Sweet Week

Tuesday was my birthday. Colt leaves very early for work, so I woke up to ^ that  awesome, self-esteem boosting message, a funny card and very sweet letter, a clean kitchen, and 20 bucks to take myself to a fancy lunch (since we couldn't hang out during the day). I went into work, then came home to beautiful flowers and a big hug from Colt before going in to have my hair all did. I'm dark blonde now! It's a fun change-and low maintenance, for when baby gets here. Then Colt and I went to dinner, and we came home and opened presents and watched a movie. Colt also made me a kick-a birthday dessert...which we have eaten pretty much every day this week. YUM. Thanks so much, babe! You made my birthday so great.

 Sorry if you find this picture creepy (it's ok, I sometimes secretly found other people's ultrasounds quite unsettling), but honestly, if you had seen the front view of his face a few months ago, you would agree that he is looking pretty adorable these days! The day after my birthday, we had our 35 week ultrasound to see how big the baby is and make sure all is well in there. We will be in Oregon for Christmas, and my doctor just wanted to take a peek and make sure we were good to go! It was so cool to see how big our little peanut has become-he currently weights 5 lbs 7 oz, and is on track to be about 7.5 lbs if he comes on time. According to the doctor, baby is in the correct position for delivery, or, as he put it, "ready for take-off." That was good to hear. We could also see that our little guy has hair! A little bit of peach fuzz, just like his daddy had when he was a baby, as well as his mama's EXTRA chubby cheeks. That big white bulge is his chipmunk cheek; looks like he's been enjoying all the hot chocolate I've been drinking ;)
I love Christmas lights. Tonight, Colt and I drove over to the Fir Grove neighborhood to check out the festivities. Not every house was decorated (but tons were!), and they weren't all professionally done or anything, but I think that makes it more fun. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we'd just cruise around the neighborhood and count how many decorated homes we saw. This particular neighborhood has been putting on a light display for over 25 years, and we were pretty impressed. I love starting our own family traditions.

Baby, It's Cold Outside: 34½ Weeks

How Far Along? 34 and a half weeks. Only five weeks left (hopefully)! Baby's Size Equivalent? A pineapple. Mmm...pineapple is yummy. Maternity Clothes? Same old story. Some of my regular clothes still fit, some don't. I tried to put on the shirt I wore for our engagement photos, and that was a little bit hilarious. How Are You Sleeping? I'm doing ok. My belly has gotten heavy enough that it pulls on my ligaments when I lay on my side, so Colt bought me a fluffy pillow to support it when I go to sleep. It's sort of sad when your belly requires it's own pillow. Pretty soon it will need it's own apartment. Best moment this week? We were able to go to an Infant Basics class offered through our hospital. I learned how to swaddle! Colt is better at it, though. Swaddling is too much like oragami for me to be especially adept. And, if you want to get real honest, the other best moment was when someone shoved a menu for a local Chinese restaurant through the slit in our front door advertising a "buy one entree, get one free" special. Oh, sesame chicken. It's been too long. Weird pregnancy moment? I think I'm a little more emotional than usual. Colt made me a sandwich for lunch in the morning before he left for work, and when I found it in the fridge, I almost cried. Also, I keep finding mysterious little spots and stains on the bellies of my shirts. I don't know how they get there, and I only notice them after the fact, when I go to put the shirt on again a few days later. Waaaah! Any Movement: Yes, but he's gotten bigger, so movements happen a little less often, and they feel more like nudges and waves than sharp jabs and somersaults. He's running out of room in there! Anything making you queasy? No, but small amounts of food continue to fill me up super quickly. Thanksgiving dinner was a crisis. How About Cravings? Biscuits with peanut butter and honey have become delicious unto me. And raw veggies with sour cream ranch dip. That's pretty much the only way I will eat vegetables these days. What I'm Looking Forward To: Our doctor is going to do an ultrasound next week to see how big baby is measuring. I hope he can tell us if little man has any hair!