The Blackburn Family

Saturday I had my second shower and it was so much fun! My friend Sarah and her mom Janet hosted and they did a wonderful job. Bunnies were the theme and everything was so cute and personalized. We even had carrot cake and since I had mentioned to Sarah I didn’t like carrot cake she also got another cake! I didn’t know the theme of the party or that the carrot cake fit the theme! I hate that she got another cake just for me! Well, I wasn’t the only one that ate it. Anyway, I have lots of pictures posted on my flickr page and I will put a link below. We played several games and all were so much fun. We did the candy diaper game which is one of my favorites. It is so funny to see people’s reaction to the diapers. People won’t even touch them and act like they really have poop in them! It is just candy. Love it. We also had little babies in ice cubes and if your baby melted out first (or your water broke) you won! Jenna won the candy game, but I only missed one. I forgot about Snickers! Juli won the baby in the ice game. We also did the price is right and everyone had to guess the price of various baby items. I did pretty well on that one too, but Jill was the winner. We played hot potato with a mister potato head and if you were holding the mister potato head when the music stopped you had to answer a question. Each was a fact about either a human baby or a bunny baby. Then you got to put an item on the mister potato head. The last person holding it and answer the question correctly won. Mom won that one. The last one involved everyone using blue Play Doh to make a mold of our baby. I was very impressed with how creative and talented some of my friends were with their designs! Mine was horrible. Kelly won for the best one, Jenna for the sweetest, Avery for the creepiest and Donna for the most original. She actually made a really cute bunny complete with a carrot. The winners got to pick a gift and all had clues on the back of things I like and the gift was something to do with the clue. I got lots of wonderful gifts and I really appreciate everyone’s generosity. The nursery is now full of stuff! It might take me awhile to get it all sorted out and put away. Sarah and Janet had lots of little bunny gifts for me to take home to remember the shower. The favors were little bunny bags with lettuce seeds, a chocolate bunny and chocolate carrot. It was all so nice!

Me with Sarah and Janet

Me and mom

Here are the rest of the pictures mom took.

So in pregnancy news I had my doctor’s appointment last week. I am now up 28 pounds. With 7 more weeks I am assuming I will hit the 35 pound weight gain. Nothing like hitting the upper limit of my suggested weight gain. At least it appears to be only in my belly and legs. I refuse to look at my legs. I guess that is where my body decided to store the extra fat. At least I can cover them. So far no stretch marks, but I am getting a bit worried. My belly button skin is so stretched and is just plain gross! I have also started to get some kind of little rash thing on my belly. Sorry if this is too much information for some of you…… It isn’t too bad yet, but boy does it itch. I will have to ask the midwives about it next week. Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse. I am now waking up like clockwork at 1:30 and 4:30. Then during the work week I have to get up at 5:30. If it is the weekend I tend to wake up again around 6 or 6:30 . This is all so I can pee (or have horrible acid reflux due to his position). I guess this is my body’s way of preparing me for the lack of sleep that is coming my way soon. It really isn’t too bad though because I fall asleep as soon as I get back in bed and I am pretty comfortable when I am in bed. I have been lucky to have very little swelling so far. Some days I do get a little swelling in my feet and lower legs. Usually from sitting too long in my horrible work chair. I have been trying to get up and move around more often and that seems to help.

Earlier in the week I realized just how much there is still left to do! Yikes. We are really running out of time and I guess he could really decide to show up anytime. I feel the need to make another list. I feel much better with a list. I have found that it really helps me to relax knowing that I have something written down. That is something I remember learning awhile back. You write it down and then give your brain permission to forget about it since you wrote it down. It sounds silly, but it really helps especially with getting to sleep at night if your mind is racing. I did manage to get a picture yesterday. Hopefully I can get the nursery done soon and put up some pictures. I need to order two more items and then start putting it all away. We will be in Charlotte this weekend and then the mountains for two days so maybe I can work on it some more next weekend.

