34 weeks!

Baby girl is officially 34 weeks. I am officially uncomfortable.
Regular visits to the chiropractor are keeping me (somewhat) sane.
I've got Baby girl feet pushing my right ribs into my brain and my
right hip into the ground. Her elbow/hand regularly pushes my flat
belly button into an outie. Braxton hicks are now a part of my daily
life. On top of all that, we've had some really weird spring storms
passing through and Baby girl (and Mommy!) do not enjoy the increased
abdominal pressure.

On the other hand, I have to admit I am starting to freak out over how
fast this is all going. I can't believe we only have 6 short weeks
until Baby girl arrives. I do not feel ready to be a Mommy, and I'm
certainly not ready to give up having Jim all to myself!

The exciting event happening this week is our 34-week ultrasound. Jim
and I are both excited to see Baby girl's beautiful face again, and
I'm nervous to see what the ultrasound will tell us about our delivery
options. As you may remember, Baby girl is currently transverse and
seems very comfortable there. I'm curious to know why she is so
comfortable (placental placement, short cord, tangled cord, etc.).
This ultrasound will tell us which delivery option will be safest or
both Baby girl and me (and we'll get some cute new pictures to share!).

Nursery complete!

We will be 34 weeks pregnant tomorrow and I'm happy to report the
nursery is finished! (Actually we are still waiting on a crib
mattress, but other than that the room is complete).

Baby girl's clothes and bedding are all washed and put away, ready to
be used when she gets here! Her bag is packed as well and ready to go
to the hospital.

Check out the adorable tutu hanging above the toybox. My wonderful
friend Jordan made it to match the purple flowered hat and booties I
received earlier. I'm excited to get pictures done of Baby girl in the
whole ensemble.

Tomorrow marks 6 weeks until her due date - and the realization is
starting to sink in that she is coming and SOON! Especially as many of
our pregnant friends are "popping". Last week my friend Larie broke
her water at 37.5 weeks pregnant (at my baby shower too!) and it
dawned on me that I'm only 3.5 weeks away from that point.

Instead of having a complete meltdown over the fact that our days as a
two-person family are numbered, I've kicked my nesting into overdrive
(thus the completed nursery, packed hospital bags, reorganized
bathroom and kitchen, etc.). I'm not sure which Jim would have
preferred!

Nursery in progress

Here are a few pictures of the nursery (so far). The first picture is
of the toybox my Dad finished for me and now refinished for his
granddaughter. I think he did an amazing job! Mom made the cushion for
the top; it goes perfectly with Baby girl's bedding set. I'm still working on a crib mattress and a bookcase
to complete the furniture, and I have some shelves and pictures to
hang (as well as the sign).

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures! I'll post some better ones
once the room is complete.

I had my first of three upcoming baby showers today. My wonderful
friend Jordan planned the event and it was so much fun! It was great
to see some old friends (and some new friends too!). Baby girl is
certainly blessed to have so many wonderful people in her life!

Of course she has to be difficult...

... she's my child.

We are 33 weeks tomorrow and currently in transverse lie. This means
she is lying sideways/horizantal/perpendicular in my uterus. Currently
her head is on my left side and her feet can kick my right hip and
ribs at the same time. What talent!

In case you hadn't guessed, babies don't tend to come out easily in
this position (case in point: my poor labor patient the other night
who ended up getting a c-section after 15 hours of labor because her
little girl decided to be transverse). So, if she hasn't flipped by 36
weeks, I get to decide between a version (externally turning the baby
- as fun and pain-free as it sounds) or a scheduled c-section. Or
both, if the version is unsuccessful. My c-section-happy doctor is a
little perturbed that I won't consider a version at this point (which
surprises me) but he does do a beautiful version. And a beautiful c-
section, for that matter.

We have an ultrasound scheduled in two weeks and she has four weeks to
make her move. And I have four weeks to make my decision.

One project down...

... a thousand more to go!

I am thrilled with how this turned out, thanks to A LOT of help from
Grandpa and Grandma Bunker and my friend Tami! Now if I could just get
Jim to hang it...

32 Weeks

32 weeks down.

8 more to go until my due date; 6 more of work.

Normally I would post a picture of the growing belly to commemerate
reaching 32 weeks, but I realized this morning that reaching 32 weeks
means I have only 8 more to go. And a dozen half-finished baby
projects around the house that I started months ago.

So instead I spent the day working on refinishing furniture. I'm
fairly certain no one wants to see the belly covered in sawdust, wood
stain, and paint.

I've been having many of these realization moments lately. Like when I
realized the reason I'm crossed off the work schedule in 6 weeks is
because I'll be 38 weeks then and the scheduler doesn't want to factor
me into the core staffing in case this belly decides to pop. Or when
several of my pregnant friends and coworkers recently delivered their
babies and I realize they ARE that far along and therefore so am I. Or
when I filled out pre-admission paperwork at the hospital and signed
consents for my daughter and realized we are going to be parents soon.

32 weeks down, 8 more to go.

Nursery Updates

It's official: Baby girl has nicer furniture than we do. And a nicer
ride.

In fact, Jim and I decided she has the nicest furniture in the house.

I went out this week to check pricing at a few local baby stores and
came across a crib and dresser set made by very well-rated furniture
company on sale. The set was nice, and deeply discounted off of online
prices, but what really caught my attention was the stroller.

This store had the exact Baby Jogger stroller model and color Jim and
I wanted discounted as well. Why? Because it was the 2009 model.
The only difference between this model and the 2010 model? Foam-
filled tires and different color options. For the price difference
between the two models, we could have the tires filled with foam at a
local bike shop many times over.

I had Jim come check out my "find" and left to go to work. That night
I came home to find the crib, dresser, and stroller in the nursury! My
wonderful husband managed to negotiate a deal with the store for all
three items for even less money.

I have to admit I am very excited about this. At 29.5 weeks of
pregnancy, my desire to nest has started to threaten my (and Jim's)
sanity. And folding the same little stack of clothes in an empty room
is only fun the first thousand times. I am looking forward to actually
getting to put those clothes away!

Right now Baby girl's room is in shambles. The crib, dresser, and
rocker are sitting amongst piles of random baby "stuff" and half-
finished projects. I am looking forward to posting a picture of the
final product!