37 weeks

Yay! I'm now officially full term! They were concerned that I wouldn't make it this far, but we did it :) So now it's a matter of the waiting game. This is the part that is killing me, they expected I go around this time, so now I am expecting it. And you know how these always end? Exactly how you don't expect. So now I'm really hoping I don't go overdue or something after all that worry that I would go too early! I've started dilating, so that is a good sign, but you never know....

All is well with the little guy, growing well, measures to be a good size. Pregnancy is staying stagnant, just getting more and more swollen and uncomfortable. This hot weather is really taking it's tole on my ankles...ok, cankles. Even my maternity clothes are starting to get too short! They barely cover my big belly...
cravings:
-Strawberries, still!
-BLTs
-Granny smith apples

Summertime, and the living's easy

What's the best part of summer? The beach! This is where we really love to be....Eve hates to go near the water, so we just get to chill out on the sand, play, and eat our snacks. Maybe it's my being enormous and super pregnant, but doesn't that sequence sound like heaven?

Oh, and the best part, when you go Friday mornings, apparently you get it almost to yourself :) 

mmmm summer...never leave us! 

Porgy and Bess

 With the due date fast approaching Braden and I decided to sneak in one last date night before our family triangle becomes a square. Upon the recommendation of a coworker of his we went to see the Broadway show Porgy and Bess. We were both really excited to try something a little different than the main shows on Broadway. And well, admitting to being a "Private Practise" fan having Audra McDonald was certainly a perk :) 

Well the usual 45 min drive down to the theater took us 2.5 hours! So the romantic dinner obviously got cancelled, and we only had a few minutes before we had to go to the theater. We hopped into a corner deli that was close and ate our sandwiches in the window and just people watched. We both actually enjoyed it probably as much as a nice dinner, we're pretty low maintenance. 

As for the production, it was great. We had fantastic seats, so that certainly helps. The show was more of a drama than I was expecting, they slipped in a bit of humor here and there but it is really quite the thespian experience. I don't want to give anything away, but it's an unexpected love story. And yes I know, nothing is more expected than the "against all odds" unexpected love story. But this really was a sweet story. Set back in the early 1930's the costumes were so fun to see. I wouldn't say I'm in a rush to go and see it again, but that is more because I prefer a bit more humor and less serious of a production.  

The real adventure of the night was the trip back to the parking garage! Obviously the majority of the people that park int he garages off the main strip are those catching the evening shows. So we hightailed it out of there and tried to make it to the car as fast as we could. Well being what feels like 39 months pregnant, we didn't get to go that fast haha. The line was SOO long to get your car, so we just made the best of it. There were these two drunk/potentially otherwise intoxicated guys behind us that were hilarious! They were really curious about pregnancy and everything. I even got asked a few questions that were more along the lines of the "nitty gritty" of pregnancy and delivery. Nonetheless they were a hoot to hang out with. I love the random people you meet in NYC. Luckily halfway through the line someone spotted my enormous midsection and we got bumped to the front :) I always forget I can exploit this pregnant thing....

36 weeks

I am a few days early, but I figured I needed to post it while I was thinking about it, or else I'd forget.
I am just about 36 weeks! Yikes! That means next month is the big D-day, potentially. Things have been a little crazy lately, I was having contractions for a while there so the doctors told me to "slow down". How exactly do you do that with a full time job and a toddler at home? So I did my best, but things weren't "slowing", including the contractions. So as of now I am on partial bed rest. Basically this means if I am not at work, I am on bed rest. No gym, selective activities with Eve, and even at work I have to go easy. I am learning something about myself here, I hate being idle! Nothing drives me crazy more than sitting still and feeling useless. I know it's for the baby's well being, so I am not completely "useless". But knowing there is laundry to be done, a house that needs to be tidied, and knowing I am supposed to stay put and rest just grates at me. It's getting better, probably just needs some more time to get used to.
Other than that, things are going steady. The baby is still "sunny side up" or face up. But the doctors are more optimistic that I can have a natural delivery. He's measuring to be a decent size if I make it close to my due date. He's still very relaxed, but not a huge mover. His big sister is getting really excited for his arrival, it probably has a lot to do with the "big girl room" that awaits her when he gets here. Cravings are staying the same basically:
-Strawberries
-Apples
-Bananas
-Lo Mein noodles
-Cereal, mostly honey nut cheerios

Stay put little guy, I need you to stay baking for a few more weeks! But I am anxiously awaiting your arrival, we can't wait to meet you!!!

Our Sweet Eve

 Getting ready for the new baby coming, I have taken a new attitude towards what "getting ready" means. A few months back, I had an extremely humbling experience with our home teachers. After our visit with them, as usual we ended with a prayer. In it, it was randomly mentioned that I need to prepare for the new addition coming to our family. At first, I was a little taken back, I had prided myself in my ability to get all the temporal things in place way in advance. After this was said, it really pressed at me, I couldn't shake the feeling, and I was starting to get annoyed with it. Why would he mention that I need to prepare? I have been doing nothing but preparing. And then like a tonne of bricks a few hours later, it hit me...I needed to get Eve ready, I needed to focus on our relationship in preparation for the new addition. This last few months were so precious for us, this was the last time it was just the 3 of us.
So we have been really focusing on her, and her needs. Just really taking the time to enjoy her. It has been so fun!

