EV Success!

Guess who's no longer breech? That's right!

We went into labor and delivery for our 10 a.m. appointment with the celebrity doctor and before we knew it, Baby W had a new position. I bet he's just super confused at this point having been breech for a long time and now living in an upside-down world.

We know L&D quite well considering we spent a few hours there on Tuesday after my fall. We were taken into a delivery room this time because they needed to use the ultrasound machine-- and it appeared to be pretty quiet around the area.

The nurse hooked me up to fetal monitoring again, asked me a ton of questions, and gave me a shot that was to calm the uterus before the EV was to be performed. The shot was no walk in the park and hurt for a few minutes after, but I've had worse. It made me feel a bit jittery, but that's just what the nurse said I might feel. She came in and gave me a big cup of ice water to get the baby moving. It seemed to work quite well because there was lots of movement going on!

After being there for about 30 minutes, the doctor came in, checked to make sure I was still breech (definitely) and they hauled in the ultrasound machine. They checked his positioning and heart rate often for a few minutes as they figured out where he was in my belly. Then, the action started. She used both hands on my nicely gooped belly (they used a bunch of that ultrasound gel), scooped his bottom and his head and moved him in a circle clockwise (if you're from my perspective). It took about 15 seconds and it worked! Except... he promptly moved back into his lovely breech position. They monitored me again, counted his heart rate, and tried again. This time, about 15-20 not-so-comfortable seconds and he was head down! She held him there for about a minute while monitoring his heart rate as to make sure there was no distress. While painful, it wasn't the worst I've felt. The nurse commented twice that she's never seen anything like it-- the baby's body obviously moving into place. The doctor said it was because I'm a small person and every large body part (his head, mainly) was visible. The doctor was very pleased and said I was a great candidate not only because I have a small physique, but because I was relatively calm throughout the process and didn't tense my stomach muscles.

I was hooked up again to fetal monitoring to assure there was no distress and discharged 2 hours later-- after we both had cat naps, watched a little TV, and listened to some Christmas music. Before we left, I was strapped with a massive belly band so that it would hold him in place and give him little room to be able to flip back up if he tried. I have instructions to wear this band at least until my next OB appointment on Saturday, December 4th.

While elated, it's a bit more scary and real now! Things could potentially move at any time considering he is in position. With our previous situation, I had more control of knowing that there was little likelihood I would go into labor because he was not positioned properly. Now... it's all a mystery! Thank you to all who were praying (especially my favorite 2-year old, Joel Marriott). Now, if we can only keep him down and from already expressing his {obviously} individual mind. I wonder who he has acquired that quality from? ;)

Baby Update: Week 37

This week was quite different from most! I had two experiences I never anticipated! Well, one experience and somewhat of a decision we had to make.

Here's the experience...
I was on my way to sub last Tuesday and stopped off at Starbucks to buy a venti caramel apple spice. I rarely go to Starbucks and even more rare is ordering a venti! I happened to have my free birthday coupon from October that was soon to expire. On this bitter cold morning, I figured it was the best time to use it. I arrive at the school 30 minutes before school starts and grabbed everything I needed from my car. About 20 feet from the door of the school, I slipped on black ice (I did mention is was definitely in the 20's with a wind-chill, right?) and landed right on my bottom. You can imagine where my drink ended up... all over the place. Frustrated, I headed into the school knowing I was probably going to be leaving immediately. I let the secretary know that I couldn't stay and had to go to the hospital. At 37 weeks, that's not something to take lightly. I called Ray and he met me at the hospital. I was just so frustrated because my bottom didn't even hurt, my drink was gone, I lost out on a sub day (which are about to end completely soon, along with that extra cashflow), I left my delicious lunch at the school, I inconvenienced the school who had to find another sub with 20 minutes left until school began, and to top it off, I had to spend 2 hours at labor and delivery! Who knows what that bill is going to look like when it arrives...

I was hooked up to a fetal monitor for 2 hours and listened to Baby W's heartbeat the entire time. It was fairly steady around the 130's until he moved-- then it jumped between 150-160 every time. Ray stayed with me and got a bit of a taste of what it's going to be like in just a few weeks. When I was done, the nurse said she read a few contractions, but at this point in my pregnancy, that is completely normal and not the effect of a fall. I was discharged and carried on with my day.

