32 weeks - family and baby shower fun (and lots and lots of pictures!)

What a crazy, fun weekend. Last Thursday (12/9) all of the "grandparents" (weird to say) arrived from the airport. Somehow their flights came in 5 minutes apart, and were both on time. We spent the first night chatting and catching up...it was all hands on little T, too! Luckily, she performed for everyone and moved like a crazy woman all weekend. Since I knew the baby shower would be all about pink, I decided to get Paul a more manly gift...though it was painful for me to order...



Yes, a Steelers diaper bag, filled with many things a dad would need, butt paste, wipes, diapers, boogie wipes, surgical masks and gloves, ear plugs, etc. Besides, there needs to be somewhere for all of the dirty diapers to go :)



Of course it needs to include a change of clothes! There were also some Bronco pacifiers :)



A "how to" baby manual is a must have!



Changing pad!



We had a fun day on Friday hanging out in Boulder, as well as our usual eating and drinking (mmmmm, Sprite for me, again!) These were some happy grandma's!



Saturday brought the baby shower fun! Beth and Stacey did an amazing job with the shower. It was fabulous. And Megan drove through a Vail blizzard and back to come down with the cake! I am very grateful for such great friends. I wish all my out of town friends and family could have been there as well. Here are some pictures...

Mom and Lynne


PT gals - Jess, Jaimy & Megan








Abby, my little present helper :)


Yummy cake!


Diaper cake from Jaimy


Sweet, stylish Stella (Stacey's baby) who is so nicely handing down her wardrobe to baby Ellie!


Priceless picture - good catch mom!


Mark found a way to get her into camo.


Joycie made this cute baby poncho and sent it from Pittsburgh.


Ellie's blanket from grandma Kathy!


This is a sweater made by our PT director at Children's, Carol. She is retiring in a month, and over her 20+ years at Children's, has made a sweater for each baby born to the therapists. I just made it under the wire to get a famous sweater!!


Paul's aunt Kathy, from PA, made this bag and EVERYONE was jealous. It is soooo cute!


Paul, Beth and the grandmas surprised me with my Pandora bracelet! They had each picked out a special charm to put on it.


Some great friends!


Thanks ladies for such a great day! Love ya :)


Whew...worn out!!


This is what a lot of the weekend looked like :)


Boehler-Mikolaj family fun!


The fun had to end sometime I suppose, and Monday morning, the parents flew back :( After we dropped everyone off at the airport shuttle, Paul and I were off to our 32 week appointment. All went well, except I was a little dehydrated, and little T is measuring right at 32 weeks. She had a good strong heartbeat. The doctor was happy with everything. We go back at 36 weeks and will have a quick ultrasound to see how she is positioned...hopefully head down! Then again at 38 weeks. Hopefully we won't have to go to our 40 week visit and instead just have the baby! I am trying to convince little T to come on time. Otherwise, they will induce me at 41 weeks. Then the family comes in all over again! We can't wait!!

30 weeks - T minus 10 weeks

No, really, only 10 more weeks! I told Paul she could even come in 8 weeks, and I would be happy. He has chosen to stick with 10! I am sure that this month with fly by, as the holidays always do...and then I am afraid that January with DRAG on and on. For now, we are just counting down the days until our parents get here (a week from tomorrow...yay!!!). Work is getting very exhausting. Today was the first day that I actually felt a little out of breath after working with (or chasing around, rather) a very cute 3 year old, a 2 year old, a 5 and a 7 year old...and that was just the morning! I do find that the belly is coming in handy when treating my babies, as it gives them a little shelf to rest on. Little T does her best to kick and wiggle back. We'll see how the next 8-10 week work out. But, all of my other PT co-workers have worked right up until they went into labor, so expectations are high. Plus all 12 babies born to the PT's at my clinic have all been post-due...these are not good odds for me! I plan to deliver right on time :)

Here is the cute chair that I could not resist buying online. It is for babies as early as 3 months (has a little harness) and then up to age 8. Seemed like a practical purchase!



Porter found the chair just right!



Here is my other little splurge. Knowing that little T has a very high probability of being bald (and staying bald for awhile), I figured I would start her hair accessories now! These are from a great (and inexpensive) website I found where you can mix and match hats, headbands and flowers. The flowers are on little clips, so you just interchange them. I may have gone a little crazy, but now she will have colors to match everything :)







And we HAD to get matching headbands for football outfits, although we will see just how long I will allow her to wear that ugly black and gold one :)



Here is the belly at 30.5 weeks...




I am sure we will have a lot to report after next weekend. Our parents will be here, we will have had our baby shower, and our 32 week follow up with my doctor. Should be fun!!

29 weeks - more pink!

