A Long, Wordy Post-Holiday Update

Well, we're back from the whirlwind holiday tour! We spent five relaxing days in Temperance with Jason's family where we got to spend time with his brother, Andy, which we don't get to do a lot, and actually had lots of down time, which was especially strange for Jason since he never gets much time to just hang out without working on school stuff. He had a brief glimpse into what summers are like for teachers (perk #1, I'd say) - although his summer will be spent taking care of a baby!

We spent Christmas Eve having a delicious dinner with the Burghardts, followed by gifts and board games (and LOTS of cookie consumption!).

Jason and I exchanged gifts on Christmas morning, then headed up to Saginaw to stay with my family for five days. My brother, Justin, was in from Denver (first time we've seen him in a year!) and we got some VERY exciting news from the Hanson clan (see the below image for the cousins' "first picture" together!). Erin is due in July with baby #4 and, as you can see, this picture will be much cooler in retrospect since right now it just looks like a comparison between my giant orb and Erin's normal, slender figure...Still, we're thrilled that the cousins will be so close in age and we can't wait for them to meet!

Another highlight was getting a prenatal massage from the lovely Traci Rapin, which I'm convinced gave me a whole new lease on life. My hips were pain-free for an entire day and a half afterward (the longest relief I've had since about month 3)! She also gave Jason a little tutorial on how to massage away some of my discomfort during these last weeks and while I'm in labor. I'm eternally grateful to her!

The strangest thing about the trip was saying goodbye to everyone knowing that the next time we see them we will have a third member of our little family! Reality really set in as we were on our way home (finally - home!! Seeing loved ones sure is great, but there's nothing quite like being home, sleeping in your own bed!) and we realized that the only thing we have left to do is wait for the big moment.

I'll try to update this more often as the big day gets closer. Until next time, here's me at 37 weeks 2 days.

33 Weeks

This is me about a week ago at 33 weeks preggo. I seem to look bigger every day now, so things have probably changed since this picture was taken 5 days ago...We are really starting to count down the days now, which is both exciting and a little scary! About 6 weeks to go!

Jason and I took a tour of the labor and delivery floor at the hospital this week - can you say reality check?? It was helpful to see where our little babe will be making his/her first appearance - makes me feel somewhat more prepared for the big day - but it definitely made us realize how quickly that day is coming (every other expectant mom on the tour was due AFTER us! Yikes!).

We're starting to look forward to Christmas when we'll make our final tour of Michigan before there are three of us!

Hawaii "Babymoon"

Jason and I got home yesterday from a wonderfully relaxing vacation in Hawaii. The weather was perfect - around 80 degrees and sunny every day! We spent time at the beach, by the pool, and did a lot of walking around Honolulu. I presented at a conference on our last day there, and that went really well! All in all, we had a great trip and soaked up all the sun and quality Brenna-and-Jason time we could (before the madness of the holidays and baby's arrival get here!). Every time we travel, we're reminded of how much fun we have together and what a great team we make! (Jason sure does make a great travel buddy when preggo swollen feet need rubbing on an airplane!)

Here are some pictures from paradise...

1st Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower in Toledo last weekend. Joni and Holly did a wonderful job - everything looked so cute in black and green polka dots and the food tasted great! Unfortunately I got distracted and didn't take any pictures that day, but believe me when I say it was beautiful :^)

We got so many wonderful things - all kinds of clothes, bath supplies, toys, strollers, pack 'n play, hamper, and so much more! I can't believe how lucky we are to have so many generous people in our life! And I still have two more showers to go!!

So I did take one picture - This is our car when we got home from the shower, packed to the gills with baby supplies! Thank you to everyone who came and celebrated with us!

Last weekend we put the crib together and started decorating the baby's room. It's exciting to see it all come together and check some big things off our ever-expanding to-do list!

Jason kept trying to socialize...

...but eventually got back to work!

I helped, too! We love this wall decal we found to brighten up the room.

Finished products!

2 Year Anniversary

This past weekend we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Looking back at the past year, we realized how much has changed and how far we've come. We feel so lucky to have each other and so much to celebrate!

We started out the night by going to the spot where Jason
proposed over 3 years ago...

and walked around downtown Grand Rapids on a beautiful night!

Then we had dinner at Cygnus 27 (where we ate before Jason proposed).
It was a perfect evening :^)

Here I am at 25 weeks...definitely looking and feeling big these days!

Baby stats this week: weighs almost 2 lbs; eyes can open and close; measures about 13 inches and is gaining weight quickly!