My Due Date is 2 Weeks Away!

Baby Minton has really plumped up.  He more than likely weighs about 6.8 pounds and he’s probably over 19 1/2 inches long or the length of a leek.  He has a firm grasp, which we’ll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time!  His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Also, we have finished our birthing classes which gave us a great overview of what to expect as we prepare to head to the hospital.  What is driving me crazy is that I have no idea when that will be!  I’d like to deliver near (or on!) my due date, but as my OB back in Denver would say…only 5% of women deliver on their due date so good luck with that.

At this point I think I’m more excited then nervous.  I can’t wait to see what Baby Minton looks like.  Is he going to have brown eyes like me?  What color hair is he going to have and how much?  I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

What have we been up to?

It’s been a few weeks since my last post.  My apologies, but we’ve been a little busy.  For those of you who haven’t heard the news – Mike and I moved back to Michigan in late June.  He’s taken a new job with a company in Ann Arbor and I’m fortunate enough to be able to keep my job with Bridgeline Digital and work remotely from home.

So you want to know where home is?  Well, we have moved in with my parents temporarily.  Not something I’d have expected that I’d be doing at 35 years of age, but thankfully they welcomed us, our two dogs and our two cats to move into their basement while we look for a home.  I’m not sure, but I think the pending arrival of Baby Minton probably helped us get in!

What else is new?  Well after Mike drove two – that’s right.  Not one but TWO Budget Trucks from Denver to Livonia, we’ve stored all of our belongs in a storage unit and tried to settle in and prepare for our little one to arrive.  Here’s a short list of the things we’ve been busy doing:

*Found a new OB and took a tour of the hospital – we’ll be delivering at St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia

*We’re taking birthing classes at Troy Beaumont Hospital (I know it’s a hike but we late in getting registered and that’s the only hospital that had openings!)

*We’ve purchased all of the must-have baby items including the pack n’ play, stroller and swing

*Mike is helping my Dad finish a bathroom in the basement – the toliet is already operational which makes midnight bathroom runs much easier!

*We’ve spent two weekends out at the cottage with my Grandma – she is extremely excited to have us home

*We’re both working full-time still, although I’m preparing to go on maternity leave as of my due date which is Aug 2nd

There’s lots of other stuff that’s going on too as relocating is a full time endeavor when you’re trying to change addresses, order checks, move bank accounts, etc.  So are you wondering if it’s worth it? 

ABSOLUTELY! 

Even though it was tough packing up and leaving Denver, the love and support we are getting from our friends and family here in Michigan was worth all the sore backs from packing, Mike’s two cross-country drives and any money we spent to relocate.  And if you think we appreciate it now, just wait until our little peanut arrives.  That’s when it’s really going to be evident that we made the right decision in choosing to move back to Michigan.

We’ve Hit 34 Weeks!

Baby Minton now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.  His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he’s born — are filling him out, making him rounder.  His skin is also smoother than ever and his central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well.

I’m not nervous about preterm labor, but in the event you are you’ll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine.  They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Mike’s Almost Home!

For those of you who didn’t see my updates on Facebook late last week or over the weekend, I was a “hunting widow” this weekend.  I know it’s not officially deer season, but Mike headed to Michigan for the weekend to spend some time with his Dad, brothers and some friends at the hunting camp for what I’m calling the “Pre-baby Blowout!”. 

This morning he got on a plane in Alpena at 6am and had connections through both Detroit and Minneapolis and will be landing in Denver within the next hour.  Not having flown Delta in a while, I was excited to see that not only do they post the estimates and actual times for the departures and arrivals, but they also show you on a map where the plane is. 

Here’s where Mike was when I check on his flight status at 11:50am MT today:

While I enjoyed my weekend at home alone, it’ll be good to have him back as I definitely missed him!

Baby Minton’s Shower

I was fortunate to be able to travel home to Michigan to celebrate Baby Minton’s Shower with my friends and family.  The event took place on Sunday, May 23rd and we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day.

