35 Weeks

Wow...I'm a bit frustrated that I haven't recorded my thoughts in the past 6 weeks, but then again that's what happens when school starts. It's like I'm two different people...there's "Summer Jill" and then there's "School Jill." Kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde :). My life has beene extremely busy lately, but it has all been good!

On August 15, my dear friends at Greenville Oaks threw me an incredible shower for Jacob!! They thought of every detail, from having a boat out front saying "Sail-ebrate Jake" to vases filled with sand to go along with the beach theme of his bedroom. It was awesome! It was also great that Karin, Val, and Ian were able to come visit us that weekend. We had a great time! The shower was well attended and I felt so loved by my church home. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Hopefully, I will get pictures to post soon.

My dear friend, Kelli, also hosted a shower for me on August 28th. She really outdid herself!! She took on the shower by herself and you would have thought that someone catered it...she had excellent food and everything was just perfect! This shower was really special to me because a lot of close family friends were able to come down from Oklahoma to be there for me. It meant so much! My friend, Carrie, came down the day before the shower and stayed all weekend with us. We had such a good time together...shopping, talking, and just hanging out. She helped me go through all of my shower items and told me what I needed more of and what I had too much of. It was SO helpful! I wish we lived closer so we could do that more often, but it makes the times that we can be together special.

I officially reported back to work on August 16th and that evening Tim noticed that my ankles were "missing." They haven't returned since that day and now my feet are HUGE! I never knew swelling could hurt, but my skin feels so stretched and any pressure put on them hurts. I do my best to sit at work when I can, but that's not very easy to do when you teach elementary age students! Luckily, I do not have any other signs of preeclampsia (high blood pressure, protein in the urine, etc.), so my doctor is just keeping an eye on me. Since my last post, I have had my 32 week appointment and my 34 week appointment and have now gained around 28 pounds total. I was really hoping to stay under 30, but it looks like I'll gain closer to 35 when all is said and done. I think I'll blame some of it on all this swelling! They say I am right on track and he seems to still be head down, which is good news.

I always remember friends mentioning how uncomfortable they were at the end, but I don't remember anyone mentioning that it can be pretty painful (yes, I know more pain is coming)! Jacob is taking up so much space that I feel pressure all the way from my pelvic bone to the right side (and almost back) of my rib cage. Tim is always telling him to "be nice to your mommy!" I just feel sorry for him that I've run out of room! According to everything I've read, he is about 5 pounds now and somewhere around 17 inches or so long. Crazy!! Working all day and with the heat we've had has definitely taken a toll on me, but it also helps to make this time fly by.

I have a really great class this year...10 boys and 5 girls. I think God is trying to prepare me with all of these boys :). Although a few of them are rambunctious, some of them are the sweetest and most polite boys that I've ever met. I would love for Jacob to treat his teachers the way they treat me! The kids seem pretty excited that I'm having a baby and that they will get to meet him eventually. My sweet coworkers are in the midst of planning a shower for me at school and I know it will be great too! Even Tim got a shower recently :). His coworkers surprised him yesterday with balloons, cake, and some presents for Jacob, including a great gift card to Babies R Us! I think it's so sweet the way those ladies take care of Tim!

I know it seems that I am rambling, but I want to be sure to record some of these things before they slip from my memory :). I can't wait to post some pictures of the nursery. It is almost complete. My friend, Laura, who is very artistic, offered to paint a mural on the wall behind Jacob's crib. She came over last weekend and spent the day working hard on it. There are just a few final touches she wants to add this weekend before she's through. It looks AMAZING!!!

Well, I go back to the doctor a week from Tuesday and that will start my weekly visits of getting my cervix checked to see if I'm making progress. I'm nervous about that, but know that it means I'm almost to the finish line! More to come soon...