Time for one last belly shot. The house is clean. The cookies are done. The bags are packed. Emma and Davis are safe at Kiki's. Nine months has come and gone and in just a few more hours now, we will meet our newest family member. It won't be long now. I will update this blog with the baby arrival information as soon as I am able. In the meantime, here are some pictures. The last ones taken as a family of four. 39 weeks and ready. I realize my smile is off for some reason. Davis wanted to "cheese" with me and Emma took this picture at the exact moment he looked up to me as I looked down on him. My big boy..... I wanted a picture of me with my babies before this baby is actually born. Will the baby be a boy.... Or a girl? Hoping to make nice with the nurses....helping me pee at three in the morning will be much better if you can grab one of these right? And with that, so ends this pregnancy journey.

So what do you do when you are days away from delivering your third child? Bake you say? That is exactly what I did. Mark wanted some cookies to take to a lady who had a baby at his office a while ago. So I decided to bake six dozen cookies. I figure I can take them to the hospital for visitors and to make nice with the nurses. The funny thing is now I want to take my coffee, my coffee maker, some half and half and some sugar so I can offer cookies and coffee to people. I am not right. Here is the cookie plan. I have done already, blue baby feet, blue stars, and blue moons. I will make pink cookies in the same way (I am out of red food coloring and unable to drive to the store). They will be outlined in darker/brighter pink in two varying shades and filled in with a paler pink. Same shapes as well. Then I made circles that are iced white. These will get boy? and girl? written on them in either blue or pink. I do not have much left to do with the cookies. I just wonder.........

Here we sit. By this time next week I will be checked into the hospital awaiting the arrival of baby #3. Wow. Nerves have set in some. Will the surgery go okay? Will the baby be okay and healthy? I am supposed to bring home a new baby and do what again? I am sure things will be fine and very soon none of us will be able to remember what life was like before this new addition became a part of us. I will post here as soon as I am able too, likely sometime Wednesday or Thursday of next week (November 7 or8) with the news. Along with the first pictures of the newest family member. Every day this week, I know I will be thinking, "This time next week.......". As much as I am ready to be done, there is still that odd feeling of knowing that soon this child, the one I have been carrying all this time, will be outside of me. We will have a whole new person, one we created and one that I carried all this time. What a miracle. I may post some more this week, who knows. I...

The baby officially has a nursery now. We got the crib put together today and I ironed all the items and got it all put together. Hung a few things. Moved things under the crib for storing. It is all done and ready to go. It looks really nice. Kiki has good taste, doesn't she??? After I got the crib all done, Emma came into the room. She was looking at the crib and said, "I can just imagine the baby laying in there Mom. Won't the baby be so cute laying in there?" So sweet. Let us just hope she remembers that when the baby is screaming..... Without further ado.......I give you the nursery. (please note that if this baby is a girl, I will girl up the bug wall by adding some pink flowers and possibly painting the dragonflies pink as well, we will see.....) Window treatments (infant car seat and bouncy seat as well) Dresser with wall hanging Bug wall Crib wall Close up of the bedding So there you have it. The baby's room. Nine more days to go.......

I was thinking today of taking that 37 week picture. And as I thought about it, I thought, "I will wait for a day when I look good." To which I had to laugh. If I did that it would never get taken. I am no longer able to drive. At the request of many family members, Mark being the ring leader, it has been noted that I should no longer drive. I did not discuss this with my doctor and it is not by her orders. However, once you no longer fit into your car, it is probably best to cease driving. To be honest it pisses me off. But, between the largeness of my belly and the shortness of my legs.....it is no longer possible. Simply put, the steering wheel is up as far as it will go and the seat is moved back as far as I can move it and still reach the pedals. The steering wheel now rests ON my belly and my legs are cramping from having to stretch to reach the pedals. Mark is probably right. It is no longer safe. And I hate it when he is right. So we are homebound during ...

