Month 8!! 32 Weeks

Really??!! It's hard to believe that this is almost the end. By tomorrow, I can officially say I will have a baby sometime around the end of next month (March). In a way, time has flown by, and now, it's just the waiting game. I am so ready to see and hold our sweet baby boy; I'm hoping February will fly by b/c we have so much going on! This month is full of work, our baby classes, and baby showers--lots of fun stuff to look forward to! I can tell that I am not doing as well at work as I usually do-- I just don't have as much energy to plan really creative lessons, and I don't have as much patience with the high-schoolers as usual. I try to warn them on the days when I feel extra tired and pregnant, and they are usually on their best behavior for me on those days. I will be ready for maternity leave to come--I love marking each day off my desk calendar that gets me closer to that day. Sometimes I make myself wait just so I can mark a few days off in a row; somehow that makes me feel better!  Here's are semi-nursery inspiration. Our walls are a little darker, and our crib is different, but a similar idea. My mom is making the bedding, and I'm hoping I get it for my shower gift next weekend. Next, we have to sew some curtains and find a rug.

So let's see, how has this last month been? Pretty good, actually. I think I have been having Braxton-Hicks contractions, but I think it's hard to tell whether it's that, or if Eli is just bunching up in an awkward position. I can feel body parts a lot these days. Usually I can feel two big round ends, so I'm assuming one's his head and one's his bottom although I can't really tell the difference! I can also feel little bony parts that jut out; I usually just push them back down and he repositions himself. I let Matthew feel them last night, and he thought it was so bizarre that we can feel real body parts in there; I reminded him it's b/c we have a real baby in there...hmmm, that birthing class will be really beneficial I think.

To Warm His Big Head...

These are just about the cutest pictures I have ever seen. I've been looking on Etsy for cute baby stuff, and here they were--the most precious hand-knit hats in the world. I just have to decided on which one to get little Eli! I have also been looking for a local photographer to take newborn pictures of Eli when he gets here...preferably in a hat like this! I'll have to order a bigger size though, b/c lately I can feel his head when he bunches up in my belly, and it's HUGE--I think he must weigh about 5 pounds already, maybe just his head alone!

Early Birthday for the Big Momma

The time has come. I no longer fit into any of my regular pants...I guess it was bound to happen, being in the 8th month. I had one pair of black maternity pants from Target that I wear to school about 2-3 times a week, and one pair of regular jeans that were low-rise enough to still wear under the giant belly. My birthday is coming up, so I did a little early b-day shopping for myself from my hot hubby. I had to do a lot of research at both Old Navy and Gap b/c I know their clothes usually run pretty big. My packages arrived yesterday, and thank goodness, almost all of them fit. I need to exchange the pair of flats I got, and one Gap shirt is too big, but they didn't have a small. I'm sure I will grow right into it though here in the last two months... I only shopped the sale items, and used every coupon code I could find, so I got 20% at both stores and free shipping, plus sale prices! Not bad! Here's the loot:

Early Birthday by JMBills featuring Old Navy

No More Monkey...

Week 30: Goodbye monkey baby, hello roly poly!
Fetal development in pregnancy week 30:

The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long


From babygaga.com

A little behind...

Here is a quick picture from week 25 on December 15th. I look super sleepy here because it was about 6:30 in the morning right before I left for work. I have been HORRIBLE about taking weekly pictures of myself. I always tell myself I will wait for a day when I feel cute to take a picture...yet, that days seems to never come. Hmmm, guess I should just get over myself and take weekly pictures no matter what I look like, so I have some memory of this pregnant body! Or, maybe I won't want memories of this body!

Christmas recap

It's official...I am way behind on all our baby to-do list. I have to get busy because before we know it, baby Eli will be here and will have not have a room to call his own. Not that he will know it, but I will. Already I feel like an unprepared momma. So, on to what we have done. We painted the nursery...well, my dad did that is. We also painted a dresser that we had a light cream color and gave it some new hardware based off of a Pottery Barn dresser I saw in their catalog. We have a small bookcase painted in there, but might move in the huge tall one we have...What else...Eli got TONS of great baby gifts for Christmas, and he's not even here yet! Aunt Kelci and Uncle Anthony gave him a precious Ralph Lauren onesie, Deanie (Matthew's mom) gave him Matthew's old hand-made baby blanket...and I definitely cried over that gift. Matthew, being the sweet daddy that he is, gave me a precious hand-painted wooden frame personalized with Eli's name. It was the first time I saw his name officially on a gift, and I burst into tears. That was probably one of my very favorite gifts. I can't wait to put his first newborn picture in there, maybe even one with his sweet daddy holding him! Grandma Ruth (my mom) gave him everything I think she laid eyes on over the past couple months. Eli got lots of great books, including a children's Bible. I can't wait to read these famous stories to him over and over again, and teach him about God's great power and love. She knitted him a little hat and booties, bought him some sweet clothes, started a scrapbook with letters she is starting to write to him. the letters include lots of wonderful notes, everything from how excited she is to meet him, to past traditions she had when she was growing up. This is something he will cherish probably when he is much older, but I love it now! Last, she also gave me my childhood nativity scene. My aunt gave it to me when I was a baby, and it's a beautiful set of the manger scene. I've always wanted it, but I guess Eli is the one who finally let my mom let go of it! All in all, we had a wonderful Christmas filled with tons of family and love.