What I'm not getting for Christmas...

Haha!! But seriously I'm not getting that. But that's ok! I would get up a million times a night if that's what makes my kid happy...for now. Today is our first Christmas together as a family! We are going over to my parents later today and then Ryan's parent's tomorrow. I'm sure Leah will get so much great stuff, what a spoiled baby! Merry Christmas to everyone from the Parks family!

A new chapter..

My prayers have been answered! I have decided to make a major change in my life and become a stay at home mom. If you know me at all, I always said I would NEVER do that, funny how things change huh? While it isn't something I aspire to do for the rest of my life, I am really looking forward to being with my baby and concentrating on my home life for a while. The pressure of my job and the thinking about Leah constantly while I was at work was taking a toll on me and making me very unproductive. I was so sad! But now I am so excited to have a little "free" time. And by "free" time, I mean pretty much catering to every single one of Leah's needs 24/7. I know it won't be easy, but I'm up for the challenge! Financially it may also be a struggle, but with a very supportive husband and naturally frugal genes, I think we will make it! The picture above is from our recent trip to visit Ryan's parents at their new lake house in Illinois.

Leah meets Santa

Today Leah met Santa for the first time! Me, Leah, Gramma, and Aunt Stef went to Jordan Creek to see him. This Santa is so great I swear he's the real thing! Leah didn't seem to mind being held by this round, jolly fella. Santa told me that Leah asked him for a pony this year! I don't think that will be happening but hey, a girl can dream.

Trying new things

Hey everyone! It's been a while! Leah is almost 5 months already! My sister's friend did some pictures of Leah for her 4 month mark, they are sooooo cute. Here are some a few of my favorites. Leah is getting such a little personality, a little diva! She is starting to laugh (she thinks Ryan is funnier than me) and give little hugs. Well I don't know if she knows they're hugs but I say she does. She gets excited to see people she knows like me (of course), daddy, grandma and grandpa, and Aunt Sarah. Leah and her older cousin Austin are BFF's now, so cute! A few weeks ago we tried out the rice cereal with Leah. She loved the taste and she was grabbing the spoon wanting to feed herself already. Later we found out that Leah's belly did not enjoy the rice cereal as much as Leah did. She was up really late crying, burping, farting...the usual signs of indigestion. Poor thing! So we are putting off the rice cereal for now. Leah had fun with the Parks side of the family on Thanksgiving and at the Short's side, she got to try some sweet potatoes and loved them! Our biggest struggle right now is the fact that she is still not wanting to sleep through the night. The past few nights she has had a cold and has been up 3, 4, and even 5 times during the night. This has definitely taken it's toll on me. As anyone who knew me pre-baby....I like my sleep...I like it a lot. I am starting to wonder if I will ever sleep 8 hours straight again in my life. I am just taking things one day at a time and trying to enjoy everything I can. Well anyways I am rambling, I will let you enjoy these sweet pictures!

Halloween baby--kinda late I know

Sorry I'm late, I guess I've been a little busy lately! Dance started back up again so I'm teaching 2 private lessons a week, not too bad, but still a lot of creative power needed for that! Today I have the day off because Leah had her 4 month check up today and had to get 2 shots. She only cried for like 5 seconds so she is doing great so far today! She is 13 lbs 2 oz, 50th percentile for everything, so she is getting up there. She is helping me type right now so sorry if there are any typos! Here are some pictures from Halloween. She was both a glow in the dark skeleton and a pumpkin. She wasn't a huge fan of being a pumpkin as you can tell, but she's a natural skeleton!Silly girl!

