Woohoo!!!!  Less than 4 weeks until we meet our little one!  I’m definitely in the homestretch and I can feel it, mostly in good ways, with only a few not so good ways 🙂  I realize how incredibly fortunate I am to have had such an easy pregnancy so far, but that doesn’t make me any less anxious to hold my new baby.

36 weeks 2 days

Before I go into detail about how I’m doing, I want to touch base on G….as he won’t be the sole purpose of my Baby posts for too much longer and  you all know how much I love to share pictures of my little man!  I am still doing all that I can to soak up every single minute I have with just Garrett, and even though I’m not able to physically do as much with him as I would like to, I am enjoying his company all the more.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is at such a FUN age!  I love watching him learn every day.  He is a little over 17 months now and still growing like a weed.  And although he is not yet talking (but babbles with the best of them) he points at everything and makes some semblance of a word, and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few words that I know he is saying, even though others may not hear them.  He had his first case of pink eye, and a sinus infection a few weeks ago and he had to be on antibiotics for about a week, and even though like any parent, I hate seeing my child sick and feeling helpless, he remained in good spirits for the most part and we were able to find out his weight when he went to the Dr.  He is just over 28lbs, and I’m still guessing at this one but I’d say he’s around 35 or so inches long.  We go in the day after Christmas for his 18 month well check and will have his official stats then, but that is where he is now.  Not to mention, we took him to get new shoes over the weekend and he is in a size 8!!!!  Talk about feeling guilty, I had him in size 6 shoes that he was measured for a few months back, and to find out he is 2 sizes bigger than that!!! Oops…..this child’s feet grow too fast, and I guess that I’ll know better for next time that I should probably be taking him every 6-8 weeks rather than every 12 or so weeks.  I feel like his torso has grown significantly in the last few months, he is in 24 month to 2T clothing, because everything else is too short on him, and the length in 24 month pants is good, but he is still a skinny little guy so unfortunately those pant continue to fall off of him.  His hair is getting longer and thicker every day, and he’s decided that pear juice works just as well as hair gel when you want to get that gently tousled look.

Who needs hair gel when you have pears!

Like I said, he’s not talking yet, but he will sign for us when he’s all done, hungry, wants his milk, and his comprehension skills are great.  You can ask him to bring you something or put it away and he will do it!  We transitioned him into his “big boy” room last week and didn’t have a single hiccup.  I think he likes his new space as he’s brought books and toys into his room and now that he doesn’t have a bumper on his crib, he can reach through and pull out his blankie or paci when he wants them.  We’ve pretty much got him down to only taking a pace for nap or bedtime, or and for a couple of minutes when he is dropped off if he is upset, but otherwise, he doesn’t really miss it.  He’s got 12 teeth, and is currently working on his canines, which luckily don’t seem to be bothering him too much right now, but I’m sure as they push closer to the surface he’ll be a little uncomfortable.  Otherwise, he is such a happy camper!  He plays very well independently which I think will help us a lot when his brother is born, but he is also starting to play with other kids as well.  Some of his favorite things are to love on Oscar, Thank Goodness he is so tolerant of him, Kuno on the other hand just walks away from Garrett when he sees him coming 🙂

Hugs for his best buddy!

He has recently begun playing with an old toy once again…though in an entirely different context…..lately one of his favorite activities is to push his activity center all around the lower level of the house….and if he comes to a wall, or another obstacle…he will pick the whole toy up and change it’s direction.

He will seriously do this for about 15 minutes at a time and by the time he’s finished, he is red in the face and kind of sweaty because it’s such a workout for him.  It’s pretty entertaining to watch.  He also still LOVES his spider-man bike and will ride that thing around in circles for as long as we’ll let him!!

He brings so much joy to my life every day and I thank God constantly for choosing me to be his Mom…..I can’t wait to see what he is like as a big brother!

Now…onto what is left of this pregnancy!  I still can’t believe I am less than 4 weeks from my due date…..time is going very quickly which is probably why I have been feeling an incredible nesting urge lately.  Like I mentioned before…G is officially in his big boy room, and doing great……our house is decorated for Christmas, complete with outdoor lights courtesy of my amazing hubby,  I have all of G’s Christmas shopping finished and I am diligently working on the rest of it….with hopes of being finished by the end of next week…..then it’s onto the wrapping!

Since we will not be able to be in Ohio with my family for Christmas this year (first time in my entire life I will not wake up on Christmas morning under my parents roof, and be a part of a Brunner or Palmer family Christmas party, we have decided to host our own Christmas party at our house….2 weeks before my due date :-0  Crazy……possibly, but it means a lot to me to do it, so I’m going to go for it, and I’m really excited!  Just have to start on the cookie baking!

Even though the new baby will not be in his nursery for about a month, I have it almost completely ready for him, other than the name on the wall, which I am happy to say we have narrowed down to 2 possibilities, but probably won’t actually name him until he’s born.  I finally broke down and bought some newborn clothes (which for whatever reason I was having a really hard time doing) but he’s a winter baby, unlike G so weather appropriate newborn clothes are a necessity, and something that we had to buy more of….the infant seat is in the van, and we’ve pulled down from storage all of the “newborn essentials”  So as far as baby goes……I’m pretty close to being ready and that makes me feel good, but I am still happy to have quite a bit to do (thanks to the Holiday) so that I can keep my mind from dwelling only on when this baby will come!  Now on to my monthly update!

How far along?  36 weeks 2 days

Total Weight Gain: 28ish lbs from my first appointment, I go back on Thursday as my weekly appointments have begun!

How I’m feeling:  Still pretty good, although with G, and myself being sick over the last 2 weeks, my workouts haven’t been as consistent…now that we’re all healthy again I am looking forward to getting back into my groove…..spinning/strength class on Mondays, Prenatal Yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and still trying to spin on Wednesdays as well…..with a few lower milage walks added in here and there…..believe it or not, it’s the walking that seems to take the biggest toll on my body…..my back is really sore by the time I’m finished.

Maternity Clothes:  That’s a given

Cravings:   Still carbs, though veggies have thankfully worked their way back into the mix

Sleep:  I’ve gotten my maternity pillow back out….I didn’t use it for a while because it bothered my neck but now it’s great again, however I have been finding that I’m getting cramps in my calves at night as well as getting really hot if I’m under all of my covers, but my skin is cold to the touch if I am out of my covers.

Best Moments this month:  Crossing off items from my “to do” list, and knowing that in less than a month (hopefully) we will meet our second son

Movement: He’s still a little wild man…..flips and turns, hard spots here and there, and surfing across my belly are all regular occurrences, along with the hiccups every once in a while

Belly Button:  It’s out, but not too much

What I am looking forward to:  Finishing my shopping, wrapping, our Christmas party, The Nutcracker, Christmas, and of course meeting our baby!

Milestones: Baby is considered full term should I go into early labor!

It’s almost time!