38 Weeks

Another week closer to meeting our Lily!

At 38 Weeks Lily is just under 20 inches long and probably between 6 1/2 and 7 pounds. All of her organs have full matured and she is ready for the outside world. She's not the only one - we're ready too! While we are excited and know that she could arrive at any time - we are preparing for her to take her time. We've had no signs of labor what-so-ever.

Meanwhile we've been really focused on collecting the last few essentials we need before her arrival. I've also had a chance to finish a few projects for her nursery - including her ruffled crib skirt! (yes, FINALLY)

We found an amazing deal on a jogging stroller, ordered a few more diapers, and a number of other little items (crib mattress protector, cover for the changing pad, etc) to finish everything off. Otherwise my week has been filled with loads of baby laundry and organizing her room. With the exception of a few things we're still using, we are also all packed and ready for the hospital!

Here are a few of the items we hung in the nursery:

 A finished crib skirt!!

Our sweet new jogging stroller: (Yes, that second photo is Jeremy chasing our dog through the yard with the stroller. Meanwhile I'm laughing like a lunatic and snapping photos. Oh yeah folks, we're going to be parents. Go ahead and let that sink in...)

And lastly, me, at 38 weeks:

We have a doctors appointment this evening, so we'll reporting anything exciting!

37 Weeks - FULL TERM

We've made it. As of today we are officially considered full term. Should she choose to arrive, no one would do a darn thing to stop her (least of all - ME). Granted, it could still be another month before she decides she's ready, we're just going to kick back and hope she's feels motivated sooner, rather than later.

This past week was full of awesomeness. I intended to keep you posted on the shenanigans as they took place, but we were just too busy!

This week my boss was in town (Hi KM!) and I love it when she's here. This time, she even threw me a baby shower. I have to start by saying, I could not work with a greater group of women. You would think a couple dozen women in a confined space would spell disaster - as it typically does - but no. They're smart, talented, strong, awesome people. And to have such an great group be so excited for our little family, just means all that much more to us. I would have felt over the moon and spoiled with cake and quality time, but no - they wouldn't stand for that. We got SPOILED.

I mean it - from adorable clothes, helpful mom-approved products, toys, diapers, etc. Also, you may or may not have heard me talk about THE curtains. They're from Anthropologie (one of my favorite stores ever) and were the perfect shade of coral - which I'm sure you can imagine is hard to find. Basically they were the curtains all other curtains were compared to - unfortunately just curtains that lived not in our budget! My lovely ladies pitched in and saw to it that Lily's room not be decked out in less:

How awesome is that?

Thursday was our 4th wedding anniversary. We played it pretty low-key that day, but had a great dinner with friends. Friday was the 11th anniversary of our first date! We also had a doctors appointment and an ultrasound to see Miss Lily. Doc had great things to say about her and I - both healthy! He took some measurements, checked her out, and estimates that right now she is about 6 1/3 pounds. Gaining approximately 1/3 of a pound each week from here on out - we're looking at about a 7 1/2 pound baby - give or take. Perfect! (I mean really, were we expecting any less??) 

Saturday brought another day of fun - my best girlfriends threw me a shower at the park. You would not believe the decor:

GORGEOUS! 
It was great to spend time with my girlfriends and see how much they already love our daughter. We couldn't possibly be any luckier. They too saw fit to spoil her - more diapers, great books, cute clothes, and delicious baby smelling bath products. Even some handmade items - a cozy blanket and this gorgeous matching set for Lily and I:

Hand painted by the talented Chelsi (Chelsi Lees Designs - FB - Etsy). I cannot be the only one that is crazy jealous of her artistic skills.

Saturday afternoon Jeremy and I left for Semiahmoo for the night. We had a great dinner, relaxed overlooking the water, and even spent time floating in the pool. Floating may be my new favorite past time - such relief! Sunday morning we really topped things off and got massages before heading home. It was an amazing little escape before Lily joins us. We couldn't have asked for better quality time together.

It may have been one of the greatest weeks of my life. So much fun, love, and quality time with some of my favorite people.

Folks, I think we're officially ready. C'mon baby girl!






37 Weeks:

36 Weeks

Wow - only a month to go until our due date. Hard to believe!

This week Miss Lily is weighing in at around 6lbs and is probably about 19 - 20 inches long! All systems at this point are a go. All of the articles, books, and websites, are now talking about being ready for baby to come any time. Have your bags packed, the plan in place... basically hurry up and wait! 

