Full Term - Now taking bets!

Not that I'm a gambler.
Or a better (bet-ter? One who bets?)

But, if you give your guess as to when this Baby O' Ours is going to make his grand appearance, and you pick the closest date, I will do something awesome for you. I will sew you something cool, or perhaps make you something else crafty, or if you're nearby I might make you dessert or take you out to lunch if I really like you. I can't guarantee how soon after the baby comes you will get your prize, but get it you shall.

SO make your guesses, people! Just be glad I didn't make you guess the gender. Or his name.

And if it helps any, I got my first cervix exam yesterday. I'm 1 cm dilated (woohoo! 1/10 of the way there!) and 80% effaced (thanks to the lovely evening primrose oil I've been taking). And if you don't know what those numbers mean, well that's ok. Because they don't really matter. I still could go into labor today or 4 weeks from now.

Current guesses:
April 29 - Mom --- (I hope she wins. Just because it's the soonest date...)
May 1, Evening - Meghan
Late May 4/Early May 5 - Adam
May 6th, 8 am - Robyn

Ya, not the most flattering angle for the rest of me, but the point is to show how big my belly is, so I had to do what I had to do!

How far along? 37 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  51 pounds

Maternity clothes? Well, even those don't really fit anymore.

Stretch marks? How purple they are depends on the day - sometimes they are really light and barely noticable and other days they are in ma face.

Sleep: Same old, same old. Yada yada yada. I get sore, have to turn over, have to pee, you know the drill.

Best moment this week: I had a non-stress test today, which is where they hook you up to a belt and monitor the baby's heartbeat and any contractions you have. They want to make sure the baby's heartbeat accelerates when he moves, and then comes back down, just like ours does when we move or exercise. They also want to make sure he handles contractions ok. Well, I didn't think I was even having contractions, but I asked the nurse and she said, "You're having one right now." 

Oh.

That's what that is?

Good to know.

It was just really cool; I've been wondering for awhile now what they feel like. Though I'm sure they are very minor currently compared to what they will be. 

Miss Anything? My ankles.

Movement: He is still moving and I can feel his little bum up by my ribs a lot lately.

Food cravings: Chocolate. And fruit.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, not really.

Labor Signs: Well, my cervix is nice and soft apparently, but baby is still pretty high. Waiting for him to drop. As if it didn't already feel like he was about to fall out of me!

Belly Button in or out? Noticeably out.

Wedding rings on or off? Off. And now even Adam's ring doesn't fit!

Happy or Moody most of the time: About every other day it changes.

Looking forward to: Getting him out!!!

Full.

I am so completely and utterly full today.
My belly is big and swollen and full of baby.
I am full term in two days. I never thought I would even make it that far, and yet these next three weeks seem like I will be an old lady before they arrive.
My ankles are full of puffiness - water, blood, and this heat is NOT helping.

My heart is full.
This post made me cry and cry just now. How wonderful little boys are! How happy they make Mommy's! And I get one....I get one of my very.own. so soon.

I'm full of absolute gratitude and awe, and have been ever since my baby shower, of the love people showed to me. My Primary president, Cindy, does amazing work when it comes to throwing parties.
When she first told me she wanted to throw me my baby shower I was so shocked - I honestly wasn't expecting one, since my family is far away. Yes, yes I would love one!

 .....A theme? Um....I don't know. I don't know what he will be like yet. How can I tell you what he will like? How can I even guess?

Will he be like Grandpa and love cars and trucks and tractors and make big noises and crash things into each other?
Or will he be a sports fanatic, like Uncle, picking up a ball and throwing and kicking and running so fast the wind can't even catch him?
Maybe he will take after Daddy and want to take things apart and put them back together again, making them better than they were in the first place. Maybe he will paint me pictures and know colors better than numbers.
Or perhaps he will love to read like Mommy, and he'll want to know letters and words as soon as he recognizes their existence.


I cannot even begin to imagine who this boy will be.

So. We chose airplanes - so he can fly as high as he can in an endless blue sky with limitless possibilities. So he can touch the clouds and be my sunshine, shining on me wherever he goes in this life.

Cindy took the "airplanes" theme and ran with it. It was such a fun party.

Airline Food:

Baby Boy got adorable outfits that I just can't waiiiiit to put him in. And lots of necessities (cloth diapers, wipes, etc.).

 My little Tony the Tiger  

Homemade squeaking watermelon from Jeanna! :)

This is just the clothes he received!

I was blown away by people's kindness. So many gave their time and money and talents just to help our little family starting out. They wrote letters to our son, telling him how lucky he is to be coming to Adam and I, and that if he listens to us, he will be happy and we will lead him in righteousness. Such faith and trust they have in me --- and yet it still pales in comparison to the trust Heavenly Father must have in us. 

And even I got something special.
In fact, it was one of the most special gifts I've ever received.

