DADDY LOVES BABY MILES!!!

Jay Jay and I had such a blast this weekend messing around with the camera and taking our own belly photos. We have an appointment scheduled for a professional photo shoot in 2 weeks, but we just couldn't wait to snap off some super cute pictures of da baby Miles at 33 weeks of pregnancy!!! We actually got a lot of great pictures, but this one just warms my heart. I adore it when Jason loves up on the baby and does cute stuff like kiss my belly. We are putting together a pregnancy photo album on a website called shutterfly that will be available to everyone once it's finished. It will include all the pictures we've taken over the course of the pregancy as well as any labor and delivery pictures that our doula takes. I just know that it is going to be such a beautiful album documenting our 40 week journey of baby Miles' creation and birth!!!

SLEEP??? WHAT'S THAT?

It's seems that these past 2 weeks, sleep is what I do between trips to the bathroom!!! It's really an amazing routine that I have going these days. I pass out on the couch while watching X-Files. I get about an hour of sleep before Jason puts me and the house to bed. I rub shae butter on my belly and make a bathroom pit stop, before Jason reads baby Miles and I "Good Night Moon." I shift and shuffle trying to find the right position to fall back asleep. I finally doze off for another hour and then wake to the burning urge to pee -- again. So I slowly hoist myself up and out of bed, using nearby furniture to hold myself up -- because the baby weighs 40lbs when you're half asleep -- and waddle my way to the bano!!! I waddle back -- sleep for another hour -- then jump out of bed to relieve the searing cramp that has taken over my leg!!! I pee -- again -- go back to bed and lie awake for 45 minutes because now Miles is wide awake and using my rib cage as a soccer ball. I finally doze off only to awaken an hour later to pee -- AGAIN. At this popint -- for some reason -- I will fall asleep -- for the 5th time -- and not awaken again until morning -- at which point I have to pee!!! I literally live my days based on my bladder's schedule!!! ;0) It's truly amazing how fast my body processes liquid waste!!! ASTOUNDING!!!! So -- thanks to my incredible bladder -- I am learning what it will be like to be up at all hours of the night when Baby Miles finally arrives. That being said -- I'm tired. Sooooo tired. I think a nap is definately in order.

DADDY IS SELLING HIS MOTORCYCLE!!!

Jason decided many months back that, before Baby Miles arrived, he would sell off his beloved motorcycle in order to purchase a more family friendly set of wheels. This weekend we spent some time getting the V-Star in tip top selling condition. We washed and waxed it and polished the chrome. It really is a beautiful bike. Then we photographed it for the sale ads and took a few pictures for our photo albums including this one of Jason's Motorcycle Baby Mama!!! Now Miles will have a photo record of just how "cool" his mommy is!!! It has been very bittersweet. We have great memories of this bike, but this signifies the start of our family!!! I know that Jason is sad to let this part of himself go -- but I must admit that I have never seen him so excited about searching for the perfect pre-owned car. He has a couple of makes and models in mind that are fuel efficient and have ample space for a sweet little car seat without sacrificing any cool!!! He really is such a responsible and sweet man. He did this all on his own without any suggestion on my part. I never would have dared suggest that he sell his beloved motorcycle -- but his paternal instincts kicked in and he is already making sacrifices for the baby!!! I didn't know that it was possible to fall any more in love with him -- but I have!!!

BELLY CAKE ANTICS!!!

