bumpdate: 35.5 weeks

We are officially in count down mode around here and half weeks are a real thing...at least in my opinion.  As of today I have 4 weeks and 3 days until my due date, but I keep reminding myself that she has no calendar in utero so it's pretty useless to get my hopes up.

We have everything ready to go for her to arrive any time...except we need to install the carseat and I need to figure out what to pack in a hospital bag for all of us. But, those are things that can and will get done regardless of when I plan to do them. Her room is done and all that is missing is a baby. I plan to take pictures of it this weekend so I can share them next week!

I still feel pretty good and have only noticed a bit of swelling in my ankles (which I now affectionately refer to as my cankles) within the last week or so.  Sleep hasn't been too hard to come by, with the exception of tingling arms which can be attributed to carpal tunnel syndrome. Who knew that was a thing?! But, as soon as I googled it, the internet (and later my midwife) confirmed that it's normal in pregnancy and should go away after delivery. I am still swimming and using the elliptical and that helps a lot with circulation and feeling better overall.

I have started going to see the midwife for weekly appointments and she (Margo...not the midwife) is still growing right on track and her heart beat is strong and steady. Her kicks and jabs keep getting stronger and stronger (her lunchtime performance is in the video below).  In the mean time, all we can do is patiently wait for her arrival...and enjoy all the uninterrupted Netflix and dinners out that we can.

bumpdate: baby shower

Last weekend we headed to Salem for our baby shower! It was such a fun and exciting weekend. It was so great to be together in a room of women who have loved me, walked beside me and supported me for as long as I can remember. I hope that Margo will be just as fortunate as I have been with amazing, godly women to encourage and love her (did you catch that name slip?!).  It is such an exciting time to prepare for her arrival and the gifts we received are such a blessing. I cannot begin to express how thankful we are.

My sister- Becky and cousin- Libby, with the help of Jody Smalley (the florist extraordinaire from our wedding) put together the most beautiful baby shower. They put so much thought and effort into every detail and it was absolute perfection, but I'll let the pictures do the talking...

bumpdate: 31 weeks

We are inching closer to the finish line and I cannot wait to meet this little girl! I don't have a lot of new excitement to report this week, I am just gestating right along.

We have been working on getting our house ready to go so we don't have a lot of unfinished projects when she arrives. Her bedroom is 90% complete and I should be able to post some pictures in a few weeks. We have also gotten some new furniture for our living room, rearranged the basement to create a little bedroom space for when we have out of town guests and I am still an organizing machine- don't get in my way:)

I have switched from running to swimming and it feels soooo good on my joints, the weightlessness is fabulous! I am still sleeping pretty well (I hope I don't jinx it!). Also, I've started to notice a difference in how much I can eat at one time, but that doesn't stop me from trying to eat like normal...

Our birthing class is going well, last week we got to see her heartbeat on the monitor and listen to it. The last appointment with our midwife went great and now I will start going every two weeks. She is currently head down and growing right on track. She is a very active little babe, every time our midwife tries to listen to her heartbeat, she kicks her!

Only 8 weeks and 3 days to go, but who's counting?

happy monday

Happy Monday and MLK Jr. Day! I hope you had a great weekend. We didn't accomplish much, but we did manage to squeeze in a little shopping, napping and laundry. We did hang new curtains and I had to hem all six of them, so that's a bit of productivity.

This is a practical life tip that the Today Show gave this morning about folding fitted sheets. I've been doing this for years, but it seems to mystify most.

Alex and I saw this book in Anthropologie this weekend and now it's on my wish list, I don't know if I'll refer to it often, but it is so neat!

This weekend I stumbled across an article about a woman in Seattle who is rumored to have inspired the Pixar film Up! I wanted to share it with you because it's just so sweet, click here and enjoy!

I hope you have a great start to your week!