I am now 37 weeks pregnant and this baby is ready to be born!! Hurry up, Baby Andersen! It's time to come out! You're nearly seven pounds, now (though you feel like so much more), and the ultrasound technician says you've got very chubby little cheeks. We can't wait to meet you!

Maggi's belly finally looks like a pregnant one, and not just like she put on too many pounds (though she's done that, too)!

Dave suggested we lay everything out in our living room. Here's an idea of what it all looked like. Yes, it was very overwhelming. Play "I Spy" and try to find what you got for the baby!

My mom went above and beyond with the shower she planned for me; I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful mother... She invited my friends who I hadn't seen in way too long, and had it at a restaurant and we ended up having the whole place to ourselves, and even though the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna were outside, we had the doors open, and it was just absolutely gorgeous. In attendance were my mom, Aunt Judy, Aunt Lorraine, Aunt Betty Ann, Aunt Mary Ann (she came all the way from North Carolina!), Rae (Aunt Lorraine's friend from work and one of the sweetest people I've ever known), Rose (my mom's friend from work, and again, a complete sweetheart, Kathy (Aunt Betty Ann's sister, ditto on the sweetness), my awesome cousin, Amanda, and then my friends Liz, Christine, and Emme. Everything was so beautiful. I wish I'd taken more pictures. All the ones I have are taken by Christine while I opened gifts; thank goodness for her, or I'd have none!

I'm going to post more; my mom has some I'd like to include, and I'll get more acceptable ones of me opening gifts (there are a lot with me having weird expressions on my face).

And all the stuff (minus the handmade goodies and the big things; they deserve their own posts at a later date) spread out on the floor of our living room:

Thank you for everything!!

One of the women from my due date club is in labor! For all I know, she had her baby right now! I can't believe it! She's from the Philippines, and I'm pretty sure she was due on my brother's birthday (the 18th of October), so this kid's coming quite early. I'm so excited for her!!!

It's websites like these that make me want to give up before I even start:

Foodgawker.com

PLEASE do not buy pets from stores that are supported by puppy mills. Buy from a reputable breeder, or better yet, adopt from a shelter.

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Things to do before Baby Girl Andersen arrives:

Clear off (get rid of?) desk 9/1

Clean out linen closet 8/25

Repair old dresser, move it to inside of linen closet 8/29

Buy new (bigger) dresser for Dave

Get two bookshelves for living room 8/23

Organize craft stuff (baskets in bookshelves)

Buy crib

Get/put together co-sleeper 8/31

Install car seat

Pack bags for hospital

Get under-the-bed storage bins 8/23

Re-caulk tub

And who knows what else... I'm sure I forgot something.

Well, our first childbirth class (in a series of five) was last night. Dave and I arrived at 7:30; there were 6 other couples. I think there were supposed to be 13 couples, but there was only room for 2 more, so I don't know what they were going to do if the other 14 people showed up.

We went over some information (are you really supposed to fill out the birth certificate information before you even deliver?), talked about the symptoms we were experiencing, talked about what was going to happen in the next four sessions: I know next week is the L&D tour, week 4 has us watching birth videos (I could practically feel Dave's insides turning to mush at the very thought), and week 5 has some basic baby care stuff (where we "break out the plastic babies"). I plum forgot what week 3 is.

Each class is 2 hours long; the first hour is usually a lecture/question/answer type deal, and then the second hour usually covers exercises and breathing. Only 3 of us ladies got down on the mat (but we were told to bring pillows, and darn it, I was going to use mine!), but we all practiced relaxation techniques and breathing through contractions. My husband and the other guys there were told to figure out "comfort measures" to help keep us calm. At first I thought my husband's rubbing my shoulders was a great distraction. Then it just became annoying. I'm not usually one who enjoys being touched when I'm in pain, so this should be interesting.

On to the reason I'm so grateful for all I've learned through family, friends, and books: there was a woman there, couldn't be much older than me, who had NO CLUE what was going on. Everyone but me is due in late September; I was trying to figure out how she went for 30-something weeks without knowing that "that tightening thing all over my belly" is a Braxton Hicks contraction. She was FLOORED when she found out labor took an average of 13 hours for first-time moms. She couldn't believe that we were allowed to take Tums and Tylenol. She seemed mostly obsessed with the idea of wearing a girdle right after labor "so my stomach will be flat again." Oh well, to each her own, I guess. I was just so glad I knew the answers before they came out of our instructor. I'm glad I've heard the good labor stories with the bad. I'm happy I know what to expect and when to expect it.

Though mostly a "refresher" for me, these courses are going to prove VERY valuable to Dave, I think, who until this point has been avoiding the thought of labor like the plague. Which is funny since he plans on being in there with me. At least in that classroom, there's no escape, and he's got to listen and think about it. (And I was so happy to hear from other women there that their husbands were the same way.)

From silive.com:

A Bayonne man who was shot in the eye at his friend's Staten Island home on Sunday has died from his injuries.

Malik Grant, 27, was pronounced dead yesterday at Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, hospital officials and the medical examiner's office confirmed today. He had been in critical condition since the shooting and was declared brain dead.

Read more...

My family lives a block away from 14 Forest Street, where the shooting took place. I walk past that house often, on my way to the bank, or the store. Our apartment is approximately 7 blocks away.

We're (finally) going public!

Here are some outfits we recently got for our baby GIRL:

The last one was bought by Aunt Judy. It's one of our favorites. We hope to maybe take her home in that one. Notice that the overalls and jacket match! :) The lining of the jacket also goes with the polka dot outfit. She's going to be so well-dressed. :)