Correction...

Please forget what I said in the last post about 37 days.  I've made a decision that Rowdy needs to come 2 weeks early.  My new due date, per me, is July 9th.  I have been talking with Rowdy about it, and he generally kicks me.  I'm sure this means that he agrees.  I'll be informing my doctor of this new development late next week.

Ready for Rowdy?

As of today, I think I'm ready for Rowdy to make his entrance.  I'm sure that will change a 101 times in the next 37 days.  Yes, that's right, check the calendar.  His scheduled arrival date is only 37 days from now. 

And, I feel like we are ready.  We have diapers.  We have wipes.  We have a rocking chair/recliner in the nursery.  We have bottles and a crib and onesies.  We could bring him home today and probably take care of his immediate needs.

Dallas and I spent a great part of the weekend putting away all the wonderful gifts we received at the shower and spending the gift cards to round out baby's needs.  We put shelving in the closet to keep all the little things organized.  We picked up the recliner we ordered for the nursery (Nemo thinks the recliner is a great new dog bed).

We still have lots of laundry to do to make sure nothing irritates baby's sensitive skin.  And, since everyone I know seems to deliver about 30 days early, I will pack my bag for the hospital this weekend.  Probably overkill, but why not?

We got a good report at the doctor's last week.  We won't have another check up until week after next.  At that appointment, we will have another sonogram and should get an update on the baby's weight.  I, for one, can assure you that he is growing...we both are!

Baby Showers

We had such an amazing baby shower this weekend that I don’t even know where to begin.  Hostesses Faith, Liza, Kim, Melissa, and Kay pulled off the magnificent!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!


Let’s start at the front door…where there is a 4 foot tall lion that is an exact replica of the lion in the nursery bedding welcoming people to “the jungle.” As you walked up the stairs, you entered the jungle as depicted in the nursery bedding with floor to ceiling vines, leaves and flowers complete with jungle animals created and colored by Hostess Kay’s 6 year old son.

Then there was the food…an entire kitchen full of delicacies. Mushroom couscous, bruschetta, rhubarb bars, fresh fruit, bacon, teriyaki chicken and pineapple skewers, home-made bread with fresh honey butter, lemon muffins, quiche, chocolate cookies, salad, and so much more!

Even with all the amazing planning, the party would not have been the same without the guests. We had about 30 beautiful, happy, laughing, creative, generous guests attend. It was so humbling to realize how many great friends we have. We laughed, ate, decorated onesies, and passed baby things around. Just like a kid, Dallas had a lot more fun with the wrapping than with some of the gifts.

We received so many generous gifts. Sweet tiny little baby clothes, bibs, and booties. Bottles and bath goodies and blankets. Swings and bouncy seats and toys. Gift certificates and nursery essentials and medicine cabinet essentials. I think we are finally ready whenever Rowdy wants to arrive!

Be sure to go to the photos page and check out all the photos from the shower.

In addition to the shower I knew about, a couple of wonderful co-workers orchestrated a surprise luncheon/baby shower at work on Friday. I was tricked into attending a “meeting” where we had a wonderful lunch with sandwich wraps and all the extras and a melt in your mouth chocolate lava cake and cookies. We spent some time trying to match celebrity toddler pictures to a list of celebrities. I was miserably horrible at this…I didn’t even know what some of the celebrities look like as adults…but it was really fun to see all my co-workers getting so competitive! I was completely surprised by the shower and appreciated the number of people who made a point to attend. AND, they gave us a very large gift certificate to Babies R’ Us!! I work with a really great group of people!

The Nursery

Rowdy’s nursery is almost ready for his arrival. After lots of measuring, cutting, and stitching, his nursery has a “theme.” Well, at least it has matching bedding and curtains! Here’s proof!

Crib:

Window treatments:

Shower Curtain:

And a bonus belly picture:

32 Week Update

We had our 32 week appointment today.  Once again, all the news was great!  We are so blessed.  Rowdy clocked in at a whopping 3 pounds 14 oz.  He measured at the 45th percentile.  The sonographer said his heart is "beautiful."  She also said he is a handsome baby.  I'll have to take her word for it because the 3D pictures are still a little distorted looking to me!  I think he looks a lot like a grumpy old man.  What do you think?

As you can see, Rowdy finally rolled over to show us his "cute" little face.  And, yes, that is his foot with 5 adorable little toes poking him in the eye in the second pic!

Sneak Preview: Nursery Decor

The guest bedroom is slowly starting to look like a nursery! With the help of a few friends, I got Shay’s crib assembled this week. Most of the crib bedding is also finished, and I’m really pleased with it. Mom has such amazing talent for those things. (The friends that helped put the crib together were so impressed with the combination of fabrics, paint, etc., that they said they wanted to hire me to help decorate their new house. I told them that it was all mom and that she would be too busy when she visits in July to take a decorating job!) I have a few finishing touches to finish, including hanging the valances, but everything is coming together. Dallas got the changing table together before leaving on his trip, and we ordered a rocker this weekend. We still need a small bookcase, a few lamps, and a picture or two, but I know that none of those items is critical to the health and welfare of Rowdy. After I got the bedding on the crib this week, I kept wandering into the room to just look at things! The room is not ready for pictures yet, but here are some preliminary pics of the crib. I’ll get other pictures as soon as I can.

