I had planned to share a recipe today, and it was going to be a delicious, fun one. But honestly, I am not in a food-writing mood right now. Instead, I am very much in a “let’s talk about life lately” kind of mood. So today’s post is going to be a simple life update told through the pictures currently sitting in my phone. Pregnancy, baby preparation, tiny socks, pets, cravings, sleepless nights, and all the everyday chaos that comes with this season of life. Let’s jump in.
First things first: pregnancy updates. That is, without question, the biggest thing happening in my life right now, and everything else seems to revolve around it. This photo is from my 35-week pregnancy update, and I am now a little past 36 weeks. So it is only about a week old, and I basically look the same: very pregnant, very round, and very aware of every movement I make.
I do have some exciting pregnancy news. I had my 36-week appointment yesterday, which is the point when they start checking your cervix, and I am already slightly dilated. To be exact, I am 1 1/2 centimeters. My doctor also said his head is very low, which explains why standing up, walking across the room, or doing anything that resembles normal movement has become extremely uncomfortable. Late pregnancy is truly something else.
My doctor thinks there is a good chance he may arrive early, which would be very helpful for us because Seth is deploying not long after this sweet little boy is born. Our current plan is to schedule an induction for the day after my due date and hope he decides to come on his own before then. At least this way, we know he will not be too late. With the short amount of time Seth has before deployment, we really cannot afford to wait too long. That is one of the harder realities of Army life.
Another surprising part of my appointment was finding out that I had lost four pounds since my last visit two weeks ago. My only response was: how? I am eating constantly these days. I even told my OB that she should spend a day with me sometime so she can fully understand how ridiculous it sounds that I am losing weight right now.
For example, I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning and ate a bowl of cereal because I was starving in the middle of the night. Then I went to coffee with a friend and ordered a bagel with cream cheese. After coffee, I drove through the Panera drive-through and bought a pastry. Fine, I bought two pastries. Then I came home and ate a handful of mini Kit Kats. So yes, the idea that I lost four pounds feels completely impossible.
This picture perfectly represents my main mission in life right now: baby preparation. He could arrive at any time, and to be honest, we are not fully ready in the practical sense. Emotionally, we are beyond ready. Physically, as far as the house, car, nursery, and all the baby gear are concerned, we are getting there.
Yesterday’s project was washing every piece of fabric that will touch Ford’s little body. Clothes, sheets, blankets, swaddles, and all the soft baby things went straight into the laundry. It ended up being two massive loads. Once everything was clean, we folded it all and organized it by size. The right drawer is newborn clothing, and the left drawer is 0-3 months. Apparently newborn and 0 months are not the same thing, which still feels confusing to me, but I am learning as I go. The little middle compartment holds swaddlers and socks. Baby socks, by the way, are almost painfully cute.
I tried to make the dresser look like something from Pinterest, with bins and neat little sections that suggest I have this whole parenting thing completely under control. I would say I partly succeeded. At first, I had no idea what to put in all the top drawer bins beyond the obvious items like diapers and wipes, but eventually we figured it out.
On top of the changing table, you can see our packed hospital bag and diaper bag. This happened when Seth got home last night, and it made me feel very accomplished. It also made me realize how much I do not know. How do you fold baby clothes? What exactly goes in a diaper bag? What should you pack in a hospital bag? I had so many questions. Honestly, what did people do before Google?
As far as the packed bags go, we are nearly ready, aside from a few final details. Over the next couple of weeks, our to-do list includes hanging nursery decorations, buying curtains, organizing other parts of the house, assembling the pack and play, installing the car seat, and making freezer meals. It still feels like a lot, but we are making progress.
This was happening last night while I was trying to figure out how to fold clothing that is barely bigger than my hand. Seth was studying the tiny, adorable baby socks and decided to see how many he could fit onto his own foot.
This picture captures one of the many reasons I love my husband so much. He is involved, he makes me laugh, he brings joy into ordinary moments, and he always manages to keep things lighthearted and positive. He makes me so happy I can hardly stand it. I already know he is going to be an incredible father, and just thinking about it makes my heart feel full. Our little boy is so lucky.
Another item on my baby prep list was buying the remaining things from our registry that had not been purchased yet. Oh my goodness. Hello, baby. Goodbye, savings. I am mostly joking, but only mostly. This is not even everything we needed to buy, but it is a large portion of it.
Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the convenience of Amazon? I ordered these things yesterday, and they are all supposed to arrive before Friday. That is amazing. Our delivery person, however, may not be thrilled with us.
Please also notice the item in the bottom right corner: a large bag of gummy worms that I bought during a craving one night. The size of the bag does not need to be discussed in detail, but for the sake of honesty, it was five pounds. Again, this makes the four-pound weight loss even more confusing.
Sleep has become a distant memory during this late stage of pregnancy. I am sleeping terribly these days. The only silver lining is that sometimes being awake before the rest of the world leads to peaceful moments like this one.
This was Sunday morning. I woke up around 4:30 a.m. and could not fall back asleep. After lying there for about thirty minutes, I noticed soft pink light coming through our bedroom window. I went into the kitchen, looked out the sliding door, and saw the most beautiful sunrise.
I grabbed my Bible and a drink, went outside, and sat in our rocking chair for about an hour. Part of the time I simply watched the sunrise, and part of the time I read, prayed, and journaled. It was quiet, still, and exactly what I needed. Once the sun was fully up, I went back inside and took a nap until it was time for church. It ended up being a really lovely morning, so at least one good thing came from my terrible pregnancy sleep.
This next little section can be called “Animal Obsession.” Pregnancy hormones have made me even more emotional than usual, especially when it comes to animals. I have always loved animals, but pregnancy has intensified that love in a major way. This is especially true when it comes to our dog, Boone, and our cat, Blitz, both pictured above.
I love our cat, but I really, deeply love our dog. It is probably a little excessive, but look at him. He is so handsome, funny, goofy, awkward, and adorable. He may be one of the most entertaining animals I have ever met, and we love him so much.
Of course, I love Blitz too. It is just important to understand that I am a very serious dog person and have never naturally been a cat person. So even though I do love our cat, Boone has a very special place in my heart.
This photo is another example of my pregnancy-fueled animal emotions. The local humane society posted this picture, and the caption said something along the lines of this dog needing a foster home until he was ready for adoption. They explained that he was very scared in the shelter environment, which is clear from his face.
I was already in the process of messaging them to say I would come get him immediately when they updated the post to say a foster home had been found. Just look at his face. He looks so frightened, and it made me want to cry. I wanted to drive over there, hold him, comfort him, and feed him as many dog treats as he wanted.
The only reason this picture is on my phone is because I sent it to Seth and told him that if no one claimed the dog in the next few minutes, we were fostering him that night. Then someone did claim him, which is wonderful, but Boone could have had a temporary dog friend.
This picture would have broken my heart even if I were not pregnant, but with all these pregnancy hormones, I would probably bring home the entire shelter if they kept posting pictures like this.
And that is life lately in picture form: late pregnancy, baby preparation, hospital bags, tiny clothes, sleepless mornings, cravings, pets, and a whole lot of emotion. I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.