Photo Request

We had a request for an updated photo. I am now 36 1/2 weeks pregnant. I'm feeling as good as to be expected. I still have some minor swelling in my hands and feet. I can't wear my wedding ring anymore and I tend to wear my crocks everyday regardless of how much snow is on the ground. I would rather have wet socks then tight shoes and aching feet. My energy level is really low now. I am napping a lot more and feel worn out most of the time.

We had our weekly doctor's appointment today and everything is still looking good. The baby's heartbeat was 160. If it's not a girl I will be rather surprised. On Tuesdsay I will be considered "full term" (37 weeks).

Kyle has started setting up all the baby stuff around the house. The swing, stroller and bouncer are assembled as are the items we won't use for at least 6-7 months like the high chair and activity jumper. Our next major task is to put the car seat in and get it inspected. We are still waiting for our crib and dresser to arrive. The store said hopefully this week, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I am hoping to have the nursery organized before I go into labor but it looks like it might be a race to the finish.

The hardest part of this stage is not knowing how much time we really have left. We could go into labor as early as next week or we might be waiting for another 4 weeks. Kyle has suggested I start packing for the hospital, but it just feels too soon to me. If you have a feeling as to when Baby Meek is coming please vote on our poll.

Trivia Question #4

True or False:

Women are more likely to snore in the final stages of pregnancy.


Answer:

Partners, get out your earplugs. A Scottish university group found that while only 17 of 100 non-pregnant females snored, more then twice as many pregnant women (41 out of 100) snored. This is because weight gain in pregnant women, particularly a distended abdomen, can put pressure on the lungs and the trachea.


It's true in the Meek household too! Kyle recently informed me that I've started to snore at night. Pre-pregnancy he sweetly referred to my snoring as "breathing hard", but apparently now my heavy breathing has gone to the next level. Personally, I can't imagine there is a time during the night when Kyle is awake and I'm not. I'm always waking up to go to the bathroom, to switch sleeping positions, to arrange my ever growing pile of pillows or to deal with our cats who insist on sleeping on my side of the bed regardless of the current lack of space.

Busy Weekend

This weekend was packed with activies.

The bathroom construction finished on Tuesday. We still have some touch up painting left to do and we need to hang the toilet paper holder and towel bars. The project took a little longer then planned but we are very pleased with the turnout. Here are just a couple of pictures of the tile work in the tub.

After Tuesday Kyle spent the rest of the week painting the bathroom and the baby's room. We are so happy to have both projects off our to do list!





Saturday my friends and Kyle's family threw a shower for Baby Meek. It was a great afternoon. Thank you Nicole, Melissa, Kristie, Amy and Vicki for everything!
It was great to spend time with everyone. We have 6 weeks left in the pregnancy so it's time to organize the nursery and put away all those adorable shower gifts. Here are a couple of shots from the shower.





After the shower Kyle held his annual Poker Tournament. Sarah Ancel repeated her victory for the second year in a row. This is a girl you don't want to bluff!


For some reason we forgot to take pictures at the Super Bowl Party. Other then the 3 people rooting for New England, everyone was excited to see Eli Manning and the Giants win.

Last but not least, we celebrated Kyle's friend Tim's 40th Birthday. Here is a picture of Tim holding his "old fart/dirty old man" gifts. Happy Birthday Timmy!

Trivia Question #3

Are you doing well at the trivia? Here is another one for you to try.

True or False:

Talking your baby's ear off will give him a larger vocabulary.

Answer: True

A word to moms who keep mum: talk. Researcher Janet Huttenlocher found that at 20 months old, children of chatty mothers averaged 131 more words then kids of silent moms. At two years, kids of talkative moms knew almost 300 more words. Kids do better when they are part of the conversation rather then just being around talkative people. When talking to babies, use descriptive short sentences, plenty of inflection.

Y-M-C-A

Well, the bathroom remodel project we mentioned several months ago is finally underway. The contractor started this week and like all construction projects it's taking a bit longer then expected. Since we only have one bathroom in our house we been heading to the good ol' YMCA to take showers. Thankfully the contractor has reset the toilet every night. The combination of not having a toilet and being 7 month pregnant just doesn't work.


Here are some demo pictures. As you can see Kyle got involved by ripping out the wall between the bathroom and the baby's room.

Hopefully we should have pictures of the finished project by the end of the weekend.

Your Baby.......

Can you believe it's only 8 weeks until our due date? I think the reality that it's right around the corner is setting in for us. Looking back at the pregnancy I think there is a phrase I say quite often that Kyle will miss dearly: "Your baby makes me (fill in the blank)."

1st Trimester examples:
Your baby makes me feel sick
Your baby makes me feel tired
Your baby makes me feel bad

2nd Trimester examples:
Your baby makes me have heartburn
Your baby makes it hard to roll over in bed

3rd Trimester examples:
Your baby makes me hormonal
Your baby makes me pee alot
Your baby make me waddle

Funny how all the negative aspects of pregnancy tend to be Kyle's baby. Of course when something is positive in the pregnancy the phrase changes to My baby (or Our baby) makes me..............

Trivia Question #2

Question
In the U.S., more babies are born on:

A. Monday
B. Tuesday
C. Wednesday
D. Sunday

Answer
B. Tuesday

More babies are born on Tuesday than any other day of the week, and more are born in late summer, which makes sense if you count back to those long, cold, winter nights.