Week of Baby Moments

While most weeks are all about Baby moments in this household now, this particular week was definitely a time devoted to Baby--especially Baby pictures! (And if you know anything about me or my previous blog, you'll know how important photo memories are to me).

It started last Saturday where a stressful week prompted me to finally ask my husband if we could attempt an experiment I'd been contemplating: milk bath photos. If you've never heard of pregnancy milk bath photos, a quick Google search will reveal this latest photography trend. And while I'm not normally one to follow trends (I didn't do a gender reveal party and I'm sticking with a non-co-ed baby shower), there was a small part of me that just wanted to see what it was like--and to experience as many things about pregnancy that I wanted to before it's over. However, since I was already spending money on a professional photographer for maternity photos later in the week, this was an experiment I wanted to do on our own, just for fun, and for free. All you really need is: 1) a bathtub, 2) some real flowers (fake flowers don't float), and 3) some milk (or coffee creamer, or a milk bath bomb to achieve that milky look).

I cut the yellow-red roses and mums I bought previously at Trader Joe's, filled the tub, dumped in what was left of our Lactaid milk (the only milk we had on hand) and asked Hubby to stand on the edge of the tub...very carefully...with my camera. A lot of milk bath models wear silky flowing scarves across their body or lacy dresses that they don't mind ruining. I was fine with just wearing a swimsuit and seeing what we got.

The results were...actually very pleasing! I loved how our homemade attempt turned out! I did feel a bit like a nature goddess, even without the lacy dress, and I got to document my growing bump in a different way from the weekly photos at my mom's house. In fact, I actually felt a little...dare I say it...sexy? Which can be extremely hard to feel when you're in your third trimester of pregnancy and growing wider and heavier by the day. Props to Hubby for his good eye and patient dedication. I only Photoshopped them slightly afterward to play with the lighting. How very fun, and relaxing too!

 

The next Baby moment came five days later with our first ever baby shower! While the family/friend shower I'm helping my mommas plan isn't scheduled until closer to the end of the month, Hubby's coworkers treated us both to a superhero-themed baby shower that was a complete surprise for the Dad-to-be (I was in on the secret so they could ensure my attendance). We were all so pleased that Hubby didn't get a hint of the surprise beforehand (see his surprised face below) and the event was so much fun with a delicious potluck of food, superhero decor everywhere, and the most thoughtful gifts, including a baby swing group gift and a Thor's hammer rattle!

The evening after the work shower was also incredibly special because we had scheduled Baby's 3D ultrasound visit! Once Baby was given a clean bill of health at his last medical ultrasound, my doctor said that if I wanted to see Baby again later in the pregnancy I could always go to an ultrasound studio. While there is some debate online regarding the safety of too many ultrasounds and non-medical purposes, my doctor actually assured me that multiple ultrasounds were perfectly safe. He said some high-risk women have to get them once or even twice a week! So without shame from my doctor, and with hearing stories of positive experiences from friends, I made an appointment the previous Friday to visit Little Blessings 4D Ultrasound Studio.

One of the best things about the studio was that you could invite family and friends to come witness your baby on screen in 2D and 3D! The only problem was that when we went last Friday...Baby wasn't having any of it. He slept through the entire ultrasound--with his hands covering his face! Since there was no real opportunity for good pictures, the awesome ultrasound tech Vanessa gave us a free return to try again and recommended I eat something cold and sweet 10-15 minutes before the next ultrasound started. Though I was still a little full off of baby shower potluck and cake, Hubby and I stopped at Thrifty Ice Cream before the session to prepare. I tried their pink and blue Cotton Candy flavor, which is usually outside my ice cream comfort zone, but Baby has liked it on more than one occasion. We ate and chatted with anticipation, and then headed down the street for Baby's big closeup!

When Vanessa noted at the beginning of this ultrasound that Baby's hand was again covering his face, I started to prepare for disappointment. Until we noticed on the screen that Baby wasn't sleeping this time. He was actually trying to suck on his fingers! Vanessa worked hard to get some shots of his facial features while we watched Baby attempt to eat his hands, his elbow, even what might have been a foot at one point! It was darling to witness and absolutely made up for the fact that we couldn't really see his face clearly--until he moved just enough to frame his face between his elbows and give a little knowing smile! Our hearts just melted, and everyone admitted that Baby clearly had my full lips. I'm still hoping there's plenty of Hubby in there too.

The week came to a close today, Sunday, with one last Baby portrait session--this time for our scheduled maternity photos! The fun of that photo shoot will have to wait for a future blog post when I can share our end results (turnaround time is 10 days, so stay tuned)! But in the meantime, you can get a sneak preview of our outfits taken with my phone:

Lots more Baby moments to come!