37 weeks, 6 days

I am full term now and anxiously awaiting Sophia's arrival. She is still moving a lot and I hope making her descent! I'm overwhelmed trying to get projects at work in order. We are about a month away from the annual reunion at Madeira and it is always a lot of preparation. It is difficult knowing that our staff will be down by two because one of my co-workers is also expecting a baby any day now. I'm just trying to get as much done as possible so that my coworkers feel like things are in control for the weekend and it will run a smoothly as possible!

We officially moved into the house over the weekend. Slowly the boxes are being unpacked and we are finding space for our "stuff." I better get a move on the guest bedroom for when Mom and Dad arrive as well as other guests in the near future! The only problem with the house is that we think the hardwood floors are causing some distress on Dolly's back. She can't get enough traction when walking or even when standing at her bowl to eat and we think it may be causing her some back issues again. She woke us up at 1am this morning yelping in pain. Phillip is going to take her to the vet today. I'll keep you posted.

We had some "Belly shots" taken by a friend of mine. I haven't picked my favorite yet but here is a little sample.

36 weeks

Only about 4 weeks to go-give or take. That decision is up to Sophia! I can tell you that I have weekly appointments from here on out and at my appointment last week I have already started to make progress. Phillip is concerned that Sophia will make her debut before we are fully moved into the house. I had a daydream that she was going to arrive on Easter Sunday! Only time will tell. Remember that babies are born on their Birthday, not their Due Date!

My only ailment is my swollen feet. They really bug me. I have cankles. My blood pressure is fine, no headaches, just fluid in my feet and ankles. Ugh. To demonstrate what my ankles look like normally-bony, well defined, skinny-I found a picture from when I ran the marathon in 2006. This picture was taken AFTER I ran 26.2 miles!

And my ugly, swollen, fluid filled feet at 36 weeks preggers...



Other than that I really can't complain. This has been a great week. I had a surprise shower thrown by my "Virginia" Friends, complete with hay bales in the hostess' living room! Phillip's students threw us a baby shower at school yesterday. And some super soft, luxuriant, and eye pleasing linens arrived from Tuppens (my sister-in-law) earlier this week. We are brimming with anticipation.

This weekend we will continue to move and unpack stuff at the new house. We will attend a breastfeeding class and our final "baby" class. We are definitely in the home stretch and awaiting Sophia's arrival.

Here is what I look like at 36 weeks. Convenient that I have on the same outfit as the 35 week pictures ;) Clothing options are slim pickin's these days!

35 weeks

I am at 35 weeks as of yesterday. So far so good. The only ailment I have to "complain" about are my recently adopted "cankles." For those of you who don't know what those are they are calves that run into your ankles. In other words I'm retaining fluids and my ankles are swollen as if I have broken them. Not a pretty sight. Dr. told me to cut back on my salt intake and drink LOTS of fluids. Drinking lots of fluids is fun for a pregnant woman who currently has the bladder the size of a pea! I start seeing the doctor every week from here on out. My weight gain is good, I only gained 1/2 lb. this week ;)

Phillip and I have been attending a childbirth class that covers a lot of information about pregnancy, labor and delivery. It has been helpful. We are learning Lamaze breathing but we always seem to get distracted because practicing in class is kind of hokey and then we end up laughing hysterically. The instructor thinks I'm kidding when I say I am going to deliver this baby by laughter! She'll be sorry when I publish my first book on the subject!

We are about 2/3rds moved into the new house. We need to head over there this weekend to start unpacking stuff. It's not fun to be in between places but it's the best we can do considering we both work full time and I can really only pack boxes...not move them down the three flights of stairs!

In my "spare" time I have been making some baby things! I have made some reuseable wipes, washcloths and burp cloths! Not the handiest work in the sewing world but not to shabby for a beginner. Besides, the baby won't know the difference.

The washcloths are flannel on one side and terry cloth on the other. The wipes are 2 layers of flannel.




The only other interesting thing going on is Phillip's new found interest in what it must feel like to be pregnant. He thought he'd test out this query by using Dolly as his "baby."

Down on the Farm

Just a quick update because it is passed my bedtime.

