37 - dum, dum, dum...

:-) here we are!



















Wow, the 36th week of pregnancy FLEW by - compared to the last several weeks of bedrest. What a welcome change! Last week I chronicled the pumpkin patch visit and this week was full of interaction with the outside world. And, thanks to God, I was able to work the ENTIRE week at work! I was sore, sore, sore the first few days/nights and was waddling due to a little bit of back pain, but overall I felt really wonderful to be up.

It won't last long, but even being able to load/unload the dishwasher without any guilty feelings was super! We have eaten at the table for the first time in a LONG time - something I really value - and I was able to cook for the hubbin. Sweet love.

Speaking of him, he got me such a special treat! I love flowers ... and he surprised me with a "getting up day" treat. Here they are! (sorry so dark ... still learning our manual camera exposure.)

Roses and peruvian lilies - a girl's best friend!



















Working has given me a sense of fulfillment that I haven't had in a few months, so I am so thankful for that!

We are impatiently waiting little Baby girl Shunk's arrival - at our weekly doctor's appointment nothing had changed from bedrest through the week that I was up. I, honestly, was expecting something to happen when my change in gravity/weight happened, but NOPE! She's just content to be inside a little bit longer. The only changes that happened were increased back/heel/rearend pain. Haha. One day she felt very, very low (pressure) but hasn't since then. So, we're not sure when she'll come. :-)

Finally, here is a little fall composition that our pumpkin patch treasures yielded. Hope you are enjoying fall as much as I am!! Oh how I love the cooler air and trees changing and thoughts of pumpkin spice lattes and, oh my! :-)













Cheers!

carpe diem - 36!

i decided to "seize the day" on Saturday - and came up exhausted! no surprise there, but we didn't take pictures ... so we snapped one today.



















It was a good day. First Sunday back at church - the new pastor and his family were there for THEIR first Sunday - and my broccoli salad was a hit at the potluck (thanks Rosa!). I'm not normally a chocolate-cherry fan, but there was a delicious chocolate-cherry cake that i nibbled on too. mmm.

After Jeremy helped unload the moving truck (big day for the pastor!) - we went on a pumpkin date. :-) He let me amuse myself by keeping it a secret, but he's good at figuring things out. TOO good sometimes. My friend, Amanda, told me about a pumpkin patch then visited, so we go to go pick out pumpkins! It was dusty and Jackson decided to roll in the dirt, but that's not unusual. Ha. We walked our way (slowly) through the pumpkins until we decided on a couple. We got 2 little ones for Jackson and the Baby - just to be funny - and walked back. It was so fun! And what a beautiful day.

Here's a peek.































Jeremy found one!













Jackson got some sun on his nose!



















and I found my pumpkin too! just as big as the belly. :-)

then we drove to Sheridan's for a latte and a pumpkin pie concrete (SOOO good!).
what a fun day!

one.day.

hi. my name is lisa. and i want to be NAUGHTY, dear friends. plain and simple. i want to say, "screw this! get on with my life already!" 

i got the dog out this morning (requires walking downstairs). jeremy said, "you're being bad!" and i shook my behind and waggled my tongue and said, "yes, i am." 

one day. 

we slept in today, got a shower and watched the Price is Right. and then i said, "what am i going to do all day!?!?!?!?" another whole day. oh, what to do?

tomorrow... the clutter will be cleaned. the trash can back in the bathroom. the tv back on the stand downstairs. the mini-fridge defrosted and put in the trunk with the borrowed microwave. no more eating in bed. no more piles of books and papers and cords and mess mess mess! 

tomorrow ... i will drive myself to my haircut! then go to Hobby Lobby. to SHOP. slowly, but shopping nonetheless. maybe i won't even be able to sleep tonight (although i hope i can - don't want to start off sick!)

i told a friend yesterday how interesting the psychology of bedrest would be. how can the first 4 whole weeks fly by and the last 7 days drag. on. forever?! it's all in my head, i know. it is. can i just sleep until tomorrow? *sigh*

enough from me today. 36 weeks tomorrow!!! c'mon Babe! I'm ready. 

HAPPY OCTOBER FRIENDS!!

a luncheon shower

oh, i work (soon to be past tense...) with some of the sweetest ladies i know and yesterday they threw a shower over their lunch break for me! still on bedrest (3 days today!), they were kind enough to come over and dish me up some lunch and (literally) open the presents for me! haha. it was so much fun to see everyone.

we squished 10 ladies in our little living room - me in the bedrest recliner - on a gorgeous fall day ... here are a few pictures from the day.





















































































we are the proud owners of a stroller! and several more sweet little things... thanks so much DWC ladies for making my afternoon!

35 - let's go!

:-) here we are today!



















last week of bedrest. bedrest emotions are so weird. i feel refreshed, then depressed, then content, now lonely. maybe it's just partly being prego too, but still! boy howdy. 7 days to go ... a luncheon shower to look forward to on Tuesday, a couple of visitors plan to come too ... but I just can't wait for Saturday! October 2 is within reach. (good thing too cuz I'm running out of things to do!)

:-) thanks be to Jesus for 35 weeks.

34!

:-) yay! we've reached a really important milestone. when things first started looking bad (about 25 weeks) the dr. said that she'd really like to get us to 34 or 36 weeks. we're here! and she's still kickin' inside. so thanks be to God for answering our prayers.



















Um, I'm getting to the point of feeling HUGE. And still not feeling great every day. Took me 3-1/2 hours to fall asleep last night. Big bellies just get uncomfy! So, she can come anytime, if you ask me (but you didn't ask me, I know.) Notice anything different about the picture?? (the walls are raspberry!! less red than they actually look in the picture but bright and pretty thanks to Grandma Shunk!)

Up next, next milestone, 36 weeks! 14 days here we come! (13 from today actually...)















and here's a sneak peak at how we're lookin' lately. the rest of us that is...
















Babe at 33 weeks (just a little profile - hard to see, but she's getting so big and chubster!)



















the Daddy at 34 weeks. tired from writing seminary papers. :-)













and the Buddy Boy, just waiting for his chance to chase his beloved tennis ball outside. someday. soon.

Birth Day guesses

hi! 

so we're taking guesses on when Sweetie Pea is going to be born. leave a comment and guess with us!

a few things to keep in mind:

- i'm 34 weeks tomorrow

- her actual due date is October 30th. 

Now, guess away!! (and, no, unlike other popular blogs, I have no prize for the winner - only the satisfaction of knowing that you were the best guesser and will go down in history (a.k.a. her baby book) as such.) 

Lisa's guess: October 14

Jeremy's guess: October 31

Baby update

We got to see Baby today. :-) She is right where she is supposed to be (head down) and those little feet and toes are right where I thought they were - in my ribs. Her head is measuring in the 99th percentile ... which isn't exactly the funnest news for natural birthing, but great news to hear that she is doing very well in the growing category!! :-) Heartbeat looks good (143bpm), fluid level looks good, and she even has a little bit of hair on her head! That surprised us - both Jeremy and I were baldies.  And because Grandma Shunk was here to visit this week, she got to see the ultrasound with us - that was special. :-)

And guess how much she weighs?! 5 lbs and 7 oz. Wow! 5-1/2 pounds and she's still inside. We are so thankful - especially because several weeks ago when we were really scared that she was going to be a very little baby coming too soon. 

The Dr. said that things are looking very good, despite the fact that I am still 90% effaced. I tried to hint that I was tired of bedrest, but she just said, "You're almost there!" Darn. :-) No cheating for me yet.

On Saturday will mark the 34th week - that's when they will not try to stop labor if it starts and I can be a "normal" pregnant woman. One who times contractions when they come, rather than calling if I have 5-6 in an hour. A "normal" pregnant woman for a whole month! Lucky me. :-) hehe. Well, it won't exactly be normal until these last 17 days are over, but we're getting closer.

Please pray for Baby, for us, and for patience for me and I slug through the last days - these really are the hardest days because I'm just so ready to be up. We appreciate it!!

Love,

Lisa

oh, and did i mention...

... that a Sheridan's Pumpkin Pie concrete (complete with whipped cream and cinnamon on top) sounds amazing? Can something be sinful and that heavenly at the same time?

... that i STILL hate the smell of any shampoo and body wash? i feel so cheated!! what if i never like any of those smells again?

