29 Weeks

It's really hard to believe we're in the last of the week of the twenties! It seems like we just hit week 20 and took that sigh of relief. What continued blessings! As we were reading our update for week 29 last night, we read that the baby is nearly or at least within 3 inches of his full length. Wow! I had no idea. That explains how I swear I can feel him moving on both sides at once! Now he gains fat, fat, and more fat. Something tells me I'll gain plenty too! He will supposedly double or possibly triple in weight from here on out. I guess that will make him look much cuter than the long, skinny guy he is now though! He's on the move quite a bit now-especially at night. I love to watch my belly move from the outside and just picture what he's trying to accomplish in there!

We had such a busy weekend and I'm feeling thankful for the recent burst of energy I've had. My nesting instincts have kicked in big time and although I physically tire easily, I seem to have a little more energy than I've had in awhile. We accomplished many house projects, cleaning, Christmas baking, wrapping presents, laundry, yard work, etc. I'm sure I'm not far from the too uncomfortable to do much of anything phase, but so far I seem to be avoiding it quite well. I'm making the most of this time and accomplishing as much as possible.

Earlier this week brought about a few days of lots of swelling. It seems to have gotten better over the last couple days. I'm trying to drink and drink constantly which ironically enough seems to help. I made a huge mistake though, which has just made me sick. Wednesday at work I could really feel my hands swelling up so I decided I'd better take off my wedding ring/engagement ring before it was too late and got stuck on my finger. I thought the safest place to put it was down in my wallet. I've put an occasional piece of jewelry in there before when needed and never had any issues. Well, Wednesday night I meant to take it out and put it in my jewelry box, but forgot. I thought of if Thursday night when I got home, but when I went to get it, it wasn't there. I immediately went in to panic mode...stressing, crying, trying to think what could have happened. I called all the places I'd visited and searched every nook and cranny of my wallet and purse but it's yet to turn up anywhere. It seems painfully obvious that it must have fallen out of my wallet at some point when I took out cash or my debit card. It's such a sickening feeling! Every one's first question is, "How is Mat handling this?" Amazingly well actually! I'm not sure if he's just trying to keep me from entering freak-out mode anymore than I already have, but he's been pretty calm, cool, and collected about it. Of course he's disappointed but I think for a guy it's just not as big of a deal, at least as far as the sentiments of the ring go. I know the sacrifices he made to buy it for me years ago though. He sold his computer and all of his baseball cards when he was in college in order to be able to purchase it. It's sad to think I won't ever have that ring again. :( Ugh, the disgust I feel just thinking about it for too long....

My parents arrive tomorrow night and we're thrilled to have them for the holidays! Having Christmas at our house will be a first and it seems like the perfect year to do so. This Christmas feels even more exciting than most. I'll write more about this later, but not only do I have so much to be thankful for, but the true meaning of Christmas seems even more near and dear to my heart, as I think it does theirs as well. Besides, we know they're anxious to escape the bitter cold of St. Louis to the warm (predicted to be 82 on Xmas) weather here!!

I had such a nice surprise when I arrived home from work on Friday. I was opening the mail and received a baby shower invite......a baby shower for me! I didn't even know about it, but it was so sweet! Mat's Dad's side of the family is having a baby shower in my honor (or little baby boy's honor really) at the beginning of January. Obviously we won't be there, but my step-mother-in-law will get to open the gifts as they all gather to celebrate and then they'll mail the goodies to us. I thought it was such a sweet gesture and so supportive of them! I'm really going to be spoiled with baby showers as I have a few other ones in January as well. It will be great to have February to get his room completely ready for his arrival!

We have our next appointment on Wednesday, Christmas Eve. We'll be meeting the other doctor in the practice, Dr. Kim. I haven't met her yet, except in passing yet, so it will be nice to get comfortable with her just in case she should be the one on-call if I'd happen to deliver on a weekend, odd hours, etc.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas week, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! I'll be sure to update more later in the week, after our appointment.