Our Luau Baby Shower - May 18, 2013

My birthday was Friday, May 17th. I'm now 28 years old!! Everyone kept asking what I wanted to do for my birthday and in reality my birthday was the furthest thing from my mind. I knew that the following day was going to be our shower and that was going to be a big party in itself. So, for my birthday we drove to Palmdale. Saturday was the big day.

We had about 90 people come to our shower! Talk about feeling overwhelmed with love, joy, and support. We had such a great turn out. I can't believe all the work that went into the shower. My mom and Shelley had been planning it for a few months and Friday my mom had quite the team over at the house to put everything together. I can't say enough great things about the shower. There were a lot of pictures taken but I only pulled a few. The rest can be found on facebook.

The decorations were outstanding. Everywhere I looked it was set up for a luau. Shelley made the banner below...

 

 

The food was absolutely delicious. Several people helped contribute into preparing the dishes and setting up. My mom had pulled pork cooking in the crock pot for 16 hours ahead of time!

 

Citrus punch, tea, and mai tai's, oh my!



 

 

The beautiful cake made by Carrie Bell and Christen Winn. It wasn't only beautiful it was delicious!

Me and my mama

Steve and mom. Yes, that is a tattoo on his face. Not to worry, it's a fake ;)

My dad and Shelley had got me a fresh flower lei. It was made out of a ton of orchids. It was just beautiful.

So many people traveled from all over for the shower. We had family and friends come from Vegas, Orange County, Hacienda Heights, Upland, Los Angeles, and many other places.

Shelley, me, and Danielle

Justin with his Uncle Don and Grandma Betty.

Justin's cousin April, Uncle Bill, Aunt Paula, and April's husband Bryan

Steve and Jessica

Kim, Chasidy, Shawna and baby Brooklyn (Kim's baby girl)

 

John, Justin and Max

 Nicole and me

 

Me and my goddaughter Leilani (Nicole's little girl)

We got so many wonderful gifts for our baby boy. There were so many gifts that we decided to wait until later that night to open them so we could spend as much time as possible visiting with our guests. We started opening gifts around 7pm and didn't get finished until 10pm! Granted we took a couple breaks to get food and drinks. I've included a few pictures below.

My mom went to town making things for him including blankets, burp cloths, bibs and the play mat in the picture below. That bear might be one of the softest things I've ever felt!

 Shelley also made quite a few things for our baby boy. The blanket below was originally crocheted in pinks (when we thought we were having a girl). She was able to make a new one for our boy just in time for the shower. Talk about dedication.

Brian surprised us and got us the jogging stroller AND the car seat! I did so much research on both items. I was thrilled to get them both for baby Gill.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but Danielle got me this beautiful diaper bag. You can't even tell it's a diaper bag. It looks just like a purse! I love it :)

 
  It's hard to tell in the picture, but there's a high chair in there from my dad and Shelley! My dad took the time to put it together for us.

Another fun gift we got was the "tool belt". It was loaded with things to change a diaper. It had everything from a face mask, to clothespins for your nose, to rubber gloves, to butt paste, wipes, diapers, and the list goes on.

I had about 60 thank you notes to write from this shower alone. I'm happy to say we got them done and they've been put in the mail! Thanks again to everyone who attended and helped out with the shower. We are so appreciative.

Ryan and Corie Hess's Wedding

Saturday, May 25th, Ryan and Corie got married!! It was a beautiful beach wedding.

Friday night Justin and I drove to Ventura where the wedding was to take place. We slept in the motorhome both Friday and Saturday night. The drive up wasn't as bad on my back as I thought it was going to be, but boy oh boy by Saturday it was shot.
We got into Ventura around midnight on Friday, and Brian got in around 1am Saturday morning. Brian and I stayed up until 2 chatting because neither one of us were tired. I've had pregnancy insomnia lately so sleeping has been an issue. Saturday we all slept in and then eventually made our way to main street to get lunch. After lunch we headed back to the motorhome and got ready for the wedding.

Steve was their efficient. He did a wonderful job!

 

Justin having a father/son moment at the reception. I believe he was telling him to "come on out".

 

Phil and Dorris (Ryan's parents) and Mom and Steve

 

 

The lovely bride and groom!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ryan and Corie Hess!!

Saturday night after the wedding the seven of us (Steve, mom, Brian, Jared, Kelsie, me and Justin) went back to the motorhome. That many people sleeping in such close quarters made for an interesting evening...of no sleep. Fortunately that was the last weekend we'll be traveling until after baby Gill is born. For the next few weeks we will be home bound. Sunday we all took our time getting up and heading back home. We made several stops along the way to break up the drive and to give my back a break. Happy Memorial weekend everyone!

33 Weeks and Acupuncture

I had my second acupuncture treatment on Friday, May 24th. I've opted out to do it a third time. I haven't noticed much of a difference and to be honest, the whole process is uncomfortable. The first time wasn't too bad, but this last time they used a lot more needles. Since I am pregnant I have to lay on my side as opposed to lying on my stomach. Laying in one position for 30 minutes without moving is difficult. I had needles put in my ear, head, face, hand, knee, and back. I had drifted off to sleep for a minute while lying there and my hand fell off the table. I picked it back up and forgetting that there were needles in it I slid it under my cheek. I'm sure you can imagine the discomfort there. It's also difficult to move because every move you make the needles dig further into the muscles. I know acupuncture is "supposed" to help over time, but I only have 6 weeks left. If it takes another 3 or 4 treatments (meaning another 3 - 4 weeks) to notice a difference I'd rather just wait it out.

33 Weeks. I didn't get a picture this week, but here are some fun facts on baby Gill.

How our baby's growing:

This week our baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Slowly but surely we are nearing the end!

32 Weeks 3 Days!

How our baby's growing:

Our baby weighs about 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I'm gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to our baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

How my life's changing:

To accommodate me and my baby's growing needs, my blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since I got pregnant. With my uterus pushing up near my diaphragm and crowding my stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. I definitely have shortness of breath. Luckily I haven't experienced heartburn...yet.

It's getting more difficult to exercise because my back seems to be in constant pain and my pelvic bones have been achy. I have 7 1/2 weeks left so I'm just hanging in there. We had our Luau baby shower this weekend. I can't even begin to express how much fun it was. I will give the baby shower it's own blog post, so that's all I'll say about it for now.

I can't believe my stomach has grown two inches in just two weeks. No wonder it's been so itchy. My belly button is teetering right on the edge of no longer being flat, but it's threatening to become an outey. Our boy's movements are getting much stronger and his kicks are a lot harder. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, I'm curious to see if he's still head down or now.

31 Weeks 5 days!

I haven't been that good about blogging this past week. I also haven't taken my usual weekly photo. I've been busy working and in the evenings my back is too sore to care about doing anything else. My new working from home situation is going well. I'm able to sit where I want and how I want when my back starts to act up. I thought maybe it was okay to go back to the office, but after being in the office for just a few short hours I couldn't believe how bad my back was. It was the worst it's been yet. It makes me cranky and it's hard to focus. I'm hoping that if I continue acupuncture it will help, although they can't put the needles as low down on my back as needed because I'm pregnant. The pain has spread down to my lower back as well as my upper :/ I'm trying to keep positive through all this knowing that it's just temporary and in just a few weeks (8 1/2 to be exact) he'll be out and hopefully the pain will be gone.

How our baby boy is growing:

This week, our baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

I have definitely noticed him moving a lot more these days. They aren't soft gentle kicks either, they're more like...get me the heck out of here. I figure he's either kicking or fist pumping (you know, like dancing while fist pumping). Justin says he is not a fist pumper, nor will he be one. I still find it amusing.
I've also noticed I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions more frequently. They don't last long, but it is weird to feel my stomach tighten up so much.
We've also seen my stomach take on some different shapes. Sometimes when I'm laying down the left side of my stomach is protruded out more than the right. I'm assuming it's his little tush or elbow or something. Either way, I've been trying to enjoy all of this as much as possible.

I don't have my usual weekly photo, but here are some others:

There are other pictures but Justin hasn't had a chance to edit them yet. They'll eventually get posted.

Work Baby Shower

Yesterday my work threw a baby shower for me and Liz (the other girl at work who's due about two weeks after I am). The girls put so much work into it and it turned out really nice. We had quite a few people show up. We were each given advice cards from the folks who attended. They were all good. Here are some of them:

* "You can't mess him up, he will just be what he it - perfect. Babies are tougher than you think. Never be afraid to ask for help. Put your marriage first. Listen to your instincts. Newborns can travel! Keep your sense of humor. You will be a great mom!"

* "Americans spend the first year teaching children to walk and talk. But they spend the rest of childhood telling them to sit and shut up. So get out of their way and let them be curious. Give him a little brother/sister."

* "Put each other first in your marriage and everything else will follow. You both are terrific people and will make kind, loving, fun parents."

* So excited for you. Best advice is to be firm and loving and consistency is key. Show him lots of love, because boys need to know feelings are okay. And don't neglect yourself or Justin. You need to take care of yourself and your marriage. Can't wait to meet baby Gill!

* Boys run into things. Boys break things. Boys make noise; Babies cry. It's OK they'll do it again tomorrow too. Boys DO need hugs too. Make sure he always respects his mommy (and dad). Make sure you and dad get alone time at least once a week. Make a plan/schedule but be flexible. Life foes not always cooperate. Show your son how much you and daddy love and respect each other. Enjoy one of life's greatest adventures.

*Read the label on diapers. Do not exceed the rated capacity: 10 - 15 lbs is the absolute limit!

Also on the advice card was a calendar for people to guess when they thought the baby was going to be born. My actual due date is marked, so they all went off of that. I think only two people marked me down as delivering early. Everyone else put me down to deliver about a week late. That better not be true. I don't think I'll make it that long!

Card boxes advice cards were put into. Liz is having a girl, her box is the pink one.

I also had my acupuncture appointment last night. I don't know if it helped, but it was definitely an experience. I had needles put into my back, knee, top of my head, and right above my eyebrow. I was instructed to lay there for 20 minutes with the needles in. It didn't hurt, it was just a bit awkward. I did get used to it after a while. I didn't really notice a difference, but the gal said you have to keep coming back to see a difference. Last night was the first night I really lost a lot of sleep due to back pain. I'm hoping it was a coincidence and not because of the acupuncture. I do plan to go back next week.

Another great weekend

This weekend Jessica and Steve came down. More specifically they came down Saturday afternoon and went home Sunday morning. We always have such a great time with them and don't get to see them often enough. They met us in San Marcos on their way down to pick up a changing table/dresser that a friend from work gave us. We went and had a late lunch at Brew Garden and Kabobs in Pacific Beach. It has a nice view of the ocean and the food is pretty tasty. We came back to our place and played cards, hung out, and then went to Filippi's in Little Italy for dinner. Saturday came and went so quickly. By Sunday morning they were gone before we were up, yet the apartment was spotless (thank you Jessica and Steve), you'd never know they were here.

I had my doctor's appointment on Monday. I told the doctor about my back pain and how bad it's gotten. It makes me so cranky that I find myself having little patience and getting irritated fairly easy. I told her we were able to work from home on Friday (our office was closed due to construction) and how nice it was being able to sit in different positions when the pain started to get really bad. I left the appointment with a doctor's note to work from home. Yesterday, Tuesday, was my first day at home and I was able to go most of the day without my back hurting. I was also able to get a lot more work done because there aren't any distractions. I didn't think I could take one more person walking by my desk asking how my back was doing. I know they all have good intentions, but when asked about 15 times a day it's just a constant reminder that the pain is still there and it's not going anywhere.

Max came down yesterday for the Padres/Marlins game. I dropped Justin and Max off in downtown last night and picked them up after the game was over. I'm pretty sure they had a good time. They don't get to see each other too often so it's nice when Max is able to come down. He left this morning as the last overnight guest of the Gill residence (meaning we have moved the changing table/dresser into the office and there is no longer room for an air mattress). I was able to get some of our little guy's stuff put into the dresser which made more room in the closet. Some of those things included his Green Bay Packer's beanies and booties (your welcome dad and Brian).

30 Weeks!

10 weeks to go! I can't believe how quickly it's flying by, yet at the same time it's going so slow. I don't think it would feel as long if I didn't have such bad back pain. I have found that swimming doesn't aggravate my back, it actually seems to help. I also figured out that reclining back on the couch with my feet up and a pillow shoved behind my back and one under each arm also seems to help. Other than my back I don't have any complaints. I'm looking forward to the baby shower in a couple weeks!

I have a doctor's appointment on Monday and am looking forward to getting some kind of solution for my back problem. It has literally become unbearable to sit at work all day. I was brought to tears on Thursday because it was so bad.

How baby boy Gill is growing:
 Our baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

30 weeks on Friday, May 3rd

 

His movements are getting much bigger. It sometimes looks like a little alien is trying to bust out of my stomach. Other times it looks like he's practicing the wave.