Crafts for Bradley

As some may remember, I recently got a fancy embroidery/sewing machine and I have been trying my hand at different creations. I have discovered that onesies are VERY hard to embroider but t-shirts and kimono tops are a lot easier. I have been taking some of the plain solid color shirts that Bradley has and adding a little something to them:

This last one is going to be his little shirt for July 4!! He will only be a week or two old for his first holiday.

I have a friend at work who is having a little girl next month so here are a few things I made for her:

The last one here is for Thanksgiving and has a little turkey on it. I hope she likes them!

PS. Notice the 36 week belly picture to the right...hopefully it's the last one!

Only 4 More Weeks

36 weeks is here and I am excited--to say the least!! Here are the updates:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

So...wow! Technically I am 9 months pregnant right now, and I have to say--things are going pretty great! My only complaint is my lack of sleep from tossing and turning. I am for the most part unable to get comfortable while laying flat. And I really miss sleeping on my stomach! Other than that, smooth sailing. I'm plagued with heartburn of course, but it's nothing that a little Zantac doesn't help.

Here is a blanket that I got as a baby shower gift. It was just a plain yellow fleece blanket so I bought some zebra print fabric and appliqued it on with my sewing machine after I freehand cut out his name. I think it turned out pretty good!!

And finally, here is a picture of the changing table my friend Sara got for me. It is the same model as the crib and it matches it perfectly! Now I am just looking for the right baskets to put underneath on the shelves.

Things are going well with us, other than the fact we still haven't sold our house. We've had several lookers, but of course no one serious. The only thing we have left to do to our next house is get the rest of the carpets cleaned. Hopefully we can get that done this week or next. I'm so proud of Nick for how hard he has worked on getting it ready for us. He moved out all of the furniture that was in there BY HIMSELF--we're talking china cabinets, couches, chairs, dressers, vanities, a hospital bed--all because no one else would help him. I tried, but obviously I am in no position to be lifting furniture! I did get the door for him though.

Tonight is our last childbirth class, and this one is about baby care. I can't believe it's already been 7 weeks since we started them! Tomorrow is my big doctor appointment--she is going to do the swab for group B strep and check for dilation!! Keep your fingers crossed! I'm partly hoping that all these hours I've been working is getting things going :)

Maternity Pictures! (Working now...)

These were taken by my girlfriend Sara and I edited them on the computer. Enjoy!!

Honeydew with 5 Weeks to go

35 weeks is here ladies and gentleman, so here are your updates for the week:

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

I'm happy to say my weight (as of a couple days ago) was up only 24lbs! And no stretch marks still. I am trying to eat healthy with lots of veggies and fruit in my diet. I consider all the running around at work I do my exercise so that will just have to do for now!

This Wednesday I am planning on doing my maternity pictures. We are just doing them ourselves and my friend Sara is going to take the pictures. I have picked out a few poses that I like and then I can add some cute effects and get them printed off on my own. So hopefully soon I'll have those posted for you!

Cantaloupe with 6 Weeks to Go

34 weeks is here, little Bradley is ready and waiting to make an appearance! Here are updates:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling her out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his 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.

My doctor is not in today so my checkup for this week is on Wednesday. Starting next time I go every week. We are getting closer!

My coworkers threw a big baby shower for me last Saturday at my favorite place ever--Zios--and I can not believe the wonderful stuff they got us! About 15 people showed up all together and we all had a great time. There was cake and presents and pictures (which are being emailed to me). In addition to blankets, clothes, hangers, feeding utensils and other necessities, they all pitched in and got us a VERY nice high chair and baby swing!!!! I am very grateful to have friends like this who have taken me under their wing as a new mom.

Pineapple Baby with 7 weeks to go!

33 weeks is here and I am getting very excited!! Here are the updates for the week:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

I'm almost 8 1/2 months pregnant now, and I am still loving every second of it. Yes I get tired very easily, yes my ankles and hands get swollen, yes it's hard to stand up/sit down/lay down...I do not care! Random people at work (that I don't know) see me now and say "Man, when are you due?" Next month my friend!!

Thankfully still no stretch marks. Weight is up about 23lbs last I checked...it's getting kind of scary to see the scale going up so fast these days! I would love to keep it under 30 but I know I've done well so far so I'm not worried about it. I just know a lot of girls at work that gained 40, 50, one even 90lbs with their pregnancies!! I know that's not good for anyone so I'm glad I'm right in range.

Nursery Pictures

Yesterday was a very memorable day--hubby put together the crib!! It went quite well, and it looks great. I am very satisfied with how it turned out. I hung up a few wall decorations and then last night I went back and put the crib bedding on and finished up a lamp I was making just for Bradley.

^ I think this will be called the "feeding corner"

^Closeup of the lamp I made. I painted it, made the entire shade, and put on the ivy and monkey!
^See how well the crib looks with the bedding and the letters?
^Closeup of the adorable bedding and matching mobile.

I told Nick we have 5 weeks at the most until we need to physically be moved into this house. Half of the house is ready, all that is left is the living room, den, and kitchen. He's over there working on it right now.

One last bit of news...yesterday we talked to our realtor and dropped the price on our house a bit. Well today we got a call that someone wants to view it tomorrow! So today we cleaned and tomorrow at 1:45pm we will show it. Wish us luck!