24 Week Photos of the Baby Belly

Counting down one week more, Now we're done with week 24!

How far along? 24 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +25lbs

Maternity clothes? yes and now I have a pair of MATERNITY JEANS! Never knew how much I missed actual jeans until I got a pair back on! So excited and they make me feel great!

Stretch Marks? No Stretch marks, but I have decided to start using baby lotion all over...I think it is just a good habit to have :)

Sleep: Every night!

Best moment this week: Being able to wear JEANS, feeling great about being pregnant and the way I look and having a good check up at the Doctors along with Noah beginning to move like crazy!

Food cravings: how about aversions...moo juice. yup that is right every time I drink a glass of good old cows milk lately I puke. Hoping it is not my childhood allergy returning and it is just a fluke, but for now no milk. However, ever since I can not stand milk I have wanted Vanilla Ice cream...go figure.

Gender: team peen!

Labor Signs: nope and let's keep it that way four 16 more weeks!

Belly Button in or out? in-e

What I miss: Not being randomly kicked in the bladder and feeling like I am going to pee myself :)

What I am looking forward to: Going home to Michigan in a few weeks and seeing all of my family and friends. Reading more Stories to Noah.

Weekly Wisdom: Take time to slow down and just focus on your baby and your body. Do something EVERYDAY that just makes you feel good about yourself, from painting your toes, to putting on makeup, taking a walk, a nap, or just sitting in Silence. Yes this time is about your baby, but it is also about you. Love Life and everything that comes with it.

This last weekend i got the itch to do a project and I began with Noah's Nursery! Needless to say once i get the itch I almost always have to do the project until it is done. So I bought the supplies on Wed afternoon after my doctors appointment, and the madness began. The painting was complete by Friday night at 9:30, including the 76 1/2 dots on two walls! Although the nursery is not completely done I wanted to share some photos of it on here! Wes was kind enough to help me hang the shelves on the wall and in the closet along with the curtain rods! I hope Noah enjoys the bright colors and things to look at when it is all complete!

Saba had to help supervise the entire process!

Hand painting all the edges on the dots with the tiniest brush ever!

I plan on shortening the curtains eventually so the fall just above the bed.




Most of the Winnie the Pooh figurines I had over the years.
The consignment shop table, The rocker from Mom and Dad Sutton and the hand made Bassinet/cradle from Dad Sutton! I can not wait to see the crib he is making for us and get the bedding on it!

Noah's Nursery!

Needless to say I got the bug to do ALL the projects this last weekend, but the biggest of them was painting and putting the nursery together! I had friends who said they would help, but I am just the type of person who has to get the project done the moment I decide to do it, so needless to say starting on Wed after I saw the doctor the painting began. By Friday night at 9:30 pm the painting was complete. All done by yours truely. I enjoyed doing it though and being able to bless Noah with a fun filled room. Wes helped me install the closet shelves, and shelves on the wall along with the curtain rods too. Although it is not completely done I wanted to share the beginning of the progress. (there are no pictures of the closet because I really have to organize and clean it out now!)

23 week belly shots!

Yes I swear the shirt was ironed earlier in the day!

Week 23!

How far along? 23 weeks, and as excited as i am to meet our little man, I think I am going to miss being pregnant too!
Total weight gain/loss: ummm...so I suppose I should keep answering this since I started it...but let me just say that I think somewhere in the last two months I forgot how to add the difference between my scale and the docs because I didn't put on the extra weight over night. Anyways I went to the Doc's on Wed and the official weight is +24 pounds, GOD that is scary! Worth it but scary that a human can gain that much in such a short time! Let's just say I hope the urges to run continue after I give birth!
Maternity clothes? yes and i love the Lion's T-Shirt from my brother!
Stretch Marks? amazingly I do not have any and I haven't used anything to prevent them...crazy
Sleep: Am I pregnant? I feel normal lately. One trip to the potty all night long and 7+ hours of sleep a night!
Best moment this week: Getting my neck and back adjusted and having my headache go away! Also having My first baby shower at Katie's house! So much fun! Oh and being able to clean my house all in one day! Loved it!
Food cravings: Nope, although one would think that with all that added weight would!
Gender: A Sutton Male
Labor Signs: nope
Belly Button in or out? in-e
What I miss: Having more than 6 shirts and a couple pants to wear! You am I kidding pregnant or not that is about all I had! I am going on a shopping spree when this baby weight is off!
What I am looking forward to: Bonding with Noah over the coming weeks, and getting the nursery painted and together this weekend!
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every moment, even when you get kicked in the bladder hard enough to make you almost pee yourself!

