I love having our baby names be a mystery.  

To others though.  Not so much to Andrew and I.

We have spent a LOT of time thinking and discussing what Pat will be named.  

Patricia?  Patrick?

Just kidding.

I think we have the boy's name.  Probably about 85% settled.

I thought we had finally decided on a girl's name.  This was definitely the hardest between the two.  We just could not agree.  But then, a few weeks ago, I started having second thoughts.  And thinking more about our back-up name.  And I love both options! 
So, if Pat is a she, her name will be a game-time decision. 

Knowing we've decided on names hasn't stopped suggestions from coming in though.

Some of my favorites from a recent FB message chain via my high school friends.

I told them William Snyder Moore is out.

I just can't make my child feel like they have to live up to the Silver Fox.

Someone guessed Frank Martin Moore was probably not a good option anymore either.

Bingo.

Plus, we can't name our child after our dog.

Leslie Isabel Moore or Lester Isaac Moore - aka Les Is Moore

Givenchy Miren Moore - aka Give Mi Moore

Mary Tyler Moore - who can turn the world on with her smile?

Demi Moore - if we were having boy/girl twins they could be Demi and Ashton...oh wait...

Sum Moore

Sopho Moore

Hope Four Moore

Cant Takeno Moore

And my favorite...

If we have three children:

Firstborn - Two Moore

Middle Child - One Moore

Baby - No Moore

On Sunday, I completed the finishing touches on Baby Pat's room.
Andrew walked in with Frank as I was sitting in the chair, and asked, "Can we call it?  Is this room really done?"

Yep.

We called it.

The majority of the work has been complete for weeks, but it was just the details that had to be tended to.  

 Lots of gifts from showers that needed to find a home.

Especially these two from my sister and mom.

 All our clothes (and by all, I mean almost entirely stacks of white onesies and only about five gender neutral onesies hanging in the closet), blankets, burp cloths, socks, sheets, towels, and even a few toys Franklin has already slobbered on have been washed with Dreft and are put away.

The Ikea display hooks have been hung and temporarily adorned with these cute zoo animals from Adele and a couple of sono pics.
This will be such a fun place to display pics of Baby M, artwork, cards, etc.

My fave piggie bank of all time!  Love that tail.

And, finally, I filled in the row of frames with pictures of Andrew and I each at six months old so we can compare with Pat, a few pictures of us with our first sono picture back in October, our anniversary card that told Andrew he was going to be a daddy!,
and a few other typography graphics I whipped up in Photoshop.

Things like, P is for Pat.

Haha...until we know your real name...

I plan to replace pretty much all of these with pics of the baby and other artwork, but for now these will work.

So now we wait.

Well, wait-ish because not everything on that to-do list is quite crossed off yet...

Darn it.  The nesting fairy hasn't come to my house yet to get me caught up.

I need to prioritize.

 So this weekend, I'll focus on #1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 12, 17, 18, 20 and 22.  

Pretty much everything else is Andrew's responsibility.

Okay, so I didn't prioritize at all and just listed the things that still need to be done.  But I feel a super productive weekend coming on.

Out of necessity and because I thrive on that.  Emily told me the other day she has FOMO.  Fear of missing out.  Self-diagnosed.
I have now decided I have FOTL.  That's fear of the list.  Short for FONFTL (fear of not finishing the list).

And let's go back to the list.

I have a #25.

Pack for the hospital!  Eek!  I have meant to do that for a couple of weeks now.  Whoopsies.  I did make a list.  And purchased a few last minute items.  Now it just comes down to doing laundry, setting aside our hospital clothes/jammies and anything else I'm not currently using.

So that's the priority.  #25 can become #1.

Whew.

And, just for good measure, here's last weekend's 36 week picture (bleh - not our best).  Still growing.
And right on track as we started our NINTH month!

 Frank says this baby is so close he can almost taste it.

I'm going to miss being pregnant.

As much as I am getting more and more excited by the day to meet our baby, to know whether we have a son or daughter, name him or her and just revel at what a miracle new life is, I'm going to miss this.  

