(note: this was actually taken 3 weeks ago.)

officially in the single-digit week countdown! so weird. this boy has been kicking and moving and pushing in such funny ways lately. he went from ninja kicks and punches, to subtle wiggles, to very clearly trying to stretch and/or escape. pretty sure my ridiculously short torso is making it hard for him to get comfortable, haha. last night i was laying in bed going through flashcards, and every time i would set a stack of flashcards down on my belly, he would wiggle, push, and kick so much that my flashcards would fall off my stomach! so fun to watch. my belly started looking like a wave pool after awhile haha. i've had all sorts of comments thrown at me, from, "you look great," to, "you sure you're not having twins?" haha i try to take it all in stride. let's be honest, i look like i'm smuggling a basketball everywhere i go. and i'm okay with that. this boy is healthy as can be, and in two and a half short months he will be turning our world upside down! as for me, i am officially puffy… everywhere. i think the term "cankles" doesn't even do these tree trunks justice. my feet look like soft marshmallow pillows, my toes more sausagey than they were before, and my fingers? let's just say i haven't even tried to put my wedding ring on for a few months now.

things have been stressful/exciting the last little bit. i am half way through finals week (i seem to always find time to post when i should be studying), and will be done with my first year of hygiene school on thursday! whaaaat? so insane. mat is on overload at work, working 4 different positions and putting in a ridiculous amount of overtime. hopefully that will be alleviated soon, but in the meantime, i have been trying to make sure he knows how much i appreciate him working so hard to support me through school, and make sure we have all our ducks in a row for little mister to join us. he is honestly going to be the best dad! the other night we were at his parents house, and he started playing with rowe and they literally ran around and chased each other for 20 minutes, up until he got too tired. rowe tried to egg him on for a few minutes, then disappeared, and we found him crashed spread eagle on mat's mom's bed haha. mat and rowe have a serious bond, and it just makes me so excited that my son will have such an amazing dad to look up to.

i feel like i have been gushing a whole lot lately, but i just can't help it! no matter how stressed mat is over work, or how overwhelmed i am over school, or how messy (read 'disastrous') our house is, i can honestly say that i am so happy. and that is a big deal! i could have never imagined being so content in this stage of life we're in, with how chaotic it is, but i have a top-notch husband, and that's really all i need to keep me grounded right now. our future is bright as far as i'm concerned.