absolutely beautiful

My Brother, also known as Uncle Mike, made this beautiful toybox for his nephew!  Doug & I were so surprised!  It's so pretty, and we couldn't stop talking about how thoughtful and sweet it was for him to make it for our little man!  I can't wait to get it over here and put it in the nursery!  Thanks Uncle Mike!!

with each passing week...

I'm just getting more and more excited as the weeks are flying by!  Today, I am 33 weeks along.  The boy weighs a little over 4 lbs, and is about 17 in. long.

Right now I feel like there is so much going on, and that nothing is happening all at the same time.  What a weird feeling.  I had my last day at work yesterday!  With that came mixed emotions.  I love working there - everyone I work with is awesome!  I'm going to miss how laid back it is.  I'm also going to miss getting a paycheck!  BUT, I have decided to go back one day a week about 6 weeks after Wolfie arrives, and I'm very happy with that decision.  I think that's why my 'last day' wasn't as sad as I thought it would be.  **I would like to thank my co-workers for making me cupcakes and homemade mints!  Smores cupcakes are by-far the best cupcakes I've ever experienced!**

I'm starting to get antsy about getting my hospital bag packed.  This is something that just hit me last night.  It consumed my thoughts for about 30 minutes as Doug & I were trying to watch a James Bond movie.  So, as I sit here typing this at 3:30 am (thanks to an aching back), I'm looking up a list of what to pack, and I've decided that I'm gonna start getting it ready today.  It seems so early still for me to be wanting/needing to do this, so hopefully this isn't some kind of mommy intuition that the baby's gonna come before he should!  I don't think it is - probably just me starting to nest :)

One last thing - I'm heading over to Lockwood today to talk to a photographer about getting maternity shots done (hopefully very soon, as I don't really want to be massive pregnant lady in my pictures), and also setting up a schedule with them to do newborn/family pics.  I'm looking forward to this!

Wolfie's first...

Today, our little Wolfie had a very first...

Yes, I realize that he's still cookin' in my belly, but that doesn't matter!  Today, the boy got to ride in the cucumber picker for the first time! :)  I'm pretty certain that he loved it, haha, he was doing some pretty good dance moves for me!

Just had to share that!

32 week pictures

I'm not sure how other people see me - but I think I'm looking huge!  And, I still have 8 weeks to go!  Oh well...a growing belly means a growing baby.  That's the most important thing!

this and that

My brother came over last Wednesday and helped me finish painting the nursery.  I love the way it turned out!

The way the picture was taken, it looks like the stripe is curved - but it's not!  Very straight!

And here's a close-up of the mobile I made :)

I have spent a lot of today getting the nursery organized, washing and putting away clothes, and washing cloth diapers to get them ready for use!  I decided to take advantage of the hot, sunny day and use our clothes line!  How cute do those dipes look hanging to dry?! :)

Baby Shower

32 weeks!  I can't believe it!  Doug & I only have 8 more weeks until we get to meet our sweet little Wolfgang! 

The Boy weighs a little under 4 lbs. (approx.) and is about 16.7 inches long!

I feel like everything is starting to come together.  I'm so thankful for baby showers and for the people who love and care about us to get us items that we'll need for our new bundle of joy!  We got some great items at my shower last weekend.

Lot's of beautiful packages to open :)

"If you think I'm cute, you should see my Dad!"

The John Deere quilt that Doug's grandma made for us.  I love it!

Amy and Kathy - thanks for throwing me such a wonderful shower!!

YUM - Cake!

ready to be organized and put away

Wolfie's swing - I was so excited to put it together!  I did it Sunday night after my shower

And his high chair.  I got it put together on Monday evening after work. :)

Our church has a Prayer Shawl Ministry.  There are quite a few ladies who are members and they make shawls and quilts for people not only in our church who need comfort and prayers, but for those in the community.  They also make them for times of joy!  I was surprised last Sunday morning to receive this beautiful baby quilt during first service.  It is completely hand made, cross-stitched.  I still can't believe it - it was such a surprise to have one made for our little fellow.  We are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family, and I'm looking forward to raising Wolfie as a part of that great family!

frustrated...

Yes, I have been slacking lately.  I'm way behind on what's been going on in baby-land and I hope to get all caught up with posts this weekend.  I'm just so tired all the time that I seem to be putting things off. 

