Touched By An Angel

Little known fact: I was a child actor. True story. I became fairly famous after appearing in Touched by an Angel Season 6 Episode 24 aka "A Clown's Prayer". My parents were frightened by how quickly my fame was appearing to mount after my brief appearance as audience member 22 and quickly pulled me out of Hollywood before I headed down the fast track to becoming Miley Cyrus. I am grateful for their foresight now, but was thoroughly crushed that I would not be joining up with Mary-Kate and Ashley to become the Olsen Triplets. 

Actually, this post has nothing to do with my brief moment of childhood fame. I just thought the title of the show I starred in was fitting to how I have been feeling lately. 

We are going to have to start this story roughly 365 days ago. Sel and I had taken on my road warrior parents as companions for our 27 hour drive across the country to our new home in Toledo. We left on a Saturday with the idea that we would roll into town on Sunday and I would start work on Monday. We hadn't found a place to live yet and asked our bro&sis-in-law if we could stay with them for one or two nights until we found a new place to call our own. I started work at the height of the branch's busyness and felt overwhelmed almost instantaneously. We ended up struggling to find a place to live for THREE months. So our two night invasion of my sweet in-laws turned into three months of us sleeping on an air mattress in my nephew's room. Throw into that mix the fact that my sis-in-law was going through the not so fun first trimester, my nephew was going through a really difficult stage, her husband was gone for a straight month, she was going to school full-time and you've got some really stressed out people. Or at least I was. I was so stressed out that I stopped having a period and was on the verge of tears daily. I spent a lot of days asking "Why in the world are we in this horrible new place?"
I kept getting an answer to my question by continually being the recipient of an overwhelming amount of kindness from those around us. I illustrate how miserable our first few months in Toledo were to show that even though things seemed pretty grim for awhile, we still had sooo much to be thankful for all because of the people we were being introduced to. My whole life has been marked by being surrounded by selfless individuals, but our first year in T-town has just been chuck full of angels. I mean, let's take my bro&sis-in-law for starters. They let us sleep in their 900 sq foot apartment for 90 days! Who even does that? Answer: The kindest people in the universe. After we finally left them in peace, they continued to do these little (huge) acts of love for us. They brought me countless flats of raspberries and brought Sel root beer to last a lifetime. My bro-in-law even made an Anatomy finals rice krispie treat for Sel just because he is that thoughtful of a brother.
My parents have also been so incredible and done so much for us. I grew up thinking all parents were overwhelmingly kind, helpful, and loving. Turns out, some are, but some sadly are not. I won't even try to list all the things my parents have done for us this past year because it would seriously be a 500 page novel.
I have especially felt the love from all the wonderful lady friends in my ward. When I was newly pregnant two friends offered to let me borrow/have some of their maternity clothes. I was then bombarded with boxes of baby clothes from three friends (one of them being the same angel who gave me the maternity clothes). I have had two showers thrown for me and was given some incredible presents from some incredible people. I have already had multiple offers from friends to make us meals or help us out once the baby arrives. One friend went as far to ask intense specifics about Sel an I's favorite treats, meals, drinks, etc so she could have everything prepared. I think one of the most touching things happened the other day though. Thinking about it still makes me tear up a little because I honestly can't get over how sweet this act of service was. One of my friends came to my house and gave me a two hour pedicure. She washed my feet, massaged them, filed my toe nails, and painted them a dazzling ruby red. While I reclined in comfy chair my friend sat on our uncomfortable floor whilst being 28 weeks pregnant and washed my super unattractive feet. I couldn't help but relate her actions to when Christ washed the feet of the apostles. How do people like this even exist?
I know I cry about everything lately, but when I sit down and consider all of the love we have felt since we moved here, I just can't stop the tears. I feel so undeserving and unworthy to be surrounded by friends and family of this caliber. Looking back, it is so easy for me to see that this city is exactly where we were supposed to end up. Ghettoness and all.
I have been counting my blessings lately to keep my mind off the fact that I am still pregnant. As you can see, it has been pretty easy to come up with a huge list that can easily consume my thoughts. I would, however, totally be okay continuing to ponder how lucky I am with this baby on the outside of me instead of still partying it up inside. I really need to get his career as a child actor jump started and if he doesn't come out soon, I am super afraid all the good baby spots on the shows are going to be taken.

I am that child sitting in the field. 