The next piece of weekly news is the decision we had to make. I was scheduled to see the doctor yesterday and not looking forward to the waiting room. Every time I am scheduled to see this particular woman, it takes forever to be seen! I usually wait over an hour in the waiting room for her. She is also the one of the four doctors in the practice that is the "celebrity" of the group. She delivers all the high-risk, scheduled multiples births, and is known in the area for being that doctor. You can almost never get a new patient appointment to see her unless you are already seeing another doctor more exclusively in the practice. Since it is uncertain of which doctor will be on-call the day I deliver, they schedule me to see all of them at times during my monthly/weekly checkups. I saw two other doctors the last two weeks and this week was her turn. Having been breech and given ultrasounds the last two weeks in a row, I thought this week would be no different. The waiting part was dead-on. I had to wait forever. When she came in, she also recorded that the baby was still breech (which we also knew going in) but then asked if I would consider an external version. I was shocked to hear this! We went into this appointment thinking they would automatically schedule me a c-section and just hope for the best when it came to his positioning. That was the only way we saw getting out of the c-section. She didn't even mention the word! She told me she was on-call Sunday and that she would gladly attempt the version if we were interested. She weighed the pros and cons of the procedure (concern of placenta separating from the uterus or going into active labor) but also said that in her 23 years of doing ev's, she has never seen that happen. Well, I believe she said one woman went into immediate labor after, but that's better than the placental separation. So, we agreed to go ahead with it. We scheduled the procedure for 10 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday, November 28th) and walked out. If it doesn't work and he still doesn't turn, we have a scheduled c-section. If it does work or he turns at a later date, we're going natural. I know the procedure is painful, but I'm willing to give it a shot for the potential to avoid the awful c-section recovery! The stat I was given: there's about a 30% chance it will work since it works best on people who've already been pregnant (= stretched uterus more pliable and mine isn't). She also said, though, that since he is quite high in my belly that it may be a better chance for me than another first-pregnancy candidate. Considering I was given a 25% chance he'll move on his own, I will at least increase the probability a bit more and do everything we can.

As for the rest of the baby updates...

How far along?: 37w4d
How big is Baby?: Baby W can be anywhere between 5.5-7 pounds at this point. All estimates, of course. I'm about 2 days away from viability, where the baby can be born at any time without any risk of complication or underdevelopment.
Maternity clothes?: Yes, and I hate them. Loathe. Can't wait for my other clothes to fit again.
Sleep?: I slept amazing last night thanks to the humidifier and lots of lotion. For the most part, I've been sleeping erratically, but I was happy to have a great night's rest.
Best moment of the week?: The whole week was wonderful. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends, Jim, Kristi, and Joel along with their families. Ray and I are in the midst of 4 days off together which is such a blessing to have right before chaos hits (aka having our first baby!). Sure, it will be chaos, but also a precious time in our lives we will only share together.
Movements?: Yes, he moves. A lot, and often. While we were playing games with about about 15 friends last night, and all of them witnessed Baby W moving violently in my belly. He can be quite entertaining. :)
Food cravings?: I've been wanting pizza this week more than usual... though I haven't actually had any. Haha.
Aversions?: I wouldn't say so, except that I don't feel in the mood for leftovers lately
What I miss?: See maternity clothes and sleep.
What I'm looking forward to?: Tomorrow's procedure being over. I want it to happen but I want even more for it to be over so we have a general idea of the next proceedings. Will be be having a c-section, or not?
Anything else?: Nope. Most websites are saying he's fully cooked at this point and can come at any time.
This week in history: The full-body scans and pat-downs at airports are causing lots of issues with TSA and travelers.
What's going on this week (with us)?: I mentioned a few things... but we've been spending a lot of time this week just getting little things done for Baby W. We bought some items and did the laundry of baby clothes, blankets, etc. We're now working on odds and ends that are on our to-do list for this long weekend. We've cleaned the house really well since there is a potential that tomorrow's procedure could be the day for us. Doubtful, but we aren't taking any chances of coming home to massive amounts of dust bunnies. Of course that means I'll probably be doing another deep clean before the baby actually does come, but at least we utilized our time well. We headed out last night after bundling ourselves up in a bunch of layers to see the Naperville parade through downtown. After, we had cider and headed to the Grounds for Hope Cafe to play games with a bunch of friends.