 Not having to share you.  And keeping you a secret for 15 weeks, just between Andrew and I.  And all of your  kicks and movements.  And speculating about who you will look like and be like.  And smiling when I think about what Franklin will think of you when he meets you for the first time...and you stick around and shake up his little world.  And planning for you.  And worrying for you.  And loving you so, so much.

And all of the smiles strangers give me.  And how every Target or grocery store cashier wants to know about you.  And predicts you are a boy.

And lunch dates with your daddy after our doctor's appointments.  And trying to figure out if the little knobs I feel are your feet or knees. 
And picturing the exact moment when you come into the world and finally being able to hold you.

 And how I felt.  So special to have this experience.  So beautiful. 
So honored that I get to be your mommy and what a gift that is that you are giving me.

Little one, we will meet you soon.

Can't wait.

Our 36 week appointment (yes, 36 WEEKS!) went smoothly today.  Tomorrow, we are one month out from our due date.  What?!  

Even though the box of Girl Scout thin mints I hid in the freezer got the best of me last night (darn those small cookies and not looking at the serving size until after I wolfed down half a sleeve), I'm not puffing or swelling yet and just hit the 20 lb point today.  Cause for celebration?!  

And because I'm afraid I'll get threatening calls if I don't update on this, no dilation, the baby is starting to drop and I'm 50% effaced.

And I think that's the last time I'll talk about my cervix on the world wide web.

Bonus - the baby is measuring right at 35 weeks (I'm 35 and a half) so I can cross #24 off our nesting list.
Our doctor says we're doing just fine size-wise.  Whew!

A (disappointing) update on our to-do nesting list.  And yes, it is ours even though Andrew doesn't seem to get the sense of urgency quite like I do yet.

1. Clean/organize basement
14. Wash baby clothes/towels/blankets/etc.
15. Buy a few remaining items off our registry
16. Edit four pending photo shoots and get them back to clients within two weeks max
17. Minimum of five more shoots left before the due date
18. Write and send shower thank you's
19. Add a patio and firepit to our backyard

 20. Clean baseboards
21. Co-host gender reveal party for our friends, Gabe and Angela
22. Hang frames in our bedroom (IKEA purchases from January. JANUARY!)
23. Q2 Business Taxes - blah 

24. Worry about the baby's size.

Thanks to the tornado on Saturday and the hour we spent in the basement (minus the part Andrew made me sit under the stairwell with Franklin for a good 10 minutes), we actually got a lot of organizing done while we were down there.  So thank you mother nature for lighting a fire under us.  And thank you to everyone for all of the calls, texts and posts making sure we were okay!  The tornado hit about two miles south of us, and we had no damage.  Whew!  Too close. 

I came home one day over lunch last week and deep cleaned our bathroom.  Oh it was sooo disgusting.  Andrew has been doing a lot of our cleaning since I've been so busy with work (Boys & Girls Club) and work (alisonmoorephotography.com).  Well, he gets the job done with vacuuming and dusting, but I don't think he's cleaned the bathroom in FOREVER.  Boy cleaning and girl cleaning are very different.

Everything in the baby's room is washed and put away!  Hooray!  Now to finish up the decor.  Maybe this weekend?  I feel like this should be a pretty big priority.  Being as we are now 35 and a half weeks.

And, I don't want to jinx it, but I am feeling GOOD.  Sleeping well (just not getting to bed early enough), walking with Franklin every morning, no heartburn, minimal back pain, no swelling or puffiness.  Lucky duck.

 

Tomorrow is our 36 week appointment.  The beginning of the end.  This initiates weekly appointments from here on out.  

Here we go...

Six. More. Weeks. To. Go.

And that's only if Baby M is on time.  I have a Junior League friend that was due the day after me.

Did you notice I said was?

She had her baby this past weekend.  Besides being completely taken by surprise (as I'm sure they were too), the news instantly flooded me with a lot of thoughts.  So awesome/jealous they have met their little one and are loving on him so, so much.  

