31 Weeks

31 weeks and all is well.  Except my back.  It is not always well.  But it could be much worse, and I realize that, so I'm counting my blessings.

We've had some interesting weather this week.  Storms are in the area again tonight, and we saw some clouds today that resembled some I saw earlier in the week leaving downtown: 

We started our childbirth classes this week as well.  There are only 3 other couples in our class, so we get to miss next week and only have to go a total of 4 times.  So far so good -- we had an intro to pain management this week. Chad will also be taking a boot camp for new dads class and we'll both be taking infant CPR in July.

We've had a nice weekend.  Yesterday Chad made more progress on sanding the rocking chair, and we ordered the crib. The one we really wanted and have been trying to order is apparently "frozen" so we decided to just go with a different model rather than wait it out any longer.  It should come in by the weekend of the fourth, when we'll be transforming the guest room into the baby's room.  We also had dinner with my high school friend and her husband and daughter again last night.  It's so great to be reconnected with so many old friends.

Today we hiked at the Chatauqua in Boulder, which we plan to do again when the family is in town next weekend.  It was great -- up close and personal views of the flatirons and lots of pine trees to wind through going up the mountain.  If you are wondeirng what a Chatauqua is, I took a helpful picture for you:

Despite the hike, and a long neighborhood hike yesterday, Lacy was a bit of a spaz for picture time tonight: 

And then she calmed down:

And then she REALLY calmed down:

I'm still feeling pretty good overall, for being 7 months along.  He's still moving regularly and seems pretty happy. However, I think he's about to do some serious growing because my appetite has increased. For instance, today I was thinking a milkshake sounded pretty good after the hike, so we went to Red Robin for lunch, where I downed a "monster" chocolate milkshake, WITH the metal cup refill, in about 5 minutes.  And then I ate a chicken sandwich and salad.  And that was only about four hours ago and I'm pretty excited about steak dinner already. :-)

30 Weeks

We are now counting down in single digit week increments!  Won't be long now. 

We've had a great week and a productive weekend.  Chad started sanding down and staining my great-grandma's antique washstand we'll be using as a changing table, and his sister's rocking chair.  We are pretty excited about having these family heirlooms in the baby's room.  We're staining them a dark cherry/mahogany color, which will look great with the wall hanging my grandma is working on and the light greens in our crib bedding.

Summer is finally here and we've been loving summer in Denver so far!  Not missing the humidity at all.

Here are this week's belly shots:

. . .AND now for the 3D ultrasound shots. We have about 80 to choose from, so these are just a sample.  It was a great experience and I'm really glad we did it.  We also have a DVD of the entire scan, so it's cool to be able to watch him move around when we want.  He was pretty laid back throughout, and really didn't want to move his right hand from his mouth.  But that's okay -- I'm hoping it's just a sneak peak of his laid back mentality.  (Ha!) 





The Thinker/Gun Show

We have no idea who he favors more at this point -- in fact we can kind of see a bit of both of us.  And we think he's pretty cute.  :)

29 Weeks

The big news this week is I passed my 1 hour glucose test, which means no sign of gestational diabetes, and therefore more ice cream for me!  I was pretty concerned about this test, even though I have no risk factors, just because my sugar consumption has been high (for me) this entire pregnancy.  But I didn't even have to go back for the 3 hour test, so all is good.  Here is a pic from work on Wednesday:

We've had a good week otherwise.  My 28 week check-up went fine and I'm still measuring right on track.  I also had my rogham shot for my O- blood type -- that's the first time I've had a shot in the bootie that I can remember.  As the doctor said, that's the last thing we really "do" before the baby starts indicating he wants to arrive.  We are having an elective 3D ultrasound this coming Saturday, so hopefully we'll have some cool pics to share next weekend.  Yesterday we went for a really nice hike up North Table Rock mountain, which was a 30% or so incline to get up there, and then nice panoramic views at the top.  Here we are at the top:

And here are some paragliders we saw as we were driving home:

And here is another set of unflattering belly shots - we spent a little time at the pool this afternoon and I haven't really cleaned up since.  It was in the low 90s, but without the humidity it's almost chilly when you get out of the pool here.  No complaints here!  I am now entering the whale stage of pregnancy, apparently:

28 Weeks

Happy Memorial Day!  We've had a great long weekend which was both productive and relaxing.  What more can you ask for really?  We got our stroller on Friday evening, as REI was having a sale:

On Saturday we took a hike near El Dorado and saw some great views, even though it was a little overcast:

Mesa Trail

We continued our quest to see one movie in the theater per week for these last weeks of freedom, and saw Bridesmaids on Saturday evening.  Sunday I planted annuals for our little balcony - Chad is installing the hangers tonight:

We also went to a bbq Sunday which featured three pregnant women.  I am three weeks ahead of one, and the other is new to the club - only about 7 weeks.  It was a little strange to be the one who is furthest along!  This morning we ran some errands and put the pack and play together to make sure it was the one we wanted:

We took a nice long walk on the trail behind our neighborhood tonight, and now Chad is making spaghetti and I just pulled some Ghirardelli brownies out of the oven.  These will probably be a staple these last 12 weeks.  Here are some very unflattering post-walk belly pics from week 28:

I'm still feeling great.  I'm getting used to the intermittent back pain and still sleeping pretty well.  I have been very lucky so far.  He is moving a lot now, and his movements are more alien-like than just kicks and jabs.  It's hard to believe we are coming into the home stretch now. We are enjoying the last couple of months of our family of two (plus animals) but we are also really looking forward to what's in store!

27 Weeks

Hello from the third trimester!  Since I last posted, we had a wonderful trip to KC for my shower, given by LaDonna, Leah, and Sarah.  It was really nice and low-key, just like I like a baby shower to be.  :-)  We also got to see a lot of friends and family, including mom and grandma who flew down for it, and celebrate Chad's FORTIETH birthday!  Here is how he spent his actual birthday evening, in Goodland, KS: 

Such a hard worker

But the next night, we met up with lots of friends at the bar which was the site of our first date and engagement, and he got to blow out some candles:

In addition to friend time, we also had some great family time, and ended the weekend with a little belated Mother's Day brunch at Classic Cup with our moms, grandma, and my KC mom, Bill and Ann:

It was cloudy and we all need a little color

And now for the belly shots.  I missed a week due to the KC trip, but most people who read this blog got to see the bump in person. 

Welcome to my work bathroom

And here's a little comparison from the week we moved to Denver (16 weeks) and this past Friday evening:

 



I'd say we're on the right track! 

25 Weeks

Wow, only 15ish to go!  We had awesome weather this weekend, and took advantage. Yesterday we tried out the pool in our complex and got some sun before heading to a high school friend's house for dinner.  I hadn't seen her in 16 years and we got to meet her husband and super cute 10 month old daughter.  I think once we are in the parenting routine we will have plenty of friends for Baby Bowerman to pal around with out here. 

Today we drove over to the Red Rocks area and went for a hike at Matthews/Winters Park.  Lacy was a trooper -- we need to get that girl in Colorado shape! 

After the hike we took a scenic drive up through the mountains and ended up in Boulder.  There were some great views from up high.



 So who is ready to visit us?  :-)

24 Weeks

Greetings from 24 weeks!  Mostly more of the same this week -- a little growth, a little movement, etc.  Chad and I both had pretty busy weeks at work and this weekend we caught up on errands and sleep.  It's been unseasonable cool and gray in Denver, but that is supposed to change starting Tuesday.  Looks like sunny skies and 70s after tomorrow! 

We did do some exploring for future home areas, and so far what we've found is that we are pretty sold on our current area.  We have started skyping with our family members, including the one in Mozambique, and that's been really fun.  I don't know why we didn't start that sooner!  Lacy even heard her Aunt Gracie barking today and got all excited. 

That's about all I've got for now -- here are a few belly shots: