Pictures of a 32 week belly!

I can hardly believe it...we are 32 weeks pregnant today!! Yowzaa! Here are a couple of pics of just how "blossomed" I've become!

The Baby Shower!

Saturday was the big baby shower..it was lots o fun! Kelley and my mom shared in the hosting duites. It was held at Kelley's house with her funky little style and menu. I'm pretty sure everyone LOVED it! I walked away with lots of loot for our little one..here are a few pictures.

*Our menu*


Me and the other preggo, my bestie, Alyson

Me and my mama

Kelley's funky self and me

Our loot!

The super cute cake!

Dusty got his own very special gift!

Some of the loot on Addy's shelf


More loot

Just a glimpse at all the clothes we got for her



So much stuff!

Weekend Wrap-up!

I saw this on a friend's blog...so now I'm stealing it!


Best part of the weekend: my baby shower!! it was oh so much fun! pictures are on the way!

Worst part of the weekend: how extremely tired I was last nite...painfully tired....I'm 31 weeks now, everything makes me tired and uncomfortable

People I saw: Dusty, Alyson, and all of my family and friends at the shower

Something I accomplihed this weekend: taking our tour of the Labor and Delivery ward at the hospital...its getting very real people! :)

Something I wish I did this weekend, but didn't get done: grocery shopping...ugh

Things I am looking forward to this week: Friday...or any time I can put my feet up...

Things I am not looking forward to this week: dreaded meetings...UGH

I think this baby is going to be BIG!

So we had our last songram of this pregnancy today. I am about to be 29 weeks on Sunday..there's something like 12 weeks left. Holy cow!! Anyways, this perfect little baby girl already weighs 3.7 pounds! The average weight for the gestation I am is something like 2.5 to 2.75 pounds. I know! Any guesses on what she'll end up weighing come June 21? My good friend Kelley through out 9.7 pounds--yikes!

**BTW..our due date just happens to be Father's Day--kinda cool!! (just realized that today)**

Autism Awareness Month

As many of you know, I am super duper passionate about Autism and working with the amazing children who live with it everyday. April is Autism Awareness Month! (And tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day.) In honor of that, here is my little part to help raise more awareness!

What is Autism?

Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees.

Did you know...

*1 in 150 children is diagnosed with autism
*1 in 94 boys is on the autism spectrum
*67 children are diagnosed per day
*A new case is diagnosed almost every 20 minutes
*More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes & cancer combined
*Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S.
*Autism costs the nation over $35 billion per year, a figure expected to significantly increase in the next decade
*Autism receives less than 5% of the research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases
*Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
*There is no medical detection or cure for autism

Incidence vs. Private Funding

*Leukemia: Affects 1 in 25,000 / Funding: $310 million
*Muscular Dystrophy: Affects 1 in 20,000 / Funding: $175 million
*Pediatric AIDS: Affects 1 in 8,000 / Funding: $394 million
*Juvenile Diabetes: Affects 1 in 500 / Funding: $130 million
*Autism: Affects 1 in 150 / Funding: $42 million

People on the Autism Spectrum May:

*Not understand what you say
*Appear deaf
*Be unable to speak or speak with difficulty
*Engage in repetitive behaviors
*Act upset for no apparent reason
*Appear insensitive to pain
*Appear anxious or nervous
*Dart away from you unexpectedly
*Engage in self-stimulating behaviors (i.e. Hand flapping or rocking)

(Information from AutismSpeaks.org and the Autism Society of America)

The painting is finished!!

Check it out! After two days of hard word from Dusty, the painting is complete! Take a look!

We still have a few little things to do and quite a few things to purchase before we can call it finished. I think it looks amazing. Did I not tell you that my husband is brilliantly talented?!!!

Jumpin' Remote!

Our little one has been making her presence known more and more every day. Just in the last couple of weeks, I feel her on and off throughout the day. She is a little kickboxer!
So today, I'm sitting here on my Spring Break watching a little tv when I feel her get really going. I swear she was doing either tae-bo or gymnastics or maybe a combo of both. I set the remote for the tv on my belly to see if it would jump, and sure enough, the remote starts wiggling. It was crazy! I tried to capture it on video, she wasn't as active when I finally got the camera out, but you'll be able to see it a bit. What I really wish I had was a video of Dusty's face when he witnessed the jumping remote!! Hilarious!!!
Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Here comes the nursery!

Yesterday we made what has become our weekly trip to Home Depot to buy the paint for baby girl's room. We ended up going with one of their Disney colors called Pooh's Favorite Things. Super cute paint. Its a light blue with a hint of teal going on--goes with her bedding perfectly. I have been stumped for weeks now as to what color I was going to end up going with, and up until Home Depot yesterday, Dusty and I couldn't agree completely on any of them!

So we got our paint and came home to begin the painting. I am normally the one who LOVES to paint..I like doing all the little details, the trim, the crown molding, baseboards, and doors. For some reason or another, call it this big belly I'm carrying, I just couldn't manage to be much help. So all the hard work was done by my wonderful Dusty! He is actually finishing up the last coat as we speak, but we aren't done yet. (For those of you who don't know, my husband is a very talented artist. He has done a lot of little things on the side for friends and family.) The plan is to paint harlequin diamonds on one of the walls in white. Should be very cool. Here are some pictures of the progress made so far:

after only one coat

Baby's Newest Photo

We went to the doctor on Friday for another sonogram--this one made sonogram number 3! As of Friday I was 24 week and 5 days. She continues to look perfect--beautiful as ever. What was so neat about this one was that when we saw her move on the monitor, I was feeling it at the same time...super cool! At one point she rolled over to face the "camera" and began making a few faces--already hamming it up! I'm not sure if she gets that from me or her dad, we both have our moments. Don't ask me how, but they could measure her weight in there--1lb and 14 oz...almost 2 pounds already.

Here is her profile:

We were able to score a dvd of the whole thing and I'm thinking I may post that later for the tiny few of you who may be interested! However, the dvd is in California with Dusty right now. He left Friday evening and doesn't come home until Friday of this week. :( He is there for training for his job. His brother works for the same company, so his brother has taken time this week to train his little bro. An added plus to the trip is that he gets to see his family and friends. While I'm happy for him, I miss him terribly bad. I think the whole being 6 months pregnant thing adds a whole new dimension to his being gone. The stakes are definately higher! Its a little sad to be here alone when baby girl starts her tae-bo kicks in my tummy and he isn't sitting next to me to feel them. I'm counting down the day to when I can see him and hug his neck!

24 weeks!

Here we are at 24 weeks!! As my great Aunt Lou said, I'm in full bloom!