waiting for baby....

I went to pour some milk in my cereal the other day and realized that the baby in my belly expires before my carton of milk does! How's that for being close to your due date...2 and a half days away and I am ready to get this baby out! So excited. Here's some fondest memories of pregnancy - most recent first.


First, in response to people asking for belly pictures, Scott and I were waiting for this cute couple to show up for their engagement shoot a couple days ago, and I handed Scott the camera....




Scott giving my huge swollen feet a pedicure. (I hoped it was maybe preeclampsia so they would deliver the baby, but one false trip to the hospital and nope, just really swollen feet and some jumpy reflexes, darn it.) My feet were 3 times as big as they are in this picture though, if you can stomach that.



Here is our temporary crib set up and waiting for the baby. We aren't going to set up the nursery and big crib until we move in a couple weeks


I made this baby quilt with my mom - the back is yellow and minky soft because I want him to actually use it - and I'm going to wrap him up in it to bring him home from the hospital.



Cameron and Jake came to stay with us a few weeks ago while their mommy was in Virginia in the hospital/bedrest (my beautiful neice Claire was born 5 weeks early), and it was so fun to have them here. Especially to have Jakey keep kissing my belly and asking every few minutes "Tara, what's your baby BOY doin'?" I got creative with my answers, and Jakey always believed me. The best was when Jakey started lifting my shirt to give the baby "bzerks" by blowing/spitting on it. Or when I'd say the baby was kicking and he'd dive across the room and say the baby had just kicked his face really hard.
This is how I saw Jakey most of the time:


Over Christmas break we went to Disneyland with our little nephews, and Jakey sat right next to my belly on one of the kiddy rides and kept patting it, saying "it's okay baby, don't be scared"

Here's Disneyland:




Isn't my mom pretty as a brunette?

The first of a "3 generation picture" at Christmas:

Opening Christmas PJ's on Christmas Eve (our tradition) and realizing that there was an extra set of little boy jammies for our baby - that made both Scott and I tear up.
The nephews wanted to "show" my baby the jammies by putting them on my tummy.



Enjoying the nephews while they were visiting from Virginia and getting so excited to be parents:

Tyler is generous with his kisses if you have a valid "ow-ie"

He was a bit skeptical:


We had one-on one spend the nights with the nephews, and you know what that means - treats in bed and stories from Scott.



Watching my mom and Cameron make Christmas cinnamon twists, and realizing they make the same face when they are concentrating:



Cameron made these beautiful Christmas necklaces for all the girls in the family. Thank you Cameron.



Phew, I am so relieved I got a blog post done before I deliver! I've been so grateful to have been busy this semester before the baby comes so the wait doesn't drag on and on. I've had students this semester who are happy and talented and fun to teach, Scott has been busy with school, we had the Holidays and lots of family around, my parents - and the rest of us helpers - have been neck deep in building a new house, and my 2 sisters got engaged and are planning a double wedding! All that has helped the wait go by quickly. Somehow my wacked out hormones of the 2nd trimester evened out this 3rd trimester, and it's been much easier - despite being fatter than ever and having a foot constantly stuck in my ribs. It's so exciting to think that the next blog I post will be pictures of my baby! I am so curious what he looks like, and I can't wait to hold his little snuggly body and wrap him up and smell his little newborn head. Oh, I can't wait! I think the next few days are going to be the LONGEST few days of the whole pregnancy!

I have to say that Heavenly Father answers our prayers - 2 years ago I hadn't even met Scott and was wondering if I would ever have the blessings of marriage and family. Yesterday I counted 7 friends of ours from that ward who also got married "later" - who are now married with beautiful babies. Hard times come and go, and the love of the Lord shines through it all. And while we are waiting for those hard times to pass, we can look back to some of the richest experiences of our lives - I am so thankful for the things I got to do and experience while I was single, and for this exciting chapter that lies ahead: motherhood.