If you do not want to see these, look away. Here is the 32 weeks shot. Taken with Emma's camera and fixed as much as I can. And if that were not scary enough, here is 35 weeks. Taken today with my camera. (Have I mentioned how happy I am to have my camera back?) I am aware that the stripes around do nothing for my size. I am also aware that my "hairdo" leaves a lot to be desired. Get over it. Notice how my face is swelling now? As if my face were not round enough..... I figure I will do a 37 week shot and the 39 week one since that will be right before I deliver.

Here is the Tabblo I have created with my pregnancy pictures. I will finish out the last few weeks likely by doing every other week. I missed a week somewhere anyway.

Seven weeks away now. I did find out my thyroid was off. So they increased my medication. By a decent amount. I am beginning to feel better already. I think that my thyroid being off may have been contributing to my lack of energy and my depressed feelings. Those were two of my worst symptoms before. I even had a dream the other night that I was holding our new baby and his/her little head was so soft and snuggled up by my neck. And the baby had that yummy new baby smell. Maybe the fog is lifting. I am HUGE though and have passed the uncomfortable stage and am in the miserable one. Just so big. We have the beloved Kiki lined up to keep the kids when we go in for the c-section. The date is set and on the books. We have plans to get things moved around in the house the first weekend in October to make room for baby. It is all coming together. It is always odd to me.....this time last year I had no idea we would even be thinking about another child let alone actually expecting...

In no longer than 8 weeks, baby number three will join our family. That is the scheduled date for now. I could go into labor prior to that, but it will be no later than then. I am over being pregnant. But not ready for a new baby either. I am stuck in some sort of weird limbo land. My Six Pack (what I call the girls from high school that have managed to remain my friends after............a long enough time) gave me a shower over the weekend. It was sweet and overwhelming. Overwhelming in the sense that, "Oh my, a real live baby is coming." No turning back now right? And now I have this pile of baby stuff and I look at it and wonder what I am going to do with another child. On a side note, these girls have great taste and sense and their thinking of us and doing this for us has deeply touched me. I have discovered there is such a thing as prepartum depression. It is called antenatal depression. How strange....I figure the shock of it happening so soon is what i...

Here is the 29 week shot. Yes, I have considered not taking anymore photos. For one, my camera is still not working (no I have not mailed it off yet to the powers that be). Emma's camera takes not so great pictures. And I need all the help I can get. Second, I am beginning to look beat down. Seriously. However, what do I tell the child? I did not take ANY with the other two kids. I can lie to them. I did not take them because I did not think about it, it what I will say. One day they might get the real reason: I knew I would get huge and was afraid if I saw pictures of myself I would never have another child. And if you looked like this with 9-10 weeks still to go, you might feel the same way. So Kiki, if you are checking, no it is not the angle. There is no good angle right now. Cover the boys eyes or warn him before he looks.

Here is 28 weeks. Excuse the photo, my camera has to be mailed in to the Gods that be at Fuji. It is funky. So once again, we used Emma's camera. Right now I am not sure that any camera really matters. Yikes. And yes, I am going to start telling people I was due in July. Then they will shut up and wipe that stunned look off thier faces they usually have when I say, "November."

I have been absent around here lately. I think in part because I am not sure what to say. What is at the forefront of my mind is not easy to admit and discuss. And my computer is being all sorts of crazy. And I am worn out. My understanding is that this baby is due November 12. And besides the fact that lately I am existing on Velveeta Ro-Tel dip and watermelon (don't ask...........no they are not eaten together) I am at 28 weeks, so technically 12 more weeks to go. And freaking out. I have said to people that this has thrown me off. But I have not said all that I am feeling about it. Overwhelmed. Not sure. Hard time bonding with the baby. I am just not doing well with it this time. I feel more like a first time mom than a third time mom and I am not sure what my problem is. I wanted another child and this one was planned the same as the other two were. I have wanted another since Davis was six months old, so for three years. It happened quickly this time and if anything I should b...

