Updates

Disclaimer: I am writing this Wednesday night, so hopefully by the time you are reading this I've had a baby. But let's not get too crazy that this might actually happen. {grin}

• I am 41 weeks pregnant. That's a tie with Drew for longest pregnancy. I am mostly doing okay - nights are hard because I have trouble sleeping. I feel as good as you could hope at this point and am trying to focus on enjoying my last days of my last pregnancy. I'm also enjoying a lot of chocolate. {grin}
• The plan at this point is I will go to the doctor on Friday for an ultrasound. If everything is fine, I will go again Monday for a non-stress test and amniotic fluid index. If everything is fine, I would wait until 42 weeks {12/22} and be induced. So at most I have 1 more week. Seems a looooong way away, ha.
• The upside is Allison and I plan to see La La Land Thursday night when it opens in Austin. If we make it, that would be 6 potential Oscar Best Picture nominees we'd have seen together {Sully, Arrival, Moonlight, Loving, and Manchester By the Sea as the others} and 1 Brent and I rented {Hell or High Water - very good!}. Only a few left to check off with Smoochie in tow!
• The nursery is complete except for a few things that require knowledge of the gender and us having chosen a name {which we have discussed exactly 0 times}. So I want to share it when it's totally done. However, I wanted to brag on my really talented sister. She made 6 signs for the nursery that all have song lyrics I {or we} have sung to our children. Some are also songs that our mom sang to us. I love having these on the wall. So here's my favorite sign and one of my favorite songs {Moonshadow by Cat Stephens}. Isn't it perfect?

• I've been on a motivational kick you could say to gear up for another natural childbirth experience. I'm super excited but nervous {like did I rock Drew's delivery because it was so fast and if this one is long will I lose it? type thoughts}. And there's no room in here for self-doubt! I watched a documentary called Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives. Holy crunchiness. I love Ina May and have several of her books, and this was a great documentary...but man did it show a lot of births. Definitely more than I wanted to see at least!!
• I am trying a ton of natural induction methods - think raspberry leaf tea, walking, jasmine essential oil, evening primrose oil, prenatal massage... I think I've mainly just wasted some time and money because it is a FACT that my babies like it inside!

So that's a quick peak into what is going on around here. Hopefully a birth announcement is just around the corner!

Movie Review: Manchester By the Sea

Allison and I were able to see Manchester By the Sea as a potential {and likely from what I've read} Best Picture nominee. Going into it, I knew very little about it, but the buzz I'd seen online had me excited.

Plot: An uncle is forced to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.

Review: See? That plot really gives nothing away, and I'm so glad it doesn't. This movie was incredible. Allison and I both felt the ending wasn't quite what we hoped for {but we're both eternal optimists}, but it was a real ending for the story. Casey Affleck is amazing - at the beginning I couldn't figure out why his character seemed so bored? unaffected? unconnected? - at one point I wondered if he was autistic - and then when I found out his history, it ripped through me. You see him in a totally different {and devastated} light. The entire cast is awesome, and the story is just so heartbreaking with moments of comedy and lightness and love. I'm giving it a solid A and hope it does well this awards season!