32-weeks

Here's the belly at 32 weeks. I can't imagine how big it's going to be in another 8 weeks! The baby is supposed to grow a half a pound per week from here to the end. As I'm typing this, she's moving around like crazy.

I haven't written much lately because there's been lots going on.

--Jeremy is getting pretty well settled into his new job, and it's been fun having the opportunity to carpool to work some days. Although having us both working full-time has meant not as much time to get things done around the house. But that will change soon because this coming Friday will be my last day of employment. It's bittersweet to be leaving because I do love my job, but I'm also very much looking forward to the opportunity to be at home full-time taking care of our home and the baby.

--On Labor Day we move out of my parents house and into an apartment in Minneapolis. It has been a huge blessing living with my parents, but we are also very excited to now be moving to our own place again. So recently the little bit of energy that I can muster after a day of work has been given to packing and getting ready for the move. The timing is great in that after we move I won't have to go back to work, so I can just take my time getting unpacked and settled. And it should be just long enough for us to get ourselves into a nice new routine before the baby comes and disrupts everything. :) But that's okay...it will be a very welcome disruption.

--We're also halfway through our birthing classes now. We've been learning things like relaxation breathing techniques, medication options, and the partners have been learning how to massage in order to help the moms relax and deal with the pain. We've also been watching videos of birthing stories. We'll just say that's been interesting. :)

The weather this weekend was absolutely amazing. Sunny, but cool enough to make this pregnant woman very happy.

I think that's all for now. It's going to be a busy week trying to train my replacement at work while tying up all my loose ends there, and also finishing the packing project before next monday. Hopefully once I'm done working I'll be able to blog more often.

31 weeks

So we're now just over 31 weeks. Only 61 days until our due date. I can hardly believe it! Here's what babycenter.com says about our baby girl this week:

From this week on, your baby will continue to gain around ½ pound a week until shortly before birth (even though it may feel like a whole lot more with every step you take). Other highlights this week:Due to increasing space constraints, your baby's arms and legs stay drawn up close to the body now, known as the fetal position (oh, so that's where that name came from!). Plus, your baby can now process information from all five senses—so she'll be all set to smell the pureed peas, taste them, feel them as she mashes them into her hair, hear you crack up and then see the flash as you grab the camera to snap picture after picture.By now, your baby's lungs are the only system not fully mature. And by mature, we're not saying that the rest of your baby's systems are mature enough to be out past 10 PM with the neighborhood hooligan, just that her lungs need a little bit more time to bake before they can kick it in the outside world. Your baby weighs about 3½ pounds and measures a little over 16 inches.

Like A Virgin: Blogging For The Very First Time

Well, here it is. My very first blog attempt on our family site. Not much fanfare, but I am posting from my mobile phone so it feels moderately high-tech. I can see how I could get used to this though so hopefully I'll be a more regular participant in opening the windows of our lives to our friends. By the way, this is me taking a break from work!

30 Weeks!

Sorry to those of you who've been checking back for updates. It's been a shamefully long time since I've posted. Mostly it's just that I've been hot and tired and haven't felt like sitting in our apartment to do anything (we don't have A/C). But today is much cooler, plus we're 30 weeks now, so I knew I really had to get some updated pictures on here.

Much has happened in the three weeks since my last post.

1. Jeremy accepted a full-time position at our church as the Interim Coordinator for Congregational Care at the downtown campus. We had also been pursuing a youth pastor position in his hometown in Wisconsin, but the farther we got in the process with them the more unsettled we felt about it. It would have been really great to be near his family, but this job itself just didn't feel like a good fit for us right now. So after much prayer we turned that position down and accepted the job at Bethlehem. Jeremy has already started in his new role part-time and will soon be fully transitioned in. I am praising God for His provision because it seems like a really great fit for Jeremy at this time.

2. As a result of Jeremy finding a full-time job, I will be leaving my job at the end of August to stay home full-time. We found an apartment in northeast Minneapolis that we will be moving into on September 1st. It has been a huge blessing living with my parents for the past year and a half, but we are excited now to have our own place again. Assuming baby girl doesn't come too early, I should have several weeks at home to get us unpacked and settled, and to rest up for the sleepless nights to come! It will be bittersweet to leave the job that I love at my church, but I am so excited to be home with our baby and be able to focus on managing our home.

3. Speaking of baby, we are now well into the third trimester and only have 10 weeks to go until our due date! It's hard to believe we're already on the home stretch. I'm still feeling quite well, all things considered, but I'm definitely more tired again and experiencing things like heartburn, shortness of breath, multiple trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and at times a belly that feels like it is so stretched it will probably burst at any moment. And I'm still trying to get a handle on how far I stick out now. The other day I walked across the room to give Jeremy a hug and I misjudged where my belly ends and just plowed into him. It felt kinda like bumper cars...or bumper bellies. :)

Enjoy the 30-week pictures...