Baby Chinese Cabbage/Butternut Squash

Ok - another busy week means I'm combining two weeks.  I'm sad to tell you that your great great grandmother passed last week and we went to her funeral on Monday.  At her funeral, your Grandma  Clark got to feel you kick her for the first time.  Grandma Trail was a wonderful woman who loved children, and especially loved girls.  She would have adored you so much!  She was an amazing cook, an amazing gardener, and volunteered all her extra time with all sorts of organizations. 

28.5 weeks - headed to grandma's funeral

We are 29 weeks along.  You are over 15 inches long and 2.5 pounds.  Most day you feel soooo much heavier than that.  When I stand up, it's like having a bowling ball dropped down on me.  I still love fruit and ice cream.  If I get a hold of chips, I'm a pretty happy girl too.  You are so active and kick all the time.  Many of the kids in class have felt those sweet kicks.  They think you're pretty spectacular too :)

It's been very frustrating being sick again.  We have the flu again, luckily, not nearly has nasty this time.  But I think it's going to hang around a lot longer.  I really wish we could feel better, and even more than that...sleep.  I'm soooo tired of not being able to sleep.  Being rested would feel amazing!

It's late and time for bed.  Hopefully we'll get some sleep tonight.

I love you Baby Bear!

Love, Mom

Cauliflour

Good morning Baby Bear,

It's been a busy week of Valentine's Day parties, glucose testing, and thankfully, a long weekend.  We are 27.5 weeks along and you are over 14 inches long and 2 pounds.  You are so very very strong and I feel you move all the time.  At our last appointment, we took our glucose test and passed :) we were also measured (I was in the middle of a conversation, so I didn't ask what we measured).

Julie told me the saddest news when she said she wasn't doing evening clinics anymore and her latest day would be 3:40.  I basically begged her to keep letting me come see her.  I want nothing more than to be consistent with my nurse, since I don't have a doctor.  After some begging, pleading, and a little guilt trip, she told me she normally doesn't leave until 4:30 and asked what time I could be here.  We are so very lucky to be able to make a 3:40 appointment every other Monday and be able to see Julie at 4:00.  She said she'd tell Cara that we aren't late every Monday.  I'm so happy that she's going to keep seeing us.  I need something consistent in this pregnancy!!!

The weather keeps getting nicer and nicer.  Every day it's above 40 outside, I realize that we're SOOOO close to this due date.  And....we've done....nothing in weeks. I walked past your room yesterday and broke down for 20 min into sobs, realizing we've got very little time to be ready.  It's not really THAT close, but I realize that daddy is starting softball full swing next week and time is going to be very precious.  He was gone all weekend at a basketball tournament and the day we do have off together, I don't want to be working.  I want to hang out with your dad, not be working and cleaning.  So...that's our plan.  Next week hopefully we can get some stuff done.  House cleaned and your room painted.  It's so incredibly cute.  I can't wait to get your crib set up (but first we need to do the floors). 

I'm scared baby girl.  I'm scared that I won't be everything you need.  I'm scared that I haven't taken the classes, read the books and kept up on all the ins and outs of what I'm "supposed to be" or "supposed to do"once you're here.  But...at the same time, I also think that women have been doing this for thousands of years without books and classes.  And I have a pretty good sense of children and talk to people and realize that no matter what, we'll get through this together.  I love you more than you could ever imagine.  I love the way to punch me, I love to watch you dance in my belly, I love to listen to your heart beat, I love looking at the picture of you from 8 weeks ago and think...oh so soon, you'll be in my arms.  My precious little girl will be here, with your daddy and I, and our little family will grow to Mommy, Daddy, baby, puppy and kitty.  We will be perfect and I'll fall in love with you even more.

Until next time Baby Bear,

I love you,

Mommy

ohhhh - on another note, Grandma and Grandpa Clark sent us a Valentine's card addressed to Anthony, Erin and Baby Bear :)

And Grandma Butler is in the process of planning a very cute and amazing baby shower for you.


And...daddy had a very eye opening realization of all this happening when I put baby Uriah in his arms.  He's going to be the very best dad in the world!

The morning after the pregnancy test

10/2/12 - 8 weeks

10/29/12 - 11.5 weeks

10/30/12

11/1/12 - 12 weeks

11/13/12 - maternity clothes shopping - 14 weeks

11/14/12

12/12/12 - 18 weeks

Baby Bear - 19 weeks!!!!

12/23/12

12/24/12 - IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

1/21/13 - 24 Weeks

1/31/13

2/14/13 - 27 weeks

 And there she is!!! That's where we're at just a few days ago.  She's such a darling!!!

Darling Eggplant

hmmm - eggplant.  That's easier to visualize than a "hot house" cucumber.  And I missed last week's rutabaga, because who has any idea the size of a rutabaga???

I'm 26 weeks along.  I've gain almost 20 pounds...pretty much all out in front of me.  Baby girl is a very active little creature.  Her Grandma Butler got to feel her last week.  And last night, she kicked up such a storm, even daddy noticed.  I thought was was turning in a new position.  I was right.  I woke up this morning, put my right foot on the ground and almost fell from the shooting pain from my back, up my spine, and down my leg.  Thankfully, I have a comfy chair at work and my kids are fairly independent (as independent as 7 year old's can be).

It's less than 100 days until Baby Bear is supposed to be here.  And 40 something days until Arizona.  It falls pretty much right in the middle of now and then.  I'm beginning to realize we have a LOT to do in the next couple months.  Thankfully, my mother-in-law is so amazing and throwing us a baby shower in 2 months.  That should help with some of the odds and ends I'm looking for to put this all together.  And like I told my mom, even if her room isn't perfectly set up, who cares?? She won't be in it the first couple of months anyway.  Thanks to Grandpa Otter, I have a gorgeous cradle, that I slept in, next to our bed. 

I'm sure I'll go into crazy nesting mode here sooner or later.  The walls will get painted.  The tree will get done.  The crib will get set up.  And our bonus room will be cleared once again so we can see the couch and put all the office stuff away.  Someday, I'll find some motivation for this to happen (it would help a lot to have a husband home on the weekends).

Softball and baseball season are almost in full swing.  That means life is about to get very crazy, very fast.  I'm ready for some warmer weather and being able to wear less clothes.  Let's be honest, clothes are itchy.  And I itch...a lot.  I want to be able to go outside again, see green grass, soak up some sun.  Soon enough I guess.  But warm weather means less time at home.  Practices, games, tournaments and a very, very busy husband. 

Here's to warm weather and sports!  Oh, and also a very large belly :)