A baby's coming!

Guys. On Saturday, I will be 33 weeks pregnant. 33 weeks.

To put that into perspective, the doctor said they will likely induce me by 38 weeks. That means Wheat and I have five more weeks to get ready. I REPEAT - FIVE MORE WEEKS.

Are we ready? Not even close. We're still slowly chipping away at the incredible baby shower gifts we've received, finding spots for them in our one-bedroom apartment and purging things we don't need anymore. Babies are small, but man, they come with a lot of stuff.

We haven't set up the bassinet, installed the car seat, or found a pediatrician for the little one. We've applied to day cares that have year-long waiting lists - I wish I was exaggerating. And though I'm totally freaked out by all the changes coming, I'm also starting to get excited.

27 weeks, 6 days. Poor girl might have her mom's overbite.

So, how is the pregnancy going?

My short answer is fine. When people ask me how I'm feeling, my answer is honestly good. I don't feel bad, especially compared to some of the horror stories I've heard. I'm not really swelling, I walk all the time, and I don't really feel like I can complain. I'm definitely slowing down - it's getting harder to stand up, bend over, walk around, etc. I'm feeling some pelvic pain and sleep is getting more uncomfortable, but in the grand scheme of things? I'm pretty lucky.

However.

A few weeks ago, I failed my glucose test. This meant I had to take another glucose test, one that lasted three hours and included four blood draws. Unfortunately, I failed that one, too, which means I've been officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes. The good news is that this goes away for almost all pregnant women once the baby is born. The bad news is that until she comes, I am pricking my finger four times a day and keeping track of my blood sugar. This also means I'm eating like a rabbit on a borderline keto diet and haven't had bread, pizza, fries, ice cream, etc. in over three weeks and counting.

I'll be honest - I had a bit of a meltdown when I was first diagnosed. I've never really paid attention to my diet and now I'm extremely limited on what and when I can eat. So far, I've been able to keep my numbers under control with diet and exercise (which means no insulin shots!), but it really sucks. Pregnancy cravings are a thing of the past.

The gestational diabetes, coupled with my high blood pressure (which is also being well-controlled with medicine for now), mean that I'm considered a high-risk pregnancy. Because of that, I have at least three appointments every week until the baby comes. As you can probably imagine, that's not very convenient for a person with a full-time job.

So, I guess the real answer to how my pregnancy is going is complicated. On one hand, I feel pretty lucky. On the other hand, I want to punch my placenta and pancreas and dive headfirst into a giant Wendy's frosty. The good news? I mentioned up there - only FIVE MORE WEEKS.

Some traditional bumpdate stuff because I'm nothing if not basic:

Food Cravings/Aversions: Yes, but I can't indulge them. I've been eating so many salads and here's a serious question - is there such a thing as eating too much avocado?

Maternity Clothes: Nope. Nothing more than the stretchy pair of jeans I bought a couple months ago. People are shocked I'm still wearing jeans every day. Perk of being overweight, maybe?

Sleep: It's getting tougher and tougher to get comfortable. I wake up several times in the night, but I read that that is my body preparing me for what's to come. Kinda cool.

Baby Shower(s): I already recapped the incredible Harry Potter-themed shower that Jenn threw for me. In addition, my awesome coworkers threw an adorable shower for me at work, complete with a taco bar, cake, and ice cream. I may or may not have indulged a little that day - sorry, blood sugar reading.

Looking Forward to: Getting completely ready for Baby Hotch. Nesting is something I love in my normal life, so it feels really good to get things prepared. Wheat and I assembled a dresser for her without killing each other, so that felt like a major achievement. We also start birth and baby classes next week, so I'm excited to tour the hospital and get some more info.

Missing: My mom. I just miss my mom. I still can't believe I'm doing this without her. She has three grandchildren on the way and she'll never meet them. It destroys me on a daily basis. Wheat and I went to the zoo on Mother's Day to honor my mom - she loved nothing more than animals.

Wheat: Still killing it. Surprised? He has been so supportive with my diet and exercise changes and did some major purging of our apartment. Anyone that knows him knows he'll be the best dad. I can't wait to see it.

Life lately...with zero mention of being pregnant!

