7 weeks and counting!!

So tomorrow marks the 7 weeks left day.  Say it with me:

S-E-V-E-N W-E-E-K-S L-E-F-T!!! 

It is coming up fast-baby bean will be here before we know it!  Feels like there's not much to report on the baby end.  I'm still growing out of course, so that's no surprise.  We are getting more and more anxious for this little bundle to enter the world.  I've been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for about 2 weeks now.  I am amazed at how God begins to prepare your body for delivery by giving you fake contractions to begin experiencing a very small part of what the pain will feel like.  They always come in the middle of the night-the first time was so strange! I woke up in a bout of pain (the pain actually woke me up) and after the second one came, I woke Chris up.  I thought for sure-"this is it!" even though Bean would have been 9 weeks early at that point...We were up from pretty much 3AM to 5AM.  Needless to say, Baby Bean is still in the oven :)

On the news front in the Cox home, this Friday I take my Professional Engineering licensure exam.  That will definitely be an experience in and of itself!  I've been studying since June and am very excited to simply be done with the studying!  I'm excited to really be able to focus on Baby Bean's arrival and not have this HUGE exam luming over my head! Chris has been wonderful, of course, making suppers on nearly a regular basis and allowing me to study hours on end.  He's been a trooper and I'm really excited that we get to hang out again soon!  We have our last "Chris and Annie" getaway from Friday to Saturday this weekend.  I'm really glad we get to getaway for even just a night. It will be just what I need once the exam is over!  Updates on the exam and where we go (Chris hasn't told me yet) in the next blog :)  Picture below was taken last week, at 32 weeks.  It's definitely getting harder and harder to move around :)

Check out that baby bump!!!

Almost to Single Digits Now!!!

10. WEEKS. LEFT.  WOW!!!  I can't believe that I only have 10 weeks left!  We are so excited to welcome Baby Bean into this world!!!  The last few weeks have been busy busy!  We finished up child birth class and that went pretty well.  They showed the epidural video and it actually scared me!  So now I'm just praying for an incredibly speedy delivery :)  We'll see what happens!!!  That will be a post in and of itself-stay tuned!  :)

We toured the hospital in our last class and the delivery rooms are HUGE!  I couldn't believe how big they were-that will be nice.  Then they showed us recover rooms...yeah...not so big :(  I would definitely say its comparable to my cubicle at work...Chris wasn't as excited about that room!  Delivery in and of itself will make for a good story-I'm sure of that!

I had two showers in Iowa on September 25th.  Wish I had some pictures to show you from them-they were so great!  The first one was put on by some of my mom's friends and friend's that I grew up with.  It was so good to hear wise woman talk about their experiences. I definitely learned a lot from them in the short time we got to be together!  The second shower was put on by my sister and two of my best friends-Sabrina Gogerty and Rebecca Eness.  They did such a great job!  Sylvia did the decorations-decorated in pink and blue balloons since we haven't fully announced the gender.  She put together this amazing diaper cake that was so awesome!  I'll have to post pictures of that for sure when I get copies of it!  Sabrina did the food which was of course-PHENOMENAL!!!  She made homemade hummus, mini-BLT's, mini peanut butter cup pies, and mocha punch.  It was quite delicious if I do say so myself  :)  I am definitely blessed...that's what God taught me that weekend...how truly blessed we, the Cox Family, really are...Baby Bean is one lucky child-that's all I can say!!!

Last weekend (October 2nd) my mom and dad came down and helped us in our apartment.  They helped us get the baby's room all set up and man-my mom is just amazing! I couldn't believe how much she got done in one week...I am still so incredibly grateful for her...there is no way I could have done it on my own-she truly is a blessing!!!  Here's a picture of the baby's room so far!  We're getting closer!!!  :)

I've hit the point where now I'm going to see my doctor every 2 weeks!  I went to the doctor today and will go again at 32 weeks, 34 weeks, 36 weeks, and then I start going every week!  We are definitely on the downhill slide!!!  EEK!  I had the blood sugar test at my last appointment (27 weeks) and my results came back that I was very close to having gestational diabetes.  Thankfully I don't, but my doctor still wants me to be careful what I'm eating.  Chris is helping out a lot with that-I call him a dictator sometimes because I want to eat ice cream all the time now that my doctor says I shouldn't-funny how that always works out that way...once you're told "no" to something, its all that you think about!!  But in all reality, Chris has been really great in helping me figure out what to eat and has been a great encouragement.  I'd have to say that food is probably one of my favorite things on earth next to Jesus and Chris and family, so I was pretty devastated when my doctor told me to watch what I was eating-after all, I'm eating for 2 now!!!  :)  But truthfully, Chris has been a great encouragement!  Ok-I think that sums up the last 3 weeks!!  Here's the baby bump to date!  Special thanks to my sister-in-law Erica for letting me borrow some maternity clothes!!  She has super taste :)

10 weeks to go!!!!