Maternity Clothing: I'm over you!!

Typically around this time of the year I start to feel a certain pull towards spring clothing.  Yes, the high today may only be 45 - but I'm so tired of my winter wardrobe!  This year that feeling is amplified because my wardrobe is waaaaay smaller, and only includes elastic-waist pants (ugh - I crave an actual button these days!!), and anything that will actually fit over my ginormous belly!!  I'm leery of ordering anything just yet because I want to make sure I'll be my pre-pregnancy size.....but there are lots of cute things out there!! (most of these are from Boden and Land's End Canvas -- plus a few from Title Nine)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proudly announcing...

....our current selection of birth announcements!!  I've been searching high and low for cute boy announcements.  I will tell you that while there are certainly cute ones out there, the girl selection is a million times better!!  Here are a few that are in the running -- most are from tinyprints.com, plus one from shutterfly.com.  To the moms out there -- where did you all end up selecting your birth announcements??

A St. Louis Tradition

Did you know that the largest Mardi Gras celebration outside of New Orleans (in the US) takes place in St. Louis?  I had no idea either -- till we moved here!  The festivities kicked off today with the Purina Pet Parade.  SB and I brought Daisy and Lilly down to the Soulard neighborhood to take part in the action.  We had no idea what we were in for!  I had heard that lots of dogs wear costumes, but that is an enormous understatement.  (fortunately there were a few "non-costumed" dogs so our two didn't feel totally underdressed......we actually met a really sweet family with a dog that looked just like Lilly.  We got to talking with them, and it turns out we share an obstetrician -- he delivered all 3 of their babies!  What a small world :) -- and thank goodness, she had nothing but glowing comments about him during delivery!) 

I took a few pics of some of the most outrageous dogs I saw.  Here are just a few (plus a few of our own thrown in for fun!):

 A peacock poodle!

 Arrgggghhh!!

 Dogs of all sizes....Great danes amaze me!!

 Matchy matchy

 Banana split (rear shot -- sorry so unflattering ;)

 Husby with Daisy

 Fairy puppy

 LOVED this one.  This pup seemed to totally dig his outfit.

 Bob Marley dog...

 Arrgghh! (2)

 Lots 'o spots!

 Down on the farm 3-some

The Lillinator!

After the parade we went to a nearby cafe for lunch, and it was delicious!!  If you're in the area, I highly recommend the Benton Park Cafe.  They have an amazing breakfast (and I usually get the eggs benedict, but unfortunately that's a no-no when you're preggers....boooo), but the chicken salad croissant sandwich today was scrumptious.  After that I took a two-hour nap.  Have I mentioned that the third-trimester tiredness is fully settling in?  Naps on the weekends are a requirement!!  :)  We had a terrific weekend overall.  I'll have to recap further -- my family came into town for our last baby shower and it was so fun to spend time with them.  More to come!

Looks like the baby already has a monster under his bed!!

Pregnancy Update: 34 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 34 Weeks
Size of Baby: He is the size of a honeydew melon
Weight:  +35 (still yikes).
Maternity Clothes: Yes!.....or SB's clothes.  I'm pushing the limits on most things I own.
Gender: It's a BOY!!

Movement: YES!! I feel lots of movement, and SB can feel it and even see it too. 

What I Miss:  Running, tennis, pants without elastic at the top

Cravings: Um, I think I ate 2/3 of a pan of brownies in 2 days this week.  I loved every bite.

Symptoms: I just feel big.  Sleeping is a little tough - but I have lots of pillows around me. I've been pretty forgetful lately too.

Best Moment This Week:  I've done the first few loads of baby laundry in Dreft.  I love the way it smells!  SB and I bought a few little outfits together this morning.  We've had 3 baby showers so far, with the last one being next weekend here in St. Louis (the others were DC (work), Athens, GA (SB's family/friends, and Madison, WI (my family/friends)).    Once we have the last shower we'll be able to get everything else we need, and hopefully then we'll feel totally prepared for our little guy's arrival (or as prepared as we can be!!). 

