38 Weeks

Here we go! We're in the final two weeks and counting. I can't believe that's only about 12 more sleeps (more or less) until I am cuddling my sweet little girl and our family will change from three to four! My family will arrive in China two weeks from today which is also hard to believe since I haven't seen them since July, so many exciting things happening on our side of the world. I'm feeling torn because on one hand, I am beyond anxious for Baby E to get here and meet her. On the other hand, I'm terrified of how our lives will be turned upside down, adjusting to having two little ones around the house. Oh.. that and sleep deprivation, of course ;) 

Gender: Girl 

Weight gain:  Have to check again, but I think I had gained about 25-25 lbs since the beginning of pregnancy so far.

Maternity clothes: Oh yeah... there's not much else I can fit into, well besides Kurt's shirts...whoops!

Stretch marks: nada

Belly button in or out: still outtie

Sleep: Gosh, still not getting good sleep. It doesn't help that Mr. Sawyer has decided that he wants to wake up at the crack of dawn (5:00-5:30) everyday ready to go. Ah! 

Best moment this week: Enjoying a low-key Easter with my family and friends. 

Worst moment this week: Not sure that I've had one yet (which is great).

Miss anything: Bending over without grunting, seeing my toes, fitting into my clothes, living without acid reflux, being able to indulge in a happy hour drink, the list goes on... ;)

Movement: She's running out of room in there, so her movements have slowed. She is still very busy every night between about 7:00-10:00.

Cravings: sour fruit, chocolate, and cheese for the win!

Queasy or sick: nope :)

Looking forward to: Our baby shower this weekend and being done with school. It's really hard at this point to stay motivated and check everything off my to-do list before baby E makes her appearance! 

Mini Getaway: Yangshuo, China

Last week we headed to Yangshuo for 3 nights as a last minute trip during our spring break. We took the high speed train from Shenzhen to Guilin (3.5 hours) and then had another car ride to get to our home stay, about an 1.5 hour drive. The way there was a bit rough since Sawyer was still getting over some yucky virus that he had for about a week. Luckily, after one night in Yangshuo, Sawyer was back to his happy self and even slept in every morning we were there (what a treat!)

This is our third trip to Yangshuo, but our first with Sawyer. It is hands down my favorite place in China. We stayed in a charming little home stay in the country and it was so nice to get away to somewhere so charming and beautiful. 

The weather was drizzly and overcast, but that didn't stop us from getting out and about. Sawyer loved eating all of his meals on the stone terrace (...who doesn't love eating french toast for breakfast every morning?). He was so content just exploring and being outside. We took quite a few walks around the country side and mainly relaxed. We only went in to the city twice, briefly for dinner. It gets so busy there, I much prefer the sereneness of the countryside.  

One day, we met up with other teachers from our school who were also staying in Yangshuo and did a bamboo boat ride to see the infamous 20 RMB scene (see below). 

 There were a few times that I questioned our sanity for traveling 9 months pregnant to rural China with a toddler, but we are so happy that we ended up going. Obviously, the easy route would be to just stay home with Sawyer; however, as a family we've adopted the "Just Do It." motto. Otherwise, we'd probably never leave our apartment! It was a bittersweet trip for us because it was our last trip as a family of three. I've been trying to soak up every last moment with Sawyer before his baby sister joins our little family. It's hard to believe that in a couple short weeks, it will no longer be just us and Sawyer. 

35 Weeks

I had a mini-heart attack today when I opened the Babycenter app and it told me "35 days until your due date." When/How did this even happen?!? It's been a crazy couple of weeks. 

Kurt's parents were supposed to come visit us this coming Thursday for our spring break and then travel to Vietnam, returning back to China for Rosalie's birth. But unfortunately, his dad got really sick and it turns out they won't be able to make it. We are so disappointed but feel so grateful that they weren't here when it happened and that his dad can recover fully before a summer of fun! So we've rearranged a few things over here and my mom, step dad, and sister will be headed our way in April to stay with us for two weeks. We'll see if this little lady waits for them to arrive before she makes an appearance. 

Everything is starting to sink in. I've been trying to find apartments that would be suitable for us to stay when we deliver in Hong Kong among many other logistics. I know it will all work out in the end, it always does...but things like this make the planner inside me just cringe. I like to know everything in advance and the thought of having no clue when I'll go into labor, worrying about crossing borders, finding someone to stay with Sawyer, and figuring out a place to stay after we get out of the hospital is a lot to digest. 

I've been very adamant about trying for a VBAC this time around, but I'm definitely starting to have doubts. I think the fear of the unknown plays a big part and also I'm scared of being in labor and ending up with an emergency C-section regardless. I'm going to check this Saturday with my doctor to see her recommendation (how my scar looks, etc.) to see how "favorable" a VBAC would be for me. In the end, all that matters is that Rosalie gets here safely and I just need to keep telling myself that. I know I won't be able to predict the future either way (where's a crystal ball when you need it?!). I'll have to make a decision that I feel most comfortable with after consulting more with my doctor and talking it over with Kurt. 

I just had to share the picture below because Sawyer photobombed me #truelifewithatoddler 

We told Sawyer to say "Cheese!" and this is the face he made.

Gender: Girl 

Weight gain:  Not sure, haven't been to the doctor in a longgg time. We go this Saturday, so we'll see what the damage is then ;) 

Maternity clothes: Yep, or flowy tops (like above). I think it's almost time to bust out the maxis because the weather is starting to warm up here.

Stretch marks: nope

Belly button in or out: Outtie

Sleep: Still hit or miss. A few nights in a row I was up until 3:30 AM. I fall asleep around 9:00 but then wake up around 12:00 and have a realllly hard time falling back to sleep. 

Best moment this week: Not pregnancy related, but Sawyer told me he loved me for the first time. Yesterday while he was eating dinner, I said, "Sawyer, I love you!" and he responded, "I wuv yoouuu!" (I died. My heart literally bursted. It was the sweetest thing ever.)

Worst moment this week:  Hmmm maybe when Sawyer head butted me so hard that my nose made a cracking sound (true story)... it still hurts! Or just feeling like an old lady in general, my body is falling apart.

Miss anything: Sleeping through the night without this crazy insomnia, being able to see my feet, and fitting into my regular clothes.

Movement: Not quite as busy, her movements have slowed down. I think she's running out of space.

Cravings: Cookies, chocolate, fruit

Queasy or sick: Feeling fine 

Looking forward to: My maternity leave to begin and this little lady to get here! I have about 28392832 things to do on my to-do list until then, yikes.