False hopes.

I'm not in labor yet. Although going on 37 weeks, I would be perfectly happy if it was the "real thing". Last night at approximately 3:06am I woke up to a hard contraction and I turned to look at the clock and watch. It ended about 1.5 minutes later. I laid there contemplating what to do with this new sensation I had just had and reminded myself of the yoga breathing I've been learning over the last several months. I've had braxton hicks from time to time, but nothing compared to what this was. Approximately 30 minutes later another one started and I timed it again....gone after about 1.5 minutes. Again, what should I do? So I decided now that I was awake I would go to the bathroom. Aroung 4:15am I hadn't felt anything again and so I fell asleep again and have been fine since. Let's see what happens tonight.

Sweet.

Another sampling from our maternity photo session a few weeks ago, you'll need to scroll down a bit to find our session:

Go to: www.janakunz.com/blog

You can also visit her website at www.janakunz.com; click on gallery and maternity. You'll find some of our photos listed there as well!

Enjoy!

Baby Shower #2

As you can see from the photo here, there was cake at the Becker/Maslow Family shower today. A Strawberry Soufflé cake from Woullets to be exact. Light fluffy and delicious. In addition to that there were a variety of other sweets.

But enough about the food. John's family, specifically his mom, aunts and cousins, put together a lovely baby shower in my honor today. Complete with games, delicious food and many wonderful and thoughtful gifts. John has a few auntie's that are excellent sewers and made beautiful baby blankets for baby M. I also came home with our stroller and car seat! (I'll post photos of some of these things later this week!). I can't believe how many great gifts I came home with! It's overwhelming how kind and thoughtful everyone was. THANK YOU to everyone who came and spent their afternoon with us. It was a perfect day for a baby shower.

An Example...

Here is a sample...one of many maternity shots taken a few weeks ago. This is one of my favorites; I'll share more once I receive our copies. As you can see, this is a proof (do not duplicate). Oh, and "hand painted" refers to the finish of the photograph.

I might miss being pregnant.

36 weeks.

"Baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position." - Babycenter.com

Maternity Photos

Maternity photos seem to be the latest and greatest trend among pregnant women lately. So, I decided to participate...and John came along. The session was great, the photographer was fantastic. She came highly recommended and I see why. Check out her website: www.janakunz.com. I would share the maternity photos, but a few of the photos are a little...well, intimate. But very BEAUTIFUL. We're looking forward to choosing our photos and sharing them with you at a later time.
Baby will also have her newborn portraits taken by Jana- she will no doubt make us very happy.

Week 34 and a half...

"Baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because she's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."- Babycenter.com

Going on week 35 now. I've developed a minor case of carpal tunnel in my left limb, as well as my right, but it's not nearly as bad as the left, which is funny to me because I'm a righty. I brought up the concern to the doctor, and I'm told it's normal. How is this excruciating pain "normal"? Oh well, I will learn to live with it. I only have roughly 5 weeks left. John still argues that baby will arrive late, where I believe she will arrive early. We shall see!

Speaking of when baby arrives, we thought we had officially named our little peanut, but as it turns out, we're now undecided. One thing I won't back down on is her middle name, you'll know why later. But her first name remains a mystery, now not only to you, but to us. Fortunately we have a little bit of time left.

Nookie

Famous for the Juicy Lucy hamburger, and the "Nookie" challenge, we headed out to Shamrock's in St. Paul on Saturday night. John was in the mood for a little food challenge and that's just what he got. 1.2 pounds of beef grilled into two hamburgers, loaded with cheese and slapped between about 2 buns. Don't forget the fries. In the end, John won that challenge.

We promptly returned home and he was miserable the rest of the night. Today is Sunday, he's doing better!

Birthday!

