trying to be patient, but...

i'm still pregnant.

41 weeks pregnant, to be exact.

i received an email this morning with the subject line "your baby is now 1 week old." thanks a lot babycenter.com

my family is here...leaving on sunday.

please, wyatt, please come before then.

My relationship with week 39:

Oh, week 39…why do you hate me so?? I normally don’t allow myself to be so negative…especially in blog land for all other people to see, but please allow me this time to whine just a bit.

I’m pretty sure whining is one thing that 39-week-pregnant ladies do best. Some of you may have been patient, glowing pillars of motherhood during the last week of your pregnancies and kept the whining and moaning to a minimum. If that was you, please tell me your secret because I'd like to get in on whatever sort of action it is. I know I should focus on the positives: I've had a pretty easy and healthy pregnancy, the baby's healthy, kicking and head down, I'm not on bed rest, I haven’t gotten any stretch marks, and I have a wonderful, supportive husband who is putting up with all my groaning as of late. And, on top of all of that, I’m still able to wear my wedding ring. No swollen hands here, folks. But apparently, I’m not that good of a person. And thinking about all the positives is great and all, until my thought process is interrupted by an uncomfortable tightening of my uterus. Wait, is that a contraction?? Should I start timing them now? Could it possibly be? And then an hour passes and NOTHING!

So, again, please allow me to whine just a bit and then I promise I’ll go back to being positive…

Even my maternity clothes aren’t fitting me properly anymore. My belly is massive and even though I swore I wouldn’t be one of those pregnant woman who wears sweats all the time, I could care less about being fashionable at the moment. Bring on the sweat pants!

I need to pee. I always need to pee. It doesn't matter how recently I last peed, I still need to pee! Oh and I’m pretty sure I’m walking like a penguin. We’re talking full on waddle here, people.

I'm nesting so much I'm making myself (and my dear hubby, I’m sure) miserable. I want to clean everything and have the house spotless for when the baby arrives, but everything is already done…and spotless. And yet, I keep going.

I am tired and uncomfortable and I’m craving sugar. And cake. Yes, I know that’s sugar. I could seriously eat a whole cake right now. And a bag of twizzlers. And possibly a gallon of chocolate milk.

I'd love to sleep for more than two hours at a time - and please, please don't tell me to sleep now while I can, because I would be sleeping if I could be but the baby keeps on kicking my bladder and constant pee breaks are not that much more conducive to sleep than a crying baby.

Oh great, now I need to pee again.

When did I get so angry? I used to be a nice, cheerful, mostly happy person. Please don't be scared of me…just pray that baby comes soon! :)

P.S. I am truly excited to meet our little guy. And I don't think I'm as miserable as I just made myself sound (okay, maybe I am a little). But I really am thankful that we're this close and that things have been going smooth thus far. Any day now we'll be holding and kissing our sweet baby boy and enjoying a whole new kind of love that I'm sure is only understood by parents themselves. AAAHHH...we're about to be PARENTS! How sweet is that?! :)

antsy, eager and gung ho

We're gonna have a baby!! Only 2 weeks left. SWEET!

Everything is ready to go . . .

baby clothes are all washed and put away, car seat is installed, hopsital bags are packed

. . . my arms await him!

Speaking of washing baby clothes, that is some NOISY laundry.

All the little buttons and snaps do some serious banging around in the dryer. I never realized.

Here's the baby belly. I've been taking a belly pic every 2 weeks, which means only one more picture to go. WOO HOO!

Can't wait to meet you, little man!

tickled by my ticker...wait, what???

Um, excuse me, but can everyone please take a look at the cute little ticker over to the right. . . yeah, over there ---->

holy-almost-there!!!

*

I am now full term and this little boy will be here SO soon.

*

Counting down the days 'til I can kiss his sweet little face.

permission granted. . . sort of

The baby's room is (mostly) ready...he now has permission to arrive.

Although, my mom would probably say otherwise. She's wanting him to wait until April 5 so she can make sure to be here. And really, I'd like that too.

So scratch the permission granted bit, and let's just say if he does decide to come early, we're ready for him.

Here are a couple of not-so-great pictures of the room. But you get the idea...

the below pic shows how we are using our one extra room as a nursery/office ... and as tim gunn would say, "make it work"

both the changing table and the rocking chair were purchased used and not the color we wanted, but with a little bit of sanding, primer and black paint - we're good to go.

So there you have it. A little peak at Wyatt's new "crib"

simply put

Lately, I've found myself in a state of constant exhaustion. It's hard work making a human. But what's funny (or not so funny) is that I lay in bed completely wiped out from the day and my body resists the sleep I so desperately want and need. What is that all about? My mind just won't turn off.

