Week 36

4 weeks left.... yikes!
So much to do, and only 4 weeks left.
And that's not even a promise.
I could go before that... or... I could go after that.
But just knowing I could go in 3 weeks or 2 weeks really freaks me out.
I'm counting on that 4 weeks so that I can have some time to get things before Abby joins us.

     Grant and I have all these things we'd like to do that we are hoping will fit nice and neatly into baby Abby's arrival. Therefore, we pray to God that it all works out nicely and we can accomplish all that we want to.
     And then.... God laughs!
     And yet... I still pray!

What the Nurse had to say:
     Baby Abby is still the size of a Honeydew. TheBump says that her liver and kidneys are complete, and we're just waiting for her lungs to fully develop now. Baby is beginning to move down now, which was confirmed  at my Nurse's appt. on Friday morning before I left for the Ministers' Wives Retreat. She checked me and I was shocked to find out just how low Abby actually was. However, she couldn't find my cervix no matter how hard she tried, and said that nothing's happening yet (this was encouraging considering I was about to leave home for the weekend). I measured at 37 this time (33 at my last appt.), and didn't gain any weight! wahoo! (I cannot, however, say that the weight gain is still a zero after this weekend... they spoiled us rotten with food, and I loved every minute of it!).

     What was amazing was that I got to see Abby again during the Ultrasound to check for positioning. Her head is definitely down, and very low. When I saw her head, it looked so huge! What was once a tiny little bean of a body, is now a giant head filling the screen! It's incredible that these beings grow inside of us! Her head was wriggling all around. I got to see her heart beating again, and the nurse was very pleased with her heart rate.

     Fit Pregnancy tells me that the change in pressure of Abby moving lower can cause shooting pains in the groin and leg. This made me feel so much better when I read this, b/c of course halfway to Jenness this weekend, I get a cramp like pain in my thigh and I freak just a bit b/c I have no clue what it is. I got it a few more times this weekend, as I was walking the stairs, or just walking around, and again on the way home. It only lasted 2 or 3 seconds and wasn't agonizing pain, just foreign and confusing. Reading this bit of information from Fit Pregnancy really helped me quiet those concerns.

Ministers' Wives Retreat
     The Ministers' Wives Retreat was such a blessing this weekend. I am super thrilled that I went. I met so many new women that I am excited to continue friendships with. I met young women that are beginning their journey just like me, and I met older women that have been through this experience for the past 30 or more years that have so much knowledge I can glean. While the schedule was packed, I still felt like I had time to relax b/c it was such a calm and lovely time. They fed us like nobody's business! Holy cow! I can't even begin to describe the wonderfulness that I ate, I did not hold back!

     One thing that was very beneficial to me this weekend was going to a seminar about parenting in the pastor's home. It was exactly what I was looking for, and needed. I frantically wrote down as many notes as I could and probably didn't get it all. The leader spoke about being a mother and wife of a pastor and how to raise your children in such a way as to lead them into a true and honest relationship with the Lord. I cannot wait to begin implementing some of the wonderful ideas and suggestions she had.

     Here are some pictures of the weekend:

The very odd out-house I desperately used on the way up.
You can't even get the full effect from this pic. 

Me, Yvonne, Karen, MIL Carol, SIL Carolyn
Yvonne and Karen are friends of Carol's from when they all started going to the retreat 30 yrs ago.

Super cute Future Camper shirt

Me, Noemy, and Carolyn
Noemy is Jake Wheeler's wife, she was in the worship band
she can play the violin like nobody's business!

Me and the Family

Carmen Whittaker (Fermin's wife), and Chaundel Holladay
Chaundel was our wonderful speaker for the weekend,
and also happens to be Rick Warren's sister

Yvonne and Carol

Me, Janine, and Carolyn
New best friend! 

The other Preggo's this weekend:
Hannah (16 wks), Hayley (18 wks), Karla (19 wks), Me (36 wks)
I told them all they are my new best friends, whether they like it or not! 

     Because I was at the retreat this weekend, I completely forgot to take my traditional weekly photos. Instead, I just cropped some pictures that I was in and mashed them together for a collage this week. You get the idea though. The pictures aren't superb b/c my camera died and I didn't have time to charge it before I left, so everything was taken on my phone, and everyone was finding it difficult to get the stupid thing to cooperate correctly. Sad day.

     And for your viewing pleasure... the skit that Carol, Carolyn, and I did for Improv night. Hope it turns out alright. Again, it was filmed through my camera. Also, please excuse the gum chewing from the filmer... poor girl.