grace grace

Ok, so you all (should) know Juliette's middle name is Grace.

Most of you also know that Grace is my great grandma's name (she passed away just before thanksgiving last year, but I was able to tell her I was preggo before she died).

A few of you may even know that Grace was my great grandma's first AND middle name.

But I am pretty sure none of you know WHY her first and middle name are both Grace. I actually just found that out myself! I always thought her mom just got lazy by the fifth kid (sorry to my mom, but you don't even have a middle name so maybe there is something to my theory!)Apparently my Great Grandma's mom had two friends named Grace and didn't want one of them to feel left out, so she did Grace for the first and middle name. Problem solved...although who is the first name after??

Here are a few pics that i had on my computer of me with Grace, who was always wearing a hat:

I apparently stole this one

Even at bedtime...

and you can't really see it, but it's there!

i am gonna miss this...

Luckily for me, this pregnancy has gone great! It's really hard to find something to complain about...I didn't get sick, my doctors visits always go according to schedule, I have a nice belly, the weather hasnt been that bad, I didn't (so far) get as huge as I thought I had the potential to get, and I get to feel her move around all the time. I am going to miss it! Even if these last few weeks have some miserable moments, at least it's not that much longer! I must have inherited the I-love-being-pregnant thing from my mom!

Friday was our company picnic, so I wasn't by my computer to update with pics but here are some pics I had Joey take last night (I was already sans make-up b/c it was 10pm, so I thought I'd throw in pigtails to complete my look...):

In case you didn't know...

Me at just over 37 weeks...

Imitating my mom...

really, I don't know....but it was funny

Have a great week!

the baby kick fairy?

So miraculously the $20 reappeared. NOT from the actual culprit, but my dad gave my mom a $20 bill to put back into the fund! The funny part is that I hid the envelope in my desk and it took her FOREVER to find it :-) It's not the same, but I guess it still does have a story behind it!

In other news, Joey and I are going to get the carseats checked tonight and then to our class that is the "recap" of the online stuff we did. We're supposed to bring a pillow and a blanket so I am sure it will be a fun time. I just have this vision of a mixture of all the pregnancy classes I have seen on tv and I am not looking forward to it. I have no real desire to meet another pregnant couple and share our feelings. Ugh. I am happy we did most of it online b/c then we could talk about what we were the most interested in ourselves and not have to listen to others. I am such a brat. Oh well.

Tomorrow is 37 weeks so I'll try and get a picture up! Have a good one!

i am PISSED!

Ok, so my $20 bill from my first kick is MISSING. And I am pretty damn sure someone STOLE it! The ONLY time I EVER go in that envelope is when my mom gives me money (it basically transfers from her desk to mine). So today I was showing it to someone and then I saw it was missing....not the other money, but the $20 (I am assuming they didn't take it all so that maybe I wouldn't notice anything was missing). And the envelope was labeled "Baby Kick". You have got to be effing kidding me. I obviously do not care so much about $20, it's money, but it was the FIRST kick my mom got to feel and I am so pissed I want to cry. Maybe I should use the camera Brent and Kristine got me to spy on the cleaners.

FYI...I did leave a nasty note if they happen to open my top drawer again.

normal? really?

Who would have ever thought I would be considered normal? My appointment on Friday went well, as usual. I am about 30-40% effaced and dialated 1cm and a wiggle (that's how she described it)...which is normal. My belly measured at 36 cm, which is normal. Her head is down, which is normal (and good!). And the doc said she should be a normal size baby. All of my tests(blood pressure, hemoglobin, whatever they do with the urine sample) are good/normal. So at this rate I should just have the baby on the 17th, on time and normal :-)

Sunday Joey and I did a few more sessions of our online class which included the birth part...you know, the video. I told him he didn't have to watch that part if he didn't want to...he sat on the couch with the blanket pulled up to his eyes, peeking out just a little. The video was probably all of 15 seconds, but that's enough :-) I think it made it look a lot easier than it's really going to be since it was so short! We're working out a plan for how to deal with me in the hospital...I am not sure that the "you can do it, sweetheart" is really going to do it! He is worried about seeing me in pain and I said that's no big deal b/c it will be over before you know it and we'll forget all about that...then we can worry about the baby!

only four more donuts?!?!

