[caption id="attachment_322" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Definitely not a "Cake Wrecks" cake."][/caption]

First of all, let's all be thankful my baby shower cake wasn't shaped like a baby butt or a preggo lady and didn't picture a naked woman giving birth.� Okay, moving on ...

[caption id="attachment_326" align="alignright" width="242" caption="Nina won the candy-diaper-poop game."][/caption]

If you ever need to plan an event in the Detroit area, you should employ the event planning expertise of my sister, Adrienne.� Now, I realize I've never been to one of these before, but she, my other sister Lauren and my mother threw me an absolutely awesome baby shower this past weekend in Pennsylvania with my family and some close family friends.

Although I did have to suck it up for the "Make-Pamela-Guess-the-Baby-Food-Flavor" game, everyone had a really fun time.� (Expectant mothers please note - steer clear of "macaroni and cheese" and "lamb" flavored baby foods.� I nearly vomited.)

[caption id="attachment_319" align="alignleft" width="226" caption="Butt Paste endorsement"][/caption]

Other, less torturous games were a hoot.� I must say, it was monumentally entertaining to peer across the room and see my grandmother sniffing and tasting the contents of a baby's diaper during the "Which candy bar is in that diaper?" game.� And my sister, Lauren had guests winning oddly appropriate prizes such as baby corn and baby dills by guessing the correct prices of items like breast milk storage bags and butt paste.

[caption id="attachment_321" align="alignright" width="242" caption="practicing my strolling"][/caption]

I must say, James and I are definitely a lot more prepared for Baby Lump's arrival after being showered with so many baby gifts.� Guests will be delighted to know I will be tossing all the gift receipts and making no returns or exchanges at Babies "R" Us - such tasteful gift-givers they were!

To sum it up, I couldn't have imagined having a better shower, and I'll never subject Baby Lump to meat-flavored baby foods.

For more baby shower pictures, check out the Little Baby Lump Flickr page in the Family set.

Oven Timer: 28 weeks

Topics: family, Events, Surprises, baby food, baby shower, baby gifts

[caption id="attachment_307" align="alignright" width="344" caption="This is a turkey - not my belly. Ew."][/caption]

My belly has definitely been getting plumper.� Wanna know how I can tell?� The bigger it gets, the shallower my belly button cavity gets.

It's kind of funny how much my belly button has been the topic of discussion between James and me lately.� At this point, if I squeeze the sides of it I can make it temporarily pop out.� Was that too much information?� Is this too weird?� We think it's hilarious.� And my research has proven we're not the only ones obsessed with the pregnant belly-button phenomenon.

James is truly looking forward to the day when my belly button pokes out from its little lair.� Although, this is probably because he thinks there will be an actual, defining moment when my belly button will suddenly burst free, making an audible "pop"ping sound.� Keep dreaming, James.� My belly button is not a turkey timer.� (Although the similarities between a baked turkey and a near-ready bun in the oven aren't too far-fetched!)

As for my bun's development this week, Baby Lump should be about 14� 1/2 inches long and weigh 2� 1/2 pounds.� What's even more exciting is, if born today, he/she would have a whopping 85% chance of survival since his/her lungs are now capable of breathing air!

Feel free to also join in on congratulating me on the completion of my second trimester.� It's all downhill from here ... that is, unless you count the whole natural birthing part.

Oven Timer: 27 weeks, 1 day

Topics: Weekly Updates, Milestones, pregnancy, little baby lump, turkey timer, belly button

Topics: Weekly Updates, video, Halloween, Internet Fun, Bizarre, Media, little baby lump, food, baby costumes, 26 weeks

First of all, I'm glad to see some of you are really getting into the birth stats betting guessing facebook group.� It's been fun to track all of your (sometimes quirky) guesses.� And while I doubt I'm going to give birth to a manbearpig (I guess this is what I get for the pambearpig nickname), a demigod or Paul Bunyan, I can see where you're all coming from.� Given that James was almost 11 pounds at birth, I suppose it's not that far-fetched

Although it may not take five storks to drop off Baby Lump at my doorstep, he/she has done some growing in the past week.� Little lump should now measure about 13� 1/2 inches in length and weight approximately 1� 1/2 pounds.

What's even more intriguing is that his/her eyelids are no longer fused shut (not that Baby Lump can see anything in the darkness of the womb, anyway), and his/her lungs are now capable of breathing air!� This means that although Baby Lump is taking in tiny breaths of fluid in the womb, he/she could now breathe outside the womb without medical assistance.

You may have noticed from my baby bump photos that I've decided to start taking pictures from a full-body perspective.� Based on the fact that some of you have been questioning whether I'm actually taking photos of my knee and not my belly, I figured it was time for a change.� I think you will all get a better idea of how big Baby Lump is getting from this perspective.

Maybe you'll all also agree that Baby Lump is definitely not Paul Bunyan material.

Oven Timer: 25 weeks, 2 days

Topics: Weekly Updates, baby bump, little baby lump, Facebook, birth stats, Paul Bunyan