35 Weeks

I cannot believe we’re at the 35 week mark. And that we have less than 5 weeks to go before Baby Girl is due to arrive.

Pregnancy is a weird thing because parts of it seem to go by so slowly, while others speed by. Everyone experiences this differently, but for me, the beginning crept like a snail. Once we hit week 20 though, time flew and here we are. Week 35. I have a lot of thoughts and emotions about all of this: excitement and anticipation, joy and deep deep love, but also fear and anxiousness, worry and doubt. I think that’s normal. Or let’s just pretend it is to put my mind at ease. 🙂

I wanted to check in today with a journal entry of sorts… a little update on how the pregnancy has been going, show a few bump pictures, answer some of the recurring questions we get asked. You know, just a bit of the low down on what’s been going on in our world. What’s funny about these pictures is that they are a pretty good representation of the adventure we’ve been on this past year- this baby is very well traveled! It’s been a BUSY pregnancy and it’s fun to have snapshots to look back and remember all the places we’ve gone and experiences we’ve had with her in tow.

When is the baby due? December 20th

Do you have a name picked out? Yep! We love it and haven’t wavered on our decision since we made it. In terms of what “it” is, well, you’ll just have to wait. We’re keeping that piece to ourselves until our little girl makes her debut. I’ve heard it’s torture to have to wait (my youth group kids are DYING), but you’re in good company… we’re not even telling our parents until the big day. It’s just something Mitch and I decided to hold close to us until she’s born- this way, we have the freedom to change our minds along the way, but more so, to make a decision that feels right to us without the opinions of everyone else. But make no mistake, we can’t WAIT to share it. 🙂

How are you feeling? For the most part, I feel great. No more regular sickness (thank GOODNESS). The sick has just been replaced with pure exhaustion. I am tired all.the.time. In terms of physically, I get some pretty significant back pain after walking or standing for too long. I think the weight of the belly sticking out puts a lot of strain on my lower back, which can lead to a lot of soreness if I don’t sit down and take it easy.

Do you sleep well? For the most part, I sleep pretty soundly. Sometimes it takes me awhile to fall asleep (getting comfortable around a pregnant belly is quite a task), but once I’m there, I’m usually good. That is until I have to get up to go to the bathroom… which is constantly. 🙂

Any cravings? It’s funny… in the beginning, I craved healthier things and especially things with a high water content. I was getting sick so often and unable to keep water down, so I think my body subconsciously craved foods that would replenish that lack of hydration. Popsicles, fruits, lemonade, etc. were all crowd pleasers. Nowadays? Things have taken a turn and junk food has my name written all over it. 🙂 Chocolate chip cookies are a fan favorite these days.

Can you feel her move? Yes! She’s an active girl… at all hours. 🙂 This has probably been my favorite part (this, and working on the nursery)… feeling her move around. What used to be sharp kicks and jabs have transitioned into smoother movements, shifting around, and adjusting her position. Also, she’s gotten the hiccups a few times and that is just plain hilarious.

How’s the nursery coming? Great! We’re in the home stretch and are LOVING the way it’s turning out. Get ready for a whole slew of posts about it because we’ve got a lot to share with you. The whole room has been painted (you saw that here), all of the big furniture is in and assembled, we’re working on washing and sorting through her clothes (we’ve got a fun dresser makeover coming your way!), and beginning the process of adding the last finishing touches- a rug, lamp, mobile, and decorations.

Will house projects/blogging stop? I hope not! Right now is a very busy season, as I am trying to get all the necessary things in order at work before the maternity leave starts. It’s been a whirlwind of preparations in every aspect of my life, resulting in less blogging lately than I’d like. Hopefully when things calm down a little, we can pick up the posting schedule again. We have so much to share with you, so much to fill you in on! Not only have we made a lot of headway with house stuff, but there’s a lot of life stuff to share too (like the ridiculous amount of pictures and videos we have from our Hawaii adventure back in MAY, that we still haven’t said a word about around here)! So yes, we hope to continue home projects and blogging about this, that, and everything in between.

Have you taken childbirth classes? Yep. Next week is our last of the four sessions and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the class. It has been a great way to start mentally preparing for the experience, plus we got to take a tour of the hospital, which was a huge help in getting acquainted with where we’ll need to go and which rooms we’ll be spending most of our stay in.

Will you be taking maternity photos? Yes! We’re actually getting them done today! 🙂

What are you most nervous about? Everything is going to change… I don’t know what it’s all going to look like, but I know it’s going to be different. The unknown is a little unnerving if I spend too much time thinking about it.

What are you most excited for? This is a tough question for me because when I think of the process from start to finish, each part of it excites me. The realization that labor has started and that it’s only a matter of time before she gets here. Grabbing our bags and the ride to the hospital. Even going through the painful parts… I know it sounds weird, but there’s a part of me that wants to go through the hard work that it will take to bring Baby Girl home. I’m excited about spending the first moments with Mitch as we take in our new little wonder. Watching him hold her… I think he’s going to cry… I’m definitely going to cry. I’m excited about seeing our family meet her for the first time. Telling them her name. I’m excited about coming home. Our Christmas tree will be set up and finally, our house will feel like the home we’ve been working toward since we moved here. We can watch Christmas movies together- just the three of us, our little family. I’m excited to wake up and remember that she’s here, that she’s ours. To begin to learn what our new family looks and feels like. That’s what I’m excited about. 🙂