Baby Talk: BaByQ Shower

So this came in the mail a few weeks ago...

I was very, very excited to have our first shower this last weekend!  Our friends Dustin and Liz hosted a really fun baby shower complete with Baby Olympics and a BBQ!  

It was a beautiful day on Sunday- couldn't have asked for better weather.  All of Ryan's college friends- specifically those related to Delta Chi- and then his dad and aunt and uncle joined us to celebrate this little boy!  I have to say I was overwhelmed by what a wonderful group of friends we have!  I feel very blessed to be a part of this group- as I did not go to the U of MN and wasn't part of the fraternity days.  These friends are great people and I'm really glad our son will have so many Uncle Jedds (a name all the fraternity guys use to refer to each other)!

 

 

 

 

Liz planned the Baby Olympics as a fun game for the men to participate in.  It was really hilarious to watch the guys run around competing in baby themed events all while wearing a balloon under their shirt.  Good job Liz in organizing and getting the boys to play along!  

 The soon-to-be dad and uncle

 The soon-to-be great uncle and Papa Bill

Oh and let's compare the real baby bump to Ryan's baby bump....

Thank goodness I'm not carrying Baby Hannay like Ryan carries a balloon!

After the Baby Olympics we enjoyed some grilled burgers and hot dogs!  Thanks for grilling Dustin & Ben!

We were showered and blessed with so many wonderful gifts too!  This baby boy is really, really lucky!  Thank you to all of our friends who celebrated this exciting chapter in our lives!  And a HUGE thank you to Liz & Dustin who hosted a beautiful BaByQ for us!  You guys are the best!!  Baby already loves his Uncle Dustin & Auntie Liz!

Linking up today with Kristin for a little baby talk...

Feeling very blessed,

Weekend Shenanigans: PARTIES!

It was a weekend full of celebrations!  Saturday I went to a bridal shower for Angie!  Angie and Ryan were good friends in college and now Angie works with us!  She is getting married in less than a month and it was super fun to celebrate her upcoming wedding!  It was the perfect day for her shower- so nice out and gorgeous!!  We had a delicious lunch and a relaxing afternoon by the pool!  I missed out on the bachelorette party but I figured 7+ months pregnant didn't quite make sense to join in on that fun- but it sounds like the girls had a good evening!  I'm hoping this baby stays tucked inside until after Angie's wedding in September! 

   Saturday evening Ryan and I went to Shaun and Justin's housewarming party.  My good friend Shaun and his boyfriend Justin moved into an adorable home near Lake Nakomis.  It has the most amazing roof top deck that overlooks the whole neighborhood!  It was really fun to catch up with Shaun and his family and meet Justin's mom too!  My parents joined the party too so after we left the new house, we headed to PF Changs for dinner.  It was fun to catch up with my parents and enjoy some really yummy food!

Sunday was our first baby shower!!  Liz and Dustin hosted a BaByQ for our little guy!  I'm not going to divulge the details- that will be in Tuesday's blog post but I will say Liz and Dustin hosted a great party- full of games and yummy food!  We had so much fun and baby Hannay is a lucky boy- we were blessed with lots of wonderful gifts and we have amazing friends!

Sunday evening we celebrated my sister-in-law!  Stephanie works at Accenture and was awarded the Jim Caldwell Leadership Award!!  Each year, Accenture Management Consulting in North America awards the Jim Caldwell Leadership Award recognizing a member of their practice that best exemplifies high performance balanced across value creator, people developer, and business operator.  Out of close to 4,000 nominations, Stephanie was awarded the top honor!  We celebrated her achievement with dessert and a little family get together!  Congratulations Stephanie- we are very proud of you!!

Excited to share our baby shower details tomorrow,

32 Weeks

Pumpkin this week...

~ He is gaining roughly about half a pound a week now.
~ He has toenails, fingernails, and hair!
~His skin is becoming soft and smooth now!

Size of the Baby?

Size of a squash!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

No weight gain this week again!  But I know he is growing because I can feel my skin itching as it stretches!

Maternity Clothes?