I'll update if the external version was a success, or not after tomorrow's procedure! Turn, baby, turn!

Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is such a special time. Just last night I was reading back on a few random journal entries I wrote while we were living in Germany this time last year. We worked that day and drove to a local town, Iserlohn for dinner-- Chinese food takeout. Then we went to a Christmas market, our very first one, and headed home. The Germans do not celebrate this day of Thanksgiving as we do in the states, but in many ways, it seems like they are more thankful everyday than we are. Their lives are simpler. They have one option of many grocery products, focus less on brand names, and don't appear to need everything like we do.

This year, our circumstances are considerably different. We are awaiting the birth of our son in 3 weeks or less! It's an incredible gift to share with one another as a married couple and an even more precious gift knowing that what we have created is a complete miracle from God. There is simply no other way to describe it.

As we hustle to gather the food together and scope out Black Friday deals, I just want to make sure we, the Wilson's, are conscious of how much we are gifted with. In forms of health, family, friends, love, food, shelter, and God's grace... we're abundantly gifted with so much that it is important to reflect on that.

As we welcome this little miracle into our lives, may we be thankful parents who teach humility, appreciation, God's love and grace, and thankfulness to him each day. May we be a representation of this with our lives as an example.

We can't wait to see you, little love!

Lots of Yellow + Squirrel Carnage

I'll start with the carnage. Ever since a few days before Halloween, we've noticed some special holes in our pumpkins. We suspected birds. Oh no. Squirrels. Instead of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like they used to eat in Southern California (they weren't normal), they eat pumpkins. I guess it makes sense. They are edible and the squirrels are hungry. They're also not stupid. They know winter is coming and that is a time where they will starve if they aren't on their game. The carnage looks much worse now, but I didn't snap any more photos.

We celebrated our friend Kristi's 30th birthday with dinner and fun at their house. They made lasagna and salad. It was awesome.

We all dressed in yellow to pay tribute to Kristi who loves yellow. Some of us did not have yellow (I seriously can't believe Ray does not own a single piece of yellow clothing. Nothing. Not even a t-shirt.

Here is the some of the crew in yellow...

Ladies in yellow...

Reflective yellow shot. It doesn't appear that I'm doing a whole lot of reflecting. Haha.

Good friends, good fun.

Baby Update: Week 36

How far along?: 36w4d
How big is Baby?: He's about 6 pounds and 18.5 inches long! I can't believe that big of a child is growing inside of me. From the change on the scale at the doctor's this week, one of us is obviously gaining weight. I hope it's him, not me. :) Someone please take all of the Halloween candy out of our house immediately. Thanks.
Maternity clothes?: Yes. I am not starting to return some items to friends because either they fit too snug and I'm all about maximum comfort right now, or they are in need of them. Lots of pregnancies all around. I did discover a store called Clothes Minded (my friend Liz told me about) that has lots of maternity wear... I'll be visiting that place for baby #2 when that occurs in a few years (had to put that for my mom who will likely start asking me as soon as Baby W is born). ;)
Sleep?: Yes... this week was rough. I slept only a few patches at a time and I think it is because my skin has been so incredibly itchy. It's turning winter here. I took Baby W's humidifier and placed it directly next to me while I sleep, I have used massage oil and gobs of lotion, and we've now turned up the humidity in our house. It's almost unbearable. But... not sure that has anything to do with the baby-- though having to use the restroom a million times and having a basketball attached to your abdomen doesn't really warrant the best sleep anyway. Thank goodness for the last two restful nights, though.
Best moment of the week?: Having dinner with our friend Nik! He and Solange are great friends and some we miss dearly from California. Nik was out here for a job training and we were able to have Lou Malnati's for dinner with him. Since he couldn't experience "Chicago" since he was carless and working the majority of the daylight hours, we made sure he at least had a deep dish experience.
Movements?: Yes... but not the ones I want. We found out via ultrasound #2 (in two weeks time) that he is still breech. He moves all the time but none have been the 180 degree movement I am hoping for.
Food cravings?: Like I said, food is just always appealing.
Aversions?: None.
What I miss?: I miss fitting into clothes. Last Saturday (1 week ago from when I am writing this), I bought a vest. I can't zip it now. I'd just like a few more options.
What I'm looking forward to?: Baby W! I think it's safe to say that at almost 37 weeks! I'm also looking forward to accomplishing a few things on our to-do list this weekend.
Anything else?: Baby W is continuing to pack on pounds and the only thing left is to make sure his little lungs are developed enough to sustain life outside of my body. In just about 9 days, he will be considered "full term" and able to live without additional support of any kind. Though, I think he'd be fine if born today, honestly.
This week in history: Not that this is newsworthy... but something that happened this week. Oprah just announced her "favorite things" on that show she does annually and plugged two things that affect us: Groupon (a website we use all the time) and the Nikon d3100 camera. We just bought it this week before her show aired. Thank goodness because now the prices are likely to spike and they'll be sold out everywhere! We needed a great camera to take pictures of our little man. We also made sure to buy the insurance so we wouldn't have the same debacle as our last camera tragedy. Take note, Canon, we've moved on to Nikon.
What's going on this week (with us)?: Ray is working a bunch and traveled to Minnesota for one day where he said there was snow on the ground. We still haven't had snow {yet, knock on wood}, but the temperatures have been a lot cooler. We've been hanging out in the 20's-40's lately. I've been subbing a bunch this week and just trying to get things done. Laundry is now in order since Baby W could really come anytime. I am in the process of washing everything, we just put the carseat in the car, and we're just prepping as we should. I am convinced that "nesting" is nothing more than "holy cow...we're going to have a baby and need to get this done now since we won't have time or energy later" as we are coming to realize. Ray played volleyball again last night and we're about to head out to run some errands. Productive, busy, and good.

