Baby Shower Re-Cap

My baby shower was last Saturday, and it was a fabulous event filled with so much love and baby loot! And it proved to be a real 'shower,' given Austin got its first major downpour in a LONG time that day. 

My friends Lisa & Carey hosted along with my mom, and together they put together a beautiful afternoon with lots of delicious treats.

First things first- here is what I ended up wearing:

This is actually a maxi skirt that I pulled up & tied with a ribbon, then added the pearl necklace to! I ended up not wearing the cardigan during the actual shower, as it got warm quickly with a house full of guests.

Beautiful flower arrangements put together by Carey

BC was there for a brief photo op before the shower began

Lisa put together an adorable collection of BC's and my baby photos

 My mom and sister-in-law came in for the weekend to help celebrate

Cake Balls!

 One of the huge surprises- BC's sister Anna & her 3 month old daughter Magnolia came in from Seattle for the shower! It was amazing. I had gotten an inkling that one of Lance's 5 sisters might be surprising me, but I would NOT have put money on Anna who just had a baby! Such a treat.

 My adorable mom

Guests were asked to write down a message to the baby, as well as their guesses for her due date, height, & weight. 

Jeannine writing her message

 One of my dear friends & hosts, Carey

 My sweet sister-in-law Jeannine

 More awesome shower surprises! BC's mom happened to be in Houston this weekend taking care of our nephew Miles, and was able to come in to be with us to celebrate!

Our little girl was VERY spoiled with presents. Not sure what I was saying here...

 This was a handmade quilt that my friend Dianne made
 (who also happens to be our home's architect!)

Two of my lovely hostesses- Lisa and Carey. They made the afternoon so amazingly special.

I can't wait to go through and organize all the goodies that are waiting in the nursery. It feels like Christmas every time I go in there!

That's a whole 'lotta love for our little girl. We are blessed.

32 Week Updates

How far along? 32 weeks yesterday

How big is baby? We actually had a growth ultrasound this past week- and she looks to be about 3.25-3.5 pounds, which is right on track. The ultrasound tech said she was "petite," with a smallish head and abdomen (so looks like she favors me there- which is JUST fine- BC has a huge head!) She was measuring in the 8th percentile, so definitely a little lady. It was confirmed she is head down- and is actually using Fibroid Franny like a pillow- ha.

And speaking of Franny- she hasn't grown much, but also hasn't moved one iota out of the way. The U/S tech still isn't optimistic that the baby will be able to squeeze past to come out the good 'ole fashioned way, and he put our odds of needing a c-section really high (but did say "miracles can happen!' Great.) We'll see what my regular doc has to say when we meet to go over these stats- but at the last appointment she was of the mindset that we would allow me to go into labor naturally and give this baby a shot at pushing past Franny. Obviously we'd be monitoring me closely- and if it became evident that indeed there was no way of coming out vaginally, then at that point we'd go ahead with a c-section.

Weight gain? Up 19.2- pounds total. That is a that is a 2.7 pound gain from last week! I feel like I am two stepping with my weekly weights- down a smidgeon, then up a bunch! Down a smidgeon, then up again!

32 week belly

Sleep? Schizophrenic brain is here again- when I wake to go the bathroom in the middle of the night my brain unfortunately wakes too, and I've been having about an hour nightly just trying to get back to sleep. I've also still been waking super early. In between those times I sleep really well and soundly- just wish my body & brain could connect the dots and STAY asleep.

Cravings/Aversions? Strawberries are a new one tasting amazing to me- not necessarily something that I need and crave, but pre pregnancy I didn't love them- and I'd have to say I am loving them lately.

Symptoms? Ack- constipation with a vengeance. I had ANOTHER episode of what happened in New Mexico! That marks two of those episodes within a week, which is ridiculous.

Other than that I am actually doing pretty. well. Still having Braxton Hicks on and off, had one migraine last week, and more tired than usual. But all things I can handle.

One weird thing that happened for about 30 minutes during my shower yesterday and then again today- my left ear was "popped" like when the air pressure changes on an airplane. My voice sounded like a loud echo in my head, and I could NOT make it stop for the life of me. Not with eating, drinking, yawning, chewing gum, etc. It was extremely distracting & strange.  I finally found that tipping my head backwards for awhile would help it temporarily clear. I have no idea if this is related to pregnancy or not, but I have NEVER had that happen to me for such a long period.

Most looking forward to? Going through my baby shower loot! My shower was yesterday and the generosity was off the charts. I will work on a separate post with pictures & updates from that- including the final dress selection. I appreciate all the votes & comments on my dress choices from the last post- and ended up going an entirely different direction! I have a lot of dresses to return tomorrow...

I'm Too Sexy for my... (Baby Shower?) and 31 Week Updates

Finding the right dress.

As a female, there are many occasions where this act becomes a labor of love as much as a pain in the a**. Homecoming. Prom. Graduation. Wedding shower. Wedding. House Hunters (not all ladies struggle with this one, but it was a doozy! Needing at LEAST 3-4 'professional' looking dresses to be seen on National TV. No pressure, right?)

