35.

I am officially 35 weeks with our little guy, and it's interesting to compare this point in my pregnancy with Ellie versus how I'm feeling currently. When I was this far along with Ellie, I flew to Chicago for Kate's wedding. When I look back on it now, I'm so glad I was able to be there, but I also think "you idiot, that was not your smartest move." I felt unwell a lot of the weekend, and I didn't get to party the way I'd wanted to (but it was better than not partying at all!)

(Here we are, on yet another water break.)

35 weeks was also the last week I was able to wear my wedding ring with Ellie. Not so much this time around. It's amazing how much better I feel, having not gained double the recommended amount of pregnancy weight. I'm still walking five plus miles a day, four days a week, and going to the gym on the weekends. Sleeping solidly through the night most nights, though if I do wake up, I tend to be awake for an hour or more, which pisses me off. And then the next day, Ellie usually takes a terrible nap, which pisses me off even more. Hormones + sleeplessness usually = weeping, and then wondering how I'm going to handle the newborn phase (answer: I'll handle it because I have to! And because on bad days, I take Ellie over to my parents and they all play blocks while I sulk in the corner, like the mature adult I am.)

Otherwise, things are good. I'm honestly getting a little sad about the idea of not being pregnant any more ever again. I love feeling the baby kick and roll around and react to my voice. I know he hasn't gotten as much one on one time as Ellie did, but I hope he's enjoyed going to music class with us, and swim class, and dancing around in living rooms throughout Orange County. Ellie still doesn't get what's going on, but she likes to talk about how they're going to play blocks, and ride in the cart together at Costco, and she will pretend to give my belly a sweater for the baby, so that "he feels so happy!" I keep trying to get good video of Lambeau rolling back and forth in my poor stretched stomach, but the second I turn on the camera, he usually simmers down. He is a fart, just like his sister.

Tonight we drove out to Chino for a farewell party for Tim's cousin Trevor, who is enlisting in the Marines this coming week and heading out to boot camp. Ellie was a little hesitant when we entered the party, up until she saw Mimi. Then it was on like Donkey Kong, which is good, because every day for the last week she's been telling me "Mimi is always nice to me. Mimi takes good care of me and she grabs me. Mimi loves me." Which is totally true and very sweet, but can get a little grating if she's just been whining or being a turd to me. GO LIVE WITH MIMI THEN! (Ellie also said she wanted to stay at Diane's forever and ever and I offered to let her, but Diane said we had to take her home.) I also can't really complain, since she has stayed overnight at Mimi's house a bunch of times in the past year, and Tim and I have a "babymoon" weekend away coming up in March, thanks to Mimi and Pa. You can't beat it!

While at Diane's Ellie colored, ate a bunch of orange slices that had been cut for Blue Moon beers, and when left unsupervised for 90 seconds, climbed all the way to the top bunk of Joey's bed. PERFECT! She is a troublesome little monkey. She was also thrilled with the new tutu skirts that Mimi bought for her, as am I, because it saves me one less fight every day (I let her wear those tutu skirts until they're dirty, and then spend the rest of the week trying to convince her that whatever back up outfit I want to put her in is just as good. Now I should be able to go a solid two weeks without doing tutu skirt laundry. Thanks Mimi!) New tutu skirt time was of course, followed with "beautiful dancing flower" time. The best time of any day!