Officially One Week Out

We are officially one week away from our due date. It is so crazy to think about! What's even crazier is that he really could be here any day now.

He wanted to prove to us yesterday that he is stronger than the powers of the full moon, so he is sitting pretty cozy. Hee Suk is still convinced he will come this week, and as for me, I am trying to stay away from guesses in order to preserve my sanity. The whole guessing game just doesn't work so well for me, so I am happy to just take each day as it comes.

The crib is all ready to go and looks gorgeous. I have been lazy with pictures, and we have it covered with one of our extra blankets for now anyway to keep it poppin' fresh for when he decides to come. You will see plenty of it after he arrives, though. ^^


After much debate, we decided to splurge on a Fisher Price Rainforest Bath Center. We both really like the net attachment for newborns, so we decided the ease, convenience and peace of mind were all worth the extra money. It arrived today, so we are happy.

The hospital bag is all packed and ready to go. I've got a little checklist of last minute things I'll need to throw in and grab, but otherwise, we are in great condition. Hee Suk has been running through ways to help me manage my pain so that he knows at least a bit of what to expect (who can ever truly know?), so I think we're both feeling a bit more confident.

I've hardly had much of an appetite at all. Hee Suk thinks I drink far too much water (I must admit that with dinner especially, I do drink a lot more than I should), but all I really want at times is something to drink. This usually ends up being water, my milk or some kind of juice. Otherwise, I usually want some simple kind of bread product. It almost seems my appetite has cycled back to the first trimester in a way since I have been wanting french fries and ice cream, but I am still able to eat just about anything. Hee Suk always asks me what I want to eat, but I am such a pain that I ask him what he's in the mood for and try to follow that unless my body seriously objects. That's proven to work pretty well so far.

I have an aversion to sandwiches now, though. This works well, though, as I have switched over to salads with turkey and boiled eggs. Yum~

We have been going out on daily exercise excursions. It was so cold yesterday, so we went out to Yongsan to just walk around and see how things were there. It's been awhile since we were last there, and we were so surprised at how many shops were closed and being replaced. We're trying to figure out where to go tonight, as it is still very chilly.

Exchanges
Baby clothing here is often just not nearly as cute as items you can find in the states. It is also way overpriced and not sized for newborns. As last week was my last week of teaching (for the most part), we received a couple of kind gifts that we just never saw ourselves really getting to use. We found out that it is actually ridiculously easy to take the items in and exchange them for something else, so we did. The first one we received, we wound up exchanging for a little pillow since Koreans are overly concerned with beautiful head shapes. (Don't worry, it will only be used during hours of alertness.)

For the other item we exchanged, we got him two little plush toys with shakers inside. One is a little teddy bear on a ring, and the other is a cow on a wristband (slightly different from what is pictured). One of my favorite things my mother send over is this little armband with a dog on it, so I was happy to get another one. I just love imagining our little one shaking his arms around, not knowing what's going on, and later on down the line discovering what it is that is making that sound.

Exchanging the second item wound up being an adventure, though...

Despite the rain on Saturday, we decided to go to Lotte Department Store in Myeongdong since I needed to be out and walking anyway. There are buses in front of our place that drop you off right at the main entrance, so we didn't see it as a big deal. When the bus came, Hee Suk got on first. I stepped up with my right foot, but I wound up slipping forward and smashing my left shin into the bus, wallet flying from my hand to where Hee Suk was. All I can say is that hurt. It is getting better, but it still aches with a little pressure. The rest of our trip was pretty uneventful, thankfully.

We discovered later, though, that our little cow must have been a sample because some of the stitching had already busted through and the band looked a bit stretched, so we wound up going to another location to re-exchange that on Sunday. He is in the wash right now with his little teddy bear buddy. ^^

Paran Photos
Tomorrow is the date by which they promised to send our photos to us, so hopefully, we will see them then. I still fail to see why it takes weeks upon weeks to pick three photos and touch them up, but oh, well. I just hope they pick photos that we both like! We all know that everyone has a different concept of beauty at times...

Tomorrow
Anyway, we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow that should be pretty quick. She will do another pelvic exam to check for any potential progress and just check him quickly to make sure he is alright. Though the numbers don't truly mean much timing wise, I am interested to see if any progress has indeed been made. All I really care about is no more blood draws! No more NSTs (unless we go more than a week overdue)!

For when we do head to the hospital...
We'll be keeping it more under wraps. I love my friends, but I won't be able to handle feeling responsible for keeping so many people updated on our progress, especially if there are any sorts of emergencies. I think even more so is that I won't be able to handle knowing so many people are anxiously awaiting an update after catching wind that we've headed to the hospital. After he is born, we'll make announcements and certainly share pictures. ^^

At any rate, I need to get ready to go out and walk around a bit. Hopefully, I will be posting those pictures tomorrow!

Lord, You have so greatly blessed us, in big ways and small alike. You know exactly how much we can handle and have been with us through our toughest times. Thank You so much for always thinking of me, even though I so often fall short of Your glory. I do not deserve Your blessings, but You continue to pour them down on me. Thank You so much, my Lord.