Day 18 ~ August 18, 2010

Here I am with my best friend, Courtney. We've been best friends since first grade and she was a bridesmaid in my wedding last summer. Her pool is behind us and it was featured earlier (Day 2, I think) in my 365 Day Blog.

She's leaving for school this weekend so we wanted to hang out one last time this afternoon. She has a little sister who is the same age as one of my nieces (7) so I took the girls out to her house to swim for a couple hours this evening.

I'm going to miss her when she leaves for school, but I'm sure she'll be back to visit (especially once the baby gets here). Good luck this year, Court! I'll miss you and I love you!

Day 17 ~ August 17, 2010

Isn't this little guy adorable?! His name is Kolby and he is my friend Jessica's son. He's 2 1/2 months old, and he's the happiest little baby ever! I watched him this afternoon for a bit while Jess went to work. I was the first person outside of the family to watch him, so she was nervous dropping him off. We got along great though; he didn't fuss at all.

I had a boring morning, but then a busy afternoon/evening. I took my brother to get some school supplies this afternoon and then stopped by the hospital to see my friend Christy and her newborn little girl, Graiclyn. Then I watched Kolby for an hour and a half and then went to a CPR class at the hospital. My mom and I earned a *free* CPR class for going to a child safety class last week and we are now officially certified in CPR!

Day 16 ~ August 16, 2010

Here is an updated picture of the "nursery". We've been working on cleaning things out to make room for baby stuff. You can actually see the floor and the far wall now! It's going to take a little while longer, but we made good progress tonight.

I had my 32 week appointment today as well. It went great! I've gained about 19 1/2 lbs so far (my goal is to only gain 25 lbs so we'll see...) and my blood pressure was excellent (a little low, but that's normal for me and it's better than being high). My belly measured 31 centimeters so it's a *little* small, but nothing to be concerned about. Baby's heartrate was in the 140s and he was moving all around! I'm so blessed to be having such a wonderful pregnancy thus far! The nurse practitioner said she wished they could give my pregnancy to all of their patients!

After my appointment, I met a good friend for lunch at Subway. She couldn't make it to my shower yesterday and had a gift for me so we met for lunch. It was very nice to see her and catch up. After lunch I went to a Mary Kay training session at my director's house and that was a lot of fun (and very educational)!

I'd like to congratulate my dear friend Christy and her husband, Kenny, on the birth of their first baby (a girl!), Graiclyn Marie Ray. She was born at 3:24 pm, weighed 6lbs 4oz and was 20 3/4 in long! Mommy and baby are both doing excellent and she's is absolutely adorable! I can't wait to go to the hospital tomorrow to see her! I'd also like to congratulate another friend, Mercedes and her boyfriend, Jason, on the birth of their first baby (also a girl!) Mylee Jo Chenoweth. She was born at 10:01 pm last night, weighed 6lbs 5oz and was 19 1/2 in long! Mylee and Mercedes are both doing well also, and I'm hoping to stop in and see them as well tomorrow!

Babies, babies, babies everywhere! I'm so happy for all of my friends who have had their little bundles of joy, but it makes me want my little guy soooo much! But, I would rather he stay put for a few (like 7) more weeks so he can grow strong and healthy in Mommy's belly. Ahh, my time will come! Until then, I'll cuddle up on everyone else's babies!

Day 15 ~ August 15, 2010

Today was my first of three baby showers. This is a picture of the entire group that was there today, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the turnout! Today's shower was with my friends and then I have two family showers the next two weekends.

We started the shower with some fun baby games. We were randomly partnered with another guest and the whole group was split into two teams. One partner put her hands behind her back while the other reached through and undressed a baby doll. Then the next pair of partners had to do the same thing, only they had to dress the baby. This continued through each pair of partners until the last pair went. The group that finished first received a prize.

The second game consisted of guests choosing an amount of toilet paper that they thought would reach around my belly. There were 3 ladies who chose the exact number of squares (10) and they each received a prize.

After games we moved on to cake and chocolate covered strawberries (graciously donated by the owner of a local restaurant). The cake was very adorable and had little blue booties on it along with the words "Welcome Baby Lotz" and pretty blue frosting flowers. After everyone finished eating I opened gifts.

It was such a wonderful day and I'm so thankful for my best friend Ali and my sister Mindy taking time out of their very busy schedules to plan such a fantastic shower. I really hope all of the guests enjoyed it as much as I did, and I am very blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Day 14 ~ August 14, 2010

Today was a pretty normal (uneventful) Saturday. I got up, fed the dogs, took them out (normal routine) and then my mom and I put together the stroller that I bought yesterday! It went together really easily (we only got frustrated once with the little pins to hold the wheels on) and pretty quickly, too (it only took us about 20 minutes). Then I showered and got ready for the day.

I talked to Zach on Skype for a few minutes after my shower and showed him the travel system. He liked it and said I did a good job! :) Then Mom and I went to town to grab lunch and get groceries (normal Saturday routine).

But anyway, about my picture. I love to do karaoke. I've been singing karaoke since I was about 9 years old and I love to go out and have a good time. Tonight I went to a bar in Blandinsville, IL called Slup's and sang a few songs. This is a picture of me with my mom's friend (and a friend of mine as well), Angela. She and my mom went to high school together and she invited me out tonight to sing. I sang a few songs and visited with Angela and some others and then headed home. I had a really nice time, and I hope we can do it again soon!

Day 13 ~ August 13, 2010

I got my travel system! I'm so excited! After months of researching and changing my mind about 3 times, I finally decided on this model. It's the Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe with the SnugRide Infant Carseat.

I was having trouble deciding between this and two others. Both of the others were similar, but they came with larger carseats (one with the SnugRide 32 and the other with the SnugRide 35). I decided to go with the regular SnugRide based on space in my backseat (I drive a tiny Toyota Corolla). I'd also read reviews that the larger ones didn't fit well in shopping carts and restaurant booths. Plus, who wants to carry around a carseat with a 35lb baby in it?!

I was excited when I got to the store because I found out there was a sale (with coupon) that gave $10 off every $50 you spend, so I ended up saving $50 total on this travel system. It might not sound like much, but when you're buying baby stuff, every dollar counts. I'm sure my husband will be glad when he hears that I saved some money!

While I was in Peoria, I met up with a friend from college, Crystal and her boyfriend Andrew. We went to dinner at Panera Bread Company and then they went with me to Babies R Us to help me decide on which one to get. I had a lot of fun hanging out with them and Andrew was a big help when it came to getting the big 'ol box in the car!

I also ordered my crib and dresser/changing table online today as well as the conversion kits to change the crib into a toddler bed and day bed/full bed. This was the first day that I've bought things for the baby (other than little stuff at yard sales) so I went all out! Haha, it was a great day overall, and buying the baby stuff makes it that much more real that he's going to be here very soon!

Day 12 ~ August 12, 2010

Today was a pretty busy day for me. I got up early to talk to Zach, but he was busy so we only talked for about 3 minutes. :( After that I showered and relaxed for a bit.

This afternoon I went to Fun City, a waterpark in Burlington, IA, with my in-laws and spent time in the lazy river and the swimming pool (I couldn't go down any slides so that was disappointing). It was a good time, but being out in the sun wiped me out.

So, onto my picture. Tonight was my first night of prenatal classes! My mom is going to the classes with me, since Zach is in Iraq and tonight we attended the child safety course. We were given several handouts and the nurse (from the OB dept) went over basic car seat safety. We also watched a short movie about first aid and emergency situations. By attending the class, we received a certificate to attend a CPR training course (a certified one) for free! We'll be taking that course next Tuesday night. The picture is of the handouts and our CPR certificates. There is also a Halo Swaddler which I won in a drawing!

My prenatal classes are every Thursday night until I deliver (basically). I'm looking forward to all that they have to offer. They're provided by the hospital where I will be delivering and they're free so I plan on taking them all (next week is breastfeeding). I'd rather be armed with knowledge I won't need rather than not know what to do in a given situation.