As per the usual, I've been slacking in the blog department. I'll give you a self-absorbed pregnancy update tomorrow, but today, you get all the non-pregnancy-related things that have been happening in my world. Buckle up.

Game of Thrones. Duh. Like the rest of the planet, I've been obsessing over/critiquing watching the final season of Game of Thrones. Though I have some serious gripes with some of the plot choices (Jaime deserved better, can Bran just...warg out of the show?), I'm pretty satisfied overall with the outcome and bummed to see it go. For the premiere episode of the season, LP and Elizabeth had a (night's) watch party at their place and I showed up with all the fervor and decorating prowess of an overzealous PTA mom. Sorry not sorry, folks.

Pacers Season Ended. Sadly (or perhaps not), the Pacers were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. While I'm always happy to have my husband back home and get the off-season underway, it was pretty sad to see this super likable team get bounced so early in their postseason run. I was able to attend Games 3 and 4 this year, so no complaints here.

Scarlett turned 3. How is it possible that this beautiful, squishy girl is so grown up?! Her birthday party was Spirit-themed (that's her favorite show) and check out the incredible cake her Aunt April made. So much for my overzealous PTA mom talk...

 ...and speaking of my brother and his dreamy family, they are adding TWINS to the clan in November! I'm still in shock, but so beyond excited to see my little girl grow up with a crew of cousins so close in age.

Visitors. I've been super lucky the past few weekends to have some of my best friends in town. The weekend after my baby shower, Morgan, Hannah, and Jenn came to spend some quality time. Then last weekend, CJ, Eric, TJ, Jenn, and Emerson (is she not the cutest? Proof below.) came for a mini Derailed reunion of sorts. There's honestly nothing I like better than having my favorite people in town.

Odds and Ends. Spring has officially sprung in Indy, complete with thunderstorms, lots of blooming flowers, and baby ducklings on the canal. I can't stop listening to "Cool" by the Jonas Brothers and Wheat won't let me live it down. Dad had ear surgery a few weeks ago and I went home to chauffeur him to and from the hospital and make sure he was okay overnight. We saw an advance screening of Yesterday at the Indianapolis Film Festival and I highly recommend it.

...and that's about it. Life has pretty much revolved around doctor's appointments and preparing for the baby lately, but more to come on that tomorrow.

The most MAGICAL baby shower!

A couple weekends ago, Jenn threw me (and baby Hotch) the Harry Potter baby shower that dreams are made of. When asked awhile back, I told her that I'd like a Harry Potter theme and she absolutely blew me away with the level of planning and effort she put into it. I literally felt like I was transported on the Hogwarts Express to the Great Hall. As soon as I walked in and saw the floating candles in the doorway, I burst into tears.

You can't BUY friends like this, folks. Not even with knuts, sickles, and galleons.

Seriously. Every detail was flawless. From the names of the food - Ravenslaw, the Charcuterie of Secrets, My Patronus is Pulled Pork, and my personal favorite, Sloppy Cho - to the amazing Honeydukes station filled with chocolate frogs, golden snitches, Bertie Bott's, chocolate and licorice wands, Fizzing Whizbees, and the cutest cookies I've ever seen, I was in heaven everywhere I turned.

She set up a Platform 9-3/4 and made the cutest prop with Daily Prophet headlines for photo stations. She even decorated the bathroom with Moaning Myrtle on the mirror and a sign for the Ministry of Magic posted above the toilet. To say this muggle was thrilled would be an understatement.

On top of all this, I had the most incredible friends and family come from all over to help me celebrate. My sister came from North Carolina, my mother-in-law came from Texas, and I had friends come from all over the state of Ohio to shower this baby with love. I even had a dear friend come just two weeks after having her own baby! My dad, who cooked the delicious pulled pork, and Wheat even came to the shower at my request, despite probably feeling strange as the only guys.

Initially, I was worried that not having my mom there would dampen the mood or cast a dark cloud on the event. But while I was painfully aware of her absence and wished so desperately she could be there, I felt so well-loved and taken care of. It was overwhelming. So many of the incredible women in my life, from high school friends to college friends to family, gathered together to lift me up, support me, and let me know I'm not alone. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I just felt lucky.

...and man! We walked out of there with two cars loaded with baby necessities. Like I said, it was overwhelming. Someone must have had a little Felix Felicis potion for breakfast...