Baby Shelton in 3-D!

I had a routine ultrasound today at 30 weeks. We have 3-dimensional pictures! I'm not sure if it's kind of creepy or really cool ... but here's science's best guess at what our son looks like:

I think he's all daddy! He's going to have Blaine's nose for sure ... and I think the little guy will look a lot like his daddy. He may have my lips and chubby cheeks though :)

Everything with baby and me are perfectly healthy. Even my weight gain is right on target. The only unusual thing is that he is looking to be a BIG baby. He's already 4 pounds, and his weight and measurements are all around 3 to 3 1/2 weeks ahead of my due date. It has no bearing on when he'll arrive (I was told that is more about hormones that are released when his lungs are mature). It does mean that he could possibly be a 9 to 9 1/2 pound baby. Yikes! Apparently, as we go through the next several weeks, the doctor will re-evaluate me to see if she will advise a scheduled c-section. On that note, I will finish this post with today's photo of his giant (super-smart!) head that is still measuring in the 97th percentile:

Belly Pictures - Month 7

25 weeks (baby is the size of a rutabaga):

26 weeks (baby is the size of an English cucumber):

27 weeks (baby is the size of a head of cauliflower):

28 weeks (baby is the size of a Chinese cabbage):

7th Month Reflections

My thoughts on the 7th month:

- I've noticed that my movements in or out of various seated or reclined positions are accompanied by "sound effects". Most commonly are the noises "oomph!" and "heave-ho!"

- I mentioned it last month, but really, the snoogle pillow is still the best invention EVER!

- Blaine was smart to ban discussion on naming the baby with others. It is impossible to choose a name that would make everyone happy. (But we still haven't decided yet.)

- My 3rd official craving resulted in a $30 purchase of Chinese food ... all for myself! (The first two cravings were french fries with chocolate cake incident and then a calling for a bean burrito. Both happened in the 1st trimester.)

- I am getting a handle on my weight gain again. No longer a few pounds over-weight, now I am just on the upper end of the range I am supposed to be in. I am clocking out of this 7th month (28 weeks) at 21 lbs gained.

- Blaine is 30! We had a blast throwing him a "Cabo Beach Party" at my parents' house. I was sad not to partake in the margarita-machine fun, but the Sparky-on-the-beach cake was yummy!

- Maybe I am crazy ... well of course I am, but I think my sciatica pain is actually getting better. Either I am used to it or it's not bothering me as often as it was.

- I am starting to get stretch marks!!! Boo!

Blaine's 30th Birthday

We celebrated Blaine's big THREE-O this month. I couldn't have pulled it off without all his help (yes, it's shameful, but it is crazy wedding season after all).

To the best husband a girl could wish for: you are an amazing man, and I hope you can see all you've accomplished and become in your first 30 years. I can't wait to see what lies ahead for you! I am so blessed to walk beside you yesterday, on your birthday, and in the years to come!

Barb and Bill (Aleasha's parents) were kind enough to offer to host the party at their house. It was a "Cabo Beach Party" so the beach attire, Mexican food, and margaritas were plentiful!
My favorite element of the party was the cake! Nothing embodied what I wanted the theme to be about than Sparky himself chillin' on the beach (with a bucket of beer of course)!

Belly Pictures - Month 6

21 weeks (baby is the size of a carrot):
22 weeks (baby is the size of a spagetti squash):
23 weeks (baby is the size of a papaya):
24 weeks (baby is the size of an ear of corn):

6th Month Reflections

My thoughts on the 6th month:

- All at the same time, I feel like I've been pregnant forever ... and like it's going by so fast!

- I really thought I'd be one of those women who relished in the joys of pregnancy and loved every moment of it ... but I don't. It makes me feel like a bad mom to say it, but there is nothing miraculous about the nausea, sciatica, discomfort, or weight gain.

- Feeling him move and kick is the BEST feeling ever! There is nothing quite like it. I get kicks, squirms, flutters, somersaults, and even feel him stretching out. It's the very best part of this journey so far. The only downside is that it can be borderline uncomfortable and downright distracting when I am in the middle of something else. I don't care though, he can interrupt me anytime he wants to, I just love feeling him.

- Oh my goodness, I feel so R-O-U-N-D! I've been bumping into things all the time, most notably a guy's bald head while he was bowed praying in church. So embarrassing! I can't believe how much my personal-space-bubble has changed, and I still have a whole trimester to go!

- I was told by my husband that I have a "cute" waddle. My massage therapist said I look "cute" puffy with retained water. I think they are full of bologna!

- I am officially trending upwards of where my weight gain should be by about 2-4 lbs. It's time to lay off the Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (anything with chocolate and peanut butter has tasted soooooo good lately!)

- I've turned the big 2-9. The best birthday present I got was from my mom. It's a "snoogle"! The best body pillow ever invented has saved this round preggo lady from restless sleep. I've named him Giovanni, he is my new lover! Poor Blaine and Rudy are now squished over to about 15 inches of bed space.

- I am officially, but hopefully temporarily quitting high heels :(

Nursery Design Dilemas

Wow, I never imagined how conflicted I would be about designing the nursery! It's kind of similar to wedding designing for me in terms of the creative process ... but I know much more about linens, flowers, and large spaces than I do about bedding, baby furniture, and paint chips. All I know is that I want it to be just perfect for our little guy.

So I started off by collecting a million ideas in images. Here is the document that started to get just A LITTLE out of control. Yes, that is 57 pages of pictures, colors, screenshots, and links.

Next, I had a very serious conflict to balance: furniture color and bedding color. White, brown, or black furniture? Bedding that's bold and modern, simple and sweet, or should the color be most important. Long story short, we figured out the decor first.

We had it narrowed down to these 2 choices:

Then we stumbled upon THEE bedding on clearance when we went to start the registry. It was like winning the lottery! It's actually much cuter in person than in the picture because all the soft colors are actaully mod-ish geometric patterns.

I am going to pair the bedding with these cute wall decals I found on Etsy:

And lasy but not least, here are the furniture sets that we are still deciding between:

Stay tuned for before and after photos of the baby's room!