Take A Guess

Here is our 37th week update... Dr. Nord said that everything looks good still. I'm now 70% effaced, but still no dilation. I'm taking walks galore and attempting to go up two stairs at a time all while taking wide steps. This "exercise" is per my chiropractor...I feel like there are a couple different outcomes...I either dilate, fall down the stairs or faint...either predicament should get me to the hospital, right? Don't worry...I hold onto the railing for dear life!

Below is my lovely 37th week picture...I keep looking for a difference from last week. The one thing I noticed is that the shirt is definitely starting to look "trashy" on me. From the angle that Ben took this picture you are lucky that you can't see the bottom of my belly hanging out :) No joke...this happens frequently. I've outgrown most of my maternity clothes...so if you start seeing me in repeats, just know that I'm too cheap to go buy more "fat clothes"...but relax, I do wash between wearings!



I keep getting opinions "oh you are definitely having a girl"...or "I carried all three of my boys like that"...SO, I have decided to keep track of all your predictions. Check out our Baby Pool by clicking on the "ExpectNet" link on the right or clicking here. Not sure that we have an official award to hand out...definitely bragging rights to start off with, maybe a bottle of wine/case of beer?!

Here is the link: http://www.expectnet.com/games/FunkyBabysArrival

Holy Cow

I almost forgot to post my 9 months/36 weeks picture! My only comments for this picture is "Holy Cow"...(said just like Harry Carry)! I don't know how I'm able to walk around and function this large. I'm so glad that we are nearing the end. Come out, come out Baby Funk!

At my 36 week appointment everything was looking good and is still on track. In terms of my body's "preparedness", I am 50% effaced and 0 cm dilated. Those numbers don't really mean too much, but it was enough kick my butt into gear and start organizing the house. My wonderful Momma came over and helped me make sense of the nursery last week. It's far from done, but I did about 10 loads of laundry trying to get the "stuff" ready for baby. On top of that both Ben and I have started the "nesting" phase around the house! Do husbands normally go through the nesting phase as well? I don't know what got into my wonderful husband, but he had a day off of work last week, plus we didn't have anything planned last weekend and he got a ton of things checked off the list! Let's hope that some of my "nesting" moves things along for Baby Funk...I can't say that I have ever cleaned the bathroom like I did last weekend :)

Special Guests

I had some special guests last week at Baby Funk's shower...my old college roommates (from senior year) made the trip up to Bloomington from St. Louis for the shower. You may think...no big deal, but let me also add the fact that they brought their little girls with them as well. When I say little, Angela's little girl Amelia is 2 weeks shy of turning 1 and Jodi's little girl Allison, is 5 months old...so we are talking babies! They packed up the car (yes, the same car) and headed up to Bloomington for the day!

All is well in this picture... (L to R) me, Angela, Amelia, Jodi, Allison

...but I guess it turned into a baby meltdown once the girls hit Springfield :( I'm so glad that they made the trip, it was wonderful to catch up with them. Hopefully we will plan lots of outings together in the years to come as we never need a reason to visit St. Louis (hint: Go Cardinals)!

Here are some cute shots I got of the babes at the shower...there would be more, but I was a little busy and let me tell you how hard it is to take pictures while 9 months pregnant!

How cute is the expression on this little angel...hopefully she will have the same smile and laugh as her momma!

Little girls and bows...doesn't get much cuter!

Every time I take pictures of this little one, the first couple are dazed and confused looks and then she warms right up to the camera and is all smiles! She is a doll!

I know this picture is different, but I just love how she is barely hanging on...I'm sure they are only at this stage for a couple days...and then they are off and running, then driving, then dating...then what?!

I can't claim this picture...but this adorable blue-eyed, blond hair bombshell is my cousin Kari's little girl. She is such a cutie!

A Circus of a Baby Shower

Last weekend Baby Funk had another baby shower! The theme, "A Baby Shower Under The Big Top", was so clever! The "ring masters" were (L to R) Jacki, a long time family friend whose family I grew up with and Wendy, a special next-door neighbor who is like another mom to me.

I don't think these ladies (along with their husbands, my parents and my brother) missed one detail! We had a couple big tents, circus colors, balloons, circus animals on the table...not to mention REAL cotton candy, popcorn and hot dogs fresh off the grill! It was a fun circus.

You could say we had a clown too if you want to count my brothers assistance!

I even had a top hat...which probably makes me a ring master too, right??? Wow it's been a long time since I have been to a circus!

Anyways, we had the perfect afternoon weather, with yummy food and the best company! So many wonderful family and friends were able to make it...I can't wait for baby Funk to meet everyone...he/she will be so loved!

Of course baby Funk was completely spoiled at the shower! The baby's room still looks like a bomb went off as I try and organize all of their fun toys, clothes, blanks, diapers and butt paste! I hope this baby doesn't have diaper rash all that often, but seriously we got enough butt paste to last a really long time. I guess at one point I asked "just how often do I use this stuff"? Not sure that I still understand when to use it, but I'm sure we will figure it out.

Here is one creative gift that my friend Wendy made for the baby...a diaper cake full of newborn and size one diapers...any guesses how long that will last?

Baby Funk got so many other special gifts, I'll continue to post pictures of those gifts in action once we finish the nursery or when the babe can actually model some of the cute outfits! Here is an incredible blanket that "ring master" Wendy knitted for baby Funk...

