Ahoy! My Sailor-Themed Baby Shower!

These pictures are long overdue, but I just have to share them with you all. The little party coordinator in my friend had a ball planning this sailor-themed baby shower. She did a wonderful job. Each detail was carefully considered. It was so much fun having a mixture of family (from both sides) and friends from all walks of life (new and old) in the same room, sharing in this special little boy growing inside of me.

It all started when this adorable invitation arrived in the mail.

Because a good amount of people were invited, the shower was held in a reception hall at my friend's church. Perfect location.

The kid table set up with crafts and candy galore.

Delicious finger foods and homemade cupcakes that were SO GOOD!

Ella stalking the cupcakes. I can't even tell you how many times she asked if she could have another.

My beautiful mama, who was a co-hostess.

The master planner and my good friend, Theresa. What a blessing she has been in my life.

Praying before we all dug in.

I asked Aaron to come take pictures, since I figured nobody would be taking any. I'm so glad he came (although, I'm sure by the end of the time there, he had enough female intake to last him for a long time). However, as a result of Aaron being the photographer, I have A LOT of pictures of Ella. Hey, she was probably the least camera shy girl there. I wonder why?? :)

Holding one of her new favorite toys from her birthday (which we had celebrated 3 days before this shower).

Tristan is so loved by so many.

Ella was a wonderful helper opening presents with me, holding gifts up for display and "ooohing" and "awwwing" with the rest of them. :)

Tristan got so many cute outfits. He's going to be such a little stud muffin!

Ella checking the table behind her for any gifts we might've missed.

If you can't read that sticker, it says "Amazing Big Sister." That she is!

I could just eat her up in all her cuteness.

A pug...one of the many gifts Ella received this day - either for her birthday or for her becoming a big sister. Either way, it was so thoughtful for everyone to make Ella feel special, despite the shower being for her baby brother.

The frog-themed diaper cake of awesomeness! :)

Reading a card together.

"Don't wake me...I'll wake you." I plan on having him wear this his first night with us. :)

I hope you all enjoyed scrolling through the pictures. It was an amazing afternoon. I am so blessed with so many wonderful people in my life, family and friends alike, who have all been such a support as Aaron and I went through the ups and downs of conceiving this very special boy. Tristan is loved by so many already, I can't imagine what it'll be like once he's actually here!

Tristan's Birthday Postponed

My c-section has been postponed to December 3rd now. Apparently, my infertility doctor had my due date for December 10th, but my OB-GYN has it down for December 9th. And, since the hospital I will be delivering at doesn't allow for c-sections to be scheduled before 39 weeks of pregnancy, Tristan's new and improved birthday will be December 3rd.

However, I really, honestly have a gut feeling this guy is going to come early though.

First, he's measuring 10 to 12 days ahead of schedule. Sure, even though developmentally, he's "32 weeks old" right now, his size is that of almost a "34-week old." And, I would think a bigger baby would decide to make his/her way into the world before a smaller baby. Just a thought.

Second, my Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more serious. During the day, I'm fine. For the most part, I don't feel any huge contractions, just the normal cramp/pulling/pressure. Whenever I go on walks, though, that normal cramping/pulling/pressure increases pretty substantially.

However, it's at night that concerns me. I wake up in the middle of the night with quite a bit of pain, and usually on my right side. It feels just like a contraction, it lasts for 1 to 2 minutes, and then it goes away. I've been feeling these about 2 to 3 times each night.

So, this mother's intuition is that Tristan will be born before his "scheduled birthday," and that I will go into labor in the middle of the night.

I guess we all just have to wait and see what happens. :)

32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks!

Size of Baby: Tristan is about 16.7 inches long and weighs about 3.75 pounds.

Picture of Baby:  Nope. Thanks to the fastest ultrasound ever, I got nothin'. :)

32 Weeks: Tristan is taking up a lot of space in my uterus. I'm gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to Tristan. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth. (Information taken from BabyCenter's website).

Weight Gain: According to my evil doctor's scale, I gained 6 pounds this past month, which brings my total weight gain to 17 pounds so far.

Belly Pic: I don't have one to share right now.

Sleep: Good, bad and in-between. Tristan is just moving around so much that he wakes me up and even wakes Aaron up! Overall, though, my sleep has been good this pregnancy, so I'm very happy about that.

Best Moment of the Week: My ultrasound, despite it being very fast and not really getting to see much of Tristan. Just knowing he's growing and healthy is enough for me!

Movement: Does this boy ever sleep???

Symptoms: I don't know if Tristan is dropping already, but I feel like he's not nearly as tucked under my rib cage as he used to be. And, my heartburn has died off and isn't nearly as bad as it was.

Food Cravings: I guess I'd say Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. With Halloween coming up and all the candy on display on the shelves, it's going to take a lot of will power for this pregnant lady. :)

What I Miss: Bending down easily and comfortably.

What I'm Looking Forward to: Feeding my nesting needs and getting this house in order (and all the mini projects done!). Tristan's nursery is about done and I will be sharing pictures with you very soon!

Weekly Wisdom: Even when eager to meet your child, try and enjoy the final weeks of being pregnant. Especially when you never know if it'll be the last time you'll be pregnant (which is definitely the case for me). :(

Milestones: Scheduling Tristan's birthday, which is weird altogether, but such is the way things are these days. Once you have a c-section, all subsequent births pretty much have to follow suit. 

Tristan's Birthday is Set

Today's ultrasound went really well. Actually, it was the most uneventful one yet, but Tristan's growing like a champ. My OB-GYN measured Tristan's head, stomach and femur bone (the 3 ways to measure how a baby is growing), made sure he was still a boy (no doubt!) and then was done.

Tristan's heartbeat rate wasn't measured, which I would've liked to hear. I didn't get any pictures, which of course I would've loved. I didn't even get to see a profile picture of my little man. Just the top of his humungous head, which, by the way, is right where it's supposed to be. He's face down, bottoms up in me...getting all snug and ready for his big day!

Tristan is measuring 10 to 12 days ahead of his due date! I knew he would be. He is a Johnson! :)

And, the moment we've all been waiting for (well, at least me!)...my repeat c-section has officially been scheduled! Unless he decides to make his grand appearance earlier, Tristan Nathaniel Johnson will be born on Friday, December 2, 2011! The countdown has commenced.

50 days?!?!?!? How is that even possible?

Blog Nesting

Yes, I got rid of my super cute blog design.

Yes, I realize this new blog design is not nearly as cute and frilly and appealing to the eyes.

But, I wanted a change.

I don't know what brought on this change, but I've been itching to change my blog for awhile now. It's probably my crazy, pregnancy hormones making me make crazy, pregnancy decisions, but who's to say. Maybe I just needed to simplify things.

My previous blog design had gotten so "busy" with much to look at. I just want to focus on my posts. My words and whatever stories, truths or insights they may tell.

I do plan on updating the sidebar links, but for now, this is what you get.

I would love to have a blog designer have at my blog, making a new "simple" look for my blog, but money is tight. Very tight. So, for now, this template will have to suffice.

And, frankly, I like it! :)

And, at the end of the day, that's all that matters.