100 posts = A post about many exciting things!

It's my 100th post! While part of me thinks that this probably shows that I don't have a life, I think about how long I've had this blog an really, it's not that much.

So, exciting news for my 100th post? We'll start with the normal update on pregnancy:

How far along: 33 weeks, 1 day.

How big is baby: The size of a durian (whatever that is) and he's around 4lbs. Wow.

Total weight gain: 18ish.

Sleep: This week, Travis wasn't home, and I fell asleep accidentally on the couch, and I'm finding that I sleep better on the couch than our bed, so it's improving.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely

Morning Sickness: Nope

Food cravings: This week, I keep wanting Whataburger.

Food aversions: Nope.

Challenges: Doing anything.

Movement:Always.

Boy or Girl?: Boy. :)

What I’m looking forward to: Our baby showers, seeing what he looks like and setting up his nursery. Hopefully I can start that next week after the shower!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, sleeping well, not going to the bathroom every 20 seconds and being able to bend over to get things off the floor.

Next appt: August 13. We saw the doctor Friday, and he's measuring right on track, he had a healthy heartbeat and she says that I'm also doing well. :)

 
I'm posting 2 pictures, just so we can compare how much Nathan has grown in just 10 weeks. I kind of miss being 23 weeks pregnant. it was FAR more comfortable!

More exciting news? Sure!

A few weeks ago, we received a notice on our door saying that our lease was up September 30th, which surprised us because we were sure that it was up November 30. We were wrong. Throughout this pregnancy, we knew that we'd have to move when the baby was 2 months old---so to find out that we would need to move when he was two WEEKS old was a little overwhelming. We decided to just suck it up, and try to move out at the end of August, paying rent at 2 locations because we knew it would be easier than moving with a newborn and exhausted parents.

We began hunting for a new place to live, because we have more furniture than this apartment can handle with all of the furniture for the baby, so we were looking for a 3-bedroom something. I scoured www.har.com daily looking for anything in our price range. I found a few options, and every time I would call, they would all say they couldn't wait until the end of August. We found a house that I felt would do, and they were willing to wait, but I felt apprehensive. A few days later, I found a townhome in a neighborhood that we've talked about, but it had some cosmetic issues. I called my mom to get her advice on which to choose, the house that I felt apprehensive about or the townhome with flaws. In the conversation, she suggested I look up a family in the city I work in, because this family is known in the community for being excellent landlord. I took her advice immediately and emailed them telling them what I was looking for and our price range.

By this point, I had cried more than once over the stress I was feeling to find a new place. It's not just Travis and I anymore...it's Nathan too, and the thought of not knowing where we were going to live was driving me crazy.

Later that night, I received a phone call about a rental property. A brand new home with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a 2 car garage. Exactly what I had asked for, exactly in our price range. We arranged to tour it the next day, and basically from the minute I walked in the door, I knew it was where I wanted to live. The neighborhood is quiet, there's not much traffic, a police officer lives across the street and it's a BRAND NEW home. After talking with John, the landlord for a while, I felt incredibly comfortable. He knows a lot of people that I know and seems to really like us.

We signed the lease the next day. The best part? He went ahead and gave us the keys now so we can move in immediately, because he said he'd rather let us move in before our lease-date and have the house lived-in than to leave it empty.

Sometimes, it's like God knows what He's doing or something. He has really blessed us with a fantastic new home and a really great landlord. I am so thankful for what He has blessed us with.

The front of the house, during the construction phase.

Walking in the front door. Through the archway on the right is the kitchen. The door on the left is the garage.

Standing in the archway. Above the sink on the right is the window on the front of the house. To my left is the pantry, which is attached to the counter on the left.

The archway leading out of the kitchen and the pantry.

I took this standing where the refrigerator will go. Travis was measuring windows. The door behind him goes to the backyard, and the arch on the left goes to the bedrooms.

Through the archway is the bedrooms, the open door is to the master.

The door on the right is the master, the door on the left will be the nursery. To the left of the nursery is the guest bathroom.

Standing in the master bedroom. The door on the left is a walk-in closet, the middle is the master bath (which is almost identical to the guest bath) and the door on the right is an additional closet.

The guest bathroom.