Ok people, I am starting to put things into perspective here...once Juliette finally arrives, my weekly donut is probably not going to be coming! And what if I go early?? (Mom, I would still like a donut on the 17th!)

here is the post-it from my mom this morning...I already ate the donuts!

Ok, now some real perspective...four weeks left! Four weeks ago (which is how I measure how fast time went) Joey and I had a date night and he bought me the little piggy bank. That really wasn't that long ago...

This morning when I was laying in bed Juliette decided to do the worm (that's what I call it anyway) where she doesn't "kick" but she moves around...like she is doing the worm! The cool part was I got Joey to feel it...she went pretty crazy for like 20 seconds and he hadn't felt that much before so that was cool.

This afternoon I have my 36 wk appt. I am looking forward to it b/c they'll finally start checking "stuff" to see how it's going. Brent and Kristine leave tomorrow for their East Coast trip and I have been told not to go early, and I think I'll be ok. Plus, I am pretty set on a July baby!

That's all my news for now...if the doctor has anything special to report I'll let ya know...

outtakes and a baby class...

Here are a few pics from the preggo session that didn't make it onto the blog, but they are kinda funny...Last night Joey and I went to a "Caring for Your Newborn" class. The instructor was entertaining enough that the time went fast and it was easy to listen to her. It was really interesting to hear the questions the other couples had...and then judge them. I know, I am awful, but I am always comparing us to the other couples we see at any "baby" events/stores/etc. I usually come out feeling pretty good about us though! Joey said that he learned a lot. I probably take for granted some of the things I have read or talked about with my girlfriends and don't think about the fact that Joey doesn't hear all the same stuff! We have one more class next week that is the culmination of the internet version of the "Preparing for Birth" class we're doing. Then, well, we have a baby and we forget everything we learned and just survive :-)

Thanks for checking in...one more month!!!

another busy weekend...**updated with pics**

Ok, so it seems like every weekend is busy, but there is a lot to get done before baby! Friday I actually took the day off of work and had a little express retreat at Spalon. I got a massage, manicure and blow out. Then Joey and I headed off to The U of M and Katrina's place for some preggo pics (which I will post when I get!! ok...got them!)

This one is my favorite!

We laughed through most of these ones :-)

my belly...35 weeks (5 to go!)


This one was supposed to look like an "album cover" but it really looks like I am scolding Joey and he is thinking about what he did...funny!

There are a few more you can see by going to Katrina's blog: http://stulagu.bigfolioblog.com/

John was busy getting the dinner going and then Laura and Mark joined us all for dinner. It was a nice little night! It was a long day for Joey b/c he fell asleep in the car on the way home!

Saturday Joey golfed in the morning and my mom and I headed to Katrina and John's to watch their 3 kids for the day while they shot a wedding (it was our present for having their 3rd...they don't need anymore clothes, blankets, etc. so we figured daycare was the best). The first 30 minutes we were like, "how do you do 3?" and then we were fine. The interesting thing is it takes so long to do things that the times really flies! We barely got our cookie making done! Later that night I stopped at my parents for Brent's Annual Flag Day Party. The fireworks show was the highlight :-)

Sunday we woke up and cleaned a little in the morning and then met Joey's cousin and her husband for lunch. They are in town from London so it was nice to catch up. We sat out on the patio at WA Frost... perfect weather! Then we stopped by Baby on Grand to pick up a few things that had come in and went grocery shopping. Busy day! At night we were playing with some of the baby stuff...it's fun to watch Joey because he talks like the baby is there :-) He is cute!

"it's only malibu"

Last Saturday Joey and I went to finish some baby shopping and then went out to dinner. We decided to go to the Champps in Woodbury. As a side note, as far as drinking I haven't really "missed it" as far as the alcohol part of it. What I miss is the variety in things I can drink. There are only so many kiddie cocktails a girl can take! Juice is ok, and I have been doing Kool-Aid since it's (kind of) summer time, but I am really missing more choices!!

