As you may have heard I have the best family and friends around.

Teresa, Sara & Morgan all came together to throw me the cutest Winnie the Pooh themed shower I have ever seen and I have seen a lot thanks to Pinterest! Before I was even pregnant Teresa told me she wanted to help plan my shower, just too nice. Morgan [after we were both done sobbing] reached out to Sara and Teresa the day after I told her I was expecting. These 3 have been planning this for months, hiding me from pin boards and I guess communicating a lot to make this happen for Claire & me. We both could not be more thankful, this shower was far beyond what I was expecting.

From the Olive bar [Claire Olive ZumMallen, get it?] to the little Winnie touches everywhere - it was too adorable for words. I am no where near as crafty or creative as these women are, maybe a little bit of it will rub off on me now that I have attended this shower.

Below are photo booth pictures, Morgan built us the 100 Acre Woods sign and it is now in the nursery, I am obsessed with it. I am also obsessed with everyone who put on the character ears and took photos, honestly I have the prettiest funniest friends and I hope that Claire grows up and makes her own fantastic lifelong friends. Ricklyn,  your flowers were amazing and they are still blooming and happy in our home, thank you!

About 25 women came out to shower Claire in love, I am surrounded by amazing and strong women who are not just friends but many have become like family. And that doesn't even include the women who are actually my family. Sadly, my sisters and sister in law were not able to attend but they were thought of often and Claire is going to have some awesome aunties. Both grandmas were there though! My mom and Ryan's mom got to celebrate with us at both showers.

None of this would have been possible without you three, thank you so much! Hoping to spend lots and lots of time with all of you on my maternity leave!! You all mean so much to me in different ways, thanks for being there for us xoxox

Another huge shout out to my girlfriend Erica at Two Sweet Cupcakes, she is amazing and she always generously bakes for our events.The flavors are all delicious I wish I had some more to munch on!

and this isn't even all of them :)

I love taking pictures - come on you know that haha. I especially love taking pictures with my wonderful  husband who had never had this many pictures taken of him before & he is such a good sport. I was really excited to get maternity shots taken and we had them done twice because I know a few fabulous photogs.

Evan met us at the Nature Center in Long Beach, this was a place we love and have been to in the past and we knew it would be a great backdrop.

Check him out on Facebook - Evan Z Photography

he also shot my baby shower that was right after these, cannot wait to get my hands on those and you better believe I will be sharing them haha

I posted a few weeks ago about my family shoot with Nick Charrow and here are a few maternity style ones that he got for us too!

Man, we love them all
Thank you!

I feel like 33 weeks is similar to turning 20 years old. I am not quite to the most exciting age but I am getting close enough that it is really all I can think about and probably is all that I am talking about [if that is the case and you are tired of it, just talk to me about something else haha I know everyone has their own stuff going on and I do care and want to hear about it].

At 33 weeks Claire is the size of a durian fruit, I didn't even attempt to find one of these at the market haha I hear they are thorny and smell really bad. I am glad the only thing she has in common with it is her weight and length. Per thebump.com she weighs about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. And she may grow up to a full inch this week -- amazing. Who knows how accurate this is I think most of this will be a surprise that we find out when she is born. The midwives are checking on me every two weeks now and pretty soon it will be weekly. I am still really happy with our decision, I haven't updated much about the midwife visits because there is not too much to update you with. Appointments are going well and they are quick, I do regular doctor visit items - check my weight, check my blood pressure and then the baby checks begin. They use the doppler to hear her little heartbeat, which sounds strong and gets quicker when she hears us talking, I really love this part of the visit. They then pull out the trusty measuring tape and so far so good, I am measuring right on track and she seems to already be head down. Fingers crossed that she doesn't want to do an crazy dance moves in there and just stays head down.

Any "fears" that I might have going into labor have nothing to do with labor itself, they have to do with the babies positioning, there would only be 4 reasons why I would not be able to have my baby in the setting I have chosen, those would be a transverse position means a sideways position. The baby has her head to one of her mother’s sides and the bottom across her abdomen at her other side. If this was the case I would start doing the spinning babies exercises regularly. Same with a baby in breech position, which the baby exits the pelvis with the buttocks or feet first as opposed to the normal head-first display. Most doctors and midwifes in the US will not attempt to deliver a baby that is in breech naturally, I have been reading that it is very common in other places if the bum is going to be first but that is not the case in California and I would need to start becoming ready for a csec if our natural methods of getting Claire to move did not work. The last two reasons would be if she was earlier than 37 weeks or got to 42 weeks [or later]. The midwife would still accompany me to the hospital in these cases so that is a nice thing that I remind myself of if something like what I listed above was to happen. I think she will be right on time if not a few days early since she wants to party at the Hagaman/Brenes wedding haha. A lot of people ask me what happens if I start to labor at the birth center but then I HAVE TO HAVE medicine or a risk appears and I need to be transferred to a hospital, let me ease your mind. There is a back up plan with a back up doctor who would take care of us in case of emergency [and an emergency does not include me deciding to get medicine, I consider that not an option] but their transfer rate as of last year was only 7 which is 9.8% of all mothers that they had admitted for labor. I am sure that Claire and I will be healthy and normal and I need to do a few more fear releases to get over my worry about her positions and birthing time. Everything will work out.

