Labor Cookie Recipe...

Might be something to try if Baby G remains stubborn or my body does not choose to progress....

Recipe:

2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 t. Ground Ginger
1/2 t. Ground Cloves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. molasses
1/4 c. egg whites

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  combine flour backing soda and spices and set asides (both of my friends doubles the spices in the recipes to try and bring labor really on).  Cream the butter and sugars together.  Add the molasses to the creamed butter, then add the egg whites until combined.  Add the dry ingredients slowly.  Once incorporated roll dough into 1 inch ball and place onto the backing sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Once cool eat as many as you can possibly stomach, and lay down for a nap and wait for labor to begin.

Our Strollers...

Our Lightweight Stroller

The Baby Trend Snap n Go Stroller

with our Car Seat in place

Our Jogging Stroller

The Baby Trend Expedition Jogger

with our Car Seat in place

35 Weeks!

The Weekly 20 (Week 35-August 25th, 2010) 

1. The Bump: Husby says it has dropped more...not much more to drop..but I guess it is possible 
2. Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure of an exact number but I'd assume somewhere in the 25-30 lb range... 
3. Maternity Clothes: Of course. 
4. Stretch Marks: underneath my belly and the ones on hips from high school have gotten a bit bigger... 
5. Sleep: Sporadic, some nights are better than others 
6. Movement: TONS!
7. Food Cravings/Aversions: Steak, peanut butter...sometimes salty, sweet snacks 
8. Gender: It's a boy! 
9. Belly button in or out: Pretty flat nowadays 
10. What I miss: blue cheese... 
11. What I am looking forward to: starting back to teaching for a bit, starting my final grad class..and Labor Day weekend Gator football
12. Weekly Wisdom: Cherish these moments...
13. Best moment this week: starting back to school
14. Number of days you wore the same piece of clothing in a row?3 (I love my khaki capris)
15. Energy Level: moderate
16. Labor Signs: maybe false contractions...definitely getting uncomfortable and feeling him moving more and more
17. Daddy to be Status: he is over our Childbirth Class (I think he was over it after Week 2)....thankfully we have just 1 more week (during week 36).
18. Milestones: we finished purchasing all of the big items on our registries with gift cards and completion coupons...I started back to teaching this week as well
19. Symptoms: the same, nothing new...Heartburn, some restlessness, and the occasional odd feeling like cramps in my belly.
20. Next OB appointment: Monday August 30th, 2010.

First Morning Back to School

(boy do I dislike mornings!)

Surprise! It's a Baby Shower!

On August 7th, our families (with the help of Husby) threw me a surprise Baby Shower at my aunt's home in Orlando. It was a great surprise and a wonderful day. It was a good mix of friends and family and even some of Husby's co-workers. The food was nice homemade finger foods and some great salads; a very simple, but yummy spread of delicious foods.

The shower was an undersea theme and the hosts definitely put a lot of effort into the event. Baby G was spoiled with so many wonderful gifts.

There were lots of pictures taken from the event, so I am still uploading and collecting them, but I will add some more great pictures as I get them. We can not thank everyone for planning, organizing, decorating, cooking and setting-up this surprise, plus all the people who kept it a secret. Thank you again all!

Maternity Photos

I am a little behind on updating the blog, so bare with me as I catch up.

On Saturday, Husby and I decided we should do some pictures of us with my pregnant belly. So off to the beach we went.

We had a lot of fun and I think we will get some more this weekend since the sun got us this trip...

More Projects

With only a week left of my "summer vacation", I have been busy finishing up the projects for the nursery. Here are two more completed (or a majority completed):

*Name Plaque*

*Hint: There's an "a" in the name*

*Shadowbox*

*Shadowbox 2*

We were given this silver spoon with a bunny on it; way too cute to use as a spoon

*Family Tree*
Using our Card Tree from the Baby Shower, I made a family tree that will continue to grow
ETA: still missing some hearts, but I will fill in little at a time

To-do List...

Since I cannot sleep, I am up writing my To-Do List for stuff I want to get done before Baby G arrives...

1. Paint the shadowbox
2. Install it
3. Paint the Name board & letters
4. Hang it
5. Complete the Family Tree project
6. Write out Thank You Cards
7. Finish the Baby Wrap
8. Another prep wash of the prefolds
9. Get the BRU, Walmart, Amazon, and Cloth Diaper packages in the mail
10. Make my Target store and online purchases
11. Do another Walmart Baby purchase
12. Wash all the bottles, nipples, and rings
13. Another Baby Load of laundry (if needed)
14.  Prep the Baby Announcements
15. Finish packing my hospital bag 
16. Do 1 more house cleaning
17. Get ahead on my Grad work
18. Scrapbook
19. Setup the PnP in our room 
20. Stock the organizer for our room
21. Install Carseat base in truck

What else do I need to do? Something tells me I am missing stuff, but I guess I will just add to this list as we go...

