Look at that belly!

In the past, I had maternity pictures taken and loved the whole experience! With Bobner, I didn't really think I wanted to do them because I've been in shock the whole pregnancy. Ben convinced me to do the pictures anyway, especially since he'll be our last baby.

Over the weekend, we had our last adventure out of town before little Bobner arrives. We traveled to Ben's sister's house for Easter and she happens to be my photographer when I can't manage to do it myself. The last time we did maternity pictures, we were both pretty new to the photography scene so very few people have seen the pictures. I am proud to share the beautiful pictures of my large brood and growing belly. Thank you Saima for your time and patience! I love them all!

Maternity Pictures

Oh Beanjamin!

It has been a whole new world recently for us. I've been enduring some added pregnancy related pressure and pain so Ben has had to chip in with the household responsibilities. (and I can't thank him enough for doing so!)

Last night at dinner was no different. It was my turn to carpool for dance class so I didn't get home in time to make dinner. Ben came home from work to make pizza for us instead. In an attempt to participate in the dinner making, I opted to make some baked beans. I opened one can but didn't take the top off. About the same time, I felt some pretty intense prego. pressure so Ben insisted that I go sit down. As I turned to walk away, I heard the strange sound of Ben shaking a can of beans all over himself and the kitchen. In an attempt to make the beans, Ben had shaken the can of beans to help mix the bean juice into the settled beans, making it easier to get them out of the can... He just didn't realize that I had opened the can already.. Anyway, after the initial shock factor of having beans all over, literally, all over (face, shirt, pants, & feet) we had a REALLY good laugh. Sorry Ben! And, thank you for helping out!

Bobner - 35 weeks

I had another OB visit yesterday, I'm down to less than 4 weeks now! Everything went well, my B/P was 108/60 but I did have a little protein in my urine (no concern to the doctor though). Bobner's heart rate was about 160, I gained 2 more pounds, and my tummy measured about 34 cm. Out of curiosity, I had the doctor check my cervix and as I suspected, I'm water tight.. ha, ha! The doctor has so little concern about me delivering unexpectedly that he told me I didn't have to do the weekly check next week, that I'd be fine to wait two weeks.

For those of you that are concerned about my traveling, and you know who you are, he has no issues with me traveling.. and as he mentioned, there's adequate medical facilities all around, IF something happened.

Needless to say, I'll be pregnant for a few more weeks.

Ben and the kids were testing out baby names as they wrestled on the floor last night. Ben would call one of the kids a name from our very short list and see if it sounded right.. I don't know if the whole thing helped with name selection much, but everyone had a good time. :)

Kids say the darndest things...

It's nap time at our house so Isaac is sleeping and Alex is supposed to be playing quietly or something like it.

I've been relaxing in front of my laptop and the tv so Alex has zoned in on the tv like always. As I was about to change channels from a cooking show to something else, he said he wanted to watch it, so I kept it on the channel. The host has been making some sort of potato soup.. as he's explaining the cooking details for the potatoes, he mentions that you never want to put anything cold with warm potatoes because it makes them gooey. Alex turns to me and says, with finger pointing right at me, "we don't want gooey potatoes for dinner tonight, okay!" Ha! What a kid... :)

My Screamer...

In the last few days Isaac has turned into a screamer. Not just any old scream either, of course it has to be the kind that makes your whole body cringe in anguish. I'd like to say that the scream accompanies some sort of pain but it seems to show it's nasty face any time it wants.. when I'm on the phone, when I'm trying to talk to the other kids, when he doesn't get what he wants, when the sun and the moon aren't perfectly aligned... Ugg!!

Needless to say, if you'd like to communicate with me or anyone else at my house, I'd recommend doing it via email or IM. (I've been telling my clients for over a year now that if they need to get a hold of me, it's better to email since it's much quieter, thank goodness they all have kids and understand.)

Share your thoughts, please!!

The baby shower has come and gone...

Greetings world! I woke up Saturday, the day of my baby shower, and was totally freaken' out! I was an anxious wreck, almost as if my shower were the actual birth of Bobner or something far worse. I waited impatiently for my friends to arrive so we could be on our way. I tend to get anxious like this before photo sessions, pacing the floor, looking out the window every 15 seconds, "what-if"ing... it's not a pretty site. I even asked Ben to let me vent/yell at him for a little while in an attempt to feel better.. the crazy part is that he knew exactly what was going on and why I "needed" that relief, HA! I didn't end up utilizing his tough skin, even though he started off by saying something to antagonize me. Maybe next time!

The drive to my dad and step-mom's went really quick.. I'm sure it had nothing to do with my lead foot or the non-stop chatting in the car. My friends Liz and Stacie, as well as Serenity and Stacie's little guy Preston, were all piled in Ben's car. We tried to be quiet while Preston slept but it was impossible, he was able to get a nice nap in anyway.

Bobner's Shower

The shower was scheduled to start at 2 pm. I haven't had a baby shower since Serenity was a baby, in other words, 9+ years ago. My lovely step-sis's (that includes you too Amanda) and step-mom went all out for me, the decorations, food, cake, games, etc. were all way too much, but it felt really nice to have all the thought and effort put on me, obviously not something that happens much in our crazy household. :) Thank you ladies, sooo much!

I was completely thrilled with all my gifts, they all helped a little more in the realization that I'll be having a baby in about a month... eeks!
Here's a quick list of the wonderful things I received:
-744 diapers ranging in size NB - 2 (Serenity says with that many diapers we could have two kids! um.. NOOO way!)
-3 large wipe refills AND 3 boxes of wipes
-13 blankets, this includes receiving blankets, super soft, fuzzy blankets and a hand-made baby blanket
-16 outfits -spring, summer, fall, and winter.. this kid will be dressed well!
-bath necessities... soaps, lotions, wash cloths, etc.
-books and toys, including a very sweet photo album from cousin Eva Mae :)
-other baby stuff like bibs (including both "I Love my Grandma" and "I Love my Grandpa"), sleepers, onesies, baby proofing stuff, several Gift Cards, etc..
-AND, I even received goodies for me at the shower too!

After all the gifts and games were played, we all enjoyed a super, yummy strawberry swirl cake from "the Cake Lady."

The whole day turned out so great, I am just overwhelmed with all the thoughtfulness and unexpected gestures made for me. I can't even begin to express my gratitude to everyone that went out of their way to make the day perfect, not only through their planning and creativeness, but also the gifts, and of course attending the shower. I just hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did. Thank you, all! :)