dropping in for an update

Well it's almost a new year and a very special year is fast approaching for my Mommy and Daddy. There's only six more weeks until my official due date, Feb 3rd. Today is also a special day for our family because one year ago today Mommy and Daddy lost their first baby whom they affectionately named, "Baby Moe" in a miscarriage. I know they are sad to think about that experience but also know God has a plan for all of us and Baby Moe was meant for heaven a little early.

Lots of progress has been made on my room since I last blogged. Mom and Dad have for the most part finished the decor part of it. Here are a few photos of Dad working on the wall art. Mom leaves this kind of stuff up to him since he's really patient and good at meticulous projects.

Here's what it will look like from my point of view.

I'm guessing you want to see the rest of my room too? Okay since you've been so nice... So, Mom and Dad haven't finalized the placement of the all the do-dads but this is what it looks like now.

Earlier today Mom and one of her "other mothers" Mrs. Thompson finished my mobile. Mom isn't sure how she would have done this without the help of Mrs. T. It's so cute, I can't wait to stare at it from my crib.

Mrs. T was able to make a pattern just by looking at a finished mobile and sew it all up in a matter of a few hours. Mom helped when she could and made sure to "corn dog" all the owls as they were being stuffed.

Mrs. T also found an owl when she was out and about that matched my room perfectly. She couldn't wait until the baby shower to give it to Mom so we got it today. Here's the two little worker bees with the finished mobile and my new stuffed owl.

And here's how I'll see my mobile...

Mom has a fellow coworker Mary who is due with her baby, Caitlin on January 7th. Before everyone left for the holidays Mom's coworkers threw her and Mary a surprise joint baby shower. They were both so shocked and grateful for all the love and planning that took place behind the scenes. This is Mom and Mary walking into an empty room only to be surprised when everyone jumped out screaming.

At the shower we got to eat lots of yummy breakfast foods and open presents. We got a lot of the smaller stuff from our registry like crib sheets and blankets (among many other gifts).

Mom and Mary decided to have a photo shoot before Mary left for maternity leave.

The holidays were jam packed full of good memories and lots of rubs (and kisses) from the outside. I even got to meet some of Mom's best friends I hadn't met before. Below is my Aunt Kelly from California. I have been anxiously awaiting meeting Aunt Kelly because she's such an important part of Mom's life. She's coming back from California in three weeks to spend the weekend with us and help with last minute prep to get ready for my arrival.

I also got to meet some of Mom's high school friends too. Can you spot the other pregnant couple in the picture? Allison and Bobby are due with their first baby in mid March. They live in North Carolina and are having a boy. When they come back to visit we'll have to plan a play date!

This was my cousin Brooklynne's first Christmas. I love this photo of her and Poppy.

  

She loved opening her presents!

And eating the paper too... tasty.

This Christmas we got a few more special ornaments for our tree thanks to Nanny Goat. Here's one of the new creatures who flew into town for the holidays.

Mom, Dad, Tengo and I decided to take a family picture in front of our tree to remember our last Christmas before I officially join the family.

The truth is though this is more of a representation of what our family is really like...

So you're probably wondering what the headline has to do with this blog, well I have to tell you that the midwife Mom saw this week told her I've officially dropped into Mom's pelvis. She said my head is turned the right direction for birthing and I will most likely stay this way until my birth-day. Mom and Dad were really excited to know I'm ready and learned all about what's to come in their Labor and Delivery class they took last weekend. Mom is just hoping Dad remembers all the soothing techniques and tricks they learned so he can apply them during crunch time.

At my appointment this week Mom also measured 34 cm which is perfect being I'm 34 weeks along. My heartbeat has slowed down a lot since last time, I was only beating at around 134 bpm. They say your heartbeat slows as you get closer to delivery. Pretty soon Mom will be going to the doctors every week to have my progress monitored.

Right now I'm almost 18 inches long and weigh about 5 lbs., that's the weight of a bag of sugar! For the most part from here on out I'm just plumping up which will help me with regulating my body temperature outside of Wombland. Pretty much the only thing left to finish developing is my lungs. Did you know once I'm born they will lay me directly on Mom's chest? They do this for bonding but also because Mom's body will automatically change its temperature to make me more comfortable. If I'm cold she'll get really warm and

I think that's all for now. It's been real but it's my bedtime.

Lots of love,

Donut

the beginning of many blessings

There is so much to blog about this week since once again I've been away too long. Things have been so crazy these last two weeks I can't wait to tell you about it. First off, let me show you my growth. Below are my 31 week pictures. Mom and Connie couldn't resist dressing me up for the upcoming holiday. Knowing my mom and grandmothers, I can't imagine how much I'll have to get dressed up once I'm out of here!

And just for fun, you can see how much I've grown from 29 weeks to 31 weeks.

