30 days?

As of today I am 35 weeks and 4 days pregnant, and only have 30 days until my due date!  I cannot believe it!

here is me at work yesterday
I don't think many people expected a pregnant
lady to greet them at REI lol

Other than my little episode at the hospital on Saturday night, things have been going great!  I feel really good, despite the random contractions I've been having all the time.  Lots of pelvic discomfort, pressure and occasional pain, but definitely could be feeling a lot worse.  I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how great I feel, and hope it continues.

His favorite activity is to see how long he can stretch out his legs, pushing his feet against one side of my belly and his bum against the other, which isn't the most comfortable for me.  But other people love to feel his little feet protruding from one side of my belly or the other (and of course I do too).  He does this all day long, along with other general "floaty" movements.  It's pretty obvious that he has dropped and has also run out of space to do any bigger movements, but he's still very active all day every day.

Saturday I will be 36 weeks, and he will supposedly be nearly 6 lbs and about 18 1/2 inches long, according to Baby Center.  I believe it about the 18 1/2 inches; it feels like he's longer, since he's always wanting to stretch out further and further.  I can't wait to see what he looks like and what all his proportions are when he's born!

At my appointment today, my midwife Barbara said that he had dropped and that she thought he was closer to 7 lbs than to 6lbs...which should surprise me, but it doesn't.  She said if he goes to 40 weeks she expects a nice 9 lb baby. I'm hoping to get him out while he's in the 8lb range, but we'll have to wait and see what happens!

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap

I had a great Thanksgiving weekend.  It was probably one of the best Thanksgiving's I've had in a long time - even though I was pretty tired and cranky on Thanksgiving day.  Wednesday my little sister and I shopped nearly all day and then I went over to my parents in the evening to spend what I thought would be one night or two at the most (so we could leave early for black Friday shopping).  Thursday morning I woke up early and made muffins and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  It was delicious!  But that was a lot of time on my feet, and I was definitely feeling it by about 10am.

I had made one of the dishes I was responsible for the night before, so Thursday I only had to make the ham and the mashed potatoes.  Around 12 noon, I realized I forgot everything to make mashed potatoes at my house, so my family was nice and let me make the natural instant mashed potatoes from Costco.  By the time 3pm rolled around, everyone was arriving, and I was at my crankiest!  I made it through the meal, eating only some squash, creamed corn, mashed potatoes and a little stuffing (no meat at all) and then went downstairs to take a nap as soon as everyone else was done eating.  I came back up after about an hour of resting, but still just sat on the couch sort of staring off into space.  As you can tell I wasn't the best company.  But it was great to see all the family and the food (that I actually ate) was fabulous.

Friday, I woke up at about 3:50am to go Black Friday shopping with Beka.  It had snowed (of course) so I was glad I had gotten up a little early.  We warmed up the car and cleaned it off and were at Fred Meyer waiting in line by 4:55am.

in line at Fred Meyer...can you believe it's 5am?

Fred Meyer has always been our favorite Black Friday stop and this year it didn't disappoint.  The funny thing is we each only got about two bags each of stuff but the experience was fun.  We ventured out later in the day to Costco's Black Friday event and got a lot more stuff there.

me resting at my parents with the poodles between black friday stops 

We ended up staying the entire weekend at my parents, which made the weekend a complete blast (we felt like we were moving out when we had to go back to our house for the week lol).  Steve went snowmachining on Saturday so I didn't want to be home alone all day.  He had a great trip, except for the part when he hit a rock that was hidden under a layer of snow and bent a part on his snowmachine - but the weather was great and it's an easy(ish) fix.  It was really hard to steer on the 20 miles back to the truck, so he was exhausted when he got home around 7:30pm.

where they were riding; the Willow side of Hatcher's Pass

see how the ski is four inches or so further back than the other?
Yeah that can make steering pretty difficult...

He ate a huge plate of food, and at that point I figured he was ready to hear my news.  I had been having contractions for the last hour or so, and they were beginning to be time-able.  Poor guy, I think he had really been looking forward to relaxing before bed.  Instead after another hour and a half of contractions (what I thought were braxton hicks) about 5-6 minutes apart, I called my midwife and she sent us off to Labor and Delivery at the hospital.

We got there about 9pm and stayed until midnight.  I was having contractions which were regular and pretty strong when I got there, so me and baby had to be monitored for a few hours to make sure I wasn't progressing.  I was about 1-2 centimeters dilated and 40% effaced (she said my cervix was very soft), he was at -1 station.  Luckily after the first hour my contractions became irregular again and she said no progress in an hour meant I could go home.  BUT, I have to be really careful now not to "over-do" it and if I have time-able contractions again for an hour I have to go in.

So we had a very eventful weekend but I'm happy to say that baby is still inside where he needs to be for at least another week and a half :)

to sum it all up...

