Week 30 & Nursery

Dear Conor,

It's been a busy few days.  I have been working hard (at my real job) to get ready for October as I am likely to have a trial and I need to make sure that I'm caught up on all my other cases.  When I am sick of work (which means dealing with other people's problems) I take a few minutes to do something for you.

On Tuesday I worked on Thank-You cards.  I believe I have about 15 more to go.  I have completed about 20 which is more than 1/2 so I am happy.  It's my goal to have the rest in the mail by Monday.  I can't post a picture of the cards yet because not everyone has received theirs.  But, Amanda has gotten hers and texted that she thought it was "adorable".

On Wednesday I put together your swing from Grandpa Tom and your Pack and Play (or play yard as they are now called).  They are currently set up in the livingroom and they fit there pretty well - we just have to figure out what to do with our Queen Anne chair as I don't believe it will fit up the staircase so that it could be put in our room.  I am thinking perhaps the dinningroom once we clear out the rest of your stuff there could be space.

Dempsey by Graco Collection

Today I stopped at Grandpa Tom's house and picked up all of the clothes from your Maine Shower.  When I wasn't busy working I spent some time organizing the clothes in your closet and trying to put as much in the closet as possible to keep it out of the dinningroom and the hallway.  While the closet is not set up as it will be once your room is done and the containers but in it - I think that it alone reminds me of your impending arrival.

Closet 9.29.2011 - a work in progress

You already have a lot of clothes in a variety of sizes - you currently have more clothes to wear when you come home from the hospital than I do!  Something about that just doesn't seem quite right :)

We had to rearrange the work on your room because my work schedule changed this week but I still intend on having your room ready for furniture by bedtime on Sunday so wish us luck :)

xoxo
Mom

Ten Weeks to Go & To Do List

Dear Conor,

Today is the ten week mark.  In ten weeks you should be here.  It is time to get our bottoms in gear and get things moving.

I was supposed to have a trial tomorrow but things have changed so I am going to work hard today to get a lot of my work done and then spend tomorrow sanding and priming your bedroom woodwork.

My hope is that if I can get that done then Saturday I can paint and if not on Saturday then Sunday I can wash the floors.  Once the floors are washed and waxed and the ceiling fan dusted we can move the furniture into your room and I can start putting things in order.

Your crib is still at Grandma Janet's and I am 100% certain that she wants it out of her spare room so she can have that space back :)

So, here is my Mommy-Do List
(1) sand trim
(2) prime trim
(3) paint trim and beadboard
(4) clean ceiling fan
(5) wash and wax floors
(6) move into bedroom (including assembling crib)
(7) wash and iron bedding
(8) organize clothes, diapers, and all other baby stuff

Then it's on to the bathroom where I need to prime and paint and get some shelves up so we can store all your bathroom stuff (plus ours and Hunters) in a more orderly fashion.

This is a big list but I feel it I break it down into tasks per day and give myself deadlines then we will be ready to go for November 1, 2011.

What?  Why November 1st you ask when you are not due to be here until December 6th?  Well, your arrival doesn't stop the world from turning and I have Christmas shopping to do!!!  Plus, I will feel better if I have a few weeks to "tweek" things as I see fit and am not spending that time running around trying to actually get organized.

I'll update you after the weekend with our progress :)

xoxo
Mom

PS.  I also have to finish the Thank-You cards from your showers.  The first batch of 12 went out today and I hope to have another batch out byThursday! 

Cape Cod Baby Shower Post #1

Dear Conor,

This past weekend you and I traveled to Cape Cod to visit Grandma Mary and your aunties as well as your Great Grammie as she was up from Florida.  While on the Cape you took your first train ride on the Cape Cod Central Railroad (we went on the dinner train) and you attended your second baby shower.

This shower was hosted by Grandma Mary and your aunties and took place at her house.  Guests included many relatives from both Grandma Mary's side of the family and Grandpa Adam's as well as neighbors that I grew up with and close friends.  Everyone appeared to have a great time and it was nice to be able to visit with everyone at one time instead of stopping at each of their homes.  They are all eager for your first "out of the womb" visit to the Cape!

