Every pregnant woman's dream

Yesterday we toured the hospital where we will give birth, we scoped out the rooms with the jacuzzi tubs and tried to figure out who we could bribe to get one of those, without success. I guess we'll just have to cross our fingers - and my legs, that one is available when we need it.

The tour made us feel very comfortable about giving birth there, but the reality that we will be walking in to this building one day soon and leaving with another person is still hard to wrap our head around.. During the tour we didn't hear any screaming or cries for a mother to push - not sure if they ask people to keep the volume down for the tour or we were just lucky. We didn't see any large bellied women in socks and a gown revealing her bottom walking the halls - maybe there were no volunteers for that part during our tour? However as we passed one room we did see a proud new father holding his baby bundled in a blanket, annd later another new father, sleepy eyed carrying multiple loads of bags and balloons to the car preparing to leave, and another new father coming in with the car seat, ready to put baby safely in before taking him home. It made it a feel just that little more real :) This is really happening, soon that will J and we will be leaving with our own little totally dependent person!

I hurried home as quickly as my sore back will carry me.[Side note - I am not sure if I pulled something, or if I am just experiencing the consequence of lugging around this gargantuan baby belly but I am moving slower than your grandma at the moment, and not wanting to change positions very frequently. A trip to the bathroom now also involves a lap of the kitchen to fill up my water bottle and find a snack so I only have to face getting up from and sitting back on the couch one time. I see my doctor Tuesday and I am hoping she might offer some advice if it's not better by then.]
The reason for my "hurrying" home was because this quarter I am co-leading a community group through my church with my friend Sara. It is for first-time expectant mums. We meet at our house, so I had left Sara with the key to set up, let people in and start things off but I wanted to get back to see everyone and their growing bellies. We have been wanting to take pictures to see how the bumps are growing, but last night was the first time our collective pregnancy brain had permitted us to remember long enough to do it! Here we are - and yes, we are in order of due date!

This post was wrapping up but I could not go without sharing the delights of my morning. I confess, my back was making me feel pretty blue. I was still in PJ's when the doorbell rang at 9.45am. I didn't answer, but my sneak peak from the upstairs window informed me we had been left a package on the door step. The thought it could be some maternity tank tops I had ordered was the motivation I needed to get up, washed and dressed and then I would let myself open the package.I confess when I saw the giant box and Jeremy's name on the label I was less than excited...plus I was slightly annoyed about the fact that I had to haul this huge package into the house when my back was barely holding out to stand straight. I thought about using my foot to slide it under the bench and ignore it until J gets home but then something caught my eye. A big sticker with a red penguin that stated "Keep Frozen"... what kind of crazy package is this? I looked closely at the senders address printed in tiny letters and after reading the word "ice cream" I decided it might be worth the effort to bring it in!

Turns out it was a package from J's company for 4th of July. I love the company he works for, and the fact that they get some fancy gifts to celebrate Independence day (almost) makes up for the fact that they have not had a Christmas part for the last couple of years! As a pregnant lady, I would no have had the energy to participate in a Christmas party let alone take advantage of the free booze, but a delivery of ice cream and syrups and sprinkles to my front door is like a dream come true. Seriously. Best package ever.

Happy Friday friends!

35 weeks; breastfeeding, birth plans and names

Happy 35 weeks to our little man, you are a week away from being officially a "full term" baby. I am having a hard time believing we are here, or at least a hard time understanding how we got here already. The days of daily  blood tests and weekly cans seem so recent but in reality they were 30 weeks ago...that's a long time, it was Thanksgiving and Christmas and snow.

Last night we had our breastfeeding class as part of the childbirth and newborn care class we have been taking. It's been fun to connect with some of the other couples over the past 6 weeks. We have one more class (after a week off on the 4th)  and then the ext time we will see each other will be at the reunion when we will all have our babies with us :)

Practicing the breast feeding positions with a dolly was funny, I am glad we took the class because I certainly learned some things about the whole process that I didn't know, as well as some of the positions to hold the baby but I am 100% convinced when our baby boy gets here it will be a whole new ballgame! I am feeling pretty relaxed about the whole thing and now am just praying that everything will go smoothly in that department.

