32 weeks!

     We are getting close now! 55 days until our due date. I asked my doctor to guesstimate the size the baby will be at full term. He guessed "average-sized, about 7 or 7.5 pounds." Then I told him I was 9lbs. 15oz. He said it's possible baby will be bigger than he thinks because I am so tall and that sort of hides it, so maybe about 8 pounds. Thank goodness. A ten pounder scares me! I've only gained 13 pounds and have been eating like MAD to gain more. He said not to worry at all, that everyone is different and that since I am showing growth, I am just very lucky not to gain everywhere. He says I look "perfect." I just want to make sure to get enough fat and nutrients for brain development in these last weeks! I've even been eating a couple milkshakes a week and lots and lots of cheese. (Plus my regular loads of veggies, fruit, nuts, milk, etc.) I guess if he thinks I'm good, I don't need to worry!
     While eating dinner out on Tuesday night for Mom's birthday, John called to let us know he had made the decision to take the job in Dallas. (He interviewed while we where there at Christmas.) So, he'll be moving back to Texas soon! (This after living in Indiana, St. Louis and the Boston area-away since graduating from A&M in 2008.) We are excited about that news of the week! Welcome back to Texas, Aunt Katie and Uncle John!!!
     Every night Brant, Lacey and I sit on the couch for at least 30 minutes together. We talk about the day, relax, watch and feel my belly move and watch TV. Last night I had a work event and didn't get home until 8:30. I quickly changed my clothes and took my place on the couch with them. I guess Lacey had missed me so much and was so excited to see me, she was incessantly licking my face and putting her head in my lap and just all over me. So cute.
     I can feel the baby moving even when I'm walking around now. We can watch him moving around a lot, especially at night. His little butt seems have a favorite spot it goes back to at the right side of my belly, head down. He's getting so big that it is weird to feel him all the way from one side to the other. Keeps on being amazing! 

Baby Shower

On Sunday, Alice, Jenni, Nance and Jan threw a beautiful baby shower for us at Alice's home. It was a wonderful celebration with so many of the women I love in my life. I told them 6 years ago this same time of year they were showering us and celebrating for our upcoming wedding and how great it is to come back together now. Great to have all those ladies in the same room again. Alice said the most beautiful prayer, (this is a true talent she has,) that made us all think about our futures, children and those who have gone before us, (specifically Dad,) and it made us all cry. So sweet. I enjoyed visiting with some of my friends I have not been able to see in a long time, but have known for so many years! Thank you to my besties. I love you, Alice and Jenni and the two women who made you who you are, Nance and Jan. There are no words to express the gratitude I have for our friendships. All these friendships, each so unique. I felt so overwhelmed with love.

 

Jan, Jenni, Mom, Me, Alice, Nance



Brant's Ladies

 

Cousins due one month apart!

Sweet Lainey June

Julie's quilt-SO, SO SPECIAL!!!



Aunt Barb, Cara, Me, Mom

Now we have to figure out where to put all our wonderful gifts!

Happy Birthday, Gigi!

Saturday night, we celebrated Mom's birthday! Aunt Barb was in town for our baby shower on Sunday, so she got to come celebrate too. It's come to pass that we always celebrate Mom's birthday at our house. I love to have company and to to cook for everyone. We barely got the floors finished and all the furniture put back in place and cleaned up in time for dinner. We had a great visit with some great entertainment...

Gigi's Birthday Dinner!

Gigi blowing out her candles!

Lainey's baby love!

Loving on Aunt Barb!



 Gigi and Aunt Barb's baby love!

We had some juggling entertainment!

Look at that precious face!

Some Nerf entertainment, Graham's favorite

And some Lacey entertainment!

Aunt Barb was laughing so hard,... but then she got knocked in the mouth! Gotta be careful around here! It's all fun and games until...

We had a great visit to celebrate a very special Momma! By the way, Gigi (G.G.) stands for Grandmother Golden! We love you Gigi!

Nursery!

