Great News!

This is my favorite picture yet! You can see her whole face and her chubby little cheek.

My poor feet :(

I know it has been a while since my last post, but going back to school is exhausting me! I feel like I am getting bigger by the day, like I can never catch my breath, my lower back kills, and my acid reflux is coming back with avengance (even with the prescription meds). I'm just now beginning to feel like I'm ready for this baby to come. Some recent updates:

First things first...the greatest news ever! On Wednesday Dustin and I went to see Baby Schularick in an ultrasound to check on her overall growth. Her growth has taken off! Her overall body weight has increased from 33% to 38%. Also, the rest of her body is completely in proportion. All her areas measured somewhere in the 31 weeks and some days time frame. Even though I am 32 weeks pregnant, that is a very good measurement. Also, they estimate that she is 3lbs 15 oz right now. So, we have no more worries about growth :)

Second, Dustin and I attended birthing classes at our hospital. The classes were pretty good! I have read everything I could find, so I was worried that I wouldn't learn much. But, I learned a lot, and Dustin learned tons. We specifically liked how specific it was to what they do at that hospital. We saw a natural birthing video and one with the use of an epidural. We learned all about the stages of labor and what happens when. We learned what to do in case of emergencies and what the hospital will do incase of any issues arising. We learned about cesearen births. We took a tour of the maternity ward of the hospital. The absolute best part of birthing class was that Dustin learned all types of massage techniques to use depending on the type of labor I experience. We got to spend a lot of time practicing these massages! It was wonderful :)

Third, I went to breastfeeding class at the hospital. Dustin couldn't come with me because it was his school sneak-a-peek night. This class was also great! Breastfeeding does seem a bit intimidating to me, but I hear that the more you educate yourself, the more the chances are that you stick with it. I know it's whats best for baby girl, it's free, it will help me lose weight, and it's convenient. So, I'm beginning to get determined. I really hope that it's easy for me. I hear way too many horror stories about it. I'm definitely willing to give it my all!

We are getting down to the final stretch now. Just 7 more weeks to go. Last things I need to do to prepare are install the car seat bases in the cars and have them checked out, get 2 night lights (one for babies room and one for hallway), get a lamp for her chest, get a cover for the ugly night stand in her room, get some baskets for the changing table shelves, buy a new TV for our room so we can put ours in her room, find a pediatrician, finally decide on her name for certain, and get the rest of the stuff I'll need from my registry after my shower here in GA. I didn't think it sounded like too much until I started typing it out...ugh. Well, luckily I really do enjoy getting ready for her :)

One final note: My feet are completely swollen. I ordered shoes from Old Navy the other day. I never really thought twice about ordering my normal size, a 7 1/2. Problem is, when they came, I wasn't even close to squeezing them on my feet. So, I thought, maybe I needed an 8. Then I realized I have worn nothing but flip flops and sandals for the past few months. I went upstairs to my closet to try on all my shoes, and low and behold, nothing fit at all (except maybe my fake walmart crocs). I stopped at Old Navy this afternoon to exchange the shoes. I ended up buying a size 9. Size 9!!! Thats an entire size and a half bigger than normal. Craziness... That will be the last pair of actual shoes I buy and wear for the rest of my pregnancy (except for my trusty flip flops).

T-minus 7 weeks to go!

Love, Erin