Almost 35 weeks picture...

I will be 35 weeks on Wednesday and we took this picture last night.....

I have not gained a single pound in almost 4 weeks.....But the belly is definitely getting out there.

I have about 4 weeks left to go and I could not be more thrilled...

Birthing class.....

This past weekend we went to our niece Alyson's first birthday party and had such a great time. She is so cute and I think enjoyed her first piece of cake ever.... She managed to get icing in her hair but overall made out pretty well. She is such a beautiful little girl and we can't wait to introduce her to baby Sam. I think the two of them together are going to be T-R-O-U-B-L-E.......

So Sunday Dan and I attended our first of 2 days worth of childbirthing class. We were prepared for a whipping and actually came out of the day feeling like we got a lot out of it...I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing a girl that I swear was twice my size and due a week after me and no she was not having twins....There was also a girl sitting next to me that was tiny....So it was nice to be able to see that there is always someone better and worse off then you are.... So here is a recap of the day.

*Got up a tad early and had a late breakfast/really early lunch at the bagel place (class was from 11-5 hello could we not do better timing for prego people as right in the middle of a major feeding time, especially for me since I have been suffering from heartburn/acid reflux so I tend to eat a bigger lunch and a pretty tiny dinner to minimize it for the night)

*First started the class with a little introduction of everyone and fears etc what you plan to learn from the class...And my comment on that was "When can I get the epidural?" Not sure the teacher appreciated that one but it was the truth..

*Listened to her talk about labor and the routes you can go medicated versus non-medicated (like that was really even an option for us)...

*Watched a video which was not as bad as everyone says (they must have updated it recently)...

*Then got to use all those pillows and blankets that I asked Dan to carry in by laying on the floor and practicing breathing and massage techniques...Dan and I laughed a lot but we just couldn't get our counting timing down..he went to fast I went to slow or vice versa..So at least we were entertained...

*Then watched another video on epidural (now we are talking)...I had some fears about a needle going into my back but once they explained the entire procedure and watched the video I was so calm about it...Kinda like going to the dentist and they give you some numbing shots ahead of time....

*Then to finish the class discussed when should you go the hospital, etc...(Which in my opinion may need to have been highlighted a little more as I know the minute I feel any pain/contractions or my water breaks I am running like a maniac for car to go....And the teacher was encouraging us to stay home and get through a few hours first...Are you crazy?????) We (the teacher and I) did not agree on when to go to the hospital but really it will be up to me (and Dan) when it happens...

So next week we have our car seat inspections on Saturdays to make sure our car seats are installed properly..Then Sunday we finish up our last childbirthing class...We get to go on a tour of the hospital which is going to be key since if you have preregistered (which we have!!) then you go straight up to the floor instead of sitting there and filling out all the paperwork.... So it will nice to be shown exactly where to go and what to do....

Also I hope to take a new belly picture this week (34 weeks) to put up so everyone can see how big I have gotten...I have gained no weight in almost 3 weeks (yet my stomach keeps expanding) so that was a total change of pace for me but the doctor said it is not a big deal since I am fine weight gain wise overall....

Sonogram, baby shower and upcoming events.............

So yesterday I had my follow up on baby Sam having a little fluid in her kidneys at 20 weeks...The doctor said everything looked great she is a very healthy looking baby. Her fluid levels in her kidneys were extremely normal.. He did recommend that we get her scanned just to be sure once she comes out but not cause for any alarm..I also had him double check Sam was a girl one more time..he laughingly did it... He showed me her head, her stomach, her spine, her leg bones and arm bones..It was a very fun appointment to see all that. He even got some great profile shots of her face and a head on shot of her face too....

So everything looked good and we are getting super excited...

We also had a baby shower this past weekend and it was so much fun. We had lots of friends and family in attendance and had wonderful food, laughed a lot (no one believed me I had not packed my bag yet but I plan on it in the next week or two), lots of fun presents (some I have no idea what to do with them...hahah), etc.... Thanks again girls for throwing me the best baby shower ever..... I had a blast and really am so lucky to have all of you guys in my life.

So this coming weekend we have my beautiful niece Alyson's 1st birthday party to attend on Saturday then Sunday Dan and I have a 6 hour child birthing class.... We decided to do it on 2 Sundays so as not to ruin a whole weekend.... Gosh we are already talking about ways to skip out early....heheheh not really...well kinda..... so I am sure some good stories will come out of those classes....

We are definitely on the countdown......Just a few more weeks for Baby Sam's arrival!!!!

finally Babymoon PART 2........................

