35 Weeks

We are only a month away from meeting baby Grayson!  Next Monday we are headed to the doctor to find out how big he is and possibly make a plan for his arrival.  I weighed myself again this morning and I am up 12 lbs from when we first found out I was pregnant.  I am still wearing some of my normal clothes and a few maternity items.  The weather is still sort of warm so I am hoping it doesn't get too much cooler before he comes.  My jackets don't exactly fit around the belly and I really don't want to go buy anymore clothes for just a couple of weeks.

I have noticed this week that my feet and hands start to swell up towards the end of the day.  My lungs are compressed so it is much more difficult to breath in the afternoon and evening hours, too.  Sleeping has not been too bad but Shane is having a much harder time than I am.  Apparently one of my side effects of pregnancy is snoring.  :)  Being the nice husband that he is, he doesn't want to wake me by nudging me, so he just goes up to one of our guest rooms to sleep.  Aside from these mild symptoms, this pregnancy has not been too bad.  Although I know things could drastically change over the next few weeks before he gets here.

This weekend I unpacked his car seat and pack-n-play so we are alittle prepared if he were to make an early arrival.  I'm sure the car seat and bases will be installed in our cars within the next couple of weeks.  All of his clothes, blankets and sheets are washed and put away, too.  Most of my hospital bag is packed but I still have a few things I need to add to it.  It's weird to feel so prepared but unprepared at the same time.

Yesterday I enjoyed a nice lunch with some of my family.  My grandfather and I both celebrated our birthdays at a steakhouse near his company where we have known the owners for years.  It was more of a celebration for him since he turned 96!  He seems to be doing better since his fall back in August.  It's hard to keep him still for too long so he loves any opportunity to get up and around.  Even with a walker, he is still walking in front of most of us.  I have always loved having him as my "birthday buddy".

Shane surprised me with a bag of candy corns and some cupcakes from Gigi's for my birthday yesterday.  His other gift is to have the carpets and couches cleaned before Grayson gets here.  He wanted to take me to dinner last night but I was not too hungry after my big meal at lunch (filet mignon...yum!)

Some might be wondering how our other "boys" are handling this pregnancy.  I think they can tell something is going on since there is less room to snuggle with me on the couch, the nursery has changed quite a bit and there are more "things" around the house.  Aspen seems to be more clingy than usual.  This morning he wanted to hang out with me while I got ready.  That is not completely abnormal, but he did not want to move for any reason.  Here is what the photo above would look like minus cropping:

I really think they are all going to be great with Grayson.  It may take some time to adjust but they are all so sweet and loving.  I'm already looking forward to the photos of them snuggling with him.  :)

Looking forward to being full term next week and possibly knowing a better idea of when Grayson might be here!

34 Weeks

In just 5 short weeks, if not sooner, we will get to meet little Grayson!  As I mentioned in the last post, I have started to get uncomfortable.  Last week I began having sharp pains on my right side and throughout my entire stomach.  It was a ligament and my muscles attempting to stretch to make room for Gray.  My doctor informed me that I have officially entered the miserable stages of pregnancy.  After a few days, it finally went away.  I felt much better this weekend.  Grayson is not phased by any of this and continues to move regularly in the little space I have provided for him.  Of course he was a contributor to my pain.  He felt the need to use my belly button as a punching bag during those painful days.  His little fists did some damage, too.  My belly button is now bruised and officially an outtie.  On top of his movements, he has been getting the hiccups multiple times throughout the day, too. 

Last week we had a shower at Shane's school with his students and English department.  Everyone was so generous!  We got more diapers, clothes, books and other useful items.  We gave our camera to a couple of his female students to take pictures throughout the shower.  There are many candid shots, "selfies" (aka self portraits) and one photo that I have to admit is the creepiest baby shower photo I have ever seen.  Which is exactly why I am going to share it with you.  I warn you, it is on the verge of being extremely paranormal.

Brace yourself...

Is that not the creepiest photo ever?!  We could not help but laugh when we were going through the pictures before we left the school.  That student's name is Erin.  She is actually a very sweet and smart girl, but apparently she has this ability to put an image in your mind that is absolutely frightening.

The day of the shower was also Shane's birthday.  Both of us were so exhausted from the week, that we could not find the energy to go out to dinner.  I did what any good wife would do and ordered him pizza and a cinna-pie from PapaJohns (ok, he actually made the phone call but I paid for it).  I may not be winning "Wife of the Year" for 2012 but look at the grin on his face.  If that's not happiness, I don't know what is.

I made up for the anti-climatic birthday on Friday and took him to Pappadeaux.

On Saturday night we had our fourth and final shower at my brother and sister-in-laws house.  It was a coed diaper shower with the guys from my office and other male friends of ours and their families.  Everyone enjoyed some adult beverages along with conversation and college football.  The weather was really nice so most of us spent the evening outside on the patio while the kids played in the backyard.  The closet under our staircase is now fully stocked with diapers and wipes!

