Maternity Photos

We had our maternity photos taken last Sunday as I mentioned last week. We had so many WONDERFUL photos taken by my friend Sara {and I didn't want to overload Facebook with the cheesy/lovey dovey ones} so I wanted to make a separate post on here with them all. :)

First.... I sought out Pinterest {my Pinterest maternity photo board} for some maternity photo inspiration. I knew I didn't want anything like this, but instead non-cheesy-but-still-somewhat-posed photos. Make sense? Not really, but here was some of my inspiration:

So cue Sara, our talented friend who does photography for fun, and probably the most beautiful day of the summer.

I LOVE how they turned out. I think it really captured our personalities and the moment perfectly.

35 weeks

Hey there! This will be a short and sweet post. This week was pretty uneventful.

We finished our birthing class online. I'd say we are as close to birthing experts as we can be at this point so bring it on! But not yet, please wait at least 3 more weeks baby boy. Okay, thanks :)

I got a lot done in the nursery over the week/weekend. Most of you have probably already seen on Facebook that I hung the letters from the shower over the bookshelves.

I LOVE how they turned out. They are perfect above the bookshelves and I love that it adds a special touch since they were made by friends and family and those that love little man. :) I also spray painted some letters I got from Hobby Lobby and hung them above his crib so you will see how that looks when I post pictures of the nursery here soon!

As far as what's left in the nursery, it's really just a bit more putting things away and organizing. His room has a small closet so I'm just trying to see what works best where. I've ordered everything off our registry that we still need but his glider won't be here for a few more weeks :( So, I might have to post nursery pictures without it.

We had maternity pictures taken this evening by my friend Sara at Schiller Park in German Village. I thought this would be a good location because the park has cobblestone walks, beautiful flowers and trees and a pretty bridge. It was 73 degrees and sunny today so the perfect weather for a photoshoot. I really wanted to capture this special time in our lives and Sara takes amazing photos so wanted to give it a try! I should have the photos in a few weeks and can't wait to see how they turned out.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I'm feeling bigger every day. It really feels like my uterus is pushing on my lungs and I always feel like I've just run a mile when I take a short walk anywhere. Baby boy is just over 5 pounds at this point and his organs are pretty much fully developed. Over the next few weeks his main goal is just to gain weight.

How far along? 35 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep! Pretty much all that I wear these days.
Stretch marks? Nope, the lotion seems to be working - but still 5 weeks of stretching to go
Sleep: I'm used to the lack of comfort at this point. :)
Best moment of the week: Getting maternity pictures taken
Miss anything? Painting my toenails without it feeling like a chore
Movement: Yep, he's supposedly cramped but I still see and feel him moving a lot
Food cravings: Pickles - typical
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: Yep, it's pretty obvious 
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None - still oblivious to the Braxton Hicks contractions
Belly button in our out? Flat - it's so weird!
Rings on or off? Off
Looking forward to: Finishing with the nursery and putting baby gear together

That's all - have a great week!

33 & 34 weeks

So sorry for being MIA lately! We were on vacation last week and had a busy end of the week so I wasn't able to blog.

So... going back to almost 2 weeks ago... we had an offsite work function at the Columbus Clippers game. A day away from the office... sounds fun, right? WRONG. It was 90 degrees and our seats were right in the sun. I sweat in places I didn't know I could sweat (TMI, I know). My feet were huge and by the end of the game I was miserable! I'd say no more baseball until after baby, but we're going to another Clippers game on the 31st. What was I thinking?!

We started our birthing class online. Pregnancy brain is causing me to forget if I mentioned that we were unable to take the class in person because of our schedule and OSU's lack of availability so we are taking it online. It's pretty user friendly and so far has been helpful. We are only halfway through and need to finish it out next week. So far we've learned the signs of pre labor, how to count contractions, breathing techniques (do they still call it Lamaze??), natural vs. epidural, stress and pain relieving techniques and the different positions to push. A LOT of information to remember. I think it's really going to come down to being in the moment, having support from Matt and trying to reduce stress as much as possible.