Sicky

This week, we have been trying to avoid the dreaded H1N1 flu...dun dun duuun!! I was afraid that we all had it when Ryan and I came down with headaches and sore throats but now we are just congested like crazy. Somehow, little Leah has been able to avoid everything! She just is a tiny bit stuffed up. Everyone keeps telling me it's the "magical" breastmilk. I guess that stuff is pretty magical! I would like to take a minute right here and just talk about how great breastfeeding is. If you get uncomfortable thinking about breasts and milk coming from them...well turn away. My friends are probably so sick of me talking about it but it's a big part of my life now! It's so nice to have the support of your family in something like this. I have learned so much about breastfeeding since I started and I am convinced that it is the greatest thing God ever invented...right after my baby of course :-) I guess you could call me a "lactivist" now, that's what my sister-in-law Molly calls herself too. Before I had Leah, I just kind of thought of breastfeeding as something you did because it's the best thing you can do for your baby and I had never questioned that. I just sort of thought of it as my job. But then, I couldn't imagine the benefits it has for me too. It is so relaxing and wonderful to come home from work and have that special bonding time with my baby. I am the only one that can provide her with that comfort any time she needs it. aaaah the beauty of BREASTS. haha I had to emphasize that word to make you all uncomfortable. Thank you god for blessing me with these wonderful BREASTS...you could have made them slightly smaller though...amen

We made it!

..One year that is! Well our anniversary is actually tomorrow but we are going out tonight to celebrate. We are going to Baratta's, the restuarant that catered our rehearsal dinner, it is so good! Barb and Max were nice enough to take Leah for the night. It is her first overnight! I'm sure she is going to have lots of fun though. I can't believe it has been a year since the wedding, so crazy!

Back to work!

Well I actually went back last Tuesday so it has been a little over a week, but needless to say I have been busy! Ryan, Leah and I have been trying to get used to a whole new schedule of waking up early, getting ready, heading out the door, me being gone all day, picking up, going home, winding down, whew! It is exhausting! I really don't know how working moms do this every day, especially if they have more than one child! Getting back into work mode has not been easy for me but I am still adjusting. Let me tell you, pumping three times a day at work is not fun and it takes forever! I am determined to keep doing it for as long as I can though. Leah is eating me out of boob and home! I don't know if I can keep up but I sure am trying. Our weekly schedule is still a little random. Leah goes to Ryan's sister Sarah's house 3 days a week where she can be with all the fun little kids who love to talk to her and play with her. It's so funny, she seems like she is trying to talk to me whenever I pick her up from there! So cute. The other 2 days of the week, Leah gets to stay home while her Aunt Stef comes over to watch her. She gets to sleep in a little and still gets to have fun! So far it's working pretty well so hopefully we can keep it up. Little Leah is sitting on my lap right now watching me type while we listen to Disney songs. She loves it!

Other milestones; Leah has discovered her hands and tries to eat them all the time, let's not make that a habit little one! She has also discovered that she can splash in the bathtub, it is SOO cute! She just flails her arms and legs around while she smiles at me. She just looks like she is having so much fun! Here are some recent pictures....there is the hand eating I was talking about...

2 months old!

Leah got her 2 month check up last week and she is 10 lbs even! She is in the 40th percentile for her height and weight but she is 60th for her head measurement! She takes after her mom and her big noggin. She also got her first shots :-( I think I was more upset than she was! She already forgot about them I'm sure but I am like traumatized! Boo, poor thing. Here are some pictures I took today of Leah in her little ISU dress. ok I know they didn't win but whatever, she is still cute!

Baby update!

Well I haven't updated the blog in a while and I'm sorry! Things are settling down as we get used to having a baby around the house. I don't feel so harried and crazy anymore which is good! Leah is almost 2 months old already I can hardly believe it really. She is holding her head up a little better and smiling at us all the time. That smile just makes it all worth it! Of course we still have the unexplainable crying a lot of the time but I guess it's just par for the course. I can't stay mad at my baby! Leah has been sleeping a little bit better, for about 4 hours at a time which is muuuch better than before. We have had a busy summer visiting family, having visitors at the house, my brother's wedding. Leah seems to be somewhat of a party animal. She loves being around lots of people and just staying awake looking around. Maybe I should just take her out every night to wear her out so she'll sleep! She has her 2 month check up with shots in a few days, sad! We'll see how big she has gotten then! She is sitting on my lap as I type this and feels pretty heavy...

More cute pics!

My sister's friend offered to take some pictures of Leah when she was 1 week old. Here are just a few, they turned out so cute! She is already so much bigger I can't believe it!

1 month old!

