36 weeks

I am 36 weeks pregnant... THIRTY. SIX. WEEKS!! Do the math folks, that is NINE MONTHS!

 Less than a month until my due date, and my body is definitely trying to prep me. I had a little episode Friday night....swollen feet and 2 hours straight of contractions (pressure, uncomfortable, but not painful) every 3-5 minutes. Sitting with my feet propped up and drinking 3 glasses of water didn't change them, so I reluctantly called my OB. He said if taking a warm bath didn't stop them, I'd need to be checked, but thankfully they stopped, I'm still pregnant, and mom was still able to go to her girls' weekend in the Keys the next morning :) 

Needless to say, we had a low key weekend around the house and I was forbidden to walk the bridge while mom is gone! I was able to spend all day with sweet Hunter and got some good pictures.

 She loves the dogs and they LOVE her :)

Maggie doesn't leave Hunter alone. She loves to play with her and is so gentle, it's precious! I've always thought that Maggie will be great with the baby, but seeing her with Hunter let's us know for sure.

 Hunter adores Brett too! She helps him with anything and everything she can...

 And HAD to sit on his lap after dinner!

Only Brett was allowed to hold her hand to the car ;)

Home stretch!

This picture is from a few weeks ago, but it's one I love and I guess I overlooked it before :)

Well, I am 35 WEEKS along now! For some reason, I have been so looking forward to being 35 weeks pregnant. I know it isn't full term, but it's pretty darn close (as in, this baby girl will be FULL TERM IN 3 WEEKS!) and I see so many children at work, every single day, who were born well before 35 weeks and are perfectly healthy, thriving kids. I really have no reason to worry about having a premature baby - my pregnancy has been perfect, my mom had great pregnancies, our family history is pretty healthy (and mom reminds me of all of these things often :) but when you work with children everyday and see so many who were born prematurely or with congenital disease, it's hard not to think about it. 

Now, my worries about having a preterm baby have gone by the wayside and so have a lot of my concerns about childbirth... because Brett and I went to our childbirth class at the hospital on Saturday :) It was a good class and gave us both an idea about what to expect in the hospital and how to suffer through  manage the pain ;) The instructor had us squeeze a handful of ice chips in our palm for 1 minute and practice our breathing (to simulate a contraction) and I thought "Well, maybe I won't need that epidural after all" until she said "This will just give you an idea of progressive pain. A real contraction is about 100x worse." Great. My name is staying on the hospital's "may go for" an epidural list!

Also, I almost forgot to mention that we had one more ultrasound last week. I know that each time I say it's the last one, but my OB/Gyn practice is pretty big, so lots of providers = lots of opinions. The last OB I saw said I needed to see a perinatologist (high-risk OB) to check the baby's heart (since I had parvovirus) and everything was completely perfect! She weighed in at 5 lbs, 6 oz. Here's her profile...

Later that week I had my routine checkup with Dr. Pare, and he said all is well! He put my mind at ease when he told me he'll do my delivery, and I go back next week and then weekly after that!

I'm still feeling pretty good, except that my feet HURT! They aren't swollen or puffy, but at the end of the day, they just ache like I've run a marathon barefoot! She is still moving so, so much and I'm having a LOT of braxton hicks contractions. Nothing regular, painful, or in a pattern, so we're good :) We are finishing up the nursery decorations, organizing baby things galore, and enjoying our time together. Each day I realize, more and more, that we are about the start the most amazing journey of our lives and we couldn't be happier. I know Brett will be a perfect daddy and I just can't wait to watch him with her!

Until then, Maggie and Gus are still our babies :)

Lucinda's Shower

This past weekend we celebrated mom-to-be Lucinda (and baby boy on the way) at a great shower! She is due July 27 and will be delivering at the same hospital as me...who knows, maybe we'll be hospital next door neighbors!

Beautiful momma!

Baby Gator boy and girl, coincidentally due just 2 days apart. We think they're already a match made in heaven! Looking forward to many momma dates, pool days, and Gator games!

Unrelated, but this is me with the first washed load of baby clothes :) Lots of pink, lots of soft, lots of TINY! Brett is already convinced we're going to lose outfits because they're so small. He gave up on folding tiny onesies and matched up itty bitty socks!

Whoa belly!

This is my view looking down....sitting on the couch, 8.5 months pregnant, feet propped up, Mack on my lap. Just in case you thought my belly is small, you were mistaken :)

Anniversary in the Keys

Brett and I spent Memorial Day weekend in the Keys with my family. There, we celebrated our 2nd anniversary, and it was also my "I've been pregnant for 8 months" mark! It had been a while since we had taken a trip with my mom, dad, AND both brothers, so it was great to all be together to relax before our newest addition :) The first day, we were out on the boat all day and my dad is convinced that this means the baby will love boat rides very early on just like I did! I hope he's right... The next few days, the sun kept shining but it was very windy and rough, so we did lots of lounging chasing dogs, reading, swimming, playing cards, and sunning. Again, lots of pictures...this is the only way I know how to post them, sorry if the vertical gets old :)

 Scotty, Dad, me, Jeremy, & Brett about to head out the first day

 Jeremy and Buddy

 Love, love, love him

32 weeks :) And that water NEVER gets old!

 For old times' sake... the boys asked for my "Martha Washington" hair. I think we have this exact same picture from 15 years ago...

 A belly like that gives extra buoyancy :)

 Side view!

May 30 was our actual anniversary, and we had a great day! Lots more relaxing, out to lunch at Lorelei, and then dinner at Morada Bay, the best sunset restaurant in Islamorada :)

Out to dinner...Scotty, Jeremy, Brett, me, Joe and Dad (Mom took the picture)

 We have so much to look forward to, but we definitely treasure these past 2 (actually, 10 together) years. Here's to the next 80...

My boys :)

Just for fun, I had to :)

I'm now 33 weeks, and it's hard to believe that in just 5 weeks, we could have a full-term baby. We have lots to do, but we're getting there... I'll put some nursery pictures up once it's all done, but we are waiting on a few more things. I'm still doing great, but sometimes this big ole belly is comical...I scoot behind chairs like I think I can fit, bending over for things isn't so simple, and the dogs have finally learned that they have to lay around my belly, not on it :)

Also, we're still working on a name! We aren't keeping it a secret, we just haven't decided. We have a few that we like, but will wait until she's born to see which is most fitting! 

We are trying our hardest to enjoy these last few weeks as just us, as we know life is about to get exhausting and even more amazing!