And now the baby shower. This one is proving to be extra hard, given the additional curves I am working with. I have tried on no less than 15 dresses in my quest, and my UPS man has been working overtime with all the mail order deliveries I've been getting (and mostly returning). I actually got a call from the Wells Fargo Fraud Protection Department due to the fact that there were so many recent charges placed to random Maternity stores across the US. I sheepishly verified that yes, indeed, those were all mine. Whoops.

The first real dress contender I had was this lovely wine colored frock:

Fits me very well and was Babycakes approved. The *only* problem is that it is made from a heavier material and has sleeves, and it is still 90 degrees daily here in Austin. AND I am a sweater. I don't think having armpit sweat rings would be a cute look for the shower.

In the last major clothes order that arrived Friday, there were 2 more possible contenders (out of about 8!) I think this little black dress is cuter in person than in this picture:

And then- THEN I tried this on. I immediately was quite smitten- it was SO comfy and it somehow made me, in my almost 8 months' pregnant glory, feel pretty (I added the belt):

I felt like I had found the one. Yes, it was quite fitted and showed all of my lumps & bumps curves- but nothing some good 'ole maternity spanx or a slip couldn't calm (which have been ordered- like I said, the UPS man is definitely earning his paycheck these days!).

Then I showed it to BC.

His response? "Isn't it too small for you? It's really tight."

AWESOME.

BC and I have quite the history with fashion- he was/is the first partner I've ever had who has pretty particular aesthetic opinions on what I wear. In the beginning this was a big source of contention between us, but over the years we have worked it out. However, I felt pretty deflated by his comments, totally 2nd guessing what had minutes before been my favorite choice. I definitely don't want to come off as too va-va-voom sexy for my BABY SHOWER, especially with my mom and my mother-in-law in attendance. So I've gone ahead and ordered the next size up in this dress on express delivery, to see if maybe it fits a little less snug- though I fear the length on the next size will be way too long, as this one is already long on me as it is- needing some elevated sandals to make it work (ah, the perils of a maxi-dress on a 5'2 frame).

Dear Readers of mine- I'd love to have you weigh in on the dresses! I know it is a bit hard going on just pictures, but if you are willing, I'd love to get your feedback on the 3 choices in the comments section. Which dress would you choose?

Now on to my 31 week updates:

How far along? 31 weeks yesterday. Only NINE WEEKS until our due date! That is 62 days according to my pregnancy ticker. Holy s***

How big is baby? She is compared to either a head of lettuce or a pineapple this week, likely around 3+ pounds and over 16 inches. All of her organs are fully formed and functioning with the exception of her lungs, which are still working hard to reach final maturity.

I was able to confirm at my doctor appointment this week that she is already head down! I had suspected as much, given the hiccups I feel daily are always way low on my right side. This is great news- perfect positioning for birth- so here's hoping she stays put down there.

31 week belly

Weight gain? I actually was DOWN 1/2 pound as of yesterday at the 31 week mark- for a total weight gain of 16.5 pounds. Of course this morning things seem to have gone up again- but I am also suffering from a relapse of wicked constipation.

Sleep? I'm having another bout of waking WAY too early and being unable to get back to sleep. Friday it was 5am. Yesterday was a blissful 6:45am. This morning was 6am. I've also had a couple nights where sleeping on my back was leaving me short of breath (yes- I am still occasionally sleeping on my back! But I think those days are getting seriously numbered).

I had my first dream this week where I had given birth. Our baby girl was at the hospital and I was anxious to get ahold of BC and go see her (there was no act of birth in the dream, just the knowledge that it had happened and she was here!) Awesome part of the dream? That I put on my pre-maternity jeans and they instantly fit. Not so awesome part? She had arrived on October 10th- which in my subconscious state I noted as 10-11-12- a very cool birthdate indeed, but that would make her about 6 weeks early, which is not so great. I also took conscious note that I didn't yet have a carseat- one of the first baby gear items absolutely necessary. Cue me upon waking to doing some registry stalking- our carseat hasn't yet been purchased, so I have a HUGE mental note to get that ordered ASAP after our shower.

Food cravings/aversions? Not much new here- still preferring fish to meat & loving my sweets.

Symptoms? Apparently in the 3rd trimester progesterone kicks up quite a bit, and for me that is manifesting in a few forehead pimples, bloody noses, and really extreme constipation. I actually had another awful encore of what happened in New Mexico, and am adding prune juice to the shopping list. I also wonder if progesterone has anything to do with my early waking, as that was happening a lot in the 1st trimester as well.

Physically, I am having weird tugs in my glutes and inner thighs. I went on a 2 mile walk this week (which proved to be DIFFICULT- lots of round ligament tightening coupled with Braxton Hicks)- and it felt like my right inner thigh muscle was totally pulled. I suspect this has to do with the whole hip widening/pelvis opening action going on. On a walk with BC the other night I was getting noticeably winded, which apparently is pretty common at this stage in the game as my uterus starts pushing upward and infringing on my lungs.

Most looking forward to? We have an ultrasound on Wednesday and I am so excited to see our little one again and see how she's grown! Also super excited for my baby shower... here's hoping I can settle on the right dress SOON.