the home stretch

less than one month left. four weeks and some change. considering how quickly the last month passed, i'm expecting/ hoping the last will do the same. although, considering a little miracle some of you may know as jude (who was due 4 days after my baby) has made his way into the world 5 weeks early, i'm aware that anything is fair game at this point!

 i wouldn't say i'm miserable, in any sense of the word. i'm still enjoying pregnancy. but i am achey, tired, and uncomfortable. seats that i've planted my hiney on for hours at a time on multiple occasions are now uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. in fact, i'd say 20 minutes is my limit in any position. 

i've also been fighting a sinus infection for close to 3 weeks now. i thought it was just a cold, but i should have known better. i never just get a cold. it's always a sinus infection. i already finished a round of antibiotics (5 days ago actually) but it seems to be creeping back. luckily i go to the doctor once a week from now on so it's easy to get that checked out. 

i'm glad to have had a small christmas break and few days off work to rest and enjoy time with family that next year will be replaced by the challenge of traveling with an 11 month old. the days of packing our bags in an hour and hitting the road are officially over. 

speaking of christmas, i received this little jewel from my list and i've been enjoying it ever since i opened it: 

it is laugh out loud hilarious. i've heard good things about it from friends and i'm glad i remembered to put reading it on my before-baby to-do list, because it is so good. and a little comical relief from the not-so-comical parts of pregnancy that can otherwise be frustrating. if you buy it and read it before or early during pregnancy, make sure to read it again at the end, because you can also reminisce about the parts you may have forgotten (or are just so glad to be done with that you've placed them out of your mind).

and speaking of to-do lists, the nursery is put together at least. the crib still needs its mattress and bedding, and the walls are still blank, but it's for the most part baby-ready. thankfully my mom is coming in a week and has offered to sew the crib bedding for me after i get it cut and pinned into shape. 

and in case you missed the facebook post, here is our christmas card from this year. they never got sent out because i never got around to ordering paper and printing them, and because stamps are not in our budget right now! but enjoy the photos (as taken about a month ago) as a semi-recent update of the baby belly. a co-worker took them for me (for free)! she takes most of our ad photos and does a great job, so i asked and she graciously obliged. 

as far as other pregnancy experiences and observations, not too much has changed. i have, however, developed an increasing aggravation with people who have little personal spatial awareness...or maybe that's just because my spatial awareness has increased...or maybe just my spatial requirements. if you're a little confused, imagine the following scenario i was caught in yesterday: i ventured with my husband's family to crestview walmart (actually a better experience than i imagined), and as i brought up the caboose of our line, a group of people to my left and a group of people to my right decided to pass on the same side of the aisle. instead of just letting my pregnant butt pass through this awkward intersection, all of them just proceeded on walking and i was caught in the middle of a creepy stranger cluster, instinctively hugging my belly and making angry faces while i shouldered my way out of the pile-up like a running back in hot pursuit. after safely escaping, i wanted to turn around and point angrily at my belly and yell "watch it! don't you people have any respect for a pregnant woman?!" 

i think maybe that people just don't have any respect for each other in general anymore. similar to however many times i rode the tiger transit (the auburn university transportation system) standing up while carrying two armfuls of drafting tools, while 27 frat guys sat comfortably with nothing but a cell phone in their pockets. this is the world we live in now. and situations like yesterday's probably have nothing to do with respect for pregnant women, and a lot to do with my mama bear instincts rising up. i can't imagine what i'll be like once baby is actually here. i might actually snarl at someone.

in other news we toured the birthing ward at the hospital today. it was so peaceful and the staff was amazingly nice. on top of that, as we were talking to our guide (jackie, the surgical prep nurse and nicest lady ever) we found out they encourage a lot of the things i would have requested anyways of our hospital experience. so we were glad to hear that we won't have a struggle in that area! i think they'll take great care of me :)

also i gained five pounds in the last two weeks. there was a number on the scale that was .2 lbs away from a number that i thought for sure i'd freak when i saw. i actually walked away, turned around, and got back on the scale just to see if it was right. BUT all-in-all, i'm still only up 26 lbs total. that's totally fine, and by the looks of my belly it's mostly baby...ok and maybe christmas food. 

and this has gotten long enough for one entry, so i'll leave the rest for the next. and i'll try and update more frequently since these last weeks will fly by!