Less than 5 weeks! (hopefully)

I'm still feeling great. I'm hoping to not gain too much more weight so I'm doing my "Fit Mama" workout DVD (super fun salsa dancing and yoga) along with prenatal water aerobics. I highly recommend both of those activites for any pregnant women out there. I've gained almost 30 pounds! They say to aim for 25-35. I remember back in October I was carrying a pumpkin up the stairs for an activity Paul was putting on as I was huffing and puffing I thought, "Oh my goodness, soon enough I'm going to be carrying this much extra weight around with me everywhere I go!" I think I've surpassed the weight of that pumpkin at this point. On a different note, I'm thankful that it's been warm enough out for me to wear a skirt around because I've been getting rather tired of my maternity pants!


Here is a picture of our crib, generously handed down from our cousins shannon and jason (thanks again guys!) It is obviously not made up yet, and has a bunch of other baby stuff in it, but you get the idea.


Here is the other side of the wall with our shelves up from ikea. Changing table will probably go to the right of the shelves. The stuff is kind of placed haphazardly on them right now, but anyhow...

Our little guy is just a tad over 5 pounds now and about 18 inches long (or at least that is what the website tells me!).

6 weeks and counting!

I'm starting to feel quite big and a little awkward but I guess that is a fairly normal feeling at this point in pregnancy. Our little guy is not feeling so little in me anymore, his movements are much more apparent and strong. I'm pretty sure that he is head down at this point. His little bottom is usually on my left side with his knees and feet on my right side. My right ribs even get a little sore every now and then!
Overall, even after the sickly first trimester I would have to say that I have enjoyed being pregnant. It is a beautiful experience; our bodies are simply phenomenal.
In other news we have decided to use cloth diapers. I was not interested at first, but after doing some research and talking with some moms that do it I am convinced. Did you know that 1955, before disposable diapers, only 7% of babies were reported having diaper rash, then in 1991 well after disposable diapers dominated the market, the number jumped to 78%. Also, one baby that goes through diapers over time uses 6,000-9,000 diapers which creates about one ton of waste. (facts from www.realdiaperassociation.or/diaperfacts.php) We are planning on spending about $300 total for all the cloth diapers we will need until he is potty trained. $300 would have carried us through about 5-7 months of disposable diapers! And the cloth diapers will be used for our next kid(s) as well. Of course there are a few other minor costs to consider with cloth diapers and it will be a little less convenient, but because of the health benefits, environment concerns and the cost effectiveness we decided it is well worth it.
Fun facts about Rex:
He is about 4.75 pounds and almost 18 inches
His fat layers are filling out, his central nervous system is still maturing and his lungs are well developed
side note: there is a full moon on my due date! April 2.

showered with love

My sister flew in from Colorado to be with us and shower us with love. Baby Rex kicked and squirmed and even hiccuped for Aunt Jess this weekend.

The three of us spent some time building this magnificent work of art for shower decor--the diaper cake!

Rex's first hockey game, Michigan vs. Michigan State. This game was the first game that Sue (my mom) ever recalls in her entire marriage to Wally (my extremely type A personality dad) that they stayed until the very end of an event. You see Wally always, save this weekend, leaves big events early to beat the rush of traffic. It was quite a phenomenon for them to hear that last buzzer go off. End score of the game was 3-3 so there was 5 minutes of overtime.

Momma and Daddy to be at the shower before all the guests arrived.

Momma and Daddy with Nana (Susan Stephens)! She came all the way up four hours and back in one day to be at the shower.

We had so much fun this weekend and feel so incredibly blessed by the family and friends that we have surrounding us in life and in this transition into parenthood. For the first time reality of the magnificent yet daunting change that lies just a few weeks ahead hit me hard when I was saying goodbye to my sister and dad. The next time I see them we will have little Rex. Up until this point it has been no big change, just bearing with pregnancy (which besides the first trimester has been great). And now the reality of an actual baby that is part Paul and part me coming into the world is starting to sink in. It is weird having all this stuff for him, but not even knowing him yet.

32 Weeks! Only 8 left!

Here is a belly shot of me and Rex (his name will most likely be Elijah Green Stephens). On Saturday morning he had the hiccups! It was kind of fun. At this point Rex probably weighs about 4 pounds now and is about 17 inches long. Paul and I bought him his first two packs of diapers last week when we were grocery shopping because we had coupons. It is one thing to talk about our little guy, but to actually buy him diapers is a whole other step that is quite surreal.