in like a lion, out like a lamb

how far along?  37 weeks

development:  the little one measures about 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs between 6.2 and 9.2 pounds, about the size of a winter melon. he's pretty much ready for birth now, inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking. 

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  trying to stay comfy!

sleep?  ok overall... waking up every few hours to roll over. soon, it'll be waking up every few hours for night time feedings.

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  meeting the pediatrician  •  catching up with friends  •  showing off the babe's room to a few visitors  •  hearing about and seeing photos of my cousin's new baby boy!

miss anything?  not too much

movement:  i was thinking last night that i'll have a baby to hold in my arms within a few weeks time, but might miss carrying him around as a part of me and feeling his movements (minus the uncomfortable feeling of the extra weight on my belly!)

food cravings:  sweets

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  little boy… "don't wait to make your son a great man - make him a great boy." ~ author unknown

pregnancy symptoms:  being pretty much exhausted at the end of the day, but still having small bursts of energy here and there  •  nesting, trying to keep the house clean and organized

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy overall, been a little emotional the past week or two. i've had a hard time feeling motivated at work... getting distracted and annoyed easily.

looking forward to:  relaxing and enjoying the last few weeks of my pregnancy, trying not to feel too anxious
notes from dad: We are starting the countdown, heck March is here! Before it ends I'll be a dad, Karin will be a mom! We will be parents! I still can't believe it? Needless to say, we are excited for our little mans arrival! We worked really hard on his bedroom, a little space for him. We're really happy with how it turned out. I think we were successful pulling off our original ideas. We scrapped an area rug for the nice carpet we installed and we are doing without our original dresser (for now). Other than that, we pulled it off just like we dreamed. With all his worldly experience, I'm sure he'll like it! (because he has none, lol).
Well little man, the stage has been set. The lights are lit and the seats are full. We can't wait to watch your movie, enjoy your show and experience your life. We wait for the star!

randomness:

wow, this saturday is march! we've made it to his birth month!

i need to get my butt moving on putting together some frozen meals that will be easy to throw in the crock pot later. i've pinned a few sites to pinterest, so i have the recipes - just need to shop and prep!

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bags

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet, swing, infant seat, etc.

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower

- start thinking about birth announcements (thanks to shutterfly, we have a coupon already!)

18 more days until his due date... we'll see if he sticks to it. 

honey dew

how far along?  36 weeks

development:  our babe is now the size of a honeydew melon at 36 weeks. he's right around 17.2 to 18.7 inches and weighs close to 6 pounds - he's come a long way since week 8 when he was the size of a raspberry... amazing! his skin is smoothing out and his liver and kidneys are in working order. circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too. his digestive system is the only major system not fully developed yet - he won't fully digest food until he starts breastfeeding. after this week, he is officially considered carried to term.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  i wore a non-maternity dress the other day that i've maxed out on - i almost couldn't fit into it, but got one last wear out of it for now. anthony joked with me that he wished i would have busted out of it like the incredible hulk (to put it nicely, it isn't his favorite dress, lol)

sleep?  been sleeping surprisingly sound the last few nights

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  a chill valentine's day with ghirardelli chocolates and dinner at a new bbq place  •  chuck e cheese birthday party for a one-year-old little miss  •  designing and having some artwork printed to frame for the babe's room  •  receiving a sweet, unexpected baby gift from a co-worker/friend and his wife

miss anything?  'normal' clothing and shoes other than boots (when can we start showing our toes again?) ;)

movement:  lots!

food cravings:  the norm - ice cream! also loving lots of milk, and cheese & toll house crackers.

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  oh boy… "when i grow up i want to be a little boy." ~ joseph heller

pregnancy symptoms:  pretty much same ongoing things

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  happy

looking forward to:  enjoying the last month of my pregnancy, but also meeting our babe!  •  weekly doctor appointments

randomness:
i don't know if i'd classify this as good or bad or either, but we've hit the one-month-left-to-go milestone!

last night we installed the car seat in the car - it's a weird thing to see in our own vehicle. ;) today we went to the township building to have it inspected. we're good to go!

evenings have been flying by so quickly recently. it seems that there's always something to do or think about. last night dinner didn't even cross our minds until we realized how late it was getting, at 7pm.

we'll be meeting our new pediatrician on wednesday of next week. we got some really great recommendations from multiple friends for the same office and it makes me feel good that we probably chose one that we'll be happy with, too.

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bags

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet, swing, infant seat, etc.

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower
- start thinking about birth announcements (thanks to shutterfly, we have a coupon already!)

he'll be here before we know it - less than 4 weeks! 

thinking warm thoughts

how far along?  35 weeks

development:  the little man is the size of a coconut! he now measures 17.2 to 18.7 inches long and weighs approximately 4.2 to 5.8 pounds, getting really close to the size he'll be when born. incredibly, he is now pretty much fully developed, with the exception of his brain which will continue long after birth. he's also hopefully turning and positioning himself to be where he needs to be for birth.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  maternity jeans have now become annoying - wish i could constantly wear leggings. putting on my pants and shoes has become tricky lately - trying to balance and lift my legs/feet at the same time... it's just better to sit down on the bed, lol. i also miss a lot of my closet - i feel like i'm wearing the same things over and over.

sleep?  not necessarily getting up at night, but waking multiple times to roll over or think about the most odd things that i shouldn't be thinking of in the middle of the night

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  two shopping extravaganzas (to ikea and babies r us) to pickup the last few things needed for the babe's room  

miss anything? not too much

movement:  pretty consistently throughout the day

food cravings:  eating my way through a bag of starburst candies this past week  •  ice cream, as always. i think a trip to mcd's may be in order soon, too, as i see that their shamrock shakes have resurged for the time being

