so he's smarter now than he was a few weeks ago. :)

Weight gain: After all the goodies at the baby showers, probably a couple pounds?

Maternity clothes:  Still mixing and matching maternity/non-maternity. 
Here is a photo showing what a difference 20 weeks makes for a baby bump!
First photo was taken in November at 13 weeks (and, yes, I was pushing it out because it was way more fun back then to give the illusion of a big baby bump) and the second photo was taken yesterday at almost 33 weeks. Fun stuff!
I got this dress at the Banana Republic outlet store before I got pregnant, but it still works!

Stretch marks: Nope, just stretched skin.

Belly button in or out: Flat? It looks like an outie in clothes, but it's not.
Sleep: Sleep is going well other than the increased frequency of bathroom trips, I don't see that getting any better over the next 7 weeks!

Best moment this week: The baby showers, of course!

Worst moment this week: Saying goodbye to Wrigley. I still cry.

Miss anything: Wriggles.

Movement: Movement is still abundant, but he seems to be doing it more during my waking hours (woohoo!) Other than the rib jabs,
I absolutely love it. :)

Cravings: Nothing really this week.

Queasy or sick: Nope, feeling pretty dang good.  
Baby items of the week: Shower gifts galore!

Looking forward to: 70 degrees this weekend!!