Weeks 32-35: Catchup

I kept hoping I would be able to write up these last few weeks individually, but naps, summertime swimming, new-home bills (I always forget that it costs extra money to set new stuff up in the new place!), and potty training Jules (among other things) have taken up time and/or brain space, and suddenly here we are at the 35 week mark. Which feels both SO CLOSE and SO FAR from the big finale when we meet our babe.

We've been in San Antonio for a month(!) now, are pretty well settled into our town house, watching the progress of our adorable grown-up cookie-cutter house as it goes up (its framed and getting wired--drywall next week!), slowly exploring the surrounding area, meeting people and working on making friends, and eating REALLY GOOD Mexican food and Texas-style BBQ. Even not pregnant, I LOVE eating, so, yeah. Yummy food=happy preggo. Steve has also started work as of this week, and is acclimating to his new work environment and feeling much more confident about the whole being-an-attending thing as he's been able to get his feet wet now. Even though he wears scrubs at the hospital, he leaves and comes home in full ABUs 

(camo) and his military grade boots are usually kicked off at the foot of our bed.

Steve has taken advantage of the time off to take the big kids on nearby adventures. Last week the three of them went to Sea World and saw a ton of shows, rode a bunch of rides, and came home soaked to the bone, happy, and exhausted. This week he took Grace to an enormous, wonderful water park called Schlitterbahn. Next week he's taking Charlie, who is so excited that he made a count-down calendar. :)

While they were out, Juliette and I went to Target, watched Peg + Cat, and ate ice cream for lunch at a Baskin Robbins she has been eyeing.

After weeks of trying to get every form filled out with t's crossed and i's dotted correctly, we finally got our first paycheck from the military (HOORAY!), which made it possible to get down to nesting for this little bundle. Most of our baby stuff got packed away in long-term storage (whoops) so we've had to start fresh a bit. We are loving how minimalist we feel compared to our first time around as parents, though. It's great to know what we actually need and use instead of feeling pressured by the crazy amounts of baby stuff available.

When the house is finished she will have her own nursery with a real crib and furniture, but for now we just got what we really needed, plus a couple of extras. Insurance paid for a breast pump (WHAT!? YAY INSURANCE!), and almost all the rest we got off Amazon, either with a killer deal on Prime Day or using our 15% baby registry discount. I like lists, so here is what we got:

• Pack-n-play
• Pack-n-play sheets
• Boppy
• Travel-size baby swing
• Nursing cover (awesome full-coverage one from here!)
• Pump, nursing pads, + milk storage bags
• Bottles
• Burp cloths
• 3-pack SwaddleMe blankets
• Car seat
• Light-weight stroller

The first part of the haul arrived early in the day, the second part came in the evening. It was like baby-registry Christmas. ;)

And this week we also made a run to Carter's to pick up a few sets of clothes (our newborn stuff is all packed away), which are all now hanging adorably in a prominent place in our closet, looking precious and tiny. And Steve hung one little set of onesies on our wall so we see it whenever we walk into our bedroom. :)

Baby's sibs are starting to get REALLY excited. Charlie talks about her all the time, gives my belly a hug every night before bed when he gives me one, prays for her (and "for Mommy not to be pregnant") frequently, and sat happily for ages holding our friends' baby boy last night.

Juliette has been talking a lot about her, too. Every time we pass something baby related in a store, she tells me it is for our baby and wants to stop and look at it. She's also got her own baby in her tummy, so she's excited for both our babies to be born and sleep in a crib together. (Presh.) She shows me sometimes by sticking her stomach out against mine and saying, "BIG BELLY!" And a few days ago she made "a scribble" for her sister and presented it to my stomach, presumably to be accepted and admired by our baby girl.

As to actual baby/pregnancy stuff, I met my new doctor our second week here, and she is fantastic, which is such a huge blessing. I've already met with her twice. Baby girl is looking good, head down, heart rate between 130s and 140s. And based on my past history of big babies, Dr. Olvera has already promised us an induction date of September 2nd (the exact 39 week mark). Steve and I are both really excited to have a guaranteed baby day already set. We've even got countdowns on our phones. :)

Symptom-wise, I'm doing some better and some worse, but overall I feel like I can get through the last few weeks, which is a comforting feeling. My panic attacks are almost non-existent, thank goodness, and the anxiety is fading. I'm definitely feeling a general sort of down-heartedness and emotional exhaustion, both of which make sense to me based on the state of my tiny, very pregnant body and the roller coaster we've been riding since the beginning of the year. I'm mostly only able to combat this by trying to stay in the moment and not think ahead much (beyond planning for the things I HAVE to plan for, like registering kids for school and making plans for delivery). I'm having trouble falling asleep, trouble focusing my mind on prayer. Restless legs. Some *ahem* consistent unpleasant stomach troubles. Swollen feet and growing cankles. Increasingly strong Braxton Hicks. Shortness of breath (even just reading aloud!). Still have enough nausea that I have to chew gum, take Unisom at bed, and eat lots of ice (this helps--and we've started buying the AMAZING kind from Sonic... Sometimes I just stand in the open freezer door and eat ice right from the bag. It is SO. GOOD.). The worst is (sorry, but this IS a pregnancy blog) the intense pain in my pelvis from the weight of this girl on my 4'10" frame. It is very, very sharp and bad, and similar to the pain I had carrying Charlie.

Overall, I'm just trying to be gentle to my body, rest a lot, move slowly/gently, and keep a good attitude. This is a season. My family is happy and growing. And there are baby clothes in my closet and a swimming pool right outside our front door. Pretty good stuff.