Maternity Photos

Since I am married to a professional photographer, I have been bothering John to take some maternity photos before I am no longer pregnant. So, last weekend John set up his lights and backdrop in the garage, and we shot some pictures.

Here's a sample of the pictures we took.

I am 33 weeks pregnant in these pictures, and it was really fun to take some maternity photos. It was especially fun since my husband was the one behind the lens.

Right now I am 34 weeks pregnant, 6 more weeks and we will get to meet our daughter!

Baby Shower

This last weekend, John and I headed to Minnesota. John hung out with my dad doing farm work and manly things, and my family threw me a wonderful baby shower.

The baby shower was low-key with just family and close friends attending. It was a good turnout and we got a lot of fun new items for our daughter. We mainly got clothes and blankets, along with some other odds and ends. It was a fun shower, and now I am really excited to meet our little girl! Here are some pictures from the shower :)

Birthday Post

So, I am a little late with this, but I turned 25 last Friday. A quarter-of-a-century old. I realize that 25 is by no means old, but it's just hard for me to believe that I am in my mid-20's already. Where does the time go?

For my birthday this year, we didn't do anything too spectacular. I spent the day at work, and then my family came to town to eat out with us. They were already planning on coming for Ryan's College Graduation, so they just drove a little further to be able to eat out with us in Sioux Falls.

As I am another year older and wiser, I usually like to reflect on the highlights of the last year...

1. This last year, we bought a lot of stuff for our house. We purchased some furniture, a snowblower, a patio set, lawnmower, and other odds and ends. Of course it is never ending, seems like our house always needs something. Recently, of course, we have been buying nursery furniture and baby clothes!

2. This last summer I went to Rib Fest for the first time. It was awesome. And it's back again at the end of May. Yum! We also went to a Twins and Vikings game this last summer on a coach bus trip, which was a lot of fun. We bought new bikes last summer too, so we went on a lot of bike rides which was fun, and good exercise!

3. We canned salsa for the first time last fall. I can't wait to experiment again this fall with all of our fresh veggies out of the garden (which we have not planted yet this spring).

4. This last fall, I also found out the exciting news that we were expecting a baby in July. I remember peeing on the pregnancy stick, and then just about falling over when it said "pregnant". I eagerly waited for John to get home from work, and then burst with the news as soon as he walked through the front door. It was hard, but we kept it between the two of us for about 10 weeks. And of course, everything with this pregnancy as been a string of firsts for us, and we are enjoying most of it!

This last year was great, but I am really looking forward to what I will encounter while I am 25. I will get to meet my baby girl, learn how to be a mother, and continue to learn how to be a great wife for my husband.

Most of our focus right now is on the arrival of our baby. We are trying to be as prepared as we can be, but also we are so excited to meet her! Only 8 more weeks to go :)

Maternity Clothes

I didn't know a thing about maternity clothes before I was pregnant. I remember going into Target shortly after I found out I was pregnant, and I was completely lost in the maternity section. I didn't realize that you are the same size in maternity clothes as you are in regular clothes. That really simplifies things.

I would say 90% of my maternity clothes are from Old Navy. I didn't realize Old Navy had such nice maternity clothes. I have bought most of them online because usually it was a better deal. I would try them on in the store to make sure they were the right size, and then hop online and buy them.

My maternity clothing advice is this:

1. Try-on the maternity clothing if you can. Most of the time, you are the same size in maternity clothing that you were pre-pregnancy, but sometimes things fit funny, and you are better off just trying things on first.

2. Don't go overboard. I know us women like to shop, but remember you are only pregnant for 9 months, and even if you get pregnant again, there's a good chance you will never wear these clothes again. I bought 2 jeans, a pair of kackies, somewhere around 6-7 tops, 2 capris, 3 tank tops, and a pair of shorts. Most of these items I bought on sale, and got good deals on. Maternity clothes can be expensive, so just be careful you don't splurge too much.

3. There are different types of maternity pants to buy. There are pants with an elastic waist or belly band pants. This is just a personal choice. I like the elastic waisted jeans, and the full-belly band jeans are okay. I have one pair that is a half-belly band pair, and I really don't care for that. It fits really weird.

4. Don't buy maternity underwear. It's a waste of money. Just buy regular underwear that's a size or two bigger, and that should work out fine.

5. If you work a job where you are on your feet a lot, I recommend wearing support hose. They help your feet feel a ton better at the end of the day. Also, they help with circulation in the your legs, and help prevent spider veins. :)

Anyway, there's my two cents on maternity clothes. It's sort of a learning experience as you go, but it is fun to buy new clothes!

Pregnancy Sucks!

I had an appointment with my Nurse Midwife today (Baby Nelson is looking healthy and happy), and I discovered they have a library for their patients to check out books on pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, etc.

I can't believe it took me 5 months to discover they had a library. So, anyway, I found this book Pregnancy Sucks: What to Do When Your Miracle Makes You Miserable by Joanne Kimes. This book is hilarious and talks about all the not-so-glamorous parts of being pregnant. The author has quite a sense of humor and it's an easy read.

So, if you are looking for a book that gives you good information about pregnancy, as well as a dose of humor, this is the book for you. Enjoy!