My European roots and experience of breast feeding being seen as a natural, normal thing can be a challenge for Jeremy and lets be honest, lots of  Americans who culturally have been taught that it should be something done in private. Don't get me started on how society here is fine with women showing cleavage and boobs in tight shirts without being offended but when they see them being used to feed a child, especially without what they consider 'appropriate coverage' they get so enraged. Anyway, on the paperwork we were handed out at the class one of the items on the list of how partners can help with breastfeeding said, "Help your wife be discrete in public' - J crossed it out so it read "make your wife be discrete in public" ha ha! Now, I am not about whipping the girls out in public with the intention to offend anyone or to make a statement about anything, but I am certainly not going to not breast feed in public because I forget a hooter hider or blanket. I will try to be discrete but if it still makes someone uncomfortable to see me feeding my child, that's really their problem not mine.

(Getting off my soap box now)

Baby boy continues to move and squirm in side me to the point of distraction and in a few instances pain as one of his body parts kicks or pushes onto one of my internal organs with more force than I would have thought possible from such a little nugget.

I feel as though I have moved firmly into the countdown to baby. I have zero energy or even motivation but a long list of things to do pre-baby...not the best combination. I am obsessively watching 'Baby Story' and 'Bringing baby home' and pretty much any other show about birth and babies. I know some people told me it wasn't a good idea to watch things like that but I like them, and I am really hoping baby boy can learn what to do by osmosis and be inspired to come out sooner rather than later.  I think that it's good for me to watch all the different birth scenarios play out. I am very well aware that in spite of the 'birth plan' we are writing, it is always more of a 'birth preference' list. At this point, we are still not even sure if we will have the opportunity to try and have a vaginal birth or will be required to have a c-section because of his position.

In all the ways we have been brought to surrender by God, this is far less of a battle. I read a status update on FB the other day where a friend described her recent birth as everything that she and her husband had wanted. In their case, this meant a natural delivery but I can honestly say if we leave the hospital with a healthy little baby then I would be able to post a similar status :) My only desire is to have a baby boy in my arms at the end of this pregnancy. I have been asked a lot about about my preferences for our birth experience recently by medical carers and with friends and I wonder if my perspective would be different if the journey to this point had been different. A simple 'normal' pregnancy might have allowed me the freedom to be more particular about the details of birth, but truly, truly, I have no specifics about the delivery itself.

You may have noticed that we are referring to our son as baby, or baby boy. We are not doing that to be mysterious. We are not holding out on you. We decided early on that we didn't want to finalize our decision about his name until after he was born so we could make sure the name felt like it was right for him. That is still the case, but I should also add that we are far from picking a name as the front runner. We have had a short list ever since we found out he was a boy, but that list is getting shorter and I am not convinced that we have even identified the name we will use. Suggestions still welcome :)

Just another day

It's after 10am and I am still in bed.
Bubs and his affect on my bladder had me up 5 times last night. This is the fourth or fifth night in a row that this has happened to the point that sadly I think it may be the new normal. Each time I went from laying down to standing up the pressure was so intense I thought my waters would have to break just to relieve it. Of course, going to the bathroom helped remove enough access 'water' that that didn't happen but geesh it made it hard(er) to go back to sleep running that scenario through my head over and over.

I am trying to capture on camera just how ridiculous my belly looks today but the shots are not doing it justice. Baby has decided that he wants to stick his head (or butt?) out so it protrudes out from right under/beside my belly button. It seriously looks as though he is trying to come out that way, like in alien. I might have to wear yellow police tape around my belly so that I don't scare small children in public.

In other, dorkier, news we got some of our cloth diapers in the mail the other day and they are SO cute. It seems crazy to get excited about them but I just can't help it. I know it will be a learning curve to use them but I believe and hope it will be worth the effort. I have a lot of great examples of mum's here who have used them successfully and who are championing me to succeed too. Plus, as cute as the diapers are without a baby in them, I know that they will be ten times cuter when my son's precious little bum is in one :)

It looks like it's the start (or middle) of a beautiful day here in Seattle so I am going to make sure that I get outside and take a walk. It will probably be a short one though because I am getting so out of breath these days. I think the realities of the third trimester of pregnancy are really hitting home. But even now, I am aware of what a gift this is. Every sleepless night and every breathless trip us the stairs are only reminders that I have been blessed with the gift of this pregnancy. Yes, it's not all unicorns and rainbows but it is more than I could ever deserve and I want to remember that, and be grateful for experience of pregnancy; the awesome and uncomfortable.

Anytime (in the next 7 weeks)

The washing machine has been working overtime, as I unpack the mounds of baby clothes, sheets, Boppy covers, bibs, wash cloths and random other things that I want to wash the "just from the factory" smells out of. I did 8 loads of laundry yesterday, and now at just after 9am I am on load number 2 for today.

Early in my pregnancy, and by early I mean about a week and a half before I even missed a period, I connected on an online forum with some other women who had all had multiple losses but we newly pregnant. I guess after multiple losses you need a lot of support very early on because the three women that I first connected with were all due within days of one another. On due the exact same day as me, one the day after and on two days before. The baby due a couple of days before me, was discovered to be twins which was so exciting - and a week ago her little ones made an early arrival in the world. They are tiny, but perfect and doing well. The fact that this was a twin pregnancy gave me some peace that our little man's arrival was still a long way off. Cut to a few days ago and my other friend, who was due the day after me had her waters break and her little girl safely arrived a few hours later.

That one freaked me out a little more. So now it's just us August 2nd girls left, and I think we are both wondering if there is something in the water that might make us deliver early too.

Packing the hospital bag and writing the birth plan became HIGH priority. Just in case he tries to surprise us :) However, I have a sense that we might be waiting post August 2nd for this little man to actually be in our arms but all these early arrivals are making me very aware that we could have this baby anytime.

It's funny because the more prepared I try to get, the more unprepared I feel. I imagine that is normal...or at least that's what I tell myself.

Baby is still kicking away and rolling around in there, he doesn't seem to be showing any desire to show up anytime soon. The doctor thought he had turned to be head down when she checked me last week but he has been moving so much since, I have no idea where he is now. I like that he has really made himself at home in there but now I am wanting to make sure he knows there is n eviction notice being written for sometime this summer :)

Crafting on a stormy day with a big belly

I have loved some of the crafting that I have got to do to get our nursery ready. I am very blessed to have a mother and a mother in law who are skilled seamstresses and have worked to create a beautiful space for their grandson :) I am not so familiar with the sewing machine but I wanted to do some personal touches to make the nursery a special place too.

I had purchased some picture frames on sale a few months ago for the nursery and had planned to transfer some Classic Winnie the Pooh drawings which I had had in my room at home in England into them. The frames were a really cool finish but the mats inside were just plain white. When we bought our nursery fabric for the window seat and crib skirt I thought it would be cool to cover the mats in the same fabric to make them pop - not to mention, make them match :)

This idea got put on the back burner until I knew for sure we had enough spare fabric and that the curtains wouldn't need to have "windows" in the middle to accommodate my mat-covering plans :) Then I got busy and made up some more excuses so they sat unfinished in a pile with some other projects to complete. Now don't let anyone tell you that procrastination is always a bad thing because just a few days ago my friend Rebecca at a bit of sunshine did a tutorial on how to make fabric mat covers for your pictures. Score. Now I really didn't have to think about any of it, I just had to find my spray glue and off I went.

Luckily, or not, the rains poured today and so while my Mother in Law worked sewing curtains, and my Father in law and J worked on creating a pantry in the garage, I finally worked on my frames. It was a very creative and productive day in our house! Sadly, the rhodie in the front garden is still un-pruned, but the at least I have done one of the projects on my list.

Before. This is what the frame looked like.

Mid-project.

Ta-da!!! Here is the finished result. The drawing is pencil and didn't photograph too well but it's cute in real life :) I can't wait to hang it on the wall in the nursery, I love seeing his little room come together.

