Halloween and 38 Weeks

With only one day left in October, it is hard to believe that Baby K's birth month is almost here. With the flip of the calendar, we are getting closer and closer to our due date. On Thursday, we went on a tour of the hospital where I will deliver. We have been to this hospital several times in the past, for the birth of both of my nephews as well as lots of friends' babies. It's certainly more real when you are visiting in anticipation of the birth of your own baby! We were in a group with several other future parents as we toured the labor, delivery, and recovery rooms. It was helpful to know where to park and check-in. I'm sure our nerves will be running high the next time we are at the hospital, so hopefully this tour was a good 'practice run.' I had another doctor's appointment this week marking 38 weeks. Everything was again measuring on track, with the baby's heartbeat around 159. The doctor said that she estimated the baby is around 6.5 lbs right now.

This weekend was Wake Forest Homecoming and also the 10th Anniversary of Wake's ACC Championship and Orange Bowl win in 2006. Several of Boomer's friends came in to town for the festivities. JR and Becki came down from Baltimore, and Trey, Lori, and their two boys came up from Florida. On Friday night, we went out to dinner at one of Boomer's favorite local places, Putter's. Then on Saturday, we tailgated at our house before heading over to the stadium. The game was in the afternoon at 3:30PM, so we were back home that evening for dinner and watching more football. Unfortunately the Deacs did not get a win over Army, but it was a fun weekend eating good food, laughing about old jokes, and listening to the guys reminisce of their time at Wake.

The weekend wrapped up with Fall Fest at Triad Baptist Church. We have been going to TBC for over a year now. Megan and Zack started going there first, and now with my parents in Kernersville, they also have been attending TBC. It has been over a decade since we were all together at the same church on Sunday mornings, and it has been nice to do that again. Fall Fest is a fun event each year with trunk-or-treat, hay rides, bouncy houses, and other entertainment for the kids.

 Just for comparison, here are a few pics from Fall Fests past...

One last photo, Cathy ("Granny") was going through old photos this weekend, and she unearthed this gem. Boomer has had a lot of practice being a big brother...let's hope that translates into success as a dad! We may need to work on his technique just a bit... :)

Celebrate Good Times

There has been a lot to celebrate this weekend! Saturday morning started with a birthday party for Sarah and Josh's son, Luke. He turned 2 on October 20th and will soon be a big brother! Then later that afternoon, we celebrated Maddox's 1st birthday with a Mickey-themed party. After leaving Maddox's party, I found out that one of my best friends got engaged! Emily and [her fiancé!] Daniel are planning an April wedding -- so exciting! Here are a few pictures from Maddox's birthday:

Getting Boomer to wear the Mickey ears took some persuading!

I am now going to the doctor every week. I went this past Thursday and again got a good report. The baby's heartbeat was higher this time - 164 beats/min. At previous appointments, it has usually been in the 140s or 150s. I'm not sure what might make the baby's heartbeat change, but given the higher number, my sister and I are now thinking perhaps it could be a girl. (One of the old wives tales is that girls have higher heartbeats than boys.) Just based on this alone, Meg is waffling back to her original prediction that Baby Kennedy is a girl.

We have been checking off to-do items on our baby list. On Thursday, Meg came over to help me pack my bag for the hospital. Also, in between the birthday parties on Saturday, Boomer and I went by one of the local fire stations to have our car seat installed. We have two bases for the car seat, so we installed a base in each of our cars. It is starting to feel more real seeing a car seat in my rear view mirror! There's not too much left to do but wait for Baby K's arrival!



What will Baby K bee?

The past week has been full of fun things! I have a lot to catch up on! Wednesday was a very momentous day -- it marked 36 weeks for mommy and Baby K, and Boomer attended his first baby shower! And not only did he attend the shower, but he was the guest of honor! A couple of weeks ago, Boomer told me that his staff wanted to have a baby shower for us. We were both blown away by their thoughtfulness. Since Boomer started at Forbush just a few short months ago, the staff and the community have been so welcoming. As newcomers, we have felt right at home. Even so, we were surprised and touched that the staff would want to host a shower for us. I was able to get off work to come to the shower, which was a good thing, because Boomer would have been quite out of his element! There were a few other males there (such good sports!), but mostly it was the female teachers at the school. One particularly memorable comment was when Boomer called a set of white onesies "mini wife-beaters." 

