So much to be thankful for

With yesterday being Thanksgiving and reading everyone's blog posts and status updates about what they are thankful for, it also got me thinking about how much Matt and I really have to be thankful for.  And really, these are things that we should acknowledge daily and not just one day out of the year.  We have a healthy marriage, a house that is safe, warm, and that we are able to raise a family in, secure jobs that allow us to pay our bills and then some, great families, and our little one on the way, who we will get to meet in just about 6 weeks or so!  And really, something that trumps all those things, we are also so thankful to know Jesus and for the sacrifice He made for us.

We were lucky to be able to make the trip down to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year.  We weren't sure how I'd be feeling, but my doctor gave me the okay to drive down since "it's only 2 hours and they have good hospitals down there."  Thankfully, we haven't needed the hospital part :)  I spent Tuesday evening and part of Wednesday sick with the stomach flu, but that passed fairly quickly and I felt pretty much back to normal by Wednesday night so we went ahead with our plans to come down.  I'm so glad that we did, especially since we won't get to come down at Christmas.  It was great to see my grandparents and other family members at my mom and stepdad's house.  The food was delicious and we had a good time visiting with everyone.  Plus, my mom coordinated a little bit of a baby shower for us after we ate!  I knew about it ahead of time, but once again, I was overwhelmed with people's generosity.  Baby B now has an activity mat for tummy time, lots of sleep.sacks and swaddlers, some really soft blankets, and some more bath toys, along with some sun shades for the car. 

We also went to my dad's parents' house (yes, I'm fortunate enough to still have all four of my grandparents).  I hadn't seen this side of my family at all since Matt and I found out I was pregnant, though I've talked with my grandma on the phone a few times.  Once again, it was so good to see my grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins.  We got to celebrate my cousin's daughter's birthday - she was born on Thanksgiving Day 13 years ago, and while her actual birthday is today, we had cupcakes and sang to her yesterday.  It blows me away that she's already a teenager, and that her sisters are (almost) 11 and 9.  And speaking of blowing me away, I was completely surprised when all of a sudden my aunts and cousins come walking into the living/dining room with bags full of presents for Baby B yelling "Happy baby shower!"  This is not a side of my family that I'm close with, but again, I was completely overwhelmed by their excitement over Baby B's impending arrival.  Baby B got some really cute clothes and sleepers, along with our bottle warmer, bu.mbo seat, and Ang.el.Car.e monitor.  Everyone kept saying how they couldn't wait to meet Baby B and to find out if he/she is a girl or a boy.  Everyone kept making guesses yesterday :)

My mom, sister, and I kept up our holiday tradition of going to see a movie last night, and then my mom and stepdad went out shopping.  I used to go, but didn't last year or this year.  There's not really been anything I've needed or wanted enough to go out and fight the crowds. 

All in all, yesterday was a great day and I'm so glad Matt and I were able to come down and spend the holiday with family.  And I'm so thankful for a family who is so excited to welcome Baby B into the world relatively soon.  This baby is going to be so loved by so many people.  Actually, I think he/she already is.

I hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving, too!

33 weeks

How far along? 33 weeks 1 day
How big is baby? Between 17-19 inches long and around 4.5 pounds
Total weight gain? As of Thursday, I'm up just under 23 pounds total. My doc is really pleased with my gain so far :)
Stetch marks? None
Sleep? Eh, it's okay. I'm waking up every 1.5-2 hours to go to the bathroom. Most times I'm able to get back to sleep fairly quickly, but once it hits around 4:00 or 4:30 I have a harder time getting back to sleep and I wake up more often. This does not lend itself well to sleeping in on the weekends.
Best moment this week: Matt learning how to change a diaper during our newborn care class :) And really working on the nursery - it's so close to having all the big things finished!
Weekly wisdom: It is okay to let people help you or do things for you when you are pregnant. I've had a hard time watching and letting Matt do things around the house to prepare for Baby B., but he keeps pointing out that physically I can't really do much to help him anyway, and that if he can keep me from having to bend over to pick up things, then he will, since that's getting harder and harder for me to do.
Milestones: Baby B.'s immune system is developed enough now that his/her body would be able to provide protection from mild infections.

And my picture. I don't feel as big as I look. Though I do have a couple of maternity shirts that no longer cover my belly.

Baby Shower

Yesterday was my first baby shower. Baby B is already so loved and blessed by so many people. I can't wait for him/her to meet everyone! It was a great day and I had a great time. We got lots of things for Baby B, which I have been organizing and starting to put away today :) Me with my two closest friends from college, Christina and Kathy. They did a great job planning the shower!
Me with Rose, who hosted the shower at her home. I've been babysitting her kids for over 7 years (I took over when Christina graduated), and her family has become like our family here in Indy. Matt and I love hanging out with her, her husband, and their three kids.

