37 Weeks

This week we are thirty-seven weeks in, which is full term. The baby seems to be continuing to grow, as evidenced by the fact that many of my shirts (including those seen here) barely cover the baby bump anymore.

According to the paper chain, there are only 18 days left until our due date. We are excited to meet the baby, but have been enjoying the remaining days of just being a party of two, knowing things will be changing soon.

36 weeks

It's hard to believe that I'm entering the last month (or so) of pregnancy. I'm still feeling pretty good minus the sore feet, reflux, leg cramps, and generally feeling jumbo. The last week or so we've had absolutely perfect weather, which happens exactly 1 to 2 weeks out of the entire year in Minnesota, so I'm feeling pretty lucky!

baby bump at 30 weeks & 36 weeks

Proof that I do wear other clothes besides the the purple t-shirt seen in all baby bump photos thus far. For some reason I've been obsessed with stripes recently, which is not super flattering when your belly is the size of a watermelon. Oh well. I'm gonna work it anyway!

The Nursery

close-up of  mobile by vickie

We have been working on preparing the nursery. Our good friends, Vickie and Marc, came to visit last weekend; it was extra incentive to get things ready since the nursery is also a guest room. With about a month until the due date, we have the room ready for the baby (and visitors, too). Though much remains the same, we've added a few special new items.

The mobile above the crib was handmade by our friend Vickie. She really personalized it with hand-sewn felt orange stripped cats that look like Oscar and Toby. The blanket on the crib was handmade by Mel's aunt Beth. They both look great in the room.

photo by chris

Chris took the photographs hanging near the bed this spring. One of the photos is of a robin in a tree and the other is of a dandelion (the same one we use as a header for this website). Given the long Minnesota winters, we chose to include reminders of the spring and new life.

artwork by trish grantham

Above the dresser we will also use as a changing table, we hung artwork that Mel's sister Shell sent. They are by a Portland artist.

We're thankful for all of these gifts plus the many more that we have received. They all send our thoughts to people and places we care for.

34 weeks

Chris asked if this photo was the same photo as the 32-week photo. It's not, but clearly there are no dramatic changes in the baby bump at this point.

Over the past few weeks we have been busy enjoying the summer and getting ready for the baby. With about 6 weeks to go, we're pretty excited! Can you tell by this cheesy photo of us?

Countdown

Today we made an advent chain (like the ones we made leading up to Christmas as kids) to countdown the days until the September fifteenth due date. Melanie used a different kind of paper for each of the forty-four rings and it turned out really nice. It was just a fun project, but seeing the chain really amplifies all of the excitement as well as the nervousness we are feeling. 


The final ring says happy birthday, but of course there is no way to know when the little one will actually come. We are just hoping for a healthy baby no matter when it happens. 

forty-four days and counting 

The Rocking Chair

The time is soon approaching that Melanie should not be traveling too far from our home and hospital in St. Paul. So, we took one of our last opportunities to go visit family in Iowa and got a special surprise. This wonderful rocking chair is a family heirloom now handed down to us.

As all good stories tend to be, the particulars of the chair's origins are a little vague. What is known is that sometime around 1900 a relative came to the United States by boat from Germany. The only possession she chose to bring was this rocking chair. Nobody knows how old it was at that point or if she was the original owner, but it seems certain that the rocking chair was beloved.

barn at bruce and jenny's country home

Eventually the chair came to my father, Bruce. Not wanting to part with the rocker but without a purpose for it, he held the chair in storage. Seeing that Melanie and I would be able to make good use of it for nursing and rocking his grandchild to sleep, he nicely gifted it to us.

a pup with the chair

Mel and I had a fabulous stay with Bruce, Jenny and their three big pups at their beautiful country home. We also got to enjoy a visit with other family, Marsha, Ron, Jesse and Eleanor who all seem excited to have a new family member on the way. We were very happy to get caught up with all of the good things happening for our family, and getting to bring home a bit of family history made a great trip even more special.

I first knew the chair as belonging to my grandmother, Gladys. I wish she and my grandfather, Carl were still alive to meet their great-grandchild, but it is nice to at least have a reminder of them present. Now, this well travelled rocking chair is with Melanie and I in St. Paul waiting to support the latest addition to the family.

the rocking chair in its new home

32 weeks

Not a fun week to be 32 weeks pregnant. We've had extreme heat warnings with high temps and high levels of humidity. For most of the week, even at 10 or 11 at night, the temperature would still be in the high 80's or low 90's with a heat index above 100. Comparisons to the Amazon jungle were rampant. Turns out when you're pregnant, the jungle is not the place you want to be. Luckily some respite is on the way.

The baby bump at 32 weeks