Third Trimester - 4 weeks and counting

My, how time has flown by, especially during this last trimester. We have been busy getting everything ready for the baby and keeping up with our regularly scheduled lives. Mostly work for both of us, but it is certainly enough to keep us busy. I am just over 35 weeks today, and can hardly believe that in just 4 weeks we will have a daughter.

Here are some pictures to document my progress:

Yes, this little girl is definitely growing. We'll make sure to take more pictures in the last few weeks to see just how things change in the last month.

Highlights from the third trimester weeks 28-40 (I know we're not quite there yet, but if I waited until then to update, this post would not get done for quite a long time):

• Nate's family came to town for his birthday and a family vacation. They rented a house in Anaheim, where we all stayed for 3-4 days.We went to Disneyland, an Angel's game, dinner for Nate's birthday and just had a great time! Disneyland was low-key for me, since there were only a few rides that I could go on.
• I've continued to be monitored on a very frequent basis. Starting at 28 weeks, the doctor had me come in a least twice each week for non-stress testing. I get hooked up to a monitor that tracks the heartbeat and another that tracks contractions. So far, everything has been mostly normal. Once in a while, she is sleepy and they have to wake her up a bit to see that her heart rate accelerates the way that it should.
• Starting at about 32 weeks, the doctor added a weekly ultrasound to the mix. Prior to this, I had been going in every two weeks for ultrasounds. My fluid levels are still low, and the baby is a little small for the gestational age, so the doctor just wants to make sure she stays on top of things.
• The last 2 weeks or so, sleeping has been rough. I am up about every 2-3 hours either going to the bathroom, or changing position or both. My back hurts just about every night and I frequently wake up in pain. It seems like there aren't enough pillows in this house to sleep comfortably. I am wishing that we DID get that Lazy-Boy that Nate wanted to rock the baby in. Maybe next time.
• As of Thursday, the baby is still breech. The doctor has scheduled a cesarean delivery for December 7. Appropriate for our first child. Definitely a day that will live in infamy.
•  Bought a car seat and stroller (after a TON of research and stress). We also made sure to have the Highway Patrol install the car seat and show us the right way to do it. It's a great, FREE service, especially since you hear such awful statistics about car seats installed incorrectly.
• I had my baby shower in Fresno on October 29th. Cynthia and Andrea put it on for me. It was perfect! I had such a great time. Here are a couple of pictures of the day:
  
  
  

• Nate and I went on our last little get-a-way before the baby comes. Because I am 35 weeks, we decided that it was best to stay close to home (within an hour of the hospital) so we opted for a short weekend at Disneyland. Given that at 28 weeks, there was a little that I could do, at 35 weeks it seemed to be even less. That didn't stop us from having a great time. We watched the HOLIDAY fireworks (Awesome! And Disney even made it snow!!) and Fantasmic on Friday night. We also went and had a great steak dinner (porkchops for me) at Stubricks in Fullerton. I was most excited that the park was decorated for Christmas, since all the advertising said November 14-Jan 8. There is nothing better than Disneyland at Christmas time! On Saturday we came back and watched a couple of shows (Aladdin and the Tikki Room) Nate rode the roller coaster, we both went on the Ferris wheel, took a few pictures and made it to dinner in time to see the end of the Utah UCLA game. We also caught the UFC fight, but that lasted all of about 40 seconds, so it wasn't very interesting. Here are the pictures from the day:  

 Waiting for Muppets 3D

 Baby girl's first trip to Disneyland! :-)

 We tried to give our lists to Santa, but he was in a hurry!

 On the GIANT Ferris wheel. I can ride the Tower of Terror all day and not be afraid of getting hurt, but the Ferris wheel scares me some.

 California Screamin' from the Ferris wheel.

 It started raining a little, but since I am 8 months pregnant I could just barely zip my rain jacket. Nate suggested we try switching to see if his was any bigger. It was, but I couldn't let him walk around the park like this!

So, I stuck with wearing my own coat. It DID zip, it was just a little tight.

 First family picture at Disneyland...and the proof that baby girl has been there once already. She should be good until she's like 7 or 8 I think.

 Giant tree in Disneyland. I LOVE this picture. I am not sure what Nate did, but the tree lit against the night sky is just beautiful.

Now we are just waiting for December 7th. It's going to be odd going to bed on the 6th just like normal, but then on the 7th we have a baby.

There are a few other things to look forward to. We are staying home for Thanksgiving this year, and I am going to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner. It will be just the two of us, but I am excited for the meal. I won't cook a turkey, but I think we will roast a chicken instead. Then, all the other normal food: mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, and cucumbers and vinegar. Of course, what meal would be complete without my pumpkin pie?? I'm also going to make an Oreo Cheesecake. It will be great!

We also have the ward Christmas Party on December 3rd. I think I am going to make cupcakes for this one. Thanks to Andrea's sister Kara, I learned that the frosting recipe on the back of the C&H powdered sugar box is AMAZING! I may even take some to work.

I have 2 more baby showers to look forward to. On Friday the 18th, work is putting something together, which is surprising since I haven't been there that long. Plus, I don't really like being the center of attention so it will be a little hard. Then, that same night Connie Jorgensen and Nicole McIntyre are putting on a shower with the Relief Society sisters. Honestly, I hadn't expected so much love through all of this, but I sure am grateful for it!