36 Weeks: Less Than a Month!

So, it's been about a month since I've typed one of these things up. And I only have about a month left to go, so I figure I should document some things.

How Far Along: 36 weeks. That's less than a month. Commence the freakout of, "when did this happen? and "how are we already here?" and "wasn't I just peeing on a stick???"And then I think about how insanely long this summer has been already and it makes a lot more sense to me.

Size of Baby:  Large. I'm sure I could look at my cute, little Baby Center app that tells the weight or length and compares it to a food item. OR...I could simply take notice of the giant boulder between me and the keyboard upon which I type that is actually making it rather difficult to type effectively. She's big. Or I'm big. We're both pretty big.
 
Gender: My sweet, sweet girl. I cannot wait to see her.  

Movement: She just doesn't stop. Remember that one time when I was all "I love all the movement and I'll never get tired of it and I could never complain about it?" Yeah...welp. I lied. She hurts me. And she wears me out. And I do absolutely cherish it...I do. But gosh. I'm ready for her to wiggle in my arms and not on my organs.

Maternity Clothes: Oh! How I wish it were publicly appropriate to wear stained tank tops that are too short to cover the boulder, with my bra straps sticking out and my old faithful Reebok running shorts that are clocking some serious overtime and deserve a lifetime achievement award! But alas...it is not. No matter what the other folks in Walmart think/say/do. It is not appropriate. And because of this...I long for fall and all it's extraordinary layers more than I ever have before in my entire life. Sweaters! Jeans! Boots!
Glory. 

Sleep: Just something else to whine and complain about? Hmmm... Let me just say it for you...because I know how much people like to remind giant pregnant women of their eminent future..."The lack of sleep you're getting now is only preparing you for all those sleepless nights of being up with a newborn." Roger that.

Cravings: That crazy need for daily ice cream is still topping the charts. It's gonna be a hard habit to break. Probably gonna have to go cold turkey.

What I'm Missing: Very many things.

Symptoms: Very many things.

Best Moment This Week Month: Here's some sunshine and daisies amongst the wah-wah-wah of the third trimester. Last month was packed full of fun, family and travels. In short, and because they all truly deserve posts of their own:

I got to hang with my besties in Austin.

I was given yet another wonderful, super fun baby shower with the ladies of Chi Alpha.

The fabulous hostesses who put SO MUCH thought into every single detail. Love them dearly!

We got to beach it up with the Hoogendoorns in Galveston.

Photo Cred: Paige Johnson (she's awesome!)

We stayed for a few extra days on the island for a mini-vacation with my little family.

In addition to all that, we had Staff Week which ended in a retreat of sorts on the lake and got to visit several wonderful churches who support us mixed in all that. Whew! That was a lot! Isn't summer grand?

Looking Forward To:  Calming the heck down. But alas...we're really just getting started. With the start of school just a couple weeks away, we've already hit the ground running with plans for Welcome Week and all that that entails. We're also trying to get this house in a position to host another human being. It's amazing how much such a tiny creature needs in order to survive.
So...life isn't really gonna calm down anytime soon, so what I'm really looking forward to most is this girl's birthday.

Daddy's Involvement: Does he ever stop? No, I tell you. He does not. If he's not chasing our Wild One around to give me some rest, he's fixing one of the cars (they kindly alternate their break-downs...sorta), or calling insurance companies and hospital financial departments, or making a special trip to buy me some ice (and usually some ice cream too), or cooking dinner (or picking it up from somewhere), or treating me to a massage. This week he's hauling furniture and rearranging our home and painting the "nursery" to get ready for this babe...all while feeling on the sickly side. If I thought it wouldn't stress him out more, I'd secretly spend extra money to treat him to a massage. (Maybe I'll do it anyway. Just don't tell him.) Oh hey, Matt! Hey. You're awesome. ;)

Big Brother's Involvement: I think he's ready. Maybe more ready than we are. He's constantly begging to put her crib together or open one of the many boxes of gadgets or toys that I've received at showers. He'll randomly mention her name and ask how much longer until she's here. He asks questions all the time about her. The other day, we were walking around Walmart and he saw a big ol' poster in the baby section with a picture of a baby. He asked me if that was Lydia and it spawned a conversation about what we thought she'd look like. And to top it off...PBS Kids announced that our beloved Daniel Tiger (a cartoon spin-off of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) is going to be a big brother! Oh man! Could not have timed that any better. The episode hasn't aired yet, but they constantly have commercials and ads for it. Josiah's already memorized the catchy tune about the baby joining the family. I'd bet money that baby ends up being a sister...and how perfect! It's all just too exciting!

Doesn't he just look like a big brother here?