35 weeks... 35 days.

Today completes 35 weeks and marks the beginning of the last 35 days... until the due date. Meaning, we have no idea how many days are left, but we can safely say that the end of the pregnancy is near! Sometime between now and 7 weeks from now, we are going to have a baby.

Wow.

We officially completed our birth and parenting classes last night were we received a certificate and everything. Not exactly sure what we are going to do with the certificate... other than have it as a memento in the baby book.

Lately, little man has been enjoying flipping side to side and he switches either every day or every couple of days. He stays head down, but he flips which side he is facing. One day I will have his back on the right side of my belly button and his feet poking out of my left side... and the next day it will be the exact opposite. Which is fine and all, however, it doesn't exactly feel the best as he really is running out of room in there!

Happy 35/35 to us!

First comes marriage, then comes baby... and house?

We are currently in the process of buying a new home... at the exact same time as getting ready for our little man to arrive. So in other words, it is a very exciting, hectic, scary, and overwhelming time in our lives right now!

We are going to be selling our townhome to Mitch's brother, Kyle, which makes it a little bit easier and less stressful (so if it takes us 3 days to actually move, it really isn't that big of a deal). Our closing date is currently set for November 19... so just after little man is going to arrive!

Our nursery is mostly done at this point with the exception of wall decorations. With us moving shortly after our son is born, it really doesn't make sense to decorate the walls. We will wait to decorate until we move into the new house and re-create his nursery at that point.

How about that? He is going to have had 2 nurseries when all is said and done... and all within 1 month of life! Hopefully our family and friends will be able to help us out as I really won't be much help so soon after delivery. It will be difficult, but we really are blessed with so many wonderful people in our lives that I know we will be okay.

Vikings Game!

Baby Hofer just went to his very first Vikings game today... and it was a win! I could tell that he was a bit overwhelmed with all of the noise and when the fireworks would go off? Oh my, he didn't like that one bit. He jumped every single time those fireworks would go off. At least we know that he can hear? It was a lot of fun though and we had a blast. I will say that it was a lot of walking/standing/stairs/etc. for an 8 months pregnant woman to handle, but I like to think I did relatively well. My ankles swelled up a bit, but I've been taking it easy since we got back home with my feet propped up and that seems to be doing the trick.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions. Final score: Vikings- 24, Lions- 10.

34 week Dr. Appt, Baby Shower, and More.

Today was our 34 week appointment and it went well! I received my flu shot today and Mitch is set to get his within the next 2 weeks at work. Little man's heart rate was at 130 today and I measured 34cm... right where everything should be! Next appointment will be for our 36 week check-up and then it will be weekly after that. Wow, we are definitely getting there!

This past weekend I had my last baby shower hosted by my friends Ann and Becky. It was absolutely wonderful and we were blessed with our family and friends showing up and the gifts they gave us to prepare for the arrival of our son. In the next couple of weeks we will start finishing up the registry and getting everything else that we might need/want. We also need to get the carseat installed here one of these weekends into the Escape. It's really starting to come together!

On Wednesday morning, Mitch and I were both heading out to go to work in the morning and as I was backing out of the garage... I definitely crashed the side mirror of the car into the side of the garage. Awesome. Nothing like an 8 months pregnant woman taking out the side mirror of her car... and with all of these emotions I have right now? Let's say that it wasn't a pleasant experience. All in all, a very minor thing that is getting fixed right now as we speak at the Ford dealership. It just didn't seem that minor to my emotional pregnant self at that time.

Speaking of being 8 months pregnant... I feel like he is running out of room! He pushes so hard against my belly that he actually completely distorts my whole belly. He still moves quite a lot, it is just a little different from before. Instead of kicks, he rolls and moves around. Last night he had some really strong hiccups that Mitch was even able to feel. At all times, I can push on my belly and feel him now... which means that when he is awake? Wow, do I know it. This can make sleeping a bit more difficult than I would probably prefer, but at least I know he is doing alright.

We also had our 4th birth and parenting class Wednesday night and it went really well. They actually had a baby doll there that Mitch and I had to hold for the whole 2.5 hour long class. I told Mitch that I was holding our baby, so he could hold the baby doll! It was a great class with a lot of really good information. We even got to meet a pediatrician and ask him a ton of questions after he talked with us for a good while.

Countdown? 5 weeks, 6 days (or a total of 41 days total) until the due date.

Ice Cube Drama.

So, my birth and parenting class instructor? I no longer like her. I mean, I get that I'm going to be in a lot of pain and that labor and delivery is difficult... however... I don't agree with making us pregnant women squeeze a painfully cold ice cube in one hand for a pretend "contraction" so we could use our breathing techniques and comfort measures we have been learning about in class.

Let's just say it doesn't feel the best. And she made us hold that ice cube for a really long time. Twice.

I am starting to freak out a little bit about the whole childbirth experience. Up until now I have had the very realistic, "yeah, it is going to be painful, but there is nothing I can do to change that and it will be worth it in the end." Now? It's more the "Oh emm gee! This is not going to be fun and I'm not really sure I am going to be ready for this for another year or two so if we can just go ahead and undo this whole pregnancy that would be great. Ok, thanks."

Nevermind that I have less than 7 weeks until my due date.

Part of my mind is okay with everything and the other part is a tiny bit overly anxious.

Now, don't get me wrong... I am still very much excited to have our little man here within the next two months and I wouldn't trade my pregnancy for anything. (And that is saying something as I am really starting to get uncomfortable and getting up to use the bathroom 5 times in one night while waking up with leg cramps 3 times in that same night is not my idea of fun.) Every time I look in his nursery or do something to get ready for his arrival... my heart just floods with so much love, wonder, and pride. I'm really looking forward to being a mom and while I am a little bit scared right now, I know that it will all be worth it in the end because it already is now.

