Babies R Us Coupons

Sooooooo... we got these coupons in the mail from BRU, and though some may think this is tacky, we see it more like we're trying to save some money, whether ours or yours.

We purchased a couple of things too, but we're not likely to use these coupons right now, so we'll pass them on to you, in case you can use them.

These offers are valid from Oct. 30th to Nov. 25th. The codes are for online purchase.

10% off all bouncers, travel swings and doorway jumpers ---- Promotional code: #931612
10% off all walkers, entertainers and activity jumpers --- Promotional code: #931610
10% off all Boppy pillows --- Promotional code: #931604
15% off all monitors --- Promotional code: #931598
15% off all Dr. Brown's infant feeding items and bottle accesories --- Promotional code: #931602

They have a few sales going on right now as well.

End of Babies R Us commercial....

Now, let me tell you about last night! Josh and I were laying in bed, getting ready to sleep, and Lovebug was a bit active. Well, we both started to feel around my belly to figure out where he was. I thought he was head down, because I felt he had hiccups earlier and it felt very low. We couldn't really find him (he was kind of on my back) everything felt sort of soft, except for this one thing at the very top of my belly: his footsie!! He was sort of pushing instead of kicking. We felt his foot! Very cool!

I think he flipped again last night, cause I feel his head under my belly button again. He's such a tease!

27 weeks! And doctor's appt

I think I look exactly the same as last week. It's totally possible, since the last pic was at 26.5 weeks, not really at 26. You can decide:


And how big is Lovebug?, you ask. Well, let's find out!

Lovebug now weighs slightly under 2 pounds. His total length is close to 14.4 inches! That's bigger than Legal paper!

He's now a perfectly formed albeit very tiny human being. Lovebug's systems continue to mature during pregnancy week 27 and he even starts accumulating some weight in the upcoming weeks.

Up until between the 27th and 28th weeks of pregnancy his eyelids are fused together. After this week or next they will open. The retina or the light sensitive portion of the eye typically starts maturing at about 27 weeks of pregnancy. The layers that form in the retina will allow his eyes to receive light and transmit the information it is receiving to the brain to form images. This basic process is referred to as 'sight'. Imagine that, at 27 weeks pregnant Lovebug is a tiny, seeing human being!

We had our monthly OBGYN's appointment yesterday. We heard Lovebug's heartbeat (strong as ever!) and the doctor measured my belly. We're still measuring about a week ahead, so growth is constant and perfect. My bloodwork came back fine, so we're good an healthy! We have our next appt in 3 weeks, and then we'll start going every 2 weeks. That means we're getting close... oh my!!

3 months!

We're are exactly 3 months away from our due date. Of course Lovebug could come earlier or later, but for all intents and purposes, we're 3 months away from having our little boy here with us, outside the belly, and safely at home.

I must confess, I have mixed feelings about this. This means I've been pregnant for 6 months. Six months... it's a long time!! It also means that we still have 3 months to go (obviously). Three months, after six months... such a long time!!

So on one side, I can't wait! On the other, I know it's going to be such a huge change, that I wonder if we have enough time to have everything ready for Lovebug! I would definitely prefer having all ready (or as ready as can be), so we can really just enjoy Lovebug, and get to know him and his rhythm in those 6 weeks the three of us will be home. I'm sure this will be like wedding planning in a way: I'll wonder if we have enough time, we'll tackle things one at a time, and we'll find we have everything ready on time, no problems. But I guess since it's a waiting game at this point, I just want to get started with organizing and putting furniture together, etc. I guess this is what they call my "nesting period"...

Also, I'm so excited that Josh gets to spend about 6 weeks with us! It's exactly what I would ask for, because I think it's really important for the three of us to bond as a family and get used to the new dynamic. And I know Josh will enjoy those first few weeks figuring things out just as much as I will. There are several things I'm looking forward to, and one of the big ones is watching Josh with Lovebug. I know he's going to be such an awesome father, and I can't wait to see my husband and my son bond in the intimacy of our home: early in the morning as Josh sings and dances with Lovebug, or just before bedtime, and Josh tells him a little story while he falls asleep between us. I know this is selfish of me, but I want those moments all for myself.

Three more months. Three short months to witness that miracle. Definitely worth the wait.

26 weeks!! (and 3 days)

Josh took the camera with him on a work related trip, so we didn't get the weekly picture on time :( So it's more like a 26.5 weeks pic, but it'll do!

Here it is:

I have to tell you, I look at pictures of myself 20 weeks ago, and I can't believe I was so thin! It's such a strange reality...

