a proud papa.

I just knew it when I said that I would love watching Zac turn into a papa. He's taken to that role so well, and it's one of my favorite things watching him with Franz. This past week and a half, Zac's been so eager to show everyone his brand new baby boy: co-workers, his friends and classmates, and even the Human Resources person at his work when he was asking for a little more time off. He's a proud papa. I love these two boys.

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visitors.

Over the last ten days, we've had a few visitors for Franz, and I always try to get pictures of everyone with him. I hope it'll be important to him to see who was there with him when he was so brand new and little. These people are so important to me, and I'm so glad they're here to share this special time with us!

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one week.

My baby boy turned a week old late last night. One week and I already feel like he's been here forever. He's always by my side, and I just love it. I love that he depends on me so much, and that he recognizes me when I hold him and talk to him.

This fellow has acquired a couple of nicknames, including Toad and Froggy, because of the sound he makes when he tries to suck while breastfeeding, but isn't quite latched on. And speaking of breastfeeding, tonight while I was feeding him, he got the hiccups, and every time he tried to latch on, a hiccup would pull him off. He was getting pretty upset about it, and it was darling.

This mister has dimples in his cheeks, and flashes the biggest grins to me and his papa, and has a head full of fuzzy hair. He's got his papa's ears and his mama's eyelashes. He means the world to me, and I can't believe how much I love him. 

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day four.

Today is Franz's fourth day of life. I'd say it's the best one yet. Today, we gave Franz his first sponge bath. He cried and screamed, and shivered little baby shivers that were the saddest thing. Today was also our first outing together as a family of three. We went to Target and bought a few things. I had him in a moby wrap the whole time, and he was so soft and snuggly and didn't make a peep the whole time. It was also the first time I've changed his diaper (Zac's taken over that job, bless that good man's heart) with Zac's help, and it was also the first time he peed while getting his diaper changed. It went on me, Zac, Franz, and the changing pad. We laughed and laughed, and celebrated his 4th pee on his 4th day! 

Today was such a huge difference from yesterday. I've heard that the third day after you deliver is the worst, because all your emotions are out of whack. I'm no exception. I was so, so tired, and crazy stressed because my baby was crying for no reason at all it seemed like (he was really just super hungry, and needed to eat every half hour). I was sore and in so much pain, and was crying the better part of the day. Today was so much better. I got dressed and ready for the day, and actually left the house, which was more amazing than it sounds. I had energy back! I had a mom making me food, doing my laundry, and cleaning my house. Franz mellowed down a bit, and stopped crying so much, and I was so much more calm. And I learned one thing: drugs are good. 

It's so fun getting to know little things about my Franz. Spending all this time with him has been so wonderful, and learning what he likes to do, like stick out his tongue, and use his hands to touch faces and throw fits. And learning that he doesn't like to do, like having his diaper changed (too cold!) and being swaddled (again, his hands!). I could stare at him all day long, and often do, he's so beautiful! Being a mama has been the best thing to happen to me. I have absolutely loved these last four days with my Franz.

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it's a...

We welcomed the cutest little BOY to our family last night!

Everyone, meet Franz Oliver Swenson, born November 13th at 11:27 pm. 

I cannot believe how much I love this little person. It's been nothing but bliss (and exhaustion) so far!

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overdue.

Being overdue means lots of walks around the neighborhood and through the mall. It means cleaning the house and baking pumpkin pie. It means being anxious for this babe to come and thinking "This could be it!" about ten times a day. It means looking at baby clothes hanging up in the nursery closet and wondering when you're going to get to use them. It means bumming around all day and taking cat naps in the afternoon.

Being overdue is not fun, except for the pumpkin pie part.

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40 weeks.

We made it! 40 weeks today, and I'm feeling pretty good. I know a lot of women don't make it this far, and today I'm feeling grateful that I did, and that I've got a healthy babe inside getting stronger and stronger! But with that being said, any day now, baby Swenson. Really, any day.

Last night I was talking to Zac, and telling him how hungry I was after just having eaten a meal at Chick-Fil-A an hour earlier. I told him that I've been starving more frequently lately (if that were possible), and he said, "Maybe you dropped and there's more room in your stomach now." Then I realized that I haven't had acid reflux as bad as before lately, and I felt like an idiot because my husband was more in tune with my pregnancy than I was. So I dropped sometime in the last week or so. I definitely couldn't tell you when it was, only that it's happened. :)

I've taken to walking the mall these last few days I've been off work, trying to get things moving. No signs yet, but I did notice that there are a few elderly couples who also walk the mall the same time I do. My people! I've also been keeping busy cleaning our apartment, because so help me if we come home from the hospital to a messy house.

I've noticed that I've been drooling a lot the past couple of weeks while sleeping. I'm usually a drooler, so it's nothing new, but the amount of drool on my pillow when I wake up is shocking. We're talking a whole puddle. So there's that. That's definitely the weirdest late-pregnancy symptom I've had. I've also had a runny nose for a few weeks, too. 

I feel ready. I'm ready to meet my little babe and hold it and snuggle it. Ready to wear my old clothes again (I know, I still have a few weeks/months until I can. Don't remind me), and to sleep on my stomach, but especially ready to be a mama. :)

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my last day of work.

Last Friday was my very last day of work, and when I came in, my desk was decorated with balloons and streamers, and I thought, "Today is going to be a good day." I still had to do my work, but I got to choose where we went for lunch (Old Spaghetti Factory, because their sour dough bread dipped in their house ranch is amazing!), and a few of us ate all kinds of desserts that the girls I work with brought in that day in the break room while talking about cancer, technology, sickness, and germs, mostly.

