this week: a tribute to my alma mater, the land of the corn

Week 24: Week of the corn. This week, the baby measures just over a foot long - about the length of an ear of corn. This week her inner ear has fully developed, and she can now distinguish when she is right side and upside down.

Last week was pretty relaxing, as I had two days off for a conference followed by two snow days. I could get used to bumming around the house in my pajamas all day. Thursday night, however, was another "bad night" as far as my back goes, and I spent most of the night attending a self-pity party in bed with the trusty pregnancy pillow from Molly. Since t hen, I think the baby has shifted to a new area. I don't think she has traveled higher, unfortunately, but I am now getting kicks on the other side of my belly which is kind of cool.

On Saturday, Travis and I watched our two favorite Christmas movies snuggled on the couch with the cats and then decided to venture out and try to register for baby items. That proved to be a bit challenging and overwhelming, but I think we got a good start on things. I think we'll definitely have to have Aunt Molly take a gander at it for us and find all the glaring things we need and don't need on the list. :)

Then later on in the weekend, Travis decided to get the baby's furniture out of the boxes to make sure everything was okay. The wood color is absolutely beautiful -- I am so glad we chose the set that we did. Unfortunately, the company decided to glue Styrofoam to said beautiful wood, so we have to have a bit of an exchange in the next couple days. I'm sure glad he checked before our return period had passed!

Aside from these things, this week I've really been thankful to God for each healthy day we have. It seems like all around me, people are having hard times with pregnancies, babies, and deliveries. A guilty pleasure of mine is the TLC show 18 Kids and Counting, and I've enjoyed following Michelle Duggar's pregnancy this season because we are only about two weeks apart in due dates. Seeing the news that she delivered her baby last week totally stunned me -- a 1 lb 6 oz baby that was born now only 6 days older than our own baby. The fact that both mother and baby are still doing well proves that God really can work miracles. Travis gives me a hard time for getting so wrapped up in the lives of people I've never met, but I feel like there is some sort of unspoken connection between all pregnant women -- reality TV celebrities and country high school English teachers alike. My thoughts are with them.

This week will be all about surviving and getting to the end -- where Travis has some vacation time and winter break finally begins for me! I am looking forward to some lazy sleeping in mornings (I know they won't always be there for me in the near future) and spending time together getting some last minute things ready for Christmas!