My digital camera has an attitude. So this belly shot was taken with Emma's camera and therefore the quality is not as great. (If anyone has an ideas what is wrong with my camera, let me know. I put in new rechargeable batteries once the other ones died. It will turn on as in I can view pictures on my card, but once I move it to take a picture it shuts off. The powers that be at Fuji tell me the only thing to do is send it to them and have them look at it. Oh, it is a Fuji FinePix S5200, if that helps.) Week 25 I was at the lake and did not get a belly shot. I am sure there are pictures of me from the lake. Last week I took a shot of my belly naked. It is scary. If you want to see it, e-mail me. It is too horrific to post it on the net. So here we are at week 27. Please excuse the look on my face. I kept this one and choose it because it most accurately conveys how I am feeling right now. And yes this is a maternity top that no longer really covers all of me. Get over it. I am huge...

Okay, 24 weeks y'all. I do not want to talk about how much longer. I do not want to talk about how this is a real actual baby that is going to be born. A friend had a baby yesterday. I went to visit her in the hospital today. Did you know new babies are that small? I felt nauseous and a bit freaked out. I am aware that it is too late now. I have some time to get used to the idea of another baby in the house......

23 weeks. I only have to go to 39 as that is when the doctor said she would schedule the c-section. Heartburn abounds. My feet are beginning to swell. My vagina still feels bruised. And my belly is starting to get to the point where crossing my legs is a thing of the past. Don't ask me about shaving....the lower half of my legs are still okay but everything else.....could be scary. (Cue Welcome To The Jungle ) However, I have gotten a nice tan, my hair is growing as are my nails. The tan also helps hide the hairiness. So that is double bonus. Oh and of course I am getting THOSE looks a lot now. If I hold my back and take deep breaths, I can freak people out because they think I am in labor. When people ask when I am due and I say November I get that, "Oh wow" comment now too. Bite me people. This is what 23 weeks looks like if you are 4'9" tall and expecting child #3.....please stop crying. I am really fine. Just typical pregnancy stuff that a lot of...

22 weeks. I know I am huge. I know I have a ways to go. I know it looks painful and at times it is. My vagina feels like it is bruised. I am told this is normal for number three and the pressure he/she is putting on my nether regions. My feet are beginning to swell. I picked up a large maternity shirt the other day sure it would be too huge on me. It fit fine. Reality is sinking in. Emma felt the baby move. I threaten Mark if he bothers me with having to touch my belly. The other day bread crumbs fell down my undershirt I had on and were really bothering me. I lifted up both shirts to get them out and Mark just stared at my stomach as if it were some sort of alien creature. It looks wrong and painful. I will spare everyone any naked belly shots. Unless any of you want them to scare your kids into not ever having sex.

Here is the 21 week belly shot. 18-19 more weeks to go. We are on the down side now folks. Thank goodness. This child has me up every night between two and three in the morning. I wake up too. As in can not fall back asleep. Looks like fun times are ahead..... Any guesses on boy or girl?

Sorry, I couldn't resist. My apologies for showing my lame hair band knowledge from the 80's. The kids and I baked a lot this week. They made banana bread today and Emma made her own batch of sugar cookies that she is waiting until cooled to go at them with icing. Rainy and yucky makes for good baking weather. I made some cookies for a wedding. Whew, took a lot out of me. Here is the final product of those cookies. Would you serve them at your wedding? They are only for the kiddos. Thank goodness. And here is 20 weeks. At least the bigger the belly gets the smaller it makes my butt appear. Yes folks, I still have half of it left to go. By the end the belly will sit on the seat and my legs will not be able to come together. Such is the life. Here are the kids the other day at the DQ. Sharing a soda. I really like this picture. I took it with my camera phone so the quality is not so great. I still really like it though. One of theses days I am going to get around to posting some ...

19 weeks. Almost half way there. Whew. Here is the 19 weeks shot. Now, we can track the growing belly, the growing hair, the different hair colors AND me frying myself in the sun. (Please no lectures on sunscreen and skin cancer. I know.)

The ultrasound went fine. The baby appeared to look good, from what I could tell. He had four chambers in his heart. Two legs and two arms with fingers and toes. His spine looked good. His heart rate was 143. We did not find out what the baby actually was. I have the feeling, as does Mark that it is a boy. This is all speculation. Or what we felt when we saw the little booger on the screen. He yawned for us, twice and ate his hand. And he was moving all the time. So we once again have an active child. I also think the baby already looks like Mark. Some things never change.......