Can I just say that I LOVE being pregnant?!

I love being pregnant! Sure there are a few aches and pains... and I'm not a big fan of the weight gain either. Nor do I like that I can't go out for a night on the town and catch a good buzz with my favorite people...BUT there are so many things I love about it!

I love feeling her move at all hours of the day. I love knowing that I have life growing inside of me... something comprised of all the best parts of Ken and I. I love knowing that she is safe in my tummy and that I have the ability to give her all of the things she needs to continue to grow and develop. I love that Ken sees the beauty in this miracle too... I don't think he's ever looked at me the way he does now. So much love. This is going to be one lucky little girl, loved so much already... I don't know what we're going to do when she's finally in our arms!!

We have reached our 35 week milestone this week and I have to say... It is so surreal that she will be here in a month! I feel "ready"... but completely overwhelmed by the change that is about to take place. Just like my Mom continues to tell me, "Honey, none of us knew what we were doing... but we somehow figured it out. You'll be just fine". Hearing that certainly puts me at ease... makes me feel a little less pressure. I just have to keep telling myself that we're not going to be perfect. As long as we're giving it our best shot though, we should be just fine... and so should Baby Ava.

I am making weekly trips to our Dr now to check mine and Baby Ava's progress. Soon they'll be telling me how far dilated I am.... So crazy that we're near the end of this journey.

I still feel pretty good! It has gotten a little more difficult to get around due to my ever expanding tummy. My appetite has gotten a little more ferocious too... I seem to be hungry every few hours now. Before, I would just eat the regular 3 meals a day and be satisfied. Now I'm finding myself hungry at all hours of the day! Between meals, before bedtime & (oddly enough) when I wake up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks-- I'm starving!! I've read that Baby Ava is growing around 6-8 ounces a week now so that could very well be the cause for all of the extra cravings.

Today I'm going to run more errands, all in preparation of her arrival. My first (and very important stop) is to get her carseat checked in the back of the Lexus (which I'll be driving once she's born... Ken's not thrilled to have the BMW now, but I'm sure he'll get over it!). We have our last shower tomorrow afternoon, hosted by my girlfriends Jill & Jenny. It's a BBQ at Jill's condo... Couples are invited so this will be the first baby shower that Ken will be involved in. I think I'm more excited than he is though... ;-)

Additional Professional Maternity Photos:

http://gallery.me.com/kristi.gilbert#100147