Revision to post below - We're already in the 3rd Trimester! :-)

According to several of my friends that are already moms (including Amy Brown, who is also a Labor & Delivery Nurse), the 3rd trimester begins at 27 weeks!

So....we are officially in our third (and final) trimester! Let the fun begin! :-)

27 weeks

It's time for the weekly picture again .... here I am at 27 weeks:

There seems to be some debate on when the 3rd trimester begins. One of my pregnancy books says that it starts at 27 weeks, but other resources say 28 weeks. Since I am not sure, I'll go with the later date. So one more week & we'll be in the 3rd & final trimester! :-)

Michigan Baby Shower

Today was our third & final baby shower - this one was with my Michigan friends. Carrie, her mom Betty, Niki & Andrea all hosted the event. Several of our Michigan friends attended, including our landlord Debbie, neighbor Kay, my boss Marge, hairdresser Cristin, former student & friend Jen, and my teachers from dance, Jessica & Amy. It was a gorgeous day --- the weather was sunny and warm for a change!

We started by eating some delicious food, then begin to play a few games. The first game was "Do you have these items in your purse?" ... guests were asked to find random items in their purses, such as postage stamps, 17 pennies, a grocery receipt & a dollar bill with 2 "7s" in the serial number. Cristin won the purse game, and she definitely had the largest purse to find buried items in!!! :-)

The second game was "Let's try & guess how large Keely's belly is!" Each guest had to take streamer ribbon & guess how big my belly was .... after they ripped off their guess, we measured it around my belly to see who was the closest. It was a two-way tie - both Debbie & Marge were extremely close! (FYI - my belly is currently 43.5 inches around). Here's a few pics from the game:

Amy's guess was WAY too big :-)

Marge's guess was close! Carrie is the "judge" :-)

After the games, I opened gifts & then we had some delicious cake. It was a wonderful afternoon spent with friends, and we are so blessed to have such thoughtful people in our lives. Our Michigan friends do a great job of making us feel "at home away from home" and we really appreciate it! A special thanks to our hostesses for throwing a wonderful shower. And, a few more pictures from the event:

26 weeks ... only 97 days to go!

Here is my 26 week pic - I noticed in this photo that my stomach seems to be a bit lower than it has in the past. It is a bit difficult to see since I am wearing black, but my belly is definitely lower than it was before.

My stomach is also getting bigger by the minute..... last week, I measured 42.5 inches, this week my belly is 43.5 inches. That is a whole inch in a week!!!! WOW!

The nursery is complete!

The nursery is READY - we are so happy with how everything turned out!!! Unfortunately, since we are in a rental house we cannot paint, so the walls are plain white. And due to the fact that we will only be living here for a few more months, we opted to not hang curtains yet. We'll have to leave the painting & window coverings for our next house. However, every other detail is in place ..... watch the "grand tour" first, but be sure to hit "pause" on the music at the bottom of the blog page so you can hear my commentary :-) Since the video is a bit dark, I also took pictures so you can see the details more clearly - let us know what you think!

Personalized wall hanging from Grandma Gayle and Grandpa Jim

Jason's vintage baseball prints (Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, the old Yankee Stadium, etc.)

Easton's crib (yellow afghan by Sandy Moore) & Easton's jersey, made by aunt Bettie & me

The sitting area & changing table

Close-up of baseball lamp (purchased by Jason & me) & table topper, which was a group family effort! (thanks Grandma Francis, Aunt Bettie, Aunt Lois & Mama) :-)

Rocking Baseball from my friend, Mayhan

Check out that stocked up closet! (but there are extra hangers & more space, so keep the clothes coming) :-)

Jason felt Easton kick!

Last night (Saturday October 17th) around 10:30pm, Jason & I were watching the Yankees beat the Angels in the American League Playoffs (the final score was 4 to 3, and the game went 14 innings!!!). Easton was moving around quite a bit, so I thought Jason may be able to feel him kicking. I've been feeling the flutters & kicks for a while now, so I really wanted Jason to be able to feel it too.

Jason laid his hand on my belly & felt Easton kick about 10 times in just a few minutes! It was quite exciting .... although I think the fact that Jason was preoccupied with the baseball game made it less of an event for him. :-) Regardless, we've hit another milestone - Easton is a strong little guy and continues to grow & kick up a storm each day!

Fall/Halloween Decorations

This past weekend, I convinced Jason to drag my fall/Halloween decorations upstairs. I don't have very many fall items, but the chilly weather had me motivated to put out the things that I do have. Here are a few pictures of the decorations:

Woven pumpkins on a silver leaf-shaped tray

Fake pumpkins at the top of the stairs (don't they look real???)

Fall wreath & Horn of Plenty hanging in front of mirror

And my favorite, the "Haunted Halloween Tree" :-)

25 weeks!!!

It's time for my weekly picture ... here I am at 25 weeks:



I did my glucose screening test on Monday - today I got a call from the nurse, I passed the test with a score of 105. (the goal is to have below 130). She also mentioned that my hemoglobin count was 12.8, which was great as well (normal is between 11 to 15). So it looks like there are no worries of me having gestational diabetes, what a relief!

We've been working on finishing the nursery - our goal is to have it completed before our baby shower next Sunday, Oct. 25th. A few of my Michigan friends are hosting the shower, but we decided to have it at my house so that we (I mean, Jason!) wouldn't have to drag the gifts across town. I am sure our guests will want to see the nursery, so we are hoping to have it perfect by then.

Not much else is going on - Jason & I are staying busy with work, and anxiously awaiting Easton's arrival. Easton is still kicking and moving up a storm, but Jason has yet to feel any movement from the outside. I am hoping that happens soon!

24 week update

I'm 24 weeks pregnant - the weeks keep passing by! This week marks a milestone.... a pregnancy is officially considered "viable" at 24 weeks, which is insane to think a little one can make it if they come so early! Of course we want him to keep "baking" as long as possible, but it is reassuring to know that if Easton decides to make an early arrival, he could still be fine. Crazy, huh???

Here's my 24 week picture - notice the nursery in the background, we've made a lot of progress!

I visited my OBGYN for my monthly appointment today ... everything is going great, and I have finally gained some weight. I am up 5 lbs. from my last appointment - usually that would be shocking, but I welcomed the news considering I haven't gained a lot thus far. It took a few tries to find it because SOMEONE was moving around a lot in my belly, but Easton's heartbeat was strong at 145 beats per minute. My pelvic bone-to-uterus measurement was 25 cm, which is right on target. My blood pressure was fine & there was no protein in my urine. It was a good check-up!

I am scheduled to take the glucose blood test next week, which tests for gestational diabetes. I am not supposed to eat/drink anything 4 hours before the appointment, and once I arrive I drink a sweet, syrupy juice. They make me wait an hour and then take blood. Say a prayer that all goes well with the test, and I'll post an update once we get the results.

We've made a ton of progress on the nursery - all of the clothing that we received from our showers & as hand-me-downs are hung up in the closet, and all other gifts are put away. There are decorations/pictures hanging on the wall & we've begun organizing books, hats, socks, toys, etc. into their own baskets. We have a couple more final touches - but I should be posting nursery pics really soon, so stay tuned! :-)