The Final Month Begins!

The end of the year is just around the corner and at almost 36 weeks, I’m officially less than a month away from our due date! We are very curious to see what everyone’s predictions are for the baby’s birth stats so please click here to submit your guess!

The reality of the situation still hasn’t quite sunk in for me since Chris and I are still living like we normally do. Yes it’s a little trickier for me to do everything I want, but since the changes have been so gradual, it’s really not that big of a deal. The one thing I was most disappointed about, though, was learning that most cruise lines don’t allow expectant mothers on board after their 24th week. Chris and I were really hoping to get away over Christmas, but we’ve been enjoying everything Austin has had to offer over the holidays.

Just a couple weeks ago, Chris and I did the Trail of Lights 5k with his parents at Zilker Park. I wish I could say I ran the whole thing, but I did need to take frequent walking breaks. I walk close to 3 miles each weekend with Chris’s mom, but apparently running that distance makes my calves angry these days. I’m hoping it won’t be too much work to whip them back into shape next year! 

Still Running - 34 weeks

The next day, I performed in one last show with my belly dance troupe. I’ve managed to keep up with my classes pretty regularly and my teacher Lily is an amazing inspiration. Having birthed her first baby naturally just last year, she has been a wonderful resource. Also with her personal and prenatal yoga experience, she’s managed to make our class pretty preggo-friendly for me!

Ready to Perform - 34 Weeks

The day after the Holiday Hip Circle Hafla, Chris and I went to our final childbirth class and shared our birth bundles. I must admit the six weeks went by in a whirl, but we do have a fairly good idea of what to expect now. Birth tigers have been addressed and I feel physically and emotionally prepared for the life-changing experience that is awaiting us. I will miss our weekly treks to South Austin though! After the last class, Chris and I indulged in some treats at Gourdough’s Public House – somewhere we probably wouldn’t have tried on our own if we hadn’t been driving by. Although it’s probably better for our health that we live far away from that place!

We also made some good progress on the baby’s bedroom! Here are some pictures from when we started working on it earlier in the month.

Last week was when we devoted some serious time to getting baby clothes and blankets washed, baby gear assembled and organized, and the nursery decorated. Here’s a sneak peek at the finished room – more pictures to come soon!

Labbit from Yiayia and Papou in crib, aka "Labbit Pen"





That week, we also got our house decorated for Christmas. I wasn’t thrilled with Chris going up on the roof to hang lights, but everything ended up being okay and in the end our home looked a lot more cheerful. We trimmed the tree in white and gold (Georgia Tech colors!) and put it in the front window so it could be seen from outside. We even had friends over for a holiday movie night and sipped on hot cider as we watched Love Actually by the fire. A few days later it was Christmas Eve and we had Chris’s family over for dinner and exchanged gifts at our home. On Christmas Day itself, we went to Chris’s parents’ house for a large turkey feast and watched Home Alone while dinner finished cooking.

Sitting amidst gift wrap destruction



I don't know how Chris got this picture but it's pretty amazing!



All in all, the holiday weekend was both productive and fun. Unfortunately I picked up a cold from Chris, but I’m hoping the next few days we have off for New Year’s will give me a chance to recover. Happy New Year everyone!

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

The holidays are fast approaching and so is the baby’s due date! As of this weekend we’ll be six weeks away!

33 Weeks!

I knew time would fly as soon as Thanksgiving was over, but even now, I still can’t believe that Christmas is almost here. And with how busy we are all the time I have no clue how we’ll get everything we want done!

The weekend after our Thanksgiving backpacking trip, we finally started working on the baby’s bedroom, but we’re still not finished. The room is now painted and equipped with a crib, chair, and dresser, but I haven’t quite figured out organization and decor. I hope we get it all done soon though so I can post pictures. Right now there isn’t much to see as the entire second floor of the house is strewn with cardboard boxes, toys, and all things pastel. We’ll get there though!

In the meantime, we are getting more and more prepared for the birth itself. A couple weekends ago, Chris and I attended a couples’ yoga for labor and delivery workshop by Alice Duffy. Typically these classes are held at Yoga Yoga and fill up quickly, but I found out that Alice would be teaching a workshop at Get Babied and it fit our schedule really well. But when we arrived, we were surprised to find no one else there and Alice ended up tailoring the entire workshop just for us! She was an amazing teacher. She really expanded on what we’ve been learning in the Birthing from Within classes and we really enjoyed the experience. The good baby experiences then carried on for the next couple weeks. I had been really anxious about the baby’s position so Brielle’s mentor GB, who happens to be one of the longest practicing midwives in Austin, checked me out and confirmed that the baby was head down. We were super relieved! Chris and I also met with a birth photographer and really hit it off so I’m looking forward to having her take pictures for us.

Speaking of pictures, our friend Can very kindly took some holiday pictures for us that I’m very excited to share.

We’ve actually been pretty busy with holiday-related things. The first weekend of December, Chris and I went to the Zilker Tree lighting with friends and this weekend we’ll be doing the Trail of Lights 5k. We also have a lot of parties going on. Last night we went to my company party at Malaga Tapas & Bar and tonight Chris’s company is treating us to the Alamo Drafthouse Master Pancake Christmas Show. We also have a few friends’ parties this weekend as well. It’s been really fun and I’m looking forward to the festivities to follow!

Until next time!