So anyway, we're at Champps and on the last page of their drink menu is a section of non-alcoholic drinks called "Student Council". I ordered a Mango Raspberry Freeze. When it came to the table it was in a pint glass (fine) with a Smirnoff logo on it (which I thought odd for a non-alcoholic drink). I took a few sips and thought that there was alcohol in it...which is kinda hard to tell b/c it was fruity and fruity blended drinks never have much alcohol taste in them anyway (I still think that Cranberry juice tastes like cheap vodka b/c that's the only way I ever drank it). So I had Joey taste it and he thought he tasted vodka (I assured him it wasn't vodka, and didn't know how he thought that as I have maybe seen him drink vodka twice in five years?!?). So I re-read the ingredients and saw that there should have been whip cream on top...so now I am thinking the server just grabbed the wrong drink. We flagged her down and I asked her if she could check with the bartender to double check the non-alcoholness of the drink. She came back and was like, "I am so sorry...the barback was helping the bartender and he made the drink and he said he put Malibu in it b/c (yeah, get this...), 'doesn't everything have Malibu in it?' " WTF, uh NO! The server was saying at least "it was only Malibu"...yeah, I guess..."it was only her spatial reasoning skills" that she lost. The barback was all worried and asked if the person was underage and the server said, "no, but she pregnant." Ok, I know drinking half an inch of a blended fruity drink with Malibu isn't going to do anything, but it's the principle! AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN COMP ME THE DRINK!! So that's my story of the day!

Tomorrow I am having my pregnancy photo shoot with Katrina and I am really excited! I should be able to get a few pics up by the end of this weekend so you can all see the wonder of the belly!

this little piggy ate a hamburger...

This weekend Joey and I were sitting in the tv room and I put my feet up. He was going to wiggle my toes and I asked it he knew the "little piggy" rhyme...so here is his version:

This little piggy went to the market
This little piggy went home

This little piggy....uh...ate a hamburger (laughs ensued at this point!)

This little piggy had none

This little piggy went wee wee wee!

It was pretty hilarious! So I am sure we will have some interesting nursery rhyme variations in our house!

Here is the real version for those of you who don't know...

godparents day

As many of you probably don't know, the first Sunday in June is Godparents Day (accoring to my googling, at least). Even before we were pregnant, Joey and I had discussions about Godparents and the first set was pretty easy- Brent and Kristine. So we were trying to think of a cool way to ask them. My idea- which I still think was cool- was to give Brent a framed picture of Marlon Brando (the Godfather) and Kristine a picture of the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. Joey wasn't totally on board with that one. So then we decided to get them something for their house for when Juliette comes over to visit. We bought the "Hoppy Days" bouncer (it has frogs on it, get it?). **interjection: MONTHS ago, I had talked with my mom about asking Brent and Kristine on Godparents Day and she said it would be cool to see, so I said have us over for a BBQ! So we had this day all set up and then all these schedule issues/conflicts came up and there was really no good reason to give Brent and Kristine about why we were all so set on doing something on the 7th without giving it away, but I wouldn't budge (suprising, I know). So the BBQ ended up being a night at Murray's!** Back to the story, we wrapped the bouncer and picked up Brent and Kristine for dinner. When we picked them up Kristine had something to put in the trunk but we said no. You would've thought we were kidding, but since the present was back there, we were serious! So Kristine brought her bag in the back seat. We got to my parents and were talking a little and then Joey got the gift for Brent and Kristine. We gave it to them and said it was from Juliette because she wanted her Godparents to have some at their house when she came over...here is the 8 second video I took:

It was really cool because they were both surprised! Then it was funny b/c they had a present for us! So we open it up and I was confused b/c it looked like a cell phone, so I thought they had just used that box, but it was a camcorder and a memory card and a carrying case! It was so so so nice! We both couldn't believe it! So unexpected and so cool! We are very lucky! So here is a shot of us with the gifts:

Dinner was great, as it always is at Murray's, and was a good way to celebrate. Brent and Kristine have both been so excited during this whole process and it has been really fun to watch. (I knew Kristine loved babies, but it's really fun for me to watch Brent get excited). We know that they are going to be awesome godparents and the coolest Unkie B and Antie K ever! Thanks guys!

what a day! and a few random things...

Check out what came up on my msn homepage when I got into work today:

How cool is that?? And since it's a week change for me, mom brings me (and now even Brent) a doughnut! I am going to miss my doughnuts :-(

So today is 34 weeks, or 6 weeks left...take your pick (I like to use the 6 weeks left!). Kristine sent me an email today informing me that the baby is the size of an American Girl doll, so she feels more prepared :-) I do have a doctor appt today, so we'll see what they say, I haven't been there since 30 weeks and that feels like forever ago, so I am hoping this visit will be fun. Ok, maybe "fun" isn't the word, maybe I should say informative. I know she has been moving lots, so that has to be good.