Well the past month has been a whirlwind to say the least! Leah's upside down schedule definitely has me exhausted but I am really loving learning how to make her happy and watching her change. I can't decide if this month has flown by or if it feels like an eternity! I still can hardly believe that I am a mom, what was I thinking? haha! We still have some bouts of fussiness during the night and Leah seems to hate her bassinet but we are working on it. Hopefully by the time I go back to work Leah will have a better sleep schedule. I am praying about it! Today was Leah's 1 month appt at the pediatrician an she is 8 lbs 12 oz! She seems so big to me but I can't believe women still give birth to babies her size! ow! Here are some recent pics, she is definitely looking like her daddy!

New baby craze!

Well things are finally starting to get a little less crazy (kind of) so I found a little time to add to the blog! Although I probably won't have as much time as I did when I was pregnant! Little Leah is 2 weeks old today, time is already flying by! The past 2 weeks have been nothing short of insane. Of course the first few nights were a little nerve racking trying to get everything together, having visitors and trying to keep up with her sleeping/eating/pooping schedule. I am still getting up about 4 times during the night for feedings but I am getting used to it and am sometimes able to get a little nap while the baby is sleeping. Today she must be totally pooped because she has been sleeping the majority of the day! Probably because she was awake yesterday for a good chunk of the day with what I think was gassiness. I got her some gas drops though and she was able to sleep, poor thing! Today we even went on an outing to my work to see my co-workers and she slept through the whole thing. She loves car rides and falls asleep almost immediately so I know that's a good trick. Other than that, there really isn't much going on. Ryan got a week off so he enjoyed spending time with us for a while but had to go back to work last week. I wasn't too excited about it! We try not to wake him up in the middle of the night but he's a pretty heavy sleeper! Soon we will have to start taking shifts so we can practice for when I go back to work. ugh this is going too fast already! Here are some pics of Leah from the hospital when she was one day old, I love these!

She's here!

Leah Elizabeth Parks was born July 8th, 2009 at 1:17 pm weighing 6 lbs 9 oz and 19.5 inches long. She is a tiny thing! Who would have thought? Here is a picture of our beautiful baby girl with dimples! The birth story will come soon, we're still at the hospital right now. Lot of visitors and excitement!

Nothin to see here folks...move along

Haha just kidding I wouldn't do that to you! Just thought I'd give everyone a little update since I know you are on the edge of your seats waiting for some news. Unfortunately, there is really nothing to tell yet. The baby is still perfectly comfortable and snuggled up in my uterus ready to spend a few more nights there. Ryan claims that is just like her mother to be stubborn, I disagree dear sir! As I recall, I was in quite a hurry to vacate my mother's womb so I don't know what the deal is with this little booger. I don't remember if I mentioned this in my last post but I am scheduled for an induction on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning so since nothing I am doing is working to get this baby out, it looks like that will be it. Well on the bright side, since I have been home for about a week now, the house is totally clean, everything is ready. Ryan even joined in on the nesting festivities by putting together the stroller, installing the car seats, and re-carpeting the stairs! I did get to see my old pal Tessa this weekend (who came into town to see the baby, grr) and we watched the fireworks with Ryan's sister Sarah's family and Dustie, Merle and Hayden. I also kept myself busy nursing three baby bunnies back to health. Ryan picked them up so he wouldn't hit them with the mower and they were pretty lethargic. I think they may be blind or have some sort of mental challenge poor things. Well I fed them for a day and let them go this morning so hopefully they can feed themselves now. Well I mean one died but he's in a better place now, I tried. So, all in all, it has been a fun filled week! More exciting things to come hopefully soon!

Today is my due date...

aaand nothing is going on! I secretly predicted this would happen although I was wishfully hoping that the baby would decide to come earlier. We are so ready, that is all I can say! I started my maternity leave on Tuesday since there isn't much for me to do at work anymore. It has kind of been nice to have a few relaxing days getting things ready and everything. I had a doc's appointment on Tuesday afternoon in which I was informed that my cervix is pretty "unfavorable" at this point. Pretty disappointing but we did schedule an induction for next Tuesday night. I really, REALLY hope I don't have to wait that long though! So there you have it. We will let everyone know when the baby comes so quit calling!! haha just kidding...but seriously I'm not. :-)

Week 39 - You're still here?!

