On Being Pregnant: 17 days and Waiting!

We are officially in the home stretch of this pregnancy, anxiously awaiting the arrival of our sweet son, David Edward Lutz. In some ways 38 weeks has seemed like forever and in others it has just flown by. We finally feel a little more settled into our house here in Virginia Beach and Daniel stays quite busy with his new job at UCT One. Currently I'm taking the advice of other mom friends and enjoying all the peace, quiet and fun I can until this baby comes. I love the mornings when I can sleep and the days when it rains so it keeps me homebound. My days are spent around getting exercise, hanging out with friends, keeping the kitchen stocked with food, and the laundry clean. The latter two items will be Daniel's biggest challenge when the baby comes...I might have to write written instructions on the washing machine and hope he doesn't throw a red shirt in with the whites!

For Thanksgiving we ended up staying here. The drive was going to be too long, I was getting too close to the due date, and Daniel was having a hard time getting away from work. While we missed the opportunity to go to my parent's in TN, we persuaded my sister Leah to drive up from Birmingham for the holiday. We had so much fun cooking, baking, shopping, putting up Christmas decorations and went to Busch Gardens for their Christmas shows. It has been a long time since I've gotten to spend time with just her and it might be awhile before we see her again. I am thoroughly enjoying all my siblings growing up and our relationships changing into deep friendships.

The belly has become so heavy now and quite the brunt of our jokes! Things I never thought would be so challenging to do on my own: 1) tie my shoes 2) pick up something on the ground 3) get off the couch or out of the bed 4) sit in a small booth at a restaurant 5) eat an entire meal (my stomach is cramped by a baby!) 6) put on pants without holding onto something, and 7) keep my balance. Daniel finds it most interesting to stare at my belly and imagine a full grown baby inside there waiting to come out. We also enjoy feeling our son's kicks, which are ever so strong now. While feeling his life inside me is a true joy, we are very ready to meet him and hold him.

Some of you have asked, is the nursery all finished? You might be surprised that two perfectionists have not competed the nursery yet. We should be receiving the furniture either Friday or Monday. The most important things are done, all his clothes and blankets are clean, a diaper bag packed, our bags ready to be packed, some frozen meals in the freezer, and the carseat ready to bring home the newest member of the family. While we know it's typical for most first babies to be late, I'm secretly hoping and praying he'll come before Christmas so we can be home with the best gift of the year!

We'll be keeping you posted!