36 Weeks

Thirty-six weeks means that we're only 1 month away from Sprout's due date! It's so hard to believe that in 6 weeks (at the very most), we'll have a baby! Here's the newest belly picture, and it appears that I must've had something stuck in between my teeth. :( Oh well...I'm already in the pj's, and we're not taking another pajama picture!
We've been busy around here getting ready for Sprout's arrival. Last weekend, David and I went to Campbellsville to visit with Benson & Kristin, and Kristin did our maternity photos. We didn't get to spend a lot of time with Benson, because he had to go lead worship at church, but it was good to catch up with him for a few minutes. I miss "the good ol' days" when he and I worked in the same office. There was never a dull moment in our department! It was so nice to be able to spend some time with Kristin, though. She's just so sweet, and a wonderful photographer. I can't begin to guess how many pictures she took of us. I was on the fence about doing maternity photos for a long time, and I finally decided that if I was going to have them done, I really wanted Kristin to do them. I was so glad when she agreed to do them. They're expecting their second little blessing, Kate Elisabeth, toward the end of June. We've decided that Sprout and Kate with either be BFFs or boyfriend/girlfriend...depending on whether Sprout is a boy or girl!

We've made lots of progress around here in getting ready for Sprout's arrival. The nursery has been cleaned up considerably. I thought about posting a new picture, but I'd like to get the shelves hung and some decorations on the wall first. I'm telling you what, organizing that room was one heck of a job. It seemed like I worked and worked on it, with little visible progress. But finally, there's a place for everything, and everything's in its place. We'll see how long that lasts!

I've also packed the hospital bag and the "comfort measures" bag. They're sitting on the deep freeze, by the garage door, along with the car seat. I've got a list attached to the hospital bag of last minute items to pack...but I think it's too full to fit them in there! What else have we gotten ready? My FMLA paperwork is together and ready for Dr. Basham/Dr. Brown's signature after Sprout is born. The birth plan/preferences is written and printed, waiting for Dr. Basham's signature tomorrow. The car seat has been inspected (we passed!). I've bought all the stuff for aftercare/recovery from delivery. There's a waterproof mattress cover on the bed (thanks for telling me about that, Kristin!), just in case my water breaks at night. There's a Pack 'N Play, swing, and bouncy seat in the living room. The birth ball is upstairs and ready to go to the hospital. Whew! I told you we've been busy!

I took the day off of work tomorrow, thank goodness. I have my first weekly OB appointment in the morning, then the rest of the day will be spent making/freezing meals for us to eat after Sprout gets here. My deep freeze has been cleaned/purged so we'll have plenty of room for the meals. I'm going to try to get six recipes made tomorrow, and several of those make more than one meal's worth. It's going to be a long day, but at least I enjoy cooking.

Finally, I have to be honest that this no-sugar thing the doctors have put me on is starting to get to me. I really, really miss my sweet treats. I've been making a list of the foods that I want to eat as soon as Sprout gets here! The list so far includes ice cream (any kind, but preferably a chocolate base with some mix-ins), a big caramel frappuccino, a big diet Coke with vanilla syrup, a Moon Pie, and candy. Anyone want to sign up? :) I should have a sign on the door that says, "Nobody sees Sprout without bringing Mom something sweet to eat!"

We're in the home stretch now...and it's hard to believe. I can't really say that I feel like I'm "done" being pregnant, because I've really enjoyed it. I haven't had anything to complain about the entire time...I've felt great, except for being so incredibly tired all the time. But I'm so ready to meet this baby. Is Sprout a boy or a girl? Does he/she have any hair? How big will he/she be? So many questions, and I can't wait to find out the answers!