Countdown? 6 weeks, 6 days (48 days total left until my due date).

Nursery progress... and our 32 week appointment.

Tuesday night (September 7th) we got a call from Babies-R-Us saying that our crib was finally in. So off we went to get the crib and crib mattress... and of course we put it all together that same night. And by we, I mean Mitch put it together while I sat in the glider drinking sweet tea and taking pictures. I like to think I provided the much needed moral support?

Either way, the crib looks amazing and Mitch really did a great job. Now we just need to try and figure out how we are going to configure so much furniture in such a tiny room. It sure is cramped in there! Once we figure out the configuration, we will get started on the wall decorations and getting everything finished.

Our 32 week appointment was this morning and it went well. I found out that I passed my gestational diabetes test with flying colors (I was at 87) and that all of my blood work came back with no issues. I have been very blessed to not have any issues with my health throughout this pregnancy! His heart rate was 136 beats per minute and he is still head down (which is how he was at 27 weeks). We also were able to set up the remaining doctor appointments (there are 6 left). Every two weeks from now until 36 weeks, then we switch to weekly appointments with the last one scheduled for November 5th (40 weeks, 1 day). It's amazing to think how quickly November is getting here!

In addition- here are some pictures from Labor Day weekend at my dad's house. We purchased a brand new camera (a Nikon) that we really like. We wanted to get a really nice camera before the birth of our baby boy (imagine this... we plan to take tons of pictures of the little man!). So, we decided to go ahead and get it now so that we have time to learn all that we can about the camera ahead of time. We have been really pleased with the camera so far and look forward to it being used quite extensively! The first picture is of Mitch and I and then the second picture is of my dad and I "comparing" bellies. I'm pretty sure I win the biggest belly award... hands down. I really have no idea how my belly is supposed to grow any bigger!

Countdown? 7 weeks, 6 days (or a total of 55 days until the due date).

31 weeks, 3 days belly picture.

So, here I am at 31 weeks, 3 days. It is fun to take the picture in the nursery (and I can only imagine it will be even more fun once we get the crib in and set-up!). I am feeling quite large these days... and my sweet, darling Mitch lovingly tells me that I'm only going to get larger. Thanks, dear. Actually, Mitch has been fantastic and says that our son is just getting bigger and healthier and needs more room. It is still fun to watch his eyes light up when we talk about future plans involving this little man. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Showers, Cribs, Classes and Babies!

Last Saturday I had my very first baby shower in Sioux Falls, South Dakota hosted by my wonderful mother-in-law. It was fantastic... and I wish I had pictures, but I will have to get them from my mother-in-law as I completely forgot to bring my camera. (This is becoming a recurring theme for me!). The shower went great and our little man received many wonderful presents. Of all of the gifts, I do have 3 favorites. 1. A blue and green handmade afghan by our little man's great grandmother, Dorothy Olson. 2. The glider that my mom and Da-Da got us. 3. A double picture frame with one blank side and the other a picture of Mitch in a Winnie-the-Pooh outfit... along with the outfit that Mitch wore 27 years ago.

Truly, truly blessed.

The only difficult part of the shower was the drive home. I was quite uncomfortable on the ride back and was having some cramping and tightening of the belly that I can only assume are those pesky Braxton Hicks contractions. There was no pattern to them, but they sure made for a long trip back home. Note to self? Don't go on long distance car trips in late pregnancy!

In other news, my good friend Michelle is not going to be able to make it to my local baby shower on September 18th. So, we met up on Monday to go get our dessert at Broadway Pizza (they make the BEST deep dish chocolate chip cookie sundae) and afterwards went back to my place as she had gifts for our little man. She was way too generous and got him way too many things... and we couldn't love the gifts any less. My favorite by far is the handmade quilt that Michelle made. Now that is something that he (and his parents) will cherish forever.

The shower definitely helped move the nursery along. One of the gifts from Mitch's parents was the crib bedding set... and of course that meant that we needed to go out and get the crib! So on Sunday we went to go get the crib, crib mattress, and changing table... and of course they only had the changing table in stock. We are still waiting for the crib and crib mattress to arrive at the store so we can go pick them up. Once we get the crib set up in the nursery we will be able to figure out how we want to arrange the furniture and then begin decorating the walls. It's really starting to come together!

Wednesday was our very first childbirth class and it went very well. It was very basic, but we had anticipated the first class being that way so it wasn't much of a shock to us. There was still some useful information and I'm glad we are doing this. We have 4 more classes to go (and I'm excited that the next one involves massage!). Mitch stands by the fact that these classes are an elaborate ploy to just get free massages from husbands. I'm pleading the fifth.

Well, you know how I have been pregnant with 2 of my friends Ashley and Becky? That is no longer the case as Ashley gave birth to her baby girl (name unknown as of right now) last Saturday and Becky is going to be induced sometime today. So in just a day or so, I will be flying solo in pregnancy. It was so much fun to see and hold Ashley's little girl and I can only imagine how much fun it will be to do the same with Becky's little boy. It definitely made me anxious to be holding our little man, but trust me... I can still wait. Yes, I do feel like I have been pregnant forever and yes, I am tired of the aches and pains and all of those pesky negative aspects of pregnancy. However, I know that he isn't ready for the outside world yet... and I think I still need some time to just enjoy spending time with my husband. I really don't want to rush through things just to rush through them. I'm currently enjoying getting his nursery put together with Mitch (okay, so watching Mitch put the nursery together as I sit in the glider drinking my sweet tea.... same thing right?). I'll have to put pictures up here of those events also... I'll try to do that with a new belly picture (as it is that time again).

Countdown: 8 weeks, 6 days (or 62 days total) until our due date!