38 weeks

Here I am, 38 weeks pregnant, after my last day of work before my maternity leave starts, looking ready to pop. The spicy Indian food didn't get anything going, but it was delicious, so not a total loss. I am so ready to have this baby! After a long walk on Sunday morning I got a sharp cramp and had to sit down in a nearby park. I started to feel nauseous even. I thought, "this is it! This is the start of labor!" But, no dice. I need to do some soul searching because I certainly could be sitting here writing another one of these posts in two weeks. At my last doctor's appointment I was 1cm dilated and 50% effaced, let's hope that progresses even more by Wednesday at my next appointment. Question. Have any of you or women you know have had their membranes swept? Let me know!

Lately

What I wore to a rehearsal dinner last week. Nothing like a maxi dress to cover this bump-and a 6 year old dress to boot! During this pregnancy so many people have expressed how sorry they are that I am so pregnant during the summer, but I actually prefer it! I don't want anything touching my belly or (entire bloated body!) so being able to live in maxi dresses, skirts and tanks and flip flops has been awesome. I can't imagine if I had to wear winter attire (or find it and pay for it!).

The bassinet. Where baby will sleep for the first few months, placed right next to my side of the bed for easy feedings during the nights. This is the same bassinet Jon and his siblings slept in! Of course I had to buy a new organic mattress and fitted sheet. ;)

A softie basket filled with teethers! I put together another cute basket full of breast feeding essentials to keep at easy reach of the glider in the nursery. Speaking of, I think I will photograph it this weekend and finally share it next week! It isn't totally done, but who knows if it ever will be?

Since our cloth diapers were pretty expensive (thank you Mom!!) I want to make sure we don't accidentally ruin them in the wash. I figured in the beginning we are going to be pretty deliriously sleep deprived, so I printed out the directions and hung them in our garage above the washer and dryer. 

I have also been packing the hospital bag and stocking the freezer with food. I really hope baby comes earlier rather than later, I am pretty sick of being pregnant. After my last day of work on Friday we are going out to Indian food and I am getting the spiciest thing on the menu.

wedding weekend!

This past weekend we celebrated the wedding of our friends, Miguel and Brigitte. What a beautiful wedding it was, probably one of the most stunning weddings I have ever witnessed. We were a little nervous with my due date being so close as Jon was the best man, but everything went well! Take a peek at the gorgeous affair.

Held in Muir Beach along the California Coast. Can't beat it. And for anyone who knows coastal northern California weather knows that it can really be hit or miss. The day could have easily been shrouded in thick fog, misty or bitterly cold. Instead it was sunny and beautiful.

Their first kiss as husband and wife! 

Decorated wedding shuttle. 

The place cards were also the favors and so creative. Since after the wedding a lot of guests were staying to camp with the bride and groom, they attached flashlights to cute hair bands so everyone could light their way! They were a big hit.

The reception took place on the edge of a cliff essentially. The view couldn't have been better. 

An awesome yurt for dancing!

Helping his bride rub in her sunscreen. So cute. 

 I'm totally bias, but Jon killed his best man speech. So good.

I carried a watermelon. 

Carrot cake! 

The garter removal! Check out everyone's glow sticks. So much fun.

 I love weddings so much, especially when the couple is as deserving of happiness as these two. 

Congrats to Mig and Brig!!!

Full Term

We are now throwing around the delicious phrase "full term" around here. Exciting stuff! I can't believe most of my pregnancy is behind me. This post will be a 36-37 week one as once I have photographed myself and the bump another week seems to pass before I can post it. Well, let's just get this out of the way so your mouths can drop and you can recover and move on.

That's a whole lotta baby!

Some thoughts at 37 weeks:

-The baby has definitely dropped. The lower pressure I have suddenly encountered is not letting up and it happened at the same time I noticed the bump appearing more sloped and lower than normal. My tops even fit differently. He is getting into position, which makes me happy. 

-Sleeping sucks. I actually dread when it's time for bed because it feels like work! I basically need to switch from side to side all night long and whenever I randomly wake up on my back I feel guilty. And simply "flipping" from one side to the other is very difficult and sort of painful. 

-My exercise ball is my best friend. The position most people watch TV in while on the couch is pretty bad for promoting baby to stay in the right position and it doesn't help with circulation so I try to sit on the exercise ball when we are zoning out.

-Still not one stretch mark. Hopefully we make it all the way through without any. 