We're not overly worked up and certainly are not tapping our foot with impatience. We know that she'll arrive when she's good and ready and we've had no real signs that it's going to be any time soon. But we're not crazy either, we have the car installed and should she come home now we're mostly pulled together.

One of the hiring managers I support at work was in town (from Connecticut) and gave us the sweetest gift, an adorable plush lamb and a book she loved with her own kids. It was very sweet!

We've also started meeting with Rachel to do our childbirth education classes. She's getting her doula business off the ground and childbirth education is one of the services she will be offering. While a lot of the details are things we've heard before in one way or another, it's been great to put things together in a logical order and to talk them through together. We so appreciate her help and guidance!

Here I am at 36 weeks:

This next week is action packed, I'm looking forward to bringing you our adventures - baby showers, another doctors appointment (with ultrasound!), our anniversary, and last - but definitely not least - a babymoon getaway!

35 Weeks

Today marks a fun day in our pregnancy timeline:

35 weeks down / 35 DAYS until our due date.

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Probably because it isn't very long at all. All of the books/phone apps/websites say that she's running out of space in there. No book needs to tell me she's feeling cooped up, I can vouch for that little gem of information personally. If I have sat for too long, or God forbid am getting up after laying down - we're in full waddle mode. I even received my first stranger comment (besides simple, albeit appreciated, congratulations) at the grocery store, "You've got to be almost there!" Yes, ma'am. I think we can officially call this the home stretch.

She's weighing in over 5 pounds (probably about 5 1/4) and is well over 18" long by now. Pick up a honeydew melon or a coconut - that's just about her size. She's got fully functioning kidneys and her liver is already processing some 'waste'. We just love to hear about these final touches coming together. Lily's just got to kick back (literally kicking most of the time) and put on some weight. Basically, she's living the good (even if a bit cramped) life.

We had a short, but sweet, visit with our doctor on Friday. Her heartbeat sounds excellent (about 140bpm) and we both got the stamp of approval. Doc got a good chuckle out of my yawning a half dozen times throughout our brief appointment (at 1:30 in the afternoon no less...) and reassured me that all of my aches and pains are completely normal. To get plenty of rest, try and relax, and to brace myself - cause they're probably not going to feel better until after she's arrived. It was a good pep talk - I'm ready!

In just a couple weeks we will have our final ultrasound, get an idea of her weight, do a final test or two... and then we'll be ready to have a baby! You know, when ever it is that she decides to grace us with her sure-to-be adorable presence. She will probably follow the old cliche 'Always late, but worth the wait.'

Friday evening we had a fun date night. It started with getting our maternity pictures taken! We found a great deal with a local photographer we hadn't used before. He and his wife were wonderful to work with. They made us feel so comfortable. I must say - I do like being behind the lens better. :) Once we get them back, I will be sure to share!

This weekend we also assembled a few more final touches in the nursery, finally installing the mirror and shelf. Just a couple more things to do!

Please, oh please, take pity on a girl with very little left of her higher brain function and just pretend I actually cleaned that mirror in the background before taking a photo of it. I promise my mom taught me better and appreciate you looking the other way on that one.

35 Weeks:

34 Weeks

Lily is probably weighing in around 4 3/4lbs this week, or about the size of a butternut squash. She is continuing to work on building up her tiny lungs and putting some more meat on her bones. Yesterday, while we relaxed at home, I commented that we will be having a baby NEXT MONTH. It's really fun to say - we're definitely ready to love, snuggle, and play with her on the outside. Instead of just poking back at her through my belly.

This weekend was a fun one. We spent a lot of time with friends and got in some much needed relaxation. Also, on Friday our car seat arrived! Armed each with a user manual - me with the CRV's and Jeremy with the car seat manual - we officially have a car seat in the CRV. Wow!

Doesn't he look so proud of himself?

Here I am at 34 weeks:

Now that we've gotten to this point I thought I would do another fun comparison - 14, 24, and 34 weeks. 14 weeks was the first photo that we took - look at how she's grown!

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

33 Weeks

These days Lily is more than likely topping 4lbs. She's keeping her eyes open while she is awake and is even teaching herself to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. She is a very active baby. I can feel her getting stronger each week and have been at the receiving end of quite a few strong karate chops and roundhouse kicks. We've been able to watch her move around through my belly and I feel her move more and more throughout the day.

This week Jeremy and I attended a Newborn Care class. It was pretty basic new-baby maintenance kind of stuff, but we both took a few new things away from it. (Did you know you're not supposed to use baby powder anymore?) There were a lot of people in class and I think Jeremy felt very comforted by the fact that he seemed to have it together well more than most. Some of the other dad's were clearly in a bit of a panic. Jeremy can put on a diaper and swaddle a baby like a champ now!

