36 Weeks

So I've noticed quite a few changes as I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy, not only physically but also socially. For one, I'm not able to do all the fun things I used to be able to do (ie. go karts, ultimate Frisbee, etc) but I also notice complete strangers staring at me more often. It's like they've never seen a pregnant woman before. I kind of have that "monkey at the zoo" feeling sometimes. "Look honey, there goes a pregnant lady! Let's watch her and see what she does next. Maybe she'll go into labor." And I really enjoy the comments such as "You sure are getting big" or "Wow. You look twice as big as the last time I saw you." I know folks are well meaning, so I try not to take the fat comments personally. But it's not that fun being constantly reminded of my increasing size. On a positive note however, at church the other day a lady was walking by and said with all sincerity, "You look really beautiful". I hugged her!

Chris and I are making final preparations for the baby. We spent most of the day yesterday shampooing our carpets. And boy am I glad we did after seeing how dirty the water was afterward. Yuck. And today we received a crib from church; one that wasn't being used in the new nursery. Chris is spraypainting it to match the room. I'm excited to get it all set up with our new bedding and finish his room. I'll post pictures when it's done.

Chris has been a tremendous help these last few weeks as I'm running out of energy to do a lot of things. He's been grocery shopping with me, cooking more meals, doing the dishes. I really couldn't do this without him. He takes care of me so well and I know he will be an excellent daddy too. 4 more weeks!

35 Weeks

I can't believe how fast this last week went. I'd really be okay if the next 5 weeks went as quickly. I had so much to do with work and baby stuff that before I knew it, it was Friday. The bummer part was that I hardly saw Chris all week, so Friday night we went out on a date to catch up. (Gotta enjoy those while we can.) Then Saturday we slept in until 9:30am (unheard of in our home) and did pretty much nothing all day long. It was spectacular.

The baby is growing, growing, growing. He's still sitting really high in my ribs, but is big enough now to reach both ends of my tummy, so I feel all his little wiggles and movements. And I often find myself out of breath for no good reason. (I mean, other than the fact that there's a baby in my lungs) Chris and I made a quick trip into the grocery store the other day, and after 10 minutes of walking I was ready to take a nap! I feel like I'm reverting back to the first trimester, hungry and tired all the time. But in a few short weeks, our little guy will be here. I don't know if I'll have much more energy, but at least he won't be kicking me in the ribs all day :o)

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I, of course called my mom and sent flowers, but wasn't sure if I should really celebrate it as a mom myself. People told me I should, but I didn't quite feel like I had earned it yet. So I didn't make any plans for the day. But when we came home after church, I was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter with a note that said "Happy Mothers Day! Love Chris and baby." It melted my heart. Chris and I noted the other day how amazing it is to love another person whom you've never met. I have so much love for this little boy and I have no idea what he looks or sounds like. I can't wait for him to be part of our family.

34 Weeks

Wow! It hardly seems that we only have 6 weeks to go until baby arrives. Some days I feel really ready and others I feel so unprepared. But ready or not, he's coming. Still making final preparations in the baby's room. I'm excited for him to get here.

I believe what people call "pregnancy brain" has fully kicked in. I find myself doing really dumb things or not being able to think of a word in a sentence. Unfortunatley I've been told pre-pregnancy brain never returns. I can just feel my college education slipping away (if only the loans would slip away too). All I can say is that this kid better be a genius with all the brain cells he's stealing from me :o)

Chris and I are still working hard preparing for the labor & delivery. He's already being a really good coach. He's making sure I do my excercises every day and eating vegetables. He'll even cook veggies for dinner if I forget. My husband, who could live off of pizza and pot pies for the rest of his life, is steaming broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. I'm so proud. We're still really enjoying our Bradley classes and learning so much. Let's just hope we're as prepared to actually care for the baby when he comes home as much as we are for the birth of the baby.

33 Weeks

What a great weekend. My parents came in town on Friday evening to spend a few days with us. We played cribbage, watched movies, ate good food and just enjoyed being together. It was really great to see them.

On Saturday, the ladies at church threw me a baby shower. It was wonderful and we were so blessed. I'm really glad my mom was here to share that with me. I think our little boy will be the best looking kid in town with all the cute outfits we received. Then afterward, mom and I washed all the clothes and started to organize the nursery. It's starting to look more put together and I actually enjoy spending time in there. It's not finished yet, but I feel good about the progress we made. We have all the furniture we need except a crib, which I'm anxious to buy since we received the cutest bedding at the shower. I can't wait to set it all up.

