The Final Stretch- 35 weeks.

I am in what I call "the final stretch"- the last 5 weeks of pregnancy (I guess it could be more, but hopefully not)! All of you Minnesotans know that this week is the hottest week we have ever had- temps at 100 and humidity that is setting crazy records! Braden and I have been staying in the a.c. for the most part- Children's Museum, playing at home, grocery shopping and I even took him to his first movie over the weekend- Winnie The Pooh. He did great. He got a little scared at some of the previews (for older kids) and he wasn't sure what to think when it got dark, but once the movie started he stayed tuned in and even laughed OUT LOUD a few times (good thing the theater was not crowded) - it was cute. He stayed in the chair all by himself, half folded up which he thought was fun. The movie was only about 65 minutes long- so perfect for his first run. In addition to staying in the a/c, we also have hit the pool in our neighborhood a few times for an hour or two where I totally submerge myself in the water. The only thing that is hard about that is trying to run around and keep up with an almost 2 year old who can't make up his mind on if he wants to go in the big or little pool. It sure is getting interesting climbing in/out of the big pool on the ladder- yikes! I might need to hire a nanny these next couple of weeks to keep up with Mr. Braden because I am not sure I can!

At 35 weeks I am starting to sleep less and less. It is hard to get comfortable at night, so I wake up about every hour. I am sure it's my body's way of preparing for what is to come after baby is here- oh, man! I do get more physically tired now. After chasing Braden around all day, and sometimes at night too if Joe has something going on, I feel like I am in a coma come 9:00 when I sit down for the first time. So, I long for the days where I have my energy back and can feel normal....but with a newborn coming I think that will be a ways off still! Plus, with the position of the baby right now my lung capacity is minimal and sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating. Driving a car and sitting upright is super uncomfortable. Fun huh? I am still teaching classes surprisingly. My kickboxing class this week was a bit hard, I felt more sluggish and it was hard to do a lot of the moves so I am being careful and not pushing myself. A lot of people in class have made comments that they are glad I have slowed down so they can maybe keep up- but I think they are just being nice. :) I hope to continue to teach right up until baby comes, but we'll see.

 I do notice that it's a bit more challenging to be pregnant while chasing around a toddler versus last time when I sat at my desk and plugged away at my work. Pregnancy has treated me well up until this point, and now I am pretty uncomfortable not only in the heat but just trying to move around and keep up with life with a toddler, classes, chores/cleaning, etc... plus with a husband who works long days, travels and coaches baseball I am going all the time with no down time. I also decided to get spin certified and have to take an online course which will take about 20 hours of my time. I have to complete it by Aug. 15. SO, I better get cracking. It's just hard to find the time when I want to use Braden's nap times for a little relaxation and getting stuff done around the house, but I am going to have to step it up soon. I also need to tackle the "baby to-do" list such as get the room ready (at least I washed clothes), put together the plan for what Braden will do while we are in the hospital, finish decorating Braden's room (transitioning to toddler room), pack the bags and of course buy a new car and then install the car seat. :) Some of these things are just minor- ha!

Well, I am excited to say that we have narrowed down our list of baby names- about 3 boy and 2 girl names. This is HUGE progress from just the 2 girl names that we had as of this weekend! So, it will be fun to learn if we are having a boy or a girl and then be able to pick from a few different options.

I'll try to keep the blog updated these last 5 weeks with any progress and hopefully Braden will continue to be excited for his brother/sister to arrive! I say excited because this week he said "Open it" and "Out" when he saw the baby kicking in my belly. I am sure he has no idea what is about to happen, but all we can do is keep talking to him about it and hopefully seeing the room come together, will help him prepare for his new job as big brother!!