Birthday Cupcakes and 29 weeks…

BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES…

I turned 26 years old on August 16th. I had a very nice birthday with dinner Thursday night (because Jake works late on Friday nights) at Sweet Tomato. I like sweet tomato and I had a birthday coupon from them, so even better!

Friday (my birthday) I drove to Sprinkles Cupcakes and bought us some cupcakes. Side note: I only took one wrong turn on my drive and the traffic wasn’t very bad…a good birthday. 🙂 Anyway, Sprinkles is the first cupcake bakery ever (the first one started in California though) and the owner of Sprinkles is a judge on Cupcake Wars, so I was looking forward to trying the cupcakes. I usually make myself a cake, but this apartment is lacking in baking supplies. I chose: S’more (seasonal special), Raspberry (seasonal special), Strawberry (seasonal special), Chai Tea Latte, and a classic Red Velvet.

I liked the Chai Tea Latte the best, then Red Velvet, Strawberry, S’more, and Raspberry. The frosting was very tasty on all of them (I’m not really frosting person), but the cake part seemed almost dry, which was a bummer. it was still fun to try the different varieties. Jacob and I split them. He liked the raspberry and strawberry ones the best.  I’ve never seen a more minimalist store. It was very clean and modern.

PREGNANCY UPDATE…

• I’m currently 29 weeks and 4 days pregnant.
• The baby is about “2 1/2 pounds (about the size of a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel” 
• I had my last Arizona Dr. appointment this past Wednesday and got everything squared away with them. It feels  good to be moving on to my last Dr. for this pregnancy.
• I did my glucose test (they always have a hard time finding a good vein) and if I don’t hear anything from them in a few days then that means I passed. After drinking the syrup the poor child went wild in my belly.
• I also had my Rhogam shot, so now if the baby is born we’ll both be safe of “blood contamination.”
• My obgyn told me I have a very long torso (like my mother), so I probably won’t “pop out” till about 32 weeks or so. I guess it just means more room for the baby.
• I’ve gained 18 pounds so far.

Arizona Diamondback Baseball…

 

 

 

 

 

We went to an Arizona Diamondback baseball game Tuesday night a week or so ago. They played the Tampa Bay Rays and won! We hadn’t been downtown Phoenix yet, so it was a nice way to explore downtown and go to a baseball game. They say, “that Phoenix never grew up it only grew out,” which exemplifies it well. The lighting in the stadium wasn’t very good for pictures. It was a quiet night at the stadium, so the atmosphere wasn’t very enthusiastic, Due to this, we walked around to different seats to enjoy a variety of views.

Not to be a downer or anything, but we like to see different baseball stadiums and this one was boring. There really wasn’t anything special (architecturally) about it.

All in all it was fun to go to a baseball game.

Lists {A glimpse into this pregnant/type A brain}

My husband told me I should post this because he finds my lists and planning funny. I’ve had a summer with a lot of time to think (it has it’s good and bad). Making lists and planning help me relax and wrap my mind around some things. I realize that once the baby is born I’ll have to be super flexible and things probably will go the exact opposite as planned. It’s weird, but planning helps me be prepared for the opposite…if that makes sense.

Anyway, below are my lists of things we need to buy, our hospital bag packing list, photography idea lists, a brief discussion of my birth plan, and a book list. Any input is appreciated (i.e. things I need/won’t need, opinions, etc.) if you feel like it. 🙂

Sorry this is so long, but you have the option not to read it and I won’t be offended. 🙂

items we need to buy before the baby is born:
If it doesn’t say where to buy then we’re getting it off our registry at Babies R Us. These items are seriously the essentials that I think we’ll need starting out that we need to buy. Otherwise, everything else we’ll save for as the baby grows (like high chair, crib, convertible car seat etc.).

Since we’ll be living with my parents for the first 5 or so months of this child’s life and the three of us sharing a room we’re trying to keep things to a minimum.

• Clothes (Jacob’s mom is doing some awesome garage sales for us!
• Breast pump (I’m just getting a manual one on our registry…I don’t plan to pump often)
• Nursing supplies
• Nursing cover (I got one for $10 rather than $40 like on my registry)
• Bottles (small size)
• Infant car seat and winter cover
• Pack n Play and sheets
• Diapers, Wipes (amazon), ointment
• Swaddle blankets
• Diaper bag (etsy, thirty-one)

I’ve had a hard time finding a bag that I like because all of them at the stores seem large, and it’s not like we have to take the child to daycare, so I don’t need that big of a bag. I do plan to use it as my purse as well, so it needs to have some pockets. these are the two I’m thinking: this etsy diaper bag. I really like the style, size, outside pockets of this bag. Or I’m thinking this Thirty-one Retro Metro Bag. I like the price of this one better, and the fact that I know it will be sturdy. So we’ll see what our budget looks like.

