36 and 37 Weeks - we're almost there!

Up until now, I haven't felt much like I'm about to have a baby in a couple of weeks. I have definitely been feeling big, but not like my body was preparing to give birth. Yesterday, I started to get the feeling that things were getting started. I'm getting more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions - nothing painful or regular, just more frequent. We also think that the baby may have dropped a little bit - not a lot, but even a little is encouraging. My belly has become pretty sensitive. Maternity pants are not even comfortable anymore. As soon as I get home from work each night, I change into my gray cotton pants. They are my favorite and the only really comfortable pants I have right now. I don't like the feeling of anything on my stomach. It feels somewhat itchy and tender as if I had a sunburn on it. I think that it has stretched about as much as it can. On Thanksgiving, the baby seemed to be pushing on me in every directions - hands pushing on my pelvic bones and feet pushing on my ribs. Our little Bud is starting to run out of room in there! I wonder when this baby is going to decide to join us.

37 Weeks 

36 Weeks 

Our Gift from Above

For the past few months, I have been working on a cross-stitch quilt to hang up over the baby's sleeping area. Last night, I finally finished it! Let me tell you, I was ready to be done with this. I feel a great sense of accomplishment. Right away, I hung it up above the Pack 'N Play and then added the extra balloons around it which were hung up in my room when I was little. The balloons look dark in the picture, they're actually pastel colors. More and more, we're starting to finish projects that we wanted to get done before the baby arrived. This was a huge one for me. My mom is also working on a blanket for the baby. The baby's area of the room still needs a little decoration, but we're definitely getting there!

34 and 35 Weeks

Things got a little busy last week and I never got the chance to post the 34 week belly picture, so I decided to add it to this one. Everything with the pregnancy has continued to go great. I had another doctor appt. this past week and we found that the baby's heart rate is in the 130s, which is where it has been for a while. I also gained another pound. I go back again on Wednesday, November 23. After that, it is every week until the baby arrives. Two of my sisters, Mari and Jodi, made some travel plans to be here for Christmas. We all really hope that the baby is here before that. I am due on December 16. We'll see if the baby is going to cooperate! We were able to move our computer desk, computer, and books out of our apartment and in to an office space down the hall. This has freed up a lot of space in our apartment for baby stuff. We set up the Pack N Play this past weekend. That is where the baby will sleep for the first two months. After that, we'll get a crib. With the exception of a few small things, we're all set up and ready for the baby to get here!

35 Weeks 

34 Weeks 

Our Baby Shower

A bunch of people from the seminary got together and planned us a baby shower. All I can say it that it was much more than I expected in so many ways. We arrived at the seminary on Saturday afternoon to find the large room where the shower was held all decorated, a buffet table full of food, and lots of presents. They even had games planned. Many more people showed up than I thought and several who couldn't be there still had gifts brought for us. After this shower, I think it's pretty safe to say that the baby it just about set. We received the travel system, pack 'n play, booster/high chair, changing pad, several outfits, baby towels and wash cloths, cleaning/grooming stuff, diapers, toys, a teddy bear, frame, and money. It was overwhelming, in a good way. We had a great time and felt a lot of love and support from everyone at the seminary. This was our second shower. Our first shower was held on August 20 and was given by Andy's family. I was 23 weeks pregnant at the time and we had it just before Andy and I headed back to Pennsylvania. We had a great time at that shower as well. Everyone was so generous and we received so many things for the baby. The last three pictures in this section are from that shower. My mom has been like one big shower on her own. She has bought me many maternity outfits and lots of clothes for the baby. My brothers and sisters have also purchased some clothes for the baby. Everyone has been so great. We really appreciate all of the help we have received as we prepare for our new arrival!

Us with all of our gifts. You can't see the table in this picture, but we received quite a few gifts. We feel very blessed.  

Andy showing off some skills he learned from our childbirth prep class. He now officially knows how to push a baby out! 

One of the games we played: a race to see who could drink the soda out of the bottle the fastest. Andy and I were on a team and we didn't do too well. Drinking out of a bottle is a lot of work! 

Gift opening time 

The yummy cake 

Gift time: we (or should I say, the baby) received many great gifts. 

Our two cakes: birthday/shower and diaper cake. Andy's mom made both of the cakes. She makes delicious cakes.

Three pregnant ladies. Becky (on the left) had baby Samuel about a week and a half after the shower. Dianna (in the middle) had baby Alena five days ago. Next is me! 

Childbirth Prep Class

We had our childbirth prep class this weekend: Friday night from 6-9pm and Saturday from 9am-3pm. Overall, it was pretty informative and we both feel a lot more confident in what to expect when our time arrives. We learned some breathing techniques, saw some of the equipment that will be used at the hospital, went over what to expect when labor begins and the different stages, and toured the labor and delivery unit at the hospital. I'm glad that we took this class. One of the exercises the nurse had us do (husbands too) was squeeze an ice cube in our hands for a minute while trying to focus on our breathing instead of the pain from the ice cube. I didn't do too well with this exercise. The minute went fast and I focused on my breathing, but it was hard to get my mind off the pain in my hand from that ice. I guess I have a lot of practice to do! It was great to get a tour of the hospital because it helped us to somewhat imagine what our experience is going to be like. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, in addition to ice chips, there are sno-cones available for women in labor. I think I might enjoy that. We also saw some of the newborn babies. All of this helped to bring everything into reality for us a little bit. Pretty soon, it will be us in the hospital and that newborn will be ours! Our level of excitement and anticipation has definitely increased after this weekend.

Andy sporting the 'Empathy Belt' at our childbirth prep class. We found time during the break to get a picture.  

33 Weeks

I had another doctor appointment this week. Pretty soon, they're going to start having me come in every week! Everything is still looking good. I gained another two pounds (which is much better than the ten from last time). While the doctor was trying to measure Bud's heart rate, he or she was moving around all over the place. We really enjoyed seeing how active this little one can be. I'm definitely starting to feel my size. Before, I would look at pictures and see that I am getting pretty big, but I didn't feel really big. Now, I'm starting to feel it. Things that used to be easy are not quite so easy anymore: getting out of bed and putting my shoes and socks on to name just a few. Last night, I tried to paint my toe nails. They are definitely painted now, but don't look super great. Oh well. Next time, I'll ask Andy to help me. We enjoyed some fall activities this past weekend with a group from the seminary. Fall is definitely our favorite season. This fall has been a little disappointing in terms of cold, rainy weather. But, conditions improved this past weekend, so we were able to get out a little bit and enjoy this time of year.

33 Weeks 

33 Weeks 

We went to a corn maze with a group from the seminary. While the big group actually went through the maze, we stayed back and Andy got a fire started. We topped it all off with a few smores. Yummy! 

It was a very cold night. We enjoyed sitting by the fire to keep warm.