Baby Rabies

Here we are folks at the  39th week and some change. I am 100% ready for this not-so-little guy to make his grand appearance. This whole pregnancy I have been telling myself he was going to be two weeks late to prepare myself for going over my due date. And then, the most unfortunate thing happened at exactly 37 weeks. I started having intense Braxton Hicks for two straight hours making me think he might be coming sooner rather than later. False. It appears he is more than happy to stay in Hotel Uterus for the next  3 weeks. I keep wondering what my mindset would be like if I hadn't started having those "fake" contractions three weeks ago and I feel like I would be a much happier camper. 

At my most recent doctor's appointment, my fav OB let me know I am zero percent dilated for the third week in a row. Rowboat's head is super low and apparently my cervix is downy soft (80% effaced), but no progress as of yet. During our super personal encounter, my doctor let me know we would likely not talk about induction until I am 42 weeks (July 28th) because I have a gigantic pelvis that could easily accommodate a 11 pound baby. I for sure DO NOT want to be induced, but imaging still being pregnant in a month is almost unbearable. It' s like a switch finally went off and my "I love being pregnant" mantra went to "Head toward the light at the end of the tunnel little boy or  that little home of yours is about to become a hostile environment ". Bending over feels like a brilliant and underutilized form of torture. I also cannot go 30 minutes without having to run to the bathroom which makes doing anything a p-a-r-t-y. I have begun to fantasize about the day when I can sleep on my back again without waking up to a racing heart, nausea, and cold sweats.  Also, I cannot wait to run again! I miss it so much more than I ever imagined I would. 

 All things considered, I still do feel pretty grand. Rowboat has never once kicked me in the ribs, my back has yet to be sore, I am not super swollen, I can still go on our three mile walks no problem, and I usually get at least five hours of sleep at night. So… I guess I can understand a little bit why this kid feels like he is chill to stay in there another millennium.
Despite all of that, this week Sel and I have been doing everything we can think of to encourage a speedy exit of the bambino. We ate an entire pineapple in 36 hours, had me walk on curbs for our daily 3 miler and yesterday I even waddle/ran for a few minutes, I have bounced on.my birth ball for hours, and eaten spicy food. My cervix, however, is still happily keeping that kid in.
I had my last day of work exactly a week ago due to the anticipation annoyingly built those fateful weeks ago. I can't decide if I wish I was still going to work as it would be a distraction whereas,  I also have reached a weird point where I don't want to go anywhere or do anything. Obviously physical things are a bit more taxing than before, but it's become a constant reminder from strangers, family, or friends that the baby is still not here. "Any day now" is likely the worst phrase ever invented in regards to pregnancy because any day now entails a very large 6 week window.  I don't know what is wrong with me because I haven't even hit my official due date yet, but I am starting to realize my initial prediction of him coming two weeks late is extremely likely. Ultimately, all I want is for this little guy to be as healthy and happy as possible even if it means two and a half more weeks of this.  I know for certain that he is worth the wait.

They Might Be Giants

Today I had an OB appointment and it turns out I am pregnant with a small giant. When the ultrasound put her wand on my stomach her first word was "Whoa!" which you know, is always the first thing expectant parents want to hear. She went on to say "Whoa, that is one big kid. He certainly doesn't have much room". Apparently, Baby Rowboat is already measuring in at a whooping 7 lbs 14 oz.  Guys, I have THREE weeks left! Three weeks left for that almost 8 pound baby to become a 10 pound plus baby. My OB opened my ultrasound file when he came in the room and with an amused look on his face said, "Well, these things can be off by a bit. Let's really hope for your sake that your baby is not that big, but I am pretty sure you are looking at a baby at least 8 lbs at minimum". Aw! I know these measurements are almost always off, but whoa! When I told my nurse my worries, she was said "I mean, you are obviously measuring very big so it would make sense that you would have a big baby" Oh since we are talking about other comments on my enormous size, my co-worker told me I am bigger than she was when she was this far along. Oh and little tidbit, she had TWINS. How about instead everyone tells me how not gigantic they find me?

I guess I can't blame them when I look at this picture though. That is a pretty impressive basketball of a stomach. 

Also, I am very much hoping to do this birth without pain medication. Every time I have told someone close to me my plan, they have more or less laughed at me. The people I am counting on supporting me most have likely been the most doubtful. Luckily, this has just made me 100% more determined to prove to them I can most assuredly do this. Feel free to tell me I can do this or stories about amazing people doing the same thing. 

