35 Weeks & What is the deal with the Sock Monkey?

Seriously? Why have I seen these things everywhere? Am I missing out on some sort of inside joke? It seems like they've come from nowhere and taken over everything from nursery themes, to car commercials (ie: the controversial Kia Sorento commercial that first aired during the Superbowl... controversial b/c it showed sock monkeys in Las Vegas, and there weren't supposed to be any references to Vegas during the Superbowl), to... well, I don't know what else. But it seems like they're all over the place. Can someone please fill me in?

In the meantime, here's a life-sized monkey that is worth sharing:

Meet my bro-in-law Jason. And here's the setting: 11:00pm on a Saturday night. Sam and I are getting ready to leave Vancouver and head home when before we even know what's happening, Jason starts Gorilla-suiting-up for who knows what reason. Do you really need a reason to be a grown man in a gorilla suit? Really? It was legendary.


35 Week Update

And then there were 5 weeks. Left. One month. No, really... one month from THIS Sunday is the big due date. Not that I'm holding my breath because I know the average first time mom goes like, 41 weeks 3 days or something. But let's not think such horrible thoughts.


Baby Boy's probably around 18" long and weighing in around 5 - 5.5 pounds these days. Kinda like the above pictured honey dew. Only, the honey dew in my belly has lots more pokey limbs that like to jab at my ribs and tickle my insides. Silly honey dew.


At 35 weeks I'm finding myself sore-er than ever. But, who needs details. If I write them down then I'll have to remember them later, right? We do want at least one more kid, so I'm gonna spare my future self the pain of remembering how being 35 weeks prego feels and skip the griping for this week (and no, the term "prego" doesn't bother me... but it really bothers some prego girls).

I had my 2nd shower this last week... and it was a blasty-blast. I'm gonna post-pone details until I get pictures to post, since they were taken on a friend's camera. For now, just know that it was super fun and I was so touched by all who came and all the thoughtful gifts people gave, and all the effort lots of people went through to put the whole thing on! I went home a happy girl that night.


Ok, so back to the sock monkey. I think I like them, and I think I will get one for Baby N's nursery. But seriously, what is the deal with them??

34 Weeks & A Family Funeral

This weekend we mourned the loss of Sam's Grandma, Opal. However, I don't feel like "mourned" is the right word. She had led a long, good life and has now moved on to a better place where she's been reunited with loved ones and is no longer in pain.

So, I'd rather say, "This weekend the Nielson Family all got together to celebrate the end of a long happy life, and enjoy each others company in the meantime." I'm not gonna lie, it was a fun weekend.


It was awesome having all of Sam's brothers be able to make it out. Brad came from Eastern WA, Kasey came from Wyoming, and Korry came from Utah. All 5 of the Nielson kids were reunited for the first time since... December. It was a blast.


Unfortunately not all the spouses and kids could be there. We missed you Taffee & Laura (and Makayla, Ellie, Kimberly, and Jaci)! This picture isn't entirely all inclusive of who was there though, either... we were taking all these nice family pictures and then broke up to go our separate ways when Jason (Jodi's husband) walks in. Yup, he was absent from all pics. Jodi hadn't even realized he wasn't in the pictures. It was pretty freakin funny. Ok... maybe you had to be there.

After the funeral, the grave dedication, and lunch, we were all ready to go back to the hotel and unwind. Good times in the pool lasted about an hour... then we were crowded out by about 16 nine-year old girls. I guess hotel pools are the hot spot these days for birthday parties. Ah well.


I almost felt bad for looking forward to this weekend coming up. I mean, it was a funeral. But after thinking about it, isn't that how we would want our own funerals to be looked at? I would HOPE that my passing would bring together all my family and that everyone would look forward to spending quality time together. Opal's death reunited lots of family that hadn't seen each other in a really long time and memories that will last for ages were definitely made. It was a great weekend.

34 Week Update

When people ask how much longer I have left, the answer always changes. If I'm feeling good I'll be honest and fess up to all 6 weeks that are left. That's usually the answer. I need to not get my hopes up and think that he's coming early (although my fingers are crossed). I'm mentally prepared for the long haul.

However, Baby N. is considered full term in THREE WEEKS. In T minus 3 weeks you all can start sending labor dust my way and hope for an early appearance. Anyone have any good labor inducing tactics? Let me know.
We had a 34 week checkup on Thursday morning. Baby's still head down! Woohoo! She felt around and estimated he was about 4.5 - 5 lbs and would probably be around 7.5 - 8 lbs if I go 40 weeks.

I'm continuing to grow, although I'm measuring exactly at 34 weeks. That's a good thing, but I wouldn't have been surprised if she had pulled that measuring tape up from my belly and said, "wow, you're measuring at 40 weeks! I don't think you'll get any bigger." No such luck.


