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!!