4 more days!

So. This is my last post without baby Grant. WHATTTT? Baby Grant will be here FRIDAY! He has a birthday, people. November 21^st, 2014 (as long as I’m not in labor for 24 hours – here’s to hoping :D).

Last week….

Pretty normal week…it drug on and on, waiting for my appointment on Thursday! I did have a little crafty time, and made a wreath for the front door once we get home! I’m a big fan of the burlap bubble wreath – they take a decent amount of time, but they are so incredibly easy. Let me tell you though, it’s pretty difficult trying to pick up push pins when you can’t feel your fingers. Dang you, carpal tunnel!

Thursday rolled around, and Bailey and I went to my doctor’s appointment. I met with a different doctor Thursday, and I really liked him. Poor Bailey - he's been to every one of my doctor's appointments lately, because we keep assuming we'll find out more information about when Grant will be here. So he misses part of work, drives 30 miles from our house to the doctor, just to drive another 40 miles back to work. Every time, we're in the office for maybe 15 minutes. He's a trooper :) As of Thursday, I was 1 cm dilated. I asked if we could go ahead and schedule an induction, but he said he’d like to wait until I was 39 weeks. It didn’t dawn on me that I would be 39 weeks within a couple of days. I don’t really process things in the doctor’s office – I always get a little bit rattled. So after I left, I called Dr. McDaniel’s nurse to see if we could schedule the induction. She said she would have him call me, but she didn’t see why not. Friday morning, Dr. McDaniel called – I was pushing hard to have him induce today, since my bet was on the 17^th all along. He didn’t think my body was ready yet, so we agreed to Friday, the 21^st. I have a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday to check my progress and to fill out the induction paper work. I’ll wait on the hospital’s call to come in somewhere between 4 & 6 pm on Thursday. They’ll prep me for induction, and start the process on Friday morning! Ahh! I can’t believe the time is finally here!

I haven’t had the urge to nest at all during this pregnancy. I think it’s mostly because I’m gone from 6:30am – 7:00 pm every day, and spend 4 of those hours on the road. I’m just flat out pooped when I get home. However, now that an actual date for Grant to arrive is scheduled, I’m nesting in full-force. Nothing is safe! Cabinets have been reorganized. Grant’s closet and drawers have been reorganized. I’ve been vacuuming and cleaning like you wouldn’t believe. I came home from work on Friday, and my sweet B had cleaned the kitchen top to bottom for me. Have I mentioned he’s entirely too good to me?

We spent our last Friday night as a family of 2 + Coop on the couch in our PJ’s eating Zaxby’s at catching up on 4 hours of DVR. It was pure heaven!

Saturday, we slept in..meaning we woke up at 7:30. One day I’ll look back and miss that, right? I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. Bailey did some work outside – he loves having his own yard to piddle in! I then went to get a pedicure, where the Asian lady kept arguing with me and telling me that I was having a girl, based on the shape of my belly. I appreciate your opinion, ma’am. But I pay my doctor to tell me that information, and I choose to believe it’s a boy, based off the anatomy he’s shown us. I pay you to do my nails, not to determine the gender of my baby. We had a date night Saturday night – Italian. You can’t go wrong. Oh, and we just happened to watch UGA dominate Auburn. We may or may not have adjusted our date night to be at a restaurant where we could watch the game.

Speaking of UGA – I knew my parents were UGA fans. If you talk football with my dad for 10 seconds, or see my mama’s worn out UGA pajamas, you can’t deny their fandom. However, I wasn’t prepared for this text message from my dad:

 Or maybe I was…this is the same guy who told me I’d need to get married on a UGA bi-week, or I’d have to walk myself down the aisle. Mama also sent me a text with a present she got from my cousin, Ashley, who’s stationed in Okinawa with her husband….

I think it's safe to say Grant will be a bulldog fan too :)

Side note – one day last week, I was having pretty intense Braxton Hicks contractions. They didn’t hurt – they were just more annoying than anything. I texted Bailey (because what else is a girl to do besides complain to her ever-loving husband). I immediately received a panicked phone call – “what do I need to do? Do I need to stop and get your bags? Do you need to call the doctor? Go to the hospital?” I’m sorry for the false alarm, B. I thought you knew they were fake…

Most of you know I teach 8^th grade girls on Sunday mornings. As much as middle schoolers terrify me, I LOVE this group of girls. They seem WAY cooler than I ever was in middle school, though (but don’t tell them that). This past Sunday, they gave baby Grant a book shower – they all brought their favorite children’s book and wrote a sweet note on the inside. So incredibly sweet. Some of their favorites were my favorites growing up, too (see girls, I'm not THAT old). I’ve enjoyed watching these girls grow just in the past few months I’ve been able to be their teacher. I can’t wait to get back in the classroom on Sunday mornings!

So I've been promising pictures of his room for weeks now, and keep forgetting. It's actually the reason I didn't post this blog yesterday. I said "ohhh, I'll wait until I get home, take some good pictures of his room, and then post the blog Monday night". Well, I forgot to take pictures until I was running out the door this morning! Whoops! There's still a few spaces on the wall that I need to fill - it looks a little bare, but I can't figure out what I want to do with it, and I figured there's no point on wasting money on something I don't love :)

Thanks, Katie, for the tractor prints :)

 Those books in front of the diaper pail are the ones from our shower Sunday - I've got to move them into his book basket!

 

See that little basket with books and stuffed animals? Yeah, Coop thinks those stuffed animals are his. To his credit, he does have a very similar basket full of his toys...

This is probably my favorite little spot. I love how it all came together!

That’s about it for this week – the remainder of the week will be spent prepping for Grant’s arrival. I’m having flashbacks to college, and feel like I’m cramming last minute for an exam. I started reading my books…last night. Here’s to hoping I do better as a mom than I did as a student. Otherwise, Grant’s in for a C+ kinda life. My last day of work is Wednesday – I may be just as excited about that as I am for his arrival…maybe, maybe not.

