patiently waiting

I think we're ready. We have the nursery completed, all the clothes & blankets washed and ready to go, the carseat installed, a few meals and loaves of banana & zucchini bread packed away in our freezer and the hospital bag packed. Now I'm slowly but surely finishing up my "things to do before baby arrives" list which includes things like finishing my wedding album & washing down the walls - you know things that have been on my to do list for years but for some reason seem urgent now.

I originally intended to make the embroidery hoop art you see pictured above the changing table into a mobile to hang above the crib, but we just couldn't figure out how to securely hang it properly without worrying it would fall on the baby, so above the changer they went, I think I like them there even better though!

Everything seems to have fallen into place for us work & daycare-wise too. I will be returning to work in January (after my 3 month maternity leave) and I plan to work 4 days/week. Since I am one of 5, yes 5 (with the potential of a few more!) pregnant women at work, we have been asked to return on a full time basis. Luckily I work for a great company that stresses the importance of "family first" so as long as we get 40 hours a week in, they don't care how we do it. So in an ideal world I will work 4 days and then catch up on anything from home on my 3 days off. We met with our babysitter last week and absolutely love her. Her name is Lora, she lives a street away from us and currently watches one other little girl, Lily, who is 18 months old. She is Italian and speaks only Italian to Lily (anyone who knows me knows how perfect this is for me!) she asked if this was okay for our baby, which of course it is, I feel like we will need to pay her extra for the Italian lessons!

So now we're just patiently awaiting the arrival of the baby. Brad and I both feel like I'll go right on time (October 1st), but not sure if that might just be wishful thinking :) Other than feeling enormous, I'm still feeling absolutely great so I hope that continues these next few weeks!

36 weeks

baby hutch's shower

I owe my sisters & mom a HUGE thank you for the wonderful shower they put on for us this past weekend. From the food, to the decorations to the favors, they thought of everything and made it so perfect! We are so overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and feel blessed to have you all in our lives - we can tell baby hutch is so loved already!

One of the many blankets my mom made for baby hutch - I especially love the colors of this one, that it has giraffes (my favorite) on it and it says "little buddy" on it. Adorable :-)

My sisters, mother & I

34 1/2 weeks!

We have a monthly supper club with our friends called Sunday Bites. This was a gift from 2 of the members, Matt & Erin. We can't wait for baby Hutch to be a part of the club!

By far, Brad's favorite gift!

A hanging growth chart made for baby Hutch - it's wonderful having an artist for a best friend! Thanks Kimmie!

33 weeks...eek!

Crazy to think I only have about 7 or so weeks left before the Big Day! I'm not sure how my body will possibly be able to stretch any more, but all you moms tell me it will! We had an appointment with our midwife yesterday and all's looking well. The head is still down (good baby) and the heartrate was in the 130's again. I could have sworn the baby's legs were in my right ribs (due to the discomfort I feel sometimes) but I've been told otherwise, I don't know how they can tell what the heck they're feeling in my giant belly! I'm feeling great still and besides my back and ribs hurting when I sit or stand too long, I have no complaints!

We got to tour the birthing suite we hope is vacant the day baby hutch decides to show up. No huge deal if it's not, we'll be able to deliver in an equally inviting environment, just not nearly as pretty as the birthing suite. We're looking so forward to the birth day and are finding comfort in just how on the same page we are with our midwife. I feel quite blessed to be able to have a say in this whole crazy process!

sneak peek

We have the nursery just about complete. As I previously mentioned, as soon as I get around to completing some artwork & the mobile, we'll be good to go. For now, here's a little glimpse.

Baby Hutch has become quite the wiggly worm and likes to spend a lot of time with her legs in my ribs. I love when Brad talks to her and she responds with a few kicks - so cool that she knows our voices already. I'm happy to say I'm still feeling great, just noticing I'm needing to rest more often. We are growing more anxious by the day and find ourselves trying not to wish away the time and instead focus on these last few weeks with just the two of us before we become a family of 3!

vacation #2

We spent last Sunday to Wednesday in northern Michigan at a resort called Crystal Mountain with Brad's family. We had a wonderful time spent lounging at the pool, playing golf, paintball, visiting the sand dunes (by the way if you haven't ever been, I highly recommend - I've never seen anything quite like it!), taking walks, playing games in the evening and enjoying some of his grandma's infamous meals courtesy of his Aunt Jean. Oh and what first ever Hutchison "Hillbilly Hoedown" would be complete without games reminiscent of the many years Brad & his cousins (as well as his dad & aunt jean too!) spent at the Lorain County Fair?  It was a great get-a-way that allowed us to catch up with family we see not nearly often enough!

29 weeks!

I think it's finally setting in, now that I have the big ol' belly to prove it and baby Hutch is constantly reminding me of his presence with a kick here or jab there, the fact that there is a baby in there, our baby, is starting to feel real! I had an appointment with our midwife yesterday and she said all looked good, as far as she could tell baby was head down so hopefully it will stay that way! We've had a busy summer thus far and time has escaped me as of late. I can't believe in just a few short months baby Hutch will be here!

The nursery is starting to come together - Brad picked up the crib and changer the other night, we're just waiting on the crib hardware then we'll be able to set it up and I'll be able to do the fun decorating part! We have a mini vacation planned to Michigan next week with Brad's side of the family and we plan to make a stop at Ikea to check out their rocking chairs. Other than that, we're set furniture wise and then I'll just need to finish all the little nursery projects I've put on the backburner this summer!

glimpse of our week (7.3.10 - 7.10.10)

We spent the past week in Oak Island, NC with my family...11 adults (Joy's husband Eric couldn't make it) and 9 children ranging in age from 5 months to 16 years...we woke early, watched the dolphins perform for us, swam in the ocean, laid by the pool, cooked lots of delicious dinners, took family walks on the beach after dinner, watched fireworks,camped under the stars, star-tipped, played bocce ball, awesome ball & cornhole, read a few books, drove each other crazy, made lots of memories, and got to catch up on each other's lives....it was a rough week, but we made it ;-)