My dear friend Jeanna sent letters to family and close friends who lived far away and wouldn't be able to participate in my baby shower. They sent back a charm, a photo, and a letter for me.
I cried as I opened the gift in front of the women who were not my family but supported me as such.
I cried as I opened a photo album with the photos and letters, turning each page and feeling the absolute love and faith they all had for me.

I cried as I looked at each charm, each one as unique and different as the person who sent it. Some of them I could guess who they were from right away.

At the front of the album Jeanna wrote:

"Beside me stands the testimony of all these other women who love you and think you're incredible. As their messages trickles into my home, I felt the strength of their love, support, and belief in you ... I hope this gift reminds you of our faith in you when yours is lacking."

My eyes feel with tears again, just typing that. How blessed I am to know there is an entire wealth of encouragement, far and near, when my own fails me!

I have already packed the album in my "Hospital Bag" (Birth Center bag?), and I sleep with the bracelette next to me on my nightstand. Every night I re-examine every charm and think of the person who sent me that one, and what it means. I sincerely feel ready now.

He could come any day - He will come one day. One day not too far away, and I am ready.

Pregnancy Brain

.....it's a real thing, people.

I can't tell you how many times I have put things in the refrigerator that don't belong there (the vanilla, for one).

Or vice versa - things that really should be refrigerated I have found in such odd places (like the milk in with the pots and pans).

And the chicken bouillon cube I just found in with the silverware? Yeah, I can't explain that one either.

35 Weeks

Isn't funny how you think you look realllllly ginormous one day, and then two weeks later you look back on that photo and you're like, Heck, that was nothing!

How far along? 35 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss:  46 pounds

Maternity clothes? Is this question really necessary anymore? Of course I'm wearing maternity clothes. That and just really huge clothes.
Stretch marks? No new ones, just the same ones getting bigger.
Sleep: I got to the bathroom about 4 times a night, and switch sides about 4 additional times. So that's waking up 8 times a night. 

Best moment this week: Everytime Adam feels him kick. It's always a "Whoa!" moment, not just a, "Hey I think I felt something." He says, "I don't know how you sleep with him moving so much in there!" and I always tell him "Yeah...This belly ain't big enough for the two of us anymore."

Miss Anything? Having a bigger wardrobe to choose from. 

Movement: See above 

Food cravings: I've been eating a lot of fruit lately. Love eating sweet stuff because it makes him move more. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope, not really.

Labor Signs: Can I just say, my crotch is killing me? Like, seriously, I spent a week on the world's skinniest bicycle seat and then when I got off of it, the world's largest pair of steel-toed boots whacked me a few good ones, and now I'm hobbling around trying to make the most of what's left down there. I hope that means he's making his way lower and lower into place. 
Belly Button in or out? I tried squishing it back in, but there's no more room.
Wedding rings on or off? Off.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Tired. Either happy tired or moody tired, but always tired. 

Looking forward to: Seeing if he has my eyes or Adam's.

La Mariée Future

Ever since we returned from our Christmas vacation this last January, I have been working hard on an enormous project. I couldn't write or post pictures, because it was supposed to be a secret. Well, now it's all over and done with and I can finally tell you what I've been up to with all my free time the last three months!

Heather and I met in 7th grade, when we both moved to the little town of Shelley, Idaho. I treasure Heather because she is the first person I'd ever met who really challenged me - intellectually and spiritually. My first memory of her was when we were taking tests for the Gifted and Talented program in middle school - she finished her tests before me. She got up, handed in those tests, and walked out the door. All while I was still working on mine. Wait....what? She did --- what? She finished ..... GASP! Who was this girl?

Soon after I asked her to eat lunch with me, and we became inseparable after that. She was a "good" girl - and I....well, I had just been yanked 1200 miles away from my childhood home and best friends - not to mention my father -- and I still had a lot of learning and growing up to do. We weren't active in Church then, I didn't care to be active in the church, and I was missing a solid male figure in my life (not an excuse, just the truth). Heather didn't judge me when I hung out with the wrong crowd, took up swearing, and even pierced my belly button (you can tell in these pictures, in case you're wondering). In fact, she did the opposite - she clung tighter to me. She, in all honesty, saved me. It is because of her I came back to church, took out that belly button ring, stopped swearing, cut ties with my "bad" friends, and gained a testimony of my own - after leaning so long on hers. We would write endless notes and fill journal after journal, passing it back and forth between each other. I read through one of those journals a few weeks ago. I never realized until then - just a few short weeks ago - how selfish and ignorant I was. What a terrible friend I was. And she only gave me love. Years later, her 14 year old self is still teaching me lessons. Does that paint a clear enough picture of how wise she is now?
We have been through our good times and bad, Heather and I, our thicks and our thins. But always, we come out stronger.

Now, this sweet lady is getting married. He is a lucky man, I tell ya.
And because our lives somehow brought us both to the East Coast, I had the pleasure of throwing her a Bridal Shower. Keep in mind, I am an English major throwing a party for an Event Planning major. The pressure was on.

