Fathers Day

A little gift for the baby and to commemorate Father's Day - See, Bradley, that big debit on the joint checking a couple months ago from H&M wasn't only for me.... :)

A good night of sleep!!!

So, I came home from work on Tuesday and Bradley surprised me with a SNOOGLE, which I had been talking a lot about as my body pillow is 10+ years old and not what it used to be! So, I have to say that at first I didn't know how to even attack this thing and kind of jumped over and into it but once you get comfortable, there is nothing better! I had the best night of sleep last night and didn't wake up and have to turn sides continually because my hips were hurting. Shrimps and I are huge fans! Move over Bradley!

So, then i just came across a million other ways to use the Snoogle.... how did I live without one! Snoogling will soon be a verb like Googling!

Thump, thump, thump....

Hola Shrimps,

Today we had another check-up at the doc and all signs are looking good here at week 28 1/2. Katie survived getting her blood taken along with a shot in the behind..hehe!

The most amazing part was that we got to hear your little heart beating! That was the first time for me and second for Katie. I saw it before during the ultrasound but hearing it was an unbelievable sound to my ears! The wonders of technology are so amazing.

Also, today marks your mother and I's 10 month wedding anniversary. I am the luckiest man alive to have found such an amazing partner to spend my life with. I'm surprising her with a Snoogle which is something she has been craving while being pregnant.

Well buddy, we are in the home stretch and we can't wait to bring you home soon!!

Love
Dad

The Home Stretch!

I am officially 28 weeks today and it marks the transition to the third trimester! This is the home stretch - hard to believe.

The weekly update from BabyCenter told me that my baby is around 2.25 pounds and the size of a chinese cabbage - hence the picture. It also said most women gain 11 lbs the last trimester so I guess it is nice to know there is an end to the scale going up and only about 10 more pounds to go! So far, no stretch marks but not sure I'll escape that one!

Things are going well - the baby has been more active this week which has been fun - I can literally sit down for an hour and just wait for kicks and be entertained. They are also getting stronger and Bradley has been feeling more of them - it's so fun to feel him move around. I'm still going to step class and riding my bike and walks every day at lunch so it's not often we are just sitting still with that on top of work! I think when I then finally sit still at night and poke at him to move, he's probably wishing i would let him rest for a minute :)

I visited my first daycare this week which didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I don't want ANYONE watching my baby but me :) It doesn't seem right. I visited a center and was not overly excited so am going to start looking at some in home daycares and other centers in the next couple months. Ultimately, it will be hard to leave the baby but I see a lot of people around me with healthy and adjusted kids and the earth didn't fall off it's axis, so I'll probably get through this. I would be so willing to simplify life and career and change location to spend more time with my child (and future children)!

The plan for the weekend is to get registered..... so off to dive into the world of Babies R Us and Target and trying to figure out what I need for the baby!

Bump updates - Week 26 and 27

Camping at Devil's Lake, Wisconsin on Memorial weekend we passed the 26 week mark. I didn't want to post this picture as I'm hot and sweaty from hiking (it was SERIOUSLY hot and humid with serious hiking/climbing) and look bigger than I thought I did in real life.... That happens a lot with pictures these days! But... I'll be a good sport. One day I will post a bump picture where I'm not just finishing a workout!




27 weeks update - one more week until the third trimester! It has been a rainy Saturday so I spent the morning kind of organizing part of Shrimpy's "room" - aka corner of the dining room! Is that nesting??? I'm just trying to clear out stuff - mainly kitchen stuff - so that we can use our shelving to hold stuff for the baby. We have stacks of diapers we are beginning to accumulate (the BSM of baby at SUPERVALU is a friend!) and I'm not sure where those will go...... especially size 3 and 4 which we are a ways from.



It's so fun sorting through Shrimpy's clothes - I'm getting pretty excited! The only setback to that excitement was thinking I wanted to watch a live birth on BabyCenter - I'd rather just go into it a little blind I've decided! Hence, I am forgoing the birthing classes - I'm just going to take it as it comes!

Not too much new has been happening with the pregnancy. My biggest complaint is my skin - I've had more acne than my entire adolescence so that has been frustrating. I'm still working out 5-7 days a week with step class, riding bikes, walking, elliptical and all that so hoping that continues. I'm slowly getting bigger as well but it has not been too bad. In general, the whole experience is pretty cool - I will admit I'm counting the weeks down until I can start slowly regaining my body back! The most fun thing has been feeling the baby move, although it worries me that I don't feel a lot of movement! I want to feel him kicking - it makes me know everything is okay.

Lastly, we are still working on a name for Shrimpy but I'm really thinking it will be Samuel - he just feels like a Samuel to me!