Me with my mom. Yes, Christina and Kathy bought her a "Grandma to be" sash :)

Striking a pose with her sash

Delicious food. And how cute is that watermelon carriage?

Yummy cupcakesOnesies hanging as decorations

All kinds of stuff for Baby B.

We got our bouncer!

Cute little fleece with a hood with little ears on it :)
Everyone brought a book in lieu of a card. We got a great start to a library for Baby B. And of course, no baby's library is complete without the alphabet book of important Ohio State things!
Everything we got at the shower, minus the high chair

Mac really likes to lay under the crib. He hasn't tried to jump in it yet, but I feel like it's only a matter of time.

I loved spending the afternoon with friends from all different parts of my life. It was so great to see them all, and we are so thankful for all the gifts we got to use with Baby B.

31 week survey

How far along? 31 weeks 1 day

How big is baby? all the websites and books say Baby B weighs between 3-3.5 pounds and is 16.4-18 inches long. That's probably about right, at least weight-wise, since at our ultrasound 2 weeks ago Baby B weighed 2lbs 13oz.

Total weight gain/loss? I'm up about 21 pounds. Not too bad. The doc is pleased with my gain. They said to aim for 25-35 pounds overall, so I'm on track to fall in that range.

Stretch marks? nope

Sleep? Not good. I wake up every 1.5-2 hours to use the bathroom. Sometimes I have trouble getting comfortable, and then sometimes Baby B decides that it's time for a middle of the night dance party. Baby B especially does not like when I lay on my right side - probably because he/she has been camped out on that side pretty much this whole pregnancy.

Best moment this week: Seeing the nursery really start to come together. I am LOVING the room!

Weekly wisdom: Naps are great. The housework will get done eventually.

Milestones: Single digit weeks until Baby B's due date!

In other news, I had a doctor appointment on Friday. Baby B's heartrate sounded great, and I'm measuring right on track. I knew I had passed my glucose test, and I found out Friday I barely passed it. The doc said the cutoff is either 130 or 140 depending on the doctor. My numbers came back at 131, but she decided not to have me do the 3 hour test because she didn't think it would come back as me having gestational diabetes.

My kids at school are getting more and more curious about Baby B. One kiddo started rubbing my stomach on Friday as I was picking the kids up from lunch. He said, "You have a big stomach!" I asked him why it was big and he told me, "Because you have a baby in there. Let's go have a talk and you can show me what your baby looks like." Then he pouted for a minute when I told him that wasn't exactly possible :) And as Baby B is getting more active and starting to run out of room, his/her movements are getting borderline uncomfortable sometimes, especially when I'm sitting (I've decided my torso needs to be a few inches longer). When this happens, I tend to put my hand over the spot where Baby B is moving - it's usually his/her bottom that's protruding and making me uncomfortable. I have one student who notices every time I do this and she will excitedly say, "The baby's doing something! What's the baby doing?"

I've also been told by multiple people this week that I look great for how far along I am. Several coworkers have mentioned that I look the same except for my belly, and Matt has mentioned this as well. It's nice to hear, since I feel really big sometimes.

I'm not sure there will be another update this week - but I am definitely looking forward to next Saturday. It's my first baby shower! I can't wait to celebrate Baby B with others who are excited about his/her impending arrival!

It's starting to look like a nursery!

The nursery is really starting to look like a nursery! In the 3.5 years we've been in our house, this is the first time I really want to spend time in this room (since we hadn't really done anything with it up until this point). I love how it's all starting to come together!

Matt spent a good part of this past weekend with a tiny little artist brush touching up all the edges of the two small white lines, repainting the orange stripe with another coat, and touching up some spots on the green walls. Oh, and then he went through and covered up all the corners and nail holes in the baseboards. His attention and desire to do a good job just made me realize what an amazing father he's going to be, and how much he loves me and Baby B. I really am married to a pretty awesome guy :)

Our friend Robbie came over on Sunday and helped Matt assemble the crib (Robbie's got 2 kids, so he's a pro at this by now), take all the furniture out of the boxes, and move it all from the guest room into the nursery. And then both guys were patient with me as I played around with where I wanted the furniture to be. I think this is the arrangement we're going to go with. I really wanted to use that little nook as a reading corner, but the dresser is just a bit too wide to put against the wall that juts out, and I didn't like how it looked on the wall to the left of the door. And having both the tall and long dressers and the crib facing each other on two walls just seemed a little much. So we landed on this. It'll work, at least for now. The only other furniture pieces going in the room are the ottoman for the rocking chair (it's in, just needs to be picked up) and some sort of bookshelf. Because you know it can't be my kid's room without books!

So here's the nursery so far. I've ordered a couple prints for the walls, but now it's just the fun organizing stuff that needs to be done :)