Geez, I have been such a slacker in keeping up with the blog. Really, I am very sorry. It feels like nothing has really been happening, but then when I think about it...tons has happened!

Let's see...the mural in the nursery is finished and it is BEAUTIFUL! Seriously, Adina is one crazy talented lady. Keeping with the nursery for a bit...we have the most amazing lime green armchair glider in the world. I fell in love with this chair on my first trip to USA Baby back in...DECEMBER and my amazing friends all went in together to get it for us. Oh, and they kept it a total surprise from me. Zac AND my mom knew and still...I had no clue. I credit part of their secret keeping success on my lack of brain :) All of this secret keeping was over at our last baby shower which was SO MUCH FUN! We played baby categories scategories and decorated individual panels for a quilt for Sophi and had *the best* ice cream sundaes ever. AND we had a baby bump cake. Ridiculously cute.

What else...Oh! we had a pretty significant dress rehearsal for the big day a couple nights ago. I had about 4 hours of false labor, just practice for the real thing. Zac went into super nesting mode by doing laundry, cleaning our room, rearranging and bringing in the bassinet, all of this while still being incredibly present and supportive through the contractions. I really am a very lucky woman.

Well, that's all that I can think of at the moment. We are plugging along, just waiting for the big entrance! She is considered full term at this point so really...any day now. Maybe today! who knows!

we are just chugging along here! as of last week, sophi was weighing in at a whopping 5 lbs 9 oz and we found hair on top of her head in the sonogram! with just under 4 weeks left, to say that we are getting pretty excited is a huge understatement. we have furniture in the nursery and are just waiting on the beautiful bedroom set from denver then the nursery will be totally done :) i am working on getting all of her clothes washed and ready and stocked. there are a few more things that we need to pick up to feel totally prepared...but who really feels totally prepared?

in the past couple days sophi has been practicing for the big day! she loves to push realllllllllly hard just to let me know that she will do her part when the time comes. my body has been practicing as well and i just have to remind myself that it's a good thing...braxton hicks are important. my birthing ball and zac rubbing my back gets me through really well!

overall, things are going great. thank you to everyone for their thoughts and love. maybe next update will be a little more exciting :)

good morning everyone!

i am awake with some pretty massive heartburn, but with the help of tums and my yoga ball i think i will make it :) not much has changed since last post physically, but boy have we been busy! we had our first baby shower this saturday and it was a beautiful and meaningful experience, not to mention the presents. i didn't want to play games with food in diapers and thank goodness there was none of that. instead we had conversation with words of strength and stories of love from those who have become mothers and encouragement from friends! the food was wonderful, especially the chocolate covered strawberries :)

beyond the encouragement that was shared we received some fantastic gifts. We got a camcorder, a GREAT stroller, diaper genie, changing pad, swaddler, the perfect diaper bag, and some incredibly cute clothes!! everyones generocity was a bit overwhelming, and thank you cards seem inadequate. we spent the weekend taking stock and putting some finishing touches on the nursery and we made our first diaper run!

we are getting more and more excited. zac and i find ourselves just looking at each other giggling when the realization hits, holy crap, only 5 more weeks! thank you to everyone who has supported us emotionally and given such generous gifts.

what a week we have had! i have gone swimming twice and it is as amazing as i had hoped it would be! weightlessness has its perks. also, i am much more buoyant now than i used to be which is super nice! so, not only am i working a bunch of muscles that have been neglected i am getting some much needed vitamin d!

also this week we met with and decided on a doula! her name is vanessa and she is pretty great. she teaches at shawnee mission medical center and has help to deliver 3 or 4 babies a month for the past 5 years. we are excited!

i am feeling pretty huge these days. we spent the evening with zac's fam last night and dan (dad) noticed that i was shifting every two minutes and asked if there was any comfortable position at this point. what is funny is that i hadn't really noticed but now i am super aware of my fidgeting. it's not much of a problem, if i get too bad i just get on my yoga ball and life is good.

well, that is about it for now! just plugging along. looking forward to picking a pediatrician and photographer for newborn photos. if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

As I enter into week 31 I am mindful of the poor women who feel miserable through their entire pregnancy. I wouldn't say that I am miserable...just not comfortable. I have started the heartburn and general feeling of discomfort stemming from the lack of room for everything inside of me. My toes look like little sausages and my face is filling out...BUT we had another check up and Sophi is doing great. As of Wednesday she weighed 3.5 pounds! I had the glucose screening and everything was prefect. While I am concerned about my weight gain...no one else is. My doc told me just to stop thinking about it, but I'm pretty sure that isn't realistic.

In other news, we have made a major step in completing the nursery! The walls are 98% finished. All that is left is for a beautiful mural to be painted and the furniture to be moved in! Oh, and a modification to the ceiling fan. But that's it! It feels really good to be this much closer to having a place for Sophia.

Speaking of the little one...boy has she been active! It has been a riot to see her rolling and stretching. It is still a little weird to see a *human being* moving around in side of me. Most of the time I love it, others it's a bit crazy. Especially when that stretch puts a foot right in the bladder or ribs. I really can't complain too much though. I have had it so easy up until this point and it's not like I am bed stricken...just a little uncomfortable :)

That's about it for now! Check out my facebook for pics of the nursery :)

steady as she goes

to keep with the theme of pretty much the entire pregnancy... things are going really well. sophi is really working her muscles and having so much fun...not always fun for me. we went to see a movie last night and threw the *entire* thing she kicked so so hard. just a little distracting! I can't complain too much, it's nice to feel how active she is becoming.

in other news, we have started on the nursery finally! we have painted 4 beautiful colors. they are bright and go so well together. i have to order about 3 more feet of border then we can get the furniture in and it will really start coming together. it feels really good to get her room ready. i will post pictures when it is all done. there are pics of the process on my facebook if you are interested!

well, that's about it for now! congrats to frank and caroline who safely delivered quinn cupar!

I am sitting in our home office sipping prego tea and listening to the birds and windchimes. Besides being tight on money (who isn't these days?) life is very good. I continue to feel great physically and spiritually. I am reading a wonderful book, "Birthing from Within" which is articulating some of my fears and worries, but also providing a perspective that I was searching for. Every chapter I read makes me feel a little more prepared for what is to come.

I am growing and so is Sophi. Yesterday my grandma and aunt were able to feel her kick and roll which is always exciting. Zac and I (and Nana) are getting closer to agreeing on colors for the nursery. Funny how that decision was much more difficult than her name :)

Hope everyone is doing well!