What a fun week!  We enjoyed attending three 1st birthday parties and topped it off with an 80′s themed 40th birthday party.  We also brought dinner to a bookclub friend and met her 5 week old little girl.  Having the comparison of 5 weeks to 1 year was a great reminder to enjoy every day as kids change so much in the first year.

It was really fun to get dressed up and have a fun night out of dancing at the 80′s prom party.  I won’t mention whose outfit we found in his closest vs. having to visit Value Village to get a dress for me

80's Prom Themed Party

This week marks the start of weekly doctor appointments and the last of our birth classes. BK has a strong heartbeat, is heads down and appears to be of “normal” size.  The doctor will give us a weight prediction at 38 weeks, but says she doesn’t anticipate him being a 10lb baby at this point (thank goodness).  I am measuring 36cms at 35 weeks which is good, my ankles are still a little swollen, but the doctor confirmed it is normal for this stage.   We still haven’t narrowed down the potential names from our list of 30 or so, but we have time and apparently up to 9 days after BK is born to make a decision.

Our birth class ended with a tour of the hospital so we now know where all the excitement is going to happen.

The weather has been very nice and we continue to go for walks at least a few times a week.  The only change I have noticed is my need for “smoke breaks” as Adrienne calls them to help me catch my breath.  Rob assures me I haven’t started to waddle yet and that my pace is that of a casual stroll and not a snail.

We had a great week this week!  It was so much fun to have the grandmas and aunties in town for the baby shower.  It makes me realize how nice it would be to have everyone living close again, but it also helps us to take full advantage when we are together.  BK received so many fantastic presents, many of which were handmade.  He is surrounded by some very talented family and friends!

Jane (Rob's Mom and knitter extraordinaire), Rob, Me, Kari (My sister and decorator extraordinaire) and Penny (My mom and invitiation/favor extraordinaire)

Nicole (My best friend from college and game extraordinaire) and Me

Shower Time Fun

Two Dorks

Reenacting a belly shot taken with Kari when she was pregnant

As part of the Grandma visit Rob took them flying to Port Townsend for lunch and then over the tulip fields of Skagit Valley.  It sounded like they had a fantastic time.  This week with family in town and Rob’s encouragement we have pushed to get the final things put together before BKs arrival and I think we are now as ready as we are ever going to be.

This week Rob and I are celebrating our 7 year date-aversary.  Yes, I like to celebrate anything and everything that I can.  We had a fantastic brunch at the Space Needle and followed it with a nice 3 mile walk around Greenlake in the goregous sunshine. 

Space Needle Dinner 2005 (not our first date, but from our first few months together)

Space Needle Observation Deck April 2012

Base of Space Needle April 2012

 BK update:  During our 33 week appointment the doctor confirmed he is heads down and facing towards my spine, which is the desired position.   This also means his head is on my bladder and if it is a Kochman/Ingalls head then we are talking about a small bowling ball for both size and weight   My belly is measuring spot on at 33cm, all of my tests are normal and I am still feeling really good.  We move to every 2 week, instead of once a month, appointments now.

Ever wonder what it would look like to compare sisters having 1 vs. 3 babies?  Well you are in luck, here is a picture of, my sister, Kari at 32 weeks.  This is also the time she was admitted to the hospital and the girls were born at 34 weeks on June 11th, 2009.  Our due date is June 12th so we will have to wait and see if everyone ends up sharing the same birthday.

Kari with triplets at 32 weeks

One of my favorite photos, so I had to include it too: Kari at 30 weeks with triplets

Rob and I completed an adult and infant CPR class this week.  It had been 20+ years since we each took a CPR class (Kelly for babysitting and Rob for the arrival of his siblings) so it was a great refresher and interesting how much the philosophy has changed.  For those curious: it is 30 quick compressions (think of the tune “Staying Alive” for the rhythm) 1/3 – 1/2 the depth of the person’s chest followed by 2 quick breaths.  We also learned how to use a defibrillator and we can honestly say if someone collapsed we would now be comfortable using one.

On another random note, we did our first baby yoga video.  Boy is my balance off, I never realized until that video just how uncoordinated and front heavy I have become.  We will have to wait and see if we try yoga again before BKs arrival.

It looks like between the additional weight gain and the big bundle attached to my belly I am starting to run a little bit warmer.  This means that when most people are wearing one shirt and a jacket, I am too, instead of my typical 3-4 layers.   This week in birth class we learned about labor coping techniques.  Both Rob and I are not ready for this reality yet; good thing we still have 9 weeks.