Picture comparisons:

Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 5.5, Month 6, Month 6.5, Month 7, Month 7.5, Month 8, Month 8.5

Here's Month 9! He's still "high" on my belly because he's breech. No "dropping" has occurred, sadly.

We received another cute and creative gift in the mail. The package came from our friends Samiya, Ali, and Norah (their little lady). It's a really cute train of magnetic letters.

Carseat installed! We used the latch system in my Accord and read both the manual and car manual. It's quite tight and secure.

Baby Update: Week 35

No pictures on this one, sorry! Next week I'll be displaying the 36-week belly. Only a few more of these photos to go before Baby W makes his debut into the world!

How far along?: 35w2d
How big is Baby?: He's about 18 inches long and 5.25 pounds. He's officially out of the preemie stage! If he were born today, he'd most likely be a well-developed little guy. Correction... I just read online that a preemie baby is one that is born prior to 37 weeks gestation. However... there are many babies born before this at 6-7 pounds and perfectly normal. So, I'm not sure about that!
Maternity clothes?: Yes. I have cleared out a few items to give back to a friend I've borrowed them from because she is pregnant now with her second and has informed me that she is feeling her clothes already tightening. I have about a month left (thankfully!) and will be sizing down from there. Once baby comes, I may just be wearing lots of yoga-ish pants. Preferred anyway.
Sleep?: Yeah. I attempted to use this pregnancy pillow wedge but hated it. So, that exited the bed after one night. It was to position me and provide support of my lower back and belly while sleeping-- it also kept me on my side rather than falling on my back, which isn't recommended. Regardless, it didn't work and I didn't like it. Sleeping on my side just as always is what is best for me.
Best moment of the week?: I went on a great walk (and actually sweat!) with my friend Jess today. So far, that was the moment. I can't say that subbing in 1st grade or kindergarten were really that enthralling, honestly. ;)
Movements?: Yes, he's moving, but not in the right places! We found out yesterday at my appointment that he is breech, head up! Yikes! He still moves plenty but now I hope he's channeling that energy to move down into the birth canal. Can't believe I just typed that. Woah.
Food cravings?: No. But thankfully there is only one Snicker's ice cream bar left in the freezer. I have eaten 11/12 myself-- but not in the same day. I'd say I've consumed them over the course of two weeks. Still, dangerous!
Aversions?: Nope.
What I miss?: I miss running again. I just feel so immobile not being able to move my body more. Walking was nice, but it's not running. I know... get over it. Soon I'll be able to run again and I won't want to. Haha.
What I'm looking forward to?: I'm looking forward to the weekend again. I see my husband more on weekends and love that. We signed up to volunteer at the food pantry we've volunteered at before this coming Saturday and we have plans with friends, too. It should be a nice weekend. I'm also looking forward to my next doctor's appointment (Tuesday) so we can continue investigating Baby W's breech position and talk about options. They said they generally do not do an external version on women in their first pregnancies because there is a concern of rupturing the placenta in the process. We'll see. I've started all kinds of weird things like lying on an ironing board with frozen veggies, shining flashlights, and crawling on all fours for about 15 minutes at a time. Not enjoyable... so I sure hope he makes the decision on his own! C'mon Baby! We are conscious, however, that no matter what happens, this little guy will be a joy to us and just having him will be wonderful. Sure... I'd love to avoid a c-section at all cost, but if that does come to be, I need to accept it, remain thankful, and carry on.
Anything else?: Not a whole lot in the baby department as far as development is concerned aside from added pounds and finishing touches. He looks pretty much as he will when he finally comes.
This week in history: How about some positive news: today we celebrate our Veterans. :)