Anyway, this is going to be a short post - about my frustration with people who give their opinions on things that they don't know anything about.

Now, first let me say that I truly do appreciate getting advice from people.  I love hearing things that work for them, the 'extras' that are great to have, things that you don't really need...yes, I have to say that I love getting advice like that.

I don't, however, like when people tell me that I should not use cloth diapers because disposables are so much easier - and that I'm going to hate doing cloth (people who have never done research on cloth, and have never even used cloth).  Yes, I realize that disposables are much easier - they are also a butt load of money.  My reasons for doing cloth are simple:

1. I'm going to be a stay at home mom.  This means that our income is going to change.  If I'm going to be home with the boy every day, and I am able to get up and put some laundry in the washing machine every couple of days, what's the big deal?
2. It's better for the environment - yep, I'm going green!

Obvisously, the people who try to talk me out of it don't understand how much cloth diapers have changed.  And, they don't know how determined Doug and I are to use cloth (yes, both of us)!  I'm not against disposable diapers in any way.  I plan to use them for the first few weeks after we bring Wolfie home.  And, I'll be using them when we take day trips or when he stays with his grandparents.  Just remember, there is a difference between giving advice, and giving an opinion about something that I plan on doing.

**Hopefully I'll get pictures up of my baby shower that I had last weekend very soon.  It was so much fun, and I appreciate everyone who came!!**

31 week pictures

Week by week my tank tops are slowly getting shorter in the front!  :) 

I've been so busy lately trying to get things in order, and the final touches put on the boys room.  I spent last weekend washing and putting away clothes for him.  I'll be washing (and washing, and washing) cloth diapers this week to get them prepped and ready for use.  Plus, they still need to be organized by sizes, and I have a few more to order.  It feels like I've put everything off until last minute.  Although it's not last minute - I still have 59 days left until my due date...it just seems like I have so much to do!  Hmm...I wish the nesting would kick in!

so much going on!

It has been such a busy week!  My grandma celebrated her 90th Birthday on July 6 and we had a party for her on the 11th.  My family from Chicago and Kansas City were all here, and although it wasn't a surprise, it was still a wonderful day!

My beautiful grandma!

Grandma with her three daughters

With most of her grandchildren and thier spouses.  We were missing 2 cousins and a few spouses -

but it was great to be all together!

And here are the great-grandchildren.  Right now, grandma has 17 great-grandkids.  We were missing four in this picture.  But, by the end of September, she will have 20 great-grandchildren...the family is adding 3 more in just a couple months!  Grandma also has 1 great-great-grandchild.

Now, on to what's been happening in baby-land!  Today I am 31 weeks.  Feeling fantastic, but have had minor swelling of my feet this past week.  Nothing to worry about.  I was so busy helping getting ready for grandmas party, and was on my feet quite a bit last weekend, and the hot hot weather doesn't do too much to help, either. 

Wolfgang is now about 3.3 lbs, and will continue to gain weight each week.  I take back what I said about him not being too active...this past week he has been dancin' like a wild man in my belly!  All day long!  It's a great feeling, one that I know I'm going to miss. 

Yesterday, I received my first lot of cloth diapers.  I ordered some chinese prefolds and diaper covers and some one-size pocket diapers.  I wanted to be able to try some out, see what works best for us.  I believe I'll really like the pre-folds.  They are easy to fold and put in the covers.  However, I'm glad that I've ordered some pocket diapers and some all-in-ones also, because I think they will be best for Doug to use (faster, easier, does not require folding).  I'll have the inserts already stuffed in the pocket diapers, so they will be ready to use quickly during a changing, just like a disposable diaper.  I am beyond excited to be using cloth!  I know we'll get years of use out of them!  Oh, and the pre-folds I ordered were really, really cheap b/c they had been previously used on a 15 day trial program.  They are guaranteed no stains, just like new.  And they are.  A heck of a deal!

We'll need more than this, especially diaper covers, but I think it's a great start!

And here's another "heck of a deal" purchase I just made...

This is the exact pump that I had registered for at Target.  It was $280 there.  I got this at the Barton County Health Department for $160.  They started selling them about 8 years ago at their cost to help promote breastfeeding. 

30 week pictures

I'm a little late putting these up, but here we go - the belly 3/4 of the way done!

Thanks to my brother, Mike, for taking these pics for me!

