Week 129

Aug 17-23

Well the longest 2 weeks ever finally came to an end! Ed wasn't supposed to be able to get here until Thursday, but he managed to get permission to leave a day early! Yay! The minute he found out he was able to leave he packed up the Jeep and drove straight here. We were super duper excited and got as much unpacking of the house as possible. I made a pot roast that day so he would walk into a nice welcoming, delicious smell that would feel like "home."

Ahhh...bliss.

Things are finally falling into place after all the stressing out and worrying of the past few months. This is actually the first time Ed has even seen the house besides pictures. He wasn't able to come up to SC and look with me so I was nervous he wouldn't like it. Thank goodness he felt the exact same way I did when I first walked through the doors. The openness of the living space is so inviting and warm. He loves it. Phew!!

Another great thing about Ed coming is that we had more help unpacking. I helped as much as I possible could at nearly 9 months pregnant, but every time I did anything I would get yelled at. "Stop bending over," and "Don't lift that box!" It was pretty frustrating for me because I wanted to do everything my way. I also would get tired after about an hour or so and have to put my feet up and rest. Most of these days I take a nap with Jack because I need it.

One of the neat things about living near family we have realized is that you have plenty of people to rely on. There is my mom, Ed's mom, my brothers and sister, etc. There are so many people to hang out with, invite over, have a meal with, etc. We will never be bored again. My sister is going to Clemson soon for her freshman year of college so we have been enjoying every minute with her. My brothers have come over quite a few times and they will WEAR JACK OUT! It's wonderful! I can cook dinner or do something productive and in the meantime my child is not only occupied, but getting plenty of physical exercise. It is sooooo nice!!!

Jack really loves his new big back yard! There is a little swing set that the previous owners left for us. I think eventually we are going to move it further back to the rear part of the property, but for right now he really likes to play on it. He has lots of grass and a pool to play in as well. It is so nice to have greenery again!

Well this week I actually had my first BPP and it went very well. Baby scored 10/10 and is measuring in at 7 lbs 1 oz already (give or take a pound either way). BIG baby! I am really hoping to go into labor on my own this time and avoid the whole induction thing altogether. I didn't have much luck with it the first time. In fact it was awful. Induction led to epidural, which led to drugs to get my BP up, which led to stressing out baby, etc. It was horrible. I am praying that I go into labor.

In fact, I have planned as many activities as possible from now until D Day hoping that it will induce labor. I figure if I have plans then baby will come. Haha! We are even taking a trip to the beach with my in-laws over Labor Day weekend. My doctor said it would be fine. Myrtle Beach is only 2 1/2 hrs from here. He said there are wonderful facilities there if something emergent should happen, otherwise it's close enough to make it back if I went into a slow labor. Hopefully none of that will happen and we can just have a nice relaxing weekend at the beach. The question is, will I be brave enough to be the 9-month pregnant lady in a bathing suit? Hmm.

Another thing that we did this week was move my sister into her dorm. Jack sure is going to miss his Aunt "Carehine". My mom and I drove the Jeep and Caroline drove her car with her friend Haley to help out. I hadn't been to Clemson since I graduated (which is pathetic). We have just always lived kind of far and the opportunity never really presented itself. It was nice to see the place again. There were definitely some changes but it was still the same old place at heart, especially on campus. I love walking through that campus, it is so peaceful and serene. The saying "there's something in these hills" really holds true. It captivates you. I have SO MANY memories there and now that I live closer and have Caroline as an excuse, will try to visit more often!

It was kind of fun to make a girls day trip. Of course I wasn't allowed to lift anything or do anything so I took pictures. Caroline is living in the infamous "shoeboxes" on the same side of campus I spent my freshman year. I just hope she loves it as much as I did. She is super smart and will get good grades, but I hope she has some fun in there too. Her roommate Lisa seems sweet and they are both neat and outgoing. I think they will get along just fine.

After moving everything in and getting the loft up we went to lunch at TD's. Yummy! I splurged for a meal and just kind of disregarded the whole blood sugar thing for a meal. I figured with all the walking in the 90+ degree heat across campus I would be okay. I had my usual turkey melt with sour cream and chive fries and side of ranch. Delicious!

At the end of the week we got to go to Ed's moms house for Sunday dinner. It was nice to go relax and hang out for the afternoon. She even made a "diabetic friendly" meal that was very good and kept my sugars perfect! Double score! As you all are well aware Ed recently graduated with his Bachelors degree (with a 4.0!!!!). Since we were in the middle of the move he didn't want the actual degree to get lost so he had it mailed to his moms house to be on the safe side. He finally opened it and saw it! I know when I graduated there was nothing like actually opening that thick cover and seeing your actual diploma. There is something different about reading it, holding it, looking at the fancy gold writing and neat fonts with YOUR name on it! I am so proud of him!

Of course Jack had a blast. Grandma had plenty of goodies for him as usual! I remember the days of being little and going to Grandma's house. You got to eat and drink whatever your little heart desired. I think Jack has already tuned into the fact that he can get away with whatever he wants to at Grandma's house. When we left Grandpa Harvin showed him the sirens on his Denali. As the County Coroner you get to have a badge, lights, and all kinds of sirens on your car. Jack thought it was neat!

It was a very busy week for us! We are now at the mercy of a BPP every week and waiting for this baby to get here. We are pretty much unpacked, but still rearranging last minute things and getting the house "organized." The next thing in line is to set up Jack's fireman room. We also need to get the baby's area straightened out. The changing table fits in our room and I think the crib might just fit too! We can't seem to find one of the legs to the bassinet so we might just scrap it and put up the crib. I love that crib and I hate to see it in the garage anyway.