Yes my beloved co-workers, I am STILL HERE!! Here is one beautiful shot of me at work the other day at 39 weeks! I did not realize I was that huge until I saw this picture....I mean wow. No wonder everyone is telling me I look exhausted when I'm not. Because my face is swollen up like a balloon and you can barely see my eyes! ugh! Well hopefully that goes away after the baby comes, please say yes.

Anyways, so since we are sooo excited to meet this little one, I have been doing everything I can to help Leah along the journey. Safe things of course. Like speed walking (waddling) at the mall with my sister, taking a break to walk around the building at work at least three times a day, eating spicy food, eating pineapple, acupressure etc. There are more natural labor induction techniques that I could try like evening primrose oil, castor oil, raspberry leaf tea and the like but I just can't bring myself to do that just yet. Sounds like all that oil and tea could make me a permanent resident of the bathroom which I definitely don't want!

I wonder if my child will ever read this blog when she gets older, do you think it will still be around? The reason why I am wondering is because I just thought of something. In the baby book that my mom made for me, she wrote down all of the important pop culture events in music, entertainment etc. In my baby book it said the most popular song when I was born was some song by Michael Jackson and his moonwalk dance was all the rage. Well today, of course we found out that Michael Jackson died. Less than a week before I give birth to my own daughter. Maybe it's just a weird preggo brain thought about the cycle of life. Not that Michael Jackson had anything to do with my life? oh hell I don't know. Gimme a break my brain's not working right.

Week 38 - Anticipation!

So here it is, I am currently 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant and I'm so ready to meet our baby! I have never wanted anything more in my life but to see that little face and I just can't wait! My life is pretty much consumed with wondering when it will happen and also thinking that it has started but of course it hasn't. A co-worker of mine has a theory that when you're so pregnant and sick of it that you finally just break down and cry, that is when the baby will make it's appearance. Well crap, that has already happened twice and her due date is still 10 days away! Haha, oh well maybe a big one is coming. Thankfully, my mom kept me pretty busy yesterday! We went to a bunch of garage sales and I got a barely used pack n play and a swing! I love good bargains. It was soooo hot out though so then we decided that I should get a pedicure! :-) Well, I decided that mom should take me to get a pedicure and she gladly did. Then we went to lunch and the mall for a little bit, so that was a nice break from getting my house clean and ready.
If you haven't already made your guess, get in on the Baby Parks Pool! You put in your guess for the birthdate, time, weight and length of the baby and whoever is the closest wins! Well you don't win any $$, but you definitely win bragging rights.

Go here and type in "babygirlparks" (without the quotation marks) in the game name and then make your guess! http://www.expectnet.com/index.php?t=0

Nursery = DONE!

Woo hoo! the nursery is finally done! I can relax now! Thank you Ryan, what a great husband. I think he is sick of me freaking out about it, now I can shut up. I absolutely love the bedding and the whole room. So I guess I am giving away the name we chose here, woopsies! Well if you didn't already know, now you know! And that's pronounced Lee-uh, not LEE. Super cute. The bottom picture is my husband hard at work makin me proud. I shaved his head today too, not bad for my first time huh? So now I stare at my watch until my water breaks, alright!

Full Term!

37 weeks! At this point, our baby girl is considered full term, meaning that everything is fully developed and she would be perfectly healthy if she were to be born right now. What a relief! It's hard to imagine how much you can worry about until you are actually pregnant (and I'm sure it gets worse when you are a parent) but this really just makes me happy. I feel so fortunate that my pregnancy has gone so well up to this point, only 3 weeks left maybe? I really hope she will come a little bit early because I am so anxious to meet her! Well that and I don't know how much more my poor skin can stretch! Itchy!! I have just been relaxing as much as possible and enjoying my free time with Ryan while I can. Tomorrow is my future sister-in-law's wedding shower at my mom's house so I am attempting to make some cute cupcakes today. I hope they turn out but I know they won't be as good as Melissa Pioch's! mmm yum!

