my handsome is coming home.

in 4 days, 17 hours, 26 minutes, + 53 seconds,

my partner in crime, best friend, and husband will be home after five long months of being a hard-working, transient extern around the country. my baby daddy is finally coming back to me!

i cannot contain myself.

merry merry.

denver.

{photo by jack while we were driving through the rocky mountain national forest}

i visited jack in denver, colorado at his externship during october. fall was in full force. leaves were changing and the air was crisp. pretty much my love affair with autumn grew exponentially.

during my few days there, we spent time in denver, vail, & the rocky mountain national forest. 

needless to say, i'm obsessed. i had heard this part of the country was beautiful, but what i found there surpassed expectations. 

the city was clean, brand new & sparkling. 

the people were lovely and happy. healthy lifestyles seemed to be a top priority.

the women walked around in their spandex workout pants, big sunglasses & cute starbucks cups. 

pretty much this is my favorite externship location that i have been to, and i'm in love.

{baby davidson is 22 weeks on this trip}

  

 

we could totally be colorado people.

thirty weeks.

bumpdate | thirty weeks down, ten to go!

i take these awkward selfies because literally no one is home to take a picture to document my bump, mostly for jack...and i know someday i will want to look back and see these. hope you enjoy them haha.

S T A T S :

baby: she is the size of a butternut squash or summer cantaloupe...or a little over 3 lbs. this week, her brain is further developing by growing new grooves and wrinkles!! she can also now regulate her own body temp & is packing on the fat. sounds familiarrrr {see weight gain, ugh}.

weight gain: ummmm next question. ugh, ok, 23 lbs. not proud of that this week. between treats at two baby showers, a business trip with delish san fran food, & a christmas vacation to gramma & grampa's house, my diet hasn't been atop my proudest moments over the past few weeks. 

need. less. chocolate. cake.

sleep: okay. it's better than i was sleeping. i discovered if i put a pillow under my huge belly, it feels sooo much better. 

feeling: my body all of a sudden grew a noticeable amount over the last two weeks. my belly button is really sore {and gone}. no stretch marks yet, though - hopefully the gallons of body oil i'm marinating in is helping that cause...but probably not. i'm getting braxton hicks contractions, and it feels like an elephant is sitting on my chest throughout those. i walk one or two miles and feel like i got hit by a train in my pelvis. my feet & hands started swelling. might have been the airplane + 13 hrs/day in heels at work on business + being on my feet baking for christmas + not having time to workout much last week {or two}. 30 weeks must be a magical stepping stone haha. emotionally, just still missing jack. i visited him in SD for the baby shower, and i was a ridiculous mess leaving him again. i miss my best friend and i'm ready to not be without him. he comes home in  e l e v e n  days after five long months. also, getting a little anxious about having a newborn. people are telling me horror stories about how hard it is, and i can't help but let it get to me a bit. note to self - try and refrain from telling a pregnant chick "haha, yeah. it's only going to get worse." thanks. i mean, my baby is totally going to be sleeping through the night by day number two. i don't know why people think i'm being unrealistic. {...joking}

maternity clothes: duh.

favorite moments:

1. both of my baby showers. hands down. see details here.

2. shopping at babies r us. i built this swing all by myself in the absence of hubster. accordingly, it probably won't pass code, and i need jack to check it before i accidentally kill my baby in it, but isn't it sooo cute??!

3. more nesting: i'm slowly getting the nursery organized all that i can before jack comes home to help me move and build furniture. the room still looks like an episode of hoarders, but it's coming together slowly. i had a ton of fun going through shower gifts and finding places for everything. and are you kidding me with these newborn diapers?? so itzy and tiny!

  4. things are finally sinking in. i cannot believe in only ten weeks, i'm going to be a momma. i still feel like i'm 18 sometimes. it's going to be so crazy, but so much fun! can't wait till jack comes home {did i already mention that?}. although, then i'll have to actually get dressed and not spend all my time in this fluffy pink fleece bathrobe with five day hair. maybe.

baby showers.

over the last few weekends, my husband's family {san diego} and my family {washington} threw two separate baby showers in each location for us! i am completely overwhelmed by the amount of love and support that we were shown. this little baby lady is so anticipated, loved & spoiled already. 

 | washington shower : |

the lovely hostesses, diana & teagan. 

my mom. 

i have the prettiest girlfriends.

 the cutest littles, reece & rylee.

i cannot express my appreciation for homemade blankets! this was hand crocheted by diana's friend's mother. i treasure it!

diana made me baby's first pillow & a matching quilt. literally dying.  

hand crocheted snuggly blanket from rachel. just a little in love haha.

 | san diego shower : |

my beautiful cake!

game winners!

so many cute gifts from my hubby's family!

my mother in law always has the cutest shoes haha.

my beautiful mother in law noris, and myself.

a gigantic thank you to everyone who came, and also to those that were with us in spirit. 

all the well wishes {& thoughtful gifts of course} have made us feel more prepared to take this next step in our lives. 

...ps | yes i did wear the same dress to both occasions, oops.  

these showers were really special to me because among other reasons, i'd never had a shower before. jack and i had a one month engagement because of his medical school journey, and with such short timing, we passed on a lot of the traditional wedding festivities that take place during a normal engagement. so, i really wanted to soak in this experience. i had put sooo much thought into what i was going to wear to these events. i shopped in advance for outfits and had them all set two weeks prior. 

well, i tried on the dress i was going to wear to my san diego shower the night before, and...

it. didn't. freaking. fit anymore. 

of course i turned into a weeping puddle of blubber & tears. my sweet mother in law and hubby took me shopping at eight o'clock at night and i miraculously found the only dress in the whole mall that fit my giant whale body.

{my two requirements were: 1. that it needed sleeves to cover my preggo arms, and 2. it needed to be long to cover my swollen legs} 

so...a huge thank you to my mother in law for saving the day. well, days {both my showers}, because i figured why not wear it to both? it fit and was cozy. the dress is free people and it is not maternity, but i think it's really pretty!