An Amazing Baby Shower

Carrie and my Mom threw Jackson and I an amazing baby shower on December 5th. Carrie designed an adorable "baby bird" theme and everything was the perfect shade of blue and brown. We had baby bird cupcakes (so delicious!), chocolate dipped pretzels (courtesy of Carrie's husband David), and lots of other tasty treats. Carrie even decorated the chandelier to look like a cute birds nest! It was so fun spending the afternoon with friends and family and I appreciate everyone's generosity so much!

The Nursery

Well everything is finally pretty much complete for Jackson's nursery! As soon as I get my maternity photos back we'll frame them and hang those on the wall as well. He won't be sleeping in here for awhile at least, but it's nice to have everything done before his arrival! I hope that I never have to put another baby item together again! I can't believe how much stuff there is to buy and assemble for one small baby! At least with our next most everything will already be done! I think the nursery turned out really nice and I have to give huge thanks to my mom for buying all of the bedding and my dad for getting us the crib!

Catching Up: Weeks 33-37

33 Weeks Pregnant

34 weeks Pregnant

35 Weeks Pregnant

36 Weeks Pregnant

37 Weeks Pregnant




Wow! It's been an incredibly busy past month and I haven't had much of a chance to sit down, much less post! Between school, master's classes, and preparing for baby I have been pretty overwhelmed. Thank goodness for winter break! I am now in my 37th week of pregnancy and feeling every inch of it! At my week 36 checkup I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced with the baby's head fully engaged. My doctor says I'm on track for a normal delivery barring any unforeseen issues. She even said I could come early, but there's no guarantees. Jackson continues to be extremely active and growing nicely. He hiccups all the time and is a quite the mover and shaker, especially at night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mom & I

John & I Comparing Thanksgiving Bellies (I win!)

Mom & Mark

Grandma & Grandpa

Sarah & Spencer

Carrie & David





We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating with both sides of the family. We started off at Ryan's mom's house and enjoyed some fabulous food before heading over to my mom's for even more food! It was great getting to spend time with family and did I mention that the food was amazing! I wish every day was Thanksgiving!

Baby Shower

Jackson's Presents

Ryan's sister Jamie threw us an adorable baby shower on November 14th to celebrate with their side of the family. We had so much fun playing games and eating yummy food, plus Jackson got a ton of amazing gifts! So much fun!

31 and 32 Weeks Pregnant

31 Weeks

32 Weeks

Ok, I am now starting to feel VERY pregnant! Although this has been a blessedly complication-free pregnancy it has started to become more than slightly uncomfortable to make it through the day and sleep at night. Pretty typical I think when you're 8 months pregnant! I just feel very lucky to have a healthy baby growing (and moving!) inside of me and we can't wait to meet him!





I finally got the car seat, stroller, and glider picked out and ordered after much research. We decided on the Peg Perego Skate stroller and matching Peg Perego car seat because of their high-safety ratings. I bought the glider from Walmart and it looks just like the $1000 glider from Pottery Barn except it only cost $230! My dad bought us the crib too and hopefully it arrives before Jackson does! Slowly but surely everything is starting to come together. :)

Halloween 2009

Ryan Went as "Facebook"

Mom and I

Amanda, Landen, and Tyler

Ryan and Landen Creating the Pumpkin Masterpiece

This Halloween we headed over to my sister-in-law Jamie's house and trick-or-treating festivities. She made a huge batch of amazing homemade chili and we had a wonderful time relaxing with family. When the sun went down we took the kids trick-or-treating and they came home with lots of loot! Landen went as Michael Jackson this year!