Our first Baby Shower!

Last Sunday my friend Katie threw us a baby shower! It was such a good time to just get together with friends and celebrate the new life that is coming into this world! The food was wonderful, followed by fun games and tons of gifts. I just wanted to share a few pictures of this special time with those back home.

Almost Everyone who made the shower a special time.
Carrie, Laura, Kristen, Nancy, Savanna, Christelle, Blanca, Trish, Me and Noah, Katie and Jodi.







Just one of the many Tigger items given by Aunt Trish.

Susie got us the crib bedding set of Classic Pooh from target.









Kirsten got us a "I love mommy" bib, washcloths and an ear thermometer.

A

Hawaiian ABC quilt from Katie and Chris

A "Whale of a Tub" from Kristen and Scott

Jacob got me a Lion's T-shirt so we could be ready for the season.

Blanca got us Nuk Bottles

Along with a bottle drying rack.

Savanna had a monkey theme going and there was a blanket to match.

Me with all the food and flowers before we all dug in.

The Decision to Cloth Diaper...

So as crazy as things can be in this ever so modern world, I have decided to dive full in to the world of cloth diapering! I know that most people will see this as a step backwards, but I honestly see it as a step FORWARD. Everyone has their reasons as to why they choose what they choose, and I am not going to try and be all self righteous and say I am cloth diapering because I want what's best for the environment. OK well that is one reason, but it is definitely not the first, although it doesn't fall far from the top of the list. The main reason I decided to do cloth isn't because it is "better for our baby" either...that might be second, even if you think me not putting my baby first makes me a bad mom. The main reason for cloth diapers is the cost. Let's face it. Why would I spend over $2000 (on disposables diapers) in (I'll be generous here) 2 years for only the first kid, when I can spend roughly $600 (on cloth diapers) in 2 years? Plus if and when Wes and I decided to more children these same cloth diapers can be used again yet cutting the cost in half, or a third, etc. Isn't that a good enough reason?

For those of you who have not dealt with cloth diapers in the last decade the process has become so easy! There are no more pins (unless you choose) and most of the cloth diapers are put on just like disposables with Velcro tabs. OK OK, so you ask, "What about the POOP?" Let's be real. Either way, with disposables or cloth, you are going to have to see and smell the poop. And is it really that hard to drop the turds in the toilet? I think not. They even have a diaper sprayer that hooks to the base of your toilet so you just spray the poop off, no more swishing the diaper around with your hand. So does it still sound hard?

A couple other benefits of cloth are that almost all babies will have less irritation and rashes when using cloth diapers, Cloth diapers generally leak less and have less chance of blow-outs than disposables, they come in very cute colors and prints (OK maybe that is just a vain thing) and cloth diapers hold their re-sale value as long as they are taken care of properly! So take the cost effectiveness and start adding money back into your pocket after you are done having babies! And then of course you have the environmental issues too. The way I see it, the laundry water is reusable...it is going to get treated at the water plant along with everything else and come back to your house over and over again...OK so that is kind of gross to think about but that is the reality of our water system.

So I have attached a few cloth diapering sites for anyone who is interested, have a look. I am hoping to purchase some of these diapers while I am at home to help support a local Michigan business, otherwise I will be purchasing the diapers from a local business here in Hawaii.

Michigan based businesses
in Ionia http://www.crackerjacksunderpants.com/
in Greenville http://www.shopbabybloomers.com/

Hawaii based business
in Manoa http://www.babyawearrness.com/

Wes' first time...

OK so get your minds out of the gutter if that is where they are, I am simply talking about Wes' first time being able to feel Noah kick! It finally happened and I don't know if it made me happier or him, but I am so happy that he finally got to feel Noah!. Usually Noah kicks me just light enough to where I can feel it, but as we were laying on the couch as a family last night, I put Wes' hand on my lower tummy and told him to wait. After a few failed attempts at feeling it, Noah gave a good hi-ha to my tummy and Wes felt it! his only words were "that was crazy!"

Double Duces...week 22

How far along? The way down seems to be going fast...we are already at week 22!
Total weight gain/loss: trust me this baby is not going to be small...I have gained roughly 19 pounds.
Maternity clothes? yes
Stretch Marks? thank goodness I don't have any yet!
Sleep: Things have gone much better this week. Noah is actually letting his mommy sleep in until 5:55 most mornings unless I get up to go walking. I have still had a couple small spells of not being able to fall asleep after the midnight or 3 am run to the potty, but it all equals out in the end.
Best moment this week: I have to say that it was last night when Wes felt Noah kick for the first time :)
Food cravings: I still don't have cravings honestly.
Gender: Trust me HE is all BOY!
Labor Signs: thankfully not yet.
Belly Button in or out? in-e
What I miss: Being able to clean my house all at once in under two hours.
What I am looking forward to: Bonding with Noah more and more everyday.
Weekly Wisdom: Time goes to fast most days, so make the most of what you are given!
Also like my Doctor told me when it comes to weight gain, "you are going to gain, what you are going to gain, so don't worry about it as long as you are getting a variety of food."

