One Month To Go

Today is September 24, so that means less than 1 month until my due date. It's hard to believe that time is going by this quickly. I really don't know where the weeks have gone.

There's not much new to report this week. I'm swollen (Can you say cankles?), exhausted, and getting increasingly uncomfortable. Other than that I'm doing great! The only thing that seems to help is physical activity, so I'm still trying to get in some form of exercise every day. Work is also starting to take it's toll on me. It's not only the commute and sitting at my desk all day, but for some reason I'm busier now than I have been all year. My doctor doesn't want me driving all the way to Hickory past 38 weeks, so I only have 2 more weeks left in the office. Thank god because I really didn't want to go into labor somewhere along 321. After that I'll work from home until the baby arrives. I figured by this point I'd be wrapping up and winding things down, but that is just not possible right now.

I'm still in the nesting phase, and I think it is wearing everyone out, including me. My new task is making freezer meals, so I don't have to cook once the little one arrives. So far it's going well, and the freezer is starting to fill up. I've made chicken taco soup, some ground beef casseroles, and lasagna. This weekend's project: sauce.

35/35!

Well we've made it to 35 weeks, which means that there are only 35 days to go until my due date, hence the title 35/35. It's hard to believe that we will be parents in just about a month! Where has the time gone? When you think about the time remaining in weeks, 5 weeks still feels like a long time, but it's really not. For the most part I think we are ready. We have all the baby necessities and then some, the nursery is painted and set up, the baby clothes are all washed and put away, we've finished all our childbirth classes, we've read all the books, and we've gotten our dog trained, but there are still alot of little projects around the house and items on my to do list that I really want to get done before the baby arrives. Plus, call us crazy, but we decided to embark on a kitchen renovation project this week. Talk about nesting. There's nothing like ripping out your counter tops, and appliances when you are just about to give birth! I'm praying that everything goes according to plan and there are no major delays in the schedule. I guess I should clarify that we are not doing this ourselves. Actually I probably don't have to clarify that. Anyone reading this knows that Jim and I are about as handy as a back pocket on a shirt, and we don't do anything ourselves. Nesting is a strange thing. I've been cleaning and organizing for months but nothing ever feels right. A few weeks ago I decided that I didn't like any of the bedding or linens in the master bedroom or bathroom so I replaced it all. I also ordered a new entertainment center for the bedroom which Jim has the pleasure of putting together this weekend. It seems like everytime I walk into a room I want to change everything. I better have this baby soon before I spend any more money!

I had my 34 week checkup this week, and everything is looking good and measuring right on track. I feel great, other than some swelling in my feet and ankles and some of the other pleasures of late pregnancy which I won't mention here. I've posted both a front and side view of my ever expanding bump, which you can see has gotten pretty huge. We also learned that Baby Lilley has assumed a head down position. Now we are just hoping he stays that way!

A Little Sprinkle

Last weekend my friends Caroline and Theresa hosted a small baby shower for me here in Charlotte. I had a wonderful time, and once again Baby Lilley got many many great gifts. All of our friends have been way too generous! Here I am with the hostesses. Can you believe we are all pregnant? Caroline is expecting her second in mid February. Theresa is expecting her first, Baby Boy Thompson, on November 10. Baby Lilley is going to have lots of great playmates!

A beautiful hat and scarf and matching blanket handmade by Theresa's mom Mrs. Carosella.
Some of the ladies. Opening a card from Erica which contained a wooden cross that she bought in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity. How cool is that? The cross is now hanging above Baby's crib.
Hailey, the littlest and cutest guest!I love this onesie from Nicole! Mommy's Little Stinker. How cute is that?

Cutting the delicious cake.

Thanks to Theresa and Caroline for all their hard work in throwing the shower. I really appreciate all that they did, especially with how much they both have going on right now!

In other news, our little rascal Max came home from two whole weeks of training at Doggie Bootcamp last week. What a difference! He's a whole new dog, and Jim and I couldn't be happier. He knows 5 commands and actually listens to them. He's calmer and just an all around better dog. He seems to be alot less selfish, and in my opinion he's even cuter than before! We are really loving every minute with him. He's like the dog we always wanted, and it was worth every penny.