-Last doctor's appointment did not show any dilatation but cervix softening. I'll take it!

-Got some nursing bras. I got way bummed out afterwards for some reason. Those things are not cute, even if you make them in black or animal print. It probably didn't help that I got them after we went suit shopping for Jon. Sharp + Sexy Suits to Nursing Bras, yay!

-Still no Braxton Hicks contractions. 

My current routine includes my prenatals, extra DHA, vitamin D and Calcium chews. I take the calcium chew at night because it absorbs best on its own (or with vitamin D) but also because it is supposed to help with late night leg cramps. I will continue on all of these while breastfeeding. 

Here are some new things I recently picked up. I have read on a couple blogs that oil of evening primrose and raspberry leaf tea are great things to take to begin toning your uterus and preparing the cervix for delivery. The Fenugreek is to help with milk production, so I will toss this in my hospital bag. I hear it makes your pee and sweat smell like maple syrup!

-Also, not related to pregnancy but I feel this reminder is needed right about now.

40 year anniversary party!

On August 26th my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage with a huge 50's themed party at their house. They sure worked their tails off crafting such an amazing party with authentic outfits, decorations and even the beer!

The whole family! Recognize anyone? We have an In-N-Out worker, a couple poodle skirt chicks, a milkman, a Pink Lady (with the milkman's baby...), a teeny greaser and Danny and Sandy from Grease!

The party was complete with a Twist-off dance contest, costume contest, catering by a Fuddruckers truck, a DJ playing authentic music all night, an amazing performance of "You're the one that I want" by my brother and sister-in-law, and happy people celebrating my parents all night!

Happy anniversary, M + D. 40 years, you should be proud!!

great idea: STACKED wine

I love great design, clever packaging and wine. Therefore, I LOVE Stacked wine! I just read about this on jamie of all trades and had to re-post it as well. Stacked wines are wine that are pre-packaged into reusable cups. One stacked wine is the same you'd find in a typical bottle of wine, only you don't need to worry about glasses or a bottle opener.

Can you imagine what a game changer this is for future picnics, outings and the like? There are so many places glass isn't allowed, so this would be clutch! Also, the weight of carrying a wine bottle, additional glasses and an opener don't make for great impromptu boozing in the park like Stacked makes it. I am totally sold.  Chose from 4 glasses of Merlot, Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.

Buy online or in Southern California for $15 a pop.

One Year

Hold up, how has it been a year since the wedding? I think this must have been the fastest moving year of my life. And here we are, one month shy of our baby's due date. I would have never called that. Tonight we celebrate our first year as husband and wife and will have some of our wedding cake!
Jon, it goes without saying, I love you.

Photos by Kate Harrison.

a ladies lunch baby shower

I feel so lucky to have such a sweet cousin who wanted to throw me a shower, any kind I wanted. Since we already had our big co-ed one, I thought something much smaller with just a few of the ladies I love the most would be a great way to celebrate baby Jonas. She threw the classiest luncheon ever. Take a peek!

The adorable banner greeted us as we walked inside.

The beautiful table settings. 

All the place cards had quotes related to babies and children. 

My sister in law set up a station for us to scrapbook Jonas' baby book. Everyone was in charge of creating a few pages like First Tooth, Nursery, Coming home from the hospital, First solid food and so on. All the pages were decorated so cute and uniquely so now whenever those moments happen, I just have to glue in the photos! Such an amazing time saver.

Beverages.

Peaches & Prosciutto. 

Our beautiful and colorful lunch. 

And lastly, one of my favorite presents: a homemade linen pillow from my Aunt Liana. 

It is sooo beautiful in person. I sure felt the love from everyone that day!

garlands galore!

I have been scouring Etsy for a cute garland to hang above the crib for some visual interest for Jonas and to fill up some bare wall. I know buntings and what not have been overdone but here are some that still feel fun and fresh to me. I have been entertaining the idea of making something myself out of paper pinwheels from the wedding, stay tuned!

Chinese Lanterns, Blue Ombre, Stars and Moons, Honeycomb, Neon and Neutral, Stars.

since we can't just call him "baby"

That's right, we are naming him Jonas! We are in love with this name and our little boy who we already have been referring to as Jonas. His middle name is Pieter, after my grandpa. Pieter is the Dutch spelling of Peter and is pronounced the same way. Pieter is also my brother's middle name. So while his last name represents Jon's family, his middle name represents mine. That was important to me. Hopefully you love his name just as much as we do.