Belly Dancing

Here is a little clip of the baby dancing around. I am not moving the camera at all so in the beginning when you see it shake that is the baby. The head/butt appears to be on my left side now and the feet the right so that is the large bulge that you see on the left sometimes. About halfway into the video you can see some good movement. Once I zoom in a little on the left, it is pretty much over so you don't have to watch after that.

and...

We have bats living on our porch! It is disgusting and they leave their feces behind!

Important Detail...

I forgot to mention that we have 100% settled on a boy and girl name!! WooHoo! Some of you may know the girl name but NO ONE knows the boy name yet! I guess we will have to wait eight more weeks to find out which name it will be.

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks, Heart-rate was in 140's today.
Total weight gain/loss: I was actually down 2 lbs from the last visit, total weight gain of twenty pounds
Maternity clothes? Yep!!!
Stretch marks? None that I can see yet.
Sleep: Some days are better than others, I have been taking naps again
Best moment this week: We figured out the position of the baby...still transverse
Movement: You can see the foot scrape across my stomach now, it is pretty interesting. People can also see the baby move when I am standing up.
Food cravings: LEMONADE
Gender: We are both thinking boy now. I am afraid of guessing wrong but my mom informed me that she thought I was a boy and I am just fine so I am going to guess boy now.
Labor Signs: Starting to feel some Braxton Hicks contractions after I am active.
Belly Button in or out? Out!!
What I miss: wearing some of my favorite clothes
What I am looking forward to: 36 week appt where we discuss the birth plan, packing our bags (we have a list created)
Weekly Wisdom: This is for other people: don't lift a pregnant woman's shirt without asking!
Milestones: 37 weeks (full-term)

My First Giveaway!

I am hosting my first giveaway over at Suburban Saving Mama. Go check it out and be sure to enter!

Baby Shower

We headed back to Grimes this weekend for my Baby Shower. It was a short trip but we had a fun action-packed time. Saturday morning, Bethany, my mom, Jaimie, Mindy, and I went and got pedicures which was the only the second time that I had gotten one; definitely great after the Avon Walk.
Later that afternoon, we had the Baby Shower: Ice Cream and Pickle theme! We got tons of great things for the baby and now we can't wait to meet him/her.

Cute little onesie that says: 'I'm a Cutie, my mom's a babe, and my dad totally rocks"

Netha got the closest with guessing how big my stomach was with yarn. I guess she looked at my belly a lot on the Avon Walk!
Everyone guessed WAY too big!

Stacy and I

Kyle took some pictures later on in the day in my parent's backyard. 31 weeks...

With my parents

Boy or girl?

31 Weeks!

I don't have any pictures yet from this week but will get some good ones at my BABY SHOWER this weekend!!

I was up 22 lbs. at my last appt...holy cow! Still no stretch marks and hopefully they don't make their appearance but I have a feeling with my genetics that they will. Kyle even noticed this time that the heartbeat is starting to sound a lot slower and once again it was in the 120-130's; a considerable difference from when we heard it several times in the 160's. The beginning of pregnancy the heartbeat tends to flucuate more as the baby is growing rapidly but closer to the end it is usually pretty consistent. Old wive's tales would say boy with a low heartrate!

Baby is still squirming away (even as I type right now) but it feels like it could be breech or in a transverse position, definitely not head-down yet. The midwife wasn't able to determine what position it was in by feeling around, but said that they would be able to in the next few weeks. We go back again at 32 weeks.

We did have a little scare the other night when we got rear-ended coming home from the city. Kyle and I laughed later thinking that we lived there for two years and thankfully nothing happened and right after we move something does. Especially since we drove on that road multiple times a day when we living there! We weren't that far from our hospital when it happened but they said that there was no need for me to come in unless I didn't feel the baby move later that night or was having some other issues (which I won't describe in detail). Our Vue survived the accident but the other car was completely smashed in the front and possibly totaled.

We are heading back to Iowa this weekend for my Baby Shower. I am pretty excited to get to see everyone one least time before we add another family member.

Website Button

Several people have asked about putting my website button on the side of their blog in order to advertise. I would love if you are willing, unfortunately I am having some issues with my HTML code so for right now do the following if you are interested. Hopefully I can get some technical assistance soon!

1. Right click the image on the right hand side of my blog (Suburban Saving Mama), the one with the pink border around it and click 'Save Image As'. Save the image wherever you will be able to find it later.

