Sweet Summertime

FIVE weeks.

Another week off the calendar and I can't believe I'm staring at the home stretch! While there is a small part of me that thinks "sad, I don't have that much longer to be pregnant..." - let's be serious, I'm ready. I feel like it's written all over my face. Baby is definitely running out of room and making mommy very uncomfortable. His kicks, his jabs, his hiccups, his head butts - everything is so much more intense. And sleep? Forget about it! =) It's a never-ending battle. Our bed has been taken over by an ever-growing number of pillows and I just flip-flop side to side all night. I know it'll all be worth it though - I just need to keep my thoughts positive and stay focused on the end result - a sweet, healthy baby boy!

Some good news came our way last week when Eric accepted a job here in Bloomington! He'll be working for Lincare, a company that specializes in respiratory care. Essentially, he'll be selling respiratory equipment to hospitals, doctors, and in patient homes. We are really excited about this opportunity and I'm so proud of him for making it happen this quickly! Now, I just need to find something to occupy my time in the next five weeks! Everyone keeps telling me to relax, enjoy the time, etc., but that's so hard to do when you're used to being BUSY! I worked a lot in the nursery last week and started to put things away, wash clothes, and organize. My friend, Jessica, is going to come down next week and help me decorate a bit - something that's definitely not my forte! I will be certain to put some pictures up once things are finished. 

This past week was a good reminder of what an amazing husband I have. Eric has been my number one supporter through this entire pregnancy and nothing has gone unappreciated. Whether it was taking care of me this past week while I was sick (bringing flowers home like a gentleman), coming to every single doctors appointment, making me laugh during my emotional breakdowns - he's been my rock no doubt. I'm sure I haven't always been the most pleasant person to be around in the last part of this pregnancy, but he always makes me feel like number one. I definitely feel like one lucky gal! =)

Hope everyone has a great weekend - excited for the Olympics! GO USA!

Home Sweet Home!

We are officially back in Indiana and couldn't be happier! We arrived last Tuesday and have done a good job feeling as "settled" as we can. Eric is busy on the job hunt and I'm busy getting things prepared for baby! I finally went through all my gifts I received from both showers and have made a list of what I can return, what we still need, etc. Thankfully, my list of "still need" is very short thanks to everyone's generosity! Eric put the crib, changing table, stroller, and other fun baby items together so the nursery is starting to take shape!

34 Weeks!

We had our first doctors appointment on Monday at Southern Indiana Physicians. It is a practice of four doctors and we will rotate meeting with them until the delivery. I hadn't been seen in three weeks so I was relieved when baby's heartbeat was beating strong and fast (and he even gave a little kick to the microphone to say hi)! The doctor said I'm measuring normal for 34 weeks and the baby should be around four pounds already! I'm definitely growing! Just in the week I've been in Indiana, I've gotten a lot more r-o-u-n-d! We will go back in two weeks (July 30) and then start going for weekly check-ups. I know everyone tells me not to expect him to come early, but I can't help but think about how soon he could make an appearance! We are getting so anxious to meet our little guy and I'm sure the anxiousness will just continue to grow as the days fly off the calendar!

Now that we're finally back, it just confirms that moving to Indiana was definitely the best (and right) choice for us. We are so blessed to have (most of) our parents here and have enjoyed the time spent with them so far. There's nothing like going to church and seeing old friends, going to Target and running into old college buddies, going to the pool and seeing your first cousins, seeing people from high school when you're out to eat, etc. Our hearts are here and we know we are right where we should be.

Hopefully, I'll get back into a routine of posting every Friday. We are heading up to Indy tomorrow to see Jeffrey, Kristen, and baby Jayden...and I also get to meet my friend Jessica's baby, Lilly, for the first time! Have a great weekend!

8 Weeks To Go!

Wow, has it really been two weeks since I wrote my last post?! Time is flying by! I'm officially 32 weeks - only 8 more to go! I flew home to Indiana this past weekend for my baby shower and let me tell you - it was a fabulous weekend! We kicked off the festivities with my family renting a pontoon boat on Lake Monroe on Friday. With it being 104 degrees outside, the lake felt awfully nice!! Saturday was the day of my shower, hosted by my best friend, Jennifer, and my sisters Kristen, Laura, and Arynn. I loved every detail from the personalized "baby graebe" banner, the baby wish lists everyone got to fill out, and the yummy food for lunch! Baby G and I were absolutely spoiled rotten and received so many nice things - again, everyone's generosity just blew me away. I felt so blessed looking around the room at who was there - family, childhood friends since kindergarten, family friends that were at my mom's baby shower when she was pregnant with me, sorority sisters, in-laws, etc. Just so lucky to have them in my life as my support system! I feel so much more prepared now that I've had two baby showers. I definitely have all the essentials I'll need right away - crib, changing table, car seat, stroller, swaddles, sleep sacks, bottles, etc. The nursery is ready and waiting for us to get there so we can decorate it and make it feel like 'home.'

My sweet family

My wonderful hostesses!

My beautiful sorority sisters

Four generations!

 So, the big move back to Indiana is TUESDAY - as in, five days. It has really snuck up on me. July 10 felt so far away and now I'm staring straight at it. The majority of the packing is done, but there still seems to be a lot left that you have to wait until the last day or two to pack. My "to-do" list triples about every day, but everything will get done. My last day of work is tomorrow, Jennifer flies in Saturday, we're having a get together with our friends on Sunday, last doctors appointment and picking up/loading the truck on Monday, and hitting the road first thing Tuesday morning! My, oh my, oh my. It's been an absolute bear trying to tie up everything with the Coast Guard - the stress has been indescribable. Every day brings a new challenge or bump in the road...feeling like nothing can swing our way. But, we keep saying if we can just get through this part, our handsome reward (literally) will follow soon enough =) 

"And God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear. But, when you are tested, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Our last doctors appointment with Dr. Kling is on Monday. Thankfully, I was able to schedule an appointment with a practice in Bloomington a week later on July 16. I can tell the baby is growing because the movement and squirms are definitely getting stronger! Baby should weigh about 3.75 pounds and measure 16.7 inches long (according to the all-knowing babycenter.com)! I should be gaining about a pound a week, half of which goes right to the baby. In the next seven weeks, he should gain a third to half of his birth weight as he fattens up and gets ready for his big debut - I'm so curious about everything he's doing, who he's going to look like, how much he'll weigh, etc. I know people say the last couple weeks can really drag on, but I'm hoping I'll be distracted with all the excitement we have going on! 

Next post, we will be official Indiana residents again!!