The Nursery

On Monday evening, Jason and I got home from a day out and we happily surprised that our paintings and things had been hung on our walls. The story behind that is that we have plaster walls and last time we tried to hang things, we ended up with a big mess and lots of holes! For about a year, we had been meaning to put in a work order to have the maintenance people come and hang some things and finally got around to it with the baby on the way. What that means is that the nursery is officially done! In case the pictures don't really show it, the walls are a light sage green. We're really happy with how it all came together and are now just patiently awaiting "peanut's" arrival.









Oh, and this last picture is of a special gift Jason got for his 30th birthday from our best friend Lauren. It's on the wall right outside the baby's room.

37 Weeks Down, 3 Weeks To Go

There honestly isn't too much to report, but I thought it would be nice to write an update nonetheless. Here's the latest picture I took (at 36.5 weeks) with the camera on our computer.



I think it's a really flattering picture of me and my growing belly. That said, I'll be happy when I get my body back and don't have to pee every 45 minutes or get kicked in the ribs (*smile*).

Jason and I have been getting ready for the baby little by little these last few weeks and are feeling really good. We've installed the car seat, completed the nursery (with the exception of hanging things on the walls), packed our bags and loaded them in the car, and a whole host of other odds and ends. Pretty much, we're as ready as I think we're going to be.

Last night, I had gotten a few pains and thought they might be Braxton-Hicks contractions, but I am doubting that now. I think the baby was just laying funny and nowadays, any pains trigger a thought that this could be it. Jason noticed that Emma was being really needy and wouldn't leave either of us alone. He asked me if I had been feeling anything and when I told him, "yeah I think so," he was smiling (but on the inside was a little like "whoa"). Needless to say, we're both on alert, but are trying to enjoy the last vestiges of our time as a family of two.

I've been feeling well on the whole, although I had some scary swollen feet and ankles for 3 or 4 days last week that were painful and a bit worrisome. I'm glad that my feet have returned and my ankles are at their "normal" pregnancy swelling rate. Other than that, my only other issue has been getting back to sleep after my 3-4am bathroom trip; most nights I can go back to sleep just fine, but I've had a few nights where I couldn't and was up for the day at that point. Two minor complaints aren't so bad. Jason and I are still going for walks on the rail trail (although they are only 2-2.5 miles now) and swimming laps at the Hotchkiss pool. I feel so much better when I exercise, so I hope to be able to keep it up until delivery day. So far, so good!

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything checked out fine. Our midwife said things were really good overall: my blood pressure, urine, weight gain, baby's heartbeat, etc. I did test positive for Strep B, which just means I need to have two doses of antibiotic once I go into labor before the baby is delivered. I guess around 30% of pregnant women have it, so it's nothing to be too concerned about. We're just rolling with the punches.

Finally, we thought we might be having another ultrasound next week to check the baby's growth, but she said we'll wait until my due date (if the baby hasn't arrived) to do it. We've been spoiled with so many chances to see "peanut" that I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed. Before you know it, we'll get to meet "peanut" in person! We really can't wait!