Baby Shower and Update

Hi everyone!

Last Saturday was my big baby shower, and it was a blast! My mom and sisters did a great job planning and decorating! Thanks ladies! :)

Here are a few pictures:

Me with the adorable/delicious cake:

Mary (baby's grandma, Adam's mom) playing the guess what's in the diaper game:

Theresa (baby's other grandma, my mom) measuring me for the guess how big Beth's belly is game:

The room full of ladies (sorry to those of you that aren't in this picture):

We had a great time! I got tons of stuff for the baby, lots of cute outfits, the crib bedding (which looks adorable), an awesome swing (that also vibrates! bonus!), a baby monitor, a baby bathtub, boppy pillows, toys, blankets, and tons of other fun gizmos and gadgets. We do have a few other things to pick up, and I have one more smaller shower with my coworkers where I might get a few of those items. We have been blessed to have so many people provide things that we need!

Here is Adam putting the swing together:

And this is a funny picture of me and my dad comparing belly size (I'm totally winning):

This week we've had a marathon of baby-related things: Tuesday we started our childbirth class (which runs for 4 weeks), Wednesday doctor appointment, Thursday breastfeeding class, and tomorrow morning Adam goes to Baby Basics for Expectant Fathers (a class I coordinate through work). At our 34 week doctor visit this week everything was still great! Blood pressure is good, weight gain is good, baby's heartbeat is good, my tummy measurements are good, so it seems that my body is still handling pregnancy without a problem! :) Our next appointment is at 36 weeks, on August 27. That is the first appointment where they will check me to see if I'm dialated, effaced, etc. We'll see what they say!

I'm still feeling good, I just get tired a bit more easily. When I could normally shop for a long time without needing a break, I'm now finding that walking around Target for 30-45 minutes is more than enough for me. I don't have as much energy, but I think that is to be expected when I'm carrying a watermelon sized tummy with me everywhere I go! We are still out and about all the time, we just have to take it at a slower pace.

Also, sleeping has become a bit more of a challenge. I now use four normal pillows and a body pillow every night in order to get comfortable. Poor Adam doesn't have much room anymore! I'm also finding it difficult to get up when I am in certain positions (lying on the couch, sitting on the floor, etc.). I'm certain that this will continue to be a challenge over the next few weeks...lets just hope I don't reach a point where I am really stuck and can't get up!

Well, that's about all for now...

Until next week (belly pictures!),

Beth