P.S. We are 34 weeks 2 days today. Feeling tired and huge, but trying to savor these final weeks with my boy safe inside me :)

Hello summer?

Summer has arrived in Seattle. I can tell because I am sitting inside with the heat on, wearing a sweater and drinking tea as I watch the rain pour outside.

It's why we love this place, right?

Earlier today, my fave little Miss Z celebrated her final day of first grade with field day. The rains came but it did little to dampen the spirits of her and her classmates as they ran with ping pong balls on spoons and did the 50 meter dash with smiles and laughter. Watching the kids chomping on their popsicles at the end of the morning, as we all took cover under the canopy of some trees, shivering and soaking wet made me fall in love with Seattle a little more. They raise them hearty here.

I foresee standing in the rain watching many a soccer or baseball game in my capacity as "soccer mum". In a few years, investing in a good raincoat and waterproof shoes will be essential to keep a smile on my face as I cheer for my boy :)

So on this wet first Friday of summer my sweet husband who tells me often I am "awfully pregnant" to be *insert everyday activity here, is taking me out to dinner so I don't have to cook.

Happy Seattle Summer to me - and all of you who live here in the PNW :)

Father's day 2012

When Mother's day rolled around, my swollen belly made me feel very secure about celebrating my motherhood. This past weekend it was Father's day and Jeremy was slightly more hesitant to celebrate because he felt as though his fatherhood was still impending. I can understand why he might feel slightly like he was jumping the gun by celebrating before our son is here, but personally I feel like he deserved to be celebrated :)

While he may not have changed diapers or been woken up through the night or got spit up on. But he has been there to feel kicks, he has rubbed oil on my belly to avoid stretch marks. he has rubbed my back and feet each night when I am tired. He tells me I am beautiful. He makes meals when I am too tired, and generally does everything he can to make pregnancy as comfortable as possible and in doing that, he is the being a wonderful father.

Not to mention, he painted the nursery, put together the crib, researched all the gadgets that parents could ever need for their baby and made sure that we were making smart purchases. Again, totally being a good dad.

So of course, I did my best to celebrate him because this was his first real Father's day celebration and I wanted him to feel special, honored and appreciated.

Our church does not start early on Sunday morning and we still have a struggle to get going and out of the door on time - and yes, every week we comment about how much more of a struggle it will be to get out with our babe too! We have some really cute jammies for him so if we don't manage to get him dressed he'll still look cute! ha ha! All that to say, I was under no illusion that I would be up in time to make J breakfast in bed so I woke up early on Saturday and made waffles (his fave) eggs and bacon and woke him up with that. I had also got him a card and some fun gifts, including chocolate cigars fro Godiva. After all, all new daddies should have a cigar, right?!

I think that he felt appreciated. I hope so.

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there :)

Beyond the belly

There are days when I feel like my head is completely consumed with baby stuff. From the moment I wake up until the moment my head hits the pillow at night, all the thoughts that go through my mind are about babies. Everything I eat is because it's good for the baby, taking a walk mid day is good for my fitness level which is good for the baby. Putting my feet up when they start to swell because it's just plain necessary but it's also a definite reminder that i am carrying around a baby! My 'to do' lists are all formed around the arrival off our first born. Even the books I am reading are now primarily about parenting or birth.

Don't get me wrong. I have paid my dues. I am not going to let anyone take away the joy of this season, I am letting myself embrace the fun and the stress of this time, but am still more than just an incubator and sometimes I need to snap out of my day to day and be reminded of that.

Today we had a half day retreat for our church missions care team. We are a small team, just 6 of us, but we have been charged with refining some crucial aspects of focus and vision for our missionaries. Having served as a full-time missionary for the best part of a decade, I understand the importance of church structure and support and how it impacts the day to day life of missionaries. I love being a part of this team. I have been a part of them for about 5 years now, but I am a newbie compared to the three members who have hit 30+ years!

