40+ weeks...it's not like the movies

The end is finally in sight!  It is definitely bittersweet.  Tomorrow I will be induced and we will finally get to meet our sweet little girl!  I am a little sad that this is the end of a phase in our lives.  But, I am also looking forward to all of the exciting phases ahead!  I think being 5 days overdue has also made me a little more excited to move on to the next phase :) I am so thankful that my parents were here this week to keep me distracted during the waiting game (shopping and pedicures have done the trick quite nicely!).  If there is one thing that I have learned this week it is that ultimately I have NO CONTROL over how or when the baby comes.  The Lord always knows what is best for me and I am learning to surrender to Him daily.  I guess it was good to get a head start on this lesson because I don't think it will end here!  Anyhow, stay tuned for a birth announcement and please keep us in your prayers over the next week!

 

To keep you entertained until I have time to update my blog again, here are pictures of the nursery!

 

My sister made this blanket to match our nursery :)  I love it!

 

                            

I have been living out of my hospital bag for over a week so that it was ready to go at anytime.  haha  No need to worry about that anymore!



 

Ready to POP!

Monday was my first day of maternity leave, and I am guessing that my students forgot that I wasn't coming back after the holiday break.  Hoping things are going well, but school is honestly the last thing on my mind!  I am ready to get this baby girl out!  We had an ultrasound two weeks ago, and everything looks good.  She looked pretty smooshed in there!  The tech said that she estimated her weight to be at 8 lbs.!  My doctor couldn't believe it and I'm pretty skeptical myself, but we shall see.  We could also see about an inch of hair on her head!  The appointment got us really excited to meet our little girl.  :)

I wasn't going to post a picture of me this far along, but I have been posting updates on my entire pregnancy so it didn't seem right to leave out the end!

So, what have I been doing to stay distracted?  Everything is pretty much done at this point and I am just taking each day as it comes.  The last thing that I really wanted to get done before the baby comes was to get our house cleaned and to get my toe nails painted pink :)  I have never had my house cleaned by someone else but I HIGHLY reccomend it to anyone at the end of their pregnancy.  Usually I enjoy cleaning but at the point it is physically too difficult to give our place a deep clean.  Also, I must add that I now get why my Mom always had us "clean" before the cleaning lady came.  They need to be able to clean underneath the clutter!  haha  I have also been doing lots of walking/streteching, sewing, running small errands, walking more, and trying to relax while I still can...the clock is ticking! 

As of yesterday's appointment, I am scheduled to be induced on the 18th!  Obviously, I hope I can go into labor naturally but I was aware the inductions are pretty common for first time moms.  My due date is tomorrow but I have a feeling we won't be meeting this little girl until next Friday.  She must be pretty cozy in there.  Luckily, my parents just go into town so they can keep me distracted until her arrival!  I'll keep you posted!

Merry Christmas!

 

If I were to sum up this Christmas in one word it would be "peaceful."  I am over 37 weeks now so we were pretty much forced to stay put.  I thought I would be a little more homesick but it has actually been really nice to just rest, read, go for walks, bake, and relax.  Did I mention that I also got kankles, cramps and swollen feet for Christmas?  That also may have contributed to my contentment with not being around a lot of people this Christmas ;) 

This is a picture taken before a little White Elephant party we had with some friends.  I was pretty excited to get a Justin Bieber toothbrush.  I can listen to him sing while I brush ;)

 

This picture was taken before the Christmas Eve service.  Our church did their service outside which was kind of neat.

 Christmas Eve Dinner.  We tried grilling pork for the first time and it was delicious.  I also made some PW mashed potatoes which are now officially on my "go to" list for holidays.  They haven't failed me yet!

 

We began Christmas morning with a spicy sausage quiche, fruit, and homemade banana bread. Yummy!



 

 We used drawnames.com to pick secret santas on both sides of the family this year. It made picking out presents a lot less stressful and more fun by having one special person to buy for.  I think my secret santas must have coordinated their gifts somehow.  Kelsey sent me an awesome purse and my Dad sent me a fancy red wallet that goes perfectly with it!

 Matt received some nice pull over shirts from both of his secret santas.  We also received some gift cards and babysitting offers :)

 Ornaments from Grandma

I made this ornament for Matt.  But, I must confess I saw someone selling a very similar ornament on Etsy.  I am almost bought it but realized I was running out of time.  So, I decided I could figure out how to make something similar and save a little cash.  The only thing I needed to spend money on was buying the wooden ornament from JoAnnes and developing the picture!  Now we have  an ornament to help us remember this Christmas. 