In other news, my favorite bearded hubby is dedicating his entire summer to doing some pretty fascinating research for the University of Toledo. Most of the focus has primarily been on the negative effects of sugar on the body, the addictive nature of sugar and the prevalence of sugar in America's food supply. It is ridiculously fun for me to "assist" with his research by watching health documentaries, reading articles, listening to books on tape and my all-time fav, being suspiciously monitored by Wal-Mart security as we go through the cereal aisles documenting nutrition facts and what consumers are putting in their carts. I truly do support Sel's research and think he is doing a stellar job of contributing to the medical field. I also believe that being healthy or at least really trying to be healthy should be a top priority in anyone's life. Sel and I have, like anyone, had their ups and downs with our efforts. Lately we have had an up. Wahoo! We recently have been pounding the fresh fruits and veggies from our CSA like nobody's business, exercising, and reducing our processed food intake. 

Look at all that delicious stuff! 

Want to know a secret though? All I want from life is salad, strawberries, sugar snap peas plus ice-cream, balled ice with lime juice, and Chick-fil-A cookies. Since Sel is being amazingly healthy, I am ashamed to succumb to eating things I know are not great for me in front of him. This week I decided a frosty and I needed to get together pronto. I didn't want Sel to know though so I used our special cash fund we use for the toll road, parked a half mile down the street from our house, and then pretty much made out with my frosty. I then proceeded to try and hide the evidence by dumping the frosty cup in our neighbors trash can. The thing is, I know Sel probably wouldn't judge me, but fat habits die hard folks. Also, is it okay to pull the pregnancy card here? Yes?

Well, please ask the pregnancy gods to keep this kid under 11 pounds for me. Either way, I can hardly wait to meet this adorable chubby babe of mine. 

36 Weeks and Quite Large

I really intended to write a post last week, but things have been crazy busy around here lately and probably will continue to be crazy busy until this kid makes his grand appearance. Also, can we talk about how that big day is only about a month away?! I am absolutely uncomprehending of how I am possibly so close to starting off my new stage of life.  I am beginning to wonder if time will ever pass at a “normal” rate again. I really expected this pregnancy thing to go differently. I was really expecting to feel totally over being pregnant by this point, but I am still just loving it! I went through a really uncomfortable few days around 33 weeks where I just felt HUGE and frustrated at my inability to bend or sleep or eat or really do anything comfortably. I also was having trouble with my appetite and wasn’t gaining any weight. Normally, I would high five myself and move on with my life, but I was worried I was starving my little lumberjack.  I then realized I hadn’t exercised for three days straight and realized how much of a difference it seriously makes for me. Now I feel just as good as I did during the second trimester! I honestly cannot express how much I have noticed the benefits of just 30 minutes/day. My appetite returned and even though the “bend and snap” is still a thing of the past, I can move around in a similar way to a spry 82-year-old. Also, since I like to make myself sound really desirable on this blog, I have finally earned some tiger stripes (aka stretch marks). I thought I was going to avoid those beauty marks, but I know have four lovely little lines on the large basketball I call a stomach. There goes my future contract to be a Victoria Secret model. J For real though, pregnancy rocks. I love feeling this little guy roll around in there and watching my stomach move around. He has gotten so huge that you can see my stomach completely shift from one side to the other. It sort of reminds me of Alien except much less creepy. I also know he is getting mega strong because he kicked my full bladder the other day and I peed a little bit. I get a little bit sexier everyday that this pregnancy progresses :) 

Also, I definitely shouldn't have been worried about my weight because my OB helped quiet any fears about that at my last appointment. I wish I could describe his personality better here, but I think he is just one of those people you have to meet yourself. He noted that I had only gained a pound in the last three weeks and then measured my small bowling ball. When I asked him how I was measuring, he told me I was measuring 5 days ahead of schedule, but that he really doesn't place a lot of emphasis on the lovely tape measuring method. He then proceeded to say, "I mean, obviously you are quite large" and made a hand motion imitating a large belly on himself. I was beginning to feel pretty svelte up until that point (jokkkke). I seriously do love being pregnant though. I love not having to feel like I need to look a certain way because who is going to tell a preggo lady she is looking a bit chubby lately? 

My nurse though paid me the ultimate compliment to help me not feel quite so disheartened about my OB's assessment. She told me she had never seen more clear urine than mine and told me to keep up my intense water guzzling. I have been trying to incorporate better ways to bring up my great news about my great pee in regular conversations, but just haven't found the right way to do it. Any suggestions are much appreciated.

