Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat! Wait, who said, "treat"?!

Let it Rain! Um... I mean Shower!

This past Sunday Matt and I had our first baby shower, given to us by his Mom Linda, sister Lindsay and sister-in-law Megan. Everything about the day was absolutely perfect! We walked into the restaurant to find the most adorable onesies hanging from clotheslines from the chandeliers and beautiful blue table decorations including personalized M&Ms, "It's a boy!" Hershey Kisses and "Thank heaven for little boys" ribbons. All it once it hit me-- I'm about to be seriously outnumbered at home!! Guests included Matt's childhood neighbors and "Soccer Moms" from Park Ridge as well as highschool friends and their significant others. Thank you to our family for giving us such a wonderful party and to our guests for all the gifts! We can't wait to dress up "Lil E" in all the cute clothes and bundle him in Matt's childhood blankie (yes, it made it's first appearance in 27 years!)

Some of the onsies that decorated the room

Matt and I opening gifts

The gracious hosts-- Megan, Lindsay & Linda (with prego!)

Lil E's first taste of being spoiled!

32 Weeks

The little monkey is growing and growing, and in the 32nd week, he should be about 17 inches long and approx. 4 lbs! But since we're still measuring "big", who really knows how big he is?! What I do know is that sometime last Sat. he flipped himself and parked his little tooshie right in my ribcage and has been there ever since. The doctor said to get used to it because he's likely to be there for the remainder of his stay... But as long as he's head down, I guess that's a good thing, no matter how uncomfortable it is.

The "fireworks" (what I called his crazy kicking and punching) have slowed down as he runs out of room; now there's just more rolling back and forth. But always back to that same spot! Matt and I like to play "guess what that is?!" (elbow, knee, butt). The whole experience has been absolutely amazing. I will be so happy to welcome him into the world, but will probably be a little sad to have the whole pregnancy experience come to an end.

Here is a shot to mark week #32! Hard to believe we're less than 8 weeks from our due date...

Getting ready for our baby shower (sign says "32 weeks")

Let the Nesting Begin!

A lot has been going on these last few weeks! After moving all the furniture from the spare bedroom to storage at my parents' last weekend (thanks Mom & Dad!), we anxiously waited all week for the baby furniture to be delivered. It was so strange to walk by the empty room every day, but it has been even more of a reality check to walk by the room and see a crib! Not that the big belly didn't make it seem real, but having his furniture set up means he's really on his way here... soon! There is still plenty of decorating to be done, but here are a few shots of the new baby nursery...

Ain't gonna happen...

... is basically what our doctor said today when I asked if my due date was going to be "adjusted", given that the little guy is still measuring two weeks ahead of schedule. Not sure why they're so reluctant to change it, especially since I hear it happens all the time. She capped off the conversation by saying that not only is the due date staying Dec. 18th, but they'll let me go 10-12 days late before inducing, all the in the name of natural birth. I can't imagine going all the way to New Years... but I guess we'll have to see what he has planned. I'm hoping he is feeling that an early Dec. birthday would be nice :) But all is progressing well, so we are blessed for that. In other news, I only gained 1 lb. since my last appointment, so hopefully my wide body expansion is slowing down...

And speaking of "ain't gonna happen", it was a sad day today as baseball season came to an official close in Chicago. It could have come to a close yesterday, but at least one of our teams knows how to win in the post-season. Ouch. But at least now we get on with the business of football.

And speaking of football... Go Bears! My buddy Ashlynn and I celebrated the victory together yesterday in our Urlacher jerseys. Yes, if it weren't for the FreezePop she would be in tears.

Ashlynn's baby brother Danny just chillin'

29 Weeks... or is it?!

Technically, we were 29 weeks pregnant yesterday. However, the doctor confirmed at our last appointment that the baby is still measuring "big"; approx. 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Not sure when or if our due date will be adjusted, but we're hopeful that maybe we'll get to meet our baby boy in early-to-mid Dec., instead of the stork delivering an extra special gift on Christmas Day. But, if he's anything like his Mom, he will be late. Very late. The good news for me is that when random people remark, "aren't you big for 6 months?!", I can now smile and say, "well, I might be almost 7 months, okay?" Yes, people actually stay stuff like that.

Here are a couple of beauty shots marking this week's milestone...

Chubby cheeks were purposely omitted :)

Too bad our little guy couldn't help pull off a Sox win...

October is going to be an exciting month! Besides our now bi-monthly doctor appointments, we have our 8 hour Great Expectations class at Prentice Hospital (yes, 8 hours), our first baby shower, and the baby furniture will be delivered. It's all starting to feel very real!

Daddy Goes Shopping!

What a fantastic surprise it was to come home last week to these cute little outfits hanging in our room! And I sure was happy to see that there wasn't a Chicago Fire uniform... guess I don't have to worry about him being a soccer player after all! :) Just kidding Matt!