Any day now...

Well, here I sit...smack in the middle of my due date range. I mean, how ridiculous are due dates anyway? I know we and the medical professionals can get close, but it's all in the hands of the good Lord when babies make their official appearance. My range is the 9th-14th and I've been functioning more on the 14th this entire pregnancy to avoid that impatient and weary feeling I've gotten at the end of each pregnancy. I figure if I focus on that later date as being my official due date I'm less likely to get those feelings if I stay pregnant that long or even longer. 

The last pregnancy update I posted was on the day that I was to have my official maternity "shoot" with Pranee Loffer of Beauty for Ashes Photography. I heard about Pranee through my midwife who had nothing  but wonderful things to say about her and once I looked at her Facebook page and website I was SOLD on her style and contacted her right away. Photography of this caliber is always an investment and at first we weren't sure if we could commit to it or not but in the end we decided we couldn't not have this momentous occasion documented as well as possible. We purchased a package that will include maternity, birth and newborn photography. I'm super excited to see what else she does because I adore these pictures...they are in no particular order but they are my favorites! I was in my 30th week at this shoot. 

Amazing, right? She captured us so well and I'm thrilled with the results. 

I aimed to get pictures 4 weeks later and I actually remembered and made it happen. I'm just sayin' - that's impressive! 

34 Weeks

 It doesn't seem like much changed between 30-34 weeks but oh just wait...between 34-39 weeks A LOT changed. Whoa baby! 

39 Weeks

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I'm just waiting on the good Lord's perfect timing as for when this sweet bundle will grace us with his/her presence. In the meantime I've been just doing my usual daily things...cleaning, cooking, taking care of kiddos, walking, playing games, going outside, etc. I mean, I really don't feel restless or impatient - though I will say that everyone calling and texting to say "anything yet?" isn't helping in that endeavor. I appreciate the concern of everyone but it can tend to make you feel like a sitting duck, you know? Kennedy has been on Fall Break this week from school and I keep thinking that was a gift from God because it's been nice to just be with all three of the kids and just enjoy these last few days as a family of 5. As much as I want to meet this precious babe I know our life is about to change...the dynamic as we currently know it will shift and though I'm sure it will be a good shift (eventually), I know it will come with a certain amount of stress...it's just a fact of life. The kids can entertain themselves and Grey has been working on potty training so we've got an amount of freedom right now that is kind of a "sweet spot". I'm looking forward to all the newborn blessings but I'm trying to rest in and enjoy the sweet spot we're in...for now. 

This picture was taken at the end of last week, after I got all three of these monkeys moved to the back row of the van. We'll now have the bitty one in one of the captains chairs and we've removed the other captains chair so that Kennedy can easily get in and out for carpool. This was a big "to do" on my before baby arrives list and I was super excited to check it off. It required the purchase of a slimline car seat but I got a really good deal about a month ago and so here Avery is sitting in her new Diono Radian car seat. We hope get the same seat for Grey very soon which will just give them all a bit more room back there.

 Enjoying one of our mornings snuggling together. I LOVE not having to rush out for car pool and I love getting to keep my big girl home with me too. I'm thinking I need a bigger chair though...not sure where I'll fit #4 :). Good thing is - I'm up for the challenge!

 Hopefully he doesn't kill me for this one day, but I just couldn't resist. Look at that choo choo train booty. Grey has been using the potty since August and had mastered 1/2 of the potty puzzle about a month ago. Because I knew we could be home bound this week without car pool and with me needing to kind of take it easy I decided to make the big push to wrap this job up. I'm happy to report that he's been 100% spot on minus one little incident today which was more our fault than his. BIG BOY! I'm so proud of him. He looks so stinkin' cute in his "manties" I can hardly stand it. It'll be nice to only have one in diapers vs. 2. Can I get an amen? 

 We've not had many Fall Break adventures for miss Kennedy sadly. The little ones ended up getting a virus on Tuesday and today was our first fever free day since then. I'm thankful we made it out to Dogwood Park Monday for a little fresh air and exploration. 

That's really all I've got for now. The official countdown is on. We'll take all the prayer we can get for a safe delivery and smooth transition.