Ahoy! It's a boy!

Six weeks to go! I am so excited and getting much closer to feeling ready. We finished our table...

And I only have 2 (ok, maybe 3) one more project until Anias' room is done. Aimee's shower knocked it out for us! I'm fully anticipating being overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and unable to function like I would like- so I'm also Christmas shopping, getting Eli's year video ready, and keeping up with Anias' pregnancy book. I know it's ridiculous, but it makes me feel less stressed which is good for all. Maybe when he's born I can relax and focus on bonding instead of worrying about this sort of nonsense (which is actually really important to me).

I mailed out my last session today and only have a couple blogs to go for Philanthropy Photography before I'm done for a few months. I have one watch me grow client in September and one in November, but I think I'm going to bypass my fall mini sessions until I'm sure he's on a schedule and he has something to eat sans mommy. I know my November client won't mind him coming along if necessary because we're friends!

Anias' props for his newborn shoot are also almost in- I'm just waiting for 2 more things to show up in the mail, but everything has been paid for! I feel sooo much better about his pending arrival. Better yet, the doctor said the pre-labor symptoms were normal! Let's hope he stays put for a few more weeks because no matter how much I hear he's fine, I feel like he's on a different schedule and is eager to make his appearance.

In other news, we're planning on taking Eli to see the dinosaurs next week, and hopefully I can be his fun mommy instead of his stressed out mommy. He's really a very good boy, but he does seem to get into the most trouble when I need to get something done. Maybe it's because he's feeling the changes coming? We got him a book, You were the First that we gave to him at the shower which talks about how even though things are changing, he will never be replaced. I just want him to be a happy, healthy boy.


Week 34

Baby’s size: About 4.5 lbs and the size of a cantaloupe
Weight Gain: 40 pounds- oh gosh. I'm huge and he's not
Symptoms: dizziness, difficulty breathing, contractions
Cravings: mashed potatoes, cheese sticks, loaded french fries with sour cream, bacon, green onions, cheddar cheese and mustard
At the doctor: I had a nice and strong heartbeat and am in a good position! No progress yet, which is good!
Other things: We had our first of two baby showers for Anias! I am such a sentimental person, and am super thankful for everyone who showed up to show their support and excitement for our growing family. Aimee did an awesome job hosting, from the invites to the delicious food and fun games it was an all around good time. Brandi and I tied not once, but twice when playing the games (we also tied at Eli's shower!). 

People also got to see our new house, and it was nice to make it official- like here's where we will be for a minute. Speaking of- the land still hasn't gone through, but it doesn't really matter to me right now. We wouldn't want to manage a newborn and a build at once, so hopefully we'll break ground in the spring.  

Eli

"Look at my hat", "Take my picture, lemme see"

Eli is hilarious and trying! He definitely has days where he tests boundaries every minute, but he is a sweet child who yells "I love you daddy!" every night over and over while Josh yells back from another room. He catches on to everything you say and will say things like "there's a pokemon up here!". He has an adorable vocabulary and calls stop lights "light stop stops". This morning he told me "It's done darking". He always wants "the blue one" of anything- ice cream, shoes, blankets. He is very observant, and measures my belly just like our OB Dr. Bellardo. He even has to lift up my shirt to make sure his measurement is accurate. We were at a movie and a completely bald character was on screen and he asked, "where did his hair go?" He wants to fix everything, including storms. We were leaving the YMCA and a church bell was ringing 10am and he was very upset when it ended. He asks every time we go to the YMCA now to "get control" over the bell so he can hear it. He's very imaginative and pretends to be a dinosaur. He makes his stuffed animal owl fly and fall, only to have his stuffed bear ride in on his moose to save him.  He is very into routines, and likes to have a glass of milk and a granola bar while he watches The Good Dinosaur every night before bed.