On the crafty side I made a french memo board for BK’s room.  I like the cheerfulness it adds to the room, in addition to the purple colored walls of course.

Memo Board

Wow, we can’t believe we are already 30 weeks along in this process.  It is the official 10 week count down.  What I am having the hardest time grasping is that BK could arrive really at any day now for the next 12 weeks; the arrival window is so wide!

Our 6 weeks of birth classes started this week.  What we took away from the first class was just how long the labor process is; close to 48 hours if you take the higher end of the spectrum for each stage….

BK has moved from more quick kicking movements to longer pushing movements as his space is getting limited.  We can definitely feel hard spots in my belly where his body parts are at.

I am still feeling great, but have started to wake more times throughout the night.  At this stage you are supposed to gain a pound a week, but with Robin Eggs candy also out at this time of year, which I love when I am pregnant or not, we shall see what the reality is   My ankles have also started swelling so we are finding out if there is anything I can do to slow that down.  I have found BK’s pushes more distracting during the day.  It is fascinating to be able to sit back and just watch my belly move around, it keeps me entertained on my bus rides to and from work when I am not napping

We have been hard at work getting ready for BK.  We purchased our last furniture piece, a used glider.   We have washed all of the clothes and put them away in the dresser and bins based on size.  I hear brands fit very differently so I will have to ask my mother expert friends for help to regroup his clothes since we simply went by the size on the tag.  Rob also did a fantastic job installing a closet organizer.  We have been able to get most things condensed from two bedrooms into just BKs room now.  

We continue to be overwhelemed and grateful for all of the used baby items our friends have given us, BK is one lucky little guy!

Rob and I enjoyed a final sunny getaway before BK arrives in June.  We spent 5 days in San Diego at a fabulous bed and breakfast.  Our days consisted of sleeping in, long walks, yummy meals and a few tourist attractions.  We went to a couple of breweries (Stone and Pizza Port), toured the USS Midway, walked many of the beaches, and visited the San Diego zoo.  It was a fantastic trip and left us both feeling very energized.

While relaxing one night Rob was able to capture one of the more distinct kicks of BK:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G06NYsqyNY

Belly Bump Self Portrait at Ocean Beach, CA

San Diego Zoo

This week Rob and I took our first baby class, Baby 101 at Evergreen Hospital.  It covered everything from what a newborn could look like, to bathing, feeding, diapers and carrier options. 

I also had my 4th doctor appointment which included the dreaded glucose test.  I am happy to report that I passed the glucose test and don’t have gestational diabetes.  My belly is measuring on track at 29cms which is very close to the average of a cm a week (28).  My iron levels were slightly low so I am now on an iron supplement.

BK is still very active and has a strong heartbeat.  The “firsts” for this week were feeling him have hiccups and actually being able to feel both sides of a limb as he was pressing out against my stomach.  According to the baby websites he is almost 2.5 pounds and ~15″ long from head to heel.  The doctor said at the next appointment, in late April, BK will be big enough that she will be able to feel which end is his head vs. bottom.  We are excited to figure out what are arm vs. leg movements that we are feeling.

We can’t believe it–the third trimester is already here!  I am still feeling great, but do find I am less agile.  This was very apparent when finishing up the panels on the airplane from the annual inspection this weekend.  The screws I have put in 5 times before were out of reach this time around.  Rob was a super trooper and took on the extra work, as usual.

I have also become the heavy weight of the house passing Rob up on the scale.  I knew the day would happen and it would happen fairly early in the pregnancy so I am happy to make it 2/3rds of the way before the day came.  Apparenetly a few months ago one of the feet on the toliet seat broke off, but I never noticed until Rob was out of town.  I thought my weight had broken the seat, which was very humbling.  Let’s just say I felt much better hearing it had been like that for months, but we also installed a new one this weekend.

I am still feeling great at this point of the pregnancy.  BK’s movements seem to have moved internally vs. against the outside of my belly which has been a bit distracting at work, especially in meetings  

This weekend I took a sewing class which sparked my creative side and inspired me to work on my baby craft projects.  I couldn’t decide between a blanket that would go with a safari room or a super soft blanket so I decided to make both.  In addition, I like when they use blocks in maternity photos so I made some  in case we decide to do maternity pictures.