34 weeks.. long.. way too long..

It's a little hard to believe that we are already at 34 weeks; although I do feel like I've been pregnant forever..[haha, I know].  The past few weeks have been pretty stressful due to some circumstances within our family {that I can't share about right now (sorry!) but will likely share about once everything gets resolved}  I've honestly just clung to my faith.. more than I ever have.. to give me peace, wisdom and strength.  It's funny how sometimes things are going  well then BAM out of nowhere everything gets turned upside down.
I do feel very blessed that my pregnancy is continuing to go smoothly (minus the stretch marks and contractions) and that Mr. Gum Drop is healthy.  We had a DR visit on Friday and everything is good.  His heartbeat was 152 bpm, I gained another 2 pounds and the midwife really liked my tattoo!  We still have a lot to accomplish around the house.. I'm praying for lots of energy and cooperative children so I can get the bulk of it done by the weekend.  We shall see..

How far along: 34 weeks 3 days
Weight gain: + 18 lbs.

New maternity clothes: Yes!  My awesome momma bought me a couple new shirts - THANK YOU mom, finally something a little different =)
New baby items: Yes!  I broke down and bought the new car seat for him =)  I really dreaded spending the $ but I will feel better knowing he is safe.. plus, we didn't spend a ton of $$ fixing up a room for him so I figured we can at least get him a fancy new car seat since he doesn't get a fancy new room (I'm sure he'll love the pink and brown room he will share with his sister!) The worst part is we have 3 bases for the old infant seat, and of course his new seat uses a different type of base.. I guess we will need to get one of those too.. 
Stretch marks: oh my heavens, I just need to delete this part.. really.
Sleep: awful.. no comfortable position.. my mind won't stop going a mile a minute.. my bladder won't stop yelling at me to empty it.. just awful.. but I do get more than hubbs so I shouldn't complain.
Best moment of the week: hearing his heartbeat at our DR visit on Friday =) spending some fun time with family this weekend!! 
Food cravings: still Texas Roadhouse.. sweet tea and rolls.. delicious! {and expensive.. boo!}  and ice.. oh I love me some crunchy ice! my teeth of course don’t like the ice.
Gender: BOY!! 

Labor signs: still the same painful contractions I've been having.. nothing that is "true labor" yet.

Belly button in or out: outie. 
What I miss: just feeling normal..
What I'm looking forward to: continuing to get the house ready for Mr. Gum Drop; possibly hanging out with my super awesome niece this weekend (Hi Noodle!)
Weekly wisdom: "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

Milestones: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds, like your average cantaloupe, and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

  

safe to say I’m definitely bigger the 3rd time around!

someone wanted to join my belly photos =)

I am copying my to-do list here so I can start scratching things off.. actually I need to add some things too which is a real bummer =)

TO DO:
clean the house from floor to ceiling - it's real bad..

clean car seat after Gabby's done using it (We can change this to unpack and wash the new car seat after it arrives in the mail!)

unpack and clean Gavin's old bouncy seat (we used a brown and pink one for Gabby)

unpack and clean bottles

wash Gum Drop's clothes & bedding

figure out where Gum Drop's clothes will go once they're washed

set up Gum Drop's crib {THANK YOU Steven!}

finish storage room project

finish garage project

get photos caught up

empty memory cards and charge camera batteries

start writing in Gum Drop's baby book

bath and groom both dogs

organize the boat load of toys in the house

arrange the play lists on my iPod for labor & delivery

make a list of 'hospital bag' items

begin packing hospital bags for Steven, Gum Drop and myself

pack bags for Gavin & Gabby

work on my birth plan (I'd be a happy lady if things went similar to Gabby's birth!)
take Gav to Build-a-Bear so he can build his little bro a bear!!
purchase last minute things for Gum Drop
(diapers, burp cloths, baby boy photo album, 4 oz bottle and liners, socks to match his coming home outfit)

If you’ve made it this far here are some fun photos from our weekend.  We went to a water park with my mom, niece and nephew and some of their friends.. which actually was a lot of fun!!  Gavin had an absolute blast and Gabby loved the water too.  I really wouldn’t mind going back again next year.  THANK YOU GRAMMIE!!

And we also enjoyed a Labor Day picnic!

 

        

 

and my daughter tried to kiss eat Aunt Donna’s bunny =)

I also took some fun random shots over the weekend.. I just have such cute kiddos I can’t help it =)

       

Okay, I’m done now.. thanks =)  Love & blessings!

(none of these photos are edited so please don’t ‘bust’ on me because of the coloring of some of them.. I’m just too lazy!)