As we processed and discussed and even to some degree concluded it felt so life giving to be thinking beyond my belly. I was reminded of the passion and call God placed within me for missions. I know that each person who calls themselves a Christian is called to be missional in the way they live, however that works within the context of their life, but I believe I have been called to be active in developing relationships between the local church and missionaries on the field both locally and globally. I have a passion to see God's transformation come to be in the city of Seattle, and out into the world. I believe that this Kingdom transformation is possible today, and I have the expectation that our actions can and do impact this change. 

In my day to day life I can become passive about this task. My participation on this committee gives me one way to affect this change, but I know it is not all I am called to. I have seen the way God has worked in and through me during our miscarriages and even on our adoption journey. I have seen him use me to speak hope and strength to others in pain or experiencing pregnancy loss. I have seen the transformation he has allowed to happen in me through these experiences and I hope and pray he continues to use me in this way. And I wonder to what's ahead and how my life as a stay at home wife and mother will offer opportunity to share my faith. I know it will be another adjustment to make, but I trust Jesus will help me find my way.

Today I remembered an important part of my life that has been a little neglected recently but that is life-giving and so very special to my heart. I needed the reminder and look forward to stepping into this week with eyes open and looking for the opportunities around me to serve and love others in a way that reflects the character of Jesus.

33 weeks in bullet points

Honeydew melon, not a craving, but the fruit equivalent of the size of the baby boy I am carrying. Yes, honeydew melons come in varying sizes, but unless his growth rate has dramatically decreased since our last scan, he's one of the bigger melons you could come across.

When we were registering for towels for our wedding, I wondered out loud to Jeremy  as I held up a bath 'sheet', "who would ever need a towel this big?" Guess I answered my own question this morning when I stepped out of the shower and tried to wrap my regular bath-sized towel around me. I could tuck it together around my chest but it flared open from there. Not exactly keeping me dry, cozy and warm as it should. The strangest part is that it seemed to happen overnight because yesterday I did not notice a problem. See, he's a big and growing honeydew!

This child has SO many clothes. I spent time yesterday organizing them by size which made me feel way more confident that he will actually get to wear everything at least once. I even washed the smallest ones and tried to organize drawers. This nesting thing is great for a few hours but I don't think it's fully kicked in because I was very relieved to close the door behind me leaving a BIG mess of clothes and stuff strewn on the floor. "exaggerating" you say, "prove it", I hear you cry, well, here goes...

 ...there is carpet under there somewhere!

Decided it might be time to pack my hospital bag. Just in case this little man decides to come early - here's hoping. Now, what to pack? Tips and suggestions welcome. That said, it's not far for J to run home if we forget something.

Sweet baby Isla Grace entered the world yesterday to David and Anna, what a beauty she is. However, I can honestly say that I think there is such a thing as birth envy. The feeling in the pit of a giant belly when a fellow preggo gets to expel their offspring before you. It's doesn't matter if said offspring was overdue, and said other preggo put in her due diligence, that birth envy rears it's ugly head. I am so ready to be done. Isla, you think you could have a word?

Summer seems to have come to Seattle today, I see sun and blue skies. Nice to wake up to. Would have been nicer if I didn't wake up to it in the 5am hour. My hips have really started to ache and getting comfortable enough to sleep is beginning to become a problem. Maybe I'll nap in the sin later? :)

Wedding rings officially getting tight on my fingers. Guess I am more swollen than I would like to admit.

Men nest too. Case and point, while I sat on the couch eating apple crumble, J spent an afternoon cleaning both the cars, inside and out, did a load of laundry and scrubbed the shower.

Happy Friday friends!

Finally finished!

I handed in my last assignment for school yesterday. I am so relieved. This has felt like the longest quarter of my life. From the very first week I knew it was going to be hard to focus, but the days seriously dragged on and on and I confess I was not always the best student. Still, I think I did ok in all three classes and passed with not too shabby grades. I have put nails in this quarters classes by posting my books onto Amazon to sell. I love that we can make back some of the money that we spend on my schooling, even if it's just re-cooping book money.

