Thanksgiving!

Our last holiday as a family of two was absolutely wonderful! Dad and Angela came to town and we had a low key, calm weekend full of mini house projects, lots of resting and lots of cooking (compliments of Ang). We leave the weekend with fuller hearts and a very full freezer of food to sustain us after baby girl arrives! It's crazy to think that the next time we see them baby girl will have moved herself from the inside to the out. Very blessed.

Going home outfit!

In love.

Baby Gap light sweater onesie with a yellow flower headband.
I recognize buttons along the bottom make no sense,
which is why we'll put this on to come home from the hospital, and likely never again :)

Baby girl's peaceful nursery

Oh, this has been such a fun room to decorate and I am thrilled with how it all turned out. I think the wall color really ended up setting the tone for the space, and I'm so glad when we moved in and repainted, we had a nursery in mind. I didn't want a traditional, super girly or bright room and I think it turned out perfect. The walls are a soothing shade of gray that immediately feels calm and welcoming. Initially the room was going to have a vintage travel theme, and while we've kept some hints of travel and definitely of vintage, it morphed into more of a shabby chic, soothing space and I couldn't be happier. There are definitely times when I sit in the rocking chair just soaking in the peacefulness, thinking about how in a few short weeks we'll be using the space for its intended purpose :)

Obsessed with our mobile - an Etsy find; Crib is Pottery Barn Kids 
(we got low profile for m y 5'4" frame); heart is reclaimed metal from a wine barrel
(which given our love of wine, this seemed pretty fitting)

View from the door

Dresser from Amazon and pulls from Anthropologie
Vintage mirror from Sweet Salvage; Ubbi diaper pail 

Dutailier custom rocker/recliner; Pillow from Home Goods;
Side table from Walmart online; Lamp from World Market

Love the toy box/peanut reading spot
Trunk from Home Goods, pillow from Sweet Salvage, Owl from Pier One

The final touch - floating shelf from West Elm with a photo of Gram circa 1945 in Phoenix,
her doll given to her by her sister when she was 10 years old, and a spot for Peanut's first photo.

36 weeks

We've had two weekly appointments since my last post, and we're making some good progress! At the 35 week check, my cervix was softening and I was a fingertip dilated, and 5 days later at my 36 week check, I was a full cm dilated and 75% effaced. I couldn't believe it! Doc says she's making her way down quite nicely which is why my cervix had thinned so much in those 5 days. Fortunately, she doesn't think we'll be having past due discussions and while she doesn't think I'll be delivering a Thanksgiving baby, she does think we'll be a week or two early (FINGERS CROSSED!!). All of that considered, it's looking like we could have a peanut in our arms as soon as a week from now, but more likely in 2-3. Dad was in town and able to accompany me to the 36 week appt, which was pretty special. I think hearing the strong heartbeat really got to him :) 

I'm doing my best to rest, while still trying to get a tiny bit of activity with my daily Penny walks. And in the wise words of Karen, I'm trying to savor these last days of calm and quiet.

I know in my head that there's a baby growing in me, and that one day very soon she'll be on the outside, but sometimes it's still hard to fully wrap my head around. These kicks and uncomfortable feelings are a BABY. Like a real, normal sized BABY. It's pretty crazy. 

Weeks 35-36: tired, and incredibly, more than I think I've ever felt tired as week 36 rolled around, very hard to get comfortable in bed, strong Braxton Hicks and some sharp pains low that stop me in my tracks, hips are very sore, skin is starting to act up again, have had the urge to snack more in these last two weeks then I've had my entire pregnancy

Big enough to be useful

Finally! It's big enough to be useful! Even when I laughed it stayed put :)

(The boobs aren't hurting the effort, either)

It's November 18

It's November 18, and while my official 36 week mark is in two days, hitting this date feels pretty darn crazy. One month to go! And while I know she should probably cook a bit longer, I've definitely turned a corner in the last few days from feeling kind of ready to being VERY ready. 

