Due Date vs. Birth Date

So, we've started a friendly contest in our family. Each family member has predicted our baby girl's day of birth. The winner will receive some prize, yet to be determined.

Remembering that the due date is Nov. 1st and that I'm scheduled to teach until Oct. 29th... here are the results:

Oct. 15 (Pete, D's dad)
Oct. 19-21 (my baby's daddy who either thinks labor will last 3 days or he can't commit...)
Oct. 25 (Christopher, my bro)
Oct. 25 (Cathy, D's mum)
Oct. 27 (Ali, sis-in-law, who specified birth at 11:30 pm)
Oct. 28 (Eric, my dad)
Oct. 31 (Pip, D's sis)
Nov. 2 (Kim, my mom)
Nov. 2 (Josh, bro-in-law)

(My mom said she picked a later date because she knows that I'll stress out unnecessarily if this baby comes early. I'm way too organized and controlling, so I'm sure the birth of this baby will happen early to teach me a lesson...)

As the mum-to-be and organizer of this contest, I've respectfully declined to enter. I think I'm in denial that this is all happening so quickly!!! I'm also scared beyond belief that I'll go into labor while in front of high school students. I might regret saying this later, but as of right now, I'd rather have a long labor than a short labor that started at BHS. Please keep your non-swollen fingers crossed for me since mine are retaining too much water to wish myself luck.

Week 35

Fall has arrived, and you know what that means? Football? Yes. Taco soup? Yes. Lots of leaves in our driveway? Absolutely. The season of our baby girl's birth? YAHOO!!

I've turned over a new leaf (I couldn't help myself...I had to say it!!!). My to-do lists, my after-work chores, and my weekends jammed with projects have ceased. Yesterday, I only had one outing to Target and then I relaxed, napped, and let D serve me meals. Today, I'm doing laundry and hard boiling some eggs while I watch football. Otherwise, I am too exhausted! This body of mine is carrying A LOT of weight and feeding a wild, acrobatic child. I do spend time in the nursery every day, just staring at all the books, clothes, and cozy spaces as I wait with impatience to meet my little girl.

Doug is hours away from finishing our second bathroom. It looks amazing, and he's built it from the studs up. Yesterday, when he went to buy the toilet seat, he found one that has a built-in potty-training seat for a toddler. It's very cute and the kind of purchase that only a dad would think about! I love it.

Happy Fall to all of our loved ones.

Love, E (and D who is watching football and drinking a beer next to me on the couch)

Week 34--photos!!

(There is one empty frame and two missing initials in the nursery...I'm dying to put up her name and letters! It's on the list of items "To Do" when those early contractions start!)





I'm really pleased with the nursery--it is sassy, eclectic, and adorable! We're stocked with diapers, wipes, onesies...we're ready!



(During a break from building the stroller and swing, Doug completed some interesting and required reading.....!!)




We're doing great and gearing up for the final 6 weeks!

Week 33

I spent this weekend in Spokane with my two grandmothers, my mom, and my sister-in-law, Ali. It was so special to celebrate the upcoming birth of my daughter with all of these generations of women. Ali and my mom planned a wonderful celebration of food and drink on Saturday. Many special family friends gathered and generously gave gifts. In addition to all of the clothing, blankets, and baby gear I received, I also arrived home with heaps of books. My little girl now has a library of her own! THANK YOU TO ALL!! (Ali has much better photos which I'll try to post in the coming days...she is the best sister I could imagine having!)

Pregnancy update:

Why do all baby websites like to make analogies between fruits/vegetables and my baby? This week, the baby weighs over 4 pounds and can be compared to "half a pineapple." Sweet.

Since I've returned to school, my swollen ankles, feet, and fingers have become much worse. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and half my arm is numb or tingling. So, now I've been put on strict orders to eliminate all salt and drink parsley tea every day. Did you know that dairy products carry much of the salt that we consume?!! I love my morning chai tea lattes, my yogurt smoothies, my two string cheeses during my prep period, my vanilla ENSURE protein drink...but apparently, my mild edema must be resolved. My doctor anticipates that I'll lose at least 5 pounds this week in water weight. I think I'll lose more weight than that because I'm only craving foods that I cannot have. Don't get me started on the taste of parsley tea...

Coming up this weekend: WHITFIELD BABY FUN DAY. Doug gets to put together everything from the jogging stroller to the car seat bases to the pack n' play to the baby swing... and I might even splurge and drink a chai while I watch him work.

E