We've been adding to the nursery little by little. I think it's just about ready for the little guy to arrive.

Previously this room was our office and I avoided it. Now, it's actually turning out to be a cozy little piece of heaven where I like to spend time. AND, I didn't go overboard with the sock monkeys...Brant was worried!

 

 We're using the rocking chair that my mom used to rock and read to the three of us. I know, I know, so many people say we really need a glider and I may regret it, but gliders are so ugly and this is a very special piece! I also like the way it looks! If it was good enough back then, why not now? (Be sure that if safety was an issue, I'd have a new one-I'm very particular about certain things and believe I have a right to be!)

I've been reading to the baby in the rocking chair after work. My favorite read aloud for him now is On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman. It begins, "On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, 'Life will never be the same.' Because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world." My friend at work gave me this book. She bought it a year before we even got pregnant. We had a lot of people praying for this miracle and believing it would happen! We've also been reading the Beatrix Potter box set that Gigi (my mom) gave us for Christmas. I have to admit, even though I know it's good for him to hear the rhythm of reading, etc., I do feel silly when doing it all by myself! It's a good thing I read aloud to children face-to-face at work!

Today marks week 31! 62 days until my due date!

Hello, My Name is...

     "Have you decided on a name?" is the prominent question these days. Aaaannnd, the answer is "No." It's so hard to decide! I really think naming a girl would be easier. I'm pretty sure we would have chosen one by now if it was a girl, but who knows. Girls can get away with a lot more in a name. Boys names have such high expectations; they have to be strong and have certain qualities. Of course, Brant and I have always talked about what we would name our children. We joke about it too, (especially, no offense, but while watching football and listening to the news, "Is Laquon on the list?")
      My favorite names have changed over the years, so I would like to stick with traditional, family names. We throw names out there all the time, but none of them have stuck... except for one. Jeffrey Lee. Jeffrey is Brant's first name and a family name. Lee is my paternal grandfather's name, which would honor my father and represent my side. (We wouldn't use my dad's name, John because it is my brother's name and there are so many Johns in our family. My nephew, Graham, is named my dad's middle name.) So, that's what we keep coming back to. However, neither one of us is positive about it.
      My dad made a collection of genealogy data for us in 2002. I got mine out and searched names. Some I liked include Tyler, Hunter, Paxton, Clay, Andrew, Thomas and Nathan. We can't use Nathan, because it's our nephew's name on Brant's side. I had never even looked at this collection before and delved into it one day recently. There are pictures, letters and family trees that go way back. It is pretty amazing and we're lucky to have it. Thanks Dad!
      I would like to wait to see the baby before naming him. Brant says, "Are we going to name him Marvin? Because all babies look like aliens." Ha! All newborns do look red and stressed and nothing like they look later, but I don't believe all babies look like aliens. I think this one is going to be a beautiful newborn and I just can't wait to see him! I want to see his eyes and skin and hair and stare and kiss and love on him!
      I guess it's okay not to have a name. We do have two more months to get a list of some options together. Who knows what we'll decide. Any suggestions?