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  boy… "a boy's story is the best that is ever told." ~charles dickens

pregnancy symptoms:  back pain  •  being uncomfortable  •  feeling worn out by day's end - i think i've been done by 9 or 9:30 every night, and i know this is just the beginning!  •  shortness of breath  •  minor belly tightening from time to time

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  mostly happy, a little annoyed 

looking forward to:  celebrating our niece's first birthday this weekend  •  hearing about my cousin's baby boy, due very soon  •  weekly doctor appointments, this coming monday and every monday from here on out

things have been busy busy around our house... anthony's been clearing the driveway like mad, trying to rid it of ice and snow (which doesn't help that it's on the side of the house that doesn't get much sun) and spending tons of time on that 'gem' of a dresser re-do i found months ago. i'm thankful he's putting up with it, and see where he's coming from when he says that we could have bought a brand new dresser for the money and time he's putting into this one - at least it'll be unique. :)

^^^ assembling and unpacking part of our ikea haul

my big undertaking this past weekend was spending hours sorting through all of the clothing we've acquired through two baby showers and a consignment sale. who knew it would take so long to cut those darn little plastic tags off of everything, wow. everything newborn to size 6 months has been washed, sorted and folded, and size 9 months and up is packed away til later. our boy definitely has enough clothing to look like quite the handsome little man for a while!

all of this weather we've been experiencing lately makes me wondering what it'll be like when the babe is due. back in 2007, we were moving into our house at that same time (the weekend of march 16-18), one day after getting a decent snow and ice storm. we cancelled the rental truck we had scheduled and were going to put off moving til the next weekend, but decided at the last minute to get it done and then used an 18-passenger van to move everything from our apartment that weekend.

^^^ belly shots - it's all about perspective… been hooked on listening to country in the car lately… keeping warm with lots of hot chocolate - soo ready for spring!

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, blankets, bibs, etc.

- pack hospital bag (started my list and have a few things prepped)

- hem and hang curtains

- put supplies and hospital bag in car

- wash and sterilize bottles

- set up bassinet in bedroom

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan (do i need to do this?) and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago

- finish thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower

less than 5 weeks!! just 32 days!!

showered with love

this past weekend we were again showered with love at our second baby shower and blessed to have gathered with friends and family from near and far - from across the state of pennsylvania! it was another emotional day and i feel so grateful to everyone that attended, and even to those who sent their well-wishes or gifts, because they couldn't be with us. our little boy is so loved already! thank you to everyone... thank you, thank you, thank you!

how far along?  34 weeks

development:  the little man is the size of a butternut squash, measuring between 17.2 and 18.7 inches and weighing between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds. his lungs, brain, and central nervous system keep rapidly developing, and his immune system is getting stronger as he is using my antibodies to help construct his own. his liver is not quite functioning to adult levels, so it wouldn't be uncommon for him to have slight jaundice (skin with a yellowish tinge) at birth. his eyes can also distinguish between light and dark now. we were told in our child care class that the last 4 weeks before birth are most important for brain development, so hopefully he stays content til around march 18 like he's supposed to.

from thebump.com

maternity clothes?  yep! 

sleep?  been sleeping through most nights lately, thank goodness

stretch marks?  not too many

best moments this week:  baby shower!  •  seeing family and friends that we really shouldn't go so long in between seeing  •  spending time in the mister's room and starting to fill up that closet of his  

miss anything? not too much

movement:  his movements have been a lot more often, and they're usually sweeping movements rather than jabs and kicks, now that he's slowly maxing out his space

food cravings:  not really craving much

anything making you queasy or sick? no

gender:  boy… "only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." ~t.s. eliot

pregnancy symptoms:  not too much to complain about  •  no real swelling in my hands or feet  •  i've had my moments, but pregnancy brain has not gotten the best of me  •  tiredness

wedding rings, on or off?  on

happy or moody most of the time?  mostly happy, a little emotional from time to time

looking forward to:  trip to ikea for odds and ends this weekend  •  warmer weather!  •  celebrating our niece's first birthday soon - can't believe it was a year ago that we were holding a newborn. and a little over a year later, it'll be our own!  •  hearing about the newest member of our family's birth - my cousin's baby boy due on february 24, just three weeks before our babe!
notes from dad: "Can't wait!"

"Can't wait!" - usually a joke saying Karin and I share, now its a true feeling. I cant wait!!! I find myself thinking more and more about our little man's arrival. I have spent tons of time in the nursery looking and thinking. Playing it all out in my head! I can't wait! I can't wait to hold him! I can't wait to play with him! The last couple weeks with baby care classes, nursery finishes, little man is all i think about. Top it off with another fantastic shower, its all been so awesome! I also have realized through our pregnancy how much our little guy will be loved. I can't wait till he finds out for himself! Can't wait!

^^^ welcome! remembering the small details of our mustache themed "little man" shower...

^^^ hand made baby bibs, made with love by grandma… deliciously good cake, "a little man is on the way"… shower favors in mustache-clad snack boxes and mustache confetti

^^^ our babe will be sporting lots of bears gear!

to do list:

- figure out daycare

- decide on our babe's name (first name, check. middle name, pretty sure of)

- wash and organize baby clothes, bedding, etc.

- pack hospital bag (started my list and have a few things prepped)

- make appointment to be sure our car seat is properly installed

- attend hospital tour and two child care classes

- write out birth plan and pre-register at hospital

- figure out how to handle maternity leave, insurance, paperwork etc.

- prepare frozen meals for post baby boy

- baby proof the house (mainly - buy new coffee table not made of glass. farewell, panther… we've been close these past 10 years, lol)

- write thank you notes for gifts received from our family baby shower in chicago
- write thank you notes for gifts received from our most recent baby shower

just six more weeks!!