Ugh well here is a story of how wonderful my husband is... so I bought a gorgeous dress back in June for some summer weddings and a baby shower.  I kept trying it on over the last few months and it kept getting tighter and tighter.  I knew it was going to be close when it actually came time to wear it but was hopeful I could still make it work.  Tuesday night I asked Ryan to zip me up.  Fail.  It wouldn't zip as my belly has grown.  We shimmied it up and hoped it would zip. But that didn't work.  I took off the dress and hoped there was enough material in the seams that perhaps I could get the dress altered before next weekend's shower at my sister's house.  Nope- no seam allowance.  So how did my husband save the day you ask?!  He called Destination Maternity and got them to agree to take back the dress- even though I am over the 45 day return policy and bought me the same dress, just one size larger.  Yep- and this is why I love my husband!  He didn't make me feel bad about not being able to zip the dress and he took care of ordering me a new one.  Best husband ever!

Stretch Marks?

Still none.  But my skin itches a lot lately as baby boy is growing so I keep putting on Mama's Belly Butter- mostly to stay comfortable.

Best Moments?

Well hands down it is either when my husband ordered me a new dress OR when he bought me my breast pump... 2 gold stars for Ryan this week!  On Sunday we went to Babies R Us to purchase the pump I wanted because there was a sale on pumps and I had a coupon.  I know we have showers coming up but I feel like it's unlikely for one of Ryan's fraternity brothers to buy us my pump and the sale ends before my next shower.  So... we sucked it up and bought our pump.  But here is the kicker- I was happy to buy the pump we registered for - the Medal On-The-Go one but Ryan decided I needed the super fancy one.  In Ryan fashion, he analyzed the differences between the two pumps and came to the conclusion that it would be best for me to get the fancy one.  I was sort of indifferent- whatever- either one will pump just fine.  But I love my husband for looking at all the product features and making sure we got one that would be best for us.

Movement?
He is moving a bunch.  It is no longer kicks as often as it is stretching and rolling.  I do still get kicks to my right rib sometimes which hurts.  But for the most part, my belly is a rolling phenomenon.

Nausea/Vomitting?

Just have to stay hydrated so I don't feel light headed or like I'm going to faint.

Labor Signs?

Nope.  I've had lots of round ligament pains but no braxton hicks or contractions yet.

Gender?

Blessed with a little boy!

Belly Button In or Out?
Technically we can call it an innie however you can certainly see it under my tank top right now.  The side is pushed out a bit but it is not a full on outtie.

Wedding Rings On or Off?

On and not tight- yay!

Sleep?

Ugh- sleep lately has been rough.  I have 3-4 bathroom breaks a night.  And falling back asleep after 4am has been tough.  I also don't feel like I can get super comfortable right now.  I toss and turn a bunch which right now I feel like a whale moving around in bed.  Poor Ryan and Dupree.

Wisdom?

Take naps.  Lately I've been getting more tired during the day and if I can sneak in a nap, I'm a much happier camper.  My body is working hard to grow this little pumpkin so I need to re-energize my batteries sometimes.  A nap helps me so much and then I have energy to keep going and ask Ryan- I'm not as cranky either.  It's hard to stop and rest when I love being on the go all the time but life is changing and I have to do what's best for my body and my baby :)

What am I most excited about?

Our first baby shower!!  Liz and Dustin are hosting a BaByQ (BBQ- get it?!) for our little guy on Sunday!  It will be all of Ryan's fraternity brothers and their wives and college friends too!  I can't wait to celebrate and finally see all the little surprises Liz has been planning!

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Talk: 8 more weeks!

As I type this, our little man is kicking like crazy in my belly!  It's totally crazy and such an incredible feeling to have our son squirming, stretching, and moving around.  Today, I am officially at 32 weeks!  It has been 32 weeks of great anticipation (well 28 really as I didn't know the first 4 weeks)!  It has been 32 weeks of my body changing like I had never ever considered or imagined.  And in 8 weeks (or 9 if he is late) we will hold our son and be a family of 4 (yes Dupree still counts as one)!

As I prepare for how our lives will change in 8 weeks, I am savoring time with Ryan.  Our relationship and our home will not be the same.  They say you love your spouse differently once you have a baby and I can see how that may be.  I also have to say that I already have come to love Ryan deeper than I did before.  I am beyond thankful that I get to do parenthood with him.  I can't describe it other than having a child together is an incredible miracle that I am really excited about!  Our lives will most definitely change- but I expect they will be richer, deeper, and stronger!    

These are the last few weeks when we can easily go out with friends, meet up with family and stay out late.  We can sleep in and run errands whenever we want.  In a few short weeks we will be sleep deprived and on an emotional high.  I'm sure I will feel like a milk machine and I will feel a new love like I've never felt before.  I cannot wait.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy but will happily let him stay inside for a few more weeks.  I am also mentally preparing myself that he could definitely be late.  So perhaps instead of 8 more weeks, I should just say 9.  Healthy and happy is our prayers for the arrival of this little gift.

