35 weeks

I'm 35 weeks pregnant today and have 35 days left until the due date...wow! Overall, I feel pretty good. I fluctuate from feeling exhausted to anxious. There is so much I want and need to do (I think "they" call that nesting) but then I get tired so quickly. I don't really have a feeling about when Baby will make his appearance, but I hope he doesn't go much past his due date. This past week I've been sick with a cold. If at all possible, avoid getting a cold while pregnant. It's perhaps been the worst week of my pregnancy thus far. As if sleeping isn't hard enough these days, not being able to breathe out of my nose certainly complicated the situation. I'm still a little congested but feel better. I just hope that my allergies don't start up.

Doctor appointments have been going well. My last one was at 34 weeks and I go back at 36 weeks and then every week after that. At the next appointment we are supposed to meet with a midwife (who may be delivering Baby) and we should also get our "Stork Parking" so that when the time comes, we get good parking!

In the past 2 weeks we have been fortunate to have 3 baby showers! It has been exhausting, but also very exciting. Two weeks ago my mom came into town for the friends and family shower that my mother in law hosted at her home. It was so nice to see everyone and boy did we get a lot of stuff! From that shower we got the high chair, first aid items, diapers, nursery decor, blankets, gift cards and lots of clothes! Then on March 17 I walked into what I thought was going to be a St. Patrick's Day potluck at work. Instead my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower. It was very nice and again we got lots of clothes, diapers, bottles and other essential items. The following weekend my previous co-workers threw me a shower and it was wonderful to visit with everyone. That shower brought lots more clothes, blankets, diapers, an umbrella stroller and lots more essentials.

Now....what the heck to do with all this stuff? It's hard to imagine how one little person needs all this stuff!

Well, we finally got the carpet in the nursery (and 2 other bedrooms) and Randy worked hard to put together the crib and dresser. So things are coming along. We have done and still have a lot of organizing to do. But there will be time for that soon. There is baby stuff all over our house! Baby clothes piled on the chair in the living room and in the dining room, blankets and other baby items in the hallway...oh boy!

After the showers were finished, we decided to take our gift cards to Babies R Us and get some items from our registry that we still needed. Close to $700 later (all on gift cards, I might add!) we got our travel system, crib mattress, diaper changing pad, sheets, exersaucer, and lots of other stuff! It was quite a shopping spree!

In other news, my doctor has recommended that I take the full 4 weeks off before my due date to rest. No medical reason because we are both healthy, she just believes it to be a good idea and I certainly didn't argue with that! So, my last day of work is this coming Friday, April 4. My leave is up October 23...that's 6 1/2 months off potentially. We'll see how that works out with pay but hopefully I'll be able to take all that time off to spend with the baby. It also leaves me plenty of time to find a new job...hopefully!