Week 21!

Ok so not a whole lot has changed since last week, so I am forgoing the list of questions and answers. Instead I just wanted to talk about life over the last week. Honestly I should probably get on here more, so I remember more of what is going on day to day, but here it is summed up at the end of the week.

Last week Friday we found out we are blessed to be having a baby Boy and needless to say it just brought a whole new level to being pregnant. I was so excited and of course had to go out to the stores to see what they had for little boys! My mother in law and I decided to go "shopping together" even though we live thousands of miles apart. The plan was to go to Target and when we got there call each other. We did, and even though we were somewhat disappointed in what we found we had fun discussing everything we saw. Next it was off to Ross to do the same thing. Both of us found a few treasures, but nothing from what was on sale a few weeks earlier!

On Sat I decided to venture out again with a friend and the first stop was the Airman's attack. This is a donation place that SSgts and below can go to to get free stuff. Most of the time it is a dive, but I must have hit it on a good day because I found a handful of really nice baby boy outfits. Next we went to the other Target on the island, but the best thing we found again was soft pretzel from the food stand. Then we were off to Ross...again nothing...but low and behold I found a wonderful little store next to it called Catepillar kids which is a consignment shop. Needless to say, if I need something that i don't get at a shower, this will probably be my first stop. The items look almost brand new, and actually there are lots of items in there that still have tags on them! I not only found some cute outfits, I hit the Jackpot with a changing table with a pad and cover (which I might replace)! See the Picture sans the blankets and stuff on the shelves. Then we were off to Walmart...nothing...Gymboree (I found a clearance swim trunks)...and Macy's (I was also on the search for brown dress shoes that went nowhere).

Sunday brought a day of Rest and realization that we are having a son. Noah was kind enough to kick me twice on the way to church, but he still remains relatively calm when it comes to movement. However I enjoy every moment of what I get.

Tuesday I realized that my belly loved to jiggle without me even realizing it. As I sat down on the couch I realized that my belly was pulsating even though I couldn't feel it, and it made me marvel at the changes that were taking place. I had to laugh and call my mother to let her know.

Wed. morning as I was laying in bed I put my hand on my belly to find the right side harder than ever and when I pushed on it, Noah pushed back...just once to say he was there, but it made my day. We were lucky enough to go out with friends Wed night, and Noah let me sleep straight through with one potty break until six in the morning even though I drank four large glasses of water and 2 lemonades.

Thursday Wes and I had a date night at home and just relaxed. I was hoping Wes would be able to feel Noah moving, but it looks like it will be a little longer.

Today Wes was blessed to have the day off and he blessed me with taking a ride out to a store called Baby aWEARness so that I could look at and talk to someone about cloth diapering! I am now even more excited than I was before. We were lucky that the lady working there gave birth to a 9 1/2 lb baby so she could answer many questions about what works and what would be good for us to get! So now I am looking forward to having a variety of cloth diapers including Happy Heinys, bumGenius, Fuzzibunz, and Mommy's touch...along with a small stash of prefolds and covers. cute colors and prints along with a classic white look. These diapers will get us through two years for the mear cost of approximately $550. That is only about 1/4th of the cost of disposables, let alone no waste put into the ground and left to rot! While we were there we were also able to check out baby carriers and a few other things. I now think that I would like to invest in a Moby Wrap, and maybe a Beco Baby Carrier, but time and resources will tell. I also found a to cute to pass up nursing cover up with a surf bourd print.

I am not saying that I am going granola mama at all, but I am truely looking forward to natural things with this baby and being environmentaly friendly at the same time! Here is also a piture of the Stroller we bought cheap to match the free carseat!

So that was our week. Simple as it was it was enjoyable and full of a new found love of being pregnant!

20 week ultrasound pictures!

This is baby Noah at 20 weeks old!
The first two are of is profile ( the third is a repeated image)















This is Noah's right foot.




View of the front of Noah's face.




And there is no denying that this is a picture of Noah's boy parts. It is a picture of his butt checks and thighs like he is sitting on the camera.