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