Birthing Class

Ivan and I went to birthing class yesterday at the hospital. It was from 9am-6pm and full of great information. I think the class made us both realize how little we really knew about labor and delivery. It was a great class, very informative and provided us with a better idea of what we would like the birth of our little girl to be like. 

They had an empathy belly that Ivan tried on and I made him try to bend down and pick something up. It was pretty entertaining. They also had tons of information on relaxation techniques to help you make it through labor. We have two more (shorter) classes at the hospital next month - baby basics and breast feeding - that we are both looking forward to. I think it set us more in the baby mood. 

Ivan with the Empathy Belly

Using the ball for relaxation

Snoogle

I wanted to introduce everyone to my new favorite pillow in the whole world....the SNOOGLE! About a month ago I started having some trouble sleeping. I noticed that I would wake up in the middle of the night and my hips would hurt from laying on my side. I am not able to sleep on my back anymore because it causes my lower back to hurt. By 3-4am I found myself rolling around trying to get comfortable and not having a lot of success. 

With the urging of Ivan I went online and read about pregnancy pillows. All of the reviews directed me towards the Snoogle. I body sized curved pillow that you can wrap around yourself and either support your back or your belly. I love this pillow! My sleeping has improved significantly which make both Ivan and I happier. 

I thought I would include another belly picture for your enjoyment. I am getting bigger! Yesterday I felt baby girl's foot for the first time. She stuck it out there and you could feel it distinctly under my belly button. It was pretty neat :) 

Still Growing!

Sorry I have not posted in awhile...I guess this is the quiet phase of pregnancy where this little girl just grows. Things are going well! We went to the doctor a few weeks ago and they took some more pictures of Baby Girl Lupov. She was stubborn yet again and curled up in a little ball and wouldn't move into the position they needed to see her spine. Here is a picture from the visit.

The doctor says everything looks good. She is growing well and is healthy as far as they can tell. She continues to move around and give me some good kicks. Ivan is now able to see her moving - which I think weirds him out a little bit. My belly is growing and things are becoming more uncomfortable. Sleeping has become a bit more challenging, it is hard to find a comfortable position and takes some work to reposition in the middle of the night.  My feet are achy and a bit swollen by the end of the day and I have lower back pain which comes and goes. So I am experiencing more joys of being pregnant. Overall, I am feeling good and can't complain. 

We have been working more in the nursery and I think we are pretty much done. I finished putting the decals up on the walls and we ended up getting a new crib that will actually turn into a toddler bed. I think the room is ready for a little girl.