As Chris and I are going through our prenatal class, we're starting to think more about the labor and delivery of this little boy. We're sifting through all of our options and trying to put together a birth plan. There is so much to having a baby! I never would have guessed. All I can say is that I'm so glad for our team of midwives at the hospital. (I say "team" because my particular midwife is due with a baby in just a few weeks, and most likely will not be around for the birth of ours. So we're seeing the other two ladies she practices with as well.) They all have very similar beliefs and philosophies as us so I know we won't have to fight for many things. That reduces a lot of stress right there. Each day I grow more and more anxious to meet our precious baby boy. I can't wait to meet him.

32 weeks

Well, I definitely starting feeling the joys of the 3rd trimester this week. For about 3 days straight, the baby took up residence in my ribs. Every way I sat at my desk was uncomfortable with little (or perhaps not so little) feet jabbed up in my ribs all day long. (sigh) He's getting so much bigger and running out of room. It may be an interesting 8 weeks to come.

I also discovered today that the small rhythmic movements I've been feeling in my tummy is the baby with hiccups. I guess I never thought about it, but I just read that lots of baby's have hiccups. And here I thought he had a future as a drummer, with that steady rhythm and all.

This weekend I'm hoping to get the baby's room a little more set up. The last several weeks have been consumed by getting the daycare ready at church, so the room organizing has been put on hold. But seeing as that project is mostly completed, we'll have more time to devote to getting ready for Baby Anderson. (still no name decided)

This afternoon I visited a family from our church who just had a baby boy on Friday. That's one of my favorite things of being a pastor. He was so tiny and wonderful. When I picked him up to hold him, he started to fuss, but then I found my "mom sway" and he was content and went back to sleep. I think I'm going to be ok as a mom. (on a side note: While visiting this family I was able to see the birthing wing at the hospital where our little guy will be born and it's beautiful!! I'm really glad we chose Avera.)

31 weeks

Well, we're down to single digits now. Only 9 weeks left until baby arrives (give or take a few days). It seems so close and yet so far away at the same time. We're getting anxious to meet our little guy. And it seems the bigger I get, the clumsier I become. I drop stuff all the time. The bummer part is that it's also increasingly more difficult to reach things down low. For instance, this morning I found myself on all fours trying to reach something on the bottom shelf of the fridge. The bend and reach doesn't work anymore. Oh well. I still love being pregnant.

I've also noticed the baby's movements have changed. He used to kick with quick little jabs and punches. Now that he's running out of room, the movements are a lot slower. It seems like he's just stretching and reaching more. There are random little body parts sticking out all over the place ... feet, hands, butt, elbows ... who knows what. He makes me laugh. It's amazing to feel him wiggle and move around. Chris loves it too.

On a non-baby note, we had a great Easter weekend. At church, the kids did a huge egg hunt during the service. Almost 1000 eggs were hidden throughout the campus. A little crazy, but lots of fun. Then we had some friends over for a big lunch. We made wild turkey, which was a nice change from the traditional ham and then relaxed for the afternoon.

Today I'm enjoying a quiet day off before another week of crazy begins. Open houses are scheduled for the daycare next week and all the toys & equipment need to be moved and arranged in the next few days. Then next Sunday all our early childhood classes are moving to their new rooms in the daycare wing. Whew! It will be a busy week, but it's going to be good.

30 weeks

Sorry I'm a few days late in writing this week's post. The weekend just slipped right by. I went to a water class on Saturday morning and then to church for the daycare work day. Chris joined me after Men's Breakfast. We relaxed some in the afternoon and hunkered down as we watched the biggest snow storm of the year hit Sioux Falls. We even lost power for a while (during the NCAA final four games of course). Fortunately, it was still light enough out that we weren't totally dependant on candle light.

Sunday and Monday were just as busy with church, spending time with friends, a kids ministry network meeting, a toddler meeting, grocery shopping ... this is the first chance I've had to sit down for quite some time.

This morning marked the end of my 2 1/2 year run at Caribou Coffee. I worked there full time before moving to SF, and have worked 1 shift a week since coming here. I love the people I work with and love making coffee. I really enjoyed getting outside the church walls and meeting new people. But now that I'm well into my third trimester, it just became too hard to be lifting, bending, cleaning, standing, etc. for 5 hours. So this morning was my last shift. It was sad and I will miss working there. But seeing as I'm a full Caribou addict, I certainly will be visiting quite often (just without my 30% discount ... bummer).

The only exciting baby news is that we started our prenatal birthing classes tonight. We're taking the Bradley classes, which deals with relaxation techniques, eliminating unnecessary stress and preparing to birth your child naturally. I believe that God made my body to birth children and the more prepared I/we can be to do that the better. The Bradley method emphasizes the husband's role in labor and delivery as well. So Chris also has some learning to do over the next 10 weeks. Overall, it was a really good class. Our instructor is very bubbly and slightly dramatic, which makes the evening much more entertaining. I'm looking forward to next week.