30 Weeks and Baby Shower

I hit 30 weeks in my pregnancy today and only have 10 more weeks until I get to meet Evie! We are so excited for the impending arrival of our little bundle of joy and to help us get ready our Moms threw us a baby shower this weekend. My Mom and Stepmom (Chris) made the most incredible food and adorable decorations and my Mother-in-law provided beverages and helped set up. It was an amazing day and I am so thankful to have so much family that love and support us. I want to thank everyone who contributed to making the day so special and I want to thank everyone for all the beautiful gifts. I will be sending out the official Thank you cards sometime in the next week or so but I am so grateful I can’t help but Thank everyone several times!
I made my way through all of the presents yesterday and my entire living room floor was covered in clothes – Evie will be the best dressed baby ever. Brian put the crib and glider together and moved the dresser and bookshelf into the room. I, of course, had to make the crib and put up some decorations to see how it will look and It is going to look so sweet. I only have a few more items to purchase for my little one and I will be already for her arrival.
I am so glad we have a lot of this stuff done now because the next couple of months are going to be busy and I want to rest as much as possible. My doctor appointments are every two weeks now and we start our birthing class in two weeks (it will run for four Tuesday nights, 3 hours per night). We are also trying to finish up some outdoor projects so it is going to be a busy 10 weeks.
I am still feeling pretty good – tired and a little achy (I am experiencing some growing pains that make walking difficult). Evie is moving around a good proportion of the day and enjoys moving the most when I am attempting to fall asleep- I don’t mind though because it shows she is doing well and I really think the movements feel cool.

I will post pics of the nursery in the next week or so.

28 Weeks = Third Trimester

We have entered the Third Trimester this week and I am so excited because we only have 12 more weeks until we meet our little monster. I am still feeling pretty good but tired and my feet hurt. I am having a small problem with a pain on the top of my abdomen but my doctor thinks it is just a muscle pain from growing so much. It only happens when I over do it or I am standing for too long so I have sitting a lot and taking it easy. I haven't been to the gym in 3 weeks so I am really packing on the pounds- I think by the end of this adventure I will gain at least 30 pounds. I have given up caring about it as long as Evie and I are healthy and the doctor said I should gain 35 pounds because I started out underweight. Evie's movements have changed drastically over the last few weeks - they went from cute little pokes and flutters to full kicks, punches and rolls. Her gymnastics skills are incredible and I absolutely love them. She moves the most while I am resting so of course she wakes me on most nights but I figure she is just getting me ready for when she arrives.

We have started the nursery so I am wicked excited about that. Brian painted it yesterday and we have to touch up the trim this week. We ordered the carpet and it should arrive sometime next week. We should have it done by our shower, which is in two weeks so we have a place for all of Evie's stuff. Brian found his old dresser and is going to fix it up so Evie can use it for the dresser/ changing table and I refinished an old book shelf. I can't wait to have it all set up and ready to go - I will feel like we are finally ready for her arrival.

27 weeks

My belly at 27 weeks on Easter Sunday.

I have been thinking a lot about the lessons I would like to teach Evie and have listed a couple of important ones below:

1: I would like to teach Evie that she is beautiful naturally and does not need make up to enhance it. I have no problem with her wearing make up at the appropriate age (if left up to Brian that would be after she turns 30) but I would like her to feel confident and comfortable without it. My Mother wore a lot of make up when I was growing up and I would watch her every morning and couldn’t wait to be just like her. When I asked her when I could start wearing makeup she looked at me as if I was crazy and said “you are beautiful without it – why would you want to waste your time putting it on”. Every time I brought it up my Mom would concede and allow me to wear a small amount but always reiterated how beautiful I was without it. Well it turned out that I was really lazy in the morning and part of me believed what my Mom told me, so to this day I do not wear makeup on a daily basis (I only put it on for formal events a couple of times a year). I am so thankful my Mom taught me to believe that makeup was not a necessity – it has given me a sense of confidence thoughout my life as well as saving me a ton of time and money over the years.

2. I would like to teach Evie not to pick on or make fun of people- I believe it is rude and it can hurt the person’s feelings. I would love for Evie to go through life never knowing what it feels like to have someone pick on her, to never have to feel bad because something embarrassing happened to her and everyone laughed and to never feel bad about herself for something that is not her fault. Unfortunately we live a cruel world so the least I can do is always be encouraging, always let her know how wonderful she is and always love her for who she is. I do believe it is important that a person can laugh at one’s self, for example, when I was 15 I was walking down the street in Lake George with my family and I was looking to my right because I was talking to someone and I walked head first into a street sign. At the moment, I was completely horrified and wanted to melt into the sidewalk but after the bruise disappeared from my forehead I was able to laugh about the whole thing. It is a great story and I like to share it because it shows how I live in my own little world most of the time and lets everyone know to keep an eye on me – you never know what I will walk into next.

3. I would like Evie to learn to be kind to everyone (including all animals). I am sure Brian will agree with this one because his biggest pet peeve is when a person allows a door to shut when someone else is attempting to go through it. So, always hold open doors, help the less fortunate out when they are unable to do something on their own, speak kindly to others and treat others as you wish to be treated. Never hurt someone or something less fortunate than you.

4. The last important lesson I would like Evie to learn is to love life- it passes too quickly to waste time on hating any part of it. Love the people you choose to include on this wonderful adventure, Love the job you choose, Love the place that you live, and most importantly Love yourself. Live life the fullest extent and don’t let anyone hold you back. Make a decision and go for it with no regrets –most mistakes can be fixed.

There are so many ideals, ideas and opinions I want to share with Evie but I hope these 4 lessons stick the most and I hope that she can add a few more that she feels are important when the time comes.