Week 33

  Zach and I had a good week and Jackson was active every day!! This was my last week with the schoolers full time and I am a little sad to leave them. I have been working with them all summer now and we have finally started to get into a routine. The summer VPK teacher is taking off the last week of school so I am headed back to Tavares next week. I am excited about seeing some of the kids from my last class but very nervous about the hours. I will be working 8 to 5 everyday, whereas this summer I have been working 9 to 3 straight, but I will be getting a break during the day so that might be nice. Zach and I stayed busy this week with work and doing stuff around the house. Thursday Monica and Dewayne come over for dinner from the beach and it was so nice to see them! Friday was a rare treat and we went to Altamonte Springs to check out the new baby store there, Buy Buy Baby, and out to dinner afterwards. It was a great night and really the first time Zach has gone shopping with me for Jackson so it was fun to watch him get excited about all stuff. He picked out a couple outfits for him and we got him some cloth diapers. I also found some Eric Carle board books and Zach found him a little Critter book- My Dad and Me. Jackson will have lots of books to choose from and I can’t wait for him to get here and find out what his favorites are! Another highlight for Zach was a Star Wars onesie and  Pearl Jam lullaby cd- it is interesting and hopefully will help him like all types of music. We are getting so excited to meet him! Saturday Zach and I worked in Jackson’s room again and he hung shelves, some pictures, and helped me move things around. I also started washing his bedding and we set up his bed for when he comes home- next will be his clothes. Saturday afternoon we drove to New Smyrna and got to visit with Zach’s mom and grandparents before walking the beach with Monica and Dewayne. Afterwards we met up with Megan, Richard, Tracy, Michael, and all the kids for dinner before they all went go-carting! It was fun getting to see everyone for the night. Sunday after church I went to a baby shower held for Sommer, a girl from our church who is due just weeks after us! Later that night we took dinner over for Courtney and John’s 6 year wedding anniversary. Courtney has been sick all week and did not really feel up to going out for the night we shared dinner with them and it was a visit. It is so amazing to see marriages with God as the center and we love them so much!

  This week Jackson is 4.5 pounds and around 19 inches, gaining about half a pound a week on average. He may grow a full inch this week and may double in weight by delivery- hopefully not quite double. Now that he is so big inside the uterus, amniotic fluid is maxed out. Antibodies are also being passed from me to Jackson to help develop his own immune system. These antibodies will definitely come in handy on the outside to help protect him from all the germs at school and on the playground. The bones in his skull are still not all fused together making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal, while the rest of his skeleton is continuing to harden. The bones in his skull will not entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissues expand during infancy and childhood. His eyes are now staying open while he is awake and he is moving more on a schedule. I am getting hot more often, which will not change until after he is born because my metabolic rate is through the roof. I have also had episodes of “baby brain” more which is very frustrating to both Zach and I. There are times when I am talking and will just forget my train of thought- God is definitely working with us both on patience in this department. I am also finding it harder to get comfortable at night because it is hard to move around and my arms fall asleep in certain positions. Zach said I am also starting to “nest” because I am so worried all the time about finishing everything before he gets here. Overall though, I am doing well and still able to make it through a workday with a short nap afterwards. Zach has also been a huge help and really makes it easy to get things done. 

  This is a durain fruit   

Week 33

Jackson's Nursery

His crib!! I can't wait to bring him home:)