30 weeks! Let the showers begin!

We had our first baby shower this afternoon; given to us by Butch's mother, Donna. The shower was beautiful and quaint with wonderful friends and family. Our little man got spoiled today and I'm sure there is a lot more to come. It has been like Christmas every day at our house and the UPS man is becoming very familiar with our address. Friends and family from all over have surprised us with such generous baby gifts and we feel so blessed and lucky to be bringing this baby into such a caring environment. Last year was a year full of struggles as well as joys for our household as for many people in this country and yet it is amazing to have so many people help us give our baby everything he needs!
I can't believe that we are already to week 30 of this pregnancy. I feel like we were just discussing dates for the showers and then finally registering for baby items once we knew we were having a boy. At times "the 20s" have crept by, but lately the weeks are flying! To have hit week 30 has changed the whole attitude of this pregnancy. I no longer feel that we are counting the weeks "up", instead we are counting down the weeks until delivery. Butch and I have signed up for childbirthing classes that we will attend every Monday for the next four weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting other couples preparing for this same adventure and learning what to expect during labor and delivery. As many of you know, Butch doesn't have the strongest stomach when it comes to medical "stuff" so these classes should be interesting and possibly entertaining for me! I have no doubt we will both be in for a rude awakening! I just hope they discuss epidurals and if those are available as soon as we are admitted for labor (as in the lobby)!!
My parents were in town this weekend for the shower and to also help us get some things checked off our "to-do" list. I don't know what we would do without their help and my dad's handy fix-it skills! We are accumulating lots of instruction manuals and cardboard. Hopefully I'll be able to post some nursery pics soon even though our crib will not arrive until early April. Luckily we have a bassinet (thanks Zeta girls!!)for the baby to sleep in for the first few months. The idea of actually having a baby in the house is becoming more and more real with every step we take to completing the nursery. The countdown is on!!
Our next doctor's appointment is Tuesday of this week and then every two weeks until we are 36 weeks. I can feel the baby running out of room in my belly because his moves are more deliberate and he doesn't feel like he's flipping all over the place. It is an amazing thing to watch my stomach physically move and stretch when he is active. I have still been able to work 12 hour shifts at the hospital and overall am feeling good and actually energetic. I'm counting my blessings and taking advantage of these good days because I'm sure it will be catching up with me soon!

28 weeks!

Well I can officially say I am in my third trimester! Some days I feel like April is still so far away and other days, I cannot believe how far we've come. It's hard to imagine all the changes that are coming our way and how drastically our lives will change once the baby arrives.
Our latest trip to the doctor was our longest and involved a test for gestational diabetes, blood work and a heart beat check. Our little guy was very active and even kicked the doctor while she had the Doppler wand on my belly! We will find out about all the blood work results at our next appointment unless something is wrong. Basically, no news is good news. We will go back to the doctor in three weeks and then every two weeks.
Besides more frequent doctor appointments we will be scheduling our hospital tour and childbirth classes soon. It has been many years since my nursing school rotation in labor and delivery so I'm excited to check out the hospital unit and what to expect on the big day. I also think it will help Butch prepare for the delivery so he won't pass out! We have also started to get organized for all the showers that are coming up. I guess in some regards I have started nesting since I rearranged our entire bedroom today and organized all the baby items we have so far and bathed both dogs! It feels great to have this burst of energy and I hope it last the next 12 weeks!
This month I am looking forward to our first baby shower and preparing our little guy's room. I am not looking forward not being able to tie my own shoes or be limited by my always growing belly. I feel very lucky to have a husband that is always offering to help, especially when he knows how independent I can be!
We still haven't decided on a name, but it has been fun to come up with ideas and wonder about what little personality will fill the name we choose.

Happy New Year!

This week marks week 27 of our journey. We've had a busy month of holidays and family gatherings as I'm sure you all have. We had a total of four Christmas get togethers and it was wonderful to see our families and show off our growing baby bump! Next year we won't be traveling so light so it was nice to just be able to get up and go (although I'm moving a bit slower these days!).
This month has brought the start of baby gifts and noticable baby kicks. Butch felt our little man for the first time this week and it was so exciting for both of us. I was so thrilled that he can finally experience what I have felt for weeks. Butch also donated blood this month to find out his blood type and to do a good deed. Since my blood type is negative we needed to know if Butch's type is positive or negative. Although he almost passed out; he made it through and I'm very proud of him! Now I'm just nervous about him passing out in the delivery room! He has been a wonderful help as I have gotten bigger and less helpful. He has even offered to tie my shoes when needed!
Our latest trip to the doctor most likely ended our monthly visits. We will have appointments every two weeks with our next visit January 12th. I will have my hour long glucose test next time to check for gestational diabetes. My nurse practioner said my uterus is measuring a centimeter and a half bigger than normal but it could all even out again. I'm hoping our little boy doesn't try to break any birth weight records so we'll see how he measures at the next few appointments.
Now that the holidays are over we are ready to focus on preparing for the baby. I can't believe my first shower is at the end of January (thank you Donna!) and I can't wait to make the spare room into a cozy nursery. I will also be switching to night shift at work to make our childcare schedule easier after the baby arrives. I've been told that babies who have moms that worked nights while in the womb have better sleeping habits so let's hope that's true!
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and have a great 2010! Feel free to keep the name suggestions coming!