You hear that, peanut? How about making your debut just a tad early as a Christmas gift for your mom? :)

Week 34 appointment and photo

The last of our bi-weekly appointments, from here on out, we're once a week! What?! It's insane how fast this has all gone, and as I was telling Brad this past weekend, I'm so ready for it to be over, but mainly because I am so darn excited to meet this girl. I think I will actually miss being pregnant - I've become so used to her wiggles, jabs and hiccups, and I think I'll miss them when they're no longer just mine to enjoy. In a few short weeks, I'll have to share my buddy with the outside world, and the task of keeping her safe will no longer just be up to me. It's a crazy thought.
We're basically set up, with a place for her to sleep, too many clothes, the car seat base waiting to be installed, bouncy seat assembled, and diapers and wipes strategically placed throughout the house and ready for use.

She's been able to hear us, particularly me, for quite awhile, but around now is when they say she'll actually start to remember things we say/sing when she is on the outside. Starting tonight, we'll be doing some reading and singing before bed each night. If nothing else, it will be an interesting experiment to see if she is soothed by these things in about 5 and a half weeks.
The doctor will start checking me at the next appointment to see if I'm dilating/progressing and will check how far she's dropped (I know she's dropped some - I can breathe so much easier these days!). My weight seems to have plateaued, just as Dr. Castilla said it would as we neared the end. I guess things are just evening out in there (more weight for her, but less water weight for me, maybe?) as I am still at the same weight I was two weeks ago. She says this is normal, so it's looking like for now I'm still at a total weight gain of 16 pounds. She still has a strong heartbeat - she's getting so big, my skin is stretching so much, and the heartbeat was so strong, in fact, that it was almost like an echo on the doppler. My strong, healthy, happy girl continuing to make me smile.

Weeks 33-34: tiredness came back with a vengeance, round ligaments very sore after being in one position too long, sleep is fleeting - falling asleep is particularly rough, using the bathroom at least twice every night, heartburn is a nightly occurrence, skin is surprisingly still looking pretty darn good!, not very hungry and can only eat a small amount at a time, enjoying honey nut cheerios with bananas, blueberry bagels, peanut m&ms for a treat, juicy fruits like nectarines and pears, and still loving my morning decaf as well as half lemonade, half soda water while at work. 

One final getaway - the Kieslings do Flagstaff

I know I said the travel was over, but Brad surprised me with one final overnight getaway (driving distance!) before Peanut's arrival. I have been desperately missing fall, and am so jealous of everyone's fall leaves and crisp air, so B set up a night in Flagstaff (complete with evening lows in the 40s - I NEEDED A COAT! YES!) We were even able to take the Moosh! The three/four of us wandered around downtown, ate yummy meals and I got my fall weather fix. A lovely last trip that we could all enjoy :)

The big 3-2

Day started off right with Moosh snuggles!

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. But what a year it has been! And with so much change around the corner, I can't wait to see what's in store. When I turned 30 I told myself I'd work on one thing each year to try to be the best me I can be. I figure if you focus on one thing, you stand a better chance to follow through than if you try to focus on lots.
Last year, I focused on trying not to be so quick to judge, and giving people the benefit of the doubt. Obviously we're all a continual work in progress, but for the most part, I think I did an okay job. This year, my goal will be quite different given the circumstances - I will focus on being the best me I can be for my growing family, namely remaining patient with baby girl, Brad and myself, and trying to remember it's all about doing the best I can do each and every day (and knowing full well that some days my "best" won't be so great). I have an amazing partner in B who I know will help me with this. I hope I can continue the mantra of a happy, calm and stress-free mama will help make for a happy, calm and stress-free baby girl (generally speaking, of course :)

Mother nature got me a gift of our first morning in the 50s, so I started the day with a crisp and gorgeous walk with my girl, then spent some wonderful quality time with myself at the Spa, followed by a little shopping, and dinner with B, Lindsay and Brenton (including a 3 oz glass of wine - cheers to me!). Here's to the next 32!

FRIENDS! And our last shower

Halloween this year brought three incredible friends to town for the weekend, Claire, Carlie and Lauren. Together with Lindsay, they threw us our last shower, a couples shower on November 1. It was so wonderful spending quality time one last time with the girls pre-baby, and the shower was absolute perfection. A children's book theme, no detail was left unturned. We are lucky, lucky people to have such amazing people in our life, and baby girl is so lucky to have four aunties who already love her so much. A few photos below.