33 Weeks

Have I mentioned how amazingly awesome being a stay at home mom is? Seriously. I have been able to do so much more this pregnancy than I did the last.

First of all, I get to pamper myself. I mean...take care of myself so the baby will be healthy. ;) When I was sick, I could stay in bed. Although, I would have given anything to be able to get out of bed! I can go into the kitchen and eat what I want when I want. It has been so easy this go around eating healthy. We have lots of whole foods in the cabinet that I can just grab and eat. This morning I whipped up a batch of granola bars last minute because I was starving! I have even been able to spend time meal planning frozen meals for when she comes. I have a whole month planned out. Half of it is already prepared. I just have a few casseroles to make soon. (I had to make sure we liked the new recipes first. Then I will double them. Make one for dinner and freeze one. Plus, the meals only stay good for so long. I have been able to just sit and watch her kick for a good 20 minutes or so. And sometimes S joins me and we play with her together.

I have gotten a lot done too-preparing for her. Lots of home projects. :) So don't think I am too lazy. ;) I spent 15 hours total last week staining the new deck Hubby built. (I had a mask.) The deal is now he paints her room. (It isn't as well ventilated as outdoors.)

S and I have found a new rhythm and we are trying to see how the baby will fit into that. 31 weeks brought on a lot more exhaustion, so I have had no choice but to allow myself to nap. S has found that she likes to lay next to me and read her book silently on my bed using the lamp light. It is nice and peaceful! She has decided she wants to continue that once Sara gets here. (I have warned her that I will probably nap during Sara's longest nap so I can feed her and cuddle her and catch up on a little sleep since she will be keeping me up.)

As far as "school" goes, we decided the whole "school day" thing wasn't for either of us. It just felt like too large of a chunk of time. So we are continuing her math sheet/folder in the mornings. She enjoys that and it takes her 10 minutes. It has evolved to include multiple digit addition and subtraction (review to help her with lining numbers up and her habit of reading numbers backward), simple multiplication facts along with introductions to new multiplication material, adding change (just to get her faster), a word problem, and writing a sentence to help with spelling/punctuation, along with a list of things we want to accomplish that day. Today it was making homemade Play Doh. So we go over that, usually about 5 or so days a week. We do Bible Time at least one time a week, sometimes 2. And then we do something together in the late morning. Today it was the Play Doh and a long discussion about the Nutcracker ballet/listening to the soundtrack. (She doesn't know it, but my Dad bought tickets to take her to the Fox Theatre in Atlanta this Christmas!!) Then she might play for a long time. This well be my time with Sara once she gets old enough to sit up and play. Then we may do more together or take a nap. Nap is usually around 2 or 3. She reads to herself for an hour or an hour and a half. Then I get up, Clean and cook. Sometimes she helps. Sometimes she doesn't. If she doesn't, she either continues to read our she plays more. Then after Daddy gets home and we eat dinner, we might go downstairs and do cardio while he works out. (I recently had to stop playing tennis because of my muscles, but I am trying to continue walking or biking so that labor won't be so hard.) Then we bathe and whatnot and we spend some time reading her Charlotte Mason book at night. I always consider that a successful day. It seems less formal when it is broken up like that. Our more busy days include service projects/volunteering, going to plays, Heritage Girls, co-op, Swim, etc. She will have a well rounded year if it keeps going this way. She has lots of opportunities coming up and being a big sister is going to be the highlight of the year! So glad we have this figured out. How to do school without doing school. Ah. Give it 7 more weeks and I'm sure I'll be in a panic again. As usual...Just SEVEN MORE WEEKS!!!

Last week we had a small scare. The midwife said I hadn't been growing any or gaining weight. I was still measuring what I was at 29 weeks, which was the last time I was considered average. So they set me up a growth scan and stressed to me the importance of contacting them if her activity decreased. So I panicked a little, but she is super active, so that helped calm me. At the growth scan they said she was growing at a perfect rate. She is in the 63rd percentile for her weight at 4 lbs. 13. What? Almost 5 pounds. The size of a tiny newborn!! She is head down like she should be. Woo Hoo. She just needs to turn. It was nice seeing her. That little face is getting CHUBBY! And DH's job is SUPER flexible, so he was able to go too.

I'm feeling great for the most part, as long as I get my nap. I'm not grumpy. I'm not crying all the time. I'm just...me. and that helps. I don't know how I got so lucky this pregnancy, but it has been (mostly) a joy and Sara has had no problems so far. (Not trying to jinx it.) I think having an older chips helps a lot. In fact, I know it has. Soon, we will be going on our last hike until she is 6 weeks old. (Then we will be hiking in the Smokies for Christmas.) We have a few more projects-painting the bedroom, staining the front porch, getting all the recycling from the garage that has been sitting there for a year, and freezing all those meals along with the Labor-Ade and the lactation cookie dough. Yum! And then....I'll be ready. (After the baby shower!) I have all the big stuff. Just purchased the last bit at a consignment last week. But I have no blankets, no bottles in case I leave her with Jesssie, and no pacis at all! Gotta get going!!