I went to the doc's today and I guess I am "one fingertip" dilated, is that 1 centimeter? Well whatever it is, it's progress! COME ON BABY!!!!!!!

I'm back! Week 36

Sorry I'm so late with the week 36 update, soo much fun stuff has been going on! Last week my wonderful co-workers had a baby shower for me and another co-worker who is due in August with her second boy. That was so nice! It was so great to get a little break from work with some good food and games. Then of course, Monday of last week I turned in my last paper ever! Woo hoo!! My grade for the last class is still pending but I'm positive that I did good enough to pass so woopie! I have my master's and I can relax, at least for a little bit! This week was also recital week for Betty Hill so I was spending some time at the Civic Center getting my hip hop classes geared up for the performance. I volunteered backstage last night so my feet were a little sore from standing so long but I guess it's worth it. I still love the excitement of recital and I'm fortunate that I can still be a part of it.
As far as baby goes, I am now into my weekly appointments and checks for progress, but so far nothing going on down there I guess. Well unless "softening" is progress, which it is, but I wish it was more! Isn't it funny that you never ever talk about the status of your cervix until you are pregnant? Like I didn't even know my cervix could do all this cool stuff on it's own. Now when I talk about it with other preggo ladies or moms they know exactly what I'm talking about, funny! "oh yeah so how's your cervix today?" "hmm it's soft but not opening or dropping, and yours?" haha weird.
We picked up the bassinet from my parents today (or Nona and Papi?) haha they are still trying to decide on what the baby is going to call them. So it is pretty much the waiting game now. All clothes, blankets, burp clothes washed and put away, crib and bassinet set up, car seats assembled, bottles and accessories sterilized and put away. Now....we....wait. Good thing I have this book of crossword puzzles...

Week 35-baby growing fast!

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Week-35 Getting ready!

Still keeping busy getting everything ready for baby and just waiting for things to calm down (at least for a couple of weeks?) before baby gets here! One great milestone happened this week, all of the closets in the baby's room are cleaned and organized...what a sigh of relief! I have been feeling pretty good this week, just getting bigger of course, that is to be expected I guess! Ryan is getting so excited to have this baby here, he just keeps looking at me, I think he is expecting something to happen or something. He is so funny! He will be mad I said this but last night he goes "So have you been having any Briggs and Hogs?" haha I'm like "what?!", then he says "Benson Hedges?". hah he meant Braxton-Hicks! He is so cute, he remembered what they were from child birth class but just couldn't remember the name! oh man I am still laughing about it. It was probably funnier in person though! Only 5 weeks left now! Luckily, I have found some more very helpful baby care basics from a very reliable source :-)

Week 34-Busy busy busy!

Didn't I say that this spring was going to be so freakin busy?! I feel like I am constantly on the move getting ready for the next thing! With extra practices for recital (which is on the 5th and 6th of June), getting ready to write my FINAL paper (due the 1st of June), my future sister-in-law's wedding shower (one this weekend and one in a few weeks), getting the nursery ready, trying to wrap up my month at work, and other various showers and parties (so much fun!), well I have just been so busy!

We got the bedding this week finally!! It took forever for it to be in the Babie's R Us warehouse. I'll get a picture of the nursery as soon as it's all done so you can see how cute it is! As far as the baby goes, nothing too crazy going on. I think she doesn't have as much room in there as she used to. All I feel now all day is pushy and rolly movements instead of the hard kicks I was feeling before. It's pretty funny to watch my belly change shapes, it's always lopsided one way or another! Oh yeah, this week we found out that our good friend Morgan is pregnant too! Congrats Morgan, I'm SOOO excited for you and I know you read this blog to see what you're in for so I will try to be as detailed as possible for you. Um, here's a detail for you...I feel like I am about to pee my pants all freakin day and night! If that's not enough to keep you alert and on your toes at all times, well then I don't know what is. HAHA! So just as I was typing this, the baby decided to kick me SO hard in my side, I just jumped! I guess I take back that no kicking thing I said before. Thanks for letting me know you're in there baby!

