32 weeks.

dear son,

we only have eight weeks to go before we meet you!  (give or take)  feel free to stay in there at least that long, we want you to be big & strong!  that being said though, we're starting to get ready for you.  this week your dad set up your crib & dresser, and we painted your room a light gray.  now momma just has to start washing all your clothes...oh my, you have a lot already.  you are going to be one well-dressed dude.  you have lots of people who have blessed us with sweet outfits...and well, your momma loves to shop for you already ;)

my baby center app says you weigh about 3.75 pounds this week and that you'll gain 1/2 pound a week from here on out, and that you are almost 17 inches long.  i can tell you're long because i feel you all over my belly, feet and hands moving and your little butt sometimes pushing against my belly.  sometimes i think you're trying to get out you're rolling around so much!  your dad & i laugh a lot at you making my belly lurch.  you are especially active when i sit on the couch with him to watch episodes of "the voice" - our new favorite show - and when i lay down in bed at night.  you also roll around lots when i have my morning cup of coffee and this morning i set my coffee cup on top of my belly and told your aunt kate, "i've been waiting to be able to do this!" :)  finally there's enough belly to make a shelf!

we have big dreams for you already, your dad & i.  we talk about you playing sports, running, going to college a long time from now.  we talk about how we'll spend our saturday mornings not too long from now on the soccer fields, or baseball diamonds, and i can't wait.  however, i also can't wait to just snuggle you in your jammies in the morning, take you on walks in your cool new stroller (we just got it!  it's awesome!), and smell your sweet skin after a bath.  it's the little things, buddy.

we are getting close to naming you - but until then, we mostly call you bubba.  sometimes peanut, or the tiny.  we hope to finalize your name soon.

pregnancy has been so easy for me.  i still feel good, even with my weight gain.  food has never tasted so good, and i don't have anything weird that i crave or that i have an aversion to.  i pretty much just love to eat ;)  don't worry, you and i will get to test that jogging stroller out lots together this summer while i try to get back to my normal size!!

i'm nervous about knowing how to raise a boy into a man, but i guess that's why God gave you a mommy & a daddy.  your dad is going to be awesome with you, rough & gentle at all the right times.  he is a good, kind, honorable man & i hope you grow up to be just like him.  i am so lucky to have two boys to love.  and i love you already, son.

can't wait to meet you & see your bright eyes look into mine for the first time.

xoxo,

momma

30 weeks.

it's hard to believe that i'm in week 30 already.  where does the time go?  i think i say that every week...but seriously.  i have ten weeks to go before we meet little man.  hard to believe.  i'm wavering between being soooo ready to see him & love him & be his mama...and holy-crap-we're-having-a-baby-and-i-have-ten-million-things-to-do-first-mode! :)  i guess this is normal!!

this week i've started to notice my hands & feet swelling some by the end of the day.  enough that my engagement ring starts to get uncomfortable and my toes look puffy.  it's worse on days that i have a bunch of meetings at work and end up sitting a lot.  yesterday we moved mom trish & sarah into their new place and after several flights up & down the stairs i expected to really be swollen by 11pm when i finally got home - but i was fine.  i guess all the movement kept the fluid at bay.  so i'm going to try to be more conscious of that and get up & walk around a lot if i'm sitting at my desk a lot.  i've been doing a new job since january which requires a lot of desk hours - but that is ending this month and i'll go back to 12 hour clinical shifts which definitely do not include a lot of sitting :)   otherwise, physically everything else seems normal.  i've been eating a LOT of ice chips - i can't help but crunch them if i have them.  is this a sign of low iron?  should probably ask my doc because it's a drastic change from my preference of room-temp, no ice water.

bubba has gotten a LOT bigger in the last few weeks i've noticed.  by him, i mean i have gotten a lot bigger :)  my belly feels massive!  thankfully i seem to have gained most of my weight in my tummy and i totally look like i have a basketball under my clothes!

here's another shot of the belly from today, after our post-lunch walk.  you can tell more the basketball shape.

i had my first real craving this week - chocolate cake with chocolate icing!!  i thought about it all week long, and held off til mom trish made a big cake for our easter luncheon.  it tasted AMAZING!!!  i had a huge piece and practically licked my plate clean.  it's really the first thing that i feel like i have craved that isn't part of my normal diet pre-pregnancy.  it was totally worth the craving-wait :)

i'm super excited for what the next week holds, i am going home to missouri for my first baby shower with family & a few close friends.  i can't wait!!  i'll make sure to take lots of pictures of course, and post details.