4 weeks to go

As of yesterday we only have 4 weeks left until baby Livingston comes, according to my due date. I am hoping for maybe 3 more weeks... how can this baby get any bigger!? Here are a few recent belly shots.

(Rob was already in bed... so I got creative)

Getting ready to be a dad in 4 weeks!

This is the part where I ask where my ankles have gone...

and where these sausage fingers came from!

Why I get ridiculed by my husband...

Rob is discovering the very big world of baby gear... and although many of the items we've received as gifts will be not only useful but necessary as we get ready to care for our new little one, I've taken some grief over a few things I registered for (and did receive).

Take, for instance, the wipes warmer:

Rob is convinced that this item will make our son 'soft'. I am convinced that it might just help the little guy wake up less during middle-of-the-night diaper changes, which means a few more minutes of sleep for me, possibly. And since I'll be responsible for all things middle-of-the-night, I won the fight over whether or not we'd keep the warmer. :)

This brings us to item #2 - the shampoo rinse cup, with a flexible side to rest on the baby's forehead. I think it's brilliant - who likes getting soap in their eyes? Rob thinks a tumbler or Solo cup would do just fine. I think the only reason I get to keep this is because a) it was gifted to us, and b) it costs under $5.

That's all for ridiculous-baby-gear-the-Livingstons-own, for now at least!

Baby Shower!

On Saturday my friend Kris hosted a baby shower for me at her house - it was so much fun, and great to see friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in a while. Kris, along with my mom and sister, had thought of every detail - from the brunch food to the decorations to the games and prizes... it was very sweet to think that they did it all just for me, to celebrate our little boy that will be here soon! Here are some pictures from the day...

Me and Kris

The Cake (it was just as delicious as it looks!)

Table decorations

So many presents!

A diaper cake - made by Alynn! And I have to say, when I took it apart and put the diapers away in the nursery, I discovered that she had hand-rolled and rubberbanded every individual diaper, on top of rigging the whole structure with ribbon, pins, and spoons, and other things! It was such a creation, and I felt terrible disassembling it. It had to have taken her hours to make.

Playing the name game...

Mom, me, Kris and Kelsey

Thanks to the 3 of you for all of the time you put into making my shower so special! And thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us. I will never forget it!

34 week belly shots

So my belly continues to grow - and not only is it getting huge, but our (and I mean my) favorite thing to do in the evening is watch it move around while I lounge on the couch, gently poking at the hard spots to get our son to move around some more! It's fascinating that he is in there, growing, responding to our touch and sometimes voices. Here are a few pictures - sans my pudgy face! :)

This evening we toured Central DuPage Hospital, where I will be delivering. The facilities are so amazing, and although I've been feeling some anxiety over the whole birthing process, I can't help but be comforted by the fact that our hospital is fully equipped to handle any situation that may come up, and that I will truly be as comfortable as possible throughout the labor and delivery.

One more update - last Thursday my coworkers threw me a baby shower at work! It was incredible. I will post pictures when I have them, and give a more thorough update then - but it was really an amazing outpouring of support and generosity.