32 Weeks!

Finishing up Week 32!  WOW!  The time continues to zoom by.  It has been hard for me to update the last few weeks because I have been SO busy.  My school time is coming to an end in the next month which means....lots and lots of homework.  No fun.  Would much rather just focus on baby :-)  We have been slacking a bit in our weekly photo department as well-but here is the impressive week 32 belly:

Sure has grown since week 30!  Women's bodies are capable of such amazing things-and pregnancy has made me see this even more than before.  My chronic body pain has actually leveled off a little, but I am starting to feel that last trimester exhaustion more and more.  Sometimes I feel like I'm back at week 8 or so with the extreme sleepiness.  But everyone warned me that it would return-so at least I was prepared!  Last weekend we also had my Albuquerque Baby Shower!  What a wonderful day filled with love--completely surrounded by amazing friends, family, and the yoga community.  It truly did warm my heart.  The heartfelt words and thoughtful gifts from everyone were all so touching.  I've said it before, but Harper is one lucky little bambina!  She is already in such good hands with all the caring and supportive people in my life.  I have no doubt she can feel the love that everyone has shown me throughout this pregnancy. 

This weekend is also sure to be fun-filled.  Tomorrow we are having the Maple's and Brunton's over for a BBQ and to check out Harper's sweet nursery, Saturday is the 'Yoga Prom,' and Sunday is our final Blissborn class.  Our class this past week, which focused on using self-hypnosis for pain control, was absolutely amazing.  My favorite class so far.  It really built a lot of confidence and made me feel just how powerful the Blissborn method is.  I am getting very very very excited for labor!  I know most women don't feel this way-but I am looking forward to it SO much.  The excitement grows as life is stirring inside.  I'm sure I will have loads of photos and stories from this weekend (if I'm able to stay awake for all the fun!), so I will do my best to post again soon!  Until next time...

New Ultrasound Photos

Everything was still looking good at our ultrasound today.  And, of course, the most fun part of the ultrasound were the adorable images of Harper!  I know I'm biased...but her chubby cheeks and lips are SO CUTE!!  I can't wait to meet her :-)

We love you little girl!!!  Keep on cookin'!

Wrapping Up 30 Weeks!

Finishing up Week 30 of pregnancy!  

I was on official spring break this past week which was SO nice.  Since I had a week break from school, I decided to also take off from work to really get some good relaxin' in.  My parents were also visiting, so it was fun to just have an open schedule to hang out with them.  It's always great to see mom and dad!  AND they brought us a ton of new fun furniture for our house.  They just sold their home in Arlington and are downsizing for their move to Galveston.  In their transition we inherited the comfiest lazy boy chair on the planet, another kitchen table to connect to ours for additional seating (we can actually have more than 4 people at the dinner table now!), and a bunch of other fun garden knickknacks.  We also had our 30 week appointment during my parents' visit, so my mom came down to Dar a Luz with us to check out the birth center.  Everything seems to be going swimmingly with the pregnancy and my mom felt reassured after our appointment :-)  We do have an ultrasound on Monday just to check things out further, but everything seems great.  Nothing had changed at our last ultrasound, so it seems that my cutting back on physical activity has slowed any more premature effacing.  Harper and I are doing very well!  She is ready to go in the 'head down' position and will most likely stay that way until labor.  At the appointment, Abigail showed my mom and Josh how they can feel her little noggin in my belly, which was definitely cool for them.  I still have body aches and am starting to feel the joys of Braxton Hicks (false/practice contractions).  But, I am really just so excited for our baby girl's arrival, that none of that is too bothersome.  As spring break came to a close today, I got to have lunch with my girls Rachel, Tara, and Tara's sister Kaiti.  Tara and Rachel both had their babies with them (Declan and Kyle), which is just so fun!  I can't wait to add Harper to the mix!!!  All in all it was a fabulous week off.  My mom will be back next weekend for Harper's shower, and I am very excited for the event.  It will surely be fun for all. 

And now, a couple more fun photos for your viewing pleasure:

Check!

We've finished Miss Harper's functional closet!  Easy as:

One,

Two,

Three!  Ta-Da!!!

Week 29!

Happy Sunday everybody!  Cruising into week 29 today :-)  I can't believe I only have 11 more until the due date!!!  Crazy.  I will start with posting a picture of my growing BUMP.  Wowza!  That stretchy t-shirt dress barely fits me now!!  I was hoping it would last me until the end of the pregnancy...but we shall see!
 

Our fur-baby, Mitch!

What a wonderful weekend Josh and I had together.  We are both in serious nesting mode preparing for Harper's arrival.  I have never seen either of us dive into projects so eagerly on our usual lazy Saturday and Sunday.  I have been cleaning like a mad woman--laundry, dishes, dusting.  Josh has officially begun the first phases of our kitchen project.  We are also trying to organize Harper's closet into the most functional space possible.  We are becoming small-space experts at this point with our little casa!  I will post before and after pictures of the closet and kitchen as we complete each of them.  Also, I have been extremely artsy crafty the last few weeks--those of you that have been to our house know that I LOVE making artwork!  Here are some recent pieces I have done for Harper:

Cutie Owls above her crib!

Her name to be hung on the wall

We are now in the final stretch of pregnancy and will begin to see our midwives every two weeks.  At this point, we are hoping that everything is smooth sailing.  I am still being cautious and 'prudent' as my mom and grandma have ordered me to!  But I really feel that everything is good.  Harper is growing and developing like superbaby, and loves to kick, stretch, and squirm!  She even woke me up from a dead sleep last night with a very powerful KICK to my right side!  Josh and I are also continuing our Blissborn classes for the next few weeks.  Tara and Jon were right-they are pretty cool!  We have been doing our 'homework' (which is practicing self hypnosis) every night and are loving it.    With all of my yoga practice and Josh's natural relaxed personality, we are very good at 'letting go'.  This has been great for us especially with our hectic schedules.  It's such a nice practice to meditate and take time to relax everyday, even when you are not carrying a baby.  Just a good life skill to learn, period.  Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!  I think I feel spring in the air here in Albuquerque :-)