The countdown is on......29 days to go.

Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks.  My due date has changed to the 25th of May, which it kind of already was to begin with.  Without boring you with all the details, my doctor has always had my due date as the 25th, but the sonographer would always tell me my due date was June 3rd (June 6th in the very beginning) based on the size of the baby.  I figured the size of the baby was the better date to go with, but now my doctor doesn't want us to go past the 25th of May.  So if we don't have him before then, we will probably be induced on the 25th of May.  In all honesty, I am getting so uncomfortable, I don't know how I'm going to make it another four weeks.  I'm not sure why, but I kind of have a feeling he is going to decide to come before the 25th.  Does every mommy think that? 

His room is very close to being finished.  There are a couple more things I want to do, but here is what is done so far: 

With the way the room is angled, it's hard to get a good pic of the whole room.

Want to add some more books to his shelves and something to the left of the shelves.

Want to add four small picture frames on the wall beside the window.

I also need advice on where to put the video monitor (thanks MIL).  Bryan wanted to put it on the wall regardless of what it looked like.  If you are a mommy and have some advice for the best place to put the monitor, I would appreciate your help.  Not having him here yet, I'm not sure if we will need it for other areas of the house before he starts sleeping in his crib.  I don't want to put it close to his bed because of the wire, but close to his bed gives us the best view of him. (We practiced with the monkey).

I can't believe it is getting so close......but my back can. :(

Emotional moment(s) of the day...

My emotions usually get the best of me when I hear a song about having a baby, watch a show about babies, or when I start thinking about my baby (happy tears, of course).  Today, it was this song:

As I've said before, I have a strong feeling that not only will my son look like his daddy but that he will be a lot like him, so this song got me today.

BUT THEN......I came home and watched the season finale of Parenthood, and I'm pretty sure it's the most I've cried during my entire pregnancy.  Note to self, don't TRY to eat lunch when watching this show EVER AGAIN.  It is not a cute sight = sandwich in mouth, tears streaming down my face, hardly able to breathe.  If you don't watch Parenthood, you are missing out.  I'm pretty sure it's the best show I've ever seen....and that includes the old 90210 (which I still watch reruns of on Soap Net.)

Again and again.....

My MIL's friends gave us a beautiful baby shower this past Sunday.  How thoughtful and sweet is that?  Let me tell you, this is one spoiled little boy already.  His room is packed full with all the things so many amazing people have given him.  Bryan's sweet Aunt Debbie gave us the stroller and car seat, so we can officially get our baby home from the hospital now.

It was such a fun baby shower.  We played all the fun baby shower games, like guess what flavor the baby food is.  It was not my proudest moment.  Pretty sure I got the least amount right.  There was a sweet, young girl named Chloe (one of the hostess's daughters) that took pictures, and I will put some up when I get them.  Parker got a lot of soccer-inspired gifts at this shower, which his daddy was very impressed with.  The little FC Dallas onesie has Bryan's soccer number on the back.  SO CUTE.

Bryan's younger soccer team ('99s) won Division II in their age group and will be moving up to Division I next year as well (just like his '98s).  It was such an awesome game.  Bryan's little cousin Taylor plays on the team, and she scored the winning goal.  What a great season of soccer it has been.  All those nights and Saturdays without my husband have paid off.  :)

Sad Day

Yesterday I officially registered my unborn child for day care.  How sad is that?  He's not even here yet and he's already signed up to leave me.  I know that day is going to be a hard one, but I also know how excited I will be to get back and pick him up.  We are, however, very happy with our day care choice.  Even though my child will probably be the one with a cough and runny nose, I know he will be in good hands and will continue to learn and grow socially.  

On another sad note, yesterday I took Chloe to get her annual check-up, and her blood work came back irregular.  The enzymes in her liver were elevated.  I almost teared up talking to the vet about it.  I'm pretty sure the guy working at the front desk could sense my nervousness because he kept reassuring me that she would be okay.  The vet was curious to know if she had ingested something toxic.  WHAT?  That sounds so serious.  So my sweet puppy girl will be on a medication for the next month, and then they will test it again at that point.  It made me sad for her.  Her whole life is about to change due to this crazy little thing in her mommy's belly, and on top of all that, she has a liver problem.  I am praying that everything comes back normal in a month.

Chloe, you have taught me so much and prepared me for having a baby in so many ways.  You've showed me what "Mommy hormones" were (anytime I think anyone is being negative about you).  You've taught me patience.....well, sometimes.  You've taught me and Daddy not to argue in front of our babies (when we see you go and hide when we argue).  You've showed me what unconditional love is.  We love you, Bubber.

Weekend recap

The weeks just seem to get busier and busier the closer and closer it gets.  My dad and his wifey came in town this past weekend.  It was great having them here, even though I'm pretty sure they (along with everyone else in my life) probably got tired of non-stop Parker talk.  All I can think and/or talk about is that little one (who is now about 5 pounds).  Whoa.  No wonder my belly is huge.

This is what preggo girl looks like after getting up at 6:45 and going to bed at 1:45.  No efforts made!!!

 

 

This is what Dad looks like when you tell him he looked sleepy in the last picture. :)

Saturday afternoon I went to my friend Jenn's wedding shower.  So much fun to catch up with friends two weekends in a row.  Can't wait for the wedding (May 14) and hoping I don't pop out a baby while I'm there.

 We have seven weeks left.  The anticipation is building.  Should I go ahead and pack my bag?  Should I go ahead and put up his Pack-N-Play, his swing, his highchair (a little extreme)?  There is still so much I need to do, but all I want to do is layyyyyyy dowwwwnnnnnn.

S'mores, peacock feathers, and great friends.

This past Saturday, my awesome friends gave me a baby shower at Tillman's Roadhouse in Dallas. It was perfect.  If you've never been to Tillman's, I suggest you try it.  Food is great, ambiance is great, service is great.  The S'mores (that you "roast" at your table) are probably my favorite thing about this place.  It is very country chic, which is very much my style.  I couldn't have asked for a better venue. 

Everything about the day was perfect.  I, once again, was reminded how blessed this Rudd family is.  Parker received some amazing gifts and I got to see a lot of good girlfriends (and a couple of family members, too).  My friends Lesley, Maureen, Renee, and Jana hosted the shower, and I can't express my thanks.  Such great friends.

My boss was super sweet and took pictures of the occasion:

 

Thanks to everyone who came.  It was such a great day.  I have been constantly reminded throughout this pregnancy how many wonderful people we have in our lives. 

My little flipper

That's right.  This little boy has officially flipped and is no longer in the breech position, which means no scheduled C-section.  I'm almost positive I felt him flip.  I was laying on the couch a few nights back and gasped very loudly and told Bryan I felt like the baby almost walked out of my stomach.  I have definitely not felt a feeling like that before or since.

Today we tried again at the 3D sono, and he was a little more cooperative today.  This time he kept his arm in front of his face a lot, but we were able to get some pretty cute pics.  Like this one:

I mean, how cute is my baby?  Pretty darn cute.  And is that a little smirk on his face?  I think so.

Sticking his tongue out.

In. Love.