39 weeks

And the waiting has begun. I keep doing things around my house thinking, "please be the last time I do this before the baby comes." They are tasks like cleaning the bathroom, doing laundry, changing my sheets, cleaning the dishes. Clearly small tasks that just seem so boring right now. Then I wait a little bit and a few days pass and it's time to do it all over again! Such a tease.

Some of the bigger things that I was hoping to get done before she arrives have been completed, such as getting our recliner:
Getting her recliner:And then there are those projects that I've been wanting to do for months but just never did them. Like re-do some ugly lamps that we had sitting around. There was a green and a red lamp that a neighbor had given to us when we got married. Pretty ugly. So finally, we bought new shades for them and a can spray paint and look at how much better they are now:

Also, flowers outside. I really wanted Carmen to come home to a house with flowers on the front porch. I've been anxiously awaiting yellow mums and here they are!!!

Lowes pulled through and had them in stock already. We picked some out that are about ready to burst with bright yellow so hopefully they'll be pretty for the little girl's homecoming. Kind of like how I'm straightening my hair more often in hopes of going into labor with straight hair not curly/wavy hair. Just a little thing I am holding onto. I don't want Carmen to see her mom as a drowned rat for the first time. Save your comments. I fully anticipate being drenched in sweat but let me have straight hair. There's enough of it that the outer layers will still look dry. I'm just confessing my labor fantasies here friends.

Keeping a super clean house is exhausting. But eating ice cream is not. I think I'll go do that right now...

38 Weeks

We took this picture last night so I'm really ending my 38th week here soon. I'm practicing for the hospital pictures and not wearing any make-up in the photo. Not sure I like it but I know that I'm about to be humbled in more ways than I can imagine. Also, I still don't think I look this big in real life. I'm serious. Funny camera angle perhaps?

The doctor I visited today felt me up and told me that this bump is ALL baby. I said something about hoping she's not 10 pounds and the doctor said she didn't think so. That's about the only good thing I got out of today's check-up. I could not be more thankful for my OB and her practice. I did not like where I was today. My perfect doctor is out of town but wanted a doctor to still see me this week so they made an appointment for me elsewhere. I just didn't like this lady. If you want to know her name in order to never be her patient ask me and I'll be happy to warn you. And I'll save you all the complaints because, overall , this is a happy post!

No new news. Carmen likes her temporary home. Wouldn't you though too with earthquakes and hurricanes all around? I'm remaining as patient as possible enjoying sleeping in, blow drying and curling my hair, hopping in and out of the car quickly, etc. Carmen is really curling up in a little ball and sitting very low. Her movements are still strong but are less often. She's got a wonderful, healthy heartbeat. And that's all that we know about her....which is why we're all so excited to meet her! We want details! But again, I will be patient. We love you Carmen! Your home here is ready for you!

Owls

I've developed a slight preference for owls since I've been pregnant. Not real owls, just cartoon owls. I'm not sure why but, for now, I think they're kind of cute. Fortunately, it seems that they are everywhere. I spent a long time deciding which play mat I wanted for baby, until I found the perfect one from Giggle! Aunt Heather and Uncle Matt bought this for us and I'm so excited for Carmen to play on it:

See the cute owl?Next, I was shopping on an Etsy store looking for a little travel wipes case for my diaper bag and thought I was going to get a pink and white damask print one....until I saw the colorful owls! I couldn't resist! Michael thinks they are a little scary but I like them. Maybe I'm captivated by big eyes....

Carmen's Nursery

August has definitely been our "get it done" month and I completely have Michael to thank for it. He worked so hard to hang all the nursery wall decor and then spent an afternoon putting up chair railing and picture molding. It looks fantastic!And now, after much waiting (all the way till 38 weeks...that's patience on my part!) our firstborn baby girl's nursery is finished:

This little Restoration Hardware ruffle lamp nightlight is one of my favorite touches!
My friend Caitlin makes maps and she made these three frames for Carmen. They are maps of where we live/where she will be born. The maps zoom into our area of northern Virginia and the bottom map is of our neighborhood. Michael had the idea to string them together with the pink ribbon. I love organization! Especially when it's for cute little girls.

Our hearts are filled with joy!

I'm getting bigger

Bigger, that's my diagnosis after each doctor's appointment. It's so hard to cling to your patience in the last 17 (!!!) days. I'm not dilated at all - which seems discouraging but then I tell myself that you don't have to have dilated to go into labor. I'm sitting at 80% effaced and her head is way, way down low. So that's good news. She's been a very good girl and been in the head down position for months and months and now she's making her presence very known. My doctor told me to simply pray and tell God that I want her to come before her due date so that I have more than 3 weeks of recovery with her before the craziness begins. So I will pray. And if you're reading this pray with me too. It's doubtful that she'll come before September so I have some time to wait. And get bigger.

It's the Little Things

Last night my bestest bestie took me out for a little date. She didn't tell me what we were doing but she said she'd pick me up at 5:25pm for our "activities." It was the sweetest thing I swear. I was so ready to spend time with Ashleigh and it was the perfect night to do so. She got to my house and drove us to our dinner - Chick-fil-a - just perfect. Then she revealed that she had made an appointment for us to get pedicures together!

