Spring Break

34 weeks and growing!

Well, it's been a surprising, relaxing, and fun week at the Pike house. Spring Break started last Friday at 4:00 when I came home from school. It was such a good feeling knowing I had a full week ahead of me to relax. Things that made this Spring Break memorable:

1. Shannon and Zeb had been planning her surprise visit since January. Saturday afternoon I was getting ready in our bathroom and there was a knock on my bedroom door. I peaked out, and there stood Shannon! I was completely surprised and so happy! We hadn't seen each other since August and I didn't think I would see her until late summer. I'm so glad we got to spend a few days together. We had some fun dinner-dates, shopping trips, good times watching Will & Grace (kinda a tradition for us), and it was nice just to have her to hang out with. Wednesday came too quickly and we had to take her back to the airport. I won't see her again until at least August, but I'm glad she got to see me in my pregnant state and help me prepare for Caleb's arrival. I love you, Shannon! Thanks for the wonderful surprise visit!

2. After a few trial runs, we finally picked out a paint color (Sherwin Williams' Latte) for Caleb's room. Katie came over on Thursday and we spent the day painting Caleb's room and organizing the clothes in his closet. I'm glad his nursery it starting to show some progress. Zeb is finishing up the second coat of paint and cutting in at the ceiling (me + ladder = bad idea) and then we'll be able to move all his furniture back in and finish up decorating this weekend.

3. Last weekend Zeb set up Caleb's Pack-n-Play in our bedroom. It's now sitting next to my side of the bed and it's where Caleb will be sleeping for the first few months thanks to the attached bassinet and changing table. I love waking up and seeing it every morning, knowing that pretty soon our precious son will be sleeping in it.

4. We had our 35th week appointment today. I weigh 143 (gained 18 pounds), my blood pressure continues to be in a great range, I have no swelling in my face or ankles (yay!), Caleb's heartbeat is 135bpm, and the doctor says everything looks right on schedule. He's still confident that I will be able to deliver naturally, which is encouraging. (Stop laughing, mom and Amanda)

After reading Kaci's blog, I have to say that I agree with many of her pregnancy observations. I have loved being pregnant, but here are some things I could live without:

• Constant heartburn, no matter what I eat. (Seriously, oatmeal?) Antacids are my friends.
• Not being able to bend down. But I have become quite skilled at picking up things with my feet.
• Not being able to sit up from lying down without assistance.
• My maternity jeans always falling down (they don't have belt loops!) and the pouches never fit quite right.
• Constant trips to the bathroom. Can't sit through a movie, sleep for more than a few hours, or go shopping without needing to take regular bathroom breaks.
• My belly-button popping out (almost). It itches, feels really weird if something bumps it, and shows through certain shirts. I pray that it returns to normal after Caleb's born. I keep hearing that your belly-button is like a Butterball turkey; when it pops out, that means the baby is done. If that's true, then I'd say Caleb should be coming soon.
• Breathing heavily and not even realizing it. I don't know how often people ask "Are you ok? You're breathing really heavily." Yeah, well breathing is difficult when you have an 18-inch long baby taking up your lung space.
• Feeling like a rotisserie chicken at night. I have to roll from my right to left side throughout the night. Zeb will elbow me if he wakes up and I'm sleeping on my back because it's not good for pregnant women, due to all the extra weight; it cuts off blood flow to your heart. I'm very thankful for my body pillow.

At our last sonogram appointment we were told that Caleb has long legs, was 5.5 lbs (at 32 weeks), and that his head is average-sized (yay, not too big!). As usual, we got a copy of the sonogram video and have watched it a few times since. We can tell (with parents in agreement) that Caleb will look a lot like his daddy (cute chubby cheeks and full head of hair). I'm so thankful to hear that he's healthy and growing. God is good! We are so blessed to be Caleb's parents!