Our Last Christmas as Two

On Monday, the 23rd, I went to my routine follow up doctor's appointment. I was in and out in 20 minutes (love that doctor's office especially after reading horror stories about my friends waiting forever to be seen by their OB). Blood pressure is normal, weight gain is normal, baby's heart rate was 150bpm. He measured my belly and said everything is right on track and there's no way to tell how much he weighs at this point since I don't get any more ultrasounds. He did feel around on my belly and told me that he can tell the baby is in the head down position which is good, although he could flip/move between now and February.

I asked him about the tightening in my belly and he said they were braxton hicks contractions. At first I couldn't tell if that was it or if the baby was just pressing up against my side. They were off and on all day and weren't really painful, just uncomfortable. They got worse when I tried to do something physical (carried laundry basket up the stairs). I haven't had many since then so I hope that's the last of them for a few weeks or so. So that was my Christmas gift from Camden, thanks son! Going back to the doctor on January 6 for the same routine appointment. I'll start going every week once I hit 36 weeks (January 18 or so)...I think that's when he will start checking to see if I'm dialated or effaced. And at that point there are only 4 weeks left, omg it's so soon! 

I felt like a total Scrooge and Grinch this year because we didn't decorate for Christmas - didn't even pull the tote out of the garage. Our roommate moved out December 1st and after that it became "operation get house organized before baby comes". I've been in nesting mode lately. Any spare time I get while I'm at home I'm either going through baby clothes, setting up things in his nursery, or cleaning and straightening up the house since it's a disaster. We had our carpets cleaned and sanitized so don't even think about wearing your shoes in our house anymore! I just know that if we had dragged out the decorations, gotten a [real] tree, and fooled around with lights and all that mess....then had to clean it all back up the first of the year...nothing would ever get done and the house wouldn't be ready for baby by February.

At least I still got to shop for our parents and nieces and nephews like we do every year. Giving gifts is the best part about Christmas. I love seeing the kids open their gifts, it's so much fun. As I watched them open their gifts this year I was imagining what next year would be like with Camden here. It will be even more fun to watch him open his gifts, he'll be 10 months which is such a cute age...and I'm sure he'll want wrapping paper and boxes more than the toys, lol. He'll be able to play with all of his cousins and the holidays will be that much better!

Here's a photo taken by Nana of all SIX of her grandkids...
Camden, Bailey, Blake, Connor, Jordan, and Lacey!

I can't wait to start traditions with our baby boy. I think we're going to do the Elf on the Shelf, who arrives Thanksgiving night. I also want to do a tradition of a Christmas Eve Box delivered on the front porch which includes Christmas pajamas for him to wear to bed and on Christmas morning of course, a DVD, books, hot chocolate, and popcorn...things like that. We'll bake cookies and make salt dough ornaments or gingerbread houses...while listening to Elvis' Christmas CD of course, ahh brings back memories of  our Christmases growing up. It's going to be a lot of fun with him!