Really?

Yes, I am past my due date. However, I am pretty sure I am not the first woman in history to ever go over a due date. That said, I think the following comments which I have heard already this week are somewhat inappropriate.

"Oh my, you're still here?" Yes I am...and due to the fact that I work for a non-profit organization and don't have the world's best maternity leave plan, I will be here until the baby is born.

"You must be miserable!" No, actually, I still feel good. This baby and I have been very nice to each other. I still feel great, still sleep great (most nights)...just doing great!

"I bet you're ready for this to all be over." OR "Don't worry, you won't be pregnant forever." See above. And add in there that I have it pretty easy right now! My body is still providing a safe, warm home for the baby. My job is about to get much harder, but right now? I have it pretty good!

"Can't you have this baby already?" Well, since I have so much control over it!! This baby will come when he/she is ready!! Think about the journey this one has lying ahead!

"Hopefully we won't see you at ____ (fill in the blank with a variety of things!)". Hoping people aren't saying this to people on a regular basis!

"Are you sure your midwife didn't get your due date wrong?" Well, no, it is very possible that is a little off since they are a guess anyways! But that is the case with all pregnancies!

On a serious note, I am feeling great! Eric and I are ready for this baby to arrive! And somewhat relieved that this baby hasn't arrived yet, as Jasmine has been very busy delivering babies over the past week. We are perfectly content to wait our turn so we can have her undivided attention! In the meantime, we are enjoying long nightly walks and timing contractions to see if they might lead up to something! Tomorrow? Tomorrow, I'm have a massage by the most amazing massage therapist out there. And I'm sure she'll know all the right spots to work on to help things along. We're also enjoying having my mom here, helping us prepare for the arrival of this little one. Any ol' time baby, whenever you're ready!

Waiting...

We are past our due date. Which really means nothing since due dates are just a guess...but we're getting awfully antsy.

We have nothing left to do.

The house is clean.

The freezer is well stocked and getting more stocked as we speak.

Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and letting us know that we are loved and thought about.

Now, come on Baby Brotherson. I know it's super warm, comfy, cozy and dark in there. But I promise you....great things await you out here as well!!!

It's okay, come on out!

40 weeks

Here we are. We've reached our due date (according to us, although at our appointment yesterday with Jasmine, she had that as our due date...first time I've heard that). 40 whole weeks of pregnancy completed. And we're just waiting. Amazing how patient you can be for 40 weeks and now Eric and I are both anxious, nervous, excited and feeling ready to meet this baby.

At our appointment yesterday, all is looking well. My blood pressure had gone up a little at an appointment a few weeks ago, but was back down yesterday after taking some herbs for the past 2 weeks. They aren't delicious, but they did the trick! She re-tested me for Group Beta Strep as we did my initial test early but they are only considered valid for 4 weeks. Baby's heart rate was perfect at 140bpm. Still feeling pretty good, just could use a little more sleep! Plan on doing lots of resting and napping over the weekend!

The house is still clean, my work is still caught up and ready for someone else to take over....now we just wait. Hopefully, somewhat patiently.

Here is a 40 week picture for your viewing pleasure!

Redrum Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago we had a belly dance photo shoot done by Redrum Photography. Here is my photo from that day...not too shabby for being 36 weeks pregnant!



I get to pick another for them to retouch and make me look beautiful...so excited! And such a talented duo we worked with! I was hot and sweaty and standing in front of a white wall...and the above photo is what they were able to create. They are amazing!!!

Cook, Clean, Sleep....Bowl?

Over the weekend, we were extremely productive. We have a freezer full of enchiladas, just waiting to be cooked after the birth of our little one. Figured that just in case no one had time to cook, we better have some delicious food to feed our birthing team.

We've cleaned the house from top to bottom...and then have done it again and again. The house is cleaner than normal, as if the baby might actually care or notice if we missed a day of running the vacuum. Don't get me wrong, I love the cleanliness of our abode right now but really don't know if it can get any cleaner around here!

And I've been resting up or at least trying to do a better job of getting a nap in here and there. Resting up for the biggest challenge of my life! And I'm trying to get as much sleep as possible at night, as I've heard these nights will be few and far between for the next several years.

So, the nesting is done. And now we just sit back and wait for the little one to make his or her arrival.

However, in an attempt to speed things along we went bowling yesterday. No changes yet, but we'll see what happens!

Come on baby, we're ready for you...I think!