This morning Lovebug had the hiccups, and we were able to feel it for the first time ever! It's this very rhythmic thud, while there's movement all around. I guess he's not a fan of the hiccups! Josh tried to help by giving me a Buddha belly and belly kisses, but it didn't work. It stopped on its own after a while.

Lovebug's really growing into his space now, I can tell where he is because I can feel where my belly is soft, and where there are body parts, hehe. It's very entertaining, to be honest. He likes to hang out on the right side of my belly, and under my belly button. I think that's where his head is a lot, but I could be wrong.

I have a list of things to blog about written down in a post it, I need to try to be better about it! Tune in tomorrow, I might have something new!

Lovebug's Registry

(Post 2 of the day)

We know a few people are wondering about our baby registry. We started a registry a couple of months ago, and it pretty much started as our shopping list. We constantly play with it and either buy stuff, or add stuff. We also had several brands of the same items, waiting for us to make a decision on what would work best for us. It's now at a point where we made a few decisions so there are no repeated articles, and so it's ready for its "public debut".

Our registry is with Babies R Us, and as you know it's a wish list. It doesn't mean you HAVE to get us something from there, we just wanted to make it available for those that wish to check it out.

Lovebug's Registry

I'll post a link on the sidebar for easy access!

My feet after Hawai'i

That's right, you get to see them! I know you're dying to, and I can't deny you, I'm soft like that. ;)

I will say they are back to normal now, even better than they were before the trip! I started the trip with a bit of swelling from the trip to Vegas, and my feet pretty much stayed swollen for the whole trip to Hawai'i. The flight back was a killer, though, and my feet got as big as they've ever been!

Yes, you finally get to see them! Here they are:



No bones or tendons in sight. It's not just plain uncomfortable, it's also a bit painful! I hope my feet never get like this again for the rest of the pregnancy! ::crossing fingers::

Hawai'i

Some of you have already seen the pictures on Facebook, but if you haven't and wish to see them, click HERE .

We had a great time! We landed right on time on Tuesday, but we had to wait around for our luggage. Apparently, they weren't too fast moving it from one plane to the other in Honolulu, so our luggage arrived on the next flight.

After we got our bags, we went to pick up our rental car. We got in a Hertz shuttle, as Josh said that's where we needed to go. We got there only to find a very slow moving line. We even missed the sunset waiting for our turn. After 40 LONG minutes standing in line, it was finally our turn. The guy checked the system for our reservation, and couldn't find us for some reason. Josh promptly got the print out of our reservation from his backpack and handed it over. Three seconds before this guy saw it, I saw it, and I had to shake my head... The guy turns to Josh and says, very politely: "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, sir, but this is Hertz, and your reservation (pointing at the big letters on top of the print out) is with Budget". Awesome. Forty minutes, missed the sunset, waiting at the wrong place. Needless to say Josh didn't enjoy the walk to Budget (You understand why I had to give you so much detail on this, right?)

But hey, we got our car! Here it is:


We then made our way to Sharon's rental condo, and proceeded to go out with her to dinner. We went to Bubba Gump, which is a very cool Forrest Gump (the movie) inspired restaurant. Good food, too. We ended up going there again the day of the race.

The next day we headed towards Hilo, where we stayed for 2 nights. This Island is basically like 4 places in one: Kona (West side) with its beaches and resorts, the North side with its green plains, Hilo (East) with its rainforest vegetation and awesome banyan trees, and the South with its mix of green and black, from the lush vegetation and seas of lava flows.

Josh got us a great book, Hawaii The Big Island Revealed. If you ever go anywhere in Hawai'i, get one of these guides, they're awesome and you'll find some places you wouldn't know are there any other way. We enjoyed the Hilo side, and we got to drive, hike and snorkel in some wonderful places. Definitely fantastic guide, for a fantastic Island!

Also thanks to this book, we went to the best restaurant in Hilo, and had an amazing meal, that's definitely one of the best meals we've ever had. The place is called Hilo Bay Café, it's in a shopping center, between Walmart and Office Max and doesn't look like much from the parking area, but Oh my, the food is excellent! If you're ever in Hilo, you HAVE to go there, and at the very least have their Heirloom tomato carpaccio with chevre cheese, arugula, truffle oil, and alaea salt. You think that sounds good? It's even better!

(This is in Volcanoes NP, with the current vent in Kilauea. Awesome!)