Special thank you’s go out to my parents for coordinating and hosting such a wonderful event.  I couldn’t have asked for anything more.  Also, thank you to my mother-in-law Patti for helping host the event.  The love and support that Mike and I get from our families is unbelievable and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them!

Also, a BIG thank you goes out to Sara who flew in from Colorado to help me celebrate this special day.  I’m hoping that those of you who attended the shower were lucky enough to meet her as she is one of my dearest friends.  We met shortly after I moved to Denver and quickly became friends.  We have a special bond that will last a lifetime.  So thank you Sara for being there…it meant so much to me!

Here’s some pictures from the party courtesy of Sara:

Am I nesting?

I subscribe to a handful of baby related websites that send out daily or weekly message related to how far along I am, what to expect at different points in my pregnancy, etc.  I tend to read some of the artciles while I glance over others.  This morning the title that caught my was “Are You Nesting?”

I think the answer to the questions is…YES!

Here’s some of the content of the article:

If the urge to clean and organize hasn’t hit yet, chances are it will soon! Nesting is nature’s way of making room for your new life. Don’t be surprised if you’re compelled to clean out closets, rearrange cabinets, and trash the clutter. Soon you’ll have diapers, toys, and blankets to mess things up again!

While we’re working to finish up the basement, I’ve started to purge, donate or sell things we haven’t used since we moved to Colorado. Since we’ve been here almost three years and many of the boxes/Rubbermaid tubs have never been opened, it’s time for that stuff to find a new home!

Also, I must say that I’ve enjoyed listing things on craigslist. I have sold a few items thus far and while I’m never going to make a million bucks, it never hurts to put a couple of extra bucks back in your pocket!

9 weeks left to go!

Can you believe I’ve made it to week 31?  Here’s what’s going on with Baby Minton…

This week, the baby is measuring over 16 inches long.  He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt.  He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin.  He’s moving a lot, too, but thankfully I haven’t had trouble sleeping because his kicking.

What’s in a name?

As many of you know Erin and I have narrowed our baby name selection down to a few finalists.  I am having a hard time deciding what one I like best.  Does picking a certain name predispose him to act or be a certain thing when he grows up?  Like if we choose Elmer than he will probably be destined to be a rabbit hunter or old farmer.

What if the name is too serious?  Will he be unable to find fun in life because he has to live up to being Winston?  I better take a moment to clarify that Elmer and Winston are NOT two of the finalist.

One of the names we like a lot and is probably the leading candidate but I am hesitant.  I am concerned because I don’t know any famous athletes with that name.  If we chose that name will he have two left feet and not be able to throw a football 10 yards?  I don’t know any CEO’s, Lawyers, Actors, or Doctors with that name either.  I guess there weren’t too many famous quarterbacks named Peyton but it seemed to work out for Peyton Manning.

One of our friends told us to wait until he is born then we’ll know.  Erin is not really good with that last minute fly by your pants scenario so I don’t see that working.

The clock is ticking!  Decisions, decisions.

Finally, don’t take this too seriously!

Painting…why stop at one room?

Since we had the painting supplies out, Mike decided we should also paint the front room.  So, he sent me off to Home Depot and told me that he trusted me to pick out a color without any input from him.  Here are the results…

Overall, we’re happy with the paint and we think it compliments the color from the family room quiet well.

Baby Minton’s Room

Here are some pics showing the progress that we’ve made on Baby Minton’s room.  At this point the only thing left on the to-do list is to paint the wainscoting and do a little touch up.

This is early on in the process before any paint was applied.

Here’s a look at the paint color that we selected – it’s Harvest Brown.  You’ll notice that Mike had to pull all of the moldings out to prepare for the installation of the wainscoting.

An early look at the initial wainscoting installation.

We still have a little work left to do, but I must say that this is some of Mike’s best work.  The pictures don’t do it justice, but you have to visit us and check out the work he did on the chair rail…AMAZING!

Since we’re almost done, now I can start looking forward to setting up the crib and starting to decorate!