Instagram photo dump.

Last weekend was my second amazing baby shower!! I am so excited to blog it and share all the wonderful details and pictures! We had our friend Evan Zahala capture everything for us and I should have the pictures pretty soon so that I can share them with you and let you know just how awesome my friends are! It was beautiful and perfect and the nursery is looking fuller and she is already so loved it can be overwhelming.

We also took our maternity photos with Evan last weekend, we went to the El Dorado Nature Center and trecked through lots of dirt and it was really fun. I am looking forward to cherishing these pictures of this exciting time, I sometimes still cannot wrap my head around what Ryan and I are embarking on. 

Last night we had dinner with Ryan's Gazette sports family and we got to see Shar & Mike - Shar is now 38.5 weeks pregnant and I am so excited to see how it all goes for them! Plus, they are not sharing the babies name until birth and as I am sure you can guess - I am dying to know! I am shocked when I see pregnant bellies can still get bigger, mine seems huge! But I guess we still have a lot more growing to do.

Hi sweet baby, happy 33 weeks! 
Last night we had chicken piccata and I think you are in love with pasta. Yes, the entire pregnancy you have wanted carbs but the amount of energy you displayed after that dinner was pretty amazing. I love feeling you get crazy in there. This morning I have been drinking lemon water and I think that must be another favorite of yours. I am doing it for the rumors I have heard that it helps with my pregnancy mask but if you like it then its a win win little girl. You and I watched tv last night until about 2am and then crashed hard, thank you for still letting me sleep, I hear I should be trying to catch up on it now and you have been pretty wonderful about that and I am very very grateful. Your daddy and I are making strides in the nursery still, you are so loved that we have lots of organization to do and I am excited to start dressing you up in all of your little outfits. What do you think you want to wear home from the birth center? Something adorable or something witty? Maybe I will pack both and we can see what you lean towards. Your dad and I are so excited to welcome you into our lives, thank you for making us parents and for showing us this new level of love, you are already the best
xo mommy

For Mothers day we thought it would be fun to surprise my mom with a professional photo shoot. The last one had been about 6 years before and we all were matching and it was time to get them updated. I knew I wanted to hire Nick Charrow because he has shot with us a few times before and we have LOVED them. He did my bridal shower, our wedding, and our 1st Christmas card pictures. We went to Placerita Canyon and it was a great day, we love them all! I am glad that we were all able to get together, with how crazy everyone's lives are it will be nice to have these to look back on.

thanks Nick & happy Mothers Day mom!

Lots and lots of photos from Claire Olive ZumMallen's first baby shower that my mom threw for her. 

My mom invited old friends, new friends and family to celebrate with us at La Cocina. We had my bridal shower there and it was the perfect location. The margaritas were flowing and the delicious food is always something that I look forward to. I couldn't be more grateful to my mom and dad for throwing something so loving and I am so so happy that BOTH of my sisters were in town and they were able to celebrate with us. They led the games and helped move the party along. This would not have been such a success if our family and friends weren't so loving and generous.

The Baby Girl decorations were so cute and thanks to Pinterest my mom found the cutest diaper baby crafts and a lollipop centerpiece for the sweets table that were made out of receiving blankets, everything was so cute and we could not be more thankful.

Claire is already so loved and we feel so lucky, thank you mom and to my whole family for putting this on for us & thank you to everyone who came to celebrate

xo
Nikol & Claire

The only way to avoid completely freaking out was to not think about the cupcakes.

Dozens of them covered the dining room table and taunted me with their delicious
insides that held the secret that I had been waiting to learn for four months. Dixon
Ayrton or Claire Olive? Were we having a boy or a girl? I woke up with an energy
high more than eight hours before I was going to find out.

So I acted like they didn’t exist. With more than thirty friends and family in
attendance, the small gathering for our Gender Reveal Party had grown into a major
logistical event that had to be moved from our apartment to our gracious host
location at the Castillo residence (special thanks to soon-to-be grandparents
Ellis and Gabriela for bringing 30 chairs, setting up, taking down and just being the best).
People logged onto Skype and got stuck in mad traffic and flew in from out of town to attend, 
which was a bit overwhelming when I considered that me and Nikol could have just had the doctor tell us the gender, in private, a few days earlier and then Tweeted it out or whatever. This way was more fun, though.

A Gender Reveal Party is kind of a silly thing. It has probably been born out of the
Pinterest generation, invented by Etsy crafters and photographers looking for
business during the wedding offseason. It’s amazing and I highly recommend it to
any expecting parents – especially if you use decorations from Brittany at Eat.Plan.Love Events
 – but in the grand scheme of our own personal first child experience, whether we
were welcoming Dixon or Claire really didn’t even register.

Every guest wrote down their prediction for either a boy or a girl, but the only
person who hit the nail on the head was 2-year old Sophia, who said, “Umm… it’s
going to be a baby.” The perfect answer. What would the gender matter, as long as
our child turned out to be, in fact, a baby? She’s a tiny Socrates, that one.

