38 weeks

Not my favorite picture of me, but it does the job of showing my belly...plus I'm just too lazy right now to take another one more to my liking. :)

So here we are, two weeks away!! So crazy! Lucky for me and Justin, no signs of anything yet. The contractions I was having randomly have stopped and the baby seems to be sitting content to stay in there for now. We'll see if he'll by chance just be the most patient and obedient little boy ever and stay that way until May 6th! Haha! I'm not counting on it, but there's always a chance, right?

I'm feeling really good - not swollen yet (which is WAY different than I was with Braden) and, although its hard to get up or bend over, not feeling overly huge and uncomfortable yet. I'm not sure why - with Braden I was so swollen by now and just so ready to have this baby. I'm taking it as a huge tender mercy from above!

I felt especially good about life today - started off with a 2 mile walk with Braden (in the stroller), we stopped to play at the park, I mowed the lawn (I know many of you are sitting in snow and thinking "mowed the lawn?!!", but spring comes nice and early here and this is the second time we've mowed our lawn this season), Braden and I had a picnic, and to top it all off it got up to 85 degrees with 50% humidity and I got a little (tiny) bit of color on my arms and face! Yay!

Justin was very unhappy with me when he got home and saw that I had mowed the lawn (He came in and immediately said, "Please tell me that our neighbor was extremely nice and came over and mowed our lawn today. Please tell me you didn't do that." I just smiled and told him that a lawn fairy had come. He just shook his head at me!)

In other things, Braden is very excited to have this baby come. He talks about all the things he's going to help do (change diapers, help give the baby a bath, give the baby blankets, show him toys, etc.). He loves going to the doctor's office with me and hearing the baby's heartbeat. It is so fun and cute. He'll randomly bring out his dr kit and get out the stethoscope and 'listen' to the baby's heartbeat on his own. I'm really excited to see him as an older brother!

Here he is "practicing" holding the baby and enjoying the baby's bouncy seat. He really had a good time in there!

We finally got serious about things and put up the baby's crib, put the room together, etc.
Nothing fancy or cute, but it still made me excited. :)

And in other happenings, Braden got to go to his third concert! He is so great and really loves music and we have really enjoyed taking him to events like this. Our friends/"family away from family" were so sweet and got tickets for us to come to their son, Juston's, concert. He plays the viola in an amazing youth orchestra, which gets the chance every year to perform with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. It was an amazing concert with lots of John Williams and other familiar music. Absolutely fantastic and Braden really got into some of the exciting pieces! He was literally bouncing up and down during the William Tell Overature (Lone Ranger Theme). It was great! I love making these little memories!

Thank you Goldades for keeping us a little bit cultured on our small student budget!

Braden and Coulton Goldade after the concert

And some random fun time at the Zoo! :) Two little monkeys together...