DAY EIGHTEEN - TWENTY TWO:  I know you might think it is cheating to lump five days together, but really, it's not, I promise!  At least not this time.  For the past five days I have been so thankful for family being back together!  I wish I had gotten a picture of all of us, but this about sums it up:

Beka got home from college very late on Friday night and everyone is very happy to see her.  At Costco yesterday, Corbin didn't want me to push "his" cart.  "I want Beka to push my cart!!!"  he proclaimed.  And every time I got to close to the front of the cart, he reminded me rather forcefully that she was pushing his cart :)

I am very thankful to be spending time with her, but mostly I am just thankful to have family all together again!  This has been a little preview of what Christmas will be like, and I am now even more excited!  We will truly all be together then, including all the Skinner girls, our Grandpa Wes, and our Aunt Connie and Uncle Doug!  I simply cannot wait!!

finished!

This weekend I spent the bulk of my free time hand sewing the binding on the yellow brick road quilt I made for Riggs.  It took me about two solid days of sewing, and I finally finished it! I am so thrilled with how the quilt turned out, and I can't wait to see my little guy snuggled in it.

So far it has been a big hit around the house, Beau loves it and was laying on in it my lap most of the time I was working on it.  Steve has also been using it in his recliner, and now feels jealous.  "Where's mine?"  he asked when I took it away.  Luckily I am working on a Christmas themed yellow brick road that will be for him, so he won't be jealous for too long lol.

He was a good "helper" lol

I love how all the fabric came together

the minky looks and feels SO cozy!

patience

DAY SEVENTEEN:  Today I'm thankful that God has given me a healthy dose of patience.  I need it right now!  I feel like I'm just waiting for everything, from the more immediate to things that should happen, oh in about 7 weeks.  I never thought I would be this calm and patient about so many things, and I have to say, I'm very thankful that I am!  I know it will make the day, weekend, and month so much more pleasant :)

best dressed

Who is going to be best dressed in the Harness household?

...it will definitely be Riggs!

all the clothes in his closet are just the 0-6 month sizes,
and his drawers are full of those sized clothes too!
He's a lucky baby :)

heated garage and eggo waffles

DAY FIFTEEN:  Yesterday I was thankful for the heated garage at my parents house and the opportunity to go thaw out my car.  I'm sure my car was thankful too!

DAY SIXTEEN:  Today I'm thankful for eggo waffles (actually, I think they are kirkland signature - costco is the best!) and real maple syrup.  Yum!

Baby Shower!!!

As I mentioned in my last post, Friday evening was my baby shower, hosted by my sister Kelsey, mom, and my church.  It was so fun and we got truly spoiled by an outpouring of love from so many people!  I am truly, truly blessed to have so many people who are so full of love for me and for my unborn baby.  This post is going to be a photo bomb, so I warn you in advance!!

Food table with "woodland food" :) Pretzel sticks, mixed nuts, chicken salad

sandwiches, strawberries, ants on a log, cherry tomatoes, PB&J sandwiches,

apple slices with sharp cheddar, and cornbread crackers.  It was so yum!

Dessert table:  pirouettes, colorful licorice, carrot cake cupcakes, "acorns" (kisses,
nutela, mini nutter butters or mini nilla wafers)

lots of babies at the shower!

all the guests filling out their baby bingo cards :)

opening gifts, SO many good things :)

more presents :)

This picture just shows how weird my face looks when opening presents lol

My wonderful mother, me and my oldest sister Kelsey.
They were amazing!  We missed our youngest sister Beka, but
luckily she will be here for my other shower at my parents house :)

weekend catchup

DAY ELEVEN:  Veterans Day is a special chance for every person to stop and think deeply about the sacrifices soldiers past, present and future have and will make for our freedom.  I am so thankful for those who are willing to fight for my country and my freedom.  My family is full of veterans, and I thought I'd share a few pictures of some of them.

Grandpa Wes
Air Force (33 years!)

Grandpa Clarence (and Grandma Elaine)
Army

Uncle Leo
Army

Cousin John
Marines

Brother-in-law John (with my sister Kelsey)
Navy

DAY TWELVE:  I was especially thankful all weekend for my amazing family and friends, who have made my pregnancy even more special by celebrating with me and generously gifting me and Riggs with so much!  My church baby shower was on Friday night, and it was so much fun!  I felt unbelievably blessed to have so much love shown towards me and baby.

DAY THIRTEEN:  Sunday was full of exciting surprises and hopes and dreams and I'm always so thankful to God for how he provides in my life.  That's all I can really say about this subject for now, but it was an amazing day and I am thankful for it!

DAY FOURTEEN:  Today I am thankful for the amazing care I recieve from the Midwives at Geneva Woods.  Steve was able to go with my appointment with me today (for the first time yay!) and it was so exciting sharing yet another great experience there with him.  Plus he got to see the birth center and meet one of my favorite midwives there, Barbara.  

I am also thankful and excited to say that I am back on for a birth center birth unless something drastic happens!  This is great on two levels:  1) because it means I get to at least try and have the birth center experience and quick homecoming I was hoping for and 2) because it means my heart is doing that much better.  