I'm sure you all remember the post I blogged several months back about a belly shaped cake that I just could not live without!!! I just had to have that cake at my shower and my wondeful mother made it happen!!! She took the photograph I posted on this blog down to Viktor Benes (a well know baker in our area) and they told her that they would be able to make this cake perfectly!!! We were so excited!!!! Then the day came to pick it up. It was -- well -- a slight disaster. I say slight because we were able to salvage it and make it look like what you see pictured here. But -- the truth remains -- this cake had serious issues. SERIOUS!!! I'll start will the more obvious and very hi-larry-us issue. The boobs. The designer must have thought that this cake was for a bachelor party or something -- because the boobs on it were monstrous. I have never seen boobs that were larger than the pregnant belly. And these were. Substantially. They were what we like to call "Porn Star" boobies. In real life these bad boys would have a cost a pretty penny to have "installed"!!! We all got a good laugh out of it and made the best out of the breast!!! Those boobies actually fed everyone at the party!!! We barely cut into the belly -- and I guess that is sort of appropriate since it was a baby shower and that's what boobies are for!!! FEEDING!!!! Anyhow -- the not so obvious issue!!! Those gorgous roses did not come with that cake. We had to purchase a couple of bouquets and perform a little surgery!!! For some reason the baker decided to try to cut the shape of the bottom of the dress to look "flowy"!!! Why? I don't know. The result? Octo-Belly. This cake looked like a floating pregnant octopus with gianormo boobs. LOL!!! It just makes me laugh when I think back on it. We were able to turn lemons into lemonade and the cake was a huge hit. It tasted magnificent. It was a wonderful chocolate cake with a raspberry and whipped cream filling. It was divine. So when all was said and done -- and the cake was nearly fully devoured -- we were able to get a good laugh out of it and satisfied bellies!!! I still have to say that I loved that cake and I will be forever grateful to my for making my wish come true. She really is the greatest mom a girl could ever have. I love you momma!!!

WE INSTALLED THE CAR SEAT!!!

Thanks to Miles' wonderful Uncle Rick -- or rather his favorite "Uncle Dunkle" as Rick prefers to be called -- we have this gorgeous Travel System to tote our little man around in. It's a Stroller and Car Seat in one. This system can be used from infant age to toddler age so we will definately be getting as much use out of it as possible!!! It's gorgeous. The Brown and Green are vibrant and fun, yet remain gender neutral. We didn't want anything that screamed "Hey I'm Blue and I'm A Boy"!!! We also wanted something that represented our couple and family styles. This was so us. And -- it took me 20 minutes to assemble the entire thing!!! 20 MINUTES!!! I've heard horror stories about putting strollers together that were longer than 20 minutes -- ;0)!!! Anyhow -- the point is -- we love this travel system and we spent the evening last night reading the manual and installing the car seat base in our car. We laid a seat cover down over the back seat to protect the upholstery from any "baby messes" and then used the super cool LATCH system on the base to install the seat. I guess since 2002 all cars have been required to have this LATCH system which allows you to anchor the base without having to use a seat belt. It pretty much makes it impossible to improperly install the seat. I do not have the techno vocabulary to explain what it entails, but I will say that it took 30 seconds to install!!! And now our little guy has his own little seat to ride safely around town in. We are still going to go down to the sheriff's department this weekend to have them look at our handy work and make sure the seat is properly installed. It's a service that they offer that I would never even dream of not taking advantage of. We also installed the most adoreable mirror over the car seat so that we can see Baby Miles while we are driving. It has cute stuffed bugs and birds and a sun all around it that light up and sing songs to keep him entertained. All I have to do is hit a button on the remote control that it came with and the thing comes to life. I know that we and he are going to really enjoy that little contraption. We are definately getting things squared away for Miles' arrival and as the weeks tick by we will finalize all of the little details and I will keep you up to date on all of it!!! Lots of Love!!!!

THE NURSERY IS ALMOST COMPLETE

We have a few finishing touches to add to the nursery -- but it's nearly finished. Once we get all the details squared away we will debut the photographs!!! For now I can tell you that we've gone with a jungle theme and the room is very very cute!!!

MORE COOL HAND MADE GOODIES

We have tons of cute "baby" things. But Jason and I wanted to include some stylish and trendy boy patterns in our collection. All the baby patterns are super duper cute, but our Baby Miles is more than just a cutie -- he's also a super duper "bad ass" and it will definately show with this double sided blankie and burp cloths. I found this really cool Japanese Skull Fabric at JoAnnes and I spent a few hours this week sewing together these really cool items. The pattern and colors go really well with our diaper bags and stroller and will look cool in combination with them. I love the Guitar Strumming Geisha surrounded by snakes and skulls. Very cool. Very rockstar!!!

