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.

What an amazing (albeit crazy busy) week.  

Quick trip to Kansas City for two shoots.

70s and sunny for mid-March.

(Belated) birthday dinner with the girls at Ziggy's on the patio.

Birth class.

Baby care class - where it seemed like everything they said conflicted what I have read thus far.

Edited pics.  Posted pics.  Need to edit more pics.  And more.  And more.  And more.

Cats win!

K-State watch party at our house on Saturday for lunch with Chick-Fil-A mini sandwiches.  Because we can.  Since it finally opened on Thursday just down the street.  YUM.  Big day for Wichita.

My mom comes today.

And Andrew's parents come on Sunday

For our first baby shower on Sunday!

One of these days, I will have enough time to relax for more than 30 minutes in the evening before bed.  And make the nursery room art.  And sleep in.  And cook dinner.  And deep clean our house.  And organize the basement.  And pull weeds outside.  

Until then...there is always time for this.

 Especially so he knows he is loved and spoiled and adored just as much as he always has been when Pat arrives.

Happy weekending!

When the clock struck 12:01 on Saturday, March 10, I turned 27 years old and the bean turned 30 weeks.  

 

Ten. More. Weeks.

Where has the time gone?

I bet if you asked my parents that, they would shake their heads and wonder the same thing.

We had our 30 week appointment last week and everything is measuring right on track again.

And, if I'm being completely honest, I have to fess up that when I said I gained five pounds in four weeks, it was really six pounds.  Five just sounded better.  But then at this week's appointment I had actually lost a pound so I guess I was just retaining a lot.  I even looked bigger then.  Not that the scale is ruling my pregnancy...it just feels good to stay on track with my healthy goal.  Never fear, I eat when I'm hungry and snack on mainly fruit, but definitely have gotten my fair share of Girl Scout cookies this year.

But back to the doctor's appointment.  

Pat's heart rate was once again right between 155 and 160.

It has been all along.  And, that, along with several other factors, make me think Pat is a GIRL.

So, I think we should take a vote.  Play along...it will be fun!

I had no inkling about the gender until the night before Thanksgiving when I had a very vivid dream and the baby was a GIRL.

I wasn't nauseous or sick at all.  But, neither was my mom with me, my brother or sister.  In fact, she carried low with all of us and had very similar pregnancies despite the gender.  TOSS UP.

When we did the needle/belly gender test during the Super Bowl, it was a GIRL.  Twice.

When I peed in a plastic cup onto baking soda, there was no fizz.  GIRL.

My worst pregnancy symptom has been breaking out.  Horribly!  It's so frustrating, because a lot of products I would have normally used are off the list because certain chemicals can be absorbed through your skin and aren't good for the baby.  Boo.  The Old Wives' tale says if you break out, you're having a GIRL because she's stealing the mother's beauty.

I have just started getting the pregnancy line - the one that runs vertically underneath your belly button.  Mine is also showing up above my belly button, and a friend's doctor calls the above belly button line the GIRL line.

Andrew is the middle of three boys.  He swears Moore's only produce BOYs.  His older brother does have a son...

We really don't care either way, but it is so fun to speculate.  And wonder what he or she will be like.

Will it be a he and have two chins like Andrew?  

If so, there's hope.  He grew out of it.  

 And then looked ornery as you-know-what.

Or will Pat be a she? 

Oh, we are in for such a surprise. 

We started childbirth classes tonight.

I'm excited.  I think having more information will either put me more at ease and make me feel prepared or have the exact opposite effect and give me even more anxiety about actually having a baby.  Oh yeah, did I mention I plan to do this naturally?  Six weeks of two-hour sessions on Monday nights could really do some damage.  So far though, it's been positive.

I asked Andrew when we got home if he thought Franklin would give us a head's up when the baby's going to come.  Use that animal instinct.  I thought he would say, yes, for sure.

Instead he said, well I will know.   And so matter of fact.

Of course I make the mistake of asking why...thinking maybe he would list a few of the things we just learned in class.

Andrew's answer:

Because he could always tell when cows were about to have their babies.

Oh yes, we are back to relating human (YOUR CHILD's) birth to cows.

--

Speaking of animals, I'm pretty sure my turkey timer is about to pop.

AKA my innie is destined to become an outie.  I am positive.

That doesn't mean the bug's done cooking.

Which is good because we have a ways to go and things to do.

At the end of this week, I'll be 30 weeks pregnant.  That means 70 days to go until our due date, although I'm thinking of our due date as May in general because I'm mentally preparing for Pat to make a late appearance.  That seems to be pretty normal, especially for first-time moms, so no need to get stuck on May 19th as the date.  I guess babies don't follow the "best if used by" rule like food. 

I started having Braxton Hicks a little over a week ago.  Totally painless and totally normal.  Apparently you can have them from very early on in your pregnancy, but don't notice them until about 28 weeks.  Which is exactly what happened with our situation.  I literally got my Babycenter.com text last Saturday morning when I hit the 28 week mark that said I might start noticing them and literally that night I did. 

And, I'm glad they started because our teacher said most times when Braxton Hicks start early, labor is easier.

So I've got that going for me.

Time will tell.

This. Is. Really. Happening.

REALLY!