Ah, I'll miss these people. I made sure to get a picture of my department and the next one over, and please admire the water spill on my shirt. And what do you know, I'm going in today to give my key back, because I forgot to last Friday. So today is going to be a good day, too. :)

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our last big date.

Last weekend, Zac and I decided to go on one last fancy date, just the two of us, before this baby comes. I told him that I just wanted a fire-grilled pizza, and he took me to Macaroni Grill, where we went to celebrate the news when we found out I was pregnant! 

We ordered so. much. food. And it was amazing. We stuffed ourselves silly, and even had a full meal of leftovers for lunch the next day. Talking about this new babe and what it's going to be like being new parents with this hunk makes me happy. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I cannot wait to see this man I know as a husband turn into a father. I think he'll be so good at it. And dads are hawt!

I'm so excited to start this new adventure with this man! Any day now, baby Swenson!

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39 weeks.

I think it's finally hit me. I want to be done. I want this baby out! I'm so ready to meet him or her, and my body is exhausted and so ready. I'm quite proud for making it to 39 weeks without feeling this way, though, so go me! I can definitely see why women would want to be induced, but I'm still so against it. Unless it's medically necessary, inducing is not an option for me.

A couple of people have asked me when the baby is coming, and I've answered, "Could be tomorrow, could be in two weeks." Then I realize that I could have a baby tomorrow, and if that isn't a trip, I don't know what is (besides actually giving birth... I'm sure that's pretty trippy). With every little cramp and tightness in my belly, I get all worked up. "This could be it!" It hasn't been so far, obviously, but the fact that any little thing could be the start to my labor makes my head spin. 

I'm starting to feel fat now (once again, I'm glad I've made it 39 weeks without feeling like this), but I've noticed that if I get dressed and ready for the day, it makes me feel so much better. I've heard that that's one of the most important things for after having the baby, and I plan on getting ready for the day each day after having this babe. Plus, I'm not much of a sweat pants kind of girl. I'd almost always rather be wearing jeans with my hair and make up done, so I've got that much going for me.

I'm still sleeping through the night about half the time (the other half will be the death of me), and get this: still no stretch marks, and still no peeing my pants. It's a dang miracle, I tell you! I'm hoping to make it all the way to the end. I've started walking around the block every day to see if I can get things moving, but nothing yet. And today, out of pure excitement, I made a list of everything I want on my Subway sandwich that Zac will go get me after the baby's here, because I have been craving one of those this whole pregnancy, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! Footlong ham sandwich, here I come!

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hallow's eve 2013.

On Halloween night, our last holiday as a family of two, Zac and I got ready to spend time with his family. I made some witch's fingers to eat (they grossed everyone out, even myself... excellent!), and Zac taped cotton balls to his hat to finish his costume (any guesses on what he was?!). Then we headed on down to the Swensons.

There, we ate some really good food, like walking taco and homemade chili! On the way down, Zac had texted his mom to ask if there was any walking taco left, since we were coming late. She said yes, and when we got there, it was all gone! Or so the bummed-out Zac thought. Really, they were hiding it the fridge. That was a funny trick, I thought, and it had me laughing!

We had so much fun down there, and ate waaay too much food. And yes, we most definitely took a few pieces of candy from our neighbor's candy bowl she had set out, just like we did last year. Happy Halloween!

PS: I dressed up as trailer trash with a beer belly (had to use that belly somehow), and Zac was a cotton-headed ninny muggins (his idea... he's clever).

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to wichita she goes.

My baby sister, Sara, left for her mission last Wednesday. She'll serve in Wichita, Kansas: land of the corn (as she says, with a half disappointed tone to her voice), and I'm so excited for her!

Last Monday, my whole family went out to eat at a "fancy buffet" (note: no buffets are fancy) in downtown Salt Lake City called The Roof Restaurant. My family took up an entire room, and the conversation was quite loud and interesting, like most Barlocker family dinners are.

Sara and I said goodbye after my mom drove us back to our cars that were parked at the McDonald's off Bangerter. We hugged in the parking lot, and it was kind of sad, but I'm so happy she's doing this. What a strong girl!

I'll miss that little baby sister of mine. 

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finally november.

I celebrated a lot of things today, the first being that it's finally November, the month my little babe will be born. I've been waiting for so long for this month to get here, but it also seems like it crept up on us too quickly. I'll become a mother this month. I'll get to meet my baby. So happy November 1st!

The second was my very last day of work, ever. I will not be going back. I've decided to stay home with my little babe to raise it, and that made me surprisingly nervous today. I had thoughts of What will I do all day? and How will we make it on one income? I've made it my goal to get out of the house at least once every day for the next, I dunno, ten years? I plan on keeping busy and making friends. As far as the one income question goes, we'll be okay. We've got a budget set up, and we'll do well. But my last day of work. I'll miss those people there. My co-workers decorated my desk with balloons and streamers, and brought five kinds of desserts to share! Not to mention that we all went out to lunch where I wanted to go. I will genuinely miss it there, but plan on visiting a few times after the baby comes!

And lastly, these leaves, you guys. The trees just in my complex are so stunning. The last few days, I've come home at the right moment where the sun makes them look golden! So today, in honor of November, I took out my camera and took a few pictures of them, because I know they'll be gone so fast, and that winter will take over  (it's supposed to snow on Monday, for crying out loud!). I wanted to remember fall just a little longer. 

So cheers to November, my baby's birth month!

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