I spent the afternoon Googling questions to ask to potential pediatricians because we had a meet and greet with  potential doctor this evening. It was interesting to consider what was important to us in the person who be partnering with us to care for our child's well being in his formative years. It felt like we should get some parent points for being so prepared for our meeting. In the end we both really liked the doctor and the philosophy of the small practice that she works in so I think our search is over before it really began. Glad to have that checked off the list.

After a quick dinner at home we headed out to our childbirth/infant care class. It was the fourth class of seven and we were given homework to write a birth plan and a postpartum plan. Who knew that there was so much to think about when you are having a baby? Seriously. I know most of it is not technically "essential" but it all seems preferential to going in blind.

The birth plan is something we have been discussing for months, my OB and especially our wonderful doula have both been great at giving us information about the choices we have in the labour process so we feel empowered and informed about what could happen and what we would like if it is medically possible. I think that after all we have been though to get to this point, we honestly do not have many things, if anything that we are not willing to be flexible on if it came to it. We jut want our baby boy to be born safely.However that happens. At my last doctors appointment the baby was in a transverse position, from being breech until this point. Early on she had told me that his position didn't really matter until later in pregnancy, but not I guess we are getting into "later" so she is beginning to prepare me in case we have to opt for a c-section delivery if he doesn't turn. By 35 weeks 85% of babies are in their birth position, so if he doesn't move in the next couple of weeks we may have to seriously entertain the idea. She told me that there were lots of tricks to try to turn him and still believes he could still turn of his own accord but I think she just wanted to mention the possibility in case I was upset at the thought. Obviously, it's not what I would have planned but honestly if that's what needs to happen I won't be crying any tears about a lost birth experience. As long as this baby gets into my arms I can live with the uncomfortable recovery and all the other unknown unpleasantness of major surgery. All that to say we have an scenario A birth plan and a Scenario B plan to write to cover our bases!

However, the postpartum plan is not something we have really considered. I am glad to have the coming weeks to make meals for the freezer and menus and shopping lists for the weeks after my birth so our parents can run some errands without me having to think about what to ask them to get  The also suggested making a chore list for each day so when people come over and ask how they can help you can direct them to a specific task. I think that 's a bit cheeky sounding, but at the same time when I have offered help to a friend after they have had a baby I thin it would have been nice if they had simply said, "it's Tuesday so would you mind cleaning the kitchen" or "It's Friday could you please put on a load of laundry". Then I wouldn't have felt like finding a task for me was more effort than it was worth and actually not that helpful at all. Be warned friends if you offer help, we may take you up on it!

As much as it's hard to really get our heads around just how our lives are going to change, we are trying our best to be as prepared as possible. I love that we have had almost three years to be married and to really have a solid foundation to build on as we welcome this little boy. God's timing continues to bring comfort in the days when all this feels a bit overwhelming!

Baby's first year

A little while ago, I got a lovely surprise in the mail, a package from my friend in Texas. She sent me a Baby's First Year Calendar. It is a blank calendar which will start when the baby is born and follow him through the first year of his life. It will be a place to record not just the Dr's appointments, and regular scheduled programming of a child's first year but also the special days, milestones, and play-dates that we will have in his precious first twelve moths of life. 

As I thought about all that this calendar will record I began to get almost overwhelmed with joy. I have waited so long to have a baby to call my own, a child to celebrate and to watch grow up. A little one to teach about the world. A little sunbeam of joy to laugh with and be amazed by as I see the ordinary through their eyes. I cannot wait!!

I imagine that recording life like this will be motivation to fill the year up with fun activities! And I love the idea that in the years to come I will be able to look back and remember this season in this simple way.

I had never heard about these calendars but it has fast become a favourite baby item ;)

I have to say that this child is already so very blessed. My Mum flew here with gifts from friends back home which we have loved opening. What a lucky boy! Even more than the gifts, toys and cute outfits this child had been so covered in prayers. From around the world, friends, and even friends and family of friends have contacted us to share their joy for us and let us know that we had been in their prayers.