BUMPS #4

B     M    S
    U     P    #4

• John, (my brother who lives in Boston with his wife, Katie,) said when I saw him in October at a our cousin's wedding, "Woah, I never thought I'd see you fat!" He came home for Christmas break and could not stop staring at me. It was pretty cute, but so obvious and funny to me. When he called on my birthday, we were talking about how old I was and how YOUNG he is, (27). He said, "Wow, you get to be 35 and pack on the pounds!," I said, "I've gained less than 15 pounds!" and he said, "No way! It looks like you've gained 30!" ONLY baby brothers can get away with this type of abuse!
• Katie was funny too. She was amazed in October at how "hard, yet bouncy" my belly was. Over Christmas she asked how big the baby was. I told her about 2 pounds and she said, "What is all the other stuff?" Like, if that's all the baby weighs, why is your belly SO BIG! It made me laugh! I hope they have kids pretty soon.
• I was the one to say, "are you going to eat that?" and finished Brant's plate of food for the first time during dinner the other night!
• There was a mother with her 3 month old baby boy at Graham's gymnastics showcase. When I got there, I sat down and Lainey came over to sit on my lap. She pointed sideways to the lady and said in a funny, discreet voice, "Aunt Polly, you're going to have one of those guys soon." Apparently, she has told this other mother all about me too.
• And some memorable ones from my students...Isabella, first grader: "So will the doctor put you to sleep when he takes the baby out?" Me: "No, I'll be awake." Isabella: "Woah, that's gonna hurt WORSE than the FLU SHOT!"
• Madison, kindergartener: "When is your baby coming out?" Me: "In March." Her: "So, you'll go home in March and have the boy take you to the hospital?" Me: "Right."
• A sweet first grade girl wanted to read out loud to the baby after school today. It was her library book, and baby kicked several times, which she appreciated. She read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.

I am trying to read to him as much as possible. I do read aloud at work several times a day. I've only read about 8 books to him at home while sitting in the rocking chair. I also try to get Lacey in there to get used to our spending time in there. Charlie snoops around in his room too.
After work today I went to Graham's gymnastics showcase. He loves performing just as much as his sister does, but he hams it up some! Then we walked down and watched Lainey's dance class in the same shopping center building. So glad we live so close. Jen's blog:  http://tierd.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/gymnastics-showcase/
Brant has been putting our new flooring down every evening this week. It seems to be taking forever, but I really like it and he's doing a great job. He and I got home at about the same time today. He discovered a leaking something or other in the laundry room last night. He is working on that now. Ahh, home ownership. Makes me miss apartment life. I am very thankful and proud that my man can and will do these things!

67 days until my due date!

30 weeks today!

 

Doctor appointment went well Monday. We're up to bi-monthly appointments now!

Heart rate was 136/129ish. He told me what his guess of the position of the baby was and why, which was cool. Brant said tonight, "Woah, it seems like it's gotten so much bigger just in the past 2 weeks! That's a big boy! He's gonna help me with all these projects." : )

Amazing Grace, Music and 29 weeks

Amazing Grace still makes me cry every time! The meaning of the words, the feeling of the music. I just love it. My dad always said, "I want you to sing Amazing Grace at my funeral," and we did. I told Brant the morning of his funeral I don't know how I'm going to make it through the song. Incredibly, God got me through it and I sang every word, all the verses, loud and clear that day. Amazing for sure. We sang it in church today and Brant looked at me at the beginning and squeezed my hand. By the end of the first line, I was crying! Had to mouth the rest of the words or squeak them out quietly.
I don't think of myself as one of those people who has SUCH a strong connection to music, but perhaps that thinking needs to change. Mom and I went to see the Les Miserable movie the other day. That music just overtakes me. I first saw Les Mis while I was student teaching in London. It was incredible and the best there! Afterward, my friend Kristina (whom I've written about in the blog,)  and I walked through the London tube system, down many elevators into the deep tube stations singing:
"Will you join in our crusade,
Who will be strong and stand with me?
Somewhere beyond the barricade
Is there a world you long to see?
Do you hear the people sing?
Say, do you hear the distant drums?
It is the future that they bring
When tomorrow comes!"
I have seen Les Mis two more times on stage, then on screen. I realize that when I first saw it on stage, I didn't "get" all the story and it was much more about the music "getting" me.
It got me on screen too. Mom and I cried many times during the movie. I just LOVE all the stories there too now that I "get" it!!!
I'm reminded also of a time our friend, Ryan, was moving my car real quick. I had Les Mis BLARING. He came in and said, "Woah, what's that you're listening to? That is trippy. I like it!" Funny. Another funny one: After college, just after my student teaching in London, I moved back home and played my Les Mis CDs a lot. John said, "gah, do you have to listen to that again? All the songs start off the same way, 'dun, dun, dun, dun...dun dun, dun, dun, dun.'"
After church today, we walked out to see the new prayer garden and columbarium. It's a beautiful place to sit, relax, read and also have your loved ones remains put into a wall you can visit. : ) It is special because we are having some of Dad's ashes placed there. Mom will have a place there too. It is also special because the sign was paid for by the funds and giving in Dad's name/memory after he passed away.

