Week 35

Okay, so week 35 is "officially" tomorrow but what's a few hours difference?  I had a half day at work and went for a walk and gym workout and decided it was an opportune time to take a picture as the stretch cotton really shows off my curves!  

I'm so excited to be in the home stretch - a month feels so soon and yet so far away.  As fast as the last few months have been flying by, I know the last one of pregnancy will too!

Pregnancy highlights from the week:

* I got to hear Shrimpy's heartbeat - 148 bpm!

* My bump measured 34cm - right on for 34 weeks!

* Shrimpy's more constant movement and seeing my stomach moving - I've sat in a few work meetings wondering if anyone else can see it!

* The Doctor palpated my stomach and confirmed that Shrimpy is head down!

* Low swelling - rings fit great and the doctor was impressed

*  Two people this week came up to me and told me I don't "walk like I'm pregnant" - aka waddling - I'll take that as a positive

* Breastfeeding: Off to a good start - Bradley and I attended a class this week and I must say - I learned a lot - who knew there was so much to breastfeeding!  It was a lot to take in but anything baby related only makes me more excited

This next week will be busy with a work trip to Maryland, but after that, I will be grounded for quite awhile.  The next Doctor appointment will begin the talks about labor and delivery and I am so ready and excited for this baby to come!

Perfect timing!

BRING ON THE FREE SAMPLES....!!!!!!!

Our vendor for organic baby food is officially exiting the business of Private label - this has meant a lot of hours of my week have been spent evaluating a new supplier for our Wild Harvest Organic baby line of food for stages 1, 2, and 3.  Talk about great timing and huge monetary savings down the road for mom & dad.  The big bonus for Shrimpy is that I have tasted ALL of them and can make great recommendations (okay, choices) for his discriminating palate (especially if he takes after his father)!!  I have to admit the best so far is the apples and blueberries - the worst would be the Vegetable turkey dinner - I'll pass on that one!

First Baby Shower

Brandie Nivison was gracious in hosting the first Baby shower for Baby Backstrom!  The Theme was "Cute As a Button" and it was a with a lot of personal and work friends as well as Grandma Backstrom.  Brandie did a fantastic job putting on the shower with delicious sweet treats and cute decorations.  Here are some of the fun details!

We also played a game with Balloons with the object being who could get the most balloons in their clothes in 30 seconds to make a pregnant belly.  Tiana and I both had a disadvantage as it was difficult to have to BEND over and pick up the balloons!  A picture of the finalists and the (clear) winner - Courtney!

Lastly, it was time for opening gifts - we got SO MANY wonderful things for Shrimpy - it was so fun to open all the gifts and see all his new outfits and new gear.  We also got a lot of items off our registry and can continue to prepare for his arrival!

A Fun Weekend and Custom goods for Shrimpy.

We had a fun weekend with Grandma Vander Stelt and Maddie in town from Idaho. It was jam-packed with American Girl madness, Nickelodeon universe (Maddie LOVED the rollercoaster), a view of Shrimpy on the 3D/4D ultrasound, paddle-boating, fish tacos on the lake, dinner at the Backstroms, Despicable me movie in 3D, and the grand finale of a big peppermint bon-bon ice cream cone on Lake Harriet.



Grandma Vander Stelt and Maddie also brought a fun new outfit for Shrimpy, cozy homemade blankets, and new book - and my FAVORITE??? ... Some personalized gear for Shrimpy!!

We get to see Shrimpy!!!

On Saturday, we finally got a long awaited view of Shrimpy in the 3D/4D Ultrasound.... It was so exciting to see you curled up inside and moving although it felt like more of a teaser than anything! Your fists were curled up in your face and so once again you really made us work for any faceshots!

Here are your hands and feet.



Yep - Still a BOY!



One of the best views of you - the technician tried to move me and move you but you seemed pretty content to sleep curled up and ignore us!



Another side shot of your face and arm.



Lastly, we all laughed at this picture because it made your legs look SO LONG!



One fun thing is that it looks like you have some hair on your head - and best of all, you look healthy and everything is as it should be! It made me so excited to see you and has only increased the anticipation 10-fold - wanting to hold you now!

It was so fun to have Grandma V and Grandma Bev there along with your cousin Maddie and of course, Bradley. We all oohed and ahhed and many "he's so cute's" were coming from the audience. I just laid there in sheer excitement and anticipation to see my baby - I feel you move, but to see you curled up inside was a very cool experience!

Hmm.... will Shrimpy look like his dad???

This is a picture of Bradley as a baby and I think it is the cutest thing in the world! I'm wondering if Shrimpy will look anything like this????

Honey, IKEA was just the warm-up!

Bradley must now realize that all that IKEA-furniture building was just a warm-up to move on to Babies R Us!

Yesterday, we make the trek to the baby mega store - after placating Bradley with PF Changs and caffeine - one must never be hungry, tired, or in need of caffeine before entering that store - myself included. Wedding registry was only a mere year ago and that was the first lesson we learned.

Armed with several 20% off coupons (thanks Mary!), we made two big purchases - the mega stroller system and a crib - gifts from Grandpa and Grandma Backstrom.

Tonight, Bradley took out the tools and put together Shrimpy's crib - I think it was a pretty easy task - especially compared to the IKEA furniture of mine he had to take apart and REASSEMBLE!

Here's Bradley in action.....





This is what Shrimpy will look like :)



MISSION COMPLETED!

WEEK 31 - The countdown is on!

Week 31 is here and the countdown is definitely on! I'm planning / hoping I go a couple weeks early making it a mere 7-8 more weeks to go! I keep telling Shrimpy to work on an August birthday.

I had a Dr's appointment this week where I measured 31 cm - right on target - listened to the heartbeat - and talked about the upcoming appointments. We will be talking labor and delivery soon so will need to make sure Bradley comes along.

The baby is moving so much more now and I love it! Now sometimes I can sit and just watch my stomach and see movement at times. I also notice that loud music/sounds can make him move more - the music/instruments at church and the intense scenes in the move Eclipse seemed to do the trick.

Today we went out on the boat with Davey for some relaxation and sunshine - came back just a little red but an awesome day! Below is Bradley and I lounging on the boat.



My legs and stomach got a little red - likely due to the fact they haven't seen much sun this year so it was time to cover up and head back in.



Now on to Week 32...... I'm so impatient!

Week 30 - Camping in Taylors Falls

Officially Week 30 hit while we were camping in Taylors Falls, Wisconsin! I slept so much better this trip that I'd even be up for more camping. Bradley set up a fierce campsite to keep us out of the rain when necessary, but during the day it was not needed as it was absolutely beautiful. On the way home, we speculated about camping the following year and the fact that we will have a 10 month old baby! I don't think it will slow us down one bit but not sure how we'll manage the kayaks!