one month! (give or take a few days....)

today is the 23rd.  that means my due date is in one month.  ONE MONTH.  how do i feel about that?

terrified, apprehensive, excited :-)

one month seems like a rather short amount of time... when i consider all of the remaining projects that i'd like to finish before isla arrives.  although, i've recently come to the point where i can honestly say it won't be the end of the world if XYZ doesn't happen before baby girl comes home.  (do i HAVE to get the tax documents properly filed before i become a mother?  probably not.)  :-)  

but on the other hand, one month seems like an excruciatingly long amount of time... when i think about how much longer i have to bear this uncomfortable and even painful physical condition.  i had a gloriously easy first 7.5 months of pregnancy.  no morning sickness, just a touch of nausea, minor back pain, but really, nothing horrible.  however, in the past two weeks, my body has taken on some of the ugly and unpleasant pregnancy side effects.  and it hurts.  to sit, to stand, to walk, to relax.  it just hurts.  always.  BUT every uncomfortable moment is a reminder of the blessing that is to come.  i cannot even express how thankful i am to be in this position, as unpleasant as it may be at times!  i am so excited to meet our baby girl, our answer to prayer, our gift from God.

happy thanksgiving to you and your families!

shower of blessings

this past saturday, my sister threw a lovely baby shower for me.  at my request, it was not a surprise, but i was entirely blessed and surprised by all of the fun little details.  and, ooohhh, the food!!  i think that was probably the best part.  :-)  but let's start at the beginning...

here i am, prior to the shower.  at 34 weeks, i'm looking rather pregnant, don't you think?  :-)

when i arrived at the shower (which was held in an old renovated mill that is owned by my church), i was delighted to see that it had been decorated with the colors i'm using for the nursery -- black, white, aqua, and yellow.  so cute!

after some socializing, we opened presents.  i wasn't surprised to receive a multitude of super cute baby girl outfits and accessories!  i mean, who can resist.... :-)

i was especially impressed with my grandma's gift wrapping of the diaper bag!  hilarious.  :-)

after gifts, we ate a truly fabulous meal.  three different types of homemade soup, various freshly-baked breads, asian noodle salad, apple salad, bacon-wrapped water chestnuts, and hot cider. 

and the desserts!  check out that spread.  cupcakes, lemon bars, lime bars, and cake pops decorated as baby chicks.  (the cake pops were truly a labor of love -- thank you, keri!!  i could have eaten a dozen of them...)

it was a fun evening, filled with some of my most favorite people in the world.  my sister certainly went out of her way to make the day special for me.  thank you, keri!  i love you!!

up next on the baby to-do list:

• assemble the crib and finish the nursery (we're getting close...!)
• wash and organize baby clothes
• this weekend, attend a whirlwind childbirth class (5 hours on saturday and sunday... let's hope i don't run away screaming.  the whole labor and delivery thing is completely terrifying to me!)