Okay so let me finish this Babymoon post before my mind really just loses all those great details of the trip....

So we headed out of San Fran on Monday morning but not without first going to the baseball park and taking a tour..The tour was supposed to last 1 hour but of course we got this very chatty guy that normally does not give tours so ours lasted 1 hour and almost 40 minutes....It was awesome though. My hubby is a huge baseball fan and we missed going to a game by one week but the tour of the stadium was a great second place to a real game....

Then off to Santa Rosa to see my BFF Seetal and her family. On the way we decided we had to stop at an In-N-Out Burger..That was on our list of things we had to do in California...Since we were in the middle of the lunch rush I barely had time to decide what I wanted (granted there are only 3 choices to pick from) so I went with just a regular burger and fries...YUMMY!!!! It definitely lived up to all the hype but in my overcautious way with food I ordered my hamburger plain. Wrong decision as there was this delicious looking sauce on Dan's....

So on to Seetal's we made it there later on Monday and along with arriving there we arrived with horrible colds...Not sure where we got them but we were so sick....Tuesday we vegged out did go out to lunch to the cute downtown area but basically quarantined ourselves in the guest room so as not to get her and the kids sick. They ended up getting sick after we left and we felt horrible about it..... Then Wednesday even though we went through 3 boxes of kleenex we were determined to stay on schedule so we did wine country. We stopped first at Sterling for a tour and tasting and it was absolutely beautiful. Couldn't taste a darn thing but loved walking around and seeing it all.... Then had a quick lunch in Calistoga (I think that was the name of the town) then off to Sonoma valley to try out another smaller family owned winery that a colleague of Dan's mentioned (I will totally butcher the name if I even try).... At this point I am miserable with the cold so I take a 30 minute nap on our way out there as Dan drives.... It was a beautiful winery in a cute town and we again could not taste anything so we shipped home a few bottles of wine that we plan on enjoying after the baby arrives. Wednesday night Seetal gave us some home remedy cough syrup that I now swear by...It was fabulous and totally safe for me and the baby...I slept fabulously (along with Dan so we felt quite a bit better on Thursday)...Then Thursday we headed back to San Fran to see the Marin headlands....BEAUTIFUL views...We drove around that area for quite some time and hoping out here and there for pictures and a few walks..Then trying to get out of there we ended up going through this crazy little tunnel which dumped us out in Sausalito...Love that town so had a late lunch and went for a long walk amazed at the houses built into the sides of hills....Just a gorgeous day...On the way back to Santa Rosa that afternoon Seetal had told me about a little shopping excursion that had a great Coach outlet...It was a nice side trip on the way back..Dan was whipped the minute we got out of the car but it was a nice break to stretch our legs...

Then on Friday we bid farewell to Seetal and her family and moved on to see Aunt Carol and Uncle Ed (on Dan's side) in Sacramento.... We had a lovely time seeing the town they live in where they met, and a fabulous walk along the river.... It was a great path and I can see why Carol loves to run there... Then they were after my own heart and took us to dinner at Olive Garden...Yes I love Olive Garden Salad....Then we spent out first night ever in a RV (which was awesome by the way) only because they have a cat and i have allergies to cats, and then flew out on Saturday from Sacramento back to Dallas....We were exhausted getting home but so glad we took one last trip pre-baby....Thanks again to everyone for opening your homes to us...We are ever so grateful and it was definitely a trip to remember...

Baby Samantha's room is finally done

We finished baby Samanthas room this weekend...

Check out the pictures (I finally just figured out how to turn them around so they are rightside up) hmm I tend to not be so computer savy....anyway on with the pictures..

Okay so here is looking into the room from the door. There is a changing table/dresser on the right, crib on the left and rocking chair straight ahead... Look at those fabulous pink curtains my mother in law found for us...Thanks Lois!!

Here is a great shot of her crib with her name up in letters and not sure if you can see it in the right hand corner her butterfly mobile...So precious...

Here is a picture of the dresser/changing table..We are still waiting to get 2 pictures for that wall but we are close enough.

We wanted to keep Samantha's room simple so not too much on the walls...

Houdini Chewy..............

Just had to share as this made me laugh so hard...And when I have more time I will update the rest of our Babymoon trip and pictures of the baby's room....