HAND MADE SLING FOR JAY JAY

The pictures came out kind of blurry -- but I made this very cool "daddy friendly" sling for Jay Jay. I wanted Jason to have the same closeness and bonding experience that a sling can provide without having to walk around with a feminine sling. So I made him a black skull sling to strut around town in. Now he can be a super snuggly daddy and still maintain his cool rocker appeal!!! Miles is going to love be cuddled up to his daddy in this stylish sling!!!

BELLY PICTURE PROGRESSION

32 WEEK BELLY PICTURE

Here it is!!! Look at the "Belly O' Miles"!!! Our little boy just keeps growing and he is getting big big big!!! We only have 8 weeks left to go and I know that by the time our little one enters this world my belly is going to be HUGE-MONGOUS!!! I wish you could see how much he moves and wiggles. I love how active he is. He is such a strong baby and I know he's going to develope his activity skills very quickly. I love knowing how strong and healthy he is. I will keep you updated and post another picture at 36 weeks.

THE CO-ED SHOWER WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!!!

This past Sunday we celebrated the heck out of the impending arrival of our little bundle of boy!!! The co-ed celebration was such a hit. From the red carpet, to the onsesie decorating table, to the games, to the food, cake, gifts, and drinks -- everything was perfect. Justin and Kasey Hodges each won the two games that were played. Kasey successfully guessed the measurment of my growing belly by matching her string to mine and Justin proved that he had the best latch technique by guzzling beer the quickest from a baby bottle. Every single onesie that we set out was decorated and they were beyond cute. I was blown away at the talent and creativity of our guests. I can't wait to dress baby Miles in all of the adoreable designs. We were so blessed to share the evening with everyone that we know and love and we were blessed to be showered with so many amazing gifts for our little guy. We received some of the cutest clothes, blankies, and layettes. We recieved much needed toiletries and diapering supplies as well as the Travel System Stroller that we registered for. I have never loved a car seat more in my entire life. The only thing that it's missing is Baby Miles!!! I'll take pictures of some of the gifts to share!!! All in all the night was a huge success and I am looking forward to the wonderful "girl's only" shower that Whitney is throwing, as well, in a couple of weeks. I am such a lucky and blessed gal!!!

CO-ED BABY SHOWER PICTURES

OUR 32 WEEK PRENATAL APPOINTMENT

Funny picture, right? What the heck is that woman doing???? She's doing exactly what my Midwife did at our latest prenatal last Friday!!! Renee did not have her doppler on hand to listen to Baby Miles' heart beat. Instead she brought this handy dandy little contraption called a Fetoscope. It's basically a stethoscope that is used to monitor fetal heart rate. I personally found this HI-LARRY-US!!! Why on earth would you need to use your forehead to listen??? According to Renee, there is some connection to the bones in the forehead and the correct amount of pressure needed to hear the heart beat properly. Ok -- but it's still funny as all get out!!! All laughing aside -- Baby Miles is still doing really well and he has the strongest most beautiful heart beat!!! Jason was able to feel Miles' head again and it appears that our little bundle of boy's head is nestled very low in my pelvic girdle. This is such exciting news -- and means I won't likely drop too much more as he is about as low he can get. There is nothing breech about this baby!!! Of course, the pain in my ribs has been an indication all along that his little feet have been up at the top of my uterus for a long time now. The pain is so worth it, though. I can't wait to hold him!!! The rest of our appointment consisted of getting referrals for pediatricians and urologists (for the circumcision) and writing down a list of all of the items that we will need to have on hand for Miles' Birthday!!!! With only 8 weeks left to go, we really have a lot of preparation to do!!!

32 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!!

Your baby now weighs approximately 3.75 pounds/ 1.7 kilograms and is about 17 inches/ 42 centimetres long from head to toe. Although his lungs won't be fully developed until just before birth, your little one is inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise his lungs and practise breathing. Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps. Thick hair at birth doesn't necessarily mean thick hair later on but children with fine hair in childhood usually have thinner hair in adulthood. If your baby is a boy, his testicles should be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes however, one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth. In two-thirds of all baby boys who have undescended testicles at birth, the condition corrects itself by the boy's first birthday.

You're probably gaining a pound/ 450 grams a week, largely because your baby is likely to gain more than half his birthweight during the seven weeks before birth. Make sure you are eating well in these last few weeks.