Friday afternoon we made it back to Kona, ready to follow the race. The big day we all woke up at 3:30 am. We were still on Pacific time, so it wasn't a big deal. Josh and I watched the beginning of the swim while having breakfast at Lava Java's, next to the shore. If you ask me, that's the way to do it. You get to see all those people swimming away, while you sit in the shade. Nice!

After breakfast we walked to the transition station to wait for Sharon to go by in the bike.

(Not the best pic, but the only one we have of the bike). We had hours to spare before seeing her again, so we went snorkeling (with sea turtles! Josh has a great story about that!), had lunch, took a nap (or I tried, anyways), and then walked to the front of the condos to see her run by. She decided to walk for us, and she looked really good and happy, definitely in good spirits!

We saw her again on her way back, but she still had a long road to cover, running in the dark between lava flows. Long story short, she is now a Kona Ironman! It took her a little over 16 hours to reach the finish line, but she did awesome and got that medal! And who are we kidding, none of us would do what she did, willingly! On purpose! Here she is, feet away from the finish line:

We're very proud of you, Sharon! We think you're crazy for doing this, but love you just the same! And it was very exciting to be there cheering you on. Thanks for the chance to do it!

That's all I've got! Enjoy the pics!

Lovebug's kicks

Sooo, this is not the best video I could get, but Josh left for a training course a few minutes ago and he took the camera with him, so it's the best I've got for now. He'll be gone for a week :(

The focus is not great, but that's cause I was taking the video so close to my belly. Don't pay too much attention to that, you'll still see movement.

You'll notice my belly going up and down at first: that's my breathing. Lovebug's kicks move the remote sort of left to right. Around 20 seconds in, you'll see a good kick, and some dancing remote afterwards. Ready???



Isn't he a little gymnast, dancer, feisty little boy?? Gotta love him!

Weeks 24 and 25!!

We're back from Hawai'i!! I'll post details on that later, suffice to say for now that we had a great time!!

Let's take a look at the pics first. Week 24 (in Hawai'i):

Whoa, that's a belly! I honestly think I was retaining a lot of water during that trip. My feet were swollen to some degree the whole time, and I think the belly was affected as well and I look bigger than I actually am.

I think I'm right, but you decide. Week 25 (today):

I discovered a new trick to show Lovebug's movements to Josh... well, to everyone, I guess!! I was laying on the couch yesterday, watching TV and keeping my feet up (they were huge after the red eye flight back from Hawai'i), and I put the remote on my belly. Within seconds, the remote was dancing away! Lovebug seems to love kicking it around, really good kicks too! It's hilarious to watch! I'll make a video out of it and post it, hopefully before the end of the week. It's amazing to watch!

OBGYN's appt

This morning we went to see Dr. J. We love our doctor, he's just funny and laid back, and makes us feel very comfortable.

Josh was certain I had gained 5 pounds in the last 4 weeks, and I was reluctant to believe it. I would rather just gain one pound per week, so 4 pounds from last time. Nope, he was right, 5 pounds it is. Darn.

Josh then decided he wanted to try and listen to Lovebug's heartbeat with the stethoscope, I told him he would for sure get caught. And he did, Dr. J was there before he gave up. (HA! One for me!) Dr. J then explained very kindly that Josh would need a special fetoscope (I think that was the name) until after week 28, but good try.

Finally it was time to listen to Lovebug's heartbeat with the doppler. And that was a lot of fun! Dr. J set the doppler on my belly, and almost immediately there was a bit of white noise along with the heartbeat. Weird. He moved it to get a better reading, and then there was this loud "tud" obscuring the heartbeat. At the exact same time, an amazingly well placed kick, right where the doppler was. HA! Lovebug kicked the doppler! I did my best not to laugh, but now, I'm still laughing! It was awesome! (now I know, that first "white noise" was Lovebug moving, probably placing himself for the kick)

After that, Dr. J measured my belly, and we're right on track. Lovebug is still a bit bigger than his gestational age, but not too much, really (just a week). So things are good.

Then Dr. J says : "You're getting close to the third trimester. The third trimester is mostly... uncomfortable!" LOL! Did I say we love our doctor? He then described how the first trimester is all about morning sickness and being tired, the second one you're feeling fine, and then it's just uncomfortable. So not looking forward to that...

So we're going to see him again in 4 weeks, right after my 1-hour glucose test (standard test, to test for gestational diabetes), and after that we'll be seeing him every 2 weeks, until the last month when we'll see him every week. I get excited about little things, such as more frequent appts, just because it means we'll know how big Lovebug and myself are getting more often.

That's all I know. I have some packing to do now, but I'll try to post again before the trip!