15 Days and Counting!

I am 15 days away from my due date!  I have been slow to post because I feel like I have been doing so many things to prepare for Baby P!  I have such great friends and family, thank you all for the showers, gifts and nice things you have done to help.  Everything on the checklist is complete....  we have the car seat installed, the nursery is finished and all kinds of baby clothes, blankets and supplies ready!  The doctor says everything is going well and on track- the head is down and in position.  I really am ready for this baby to come out and will be eating spicy food as often as possible, just in case that helps!  I went ahead and made a doctors appointment for after my due date- I figure if I have the appointment I won't need it.  Chris and I are going out for Halloween for one last hurrah before Baby P arrives- pictures coming soon.  Here are some recent photos of the nursery, showers, and belly!

Week 36

Parker was a great helper!

Week 37

"Where are you going to run to, there is no stopping the baby now!"

This weekend, Chris and I decided we should visit the hospital where I plan to have the baby.  We were with several other couples on a tour and one of the husbands asked how he might be able to "run out real quick", instead of going through the security doors.... this is when Chris said loudly, "Dude, where are you going to run to?.. there is no stopping the baby now!," to which everyone was laughing!  Central Dupage is a nice hospital -complete with valet parking- and is very close to our house.   We are putting the final touches our nursery and giving it some personal touches with some old baby photos.  Here are a couple of flashbacks when we were babies, along with some recent family photos, courtesy of Erik Photography. 

Tea Party or T-Ball?!

Chris and I made the journey to Evansville this weekend for a family baby shower!  It was so wonderful to see my family and friends- we had not made the trip since Christmas.  The shower was so nice, and a huge thank you to Cheryl, Julie, Morgan and Madison who threw it for me.  Thank you to everyone who came and thank you so much for the generous gifts!  Our baby got so much great stuff.  Everyone had their own ideas about how to tell if the baby is a boy or girl.  The majority say that I am having a girl.... we will find out in 7 weeks, the anticipating is killing me! Will we be having tea parties or going to t-ball games?!  We still are not really settled on any particular names, but do have some good choices- one thing is for sure, the baby's name will not start with the letter "P"... Peter Piekos, or Polly Piekos... too cartoon-ish for us.  Baby P has been moving around a lot lately, and surprisingly I am still feeling really good.  I'm hoping that this continues for as long as possible.  We are looking forward to spending the next weekends at home making final preparations for the baby.

My sister demonstrating how a bunting goes on a baby!

33 Weeks

It's fun to "Do it Yourself!"

This past weekend, was a weekend full of projects.  Between Chris and I we went to Home Depot 3 times and Menards once!  While Chris was at Home Depot a random stranger started shouting "Ain't it fun to do it yourself!," as Chris was struggling with the wood and air-gun rental.  Chris, with the help of Matt and Bob - Thanks again Piekos family! - did an awesome job with getting up crown molding in our nursery.  Here are a few shots of the progress.  I got my new camera and was just doing some practice shots around the house.  I'm very excited to have the camera for our new arrival!  Just 53 more days... stay tuned for more updates.

UT and IU College Weekends!

Last weekend, Chris and I flew to Knoxville, TN to visit my family for the UT home opener football game.  We had a great tailgate- love those Big Foot Donuts, thought they were very novel and had to take a picture.  My sister had a very big flood in her house, and was able to do some major remodeling as a result. We saw her house for the first time after the flood for the "big reveal" - it looks great!   Once we were back to Chicago, we celebrated or 2nd wedding anniversary at the Capital Grill... absolutely fantastic meal!  I love my husband!  This past weekend, I visited Bloomington to catch up with some of best college friends.  We spent some time on campus and of course had to do a bar crawl at Kilroys, Upstairs, followed by Nicks with a game of Sink the Biz  (My role was the sober driver!) .  It was really fun to reminisce and catch up with my friends, they are so much fun!    Chris made a ton of progress on our house with painting and electrical projects while I was gone, which was very nice of him to take care of so I could have some fun.  I just got a new Canon Rebel digital SLR camera.  I'm looking forward to learning how to use it, stay tuned for some better quality pictures.   8 more weeks to go... here's a belly shot at 31 weeks.

Jill and Dave's Wedding

We had a wonderful weekend in Charlevoix, Michigan at Jill and Dave's wedding!  Northern Michigan is so beautifiul, I wish we could have spent more time there.  Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous and we had a great time partying with our friends.  I think we would consider buying a summer home there if we lived closer.  Earlier this month, Chris celebrated his 33rd birthday along with Missy and Trent's son, Parker- who turned 2!  Chris celebrated with a homerun and winning game with his softball team.   I'm 29 weeks pregnant, only 11 more weeks until the baby reveals him or herself!  I'm still feeling really good and have a lot of energy. 

29 Weeks

Reception at a castle!

Jill was a stunning bride!

"Jurassics" Win!.... this is the team name b/c they are old men!

Parker's 2nd birthday

Omaha and San Diego

The past two weekends we have been out of town to Omaha for Asten and Val's wedding and to San Diego for some  R&R, along with a conference for me.  We went to the zoo in Omaha and attempted to go to the casino, but it was not smoke free, so definitely passed on that.  The wedding was gorgeous and it was so much fun to see our friends!   I had to go to San Diego for a work conference so Chris came along for a few days prior to the conference.  We had some amazing dinners in La Jolla and visited the Gas Lamp district with our friend Stephen.  We also had to experience the Wild Animal Park.  It is amazing to see the park, because it is so open and they have had some great successes with breeding endangered animals.  We are really zoo experts after the past two weeks! Most of all, we had fun just sitting at the pool and going to the beach.  

Omaha- Old Market- Upstream Brewing Co.

Omaha Zoo- these bears were really smart, catching fruit

Asten and Val's wedding

Blowing Bubbles

San Diego - Wild Animal Park

Cheeta up close and personal in San Diego

Beach at Coronado

Room with a view!

Baby Bump - 26 weeks