What a Difference a Dress Makes

I don't wear dresses that often.  Yes, I bought a new one for the Baby Shower (and I admit that I wore the same dress to both showers), and I bought one for the "All Class Prom" that was hosted as part of the centennial reunion festivities in my husband's hometown earlier in the summer.  But aside from those two maternity dresses, I think that the last dress that I bought was for my wedding rehearsal.

But last week, I hosted an event for my freshmen leadership group in which we asked them all to attend in "Business Professional" attire.  I wasn't about to go out and buy a suit for the last month of my pregnancy, so I figured I would have to make one of the two suits hanging in my closet work.  I knew that the gray pencil skirt wouldn't fit, so I didn't even try that one on.  But I have a blue pant suit that I bought last summer before I lost all the weight...so I thought that perhaps I would be able to make that work.  I even ironed the pants on Sunday night along with all of my husband's shirts for the week.  Perhaps I should have tried the pants on first before ironing them...because they definitely did not fit.  So, I was left with only one option:  to wear the little black dress that I had worn for the "All Class Prom" with the gray suit jacket over it. 

Since the event was in the evening, and I knew I wouldn't want to wear the suit coat the whole day, I opted for a light 3/4-length sweater during the day, and just brought the jacket in with me.  But like I said--I don't wear dresses that often...and apparently the shape of my belly looks totally different in a dress because I got so many comments!  Even our big-boss lady (the one who doesn't have the tightest filter on her mouth) told me that I should wear dresses more often because I have great legs!  Not a bad thing to hear when 36-weeks pregnant!

So I figured it was time to post another picture (and it gave my wonderful husband the chance to play around with his new camera):

I now realize that I don't have any pictures of me in my dress from the shower...perhaps one of my friends got a shot of me.  If so, I'll post those as well.

Today's blessing was the chance to go for a walk with my husband after dinner.  I really enjoy our evening walks, and I know that they are good for me, but I was just so busy last week that we didn't get the opportunity all week!  So it was really nice to have that quality time with him.  It's amazing to think that in a month or so, we'll be pushing a stroller!

A Weekend of Showers

This was the weekend of showers in our circle of friends.  Yesterday, I was able to celebrate with my very-dear friend at her Baby Shower.  She is about two weeks behind me (so due in mid-October).  As part of her gift, I decorated two onesies with the words "Best Buddies"--one in blue for her Baby Boy, and one in pink for our Baby Girl.  My husband thought that they were a little cheesy, but all of the women at the shower enjoyed them.  Here's a picture:

Then today, I was able to celebrate a second shower here in town with my friends and colleagues.  It was a fun blend of women I know from various parts of my life here, and it's always interesting to bring them all together.  Some know of our struggles, and others are totally oblivious of the journey we took to get where we are now.  But either way--it was still wonderful to celebrate with everyone.  We had a really nice time, and my two friends who hosted it did an amazing job of making me feel special and appreciated.  With the gifts we received, we're feeling closer and closer to being "ready" for our Baby Girl to arrive.  We still have a handful of essential things we need to pick up on our own, but we've got time.

Today's blessing was the chance to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our Baby Girl--again--with friends and colleagues who support me.  Sure, it takes two to "make" a baby, but I know that there have been so many times when I have relied on these women for prayers, guidance, answers, and encouragement--and I'll continue to do so.  God really has blessed me with some amazingly wise women!

Do Men "Nest" Too?

I think it's safe to say that I'm starting to feel the urge to "nest".  Sure, we started working on the nursery a couple of weekends ago before things got to busy with back-to-school activities...but I think I confirmed my own nesting tendencies when I felt the urge to clean up the conference room where we've been advising students all week.  I had the morning shift all week, and felt compelled to clean up the handouts and straighten up the chairs each morning before we opened the doors to the students.  I haven't had time this week to do much at home...but clearly the desire to nest is following me in to work.

But do men "nest" too?  I'm really thinking that perhaps my husband is also trying to nest.  For the second time this week, he pulled weeds, trimmed trees, moved rocks, and cleaned up the yard until it was too dark to see what he was doing.  I usually have to really urge him to work on the yard...or just do it myself (though I totally cut back on my yard-work duties when I got pregnant).  Over dinner, he told me his plans to fix up the trailer to bring some of the debris in to the dump.  Then later this evening, he asked me how many weekends he had left before our Baby Girl arrives so that he can plan when to clean up the office and finish some other projects around the house.  He also told me that he wanted to clean up the house before our parents (more on that later) and others come to visit.

I'd say that those are all pretty good indications that he's nesting now as well...right?  It's really quite endearing to watch.  He's always been a kind and caring husband, but I definitely recognize that he is becoming more tender and thoughtful as we get closer and closer to our Baby Girl's arrival.  I am totally looking forward to watching him fall in love with her.

