Oliver is here!

My sweet boy, Oliver Matthew, is here! He was born 11 April at 4:37am. He's a wonderful baby, and I'm loving every minute with him! Here are some of the many, many pictures I've been taking over the past 2 weeks :)

My mom took these one of his first days home, he's so tiny!

Happy Birthday, Oliver!

Oliver with Mamma Donna

Welcome home, Oliver! (he has outgrown this outfit already)

First night in his new bed at home!

Hanging out in his jammies.

No pictures plz.

First walk in the neighborhood with MegAnne, Abigayle, and Nathan.

Oliver meets Maddie and Kate :)

Here he is scowling at me at 4am haha

So adorable in a hoodie! ...but he's not so sure about it...haha

He finds a way to get this hand out of even the tightest swaddle. He had his right hand up to his face in his ultra sounds, so it's pretty neat that he still does that.

Success! Oliver sucks his thumb for the first time :) He's been trying really REALLY hard to get it right.

Dear Baby

Dear Baby,

You are hereby given an eviction notice. Please GET OUT soon.

Love,

Mommy

What's your guess?

So, 37 weeks, and we've reached full term! The doctor says everything is looking great, and he doesn't expect a late delivery. Estimated due date: April 15; and they won't let me go further than a week after that. So place your guess in a comment on this post :)

Your Name:

Date you think baby will be born:

Time (for tie breaking):

are you there ankles? it's me, beckie

calves and ankles = two body parts...not one :(

"Pregnant women are among a select group of people who are actually allowed to act insane, much like sports mascots, local weathermen, theme park performers and that guy with the question mark jacket who teaches people how to get free money from the government." -Scrubs

I know, I know, I haven't updated this in quite a while! The past few weeks have been very busy, and something about the Never-Ending Blizzard of 2010 left me feeling very unmotivated.

My baby shower was January 30, and my Mom and MegAnne did a wonderful job planning it! I was sad the Never-ending Blizzard of 2010, Part 1 kept most everyone from getting here, but I still had a wonderful time! I am really thankful for all of the people who braved the snow to get here, and the family who came in from out of town. Aunt Kerri came in from Colorado for the weekend, which was wonderful! I'm sorry many of you weren't able to make it, but we did enjoy eating your Godiva chocolate party favors....sorry :)

Baby got lots of fun gifts and I quickly realized I did not have enough storage options for all of it. Enter perfect opportunity to go to Ikea again! I got a large shelving unit that will hopefully store a lot of clothes, diapers, toys...and whatever else will fit in it haha.

Uncle Joe and Rett visited with us from PA for a week, and Uncle Joe was lovely enough to put together the Ikea shelf and the Baby's dresser.

But don't go thinking I'm not handy...I put the pack and play together...which was not as easy as I anticipated haha (but isn't it cute?!). This little gem will be where Baby sleeps his first few weeks (thanks Mammu and Baps!!).

While washing Baby's clothes, I was pretty excited to discover the special baby detergent smells like a baby. I'm not sure why I didn't realize this before. The baby smell and the tiny size of the newborn clothes made me feel so excited, I really just can't wait to hold my little guy!

The Never-ending Blizzard of 2010, Parts 2, 3, and 4 kept us in the house for days and days. I did enjoy working from home so much!! However, all of this pesky snow didn't keep me from my ultrasound (on my birthday). Seeing my little guy was probably the best birthday present ever :) I can't believe how clearly I could see his face! Here are some pictures that I labeled for those of you not used to looking at ultrasound images:

Here are the latest maternity photos taken by my mom about a week before the baby shower. I think these were at 28 weeks, and my belly is already A LOT bigger than this.

Baby and I got a big thumbs up at the last doctor appointment; everything is right on schedule. Baby has discovered my ribs. He likes to scoot his tiny butt up there, and enjoys kicking my ribs on the right side....this is not so much fun for mommy. He gets very excited and moves around a lot when I eat fruits that are a little sour (green apples, green grapes, strawberries), so I've been trying keep those foods on the menu. I however, am still obsessed with Reeses peanut butter cups, Lucky Charms, blueberry Eggos, and Edy's Swiss Orange Sherbet.

...wow, what a long post...I really should do this more often haha.

Baby and I paid a visit to the doctor today, and everything is wonderful! His heartbeat is in then high 140s...which the doctor says is great. I love listening to his heartbeat, and this time it sounded more clear than it ever has before. The doctor said that as he gets bigger, it will sound stronger and stronger.

I had my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes and I had to drink the dreaded, orange monster....

...which wasn't such a monster after all, it ended up tasting much like a melted freezie-pop. I had to get up early, eat some toast, drink some water, wait an hour, and drink this stuff an hour before my appointment. So, I ate at 7:00am and couldn't eat again until 10:00am....not letting a pregnant lady eat for 3 hours isn't very nice, but I survived.

