33 Weeks! 04-30-21 to 05-06-2021

 4-30: I worked at the vaccine clinic again today and was able to leave a little early! I was so happy because it gave me the evening free to enjoy and run some errands before our last clinical day tomorrow. Brandon left for Leakey today for a two day cycling event; He's trying to get in all the summer cycling he can before Chandler arrives and I'm so glad he's able to enjoy some really great big last rides for a while! I ordered Jason's Deli wrap and soup for dinner and it was so delicious! Yummy! I picked up some nurses treats at Target and then picked up the students Bundt cake order too. I absolutely hate being away from Brandon but at least I have a full day of work tomorrow so I will be distracted a bit. 

5-1: Last clinical day! I absolutely love the last clinical day each semester! It's always such a fun day and let's be honest, nobody really does anything lol! We of course take care of patients but there's just a lightness about the day that circulates and I enjoy it so much! Everyone is in a good mood and a bit happier than normal. Charmaine and I enjoyed coffee in the cafeteria for a while and then as the lunch hour approached, I had the students all meet in the cafeteria for their final presentations. After they were finished, they surprised me with a Baby Shower! I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't help but cry! They are truly thoughtful and I appreciated it so much! 

We ended up leaving about an hour early on account of the rain (so, so much rain lately in Austin) and thunderstorm warning to make sure all the students got home safely. It was a wonderful last day with my favorite clinical group so far! I have truly enjoyed them and will miss them! I say every semester that my current group is my favorite, but I really think this group is my favorite team so far! 

5-2: Today is the best day! It's BabyMoon Holiday! I slept well, slept in, and then got ready to meet Brandon in San Antonio for our BabyMoon getaway and to also celebrate my 36th birthday! I love when we get a weekend away to just spend tucked away together! San Antonio is a favorite getaway for us because it's close enough to home that we don't have to go far or pack too much, it's a wonderful place for dining/relaxing, and always makes for great memories together! I arrived to Hotel Mokara (an Omni Hotel) and it was stunning! I knew as soon as I got there that we were going to have a wonderful time just the two of us! I got settled in our room and then headed to the Spa because Brandon had booked me a "Mommy to be" 1 hour Prenatal Spa package for my birthday! The Spa was AMAZING! Possibly the best I've been to! The host escorted me to the changing area, provided me with a locker full of all things Spa related, I got changed into a cozy robe, and then headed to the relaxation room. It was so tranquil- I didn't want to leave! My massage itself was absolutely Heavenly and exactly what this pregnant mommy needed! It was so perfect and I only wish it would have lasted another hour, or 2! Everything was exquisite and I am so thankful to Brandon for treating me to such a fancy gift! Once over, I rested in the relaxation room again where the staff surprised me with a delicious chocolate ganache "Happy Birthday" cake! After, I spent another 30 minutes relaxing in the beautiful hot tub area with my legs dipped in! I didn't even mind that I couldn't get in all the way but I will definitely be back post pregnancy to enjoy it! As much as I wanted and could have stayed all evening, I was excited to get back to the room because I knew Brandon would be there! I was so happy to see him and tell him all about my Spa day and hear all about his cycling event. After an amazing shower, I got ready, and we headed to dinner. He surprised me with dinner at Landry's, one of our favorite seafood restaurants! I love Landry's! It was a short 1-2 block walk from the hotel and the food/wait staff were equally wonderful! I had the crab stuffed flounder and Brandon had their Sea Bass! We left so happy and satisfied! Back in the room, we cozied up, watched tv, and just enjoyed being alone together! By 9:00, he was hungry again so we ordered a cheeseburger from room service and snacked on it together! We had the best time together and I will cherish this day forever! We slept great, he even gave in to some birthday love (which we're not supposed to be doing bc I'm on pelvic rest, but we were super careful and gentle) and I so enjoyed the intimacy, and then we met at breakfast, which was delicious! We finally made it home on the 3rd around noon and we spent the day watching movies and reminiscing about all the birthdays we've spent together! It was a wonderful BabyMoon Birthday celebration and I am so in love with my wonderful husband! 

5-4: Requested my Maternity Leave today and am so excited to be off work for a while! God's timing is amazing and because I'm part time at the clinic and now on summer break from teaching, I will have most of May, all of June, all of July, and the majority of August off work and free to spend with my little family and new son! That is amazing!!! Financially, we are prepared for me to be off, bills are paid, no car payments, and rent is paid until September. We have already met our medical deductible from February's hospital visit so are not expecting a large hospital bill from Labor and Delivery. 

5-5: Sonogram Day!!! It's our last sonogram before baby arrives and I always LOVE seeing him!! He is so adorable and starting to fill out his sweet little face! We can see his chubby cheeks now and he is weighing about 5 pounds now! Dr. Capet said he's on track to be 7-7.5 pounds at delivery if everything continues on track! I weighed 137# myself and everything looked good! Brandon met me there and afterward we had a great early dinner at North Italia before coming home to do our first Childbirth class! We really enjoyed it and I was surprised Brandon was so involved! It was a 3 hour virtual class with Kristie Willis, our birthing coach, and we actually learned a lot! It was a great day and we are getting closer and closer to meeting our little guy soon! 

05/06: Today is an extra special day because it's Maternity Photo Day! I picked Silver Bee Photography because we just seemed to click and I also loved the "Belly to Baby" package, which just seemed perfect for us! I started the day early with some errands: picked up the dry cleaning, got my nails painted, and then made dinner early so we would have something to eat before our session. Our session wasn't scheduled until 7pm but we both had a full day of things to do and I of-course needed to make sure all the details of outfits, where to be, directions, etc were all lined out because Brandon had to work all day. Speaking of, he had a positively rotten work day, so much so that I got him a "feel better" pick me up gift and hand written note, and also suggested he skip our session and stay home to rest. Being the man that he is, he wouldn't hear of it and instead, finished his work day, separated the bad day from our special photo session, and pulled it off beautifully! I don't know how he did it but I deeply appreciate him sacrificing his true need to likely stay home and reset to instead go to a photo session with me at the end of a long day, outdoors in the spring heat, and with a photographer we've never met before. I didn't have high expectations honestly and although I was so happy to be having our photos done, I was just worried about Brandon and wanted to do anything I could to make him feel better. I prayed over the situation and that God would give us peace and guide us through it and He heard me! We ended up having a great time and I was so, so happy with how the evening turned out! I got my hair and makeup done at Blo Dry Bar in Lakeway and so enjoyed the pampering! I loved how the stylists each did my hair and makeup and I felt so pretty! I got him in time to help Brandon get ready, get dressed myself, and then off we went! We went to Bull Creek Park where we met Hillarry, our photographer, and she was amazing to work with. She guided us so gently and was so patient with us. I let he in that Brandon had had a really bad day and she was more than happy to take her time with us and capture the special photos that we so wanted! In addition, the weather ended up being beautiful, the location was close to home, easy to get to, and absolutely beautiful! I felt beautiful in my white dress and wedges, Brandon did great during the session, and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome after a rough day beforehand! Thank you Lord for saving this day and taking over to make sure this was a lovely and memorable experience. I am truly grateful!