Dear Baby Girl,

I can't believe how active you've been this week! You are constantly moving around...I hope you are getting enough sleep so you can continue to grow big and strong. Mommy had a busy week meeting all of her new students. I hope you liked hearing all of the stories that I read to my class this week. We already have a lot of books for you and mommy and daddy can't wait to read to you. I was so tired on Friday when I got home from work that I was sleeping on the couch before daddy even got home. We had to postpone our date night since I was too sleepy. Today, my friends from church had a baby shower for us. It was so fun to celebrate you with some of dearest friends. They are all so excited to meet you. My friend Caitlin even made you your very own onesies. Mommy and Daddy don't really don't what to expect after you're born but we do know one thing...you will be well loved! See you in 8 weeks!

Love,

Mommy

PS. Your daddy is also writing you a weekly letter that I will save in a special place for you. He is a little more private and doesn't want it posted on mommy's blog.
Homemade onesies from my dear friend, Caitlin. She is a very talented artist and made the design and screen printed it onto the onesies. Skattie means, "little treasure" in South Africa ( Caitlin is from S. Africa).

Here are some picture of our freshly painted dining room. Joe fell in love with the fish artwork which complemented our dining room set quite nicely. Then, we (actually Joe) decided to paint the wall. I've been wanting green somewhere in the house and Joe finally agreed. I think it turned out really well!

(view from the kitchen)

(view from the formal living room)

I got my green and Joe got his fish...Marriage is about compromise, right?

My Friend, Teresa and I went to the American Idol Live Concert last night. Her husband bought the tickets as a surprise birthday present for her. It was a ton of fun seeing all of the idols that I devoted hours upon hours watching last January through May. Teresa and I really enjoyed the girl time since we don't get to hang out much since she is a busy mom of 3 kids (four and under). She is pretty much super mom in my book. The coolest thing was discovering that I live 10 minutes away from a really neat outdoor concert venue! Who knew?!? The funny thing was that today was the first day of school and I got about 6.5 hours of sleep last night. The day went fine but I'm definitely wiped out now!

Casey James was definitely a crowd favorite...I wonder why?!! ; )

Joe has been taking on a ton of projects around the house (Is there a male version of nesting?) so I decided to take my 31 week picture in front of my freshly painted dining room. I'm so excited because I finally have a green wall in my house!! I'll do a before/after picture once everything is completed.

Dear Baby Girl,

We had a very busy week this week since it was time for mommy to go back to work. I think you liked hearing all of the voices throughout the week because you were moving around constantly. You are very popular around the school and everyone is very excited to meet you. I even had a couple of students from last year come find me so they could see how much you've grown. Your daddy is already starting to spoil you and bought you the cutest green onesie at the M&M store in Las Vegas. I know you're always on his mind, even when he is traveling. I love you and can't wait to see you in 9 weeks.

Love,

Mommy

A couple of weeks ago I made a goal to document my last 10 weeks of pregnancy with a weekly picture. I was realizing that I hadn't taken too many pictures of my little girl inside me. Along with each weeks picture, Joe or I will include a letter to our baby. I am hoping this will help me remember every detail of this amazing journey.

Dear Baby Girl,

Your daddy and I have finally agreed on the most perfect name for you...Mia. Mia means blessed; girl of mine. Everything about the name Mia seems to suit you. People might think I'm crazy but you already seem like a Mia to me. We are still working on your middle name and have taken naming you very seriously. Watching you grow inside of me over the last 30 weeks has been the most magical thing I've ever experienced. Even though I am so excited to meet you, I really want to treasure and remember these last 10 weeks as you are nestled inside of me. I can sit on the couch for hours just watching my belly shake as you move around. It makes your daddy smile when he gets to share these special moments. It's amazing how much I already love you and want nothing but the best for you.

I've been working very hard to eat healthy foods and avoid anything that could cause harm to your growth. I've also been trying to continue to exercise. I wonder what it feels like when I go for a run. I hope it's a soothing, comforting experience for you. Everyday I pray for you to grow healthy and strong. I have a peace that God is taking care of you which is why I wasn't surprised at my last doctor's appointment when my nurse told me your heartbeat is strong and you're measuring perfectly. I love you baby girl!

Love,

Mom

I usually only post when I have pictures but I can't seem to find my battery chargers (yes, I lost both of them) for my cameras so I haven't been taking as many pictures lately!

Joe has been traveling about 3 days out of every week trying to get all travel taken care before our little girl gets here. : ( Luckily, his travel only takes place during the week so we have the weekends together. Last weekend, we hosted our very last young marrieds group. During our meeting, we layed out our plan for the new, more commitment based group for couples who are starting to plan a family. We are planning on starting the group in January and only offering it to our friends currently in our young marrieds group. Our plan is to have a small group of friends that can build intimate relationships and ultimately "do life" together. We've already had two couples commit and Joe and I are really excited for this next season of life!

I have been going into work this past week trying to get my classroom ready. Our teacher work week starts on Monday and school officially beings Tuesday, August 24. I'm so excited for the beginning of the school year but also nervous about my energy level. Teaching full-day kindergarten at the beginning of the year is quite exhausting normally, I have no idea how i'll feel being 30 weeks pregnant!

I had a doctors appointment this week and everything still looks great! Her heartbeat is nice and strong and she (my belly) is measuring right on track. I am happy to say that according to the doctor, I've only gained 18 pounds so far! When the doctor was checking the baby's heartbeat, she noticed that I was having a contraction. She then asked, how frequently my stomach has been contracting and I had no idea. I was expecting a contraction to be painful (which I understand that they will be). My nurse decided to make sure I wasn't dilated at all since I clearly haven't been counting contractions. Good news...I haven't dilated at all and everything is nice and tight. I'll be honest, I still have no clue what the contraction feels like!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

I can't believe that Joe and I were married two years ago today. The biggest changes for us in the past year have been buying our new house and getting pregnant, both of which were planned with a lot of thought and prayer.

Since Joe had to leave for a business trip today (our anniversary), we celebrated yesterday. We went to the Melting Pot for lunch (this is kind of our tradition since Joe took me to the Melting Pot after we got engaged).

Then, we went mini-golfing! I've been wanting to go mini-golfing for a long time so it was the perfect day to do it.

I'm so excited to see what the next year has in store for us. Everyday, I feel so blessed to know that I married my best friend and the perfect match for me. I love you hunny!