baby update

Wow time is really flying by! I can't believe I am in the third trimester now. I'll be 30 weeks next week, which means only 10 more weeks to go! yay! I can't wait to meet our little munchkin! I went to the doctors last week and our little girl is growing strong. Every time I see my doctor she does a quick scan to measure the babies head, stomach and legs to make sure she is growing properly. Her head and stomach are measuring perfectly for my due date... her legs on the other hand are measuring a week above my due date. Apparently we have a string bean with long skinny legs. haha. Brandon likes to joke that our little girl is going to be a giant red wood. haha. Maybe this is why my belly looks so pointy? Multiple times throughout the day I feel a foot jab the side of my stomach and you can seriously see a little knob poking out of my belly. It's like she is trying stretch, but can't fit her legs anywhere. haha The second trimester felt like a breeze... and I was beginning to wonder if I had gotten lucky with an easy pregnancy. The third trimester hit and suddenly I'm feeling cursed. I have started having constant heartburn and lots of pain in my lower back and pelvis. I guess that's what happens when you have a huge belly. Also worst of all I have developed some varicose veins, which not only look horrible, but are quite painful. I'm told that they go away after birth, so fingers crossed! At the moment I have a hard time standing for more then 15 minutes at a time because my back and pelvis start to really hurt. I feel like an old woman. I recently bought a belly band that helps support my back and belly and it has helped SO much! Seriously it has been a life saver. In the end though all the aches and pains are worth it.

I thought this represented perfectly "Before and after" :)

Well Brandon and I have officially picked out a name for our little girl. We have decided on Ella. We both really liked the name all along and even talked about using the name before I found out I was pregnant. Once we found out we were having a girl we went back and forth on a few names, but Ella seemed to still be our favourite. We started calling her Ella and it seemed to fit. There are a couple neat facts about the name Ella. For one it is a really popular name in Australia. It was in the top ten most popular names in Australia last year. Ella doesn't seem to be as common of a name in the US, which is good because we didn't want an overly common name, but since Ella will be an Aussie baby we thought this was very fitting. Also Brandon served a two year mission for our church in Brazil and Ella (spelt Ela) means "she" in Portuguese. The last neat fact about the name Ella (and more personal fact) is that shortly after I found out I was pregnant, before I even knew I was having a girl, I had a dream of Brandon giving a baby blessing. In our church the father usually gives their baby a blessing it can be a blessing for guidance, comfort, strength etc and at that time the baby is given a name. In my dream Brandon was holding a baby girl, dressed in white and he gave her the name "Ella Reese." :)

We want to frame this one and put it in her room. :)

Last weekend my friends Dannii and Jade threw me a baby shower. It was scheduled early so that Michelle could be there for it. It was such a wonderful day. A mixture of friends from church and uni came to the shower. I had a great time catching up with everyone and got lots of adorable baby stuff.

Dannii and Jade did an amazing job planning the baby shower and decorating... seriously they should both be party planners. Well technically Jade plans parties for dead people since she is a funeral director ;). I seriously was blown away by how amazing it all look and the food was SO yummy. They made a mixture of American and Australian party foods. They even made pink rice krispy treats (an American treat) which I loved! Such thoughtful friends. Words cannot express how grateful I am for Dannii and Jade and my other friends out here. They have been like family to me since moving to Perth. I know we will be well taken care of when our little bub gets here.

Thanks Jade and Dannii!!! Love you!

Michelle was nice enough to help me get glammed up for the special day and even styled my hair. She did such a great job. Thanks chell for making me feel pretty. :)

I love my sister! It meant the world to me that she could be there.

I should have done a big group shot of everyone that came to the shower. This is a picture of me with my friends from Uni.

Opening gifts!

At the end of the shower once everyone had left, Brandon gave me a very special gift to open. He bought a teeny-tiny silver baby bracelet with "Ella" engraved on it. It was such a thoughtful gift. I have such an amazing hubby who is going to make the best dad. Every time Ella looks at it she will know how much her daddy loves her.

Brandon's gift for Ella

Last but not least, here are some pregnancy photos that Michelle took of me. Enjoy! :)