Meg went and painted the nursery for us today and I am quite pleased! We decided to paint two shades of green to coordinate with the farm theme bedding and sort of mimic rolling hills on the walls of the nursery. I'm going to add a picket fence stencil at the joint of the two colors. Here is a quick look. The last photo gives you a bit of perspective looking into the room from the doorway. You can just barely see the closet door on the left and the window on the right. More updates as we add to the room!

More House Pictures

We went over to the house last week to check out the house, decide which rooms are going to be which, take some measurments and make a plan of some sorts. I felt a surge of panic last night when I realized that we have between 5-7 weeks (or so) before Sophia makes her appearance and not only do we not have anything boxed up and ready to move but we also have a lot of baby preparation to do like washing all her new clothes! Yikes. The exciting news is that Meg is coming for a visit to help us prepare! This is a very busy time for Phillip-doing set design for the school play, planning a discovery day trip, as well as his regular teaching duties. I am wrapped up in Reunion planning for Madeira as well as trying to get things into an orderly fashion at work before being out on maternity leave. So Meg's visit (and willingness to help pack things up) is very welcome!

So here are a lot more photos of the house.
Frontroom

Kitchen

Kitchen and Dining area

Deck

Yard

Hallway (Nursery is first room on left, then guestroom, Master on right)

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Guestroom

Living Room


I'll post Nursery pictures once it is painted and we have everything moved in.

On a different note, I have finally figured out how to use the sewing machine I received from Phillip's aunt. My first project was sewing Civil War ration bags for Phillip's Civil War display and Gettysburg battle.


My next project are burp clothes and flannel wipes.

Odds N Ends

So as promised, here is the picture of my smushed finger. It is healing slowly. Still black and blue on the flesh side and the nail will be black and blue for a long time. Just hoping the nail doesn't fall off.

My growing belly at 30 weeks. I have only gained 7 lbs since becoming pregnant. I'll keep you posted of the progress in the coming weeks. I feel like her head is on my right side and there isn't much room in there for her to get comfortable, therefore making my uncomfortable. But that's the way it goes.


Nesting: I think I'm in that phase. I've started making things in the Crockpot and freezing for later! It is like a game of Tetris when pulling out ice or ice cream with all the food in here. But it sure does make deciding on dinner a lot easier!

Last but not least the beautiful cake one of my mother-in-laws close friends made for the baby shower last weekend.

House

We are renting a house in Warrenton, VA which is about 20 minutes from where we are now. It will add a bit to my commute but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make for more space and a nursery for the baby! The house has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. It is situated on an acre, has a large deck and fenced backyard! One of my favorite features is that it is all one level. No more lugging stuff or groceries up three flights of stairs! Phillip is looking forward to being able to plant a garden, start a compost, and mowing the lawn! We will move in sometime in March. We only have a few pictures of the house but I will be sure to take more soon. The owners are letting us paint the nursery which I hope to do (okay, have Phillip do) this weekend.

30 weeks, 4 days

I am in the home stretch now! This post will be short and sweet--I slammed my index finger of my right hand in the car door on Saturday. It doesn't hurt like it did but the finger is still sore to the touch so I'm not using it much--making typying a bit of a challenge.

So I am 30 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Still feeling good! Getting a bit more tired in the afternoons, up nearly ever hour on the hour it seems to go to the bathroom, and my hips fall asleep and hurt while I'm sleeping causing some discomfort, but really no complaints.

The baby is moving around like crazy these days and it feels so weird--often like being tickled from the inside out. It is so much fun to know she is in there. I hope she is as excited to meet us in the outside world as we are to meet her!

Last weekend I was at a conference in Nashville, TN and the welcome reception was at the Wildhorse Saloon. Check out the hot guy I met! You can see my expanding belly a little bit...more "belly shots" to come.

Keeping me busy the past few nights has been Sophia's hand knitted blanket. I started this project about 2 years ago as my first introduction to the craft. Let's just say I was a bit ambitious! I actually started the blanket for a friend of ours who was expecting but clearly didn't give myself enough time...so by default the blanket has become Sophia's. If by chance this baby ends up being a boy I am just going to weave some blue ribbon through the eyelets around the edge! I finally finished the blanket tonight, bum finger and all! It is not easy to knit without using your index finger. It's just a labor of love! I hope she appreciates this blanket as much as I do.


Next post: My growing belly and pictures of the HOUSE we are renting!