Only 8 more weeks! When I heard that this week I have to admit it scared me a bit. Overall I am not really that scared or nervous about labor or caring for him once he arrives. I trust in my body to be able to do this and I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but it is hard not knowing how I will respond to labor. Also the realization that we only have 8 weeks makes me panic a bit. I had my first shower this weekend which was so much fun and a nice distraction from the labor fears. Three of my best friends hosted the shower and they did a wonderful job. Two are actually pregnant too which is so much fun for me. The shower was at Lucky 32 in Cary and the food and cake were so good. I should have had the salad, but I went with the french toast and chicken sausage. At least there was some protein in there. Most of the guests were mom’s friends, which are really family friends since I have known them all for many years. Some for my whole life. We got so many awesome gifts and everyone was so generous! I am so excited to start playing with all of it and put it away…. eventually. The nursery is currently a mess since we are working on the stencil and I am waiting to get my bookcase in a few weeks. I also need to get some baskets for the shelves in the closet. The gifts are still hanging out on the kitchen table until there is space in the nursery. Anyway, I have some pictures from the shower and I will probably get more in a few days from my friends that also took pictures.

I don’t have my 32 week picture to post! I should just start taking the picture on Saturday since it seems Sunday has become our busiest day of the week lately. I had a rabbit meetup event today and then we had our birthing class until almost 9 tonight. Casey was working in the attic again with Gary so he was tied up and we didn’t get the picture taken. I will try to take it tomorrow after work, but as usual it will be a busy day. I so wish I had time to go for walks or do yoga, but it seems every single night of the week there is something I am doing. I don’t get home until late, eat dinner late and I am exhausted by 9. I just need more time! At least you all have the shower pictures to look at so you can get an idea of how big I am getting.

In pregnancy news there really isn’t much to report on other than the shower. The baby now occasionally likes to get really low and push on my bladder which is not exactly a good feeling. I really don’t know which is worse, but I think I would rather him smash my stomach. He still moves around a good bit and goes from being high and low pretty often. For the most part he is still pretty high, but I have such a short torso there really isn’t much room for him. He is getting long enough in there that he can smash my stomach with his butt and push on my bladder with his head or hands. I really don’t have any complaints except the occasional uncomfortable days. Friday I felt like I was going to explode or that he was trying to push his way out of me through my side. Usually he is pretty good in there and it isn’t too bad. I don’t really feel as big as I look which is good. I am always surprised when I see pictures of my self because I really don’t think I am so big! I get up about every 3 hours to pee which really doesn’t bother me much. The worst part is that I am sore when I first start moving, but not enough to keep me from falling back to sleep very quickly.

Here are a few pictures from the shower. I will post more soon.

Click here to see my flickr album.

Okay, so it took me a few days, but here is my 31 week picture. It is almost time for the 32 week picture!

Yesterday before my hair appointment I ran out to Durham to pick up my toy box. I found the cutest toy box and bookcase to put in the nursery several months ago. However I didn’t want to get either until I had a better idea how all the other furniture would fit in the room so I waited. Then the week I finally decided it would all fit nicely I went online to order them and both were out of stock! The bookcase should be back in stock in early May. I have seen that date on several sites that carry it. Yesterday I went to the Toy’s R Us website and saw that the toy box was in stock! When I went to order it I got a message saying low inventory and it wouldn’t put it in my cart. I tried later in the day and it worked, but the shipping was $21. I noticed it didn’t say online only so I thought I would try calling our local store. I had already checked the Cary store, but I figured I would try Durham. They had it! So I ran out yesterday afternoon to get it. I was so excited. I hope it looks okay.

I also recently made a big furniture purchase that was hotty debated in our house. I have a glider in the nursery, but I really wanted something downstairs. I didn’t want a chair that looked like a baby chair. I wanted it to look like a living room chair. I found the best one at Buy Buy Baby and I just had to have it. Casey didn’t see the need for it since we are very rarely downstairs. Well, that will be changing! Casey works from home (at least for now) and I plan to be downstairs most of the day to keep from disturbing him while he works. Not to mention we will certainly have lots of guests over and I am not dragging everyone upstairs when we have a perfectly good living room. We have the living room all ready for me. My chair should arrive in the next 4-8 weeks, the Wii and Xbox are hooked up and ready to go! Since we don’t have cable I will have to rely on both for my TV watching. The Xbox is for the shows we record on Media Center and the Wii is for Netflix and possibly exercising one day……

Tomorrow is my first shower so I am really excited! I will have lots of pictures to post on Sunday.