• Monitor
• Boppy pillow
• Burp cloths (white pack of cloth diapers
• Travel sized shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, new toothbrush
• Baby shampoo/lotion
• Travel diaper changing mat
• diaper caddy

To do before baby is born: I plan to put the baby’s things in a zip-lock bag and then pack all three of our clothes in one duffel bag.

• Pack hospital bag (my bag, baby things, Jake’s things)

My bag

1. 2-3 change of clothes
2. shampoo, body wash, razor, toothpaste, toothbrush
3. phone and charger
4. camera and charger
5.  laptop and charger
6.  ipod and charger
7. Wallet w/insurance cards
8. Birth plan (2 copies)
9. Chap-stick
10. Hairbrush, hair ties, bobby pins
11. Flip flops (ones to possibly throw away)
12. granola bars, gum
13. makeup (just a few things)
14. journal, bible

Jake’s bag

1. Change of clothes
2. Deodorant
3. Toothbrush/paste (I’m getting us new toothbrushes and keeping them in the bag because i feel like it would be something we would forget and I can’t stand smelly breath).
4. Phone charger
5. Flip camera

Baby’s bag

1. Coming home outfit
2. A few diapers and wipes
3. Receiving blanket

• Pack diaper bag
• Install car seat
• Find a pediatrician
• Take labor (w/jake), and breastfeeding classes (We’ll be doing this “last-minute” once we get to Milwaukee. Our hospital has a weekend express class that hopefully we can sign up for)
• Buy items on list above.
• Wash all baby clothes and organize
• Finalize birth plan

Photography Ideas: I’m not really good at just taking pictures and I know I’ll be probably more forgetful in the moment. I know I’ll want some taken, so I’m giving this list to Jacob and my brother (since he has a nice camera and he can take pictures after labor).

During Labor (I kind of want to document the beginning to end, but I’m not sure what that will look like when I’m in labor, so if we don’t get pictures during that’s fine)

• Before leave home final belly picture
• Early labor look
• Near the end of labor

Post Labor

• First moments with baby (family pic if possible)
• Father and baby
• Mother and baby
• Baby being weighed/examined
• Family shots in hospital/at home
•  Mother, father, and baby
• Grandparents and baby
• Uncles/aunts and baby
• Generation pictures

Misc. anytime

• Room # sign
• Hospital bands
• Name badge on bassinet
• Hospital room “panorama view”

Leaving the hospital

• Baby in coming home outfit
• Family pic walking out of hospital
• In the car

Birth Plan:

I do have a birth plan written up. I’m going to wait to see if I want to use it or how I should change it once I talk to my obgyn. It was a good process for me to go through because it got me thinking about some of my preferences/options and allowed me to do some reading on different procedures.

Basically, in a “perfect” labor and delivery scenario I want to have as natural a birth as possible. I really want to do it without medication/epidural and be able to be active in the labor. Then for baby, assuming everything is fine, some of my preferences are immediate skin-to-skin contact, wait for the cord to stop pulsing till it’s cut, etc. That’s the super abbreviated version and ultimately I want to do what will be the safest for the baby; so again, I’m preparing for things to go the opposite as my plan.

Books I’ve read:

• the complete guide to breastfeeding. This book has been very informative and I think it will be a good reference tool later.
• Shepherding a Child’s Heart
• Becoming Babywise

Our Adventures with Brandon…

This past weekend my brother Brandon came to visit us. We enjoyed his visit and am glad we got use out of our spare bedroom. He arrived Friday morning and left Sunday evening.

Friday, Jacob had to work 8-7pm so Brandon and I had some sibling bonding time. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, but we really didn’t do a lot. We walked over and had lunch with Jacob then we went to an outdoor mall I like in Scottsdale and walked around. Brandon left a notebook on the airplane so we drove to the phoenix airport and picked it up. The phoenix airport is very confusing. Otherwise, we just hung out at our apartment till Jacob got home.

Saturday we got up early and drove to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and on our way back drove through Sedona then stopped at Montezuma’s Castle.

We enjoyed the cooler weather for a day, just three and a half hours away, and it was 30 degrees cooler.

Montezuma’s Castle

It was very interesting seeing and reading about how the people lived and built their homes in these rocks.

A bathroom break in Sedona. The two rocks behind us are the Bell rock on the left and Court House rock on the right.

The grand canyon. We viewed the Grand Canyon with people from all over the world. It was a busy place and we heard many different languages spoken…kind of neat.

Sunday, we got up early again and went hiking before church. We hiked the Sunset Trail on the McDowell mountains. I forgot my camera though. We hiked at total of 6 miles…I was pretty tired the rest of the day. 🙂 We then went to church and hung out at home of the rest of the afternoon.

It was a fun to have my brother in town and do some sightseeing.