"They" call us full term!!

37 Weeks and loving every minute of it!  I've just completed my first week of maternity leave and am still enjoying every day to the fullest.  I know the countdown is on and so we are really trying to maximize our time as the two of us before Baby Spicher arrives!  Here are a few highlights from the week...

37 Weeks and headed to the Miranda Lambert Concert!

1. Mornings with the Today Show Crew.  I've especially enjoyed Kathy Lee and Hoda during the 10am hour!  Now, if only I could enjoy a glass of wine with them every morning....3 more week

2. Weekly Doctor's Appointments.  I'm sure we've mentioned this before, but Nick and I LOVE our OB.  Nick has been wonderful throughout this entire pregnancy and joins me at every appointment.  At first I never thought we'd be "that couple" but I absolutely love it.   The clinic I go to has over 8 or so physicians, but Dr. Partridge (aka Paige) agreed early on to that we could see her exclusively and not rotate through docs at every appointment.  We think this fact alone has drastically enhanced our entire pregnancy experience.  Not only is it great to see a familiar face every time we go into the office, but we really feel like we've gotten to know her.  I swear we spend 10% of the visit talking about this baby and 90% about Nick's latest adventure or serving as each other's travel agent.  Our hope is that she may just like us so much, she will come deliver our baby even if she isn't on call.  Wishful thinking I'm sure, but we're still hopeful!  As of last week, our trips to Park Hill will be weekly.  Last Wednesday the 15th, I was 1.5cm dilated and Paige said this baby's head is really low.  We should have a better idea of timing based on this Wednesday's appointment and if there has been any progression...I'm still hoping for a September Birthday!  We had an ultrasound too but the baby is so scrunched in there that it was hard to see a lot.  The tech did predict that OB is currently 6lbs so if we make it full term, we can expect a 7.5lb baby (of course, I know this is a major estimate and never really correct!)

3. Nursery.  Our chair arrived on Friday afternoon and our nursery feels almost complete.  All we are missing is our "pop" of color which can't be added until Baby Spicher makes his/her debut!

Jack loves my time home the most!!

About 91 weeks of pregnant ladies in this picture at the Miranda Lambert concert (from left to right Jessica is 20 weeks, Lindsay is 34, and I'm 37)

36 Weeks

I CAN'T believe we only have four weeks to go!  Here are a few of the highlights of what life has been like over the last two weeks in the Spicher House as we prepare for OB!

35 Weeks

36 Weeks

1.  Maternity Leave - I have to start with this one because I am officially done with work!  I am so thankful and feel very blessed that Lilly has an amazing maternity leave.  Today is day two and it hasn't sunk in yet that I don't have to go to work on Monday.  Nick is counting down the days until my boredom sets in but I keep telling him that my to do lists keep growing and I will more than enjoy the next four weeks :)

2. Nursery - We are making progress!  My mom and dad came in town last Friday and we had a get things done kind of weekend.  The beautiful artwork and craft project are on the walls, our fancy color video monitor is installed, and my mom and I spent some time purchasing some little things to make the room cozy.  The one (but major) piece missing is our chair.  I was hoping for a phone call this week to tell us it was in, but no such luck...maybe next week!  We also put together a lot of the typical baby items - the pack 'n play, the bouncer, the strollers, and installed the car seats!

Nick spray painting

Then came the Mod Podge

The Masterpiece!

3. Showers - My wonderful girlfriends in Arkansas threw me a baby shower last Saturday!  I loved every bit of it and it was so nice to have my mom in town to meet all of my girlfriends.  I feel so lucky to have these girls in my life especially with our families so far.  My work crew also hosted a joint baby shower for Kia (she is due just one week after me) and me this past Monday but unfortunately, a stomach bug got the best of me and I wasn't able to make the 6 hour drive to and from Little Rock.  However, I am so thankful for such supportive and loving people to work with.

4. Ailments - As I just mentioned...that stomach bug.  I really can't remember the last time I had a stomach bug that was quite so terrible.  It started last Sunday night and seriously knocked me out for two days.  Not only did I get it, but so did three others, including my mom and Nick.  Yuck.  On Wednesday, I thought I was back to my normal self when a lovely case of heartburn struck and has continued for the week.  I can honestly say I've never had to deal with heartburn before.  So, despite very little sleep and slowly and begrudgingly giving up some of my favorites until this passes (Chai Tea Lattes, tomatoes, fruit and lemonade) I'm praying this ongoing burning sensation will cease!  I feel very lucky that I've had such a smooth pregnancy thus far so can handle this week's adventures.  

5. Pool - I don't even think it's fair for me to add this to the list quite yet, but after such a relaxing Friday afternoon, I can't help it!  Combine 90 degree weather (instead of 100+) and the fact that Nick got off work early today, and it was the perfect time to relax poolside.  Well, let's just say that I spent the time relaxing while Nick swam laps.  Nonetheless, it was exactly what we needed and made our Fayetteville Athletic Club membership (which I don't use very often) worth every penny!

So, as I write this we are sitting on our front porch enjoying the cool weather and some good music and I'm counting down the days until I can join Nick in a nice cold cocktail!