34 weeks album

Today's post is a full-on photo album, starting with a comparison of five weeks to 34 weeks...



We officially have six weeks to go (give or take... hopefully take...). Things are beyond busy, in a wonderful way -- we've had all three baby showers and have a very full nursery!

Here's the pack 'n play from the Simpsons that we set up in the living room, featuring Alex the Lion (we named him after the Madagascar character). The lion serves two purposes. Andy picked it out and bought it for the baby, but also to be my focal point in the delivery room.



Here are photos from the Simpson shower, featuring the belly yarn game, baby bingo... and the last picture is the backseat of the car afterward! Thank you, everyone, for all of baby's amazing gifts.









Finally, here are pictures from the shower at the Stawicki house. The baby shower games were definitely the highlight, featuring the men-with-balloon-bellies first, then blindfolded-pudding-feeding, and near the bottom even Andy got a special shower gift:









One more big THANK YOU to everyone. We're so lucky, and Baby Schultz is certainly going to be spoiled.

33w 1d shower

Forty-seven days to go. For serious, people, I'm not joking.

It's been a long time since I've done a list of "symptoms." Maybe I'm feeling nostalgic for those days because of something that happened a week ago... when I was done brushing my teeth for the night, I reached into the vanity looking for a (nonexistent) birth control pill. I think it's been about 17 months since I've taken one.

So here are some third trimester symptoms I've been dealing with:

• Late morning nausea (and sometimes during car rides)
• Fatigue
• Difficulty breathing
• Hot flashes
• A baby bump that is slightly off-center -- baby prefers to curl up on the right side.
  
• Major kicking -- it seems like the baby has set periods of wakefulness and sleep. The worst kicks are to the ribs, way on the right side.
  
• Dark veins (darker than my usual)
• Tiny bladder, especially when I stand up
• Difficulty sleeping (it could be all that kicking)
• General discomfort... all the time... and the unfortunate state of having to heave and roll myself off the couch and bed
  
• About 31 pounds that, ahem, weren't there back in September
  

Some facts about baby this week:

• Between 16 and 18 inches
• Between 4 and 5 pounds
• Baby's arms and legs are filling out with fat -- dimpling at the elbows and knees and forming creases around the wrists and neck (aww)
• Baby's fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips
• Baby can see and blink, and acts completely like a newborn, closing its eyes when sleeping

Thank you to everyone who made it to the first baby shower on Saturday, April 10! Especially Agnes, Amy, and Amanda for giving me such a wonderful day.

28w 6d soup

Congratulations, Josh and Megan! It was wonderful to see you both so close to parenthood, clock ticking, and to be part of the celebration yesterday.

When asked if they were nervous about the upcoming life changing event, we heard a clear "no." My answer? In the voice of Napoleon Dynamite, "Heck yes."



Overheard in our house today:

Me: That's the biggest can of soup I've ever seen in my life.

Andy: It's the family size. We're a family now, Lindsay.

Overseen in our house today: