31 Weeks

Well, my fellow readers, I am very sad to report that I have run out of photo space on my little blog! I will continue taking pictures and hopefully my handy IT husband can help me revamp this so I can continue adding photos. Or, you know, I'll just have to pay for Blogger to host my pictures. ;)

**Will write a separate post on the awesome baby shower thrown by MiMi when I am able to post pictures again!**

Bebs: This week, Bebs measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (about the size of a pineapple) and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too! (Yes, yes she is!) Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Ikea: I love Ikea. I love that it's big enough to be an airport and that is completely overwhelming and I'm afraid I'm going to get lost the entire time I'm in there. I love that they really do have a TON of functional, stylish pieces for literally every room in your house...and it's affordable! I also love how most everything is written in a different language!

In true Hebs and Hubs fashion, we had researched the pieces we thought we wanted, only to get there, see something else and completely change our minds. :) We're always on the same page, though! We still kept with our theme of white furniture and the crib I had been obsessing over for a few weeks. Our original plan was to get a changing table, tall dresser, and shorter dresser that were nice and a little cheaper. We figured those pieces would last through toddler years (and maybe baby #2? ;)). Then we fell in love with another white furniture set. More expensive, but hopefully better quality, and that will last until Bebs is in high school. :)

List of Gratitude

1. My grandparents for letting us borrow their van for our trek to Ikea.
2. My parents for driving said van and for letting us bounce our (ok, "my") furniture concerns off of them.
3. My Hubs for rubbing my restless legs and feet before bed, understanding I was a bit crazy picking out a crib mattress, and putting on/taking off my socks each day.
4. My mother-in-law MiMi, my sisters-in-law Tara and Raechel, for throwing me and Jason a beautiful baby shower! It was wonderful seeing all of the Ebersole/Paradis clan. :)
5. Dexter, for being extra snuggly with me lately...even though he is smelly. Despite his best efforts, he has not gotten a hold of any of the baby gifts, either!
6. Thankful for the opportunity to see not only our families, but our friends tomorrow on Thanksgiving. Football with friends, dinner at the Mullens, and then dessert at Mona's!
7. While I'm sad I won't get to see my brother Ryan for Thanksgiving, I'm glad that he loves what he's doing and will be spending Thanksgiving with Caroline and friends in California!

30 Weeks

30 weeks down, 10 weeks to go!!!

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

Hebs: I've been feeling pretty good lately! I'm finally sleeping better, now that I've taken back my Mommy Boppy! ;) There are so many pillows surrounding me, I never know if Hubs is in the bed or not!

Acid reflux issues seem to have relaxed somewhat. The Tums and Maalox have been really helpful. If anything, I'm just exhausted again. I feel more tired now than I did in the first trimester. Getting out of bed, bending over, and sometimes even just sitting are difficult. When I sit all day at work, I swear, the baby is laying across my ribs. It's getting hard to breathe!

Cute Dexter story:

The other night I was laying on the couch and Dex was being surprisingly snuggly with me. He was laying right next to my belly, chewing on his bone, and all of a sudden Bebs started freaking out in there. It felt like she was rolling over. I could definitely see a knee? elbow? some body party protrude out from my belly, and it brushed against Dexter. He sat up, stared at my belly, looked at me with his "pug head tilt," sniffed the belly and then started licking it! Maybe this is all coincidence, or maybe he really does know what is going on in there! :)

Funny Dexter story:

Since our house now looks like a Babies R Us (which we are BEYOND thankful for!), Dexter likes walking around the living room and smelling everything. He is very interested in the car seat, as well as my Molly doll sitting in the car seat. The other night Jason snapped the carseat in to the snap n' go stroller and wheeled it around the house. Oh boy. Dexter did not like this one bit. He ran after the stroller, barking and growling, like when he tries to attack the vacuum. I guess he needs to get used to all of these new things!

I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is a week away! ONE WEEK! Once Thanksgiving is here, then it's only a month until Christmas....and then it's only a month until Bebs' due date! These next 10 weeks are going to fly by.

Here is what I'm hoping we accomplish by the end of this month...
1. NURSERY
2. NURSERY
3. NURSERY

We need to paint the trim and closet doors, clean out the closet, buy our furniture at Ikea, put said furniture together, and then decorate and organize everything! I can't wait! I feel like my nesting instincts are in overdrive and the only thing I've "nested" was underneath my bathroom sink, lol. I got super motivated to clean it out and organize it. I want to do that to the entire house, but I don't even know where to begin!

Looking forward to another busy, fun-filled weekend! Saturday we are going with my parents to pick out adorable, white baby furniture at Ikea. Sunday, my mother-in-law, MiMi is having a baby shower for me with Jason's family. I can't wait to see everyone! :)

Bebs' Baby Shower!

Mommy asking Daddy, "Are you ready for the shower?"

Daddy's favorite present--my pink princess spa!

Mommy and Daddy checking out a book for me

I love my Mommy and Daddy.

"Home For A Bunny" was Mommy's favorite book when she was little.

"I Am A Bunny" was Daddy's favorite book when he was little.
Who knew they both loved bunnies?

GiGi made this for me to hang in my nursery!
Mommy showed a brave face here, but cried later. :)

My Aunt Kate measuring how big Mommy's belly is!

Kisses from Daddy! I can't wait until he kisses my face!
Although Mommy tells me it is "scratchy." I'm not sure what that means!

Yummy cake that Mommy's friend Rachael made!

Mommy and Daddy with their best girlfriends

Mommy and her 4 best friends,
Jess, Rachael, Brie and Schlupp!

GiGi, Mommy and me with the dessert table
and my new bedding!

GiGi, Mommy and me!
I can't wait til you can see my face in pictures!

Mommy and her BFF Rachael with the delicious cake!

**Photos taken by the wonderful Heather Schlupp
**Captions written by Bebs ;)

My wonderful mom threw Jason, Bebs and I a beautiful baby shower this past weekend! Mom, Nana and Debbie decorated my aunt's house like a little girl's nursery--it was adorable! They hung up the crib bedding we registered for, and even put up the valences in the windows!

My Nana made adorable little bassinet baskets filled with candy for the ladies to take home as favors. So cute!

My friend Rachael, "the baker," made a delicious vanilla cake with raspberry filling. Yum! Jess made her famous chicken salad, and there were lots of little finger foods, including Jason's favorite--Doreen's devilled eggs. :)

We received SO many beautiful presents from everyone! I can't believe it. Our house looks like a Babies R Us now! Bedding, glider, carseat, swing, high chair, stroller, monitors, boppy, spa, swaddles, daddy diaper bag, play mat, diaper genie, Ergo carrier, bottles, toys, stuffed animals, first aid items, awesome owl night light, sound machine and lots of absolutely adorable clothes! Instead of bringing a card, everyone was asked to bring a book instead. Bebs' library is instantly filled! She got so many wonderful books that we can't wait to read to her!

**HUGE Thank you to Mom, Debbie and Donna for loading up the truck and delivering our gifts the next day!! We love you ladies!

I am so grateful and so touched by not only the wonderful gifts we received, but also the love and support that we've been given during this whole pregnancy! Hubs and I are truly blessed with wonderful families and friends and couldn't be happier that the same people who have helped shape and influence us, will be able to do the same for our daughter.

29 Weeks

Dress down day at work. Woot!

Bebs: Bebs now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and her head is growing bigger to make room for her developing brain. To meet her increasing nutritional demands, I'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in Bebs' hardening skeleton each day.

Weight-to-date: 128.4 lbs--gained 4.8 lbs in two weeks!
Sleep: Sleep...what's that? If any of you are insomniacs or working overnight, text me at 2, 3, 4 a.m....we'll talk.
Best moment of the week: Getting some maternity photos taken! I had a great time and have been obsessing over the fabulous photos ever since. Can't wait to get some prints made!
Miss anything?: Sleeping on my stomach, sleeping through the night, putting on socks and shoes like a normal person
Movement: Miss Bebs is quite the mover and shaker! My friend Brie got to feel some baby kicks this past week! Also, if I lift up my shirt, you can definitely see movement underneath the skin. SO weird! And awesome. :)
Food cravings: Banana bread. Good thing I made some earlier in the week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Acid Reflux/Heartburn
Symptoms: Acid Reflux/Heartburn, which decided to rear its ugly head on Sunday.
Belly button in or out?: It is out and all about it!
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy!
Looking forward to (aside from the obvious!): My BABY SHOWER!!!! My mom (GiGi) is having a shower for me this Saturday, and my mother-in-law (MiMi) is having a shower for me the following Sunday! I'm so excited to see my girlfriends and family...and also to see how mom, Aunt Debbie and Nana decorated everything! Also we are buying our baby furniture next weekend, too! November is quite the busy month. :)



Butternut Squash!

Hubs and I had a regular ol' ob/gyn appointment earlier this week. We met a new doctor, Dr. S, who listened to the heartbeat and said everything was great! I brought up the new symptom I had--acid reflux/heartburn--and he laughed and said "welcome to your third trimester!" I can limit my intake on fatty, greasy, spicey foods and take Tums and liquid Maalox to help with the constant lump I feel in my throat. I've also been attempting to sleep propped up with 4 pillows behind my head (plus the body pillow, Daddy boppit, Jason's 3 pillows and Jason all in the bed). My friend Schlupp actually deals with acid reflux quite a bit and has been helping me figure out what to eat.

I'm not sure if this is an old wives' tale or not...but I have heard that women with heartburn have babies with full heads of hair. :) I hope that is the case!

List of Gratitude
1. My handsome hubby for cleaning the house and doing laundry so I didn't have to; for rubbing my legs when RLS kicks in; for taking Dexter out all the time; and for telling me I am beautiful when I feel like a whale. :)
2. Blueberry tea and bagels with cream cheese
3. My parents for opening their home to us last week during the hurricane, and for also coming over to help clean up our yard after the hurricane.
4. Our family and girlfriends who I know are doing things "behind the scenes" for a fantastic baby shower for us on Saturday!
5. My friend Brie who helped me touch up the green paint in the nursery this past week. :)

Maternity Photo Shoot

Hubs and I have been blessed with some pretty fantastic friends in our life. Two very special friends in particular gave up a Saturday afternoon to do a maternity photo shoot of us. Many, many thank you's go to the super talented Jeff and Schlupp for taking photos, editing photos, styling the photoshoot, and putting up with Dexter. ;) We love you guys very much!

OCNJ 2008
Four years ago, can you believe it??

Here's a little sneak peek...

Love, LOVE, love this one!

My new favorite picture of me and the Hubs

<3

Schlupp--stylist, art director, pug wrangler
Also, we don't follow rules. ;)

Kisses for Mommy

Kisses for Bebs

Three mustketeers!

Here is the link to Jeff's professional photography website...

http://jeffmoreau.smugmug.com/Friends/Ebersole-Maternity-Shoot

And while you're there, you should definitely check out some of his other albums! :-D Christmas is coming soon, and who wouldn't love a fantastic print of a beautiful nature scene? ;-)

28 Weeks

28 weeks down, 12 weeks to go!
And yes, this photo is blurred intentionally. After being awake since 2 a.m., I figured I would do you all a favor! Don't look too closely at my scary face, haha.

Sorry this post is late! Hurricane Sandy had other plans! For those of you keeping track at home, this week is technically 28 weeks and 2 days. :)

Bebs: By this week, Bebs weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through the womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

Chinese cabbage
Mmm...Chinese food. Maybe I can convince Hubs the baby needs it for dinner?

Hebs: Happy third trimester to me!! Can you believe we (yes, "we")  have made it this far? According to my baby book, I can expect to gain 11 pounds during the next 12 weeks. Also, my ob/gyn appointments will go to once every two weeks, and then once every week during the last month before my due date.

For the most part I've been feeling ok. Still experiencing some RLP off and on, usually in the wee hours of the morning. I've also been getting sharp, quick pains in my hips while sleeping. Oh, and the restless leg syndrome has kicked in again. And I'll wake up at 2 a.m. and can never go back to sleep. (Any of you ladies recommend a great under-eye concealer for dark circles??) And sometimes Bebs is so close to my ribs/lungs it makes it a bit difficult to breathe. But really, I'm fine. :)

This morning for example, I was up at 2 a.m. I had to pee and then I could NOT get comfortable to fall back asleep. My legs had the creepy-crawly feeling, I was attempting to toss and turn, which is no easy feat, and was beginning to get a headache. Bebs decided to throw a dance party and would NOT stop moving/kicking/punching me. I feel bad because normally I love feeling her move, but I was just too exhausted.

Hebs (this morning): Your kid kept me up all last night!
Hubs: Really? My wife kept me up all last night!

Haha, sorry Hubs. Thank you for trying to make me comfortable, though!

The Hubs and I have had quite a busy week! We celebrated our friends' Tom and Amanda's wedding on Saturday, hung out with Hubs' family on Sunday for his brother Kyle's birthday, and survived a hurricane!




Mr. and Mrs. Edge!

Hebs & Hubs enjoying the reception

 

Thanks Hurricane Sandy!

Thanks to the hurricane, Hubs and I spent some time at my parents' house. I think Dexter was pretty happy to be there! He enjoyed exploring each room and following his Gramps around. (I think Gramps was happy he was there, too. ;)) My Nana and Pop-pop were there as well, since they were still without electricity. So Hubs and I got two good home-cooked meals and a warm bed to sleep in!

 

"Do you need any help, Gramps? Need me to lick the spoon, perhaps?"

GiGi spoiled Dexter with new toys and treats!

 

The two days without electricity that we endured at our house were ok. We certainly didn't have it as bad as what we later saw on the news. Our bamboo partition between our deck and the neighbor's yard is a bit destroyed, the back yard is covered in leaves, sticks and branches, and we got a tiny amount of water in the basement. Thankfully we were able to use our gas stove to heat up some hotdogs (and a bagel--lol). We napped, played cards, and Hubs even convinced me to play some Magic with him...and I beat him. Twice!

 

We also let Dexter sleep in our bed. Snoring, sniffling, smelly Dexter. He loved it. He got so much attention this past week he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself. He snuggled right between Hubs and I and only woke up at 2 a.m. both nights to spend some time licking the blanket (gross) and making this weird noise with his jowls that drove Hubs insane. Hehe.