Still kicking!

Written last night - I just had to finish adding the pictures. I haven't been feeling like posting most of the time because it's just too uncomfortable to sit in my little folding chair at my fold out computer desk and I don't exactly have a lap for my laptop right now - so I've hardly even been turning on my computer these days. Plus all my energy has been going into growing a baby and taking care of the little girl I still think of as my baby - though she is growing up so fast it constantly catches me off guard. Here are some recent pictures of my little lady that I love. 

I have this one as my desktop wallpaper right now

She is gone to the hardware store and the bookstore with her dad right now so I thought I'd take some time sitting at the softer kitchen table chairs to write a little update. We'll see how far I get...

Still 2 and a half months (~10 weeks) to go before baby Sierra is born, and I am counting the days! I so wish I could fast forward through the next two months and just be holding my little baby in my arms right now! I am looking forward to meeting her, and having my body back to myself - sort of... Not that you ever are all to yourself again once you are a mom, especially when you are nursing! But I think it is preferable - as interesting and amazing as it is to have a little person growing inside you and wiggling and kicking...there comes a point where you've had enough. I'm hanging in there, but my back is so sore, and I wake up in the night to make myself turn over because apparently I need a conscious effort to roll the weight of my tummy from my left side to my right. And by the time I wake up to do it my body is so stiff and sore I can't help but cry out from pain as I make the transition. Before I even lay down at night I just sit there for a minute as if 'I'm not really sure I want to do this..' 

I feel like my belly got bigger a lot faster this pregnancy, but I found a picture of myself last time at the same stage and it looked pretty big at this point when I was carrying Lily too. Maybe it was just a more sudden change this time. Maybe it's just harder because I'm older.

29 weeks - last time I just happened to be turning 29 at the same time.

I think I felt a lot better at this stage last time, but it's hard to remember. I do know by the end of my pregnancy with Lily - which went about 10 days late - I was not sleeping, having chest pain and trouble breathing and my body was going numb if I laid down. Since my back feels so bad already this time - I really hope the time left just flies by, and that this little girl is not so content as Lily was to just stay where she is. I would be thrilled to have her come a few days early! We'll see how lucky I get :)

February has been a good month. There have been better and worse days of course, but we have made some good memories. Lily was so excited about Valentine's day (obviously since she was preparing for it in January) And though we didn't do anything major or extremely romantic it felt like we drew out our little celebrations of love over several just nice days. I love Valentine's Day - not for cheap stuffed animals or overpriced flowers, but just because I think it makes us a little more aware of expressing love to each other. We made even more valentine cards for our Grandmas who live far away with hand-print hearts and this cute picture of Lily playing in her ballet dress. 

We planned dinner and a movie rental with our friends Mikey and Apryl for Wednesday, but it just so happened that Mike had Monday off, or got done early - so after Lily's little Valentine celebration that morning at preschool we had a nice day out as a family winding up with dinner at Red Robin on a gift card we had. I am always happy not to have to cook, and it's even better when we don't even have to pay for it! 

Lily at preschool with her Valentine bag - she had to wear her tutu that morning!

Lily with Miss Ginny her preschool teacher

A Valentine Lily made at preschool for our family - the Sweetheart hearts on either side are one for mom, one for dad, and the heart with the face in the middle is for Lily's baby sister - the other ones are for all of us to share :)

Lily with her preschool valentines this year

Mike had a job Tuesday morning (the actual Valentine's day), but he had bought Lily and I each a little gift and had me open mine before he left. Then as I was making a little video of Lily opening hers so Mike could see how she liked it - he walked in the door from a last minute cancellation and got to see for himself! It was kind of a bummer about the cancellation, but I was thrilled to see him and get to spend another day together! Lily got some mini La La Loopsy dolls which she loves and some M&M's. (The pictures I took of Mike and Lily playing with them were all blurry.) Mike got me my favorite chocolate truffles and the new Taylor Swift CD. I hardly ever even think to turn on music myself, and have never been a country music fan, but Mike knew that I was kind of intrigued by Taylor Swift from a show I saw about her. I absolutely love the CD - it was such a good gift! I need to turn on music more because it just brought such an upbeat romantic feel to the day. Mike danced me around the room to it pregnant belly and all, and we've been listening to it a lot since. The other day I had to laugh out loud to hear Lily and Mike playing legos together and Lily singing along in her cute little voice: "Someday... I'll be... livin' in a big ole' city!" Especially since at one time it was Yo Gabba Gabba or nothing! Seriously - she was like a little music Nazi. I am definitely a Taylor Swift fan now - what a beautiful talented girl - her videos are really great too. I must confess I am a girly girl at heart and love to watch cheesy romantic movies with happy endings (though not trashy ones and I'm not into romance novels!). Her songs tell stories and are real and romantic so that's right up my alley. I got Lily and Mike the soundtrack from Despicable Me to try to broaden Lily's musical horizons, so even though there are more grown up songs she loves it because it is Despicable Me and "the music my mom bought for me!" She is so cute dancing around and singing: "I'm having a bad, bad day..." with her hand on her hip and this little swagger in her step. 

I almost forgot, we also caught a movie that Friday as a family - which is always a treat for us. We saw The Secret World of Arrietty - it was really good, though a little scary to Lily (though the movie treats make up for it to her). We love Hayao Myazaki movies - he had a hand in this one, and it was as beautifully done as the others we've seen. It was such a nice week just enjoying spending time together. It's so refreshing to do nice little things with and for each other that we don't do every day. 

That's probably enough for one blog post so I'll save some of my other thoughts for another time. I think I hear Mike and Lily at the door. Oh! - gotta go read her new Pinkalicious book with her! It has paper dolls, and a fold out poster, and stickers!!! She's so excited! What a cutie :)