Here is a good picture of Dad-to-be with his Grandma's.

Again, a big thank you to everyone for making the day so special!

My Baby Raccoon

I'm ashamed that I'm already getting behind at blogging. I'm going to blame it all on work. I'm officially in the midst of my busy season and it's definitely taking a toll on me. I'm so excited to meet baby Funk, but having a nice 12 week "spa retreat" from work is right up there with our new addition! (Btw, I know it won't be a spa retreat, but that is seriously what everyone at work considers it to be...)

Here is my 34 week belly shot...I usually try and look presentable for these pictures, but I look so worn out in this picture. I guess this is as good as I will look for the next couple months, right?!

At my 34 week appointment I had another ultrasound. Everything is looking good and the baby appeared to weigh 5lbs 15oz at this point...which is just a little bit above the norm. I'm still measuring a couple days ahead of my due date, but nothing significant enough to move my due date up! Here is a cute picture of the baby's nose and lips. If you are having a hard time...the picture is sideways and the eyes are in a shadow which looks like a raccoon!

Baby Shower Quiz-time

I think it has started...Baby Funk is already starting to get spoiled! Last week my friends, Brittany and Rachel, thew us "A Funky Baby Shower"! They covered all the details and everything was perfect...from the invites, to the decorations, to the cake, to the company...we had a great time.

(L to R) Brittany, Staci (due 8/22), Me, Kimberly and Rachel

I won't bore you with pictures of all the baby gear that our funky baby received, but here are some of the gifts I just have to mention...

My friend Kimberly's mom, Ellen, made this needlepoint for us. Each letter is a different type of stitch with all kinds of cool thread. She spend over two months on this project and it shows...it's amazing! What do you think, shouldn't she start a business?!

Brittany and Rachel decided not to make it easy on me...they made a game out of the gift. For each Trivia question I answered correctly, I got a related gift. Here are some of the gift/questions...see how good you do:

Goodnight Moon - In the great green room there was a telephone and a red balloon and...(finish the line)

Bottle nipple - What level Dr. Brown nipple does a newborn start with? (a) Level Y (b) Level N or (c) Level 1

Breastmilk Storage Bags - Once you pump, how long is breastmilk good for... (1) on the counter? (2) in the fridge? (3) in the freezer?

Digital Thermometer - In order to get a true temperature reading from a rectal thermometer you should: (a) subtract a point (b) add a point or (c) nothing it's a true reading

Lanolin - Is it necessary to remove nipple cream before breastfeeding?

Newborn Onesies - When does a babies umbilical cord typically fall off?

Baby Food - When does a baby start to eat baby food?

Washcloths - How often should a baby receive a bath the first few months of life?

Carseat toys - When do you transfer your baby from the bucket carseat to the big carseat?

Swaddle blanket - Show us how to swaddle a baby doll...

Formula Dispenser - How many scoops of formula go with 4oz of water?

Pack'n'Play - Put this pack'n'play together...

I probably got two-thirds of the questions right...here I am trying to swaddle a baby...I definitely failed this one!

Here is my attempt at putting together a pack'n'play. This was a hard job...especially when you are 8 months pregnant, but as Rachel pointed out, I will appreciate the knowledge when I have a tired, crying baby on my hip while I'm trying to put this together next time. Note: don't put the bottom down flat until you get the sides locked!!

Taadaa! I was dripping sweat at this point...

Thanks again for a wonderful baby shower!

Four-Legged Children

I recently went to a "Girls Night Out" event at V Gallery in Morton at the encouragement of my brothers friend Stacy. Stacy was participating in the event showing off her jewelry (State Street Design) along with a bunch of other cute little boutiques and then of course, featuring all the work of this incredible photographer. While at the gallery, I checked out pricing for baby Funk photos, but quickly decided I couldn't afford the luxury of hiring this photographer... However, I was added to the mailing list and soon learned about an event V Gallery sponsored called Doggy Days. The deal was bring a 30 lb bag of dog food for a animal charity and pay $25 and your doggie gets 10-15 minutes of fame behind the camera lens along with a 5x7 portrait! So I thought, wouldn't it be cool to get professional pictures of my mom's four-legged golden children?! So Michael signed up to help me transport the pups and the 100 lbs of food I bought at Sams to Morton, yet his plans changed at the last minute and I was stuck with the appointment. So instead of pretending I could handle this one on my own, I had to fess up to my mom and tell her I had a surprise for her, but she had to help me. She was psyched to help out...she had the dogs brushed and pretty, brought all the necessary toys/treats to get the dogs to cooperate and even had Sydney dressed with her Vera Bradley accessories.

So we headed over to Morton with the doggies and had about 15 minutes of pure chaos. The dogs were confused by us standing behind the camera calling their names, telling them to sit-up, sit-down, jump up on the furniture (they looked at us like "seriously, we can jump up there") and of course Sydney was a big wimp and ran from the camera, the flash and all of the distractions we brought to get her to pose. Needless to say we were skeptic of the quality of the pictures.

I finally had the chance to pick up the pictures this week and I cannot be more thrilled. Totally worth the effort!

Aren't they adorable?! I framed this picture of the two pups together for my Mom as a little surprise for when she gets home from her vacation!

Scout...clearly he loves posing for the camera!


Sydney...not the most amazing picture, but amazing considering she was scared of everything.