Shower in FF

I had so much fun this past week in Ohio visiting with family and friends. The visit was kicked off with a baby shower in Fairfield thrown by my cousin-in-law Jessica (in the pic with me above). The shower seemed to go by soooo fast! It was an open house style party so the guests were able to come and go as they needed and I was able to see a bunch of people who have made an impact on Ross as he grew up (and will continue to make a difference in our family when we move back!). Thank you Jessica for throwing us a wonderful shower!! And, thank you to everyone who was able to make it! I love you all :)

Bump!

Hello! I know...this picture is from the front and doesn't show off the belly too great. However, it does show off my new outfit that I love :) Last weekend Ross and I went to the beach and then shopping and he was the best hubbie ever - he sat in the maternity store and watched me try on 1 million outfits and then helped me decide which ones looked the best. Now I have some summery clothes for this crazy hot weather! Yes, it reached 100 degrees two days this week and having only one pair of mat shorts suddenly was not enough. This is a problem ...you are pregnant for 3 seasons which can put a damper on the pocketbook if you live somewhere that is less temperate than others. So, I must thank Trisha and Lori for giving me some of their mat clothes. I am eternally grateful :)

In other news...our baby furniture is on the way! I have been monitoring the availability of the pieces we want (Baby cache - uptown) and just recently they showed up in Raliegh. This is 100-120 miles away which is the closest they have ever been. So now we have money down and they are on the way to Wilmington. Yaay! I was beginning to worry we wouldn't be able to get them because all the reviews online were about how hard it was to find them. I guess patience is the key.

Bump!

Oh my goodness....the bump looks huge. And I am only 25.1 weeks in this picture!! I'm beginning to think that I haven't seen anyone else pregnant past this point since my mom was pregnant with Leanna (which I don't remember too well). Everyone I remember being pregnant looked about this big or smaller. Do people generally go mia for the third trimester?

In other news....Ross felt the baby move last night for the first time! Too exciting :)

We also ordered the crib and were put on the waiting list for the dresser combo unit. My goal is to have a lot of my nesting done before I begin my next quarter of grad school (July 12-Sept 17). I want to get ahead in my classes in case the baby comes earlier than Sept 21 which will probably be difficult if I am distracted by nesting. Here's hoping!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had such a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with our Columbus family who could come to visit (Tricia, Juan, Natalie, John, & Ryan). We spent the majority of the time at the beach during the day and playing cornhole/guitar hero/board games at night. I am still at a loss for how I was the only one in the group who did not get a yahtzee (Ross and Natalie both got 2 in one game!). Sorry no beach pics but...I'm not sure I'm comfortable with pictures of me in a maternity swimsuit floating on the internet. Good news - I managed to not burn and get crazy scars like I did previously!

Bump!

I know it has been a month since I last posted a picture of the bump....but I have had a lot going on. So, even though I look like a raccoon with dark circles under my eyes from exhaustion after this past month, I will still share with you my ginormous belly at 24 weeks. According to the books, the baby is over 1lb and is developing brain tissue and lung branches right now. And I am embracing what my friend Marisa at residency told me, "Jamie, of course you're tired. You're making a brain right now". That really puts it all into perspective!

In other news - we have registered at BabiesRUs and also have a list of items on gimmethis.com for anyone who is interested. Please note that you will have to register on the gimmethis site in order to search for me and view my "All things baby" wish list. I know this is may seem like a hassle but you can rest assured you will be protected. This is a family website we use for Christmas and Birthdays and is not commercial. You can use it for Christmas and Birthdays in your family if you would like!

A note about BabiesRUs - I am not a huge fan of this company due to the countless customer service complaints and problems I have heard from friends (seriously, a friend had a $500 gift card from their family that the number was stolen off at check out or before it ever left the factory and they have yet to get the money 6+ months later). Unfortunately, they seem to be the most universal store with a good selection of items. So, I only wanted to register for the things I truly have an opinion on with this company (furniture, bedding, stroller, car seat, pack and play, etc.).

The majority of the smaller items I registered for are chosen based on customer reviews on the website, word of mouth from my family and friends, or reviews from the baby bargains book. I would love anything you know to be tried and true and wanted to give you the option to choose whatever you think is cute when it comes to clothing, hooded towels, books, toys, etc. I tend to love those cutsey small-business baby stores where you can support local business when I am purchasing things for baby showers and did not want to make you feel limited by the longest registry ever. :) Of course, a car seat is reportedly the only thing we need to take the baby home from the hospital, so...that would be useful too!

Putting materialistic thinking aside - prayers for a healthy baby and mommy are always welcome.