The Final Countdown {& a Maternity Photo Shoot}

Today marks week 37 of this pregnancy.

Three weeks to go, give or take a day or two.  Hopefully.

I have a hunch that this baby will come before the due date.  I also think that this baby will be smaller than both of the boys.

Or maybe it's less of a hunch and more along the lines of wishful thinking. ;)

I am both reluctant and ready to have this baby.  I would still declare this as my best pregnancy, and as I've previously disclosed that this will be my last, I'm not in a hurry to wish it to end.  I'm wanting to still relish in it a bit, while at the same time, I've been doing a lot of moaning and groaning lately.  The extra weight and size make for some uncomfortable moments, and I'm quite looking forward to wearing jeans that I can button.  In just the last week I've really noticed how much I've grown, and the size of my belly does hinder my ability to do certain things.

I shared with my doctor this last week that I'm finding myself more anxiety-ridden over the delivery of this baby than I was even for Drew's birth.  I'm not sure why that is.  I've done this before - twice - and yet while I know what to expect, you really can't plan exactly how things will go.  Mentally, I have some work to do to find a place of peace and rest before I go into active labor.

And while I have been over-the-moon excited for the arrival of this little one, I know that with that comes major changes for my little family.  Four will become five, and life won't be like it has been for the last four and a half years.  Anticipating this change, and the significant adjustments everyone will have to make, is a challenge.

But this change, the ways in which things will be different than they have been... they're good.

Really, really good.   

To commemorate {if you will} this significant "last" in my life, I wanted to capture myself, and these last few weeks, in pictures.  I really wanted to invest in a professional photographer to get the quality of photographs I was wanting.  However, after thinking more about it and discussing it with Brad, we decided to save those professional costs until next fall for a full family photo shoot, when our family officially numbers five.

So I hired Brad.  Last weekend, we spent a few hours outside, trying to capture me, the boys, and our family.  We had some weather issues (it was cold and breezy) and some camera issues (neither of us are schooled enough in using the fancy thing) but Brad did a really great job, if I do say so myself.  Here are a few of my favorites (my plan is to create a Shutterfly photobook to include all of the images).

Here's to the end of this chapter... and with big, open arms, hello to the next!

Yahoo!!