31 Weeks

Roughly 9 more to go! That's exciting and scary at the same time!

Not much has changed since last week. I'm starting to get more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions. They don't hurt, but they're not exactly comfortable either. They're totally normal according to my childbirth class instructor. On the other hand, Baby is definitely getting stronger. His movements can be painful at times, especially when he has an arm or a leg jabbing into my ribcage.

We took a tour of the hospital on Monday and I was pretty impressed. It's a newer hospital, but it seems like it will be very nice for our stay in a few short months! The labor and delivery rooms are huge and the postpartum rooms seem to be pretty adequate as well.

We tried to unpack the crib and get it put together last weekend since we are having guests soon (not that the nursery is ready for it with my armoire project taking up the entire room, but I digress). When Ryan pulled out the first few pieces of the crib, he realized they were damaged. We had to box it all back up and take it back to JCPenney. I'm hoping to get the replacement soon and my fingers are crossed that it arrives in pristine condition!

We're headed to Chicago this weekend for a little getaway to visit friends. Oh, and my birthday was 2 days ago. Happy Birthday to me! :)

27 Weeks

Baby Holt is still growing and I'm officially in the 3rd Trimester! I had my 28 week appointment on Monday (yes, I'm a little behind in the 27 week update!) and everything is looking good. The doctor got a better look at the last ultrasound detailed report and it doesn't appear that we will need to have another ultrasound yet. They evidently got the photos they needed of the cord insertion and all else looks good with baby!

We started our childbirth classes a few weeks ago and they're not as bad as Ryan expected them to be. We've learned a lot about the stages of labor and when to know if it's really time to go to the hospital. All I can say is that I'm pretty sure I will be getting an epidural at some point! Ryan wants me to get one as soon as possible so he doesn't have to listen to me whine about the pain. We'll see.

For all of those that have been asking, we don't have a name for this baby yet. In fact, we're not even close. Choosing a name is much harder than I thought it would be and not as fun either! I am serious when I say that we will have to decide on a name when they are forcing me out of the hospital. Even in the off chance that we do decide on a name prior to Baby Holt's arrival, you're all going to have to wait until he is here to find out what we decide.

My belly at 27 weeks:

Childbirth Classes and Registry

On Saturday, my Mom went to Babies R Us with me to finish off our baby registry. It took us about 2 hours to complete, but we got it all done. She really helped me to make great choices. Thanks Mom!

Also, on Sunday, my Mom and Dad helped Ryan get a free armoire I got from my boss up the stairs and into the nursery so it can be refinished. It was no easy task for them and I wasn't really able to help. Thanks so much guys!

Last night, Ryan and I went to our first childbirth education class at Clarian North, the hospital where Baby Holt will be born. The hospital is relatively new (2-3 years old at the most) and was one of the nicest hospitals I have ever been to. Our classes will last 7 weeks and we'll get a full tour of the labor and delivery and postpartum units of the hospital at our 5th class. Last night wasn't so bad, our instructor definitely eased us into it, but next week we'll be watching a video of a birth. Yikes!