Week 38: We're Getting Closer!

On Sunday night, I was a little bummed.  I told Kyle, "I was really hoping I wouldn't have to go to work tomorrow."  It's true- I wanted to be in the hospital effortlessly popping out the baby.  Alas, I went to work and made it a good day.  This week I had parent-teacher-student conferences since I won't be able to meet with parents at actual P-T-S conference time at the beginning of November.  This resulted in me working three 11-hour days in a row.  Needless to say- I was ready for Friday!

I have a new fear: my water breaking at church, specifically on the way up to communion.  Also, I wonder what would happen if I tried to do a cart wheel.  I seriously think about the cart wheel thing at least a dozen times a day.  During conversations with Kyle, parents, other teachers, Buster, really anyone,  my mind wanders to the question, "What would happen if I tried to do a cart wheel?"  I'm sure of 1 thing:  it would feel weird.  I'm also pretty sure if I'd fall forward onto my stomach as if sumo fighting the ground.  Sometimes I'm amazed at how intelligent my thoughts are.

Monday marked our first visit from our Parents as Teachers consultant, Linda.  It was mostly a get-to-know you visit, but we learned a lot of interesting stuff about newborn babies.  One of the most interesting topics was vision.   Babies can only see gray blurriness at 3 days!  I knew their vision wasn't fully developed, but I was surprised at how blurry it really was.  We should expect him to focus his attention on black-and-white, high contrast patterns.  So now I'm on the hunt for highly-contrasted books.  Look LOOK! got great reviews on Amazon!

 

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 Little man will also enjoy gazing at our faces.  Although, maybe I should wear a mask....

We can also expect him to briefly observe his environment.  So we should place him in a seat and move it around the house to give him a change of scenery. Something tells me he'll be intrigued by these two.  Our PAT teacher said they would actually be good for tracking!

As far as things we still need to get done for baby- choosing a pediatrician and daycare are on the list.  We also need to find a mobile for his crib; after learning about their vision, I think we might go for one of those high-contrasted black-and-red mobiles, even though it will NOT match the nursery. 

The bump is constantly growing- it measured between 38 and 39 cm at the doctor's office this weekend, which means it's finally the right size as opposed to a cm behind which it had been previously.  I can tell he's in the process of dropping, and I've had a few contractions (I think I have anyway...).  I've been getting around alright though, just recently getting from sitting to standing has become more difficult.  My goal for this next week is to walk at least 1 hour each day.  I think I can get it done too, since this week has only a few meetings and no conferences! 

Oh yeah, if I were planning to be pregnant for Halloween, I would totally wear this shirt!

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Week 31: Baby Halloween Costumes

Halloween used to be my favorite holiday of the year. I trick-or-treated all through high school and may or may not have gone once in college (go ahead, judge).  I loved everything about Halloween- wearing a homemade costume, trick-or-treating my entire neighborhood with friends, weighing my pillowcase full of candy, trading all of my Reese's Cups (sorry mom!), and staying up late.  Having the next day off was the icing on the Halloween cake!   My fondness for Halloween has dwindled over the years as it now means "Halloween party at school" aka chaos.  It also means I have to buy candy, which I end up eating.  Then there's the ever so popular doorbell ringing which makes the dogs go CRAZY.  Although honestly, it doesn't take much for that to happen! While there are many parts about Halloween that are a hassle, I do enjoy handing out candy.  The costumes are always cute, and the kids are always excited to get candy. 

Halloween is a big question mark for us this year.  We wonder will the baby be here?  Will he be born on Halloween? If the baby is here, should we hand out candy, put a bowl out on the porch, or just have our light off?  Then there's the most important question of all, what should our baby be for his very first Halloween?  This led me to peruse the baby costume sections of various websites over the past few weeks.  Take a look at some of the contenders for McBaby's Halloween costume.

This costume teaches a great life lesson- hot dogs: wear 'em, don't eat 'em.

 

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I like bumble bees, but this looks a little too familiar....

Knew I'd seen it somewhere before..... 

Baby Elvis? 

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Wondering if feathers like this would impress Lucy....

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If only I were a Star Wars fan...

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Does this lil' astronaut costume remind anyone else of Top Gun?

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Obviously, this was a tough choice! Right now we're leaning towards this number.  It will be perfect for our tiny, crying sleeping little guy!  Admittedly, he'll only wear the costume for 5 minutes while we take pictures.  It would be even longer if Kyle got his way and took him trick-or-treating!

Check out the bump picks for this week!  I think the best view is from the front where you can tell I've got a big round lop-sided stomach. 

Just for fun...what were you for your first Halloween?
Personally, I have no idea.  If only my mom made me an awesome memory book so I could remember these things.