This little lady really marches to the beat of her own drummer. She has so much personality, it's hard to believe it can all fit in such a small person. Everywhere she goes she makes herself known. She's starting to get excited for baby brother, she find babies wherever we go, and just loves to look at them and comment on how cute and tiny they are. I am learning just how tender-hearted she is, if she misbehaves and I react in a frustrated way (my shamefully natural reaction) she doesn't really even listen (her natural reaction). After a long while, I finally figured out how to get through to her, Eureka! I found that if she misbehaves and I express that it makes me sad when she does that, maybe throw in a pout, she will calmly stroke my face and say "I'm so sorry mum, I really sorry". It just melts my heart, I love how caring and loving she is. I hope she never loses her sweet sweet self. 

As "d-day" is fast approaching, I am wishing for longer days and more time with my Eve, I am getting nervous about having two kids. How to juggle two of them, how to give each one enough love? But for now, we are just enjoying our precious time with our special little lady.

34 weeks

HOLY MOLY! I am 34 weeks large already, and it really is going faster than I can keep up. 6 weeks to go, and so many things I have yet to accomplish. As of now the baby is doing great, he has a good strong heartbeat, and measuring to be bigger than his sister. I'm sure that will come in handy later in life, as his sister can be a little bossy at times.
He is head down (yay!) and face up (no!) They call it "sunny side up" and the doc doesn't seem optimistic of him flipping over at this point in the pregnancy. But I'm not too worried, I'm convinced babies have a mind of their own already, and he'll move if he wants to or is ready. And if he's not, well that means a lot of back labor and more eventful delivery for me. So only time will tell.
On the bright side, with him being face up, his back is against my back, but his arms and legs are all in the front. With this, Eve (and anyone else for that matter) can see and feel EVERY single move the baby makes. It's really fun, so that is a perk :) Eve is so funny, sometimes when she can see the baby give a good kick, she says "Not nice baby brother! You go to timeout...we don't hit mom" I have even been sent to the time out spot so baby brother can do his 2 minutes of time out as directed by Eve. It warms my heart to see that some concepts we are teaching her sinking in, but I have a feeling this baby won't get away with much.
This pregnancy is continuing to be very different. I am swelling a lot with hot weather, another luxury I didn't have to worry about with the last winter baby. I am continuing to be much larger than the first, but also carrying much lower. I'm not sure if that is more that it's my second pregnancy, or this is just a big boy compared to our dainty little Eve. Also, I am definitely having different cravings/food aversions. I am still really turned off most sweets. But I am eating strawberries like nobody's business! After tracking things roughly for the past weeks, I came to realize that on average I am eating over a pound of them a day...everyday....for many weeks now... I can't imagine my day without them.
Cravings:
-Strawberries!
-chili cheese dogs (awful I know, but I'm not eating them much, just craving them)
-cereal
-bananas
-apples

The Bronx Zoo

 

We finally made it to the Bronx zoo this year. We have been meaning to go for a long time now, but we just never did. In the three years of living in the NYC area, we haven't ever made it, until now :) You know the ones, those attractions, the ones that are so close and so easily accessible, you never seem to get there? It was a gorgeous, almost perfect late spring days, it rained the whole drive up there, but the moment we arrived, it stopped raining. Just long enough to cool things off, and make for a pleasant day.

One of the best things about going in the springtime, is that most of the animals have babies! Maybe it's our new addition coming this summer, but I am obsessed with everything baby these days. So it was so fun to see a big portion of the animals with their young. 

The bug carousel was a huge hit with Eve, she didn't love that it was bugs, but we found a ladybug and it all seemed ok after that. This zoo even had a 4d Dora adventure movie! We could have watched that all day if it was up to the little one.

This sort of freaked me out, Eve kept trying to feed her finger to the alligators...

They had a fun little jungle gym for the kids to play, and the best way back to the bottom was this slide. And, apparently it was a bit too steep for both of them...

..Eve was not impressed...she came off screaming "NOT NICE SLIDE!"

As to be expected the most amazing part was the children's zoo, where you could pet and feed the animals. I think her face says it all. 

If you ever make it to the Bronx zoo, you have to do the monorail ride, it was really great to see all the animals, especially at quite a close proximity. 

Long Beach Island

 This year we decided to get away for the long weekend, and where does one go for a long weekend? But Jersey Shore of course! Haha, nothing like the show, we just went down to Beach Haven on Long Beach Island. Our good friends April and Candace, or as Eve calls them "auntie April and Caniss", met up with us and took Eve for the weekend. Honestly, they are probably Eve's favorite people in the universe, she can't get enough of them. We are so lucky to have had the opportunity to have a weekend practically to ourselves. As it will probably be our last weekend "childless" for quite some time, we did our best to take advantage. We took naps on the beach (one of which resulted in a baaad sunburn for me...oops) read our books, and really just relaxed and enjoyed our own company. Braden was kind enough to dig a special hole in the sand so I could lay on my stomach, without squishing the baby :) I haven't been able to do that is almost 8 months, and it felt amazing! We did make sure to go to Atlantic city while we were down there as well.

Thanks to their diligence with taking pictures, I have great documentation of all their adventures! When Eve got too hot on the beach, April was so good to take her to the pool, for some reason Eve will NOT go in the ocean. If she puts her toes in it's a huge deal. 

I guess all the sandcastle making and hole digging just wore her out.

I love my little beach bum :)

In this little beach town they have the cutest little carnival, so many cute rides and activities. We were very impressed how equipped this town was for children. 

This place is the best! There is always a line up, no matter when you go. 

April and Candace were nice enough to let Eve join them on their bike excursions with their friends.

She obviously had no fun at all....