35/35 GUYS!!!

**This is a pregnancy-related post, so please feel free to skip this post if you're not up for it. God bless.**

Hello hello! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far, and staying warm!

This week has been another banner week for the Holi’s—busy busy, but lots to celebrate. This past week was the first of my “shortened weeks” leading me into the homestretch of maternity leave…and I gotta tell ya, 4-day work-weeks do NOT suck. I was so productive! I mean, after T woke me up bright and early with his 10 alarms Friday morning and a desperate plea for me to drive him to the train…after THAT, I was obviously up for the day, and I was able to get a ton accomplished!

I went to Target, did a ton of duplicate-shower-gift-returns, bought a TON of must-haves from Target including some new nursery décor (can’t wait to show you all the finished product!), got my key fixed at the Toyota dealership, put gas in our car, cleaned our kitchen…oh, nesting, you say? Yeah, I think I’ve heard of that.

Saturday was baby shower #2! I woke up early again, and treated myself to a blow-out, which was such a luxury and something I never ever do (i.e. it was my second one ever). But I figured hey, “mama time” is almost over, might as well be a little bit glamorous while I still can be! Overall it was an amazing day filled with laughter, food, fun, and FRIENDS! I got to see SO MANY FRIENDS that I do not get to see on a regular basis, which was so great! And everyone was so generous with their gifts and well wishes. Seriously, I tear up just thinking about it!

I only have a few pictures of this event to share with you so far, and they come from my mom’s Iphone…you’ll have to wait for the rest! And please excuse my fat face…I’m non-photogenic non-pregnant, so I guess I should have anticipated this mess.

One of my lovely hostesses, and oldest friends!

My stylish mama!

Sisters and mom!

I call this series, "trying to get your husband to take a photo with you at a baby shower..."

Not quite...

...ehhh...

...okay.

Sunday was another busy day. T’s parents drove in from Indiana to help us install a new water heater (why  must all the expensive chores pop up all at once?!) and while the men worked, I plugged away at thank-you notes. I made a pretty good dent in them, too! Not bad for a giant mama with sleepy eyes and fat swollen fingers!

Some other little highlights:

Received this adorable hat at the baby shower. Perfect for a little music-lovin’ boy OR girl penguin. Just precious.

Also received this adorable onesie from my FAVORITE coffee shop in my old college town (where my sisters conveniently attend now)! Can’t wait to make a future fan out of my little one!

Yesterday was my mama’s birthday! I love her so much and am so grateful for all of the hard work she has put into the nursery, and my pregnancy in general (driving me to doctor’s appts., providing moral support, etc. etc.)…she is going to be the absolute best grandma ever!

And when I visited my parent’s house to give my mom a birthday hug, look what I spied over the fireplace! A teeny tiny baby stocking! More tears.

An unfun update…T was gone on a business trip this week, which means FaceTime instead of his real face. Which means photo ops, naturally.

BUT! He’s back today! Thank goodness, because I am a lonely sad sappy mess when he’s gone! Feminists everywhere are cringing at that statement, I know.

So I guess that’s a wrap! This week I have another 4-day work week, so I will be doing MORE returns and EVEN MORE organizing. Stay tuned for a few updated photos of the nursery…might as well ‘show off’ all of my hard work!

Sunday is my LAST BABY SHOWER, and potentially my last shower ever! My friends and fam are not the type to throw “sprinkles,” which is fine by me, because we have been showered with enough love already. Still, it’s weird to think that this will be my last big event. It’s good, though. It marks the beginning of a new and amazing chapter!

Onto the deets!

How far along?  35 weeks and 35 DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE!!! I’m sorry, WHAT?! That just sounds so so close, doesn’t it?! Baby is clocking in at 19-20 inches and is most likely in the 5-6 lb. range. Absolute insanity.

Clothing? As you can see, I recycled my shower dress for this weekend! I have one more dress to pull out for my last shower, but after that I’m pretty much tapped…ha!

Stretch marks? YEP! After some careful examination of my lower belly in my full length mirror yesterday, I discovered a few tiny clusters of purple-ish marks hiding under the bump near my hip bones. But you know what, guys? I’m actually kind of proud of them. Maybe that sounds weird, but when I saw them I thought...“wow, these are physical proof of the AMAZING thing my body is doing right now, literally stretching to its bounds in order to carry this little miracle!” It doesn’t bother me a bit. I don’t wear bikinis anyway, so I doubt they’ll see much sunlight!

Sleep? I hate to admit, but it was kind of nice having the bed to myself for a few days…if only to spread out a little more. But I’d rather have T at home, of course. Sleep itself is hit or miss, some mornings I wake up rested and others I feel like death. I will say that the 2 AM leg cramps have taken on a WHOLE NEW level of intensity…like, wake-up-screaming intensity! What the heck is that about?!

Best moment of this week? Getting so much accomplished, attending my BEAUTIFUL baby shower, and spending some quality time with baby H while she continues to bake!!

Worst moment of this week? Missing T!!

Miss anything? There is nothing that I can’t live without until January!

Movement? Yeah baby!! Still movin’ and groovin’ in there. I swear I felt a baby foot poking out the other day! Lots of hiccups too! And for all of you worried mamas out there, I somehow stumbled upon the rumor that lots and lots of baby hiccups could indicate a cord compression problem…well, happy to report that I asked my doctor about this and he laughed at me (lovingly, of course). He said he has NEVER heard that, so not to worry!

Symptoms? Sinuses, achy  hips and pelvis,  breast tenderness, increased hunger, awful Charlie horses at night, upper/lower linea nigra, weak legs, pregnancy brain, swollen (and sore) fingers, hot flashes, and fatigue.

Food cravings? SWEETS. I’ve been unstoppable lately. After my 6-lb. weight gain at my last appt., I vowed to take it easy…well, all of that extra weight melted away overnight and I was back to my 32-week weight again. So I figured, I might as well indulge. And boy did I.

Gender? Girl?! Ahhhh! Lately everyone is saying BOY!

Labor Signs? Nope, not yet!

Belly button in or out? OUT .

Mood? Grumpy when I’m sore/trying to sleep, but so happy most of the time!

Rituals? Nighttime lullaby, holy water on the belly in the morning, holy oil on the belly at night. Routine bedtime chats. And a few playful poke fests to watch the baby squirm around in my belly!

Milestones? Baby is getting better at regulating her internal temperature, and is shedding her lanugo in preparation for birth! No more little furry baby!

Looking forward to? My 36-week appointment next Monday, 3 weeks and counting until my leave, CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR’S, and my last BABY SHOWER this weekend!

This week's pregnancy-small-talk-gems (aka things other people say to pregnant ladies without thinking): Getting a LOT of heat for our decision to cloth diaper the baby. I get that mommy choices tend to receive a lot of scrutiny, but unless I tell you that I am planning on diapering my baby in poison ivy, why do you really care?! I mean, ya know?! Give me a break here! “It just sounds so disgusting to me.” Well, great, because you won’t be the one doing it…I will be! Lay off peeps!

Notes from doctor’s appointment: I’ll let you know on Monday after my first internal exam…do you think I’ve made any progress?! Any guesses?!

Have a lovely week, all!