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Week 33

Here is my week 33 update, only 7 more weeks left! Nothing too exciting going on this week, I am not complaining as much, I actually even feel good today! I even got on the elliptical for like 10 minutes, that is pretty good! I have been trying to take short walks throughout the day, I think it helps with the backaches and hip aches. Ryan thinks it's just hillaaaaarious to make fun of my "breadloaves" as he calls them, or my giant tingling swollen feet that look like loafs of bread with toes sticking out. haha! I am trying to keep my posts non-complainy so I won't detail the story of the lady at Hy-Vee this week telling me I should eat an apple....hah yeah so maybe I'll tell ya that one later. Just another one of those pregnant lady things! Ya know, like people suddenly feeling the need to mention how huge you are?! oh yeah...no complaining Melissa. Here is a recent picture of me, it was actually taken when I was almost 32 weeks but I think I look about the same so here it is! Yikes...

Baby care basics!

I've been learning so much as a pregnant woman! Important things, like how to feed the baby, swaddle, calm the baby, etc. These tips are super helpful for new moms, I am so glad I'm learning the best ways to take care of my precious child! They are so help in fact, that I will share them with you.

Another baby shower!

My mom held another baby shower for me at her house this past weekend. I got so many wonderful things! Cute clothes, baby necessities, accessories, etc. I love it! Here is a pic of a couple of my favorite things from the shower. Melissa Pioch made the cutest cake (the middle layer is missing here, we ate it) and my soon to be sister-in-law Rebecca made the diaper cake! I have never seen one of those, what a good idea!

And here is your WEEK 32 UPDATE! Only 8 weeks left!

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Just let me complain for a sec...

Ok so I told myself that I wouldn't be a complainy pregnant lady since being pregnant is such a blessing and I should be thankful and so on. Let me get one thing straight with you before I go into a pregnant lady rant...I am SOO thankful that I am pregnant and that she is healthy, I am SO excited to meet this baby and to be a mom. With that being said, being pregnant is really starting to get on my nerves! Maybe it's the hormones, maybe it the constant aches and pains, maybe it's the comments from people on large I am, maybe it's the lack of sleep...whatever it is, I feel the need to complain sometimes. My back hurts, my pelvis feels like it's being ripped apart, my ribs feel like they are being used as a jungle gym, and my feet are huge! This cartoon is a scene from my life last week as I sat huffin and puffin in the dressing room watching my cute little sister try on cute little shirts!

My husband...

...is pretty cute. This weekend Ryan got to try on the the empathy belly in our childbirth class! So cute but unfortunately he couldn't keep it on very long since some other guys wanted to try it on. He turned out to be lucky because I didn't know that he was supposed to strap on a chest constrictor and something that pushes on your bladder! funny! Well he got to feel what it's like to be a pregnant lady (for 5 freakin minutes) and I'm sure it was an enlightening experience. In that same class, we also had the pleasure of watching a vaginal birth. I know that you all read this blog because you appreciate my blunt honesty so I am going to say it...I..am...terrified... I don't know why honestly! I'm not afraid of the pain or contractions or anything like that. Maybe I just can't handle the blood and fluids. Whatever it is, of course I burst into tears in the middle of the childbirth class. Fabulous Melissa, you are supposed to be pushin this thing out in 9 weeks what the heck! The last time I saw that video was in 9th grade health class with the same result. Oh well, I know I will live through it, I am just pumping myself up for it every day. If you have any tips you would like to share with me...go for it!! Here are some fun pics and your WEEK 31 update! Have a great week!

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn his head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Baby shower!

Last weekend was my first baby shower, hosted by Molly and Tessa. It was so much fun! I was honestly surprised by how many people showed up and I am so grateful for all of the wonderful gifts! I have mostly everything put away (which if you know me, that is astonishing). It is so exciting to see the room come together, everything is just awaiting this baby girl! I had a doc's appointment last week, baby's heart beat is 144 which it has stayed at for several weeks now. Everything is measuring right on track and I passed the glucose tolerance test so no diabetes! yay! Another exciting thing in my life occured today, I started my last class ever! So only 6 more weeks until I am done with my degree! woo hoo finally! Here are a couple of pics from the shower

And here is your WEEK 30 update! Can you believe it? Only 10 weeks left ah!!

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)