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.)

Some pregnancy tips for everyone!

I found these very helpful pregnancy tips online, I thought I would share them with you just in case you were wondering how to ensure that you have the safest and most enjoyable pregnancy possible!

Molly you better re-think the shower games you have planned for this weekend! :-)

I'm so glad I found this one before I dug out my old boombox and started coffeegrinding!

I will be sure to keep these in mind...there are more for newborn care also, I will share those with you later! I hit week 29 today, I guess that means I'm "officially" in my 3rd trimester! I can hardly believe it. Hey does anyone have any tips on how to dislodge a baby from the inside of your ribcage? If so, please do share because I have thing constant rib cage pain from the baby sitting right in there and KICKING, trying to pry my ribs apart! OW! I don't want to sound like I am complaining, it is just such a surprise. One of those things you don't really expect to hurt! This Friday I will have my glucose tolerance test in which I get to fast for 3 hours then chug an orange flavored sugary liquid that I heard is totally gross. Then they take your blood to see how your body responds to the surge in sugar to see if you are at risk for gestational diabetes. I really hope I am ok on this one since there are a lot of complications that come with this problem. Wish me luck! Have a great week!

If men had babies...

So I started thinking...what if men had the babies? Funny thought right? Well I found this article that has a bunch of thoughts from women on what they think would happen if men were the ones to get pregnant and give birth to the babies. So funny and so true!

"The morning after pill would have been invented by the Ancient Greeks..."

"I think our species would become extinct! I don't think men, in their current state, could handle all that comes with being pregnant!"

"Morning sickness would become a disability!"

"We'd have government paid maternity leave (more like Europe), breast feeding would not be a taboo thing since men like to brag about size. I bet men would be showing their goods to the world all the time."

"There would be tons of research to find ways to make pregnancy painless, shorter, responsive to the needs of men. I think there would be a lot of surrogate fatherhood (paying someone else to do it), as men generally have more money than women."

"There would be no pain. Poor babies would have to go to bed for nine months. I think the father should be hooked up to a machine and every time the mother had a labor pain, he would have one also. Or fill them full of laxatives and let them have cramps."

"I think they would have designed an incubator to do things more efficiently. Which would be too bad, because pregnancy may not be entirely efficient, but it is powerful, beautiful and transforming."

There are a bunch of other things I thought about like for example, things such as breast pumps would be like power tools sold at home depot and would be much more fast and efficient don't you think? Morning sickness would be cured, leg cramps and feet swelling would be covered by worker's comp, and stretch marks would be compared at parties like scars. haha!
I asked Ryan what he would do if he were the one to be pregnant and to give birth, he said, "I would be like, this is nothing bring it on!" hehe
What do you think your husband/fiance/boyfriend would do if he had to be pregnant and give birth?

Week 28 - Baby feet everywhere!

Tomorrow I will be at 28 weeks, only about 12 weeks to go! Everything has been so busy and hectic with school and other new stuff coming up for the spring. I'm getting excited for the baby shower coming up at Molly's and a bunch of other stuff. This kid is going to have so many clothes, she already has more than I do, her closet is stocked thanks to her Aunts Molly and Stefanie, cousin Maddy, and her grandmas! Well, and thanks to some garage sales and consignment shops also. Good deals! I am just so excited to get everything in order before she comes. This week I get to start counting kicks and movements to make sure the baby is doing well in there. They say there should be about 10 movements in 2 hours. I started counting today and there were some points during the day where I could feel like 20 within 2 hours so I think she is doing just fine! I call this post baby feet because that's all I could feel in my ribs and side today! This is another thing that I had heard about prior to becoming pregnant but just couldn't imagine until it actually happened to me! It's still hard to believe that the baby is big enough now to where I can actually feel her feet (or elbows or knees) from the outside of my belly. Crazy! Here is your week 28 pic and info. This picture however is not complete because it doesn't show the ribs being kicked and spread out, ouch!

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.Here's a Chinese cabbage (next to a quarter)

Yay for husbands! week 27

Today turned out to be a great day, despite a boring and noneventful workday. It's April Fool's day and no one played any good tricks! Disappointing..oh well. I come home around 8, ask Ryan what he's been up to for the past few hours. "nothing" was his response. As I try to hide my disappointment (because I thought he was going to try and work more on the room), I see that he has done EVERYTHING!! haha he played a little April Fool's trick on me! Here are some pictures of all the furniture in the baby's room. We may end up moving some stuff around but I can't wait to get the baby bedding and decorate the walls. YAY RYAN!! Here are some new pics.

AANNDD now for a scary picture...do you think this outfit makes my...EVERYTHING look fat? haha!