The door on the left is the 3rd bedroom, and the archway on the right goes back to the living room. Across from the extra bedroom is a large closet.

Inside the 3rd bedroom.

Both doors go to the closet. This is a feature in both of the secondary bedrooms.

We've already begun the move-in process. I'm busy packing and getting things ready. We're hoping to have the furniture there by the end of the week.

In other exciting news, tonight, Travis and I had the privilege of helping one of our best friends, Nick, propose to his girlfriend of nearly 2 years, Sonia. The four of us went to school together and we enjoy spending time together. The proposal went just as Nick was wanting to, and I am so happy that we were able to share in their special day! What can I say? I'm a sucker for proposals and weddings!

Sonia and Nick, engaged at SWEET, a cupcake shop in City Centre, Houston

There's a lot of excitement happening these days...and in just SEVEN weeks, Nathan will be here. Exciting indeed. :)

8 weeks to go!

How far along: 32 weeks, 1 day

How big is baby: About the size of a squash, in the 3lb range still.

Total weight gain: 16lbs. I lost like, 2lbs this week. Yay.

Sleep: Now that I'm finding positions to sleep in that are painful, it's getting better, but it's not at all what it used to be.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely

Morning Sickness: Nope

Food cravings: Nothing too specific.

Food aversions: Nope.

Challenges: Doing anything without being in pain.

Movement: Yes he does...and we're transitioning from kicking movements to more of a rolling movement since he's getting so cramped in there.

Boy or Girl?: Boy. :)

What I’m looking forward to: Our baby showers! They'll be here in just a couple of week!

What I miss: Doing things and it not hurting my back and hips.

Next appt: Friday. We're going every two weeks now.

My last appointment was good. She told me that I passed my gestational diabetes test with no problems and that my iron levels were impressive. He's measuring right on time and had a healthy heartbeat.

It looks as though we're having a stubborn child, though I'm still convinced that I, being the easy-going-laid-back person I am could NEVER produce a stubborn child, therefore he must be shy like his dad, because when she was looking for his heartbeat, he kept moving where she couldn't get a good quality sounding heartbeat to get a good count. He also seldom moves when someone wants to feel him  move, even if he was just moving. This is why I'm convinced that he's just shy.

Last week, I volunteered at our church to drive for a kids-day-camp, since my nephew was going for the first time, and while it was incredibly fun, I am still recovering from doing more work than I have done all summer. Apparently, my skin is 100% more sensitive now than it was before I was pregnant, because I got a terrible sunburn and it's healing much slower than normal. Usually, when I get a bad sunburn, within a day or two it's better, and while it doesn't really hurt now, it's still not making progress as quickly as I'm used to.

This week, I'm giving myself an actual to-do list. First of all, we have to find a place to live, ASAP. We came home a week or so ago to find that our lease is up 2 months earlier than what we thought---so it's up September 30th. With a September 15th due date, that's a little scary. We've found a potential place to live, so it's just a matter of getting everything situated. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can work something out with our complex and where we're hoping to move so that we can move in during the beginning of September instead of the end. Even if we have to pay two full-rents in September, I feel like it'll be worth it, because the idea of dealing with a newborn as a first-time mom AND moving when he's 2 weeks old is something I can't even begin to wrap my head around.

If we're able to move in the beginning of September, then I'll be able to get the nursery together before Nathan arrives. That is something I really want to do. I want to have his room completely set up the way I want it before he gets here to make life easier, but also, because I just want to. I've been looking forward to set up the nursery for my children since...forever. I hope it works out so that I'm able to.

I just keep reminding myself that God takes care of things and that He'll take care of it all. 

I also need to get my maternity leave arrangements taken care of and finalized this week. I also need to work on my lesson plans for while I'm on leave. For two of my courses, I know exactly what I'm doing, so it's just a matter of getting it organized, but for my other course, I'm still trying to figure something out for them to do. Hopefully something comes to me sooner rather than later.

I also need to call the pediatrician we're hoping to have and see if he's taking new patients, and if so, get all signed up...and that reminds me that I need to get registered at the hospital.

Can I please get a secretary? I have a lot of tasks to do, and I'd much rather take a nap and have someone do it all for me. I'll pay you $1/hour. I know...it's an offer you can't refuse. I can't wait to work with you. ;)

I guess we'll see if I am able to get some of that done this week.