We left last Friday after work to head up to Port Clinton to stay at a beach house with my parents. My brother came in from Denver which was so nice because we haven't seen him since January... and Ashley came up from DC! Saturday afternoon we went to Put in Bay to explore the island. It was fun to be with Ashley, Matt and Brian on my favorite island but by the end of the day I was feeling hot and big and like I was the only sober person on the island. I think it's safe to say hot baseball games and the islands are not the best place for pregnant girls! We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing in the sun and eating lots of good food. :)

Wednesday of this past week we had a tour of, ahem, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Phew, I need to take a breath after blurting that out. The hospital actually surpassed my expectations and I think I'll definitely feel comfortable there during labor. The rooms are set up nice and all of them are private - I"m glad there is no possibility I'll have to share a room! Matt's glad they have a tv and wi-fi :)

Thursday night Matt, Lauren and Adalyn were in town and stopped by for a visit. Adalyn was cute as a button, per usual, and let's just say she's very mobile and active and gave us a little preview of the baby proofing we'll need to do in the house. :)

Saturday, my sister in law and mother in law threw me a shower in Zanesville. My sister in law Lynette did a wonderful job and put together a great shower. We got soo many more gifts - I don't even know where to put everything! Lynette is so crafty and sewed baby boy 2 beautiful blankets and a quilt - I'll post pictures when I have them.

We decorated bibs

Flower bouquet with baby washcloth roses :)

Diaper wreath!

On a side note, I've noticed my pregnancy pillow has been borrowed by some others lately...

In pregnancy news, I'm getting more uncomfortable. I always feel like he's laying on top of my lungs or on my bladder and half the time I either have heartburn or a headache. I'm getting to the point in pregnancy where I just want him OUT. At 34 weeks, baby boy is about 4 3/4 lbs and should be head down already or very soon.

How far along? 34 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep! Pretty much all that I wear these days.
Stretch marks? Nope, the lotion seems to be working - but still 6 weeks of stretching to go
Sleep: I'm used to the lack of comfort at this point. :)
Best moment of the week: Another shower for baby boy - we're so blessed!
Miss anything? Seeing my feet.
Movement: Yep, he's supposedly cramped but I still see and feel him moving a lot
Food cravings: Ice cream today - and it happens to be National Ice Cream day!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: Yep, it's pretty obvious 
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None - still oblivious to the Braxton Hicks contractions
Belly button in our out? Flat
Rings on or off? Off
Looking forward to: I feel like  a broken record - organizing the nursery!

Have a great week :)

32 weeks

Oh heyyyy there! How in the heck did a 4 day weekend go by so fast?!?!

I had another doctors appointment this past week. Once again everything is looking good and baby boy is developing just as he should be! My appointments are every two weeks at this point and once I hit 36 weeks they will be every week.

Wednesday after work I started to tackle this mess of amazing gifts....

Gifts galore!

Milo is a fan of the Amazon.com gift bags

Then I did two (yes, two!!) loads of laundry just with little man's clothes. It was a headache figuring out how to organize all of them, but I was able to designate drawers by size (0-3 months, 3-6 months, etc.) I should've listened to Lauren and gotten a laundry bag for his socks - I already lost one; they are so tiny and hard to keep track of!

He's going to be well dressed!

Wednesday night was Red White and Boom downtown and we never really feel like trying to make it down there - it's crazy crowded and not worth the drive. Thank goodness they broadcast the fireworks on tv.

Just as good on tv :)

On the 4th, we had a pretty low key day and went to see fireworks in the evening with our friends Katie and Eddie in Bexley. Little man was moving a lot during the show - he either liked them, or hated them!

Friday night we went to Cambridge for Matt's friend Mike's surprise 30th birthday party. We had a really good time and it was nice catching up with Matt's high school friends. We spent Saturday visiting with Matt's parents and fulfilling my craving of Wally's pizza - YUM.

Baby boy's nursery is really coming together. We have a few more things to finish up and then I will show you how it all looks. :)

I was really excited to try out this Pinterest craft - I looked for the spice racks at IKEA when I was there a few months ago but they don't carry them at the Cincinnati store, so I had to order them online. The problem is you can't order them directly from the IKEA website so I spent a little more than I was hoping to and got them on eBay. We decided to spray paint them white, then hung them low on the wall so little man can pick out his books himself eventually.

I like that the books are front facing so you can see the cover.

In pregnancy news I'm still feeling pretty good lately. Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am to have such an easy pregnancy, and other than my feet swelling I have to *knock on wood* and hope that everything continues this way for the next 8 weeks. I'm waddling more and more and taking advantage of the built-in shelf my belly has created for me - a nice place to set my phone or cereal bowl. :)

Baby boy is about 3.75 pounds and has toenails, fingernails and real hair - we are really wondering what color hair he will have! He'll about double his weight by the time I reach my due date.