My (well, baby's) stroller came in the mail today!! Very exciting :) I fell in love with this bad boy out several months ago, but wasn't sure if I'd end up getting it. It's a pretty expensive model, and I was just about to decide to pick out something else when, ta-da hello online 1/2 price sale! Hello free shipping! Hello extra 15% off! If you know me, you know how much I LOVE a sale. I ordered it on Tuesday, and it's already here! The first thing I did after work was open it up and put it together :)

It was pretty easy to put together...with a few snaps and Velcro attachments, it is now fully operational. Please take a second to appreciate the amazing warning on the packaging....DUH who thinks it's ok to eat the packaging?

Isn't it beautiful? I'm still waiting for the car seat adapter to come in the mail, then we'll be all set. I'm sure this is the cleanest it will ever be haha.

Last weekend I moved down to my parent's basement. My family is awesome enough to let baby and I have our own little space for his first year! Everyone chipped in and helped me move all my stuff down stairs, and my dad spent a good part of Sunday tackling an Ikea curtain to separate the two rooms. I'm so grateful for all of their help and generosity! I hope to finish putting everything away this weekend.

Baby Bump Photos

My mom took some fun pictures of the bump around Christmas. Here are a few of my favorites :)

*Photos by Dyanne Zutter-Worrick Photography

3 Months, yayyyy!

A big part of me feels like I need more time to get ready for him....but a HUGE part of me can't wait to meet my little man - 3 months seems like it just might take FOREVER haha.

Sometimes, I like to pretend I'm not plagued by heartburn when I decide what to eat for dinner. I'm always reminded at 3:00am. :(

Some things I'm a little bit obsessed with lately:

1. Baby sunglasses. I think these Baby Banz are a great idea (and super cute)!

2. The Peekaru, because it's terrifying! Who uses this? lol I can't even imagine.

Here is a hilarious article on the Peekaru:

http://gizmodo.com/5191510/peekaru-is-a-baby-snuggie

ps. Something about this picture reminds me of the sun on Teletubbies (anyone?).

3. Long sleeve maternity t-shirts from Target. I've been really sensitive to the way fabrics feel lately. The Target t-shirts are soooo soft...I want to wear one all the time!

4. Redskins baby gear. I know, I know...the Redskins suck this year, but baby MUST have a onesie jersey (#89 Santana Moss)! So, I'm keeping my eye out for end of season sales.

5. Using a doula in the delivery room. I'm thinking about Premier Doulas, LLC, based in Nokesville. I really like the idea of having someone in the delivery room that is there the whole time to assist me, and be a middleman between me and the nurses/doctors. I like that using a doula can decrease the need for a C-section, or other invasive birth procedures. And I really like that they come to your house a few days afterward to discuss any new mommy concerns! If I don't end up using their doula services, I know I'll be in contact with them for lactation consultation.

6. Peanutbutter and chocolate combinations...especially mini Reese's, and peanutbutter M&Ms.

7. Waffles...too bad there is a national eggo shortage.

8. Shoppers' doughnuts. Chocolate or vanilla frosted with sprinkles. Just finding this picture made me want one.

9. Listening to his heartbeat. I recorded it at my last doctor visit, and I listen to it at least once every day. It makes me smile. :)

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year from Baby and I!

I'm pretty excited for all of the fun things to come in 2010! Can't wait to meet my little guy in just a few short months :) In the meantime, I'm keeping myself busy reading baby books, Mom says I have an entire library already. The book I've liked the most so far is From the Hips, by Rebecca Odes and Ceridwin Morris. It's a HUGE book, and has a lot of useful information. And, unlike some other books, it doesn't gloss over anything...or make everything sound fantastic. It's a real down to earth book that doesn't really impose opinions on the reader.

I went to the doctor yesterday and got a pretty good report. The baby's heart beat is strong, 147 beats per minute. The doctor said his ultra sound looked pretty normal, and I'll be going back for another one in 6 weeks (hopefully I'll get some good pictures from this one). My next appointment is in 3 weeks. I have to do the diabetes glucose test then so I have a lovely orange beverage to drink before I go...that should be interesting. I'll be sure to report back on that.

I have an iPhone app from babycenter.com, and it tells me the size of the baby every week. Usually it refers to some kind of fruit or vegetable which really makes me laugh. Sometimes it's some weird fruit like kumquat...who really knows what a kumquat looks like? Not me. Well this week baby should be about the length of a large ear of corn; much more relatable than kumquat.

This coming week, I need to get on the ball and register for baby classes at the hospital. I know I'm for sure going to take the caring for newborns class...but I can't decide if I am going to take a birthing class or not. I really don't want to, but I probably should. I'm a little disappointed that the birthing center isn't doing pre-labor tours for expecting parents due to the swine flu situation. Looks like I'll have to settle for the online video tour.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2010!