38 Weeks

We aren't sure how much longer Baby Rhoton is planning on staying put inside my belly so we thought we had better take one last belly shot just in case he or she decides to make an early appearance. We are as ready as we'll ever be at this point and both terrified and excited all at the same time.

Right now the baby is the size of a swiss chard and probably weighing in at around 7 lbs. Can anyone tell me what the heck a swiss chard is? I have never heard of it before! I had a doctor appointment yesterday and everything is checking out much the same as it was the week before. I have gained a total of 30 lbs now (boy I'm really packing them on). The baby is still measuring on target, head still down, and the doctor said he or she is hanging out on the right side of my belly. The heartbeat was 145. I am now 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. He said that the baby could come at anytime or it could hold out for another 2 weeks. 

I asked him about all the aches and pains I had been experiencing lately and he basically told me that is probably normal at this point because of my small frame and my body trying to deal with all the extra weight I'm carrying. That is definitely one thing I'm looking forward to once I'm no longer pregnant... trying to get my body back to normal.

Dan and I did recently take a tour of the hospital we will be delivering at. We were really impressed with it. Most of the area has been completely renovated and all the rooms are super nice. Going made me feel a little better about what to expect when the time comes. I guess now we are just playing a waiting game. I highly doubt there will be any further pregnancy posts... but if we do go up to 40+ weeks I will try to get a last one up for you.

P-town & Ohio Baby Showers

After I had the baby shower with my residents at Aspen Trace, I had two other beautiful showers. One with the Fowler side of the family in P-town and the other one with the Rhoton side of the family in Ohio.

First, the P-town shower. Sadly, I don't have nearly as many pictures of this shower as I do the Ohio one. Obviously, I wasn't thinking.

Cake...

Me and the cake...

Three generations of moms! My Grandma Saxman, me, and my Mom.

My P-town shower was very nice and low key, just as requested. I am so thankful for all the people that came to show their support and love for Baby Rhoton already. 

Remi could not believe all the baby goodies we got! He thought they all were for him :)

Then the week after that shower I had my shower in Ohio with Dan's side of the family. Once again it was super nice and we felt so blessed with all the family and friends that attended.

Dan and I... 37 weeks pregnant.

Blue and pink cupcakes!

Miss Mallory and I

Table settings... and Mallory :)

The kiddos... (from left to right) Gavin, Elliott, Alex, and Mallory

Lizzie and I

Alex, Boo, me and Dawn

Mallory, Ali, Elliott, me, and Bryce

My sister-in-law Ali and I

Dan and I with his parents, Bruce and Pam!

Even though I'm not the "party" type, both showers were really nice and I enjoyed myself very much.  Baby Rhoton got a lot of nice things and we actually feel as prepared as we possibly can at this point in time. BIG thank you to everyone who has thought of us along the way during this exciting and scary time in our lives!! We are blessed beyond words!

Baby Rhoton's Dog Themed Nursery

I am now almost 38 weeks pregnant and Dan and I have been busy trying to get everything done that needs to be completed before Baby Rhoton arrives. One of the biggest things on my list of to do's was the nursery. Yes, I know that babies don't really need much when they are born, but for my own sanity I wanted things finished and organized as much as possible beforehand. So without waiting any longer I present to you Baby Rhoton's Dog Themed Nursery!

It's no secret that Dan and I are obsessed about our dog, and we were going to make sure that Baby Rhoton loves dogs just as much! HA! 

First is a bedside table that was my Grandma Fowler's. It has a picture of Remington on it, a glass dog, baby books in the basket below, a stuffed sheep dog that was my Great Aunt Sis's, and a small book of baby advice cards.

Then you have the reading wall which includes books of all sorts. However, what you may not be able to see is that the "READ" letters are covered in scrapbook paper that says words like fetch, man's best friend, woof, bark, etc.

We also have a twin size bed in the nursery that has pillows on it all dog related :)

On the other wall we have different signs that relate to dogs and a glider rocking chair that was my Grandma Fowler's.

From there you have the "dog butt" wall. I love these things! Thanks Aunt Boo!

And last but not least you have the crib with a dog mobile attached and the decorated wall!

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out. The room is very small and we have a lot of stuff crammed in there, but we made it work for right now. Remi even has his own special dog bed in there during the time he spends with Baby Rhoton. 

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of May 18th - May 24th... I had this grand plan that once I was off work I would spend all this time with Remington and we would make sure to get a daily walk in each and every day. We have not really gotten the opportunity to do that because... well... at this point in my pregnancy I am very uncomfortable and just don't feel like going on 2+ mile walks most days. I am definitely slowing down. My days of walking 6-8 miles are over with for now. And even though once the baby comes I plan to resume mine and Remi's active lifestyle... for right now we are spending a lot of time just patiently waiting for life to change.

This week also set Remington back a bit as he had his very first ever teeth cleaning. I was a nervous wreck because I knew he would be put under for it and I know that isn't good for dogs. The procedure went great. The vet said his teeth cleaned up nicely and he didn't have to do any extractions. PHEW! However, when picking Remi up he was a total mess. The best I can explain it is that he acted drunk. Could not walk well, eyes glazed over, and extremely lethargic. It took him pretty much 2 full days to recover fully. My poor baby! Goodness... my love for that dog is
C-R-A-Z-Y! 

Monday, May 18th, 2015 - 4,921 total steps / 1.6 total miles / 83 calories

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015 - 1.75 mile walk with Remi / 10,310 total steps / 3.1 total miles / 149 calories

Wednesday, May 20th, 2015 - 7,235 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 125 calories

Thursday, May 21st, 2015 - 5,325 total steps / 1.8 total miles / 89 calories

Friday, May 22nd, 2015 - 4,101 total steps / 1.5 total miles / 50 calories

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 1.75 mile walk with Remi / 5,475 total steps / 1.8 total miles / 91 calories

Sunday, May 24th, 2015 - 2,500 total steps / 1.3 total miles / 42 calories

Totals for the week : 3.6 total miles walked with Remi / 39,867 total steps / 13.3 total miles / 629 calories

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of May 11th - May 17th... Three weeks away from my due date almost. I have been spending lots of time washing up baby clothes, putting together baby items, learning how they work, writing thank you notes, and spending as much time with my hubs and dog as possible. The weather has been awesome and I'm so thankful that spring time is finally here and I can actually go outside without freezing to death! My steps are definitely down this week since I have been home from work, but I did get in some nice walks with Remi.

Monday, May 11th, 2015 - 1.75 mile walk with Remi / 7,160 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 122 calories

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015 - 5,485 total steps / 1.8 total miles / 92 calories

Wednesday, May 13th, 2015 - 7,034 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 117 calories

Thursday, May 14th, 2015 - 1.75 mile walk with Remi / 7,257 total steps / 2.2 total miles / 129 calories

Friday, May 15th, 2015 - 4,010 total steps / 1.5 total miles / 51 calories

Saturday, May 16th, 2015 - 2,159 total steps / 1.2 total miles / 37 calories

Sunday, May 17th, 2015 - 2,376 total steps / 1.2 total miles / 43 calories

Totals for the week : 3.5 total mile walk with Remi / 35,481 total steps / 12.3 total miles / 591 calories

36 Weeks

Well, here we are at 36 weeks! How did that happen and the time move by so quickly. We are down to the nitty gritty. I'm feeling overwhelmed that time has gotten away from me and the baby will be here way before I'm ready for it to be.

"Look Ma! Your belly is bigger than my head!"

I had my most recent appointment yesterday. I had been having some major cramping and the doctor said that it is my body telling me to slow down which I did right away. My feet and hands have started to swell a little bit but not badly... just enough where my wedding ring is fitting snuggly on my finger. I'm still having awful acid reflux, aching in my hips, restless legs, and trouble sleeping... but really for the most part I'm feeling really good.

Currently the baby is the size of a melon and weighing in at 6.2 pounds. We had an ultrasound done and the babies head is facing down and resting very low. Dan and I were really looking forward to some great pictures, but the baby had it's hands over it's face the entire time. BOO! However, everything looked good and healthy which is what I'm most worried about.  The babies heartbeat was 128 and I'm measuring right on target. Currently, I have gained 28 pounds and my body feels every pound as it is very hard to do much of anything.

I did make sure I got my summer flowers planted! All 240 of them!

The doctor said that the ultrasound shows I have an excellent amount of fluid which means if my water breaks I will know it. Uhhhhggg! Good heavens! He also said that I am a 1/2 centimeter dilated. WHOA! It just doesn't seem possible that Dan and I will be parents of a human in a month or less.

We have been making progress on the nursery slowly but surely. I'm hoping I will have some pictures of the finished product for you soon.

Here's a sneak peek of one of the major projects we have been working on for the babies room! The "READ" wall! I love it so much!

We have also gotten a lot of our "big" stuff from several of the showers we've had, so a lot of time has been spent putting all that stuff together. I still need to organize all the little stuff and figure out my plan of attack when the baby arrives if that is even possible. I just want to be as prepared as possible when the time does actually come.

Remi has been helping as much as possible with the baby preparations!

