Baby Gardner- 31 weeks

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain. 21 lbs
Baby Development.  Baby is growing fast, putting on about 1/2 lb a week from here until he is born.  He now is occupying my entire uterus with little room to turn.
Maternity Clothes?Haven't gotten any new maternity cloths, just making what I have work with a few maternity pants thrown in. Just waiting for maxi skirt and dress season.
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? No problems with sleep, besides needing more of it.
Best Moment of the week? Surprising Ross with Kenny Chesney tickets in Des Moines for his birthday, he had no idea. And Baby G was rocking out, lots of kicks, especially when Eli Young Band was performing.
Symptoms? Started having Braxton Hicks this past week, so weird. Also my legs are starting to hurt if I am on my feet too much(which is pretty much all day).Also not able to spend an entire day shopping and running errands, after a few hours, i am spent.
Food cravings?  Strawberries, Watermelon, salt water taffy, and pita chips and hummus
Miss anything? Nothing in particular this week. Maybe being able to bend down and tie my shoe without difficulty.
Movement?All the time, especially at night.
Gender ? Little baby boy
Belly Button in or out? In!!!
Goals for upcoming week? Continue to work on little details for the nursery, get caught up on blog posts, and schedule our maternity pictures (we found a photographer and she is amazing)
Looking Forward to?  Our 3D ultrasound is this week, cannot wait to get a good look at this little guy. And my shower is on Saturday!! That means family, friends and lots of goodies for baby G!!
Thoughts? I am starting to get nervous about Baby G's arrival. Not because of our lives changing, but I just feel like I can keep him safe and sound where he is now. Once he is out, he is placed in this crazy world with so many misguided people. I like knowing my little guy is safe and nothing can hurt him. I never knew I could love something so much without even seeing it.

Babymoon-Scottsdale style

A few weeks ago, Ross and I set out on a final getaway before Baby Gardner gets here. We were going to go to Vegas, well, because we love everything about Vegas, its kinda our thing. In the 5 years we have been together, we have been to Vegas 8 times together. But, we thought we would try something different. Plus, I didn't want to be sitting at the pool with my baby bump and watch a girl yack up her strawberry Fat Tuesday drink (yes, its happened before-classy). We wanted something low key, relaxing, and above all WARM.

We picked the perfect weekend. The week we left it was suppose to snow and rain in Omaha. Such a nice feeling to get on a plane in 30 degree weather and get off to 75 and sunny. We stayed at the Hilton Squaw Peak Spa and Resort of Scottsdale. Very nice, family oriented, great restaurants on site, multiple pools, and even swim up bars for Ross to get a nice cold beer. But, besides laying by the pools during the day, we didn't plan on spending too much time at the resort. We rented a car which made dining options and shopping much easier.

When we got there on Wednesday, it was the mildest day out of the trip forecast, 75 degrees-I KNOW, so we decided to hit up the outdoor outlet mall to enjoy the sun and stretch our legs after our plane ride. We were able to get some good deals. Then we headed to the resort to get ready for dinner at the Roaring Fork. The first of many amazing meals. And to end the meal, we had the best salted caramel gelato. Know, I am not a huge ice cream person, but this gelato, made me want to lick the bowl. I am still salivating thinking about it.

Thursday we got up, worked out, got ready and went to the Fashion Square Mall. I packed an extra bag and was looking to pack that sucker full. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Lets just say, Baby Gap and H&M didn't see me coming. I figured since I can't buy cloths for my ever changing body, might as well get my son hooked up. But, thats not to say Steve Madden didn't get a little love from me. Then we headed back to the resort for a couple hours of pool time before hitting up the casino later that night. We had a blast and stayed up way too late for this momma. But, hey, we were on a roll at the black jack table and couldn't get up.

Best part of the night, feeling our little peanut move like crazy all night long. I am talking for like 5 hours straight. He must love gambling like his mom and dad. When I was sitting at the slots with all the dinging and bells, he was doing acrobats in there. I was cracking up. The second we left, nothing. It was hilarious. What can I say, he must be a Gardner.

Friday and Saturday were packed with  lots of pool time. It was so nice to just sit and read. Tan the bump, and enjoy delicious ice cream from their little ice cream shack!!

How most of my days at the pool were spent

Tanning the baby bump.

Friday night we took it easy, got some mexican food at a local restaurant then went to bed early. Not used to feeling drained from the sun. Then Saturday, after hitting up the pool all day again, we had a delicious dinner at Mastro's in Scottsdale. Amazing hot spot steak house. so delicious. And great company too.

Overall, the trip was everything I wanted. Relaxing, good shopping, nice weather, great food,  and most of all amazing quality time with the love of my life. I loved talking about our little guy and thinking about what our life will be like in a few short months. Laying at the pool, watching all the naughty kids and oblivious parents, set for great conversation about how we want to discipline and raise our baby. It was an amazing trip. Much needed time as a family before we take the leap from 2 to 3.