Christmas, Cribs, and Rocking Chairs

We have finally settled back in to our tiny apartment, taken down the Christmas tree, and put away all the beautiful and fun things we received for Christmas. Phillip and I both feel that we are in nesting mode cleaning up, throwing away, and sending things to Goodwill. I think Dad and Bobby will be pleased to know I have finally severed ties with some "stuff" I have been hanging onto since high school and college. Who needs that crap?!? We have a baby on the way! (Officially 95 days unitl my due date!)

Phillip gave me a gift for "me and the baby" for Christmas. He woke up at 3am Christmas morning he was so excited! He did go back to sleep for a few hours but by 6am he couldn't wait any longer. He got up, let the dogs out, made some coffee, and retrieved my gift from the horse trailer. He wiped the condensation off and "warmed it up." He made me stay in the bedroom until I could be escorted out to the living room. When he did he had me sit in my brand new Rocking Chair. Nothing but the finest, made in North Carolina, Troutman Rocking Chair would do for his wife and baby! I sat in the chair all week, rocking, knitting, and indulging in a little TV! Dolly has enjoyed the rocker too. The only disappointment is that we had to leave the chair in NC because it wouldn't fit in the car....because we bought a crib!

The crib is a lifetime conversion crib. It starts as a crib, then you take the front off to make a toddler bed, and then the front and back become the headboard and footboard of a full size bed. Sure hope Sophia likes it! The guy at the furniture place usually doesn't carry baby furniture but got a bedroom suite by mistake. He was anxious to get the pieces moved and out of his inventory and made us a deal on the bed we couldn't refuse. So the baby will now have a place to sleep....for the next 18 years! We didn't buy the dresser/changing table or chest of drawers but I've included pictures of those pieces so you can see what the whole set looks like.



A few other things we have decided is that we are going to use a cloth dipaer called Bum Genius. http://www.bumgenius.com/index.php We need to get a few to see how they operate. They have diapers in different sizes and a "one size fits all." The great thing about the Bum Genius is that they fit and operate like a disposable but you don't have the waste. You just throw them in the washing machine! We will probablly use the newborn disposable diapers for the first few weeks until the belly button heals and we'll use disposables when traveling and for daycare if we have to but we hope to do our part in being a "Green" family. I'm also looking into using washable wipes instead of the disposables.

When we get to the point of solid foods I'm going to try and make a bunch of our own puree's for the baby. There are a ton of "baby cookbooks" out there to make our own food. Hopefully it will be a bit healthier and not full of preservatives. But that's a little ways off.

I am about 6 1/2 months along and feeling great. I will take some pictures this week and post them so you all can see my expanding belly. The only problems I'm having is sleeping comfortablly. I do a lot of tossing and turning because the pressure on my hips causes pain and I have to roll over--which isn't as easy as it once was! Since we have once again gotten rid of the TV and cable my newest form of entertainment is pulling my shirt up so I can watch the baby move! It is like looking at a waterbed move in my stomach. You have to be patient but you can actually see her moving around in there! So exciting and fun.

We are having a girl!

First of all I apologize for the delay in posting the most recent ultrasound photos and sharing with many of you that we now know we are having a girl.

On Nov. 19th we had our second round of ultrasounds and all looks well. It is amazing that now our Peanut does not fit into the full frame on the ultrasound machine. Equally incredible is being able to see her ribs, vertebrae, the bones in her hands and feet. Sometimes I am just astounded that I have a human being growing inside of me. Take a look...








She was fairly uncooperative during the ultrasound. She didn't roll over a lot so it was difficult to be 100% sure that she was a girl...You can see that she was on her side and stomach and didn't want to look at the "camera" so to speak. If you can't figure out the "gender" shot it is an odd view. What you see is the back of her thighs and her butt! I'll leave the rest of the interpretation to you.

It has been very rewarding for us to know that our Peanut is a girl. Even if we discovered it was a boy we would have been satisfied. I like that the gender now gives our little one a slight sense of identity and personality.

She has only recently started moving around a lot. It is a weird feeling and difficult to describe. I sort of imagine the movements as the globs of goo in a Lava lamp as they move towards the top of the lamp or perhaps a rolling pin rolling out dough with rocks in it. Phillip has felt her move just a few times. I feel selfish that I get to experience her movements often but as I continue along he will have more opportunities to feel her as we grow.