Books, Classes and more Books

Here we are at week 36...the 9th month. Just as my baby journal says, I'm running around like a maniac instead of relaxing. It advises me to go for a pregnancy massage or spend some time at the spa. Anyone up for this with me? I think I'd like to go in a couple weeks to celebrate the beginning of maternity leave!

With two and a half weeks of work left, I'm trying desperately to finish up many loose ends and projects there while the house is still slowly getting put together. I've also yet to really organize and clean Kate's outfits to figure out what we still need and don't need (not to mention go through the registry and pick up anything we haven't gotten yet that is needed). I truly hope she cooperates and hangs in the womb at least until the due date...maybe even to Grandma Joyce's birthday on 3/16! Call me crazy, but I have the rest of my life to be with Kate and just a little time left to be able to finish the myriad of tasks at hand. As you can see, we have stuff everywhere!! Oh, what is that you moms are saying? "Get used to it!"

It's not like I'm sitting around eating bon, bons (maybe Girl Scout cookies)! I have managed to finally finish writing the many thank yous for all of the wonderful gifts we received at the shower. I also am almost finished with my music playlist for the hospital room. Yes, some people think it's silly, but I plan to make the experience as peaceful as possible. A little Mozart, some Vivaldi and Brahms. You get the picture. And, we've made progress in cleaning out Kate's closest and reconfiguring it so we have lots of storage space (Keith is very proud of this, so I thought I'd display his fine work, here!).

We purchased the travel system, too, so we now have all the necessities should Kate come early (thanks Tami for regifting the bassinet--we love it). Except, we still have one more week of our prepared childbirth class, an infant CPR class, a breastfeeding class and two books on what to do to have either the Happiest Baby on the Block or teach ourselves the Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. Oh, and Babywise is on the way. Not to mention, I've not quite finished What to Expect When You're Expecting... Who in the world has time for all of this studying!? I haven't tried to read this much since my days at Cornell. Geesh! So, anyone who can give me the Cliff Note version of any of these books or others for how to calm a finicky baby or have suggestions for what to read and what not to, feel free to share!

Showered with Love

Just one week ago, my dear friends Faith Lee and Jennifer Cokias along with my sister Tami threw me a fantastic baby shower. I was honored that so many were able to come to the shower and am so thankful for all of the terrific gifts! The "Baby is Blooming" theme was very cute and I loved the decorations, tasty food and party favors. The gift opening went on forever, which is a fantastic representation of everyone's generosity! It's amazing to me that after that display there are still items left for us to purchase!

I especially want to thank the out of towners who traveled down to Florida for the affair...Tara St. Clair, my former neighbor and most awesome gal pal, flew down from Pennsylvania while Mary and Joe Hernandez (arguably two of the kindest and most generous people I know) came from Michigan. Aunt Betty & Uncle Ken get honorable mention for scheduling their vacation one week prior to the shower and stopping by for a visit. Like typical parties in our 'hood, the shower party continued until late in the evening at the Macfarlane house. I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends and felt very special all day.

I am also especially glad that my moms were out in force for the shower--my mother in law traveled from St. Pete for the shower after recovering from surgery less than a month earlier. My step mom wouldn't have missed it even though she's recovering from Pnemonia and my step mother in law also made it. And of course, my mother was there in spirit. While undergoing chemotherapy during the last three months, she managed to macrame a beautiful christening outfit and blanket. I am so happy to have been able to share this special day with each of them who will all be fabulous grandmas!

Time is Flying By: Almost 35 Weeks Already!

Holy cow! Where has the time gone? Only one post in January??? Almost a month has passed since we painted the room? Can you sense the panic? Yes, this week I have only had two little minor meltdowns (Keith might disagree with how minor they were). With the shower come and gone, I can't believe that I'll be 35 weeks pregnant on Sunday. I also cannot believe how much more I keep thinking I can accomplish before Kate arrives--both at work and home.

Tonight I spent quality time writing our "to do" list for the next couple of weeks. Sounds fun for a Friday, right? Much different than our Friday nights of yesterday! Anyway, just writing the list makes me feel a bit better.

This was a tough week on me physically. Nothing is wrong, but I'm certainly feeling a bit more uncomfortable. Kate's movement has grown much stronger and intense (leaving me to express random "ows" and rub my belly during meetings at work). Also, I'm noticing puffy ankles every night. I'm going to have to go back to the support pantyhose. Bummer. Tonight my back is hurting and I can't find one chair in the house that is comfortable. Hopefully we find a real gem for the nursery tomorrow and that becomes "my" chair for the next 7 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I'm still doing very well...just starting to really feel pregnant and grow tired of my wardrobe.

As the time grows near, I invite you to participate in our Baby Pool to guess little Kate's arrival date, weight and length. Visit www.expectnet.com. On the left hand side of the page, you will see a blue box that says "Invited Guests" and an empty box requesting the game's name: PrincessKate (note it is one word, not two). Each guess is just $5. Winner splits the pot with Kate!