Another side note - did anyone send us a breast-feeding gift from Amazon? We received it Sunday afternoon, but there's no return address or note inside! I need to give thanks where thanks are due :)

I know you’d all cry if you thought this was my last blog post ever. Don’t worry, people – it won’t be. I actually look forward to writing this blog each week, and plan to keep it up once Grant gets here. I can’t promise you that it’ll be updated every Monday, but I can guarantee it’ll be filled with a lot more pictures! Baby faces are way cuter than baby bumps!

Can you tell I'm ready for him to be here? That belly - I don't know how much bigger it can get. I'm just glad my butt didn't get as big as well. My apologies for my extreme vanity :)

 

How far along: 39weeks

How big is baby: Huge. He’s just huge.

Total weight gain/loss: 29 lbs at my last doctor's appointment Thursday.

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: It’s not happening. I guess it’s just training for his arrival.  

Best moment this week: Scheduling his arrival date!!

Food cravings: Fruit Loops! I can’t get enough this week. But maybe that's just because I'm over cooking.

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: I can feel that this baby is coming SOON, but no official labor signs.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, and carpal tunnel.

What I miss: My ankles and normal sized hands. I just want to be a girl who can wear her wedding rings.

What I am looking forward to: MEETING BABY GRANT ON FRIDAY!!

It's the final countdowwwwwwwwn (for real)

How am I 38 weeks pregnant already? It's happening, people. This baby is coming. Duh. Ok, moving on.

No. Back up. I am 38 weeks pregnant. I am feeling every. single. bit. of that 38 weeks. I may or may not feel like I'm 83 weeks pregnant (holy cow, could you imagine?). I can't bend over. I can't wear my wedding rings. My hips hurt. My back hurts. I can't sleep at night, but I can't keep my eyes open after 10:30am. I cry at anything and everything. Oh, and I've started using the handicap bathroom at work because it's easier. So there's that. On the flip side of that, I am completely and totally thankful that we have had a healthy pregnancy. My baby is big, but I'm sure that's genetic :) I've had no health scares. He's active and healthy as far as we can tell. I'm grateful that I've been able to carry him 38 weeks safely thus far. So as much as I want to complain these last couple of weeks, I remind myself that there are so many women who don't get to complain at 38 weeks, because they haven't been able to carry their baby to term. There are moms and dads right now who are crying over the loss of a child they never got to meet, not because mom couldn't bend over to tie her shoes (see below for things that made Brittoni cry). So yes, I know my complaints are petty. And I know that Bailey and I are blessed beyond belief and can not wait to meet baby Grant in just 2 short weeks.

And hooooooow do I know we'll meet him in less than two weeks? Because my doctor promised me last week he would NOT let me go past my due date. Hallelujah. Usually with boys, doctors prefer not to induce early, solely to insure that they are fully developed (since boys develop slower than girls). However, since I seem to be growing a small monster, Dr. McDaniel told me on Friday that the safest option for both Grant and I was to induce. BRING IT ON! You guys know me anyway - I'm a planner. So to be able to say, yes, we're scheduling his birth on X date, makes me a lot happier. Now, if we can just get that day scheduled :) Dr. McDaniel checked to see if I was dilated at all - right now, Grant's head is "floating" (if that's not a weird term, I don't know what is) in my pelvis, so he's not putting any pressure on my cervix to dilate. I have an appointment with another doctor in the practice on Thursday - they'll do an ultrasound at that point to make sure everything is still in position. The scheduler wanted to schedule me with the crazy midwife on Friday, as she was the only one who had any appointments available. Um, no. I said I would come in on a different day, but I refused to see her after last week's debacle.

Side note - sometimes, I forget just how sweet and generous people are. Then you have a baby, and it's like you experience everyone's outpouring of love to the nth degree. Maybe I'm just jaded. Maybe people are always this generous, but we just all get a little bit too wrapped up in our own day-to-day lives to notice. Y'all. I've got friends offering to make sure my house is clean and ready for us to come home to when we go to the hospital. I've got friends who have offered to watch my first-born while we're in the hospital (thanks, Brooke). Bailey works in Chateau Elan every day - one of his client's told him to give me his phone number, in case an emergency happened and I couldn't get in touch with Bailey. He said he would ride through the neighborhood to find Bailey for me. Someone I've never even met is offering to hunt down my husband for me, should we have an emergency! I said all that to say - there are crappy people in this world. But for every crappy person, there's at least 5 nice people out there!

Another side note - there are no pictures this week! I have been slacking severely in that area. I plan on taking pictures of Grant's room tonight...I'll post those along with the weekly bumpdate picture!

Hmmm...last week's happenings:

Tuesday, my office surprised me with a baby shower for Grant. So incredibly sweet, and lots of good goodies! We got Grant's carseat (hallelujah - now we can actually bring him home from the hospital), along with several other things off of our registry. It was a super sweet gesture, one that I greatly appreciated! However, I don't do well with being surprised by people I know well, much less some people I hardly ever see! They just kept staring at me. And I just kept saying "I don't know what I'm supposed to do..." over and over again. Incredibly awkward.  But incredibly sweet :)

Wednesday night, Bailey and I ventured out to Babies R Us to complete our registry. Ya'll - I know I posted this on social media already, but we saved a BOAT load of money. Our total when we checked out was $853. Keep in mind, Bailey had a pretty glazed over look on his face the whole time we were there. I think Babies R Us overwhelms him just a little bit - I get it, it overwhelms me too. :) We checked out, and ended up only spending $83 out of pocket. We had about $350 in gift cards. But I also had about $80 in Babies R Us cash I had saved, a few 20% off coupons, and then our registry completion coupon for 15% off our entire purchase. As I watched that total whittle down, I watched Bailey's eyes light up. He got more and more excited. I can't blame him! Once we got home, he put together the car seat and stroller while I watched the CMA's and played with the baby monitor.

