Belly Beautiful

Yesterday I went over to my amazingly talented friend Brittaney's house to take some belly portraits. I was really excited to get some artistic shots to capture this moment in my life and I am SO THRILLED with how the pictures turned out!!! Special thanks to April for suggesting I pose with some baby shoes and blocks spelling out Hailey's name. They came out great! Here is a sample of some of my favorite shots and you can check out the rest of the shoot HERE (click Slideshow in the upper right corner). I had a lot of fun playing with my new Photoshop program to get some of the effects but the credit definitely goes Brittaney's fabulous photo skills! Thanks Britt!!

30 Down, 10 To Go...

It feels SO WEIRD to say I only have 10 weeks left!! Next week it will be single digits!! The second half of this pregnancy is zooming by and every time I blink I am closer and closer to being a mom!

I had my 30 week check-up today and everything is looking good. I am measuring right on track and as of the last 2 visits, her head is down. There's a chance she could turn before she runs out of room but I'm keeping my fingers crossed she stays where she is. She is doing a lot of flipping from side to side though... last night I watched what I'm pretty sure was her little butt ripple across the top of my belly as she rolled over. I am still feeling really good and really enjoying the 80 degree weather we've been having instead of what would normally be in the high 90's by now! My only complaint is that my hips really hurt when I sleep. Whichever hip I am laying on starts to throb so badly it wakes me up. Between flipping from side to side with my giant body pillow and getting up 3 times a night to pee, I'm afraid I'm going to be banished to the guest room soon so my poor husband can get a full night's sleep! I can't complain too much though...if that's the worst thing I've had to deal with during this whole pregnancy, I know I'm one of the really lucky ones! :)

Bob Villa's Got Nothin' On Me!

My dad wanted to get us a piece of furniture for Hailey so he decided on the crib and it arrived today!! Of course, it arrived in pieces in a giant flat box...but less than one hour later it looks like THIS!! That's right, 7 1/2 months pregnant and I did it all by myself! It is SO exciting to have this essential piece of furniture put together and in the room, it's getting more and more real by the day.

My dad also got the bedding set to go with the crib. It arrived a few days ago and I just LOVE IT! I can't wait until the whole room is put together!

My next project will be putting together the recliner and ottoman my mom got for the room. It's currently in a lovely brown box because we still have a futon in the baby's room that needs to stay until my baby shower so I can host more than one out of town guest. After that it will be donated to a good home (my friend Brittaney's) and then the room will be 100% Haileys!

29 Weeks

I got a request for a new belly pic so....here it is! I'm not sure it's changed much since last week but I like to keep my readers happy! :)

I met my potential pediatrician today...a very exciting step! I liked her a lot and it feels good to be checking these important preparations off my list. Next up, my crib delivery and assembly!

No! Sleep! 'Til Brooklyn!!

I have officially reached the "baby pressing all her might against my bladder" portion of the pregnancy. Last night I literally had to get up EVERY SINGLE HOUR OF THE NIGHT to pee. At 1:30 in the morning, after my 4th trip to the bathroom, I finally decided to move into the guest room so my poor husband could get some actual sleep.

On the bright side, today was my last day of work!!! And the best part? I got everything done! I prepped 12 weeks of work for 18 different students, plus a few extra lessons just in case my sub gets through the work more quickly than I anticitpated. I plan to come back for 5 days of work when school starts in August, but we'll see if little miss Hailey has other ideas. Just in case I don't make it back, EVERYTHING is ready for my sub to step in. It is such a relief to know that I am DONE, DONE, DONE and can now commence enjoying my summer!! Woo Hoo!!

*In case you missed it, the title is a Beastie Boys song*

Earthopotamus

Yesterday marked my 7th month! I can't believe I've come this far already. The first few months went so slowly and now it seems like they're speeding by! I alternate daily between excitement and disbelief that in a mere 83 days I will have a daughter. And I'm pretty sure she's gonna be a ninja based on all the roundhouse kicks to my ribs I'm getting these days. The belly also seems to be growing daily. Bryan gets home from work every day and is shocked by how pregnant I look. I asked him the other day if I look like an earth goddess or a hippopotamus and he diplomatically responded that I look like an earthopotamus. Obviously I walked right into that one!

In other news, I only have 5 MORE DAYS OF WORK LEFT!! I am so excited to start my summer vacation, especially since I am starting to get a bit more uncomfortable and the temperature is making me want to spend every spare minute submerged in the pool. Unfortunately, my last week of work is going to be a tad stressful due to the 3 MONTHS worth of lessons for 18 different students I need to prep for my sub to do while I am on maternity leave. Aaarrrgggghhhh!!!