Last weekend Connie, Mom and Dad went to Ft. Desoto to take more maternity pictures. I guess you could say these were our first official family portraits. I know Mom is really excited to see how they turned out. Connie allowed them to be really creative and we had so much fun! Mom even laid down in the freezing cold water for some of the photos... although she belly-ached the whole time! I think she's in for a surprise if she can't even stand a little cold water for a few minutes. If you need a local photographer, please consider using Connie http://constanceavellinophotos.com/

Speaking of photos, I wanted to show you a picture of my ornament on our Christmas tree this year. It was an early gift from my Nannygoat. I know it's one Mom and Dad will treasure forever.

Now that I'm 32 weeks old I weigh almost 4 lbs and am almost 17 inches long. In the weeks to come I'll gain a third of my total body weight and Mom will probably be gaining about a pound a week. Most of that weight will go straight to me so I can be big and strong come February. Right now Mom has gained between 18-21 lbs. depending on when she weighs herself. I also have fingernails, toenails and if I'm going to have hair I've probably got at least some peach fuzz going on right now.

Now that things are tighter in here Mom can find me from the outside all the time. There's always some part of me close to the surface so we're in constant contact. Mom absolutely loves being able to feel me whenever she wants. At the doctor last week they said Mom measured 29 cm. which is completely normal. They also told her my heart rate ranged from the 150s to mid 160s. If you believe the Wives Tale about the heart rate then you're probably thinking I'm a girl since the faster heart rate usually means girl.

Mom and Dad have started a baby pool for people to be able to guess which day I'll be born and what sex I'll be. The winner gets half the pot (if they get both correct) and Mom and Dad are planning on donating the other half to a children's charity like March of Dimes or Ronald McDonald House. If you're interested in getting in on the pot, let them know, it's five dollars to enter!

Ok, I've been very patient in waiting to tell you about my shower last weekend but I can't wait any longer! Mom and Dad have the best friends, they had so many fun activities, so much good food and really know how to make this Donut feel special.

The cake! Isn't it so sweet? Cheryl took my wall art to Publix and they did such a good job making it look so cute.

The presents! Seriously I'm one spoiled Donut. I got so many great gifts from all the guests that came. I know Mom and Dad had so much fun opening all these... they're still working on finding places around the house to store them!

The games! Everyone was concentrating really hard to try and descramble the baby words.

Baby Food! Another one of the games was for everyone to try and guess what baby food was on their plate. Mom decided to go ahead and get some practice feeding Dad while everyone guessed. Did you know they have flavors that taste like a Thanksgiving dinner or even Italian dishes, like lasagna? Who knew! I can't wait to try those out in my new high chair!

More Games! Since the guys don't really understand what it's like to be pregnant they got to play a game themselves. Each guy had to blow up a balloon...

...and put it under his shirt. Then they had to try and get the balloon out without using their hands. Look how cute they look with baby bumps!

Mom thought Dad wore his bump well, so they had to take a photo to compare. Dad better put that beer down if he plans to carry that baby for much longer.

Here's a photo of the guys trying to "birth" their balloons. Not so easy, huh guys?

Mom thought Poppy looked especially cute pregnant. I think his baby is further along than I am!

Like I said earlier it really was such an awesome day for me and I know Mom and Dad felt so much love from everyone that came and especially Mom's friends that did such a good job planning all the details and making sure everything was perfect. Even my cousin Brooklynne had a good time! Mom forced Cheryl to hold Brooklynne to get practice so she'll starting trying for kids sooner than later, see we're not that bad Auntie Cheryl!

Whew... I still have a little bit more to talk about but I'll try and make it quick. Last time I blogged I told you Dad was working on painting my room and starting to get it ready. Although it's not quite time for the "big reveal" I thought you'd like to know that the same night he painted the room him and Mom couldn't wait to get the furniture in there and get it all set up... so they did.

This week we attended our first baby class at TGH. There's so much to know, Mom felt a little lost but much better by the time they were done. I know Mom and Dad were glad they learned how to properly bathe me (I don't want to be the stinky baby on the block), techniques to dress me so my little fingers don't get bent the wrong way and things to do to calm me when I cry. Here's Dad practicing putting on baby clothes.

In class each couple picked a baby to practice on. Since the babies had on diapers we didn't know the sex until it came time to practice bathing. Mom and Dad got a girl, I wonder if that's another sign I'm a girl too... Our baby wanted to say hi to all of ya'll... although she looks tired and ready for a nap.

This week Mom and Dad go to a breastfeeding class and next weekend it's an all day labor and delivery class. I hope they don't forget all this before I'm born.

I hope you have a fabulous week and I'll hopefully be in touch sooner than later. I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about after our two classes this week.

Lots of love,
Donut