6 more days

Hallelujah!  Being able to say there are just days left feels awesome!  I just have to say that despite my anxiousness to meet this precious little baby and move on from pregnancy life, I have to express my gratitude and thankfulness for this pregnancy.  In comparison it truly has been an easier and more enjoyable pregnancy, and I have really felt pretty great throughout the entire thing.  I know that my efforts to eat better and exercise have made a difference, not toting around an extra twenty pounds.  As I carried my 30 lb two year old up the stairs last night, I found myself breathing a little harder once I reached the top.  I thought how difficult it would be to carry that extra weight non-stop.  I will have a 6 week break from the exercise as I recover from the c-section, but I know if I want to get my pre-baby body back I will have to keep up the hard work.  Jared started the P90X exercise program a couple weeks ago, and I think I will join him when I get the go ahead.  I am so excited to have this baby.  I am so curious to see what he will look like!  Will he have a full head of hair like Porter did?  Will he be a big baby like Porter was?  Will I be able to nurse him?  Am I ready for exhaustion?  I am planning on staying in the hospital for four days this time... solely to reap the rewards from our Aflac Insurance.  I have mixed emotions.  I know that I will miss my little Porter terribly, and will want to be home seeing him interact with our new baby.  But I also think it will be nice to have time to bond with this new baby, try and figure out nursing without a lot of commotion, and be catered to by the wonderful nurses.  So crazy to know that one week from now I will have a tiny little baby in my arms again.  I am blown away at how little newborns are... I saw a baby at church yesterday and couldn't believe how tiny he was.  His mother said he was two months old, and huge compared to his 6lb cousin that was just born.  What?!  Well, here are some random updates about the end:

• Heartburn is more frequent.  Only once a week or so, but ouch!
• Can't see by looking, but realized I have a little bit of swelling in the legs when an indentation stayed for 30 minutes yesterday.
• Baby movement has decreased... I'm sure he's crammed in there.
• Most uncomfortable feeling is the back aches.
• Still feeling pressure.
• Skin on my tummy is hurting... I'm hoping I don't get stretch marks during this last week!
• Baby always has the hiccups!
• Still love ice chips.
• Scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast is still my go-to breakfast.
• Trying to decide on baby's name... hoping that seeing his little face will be a deciding factor.  (Tried to get Porter to name the baby by:  pointing to Porter "what's your name?" Porter;  pointing to mom, "what's my name?" mommy;  pointing to dad, "what's his name?" daddy;  pointing to mommy's tummy "what's his name?" baby brother.)
• Despite all these, I still have energy to: cook dinner every night, keep up on the laundry, keep a clean house, work in the yard, plan weekly date nights, and go on fun outings with Porter.  That's got to tell you something, right?
• Oh yeah, at my last doctor appointment today I was measuring a week small and the doctor asked how big baby 1 was- 8lbs, 11 ounces.  His prediction for this baby is 7.5 lbs.  My prediction, 8 even, maybe a little under. 

Here is my latest and final baby purchase to be ready! Love it!

And here are some shots of Porter during his 1st days.... ahhh!