Life at 38 Weeks

We all have baby on the brain, and are so excited and anxious to meet this little guy!!!  Just like with Chase, I am very blessed and grateful to have made it this far.  I feel really good for being nine months along, and this has been a relatively easy pregnancy.  I do have strong pelvic pains, and it is harder to sleep.  However,  It is not really the aches and pains and constant need to pee that make me want my baby to get here, but my strong desire to meet him and hold him (and to get the labor and delivery part over with).   I am just so excited to hold him and see him, and for the boys to hold him and see him.  It is like waiting for the best Christmas ever, but no one knows when that day will be here.  I think the unknown and the anticipation of his arrival makes everything that much more exciting, and more rewarding.  This pregnancy has been really good to me, and it has all been pretty textbook.  At my last appointment, I weighed 155 which means I have gained exactly 30 pounds.  Baby is getting stronger, and sometimes he feels like he is going to poke his little foot right out.  I have been trying to go on little walks each morning to see if I can speed labor along, however, I know that babies only come when ready, and there is not a lot I can do to speed things up until we are both ready.  It can't hurt though, and it is fun to try.  Eeekk!!  :-) 


We all had a cold last week, and I was really nervous that baby would come in the middle of our sickness.  Luckily, we are all better now *knock on wood,* and  I pray everyday that we will all be healthy when the baby comes so we can enjoy him and not worry about getting him sick.  I have been really busy getting everything ready for him, and haven't had too much time to just sit and drive myself crazy worrying about his arrival.   It is a lot of fun preparing for a new baby.  I am kind of OCD about making sure everything is ready for him - do we what enough diapers? Wipes? Are the baby towels clean? Is the car seat clean and ready? Do we need extra sheets? Do we need extra changing pad covers?  Do I need to sterilize the pump parts?  Are my bags packed?  Do I have all the songs picked out for labor and delivery?  Have I preadmitted myself to the hospital?  Are my camera batteries charged? Do I need to buy diaper genie refills?  And on and on.   Luckily, I have had many months to slowly get everything ready, and I actually find it kind of fun.  I enjoy preparing our home to make way for a newborn, and although I know babies don't need a lot, it is fun to make sure all his items are clean and ready for him, and it is nice to get a few new things for each new baby.  I always assumed women were not as excited, or as worried about baby #2 or #3.  Not true at all.  I am so ready and anxious to meet this little one.  Seeing his new car seat makes me happy, and I can't wait to bring him home in it!   I think the more ready I am, the more excited I become.   Wesley and Chase are doing great, and are excited to meet him too.  I still try to take them to the park, on walks, and outside to ride their bikes.  We don't do a lot, but with the 85 degree California weather, they spend almost all day playing outside, and they love it.  Waiting for baby is kind of our life right now, and it will be nice when things go back to normal and we start living as a family of five.  :-) 

Pictures of what life around our house looks like right now - there is  something for baby around every corner!  :-)   Probably pretty boring pictures for most people, but I want to remember each stage - including the getting ready part :-)

Bags are packed  for both boys and myself.  Ready and waiting

There have been boxes of baby clothes that I keep sorting through that seem to just accumulate all over my house

 Having three boys close in age means I have to get pretty creative when it comes to finding room for all the clothing and accessories.  I have many different bins to separate clothing they fit into now, clothing they will fit into down the road, and clothing that are outgrowing, and everything is constantly rotated between boys (or will be when baby comes).  Not to mention the shoes, socks, hats, and other items!  I am using the closet in the office for some of the clothing they are not currently wearing, as well as bins full of burp cloths, receiving blankets, bibs, and other baby items. 

Making room for three boys' clothing and linens in one closet is no easy task, but I think it works for now.  Luckily we have two dressers to use as well. 

I have been stocking up on wipes and diapers for both boys when I see a good deal.  Babies go through so many!  You know you are a mom when you get excited about good deals on diapers (especially the nice eco friendly brands!)

 I washed our old car seat cover, and my mom made a nice new canopy blanket for it.  It has been sitting in our front room just waiting for baby.   Just this last week my mother in law surprised me and told me she wanted to get me a new car seat.  I told her our old one worked just fine (I really like the colors too), but she insisted on getting me a new one, and how can I argue with that?  :-)  I picked out a few I liked, and she ordered a really nice one for me.  I would have been ok using the old one, but I am not going to lie - this new one is super nice and is top of the line.  It has a lot of nice features, and I am really excited to use it.  It is fun to have some new things for this baby.  Jason and I also bought a nice new heavy duty umbrella stroller.  Our old one was really worn, and this new one can hold the baby carrier, which I am really excited about, and it happens to match the carrier really well too even though they are different brands.   It folds up really small, so it fits in the back of our car easily.  You know you are big and pregnant when you get excited over strollers and car seats!! 

Yay!!! 

While Mommy is getting the house ready, the boys are either playing outside, being crazy, or quietly reading in their "reading nook" under Wesley's bed.  We will transform it into Chase's bed whenever baby needs the crib. 

For now, Chase will stay in his bed, and I will just use the changing table and drawers for baby.  I know the baby will be in my room for a year anyways!  :-)  There is no rush to convert it back in a crib, plus Chase loves his bed. 

Wesley wanted to make sure I took a picture of him on his bed too.  He LOVES it up there.  I love how well it fits in their small room!  Its the little things that make this Mommy happy!  :-)