nesting

"nesting really is a verb." -erik

yes honey, i know. i've gone a little crazy with the cleaning, washing of clothes, & overall preparing for this little one. erik has been super supportive. he even drove me to ikea during rush hour & rain to get the shelf we hung above the changing table. a 50 minute drive for a $20 shelf. i tried to make it up to him by letting him browse in the kitchen section for as long as he wanted. (this is a new record. i hate browsing. always have) thanks, babe!

clothes are hung in the closet & folded in the right basket. newborn diapers are ready to be worn. the car seat is installed. the nursery is all set...for now :)

we are officially at 35 weeks. 5 weeks to go! braxton hicks contractions are picking up more and more each day. at times they even take my breath away a little. the baby is sitting really high up in my ribs so it makes it difficult to breathe. if i try to talk while i'm walking i get incredibly winded. it is amazing what a tole 25 extra lbs & a baby in the ribs does on a body.

i am blessed to say that i am still sleeping really well. i only wake up a few times in the night & its rare for me not to fall back asleep right away. i have been having really crazy vivid dreams which is funny to say the least. when i wake up i have to make myself snap back in to reality!

we had a wonderful thanksgiving this year celebrating with all the golf view apt neighbors. erik made a delicious turkey & all the neighbors brought over yummy side dishes! that evening we played a little wii & madgab. i'm feeling so blessed & thankful this year...& that is an understatement.

showered with love.

feeling extremely blessed. last week, my good friend cynthia, threw us a baby shower at palisade (the restaurant i have worked at for 2 years). this little one is so incredibly spoiled! so thankful for good friends & family. the love & support has been overwhelming!

the girls that i work with at SPU decided we need a countdown & so they made one! a calendar & a paper chain countdown! how cute! 39 days to go as of today!! (note the bandanna & glasses...i'm done trying. plus the t-shirt is way too small for my big belly!)

i got home from work today & 4 packages were awaiting my arrival - all from my mom! my mom is LOVING spoiling her grand-daughter. included with all the baby gear goodies she sent was a boxful of sentimental items. she sent some of my old baby clothes that she has saved after all of these years. on each item she wrote a special note explaining the outfit...where i wore it, who bought it for me, etc. of course i cried while looking through it all. from the outfit they picked me up in, blankets, to my baptismal dress, lots of wonderful memories. here is a picture i took of the box of love.

thanks, mom & dad. the love, support & generosity you have shown erik & i is amazing. there are no words to express how grateful we are. baby h says thank you as well. at least i think that is what that kick just meant. :)

more pics on flickr!

quotes throughout pregnancy

i'm going to start blogging some of my favorite quotes & conversations from my pregnancy...

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erik: i read the email you forwarded me about labor & delivery.
jess: oh ya? what did you think?
erik: fairly comprehensive.

long pause....abrupt laughter.
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i love my husband.

let the games begin!

i thought it would be fun to start a little game so everyone could participate in guessing the baby's birthday, weight, length, etc. visit this website & play!!!

http://www.expectnet.com/games/babyhustad

i had a doctor's appt today & all is great. i'm feeling great & the baby is doing wonderful. it took the doctor a couple minutes to find the baby's heartbeat...not b/c there was a problem...but b/c she was moving around LIKE CRAZY. she was bouncing all over the place! it was almost as though she was teasing the doctor saying "you can't catch me!!!" erik & i joked that this was just a glimpse of what the next several years are going to look like...chasing this sweet little one around!

with erik finishing up his last weeks of school - we are in busy-mode. erik will begin training for a new job within the next week or so [a new restaurant that is opening here in seattle in december & he gets to join the new team in the grand opening] so our life continues to be a countdown. erik new job...thanksgiving....graduation....christmas....baby.

so in the mean time, that little bun just needs to keep cooking in the oven.

32 weeks

ouch.

dearest baby girl,

these games we are playing are not fun games.

1. i know you find enjoyment in using my rib cage as a jungle gym - but come on! stay out. pushing, kicking, punching, & sticking your little extremities in between my ribs is now off limits. thank you.

2. the cute hiccups you like to get are now limited between the hours of 9am-9pm. anything that happens outside of these hours will be considered a misdemeanor offense with punishment to be determined at the age of 16. [punishment possibilities: permanent curfew of 9pm. the loss of the privilege of driving. no cellphone].