2. Click 'Customize' on your blog.

3. Go to the 'Layout' tab and click on 'Add Gadget' to the side.

4. Scroll down and click on 'Picture'

5. Browse for the picture on your computer, check the box that says 'shrink to fit' and where it says 'link' add: http://www.suburbansavingmama.com

You can create a Title and caption if you want but it isn't necessary.

Re-arrange it wherever you want it on your blog. Make sure it works by clicking on it, if it takes you directly to my site then you did it right!

Any questions?? It really isn't that hard I just wrote it out step-by-step.

Also...if there are any topics that you are interested in for the website then let me know! I should be having some giveaways up and running in the next few weeks, I just need a few more followers, so spread the word!

what we have been up to lately...

*UPDATE: If you added my blog to your blog list, can you please update it. I am no longer a blog but now a website (www.suburbansavingmama.com). It should directly take you from the blog to the website in a few days but just in case it doesn't please update it. Everything is still the same, just a different website.

When Kyle and I were first married, we always talked about eventually starting a business together. With his degree in Business and my multiple degrees, we thought that it might be a easy way to spend some more time at home and see each other more often.

Well, we have decided to get our feet wet with our new venture: Suburban Saving Mama. This is a website that we have created to feature great deals/coupons, money-saving tips, baby products and reviews, AMAZING giveaways, and our new adventures of being a parent. Obviously the website is still in its infancy but we would love for you to click on over and check it out. You can also see it in my side blog list under 'Frugal Blogs'.

We need some support from you though! In order to get the site rolling so I can start to feature some great giveaways, I need a solid fan base. So here is what you can do:

1. Follow me on twitter, username: suburbansaving
2. Follow Suburban Saving Mama on the left side of the blog
3. Subscribe to Suburban Saving Mama on the left side of the blog
4. Add my site to your blog list (www.suburbansavingmama.com). If you do, please leave me a comment letting me know that you have done so! This would definitely draw more traffic to the blog.

The great thing about doing one or all of these things is that they will come in handy when it is time for Giveaways. You will be able to submit for extra entries if you follow on twitter, follow the website, subscribe, or add my site to your blog/website list...so you might as well get it out of the way now and increase your odds of winning some spectacular prizes.

One of the cool things that we are going to feature is 'Change it Up!' Thursday. We are challenging all of our readers to specifically save their change each week and keep track of how much they can save by doing so. We have a spreadsheet on the right hand side of the site that outlines our progress so far. Each Thursday, we will document how much was saved over the week and provide a space for others to leave how much they have saved as well.

If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to leave a comment here or email me at: jamie@suburbansavingmama.com.

Babymoon?

Where should we take our 'Babymoon' ?? Only a one night roadtrip somewhere on this map (so we aren't driving ALL day)...and it can't be anywhere in Iowa! We are thinking St. Louis.

29 weeks!

It may not look like there is much of a difference but I think that the baby is more in the front now and higher (which has provided much relief for my bladder). I think that yoga has contributed to that a little. I love prenatal yoga, every pregnant woman should try if they liked yoga to begin with. I am the type of person that can become relaxed very easily. I got hypnotized at a work party a few years back and didn't realize how relaxed I could become; I kept sliding out of my chair and laying on the floor. Hopefully that will come in handy for labor!!

We have reached 29 weeks, only one more week until we are in the 30's...Our appointments are now every two weeks so it is nice to get to go every two instead of four and then at 36 weeks they will become every week. At our 28 week appt. we had our Glucose Tolerance Test which requires fasting for a few hours and then drinking a very sugary drink followed by a blood draw. The fasting and drink weren't horrible but the blood draw wasn't ideal. The nurse said that sometimes your veins become flat during the test so I was pricked a few times before it worked. At my 24 week appt the midwife said that they wouldn't call unless something was wrong with the test so I was little surprised when we got a call from the office about two hours later (this was also right before I was about to eat a very sugary ice cream treat). I passed though and the midwife that I saw that day said that she calls everyone regardless. I was also up 18 lbs. total, the normal range is 17-24 so everything is going good even though some days I feel like a fat lard.

We got our travel system (stroller, car seat, and base) the same day as our 28 week appt. I found a really good deal online (www.diapers.com) for $60 cheaper than Babies R' Us so we thought that we would just get it before the sale was gone. I love it. Kyle got it all set up while I was in class so I came home to it all ready with a teddy bear inside...haha, he said that he was making sure that the shoulder harness was in the right place (which I actually read in my pregnancy book later that day is the thing to do to guess where they should go).
Other baby news, my bellybutton popped out around 28 weeks and Kyle has officially changed his gender prediction to boy (he said that he is 85% sure, I am still 50% sure). Be sure to include your predictions in the post below. Still struggling with boy names (I have my name picked out but Kyle isn't so sure).