Since our showers have finally come to an end, we plan to figure out what else needs to be purchased and go on a shopping spree.  My mom came over Sunday night and helped me cut tags off his clothes so I could start washing everything this week.  Things are starting to come together!  I am still waiting on one last item for the nursery before I post pictures of the final product.  The alphabet set I ordered seems to be taking longer than originally expected, but I hope to have it soon.

33 Weeks

It is official, I have entered the uncomfortable stages of pregnancy.  I was sailing through this thing for awhile but it all seemed to hit me over the last week.  My walk is more of a waddle, I have to stand belly first from a sitting position and I turn from side to side every night just to get comfortable.  Unless I have to sleep on the couch sitting up just so I can breath.  Ligament pain also started on my right side from my stomach stretching out beyond its normal size.  By no means am I complaining about any of this.  I welcome all of the trials and tribulations of pregnancy if it means that I get to hold my baby boy in less than 2 months!

My maternity pictures were Friday night.  When I booked the session a few months back, I had no idea it would be a record heat that day (104 degrees).  We shot a few pictures in the studio then headed outdoors to do the rest.  Shane and I managed to make it through the one and a half hour shoot.  Luckily it was around sunset so the temperature had dropped to a cool 100.  I think they got some great pictures so I can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks after they do final edits.  (Side note: a cold front came through a few hours after the shoot and the temperature dropped to the mid 80's the following day.  Figures.)

I went to the doctor on Monday and all is well.  We go back on October 1 to remeasure Grayson and see if he is still growing exponentially.  If he is still on track to be over 9lbs, we will set the date to do a c section.  I would love to push it until October 28 but my doctor thinks it might be closer to October 23 (in this case I will push for the 24th because I have this weird thing with odd numbers).  :)  Plus my mom's birthday is August 24 and mine is September 24.  Why not try to space his exactly a month from mine, too?!  Believe me, I will be happy no matter what day he comes, but if they are going to let me choose, then I plan to choose a day that works with all of my idiosyncrasies.

Needless to say, we are looking at about 6 weeks until he gets here!  Shane and I are both mentally ready for him to be here and getting ready physically.  After these last two baby showers this week, we plan to do our big shopping spree to get any necessary items we are missing.  My mom is going to help me sort, wash and organize all of his clothes to figure out what else we need to go buy.  If Gray is going to be a porker, he may not fit into a few of the things we have for him already.  :)

Shane's birthday is tomorrow!  He will be a young 43!  Our baby shower is at his school tomorrow, too, so I am excited to go up there and see him.  No big birthday plans yet.  We both decided to bypass gifts this year and focus on Grayson.  Usually a nice dinner out will be a sufficient celebration for the two of us.

Shane's New Gig

Back in August, Shane met with an editor at the Dallas Morning News to work as a contributor to an opinion column they publish weekly on education.  It is an unpaid position, but has the potential to get his name out there.

There is a group of contributors that will have an article published each week and Shane's first article was published today!

Click here to read his column

He may only have a handful of columns published each year but it's a great opportunity for him.  I am so proud of him!  He looks so cute in his picture!  I have to give him props for the Pinterest reference in his column, too!  :)  

32 Weeks

Only 2 more months to go!  Grayson seems to be doing well.  He is active all day and night now.  His kicks and punches are really strong.  Shane likes to watch/feel my belly move when we are at home on the couch.  I am sleeping fairly well right now.  I have some nights where it is hard to breathe initially but eventually I am able to fall asleep and wake up well rested.  Believe me, I am enjoying a full night's rest while I can get it!

I spent the past few days working at the pool for our final weekend.  It is officially closed for 2012!  This summer went by really fast.  No major issues, so I can't complain.  Although I did have a guy get mad at me on Saturday because his family got wet from one of our towers that drops water without any warning.  I attempted to explain that it was a water park, but just nodded in agreement and told him I would look into it during the off-season.

My girlfriends from city hall threw me a shower last Thursday.  It was soccer themed and they had some of the cutest decorations (I'll get pictures loaded up soon).  Shane was able to come after school and take part in this shower.  It was obviously coed given that I work with mostly men.  :)  It rivaled a junior high dance with all the guys standing in the back and the girls sitting up front while I opened gifts.  We got alot of great things from my co-workers!

We still have two more showers coming up.  All the ladies Shane teaches with are throwing us one next week and then my brother and sister-in-law are throwing us a coed diaper shower/bbq for all of our male friends.  Shane and I are extremely blessed to have loving and supportive friends and family!

I am scheduled to have my maternity pictures taken this Friday with the couple that shot our wedding.  Once I get some proofs back from them I will be sure to get them posted!