It hit me pretty hard today that I have just over 6 weeks left until I meet our precious little guy. I can't believe it's so close. Part of me wishes I could have a little bit more time...am I really ready to be a mother?? And then the answer hits me. "You bet I am!"

Yes, I know that being a mom isn't easy. I've heard the "you just wait until he gets here and then you'll understand..." statements. I know I'm going to have sleepless nights and long, hard days. I understand that my obsession with organization and cleanliness will have to take a back seat. I will probably want to lock myself in the bathroom and cry at some point during the first few weeks of this new journey. And I know I will never be a perfect mother

but...

isn't it all worth it?

I can't wait for this new journey. I can't wait to grow and learn and enjoy. I can't wait to experience love in a whole new way.

Simply put...

I can't wait...

more of the nursery...especially for you, mom :)

So I did some more work in the nursery this afternoon and thought I'd share some of it with you all...and ask for your input as well.

For above the crib, I found this super cute "cherish" sign at Ross for only $3.99 (can't beat that) and wanted to pair it with 3 frames that will be filled with our little guy's adorableness (is that even a word?) once he arrives. I already had some black frames at home that will definitely work, but then I found these 3 other frames (each was less than $6!!) and thought that maybe the different colored/textured frames would make things a little more interesting to look at. ??? Thoughts ??? Is it too much? Which combination of frames do you like better?



For above the dresser, I found 3 AWESOME old prints at Spencer's Alley here in Salem (for those of you who enjoy decorating and good deals, if you haven't been there, you should definitely go...it's my new favorite place) and then purchased some cheapo black frames from IKEA. Along with the 3 prints, I created an ABC sheet on Microsoft Word with our little guy's name included in it, and I love the way it turned out.

Here are some close-ups of each of the prints:







Aren't they cool? Not to mention perfect for a little boy! They make me smile.

We still have a couple big projects to tackle, including painting our changing table and rocking chair, but other than that we're moving right along! Only 2 months to go...

Nursery Sneak Peek

Slowly, but surely, the nursery is coming along. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am really happy with the way things are turning out. Here are just a couple photos of the crib and bedding along with the mobile I made. I'm still not sure what I will be hanging on the wall above the crib, but I have a couple ideas that I'm toying around with...so I'll post more pictures once the decision has been made.

Also, I'm pretty excited about how much each of these items cost...because let's be honest...babies cost a lot of money, so deals are ALWAYS welcomed!

*Convertible Crib (that we absolutely love!) - $187

*Bedding (which includes the bumper, fitted sheet and crib skirt that my amazing mom whipped together!) - $52...plus, I have lots of leftover fabric!

*Mobile (after 57 attempts of trying to get just what I wanted, I think I finally got there) - $5

thirty, flirty and thriving

name that movie....anyone???....yep, 13 going on 30.

and while i do love that movie, this post has nothing to do with it. it only involves the thirty part. and okay, probably the thriving part too, as i pray this little boy is thriving inside of me.

but seriously, 30 weeks? that means i only have 10 more to go! woooaaahhhhh. it's really starting to sink in now.

i'm going to be a MOM.

brett's going to be a DAD.

we're going to have a BABY.

he is definitely growing...i am as well. i love feeling him move around, but it's starting to be a little more uncomfortable for me now. as much as i appreciate his little punches and kicks, my ribs and hips are singing a different tune. actually they probably are groaning a different tune rather than singing. but it's all worth it. i can't complain.

our lives will be FOREVER CHANGED.

we'll be EXHAUSTED & EMOTIONAL,

but ELATED.

it will be WONDERFUL.

and we CAN'T WAIT.

ps. is it just me, or does my face/half smile in this picture say, "i'm exhausted"

cabbage anyone?

Every week, I get a "My Pregnancy This Week" email, which gives me all the details on our little guy's development, as well as all the oh so fun details on how my pregnant body is changing. And every week, this email tells me, "Your baby is about ____ inches long and weighs about ____ pounds. This makes your baby about the size of a _____ (insert appropriate fruit, vegetable, or whatever else they can come up with to give me a better idea of how big my baby really is)." Well, this week told me that he is:

15 1/2 inches + 3 pounds = cabbage.

Seems about right.