Well, I am beginning to feel bigger…. maybe it is the fact that people keep making comments on how big I am and how I waddle! Although in the last 2 days I have seen 3 very pregnant women (like due any day) and I was shocked at just how big they were! I guess I have a lot of growing left. I noticed tonight my maternity shirt is already getting a bit short. Maybe I shouldn’t be putting them in the dryer. So I don’t have a picture today. It was a really busy day so I will make sure we get one tomorrow. Casey spent the day putting up the radiant barrier in the attic with Gary. Gary was nice enough to spend most of his Sunday in our very hot attic. We also started our birthing class tonight with our doula. We both really like her and this was our first of 4 classes. We didn’t get into the actual birth process yet, that will be next week. We even have homework to do this week for our class. We have private classes here at the house which is actually really nice. We also had mom and dad over today so dad could start doing the stencil in the nursery. I really think I could do it, but whatever. I was up in the attic today helping to install the barrier before Gary arrived. I also spent yesterday afternoon working in the yard and planting stuff in my garden. I am not one to sit around and have people do things for me.

Anyway, in other pregnancy news I can really feel the little guy now. I can actually feel little feet and hands. Well, I can’t tell each part yet for sure, but I can feel an actual kick and not just a bump. I can also feel his little butt which likes to occasionally get wedged up in my stomach giving me horrible acid reflux. I think that is why the reflux is so bad when I am at work. Sitting in my chair at work pushes him up a lot and I can always tell when he is on my stomach. Friday was really bad as was Friday night and all day Saturday. I had a butt in my stomach most of that time giving me horrible reflux and making it hard to sleep. I guess he got tired of my constantly pushing him down because today he moved his butt back to the left. So much better! My chiropractor also said the rotation from my scoliosis is getting more pronounced which is probably another reason I feel him so much on the right side under my ribs. Scoliosis not only causes a curve of the spine (mine is a S), but also causes the spine to rotate which rotates the ribs and pelvis. So my right ribs are pulled to the back and my left are pushed forward. I guess having those right ribs pulled to the back creates even less space on that side. I just need to keep this little guy’s butt on the left side!

So some of you may be wondering why I never mention a name for the little guy. First I am not one to come up with a cute nickname. I am just not creative like that and nothing really came to me. We do have a name picked out although I change my mind every now and then about it. For the most part the name is picked, but Casey has requested that the name be kept a secret so I won’t be able to tell you the name for a few more months.

I will post a picture tomorrow…. hopefully. Oh, and I will have to tell you all about my new chair!!

Monday night we moved the nest out of the gutter. I had the day off so I went out and found a cheap basket and filled it with leaves, twigs and pine straw. Apparently mourning doves never leave their nest and the mom and dad take turns sitting on the nest. So there was never a time we could move it without them around. We had to scare off mom or dad to get to the nest. She watched us for a bit on a nearby tree before flying off. Casey had to get out the big extension ladder and it took awhile to figure out how to get it up there with all the bushes! We got the basket attached to the gutter just a few inches from the nest. Casey carefully moved the nest to the basket and we went back inside. I guess we scared the mom or dad bird pretty bad and they knew we were messing with the nest so the never came back. Being an emotional pregnant lady and extreme lover of all animals (okay, most not insects or creepy things) I have been very upset that we killed the two little baby birds in those eggs. However I know it was the best thing to do. We had to at least try because there was no way they would survive a rain storm in that gutter. If they hadn’t hatched yet they would be washed down the gutter and if they had hatched they would probably drown. So I guess this is for the best. I was in contact a lot with Piedmont Wildlife Rescue and they told me this is pretty common and she expected they would not return to the nest. She said they have most likely already started over somewhere else. I hope they pick a better spot next time. Mourning doves aren’t the brightest. However as I told Casey I think it is fascinating the way animals communicate. Somehow the mom or dad was able to find their partner and let them know to abandon the nest and start over. They don’t have a What to Expect When you are Expecting book, the Internet or a birth coach telling them what to do or how to do it. They just know. They know to sit on that nest and when to leave it. It fascinates me. Maybe if they had a book it would recommend not building the nest in a gutter.