Dreamin' of You

Well, I'm 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy - only 10 weeks left (at most)!  At 30 weeks, Wolfie is weighing in at over 3 lbs., and he'll be gaining about half a pound every week for the next seven weeks. 

My mom asked me the other day what I dream of Wolfie to look like.  I said, I don't know, but I have always imagined him to look just like Doug.  Pudgy little body, blonde hair (well, more like bald until he's about one since Doug & I were both bald until then), blue eyes.  I always wanted that - to have a boy first and for him to be a little Douglas.  It will be so interesting to finally see our son, and see what features he has that are mine and what ones are from Doug. 

I'm also excited to see what his little personality will be like.  Will he be stubborn like me?  Will he be calm, and gentle like Doug?  Will he have a mix of our humor?  If he is anything like what he's like in my belly, it seems he would be pretty calm.  He's not a big mover.  I mean, I feel him every day but he isn't a super active little guy.  It seems that I think about these things all the time.  My little guy has totally consumed my thoughts.  I'm so looking forward to meeting him, but I don't want to say that I can't wait, because I can - I don't want him to be here early! 

Ha, mom also asked me what I would do if the ultrasound tech was wrong - and he was actually a girl.  I don't really think about that much.  I mean, what can you do?  Laugh!  That's what I would do!  Bring a very loved little girl home to a blue nursery and have one heck of a great story to tell!

29 week pictures

Thanks hunny for holding the camera straight today!  Good job!  :) 

As you can see, I just keep getting bigger by the week.  But, I can still see my feet! :)  Not looking forward to the day I wake up and look down and they are no longer there!

Dr. appointment went well on Friday.  The Glucose drink wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...not good by any means, but not horrible either.  I got lucky, Friday wasn't a very busy day in the office, and while I waited in the waiting room for an hour before I could get my blood work done, I was about the only one in there.  It was fantastic!  I could read my book in peace and not have to try to ignore some of the very "interesting" people I see in there most times.  I'll get the results from my test this week.  Hopefully everything will look good!

forgetful me

"This must be what dumb people feel like - I feel bad for them!"  Something I recently said to Doug, b/c it's official, I'm going stupid.  Pregnancy brain has kicked in, and I feel like I'm forgetting everything!  I know it's not as bad as I feel like it is, because Doug has told me that he hasn't noticed...maybe he's just being nice.  I know this is very normal for many pregnant women - and I recently read that your brain cell volume does decrease during pregnancy.  Thankfully all will return to normal a few months after the baby arrives.

"I'm so tired of dropping things!"...another statement I recently made b/c I've become a klutz!  I'm dropping car keys, credit cards, food out of the fridge, etc.  Nothing really seems to be safe in my grip.  Yes, this is yet another lovely side effect of being pregnant.  There's a perfectly good explanation for it, the joints and ligaments in my body are loosening (my body's way of getting ready for birth) which can make my grasp on objects less firm. 

While there are reasons behind each of these annoying little pregnancy "gifts", it's still just that - annoying!  There's not much I can do about either, but to laugh at myself when I say or do something stupid, or forget where I placed something, and when I drop anything on the floor.  Hopefully my family will forgive my clumsy, ditzy self and laugh right along with me.  Wait, who am I kidding, of course they'll laugh!  Hopefully my fellow employees can put up with me for a few more weeks!

Busy, Busy, Busy

VBS is over!  Hallelujah - I made it!  With the help of my beautiful mom who took pity on me Wednesday evening and took my group so I could rest!  I am exhausted!  It still amazes me how much my energy level has changed in the past few weeks...It's not something that I like, but being tired is something I can handle. 

At 29 weeks Wolfie boy is about the size of a butternut squash, approx. 2.7 lbs and about 16.5 inches long from head to heel. 

I have a Dr. appointment today - one that I'm not too excited about.  Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to hear the boy's heartbeat, and to get my normal check-up to make sure everything is going smoothly - but today is also my glucose screening test.  It will be a longer appointment since I have to drink the sugar drink and wait an hour until they come back to do blood work.  Just not looking forward to having to sit in the Dr. office for that long.  I appreciate the fact that my Dr. visits are usually around 20 min. from the time I arrive to the time I leave.  I'm sure some people would feel rushed, but I don't.  I can ask my questions, and feel like he's giving me good answers, and listening to me, then I get to leave.  No need to sit there forever!  Hopefully the time will go by fast today - here's hoping!