What's going on this week (with us)?: We are having a fine week at the Wilson house. Tomorrow night Ray will be playing dodgeball for his Friday night sport since there is no volleyball tomorrow. I'll go and watch as usual. We have our weekend planned and it will include lots of socializing. I think we'll probably buy a few baby (etc.) items this weekend, too. Baby is getting closer and we could use a few more things that although aren't required, may make life easier post delivery. I have my prenatal massage tomorrow and I'm thrilled! It should be awesome. I hope that I can relax enough for the positions she'll probably put me in. No doubt it will be my first prenatal massage and that in itself is a bit weird. But, I love massages and will absolutely come away feeling more refreshed.

Christmas Card Dilemma

While it's not a huge dilemma... it's one I've thought about. Do we send out Christmas cards this year being 9+ months pregnant with our baby? Do we wait until he arrives and be fashionably late with a cutesy photo of him to adorn a photo card? Do we send regular cards... or try Shutterfly for the very first time?

While still deliberating, we're considering a Christmas card/birth announcement that we'll order post-delivery so our little guy can be shown to the world. It may turn into a sort-of "New Years" card rather than a Christmas card, but that might be fun. Are birth announcements a thing of the past? In this digital age, it does make me wonder...

I was searching through Shutterfly's website and saw this gorgeous one that I loved...

Of course it wouldn't hurt if Shutterfly wanted to gift us with some freebie cards either. I heard through my friend Alli that they will be giving away 50 freebie cards to some bloggers-- now if we're chosen, we'll be under obligation to pick out something fantastic and send away!

Cooking Machine

I've made a few recipes recently that we liked enough to blog about. I'll definitely be making these again soon.

First one... pot pies. I love pot pies but have an impossible time finding ones that are both vegetarian and not 100 grams of fat each. I had never attempted the creation of one myself, but felt that the fall weather we've been having was the perfect time.

I felt a bit like Sandra Lee of Semi-Homemade Cooking when making this meal because I used mostly store bought items to save time. The recipe follows the photo...

Using our Crate & Barrel ramekins I love so much, I made these. Here's the recipe:
Semi-Homemade Chicken & Veggie Pot Pies 
Ingredients:
Crust: 
1 can of 8 low-fat croissants
Filling: 
- 1 breast cooked/chopped chicken
- 4 cups of cooked vegetables (I used 2 sliced carrots, chopped broccoli, diced green bell pepper and sauteed them with a touch of soy sauce/covered to steam the rest of the way)
- 1 can Cream of Potato soup (eliminates the need to cook potatoes, too!)
- Cheese of your choice. I used mozzarella, cheddar, and parmesan
- Chives, pepper, salt, season to taste. I don't measure... I just throw in.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to whatever the croissant container tells you to. :) 350 degrees I believe.
2. Unravel croissants but do not separate. Leave as two long rectangles. Use a rolling pin to thin them out as much as possible. Cut your thinned dough into 8 squares total.
3. Line the bottoms of the ramekins with a square piece of dough in each. Cook for about 5 minutes until a hint of golden appears. This is done so the bottom does not stay soggy when you add ingredients and cook again.
4. In the meantime, cook veggies and chicken.
5. Mix veggies, chicken, can of soup, and just enough water to give a smooth but not soupy consistency (about 1/2-3/4 cup depending on how much of the other ingredients you've added). Add cheeses-- whatever amount you'd like. Eye-ball it. Heat in a saucepan altogether until cheese melts into mixture.
6. Spoon mixture into each ramekin (at this point the bottom dough is a bit cooked).
7. Use the remaining 4 squares of croissant dough and cover each top by pinching over just as you would in making an apple pie.
8. Bake until golden.

Yields 4, 10-ounce ramekins = 4 meals ... but in our case... 2 very, very full people who love croissants a whole lot. Haha.

The next recipe was born when my friend Liz asked me to make a "bean" salad to bring over for dinner at their house. Bean salad? I'd honestly never made one! She of course knew that I am a veggie and figured I would find this task easy. One would think. I quickly kicked into gear and wanted to use my absolute favorite new protein/grain, Quinoa. This stuff is delicious, versatile, and incredibly good for you. It tastes just like white rice and has an airy consistency. I am not a fan of brown rice and this far surpasses that and is still better for you! I found recipes on the internet for quinoa and black bean salads but wasn't entirely pleased with any of them. So... I used some of their ideas but made my own rendition.

Black Bean & Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 cans black beans, drained
- bell pepper, diced (any color--I used red)
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (Hint: I cook with 1 cube of boullion or some stock instead of plain water. It makes for a much tastier result)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 bunch chopped green onions
- 1 cup sliced or chopped black olives
- 1 cup corn
- Chopped jalapeno pepper (I also added some of the jalapeno juice to the dressing)
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped/minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno juice (if using canned jalapenos, use jar juice-- or from peperoncinis jar)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients & serve cold

That evening, we had a great dinner at the Allen's house. We brought our salad and they made beef cabernet burgers with ciabbata bread as the buns (toasted and delicious), homemade spicy black bean veggie burger for me (SO delicious and so thoughtful), and spicy sweet potatoes (I don't like sweet potatoes but these were not sweet and I actually enjoyed them!).

...and let's not forget to mention a Thanksgiving package that showed up at our doorstep this week! Ray's parents sent some Thanksgiving love from Maryland. Thank you, MD Wilsons!

Baby Update: Week 34

It's been a great week here at the Wilson house. We've been quite productive and we're only "nesting" a little-- most of it is just preparing for winter!

Here are the updates before some fun photo updates:

How far along?: 34w5d
How big is Baby?: I read that he is between 4 pounds and 5 pounds at this point, erring on the side of 5 rather than 4! He's becoming a big boy! If born now, he would likely be fine with only a very short stay in NICU (surely we don't want that) and his lungs are just about fully developed and wouldn't require additional oxygen. He's also around 18 inches long!!!
Maternity clothes?: Yes, and I can't wait to be out of them. I know I'll still be wearing them post-birth for a bit, but at least I'll be able to fit into some of my other tops and slowly work my way back into normal clothes. Basically any clothes are uncomfortable at this point-- aside from Ray's shirts and sweatpants. Yes, I wear his shirts often... but only around the house.
Sleep?: Eh. Yes, I do, and no, it's not wonderful. I think those days are over! Sleeping in has been really difficult to do. But, the great thing is that when I am sleeping, neither my back nor ribs hurt. :)
Best moment of the week?: I really enjoyed having dinner at our friends Derrick & Liz's house along with our other great friends, Kristi, Jim, and Joel. And... Kristi announced she is pregnant with baby #2!
Movements?: I do believe he has moved from down (which was great) to the side (breech) again! I have become wider rather than further out. I used to be able to feel the hiccups in my lower belly, but now I am feeling what seems like his back and head in the center and extending to the left. But, he is surely moving a ton! Sometimes, I think he is physically carrying my organs to different places. Haha! My right rib has been quite sore this entire week. It's as if I have a bruise, but I know it's just the pressure from him pushing up.
Food cravings?: No, but please don't ask how much Halloween candy we had left over and hence have consumed as a result. The Twix, Kit Kat, and Reese's are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Aversions?: No. Not in the least.
What I miss?: Champagne. A friend mentioned it the other day and I wanted a glass. We have a bottle chilling in our fridge from Alison & Nic's visit that I will be consuming post delivery. It will be a Christmas present-- don't worry people... I will have a glass. My hope to breastfeed will not be compromised. Speaking of breastfeeding... man are those breastpumps expensive! Soon I shall invest in one. Soon.
What I'm looking forward to?: Well, I'm not looking forward to my weekly appointments starting this week! I had an appointment last week and they continue every single week until I deliver. I am, however, looking forward to finishing up all the purchases and little things before Baby W. We don't really need anything, but there are some things we're thinking about since our baby class this past weekend (like yellow washcloths designated for "dirty" jobs, baby wipe container, desitin... you know... the small stuff).
Anything else?: Like I said, I've started weekly doctor's appointments! It's becoming very real that next month (or anytime, really), we are going to be parents to a little boy! It's incredibly exciting and is giving us great anxiety all at the same time. We are blessed and can't wait to see what this little guy is like. At my doctor's appointment, I weighed in only .5 pounds more than 2 weeks prior and I am still under the 150 mark. I don't think I'll make it. As for Baby W, there isn't much going on other than adding extra poundage and final touches on organ development. But, in all the literature I've read, he would most likely be fine if born now or anytime after. Holy cow!
This week in history: Black Friday deals turning up early everywhere (we're interested in a couple things this year and plan to actually participate!), Obama in Asia, Daylight savings "fall back" occurred this morning at 2 a.m.-- love that extra hour usually... but when I'm pregnant and can't sleep anyway, it doesn't do much good. Haha.