It was my 29th birthday on July 8th. It was truly a happy birthday. At 5:30am my sweetheart of a husband woke up just long enough to be the first to wish me a happy birthday, and then he quickly drifted off to sleep again. Throughout the day I received phone calls, text messages and email's from friends. I even got a visit from one in particular; Heather. She delivered balloons and cupcake's to my office. Obviously she is very well aware of my love for "cake" lately. They were the best cupcakes I've had in a LONG time. When I left work, I promptly found myself sitting at the Nail Spa for a pedicure. It was delightful. I headed home and got dinner prep done for John, as he was in charge of grilling later that evening. Then my friend Jen H arrived bearing gifts; a yummy candle from Anthropology and a coffee table book of inspriational quotes, and a lovely poem she wrote. I'm surprised I didn't cry when I read it, it was just that good!

I can only imagine what my 29th year will bring, for in my 28th year, so much happened I don't even know where to begin. I think I've come much farther in the last year than I thought I would at this point in my life.

I love my life :) I love birthday's!

Belly

Here I am.

Summer Fun

This weekend was the long awaited 4th of July weekend. We spent our Thursday evening at the Taste of Minnesota. We enjoyed such fare as footlong corndogs, cheese curds, bloomin' onions....and I think even a few bites of ice cream too. We had a moment to enjoy some live music; Boston and REO Speedwagon were performing. At one point I looked at my ankles and noticed they looked like baseballs- we left shortly after that.

On Friday we spend the day on Lake George; the boys played a game of Lanterball while the girls (and there were 4 other pregger's there!) sat in lawn chairs to watch the game and sun themselves. It was a beautiful day. I'll have photos to share a little later- I'm waiting for Suzanne to send them to me! Friday evening we were back in Minneapolis; we took a walk along St. Anthony Main where there was plenty of July 4th activity and the perfect end to the evening was watching the fireworks display from my parents building- I felt as though I was directly under them, they were beautiful.

Saturday, John woke up with a touch of a hangover- I wonder what those feel like these days? We were off to Bear Lake in Wisconsin that day to visit John's friend Tom. The winds were very "windy" on the beach. Trying to eat my hot dog without getting a cup of sand in my mouth was quite difficult, but eventually we made it back to the grass and the winds did die down a bit. Boche ball, cards, conversation....it was a pretty nice evening, except for the lady that actually asked me to control my dog. Excuse me? Maybe her dog was the one with the problem, damn yipper. Oh and it's been noted; Jersey does NOT like fireworks.

Sunday, John had to work at the Twins game and I got to catch up on some past due errands. We ended the evening with a delicious dinner and were in bed by 9.

We have a short week this week, John and I are taking a few days off from work to have some "vacation" together before baby arrives. I can't wait!

Week 33 and a half

We're rolling along, now in the middle of the 33rd and 34th week. I'm doing great but the baby is taking up more space than ever making thsi momma feel more uncomfortable than in past weeks. Here's the official word: "Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies." -BabyCenter.com

That is a relief to know, considering that I am CONVINCED this baby is making her debut earlier than my August 23rd due date. Just ask anyone who see's me, according to them, I look like I could go at any time. Now, is it just me, or should I be taking offense to that? Let's consider this. I guess when people look at me and feel it's necessary to comment on my appearance, for example, "You look like you could go at anytime", or, "Are you sure your due date is August 23rd?" Wow. Shall I continue, or do you see where I'm going here? As if in the last few weeks I'm not already building a complex as a result of the baby weight I'm gaining, which for those of you who aren't aware (and to those who have no filter, for the future, it's best to try to avoid such comments and compliment a pregnant woman on her manicured toe nails if nothing else!):

Breakdown of weight gain during pregnancy-
Baby = 7-8 pounds
Placenta = 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid = 2 pounds
Uterus = 2 pounds
Maternal breast tissue = 3 pounds
Maternal blood = 4 pounds
Fluids in maternal tissue = 4 pounds
Maternal fat and nutrient stores = 7 pounds

My husband has learned through trial and error over several months what he should say and should avoid saying. There are books and manuals on this subject and an endless supply of literature on the internet to educate him on the hormones and emotions that we women endure during pregnancy, and in particular, this phase. Bless his heart for putting up with me.

All in all, I'm a happy little momma-to-be. Swollen ankles, puffy cheeks, tingling fingers and back aches aside, I can't wait to go into labor. I think it'll be so much more fun than all this other crap!