With the long-distance help of her other bridesmaid, and my other best friend, Robyn, I decided to make the party French-themed, as all three of us had taken French together in high school, and Heather and I had spent a week in France just one year ago (read about that here, here, and here.)

First, the invitations:

which were then sealed in pink envelopes and stamped with the HOMEMADE Eiffel Tower stamp that my husband HAND-CARVED out of a pink eraser. He is awesome.

Then, the welcome table:

Hand-painted welcome sign, homemade tissue paper flowers (which I made while watching countless episodes of Friends), a schedule of events, name tags, and 12 homemade berets for everyone to wear (at least for the group photo!)

The gift table:

Digital photo frame playing over 100 photos of Heather I creepily snuck off of Facebook, a cute, hand-decorated jar to hold a Wish for the Bride, more tissue paper flowers, and a cute poster made with paint, cardboard, Mime scrapbook paper, and Modpodge.

The Food Table:

Vintage-edited photos I took in Paris on twine, hand-painted Cafe-cup menu sign, scrapbook paper poster, 35 homemade crepes, powdered sugar, chocolate and caramel syrup, Nutella, whip cream, strawberries, bananas, berries, raspberry jam, croissants, ham, cheese, butter, cream puffs, oranges, grapes, 3 gallons homemade strawberry lemonade -- not to mention the adorable banner lining the table (also made with hours of Friends in the background). Plus! I read tons of articles and books on the art of Macaron-making and had one practice session -- and I produced a beautiful batch of Homemade chocolate macarons (though I hesitate to mention the failed batch of raspberry macarons I left at home. aaaand the fact that the chocolate ones got smashed on the way down....but they still tasted great, even if they looked ugly!). Complete with hand-painted French labels for everything!

The Games:

Then we played some silly games with silly prizes, of course. I had a He said/She said game with different things Heather and her fiance had said on Facebook, and everyone had to guess who said what. That was another nasty bout of Facebook stalking, but it was pretty funny. 

The next game required me to get some answers from the Groom, so I set up a time to Skype with him (since he lives in England, and all). Heather had to guess how he answered my questions, and had to put a marshmallow in her mouth for every wrong answer. 

Last, what else but a game including blindfolds, an extra-large pair of panties, and a little too much intimacy?

:

And of course, the gift-opening (which I will spare you the details and Heather the embarrassment):

Finally, the Departure Table, which I did not get a picture of:

Hand-painted Au-Revoir sign, more tissue paper flowers, my favorite homemade poster of all, and a homemade gift bag for every girl that contained a mini-canvas print and a homemade necklace. 

This was my first time ever planning a party quite like this. It was tons and tons of work and time and planning and money, but it was lots of fun and I'd say a success! 

And I have to give a shout-out to my husband, for all his help with everything too. He even drove down to DC with me, helped me unload everything from the car, set up, and then just cruised around DC for two hours while us girls partied. He was so patient and helpful and I really could not have done it without him (two days straight of cooking and baking and last-minute preparing + already sore and swollen feet + a ginormous belly and 40 extra pounds = one tired mama). I love these photos he took while waiting for me:

That one time we dressed up...

So remember how I mentioned in my previous post that I bought my first maternity dress for a wedding we were going to?

Well, we dressed up and played pretty and went to that wedding. We ate a fancy meal that was served to us by people in fake tuxedo outfits and we socialized with Adam's coworkers like Adults do. And we even danced.....or, at least, we tried to. I don't know if it was the belly or the elapsed time since the last time we'd danced, but halfway through the song I looked up at Adam and said, "I think I've forgotten how to dance!" He laughed and said, "Me too!" We did this awkward parental-type-swinging of the arms and some shuffling of the feet and some bouncing of the body. I know I can still pop, lock, and drop it (in fact, it's EASIER with this belly to do it, and creates an even bigger effect, if you know what I mean), but I didn't quite feel like that was an appropriate move to be doing surrounded by the crowd I was. So we stayed for only a song or two, and laughed at our awkwardness.

Before we left for the wedding, as we were getting dressed, I saw Adam putting on a turquoise and black tie, with his black shirt and black pants. My mind instantly flashed back to the first time he wore that same outfit:

Our first dance together.

We had only been officially "boyfriend/girlfriend" for about ONE week. My best friend Robyn was visiting me from Hawaii and we had found her a date so we could all double.

I wanted to look H.O.T. so Adam could show off his new girlfriend. And guess what happened when we arrived at the dance? 

They wouldn't let me in.

My dress was too short. 

I was sooooooo embarrassed. I had no idea they would be checking the length. So Robyn and her date went into the dance without us, and Adam had to drive me back home so I could change. I was so mad (at BYUH and myself) --- Adam was wearing a matching tie for heaven's sake! What was I going to do now?

Luckily, my roommate the fashion genius, had a lace black slip that she lent to me, adding a few inches to the bottom of my dress without changing the color scheme. It was brilliant and it worked (and yes, I may have hiked it back up a bit once I was let into the dance....)

...And now, here we are, almost exactly three years later, married with a baby on the way. Who would have guessed?