8 months on Monday...

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone, well at least the last 4 months. My belly is getting bigger by the day it seems. We are going to take maternity pictures this Sunday and I am so excited! Then next weekend is my baby shower - YAY! My sister and mom have been working super hard on the shower and I am so thankful! To be honest, I feel like the shower will be the last time I see a lot of my friends until the next year. I know with Chloe here and family coming in from out of town to visit the new little one, I will be so busy and exhausted and just starting to adjust to an infant in the family.

We have the rest our pregnancy classes every Weds for next 4 weeks, then it is pretty much go time any time after that. It just blows my mind how soon that is. The classes are definitely enlightening, but I feel like everyone in the class still know much more than I do about labor and delivery. Looks like I need to start doing my research and talk to all the mommies I know. Time to get personal with these ladies, I need to know what exactly I am expecting, or could possibly expect. I know each birth is different, but it is nice to know what I might have to go through..... We have learned about the different types of medications that can be administered  and the 3 phases of labor. We have learned about contractions and water breaking and when to actually go to the hospital. I feel as though as I will learn so much, but when it comes down to "go time" I will completely forget everything I was just taught. Thankfully, all the nurses will be there and they no exactly what to do. whew. James is taking this class seriously too, he is learning and talking to me about everything and even asking questions in class. It makes me so excited that he will be there with me to coach me through and just not sitting in the waiting room until it is all over.

On to non-baby related issues:
Today is OCTOBER 1ST! I Love this day because it somehow resembles the kick off of the holiday seasons for me. I wish that we actually had "autumn" here in San Diego, but I just browse the hundreds of pictures on the internet to get my fix. James and I celebrated today with hot caramel apple spice from Starbucks... and I am going to go back (thank you for the $2 treat receipt) to get a pumpkin spice latte. yummmmmmmmm. We are going to go look for Halloween costumes today at one of the local thrift stores. We have decided to be Juno and Paulie Bleeker. I am pregnant this Halloween and gotta live it up! I was contemplating on being Santa, but that would be much too hot of a costume. haha.





♥ Michelle

baby bump - week 31

so sorry! I just have been too busy this week to post this picture. It was taken Monday, the start of my 31st week of pregnancy.

Chloe has been movin' and shakin' this week. We had our 2nd day of birthing classes (that experience will have to be in a post of its own). Half the class the husbands were taught how to message and soothe the moms during labor. The teacher brought candles, scented lotions and soothing music. I doubt that is anything like what my labor will be, but it was really nice to get to relax and get James to give me a message :)



♥ Michelle

Vegas Trip

My sister turned 21 on Sept 10th. To Celebrate she went to Vegas with a bunch of her friends. My parents and I wanted to join in the festivities, so we tagged along. Well, sort of. We decided to go to Vegas on our own and just meet up with my sister and her boyfriend for a day.

 We left Friday around noon and got back Sunday evening. It was fun, not the best time I have had in Vegas, but that is because I am 7.5 months pregnant and have a lack of energy and stamina to walk around all day and night. It was still a really fun trip. James had never been to Vegas before so it was really cool to show him everything for his first time. 

On Friday night we went to Freemont Street. I really enjoy the music experience they do every hour. It instilled my love for the band QUEEN once again. We were there for hours it seemed, but it was great and I liked that it was busy, but not too crowded. Tons of fun people all dressed up as famous people or characters and of course, about 5 Elvis' including "Mini Elvis".

On Saturday, we met up with my sister and Kevin and we ate at the Excalibur hotel buffet. My sister had always wanted to eat at a big huge buffet so we picked one that was somewhat well known and closest to us. Let me tell you, this is the WORST buffet ever and I feel bad my parents wasted their money. For such a known hotel, I would assume the food would be somewhat tasty, but not in the least. Anyway, the day got much better from there.

 We walked around all day visiting the different hotels and sight seeing. My parents played a lot of slots while James and I explored. I really do love exploring although I have to take a lot more rest now a days.

Around dinner time we at at Gilly's at Treasure Island hotel. We were seated right on the balcony and got front row seats to watch the "Sirens" show.

 One of the highlights of the whole day was eating at Gilly's because they have AMAZING SWEET POTATO FRIES! It even came with a marshmallow cream and molasses syrup for dipping. YUM!  I am really obsessed with sweet potato fries it is hard to find a restaurant that has good ones.


I like walking around the strip at night so much more because of all the glitzy lights!We watched the water show in front of the Bellagio and caught the tale end of the volcano show in front of the Mirage. We saw the lions at MGM, walked around the shops at Cesar's forum (where I got a bloody nose from all the insane heat) and found the Flamingo "paradise" garden, among many other things.

By the time we had met back up with my parents, James and I walked around for 12 hours . At the end of the day, I could barely lift up my legs. I really had overdone myself. My feet were hurting so bad that I had to soak them in hot water once we got back to the hotel, but I still loved sight seeing with James.

I am so used to California, where it is illegal to smoke almost anywhere these days and totally forgot that you can smoke inside and outside in Vegas. The cigarette smoke was killing me, i wish we would have gotten to take the trip before I was preggo and I hope that all that second hand smoke didn't hurt Chloe.

James and I don't really gamble so it was much more of just sight seeing for us. Since I am preggo, we really didn't go to any clubs or anything. All in all, I was glad he was able to go at least SEE Vegas before Chloe was here. Another "to do before we move" to check off our list. YAY!

