WIP Shower – Part Deux

Ashley, Kelly, Aunt Mary and Mom threw a baby shower for WIP and it was just fantastic! If you know the Harris’ you know there’s always going to be laughter, games and lots and lots….did I say lots? of food!

Connie made these delicious Boston Creme cupcakes and Ash decorated with a “Diaper Cake”.

Desserts….yum!

Shots with friends…

 

Smelling “poopy” diapers. You have to give kudos to Mindy, Victoria and Pat for actually tasting the “poop” and examining the contents.

Measuring WIP. It’s amazing how many people were close and then funny how many (Aunt Mary) were a little off…

 

“my water broke!” the goal of this game was to melt the ice the fastest, using whatever means necessary, but NOT dipping the baby in hot coffee.

 

Presents!

 

All in all it was a fun afternoon and WIP was showered with gifts! I headed to Babies R Us and with the gift certificates, purchased WIP’s crib mattress and some other necessities.

Thanks Ashley, Kelly, Aunt Mary and Mom for a spectacular shower!

WIP Update – Week 36

Had my week 36 check up today. Everything’s looking good, except that WIP didn’t really let me sleep last night. I didn’t wake up groggy but I sure was pissed. If you know me, you know I love my sleep. Baby – ready or not – we’re going to break you of this nocturnal action!

Pablo swore that I was bigger than a basketball. Really? I really did not need to see this photo. Then again, I’m sure I’ll look back at it and laugh somewhere….down…the…..road.

According to babycenter.com, this week:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Somehow I think baby’s closer to 8 pounds at the rate I’m going!

WIP’s been getting into some really funny positions. Funny from my view of WIP, but definitely not comfortable! I swear WIP was sideways last weekend and Pablo had to coax WIP into getting back into a more comfortable position.

I’m praying for a long sleep tonight – let’s see who wins this battle. So far it’s WIP 1 – Edie 0.

This is kinda cute. My sister in law Jillian had her son, Nicholas December 15th. This is her at 36 weeks and me at 36 weeks. And, can you believe she made it another 3 weeks from this point? I’m hoping WIP and I can, but I know the docs-on-call a couple days in advance just in case….

WIPs getting big!

                         28 weeks                                                    35 weeks

                       28 weeks                                                    35 weeks

Amazing what a difference 2 months makes. WIP’s shaping up. Today the doc said WIP’s head is down, which doesn't really matter since we’re doing a c-section. Blood pressure was good and they did a TSH test today to make sure my thyroid levels are consistent. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s actually fun these last couple of weeks feeling WIP move and having our nightly talks before bed.   I’m enjoying the silence for now.
Did you notice week 35 I’m getting a little lightening rod down the center of my belly? Might we be having a little Harry Potter?

Pablo’s trip to Finland

Feb 17th

-12 degrees Fahrenheit this morning on the way in from work!! They plug the cars in here so they have some warmth and start appropriately.

This is what the car is fitted with on the inside to help keep the car above 0 when you get back in.

 

Feb 18th

OK, went to breakfast this morning and the local guys were talking about how it hit the lowest temperature of the year. The unfortunate part is I didn't even have to calculate in my head the translation from Celsius to Fahrenheit because it reached the equal point. -40!!!! Luckily I am a little south of that temperature reader which means we only really hit about -20 where I am exactly. Wow, these people are crazy for living up here!

It's never good when you've been in the car for 20 minutes and your car windows are still frozen on the inside!

One additional lessoned learned. One of my colleagues has learned that if it gets cold enough the bottle of wine you left in the rental will explode and create quit an issue when you try to return the car. How much does that suck!

WIP Update

WIP’s been quite active these past couple of weeks. On Thursday when Pablo got home, it was as if WIP was trying to give Pablo a hug – almost looked like WIP was going to break through my tummy and reach out and touch Pablo. It was really sweet. We’re going to hit our 35 week mark this Thursday and I head in for our check up bi-monthly that morning.

According to Baby Center:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

I’ve got to come up with a grocery list for Pablo, Mom and Janice so that they can stock the house during WIP’s first couple of weeks. Thank goodness it’s spring and many of my favorite fruits are back in season. It’s going to be a smoothie dream week the first couple of weeks back. I’m going to have to plant some sunflower seeds too so that we can feast on some of my favorite salads again sans dressing – like these:

 

I’m really happy that I posted most of my smoothie and juice recipes on my other blog so that Pablo will be well prepared for my return to a high raw diet.

WIP was really sweet to me last night and we slept straight through from 1130pm to 5am. That’s a long haul for the little one not to wake me up to go to the bathroom. We easily fell back asleep and then woke up right before the alarm at 730am.  I am noticing a lag around 230/3pm, but that’s more than likely due to the amount of pure food I’m not eating. Looking at these salads is making me want one, but I refuse to buy sunflower greens when I can grow 5 salads worth for $.50. Look at this fully stocked raw fridge. Love it!

