ALL HALLOW'S EVE

37 weeks, 1 day

Gwen is officially full-term! While that doesn't mean she's ready to greet the world just yet it would be a nice surprise if she made her appearance sooner than later. I'm thinking a Halloween Baby would be fantastic! After all, it is her mommy's favorite holiday!

This year for Halloween, assuming I'm not in labor, I found the cutest shirt to wear as a costume!



I wish I had bought it sooner because now it's far too late to order so I am going to attempt to replicate it. I've bought a black t-shirt and puffy paint but I'm running out of time. I don't think it will take too long to complete I just need to get started on it. So cute ♥

FOUR SHORT WEEKS

36 Weeks

I am in the home stretch with *hopefully* four short weeks to go until we officially become a Mommy and a Daddy! I really don't know where the last thirty-six weeks have gone! Amazing how quickly time has passed. I'm hoping it continues this trend right up until birth. I want to make a point of treasuring every single moment I am home with my daughter on maternity leave because I have a sneaky suspicion that those eight weeks will also seem very short.

Now that I am down to the last month of pregnancy I will have weekly visits with my obstetrician. How exciting! It used to feel like such a long time between visits when they were on a monthly basis.

In just one week Gwen will be considered full-term! Which, while unlikely, means she could arrive at any time! My guess, however, is not before her estimated due date and I have a feeling (call it a mother's intuition?) that this little girl is going to be fashionably late (she'll get that from me). So place your bets now - closest guess to her actual birthdate wins!

EXCITED AND NERVOUS

34 weeks, 6 days

Today leaves 35 days until my due date. We finally got the car seat installed yesterday and things are slowly falling into place. I am starting to feel "ready" to meet our daughter...well, at least as "ready" as I'll ever be!

One thing for sure, I am starting to feel both excited and nervous!

I have my moments where I'll feel her move, glance down at my belly dancing, and get SO excited knowing that it won't be much longer until she's dancing in my arms. That feeling of excitement creates a sense of confidence. I can visualize myself in labor from start to finish and I already feel so accomplished. There were times in my life where I wasn't sure if I wanted to have children, however, I can honestly say I have never been more sure than I am now that this will be my greatest accomplishment and that I was meant to be a mommy.

I also have my moments where I'll feel her move, glance down at my belly dancing, and get SO nervous knowing that it won't be much longer until she's dancing in my arms. That feeling of nervousness creates a sense of overwhelming responsibility. This new little life we are bringing into the world will be dependent on us for everything. We will need to provide her with not only clothes, food, and shelter, but love, stability, and structure. It's a big undertaking, but one I am truly looking forward to.

Years from now I am sure I will reflect back on how I felt in the few final weeks before Gwen's arrival. I can't wait to see the person she grows to be. I am sure she will make both myself and her daddy very proud, but more importantly, I wish for her to be proud of herself.

SIX MORE WEEKS

34 weeks, 1 day

I find it hard to believe that in just 6 weeks, give or take, I will finally be meeting this little person I've had growing inside me. I am trying to make it a point to treasure every day of my last weeks of pregnancy. Who knows if we will ever do this again so it could be a first and a last. That's not to say we absolutely won't have more children, but I am certainly of the mentality of taking one day at a time, and for now, Gwen will be our main focus.

With that being said, I am truly enjoying every kick to my ribs and head butt to my bladder. There have been so many times when this little one has made me randomly laugh out loud while sitting at my desk. I'll admit that I am starting to physically become quite uncomfortable, but with so little time left, I'm trying to focus on the positive and not the negative. I feel like I know her already. She has her little routines - certain times of the day she is more active than not - and I swear she loves hearing my voice and dances along when I sing out loud. I can't wait to meet her face to face. It won't be long.