Wait...actually, THIS is a better representation:

for those of you wondering (which, i don't know why you would be since my drawing skills are fantastic!) - the additions are rapidly moving arms and legs. Yep, that is more like it. :)

checkin em off

My list of "projects to complete before baby comes" is quite lengthy...and I just keep adding to it. But, with the help of my amazing mom, I have been able to check a couple things off my list:

• Set up crib - check
• Have mom make crib bedding - check

My mom still has all the crib bedding, but once she sends it, I'll set it all up and take a picture of the crib in all it's glory. But for now, here's a picture of the bumper...

28 weeks down, by the way! I can't believe I'm almost at 30 weeks. Baby's growing and time is flying, that's for sure!

crib bedding

I love my mom. She has agreed to make my crib bedding since I haven't been able to find ANYTHING I like in the stores. Everything is too themed for me...animals, abc's, trucks, planes...they just don't do it for me. So, I went out today to find fabric and am so excited with my picks (not to mention that it was all on sale).

I was planning on going with black, white and cream and then sprucing it up with more colorful accessories, but then I found this fabric and couldn't resist.

Thanks, mom! :)

pregnancy dreams

Ok, I seriously had one of the WEIRDEST dreams last night. I will spare you all the details (believe me, you don't want to know) and get straight to the weird part. . .

Our baby came out of me in a box - like a box a doll would come in, with a window screen and everything. And apparently we were blessed with a "Deluxe Version" baby...or so it said on the box. This "Deluxe Version" included a little hat, pierced ears (what??), socks & shoes, and an ID bracelet. No clothes... but, whatever.

Chalk it up as weird pregnancy dream #3. In the first one, I gave birth to our baby at 14 weeks and she was fine...very small, but fine. And yes, I said "she." Because when I had that dream, we didn't yet know we were having a boy. The second one included me giving birth to a baby whale.

Sweet dreams, everyone. Sweet dreams.

ducks

and no, not the Oregon Ducks. The Civil War is over, people!

I'm now 23 weeks pregnant and realizing how quickly this little boy is going to be out of my belly and in my waiting arms. With that thought comes the realization that I better get moving on preparing for his sweet arrival. So. . .

My brain has been consumed with all things baby! I have done a self diagnosis and seem to have come down with a case of mommy madness. Seriously - I don't think there is a baby website, book, or magazine I haven't looked at. I have browsed through cribs, changing tables, strollers, carseats, and bedding, like there is no tomorrow. Funny thing is, I still haven't made a single decision on anything we want/need. I tend to be pretty picky and particular about what I want, and on top of that, I find myself thinking, "What if I find something better?" Which brings me to the next issue: the naming of this child. What a huge responsibility! Brett and I go in circle after circle discussing names and seem to get no closer to making a decision. Good thing we have a few months left, right?

I remember being like this when Brett and I were engaged. I'm such a planner and organizer and like to be totally prepared ahead of time - so much so that I end up STRESSING myself OUT! It's absolutely ridiculous.

Earlier today, my mom posted on my sister's CaringBridge website about having all her "ducks in a row." She wrote the following: "I really like to have all my ducks in a row. I like to have a plan and be able to stick to the plan. I recognize that God is showing me that maybe HE wants my ducks in a circle. . . or maybe HE doesn't even want me to know where my ducks are. . . OR maybe it doesn't even MATTER where my ducks are!! What a thought! "

This was a great reminder to me. I would love to have all my "ducks in a row" way before our little guy gets here so I can feel like a super prepared and organized mommy. But all in all, does it really matter? We are SO BLESSED and SO THANKFUL for this baby and shouldn't that be my focus? Thank you, Mom - for passing on your somewhat crazy, obsessive, organizational trait. But more so, for reminding me that sometimes "it doesn't even matter where my ducks are."

Oh and why not add a recent baby bump picture. Here I am at 23 weeks -

momma & baby...20 weeks

...

and we're so excited.

seeing him move around was the most incredible sight i've ever seen.
i've fallen in love with the little guy already!

our little timmer weighs right around 10 oz. and is about 8 inches long - which apparently means that we are measuring right on track with our due date.

oh and i'm totally okay with the fact that i was wrong and brett (and pretty much everyone else) was right. i'll try to scan the ultrasound pictures and post some within the next couple days.

new addition to the family...

we got a puppy!!....


ok, not really - although, how cute is she?? I wish this was a new addition the family, but we have an even better addition on the way!

Brett and I are expecting baby #1 and we couldn't be more excited. Due date is April 4...almost 12 weeks down, 28 to go!

Thankfully, I've had a fairly "easy" first trimester, although I don't know if Brett would completely agree with that statement. Mainly I've just been super exhausted (ok, ok...and maybe a teensy bit moody). Speaking of being exhausted, I think a nap is calling my name right now.