Today I'm linking up with Kristin for...

  

31 Weeks

Definitely not the greatest picture but I almost forgot about this week's bump picture until the storm hit!

But today is officially Baby Hannay's 60 day notice to vacate!  You have 60 days little man to pack up your belongings and move out of my belly!  Can't wait to meet you!

Pumpkin this week...

~ He is gaining more weight... likely he will double his weight by his birthday!
~ His skin is more pink!
~He can perceive information from all 5 of his senses.

Size of the Baby?

Probably between 3-3.5 pounds and close to his birth length!

Total Weight Gain/Loss?

No weight gain this week!  YAY!

Maternity Clothes?

Maternity jeans are getting uncomfortable in the heat so I need to switch back to more maxi dresses.  But last week I work yoga pants almost everyday at the pool!

Stretch Marks?

Thankfully none.  My doctor said I may be lucky enough not to get them.  I told her I was not religious about putting on body butter and she laughed.  She said that wouldn't help anything anyways- you either get them or you don't!  I'm hoping I'm lucky and don't!

Best Moments?

Done coaching.  As much as I LOVE coaching- and I do!- I am ready to nest and get ready for our little man!  I am excited to have evening hours to do house projects and anxiously wait for his birthday!

Movement?
YES and I LOVE it!  My family laughed when I said I could watch my tummy all day long.  But seriously I could!

Nausea/Vomitting?

No nausea but still a little light headed every once in a while.  I was super light headed on Sunday before our big family birthday party.  I couldn't catch my breath and could not get comfortable.  As long as baby is healthy that's all I care about.  I talked with my doctor about this on Tuesday at our appointment and she wasn't too concerned.  They did a blood glucose test just to make sure but likely I am dehydrated.

Labor Signs?

No but I wonder if I will feel braxton hicks soon?!

Gender?

BOY!  OH BOY!

Belly Button In or Out?
Still technically an inny but could be an outty any day now!

Wedding Rings On or Off?

On!  I don't really think I'm going to have to take it off but I guess 9 more weeks will tell!

Sleep?

LOVE my body pillow and fan!

Wisdom?

Stay hydrated!  I had no idea how easy it is to become dehydrated.  We are supposed to drink 80 oz. a day while pregnant and for someone who is bad about drinking water this is really hard.  So I'm trying to keep a water bottle with me at all times- at the office, in the car, and at home.  Hopefully being more mindful of this will alleviate the light-headedness I feel.

What am I most excited about?

A weekend with minimal plans!  Hoping to get a few other things done around the house- some shelving in the nursery closet and some major cleaning too!
Nine more weeks,

His Name and His Nursery

So yesterday's sneak peak of the nursery gave me a flood of notes asking to see more.  I was going to wait just because- well I have no good reason other than our son's name is in a few places in the nursery.  But here's the thing- we aren't keeping his name a secret either- I just haven't shared it with the blog or facebook world yet.  All of our family and friends know our baby boy's name.  So without further to do, our son's name is...

Colin Douglas.  Ryan and I chose the name Colin before we were even trying for this most special baby.  We just loved it!  And Douglas is a family name on Ryan's side.  We have loved talking about Colin Douglas for the last seven months and I cannot wait to bring him home to his nursery full of things we hope he loves!

We don't have a theme for the nursery- just lots of fun bright colors and things for our little boy!  Ryan and I painted the nursery and we put up the giraffe decal on the wall too.  Both things I don't think we will ever do again (lots of hard work)!  Most of the room is full of purchases from etsy or gifts from family and friends.  The crib was my niece Laura's and I'm so glad to have it for Colin.  The toy chest was my great-grandparents shoe chest that they used to have.  Ryan stained it to match our beloved refurbished dresser we did (the dresser was my sister-in-law's from her childhood).  

All photo credit again goes to Brett Dorrian.

 

 

  

Sometimes I just go in the nursery and sit in the glider and think about what the next few months and years will hold.  I'm so excited for Colin to be here and to snuggle him and play with him in his room.  I hope he likes it.  

Even Dupree knows that it is Colin's room.  We have tried to use his name a lot so Dupree has some idea when our baby gets here.  When we say we are going into Colin's room, Dupree knows where to go.  He loves the Mother Goose on the floor next to the giraffe and he kisses it every time.  I hope you like the nursery and Colin's name and if you don't- well that don't say anything.  I'm too in love with both :)

Happy Wednesday,