Belly Shoot

 One day about a month ago my lovely cousin, Kate, took me out to a field and snapped a few pics of my growing belly. She did such a great job, I couldn't resist sharing a few (well, a little more than a few). Plus, I thought it'd be nice to document my belly one last time before it's no longer.

38 Weeks

Happenings since week 36:

-Got some not-so-exciting news at our last appointment. 

1. Our midwife will be out of town from July 25 to August 6. This means we will probably be getting another midwife for our birth. Not going to lie, I got a little anxious, considering I was excited and mentally prepared to finish this 9 month journey with MY midwife. So I went home and got out my list of natural ways to induce labor in hopes of having her before July 25. I was about to tackle the list, when I realized I'd rather just wait and be patient. I didn't want to become consumed with trying to control when I went into labor, because most likely it would not happen exactly when I wanted it to, and then I would become discouraged.

2. I had our midwife guess how big our baby girl will be. She reaffirmed my suspicion-looks like we're going to have a big baby! She guessed around 8 pounds-I had a feeling, but was really hoping for a lot less since my birth plan is au naturel. As she was feeling her little body, she exclaimed, "Yep, that's a good sized butt." Looks like our daughter is going to take after her mama. Poor gal. 

So, in short, I felt a little deflated coming out of our appointment. I was hoping to get to push out a nice small baby, with my calming, comforting midwife. Who knows, I still may get that, but this has been a great reminder that things will most likely not go according to my perfect little plan. I'm okay with that only because I know His plan is perfect, and I know I will have my great husband by my side.  Seth has been so encouraging. Through all my worries and doubts he has constantly reaffirmed his confidence in me. What gal wouldn't be excited to tackle the challenge of labor with that kind of support?

-She has dropped and is in a great position.

-The house is organized and clean.

-The nursery is ready.

-The hospital bag is packed.

-We are hoping she follows in the Rhodes' footsteps and arrives fashionably early.

36 Weeks

Baby N is full-term on Friday and we are dying to meet her!

I thought I knew what a big belly looked and felt like at 32 weeks, but it never ceases to surprise me at how much bigger it can grow! It will be interesting to see how much bigger it gets until she arrives.

Throughout this pregnancy I have been constantly amazed at how God created a woman's body to change and grow in order to carry a little miracle. As I sit through our birthing class and read about labor and birth, I have so much awe for how beautifully designed the female body is to carry out pregnancy, labor and birth. It is such an intricate and miraculous process, it is a wonder there are still people out there that believe we were created by chance.

Happenings since week 32:

-I had my shower. My cousins, Rachel and Anna, threw it, and could not have done a better job. Everything was circus themed-lots of little gold animals and hot air balloons. It was a great time with friends and family. Seth and I had fun looking through and putting together all the little goodies we got for baby.

-We have washed all of her tiny little clothes. The baby detergent smells so much like, well, a baby. I love it!

-We sat through our first fireworks show as a little family. Either she was scared or super excited because she gave me some of her biggest kicks yet. 

-We have dug into some great books. I know nothing can fully prepare us for parenthood, but it has been great reading together. Our favorite by far has been Preparation for Parenting by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo. It was my mom's from when she first became a parent, and it is full of knowledge. Definitely an oldie but a goodie.

-We are full swing into cleaning out and organizing our little house. It feels so good once each room is de-cluttered and orderly. Just a few more closets to go!

-We had our hospital tour. I've noticed that each little thing we do in preparation makes this whole experience seem that much more real. I literally did not sleep an ounce last night-I was too busy envisioning labor, trying to imagine what it will be like to see her for the first time, and racking my brain for what remains on our to-do list.

Maybe next time I'll be posting about our little bundle!