In other news I continue my attempt to knit a hat for this little guy. It is not going well and I do think I will just have to buy a couple cute ones on etsy for my photos. I think I can pull off a pretty simple one between now and June, but I don’t expect I can do anything as cute as the ones I can buy. Maybe one day….

Sorry for missing the picture last week. I have to admit that I don’t really like pictures of myself anymore. I don’t feel that big, but when I see the pictures I am not liking what I see! I want to go back to that cute little belly. I will post a picture from today against my better judgment. There isn’t much to report on pregnancy news. I keep hearing that sleep in the third trimester doesn’t exist, but so far so good. I actually sleep better than before I was pregnant. I suppose this could all change in the coming weeks as I continue to expand. I really think the Snoogle pillow has a lot to do with it. Every pregnant lady needs one of these pillows! Sure, I wake up between 1-2am to pee and again around 4-5, but it doesn’t really bother me. I always drink tons of water so waking up to pee is normal for me. I was doing that long before I was pregnant! Still no cravings really. No swelling…. yet. I love my water aerobics class and next Sunday we will start our birth classes! Yikes. I wish I could do more yoga, but the acid reflux makes that almost impossible. It also seems to aggravate my lower back and hips which is odd because it should be helping. I try to do something most nights, either the elliptical or light weight lifting. It is getting a lot harder to stay motivated.

In other news, it is HOT here. I am glad it is warming up and I can wear some of my new clothes, but I think 90 degrees the first week in April is a bit much!! How about 75 again? We had to close the windows and turn on the AC today. Mostly due to the pollen which all the sudden showed up this weekend. Everything in the house already had a layer of yellow dust on it so we closed up the house. I hate doing it because I love having the house open, but I don’t love everything being covered in pollen. It is one thing to dust stuff off daily, but it gets in the furniture and everything else too. It just isn’t worth it so we will open it up again when the pollen is gone. Hopefully it won’t be too hot!!

While opening the bedroom window this weekend I noticed a mourning dove sitting on a nest in the gutter over our front door. So Casey slowly moved the screen towards her, but she would not move. He pretty much touched her with the screen so we knew there were eggs there. She did move a bit which allowed us see one white egg. She is on that nest all the time. We did see her leave for about 10 minutes tonight. I emailed the wildlife rescue on Saturday morning asking what we should do with her. If it rains, or when it rains the nest and eggs will be washed down the gutter. Not the best spot for a nest. They recommended building some type of box to hang or attach to the gutter and move the nest. She told me that you don’t want to move the nest more than 1 foot at a time. So tomorrow my mission is to find something to use for her nest.

In other house news we got 3 cubic yards of mulch yesterday and put it out in the front and back yard. We spent most of the day picking up the mulch and putting it out. Casey would fill the wheel barrow and dump it. Then I would spread it out in each bed. Yep, 7 month pregnant lady in the 85 degree heat on her hands and knees spreading mulch! Quite a site I am sure. I made sure to drink lots of water and stay out of the sun as much as possible. My job was easy compared to Casey’s! The beds look so much better so here’s hoping we don’t get a major rain store that washes it all away. I can’t wait to get out there and plant my vegetables and a few annuals. I didn’t see the point in cleaning off the deck or putting stuff on the deck yet until the pollen is gone. Today we started our radiant barrier project. We finished one knee wall in the bonus room. So one more to do and then the whole attic. It is supposed to be cooler next weekend so Casey and his friend Gary will be working on putting it up in the attic. I really hope it helps some this summer. Hopefully the radiant barrier will help to reflect some of the heat getting in the attic and around the bonus room.

Well, I think that is all for today…. I try to update again this week since there is so much going on all the sudden (nesting….).

Bird Nest

House pictures, the new color

Kneewall before

Casey installing radiant barrier (I was holding up the other side)

Finished

And finally the big girl