Sign says, "The Fellowship Prayer Garden"

After church, we went to eat out with Mom (mmm...Papagallos,) then to Sears to buy a new vacuum cleaner. (Sounds like the movie Old School-"Busy day- Home Depot and Bed Bath and Beyond if we have time!") Brant went on a last minute fishing expedition with two of his friends who live close by. One of them heads up the fishing club at my alma mater, the high school where he works. He's looking for good spots for his kids to fish. The three of them have decided they need to go to the coast to fish next weekend. Sounds fun!

The floor is coming along. Slowly, but surely!

 

I sent this to Mom one day this week to show her how big my bump was that day. It looks fake! Weird.

29 week bump

Birthday #35!

Wonderful Birthday Celebrations!

Mom is the most incredible cook and truly enjoys it, which makes it even more fun. Her pizza stone broke a couple of years ago and I enjoy her authentic Italian style pizzas so much, I gave her a nice, new one for Christmas. She had the fabulous idea of having us over to celebrate my birthday and make pizzas together Saturday night. We all made pizzas and ate on each other's pizzas. She also made an incredible minestrone soup. We ate little by little, which ends up being much more than you would ever eat at once. The dessert was the most amazing, moist carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. All from scratch, of course. So, so good. Jen and I were miserable because we ate WAY too much. I actually asked if it could hurt the baby if I eat too much. I felt like my stomach was going to bust. Oh so good!!!!!! AND we got to take the left overs home! We also had a nice mini-visit with Brant's parents who stayed with us after a wedding in Boerne!

My sweet faculty and students had happy birthdays coming in all day long. Cards, letters, drawings, flowers, even a gift for baby! One dual language class came in and sang Happy Birthday in Spanish, then Las Mananacitas, (the Mexican Birthday Song I had never heard- so sweet!) then Happy Birthday in English. My high school special ed/Life Skills kids that work in the library twice a week sang Happy Birthday to me. Even my library guru processor called from central office and sang for me. Everyone is just so kind and thoughtful. I do feel very special.

Brant got me the simple wedding band I wanted for my birthday. I wanted something I could wear all the time that would not scratch baby and that I could wear to the river and places I where I worry about wearing the real deal. Alice was going to come over for a visit, but it is extremely cold and rainy outside, (so many wrecks on the way to work, it took me 1 hr. 25 min. to get there today,) so I told her to stay home and stay dry. Just got off the phone with John and got to talk to many friends today. My girls, Jenni and Alice, have been finalizing the baby shower. We're staying in tonight and munching on my favorite creations-good cheeses, shrimp and gyoza! It's whatever I want, right? Hee hee! (As my Dad would write!) Brant just kicked me out of the kitchen...nice! I like it!

Las Manacitas Lyrics and Translation:

Spanish original

English translation

Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David. Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti. Despierta mi bien, despierta, mira que ya amaneció ya los pajarillos cantan la luna ya se metió. Qué linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte. El día en que tu naciste nacieron todas las flores y en la pila del bautismo cantaron los ruiseñores Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio. Levántate de mañana mira que ya amaneció.

These are the songs that King David sang. Today because it is the day of your saint, we sing them to you. Wake up my dear, wake up, see that the day has dawned the birds sing, the moon has set. How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you we all come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you. The day you were born all the flowers bloomed and in the baptismal font sang the nightingales. The dawn has come, the light of the day is given to us. Get up with the morning and see that it has dawned.

* Often replaced with the name of the person who is being celebrated

We got the crib Friday night and Brant put it together this weekend with a little help from Lacey!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that dog!

Year 35 is looking good!

So thankful!