36 weeks- the count down begins

36 weeks-

3 weeks and 2 days until my due date
22 days until my due date!

In 2 days I will be 37 weeks pregnant and considered full term. Now it is just a waiting game until he is ready to come out. Anyone have guesses of when they think the baby will be here??

Kit thinks thursday May 9th and I think tuesday May 7th. But who knows he might decide to come on or after his due date on the 14th also. We are finishing up the final touches on things - buying last minute items like batteries for my TENS machine and portable fan, deep cleaning the house, knitting a last minute wool hat for the baby etc... My bag and baby bag are packed, and Kit's bag is almost done. At my last midwife appointment everything looked good as usual they took some more blood work to check my iron levels (which have been fine). He is head down still but not engaged yet. He is now around 6 pounds (or so the internet says) and the size of a honeydew melon.

We are getting very excited to meet this little boy, who still doesn't have a name. I have a favorite and so does Kit but they don't match right now. I think we will just wait and see what he looks like. We still have the same three names as two weeks ago so that is good! I'm feeling a little bit nervous about the whole birth thing, but I know it will be worth it! I keep telling myself I can do this, I trust in my body, the midwives and Kit!

I am still loving my maternity leave and enjoying having some time to rest before baby Elam comes. I have only had one day where I was bored. Kit and I have been trying to spend some quality time together, and going out to eat and for walks. We have a baby shower this week, which I'm excited about and then I have some plans to cook some meals to be frozen for after the baby comes. We weren't going to get a stoller since we were leaving so soon after the birth, but then decided to get a used one for the couple of months that we are here, so we have been bidding on some stollers on ebay but no luck yet. I will take some pictures of baby Elam's areas of the house this week. We haven't put the co-sleeper bassinet next to the bed yet but I will soon so you can all see what it looks like!

My lastest pictures. 

I'm not in love with these pictures but oh well.

34 weeks

34 weeks, almost 35 weeks, so that's 5 weeks and 2 days, or 37 days until the baby is due! Wow is all I can say! This baby boy - who we have still not decided on a name for - will be here before you know it (at the moment we have three names that are contenders). I think back to the last time I posted which was at 30 weeks and that seems like yesterday. Okay this is getting real now!

a lot has happened since my last update at 30 weeks...

The baby is around 5 pounds and is the size of a butternut squash. The baby's lungs are almost fully developed and he is starting to keep his eyes open while he is awake. He is recognizing and responding to familiar songs that we sing to him. I totally agree with this as whenever I listen to my relaxation CD for hypnobirth he moves a lot, and when I sing You are My Sunshine to him he moves a bit too.  He is still kicking/ rolling around a lot - especially at night when I am trying to sleep! Kit has nicknamed him Kicking bird.

I am feeling pretty good lately. I have been tired when I do a lot in one day but I am loving that I can lay down for a quick nap if I need to get my energy back. I have actually started making some meals or at least helping Kit out with the cooking and dishes more than when I was working. Our last midwife appointment went well and everything looks good. Baby is head down with his legs and arms to the side. Kit says he feels great about everything that has been happening and is looking forward to seeing our little boy!

I am officially on maternity leave starting tomorrow morning. I have been done with work these past two weeks but had been off two weeks for Easter break. I am happy to be done with work but it is a weird feeling knowing that I won't be going back there. Today is Sunday and I keep thinking I need to finish my planning for next week, but then I remember I don't have too! It's such a good feeling. However, I will miss the people I work with, especially the girls I sit with at lunch. The kids - I will miss some of them, other children I am happy that I won't have to see tomorrow!

We have been ordering a lot of baby gear off Amazon.co.uk and have been getting some awesome packages in the mail. We got our car seat, our boppy pillow, and our Ergo baby carrier. I am in love with Amazon and how quickly most of our packages come after ordering them. I also have to say thank you to my mom who has sent us many packages of baby gear from the States!

Our Boppy pillow and car seat

Kit practising with the Ergo carrier

Some random pictures from the past two weeks...

33 weeks and I'm getting ready to meet the other pregnant mom's from our prenatal class for lunch.

34 weeks

Hiking at Bradgate park when Regan and Greg where here

The official 34 week picture

Yesterday we had a fantastic sunny warm (50 degrees) day and went to the Botanical Gardens. We had fun taking some pictures and being silly

Kicking bird, sunshine and handsome husband

A picture of the two of us

One of me and the crocuses

And our awkward pregnancy photo, just for fun!

I can tell you it was hard to get up from laying on the grass after this hilarious photo

I'll have a bit more time now and will try to update weekly since we only have such a short time left!!

A visit from Demark

Our friends Regan, Greg and their kids came for a visit over Easter. We met them when we lived in Madison, Wisconsin ages ago, which we figured out was almost 10 years ago in 2003-2004! Regan and I were working together at an after school program in Madison and instantly became friends. Over the years we have kept in touch through visits, blogs, and facebook. A little over a year ago they made the big international move with their two children to Denmark. We were hoping to get to visit them in Denmark, but with baby Elam coming along they decided to visit us here. We had a fantastic time with them during which we celebrated Easter, had a 5 year old birthday party, hiked at bradgate park, walked around Leicester and played at our local playgrounds. It was so nice to see them and the kids. Thank you for coming to visit us!!

The boys getting excited about the Easter bunny who came to visit

Hunting for Easter Eggs

play ground time

 

Riding a double decker bus is exciting for anyone, especially two boys

 A dark picture of the family walking through campus

There was a lot of playing with legos and balloons

And a very important day, a 5 years old birthday!

A great video of W singing Happy Birthday in Danish!

Regan has some great pictures of the boys from Bradgate park on her blog here: http://threeyearsindenmark.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/today.html

We love having visitors and aside from our parents coming for a visit when Baby Elam is born (and helping us survive), these might be our last visitors to England. We hope we will get even more when we move to Arizona!

6 more weeks until baby boy is due, pictures and updates to come soon....