I don't have a lot of pictures just yet because Dar came over and played photographer for the day so I have to wait until he sends me a disc.  But, I did get pictures of some of the details so I will post those for now.

Water bottles with custom labels - LOVED this detail!

Grandma Mary pinning many things onto my shirt (I received a white rose corsage and a button with a little blue footprint on it)

Diaper Cake made by Aunt Lindsay and the favors were little carriage containers that held blue bottle and white dot candies.

A close-up

One of the games we played - guests had to guess how many Mike and Ikes were in the bottle.  If I remember the answer was 443 and Aunt Sarah's friend Ana won with a guess of 428.

The food - lots of yummy things to eat!

And just because I love sweets - a close up of the amazing cupcakes your Aunt Lindsay made - she even made them fit the blue/brown theme!

We also played Baby Bingo - there were three prizes given away here (one for making an 'E' on the board).



The "gift opening station" - I took this picture before everyone arrived but as you can tell - you were well loved at this shower as well!

 

Another game (Aunt Cathin likes games).  This one we all wore clothes-pins and if you said "baby" "boy" or "Josh" someone could take one of your pins.  The person with the most at the end of the shower won (Grandma Mary won this game but we think she might have cheated!)

It was a wonderful shower and I promise to post more pictures when they get here.  Between your two grandmothers - you were a very showered baby!

xoxo
Mom

T minus 11 weeks and counting

Dear Conor,

This week is your 29th week in my stomach.  You have become much more active in the mornings and evenings but I have also noticed you at various points of the day.  Your kicks are also becoming much stronger (please be gentle!).  Another interesting thing is that I can often tell which position you are in because I can sometimes feel your head at my sides (but not all the time).

This week has been a tough one because I have had a LOT of heartburn.  If the old wives tales are correct this indicates that you will be born with a lot of hair - we shall see in a few weeks if this proves to be right in your case.

I have also had a lot of swelling in the last 2 weeks.  I had to go out and buy a new pair of work shoes because my fat little feet wouldn't fit in my nice brown heels - my wedding rings also don't fit my fingers.  Friends and family that don't see me on a daily basis also say that my face has gained a little weight. 

But, overall I would say that things are going pretty well for you and I and I am certain the next 10 weeks are going to seem to fly by.

xoxo
Mom

Doctor's Appointments

Dear Conor,

I have to ask the question "where did all the time go"?  It seems like only a few weeks ago that Josh and I were waiting in the office for our first meeting with the midwife.  Since then I have had a slew of doctor's appointments and wanted to write them all down so that I would remember what we did and what was discussed at each visit. 

April 12, 2011
* this was our first visit - it was really just an "intake".  We met with the nurse and then the midwife and discussed how far along we thought I was and my weight was taken and basic vital stats were gathered.  Blood was drawn to ensure that I didn't have any infections or concerns to be worried about.

April 29, 2011
* this was the first official visit with the midwife.  Vitals were taken again and we talked about healthy eating choices as well as issues with vitamins and what to expect over the next four weeks.

May 13, 2011
* second visit with the midwife.  Vitals were taken and first trimester tests were discussed.  We decided to partake in most of the testing other than the breathing tests because we don't have a history of these issues in our family.  The first ultrasound was scheduled for June 1, 2011.

June 1, 2011
* this appointment was your first ultrasound.  I went to this appointment alone because Josh had a closing for work.  The ultrasound technician was really sweet and was able to point out your different features for me.  She also printed a lot of pictures for me to bring home to Josh.  I had blood drawn at this appointment as well.  The purpose of this appointment was to look for genetic abnormalities that would trigger a need for further testing.

June 10, 2011
* this was our monthly appointment but it was also the follow-up to review the blood test results from the June 1st draw.  The midwife was impressed with the images the technician was able to capture and said that things looked good.  We also talked about how sick I had been feeling and I was given more information on what I might try eating and was told to stop my prenatals if they were causing sickness or to try taking them at night.

July 12, 2011
* this was another ultrasound appointment.  Your Aunt Danielle came to this appointment as we were going to learn your sex and she had asked months prior if she could go.  The ultrasound technician was not as pleasant as the previous one I had and she did not make it a very special moment (which is what we had all been anticipating).  But, it doesn't really matter because this is when we learned you would be a boy and you no longer were just a "thing" growing in my stomach - you were a little boy.  That afternoon we went shopping and I bought you your first set of pajamas.  I also had blood drawn that would be used along with the ultrasound and the previous blood draw/ultrasound to screen for any abnormalities.

July 15, 2011
* this was my 31st birthday and it was the day that I received a call stating that a marker had shown up in the bloodwork.  The midwife wanted us to meet with a genetic counselor to go over family history and discuss whether or not we wanted to have a procedure known as an amnio done.  It was a very tough day for me because I was very worried about what we might learn and/or find by taking these steps. 

July 18, 2011
* we met with the genetic counselor (who was very nice) and reviewed our family histories.  There was no precursor for the marker in either of our lines and therefore it was up to us whether or not we wanted further testing.  We knew that we did and so the amnio was done that day.  The doctor was very nice and the bonus was that we got another sneak peak at you.

July 20, 2011
* we received a call from the genetic counselor who said that everything came back fine from the first series of additional testing and both Josh and I were so relieved.  We received a letter a few weeks later detailing everything but we didn't care about what tests were done and what the rates were and what we had talked with the counselor about - all we knew was that you were ok and that's all that mattered to us.

August 19, 2011
* this was just a traditional check-up with the midwife to make sure things were going ok.  Your heartrate was checked again (it is checked at every visit) and you were deemed to be doing well.  I signed us up for birthing classes and set up the next series of testing.  We also got a tour of the birthing center.

September 9, 2011
* gestational diabetes testing was done today and they also drew blood to check my thyroid and iron levels.  I did not receive a call within 48 hours which means that everything looked good.  You were in a head down position when the midwife checked you and your heartrate was good.  Our next visit is October 7, 2011 and after that we start meeting with her every two weeks.

xoxo
Mom

Maine Baby Shower Pictures #2

A BIG pile of clothes from Grandma Janet & Grandma Dennis.

A Sleep Sack set, Melody Bear and Polka Dot Socks from Kelsey & Jarrod.

Assorted Items from Great Grandma Irene

Lots of things for you from my friends Melanie and Jackie

A seat for many purposes from Tony and Lilly (they do your Grandma Janet's nails & have become her friends).

More assorted items (clothes, bath stuff, bibs) from Great Aunt Chris.

Your crib bedding from Grandma Janet and Great Grandma Irene.

A tricycle made from diapers, bottles, binkys, and receiving blankets from Candace and Fred - so cool!!

A side view so you can see the little cart behind it.

Your first license plate!

You also received your crib at this shower from Grandma Janet, Grandpa Dennis and Great Grandma Irene but we don't have a picture of it yet because it hasn't arrived at our house :)

Maine Baby Shower Pictures #1

Dear Conor,

Since you and I were the "guests of honor" at the baby shower hosted this past weekend I wasn't able to take as many pictures as I normally would at an event such as this.  However, I did manage to get a few pictures of the event (thanks Amanda!) and I took pictures of each of the gifts we received after the party to ensure we would be able to remember what you were given and by whom (I am waiting for our Thank-You cards to come in and these pictures will help us to write these).

Hunter and I opening his gift to you!

Some neat items from Auntie Ana!

From Amanda and Chris to help us stay organized!

A basket of goodies from Auntie Jill (she also passed down some of Ryan's clothes).

A bathtub and all the grooming supplies you will need to be just as clean as Hunter.

Sophie the Teether - a gift from Jill & Family



Josh holding Baby Ryan



All Natural Swaddles from Karla and Todd



A beautiful quilt and sweater from Denise and Doug

To be continued in another post - there are so many pictures!