8 Months of Poppy (aka the Home Stretch)!

About 33 Weeks (another portrait from my work bathroom!)

36 weeks!

Hello Friends,

On Monday, I will be officially 36 weeks pregnant and today we are exactly one month away from our due date.  I have to say, I have feel so good about where we are and definitely feel more ready than ever.  I know you can never be really ready, but I can tell you that the week I spent organizing that nursery was probably the best thing I could have done to relieve anxiety and stress.  It has really come a long way (mostly due to my wonderful hubs), and I was blessed with the time to do it now that I am not working nearly as much.  In fact, starting Wednesday I am really off until October!  It's a weird feeling since it's only June, but oh so great knowing I will be able to spend at least 12 weeks at home with our little one.

Also, I have been at such a lack for anything to write in this blog for a long time, but I now have a list of about ten posts that are coming up!  I am really going to try to get into the habit of posting now that I have time on my side, and hopefully can keep it up once Poppy gets here and we get settled (do you ever get settled with a baby?  I'm not sure, but I do see moms posting blogs, so now I feel better).  Anyway, you'll notice a new design that I LOVE (it's still in the works, but almost finalized), and hopefully a lot more posts.  Here is our 8-month update on Poppy:

8 Month Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Poppy is the size of a honeydew, supposedly.  Apparently, I was really measuring big because remember at 30 weeks how I said it was 3 pounds?  Well, at the 32 week sono, Poppy was more of a 5 and 1/2 pounder.  4 weeks later, no telling how large this guy or gal is.  We are getting another sono next week, so we'll have a better idea of what kind of "fruit" I'll actually be giving birth to.  I come from a family of huge babies, my mom gave birth to three kids over 9 pounds, so this comes at no surprise. 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I honestly have no idea.  I felt like I was getting obsessed with the number and had to stop weighing myself.  I don't look at the number at the doctor's office either, but I do ask if it is on track, and they always tell me I am doing great, so hopefully they aren't lying.  Trying to nip the body image issues in the bud now - it is a daily prayer not to pass on these types of insecurities to my kids, especially if Poppy turns out to be a girl.

Maternity Clothes: Target and Gap have been my favorites!  That is true for my non-pregnant life as well.

Movement: Poppy loves to kick hard when I lay down to take a nap, take a bath, or go to bed.  It is basically such a reassurance every time I feel those movements.

Sleep: Definitely getting harder.  My Pinterest and Blog Lovin' activity has gone WAY up lately due to not being able to stay asleep.  It's really not that bad though, and I don't want to complain since my mornings are not nearly as early as they were.

What I miss: Happy Hour.  Tying my own shoes.  Clear skin.  Margaritas. Not running out of breath when I am simply talking.  Nike shorts.  Hanky Pankies.  Camp Gladiator.

Symptoms: Heartburn, lack of breath at times (especially when talking for awhile), not so good sleeping.  The worst is probably the amount of crying that goes on somedays over NOTHING!  I seriously had a sobbing fit right in the middle of church last week just singing!  I get overwhelmed so easily, but it's never about a bad thing or stress - it is just hormonal I guess!  I am SO blessed with very little swelling, great doctor's visits, low blood pressure, and energy.

Nursery Progress:  The nursery is all set up and so cute!  I love it so much, and Aaron does too.  I catch him going in there just to peek at it sometimes. :)  The last thing we need to do is put stuff up on the walls, and as soon as that is done, I promise I am posting pics.  It is organized though, clothes and blankets washed, bedding set up, and ready to go.  It is nothing super amazing, like the ones you see on Pinterest done by professionals, but it is perfect to us and it makes me very happy.

Life savers lately:  The snoogle body pillow!  Sure, it seems ridiculous, but I do love sleeping with this thing!  My reef flip flops.  Lemonade.  Luna bars.  Air conditioning.

We are SO looking forward to the next few weeks and seeing how this whole thing goes down.  I can't believe how incredibly close we are to meeting our little one, knowing it's gender, and calling it by name.  I could cry just thinking about it.  Better stop typing or I actually will begin crying and I was really going to try to hold it together today.  Poor Aaron.  

Be back soon!  Becky