Staring Down September

First an updated bump pic. Fair warning... this belly is bare!


Still giving you fair warning to look away



One last chance!



Phew! That wasn't so bad right? And for those who didn't know about my sweet tat, it is peeking out of my pants and still holding strong to its original shape and size (fingers crossed, it stays that way).

So tomorrow is September 1st. As in, "we're having a baby this month" September. There is also a good chance that baby boy will be here a week early if he stays in his current breech position. September 1st + stubborn baby birth plan = mildly freaked out mama!

I don't know why it is just hitting me this week. I've known the chances of him coming early were pretty high since my Dr. first mentioned the position a few weeks ago. But when you start thinking in days instead of weeks or months, it has a tendency to hit you straight between the eyes and incite panic.

Don't get me wrong... I am extremely excited to meet our Mini man. I am so curious about what/who he looks like, what his personality will be, and how we will adapt as a family. I guess it's just a bit of reality and nostalgia: it will never be "just me" again. Eric and I won't have as many opportunities to run around as we please. Even trips to see our family will be completely different. And I'm looking forward to all of that, but still slightly sad at the same time. Does that make sense?

So I say to you, August 31st, please hold on for a few more hours. Let me soak you in and spend your final countdown enjoying the peace and quiet of our home, hopefully snuggled up with our first baby who is also in for quite the shock.

I will welcome you September 1st with open arms. I'm just not quite ready yet.

Just Call Me Martha...

Since the moment I found out I was pregnant, I've had this overwhelming urge to be crafty. I used to do a lot of creative projects back in the day. But I'm a little, shall we say, behind. Like, I still haven't scrapbooked our wedding pictures. We got married 2.5 years ago.
Anyway, Eric was busy most of this weekend so I decided there was no time like the present and I got down to business with a girl's best friends: Modge Podge, craft paper and virgin wood!

I decided to fall victim to the ever popular, ever present wooden name letters... with a Mini twist of course. Animal print!!! And no, I am not choosing to reveal his name through this post. You only get a hint, and a tiny one at that. There is an "N" involved somewhere (bwahahaha!):


I also decided that the child's closet was vast enough to merit a need for dividers. It really is a trying task to figure out how those onesies and teeny pants translate to actual sizes. So I spent far too much time googling and found a jumping off point to make these:


The supply list includes wooden letter "O"s found in the wood craft aisle (a pack of 2 for 99 cents), scrapbook paper remnants (left over from said name letters), puffy scrapbook stickers, a spool of craft ribbon and Modge Podge. Ta da!
Martha would be so proud : )

Huh?

Sophie just trying to figure it all out....

She has been following us all over the house as we make room for Mini. She loves to go into his room and look up inside his closet (of course that may have something to do with the large herd of stuffed animals living on the top shelf).
She really had a field day when we brought home the bounty from our baby shower last month.

Please excuse the no makeup/glasses and fancy PJs....
Imagine what all of these smells must do to a little dog's senses! If only we could prepare her for the many smells to come.

Another Apology

I feel like I've been saying sorry to my son a lot lately. I'm sorry I like spicy foods so much right now, yet they appear to give you the hiccups. I'm sorry that I keep rolling over on my back at night and then worrying that it is somehow hurting you.
But most of all, I'm sorry that this blog hasn't been updated the way I intended it to be when I got started. I can only hope your baby book will be a smoother process : )

I finally fixed my phone, which contained the majority of my recent belly progression pics, so here is my best attempt at playing catch-up.

34 weeks:
33 weeks:
32 Weeks:31 Weeks:
I forgot to take one for week 30, but here is a pic of the Mr and me living it up in Chicago that week.Phew! That was a lot of cutting and pasting. Another good reason for me to try and stay on track this time.
We love you son and can't wait to meet you (but please keep baking until you are good and ready to meet us).

58 Days

When I logged on to my computer this morning, the little ticker showing Mini's progress popped up. I don't always notice the text on it but today it caught my eye... "31 weeks, 5 days pregnant. Only 58 days to go." Um, WHAT??? How did this happen?!?! I realize that things have been hectic the past, oh, 7 months. But I really thought I had a better handle on this whole time management thing. I can't believe I can start answering the question "When are you due?" with "Next month."

I think I will feel slightly less panicked after this weekend. We are ready to make some big time progress on Mini's nursery. We are having all the carpets cleaned on Saturday and E's parents are coming up on Sunday to help us move in the furniture (that weeping you are hearing is E, overjoyed at the thought of reclaiming his spot in the garage.)

In other news, and I haven't really shared this with many people, we are on Amniotic Fluid Watch. 2 weeks ago I went in for a routine appointment. When the Dr. measured my belly she said I was smaller than I should be (I admit, I gloated silently for a moment). She said she wanted to do an ultrasound to check on my fluid levels (I stopped gloating, STAT).
To make a long story short, my amniotic levels were sitting right at the border of normal. The Dr. decided to have me come back in last week to check my progress. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I got the same results.

So what does this mean? Well, I have to go back in 2 weeks for a repeat ultrasound. If my levels stay static I am allowed to carry on with my business under orders to rest whenever I am not at work.
If my levels go down... bed rest. Yuck. I know that wouldn't be the end of the world and obviously my priority is the health and safety of Mini, but being the control freak that I am, the thought of not being able to do things to prep for baby boy makes me hyperventilate. I am a do-er! While I appreciate offers to help, I am not satisfied sitting back and letting others complete tasks that I have spent the past 7 months envisioning myself accomplishing. Does that sound selfish? I hope not. It is merely meant as a form of nesting and preparing for the arrival of this little man. It's part of the whole process in my mind.

Whew! This got long! So to sum it all up: Pray for an easy nursery assembly with only minor bouts of cussing, pray for my fluid levels to increase and pray for me to find more patience if they do not.