36 Weeks: the calm before the storm

Let me just start by saying that today I am grateful that due to some building scheduling issues, we did not have to be to church until 3:00 (instead of 9am) and it was only an hour and a half meeting.  I would not want this schedule on a regular basis (once we had 2:30 church and it was no bueno).  BUT... today it was fabulous.  It meant sleeping in, eating a yummy breakfast of french toast and strawberries, relaxing, taking time to get ready, eating a yummy lunch, etc etc.  Although I get to sleep in more days than not, it was a much needed break for Brett! And I enjoyed having him around to join in on the fun.  Between football and and teacher trainings, Brett put in 14 hour days every day for the last two weeks, except for Friday which was 16 hours (7am to 11pm).  School officially starts tomorrow and we are hoping things settle down a bit.  Football practice will get out sooner, so that will help.  Also, did I mention that my husband is a stud?  Because not only is he working so much for our little family but he also still does countless things around the house.  He woke up early one morning to change the battery in my car before leaving, came home at 9:00 pm one night while I was still out working and did the dishes to surprise me, and lovingly takes out the trash everyday.  What a STUD!  Here is a special public shout out to Brett because I truly do appreciate all he does!

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.  The baby....

I don't actually have any news to share in regards to the baby.  But no news is good news!  All the appointments went well this week and she is still kicking and moving lots.  We have the bassinet set up in our bedroom, the car seat is in the car, my hospital bag is mostly packed and I have a spot in our room dedicated to baby supplies so they will be easily accessible until we move and she has her own room.

We were also spoiled by the two families that I've been nannying for.  One got me a complete bedding set from Restoration Hardwares Baby and Child collection.  Its beautiful!  Its the gray tufted cotton silk quilt/bumper/pillow with grey trellis sheets and a crib skirt.  Don't worry, she works for the company and gets a killer discount.  There is no way I would let someone buy me a $300+ bedding set for a baby that will just spit up and poop on it.  Lets be realistic people.  The other family got me a complete baby care package that included endless items like premie diapers, a huge case of wipes, premie size clothes, milk bibs, swaddle blankets, a white noise machine, bath supplies, arm and hammer dirty diaper bags, microwave sterilizing bags, boogie wipes, etc etc....all put into a big basket that will be perfect in the baby's room.  The best part is most of the stuff she got for us were things that I had used and appreciated while watching her little boy.  Things I could have done without, but will be so nice to have!  Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that we have been so blessed and we certainly have enough "stuff" so hopefully we are all ready for this little girl to come.  And technically I still have one more baby shower this week with the ladies from the church. See, so blessed!

This upcoming week should be pretty relaxed (for me at least).  I am no longer nannying so I'll have plenty of time to finish getting things ready around the house and cook meals to go in the freezer.  Brett starts teaching tomorrow (first day of school! first day of school!).  We are glad that school is officially starting because it means pay checks will officially start coming too.  We've been living off our savings and my part time nanny work since we moved down here in January.  And although I'm glad we had it (and its gone a lot further that we anticipated) I know our savings account will appreciate the break.  I also have my regular doctor's appointment on Monday and then Friday is the BIG DAY with the specialist where we measure our little girl again and see just how well she is doing.  I'll be 37 weeks at that point and so we'll make a game plan for delivery.  We are still praying that she is growing but to be honest, at this point I'm not sure I'd be too happy if I have to wait until 40 weeks to deliver.  Of course we want her fully cooked and healthy, but all the last minute rush and prep has made me more than ready to get her here in my arms!  Well, I guess ready is a relative term.  I don't think I'll ever be ready for the labor part and I know I'll never be ready for the sudden drop in sleep part.  But we are excited and ready to get on with the next step and start our new adventure!

Plus I'm ready to have a cute little girl to post pictures of on this blog. I'm sure all the pregnancy news is getting old to read about (although I'm glad I have it documented) and who doesn't love pictures of babies!