Baby Rouse Predictions

*UPDATE* This is a contest! If you get the gender and date correct you will win a prize. If more than one person gets that correct then the closest person to weight and time will win!

-According to the Chinese Birth Chart (which 'says' that it is 90% accurate): Girl

-According to this Quiz: Girl (68%)

-According to this Quiz: Girl (67%)

-Last heart-rate was jumping from 120-130's: Indicates boy

-Ring test- ring went in circles: Indicates girl

-According to Madame Zaritska: The day you deliver, outside will be rainy. Your baby will arrive in the late morning. After a labor lasting approximately 11 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have medium blue eyes and some red hair.
(ugh! I hope that my baby is bigger than that; that child will be rather long and skinny, haha!)

I would like to hear what you have to say!!! Please leave a comment with your prediction on:
1. Day of Arrival
2. Time of Arrival
3. Gender
4. Weight
5. And to make things interesting...names that you like (we still need some help with boy names)

Just a reminder, Baby Rouse is said to be due on September 19th.

Naper Days

Last Saturday we went to a festival called Naper Days which takes place at Naper Settlement (for you Iowans: it is a mixture of the Living History Farms and historical buildings at the Iowa State Fair). It was incredibly hot outside but we managed to survive. The Taste of Naperville was there as well as an Eagle- inspired band. There wasn't much to do there but we got a feeling for what we need to bring to Ribfest over the 4th. I am so excited for RIBS-lots of them and HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS is going to be there!!!

One of the museums

We frequented this booth many times, I think I went through three waters in a two hour period because of the heat!

The band

The old man dancer that entertained us. I enjoy small towns and concerts when only two people are dancing in a huge open area.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

And of course to my hubby...who will enjoy his Father's Day this year (after he gets off work) like this:And next year...probably like this:

27 Weeks

How far along? 27 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I don't even know anymore but will find out next week
Maternity clothes? Yep! But I did fit into a pair of my old jeans this week which felt great. Maternity pants have saggy bottoms on me.
Stretch marks? Not yet...
Sleep: Tossing and Turning but could be related to the warmer temperatures
Best moment this week: The baby's eyes are not fused shut anymore and could start to open up now.
Movement: Oh yes! I wonder if the baby's temperament will be similar to its activity inutero. You can definitely see my stomach do the wave.
Food cravings: BBQ sauce (on things not plain)
Gender: Absolutely no idea! We are possibly getting closer to choosing a boy name.
Labor Signs: Nope!
Belly Button in or out? Just about all the way out, you can kind of see it in the picture (and my stomach has become really 'viney')
What I miss: leaning forward to eat, I feel so sloppy/unladylike when I eat
What I am looking forward to: 3rd trimester next week!!! WOO HOO!!
Weekly Wisdom: Everybody has different experiences, likes/dislikes, etc. Just because it works for you doesn't mean that it will work for us.
Milestones: 28 week appointment and glucose test, I have to fast for three hours and just so happened to schedule my appt at 1:30...late lunch for me!

By the way, I belong to PaperBackSwap and it is amazing. It is an online swapping center for books that is 'free'. You upload books that you don't want anymore and then ship them out to people that do want them (so you pay for the shipping, usually between $2-3/book). But the kicker is that you can request any book from the site and that person has to ship it to you for free. You keep the book that you receive and can re-post it to your profile if you choose. Anyways, I have shipped around ten books and received many fun things as well. One of my favorites is 'Better Baby Food' which has recipes for different age groups and for homemade baby food (hence registering at Target for a food processor and baby food ice cube trays). This book is great though!

P.S. I posted my favorite song on the side of my blog. I love to listen to this song in the morning on the radio! It just makes my day go so well, you have to listen to the entire song because the ending is the best. I am so glad that although our baby is being born into a world full of sin, they are 'forgiven and loved' by God! (I listen loud enough so the baby can hear too).

Weekend with the Duhn Family

The Duhn Family came to visit us last weekend. We had a lot of fun playing Wii, the boys golfing/girls shopping, and taking a little walk on the Riverwalk. Kyle and Alaina have always had a special little bond. I don't think that she remembers much of him between visits but once they reunite they are inseperable. Here is a little look down memory lane! He will be a great Dad!

They were holding hands while walking!

Watching the birds on our porch at the bird feeder.

Being silly.