How far along? 32 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yep! Pretty much all that I wear these days.
Stretch marks? Not yet {that I can see!}  Lotioning the belly every morning
Sleep: It's getting a little uncomfortable - my back pain is worst when I get out of bed to use the restroom - I look like an old man walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night!
Best moment of the week: Getting some organization done in the nursery
Miss anything? In the spirit of the recent Holiday, it would have been nice to have a nice cold beer this past week!
Movement: Yep, Grandma Dregallo felt him move this week!
Food cravings: Fruit always sounds good
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Have you started to show yet: Yep, it's pretty obvious at this point
Gender prediction: It's a boy!
Labor signs: None - still oblivious to the Braxton Hicks contractions
Belly button in our out? In, but getting flat
Rings on or off? Off - wearing my fakie
Looking forward to: A mini vacation this weekend

My next post will be late - we're off to Port Clinton this weekend with my parents and will be there until Wednesday. Have a wonderful week!!

31 weeks

Hi! I'm late again, but I have an excuse because this weekend was slightly busy.

Last Tuesday I had a breastfeeding class at our pediatrician's office. They have a lactation consultant come in once a month to teach a free class to parents. It was A LOT of information and the class was really helpful. I learned about everything from why breastfeeding is beneficial to feeding schedules to feeding positions and more. I'm a little bit scared of this whole process but I know it is the best thing for little man and if I stick with it and stay strong, I'll get the hang of it soon enough!

This weekend we went back to Cleveland for my shower and lots of other fun events. Saturday afternoon, we celebrated Adalyn's first birthday. I honestly cannot believe that little sweet pea is already one! We had a great time watching her be a little cutie pie in her tutu and open gifts and smash cake in her mouth. She was hamming it up the whole time and setting the expectations even higher for our little guy to be as adorable as her! Lauren and I decided that Adalyn and baby boy will have an arranged marriage and will live happily ever after together. :)

After Adalyn's party it was time to continue the baby fest and we went to Angela and Brent's to meet their new baby Ava! They had her on June 25 so I was thrilled that we'd be able to meet her while we were in town. She is freaking adorable and is such a good baby! I'm so happy for them and I know they are going to be amazing parents.

After meeting Ava, I went to Kathryn's mom's birthday party. I didn't take any photos, urg! But, it was a good time. :) Afterwards I went with Ashley to one of our favorite hometown spots, John Christ Winery. At this point the sight of alcohol doesn't even really tempt me anymore so I didn't mind being surrounded by wine, it was just wonderful to catch up with my best friend!

Sunday was my baby shower! I have to say, Lauren and Ashley made my "low key" baby shower so amazingly special. Every little detail was so lovely and I am so blessed to have friends and family who want to shower me and baby boy with so much love. We received so many wonderful gifts and are feeling so spoiled! I couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our baby boy. Thank you so much Lauren and Ashley!! Oh yeah, and I have another shower in a few weeks being thrown by my sister in law... can't wait!

So freaking delish.

Can't wait to hang these in his room!

Baby boy is growing and still active in my belly. I've started to feel him as low as what feels like my hip bones and as high as my rib bones. I'm hoping he doesn't get cozy up in my ribs, as Lauren told me she would have to push Adalyn out of her ribcage when she was pregnant with her! He weighs around 3.3 pounds and as I sit here with my laptop on my lap, I have my phone resting on my belly - it's the first time I've taken advantage of my new "shelf" :) He can turn his head from side to side and is flipping upside down and rotating around in my tummy. I still feel pretty great considering what my body is doing right now but get pretty tired after work and have to prop my feet up to reduce the swelling. My wardrobe is getting smaller and I'm hoping to get by with the clothes that I have, so I might have to get creative!

How far along? 31 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yes! The top in the photo is non maternity, I can still throw in a few of those pieces

Stretch marks? Not yet {that I can see!}  Lotioning the belly every morning - it must be working!

Sleep: This past week was pretty good! I'm getting used to the potty breaks and can fall back asleep pretty quickly.

Best moment of the week: My shower! So much fun

Miss anything? Wearing heels - I know that's random but I'm sick of flats! (The thought of putting on heels right now is exhausting but I miss having pretty shoes on)

Movement: Yes! He loves to wiggle around in there

Food cravings: I just saw a commercial for Helmann's mayo featuring a BLT that looks DELICIOUS!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Have you started to show yet: Yep, I'm asked my due date by strangers almost once every day!

Gender prediction: It's a boy!

Labor signs: None

Belly button in our out? Pretty flat, neither in or out

Rings on or off? Off - wearing my fakie

Looking forward to: Sorting through all of our gifts and getting the nursery back to organized!