New Sleeping Arrangements???

Sorry I have been so quiet on the blog front, but things have been rolling along very smoothly.  There just didn't seem to be anything momentous enough to share.  However, stay tuned.  Nursery pictures will be arriving soon.

Rowdy has finally started pushing and pulling on me with enough force that my mid-back has gotten seriously out of alignment.  I saw my chiropractor on Tuesday, and he did a great job of moving everything back into place.  Unfortunately, by about 3:00 AM on Wednesday morning, I awoke with the feeling that someone had stuck a knife into my back.  Last night, I don't think I slept for 15 minutes total.  Nemo thought I had lost my mind as I tried to find a position, yoga stretch, or Pilates move to alleviate the pain.  When I finally gave up on the attempted sleeping thing, I realized that it hurt just as bad to sit or stand.  Lovely.  Good news is I just left the doctor, and he seemed to get everything all lined back up.  He suggested that if it continues to keep me awake tonight, I might consider sleeping on the floor...

Can't you just see this picture???  Here I am most likely not sleeping, but on the floor on my little pallet trying to stuff pillows around my bulging belly, under my knees, and behind my back to get comfortable.  And since I am most likely not sleeping, I will have plenty of time to glare up at Nemo stretched out all by himself on the king sized bed and comfortably curled up in our down comforter.  Nemo has been known to toss his chew bones or toys off the bed in the middle of the night.  So, in the event I actually go to sleep on my sad little pallet on the cold, hard floor, I will very likely be rudely awakened by having a slimy chew bone tossed unceremoniously onto my forehead as Nemo curls himself into an even more comfortable ball in the middle of the down comforter on the middle of our king-sized bed. 

(Dallas, by the way, is in Utah thoroughly enjoying his motorcycle trip and luckily missing out on all the late night antics.)

Mother's Day

I spent Mother’s Day weekend at home in Jackson, and it was wonderful! My mom is wonderful, my Mama Shoe is wonderful, and my sister is wonderful. We have a blessed family.

We had a busy and productive weekend. We got Shay’s crib all packaged up to ship to Maryland for Rowdy to use, and I braved the registry process at Target with Shay’s help. It won’t surprise many of you to hear that Shay was very decisive and quite opinionated, which made the process go much faster. I had my list of what I needed, and Shay wouldn’t even look at the list! When I turned in the scanner, the customer service clerk asked me if I found everything I was looking for. I told her that I had no idea!

Most of the family gathered at mom’s house for Mother’s Day lunch. We had open seats at the table and missed Jim (out of town on business), Dallas (at home putting together a changing table for Rowdy), and Phyllis (sick with a headache). The kids were in rare form. They missed any form of a nap and apparently had lots of sugar at Nana’s earlier in the day. I don’t know when Carly realized she can talk and talk and talk without ever taking a breath! And Reed is not far behind her. They both have plenty to say!
My two favorite quotes of the weekend:

Reed informed me that I “have a baby boy in my belly.” He added in a very matter of fact grown up little voice that “he likes boys.” I guess Rowdy has his vote of approval.

Carly informed YaYa that she “is very excited about the baby coming out, but she is NOT excited about my belly getting bigger.”  I agree!

Here are a few pictures of the weekend, including my big belly referenced above!

Two Loves - One Quilt

We recently received a very special gift for baby that combines two of Dallas' loves.  The love he understands - motorcycles.  And the love he is discovering- his son.  This special quilt is even more special because it was handmade specifically for Baby Brooks by Stephanee Danielson.  Steph is the friend that we talk about with every story that starts out with "my mother and a friend rode motorcycles from Arkansas to South Dakota..."  She is a very special person, and we appreciate her thoughtfulness so much.  I just had to share pictures with everyone.

Picture Day Was a Bust!

Today was Rowdy's 28 week picture day.  He was just as uncooperative today as he was 8 weeks ago.  He was moving around so much that it made getting the measurements difficult for the tech.  Of course, he never turned in the direction we wanted him to turn.  He just won't show us his face.  I do think I saw a quick flash of an eyeball before he covered his face with his fist again.  He was not so shy at proving his manliness. 

He is by all measurements a perfect little boy.  He weighed in today at 2.7 lbs, which puts him in the 49th percentile.  I'm not sure what that tells us, but the doctor seemed very pleased by it.  Apparently, my placenta is in good shape, so he has a happy, healthy little condo to incubate in for another 3 months.

I still feel great most of the time.  I have pretty much quit sleeping, but I suppose that's just Rowdy's way of getting me ready for all the nighttime feedings.

We are slowly getting the house ready for a baby.  We have a tour of the birthing center in the hospital scheduled for next week, and I am officially pre-registered for admittance.  Somehow, the list of things to do seems to grow rather than shrink, but I realize (in my more rational less hormonal moments) the baby will be just fine with nothing more than a place to sleep, food, and diapers!