Week 34: He's More Active Than Ever!

 

Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

This weekend, I took advantage of the fact that Josh's family was visiting and made a pie. The Peanut Butter Pie recipe, from Cooking Light, was way too much pie for two people. It was very easy to make. The filling tasted almost like a butterfinger. Next time I'd probably use less filling and more banana, but that's just a personal preference. Either way, I will definitely make it again!

Week 33 Ultrasound

I had my final ultrasound last week. Baby Ben is a lot bigger! I had obviously been feeling him get larger, as his movements have changed and I've been feeling hiccups. I also can see large bulges on my stomach when he moves around. Josh and I can usually figure out where his feet and butt are located too - which is exciting. On the ultrasound last Friday, I did not get to see his face. Like at the week 27 ultrasound, his face was hidden facing my back, so I'll have to wait until he is born. We were able to see a slight angle of his cheek, and he is developing getting body fat! His weight estimate (which could be plus or minus a pound) is 4 pounds, 13 ounces - almost 5 pounds!

Here's a blurry picture of the ultrasound image. It is of his spine, since we couldn't get an image of his face... but I'm sure we'll take plenty of other pictures once he's born!

 

We're now in week 34. We are in our Prepared Childbirth class on Monday nights, which includes Lamaze. Sometimes Josh finds it very hard to keep a straight face and tries to make me laugh. I usually have to look away from him when we are practicing pain management techniques. We also had our Newborn Care class last night. We learned how to swaddle the baby using a doll and also changed a diaper (something I had done before - just a long time ago when I used to babysit). Josh kept on messing with the doll - but at least he wasn't the only spouse there to do so!

Getting ready for baby

Right after the BAR exam, we had some small scares with the pregnancy - including my first trip to the hospital. Luckily, the baby was okay - I had the stomach flu and am now over it. However, it did make us realize that we have to start getting ready for the baby's arrival.
We ended up buying a fair amount of baby essentials, including a great stroller / car seat. This past weekend, when Josh's family was in town, they helped us with installing the chair rails. I also succumbed to my nesting urges by building the playpen and the swing. Here's what the nursery looks like right now:

 

The crib and changing table we want are currently out of stock. However, once we can get them, the nursery will be more complete. Then I will be able to set up the cute Classic Pooh crib set my mother-in-law made - which I am very excited about! I also have a wallpaper border on the way. Hopefully the room will be ready by Labor Day - almost a month before his due date!

Working on the House

Now that Josh is done with the BAR exam, we wanted to improve the house before the baby arrives. One thing we always wanted to do was change the flooring on Josh's study. His family came in and helped us in a huge way! Since Josh was able to borrow my dad's tools, the study floor change was much faster than expected. It is now an "Aggie" room.
Before:

 

 

After:

 

 

We both really like how it turned out, and now the worn-out carpet is gone!

Puppy Pool Time!

The weekend after the BAR exam, Josh and I took the dogs to San Antonio to visit family. The last time Perry actually went into the pool himself. I guess he finally realized that it can cool him down when it is hot outside (something Sadie has known for years)! Here's the proof:

 

 

The BAR Exam

Josh took the BAR exam during the last week in July. We reserved a hotel room for him near the venue to prevent anything from making him late. The dogs are somewhat familiar with me being out of the house for business trips, but Josh is always around them. I purchased a large supply of the twisted rawhides - as they only like a certain type you can get at SuperTarget. Clearly they needed the rawhides to distract them.

 

However, once Josh returned, the dogs were happy. Perry would not leave him alone!