♥ Michelle

Last Trip to Phoenix

Phoenix is hot, I mean like really, really, hot. Every time we go there, it seems no matter what time of year it is, it's just too hot to do ANYTHING outside. We got o Phoenix at least once a year to visit my side of the family out there. My Grandma, Aunt and her two daughters, 1 of whom has a family of her own all live out in Phoenix. They are pretty much the only family I grew up with. We have not been able to go out there as much this year with everything happening and then the pregnancy as well. In fact, the last time we went out there was almost exactly a year ago. I went to help throw my cousin's baby shower and a week later she had her son, Dylan.
 We finally got a chance to go out there for my cousin's baby's 1st birthday.  He was as cute as ever and even though he slept through most of the party, I am sure he enjoyed the party and all the cute little Toy Story gifts he received. We were able to spend some quality time with Grandma, which is always the best. I had the realization while I was out there that this will be the last time I will be visiting in a loooooong time, if ever. Now that we will have the baby and we will be moving to Oregon, we will not be able to visit family in different states as much as we do now. When we do have vacation time and money, I am pretty sure it will be to come to San Diego to visit all our family we will be leaving here. Sad, but true... Although, I should never say never.
 We didn't get to take too many pictures, but we did finally snap some photos with the dino and snake we ALWAYS pass in Gila Bend and we promise each other we will take pics with them on the trip back and never do. Finally something to check off on our list..

 ♥ Michelle

Baby Bump - Week 30

 " Your baby's length is about 16 inches—about as long as a laptop computer—and she measures almost 11 inches from crown to rump. She weighs approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Your baby has doubled in height over the past six weeks, and from now until delivery, she'll gain only a few more inches in length. (Thank goodness! There is seriously no more room for her to grow!)  Your baby's most important organ, her brain, continues to develop at a rapid pace. Her eyes are able to track light, and some researchers have theorized that exposing your belly to light may stimulate development." - FIT pregnancy

We tried laying in the dark last night, moving a flashlight over my tummy to see if she responded... No such luck. Maybe she was just too pooped from all the crazy moving around I was doing yesterday. We also put headphones over my belly and played some Vitamin String Quartet... She actually kicked the headphones a couple of times as I moved it around on my belly... but it wasn't enough for us to get too excited over... definitely trying again tonight. :)


♥ Michelle

Baby Bump - Week 29

"The baby is about two and a half pounds and would be between fifteen and seventeen inches tall if she could stand. Her brain can detect rhythmic breathing and control body temperature, so she's less likely to need breathing assistance should she be born early. She's growing eyelashes, adding fat, and developing her brain. Because of brain wave activity, researchers have speculated that babies can even dream at this time!" - Fit Pregnancy.

Dear Chloe,
I hope your dreaming of us! I know we dream of you often.  We can't wait to hold you.
Love,
Mom & Dad



♥ Michelle

2 Year Anniversary

Tuesday was our 2 year anniversary. My, how time has flown by! And soon we will be a family of 3 (4 if we count Peanut, which we do). I just can't believe it.

 









I was feeling sickly again this year (same as our anniversary last year) and I really couldn't move around all that much, but James rolled with the punches. He bought me flowers and even brought some to our work. It was so cute. We went to dinner and just stayed home to watch some movies. It was a nice low-key date night and even though it wasn't super romantic, it was perfectly us. I promised James we would save the romantic date for when I am feeling a bit better, hopefully this weekend.


Anyway,
Thank you for the best 2 years of my life. James, your such a wonderful, caring, Godly husband that I am so very proud of.

♥ Michelle

Nursery Update

We finally got started on our nursery. We painted the crib a gorgeous teal/aqua color and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! We decided to go with aqua, yellow and hints of pink for the nursery colors. I was shopping online at plasticland and found a really pretty art hanging to put in the nursery, but when we went to purchase, they were all sold out! :(  I have been scouring the site waiting for it to come back into stock. Here is our inspiration:

The edging color is pretty much what the crib color is. I will post updated pics of the nursery soon.

♥ Michelle

Baby Bump - Week 28

"Your baby has doubled her weight in the past month and is the size of a bag of flour. She now weighs almost 2 1/2 pounds. Her total length is nearly fifteen inches. Your baby's lungs are now capable of breathing air! This is big news. It means if the baby is born from now on, she'll be able to survive with less medical intervention. Your baby's main job right now is to put the finishing touches on major organ systems, such as her brain, lungs, and liver. As you can probably tell, she's also working on gaining layers of fat. Her body fat is about 2 to 3 percent. Your baby's eyes, which were covered by her eyelid folds at the sixth week of development, are capable of opening this week. Her sucking and swallowing skills are improving." - FitPregnancy.com

♥ Michelle

Mashed Potato Contest

Our lovely Smencil company decided to have a Mashed Potato contest. Our boss beleived he could make the best mashed potatoes ever, and just to prove it we all had to bring our best in and have a cook off!

Let me say, ALL the entries were good. We even had people who didn't work here participate. James and I decided to create separate entries. He made a ranch flavored dish and mine was more like really amazing loaded potatoes with real bacon and all.

I came in second and James' dish came in third. How's that for two people who never cook? We now know what to bring to every potluck we get invited to. haha.

♥ Michelle