gettin' there...

at my appointment last week, they informed me that i'd lost two pounds. what?!? how on earth is that possible? i have been eating to my heart's desire and the only exercise i do revolves around children and housework. hmm....

they also informed me that they'd be checking for group b strep. how had i managed to forget about that? oh yeah....the pregnant brain forgets everything. if i'd remembered this detail, i would have bothered to shave my legs (a monumental task at this point) and NOT worn black socks. now that i'll be going every week, i plan on being prepared - cute socks and all.

i continue to nest. i don't have an actual list (my husband has asked for one) - it's all in my head. again, a dangerous place for a list to be, with the forgetful pregnant mind and all.

today, i came home from shopping and decided to dig through the garage and locate james' old baby things. i found them immediately, thanks to my wonderful hubby who has been trying to make the garage a more functional (clean & organized) space. it was so much fun, seeing james' old baby clothes, blankets, shoes, itty bitty socks.... my heart was all a-flutter with anticipation. i'm getting excited!!

i love being able to reuse james' baby clothes. james was such a huge baby - he fit them for about two seconds - so everything is in brand new condition. right now, i am washing everything with dreft, my favorite baby detergent. the smell brings back all kinds of wonderful baby memories. i have two loads of blankets and clothes (0-6 months). that should fill the dresser nicely.

speaking of the dresser, this past weekend i went to IKEA (love that place!!) and bought the same dresser james has. when the boys eventually share a room, their dressers will match - yay! jim, being the awesome husband he is, went right to work on putting it together. he did some heavy lifting/moving for me and now jackson's room is just about ready.

i'm feeling more prepared for jackson's arrival, which is a big deal to me. still, i have "to-do's" on the brain...

• plan meals ahead of time
• finish (er...start) jackson's quilt
• arrange for help when we go to the hospital
• get new video camera battery
• make sure camera stays on the charger
• buy myself new pajamas (my personal tradition, when having a baby)
• clean minivan, inside and out
• continue to stay on top of laundry, housework, etc.
• i know i'm forgetting something...

no wonder my back hurts....

here i am, with five weeks (give or take) to go!! lots of people have been commenting on how my belly has popped out even more recently. i have to agree, because i am the one feeling the affects of it! this is the not-so-fun part, lookswise (yes, i am vain)....i definitely "poof up" at the end of my pregnancies. of course, it will also help if i stay away from the nachos and ice cream... i think the hardest part for me is the face. i just don't see myself when i look in the mirror. but i keep reminding myself, "this is temporary, this is temporary!!"

jackson is head-down now. i really enjoy his cute, little movements (which are less frequent, now that he is quickly running out of room in there). there is the usual pain, of course, but all the kicks and wiggles make it worth it. we are incredibly curious as to what this little guy is going to look like. all we can do is wait...

6 weeks to go!!!

~1 baby room painted

~2 pieces of furniture put together by jim

~3 children that can't wait for their brother to arrive

~4 pieces of fabric to cut for baby quilt

~5 cute baby outfits bought at a steal

~6 weeks to go!!

more insomnia...

it's just after 6am and i've been up since 3am-ish. blah!! i really hate this. i'm either hungry or restless or have something on the brain or jackson is kicking me or i have to pee. arghh!!! it's going to be a longgggg day.

32 weeks, 1 day!

got a hot date tonight, in seattle!! we'll drop the kids off at their father's then it's just jim and i. we're counting down....not many opportunities like this left!

i'm excited.

thar she blows!!

yeahhh....feeling like a whale these days. i get lots of nice comments about my size when i go out, and you'd think that helps - but not really. i look back at that first belly shot...man, was i skinny!! i am very excited to get back into shape after this. a friend of mine has been getting up really early each morning and working out - i totally admire her, and she looks AMAZING (yeah, i am talking about YOU, karissa)! i have no idea how life is going to be with four children, one of them being a newborn, but i sure hope i find the time (and willpower) to exercise!

here i am at 32 weeks. i figure i should show my belly at a different angle. i only have eight weeks left (depending on whenever jackson decides to arrive)...and i'm only going to get BIGGER!! well, as long as i don't get as huge as i did with my first pregnancy, i will be happy. i was about 186 lbs. when i had jessica! i am surprised i'm not bigger because i've been enjoying food and haven't been careful at ALL.

at my last doctor visit, i learned that i'm anemic. no big surprise. i've been feeling extremely weak and tired (more than the norm). plus, i'm always anemic when pregnant. so i am taking iron pills now, three times a day. i can feel a difference, but not much. still exhausted all the time. and it's hard to get any exercise when feeling so pooped!! any exercise i get involves taking care of the kids and cleaning house.

as i blog, the kids play "kitchen" beside me. they are so cute. quite often, they come over, hug my belly and talk to jackson. when james says his prayers, he never forgets to add, "and bless that jackson will come out soon." it's really sweet. jenna is excited to be a big sister. it's strange to me, that she won't be my youngest anymore. it's hard to believe almost three years have passed since she was born.

during naptime today, i took the usual belly shot then decided to play around in microsoft image composer as i watched my DVR'd show, "top chef: new york."

yep, naptime is mommy time. i try not to take a nap (although i badly want one), because it tends to screw up that night's sleep. last night, i slept *maybe* a total of two hours. ughh...

one can always tell when it's the 5 o'clock hour around here. jessica is down the street at hannah's house and i'm coming out of my peak of exhaustion as the kids make a massive mess of toys while awaiting daddy's arrival. he's at the dentist. again. poor guy, he seems to go there a lot. this is also the time when i try to figure out what i should make for dinner. during this pregnancy, i've been terrible at planning meals. luckily, it always turns out!

the latest and greatest....

"greatest," meaning me. noooo, i'm not having an ego trip. i mean "great" as in LARGE. well, apparently i gained a bit too much last month. at my last appointment, my doctor took one look at my weight and said, "looks like you enjoyed the holidays." i DID enjoy them - thank you very much!! i admit, i am not being very careful with my calorie-intake. this may be my last pregnancy so i am just going to enjoy it. let's face it - this is the only time i can eat a big meal and don't have to suck it in! i don't enjoy seeing the weight gain (especially around my face), but it helps knowing i always bounce back and end up wearing my "skinny jeans" again. just a few more months!

it's pretty crazy, now that i am in my 31st week. i think my nesting phase is finally dying down. i've been cleaning and organizing, taking things the DI (goodwill)....and PAINTING!! yep, this past weekend i took advantage of the kiddos being gone and jim being away at drill. i woke up early and got started. it took most of the day, but that's because i took a lot of breaks. by the time jim arrived home, i was done painting but in tons of pain. my back was KILLING me. he, of course (being the great husband he is), had me lay down and rest while he cleaned up and put all the furniture back. he also put the crib up - yay!! i love you, baby!!

here are a few pics of the room. i still need to make curtains and find something to go on the walls to tie it all together. i am going to hang dark red curtains in the window and also in front of the treadmill (don't want to see that eyesore)! i'm sure i'll post more pics when it's complete.

the next thing to accomplish is jackson's baby quilt. the quilt you see hanging on the crib is actually james' baby quilt, made by my sister, trisha. it goes really well with the room! but, of course, jackson will have his own quilt. this is the fabric i am using:

i just washed the fabric today and will probably iron it tonight. tomorrow....it's cutting time!!