What's going on this week (with us)?: We've been getting so much done around here. We washed both of our cars today. Mine hadn't been washed at all since we bought it in April and I wanted to touch up a few paint chips before the winter months = rust. We also purchased a few winter items like a snow shovel, ice, an oil space heater, and a firewood holder for our garage. We took our second baby class yesterday at the hospital called "Babycare Plus" that included information about when baby comes home and helpful tips (swaddling, diapering, Happiest Baby on the Block theories, carseat safety, vaccinations, pediatricians/doctors, infant CPR, etc.). It was okay. I heard amazing things about the class and while it was helpful to hear a few things, we didn't need the class. I guess we just felt that since we are first-time parents, we should take classes to educate ourselves despite the amount we've read in books and all over the Internet-- not to mention what we know from common sense and from friends with kids. Baby W does deserve the best, however, so we took the classes. Ray also played volleyball with our friends in the co-ed league (I go as a spectator) and won 2 of 3 games! They have now won more games than lost-- which is great! We had dinner with friends and that was wonderful as usual. It's just so nice having great friends.

Here are the monthly photos to compare:

Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 5.5, Month 6, Month 6.5, Month 7, Month 7.5, Month 8

Here's the Month 8.5 photo:

Here are some nursery photo updates. We bought a new lamp and there's the bird I bought at the thrift store, sanded, stained, and painted. I love it. The lamp was a recommendation on behalf of my friend Alison whose son, Scotty, used the nursery when they visited. It was quite dark and we needed some light in there for middle-of-the-night feedings. This lamp is awesome because the base is a touch-base. You simply touch anywhere on the silver bottom and it turns on. No switches to fumble with and so easy! Considering that we would use this as we're tired, it's easiest to use.

At my shower last week, the ladies provided us with a few things we felt we "needed" like the changing pad and changing pad cover. We also got crib sheets and a bunch of items I have to wash before use. I'm waiting until it gets a bit closer to his arrival to throw in the load so they are nice and fresh.

This photo is to show the monkey. It's from our baby shower and it now has a home. :)

At our Babycare Plus class, we learned infant CPR. In order to do so, we had to blow up our "mini baby" they kept calling it. Ray was lucky enough to have that job. This came just a day after Ray took a two-day course of CPR at his work. He's pretty solid with knowledge.

Mini baby testing out the bassinet. Of course everyone else in the class deflated their mini baby. Oh no, not the Wilsons. 

And... the final pièce de résistance... this onesie. I was home the day UPS dropped this off at our doorstep. It came from a company called FansEdge, but with no information of whom sent it! We're still speculating who sent this our way, but either way, I love the LA pride! Thank you, friends, to those who sent this. I'll call the people I suspect were involved in this mystery present this week.

Overall, great and full week! Here's to the next one and a healthy baby boy growing strong!

Cookie Monster... er... Elephant?