The theme of the shower was "What will it bee?" with the cutest yellow and black bee decor. The staff vote was pretty split as to the gender. We'll have to wait and see who got it right! 

Boomer's staff was so generous. An especially cute gift was a "Future Falcon" bib! I loved meeting so many of Boomer's coworkers, and I look forward to introducing Baby K to all of them at various school events throughout the year. We feel so blessed to be a part of the Falcon family. God certainly had His hand in leading Boomer to Forbush. 

Friday night was an away football game at West Stokes HS; then we were back at Forbush on Saturday morning for the annual Forbush Festival of Bands.

Watching the bands brought back a lot of memories from my own high school days: the Friday night halftime shows, going out to Pizza Hut after the game, then back at the school bright-and-early on Saturday for an all-day contest somewhere around the state. Boomer doesn't know much about marching band, so I had to fill him in on all the lingo of 'the pit', airgrams, grand champion, and Dinkles.

After watching a few bands, we headed to Goosie and Darby's house in Asheboro for a family baby shower with both the Kennedys and the Bakewells. It is not often that both sides of the family are together; in fact, I think the last time was at our wedding! We have added a few members since then, and the little kids had fun playing in the yard and helping us open presents. Cathy (a.k.a. Granny) had been hard at work with all the details, and she was so creative with the cutest pumpkin theme. Since it looks like I'm carrying a pumpkin, it was very appropriate! :) Darby is also expecting and due in March.  Although this is her last baby and my first, it's neat timing that we are both pregnant. While together, we also celebrated Kyle's birthday. Of course he didn't want much of a fuss, but there was still cake, candles, and singing.

With everyone's busy schedules, it was special to have the time together. I hope to never take for granted the family support we have on both sides. One thing is for sure: Baby Kennedy is surrounded by love!

Fall is in the Air

The temps have been a little cooler this week, and it is starting to feel like fall. With the chillier weather, I have had to break out some of the warmer maternity clothes I've been given (Thanks, Meg!) It has been perfect timing that my due date matched up with Megan's due date for Maddox. I haven't had to buy a single piece of clothing throughout my whole pregnancy! On top of the maternity clothes, I have to give Megan another big 'thank you!' for her help last week with getting the nursery organized. She helped me wash, fold, organize, sort, and put away all of the wonderful gifts from Baby K's showers. She was such a lifesaver! Instead of being a chore, setting up the nursery was a lot of fun! It was fun to look again at each of the gifts and find a place for everything. Just like with maternity clothes, I haven't had to buy much. Boomer and I did make a trip to Babies R Us this past weekend to purchase our video monitor (with gift cards!) and also these adorable [gender-neutral] newborn onesies.  

As my baby bump gets bigger, I have found that it is a little more difficult to do certain things. Bending down and getting in/out of a car, just to name a few. I also had one unfortunate incident where I almost got stuck in a booth at a restaurant! While some things have been uncomfortable, I feel very blessed to be reaching the 36-week mark with very minor complaints. Overall, I have been feeling healthy and strong. I have continued to workout and do most of the things I have always done. At work, we are in the midst of our heavy recruitment season. Several days a week, I have been off-campus visiting local high schools in the surrounding counties. In addition to these visits during the day, there have also been several college fairs in the evenings. I try to drink a lot of water and then put my feet up when I get home!

My coworker, Megan, and I at the Guilford County CACRAO Fair

Speaking of fairs...

Tuesday was Boomer's birthday (the big 31!), and we celebrated on Wednesday with a trip to the Dixie Classic Fair! The fair always seems to coincide with Boomer's birthday, and we have gone several times in the past. It is always fun to walk around and take in all the sights. We never do any of the rides; we always go for the food! This year, I got a chicken pita, and Boomer got a ribeye sandwich (not pictured) and a deep-fried foot-long hot dog. For dessert, we had the deep-fried chocolate chip cookies - yum! Baby K's first trip to the fair was a success!