Maternity Pictures

They're in!!!! My fabulous & talented aunt Rosie took a couple maternity pictures of me back in October (@ 7 months).

Here are a few of my favs...Enjoy!

8 months

We are officially in our 8th month…32 weeks & 2 days to be exact ;). I'm still feeling great. No major complaints here. Just getting excited about Thanksgiving & all the yummy food.



Not much going on at the Nixon house. I have been putting away all the fall decorations & had Ryan get all the Christmas decorations down from the attic. I plan to start decorating for Christmas next weekend.
I cant believe this will be our last Thanksgiving & Christmas with just us (Ryan & I plus our fur-babies). Wow…after 8 years together Ryan & I will finally be parents. Next year we will have our little Ava! I'm extremely happy to become a family of 3 and look forward to seeing Ryan with his little girl.
I have a lot to be Thankful this year. My wonderful husband, loving family, great friends, health/smooth pregnancy, and most importantly to conceive a baby. 2010 has been a GREAT Year!

Hope everyone has a safe & Happy Thanksgiving!!

3rd & last baby shower

This past Saturday I had my last baby shower. Although the weather could have been much better (as we planned to have part of the party outside), I still had an AMAZING time. We had a GREAT turn out. A mixture of my family, Ryan's family, & my high school girlfriends. What more could a girl ask for!!!

Here are some pictures:

My mother & wonderful hostess

She did a GREAT job! Who would have known that morning she was stressing.

The Nixon Ladies

Oh and the fun games!

My God Mother Olga (in the photo) won the toilet paper game.

Cute little diaper cake my Aunt Mary made.

Ava received A LOT of gifts. She is already one spoiled little girl. I can't wait to show her off to the many people who have showered her with gifts.

59 day to go......

oh Ava....

...Our little girl is NOT head down & was being very stubborn during the 3d ultrasound. It started off good with the photo below, then went down hill from there. We got 1 decent shot then Ava literally turned around. The ultrasound tech made me lay on my side, sit up, and even shook my belly a couple times to get Ava to cooperate.
After about 20 minutes we called it a day. The tech advised that I do some exercises (get on all 4's & raise my butt in the air, giving Ava room to move "if" she wants to) to get Ava to turn head down. She described Ava's position as if she was butt down in a trash can or a V also known as Frank Breech. She also said Ava has chubby cheeks.
So....my next appointment is scheduled for Tuesday November 30th for a check up and another ultra sound. This is a 2d ultra sound to measure Ava & now to see if she has turned head down. The tech said "if" she is head down & we can get a good face shot of her, she will try to get a 3d shot. Yay!

My check up went well. I have gained 18 lbs so far. Little Ava's heart beat is now at 142 bpm.

The weeks are moving along...

(sorry for poor quality photo. taken on camera phone)

How far along: 31 weeks 2 days
Weight gained: 16 lbs (I feel like I have definitely gained more….we'll see at today's check up appointment)
Sleep: good for the most part, just have to find a position that is comfortable. I'm now sleeping with a pillow in-between my legs & I like to sleep propped up a bit on the pillows.
Mood: GREAT! I feel prepared for this baby. We have checked everything off our "baby to do" list & now plan to just ride out the holidays. I'm still nervous about the delivery. I just hate the unexpected.
Energy level: Good. I do walk much slower then I used to….I guess I do everything a bit slower then I used to.
Movement: yup. I wonder if she is head down. I feel a whole lot more activity in my lower abdomen.
Belly button in or out: flat
Any signs of labor/3rd trimester symptoms: just heartburn! I started to carry Tums in my purse.
What I miss: wearing my wedding rings
Craving/favorite foods: chocolate milk and now I like to snack on strawberry pop tarts
Milestones: We took a 1st time parent class at the hospital. It was very beneficial for Ryan & I since both of us have never been around babies or cared for a baby. We have received plenty of advice, but it was better to hear it from a registered nurse. Plus some things we have heard are old wives tale or to be honest, times have just changed. The most common word of advice I've heard is, "when its your own baby it just comes natural." Well, I just want to make sure once my mom leaves Ryan & I alone with Ava I didn’t freak out. Haha!
Now I know we both feel much better about becoming parents. We feel prepared. The next class I want to take is an infant CPR class. We may not get to it before she is here, but I want to definitely take it before she starts eating solid foods.
Best moment last week: My all girl baby shower! It's just what I needed. Girl time with my family & friends. We had a GREAT turn out & Ava got so many wonderful gifts.

Looking forward to: round 2 of our 3d ultra sound this afternoon. I REALLY hope Ava cooperates with us today. I'm almost positive this is our last ultrasound to see her before she is born.

Mama Update

How far along: 30 weeks 2 days
Weight gained: 16 lbs
Sleep: absolutely no problem here….Ryan says as soon as I hit the pillow I'm O-U-T.
Mood: GREAT! Realizing this baby will be here very soon. We have 7 weeks till she is full term & 10 weeks till her due date.
Energy level: pretty good for the most part. I do find myself getting tired after cleaning the house or after a long day of running errands/shopping.

Movement: oh yes. Some are little taps, then there are gently rubs, or every once in awhile Ava will give me a strong jab.
Belly button in or out: flat
Any signs of labor/3rd trimester symptoms: no signs of labor, just awful heartburn. I have never, ever experienced heartburn. Now I'm scared to eat something because I think it may cause heartburn
What I miss: wearing my wedding rings
Craving/favorite foods: chocolate milk! I cant get enough.
Milestones: I took a breastfeeding class last week. Funny story - I didn’t make or even ask Ryan to attend the class. I thought, really why does my husband need to go, why make him suffer through a 2 hour class learning about breastfeeding. Well….I guess I'm the only wife that thinks like that. Hahaha! I went to the class at the hospital & I was the ONLY single parent, until another single lady walked in by herself late. AND to top it off I wasn't wearing my wedding rings, so I felt like a knocked up baby mama in there with no hubby :(. It's pretty funny now! I was texting Ryan pretty upset & sad then (must have been the hormones), but it was my choice to not have him come with me. Anyhow, the class was GREAT! I learned many, many things about breastfeeding & now its up to me if I want to pursue it.
Best moment last week: Ryan & I had our marriage blessed & it is now recognized by the Catholic Church
Looking forward to: My last baby shower this weekend. It will be a GREAT time with family & friends. Then we have round 2 with the 3d ultra sound next Tuesday. I really hope Ava gives us a good shot of her.

3d Ultra Sound

We had our 3d ultrasound today. We spent a little over 20 minutes with the ultra sound tech & only got 1 decent shot of our baby girl. The tech said her positioning (head high in my abdomen) made it very difficult to get a good picture. Plus, when the tech “thought” she could get a good shot, Ava would put her hands up near her face.
So we are getting another 3d ultra sound at my next appointment scheduled for Tuesday 11/16. Hopefully our baby girl will cooperate then.

Mama & Ava stats:

Ava's heart rate: 144bpm

My weight: up 16 lbs

Can you see her little face? She has her 2 little fist right below her face.