So then why did holding that cupcake in my palm feel like the most important
thing in the world? I had been putting it out of my mind all day, but as I wrapped
up a quick speech and looked at Nikol and the cupcake and peeled off the foil, an
unspeakable magnitude of the moment smacked me in the head and I literally
almost lost my breath. Nikol and I somehow regained our composure and each took
a bite to find a yellow candy filling inside. Tears followed.

I genuinely don’t think that Nikol or I had any preference about the gender. I did,
however, call that our first child would be a girl when we first dared to discuss the
subject more than five years ago. So I think we may have gotten used to the idea of
raising a girl, since I was so adamant. In that sense there is probably some relief that
the child we have been picturing together for so long was right on the money.

Whatever it was, we needed a second to break down in public before we could
fully process the news. Holding Nikol in that moment was another one of the most
beautiful feelings I’ve had in my entire life – though that’s a list that I’m sure will
change drastically in the next year, and after a split-second of crying she seemed
more interested in getting the frosting off her fingers. I can’t blame her. Erica once
again came through with the most delicious and perfect cupcakes when we asked.
I’m eating one right now and my laptop keys are all sticky. Erica rocks, thank you Two Sweet Cupcakes!

My parents rock, too, and they both had tricks up their sleeve. My dad and his green (boy) t-
shirt left the party after the announcement and he re-emerged in a yellow (girl)
one, which cracked me up. My sister, my mom and her husband Todd literally blew
Nikol’s mind when they gave us a dish hand-painted with Claire’s initials. Funny and
caring moments like that were littered throughout the day and brought everything
together.

Does it feel different knowing that you’re having a girl?

Definitely yes. That’s as far as I can go, because I can’t explain what I’m feeling that’s
different or why it is so. It just is. I don’t expect to have it figured out anytime soon,
but the answer is yes, it feels very different knowing that Claire is going to be joining
us soon. The desire to raise a bright and inquisitive girl into a strong and confident
woman is there, practically all the time since Saturday, and I guess that’s probably a
different feeling than the one I would be having if we were having a boy. Maybe not?
I don’t know.

But that is a different topic for another blog entry. For now we have the knowledge
that Claire Olive ZumMallen is on the way, and the warmth of a support network
that we’re reminded is larger and more amazing than I ever could have imagined.
Claire will be welcomed into her home with Dad and Mom, and two lady pets, and a
steady stream of aunts and no uncles. If I were a paranoid man, I would worry about
estrogen overload. But that’s not what matters. What matters is that she’s a baby.

First picture of a Pinterest project that I am really excited to do, I'm sure you've seen it on there: picture with test, picture with belly, picture with baby! This was the first one, I'm not really showing yet so I thought I should go ahead and take the pregnancy test shot.
Also, off topic, I am loving our orange wall! Looking forward to getting the nursery painted. Ryan and his friend Aaron are going to paint it while I go out with Kristen, Aaron's wife, who is also pregnant! Yay! She is about 10 weeks ahead of me so I'm just copying them every step along the way :) Maybe we can do some baby Pinterest crafts!?

Week 12 was a big one, I helped plan the Delta Chi Alumni party which was such a blast. We sent out our pregnancy announcements to our friends and family PLUS we made it Facebook official haha. It was overwhelming how much love we have received from everyone and it's also surprising to see who stays silent. I am really happy to say at this point in our lives we really know who our true friends are and we hope we have done the same for our friends. We have so many people we can turn to and lean on and I couldn't be more thankful. 

Still no crazy cravings, just when I want something I must have it but I have to say that was pretty much the routine before I was pregnant. Ryan pokes fun at me because I literally have no memory, I forget everything and am very easily distracted. I never knew that "baby brain" was something so real and would happen so so soon. Thankfully it hasn't really happened at work yet, whew.

Right now our little plum doesn't have very much to report but I am so looking forward to our ultrasound tomorrow where I get to see him/her again!

have a great week!
Nikol

Baby Z

    You are now the size of a plum and I can't help but want to see you all of the time. We have an ultrasound next week and I am on the edge of my seat to get to peak at you again. This is my first note to you but your dad and I have been thinking about it all the time, I just never knew where to start. I just didn't know what to say, I have all these feelings and its very unusual for me to be speechless. I think about you all day every day- with every bite of food I think about you and believe me there has been a lot of food!
Over these past three months we have been trying to read every little sign to find out if you are a boy or a girl, excitedly deciding on your name, making sure the 2nd bedroom is no longer a guest room but is your nursery, and loving you so much.
    You were planned, prayed for and so wanted. So far you have been very very easy on me and I thank you for that, all you seem to want is for me to sleep more and I do not mind that one bit, whatever energy you need to grow grow grow, you can have it. Your favorite meals have been bread, you and I are so much alike, I thank you for bringing loaves of bread back into our home, they were very missed.
Your grandparents and aunts are so so excited for you. You have already been so loved and welcomed that we cannot wait until August when they actually get to meet you in person.
xo
love, your mommy


____
I have been no good with belly pictures but here are a  few and Ill try to keep this update more often.


Baby bump - week 5

Baby bump - week 6

:)