I stayed up entirely too late watching the CMA's on Wednesday...I called Bailey Thursday morning and told him if I ever tired to stay up until 10:00 during the next few weeks, to knock me out. Needless to say, I was asleep by 8:00 Thursday night. During the day on Wednesday, I was having a pity party. I'm too big. I'm too tired. I'm too everything. Elizabeth, being the great BFF that she is, cheered me up with a text message:

In case you've been living under a rock (or you're my grandparents who care nothing about the CMA's), Carrie Underwood co-hosted the CMA's. She's pregnant as well. Girl, stop trying to steal my thunder. Have I mentioned how much I adore Elizabeth? ;)

Friday, Bailey loaded the car seat into the truck and put the other base in my car. IT'S HAPPENING! BABY THINGS ARE TAKING OVER EVERYTHING!!! And then we went to sleep. at 9:00. It was a feat to stay up that late.

We left Saturday morning for Mansfield to celebrate Pepa's birthday at mama and daddy's house. My family wouldn't be my family if they didn't constantly make fun of you (that's code for "we love you"), so there were fat jokes just a-flyin'. And they think they'll get to hold Grant once he's here...ha. Sunday afternoon, mama and daddy's church threw us a shower - it was so good to see people from the church that I grew up in! We got lots of goodies - Grant will be one well dressed little boy! Laundry seems to be a lot more fun when it's for babies :) After the shower, we stopped by my Granny and Pop's. Granny has Parkinson's, and I didn't think she had much (if any) range of motion in her arms,  until she reached up from her bed and rubbed my big ole' belly. I may have struggled right then and there to not cry. She just kept saying "next time I see you, I can touch him!". Oh how right you are, Granny. That seemed to be the theme of the weekend - "next time I see you, you'll have a baby". When we got home, Bailey and I had plans to get so much done around the house...it didn't happen. It was only 7:00 when we got home, but with the time change and the trip home, it might as well have been 10:30. Laundry can wait until tonight. :)

Things that made Brittoni Cry This Week:
1. Folding Grant's clothes, again. I know one day this will make me cry, solely because they'll smell so bad. But this time I just cried thinking of how I can't wait to hold his sweet little self. And yes, he will be "sweet". and kind. and gentle. and polite. and will never throw a tantrum. ;)
2. Tuesday, Cooper followed me into the bathroom after work, per usual (judge away). I was tired, hungry, and cranky, and yelled at him to get out of the bathroom NOW. Ya'll, I've never seen him cower down and slink away. I immediately lost it and cried big, heavy alligator tears. Coop and I stayed snuggled up on the couch all night long. I'm sure he got tired of my incessant apologies (judge away, again), but I can assure you he did not tire of my scratching his ears for 3 hours.
3. Wednesday's deals at Babies R Us. I mean, who wouldn't cry at saving 90% of their bill ( I think that's 90%. I'm probably wrong)?!?!
4. I couldn't get my boots to zip up. They're the only pair of boots I have that fit right now. I was hot and running late to work. I literally sat in the floor of my kitchen sweating and crying because I couldn't get my dang boots zipped. Don't you worry. After a little Coop lovin, I took a deep breath and reassessed the situation. My jeans were stuck in the zipper. It wasn't just because my legs are huge (or at least that's what I keep telling myself) :)
5. A friend sent me this song on Friday. I don't care who you are - it'll make you cry. Go ahead, give it a listen.

How far along: 38 weeks

How big is baby: Grant is officially full term, and is the size of a "swiss chard" - These fruits & veggies are getting weirder and weirder. He's "supposedly" 19-22 inches long and 6.5lbs. (dream on)

Total weight gain/loss: 27 lbs at my last doctor's appointment Friday.

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: I'm not. I mean, I am. But it's very restless (to be expected). I think I would be ok, except this carpal tunnel is the WORST. I woke up Saturday night at 3:30am and couldn't sleep because my arm was in so much pain...Finally I got out of bed at 6:00am and just sat in the recliner. The best part about not sleeping well one night is being able to zonk out easily the next.

Best moment this week: Putting that car seat in the truck! it's go-time, people!

Food cravings: Nothing really!

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: I can feel that this baby is coming SOON, but no official labor signs.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, and carpal tunnel.

What I miss: My ankles and normal sized hands. I just want to be a girl who can wear her wedding rings.

What I am looking forward to: Holding Grant in just a few short weeks :D

IT'S BABY MONTH!!

Y'all. This MONTH we will have a baby. This is my last "3rd of the month" with NO CHILD. I'm freaking out a little bit. Don't get me wrong - we're VERY excited (in case you couldn't tell with all of the capital letters and exclamation points), but I am FREAKING OUT! The whole "being parents" thing - I can handle that. I know it's going to rock our world, but in a good way. It's the whole "becoming parents" thing that freaks me out. I have to somehow get this 8+ pound child out of my body. I'm the one responsible for figuring out if I'm in labor - no one tells me that. I'm the one responsible for pushing this baby out of me. AHHHH! OK - now that you know I'm slightly freaking out, let's move on, shall we?

Disclaimer - baby Grant, if you ever read this, know your daddy and I are SO excited to meet you. My excitement outweighs my freaking out by a long shot. But just know that before you were born, your mama was a (big) bundle of nerves and jitters. I probably will be every time you have a milestone coming up in your life. So if I want to tag along in the backseat of your car on your first date, or if I'm waiting outside your locker room before every (football, baseball, whatever) game, because I'm too nervous to let you go, just let it happen, ok?

This week was a busy baby week for Bailey and I! We did some finishing touches on Grant's room early this week. His bedding finally came in, and we'll get it from Bailey's mama tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to post pictures of the nursery next week!

Tuesday morning, we had our last appointment with the high risk specialist. I knew we wouldn't find out much at this appointment regarding the timeline of Grant's arrival, but I was still excited to see his fat little body on the screen. Bailey couldn't make it to this appointment, so I was thankful my mama was able to be there with me! The nurse came in and took all of his measurements, taking the time to show us his little beating heart, and other parts of his body. We got a quick shot of his profile, but nothing in detail like we've seen before. She said it was a little more difficult to get a straight on face shot further along in the pregnancy. The doctor then came in to take a look on the ultrasound as well. And y'all. Let me tell you - he got a full-frontal facial shot of baby Grant. I wish I had a picture of it. He has the CHUBBIEST cheeks. I'm talking his nickname may have changed from Bam-Bam to chipmunk. AND WE SAW HIM BLINKING AT US. Am I the only one who had no clue babies blinked in utero? I know I'm not, because mama didn't know that either :) We were also able to see that he has a head full of hair. You guys know from day one I've said I hope our baby doesn't have red hair. But that's been said in jest (sort of) and only to close friends and family. As soon as the doctor showed us his head of hair, mama says "It's not red, is it?". Oh goodness - I don't think I've ever seen a doctor speechless. But he was.... After taking a look, he estimated that I wouldn't go past 39 weeks, which means that in less than 2 weeks, we could be holding Baby Grant. Do you see why I'm slightly freaking out?!

On Friday morning, we had our 36 week appointment with my normal practice, however we met with a midwife. Worst. Experience. Ever. I've met with a couple of other midwives, liked them, and felt fully comfortable with them delivering my baby. This lady? Nope. When we walked in, the nurse let me know she would be doing a strep test (details on that are only a simply need to know basis :D), and that she would check to see if I was dilated at all. The midwife came in, asking me how my appointment with the high-risk specialist was. After telling her that the doctor told me he was measuring around 8lbs, she told me that was ridiculous and that there was no way that was possible. Ok, that's fine if you don't think so. I have no clue - this is my first baby. However, I do trust a specialist a liiiiiitttle  bit more than I'm trusting you, lady. She just kept telling me how ridiculous that was, over and over and over again, and that she couldn't believe a doctor's measurements could be so off. I don't do well with being talked down to, so I just kept looking at Bailey and making eye-contact. He knows me entirely too well and kept giving me the "calm down, just let her talk and ignore her" eyes. As she's using the Doppler to check Grant's heartbeat, she proceeds to tell me "oh, I can't seem to find your baby's back. Oh, I can't seem to find his heartbeat either." Umm - excuse me? I knew he was alive and well - I had JUST felt him moving prior to her coming into the room. I don't care who you are - you do NOT tell a pregnant lady that you can't find her baby's heartbeat.  After she did the strep test, she started signing off on my paperwork and getting ready to herd us out the door. I asked her about checking to see if I was at all dilated, like the nurse said she would do. Her response? "I don't waste my time doing that for 36 week patients." Oh, ok, lady. I'm knocking on the door of 37 weeks, and seem to have quite a large baby. But I'd hate for you to waste your time. Had I known that all doctors usually begin checking for dilation at 36 weeks, I would have pushed for it (I haven't read any books - I'm doing this probably a little more blindly than I should. Oh well, plenty of women gave birth before books were around, and their babies were fine.) I was so frustrated with her attitude, I called the doctor's office after I left and told them to make a note in my file that she was not to deliver my baby. I will hold it in for 24 hours until the next doctor is on -call if I have to. Ok, I know I can't do that. But that woman is only delivering baby Grant if its the ONLY option left.  **Off my soapbox now.

Friday night we went to a Halloween party at the Waters' house. I had plans to make an easy costume incorporating baby Grant...however, time got away from me and I just never got around to it. As of Thursday night, I had no intentions of dressing up. Until I got home and realized I could wear an uber comfy flannel shirt of Bailey's with some leggings and boots, and call it a day. What was I, you may ask? An overstuffed scarecrow. Or a pot-bellied farmer. Neither of which were true. However, if there was an award for worst costume? I would have won it hands down. At least I was comfortable, right?

Bailey went as Cousin Eddie from National Lampoon, and Coop was obviously Todd Gurley :)

Saturday, Elizabeth and Katie threw a fun construction themed shower for us. It was so cute! I didn't take any pictures, but my fabulous SIL Katie did! Once I get them from her, I'll upload them to the blog so y'all can see. We had some of our close friends and family from out of town there, and I loved getting to celebrate with everyone! I say it after every shower, and I'll continue to say it - Grant is so incredibly loved by so many people already. I'm so thankful that he will grow up not only being loved by his mama and daddy, but by our friends and family as well.

I've been feeling a cold coming on since Saturday evening (it may have just had something to do with being bummed that the dawgs lost), but I'm not feeling 100%. Yesterday, after life groups, Bailey and I opted to take it easy for the afternoon. Well, I took it easy for the afternoon. He was outside in the yard all day cutting grass, ripping up flowers, and cutting down trees. Our yard is looking more and more different every weekend - I can't wait to see what it looks like in the spring when he's able to plant all of the new things! I also received this text message from Elizabeth last night, after she asked me if I knew how to swaddle. The answer is "eh". I used to do it to my baby dolls all the time. And I'm sure there are youtube videos about it. And if not, they make those swaddle blankets :D And if all else fails, obviously she knows how to, as seen in the picture below :D

This week doesn't vary from the past weeks, in that it'll continue to be busy! SURPRISE! Tomorrow night, we're meeting Bailey's mama for supper, and will get to bring home our bedding - YAY! We're also planning on stopping at babies r us and finishing purchasing the things on our registry that we still need (i.e. a STROLLER AND CARSEAT - I've heard they don't let you bring the baby home without one :D). P.S. - tomorrow is November 4th - don't forget to vote! Friday we have our 37 week appointment with Dr. McDaniel - I'm hoping at that point he says "you know what, Brittoni. Grant has cooked long enough, and you're starting to look sort of miserable. Let's go ahead and set an induction date for you." It may be wishful thinking, but a girl can dream! Saturday, we're headed to Mansfield to celebrate Pepa's birthday, and then I have our last shower Sunday afternoon and mama and daddy's church! Whew! Busy, but fun weekend ahead!

I didn't take a picture this morning. So we'll use one where I look abnormally large, since I was sticking my gut out, yet still feel small next to this guy.

How far along: 37 weeks

How big is baby: Grant is officially full term, and is the size of a "winter melon" - what is a winter melon?!? He's supposedly 19-22 inches long and 6.5lbs. "Supposedly"

Total weight gain/loss: 24.6 lbs at my last doctor's appointment Friday.

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: Apparently growing a small giant is hard work. Saturday night I slept 13 hours, came home from church and took a 3 hour nap, and was back asleep by 8:30 last night, sleeping until 5:30 this morning! WHEW

Best moment this week: Seeing Grant's fat little face :)

Food cravings: Nothing really!

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: I can feel that this baby is coming SOON, but no official labor signs.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, and carpal tunnel.

What I miss: My ankles and normal sized hands. I just want to be a girl who can wear her wedding rings.

What I am looking forward to: Holding Grant in just a few short weeks :D

4 Weeks to go...

I'm officially 8 months preggs. Whoa. I've now entered that stage where everything is "this is the last ______ before baby Grant is here". Yesterday when Bailey and I left church, I said "IF grant makes it to his due date, I'll only be here 3 more Sundays", since we'll be at home for 1 out of the 4 Sundays left. I've been counting down my commutes since we got back home from vacation "Only 10 more Mondays..." This is CRAZY, and I'm so excited (and terrified). I just keep repeating my mama's words "Millions of women have given birth before you, and millions will give birth after you. You aren't the only one, and you can handle it."

This week was a busy (surprise) and fun week for Bailey and I! Tuesday, we had our new parent's class at the pediatrician's office we were considering. After visiting the office, I genuinely felt comfortable with the staff and history of the office, and know that this is the office we'll use for Grant! The goodie bags that I was so excited about? Meh. Nothing too fun, which was sort of a bummer :) Thursday night, Grant experienced his last concert in my belly - next time I take him he'll be able to experience it in person. I kid, I kid - he won't be attending another concert for a long, long time. I had a girl's night with Elizabeth, Brooke, and Shanna to see Jake Owen at Gwinnett Arena. Such a fun night - thanks for the tickets, Brooke :)

Friday, Bailey and I celebrated our anniversary with a day date to Blue Ridge. We go every year to get apples (and apple pies - duh), and end up spending way too much money on crap we don't need. But it's so hard not to! I'm a typical white girl who loves all things fall and apple-y, and I fall right into their hands every time. At the orchard, we sat on the back of the tailgate, chowed down on apple pies, and chatted about all things baby. Bailey has picked November 13th as his guess for Grant's due date, and I've picked November 17th. Anyone else have any picks?

We wandered around downtown Blue Ridge for a bit, then came home and got some things done around the house. We met some friends for dinner on Friday night and stayed out WAY past my bedtime. On Saturday, we headed to Hartwell to the Waters' farm for an afternoon of food and friendship (that may be the cheesiest line you'll read in this entire blog this week - so sue me). Come to think of it, we stayed out way past my bed time 3 nights in a row. WHO AM I?

Sunday, after church, Bailey and I finally (almost) finished Grant's room. The monogram is hung - YAY! Bailey sanded and secured the puzzle to the frame he made and let the glue set last night. We should be able to hang that above the changing table today.  Once we get his bedding in (cross your fingers that it's soon!) we'll be pretty much good to go. Oh, and we need a changing pad. And a baby monitor. And a couple of shelves on the wall. But after THAT, we'll be good to go :) I'll post more pictures once it's completely done, but here are a few of the things we accomplished yesterday.

My fabulous SIL made a tractor print in 3 different colors to match his room...once I print those, they'll go in the frames we hung yesterday.

Oh, and did I mention Grant had another fun mail day on Saturday? Check out these cute outfits!

I packed our hospital bags last night - AHH! And because I'm a chronic over packer, we probably have too much. I only packed clothes for Grant, because everyone's told me that the hospital gives you everything you need for the baby, and pretty much everything you need for yourself as well. I packed my bag for comfort (, and Grant's bag for cuteness. Even Bailey & Coop have bags packed and ready to go! Cooper will be staying with my friend Brooke while we're at the hospital, since she lives so close (and gets along with Brooke's baby, Bella - thank you Brooke!!). I'm still obsessed with Grant's diaper bag, and want to use it as a purse so incredibly badly.

So the closer we get to this baby's due date, the bigger my belly gets (obviously). People keep asking me how I'm feeling, and in all honesty, I feel great. I'm starting to ache a little more each day, but nothing unbearable. However. I am feeling larger by the minute. I had to take my wedding band off this morning, as it felt like my ring finger was going to fall off. The size 2x men's tshirts I bought to lounge around in when I first started showing? yeah, those are now starting to show the bottom part of my stomach. My lips and nose (which are big enough as it is) are starting to spread across my face. I woke up yesterday and looked in the mirror - my top lip looked like I had taken ibueprofen the night before (if you don't know, I'm allergic to ibueprofen, and it makes my lips swell quite large). I wore a cute pair of booties to work last week that had laces to be tied. I didn't put them on until I got to work. Let me tell you - that's the last time I wear shoes that have to be tied. The effort it took to bend over? Not worth it at all. Plus, because my feet are a tiiiiiiiiiny bit larger than normal, it was a pain to tighten those laces. Nope - sticking with my slip-ons and boots for the next 4 weeks. This belly is also giving me trouble in the kitchen. Every night, I have a glass of hot tea. And by every night, I just mean every night for the last couple of weeks. Well, our microwave where I heat up my water is above the stove. As I was reaching up, I heard a couple of clicks and then saw a flame out of the corner of my eye. Apparently my stomach has grown large enough to have a mind of it's own, and turned on the stove. This baby can not get here soon enough.

This week's edition of "what made Brittoni cry":
1. Absolutely nothing. Literally. Nothing. I was driving home from work last Wednesday, and just started crying for no reason. I'm not talking about a solitary tear rolling down my cheek. I'm talking full-fledged-couldn't-control-it-waterworks. Embarrassing.
2. Thursday on my way to work, I realized I didn't even hug Cooper that morning. Usually, I snuggle with him before I get up and get ready, and then I give him a hug and a treat before I walk out the door. I forgot because I was running late, and then thought "what if he's already feeling neglected, and the baby isn't even here yet?". Judge away.
3.  Listening to this song last week at work. Such a sweet song. I can't wait to see Bailey as a dad - my love for him has already grown tremendously just in the last 8 months as I've watched his excitement over being a dad grow. I can see him being every.single.thing. in this song, and can't wait to watch it happen. :)
4. Typing this week's edition of What Made Brittoni Cry. I've gotta get over this.

This week is going to be a busy week for us as well (surprise). Tuesday, I've got my appointment with the high-risk perinatal doctor for another ultrasound. Mama gets to go with me to this appointment since Bailey can't - I'm excited that she'll get to experience one of these appointments with me! On Friday, I have another appointment with my normal doctor, Dr. McDaniel. Hopefully after these 2 appointments we'll have a little more direction on Grant's impending arrival. Saturday, we've got our second to last shower - I'm super excited about this one (just as I've been with all of the others :D). This is all of my girlfriends and family, so it should be fun!! Here's to hoping I can find something in my closet that still fits by then!

I forgot to take a picture this morning. So we'll use a picture from the farm on Saturday instead :)

How far along: 36 weeks

How big is baby: Grant is still the size of a "Large Cantaloupe" - however this cantaloupe is apparently gaining .5 lbs per week. Anyone tried pushing a cantaloupe out of their body lately? Nope. He's currently "6 lbs".

Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs at my last doctor's appointment. Probably lots more this week.

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: Eh, so, so. I'm ALWAYS tired, but sometimes I have trouble sleeping at night. ESPECIALLY with this carpal tunnel. I didn't sleep at all last night because my right arm was so numb it was painful from my shoulder to the tips of every. single. finger.

Best moment this week: PACKING OUR HOSPITAL BAGS!!

Food cravings: apples. it's a good thing we bought 3 bushels of them this weekend!  

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: I've been having a few pains in some "birthing areas" these past couple of weeks, which a couple people have called "labor signs". I wouldn't call them that just yet, but I can definitely tell my body is getting ready to have this baby SOON!

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, and carpal tunnel.

What I miss: My ankles and normal sized hands. I just want to be a girl who can wear her wedding rings.

What I am looking forward to: Holding Grant in just a few short weeks :D

It's the final countdown....35 weeks!

Crazy, crazy!

We're getting there. I can't believe there are only 5 more Mondays until Grant's due date. Mama told me this weekend her guess is that Grant will be here in 3 weeks. Umm...3 weeks doesn't give me enough time to get all I need to get done, done. Although, in all reality, neither does 5 weeks :) Either way, we are pretty excited!

Last week was pretty average for Bailey and I - nothing too out of the ordinary. Friday I had my 34 week appointment. All went well - I got my whooping cough shot (woo hoo?), which is still making my arm sore. I also asked Dr. McDaniel about carpal tunnel and how often it was associated with pregnancy. He told me it's associated with pregnancy a lot more than people think, especially in the mornings. That's when mine is the worst - I have trouble fixing my hair in the mornings because my right hand is so numb. He told me to try a wrist brace. I told him he was crazy - there was no way I was wearing a wrist brace and compression socks. We compromised and decided to just wear the wrist brace at night :) I do wear it at home, and it seems to help. Last night was the first night I've slept with it through the night, and my fingers were just tingly this morning, as opposed to my whole arm being numb. Dr. McDaniel also told me that I could expect Grant to start flipping and rotating as opposed to kicking and punching in the coming weeks. When I told him I hadn't felt a kick or punch in at least 2 weeks (it's been all flips and rolls), he told me I had a "progressive" baby and laughed. Either Grant's just super huge and has no room to kick and punch, or he's just way ahead of his time ;) He measured me at about 36 weeks. I felt a little bit better knowing he's slowed down a little and only measuring 2 weeks ahead, as opposed to 5-7 weeks ahead.

Side note - last night I had a dream about my doctor's appointment, where Dr. McDaniel told me I could pick Grant's due date. I told him I wanted November 14th, so that we could have the weekend and make it easier for people to come visit us if they wanted. I also told him I wanted at least a week to recover so that I could make it to Thanksgiving, since it's my favorite holiday. He told me he wanted me to go on November 19th, so we settled on November 17th. Dream is as clear as day in my head. Weird.

Friday night, Bailey and I headed to Mansfield, with a quick stop in Conyers to see my Granny and Pop. Cooper loves my Granny (and vice versa), so he loved stopping by for a quick snuggle break :) On Saturday, mom and I went shopping - I found some new PJ's for the hospital (woo hoo), bought Grant a couple of gowns for the hospital that may or may not be monogrammed, and bought his coming home outfit. It was a pretty productive day! Sunday, we went to lunch for mama's birthday & mama & daddy's anniversary after church. After lunch, Bailey and I headed back home to get some much needed work done around the house. Since we moved in, our dining room has been home to all of the decorations in our house. I've struggled to actually hang things on the wall. We came home last night and cleared out the dining room & actually decorated our house! Well, for the most part (don't tell anyone, but the majority of the knick-knacks I don't know what to do with were just shifted to the guest bedroom closet. don't ask, don't tell). The realization has hit that people will be coming to our house after Grant is born, and I should make it look as presentable as possible while I'm still able. Our dining room now looks like a dining room. Minus the fact that we don't have a dining room table and it's home to a futon and coffee table. Whoops. We also hung curtains in Grant's room, which we'll have to redo - I bought a cheap curtain rod that bends under the weight of the curtains. So back to HomeGoods it is....oh darn. We also put together his swing that came in the mail last week. Whoever made baby products that have to be assembled has a personal vendetta against new parents. I'm fairly certain of it. We (i.e. Bailey) repainted Grant's monogram for his room to be a more navy color. It turned out too royal blue last time. I'm hoping we can get that hung this week, along with adding in his bedding! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, I'll be able to post a few pictures of what his room looks like!

Oh - Cooper locked himself in the closet again. Anyone taking bets on how quickly DFACS gets called on us once Grant gets here?

Tomorrow night, Bailey and I have our tour of the pediatrician's office and get to meet the doctors. I hear they give out GREAT goodie bags, so I'm obviously looking forward to that :) Wednesday, we celebrate our 3 year anniversary. These 3 years have been a crazy fun whirlwind, and I've loved this selfish part of our lives where we've only had to worry about ourselves. But I'm also excited for the next forever part of our lives where we have tiny humans (or not so tiny humans) that grow into real people we get to care and worry about! We're hitting the road Friday for an anniversary day date in Blue Ridge.

Next week, I have my appointment with the high-risk doctor on Tuesday where I FINALLY get to see another picture of this baby. We then meet with Dr. McDaniel on Friday (Halloween - BOO!), and then proceed with weekly appointments after that! I normally scheduled 4 appointments at a time, but he only had me schedule through 37 weeks. I'm sure this is normal protocol for every other woman, but I'm sort of hoping he thinks Grant will be here and there's no need to schedule additional appointments. wouldn't that be grand? :)

This week's edition of "what made brittoni cry" is fairly short.
1. my dad asking me if I liked the paint color of their living room (after seeing how swollen my feet were). "sure dad, why?" "I think I've still got a gallon of it left, if you want to paint your toe nails." Funny - yes. Did it actually hurt my feelings? Not one bit. So why did I cry? Not a clue.
2. Sitting in a department meeting last week, feeling Grant move and realizing I won't get to feel this for much longer.

Excuse the awk bathroom selfie. I keep forgetting to take them on Sunday morning before church, and Bailey leaves for work before I'm ready on Monday mornings, Lord knows I'm not putting any pictures on the interwebs before I have hair and makeup done!

 

How far along: 35 weeks

How big is baby: Grant is the size of a "Large Cantaloupe". Anyone tried pushing a cantaloupe out of their body lately? Nope. He's "5.5 lbs" and is gaining at least .5 lbs per week.

Total weight gain/loss: 22 lbs. I'm ok with that.

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: Ugh. Pregnancy insomnia is a real thing, people. You know how I like my sleep. and it ain't been happening.

Best moment this week: Hearing Grant's hearbeat at the doctor's office. It never gets old.

Food cravings: Not a lot right now. Nothing really sounds amazing to me.   

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: Negative.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn, swelling, and carpal tunnel.

What I miss: My ankles.  

What I am looking forward to: Decorating Grant's room!

Milestones: No huge milestones this week.

34 weeks

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

I start every post off by saying how fast time flies. You're probably sick of hearing that. But you're the one who chooses to come back and read every week, so suck it up ;) I genuinely have no clue where time is going, but it's going fast! IF Grant makes it to his due date, we only have 6 weeks left. That's one month and 2 weeks, in case you were wondering. 6 more Mondays, including today. only 5 Tuesdays.

This week involved many baby things :)

Wednesday, Grant had a fabulous mail day, and got lots of new goodies. We got the monogram for his bedroom (I can't WAIT to paint and get it hung), a jumperoo, swing, and a sound machine. All addressed to him *spoiled child alert*.

Thursday night, my first late night craving hit. We stayed up late to watch our shows on DVR (and by late I mean until 10:30), and it hit me out of nowhere. I was craving potato skins like you would not believe. After a few not so subtle hints, Bailey offered to go to the grocery store to get some of the frozen TGI Friday's ones. I opted out, hoping that by going to bed I'd be able to shake the craving. False. I thought about them all day Friday...we ended up at Chili's To-Go on Friday night with an order of potato skins. They were all I'd hoped for :)

On Friday, Bailey and I had maternity pictures. Because it had been a predominately cooler week before, I was excited about wearing fall clothes for our pictures. Turns out, it was 85 degrees on Friday. Which meant we were DYING in our pictures. We still had a blast - Cooper did too :) He was in several of our pictures, but we tied him up for other pictures so he would stay put. Bailey and I were in a field, and had tied him up to a tree. He was barking and wasn't happy because he couldn't see us. As we were standing there taking pictures you here "clunk, clunk, clunk"...Coop had somehow managed to free himself from the tree and was running to us full speed with his clunky leash around his little neck, looking a little too much like Flavor Flav. I'm sure there are several of you (ahem, grandparents and parents) who have no clue who that is...picture reference:

This puppy is in for a rude awakening come November. If you want to see the pictures, and haven't seen them on facebook already, click here.

