Week 34 - the passing of a loved one & Paul heads to Ireland

The plan was for Paul to go with his family on their annual trip to Dublin for the golf tournament in honor of his late grandfather. On Tuesday night we got the news that his Uncle Willy had passed. Willy was not doing well, with severe COPD, but knowing it is coming still doesn't really make it any easier.

The family was supposed to leave for Dublin the following day, so needless to say the plans got a little crazy. Because Paul had not seen his grandmother in Dublin in years and she had not been doing well, he and his brother and his niece still made the trip. Of course mother nature made it as difficult as possible, canceling their flight as they were on the taxi way ready to take off due to a blizzard. They had to rent a car and drive to a hotel in Jersey to spend the night b/c all of the airport hotels were booked and taxis weren't driving in the blizzard. They finally got out the next night, but had to connect through Frankfurt to get to Dublin.

Paul had a nice visit with his relatives who he hadn't seen in years and got his butt whooped in the golf tournament out on the links (his family is full of really great golfers). Since I was already 34 weeks I went to stay with my parents for the week and just so happened to get to spend time with some old friends who were in St. Augustine and Ormond. My mom and I also went to Michele's shower for baby Ethan over the weekend. We also finished up some sewing for the baby's room.

Paul ended up staying in PA for an extra two days for his Uncle's viewing, but due to another set of bad weather he had to head home on Wednesday before the burial. Uncle Willy came over from Ireland for a visit when Paul was a kid, and ended up staying with them ever since. He will certainly be missed.

Jenn's Bridal Shower at Week 33

Co-hosted Jenn's bridal shower this weekend with Stephanie at her house. It turned out really nicely and I think everyone had a good time. We had Jenn do the game where she had to answer questions about Austin and for everyone that she got wrong she had to put a marshmallow in her mouth. Then we had a contest decorating mini-wedding cakes from biscuits. Mine was pretty terrible, but it was fun.

Week 32

Starting to get tired again, kind of like the first trimester but not quite as exhausting. Just getting stuff done around the house and trying to get ready for the little one's arrival. Here's the belly photos of the week.

Week 31 with no photos and a new doctor

I guess this week was pretty busy since we forgot to take any belly photos. We started our hypnobirthing classes this week and I met with a new doctor. We'd been on the fence for a while, but I think I'm really leaning more toward St. Luke's for delivering which means we'll have to switch doctors. I like the new doctor so I think this is going to be a good thing. We've had a lot of people recommend the practice for people who want an unmedicated birth.

I'm starting to see now why people say the 3rd trimester is uncomfortable. I had my first experience with a swelling foot and sleepless nights. Although all things considered things are going really well!

Week 30 and back to work

Not a lot going on this week, just enjoying what is left of my time off and going back to work. Had a nice time during an overnight in Ormond and having lunch with Cricket and Michele. It's so nice to know other ladies who are pregnant right now.

Spent New Year's at home on the couch in our pj's. We made a nice dinner of crab legs and steaks, and then watched the ball drop and headed to bead. It was surprisingly nice.

Week 29 at Christmas

Had a nice Christmas, our last without a little one - so hard to imagine! We had Dixie and Sushi up with my parents so the dogs ran the house for the holiday. Paul got me an amazing present, in addition to the fun ipod, of a family tree photo frame with pictures of us as kids, our families, and one of our ultrasound photos in the middle. He's always so good with presents!

We met with a pediatrician and think we found a good one. Thankfully that was one of the easiest baby decisions we had to make.

Week 28 and Tuppy tries out the carriers

Getting ready to have some time off for the Christmas break. We're planning a laid back and relaxing Christmas this year. Just mom and dad coming up and Josh and Stephanie will stop by for a visit. Usually I get really into Christmas, make way too many cookies and baked goods for everyone, but this year I'm just happy that I got the house decorated and managed to bake some cookies.

We got two carriers as baby presents so I wanted Paul to try them out to see which one he liked best. So that he could get an accurate feel for the carriers, we put Tuppy in the carrier. Not surprisingly, he seemed to really like it.