There is light at the end of the tunnel though, and things are getting exciting. The nursery is coming together (crib is set up, we bought a dresser for all his clothes... it's starting to take shape!). I have two showers this week (SO EXCITED!) after which we'll get serious about getting the last of the necessities.

I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. My belly is actually starting to feel heavy and sometimes Baby N is positioned in a way that sends pins and needles to my pelvis with a step or a shock of pain down my left leg.

BUT, he is so much fun. Pregnancy has been a blast. I LOVE feeling him move, which he does constantly. My whole belly contorts and it looks like there is an alien trying to bust out. I love his little hiccups that aren't even that little anymore. I like setting things on my belly and seeing if he can kick them off. These things make it all worth it. And I have no doubt that when he becomes an outside baby, the only memories of the pains of pregnancy will be reading these blog posts.

6 more weeks.

33 Weeks & Our First Shower

And the weeks just keep flying by. That is definitely one thing that a busy life is good for! Between work, church stuff, baby prep, working out, keeping a clean house and washed hair, the days are zooming by.

33 Weeks. How did we get this far? Less than 7 weeks away... a month and a half... under 50 days. Next month. How many different ways can I say this to not make it feel so far away yet so close all at once?

Things are starting to feel real. I can feel Baby N's movements getting stronger and I can tell he is getting much bigger. Watching my belly contort and move all over the place is now not only one of MY favorite activities, but my co-workers' as well. Usually around 9:30am every morning, a small crowd gathers around my cubicle to watch Baby N do his daily stretching and rolling routine. He doesn't disappoint.

So, speaking of my co-workers, they did something amazing this week... they threw us a BABY SHOWER!

Our First Baby Shower


This had been on my calendar since January, but it had always felt so far away. Well, yesterday was the big day and it was a BLAST! Sam was able to come (it was co-ed, w/ all my co-workers) and he actually had a really good time. He was a bit hesitant as showers are not known to be the most masculine of activities, but there were quite a few guys there and no cheesy baby games, so he did just fine.


My co-workers really went all out. The room was decked out in a jungle theme (we're doin the nursery in jungle animals) and the food was amazing, complete with a chocolate fountain and jungle chocolate cupcakes!

Everyone was super generous and Sam and I both were just floored with how thoughtful everyone was. We were given blankets, clothes, books, toys, giftcards, and words of advice. It was amazing... I cannot thank them all enough!!

33 Week UpdateAnother week down, another week closer to meeting Baby N! And one less week left to prepare myself and everything around me for his arrival. Gulp.

Like I said, he's getting big. babycenter.com says he is similar to the size of a pineapple (but I'm not sure if this is with or without the spikey hair...?) Imagine giving birth to one of those... ouch. He could be a bit over 4 lbs. and 17" from head to toe.

From here on out I'm supposed to gain a pound a week, and about half of that goes straight to Baby Boy. At least I can mark one thing off my to-do list... gain weight: check and check. And check.

wondering what Baby Boy N looks like.

here's to hoping he looks just like his daddy.

32 Weeks & Just a Quick Update

Life has been crazy lately, it's not slowing down anytime soon, and I'm good with that. That's what keeps everyday interesting, right?

So this week's post is just going to be a quick prego update & picture. babycenter.com says Baby N is the size of a large jicama this week. You all have that image stashed away in your head for weight and size reference, right? Yeah, jicama is a weekly staple at the Nielson household. Psyche. We had our 32 week update this week with the Doctor and everything appears to be progressing along as normal... yay! My belly's measuring spot on, my blood pressure is good, Baby N's heart is healthy and beating strongly...

...and BONUS: this week I asked the doctor if they could tell how he is positioned. With a couple slight pokes at my belly she said "yup, here's his little head pointing towards your pelvis." For the record, I felt nothing. I was like, "really? You can feel something?" She looks at me like it was so obvious and just says, "yup, there's a little softball in there."

Whatev, I'll take her word for it. It's still early and he has weeks of maneuvering left before he makes his grand exit out of the womb, but it's pretty cool to know that right now he's all positioned for a quick getaway. Let's hope he stays that way!


And this week's belly pic. Yup, I grew. Yup, my belly's getting big. But what I'm REALLY excited about in this week's picture is that I got my HAIR DID this last week! Woohoo. Note the bangs and the highlights.

I didn't get any length off because very early in my pregnancy I read something that said a pregnant woman should NEVER cut her long hair short during a pregnancy. Interesting, right? I didn't forget that. Something about freaking out and hormones and making last minute irrational decisions. So for now, the length stays the same.

We're within the 2 month mark now! Baby N comes NEXT MONTH! (let's hope.)