Fun Fourth

We had a fun 4th of July weekend! (But somehow, got no pictures of the fun things we did with friends...)

We started out with a midwife appointment on Thursday, where everything was right on track. I'm trying to incorporate more iron into my diet and I started taking magnesium for swelling, and so far it's been a lot better. It's also been cooler the last week (except for now it's starting to warm back up), so we'll see if it's the weather or the magnesium that's helping. I'm measuring on track with how far along I am and blood pressure was good. I'm doing better about avoiding things that makes my pelvis hurt, and not sitting for long periods of time (which makes my pelvis tight and sore). Baby is head down but facing out, so I've been trying to do some things to get her to eventually turn towards my back (a more optimal position). Caleb and I need to start doing our Spinning Babies moves, where he helps me stretch out my ligaments so baby can turn to a better position. Here are videos of the two main ones we'll be doing to help her turn:

On Friday we spent the day with a group of friends at Adventurebay. The weather was nice enough to get in the pool, but not too hot to be miserable out of it. I wasn't able to do any of the slides, or take full advantage of the swim up bar like everyone else, but I had fun! We were wiped from being in the sun all day, so we laid low Friday night (literally - I took a nap and then went to bed early). :)

On Saturday we worked on the nursery a bit. We assembled the crib and only a few tears were shed...

And we also assembled a swing we received from some friends. I had to test it out with Bunny to make sure it worked right. ;)

The swing will go downstairs when Baby comes, and the only other furniture we need is a dresser! Once the dresser is in place I can start hanging some wall art too. Curtains should come soon as well... ahh so exciting! (Clearly Caleb is excited below....)

On Saturday night we went over to a friend's place to grill and play yard games, and then on Sunday our friends David, Jessie, and baby Miles came to visit. Miles got to test out the nursery for us, and showed off all his skills: sitting up, rolling, scooting, laughing, smiling, and chattering all the time! We went to Ledges Park in Boone Sunday evening for a family picnic with the Clarks (David's family), and the weather was perfect. We played in the stream and the boys (by boys I mean fully grown men) built a dam, which they were quite proud of.

On Monday we did absolutely nothing. It was great. We said goodbye to the Clarks and then Caleb and I spent the day catching up on the most recent season of Game of Thrones. I won't spoil anything, but when one beloved character died, I of course lost my mind and shed plenty of tears. If I think about it too much, I'm still really not ok about it.

On Tuesday I tried to get back on track with eating some healthy stuff and exercising (the 4th is always a fatty-fatty-fat-fat weekend for me). I did cry when Caleb accidentally ate the piece of chicken that I wanted for dinner, which I think is pretty reasonable.

I decided to be brave and share my first bare-belly picture with you all.... there is just so much baby in there.

I know I've gained weight over more of my body than my belly (arms, legs, butt, etc.), but she is just a heavy basketball in front of me. This week she should be around 3.5 pounds, plus the weight of everything else related to pregnancy. Based on the recommended weight gain of 25-35 pounds, here is what all the weight should be:

• 1.5 pounds the placenta
• 7 pounds maternal stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients
• 7.5 pounds your average full-term baby
• 2 pounds breast tissue
• 4 pounds increased fluid volume
• 4 pounds increased blood volume
• 2 pounds the uterus
• 2 pounds amniotic fluid

Total = 30 pounds

Next weekend we have our hospital birth class, and we'll hopefully get some more things done around the house. Can't believe we only have around two months left!