Today's blessing was an amazing sunset on my way home from another long day at work.  It really was the perfect way to finish off the first week of classes.

Three Shoes in One Day

I have a secret stash of shoes underneath my desk at work.  Okay, it's really not a secret, but I at least try to keep them out of sight of my students.  I'm just a simple sandal girl...but they just don't quite fit the professional image that is expected in my office.  So I wear my sandals to and from work, and change into my heels or cute flats at the last moment possible. 

So this morning, I was expected to make an announcement in a class at 8:00 am.  The class was just down the hall from our office, so I wore my heels.  I had to give another announcement at 9:30 am--but this classroom was on the other side of campus, so I changed into a pair of flats for the walk.  The instructor--who I had ran into as I was leaving the first class in my heels--commented on how I had changed shoes, and I laughed it off that I wouldn't have attempted to walk across campus in heels, even if I weren't pregnant.  But apparently my feet have either grown or flattened out or are swollen, because my feet were totally rubbing by the time I got back to the office.  So for my third set of announcements--again, on the other side of campus--I gave up my attempt at a professional image and simply wore my sandals.  This totally humored the instructor, who was shocked to see me in my third pair of shoes in one day. 

I eventually made it back into my heels for the afternoon (we were conducting interviews, and I thought it best to look the part of a professional).  But I admit that it sure felt good to take them off at the end of the day!  I totally appreciate that my colleagues and superiors in my office are flexible with my wardrobe and shoe selection as I enter the last month of my pregnancy, but I also don't want to take it all for granted.  I guess I'll just continue to rotate through my options, depending on the venue.

Today's blessing was catching up on all my emails and feeling okay to leave my laptop at work--rather than bring work home with me.  Of course, I've checked my email from home, and I already have about a dozen new messages from students that I'll need to address in the morning.  But even so, it's nice to come home and have a nice evening with my husband (once he finished his fantasy football draft, that is) without feeling obligated to work.  I've got one more day of work before the weekend, and it's a blessing to know that things should be slowing down soon.

Candlelight Dinner

My husband and I had a very pleasent candlelight dinner last night.  But before you start thinking that he's uber-romantic, I must admit that it wasn't planned (and no, he wasn't being romantically spontaneous either).  I was working late, so he got home about an hour before me...only to find out that the monsoon storm had knocked out our neighborhood's power (and had knocked over our neighbor's tree as well!).  By the time I got home, most of the stormed had blown through, but we did go for a walk in the ending sprinkles, assuming that the electricity would be back on by the time we got home.

No such luck.  We got home as the sun was setting, and used the last few moments of daylight to gather any candles and flashlights we could find.  I reminded him that we had the camping lantern in the garage, but he figured that the electricy would be restored by the time that we pulled it out.  He did, however, find his head lamp, which at leat made things easier for him.  So we set about to make dinner the best we could.  He was very concerned (and as it turned out--rightly so) about not releasing too much cold air from the refrigerator, and made us come up with a game plan before removing the necessary items all at once, and then returninging them again all at the same time.  So we made our wraps (the only thing we could do without using the oven or stove), and had a very pleasant candlelight dinner. 

And then we tried to entertain ourselves without tv or internet or lights or any other modern appliances that are so easy to take for granted.  I had downloaded a few emails from work, so I was able to write the response...but couldn't send them out.  He got plenty of use out of his head lamp and spent the time reading for his class (with the light moving so slightly as he had his way through the pages).  I ended up going to bed at 8:30 pm, but not before calling my mom to tell her that I think God was looking out for me by knocking out the electricy and forcing me to get some early rest in the midst of this crazy back-to-school week. 

I was shocked that the electricity still wasn't on when I woke up this morning, nor was it restored by the time my husband left for work an hour or so after me.  He didn't even let me open up the fridge this morning to eat breakfast or grab my lunch, for fear of losing the last bits of cool air (luckily we had bananas at home and leftover bagels at work).  I didn't necessarily mind that the electricity was out--I figure it's just part of the territory when we live in the path of the monsoons (which, ultimately, I love).  But as the hours ticked by, I recognized how much I take electricity for granted...and realized how grateful I am that our Baby Girl isn't here quite yet.  I'm sure that we would have found a way to manage just fine--but the power outage was rather inconvenient, and I'm sure it would have been intensified with a newborn.  I recognize that women have been having babies longer than we've been harnessing electricity...but we've become so dependent on it!  It kind of makes me reconsider some of my habits.

And yes, I should mention, that the power was back on by the time my husband got home today (Thank You Lord!).

So aside from having electricity again, today's blessing was a very kind email from an instructor.  He teaches an elective course that I often suggest to my students who are looking for a fun and interesting class to fill their schedules (it covers the "history and heritage" of our university).  Well, apparently he asks each student where they heard about the class, and he said that many students mentioned me by name and shared having a positive experience with me as their advisor.  So he took the time to send me an email to thank me--not so much for recommending his class, but for being supportive to the students.  It was just really nice to be appreciated--especially during such a busy week!

She Latched!

Well, at least in my dream, that is.

I don't remember all of the details of the dream, but I was definitely breastfeeding a baby girl.  I don't remember anything distinguishable about her, and I admit that I think she may have been more like a "doll" than a "baby", but she was definitely our Baby Girl.  Of course, there were some problems with the dream.  For one, I apparently fed her three times in a row from the left side, rather than switching over to the right side.  And of more concern, I kept misplacing her on the coffee table, and I think she even got covered up with papers and such at one point.  But dreams are weird, and I'm not reading too much into it.  Ultimately, it was sweet to dream about her again.

It sure beats the other dreams I had last night involving advising students (but that's what I get for working from home on a Sunday evening until 9:00 pm).  Yes, classes started today, and I'm in for a busy busy week!  I survived today, and even responded to all of the student emails in my inbox by the time I left...but I brought home my laptop to work from home again tonight (I'd rather kick my feet up in front of the tv and answer emails from home, than go in tomorrow morning to realize that I had received 50 new emails over night).  I would, however, totally appreciate your prayers throughout the rest of the week.  It's bound to be busy, and I'm really trying not to stress out.

Today's blessing was the chance to see some of my amazing students again.  Yes, their arrival means more emails and more work for me, but really--that's what I'm here for.  I really do have some amazing students--especially those in my leadership group, and it really is a blessing to connect with them again.

New Priorities

Driving home from our appointment today (everything looks great--it was amazing to see her breathing, which my doctor says is a great sign of a happy baby), I saw a sign along the side of the road advertising "Boxer Pups".  I grew up with a Boxer, and I absolutely adore the breed.  I'm convinced that they are the most playful, loving, protective, goofy, beautiful dogs ever.  Okay, okay--everyone is entitled to their own preferences, but for me--I love Boxers.  Around this time last year, I would have pointed and waved to my husband who was driving home behind me and called him and begged and pleaded for him to get me one.  But as much as I love Boxers, it dawned on me that I'm at a totally different place in my life with a whole new set of priorities. 

As if to tug at my heartstrings just a little bit more to see if I truly was ready to postpone the dream of having my own Boxer, a few minutes later as I turned onto our street, I noticed that the Boxer belonging to our neighbor a few houses down from us had gotten out.  Much like my Boxer from my childhood, this one made a quick get-away with the two teenage boys chasing after.  I waited to make sure that they got him home okay, smiling to myself the whole time as I reminisced about all of the times when I had to chase our dog down (she really was an amazing dog--despite her tendency to make a run for it whenever a door was left open).

It really was sweet to see the neighborhood dog in action, but at this point in my life, I want to focus my time and energy on our Baby Girl.  I absolutely loved having my dog curl up to me, but I think I'll enjoy the touch of our Baby Girl that much more.  I loved the walks I took with her, but I'd rather have a stroller in front of me than a leash.  I will always love Boxers--and I do look forward to having one again someday, but I think that it will be when our Baby Girl is old enough to appreciate them and ask for one herself (and help out with the responsibility of raising a puppy).  So for now, I'll let go of the wish for a Boxer puppy, and instead, await the upcoming arrival of our Baby Girl. 

Today's blessing was simply being able to see our Baby Girl again today.  She is still head-down and looking good.  When my doctor measured my funal height, I initially measured at 33 weeks, even though I'm 34 weeks.  This, of course, worried me a bit--which I think my doctor picked up on.  Upon looking at my belly again, she mentioned that she thought perhaps I was experiencing a Braxton-Hicks contraction the first time, thus making my belly tighter (and thus smaller).  So she measured again, and I was back to 34 weeks.  I realize it's not an exact science, but I really do pray that our Baby Girl is getting all of the nutrients that she needs.  I gained 1-1/2 pounds in the last two weeks, which my doctor said is totally fine, but it doesn't seem like a lot.  So I convinced my husband to take me out to dinner at an all-you-can-eat salad bar type of place, where I loaded up on the veggies...then the soup and breadsticks...then the dessert.  I don't want to go overboard, but I want to ensure that I'm getting enough nutrients for both me and our Baby Girl.  Please pray that she continues to grow big and strong.