Lovely Lovell Baby Shower

My darling friend and her mom, Rachel and Carla Lovell hosted a lovely baby shower for me this morning.  I am so lucky to have such a fabulous friend and was very excited to introduce her to many of my other friends.  Rachel and Carla rocked out with a loving theme for Valentine’s Day. Our Brunch was a perfect egg casserole, Mediterranean salad, fruit skewers and pumpkin chocolate muffins and croissants, everything was delicious. I even had two pumpkin muffins, they were so scrumptious! 

 

Amy, Sandi, moi and Gabi with Leslie across the table enjoying brunch. Look at the beautiful red roses!

 

Sherry, Amy, Heather and Ashley while we’re opening WIPs presents.

Leslie, Diana, Paulina, Gabi and Carla.

My loving and gratious hostesses, Carla and Rachel.

Lash and I and                                      Momela and I

 

Advice to Mom to Be:

you can never give too many hugs and kisses to your baby – our your husband.

don’t feel bad about taking a million pictures because little WIP will grow up way too fast.

make sure you do “special things” for your Paul so he feels that he is as important as the baby. Make a date night after 3 months of no sleep.

know that all of the difficult times will pass. sleep deprivation will pass. aching nipples will pass. every doubt you have will work itself out and pass. just enjoy it – it’s such an adventure!

don’t worry about the condo no being clean and tidy for the first couple of months. also ask Paul/friends for help when you need it!

don’t forget to make special “mommy time” for the things you love!

Thank you Carla and Rachel for such a beautiful shower!

Gabi and Scott (who Pablo plays soccer with) gave us this cute onesie with our name on it and the year of WIP’s birth. Silly me, I thought it was 10 for Pele – one of the greatest Brazilian soccer players ever.  Pablo had a good time assembling all the toys for WIP. This one took both of our attention, the swing.

Final unwrapping…it’s amazing how someone so little has so many large things. =)

The boppy that Ashley, Mark and the kids got us is hiding in the background because it’s still naked, I have to wash it’s covers.

Pablo's Trip to Finland

For reference, I’ve attached a map of where I will be in Finland after I get back from Brazil. These two manufacturing locations are about 400 miles south of the artic circle. Great place to visit in the dead of winter…I should have gone to Brazil after going here so that I could defrost. I have the wonderful 15 day weather forecast attached. Where is global warming when you need it!!

Monday, Feb 1

A little snow
Low: 20 °F
High: 25 °F
Tuesday, Feb 2

Snow of varying rates
Low: 16 °F
High: 30 °F
Wednesday, Feb 3

Cloudy with a flurry or two
Low: 15 °F
High: 21 °F
Thursday, Feb 4

A little snow
Low: 13 °F
High: 18 °F

-posted by Pablo

Pablo’s Trip to Brazil – Final Day

These were bought for me by one of the Brazilian plant resources for WIP and I. Very cool people. The outfits are from the top Brazilian team in this region. They are known for winning every Brazilian championship at one time or another and that is why it says Campeao De Tudo on the onesy, which translates to “Champion of Everything.” How awesome is that!  

-Posted by Pablo

Sublime Donuts – 535 10th Street NW, Atlanta

I don’t know what it is – ever since Ashley mentioned specialty donuts and Dutch Monkey…I’ve been on a donut kick. Now, these are not just any ordinary donuts. Today I was saddened to find out that Dutch Monkey was not making any Boston Creme and I resolved that I would find another donut hole to fill my desire. Mom recently informed me of Sublime Donuts in Midtown and at 820am today I made the trek. On the westside of town near Georgia Tech is where you will find a strip center with a simple sign that says, “Donuts.” They are listed on the pylon, but it’s very hard to read the cursive and I drove right past it the first time. Having been to Dutch Monkey this time of day, I was surprised to see that Sublime was not packed. Good thing for me, because I was able to get as many Boston A-Town Cremes as I wanted. I was corrected when I asked for Boston Creme. In Atlanta, it’s known now as the A’Town Creme. Ooops! I picked up a raspberry jelly and a Ying Yang twist for Amy. 

Back in the car, I wasn’t taken away by any waft of donut smell coming from the box, so the donuts and I made it back home without a sneaky tasty bite – besides, if I snuck a bite, I wouldn’t have been able to take these fun pictures!

First to the A’Town Creme – I planned my attack incorrectly. With a mis-shapen donut, one that you know is creme or jelly filled, you should always attack the largest portion first – that way, you can feel confident knowing that you can leave some creme for the “legs.” Upon further study of the A’Town, I realized that it’s similar to a glazed donut with creme inside and chocolate on top. Dutch Monkey’s Boston Creme’s are much more dense and I think “take the cake” on this judging.

Moving on….the raspberry jelly filled was next on my plate. They had this in chocolate iced or powdered and I opted for the powdered. It was a great choice. Not too much and not too little jelly, it was just perfect. I’d even say it was a close match for Dutch Monkey’s Jelly Bismarks.

WIP and I are happy campers and will have to go for a  walk today to burn off all of these yummy carbs.