Happy Valentine's Day!

My husband knows the way to my heart is through my stomach....which is why my perfect Valentine's Day involved Pappy's bbq for dinner (our fave bbq place), and key lime pie for dessert.  It was delicious! 

Life here has been good.  We had an ultrasound last Thursday that showed that our little guy is not such a little guy.....like he might be a 9 pounder!  He's measuring at 5 lbs, 8 oz right now, and still has about 7 weeks left to grow!  Yikesters!  Our wonderful doctor said that lots could happen in the next 7 weeks....the growth could slow down and he could be more like 8 lbs, we could induce early to try to keep the size smaller, we could consider a c-section, etc. etc.  Lots of options, but basically in about 3 weeks we'll have another ultrasound to see if he's still growing at the same rate, and then make a more informed decision. 

SB and I spent Saturday with about five other couples expecting their first babies at a birthing and parenting class.  It was actually a great class, and we feel more prepared for the great unknown!!  

Super Bowl Champs!!

What a game!!  I've been at my parents' house in Wisconsin since Friday (my sweet high school friends threw a baby shower for me!), and was happy to be able to watch the Super Bowl with some fellow Packer backers!!  We've had a good sporting year this year.....first the Duke NCAA championship in April (that we watched together as a family in Captiva Island), and now this! 

 

 

{source:  Wisconsin State Journal}

A nursery in the making...

The nursery isn't quite finished, but it's well on it's way!  So after we (I) determined that the first paint color was too bright, we sucked it up and primed, and painted the room again.  This time Olympic's "Blue Booties" was the perfect sweet shade of blue.  I've slowly added a few pieces of wall decor.  I spray painted the metal stars navy, hung the curtains, and created some EmilyB original artwork for the area above the crib and above the dresser (which I don't have a picture of yet....just finished that one today).

 The crib is from Pottery Barn Kids, the glider is a hand-me-down from my sister, the side table is something we found at the Pottery Barn outlet store while we were in Georgia (about 60% off regular price -- score!), and the dresser/potential changing table is from Costco (we got another great deal on that one -- the floor model was the only one left, so it was ours....with a 10% discount!).  I have another true changing table that we may use if we determine this dresser is too high -- it's another hand-me-down from my sister, but it feels a little shaky.

And a certain someone followed me into the room for pictures.  The dogs are very curious about what's going on in that room!  They both love to take sunbaths in the light that comes through that window. 

31 Weeks!!

Pregnancy Highlights:
How Far Along: 31 Weeks
Size of Baby: He is the size of a squash!
Weight:  +26 (still yikes).
Maternity Clothes: Pretty much everything's maternity unless it miraculously happens to work well with an enormous belly....but those shirts and dresses are very limited :)

Gender: It's a BOY!!

Movement: YES!! He's moving a bunch.  He's really starting to feel like a real baby in there.  I know that sounds silly, but his movements now are less flutter-like, and more like real legs and arms moving.

What I Miss:  Running, Diet Coke, Sweet Tea -- lots of little things that pale in comparison to the excitement I have for this little guy!

Cravings: Nothing too major this week.  Trying to eat healthfully!

Symptoms: Indecisiveness and forgetfulness! 

Best Moment This Week: I'm not sure this is the "best" moment -- but strangers are starting to ask me about when I'm due, and if it's a boy or girl, etc. etc.  I have a personal policy that I would never ask someone I don't know about being pregnant because it would be just awful to ask if someone wasn't really pregnant.  I guess that means I must look really pregnant these days!!  Also, I feel like everyone stares at me at the gym.  Yes, I'm probably the only preggo in there, but I feel like they look at me like I'm walking around naked or something....it's just a baby bump, people! 

9(ish) weeks to go!!

Bag Lady

I guess when you aren't really interested in buying clothes, your attention turns elsewhere....  I mean, a girl has to have a cute "hospital bag" for the birth of her first baby, right?  I love the cheery looks of the following from Vera Bradley and Land's End...  (hint, hint Husband....wouldn't one of these make a great Valentine's Day present :)