Week 32

Last weekend, my girlfriends had a baby shower for me and it was so much fun! Kara hosted at her house and the dining room was all set up with everything baby boy. =) It was great to spend time with friends that are mothers and hear all the stories... yes even the scary childbirth ones. I also thought it was fun that almost half of us there were at different stages of being pregnant. It was so sweet that even though a few people couldn't be there, they sent gifts and even helped decorate. Thanks again everyone for coming, being so supportive, and making baby Blake feel so loved already!

I was so impressed with these onesies that my friend Erin made with iron on decals. All the animals are adorable and she even snuck in a camera one!

The diaper wreath Kara made was so cute! I've never heard of one of these but I think its a great alternative to the cake.

I also loved the wishing tree (I'm not sure if this is the official name) where everyone wrote down wishes for Blake and myself on cards and hung them on the tree. The notes are so sweet, and I'll definitely be adding them to the scrapbook that I've been keeping of "Baby Blake - Year 0".

I'm guessing this little boy is on a growth spurt of some sort because he wiggles around in there a lot and I feel body parts getting stuck under my ribs and on my hips and his log rolls make weird shapes protrude from my belly. I'm pretty sure he still has his favorite position that he likes most of the day but it's actually more comfy for me when he moves out of that position into the more transverse position when I'm sitting down. Maybe he realized that there is more unused uterus space that he should be taking advantage of, instead of curling all up on just the right side. I remember Maggie telling me a few months ago that when she was pregnant with Tristan that she'd have a different shaped belly on some days, and I've found that to be true. I always thought baby bumps were round, but now I know better. I have noticed my upper abdomen falling asleep at times when I try and lean over to do my morning stretches to stretch out my legs. With all the extra weight on my hips while I'm sleeping, my legs don't seem to get good blood flow and it feels great to stretch them out in the morning. However, it is much harder to lean over and stretch than it used to be.

Stretching isn't the only thing I'm having trouble with these days, apparently walking in a straight line and not running into things is something I've taken for granted. I forget how wide I am and the other day I hit my belly on the crib while walking past it, and it left a nice little corner-of-the-crib shaped bruise. Oops.

I have noticed Blake getting the hiccups a little more often. A few weeks ago I was all stressed out because there were quick jerky motions that I'd feel, but I'm starting to feel them more these days and I think it might just be him with the hiccups as he's wiggling and rolling around in there. The combination just feels like super quick jerky motions. The doctor says that movement is a good thing, so I'll just try and not worry about anything and be glad he is nice and active. I've convinced myself that he knows he's running out of room so he pushes his arms and legs against opposite sides to try and help stretch out his home. Needless to say, I'm getting sore from all the stretching my belly is doing these days. I just keep wondering, how far can I stretch before I just rip right down the middle? Hopefully the cocoa butter oil will keep me intact long enough to give birth. =)

While reading all the pregnancy books, the strangest pregnancy side effect I read about was congestion. It just didn't seem like it made sense, but that is one that I've had for so long now that I almost forget what it's like to be able to breathe normally. Nights are especially tough as I'm trying to go to sleep, and now with the cooler/dryer winter air that we've had, my nose has been bleeding. Nothing major, just lots of mild bloody noses... just thought that was strange.

We've done a little more to the nursery, so here is the crib wall. We hung the letters above the crib and added a breathable bumper that we got from the shower. We also decided to use one of the window valences as a bed skirt since we didn't have room for them over the window. We're actually starting to bring a lot of color into the room which is fun!

Our little wiggle worm is certainly growing. =)