A bunch of fun baby things have been happening lately. I had an absolutely fantastic shower thrown for me by two of my really sweet friends and my wonderful sis-in-law. The theme was “Lumberjacks and Bowties” which I, of course, adored. This whole pregnancy has also been marked with this intense feeling of gratitude and love for all the kind people who are in my life. I cannot get over how richly I have been blessed. 

My sweet friend Steph made that banner out of scratch! Isn't it adorable?

Kari made a veggie log cabin for me to devour. Isn't she a cute creative one?

In other news, Sel and I also have pretty much finished the nursery. Hurrah! See those yellow and gray chevron curtains with tiny elephants on them? I know you are probably thinking, wow! Those are so amazing! Where can I possible purchase such incredible curtains? Well inquiring audience, you can’t purchase them anywhere because yours truly made those babies. Let me reveal in my accomplishment for a brief moment here because prior to starting those, I had never sewn anything in my life. (you got me. I did sew a K-state football in seventh grade home-ec, but I am pretty sure I got a C on it). Sel should also get a huge shout out here for being a much larger and hairier version of Bob the Builder. He put together the dresser/changing table and with some assistance from our wonderful bro-in-law, also put together the crib and reconstructed our two twin beds. Wins all around in the Warden household. Hopefully little Rowboat will be as impressed with his first bachelor pad as we are. 

That ridiculously high bed used to be two twin beds and Sel & his brosky masterfully turned it into that beautiful "trundle bed"

Notice how the dresser and the crib aren't matching colors? That would be because Baby Depot is the worst and sent us the wrong colored dresser. I still really love his room though :) 

Rowboat actually has three full drawers of clothes plus that closet and three more tubs. I am 100% sure he has more clothes already than I do 

30 Weeks

As has been my mindset this whole pregnancy, time just keeps flying by at an excitingly quick rate. I cannot seem to comprehend that I have 10 weeks left until I this perfect little man gets here! People have finally started to say things in public about me being pregnant and they are so incredibly sweet about it. It makes me want to hug complete strangers when they ask when I am due or congratulate me. I also cannot get over how in love with this little thing I am. I have never been more amazed by my body and what it is capable of. Whenever I feel him kick or hiccup or roll over, I can’t help but marvel at what a miracle he is. I have been mentally noting some things that I hope to remember when he is teething or colicky or when I am pushed to my physical and emotional limits. I can never complain about having a healthy child. Ever. This experience is such a blessing and something I will be eternally grateful for.

Look at that bump! Isn't it a bit mind blowing how bit it still will get?!

Physically I am still feeling pretty great! I have recently had an interesting new appearance of my first trimester food aversions. It has again become a struuuuggle to want to eat something because I know I will feel sick 15 minutes after eating it no matter what it is. I even threw away a chick-fil-a shake the other day after only eating five bites. Now you really know how real this aversion is getting if I am throwing away CFA goodness.  I guess the aversion came at a good time because I am pretty sure my OB inadvertently called me fat at my last appointment. When he asked me how my appetite was, I said it was pretty good (this was before the new wave of food hate hit) and he said ‘”Oh, I can tell”. He aims to bolster my confidence on a bi-monthly basis lately.

I am still exercising mostly everyday which I still attribute to feeling excellent during this pregnancy. I am craving running like never before though. Sel and I have been walking in the metroparks lately and every time a runner dashes past us, I want to start trotting after them. Sel is going to have to get me a leash to keep me from embarrassing myself. It really shouldn’t be a huge concern because climbing stairs lately is comparable to the time I climbed Mt. Everest.

I feel like I look exhausted whenever someone takes a picture of me lately. I  do get mega tired from doing really simple things, but just not nearly as much as I feel the pictures portray. You would tell me if I looked like a zombie, right? 

My body is doing an excellent job of preparing me for a newborn. I typically wake up twice during the night to go to the bathroom and I also have developed restless arm syndrome. What is RAS you ask? A new syndrome I just made up. My arms have decided they need to be going places in the middle of the night. I keep getting my hand stuck in our headboard and will wake up to pain in my wrist from me trying to tug it out. I have also accidentally slapped Sel in the face twice because my arm will just raise itself up multiple times per night and then abruptly fall on Sel’s or my face.  A few times Sel has woken up frightened by the weird figuring hovering over our bed only to realize it is my arm. He is really sweet and will gently tuck it down by me, but alas, that stubborn arm will just take to the skies later on. It has actually become a HUGE relief to wake up in the mornings because I don’t have to keep forcing myself tokeep trying to sleep. Pregnancy is amazing folks. I can’t believe how it prepares you for the first exhausting weeks (months/years…).

This week was my last as a full-time employee at Kelly. I was feeling majorly overwhelmed and stressed about work and originally planned to put in my notice for the end of April. My boss was really sweet and asked me if I could stay on part-time until this little guy gets here which is actually pretty wonderful. It will give me extra time to get everything together while also not leaving me bored out of my mind. I have a HUGE list of projects I need to complete and am really hoping Baby R stays in there until his due date because I am 100% sure I will not be able to finish everything if he comes early.

Finally (since this isn’t a long enough post already) I cannot even begin to describe how incredibly kind our friends and family are. This kid has mountain of clothes to destroy that generous moms have passed on to me. I sometimes look in Baby R’s closet and get teary eyed looking at all of those boxes that symbolize what angelic friends we have. Also, I cannot even believe how much I love this little boy already. I had heard plenty of stories about how miserable pregnancy was, but very few told me stories about how deeply in love with a 3 pound little human you can fall. My heart feels like it is going to explode some days. The most precious thing has been happening lately. Baby R will have been chilling quietly on my commute home and as soon as Sel gets in the car, he starts rolling around and kicking up a storm. The other day we were holding hands while watching Spiderman and he just kept nailing Sel's arm. It makes me feel like he already loves his dad as much as I do. I am pretty sure I know who his favorite parent will be already. Aw! I cannot wait to see Sel hold our little boy. 

A Blue Baby Moon

I need to put in a plug for anyone who every plans on becoming parents to take a babymoon. Why? Because they are amazing and probably the last relaxing vacation you will ever experience. We decided to take our little vaca a few weeks ago and it felt sooo nice to just be with Sel. I realized a few hours into our road trip that I hadn’t had a full body laugh in what felt like months. I spent most of our trip just cracking jokes with Sel or sharing meaningful looks that had us erupt in laughter.  Sel and I started our trip by driving about 500 miles to Newark, NJ. We joked the whole time we were there that we should just spend the rest of our week in Newark because it was such a charming little place (joke). It really wasn’t as bad as people had led me to believe, but what a confusing street/highway system. I think Sel wanted to strangle me at least three times while I played navigator and accidentally led us to a shady mafia run car lot, a cemetery, and a majorly ghetto neighborhood. I am probably the world’s best driver (which is why Sel never lets me drive) and the world’s second best navigator. Poor Sel.

Throwing the Asian peace sign in Central park

The next two days we knocked out A LOT of New York city. Over the course of two days, we walked a full marathon (aka 26.2 miles). I was a bit of a complainer our last day because I have a tiny human stealing a great deal of my oxygen and energy.  By the time we made it to the MET, Sel and I had to both just sit around a lot and take naps. Not surprisingly, my favorite part of the NYC trip seemed to center on food. We tried out this amazing pizza joint (Lombardi's-thank you to the wonderful NYC guru who recommended this) in Little Italy and I am zero percent ashamed to admit we ate the whole thing between the two of us. Other food highlights were Grays Papaya, Pomme Frites, and the king of all kings, Wafels & Dinges. Sel and I were only in NYC for 48 hours and we ate there four times. I cannot even begin to describe the heaven that is W&D. I am really wanting to plan a trip back there for the sole purpose of eating more of these. 

Sel carrying the lunch box of all my preggo snacks. I would have died without that baby. 

We also got super lucky and got to get together with some of New York's finest for dinner. Oh how I have missed my dear roomies! They are just as fabulous as ever (if not more so) and I am sure you will see their names in lights in the not too distant future. Watch out Broadway!

The Elite New Yorkers

We rounded out our trip by visiting Lancaster, PA to see our Amish friends. We were sadly a tinsy bit disappointed by the Amish of Lancaster. We have been majorly spoiled by the Amish here in Columbo who make the BEST baked goods this world has ever seen and were expecting Lancaster to be the mecca of Amish baked goods. False. It was absolutely beautiful, but much more commercialized than charming Charm, OH. The Bed&Breakfast we stayed at certainly made up for the lack of pastries by being the most adorable, comfy little home I could have ever imagined. The owners came and talked to us when we got there and told us about their conversion from being Amish to becoming Mennonites. It was such a relaxing little stop and I wished we could have stayed in those rolling hills forever. It was nice to have such a contrast on our trip; the never-ending hustle and bustle of NYC and the charming, simple life of Amish country. 