I know that one should never tell a pregnant woman, "Wow, your pregnancy is going by so fast!" but it really is! It was NOT going by fast the first 12-14 weeks...but now time is really flying. Time is flying, and the belly is growing! "Little T" has decided to move ALL of the time. I am not complaining, as only a few weeks ago I was begging to feel more movement, but seriously, if this kid is this active when she comes out...we are in trouble!!! We went last week for our 28 week visit. The baby is measuring right on time again, and has a good, strong heart beat. I had to drink this gross, super sweet "glucola" drink and then wait an hour to have my blood tested to make sure my blood sugar levels were normal...which they were. I had to have my RhoGAM shot...ouch! Everything else went well. Paul and I are also signed up for our childbirth preparation classes. They start on Wednesdays in December. I think there are 5 of them. That should be a reality check. We also have a breastfeeding class this weekend...Paul is thrilled about this (the worst part...he has to miss the second half of his Steelers game...oops!)

I have made a few trips to Hobby Lobby...DANGER!! There just so happened to be the most perfect lamp...



I picked up a few other cute things...



So, yes...her name is Ellie...Ellie Kate Mikolaj :)


More boots...she does live in Colorado!



And after all, her mama is from Montana!!!



This week, "Little T" weighs in at 2 1/2 pounds and is 15 inches long. I have gained about 15 pounds, and will supposedly gain about a pound a week until she is born. My diet of Rice Chex cereal is still going strong. At least we know she is getting enough calcium!! Between that and the amount she is moving in there, we can hope for strong bones and good muscle tone! Here is a quick belly picture...



We are counting down the days until our parents get to come out. My great friends are throwing me a fabulous baby shower December 11th, and I'm so glad the grandmas will be there. After several deep breaths, Paul and I braved Babies R Us last weekend and registered. It is just as overwhelming as everyone says it is. Since it has been over 4 years since we registered for our wedding, I had forgotten how Paul was with that dang scanner gun they give you. He likes to point and shoot at everything! So, if we are registered for 4 bath tubs...that is why! Good thing the power of the internet lets me update the registry! After that nearly 2 hour experience, we opted to do the JC Penny and Target registries online! Well, that is the latest excitement around here. Thanks for checking in!

26/27 weeks - last weeks in the second trimester...crazy!

Time is flying by, and I anticipate this to continue as it is holiday season, and that always goes so fast! As Paul will tell you, little T's due date is Superbowl weekend, and there was a commercial on the other day that said "The Superbowl is only 3 short months away!" at which time, I had a little panic attack! So there are many things that are reminding us that February is not too far away. Next week we will officially be in the third trimester...wow! I have a doctor's appointment next Friday for our 28 week visit. I guess it is a long visit, as I have to take a glucose test to make sure my blood sugar levels are okay. I have to drink some gross (so I've heard) super sugary glucola drink, wait an hour, then have blood drawn. We have to watch some videos, and then I have to have a RhoGAM shot because my blood type is O negative. This painful shot (I had one after my miscarriage, right in the butt...ouch) will provide antibodies to protect me and the baby over the next few months, in case she has a positive blood type.

We went to MT last weekend for my birthday and for my college's (good ol' Rocky Mountain College) homecoming reunion weekend. Many of my friends came in for the weekend and it was so great to see them. It was also nice to be pampered by my mom! She made lots of great food and a delicious pumpkin cake with brown butter cream cheese frosting...oh yes, it was one of the most delicious cakes I have ever had! I think I might need it every year for my birthday. Little T put on quite a show and let my parents feel her wiggle, kick and move...my mom was in heaven.

YUM!!!!


Some of my old crew!


Paul and I are getting very excited to see our parents! They are all coming in just over a month. My friends are throwing me a baby shower, and I am so happy that both of the mom's, or grandma's rather, will be here for it. There is sure to be lots of pink! I am sure in another month, this little lady will be really moving all over the place!!

Well, luckily for Paul, I still have not been having any cravings. However, I do go through about a gallon of milk and a box of Rice Chex cereal per week! I often have it for breakfast, and then again for dinner. I would not call this a craving really, but rather a staple. It just always sounds satisfying, I guess. Paul is concerned that little T is going to come out looking like a rice chex, so I made him this for his office...



That is about all we have for now. So, here is the latest belly picture taken today, which is the first day of 27 weeks...

24 weeks...Progress!

Well, we have been busy painting and daycare shopping. Meanwhile, the belly keeps growing. I am still having a hard time calling it "the baby's room" and still say that we painted the guest room :) This, however, pleases my dad, who is also having a hard time dealing with the fact that he will be losing his room! We picked some nice browns for the bedroom and bathroom and had to buy fancy no-VOC paint so that I could paint while pregnant. It is nice to have that done!











Here is the art that I made for the baby's room. They are in big 16 x 20 frames.








This morning we toured 5 daycare centers near our house. While they all seems nice, we are down to deciding between 2 of them. I will try to take 4 months off, through May, and then my mom might come down for the month of June, so we wouldn't have to start daycare until July. I would be happy to send her off to daycare a little older (and maybe save up a little for the expensive bill!).

Paul thought we really needed this today...probably after the sticker shock of daycare!


Here is a cute boppy from my mom...


Belly at 24 weeks...


Next Friday is our 24 week appointment with the doctor. We are hoping everything is going well. We may have more to report then!