I was worried that he might not remember us when he got back. Boy was I wrong! He's back to being my little shadow, and I'm loving it more than ever!

A Mother's Love

Today is 09/09/09, and it also would have been my mom's 58th birthday. Maybe it's all the hormones, but this year I find myself missing her more than usual. Five years ago, I thought getting married without my mother there would be the hardest thing I'd ever do. Boy was I wrong. Having a baby without my mother here is by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do without her. There's been so many times during my pregnancy that I've wanted to ask my mom, "did this happen to you?" I can't even begin to tell you how many of my friends have told me that they never could have gotten through the first few weeks with a newborn without their mothers, or that the most important thing to have after coming home from the hospital was the help of their mothers. It's not that I don't have a good support network. I have a loving husband, wonderful friends, and a caring mother-in-law. It's just that sometimes you want your own mother. There's not a single person in the world that can take her place. We all know that feeling you have when you're sick, and you just want your mom there to make you feel better.

Luckily when I grew up my mom used to tell me lots of stories. She told me about her pregnancy with me and about my birth. She said she had such an easy labor and delivery with me, that she could "have had another baby the next day". I guess the ease ended there, because she also said I was quite a terror as an infant. Even back then I wouldn't sleep. She said I was afraid that I was going to miss something. I didn't want to go to anyone but my mom. I'd scream my head off if she tried to hand me off to anyone else. I guess I just knew what I wanted. While it's nice to know all those things, there is so much more I want to know.

It's hard for me to imagine my mother as a grandmother. I can only see her as that beautiful, young, active, person in the prime of her life. Not that I don't think she would make a wonderful grandmother. I know she would. In fact she would be fantastic, especially to a little boy. She'd teach him about nature, and the outdoors, and do all the things she used to do with my brothers and me. She'd take him into the woods to catch tadpoles and caterpillars and wait for them to change into frogs and butterflies. They'd go on bike rides and hikes and to museums and have all kinds of adventures. She'd teach him how to fix things like her dad taught her, and even how to bake. On those quiet lazy days she'd teach him about her love of books, math and science. Their time together would never be boring, just like our's never was.

For me, losing my mother has been like the worst broken heart you can ever imagine. Except it's one that never heals. You might mend the break slightly, and learn to live beside it, but there will always be that hole right in the middle that never fully goes away. My hope is that becoming a mother myself, and giving my own child some of the love my mother gave to me, will help mend the break ever so slightly.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Today Jim and I are celebrating five whole years of wedded bliss. It's hard to believe that it's been that long. I'm so glad we've had these past five years to grow as a couple. It's been an interesting five years filled with many ups, and a few downs. We've lived in four different places, in two different states. I've had three different jobs, Jim's had two. We've travelled to more places than I can even count. We've added one dog and are just weeks away from adding our first child. Right now life seems pretty close to perfect.


Here's some highlights from the last five years.

Our honeymoon in Hawaii. I don't think we could have chosen a more perfect place to spend our first two weeks as husband and wife.


Our first anniversary trip to Aruba.

New Year's 2006 trip to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Cruise to the Bahamas March 2007.

Venice June 2007.

Enjoying some vino in Tuscany.

On top of the Duomo in Florence. Showing Jim why it's my favorite city in the world.
Looking out at all of Rome from the top of St. Peter's.

Exploring Roman ruins.


Below the Spanish Steps.

The day we adopted Max and our lives changed forever. It's hard to believe he was ever that tiny!


Fourth of July 2008 at Emerald Isle Beach.

Attending a wedding in New York City September 2008.
Trip to Seattle October 2008. On the ferry to Bainbridge Island with the Space Needle in the background.

Another relaxing trip to Florida in April 2009.

I can't wait to see what the next five years have in store for us and our growing family. We're off to celebrate in Charleston over the long weekend. Happy Labor Day!