Last night I went down to visit Laura, Rod, and their new baby Danielle. She is such a little peanut!! 6.7 lbs and 18 inches. She had the tiniest little face and looked just like her mom! It was fun to hear Rod tell the story of when it hit him that he was a dad. I wonder when it will hit Joey?!?

bottles

Ok mammas, I was some comments to this post. I want advice on bottles. I am well aware of BPA free, but that's about as much as I've really looked into things. I am planning on breastfeeding but want to pump too so Joey can get in on some of the late night feeding action! So for you pumpers out there did you store in bags or plastic storage, what brand did you use, etc. When she goes to daycare two days a week I want to send my milk for as long as I can. For bottles, did you go plastic, glass, bags... give me some ideas. What do you really need for cleaning (bottle rack, sterilizer, bottle brush, etc.)? I don't want to search the internet, I want my friends to just tell me what to do. Thanks!

cankles

So when you are pregnant, and especially towards the end, "they" (internet, books, doctors, etc.)talk about swelling...mostly in your feet/ankles, hands and your face. I haven't been wearing my wedding ring for a while now, so the fingers thing held up. My face isn't swollen, but it is a little...let's say rounder. But the crappy part for me is I NATURALLY have cankles (seriously, even at my lowest weight- cankles! I think it's the bones!), so it's hard to tell if they are swollen or it's just me. Plus, it doesn't take much swelling to make my shoes tight since I have fat/wide/whatever feet anyway. I am not uncomfortable yet, but I am glad it's flip flop season!

So me...

I am pretty blunt. Brent would say that I don't have a filter. My mom likes to call it "spirited". In any case I am pretty Type A and left brained. I have several friends like this, and several who aren't! In any case my friend Penny (a fellow type A, left brainer) brought me a gift today that is pretty darn funny, so I wanted to share:This video will introduce Juliette to Language and Spelling, Alphabet and Numbers, Logical Thinking and more! How funny! I think Joey and I will have to watch it this weekend and get the preview! ha!

i love my life

I have the greatest family and friends. Really. I don't think I have the right font to even express this :-) I had such a great (and tiring) weekend and so many people did so much work to make things perfect for me. I know how much energy it takes to pull off these events, so I truly appreciate all of the work everyone put into them. Thank you!

On Saturday I had a shower thrown by my cousins Kelly, Emily, Elizabeth and Noelle. Here they are at work:

The spread was wonderful (I think the taco dip was licked off of the pan) and the craft was cute! Most of you know, I am not a game person so they did a onesie craft with fabric markers and paints. My favorites were by Debi ("Juliette for President '44") and Noelle (I still live with my parents). I also got a Frog and Toad book from my aunt Becky, with a matching blanket that she made!

Here is a picture of me with my hostesses (and a few of their kids!):

On Sunday I had a shower thrown by my friends, Laura and Katrina. It was at Laura's house in St. Louis Park, wich made my "wrong side of the river friends" very happy! They did an AWESOME job! We had Mommatini's when we walked in and the food was super good (I had a few plates full, and picked right off of the table too!). This is a pic of the food at the end...We spent out time out on the deck enjoying the hot sun! The craft at this party was so cool...they made blocks for Juliette and everyone got to decorate one. Then they are going to shillack (no idea how to spell this!) them and I can display them on the hutch and Juliette can play with them. It was really fun to watch everyone make them!We sat out on the deck to open presents. Here is the little polo onesie that Kristine got for Juliette to wear on our Disney trip this year (hard to see, but it's Tinkerbell's head and then it says "Juliette" on it!). You can also see the blanket that she knitted next to me on the bench...it turned out great!Then Laura, crafty as ever (she got it form her mom who is knitting a sweater for the baby), made a nice quilt, also has soem Tinkerbell on it: And here is a group shot- Casey and Amber had already left :-(

Here is a quick belly shot of me and Lindsey (we took one at her shower when I wasn't pregnant, so it was much more fun to take one when we are BOTH pregnant!):

It was pretty much the perfect weekend and I coudn't have asked for anything more. I am very lucky and am SO looking forward to sharing Juliette with everyone! Thank you all so much!