Sometimes J and I have conversations about how much is too much to share on the blog. I can have a tendency to overshare, and my sweet hubby is much more private so my blog has certainly been something that we have had to compromise on in many ways. I never want him to feel like he loses his right to privacy. At the same time I love the testimony that our loves and our marriage have been over the past few years. We find a balance. And we certainly reap the blessings of extended community as we have shared our struggles.

We are so thankful for each and every prayer that has been said for us, and we are very aware that the little man who is currently hanging out in my belly is a direct result of them. Which means we can sign you all up for babysitting, right?

My week with Mama

We just got back from dropping my Mum off at the airport. It's funny that the airport can be both the happiest and saddest of places. I was so excited a week ago when we went to pick her up. I can't believe that the week has flown by and we have already had to say goodbye. I was a mess on the way home, tears the whole way. It is so strange to think that the next time she is here I will have a baby of my own. I didn't realise just how much I would enjoy doing baby things with her. Simple things like runs to Target or ooh-ing and ahh-ing over baby clothes. Instead of dwelling on the sad, I am going to reflect on the fun things we did.

First things first was the wonderful baby shower that Mum was here for.
I woke up on Saturday morning with almost butterfly-like feelings in my tummy. It was my first baby shower. My Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law and my Mum had been in cahoots to plan the event ever since we knew my Mum could make it over for the event.

It was a mix of family and family-like-friends. It was a special time. My Mum brought over a bunch of British chocolate and sweets (not sure how it all fit in her luggage) which were mixed with some American candy on a table decorated with Union Jack bunting and Star spangled banner lanterns. The table was a great conversation piece and guests were invited to make up candy bags as party favors.

 

The shower included lots of time to visit and catch up while we ate amazing food. There were some fun games, including guessing just how big by belly is. I had measured myself the night before so I knew exactly how far around I was!! 40 inches. Aunt Louise guessed right on...when I asked my Mum she told me that she guessed 48 inches. I am glad I didn't ask anyone else their guesses! ha ha!

My Mother-in-law had commissioned her friend to make a special cake for the event. It was lemon raspberry and so delicious. My favourite part of the cake was the little sugar figure pregnant me.

I am so glad that before she left we were able to pose on the finished window seat cover. It is just perfect, it makes the window seat such an inviting place. I cannot wait to sit on there are read stories to our little man. At the shower., one of Jeremy's cousins gave us a recordable story book of 'Goodnight Moon.' Before she left my Mum recorded herself telling the story. I know she did it for the baby but I think that I will have to listen to it a few times when I am really missing her. I am glad that it is only a couple of months until she is here again.

Hello Nana

My beautiful mum has flown in for a visit. She arrived on Monday night and we met her at the airport with a sign saying, "Nana" (her pick for what baby will call her). I can't believe it's been over a year sine she has been here. I am so very thankful for Skype to make far away family and friends feel so much closer but it's not quite the same as being able to actually give someone - especially your mum - a hug :)

I have worked hard to get school work done ahead so that this week, which is the last full week of classes, I am not having to do too much (boring) schoolwork and missing out on fun pregnancy and baby fun with my Mum. I am enjoying the fruit of my diligence already as I think ahead and can see only a couple of time sensitive assignments that I can't submit until later this week, but I have done all the prep for them. (Personal cheering squad giving me props right now).

J finished painting the nursery except for a final few touch ups and the crib is back in its place. It's really coming together in there. Honestly all the final preparations are making me slightly anxious. The reality of labor and the fact this baby will be coming out sometime soon is hitting hard but I am trying to stay calm. We met with our Doula, Laurie again this week and talked more about early labor and what to expect and how to prepare. I am trying not to let the anxiety get in the way of any of the fun stuff but it can get hard to keep focus when I know that birth is looming!

I spent a wonderful day yesterday with my Mum and Jeremy's Mom fabric shopping for some projects in the nursery, I am blessed that these ladies both know their way around a sewing machine :) At this very moment I am perched in the rocking chair in the dining room while they have started on day two of pinning and stitching. It makes my heart so happy that both of baby boy' Grannies are able to share in this time of anticipating his arrival by helping us prepare - and we certainly appreciate their efforts!