... that my stomach just might explode soon? At least it feels like it. 

... and that I can't believe that it's only 4 weeks until a FULL-TERM baby resides in my belly?? 

:-) 

.showers.

So my dear friend Heidi threw a little baby shower for us yesterday.

It was complete with ...

good people































sweet yumminess and tea...













cute things like this!



















oh, and did i mention the great people? while i could only sit, they came to me, gave me gifts, decorated my house for fall (all 3 of my decorations) and washed the dishes. :-)



















thanks to everyone who came and made my day minus 21 (and counting) a special one! :-)

sirty-sree

Yes we are! One more week and the Dr. said that they won't even try to stop the labor if I go into it early. Yay! On Wednesday we find out how much she weighs (5 lbs wouldn't surprise me... she feels heavy!!)

What I'm Going to Do Soon.

(in 22 days to be exact)

1. GET A HAIRCUT! (my best friend and "hairdresser" moved to Korea, so I have to find someone else...) I've needed one since March.
2. Make my honey a meal
3. Go pumpkin and apple picking
4. Go to Hobby Lobby. And Target.
5. Get a Pumpkin Spice latte (decaf, to be exact) MMmmm!
6. Take Jackson for a walk
7. Finish decorating and organizing the nursery
8. Go outside for as long as I want
9. Visit the office
10. Be crafty.

the end! (for now.)

And please note, this is all depending on Sweetie Pea NOT making her appearance early and this Mama having lots of energy. Both of which I'm not sure will happen. We shall see!

WEEEEEK 32!

:-) just in case you forgot.

we are 32 weeks and our Sweetie Pea is movin' and groovin'. the Grandmas are both due to visit this month and I am happy about this. selfishly, i must admit, as this generally makes the time go faster. :-) but we sorta like them too. hehe.

technically at 37 weeks (or 38 according to some, but i'm going with the former) a babe is considered full-term. that means 5 weeks for us. can you believe it? CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!? (sorry. yelling is not polite. i forgot for a moment.)

i was thinking today, "oh man, these last few weeks are taking forever..." and then i thought, "what am i saying? i've gotten through 32 weeks! what is 5 more??" not. too. long. however, when i'm waking up every morning feeling sick (pretty sure it's because she's getting so big and is squishing my stomach) and my clothes are getting tight (yes, even my maternity ones!) and my back is starting to ache ... 5 weeks can probably feel a little longer than it really is.

that said, today is a beautiful day. the wind is blowing like crazy, the windows are open, the breeze is tickling my nose (only slightly) and breaths of fresh air are like food for my soul. seriously! plus, when my husband brings me surprise fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast, a girl can't help but get happy. :-)

so with cinnamon rolls on your mind and a long weekend only half-gone, i'll say "tschuess!" for now and see you later.

only 27 days 'til up and up day! (i have big plans for those days. will share soon.)

Love,

Lisa

things...

things i'm not enjoying about pregnancy

- nausea

- heartburn

- bedrest

- the fact that i have 29 days left 'til Oct. 2

- feeling very full, very fast

- shortness of breath

things i'm enjoying about pregnancy

- good people who are willing to go out of their way to help us or loan me (movies, computer, etc.)

- an encouraging husband

- another negative labor test (34 weeks - we're coming!!) 

- a great OB

- i'm not a diabetic!! (i enjoyed some fudge brownie swirl ice cream from Silas and Maddy's ice cream shoppe and it. was. so. amazing. can i just say: heaven?)

- that i have only 29 days left 'til Oct. 2 - it's September, woo hoo!

my favorite part of being pregnant

- feeling Baby move and swirl and kick LOTS and lots some days. i think it's so much fun (minus the hard jabs). she is getting bigger - which is so good. i'm feeling her up in my ribs now and feeling shorter of breath which is less than comfortable, but she is growing so well!! for this i am so thankful. i still can't figure out what limb/body part is sticking out here and there, but it doesn't matter. i still just smile and ask her what in the world she's up to. :-) 

all for now - 32 week photo coming tomorrow!!! happy long weekend friends! (at least those in the States)

cheers.

dear friends...

... can i just admit that despite how good the first 4 weeks of bedrest went, I'm really hating it right now? 

okay, thanks. :-)