3. i would also like to take the time to say thank you for the your spunky & boisterous demeanor. but, please...stop doing gymnastics on my bladder.

thank you for your cooperation.

love,
mommy

ps: i love you regardless.

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29.5 weeks

doctors appt today went great! baby girl's heartrate has slowed down from 170 beats/min to about 145 beats/min - which is normal & good! she has moved to the head down position [which isn't necessarily a permanent position yet] hence the rib kicking. baby girl is approximately 2.5 lbs & 15 inches long. mommy has normal blood pressure & has gained 20 lbs to date.

things are looking good - 10 [ish] weeks to go!!!!!

A word from daddy...

This is Erik here. Proud expecting father of a little baby girl.

Jess has been prodding me to participate in this blog for a while and I have been procrastinating because the task of talking about this experience is daunting. It’s hard to know how to sum up everything that’s on my mind. I’m obviously not as affected by Jess being pregnant as she is but I’m anticipating that my life will be equally affected. This baby consumes the majority of Jess’s attention and thoughts and I expect nothing less from her. Jess is a very selfless person who spends most of her thoughts and energy on her family and friends. She is going to be a great mom, she already IS being a great mom.

My subtle anticipation for the arrival of our daughter is much less obvious. I sometimes go in our nursery and look at all the cute little pink stuff that Jess has perfectly waiting in all the right spots. I look at the crib and think about how weird it is that a little human being is going to be sleeping in there soon. I look at the little booties and wonder how someone’s feet could be so small. I wonder what she is going to look like. It’s hard to imagine someone when they’ve never existed before, I can only picture the image of a baby’s outline usually with dark curly hair, but there is no face. I can’t wait to see my girls face. It’s hard to think about her at work or school when I don’t know what she looks like. I already know how much I’ll look forward to seeing her everyday.

I try not to believe much in fear or worry and I can say that I haven’t been overly afraid of this journey and what is inevitably in store. Most of life is challenging and I expect nothing less of raising children. I have received one of the most precious gifts in life of being raised in a loving family that depends on God and believes in integrity. If I can be as much like my dad as possible, my daughter will hopefully be as much like my sister Kinsey as possible, both of whom are some of the most loving and admirable people I know. I trust in the abilities of Jess to be the mom that God wants her to be, because of the character that she has and the family that she has had as an example. I know this will lead me closer to God. It has to. This world is too dangerous and painful for me not to trust that God is in control. Cars drive too fast and sickness arrives too swiftly. I cannot protect her from everything but I can trust that God has a plan for our lives and that is what is best.

I want to be a dad with passion, integrity and humility. My family needs me to be a man who will fight for them as well as provide for them. They need me to not only lead by teaching but by living. They need me to demonstrate what is important in life, and prove that I believe it by living for it. If I live for money, my daughter will live for money. If I live to glorify God and love others, my daughter will do the same. This is my greatest challenge. To live life with the right purpose and be willing to admit when I haven’t been doing that.

Jess, I love you very much and I am so excited to build a family and a life with you. God could not have done a better job of finding my other half. Thank you for being a great wife and thank you for doing such a great job of being pregnant, even when she won’t get out of your ribs.

Baby girl, I love you very much and I am so excited to see your face and welcome you to our family. Your job is to just keep being little and cute and we’ll take it from there.


Erik

28. 5 weeks

3rd trimester

the start of 3rd trimester. yes! we spent some much needed time at home this past week. so wonderful. 3 days out at mahoney state park with the the hustad/lovelace/miller clan, a baby shower, & much needed time with friends & family. my parents were able to come visit us as well! my wonderful sister.in.laws threw for us the most wonderful shower!! thanks ash & kins. you two are the best! our baby girl got spoiled! we have the most wonderful family & friends! thank you thank you!

here are some pics of the nursery so far. its coming along.

my sister.in.law ashley took some fun maternity pics while we were back as well. here's just a glimpse...

the time is going quickly. i'm feeling the baby more & more each day. her little kicks are much stronger & my belly dances from side to side. her schedule is somewhat predictable now, which is pretty amazing. can't believe she will be with us in 3 months. :)