35 weeks along, 35 days LEFT!!!

Ok, WOW! Isn't it crazy that I am 35 weeks along?? CRAZIER still to think about it in terms of days because that means I only have 35 DAYSSSSS left before I meet my son! (If he comes on his due date of course). This week was such a whirlwind! We knew we had to get the house (somewhat) clean because Mom was coming Thursday night to stay with us. Not not mention, we only have a BABY ON THE WAY and need to get everything in order. I have just one question... Did anyone else feel like they had to rearrange their ENTIRE house just to get ready for a baby??? Um, let me just tell you that we have been working little by little for a couple of weeks now on getting the nursery ready, BUT this meant that we had to change a guest room into a nursery. Easy enough, right? WRONG. First we had to rearrange the office so that we could put the guest bed in the office with the desk and bookshelf and all the other "office stuff." Then, we had to empty out the closet in the guest bedroom. Easy enough, right? WRONG again. This closet was packed full of STUFF. Stuff that we didn't know where else to put. Let me give you a glimpse of what SOME of the items in the closet were: my wedding dress (big poofy wedding dress), all giftwrap and giftwrap accessories (not in ANY sort of organized fashion, just in the closet), a dresser full of t-shirts that Brandon and I don't wear on a regular basis, items that I bought on Black Friday this past year at a great price to keep as gifts or back-ups in case we needed one including crock pots and tupperware sets and coffee pots, random picture frames and other decorative items that we just don't have set out, etc. ETC ETC ETC. ETC.... ET CETERA. You get the picture right? There was a LOT OF STUFF stuffed in that closet that we are in the process of finding space for right now. In the meantime, we keep accumulating more baby stuff and just keep putting it in the nursery so now we need to paint. And now we need to find a place for all of this STUFF plus all of this baby gear to go while Brandon paints. At any rate, we managed to clean up enough for Mom to come stay with us. She got there Thursday night after our childbirth class and the next morning, rode to work with me so that Daryl could pick her up there and they could head on down to SC to do last minute wedding planning. Mom got to meet a lot of my coworkers and finally put faces to names in the stories I tell from work =) I wished she had been able to stay a little longer so I could have shown her around even more (because this was the first time she had seen where I work) but I know they had a ton of stuff to do, not to mention the drive to and from SC in front of them that day! Then that night Brandon and I went out to eat for Cole's birthday with the rest of the family. It was chaotic and funny as usual and I think Cole liked his birthday gift from us. Brandon and I got tickets for Cole and Brittney and Brandon and me to go see Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker in concert later this summer! Then, Mom got back from SC with Daryl and she stayed the night with us again so she could go to my baby shower the next day at Joan's house. Saturday morning we got up, had breakfast at IHOP (YUM) and then went to get manicures and pedicures! It was, by far, the best pedi I've ever gotten. I don't know if the girl felt sorry for my poor legs hauling around all this extra weight, or what, but she gave the best calf and foot massage ever.

Then baby shower time! Brittney had been planning this shower for a long time and was really excited about all the decorations and spent a lot of time and effort on everything and it all looked great! The baby's room is done in all lime green and chocolate brown so everything from the balloons to the cake to the green apple decorations were lime green ad brown! And she even made these cute favors out of baby jars and painted the lids and filled them with m'n'ms. Something a little traumatic happened at the baby shower... I've been swollen for about 2 weeks now and it happened so fast at first that I didn't have time to get my wedding rings off. At the baby shower, I was swollen so much that my rings were actually cutting into my finger so hard I thought I might start to bleed! I ended up having to soak my hand in ice water for about 15 minutes and then use dish detergent to get them off (plus half my knuckle). It was very painful and I actually wanted to cry, partly from the pain and partly because I don't ever take my rings off. I am proudly married to the man of my dreams who gave me gorgeous rings to wear for eternity and I want everyone to know I'm married! If I have to go the rest of my pregnancy without wearing them, it will be the longest amount of time I've ever gone without wearing my rings =(

Ok, here are some of the pictures from the shower but it's taking a while to load them all so I'll have to load the rest later...

I love this precious picture with Corben laying his head on my shoulder! For almost 3 years now, the kid has had my heart wrapped around his little finger... its crazy to think that in 5 weeks or so, I'll be even more in love with my own little boy!! (Not that Aunt Bethy will love you any less, Corben) =)

Here I am with my FIRST box of DIAPERS!!! Whoa!
Here is a picture of the bride-to-be and the mommy-to-be!! I love you Mom!


I want to write about Mom's wedding but I think that deserves a post by itself...
Here are the stats for this week!
How far along? 35 weeks 1 day

Weight gain? I go to the doctor tomorrow so I'll find out then if I've gained any more but so far, 32 pounds. (ugh)

maternity clothes? uh, yes.

Sleep? I'm not getting enough. I'd loooove to be able to sleep through the night again without waking up to go to the bathroom or from pain/being uncomfortable...

stretch marks? Nope, we're keeping a close eye on my tummy these days though...

belly button in or out? Out.

Best moment this week? My baby shower and my mom's wedding!!
movement? I realized for the first time this week that what I thought was just my baby "knocking" to get out in a rhythmic pattern was actually him having the hiccups! Don't make fun ok? I thought he was just trying to get out and was banging on what he thought was the door! =) Haha! But then one day it hit me all of a sudden that he had the hiccups! So cute! He's had them 4 or 5 times now!

food cravings? frozen lemonade still but I've been practicing restraint =) and still candy =)

Food aversions? coffee

what I'm looking forward to... a weekend to relax (somewhat) and get the baby's room painted... I keep saying that but it REALLY has to get done sometime this week!

milestones.... I'm starting to have more and more baby "stuff" and its kicking this mommy into high gear! I've been busy washing baby clothes and blankets and trying to get organized. My house looks like Babies R Us exploded inside... and it will never be the same, I hear =)