So last night Dan went upstairs to his office around 9 or so to look up something and I was in the bedroom folding laundry and I noticed I hadn't seen our little beast (Chewy) in about 15-20 minutes..I assumed she was with Dan upstairs as she loves to go up there with him (as she is not allowed by herself - that is another whole story) so when i saw that he was downstairs and the gate was up on the stairs I started looking around for her...Not in living room, dining room, kitchen, near her crate or in her crate (sometimes she puts herself to bed if she is tired) but no such luck and I know she was not in the master bedroom with me so I start to turn all the lights on in the front of the house and as I turn around I notice there she is on her bed that we got her for her birthday that her Grandma Lois has covered for her with fleece. But her bed had been thrown in the formal living room that is gated off from her (because she tends to like to naw on the couches) and the bed was on top of the coffee table..So first not sure how she got in there as she has never done that before and not sure why she would jump on the coffee table and decided that was good place to take a nap...

Here is a picture to prove it

And of course I can not figure out how to rotate the darn thing so will need to tile your head a little...

Babymoon and a nice cold to go with it!!!

So Dan and I decided we needed to take one more trip before the baby gets here (BABYMOON!) so we took a week off work and headed to California.... We decided to stay with friends and family along the way to get to spend more time with everyone which was so well worth it..

First stop was in San Fran to see my cousin Ken, meet his girlfriend Susan (which we just think is awesome by the way) and my other cousin Doug. We got in on Saturday morning around 10 and let the fun begin. While in the line at the rental car place we decided since we tend to not do so well with directions we would try and get a GPS system with the car if it wasn't too expensive. When they started to tell us the daily rate for Garmin I was like no way I am paying that but since we were renting for a week they gave us a steal on it so we got it...And let me right now thank the inventors of the Garmin for saving our marriage...hahah just kidding Dan... This thing is phenomenal. We get in the car get all situated and set up the Garmin and type in my cousin Ken's address...Off we go. My ever so clever husband is explaining to me as we are getting out of the airport that the Garmin will give you new directions if you take a wrong turn and literally he had not even finished that sentence when we hear "RECALCULATING" aka we made a wrong turn. Which of course made me just come down with a severe case of the giggles...We heard that loud "RECALCULATING" actually quite a bit on this trip but again can not sing the praises of the Garmin any louder.

Then we met up with my cousin Ken and Susan and I had tried to warn them that I was quite large. I mean hello I am in my 8th month per se.. My cousin definitely puts me right at ease letting me know that my arse still looks great..... So I felt much better after that...We headed over to Tiburron and had a fun lunch in a Mexican place. Then off to get some exercise around that area and we got sucked into a candy shop. Ken hands me a pretty large piece of fudge and man I have not seen baby Sam get so active so quick. Pretty funny..... Dan swears I inhaled that fudge as he never saw it.... Then back to San Fran for some more walking sightseeing and then out to dinner... What a fun night....Then on Easter Sunday we had brunch at my other cousin (Doug's) place and what a fun day that was. What more could you ask for to be with family, great food and new people to meet...And of course Dan would mention the yummy drinks that he thoroughly enjoyed.... What a fun day of looking at his phenomenal views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz....Dan and I just sat on the balcony for hours enjoying the views....

Here is a fun picture of the family for Easter Sunday brunch...

Next stop was Santa Rosa to spend time with my BFF and her family. More to come on the trip in a day or two...

Doctors appointment today......

So today I went back to the doctors office for my 31 week check up....It was all going so well until we did the weigh in (which is only the third step in the process, step one pee in a cup, step two blood pressure) . I had gained 6 pounds in 2 weeks...I really can not be too upset with us being on vacation for a week (more details to come) and getting a horrific cold on the vacation trip (aka Babymoon)..... But man I am so ready to get my butt back on treadmill....

Sam is doing great. Her heartrate is perfect, she seems to be growing according to plan and her head is down in the correct position...Yeah!!! So of course comes the question part of my appointment. As everyone knows I am a planner so of course my logical question would be what to expect coming up? Pretty much gave me a quick top level description of anything to look out for. And since I can't remember anything these days they had it all nice and neat typed up on a piece of paper when I was ready to leave...Darn it wish I had known that before I tried to memorize it all...

One more random story before I go last night I was trying to finish up the mounds of laundry from our vacation and I turned back into the bedroom and totally smashed my middle toe on the doorframe. Darn door frame...I knew it was going to be bad when literally for the first 10 seconds I felt nothing.....Then the pain really set in. When Dan got home (several hours later) my toe was all black and blue....ughhhh So since I was half asleep in bed when he got home I told him that I broke my toe. since I say that a lot he really didn't believe him until I pulled my leg out from under the comforters and showed him how bad it was..Then the concern kicked in. See picture below....However he still does not believe it is broken, Oh well this is another true testament to my clutziness...