Baby Gardner- 30 weeks

How far along? 30 Weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain probably about 20 lbs, we will see at our appt this week
Baby Development. He is about 3lbs. He keeps his eyes open throughout most of the day.
Maternity Clothes? Still wearing a few maternity items and squeezing into my old cloths.
Stretch Marks? Nope
Sleep? Sleeping well throughout the night, but waking up sore every morning. Not sure if it's from sleeping on my side or extra weight.
Best Moment of the week? Babymoon!!!!! More to come this week. We had a great time and definitely needed it.
Symptoms? Some mid day tiredness like I had in the first trimester, pain (aka stretching feeling) around the belly button, and lots of fullness
Food cravings?  Strawberries, yogurt, diet coke. And I definitely need to get my hands on some strawberry shortcake soon!!
Miss anything? Wish I could have enjoyed some delicious cocktails while on vacation, mmmm Mojito. Also wish i could have layed on my stomach on a pool chair and read a magazine.
Movement? All the time. Especially with lots of loud noises. More to come about this in the babymoon post
Gender ? Little baby boy
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie
Goals for upcoming week? Look into photographers, narrow down wall decor, and finish a few non baby projects around the house.
Looking Forward to?  Another appt, hopefully he will want to schedule another ultrasound and can give us an idea of how big our man is getting!!!
Thoughts? Now that the babymoon is over, I am ready to be 100% baby mode. The lists are growing and my head is spinning a little. Time is flying, I need it to slow down a bit.

Baby Gardner- 29 weeks

How far along? 29 weeks and 3 days
Total weight gain.  19 lbs
Baby Development. This little man is getting big, I officially have full stomach movements when he is moving around in there
Maternity Clothes? A few basic maternity items with either my normal cloths or a few larger sized"normal" clothing items I have purchased.
Stretch Marks? Nope, fingers crossed
Sleep? Sleep is good, just having a hard time with not sleeping on my back. And I cannot sleep in past 7 am, no matter what time I go to bed
Best Moment of the week? Laying on the couch and watching my entire stomach move and catching it on video to send to Ross while he was out of town for work.
Symptoms? Major fullness in my low abdomen, such a weird feeling
Food cravings?  Strawberries, pineapple, greek yogurt and salt water taffy!! And can't get enough water = lots of bathroom breaks
Miss anything? While trying on cloths for our upcoming trip, I do miss being able to fit comfortably into ANYTHING.
Movement? Yep, lots of moving going on, especially at night time
Gender ? Little baby boy
Belly Button in or out? Almost even, hold on little button, DON'T POP OUT
Goals for upcoming week? Enjoy one last vacation with my husband before we become a family of 3. I am going to try to relax and not have my brain on 'list mode' constantly. Also make an appt to meet with a potential pediatrician.
Looking Forward to?  BABYMOON!!!! SUNSHINE!!!!
Thoughts? Well, the registry is done, nursery is coming together, cloths are piling up, I think we are heading towards our home stretch here!! So many things running through my head, I cannot believe in less than 10 weeks we will have a little man here to make this next chapter in our lives completely life changing. I love you little man and cannot wait to meet you (in 10 weeks of course-don't get any crazy ideas).

Baby Gardner- 28 weeks

Location change for the board since the nursery walls are painted, may change in the future

How far along? 28 weeks, officially in the third trimester
Total weight gain.  I thought it was 20lbs, but at my doctors appt he has a total of 17 lbs, so i'm going with that
Baby Development. Baby boy is growing rapidly, he's about 15 inches in length and about 2.5 lbs
Maternity Clothes? Mostly my old cloths, with a few maternity tanks and jeans thrown in. Can't wait for nice weather so I can bust out (hopefully not figuratively) my dresses and skirts
Stretch Marks? No signs yet
Sleep? Sleep is good, can't sleep in past 7, but I feel rested. Still wish I could sleep on my back though
Best Moment of the week? Nursery is painted and I love it!!! All the furniture is in, we just need to pick it up!! Also had our 28 week appt and everything is going perfectly. Still haven't heard how my glucose test went, we will see. Oh, and we got registered at Target and Babies R Us (holy overwhelming-why are there so many choices of bottles, seriously). Ross was such a trooper and didn't complain once, as long as he was in charge of the scanner-I am a lucky girl.
Symptoms? Still have the occasional sciatic pain in my butt, but it isn't bad. My tummy is very itchy these days as it is stretching.
Food cravings? Carbs, I can't get enough pita chips. Also sharp cheddar cheese, yummy!! My sister also got me hooked on this delicious planters peanut butter, banana, and granola tortilla wrap.
Miss anything? I was really craving a mojito this weekend, and I would still love to eat a turkey and cheese sandwich the size of my head.
Movement? Yep, lots of moving going on
Gender ? Little baby boy
Belly Button in or out?In, but working its way out, and very itchy
Goals for upcoming week? Getting some small details of the nursery pinned down, looking into pediatricians, and picking up the furniture. Also want to get better about posts, not enough time in the day
Looking Forward to?  Our babymoon!!! We leave in a week and a half for Scottsdale and i am so excited!!!
Thoughts?Feel a little less overwhelmed now that the registry is done and the room is painted. Now i am starting to have second thoughts about daycare. I wish I was in a position to take 6 months off, it just seems too early to take him to daycare at 2 1/2 months. I never thought I could be a stay at home mom, but the closer it gets, the more I question it, At least while he is an infant