34 Weeks!

The Weekly 20 (Week 34-August 16th, 2010) 

1. The Bump: Husby says it has dropped more...not much more to drop..but I guess it is possible 
2. Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure of an exact number but I'd assume somewhere in the 25-30 lb range... 
3. Maternity Clothes: Of course. 
4. Stretch Marks: underneath my belly and the ones on hips from high school have gotten a bit bigger... 
5. Sleep: Sporadic, some nights are better than others 
6. Movement: Baby G is definitely going to be a soccer player the way he kicks inside 
7. Food Cravings/Aversions: Steak, peanut butter...sometimes salty, sweet snacks 
8. Gender: It's a boy! 
9. Belly button in or out: Pretty flat nowadays 
10. What I miss: martinis, fruit cocktails, blue cheese... 
11. What I am looking forward to: starting back to teaching for a bit, starting my final grad class, and finishing our shopping/preparing list
12. Weekly Wisdom: Cherish these moments...
13. Best moment this week: spending time with Husby running errands and then taking photos at the beach
14. Number of days you wore the same piece of clothing in a row?3 (I love my khaki capris)
15. Energy Level: had a few dips in energy at the start of the week, but it seems to be leveling out...
16. Labor Signs: maybe false contractions...definitely getting uncomfortable and feeling him moving more and more
17. Daddy to be Status: he has the nesting fever now too...he worked on hanging and organizing some stuff this weekend in the nursery, straightened up the garage (his domain) and then decided to remove a tree in the front yard and repaint the wall of the house since the paint was starting to look bad...
18. Milestones: we organized a packing list for the hospital and I started packing some things already and we worked out our Birth Plan so we are on the same page...
19. Symptoms: the same, nothing new...Heartburn, some restlessness, and the occasional odd feeling like cramps in my belly.
20. Next OB appointment: tomorrow...

Beach Pictures with Husby!

33 Weeks!

The Weekly 20 (Week 33-August 10th, 2010) 

1. The Bump: still large and in charge...getting in the way more each day...

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure of an exact number but I'd assume somewhere in the 25-30 lb range...

3. Maternity Clothes: Of course.

4. Stretch Marks: underneath my belly and the ones on hips from high school have gotten a bit bigger...

5. Sleep: Sporadic, some nights are better than others

6. Movement: Baby G's kicks are getting stronger and more noticeable on the outside

7. Food Cravings/Aversions: Steak, peanut butter...sometimes salty, sweet snacks
8. Gender: It's a boy!
9. Belly button in or out: Holding still inside...
10. What I miss: martinis, fruit cocktails, blue cheese...

11. What I am looking forward to: the weekend to take maternity pics, and finishing this set of grad classes
12. Weekly Wisdom: Make sure to rest and spend lots of time together...life is about to change
13. Best moment this week: my Surprise Baby Shower and spending time with some of the greatest ladies in my family and a few of our friends
14. Number of days you wore the same piece of clothing in a row? 2.
15. Energy Level: Great

16. Labor Signs: just BH contractions...

17. Daddy to be Status: Fabulous for keeping this big surprise from me for so long....
18. Milestones: Had my surprise baby shower this weekend....packing our bags this coming weekend (@ 34 weeks)
19. Symptoms: the same, nothing new...Heartburn, some restlessness, and the occasional odd feeling like cramps in my belly.
20. Next OB appointment: Aug. 16th.

Bump Progression...

*5 weeks*

*8 weeks*

*14 weeks*

*15 weeks*

*16 weeks*

*19 weeks*

* 21 weeks*

*26 weeks*

*28 weeks*

* 28+ weeks (4th of July)*

*29 weeks*

* 30 weeks*

*30+ weeks (Bowling Tournament)*

*32 weeks*

August Nursery Update...

Check out our Slideshow...

Nursery

Next Project-Check!

The Dot Fabric Bib is complete...of course with a few hiccups, but it still came out decent.

The Bib

Front

Back

32 Weeks!

The Weekly 20 (Week 32-August 1st, 2010) 

1. The Bump: I think he has dropped a bit

2. Total Weight Gain/Loss: not sure of an exact number but I'd assume somewhere in the 25-30 lb range...

3. Maternity Clothes: Of course.

4. Stretch Marks: underneath my belly and the ones on hips from high school have gotten a bit bigger...

5. Sleep: Sporadic, some nights are better than others

6. Movement: Baby G's kicks are getting stronger and more noticeable on the outside

7. Food Cravings/Aversions: Steak, watermelon, peanut butter, pasta...
8. Gender: It's a boy!
9. Belly button in or out: Holding still inside...hopefully I can hold out a bit longer...
10. What I miss: martinis, fruit cocktails, blue cheese...

11. What I am looking forward to: Friday when Husby goes lobster diving and taking some maternity pics at the beach...
12. Weekly Wisdom: You're in the homestretch now...
13. Best moment this week: Starting our Childbirth classes
14. Number of days you wore the same piece of clothing in a row? 2.
15. Energy Level: Great

16. Labor Signs: Not sure what I am feeling...

17. Daddy to be Status: Still doing awesome with helping me with stuff (when he can) and being supportive...
18. Milestones: 32 weeks! We pack hospital bags in 2 weeks!
19. Symptoms: Heartburn, some restlessness, and the occasional odd feeling like cramps in my belly.
20. Next OB appointment: Aug. 2nd.