Weeks 27 through 30

27 Weeks

28 Weeks

29 Weeks

30 Weeks



Wow am I behind! These last few months have been a whirlwind of activity and I've had zero opportunity to post. Now that things have calmed down a bit I'll try and catch up! My belly is still expanding, but thank goodness my weight gain slowed down after my first trimester. I've now put on exactly 20 pounds, which makes me (and my doctor) very happy! I am definitely starting to feel the effects of pregnancy a lot more now, especially after a long day with a class full of 1st graders (did I mention I'm looking for another job?). Back aches, leg cramps, and just plain exhaustion! But I do feel blessed to have had an otherwise uneventful pregnancy so far. Other than being anemic everything has been going so well and I just pray that the next 9 weeks are the same! I am starting to get a little worried though because I have absolutely nothing prepared for the nursery yet and we haven't even bought the car seat! Hopefully I can catch up in the next few weeks!

Jackson's Nursery

Jackson's Changing Table

Jackson's Crib

Jackson's Bedding

I am SO excited because my mom bought us the bedding for Jackson's nursery! Ryan and I didn't want to go with a "theme" so we definitely had to search high and low for bedding that we liked for a baby boy's room! We are thrilled to start setting everything up and I can't wait to see the finished product!

Weeks 25 and 26

Week 25

Week 26

We're getting bigger! Jackson is definitely growing and moving! I have now gained 17 pounds, which I think is pretty good considering I'm almost 7 months pregnant. The symptoms of pregnancy are starting to catch up with me too and I've had quite the monster leg cramps at night and aching back after a long day at work. Ryan and I are stilll trying to brainstorm a job that will allow me to spend more time with Jackson next year. Right now I'm working 10-12 hour days and every weekend and bringing tons of work home, which is definitely NOT going to work when I have a baby waiting to spend time with me! If you have any ideas or suggestions for more mommy-friendly jobs please let me know! Unfortunately, I do have to work otherwise I would stay home in an instant!

23 and 24 Weeks Pregnant!

23 weeks

24 Weeks

Wow! We've hit the 6 month mark! This entire pregnancy I've had my fingers crossed that nothing would go wrong and we would make it this far. Now whenever I feel Jackson move I feel incredibly blessed to be carrying him, healthy and whole. My belly has definitely grown as Jackson has and we are beginning his most rapid growth spurt as I move into my 3rd trimester (already!). I'm supposed to start gaining a pound a week and I'm a little freaked out by this. So far I've only put on 15 pounds and I'm still wearing my regular clothes (with the help of a Bella Band). It's going to be interesting how I feel (and look!) carrying around a bunch of extra weight! I've just recently started feeling the effects of being pregnant and I am definitely exhausted and sore after a long day with a bunch of very active first graders! Hopefully next year will bring me a more low-key job with fewer after-work demands!

21 and 22 Weeks Pregnant

21 Weeks Pregnant

22 Weeks Pregnant

So far I have had a blessedly uneventful pregnancy. After a difficult first trimester, things have definitely calmed down and my appetite and energy have picked up. I have only gained eleven pounds so far, but I'm sure that will soon change as Jackson gets bigger! I am still in my regular clothes (with the help of amazing Bella Bands), which I love because cute maternity clothes are not easy to find! I have been hitting up eBay to find cute designer maternity jeans and found a couple of steals- Citizen's Dojo jeans with a half-panel for $15 (NOT recommended due to the pressure they put on your lower abdomen) and some Joe's with a full panel that I've been living in for only $25. Some days I wish I could just wear sweats to work! My latest ultrasound puts my due date at January 10, 2010!

Second Trimester Ultrasound

Little Legs

Love the foot next to his face!

On August 31st I finally got in for my second (and probably last ultrasound) before Jackson arrives. We were so excited to see how much he's grown and verify that I actually am in fact carrying a boy! He is now 9 inches (approximately the size of a barbie doll) and weighs 9 ounces, which puts him in the 43rd percentile for babies his age. This kind of freaked me out at first, but the doctor was quick to reassure me that this is in fact perfectly normal for my size and frame. Everything else checked out perfect and he is right on track for a January 10th delivery. The entire time we were getting the ultrasound he was moving and pushing against the wand so hard that the technician could feel him too! He definitely is a wiggle worm! We got some great pictures, especially the 4D ones that show so such a lifelike depiction of what he will look like. This time we also got a cd with 180 still images and a dvd of the whole process for him to watch later. Wow has technology improved since I was born!