Our appointment this week went very well. Healthy heart beat for her, good health for me, we're trucking right along with only the expected aches and tiredness.We'll take it!

Sunday was a very special day for me. My first baby shower! My amazing mom and sister threw me a shower for my family. Just a small group of the women in our family to celebrate Lily's upcoming arrival. For quite some time I wasn't ever certain that I would get to have this experience. It was an exceptional day and feels even more special now that it has had some time to sink in. I managed to only cry a couple of times, so I think it was a success!

The ladies in my family spoiled us rotten. Such sweet and thoughtful gifts as homemade blankets and cherished items from Jeremy's childhood, to fun toys, helpful and practical items, and even a few luxuries for me (Brea - that nightgown is AWESOME). Since I was in my early 20's, well before we decided to get married, let alone have babies, I have pined after Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags. I've been to quite a few baby showers over the years and have always admired the functional and gorgeous bag. Thinking it was always something I would indulge in myself. Well guess what? My baby sister is amazing and I am now the proud owner of a PPB bag! I'll admit, I gasped, maybe even swore, and then cried when I saw it. Wow! It's even a print I've never seen before - I wasn't sure that was possible. You did great, baby sister.

I've been a bit overwhelmed with the generosity people have shown us. I am so eternally grateful for all of the tremendous people in our lives. I couldn't be more blessed - I know I've said it at least a dozen times on this blog alone. We are so lucky. It's only a matter of weeks now until this little baby girl comes home with us. We cannot wait. But, for now, I will have to be satisfied with reorganizing her gorgeous new gifts and doing another load of little baby laundry.

This is the good life.

33 Weeks:

32 Weeks

Over the next 8 weeks, Lily will gain roughly one-third to half of her body weight - probably about another 4 pounds! She's now sporting toe and finger nails, real hair, and she's even getting smoother skin as she plumps up. I continue to feel and realize the results of her getting bigger. I find myself getting short of breath and even heart burn is popping up more frequently. I've even felt the occasional Braxton Hicks contraction. Thankfully nothing too bad and I am just taking it in stride - it means she's growing!

At our last doctor visit he confirmed she was still head down and would probably (hopefully!!) remain that way until I deliver. The doc walked his hands over my tummy and pointed out the rest of Lily's position. A few times since then it has been really neat to associate her different movements with specific parts of her body. A couple of days ago, while we were relaxing on the couch, I watched her roll a bit and her little butt was sticking straight out of my stomach! We got a good laugh out of that. We both poked, grabbed, and pinched at her little tush.

Baby's got back! Sir Mix-a-Lot would be proud.

This last week I experience another first - my first prenatal massage! I've been having some trouble sleeping, my back aches, my rib was giving me trouble... and boy did I feel like a whole new person after getting that massage. I also got an adjustment with my lovely chiropractor - It did wonders! I was a whole new me. I'm hoping to repeat that process as I need and have my fingers crossed that it will continue to be as successful.

This weekend we had the opportunity to celebrate Jeremy's first Father's Day. While there is some debate as to whether or not expecting parents get to celebrate these days - they do in our house. It isn't huge fan-fair, but I am not going to miss an opportunity to tell Jeremy exactly what he means to us. Saturday was a fun day out and about. We took Jerry (Jeremy's dad) with us to see the King Tut exhibit at the Seattle Center. It was amazing to see such beautiful pieces and a bit bewildering to imagine how long they've been around. We enjoyed a tasty lunch with a round of beers (root beer for me!) at The Ram and then it was home for a little R&R before dinner.

Jerry came up and our good friend Ryan came over and we enjoyed chili and cornbread made in the dutch oven. It was the first time we'd done it this way and OH MAN was it delish! To top the evening off we enjoyed some tasty homemade peanut butter cookies made by yours truly. Sunday was a great day of relaxation. We only left the house to go grocery shopping and otherwise spent most of the day snuggled on the sofa while it rained cats and dogs outside. Thank you to Chris for coming up and helping us finish the leftovers!  

Jeremy, we sure do hope that you enjoyed your first Father's Day. I cannot wait to continue to celebrate them with you over the years to come. You take such amazing care of us. I could not be more grateful to have you in our lives. I'm continually in wonder at the amazing father you've already become and I am so anxious and excited for you to meet your baby girl. 

Here I am, sporting the 32 week belly: