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.

33 weeks and so much left to do!

I'm beginning to mildly stress myself out thinking of ALL there is left to do! I mean, how does one fit ALL the baby preparations into 7 weeks? Also...random question of the day - how do some people not have a clue when they're pregnant? How is that possible? Do they not feel baby movements? Do they not swell at all? DO THEY NOT REALIZE THEY'VE GAINED WEIGHT, MAINLY IN THEIR MIDSECTION?! I'm so perplexed by it.

This week was a pretty good week! Despite having SO much left to do, we accomplished a good bit this week.

Tuesday morning I had my 32 week checkup with the midwife. I LOVED her. Super sweet. It was a quick appointment - labwork to test my thyroid and checkup. Baby's still big, we're still good. Not much change.

Wednesday night, Bailey and I had our scheduled hospital tour. I was a little bit freaked out by the whole birthing process prior to the tour. Now I'm a lot freaked out. I was perfectly fine until the guide took us to the delivery room.. "where the magic happens". She's telling us about the "luxuries" of the room: privacy, cable TV, wireless, etc. Then she proceeds to tell us about the 2 giant spotlights in the ceiling that beam down when the birth begins to happen, and how "your nurse will explain how to turn your bed into a birthing chair". No thank you. I'm thankful that I was sitting down at the time. She also told us that the amount of time you spend in the hospital depends on several factors, one being the size of your baby. If your baby is premature or weighs less than 5 lbs, he'll most likely be in the hospital longer than normal. I think I laughed out loud, as I'm fairly certain Grant is close to that weight already.

 Can you tell he's excited?

Before the tour, the tour guide went around the room and asked each couple when their due date was...most were like us, and were due around the middle to end of November. Nope, not this one couple. Their due date was October 1. Guess what day we took our tour? October 1. WHO DOES THAT?! Why would you schedule your tour ON your due date? I'm too much of a planner for that. No thank you. But just for a little reference, this was the couple:

I'm the queen of spy pics.

 

After the tour, Bailey and I met Justin and Ashley Brooke for supper. Bailey and I were in separate cars, as we met at the hospital after work. As we were leaving supper and I was getting into my car, I dropped my phone into the parking lot. Let me preface the end of this story by saying my car is a little bit low to the ground, and is a major pain to get in and out of right now. I can clearly see my phone just a mere 6 inches away from me on the pavement, so I try to bend over to get it - no luck. I try rocking myself forward to get it - no luck. So finally I have to yell across the parking lot.
-"BAYYYYYY!! I need your help!" Of course he comes running, because he thinks something has happened (I may have sounded a little more worried than I should have).
- "What's wrong? Are you ok?"
-  "Yeah - I dropped my phone. Can you please get it?"
- "You're ridiculous."

Have I mentioned how good he is to me and how thankful I am for him? :)

I forgot how much happened on Wednesday - it was a good day! Our diaper bag came in the mail on Wednesday, too. I'm obsessed and I love it. I had to put it on the top shelf of Grant's closet to keep from using it before he's here. Can't WAIT! I mean, I'll be excited for the baby...but the accessories that come with a baby are pretty nice :D

Oh- check out this weird belly:

Bailey and I were lounging Wednesday night and this rolled across my stomach. I don't know how Grant was rolled up, but he made for a weird looking tumor on my abdomen.

So I think I've mentioned before how swollen my feet get...I don't care what I do. I drink 2 gallons of water per day (pre-preggo habit), I eat the least amount of sodium possible, and my feet are always propped up. But by the time I get out of the shower each morning, they've already started their swelling ritual. I used to love the fact that even when I gained weight, shoes ALWAYS fit. Not anymore - even my FEET have muffin tops. So last week, the doctor gave me a prescription for compression hose. I went to go get it filled on Friday, and ended up just buying the Dr. Scholl's brand at the pharmacy, since the CVS pharmacy doesn't bill for medical supplies (?). I also picked up some medicated Gold Bond lotion since my skin has been so dry (am I a geriatric or maternity patient???). Ya'll - they have made a WORLD of difference. I have ankles now! I sleep in them, and have started wearing them when I wear boots or close-toed shoes where you can't see them. It's amazing! It's so nice to be able to walk down the stairs at night and not be in pain. Before, my ankles would be so swollen, it hurt to bend them. NOT ANYMORE!

I mean, what a good husband, right?

 I don't know how Bailey can stay away from me looking like this.

 



NORMAL (almost) looking feet!

Saturday, Bailey went to the UGA game with a friend...which meant I was allllll alone, and only 5 miles from the mall. I spent the morning trying to find new boots - which I had success doing SINCE MY FEET ARE ALMOST NORMAL AGAIN! Ended up finding TWO pairs of boots on sale. Score!

I've also been on the hunt for a metal John Deere tractor. Bailey's got a riding metal John Deere tractor he wants to put on the floor in Grant's room. I figured I'd try to pull it in by making a lamp out of a tractor as well. Now it's not getting crazy - there won't be any more John Deere in the room - I can't handle that much green (or that much farm). But a couple little "antiquated" touches will be nice. I've been on the hunt and had my mama and B's mama looking too - unfortunately we've all come up short. UNTIL I walked into a flea market by our house on Saturday. I figured I probably wouldn't find what I was looking for, but thought it'd be worth a shot. One of the first 10 booths I looked at had Tonka dump trucks in it, so I stopped in. No luck, but as I was turning to leave I saw this bright green thing to my right - wouldn't you know, it was the tractor I've been looking for. I gasped so loud then started crying right then and there. Of course, the owner of booth was this sweet old man, and I looked like a blubbering idiot in front of him. NOW - to figure out how to make a lamp out of this bad boy.

Sunday, mama and daddy came to church with us. After church, we headed to a baby shower thrown by my life group girls - AKA, my Sunday school :) It was such a sweet shower, and I was so grateful to have mama, Mrs. Leah, and our church girls there to celebrate baby Grant! Like I said after our last shower, I love knowing that he is going to be surrounded by so much love growing up!

What's that? you'd like to hear another story about my pregnant hysterics? Ok...I have a few up my sleeve. We ordered Grant's crib 3 weeks ago, and it was supposed to be here (at the latest) yesterday. Well guess what hadn't arrived yesterday? Bailey called Babies R Us, and the manager told him he wasn't sure what happened, but it wouldn't be here for AT LEAST another 4 weeks. Um, no. Unacceptable. So of course, Bailey (the smooth talker that he is), asked how the manager was going to compensate us. The manager told us that if we found another crib we liked that was in stock, he'd match the price. We found one that we loved, that was about $250 more, and the manager agreed to give us that one at the price we paid for the other one. We were super ecstatic. Then the practical side of me started to kick in. I felt like the crib would overpower Grant's room and be too big. Plus, we still needed to buy a dresser, and there's no more time for that, since we have no more free weekends. We kept looking around and found another crib we really liked that was the same price as our first one, along with a dresser that we really liked. While I'm sitting in the corner holding myself and rocking back and forth worrying about all that needs to be done (I literally looked at Bailey and said "you deal with this. I can't even handle it right now"), Mr. Smooth Talker convinced the manager to give us the $250 discount on the crib. Long story short - all of our furniture should be here by this weekend so we can finally start decorating! Woo Hoo!!! Crisis averted. Mr. Garner is the calm to my hysterical...always.

Here's a side note - I just read that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are pregnant. Just a few weeks ago, Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher announced that they were pregnant. Who do these women think they are, trying to upstage me? RUDE. I kid, I kid. But I bet they don't get swollen ankles.

Another side note - can we talk about this awesome text I got this weekend? CRAZY!

And now for the weekly bumpdate...

Another awk bathroom selfie.

How far along: 33 weeks

How big is baby: Honeydew! He's supposed to be 19 inches long and about 4.5 lbs. But we'll see how big he actually is next week.

Total weight gain/loss: only 15 lbs so far!

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

Sleep: Still getting dead arms and leg cramps.

Best moment this week: SEEING MY ANKLES. 

Food cravings: Talenti Caramel Cookie Crunch gelato. DELISH.

Food aversions: No real aversions right now!

Gender: Again, he's still a boy.  

Labor signs: None this week!

Pregnancy symptoms: Heartburn has gotten pretty rough this week.

What I miss: Cute fall clothes that fit.

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

Milestones: No huge milestones this week.