Pomme Frites

Oh! I will round this baby out with one of our final trip highlights. Sel and I decided last minute to take a tour at the Herr's chip factory in PA. It was honestly one of the more fun and interesting things we did. It was certainly better than Hershey, PA which was unfortunately a big let down. I expected chocolate town to smell of chocolate and to have men and women standing on every corner passing out delicious chocolate bars. The only thing that was worth any mention was the chocolate BBQ pizza and chocolate chili we tried at Hershey world. Too bad Rittersport is all the way in Germany cause I would have LOVED to take a tour of their factory and then eat every single bit of chocolate they make. 

Oh boy! I have a problem apparently because most of our babymoon was focused on either being impressed or disappointed about what we ate. Either way, the trip was sooo needed and I am undeniably grateful to Sel for making it happen. I know I emphasize it a lot, but I married such a winner. That kid is my whole world and makes everyday feel like we are on some crazy cross-country adventure.

What we mostly did at the MET

Hopefully our children will be as cute as those behind Sel

Our B&B in Lancaster

25 Weeks

Could some tell me how I only have roughly 3 months until I have this baby? Seriously though, H.O.W? I feel like this pregnancy thing is just flying by. The days go slowly, but the weeks, whoa! While I am sooo excited to finally meet this little guy, I am also feeling like I have nothing prepared for his arrival. 3 months should be plenty of time to get everything together, right? Right?

For all the not so enjoyable pregnancy symptoms, there are at least ten incredible ones to outweigh each complaint. I have been able to feel this little dude really start to use his muscles. He loves to celebrate a good meal like any King or Warden would. 30 minutes after I eat, you can count on him to start punching his fists in the air in celebration. He also gets crazy happy whenever I take a bath. The other day I was just chillin in the tub and he started kicking so hard he made ripples in the water. It was crazy amazing! The one thing I am really looking forward to is having Sel feel him kick from the outside.  Every single time he starts kicking and I tell Sel to put his hand on my stomach, he will stop right away. I am pretending it's because he is a super calm child who already loves to be soothed by my or Sel's hand…but it's probably because he is the combination of Sel and I which means he stops kicking because he knows we want him to keep doing it.

We also got to see him at our most recent baby doc appointment! It was so incredible that I almost started crying. When the tech turned the imaging to 3D, I was able to see his little lips sucking. It was so darling! Obviously, he is getting himself ready for what will surely be his favorite part of early life: the never ending milk buffet. It was kind of my moment where I became absolutely smitten with this little being. I think I have just been in shock most of this pregnancy making everything feel like it isn't actually happening. When I saw his little lips sucking though, it just hit my system with a dose of reality (and lots of love). He is already ridiculously like Sel. His arm was up by his face the whole ultrasound making it hard to get a good shot. I had to cough/bark to get him to move it for just a fraction of a second. For all who don't know, the only way to get Sel to actually smile is to bark when taking a picture. I'm not kidding. Our wedding involved most of my family barking during the pictures to try to get Sel to smile. Haha, this is going to be so freaking fun to have another quirky little Warden guy running around. The same tech who has a crush on my cervix said our guy was in the 56% for growth, he was weighing 1 lb 10 oz, had a perfect 4 chamber heart and he had legs that were 5 days ahead of schedule. Those long little legs better come out with some impressive fat rolls. Come on and get chunky little dude!

I am starting to look more pregnant and loving it! Only two strangers so far have asked if I am pregnant (which I wanted to kiss them for asking). I honestly am so excited to have the undeniable bump of pregnancy. What I am not excited about is having to buy a new bra. How come no one really told me how unmanageable these girls would become? I know that would normally be a pretty legit body change, but I would prefer that they just chilllll out. What are they even trying to prove at this point? Honestly though.

Finally, would anyone like to suggest a name for our child? Cause we are still at a complete loss. We have been asking our nursery and primary kids what we should name him and though they have put together a really impressive think tank of the brightest 3-5 year olds around, they haven't been able to come to a consensus. We've decided to have a vote and let the majority decide for us what name to bestow upon the half-ling.
1. Speedy Warden
2. Unicorn Warden
3. Baby Brother Warden
4. Daddy Astronaut Warden

A little old man outfit I cannot wait to squeeze him into

I think he is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Those lips! That nose! 

Still definitely a boy. We had her check just to make triple sure. Whoa.

Being extra adorable and sucking his thumb

The bump is getting there. I think I am carrying really low which is why people probably think I am just letting myself go instead of growing a human. The thing they don't know is, I am doing both ;) 

That cape attaches to a tiny superman outfit my cousin sent me that I am obsessed with. I kind of want an adult sized one for Sel and I :)