Like I said, time is slowly slipping away from us! Even though I'm terrified... I'm also super excited to meet this new little being that I'm sure will take hold of Dan, Remington and my heart! A new adventure is about to begin whether we are ready for it or not.

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of May 4th - May 10th... There was a lot going on this week. Work, baby showers, keeping up with stuff around the house. Hoping this week things will start slowing down  and I can really begin to concentrate on this baby that is coming our way soon yet also enjoy quality time with Dan and Remi while it's just the three of us.

Monday, May 4th, 2015 - 8,230 total steps / 2.8 total miles / 164 calories

Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 - 8,374 total steps / 2.9 total miles / 173 calories

Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 - 12, 548 total steps / 3.5 total miles / 250 calories

Thursday, May 7th, 2015 - 9,575 total steps / 3 total miles / 201 calories

Friday, May 8th, 2015 - 9, 723 total steps / 3 total miles / 227 calories

Saturday, May 9th, 2015 - 3,594 total steps / 1.5 total miles / 72 calories

Sunday, May 10th, 2015 - 2,221 total steps / 1.2 total miles / 34 calories

Totals for the week : 54,265 total steps / 44.9 total miles / 1,121 calories

Baby Shower with my Residents

For those of you who know me well, know that I'm not into being the center of attention. You could probably tell that by how I did my wedding... super small and low key! So having a baby has been an adjustment for me since I know that I need to have baby showers to help with all the "things" that a baby needs. I will be having several baby showers coming up in the next few weeks that I will share with you, but the first one I had was very heartwarming for me and one I will remember always.

My supervisor planned one which included all my residents at Aspen Trace. I had 45 residents show up for the shower which was a great turn out and made me feel super loved. The room was packed full with my ladies smiling faces. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Now, there will be very few pictures since I am not allowed to post pictures publicly of my residents but I will try to include what I can for you. No presents were given since it is company policy that residents are not allowed to give employees gifts. But... what there was a lot of was punch, cake, games, laughter, love, and support from these ladies I have come to love much like family.

Party favors with the "HE" or "SHE" colored in!

Baby Rhoton cake!

Punch!

Room decorations!

Games! We played a games where the residents had to make a list of A-Z girl and boy baby names, finish off the nursery rhyme listed, and baby items price is right.

Me and my supervisor who threw me the shower :) I look horrible in this picture... uhhhgggg!

The one gift I did receive "from my residents" was a book called The Real Mother Goose. Inside they had all signed their names and written me little notes. I will cherish it forever! It truly was a very special time with some very special people!

Very thankful for all who shared it with me!

Remington's Rundown - My Day with Dad

Hey Doodle Lovers! It's Remington Bear here!

Both Mom and Dad's schedule have been all over the place lately. This has been hard on me, because it often times means I have to be crated while they are working. Mom and Dad hate doing this too me so one week when I had been crated for three days while Mom and Dad both worked, Dad surprised me and came home and brought me to work with him!

Dad had been working with some of the new recruits coming in to their police department. Everyone was outside that day so I got pretty much free reign of the area they were in! 

All you gotta do is give me my Frisbee and I'm a happy camper!

A bunch of the officers were playing football and tried to teach me how...

But I was much more into my beloved Frisbee to really care!

So instead I taught the officers how to play my kind of game instead!

Throw it for heavens sake!

Don't worry! I got it!

Boy was it a fun day with Dad and all his friends! But I was so tired afterward :)

Time to sign off... WIGGLES!!

~Remington Bear~

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of April 27th - May 3rd... I am loving the nicer weather we have been having. It just makes my days so much more enjoyable. Maybe that's why this week seemed to fly by! Dan's schedule was a little whacky this week so we didn't see much of each other so Remi and I were attached at the hip :) However, we didn't take any walks together which is an absolutely crime! I was kind of cramp most of the week, which my doctor said was a sign that I needed to slow down. I really did try to take it a little bit easier since it definitely scared me a bit.

Monday, April 27th, 2015 - 8,184 total steps / 2.8 total miles / 154 calories

Tuesday, April 28th, 2015 - 10, 032 total steps / 3.1 total miles / 172 calories

Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 - 10, 521 total steps / 3.2 total miles / 201 calories

Thursday, April 30th, 2015 - 9,995 total steps / 3.1 total miles / 169 calories

Friday, May 1st, 2015 - 7,999 total steps / 2.8 total miles / 152 calories

Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 - 3,545 total steps / 1.8 total miles / 101 calories

Sunday, May 3rd, 2015 - 3,409 total steps / 1.8 total miles / 93 calories

Totals for the week : 53,685 total steps / 18.6 total miles / 1,042 calories