39 weeks

Tomorrow marks 39 weeks. One more (official) week of waiting!

Again, I say, I can't believe how fast this has all gone.

We had another home visit this week with Jasmine and she brought another assistant, Alicia. Alicia is a very sweet soul, who was so excited to meet us...and our baby. She introduced herself to the baby before touching my belly and it was so sweet.

My belly is measuring at 35 weeks, significantly different than last week. Which means the baby has dropped and is getting ready to meet us! Baby's heart rate was good at 146. Keep trying to follow an old wives' tale...low means one sex, high means the other...but baby keeps it right in the middle, so we can't even make a guess based on the heart rate!

Every visit, Jasmine asks me how I'm feeling. Every week it's the same...feeling good, sleeping good, still exercising, just doing well in general. This pregnancy business has been very enjoyable...I've had very few complaints, very few sleepless nights...and consider myself extremely lucky. Jasmine told me, in her sweet and gentle way, that women usually have to get to a point where they are really uncomfortable before their babies are born. She also joked about putting me on a coke and white bread diet, so that the baby doesn't like being inside anymore. Of course, she was joking...I'll continue to drink my tea, take my herbs and take a handful of supplements everyday. Alicia disagreed somewhat and informed us that she feels that I will feel great up to the end and be one of those women who has an "orgasmic" birth. Don't know if I'll be that lucky, but that would be better than many of the birth stories I've heard!

So, at this point, we wait. We get to continue to hear the guesses of when the baby will arrive....full moon on the 24th, first time moms never deliver on time, it will definitely be September before this baby arrives...we've heard quite a range of guesses. Some dates have passed and some still seem very far away. Only thing for sure, this baby will come when he/she is ready. And I can't wait!

Baby may be waiting until we decide on at least one name for each sex....in that case, I hope the baby comes out wearing a name tag.

38 weeks

We have hit 38 weeks and I would the nesting is in full force right now!

I have completed some projects that I wanted to have done prior to the baby's arrival. I started knitting this blanket months ago. I'm not a very good knitter and had to use a loom...and am not sure I'll ever knit again! But...here is the finished project.



And I sewed this quilt. It's not perfect and it's much smaller than I originally anticipated, but I made a quilt damn it. Aside from a gift for Mandy & Elliott, I haven't sewn anything without help from my mom or my grandma... And I'm quite please with myself. Have a look...



Yesterday, poor Eric got to rearrange our bedrooms on his own...because, really?? I'm not much for lifting furniture these days. But the rooms are ready for the arrival of the little one. The baby room is ready. Our room is now ready, complete with a rocking chair and bassinet. And the guest room has been rearranged to accommodate all of the furniture that we just couldn't fit in our bedroom any longer!

I am actually on top of things and for the most part caught up at work. I have paperwork from one meeting last week to complete and a few things to finish up, but I have been putting in lots of extra hours over the past few weeks to get things caught up and ready for someone else to deal with while I'm out for a few weeks....and it feels so great! Staying on top of my caseload, including having paperwork up to date? NEVER.HAPPENS. I'd say we're ready to go!

Still feeling well...I could sleep for days straight sometimes. However, I have been better about lying down when I get home from work and napping on the weekends. Enjoying all of the quiet time that we have left...and so looking forward to that quiet time being filled with sweet baby sounds in the next few weeks!!!!

The countdown is on....10 days (give or take) and counting...

37 (and a half) weeks

Here we are...on the final countdown! We are past 37 weeks, which means we could really have this baby at anytime! But officially, we have 16 days to go! But all that really means is that any time in the next 1-30 days we will be having a baby! Where did all that time go????

We had an appointment with Jasmine yesterday and everything is going great! I am measuring right on track and have gained the right amount of weight. My blood pressure is good, baby's heart rate is good..everything is good! Our next appointment will be at home again. It is so nice to have these appointments at the house. Jasmine will be bringing another assistant for us to meet, as one of these ladies will be attending the birth with Jasmine.

The house is ready for the little one to arrive. The dresser is full of clothes and diapers, all the baby necessities are bought and put in their proper place and Eric is doing a great job at making sure that we keep the house cleaned up and ready to go! Everyday we think of more things that need to be done before the birth, but just little things that make us feel better....and more prepared!

