Bullseye...

31 weeks!

Last week, like the last several before it, zoomed by. With adjusting to my return to work, trying to stay on top of housework and dealing with a super active baby, I stayed pretty tired and had to grab naps when I could.

Speaking of squirmy-butt, I'm curious to see how her patterns of movement change in the next few weeks. Dr. W told me to expect her to slow down towards the end as she runs out of room- I think she's trying to get all of her wiggles out of her system now. She has been a little nut the last few days! This afternoon I was jolted out of a nap by her little rambunctious monkey feet beating a staccato in my side and I don't mean a few gentle nudges - she was going to town! If her personality in utero is anything like what it will be when she's here, Jeremy and I are going to have our work cut out for us.

My appointment last week with Dr. G went well, like everyone else in her practice she seemed competent and was really nice. I am still (extremely) partial to Dr. W, but if Dr. G ends up being the one to deliver I know I'll be in good hands.

Work is going well enough - I'm not working complete days yet because the club won't open until the 1st but I still find myself exhausted by the end of the shift. I have been doing a lot more bending, cleaning, organizing, etc., than will be required normally because we have to get the kitchen into shape after a winter of disuse so I'm hoping that when I have a more 'normal' workday I will be able to keep up for the whole day.

In other news, we will be going to the beach after all! We will be staying for free in a house that a friend of the family owns and bringing food from home so it will be cost effective enough for us to be able to swing it. Although we were both prepared to give up the babymoon, I think it's going to be really good for us to be able to get away and relax before she gets here. We're leaving on Saturday, coming back on Thursday and I plan to spend a good bit of the time in between laying out on the sand like a beached manatee! It is unreal that this will be our last trip together as just a twosome. The next time we leave Boone we'll be parents of a baby girl.

Our project this week is to get my hospital bag put together. With our preterm labor scare, we don't want to be caught out of town without it in case she decides to arrive ahead of schedule while we're on vacation. The biggest problem is that I'm not really sure where to begin and I'm a little trigger shy about purchasing some of the things I'll need. Buying a nursing bra scares me- I've already gone through a significant change as far as cup size is concerned and I don't want to sink the money into one to have them balloon even more when my milk comes in. I might try to get away with buying a structured nursing tank to keep in the bag at least until I'm a little bit closer and I have more of an idea what things look like.

By the way, her dresser is DONE!! Thank you to both sets of grandparents for facilitating the refurb - my parents sent a gift that covered the costs of the materials to sand/fill the gouges, paint and hardware and my mother in law did a beautiful job painting it. It took some doing, but after a little elbow grease the 34 year old dresser from Jeremy's nursery has new life. We changed the outdated hardware for some simple white porcelain pulls. I agonized over the paint choice but ended up going with a light green shade called "Lantana Lime". It looks so great, as soon as I have it home I'll post a picture of it. I feel like her nursery is finally starting to come together.

Jeremy and I had a great Easter Sunday, we went to church together (a rarity as Jeremy almost never gets off on Sundays) and had a meal with his mom's side of the family. Even though I pooped out early and retreated home for a nap, I had such a good time spending time with everyone.

Another event of the week...

Stretchmarks.

Yep - I see the tell tale signs of them sprouting around my belly button - I can't wait for my belly to look like a giant target - Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, here I come! In all seriousness, though, like every other irritant I've experienced during pregnancy, it is a tiny price to pay for the most precious gift I've ever been given. 9 weeks and counting -- can't wait to meet you, baby girl.