35 weeks

Tom and I are in the midst of a glorious 9-day vacation from school and work (respectively), and have been very busy celebrating! 

First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Tom and I spent the opening four days of our winter break observing this most magical and sacred holiday with our families and relatives. First we drove to Wautoma to spend a couple of days at the Leschke family cottage, where we made chocolate-covered pretzels, ate prime rib, played ping pong and ice hockey, baked cookies, and opened presents. Grandma and Grandpa even honored Baby Leschke’s “first Christmas” with a bag full of goodies just for her.

 

Then we drove from Wautoma to Milwaukee to have our annual Christmas day gathering with the Lyonses, where we visited with our relatives, ate ham, opened gifts, and played trivia. That night we headed back to Oshkosh to meet up with my sister’s family and snuggle our nieces and nephew before exchanging presents the following morning. All the kiddos were spoiled (per usual) including Little Leschke this year, who got a pack ‘n play, toys, books, and even her first gift from “Santa.” That day we headed to Little Chute to conclude our Christmas celebrations with a few of the Vandenbergs, who hadn’t all been together in quite some time. It was a lovely reunion complete with delicious hors d'oeuvres, great conversation, sledding for the little ones, and a commemorative photo at the end.  

What better way to honor the birth of Jesus than to reconnect with loved ones, bring joy to the children in our lives, and give thanks for our many blessings. God is good!

Next, we spent the weekend celebrating my mom’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Mimi!!) and the marriage of two of our best friends, Lauren Meidl and John Bushman. We were privileged to be a part of their wedding party and share in their special day. It was a beautiful winter affair complete with glistening snow, red/black/silver attire, and of course lots of “bling” to complement the sparkling bride…not to mention tons of tears from a certain 8.5 month pregnant bridesmaid ;) It was a wonderful weekend for reuniting with old friends, celebrating love, and delighting in one of the greatest things in life: marriage. Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Bushman!

Today our baby is 35 weeks gestation – only 35 days to go! While it feels good to be in the home stretch emotionally, it doesn’t feel so good physically. I’m not supposed to sleep on my back, but I can no longer sleep on one side for too long before the weight of my ginormous belly makes my hip ache and forces me to turn over; which in turn shifts the baby onto my bladder and makes me have to pee; which in turn wakes me up for at least an hour before falling back asleep and restarting the whole vicious cycle. Plus the hip and back aches that used to appear only after standing or walking for long periods of time are now constant, dull reminders that I'm almost 20 pounds heavier than usual. Sigh.

But I can’t complain, because out of the two of us, I’m sure Baby is much more uncomfortable than I am. She’s running out of room in there now that she’s over 

5 ½ pounds and 18 inches long (about the size of a honeydew melon); and while she’s still kicking, jabbing, and stretching away, she no longer has room to do the body rolls and somersaults she’s used to. On the bright side, Baby now has fully developed kidneys and a functioning liver! She has officially completed her fundamental physical development and will now be spending the upcoming weeks gaining weight. Just don’t tell that to my hips and back…