Distribution at Ray's work had an excellent month's end. As a joke, they posted a sign on his office door stating that he promised to bake them cookies as a result of their progress. They even went as far to say that boxed cookies would not be acceptable. Haha. I love it. Of course... when Ray came home and told me, I insisted we he make cookies. I was insistent on only helping on the peripheral since this was a gift to his fellow employees. Since he would be distributing the cookies on Monday, he had to bake them the day before-- Sunday. Halloween. We had a good number of kidlets come by (tiny cool tidbit: our neighborhood has a strict policy of trick-or-treating during daylight from 3-7p.m. which is great for parents and great for the weather! It's warmer during sunlight hours!). So, Ray donned his elephant hat that we bought at Michael's a few months back and passed out candy as the little guys came by-- about 100+ kids!

Here's the beginning of the baking task.

I also have to acknowledge that my husband used our Kitchenaid (seen on the counter in the background) for the first time and loved it. Loved it I tell you! He has for years been making fun of the lovely, yet pretentious marriage symbol saying that it's simply a status symbol and has little value. Well, when it comes to baking, it has great value. He tested that out and was impressed. I smile.

Here are all 112 of the cookies baked that evening by my awesome husband.

The cookies were well-received by his colleagues and he was able to honestly say that he made them!

Midwest Love for Baby-Dub

This past Sunday, on Halloween, about 13 wonderful ladies who I've had the pleasure of getting to know (and a few missing) came together to throw a shower for our little guy. In just over a month and a half, he'll be with us to stay! It's so incredibly surreal that pregnancy goes by so quickly! Surely as I am awake during the middle of the night, I don't think it's a slow process... but I digress.

Here are some photos my friend Liz took during the shower because I sadly took none! I'm so terrible at taking photos during events! This photo is of a friend, Kathy, and myself just after the shower ended.

 From the above photo and here, you can see Alli's gorgeous flower selection. I'm a huge gerbera daisy fan and if I had a photo from our wedding to post here, I'd do that. I just love them. They're simple, clean, and fresh-- and no one is allergic to the scent. :) I can't forget to mention the thought put into the other centerpieces, too! Those cute monkeys are to match the lovely quilt and bumpers my mom made for Baby W's crib. I saved this little guy because I felt he best represented our blondness-- my husband and myself. I can almost guarantee our child will be a toe-head if not a redhead. We'll see!

 From left to right: Erica, Carolyn, Liz, Kim, Kristi, Kathy

 From left to right: me and my enormous arm (seriously, I know you noticed it, too. Ick), Jessie, Misha, Amanda, and Alli.

We have no photos of Jenny for some reason... but she was there and we're so happy she was able to leave her little lady, Abigail, to be with us for a couple hours.

Gift time! We don't have a big photo of the spread, but there were so many wonderful and thoughtful surprises from the girls. Though they were all wonderful, a few really thoughtful pieces stand out in my mind: a Christmas ornament of baby boy shoes for Baby W's first Christmas & special books picked out by Joel-- our favorite 2-year-old and son to Jim & Kristi. We're so thankful for all the gifts, but mostly for the time and effort people put forth to show us how much they care. As I told the ladies at the shower, one of our only concerns with choosing to become pregnant when we first moved to the Midwest was that we wouldn't have as much love and support knowing very few people. That's not true anymore at all! Sure, there are no family members local, but it's nice to support one another in friendship. We feel very loved. God's definitely taken care of us and answered some prayers.

 This photo is more to show off the awesome basket of goodies from Amanda & Alli! Those ladies were creative in their wrapping. :)

 Here's Kim and the food spread. She's also an elementary teacher and pregnant with her first--surprise gender, due in early 2011.

Kristi put together a fun game about candy related to pregnancy/childbirth. I was terrible at the game but enjoyed hearing all of the fun answers.

Liz's sister, Becky, and her son Luke came to join us in their Halloween costumes! It was very fun to have them there and Luke to help me with opening the gifts.

Later at home, I took another photo of those gorgeous flowers... they're still hanging out on our kitchen island looking as beautiful as ever. My flowers from last week (surprise from my awesome husband) are also just as lovely.

Final themed piece from the shower... the plates and napkin complete with monkeys!

What a wonderful day it was! Then, I went home to tons of trick-or-treaters all over the place and lots of candy-- of which we have way too many leftovers!