everyone good with weekly updates, cuz that's all i have energy for right now.

soon, soon, soon.

but when???

i had some testing done last thursday to ensure that this little squirt is doing ok despite not growing very big.
happy to report that all is well.
baby passed her NST within the first 5 minutes and my amniotic levels came back within the normal range [albeit on the low end, but that was expected].
i'll have these tests done weekly until i deliver.



nana's came to town last week and it's been wonderful.
she's cleaned my house, weeded my yard, done the grocery shopping, made meals, done the dishes [daily] and chauffeured kate to and from school so i could get some extra sleep.
oh and let's not forget that she and jank potty-trained kate in one day.
no biggie.
[although we're still working on staying dry through the night]
it's so nice to have my mom around.
thanks mom for not judging me for how much i sleep or for how often we have dominos for dinner! [their cheese-bread is my weakness]

and now some pics i've been hoarding in my phone:

this girl can never have enough books.

just one of many meals i haven't made.

it's so nice to wake up to this....

what will i do when nana leaves??

and this happened one day during nap-time.

i've only had 2 pedicures in my life and i have to wonder why don't i get one monthly?

kate waiting patiently in the 'opital' for my testing.

she's learning how to swaddle.

post night shift.

these 3-in-a-rows are getting quite tiring.

thank heavens for great coworkers who baby me and give me the 'princess' assignments.

[one night my job was to answer the ambulance phone. it was reeeeeaaaallly difficult]

ps. my favorite thing ever is listening to kate talk about this baby...

'come out baby!'

'mommie go to opital and push, push, push- grrrrrrrr'

'dockers [doctors] help mommie and baby'

'i go to sea world when baby comes and see dolphins'

and the best is when she hugs my belly and gives the baby a kiss.

she really couldn't be any sweeter.

.

no baby yet.

tyrel-

thanks for the minnie mouse dress [and the cinderella dress].

it makes kate's day when she wears them.

jank-

thanks for our friday lunch dates [even if it is just BK while we sit in my car].

it's so nice to have these moments with you...

before our world gets rocked with a newborn.

love you more than ever.

katers-

you've definitely been testing your boundaries as of late.

but at least you always return to being my sweet kate.

i pray you never lose your sweetness...

or your beautifully semi-chunky cheeks that we all love to smooch.

yuma library-

thanks for having a tank full of fish that look like all the characters in the movie nemo-

it sure keeps my daughter entertained.

sorry kate likes to [repeatedly] yell out all of their names.

we're still working on what a 'library voice' is.

our beautiful white crib-

why did we think painting you white would be a quick project??

so glad the effort was worth it and that you turned out awesome.

now how should we go about teaching kate not to climb into you?

maybe laughing and taking pictures of such behaviors sends the wrong message...

duly noted.

baby E- [38 weeks according to me. 36.4 weeks according to the OB]

so excited to see you [via ultrasound] on thursday.

we need to have some testing done to make sure you're doing ok since you didn't appear to grow these last 2 weeks.

hopefully i'm to blame and not you.

hopefully it's just genetics and i'm simply incapable of growing chunky babies.

hopefully you're healthy and perfect and all's well.

we're all growing very impatient to meet you.

and hopefully you come out soon because i'm getting quite sick of the constant heartburn.

[i know that's selfish of me, but it's the truth]

36 weeks. NOT 34.5 weeks. because i said so.

baby girl-

36 weeks tomorrow!
[and yes, i am stubbornly ignoring my 'due date range' and sticking with my original due date of feb 8th]

we're all getting pretty excited to meet you.
[especially kate- but that's probably because we told her she gets to go to sea world when you come. i am so not above bribery. 'i get to see dolphins when baby comes' is heard at least 3 times a day. even her teachers at school know all about it]

but give me at least 2 more weeks to fully get ready.
your nursery is a disaster right now and i haven't washed any of your clothes yet.
i worked all weekend and you really didn't let me sleep much-
thanks for the frequent trips to the bathroom, the swollen ankles and the contractions- so thoughtful of you.
the goal is to get your room whipped into shape by this weekend...
so hang in there little one and lay off the kicks to my right hip- it's getting a little tender!

love you more than seems possible,
mama

ps. this was my work outfit for all of 15 minutes... then one of my coworkers made fun of my belly button poking out and i wore my zippie the rest of the shift. [i'm a little sensitive right now. yeah for pregnancy hormones]


.

right this moment kate is [loudly] singing her abc's instead of napping

things that make me happy:

new chocolate-chocolate donettes. 

we've already eaten 3 bags this week.

probably shouldn't admit that.

lots of hot-air balloon sightings in yuma.

and never-ending blue skies.

yuma sunsets/sunrises are rumored to be some of the best.

wish pictures could capture the beauty b/c they really are amazing.

so many things to love:

1. my appetite for cheeseburgers is back.

2. we have an 'in n out' here.

3. we're eating outside!

4. jank's wearing an 'in n out' shirt while eating @ 'in n out'= awesomeness

this little girl makes me so very happy.

wish i could bottle her sweetness and share with everyone.

plus, her hair is all sorts of out of control lately and i've given up.

the mullet wins this round.

the dollar isle @ the bullseye.

animals that make noises...

a galvanized bucket for diapers...

chip clips...

done and done.

painting the crib has allowed me time to sit and think.

it's been therapeutic for me and allowed me time to analyze my pregnancy anxiety attacks.

i've never really had anxiety attacks before but by-golly am i having them this month.

palpitations and racing thoughts don't make for a good time.

i've analyzed it down to a few issues--

1. our family is in a really good place right now and as wanted and loved as this new babe is, i just don't want to rock the boat.

2. labor. labor. labor. delivery. delivery. delivery. ugh! enough said.

finally[!] getting christmas decor put away.

kate had to hug and kiss and say goodbye to every single ornament.

kinda annoying, mostly awesome.

things that make me grumpy

being told by my OB that i no longer have a due date.

i now have a 'due range' spanning from feb 8 through feb 18.

baby girl is doing great-

she's just consistently measuring 1.5-2 weeks behind schedule and since i never had a period to calculate an exact due date from... i now have a 'due range'. bleh.

kinda shocked that i didn't cry at all yesterday after being dealt that blow.

although i did say the f-word and threw the fly-swatter at the dryer.

jank got after me for that one-

but aren't i a teensy bit justified??

10 days were just added to this waiting game.

i like black and white. and timelines. and countdowns. and finality.

so now what do i do?

i'm totally making a yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

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