People have been asking if I'm done being pregnant a lot lately. I have really enjoyed being pregnant and have had a pretty easy run from what I've heard from many other women. I'm not tired of being pregnant, but I really can't wait to see the little person that Eric and I have made. Will he/she be long and lean like Eric? Will he/she be a belly dancer or a soccer player? Will he/she be as stubborn as each of us? I just can't wait to see what traits each of us have passed along to this sweet little one. I also can't wait to see who has been kicking and poking me for the past 37+ weeks.

I continue to feel good, although I am definitely starting to slow down. I'm not swollen, I continue to sleep well...I just feel good in general! I have been busting through a whole month's worth of work over the past few weeks in hopes that I can leave things done and in order when the baby decides to make his/her arrival. Guess that's my way of nesting right now! However, all this work makes for one tired mama at the end of the day!

Since I have been pretty bad about picture lately, thought I would include some tonight...for your viewing pleasure.

This is our previous home visit with Jasmine. She came and saw our house and did our prenatal visit in the comfort of our home.



Here we are as of today, 37 weeks and 5 days. Please excuse my appearance...I had a day full of meetings and changed into sweats as soon as I got home.



And this was a double rainbow we saw tonight. Just a cool sight, worth sharing.

Surprise!

Last night I was surprised by some sweet friends with a baby shower! Eric and I had planned to go out to dinner, as our days as 2 are coming to an end. He informed me we needed to make a quick stop to get some elk antlers cut for Risa. (I know this sounds extremely red neck of us, but she loves them and they are full of calcium and way better for her than rawhides). So, we stopped to have a friend cut our antlers and...SURPRISE!!!

There were several of my close friends hiding in the kitchen! There was tons, and I mean TONS, of delicious food! Salsas from my favorite Mexican restaurant, spinach artichoke dip, tater tots, salad, fried ravioli, veggie and chicken skewers, Janet's famous purses and to top it off rice krispy treats and some delicious cupcakes! These ladies are amazing, I tell you!

We enjoyed some delicious food...and I think some beverages were consumed by others. :) Eric and I were also treated to some super sweet 'wish cards' for us from these friends, an awesome picture holder and the pack and play that we've been wanting! It is so amazing to have such generous friends in our lives!

It was an extremely enjoyable evening, shared with some of the best friends two transplants could ask for! I feel completely blessed to have such amazing friends to share the arrival of our baby with! Thanks to all of you!!!!

Ouray

Eric and I took our last trip as two over the weekend. Just a short overnight trip to Ouray, Colorado but it was so worth it to have a little time away before the arrival of Baby Brotherson.

We drove out over McClure Pass, which was a beautiful drive! We stopped in Paonia for lunch at The Casa...if you ever get to Paonia, go there! We sat outside and ate some yummy food...and got a good couple of laughs at the 10ish year old kid there eating breakfast by himself. The only kid I've ever seen send pancakes back because they had sugar on them. Too cute!

We finished our drive and arrived mid-afternoon. Just in time to take in the shops in downtown Ouray. Then we headed out for a night on the town. We ate dinner at the Beaumont Hotel, which is super old and super fancy. We sat outside in the rain, which was awesome. We were entertained by an almost two year old, Theo, throughout our appetizer and salads. After our dinner, our waitress braved the rain again to bring us a delicious dessert purchased by Theo's dad. Too sweet. Little did they know, we really enjoy playing with other people's kids, so double win for us! We grabbed some warm decaf beverages and headed back to our room for some SNL action. Since we don't have cable any more, SNL and the news make for a pretty good Saturday night.

Sunday morning, we got up and went to breakfast at a funny little restaurant. The owners and wait staff were all enjoying their breakfast at the table next to us, while they took turns serving us and making sure our water glasses were full. Quaint little town, I tell you!

Then we headed to Cascade Falls. A very short little hike, leads you to this amazing view...



Then we walked around where there is some apparently amazing ice climbing during the winter. Box Canyon Falls...





And here we are, just the two of us...



Then we went to the actual Box Canyon Falls...pretty amazing stuff.





Here is a 36 week belly shot at Box Canyon Falls...



We finished up our trip with a stop in Ridgeway, where we happened to see Theo's family from dinner the night before and were able to thank them for the yummy dessert. Yes quaint little mountain towns. It was a fantastic weekend. Extremely relaxing and I am so glad we got a chance to get away!

But I'll tell you what, I am so excited for our next trip...as a family of 3. When we can start showing our little one the beautiful state where we live, Kansas where all of our family lives, the world...I just can't wait.