Today I am 33 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  Barbara caught me by surprise today when she mentioned that my due date was less than 7 weeks away.  How did that happen?!  Time is just flying by!  My Rigglet is just where he should be, head down with his little butt up in the air :)  I am measuring right on track externally for where I am (34 centimeters to be exact) and feel great!  My waist is now officially 15 INCHES bigger at a whopping 44 inches, but I don't really feel huge at all yet.  The numbers seem much bigger than I feel, which I think is a good thing.  Especially in the mornings until about 4pm, I feel pretty dang spry! 

I took pictures from both angles this morning when I got home from my appointment, to give more of an idea of how my belly is looking all around :)

Anyway, hope everyone has a happy, happy Monday!!

there whenever I need him

DAY TEN:  today I am very, very thankful for Steve.  He is my best friend and always there when I need him.  He works all day out in the cold, and comes home and takes care of me physically and emotionally (which if you know me can be quite a chore; I can be described as just a little emotional, and that's when I'm not pregnant ha).  He made my day today, and it's so, so nice to know that he is there for me every other day too, no matter what.  I truly thank God for him and at the same time pray for him everyday.  I couldn't have a better friend, and that makes him an amazing husband.

My first baby

DAY NINE:  Today I want to share how thankful I am for my little dog, Beau.  He has been my best friend and constant companion for the last four years, and I love him so much!  He has the sweetest personality and loves me completely unconditionally.  I love him!

I took this picture of my little guy today

he even keeps me nice and warm at night :)

I need to get this shirt for him...it can be his gift when baby gets here :)

Christmas Stockings!

the inspiration for the stockings I made this week:
my mom made a stocking with each of us when we were little

made this for my baby boy - I love how it turned out!

Steve needed one too - he actually made one with his mom when he was little,
but she has it at her house.  Just wanted to add that the snowmachine was made
from the exact sled he just got, so his stocking is very accurate haha. 

all our stockings in a row :)

Can you tell I'm excited about Christmas?  And btw...I might have put my Christmas tree up already...just maybe...

no more Jeep

DAY EIGHT:  Today I'm thankful that we sold our Jeep.  It was a great vehicle for us, but it was time to move on.  It's such a blessing that it sold quickly and that we got what we wanted for it.  Hurrah for Craigslist!

catch up

I can't believe I'm already behind on my daily thanksgiving posts!  I guess I'd better get caught up :)

DAY SIX:  Yesterday I was thankful to spend some time with a friend we hadn't seen in a long time.  I was also thankful to my husband for spending hours outside doing some serious snow removal.  I usually don't mind shoveling (and in a weird way enjoy it because, hello, it means there is snow) but I am too clumsy to spend to much time walking around outside our house without the snow already being removed.  I almost fell about five times today out there just letting Beau out and getting the mail (it snowed about another four inches last night after Steve's hard work - he spent another hour out there today cleaning up after that lol).  So thankful he is home and happy to spend his day off making it safe out there!

DAY SEVEN:  Today I'm thankful for a cozy house and lots to keep me occupied while I'm sick.  I finished off my little rigglet's afghan (finally) and love seeing it draped over his cradle in our room.

I don't know what I would have done without some recliner friendly projects today.  Sinus headaches are no fun when you can't really take anything for relief (I chose not to take any medications while I'm pregnant, not even Tylenol, just trying to do what's best for baby), but having fun projects to work on make it much easier to ignore how bad I feel.

snow & sickness

It snowed again last night and it's a winter wonderland;  I love it so much.  It makes it so much more cozy to stay home and work on projects.  I finally got the cold that's been going around,  but at least I get to look outside and smile about the beautiful weather :)

32 Weeks!

8 weeks until my due date, I can't believe it! I've been feeling great and love that I can interact with Rowan more and more!  He is head down with his butt to one side and his little feet sticking out to the other, and it's VERY obvious when he decides to stretch out...sometimes I swear it feels like he is trying to break free!  Steve and I are beyond ready for him to be here, we are so excited to actually meet him and get to know him.  But luckily physically I have been feeling great, not like a 8 month pregnant lady.  I have some lower back pain now and then, but in the mornings especially I still feel pretty spry :)

Here's some info about what's going on with baby this week:

"Your baby is continuing to grow at an amazing rate.  Right now, he measures about 16.7 inches long and weighs about 3.75 lbs.  By the end of the week, he'll have added nearly 3/8 of an inch in length and about 1/2 a pound.  He now has toenails, fingernails and real hair.  His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth."

So exciting!  I hope he gets nice and plump for birth (but maybe not too big? lol).

PS: It snowed about three or four inches last night and it is so beautiful outside! Here's a picture of Steve out shoveling:

Day 5

DAY FIVE:  Today I am thankful that my husband had a safe day out riding with good friends and beautiful weather. It makes me so happy how much enjoyment he gets out of it; when I go with him I love seeing the excitement and pure joy on his face the entire time, and when I stay home I love hearing all about his day and looking at all the pictures. He works so hard and I'm glad he finally has some time to go do something he loves. I just wish I could have gone, but I don't think I'll be doing much riding this year lol.