30 Weeks?! Where has the time gone?!

How far along: 30 weeks, 1 day

How big is baby: About the size of a cucumber, weighing around 3lbs.

Total weight gain: Ugh, I'm up to like, 14lbs. I'm ready to jump off a cliff. I've gained a lot in the last two weeks.

Sleep: Awful. Horrendous. Lacking.

Maternity Clothes: Definitely

Morning Sickness: Nope

Food cravings: Today and yesterday all I could think about was a Whataburger with cheese, mayonnaise, ketchup and pickles only. I definitely gave in today and it was worth every calorie.

Food aversions: Nothing new.

Challenges: Doing anything without being in pain.

Movement: All the time. And it STILL makes me smile with ooey-gooey love when he moves.

Boy or Girl?: Boy. :)

What I’m looking forward to: Meeting Nathan and the day when it doesn't hurt to move.

What I miss: Doing things and it not hurting my back and hips.

Next appt: Friday. I wish it was tomorrow.

If anyone is wondering, "How many weeks are in a pregnancy?" the answer is 40, which means that I only have 10 weeks to go, which is totally bizarre to me.

The last week has probably been the most uncomfortable for me so far. I guess since I breezed through the first 20-something weeks of pregnancy, my body is finally tired of pretending like pregnancy is easy. I'm having a lot of back pain and things like that, so getting comfortable and staying comfortable is getting increasingly difficult, and forget about sleeping comfortably. I guess that's my body's way of preparing me for interrupted sleep for the next...18 years?

In more exciting baby news, I've bought two things lately for Nathan. I haven't bought anything in quite a while because I'm waiting to see what we're given at our baby showers, but these were two things that were custom-ordered that are probably a waste of money but so cute I couldn't resist:

I was looking on Etsy one day, and stumbled across these from an Etsy Store.

A baby hanger with his name on it! I love it!

Also, while looking on Etsy one day to see if the hanger had been shipped yet, I found the CUTEST owl hat, and was able to get one made by Wix-Works on Facebook. Today, she posted the finished product, and I'm anxious to get it in! I was able to pick out the colors, so that was fun. :)

I want to use it for newborn pictures. I can't wait to see his little precious face with this on! :)

I mean seriously. ISN'T THAT JUST THE MOST PRECIOUS HAT EVER?! It makes me melt a little.

This weekend, we had our childbirth classes, which I've been referring to as 'Baby Classes' because the word 'childbirth' gives people weird mental images. You're welcome, by the way. Anyhow, I feel like Travis and I learned a lot, although we really had fun making fun of the out-dated videos. The fashions of the mid-90s were so...hideous. Travis said the video wasn't too bad, because he had to watch a birth in health class, but my teacher opted not to show that video in our class, and while I've seen it before, it wasn't like, a zoomed-in angle of the whole process. Yikes. I guess this is why hospitals give you drugs.

Today's classes were about infant care and feeding, so we had dolls to practice with. We swaddled the doll a handful of times, and for some reason, THAT has officially put me in nesting-mode. I'm ready to get the baby's room together. I'm want to clean out closets and get our life organized, etc. I'm hoping to actually have energy for all of this nesting, but the urge is definitely there. I want everything to be ready for Nathan's arrival, because I am SO ready to meet him. I don't want him to come today or anything though. We have a crib and no mattress, and a few outfits. The end. So we aren't ready for him to get here yet---besides, he still has a lot weight to gain, but I am so anxious to see and meet him. All of the talk today about bonding with baby has increased this desire more than ever.

But I know that 10 weeks will fly by in no time, and he'll be here before I know it, so I won't wish it all away, because if I do, he'll be in Kindergarten before I know it, which would make me cry.

Speaking of crying, I got a little misty-eyed today when I thought about seeing Travis' face when Nathan gets here. It's like my heart exploded with lovey-dovey happiness and the only way to put it back together was to get misty-eyed. I'm such a nerd, but I can't help it. I was thinking about when he goes out of the room to tell the family in the waiting room that the baby is here, and how they're going to react, and just---yeah. I'm officially THAT pregnant person. :)

I'm also the pregnant person who has a quickly growing belly:

Don't worry, I feel as pregnant as I look, if not more.