 

We also saw Les Mis on Christmas day.  A beautiful story about sacrificial love and hope.  I am so thankful to be reminded that although this world can be very scary, we can have HOPE and PEACE in knowing that Christ has already overcome the world!  Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and were able to take time to reflect on the birth of our Savior.

 

 

 

 



Southern Charm

Yes, there is still one more baby shower I must blog about!  This baby shower was the icing on the cake for us.  Our little community of friends here in Florida put together the sweetest couples baby shower!  Ever heard of a "BaByQ?" 

 

They thought of everything!

Bottle chug with chocolate milk...and the winner???  My hubby, of course!

This may look confusing.  We were preparing for labor by seeing who could keep there hand in ice water the longest...it is supposed to teach you how to stay calm and not focus on the pain of labor.  Hmmm...who do you think won?  (I am laughing in the picture, not screaming:)

Anyhow, the important thing is that I won.  

 

 

So thankful for God's provision over us in this past year.  We really cherish these frienships He has blessed us with!

Baby Shower #2

We had a busy trip up north visiting my family over Thanksgiving but it was definitely WORTH it!  We crammed in a lot of celebrating...Thanksgiving, baby shower, and my b-day :)  We also squeezed in some Christmas shopping, maternity pictures, and time with friends that I don't get to see too often anymore!  There is something really special about seeing friends that you have grown up with.  Even after months of not being in touch, you can just pick up from where you left off and totally be yourself.  It felt good to see so many familiar faces :)  Here are some pictures from the baby shower that my mom and sister put together.  They, of course, did a fabulous job with the decorations and food.  It made for a great party!  (My sister took ALL of these pictures, and I am sure she will post more on her blog soon.  So, check her blog too!)

 We don't mess around when it comes to cake in our family!

 Natalie was such a BIG help with opening the gifts.  It was so fun to have her be a part of the shower.  She is going to be such a good cousin to our baby girl!

Friends from high school ("The Core").  We are missing a couple but it was SO good to see these ladies.

 

Aunt Mary and Baby Harper (cousin Rachel's new baby), my Mom (GiGi) and Oliver (my nephew)

Thank you again friends and family for celebrating with us!  Only about 6 more weeks!  

Babymoon

This past weekend we enjoyed driving further south for our "babymoon."  We had a great time being lazy, eating yummy food, and getting lots of sun by the pool.  It was nice to take some time to just be together, not talking about baby stuff, holidays, or work...just chill, and that is exactly what we did!

The first night we had some delicious key lime pie.  I have never seen such a thing.  Clearly, it was awesome.  We were in the corner of the lounge sipping on decaf coffee and sharing dessert, while there were some older adults across the room all dressed up sipping on cocktails.  We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves...dessert, decaf, and early bed time is just how we roll (especially after a long week of work!) ;)

We had some "iffy" weather, but both days turned out to be great.  There was plenty of sun with a nice breeze.  We enjoyed lunch at the pool both days, and ordered the fish tacos each time...they were seriously delicious..mmm..still thinking about them!

 

  This a nice little shot of Matty at dinner. We went to the same restaurant as last year when we came to celebrate our anniversary.

 This picture shows the view from our room. We slept with the window open.  I loved falling asleep to the ocean waves. (Especially since I need all the help I can get with falling asleep these days!)

 

I made a proposal to Matt that maybe we should have a Babymoon #2 for after the baby arrives.  haha  We will just have to see about that!  Only EIGHT more weeks until the baby is due.  Now its time to enjoy the holidays for a little while until our little girl makes her appearance.

 

 

Oh...and now for some embarrassing moments as a preggo lady...

 

1-So most people know that its very common to have to use the restroom very frequently when your pregnant...My students know this best of all because I am constantly running to the restroom between classes every day.  Well, I have gotten pretty fast with the bathroom routine at this point.  Anyhow, one day I rushed back from the bathroom to meet my class at the door.  As I was standing there, one of the teachers across the hall came up to me and said, "I promise I wasn't checking you out or anything, but you shirt is tucked into your butt."  Might I add, that I was wearing maternity pants so you could see the elastic waist band.  hahaha  Man, am I thankful she was the one who pointed it out and not my entire class of students!

 

2-Its official that I am the biggest cluts in the world.  I have lost all fine motor skills and I am pretty sure I have lost some brain cells as well.  Unfortuntately, Matt has to witness all of this.  I am constantly dropping things in the kitchen, bumping into things, and mixing up my words.  Sheesh!  The latest mishap was this morning when I dropped honey on the ground...yes...probably the worst thing to spill! 

 

Hope you had a good laugh! :)  I have defintely learned to just laugh at this point!