Pablos Brazil Trip – Day 4

This is from our walk through some of the neighborhood parks. There is one picture that might seem a little weird but I thought it was amazing the number of guys who were probably in their mid-70s running long distances in 95 degree weather. Pretty amazing stuff. The one guy we took a picture of looked like grandpa time.

 

-Posted by Pablo

Pablo’s Brazilian Report - Day 3

One of my coworkers in Canoas' house. I really thought it was nice minus the electric fencing. Reminded me a little of Africa. The only difference is that this fencing is intended to ward people off where as mine in Africa was meant keep people out - 10,000 volts ran through my places fence.

This is a picture from my first day at our Mogi Das Cruzes facility outside of Sao Paulo. Those are Valtra tractors rolling off the main line and the mountains in the distance. It was very pretty view and I really liked the plant personnel.

Beautiful view from a gas station we stopped on our way back from Santa Rosa. If only the views could make up for the body pain that is caused by driving 14 hours on a road that has more holes than road.

Lunch at a Brazilian truck stop. Don't ask...

Here is a picture of a traditional drink offer to us at the SFIL facility in Ibiruba, Brazil, which is made from ground up trees. The large thermos is hot water that is poured over the green looking bark and supposed to be their version of green tea. There is a gold colored straw that you drink through. Lucky for you all it is illegal to bring goods like this wonderful stuff through customs otherwise you would be getting early Christmas gifts.

View from the hotel room

Tonight's dinner appetizers. Didn't really need them considering I received an order of pasta that could feed a small army like Brazils.

Tonight's dinner. Pasta with a meat sauce. Fantastic but I didn't bring my 50 friends to help finish it. Mine is on the bottom and my coworkers dishes are above.

-posted by Pablo

Comparing Bellies

I found this photo of my sister at 8.75 months, well, Evan was born just a few days after this picture. 
                                                      And here’s me at 8 months…

Darn it! I guess there’s still a little more growing for WIP to do.

Pablos Trip to Brazil

I wanted to send you all a photo of where I will be over the next two weeks so you have a frame of reference. I will be at our four manufacturing facilities in Brazil. We have a joint venture in Argentina that I will not be going to.

-Posted by Pablo

As I understand it, Pablo had a 9 hour flight to Brazil Tuesday night and arrived safely. After visiting the first plant, the second was a 7 hour drive west. The skies were clear, but it made for a long day. We’ve been chatting via Skype, albeit through a fuzzy camera for most of it.

At least it’s warm there….next up for Pablo? Finland Brr!

Funnies and Friendly Neighbors

Killing time waiting for my OB checkup and I read a funny post on Facebook from Natasha about looking up our names on urbandictionary:

paul- A common given name for males, derived from the Roman surname Paulus (Latin: "small" or "humble"). Put simply, it is the greatest name to grace the Earth. Seriously. It is the best name in existence. Why is the name Paul so awesome? Cause' Stone Cold said so.

edie-to do an 'edie' is to generally own, rinse and mentally overpower someone through the art of arguing. Opponents such as ex boyfriends are left lost for words, as all their attempts to argue back are met with witty or sarcastic comments that are ultimately true.  'did you hear about Sarah's argument with Jim? she did an edie and completely owned him'

WIP’s heartbeat today was 135bpm, my blood pressure was right on target and the best part? Well, I got to move WIP’s head around. WIP’s already facing down, so the funny feeling I’ve been getting in my ribs and sides are for sure WIPs feet.  Doc let me place a hand on either side of my belly on the bottom side and let me push back and forth on WIPs head. Poor lil WIP, hopefully will forgive me for the slight jarring this morning.

Yesterday was a great day – aren’t all Wednesday’s great? Yesterday was especially sweet because the first client I brought to the Shopping Center Group signed her lease. Everyone get ready to dine at TeaFuse at Vinings Jubilee – expected opening mid March.

Yesterday was also great because I met our new neighbor on Statewood who bought the renovated ranch to the right of our house.  Lauren is an absolute doll and was just about to host a shoe party when I caught her around 545pm. I’m looking forward to having her as my neighbor. I sauntered (yes, sauntered, because walking down a hill with this belly…that’s just what you do) over to Dawn’s house across from ours and she was in the midst of making dinner.  What a sweetheart – she invited me in and told me to give her the scoop while she cooked chicken. I had an opportunity to meet her husband, Robert and daughter Isabella as well and she was very excited to sign a letter of support. I really think she’s just ready to have a new baby on the street. She already told me that she can’t wait to watch our lil one. Go WIP! I spoke to Travis, our neighbor on the left on the phone the other day and he is mailing me his signed letter. I’m so thankful to have such great neighbors! Pablo and I will definitely have to make the rounds to meet them when we move in.

So overdue

Finally, my first pedicure in ages. I was grossly overdue. I'm just hoping that I have enough time to saunter over to TJMaxx to get some plump pregnancy shoes I've been busting out of mine. Have I told you about my fabulous birthday gift that let's me blog on the spot? Pablo got me an iPhone for my birthday and I LOVE it!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone