Fall is here

Most of this week was fairly uneventful. In fact, I think the most notable thing to share was how amazingly HOT it was for late September. (Though I'm guessing I noticed it more than others thanks to the extra weight I'm toting around.)

We've had gorgeous fall weather this weekend, though, and the a/c is officially turned off. (Which is probably a sure sign it will be sweltering again next week). It's been really nice to just have our windows and back door open. Okay, and we'll admit, and the apple cider donuts have been really nice too.

Yesterday, we cleaned the house (well, a little), sterilized bottles and pacifiers, and Eric worked on reformating computers. Today we ran errands, visited with my parents and watched football.

Baby is now considered "full term," so in theory she could arrive any day. (Though hopefully she'll wait at least one or two more weeks, if not the full three!) Guess we'll just have to wait and see which day she has in mind for a birthday! The average baby weighs a little over 6 pounds and measures about 19 inches at this point, though this one is probably smaller than that (think 5.5 pounds).

Two weeks for the price of one

Apparently I skipped a post last week - oops. So to catch you up, the week before last was the week of the baby shower. My coworkers threw a shower for me on Wednesday afternoon, and it was wonderful! We had a taco bar for dinner (yum!), and there were lots of wonderful gifts.

Then on Saturday, my college friends hosted a shower for me. While it was a small group, it was also a really fun one - and I enjoyed getting to have a chance to chat with friends I haven't seen in awhile. Barbi is also a champ and made it to the shower just 13 days after having a baby. I don't forsee me being that brave!

Since Eric was out of town for Ty's birthday party, I had the whole weekend to organize gifts and finish setting up the room. I even washed sheets and the changing pad cover, so the room looks complete. I think all we need now is the baby! (I say that now...I'm sure there will be at least one midnight run to the store in our future).





This week was much less exciting...and was full of long days at work. It's not a good sign when you're ready for the weekend and it's only Tuesday! We took it easy this weekend - got the car seat bases installed in both cars, ran errands and watched a lot of football (go Bears!).

Baby is probably more than 18.5 inches long and is packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. The average weight at this stage is 6 pounds, but the doctor guessed this little one was closer to 5 pounds at my appointment. (Don't worry - she's growing right on track...I'm just probably not going to have a moose-sized baby). She's shedding most of the hair that covered her body, as well as the waxy substance that kept her from turning into a prune during her 9-month spa experience. She'll be full term at the end of this week...and could technically arrive at any time (eek!).

35 weeks

35/35 today (35 weeks, with 35 days to go)...can't believe how quickly it's going. Baby has less room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (like a honeydew melon). Because she's so snug, she's not doing somersaults anymore, but she still manages to roll over (which makes the right side of my belly stick up higher than my left), elbow my side and kick me in the ribs. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of the basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo

After a miserably hot week, the weather cooled off just in time for a beautiful three-day weekend. (Thank goodness!).

On Saturday, we took Peanut to the dog park, and he had the best time. At one point, a boxer (his favorite) came in, and Peanut's eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning - it was too funny. There were probably 20 dogs running around, and he was exhausted after playing for an hour.

Yesterday afternoon we went and had some professional pictures taken. We trampled through poison ivy (though we're still rash free tonight, so we're assuming we're in the clear), lay down in weeds and hiked to an old wooden barn. It may be awhile before we get pictures to share, but we're hoping it was worth it (the photographer was really excited, which is always a good sign!).

As an added bonus from the dog park, Peanut slept in until after 8 a.m. today (yay!). We then headed to the zoo. Seems like everyone else had the same idea as the place was packed...but we had a good time looking at the animals (especially the dolphin show and the penguins!).

Baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Her favorite game is kicking my ribs...which usually elicits a yelp from me! Hard to believe, but we only have 6 weeks to go!