I hope baby Grant has 1/2 of the sense of humor his goofy daddy does. There's a picture that Cooper took liking just like this...Bailey is not one to be outdone by a 9lb puppy.

While we were taking pictures on Friday, Bailey received a phone call from Babies R Us - OUR CRIB AND DRESSER ARE FINALLY HERE!!! I may or may not have teared up while we were taking pictures because I was so stinkin' excited! We put the crib together on Saturday night. Impossible to read instructions, late nights, and a tired pregnant woman do not mix. Bless Bailey's heart for putting up with his cranky wife Saturday night. Have I mentioned what a saint the sweet boy is? The dresser came in one solid piece - I wish you could have seen the two of us trying to get that from the bed of the truck to the front door. We were a hot mess. Luckily, Bailey's parents and Addie came by on Sunday, and his dad was able to help him get it upstairs! Obviously, the room is no where near done, but I love having the big things in there - now it's time to start decorating :D

Apologies for the super dark pictures...

Monogram will be painted navy and hung above his crib!

A few years ago, we put together a John Deere puzzle in Hilton Head. Bailey loved it and didn't want to take it apart. I thought he was crazy, because nothing would ever be done with it if we saved it. Turns out, he remembered it, and it will look PERFECT in Grant's room. Just enough green, with lots of blue to tie it all in! We're going to frame it and hang it somewhere in the room.

After pictures on Friday, we headed to Grayson to spend the weekend with Bailey's family. Saturday, we shopped the majority of the morning - I somehow managed to walk away spending only $15, and didn't even buy the first thing for Grant. WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?! Saturday night, Addie, Katie, and I had plans to go get apps and desserts for a girl's night. Well, when you let a mom of 3 and 2 pregnant chicks settle in on the couch for longer than 20 minutes, they aren't moving. Girl's night ended up being 3 girls sitting on the couch watching football with the guys in their PJ's. And I couldn't have been more content :)

Yesterday after church, we went to an engagement party for Bailey's cousin, who lives in Ireland. She was in town for the weekend - it was so good to see her and the rest of Bailey's family! Last night, Bailey and I visited Babies R Us with his parents and Addie and got the mattress for the crib - woo hoo! I came home and may or may not have ordered a few things for his room. Whoops.

This week I've definitely felt pregnant. Am I the only one who didn't know carpel tunnel can be a pregnancy thing? I've been having dead arms for the past month or two, but this past week it's become full blown CT in my right arm. My thumb and first two fingers are always numb. If they aren't numb, they feel like a bajillion needles are sticking them. I'm still rocking the compression socks, which I don't hate - they just aren't very pretty. It's getting harder and harder to get in and out of bed, and I feel like none of my clothes fit my anymore (because they don't...). I've sort of given up on shaving my legs. It's getting to be cooler, pants are being worn, and I can't bend over. So sue me. Also, there's a 100% chance my large nose is getting larger and taking over my face! But as my mama so often tells me "you are not the first girl to get pregnant, and you won't be the last. so suck it up." Yes ma'am.

I have my 34 week appointment on Friday - I'm hoping it'll be another quick in and out. I'll have another at 36 weeks with the high-risk doctor. I'm hoping by then, they'll be able to give me a liiiiitle more direction on this baby's size, and if they even think he may come early. I know Grant's going to be here on his own time, and I'm ok with that. But the OCD planner within me would like to know if I'll be able to make it to family Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday... I do NOT want to miss it (selfish pity party...move along).

Here's this week's installment of "Things that made Brittoni cry this week"
1. Sitting on the floor of my laundry room, holding a newborn onesie (literally cradling it like a baby...makes me sound like a crazy cat lady), and realizing that there wasn't a chance that Grant would ever fit in something newborn size/
2. The following conversation with some lady I don't even know at my church:
- "Are you ready for that baby to be here?"
- "Yes ma'am - we sure are excited."
- "I bet you're ready for it to be here - you look absolutely miserable."
- "Oh. Well thank you?"
I had to pee and was late. Get over it, lady.
3. On the flip side, my photographer telling me I needed to stick my stomach out more because I looked entirely too small to be almost 8 months pregnant. She may have been 110% lying to me. But it made her my favorite person in the world.
4. Sitting in Grant's glider in his room thinking "HE WILL BE HERE SOON"!! I don't know if I was crying because I'm excited or terrified. Maybe both?
5. Bailey is designing our landscape for the house. He's always promised me hydrangeas in our front yard. Unfortunately, our front yard gets direct sun all day, and apparently hydrangeas only like morning sun. He told me that the hydrangeas would have to go on the side of our house, or in the backyard. I cried, because I wanted everyone to be able to experience the joy of my hydrangeas, not just me (and yes, those words came out of my mouth).

Now for our weekly bumpdate:

How far along: 34 weeks

How big is baby: Grant is the size of a pineapple. a flippin' pineapple people. 19-22 inches, and 4.9lbs. I can't wait to see what they think his actual size is, come Friday.

Total weight gain/loss: We'll find out on Friday!

Maternity clothes: I get so bored of answering this question every week. obviously.  

Sleep: Comes and goes. I usually get pretty exhausted about 3:00pm, and am ready for bed by 7:30pm. Of course, once I'm finally in bed, I wake up all throughout the night for bathroom breaks and to wake up my hands.

Best moment this week: FINALLY getting the crib in Grant's room. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, eh? 

Food cravings: Potato Skins. Worth every calorie.  

Food aversions: No real aversions, although I do get tired of getting so full so quickly.

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: Negative.

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn is still pretty bad - along with all of the other symptoms I complained about in my pity party earlier. :)

What I miss: Cute fall clothes that fit.

What I am looking forward to: Decorating Grant's room!

Milestones: No huge milestones this week.