But mostly, I just thought about how if that happened to us right now, I would feel hugely unprepared.

I know we'd be fine.  All our furniture is in place in the nursery.  

We've been getting used to this view for a couple of weeks now:

And we just attended our final childbirth prep class, have infant CPR tonight and our last breastfeeding class on Thursday night.  And then we will have to consider ourselves as educated as we'll ever be because we have no more classes on our calendar.  (Thank goodness - they are really cutting into my photo editing/blogging/relaxing evening time!)

But, I only have one load of baby laundry washed, folded and put away.  The crib sheets are in a pile on the floor waiting next in line.

We still need to buy our pricey, pricey jogging stroller and adapter so we can snap the car seat on it for when Pat is still little.  And the Baby Bjorn.  And the diaper bag.  And more bottles and covers.  And pacifiers.  And a crib mattress pad.  And, and, and...

And we still have a lot of progress to make on the to do list.

1. Clean/organize basement
14. Wash baby clothes/towels/blankets/etc.
15. Buy a few remaining items off our registry
16. Edit four pending photo shoots and get them back to clients within two weeks max
17. Minimum of five more shoots left before the due date
18. Write and send shower thank you's
19. Add a patio and firepit to our backyard
So I can only officially cross off one thing.  Boo.

But, we did make progress on #13 (Andrew power washed the house, painted a few swatches and we picked the color), #14 (see above...one load down, three to go), #15 (breast pump arrives today - so exciting! nope, not really), #16 (one shoot closed out, three to go) and #18 (2/3rds the way done).

The thing is, I forgot to include a couple of things on the initial list.

So...

20. Clean baseboards
21. Co-host gender reveal party for our friends, Gabe and Angela
22. Hang frames in our bedroom (IKEA purchases from January. JANUARY!)
23. Q2 Business Taxes - blah

Maybe this is why I'm starting to second guess everything?  We're near the homestretch, but there is still so much to do.  We've taken classes, read books and should be prepared for labor and nursing, but that's only if things go just as they should (which they almost never do).  What if I regret the names we've picked?  Should I get back into my gym routine even though I haven't been in a month because I was so busy with work or is walking Franklin two miles every morning enough?  Are these Braxton Hicks contractions I've had for six weeks really doing anything?

Guess we'll find out at our thirty-six week appointment next week.

That, and this last appointment I was measuring small.  Shoot.

I am still gaining (19 lbs for the record thus far), but all of a sudden after weeks of being right on track my bump/uterus is smaller than where it should be right now so we'll see where we're at next time and hopefully know more.  My doctor does not seem to be concerned and said not to worry.

 So of course I have been.

So we'll officially add that to the list.

24. Worry about the baby's size.

Okay, I think that's enough negativism for the day.

The sun is shining;  God has given us a beautiful day! I get to chomp on the Wesley Birthcare Center's ice tonight during class (it is just like Sonic ice) and we have a healthy baby and momma.

Our life is so blessed, and it's time to start appreciating it.

NOW.

This is a big week for us.

We are closing on our house (again) Friday as we refinanced to get a baller interest rate and take our 30-year mortgage to a 15-year note.  Both Andrew and I are very excited about this, but he more so than me, as now he is motivated to get our house paid off ASAP.  Cutting the length in half sure does a lot to your concept of time.  

Speaking of concept of time, let this acknowledge the "holy moly we are running out of it" stage of our pregnancy.  We have our 34-week appointment on Friday.  Six-ish weeks to go if Baby M doesn't make his/her appearance early.  I have been thinking all along that Pat would be late since so many first-timers are, but lately I am really starting to feel like the babe is going to come early.  Something to do with the five and a half weeks of Braxton Hicks contracts I've had already I'm sure.  And probably because I feel like there is so much more still to do.

So, since the craziness of March is over, here's what we've been putting off that's on the "do before the baby comes" list and now need to start tackling:

1. Clean/organize basement

2. Clean/organize linen closet so we can store extra baby things here

3. Clean/organize hall bath to accommodate baby things...this includes hanging towel hooks since we only have one and it's located in the shower.  Weird.