A pedicure was one of things that I had been wanting to do most before this baby comes! I hadn't had one since June, and no that's not bad, but what's bad is that the June polish and toe nail length was still on my toes because I cannot reach them. It's impossible. I'll fall over if I try. Ash took us to a nice, newer nail salon in town and we got the most relaxing pedicure. It was so wonderful to have her sitting next to me the whole time, we just talked like normal. I got hot pink and she got hot orange. Our feet our perfect now. Minus the swelling in mine, but that will soon go away.

Then my precious Cuke took us to Moo Thru for some dairy fresh summer ice cream. She knows that I love Moo Thru and drove very much out of our way to go get some. We indulged in a Sundae with extra peanut butter sauce and a chocolate banana split with extra peanut butter sauce.

I feel so blessed by her! Not only were those 3 of my favorite activities, but I got to do them with Ash. You are so thoughtful my darling Cuke and I will never forget it! I love you!

Home Stretch

Crib is empty and waiting! Car seat is installed in the car and was inspected by a kind fireman. Bags are sort of packed for the hospital. Nursery is close to being ready. Things are looking good!

I've got a few odds and ends like video tapes, snacks, and certain medicines that I still need to get but for the most part we've done our jobs. I still need somewhere for the baby to sleep when we bring her home from the hospital - don't have a bassinet or pack n' play - but if it gets down to the wire, I think my parents still have Brianna's old pack n' play.

I really can't wrap my mind around being in the last month and the fact that she could come any time now. I'm not itching to get her out of me like people assume. I feel good in general, don't walk like a pregnant lady (thank you Brett!!!), and can breathe easily because she's dropped. Oh what a mentally and emotionally weird month this will be!

Kate Virginia

Carolyn and me in our last month of pregnancy together: On Sunday she had their baby girl, Kate Virginia Vernon! We got to visit them in the hospital shortly afterwards. Carmen and Kate got to kick their feet around together:

She's so precious and tiny!

Our Parents

This past weekend we got to spend fun times with both of our parents. On Friday night we joined my mom and dad for a trip to Old Town Warrenton to shop at our friend's furniture store and have a small wine tasting. We walked down the street and had dinner together at a little restaurant and then stopped for extremely delicious ice cream on the way back home. We really enjoyed ourselves and love getting to be with my family. Mom and Dad, you all are so good to us!

On Sunday, Michael's parents decided to come to church with us. It was so great to have family in our church and to have them meet some of our friends. They took us out to lunch afterwards where we got to catch up some more and just be together. Bill and Lissa, thank you for blessing us with lunch and family time!

Michael and I are loving having our families close to us. Not many people our age get to be around their families but we are so thankful for it. We love you parents!

House Tour

We've lived in our new home for just over 4 months now. It's taken a long while to settle in. We just hung a few pictures for the first time this week and you'll see how much more needs to be done. Painting, decorating, and new furniture is still needed but as we all know that takes lots of time and money so we're doing the best we can. Here's a quick photo tour:

View from the front door
Kitchen
Kitchen/Dining
Looking back into the family room. Behind the couch is Carmen's "play area." I'll show you more on that later.
2nd level rec room/office/ whatever you call it
2nd floor hallway Guest room in progress (I'll show nursery pics once it's finished.)

Hall Bath waiting for a complete make-over

Master Suite level, to the right is our "sitting room"
Looking into the Master (notice our little wine bar on the right!)

Master Bath

We have a lot more to figure out decorating-wise. It's hard to pick colors for the walls when I don't quite have a clear vision of what I want to do with it. But it's a lot of fun and the good part is that we are settled here for a while!

Fiesta de Uhls

Sunday afternoon Brad and Amanda hosted a lovely party honoring our sweet baby girl's arrival. Amanda had a delicious Mexican themed spread and colorful, fun decorations ready to celebrate. Our friends were so generous and showered us with a handmade dress (by Jenn Boggs!), Diapers, a bright yellow onesie ( I love yellow!) with a bunny blanket, and a fabulous Maclaren umbrella stroller. Can't thank you all enough! Spending time with you all was our favorite part. It felt like the old days as if we had never moved.

I love this picture because of pregnant Mich holding the baby boy on top of her belly.The stunning Mrs. Wooten
Jenn, you can play with our hair anytime!Brett, the baby lover, with the most handsome Kevin Sauer:

Little Friends

The beautiful Michelle and baby Abigail:They'd be best friends if we lived closer. But hey, they can still be best friends! We love you Drago family!

Dancing not so good for the feet

Proof that I was at the wedding this weekend:

The only 2 pictures I took because I was working hard and making sure everything went smoothly. And it did! Justin and Kathryn are happily married now. She looked more beautiful than ever and Justin was so handsome. Their wedding was a blast and I danced more at this reception than I have in a long time. Everyone was dancing - how could I not? Amanda said it best, "It's like church turned into a dance party." Pastors, deacons, elders dancing everywhere you looked! Too much fun.

That's probably a large part of the reason why my ankles and feet have swollen to the size of my grandfathers. When we got home on Sunday night, it took me a while to look down and see why my feet were tingling so much. They were HUGE. It freaked me out a bit and so I showed Michael and it freaked him out too. I'm nearing the end of pregnancy friends. I cannot believe it. In the next week, Michael and I have to pack our hospital bags and get the car seat installed and inspected. Oh, and finish the nursery.