Happy Thanksgiving, All! 35 Weeks... :)

He's leaving on a jet plane...

... and here's to hoping he comes back before the little one is born! It looks like my husband's expertise is needed with a client in Princeton, New Jersey for a few weeks... no signs of an early baby arrival right now, but I'm a little bit nervous about being in a city on my own during "high alert" time! SO GLAD we got most of the "baby prep" done these past couple of months. It would have been a lot more difficult doing it all on my own.

Last night I started filling in pages of the baby book... some of the pages are pretty detailed so this new project will keep me busy the next couple of weeks :)

                                       

My little Saturday morning of sterilizing

It's time to wash and sterilize breast pump accessories and bottles... I'm actually looking forward to it because the pump is probably the coolest "toy" I've ever played with. Unfortunately I have to be very careful with this "toy" because it's a $300 loss if I break something, not including some of the added accessories.
Obviously I don't have first-hand experience with the pump yet, but in my opinion it is definitely worth the money if you think you're going to be a devoted breast feeder/pumper. I decided to go with the Medela Pump 'N Style (see below) -- in addition to the A/C adapter I got the car adapter as well. I may never use it, but now that we're so far away from family and friends (and with all of the hassle airlines put you through today) I'm thinking we'd like to drive more often than flying with all of the baby gear.
**I did a little research and found a much more efficient way to sterilize some of the pump and bottle components... MEDELA MICRO-STEAM BAGS. Even the tubing can be sterilized this way as long as you put the appropriate amount of water in the bag. The bags are also great for sterilizing pacifiers for your little one :)

...and we're ready for the little lady to take over our home

New area rug delivered and ready for activity mats, toys, swings, etc... we think she'll enjoy the softer surface :)

Shelves are no longer bare...

Crib is ready for her to sleep in, although she won't be sleeping in it for a bit :)

The Munchkin's "Coming Home Outfit" :)

GREAT space saver! (the rest assured sleeper)

Yesterday we set up the "rest assured sleeper" to make sure it was high-quality for the little munchkin to rest in. We've got so much "stuff" now that we decided to save some space by purchasing this versus a pack 'n play or bassinet. SO GLAD WE DID THIS! The sleeper fits perfectly in the crib, in the bed with me (husband will be traveling a lot) or out in the living room on the ottoman, rug, whatever. Not only is it less cumbersome than any other "infant sleeper," but you can literally move the sleeper with the baby in it from one room to another (GREAT for getting her adjusted to sleeping in her own crib from our room!) This is also great to purchase as a travel sleeping alternative for your little one (as long as he/she is under 15 lbs) - folds up compactly with a traveling handle.

Glad I've never been a Jell-O fan... and neither will my children!! :)

http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/for-the-home/10-things-snack-food-companies-wont-say/?page=all\

Only a month and a half to go...!!!!

We took a couple more pictures today... I'm almost 34 weeks and feeling great! I get occasional heartburn/backache and feel a lot more pressure on my bladder, but overall I've had a very easy pregnancy thus far! The hardest part at this point is PATIENCE... I can't wait to meet our little angel.

Fun little "tummy exercises"

We're having a lot of fun these days watching the little munchkin maneuver in my tummy and kick, punch, or give us a high five :) The past few weeks we've done a couple "exercises" with Baby Walsh that have been pretty fun.
The first is: we turn all of the lights off in the room and shine a flash light onto my tummy, moving it slowly from side to side. Usually the baby will respond to the light and either move with it or kick/punch where you have shined the light!
The second is: we took a toilet paper roll and my husband placed it up to my belly to try and find her heart beat -- this is neat because you can sometimes tell where your baby is positioned based on where you hear the beat.
Both of these fun activities won't work until you're in your sixth month or later :)
This picture (below) is not my belly or baby's little foot, but I had to post it... very cool?!


SOME WOMAN'S TUMMY :) 

    

A Healthy Start :)

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day. Growing up, my Mom and Dad would make special breakfasts for my brother, sisters and me on a daily basis. Whether waffles, pancakes, eggs to our liking, a breakfast casserole, or french toast, they always made sure we went out the door well fed (or with a breakfast sandwich in hand to eat in the car!) Yes, we were very fortunate to have such devoted parents.
My morning hunger was out of control during my second trimester (and I wasn't as tired as I am now) so a typical breakfast could include a huge plate of french toast or eggs, bacon and toast with some fruit salad. I'm always hungry in the morning, but lately I lack the energy to get the pots, pans and bowls out. My alternative is a big bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with organic 1% milk and some fruit. Kashi GLC has 9 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving -- twice the protein and fiber of most cereals. I prefer the Honey Almond Flax box which provides me with 500 mg of omega-3 fatty acids as well :)