4. Clean/organize shoe closet.  Because it is gross right now.

5. Deep clean our master bath

6. Finish decor in baby's room

7. Clean/organize garage to fit new stroller(s)!

8. Buy life insurance

9. Clean/organize laundry room

10. Clean/organize kitchen cabinets - this will be a doozie.

11. Landscaping in front yard

12. Plant flowers in all outdoor pots

13. Paint exterior of house

14. Wash baby clothes/towels/blankets/etc.
15. Buy a few remaining items off our registry
16. Edit four pending photo shoots and get them back to clients within two weeks max
17. Minimum of five more shoots left before the due date
18. Write and send shower thank you's
19. Add a patio and firepit to our backyard.

That just made me tired.

Going to go enjoy the feeling of the prenatal massage I just had and hope for a bit more of this...
 

And probably eat some ice cream.

Okay, and definitely eat some ice cream.

Our biggest fundraising event of the year at work completely consumed my life for the past two weeks.  More than that really as I've been working on it since I started at the BGC in November.  But the past weeks have been intense.  I was working longer hours, thinking about it lying awake at night, dreaming about it when I did finally fall asleep, and even Thursday night once it was over last week, I was only thinking about what needed to be done to wrap it up on Friday.  

I'm glad to say, it's behind me and finally out of my head.  At least when I come home.

March was such a jam-packed month for us.  Multiple trips out of town, multiple photo shoots for me when we were in Wichita, and three baby showers in three weeks plus no free time at home means the baby room now looks like this:

Hmm.

We're taking a lot of classes through the Birth Center because, well, we don't really know what we are doing.  Childbirth class, baby care, baby first aid, breastfeeding, a hospital tour, carseat safety and many are multiple classes once a week stretched over several weeks.  Andrew complained last week about going to class...said he was over it.  He won't do that again.

They are highlighting our differences.  In college, I never skipped class.  I just feel better knowing I haven't missed anything, and I'm prepared as can be.  Andrew has always liked the "just getting by method."  To each his own, but since I'm doing the brunt of the work to get this baby out, I win this time.

Moral of the story, we have been burning the midnight oil on both ends, and it's just been a lot, and I'm vowing this week to get back on track.  Our house will be cleaned, the laundry will get done, the grass mowed, pictures edited, groceries will be boughten, meals will be made and then I'm going to start focusing on things that have been on the to-do list for weeks.  Even months.  

Deep cleaning projects.  Finishing the baby's room.  Taking maternity pictures.  More blogging.  Nesting.  Enjoying the rest of our pregnancy.  RELAXING.

--

Here's the 32 week pics, only one week and one day after we actually took them.  Sheesh.

(Franklin is so inappropriate.) 

It looks like I'm holding the belly up, but that lower hand placement is there for two reasons.

1. It shows off the roundness of the bump.
2. It has been unseasonably warm, and I didn't want to put on the standard leggings for these, and I don't have shorts that fit.  So those are my normal summer shorts, completely unbuttoned and unzipped.  If I don't put my hand there, you can see them flapped open.  Not very attractive.

I would say I'm finally having my first real pregnancy craving.

Chewing ice.

I could do it all day long.  I just like the crunch.  I'm sure my dentist will be thrilled!

At our 32 week appointment, we are still measuring right on track, and the doctor thinks the baby is head down as he/she should be when we deliver.  We actually go back this Friday for our 34 week appointment, and I'm anxious to see if that is still the case.  I am guessing yes.  The baby has been moving and moving and MOVING!  And, I'm pretty sure I'm starting to distinguish foot movements vs. the baby's butt/back vs. hand movements that are super low.

As I'm writing this, we are 33 weeks and two days.  47 days to go until our due date.

47!

Knock on wood, the last weeks continue to be easy.  I'm feeling good, and just want to eat up these last moments of being pregnant.

Famous last words?

Maybe.

Ask me in a month.