Holidays Have Finally Arrived!

I am so excited for the Holidays this year! My memory doesn't always serve me and I can't discern whether or not I'm actually MORE excited than usual, but I do know that I got excited earlier this year :) Tomorrow officially kicks off the Holiday cheer - Thanksgiving!!

DH and I are going to his Gma and Gpa's house about an hour north to do Thanksgiving lunch with his Mom's side of the family. We are bringing a pumpkin and french silk pie (from Perkins, cause we all know how much I do NOT cook!). DH is currently in the process of making 2 loaves of bread and rolls. YUUUMMMM! Plus, it makes the house smell so good! I am making a pasta salad. I'm secretly hoping for leftovers to bring home :) Then we are headed back south to my parent's house to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family (immediate, not extended). I asked my mom if she wanted us to bring anything but I guess her and my dad have it all covered this year. They make the best Thanksgiving food!

The next day is one of the best Holidays of the year... Black Friday!!! I have been looking forward to it for WEEKS!!! A friend and I are starting at Target at 4am to pick up a few things (I have a list on my phone so I don't forget anything) and then we are headed to the MOA, which opens at 6am. Now, I know what you are thinking..."The Mall of America!?!?! On Black Friday?!?! You must be crazy!!!" But I assure you, I am only slightly crazy, but for unrelated reasons ;) Hehe Last year the MOA didn't get busy until around 10am or so, which gives us 4 hours of solid shopping before the crowds really hit! I have to be sure to hit Old Navy (especially maternity) and Gap Maternity. And of course, Macy's! I don't get Christmas lists from everyone until tomorrow, so I'm not sure what other stores I'm going to need to hit. My dad is the only one that sent me his list early...so his Christmas gift is already bought :)

I'm thinking I want to get all my Christmas shopping done on Friday for two reasons. 1) There will be great deals 2) I'm not exactly sure how many weeks I have left until shopping just does not sound like fun (if you can even imagine!?!). Oooooo! I can't wait!

We even got a beautiful layer of snow covering everything today to add to the Holiday spirit. Not everyone, especially those who had to travel, were all that thrilled with the winter weather, but it is just so beautiful!

After doing so well with my weight gain last month, my NP told me to go ahead and "enjoy" Thanksgiving...which I translate into, "eat what you want." Which sounds great, in theory. However, I would not be particularly thrilled about gaining even more weight than necessary this month. So, I'm undecided. I'm thinking my game plan will be to eat a little bit of everything and if I absolutely love it and have to have more, I'll get more. Either way, two Thanksgiving meals is gonna leave me with a full tummy!

THEN, last but NOT least, Saturday is my FIRST BABY SHOWER!!!!! I am beyond excited for it! Eeeeeeeeeeek! It is going to be so much fun! Then, icing on the cake, I have another shower the next weekend! AND we are getting our Christmas tree that weekend. Two weeks go by where I am finishing up my semester and then it's Christmas. And then New Years. And before we know it, it will be time for baby to be here!!! Can you see why I'm so excited for the Holidays this year?!?! :)

It seems like baby is getting so BIG now! I can actually feel her when I push on my belly. Not just feel her move, but actually feel where she is. DH and I think she is in the head down position, putting her feet up toward my ribs. She can be quite the squirmy little thing sometimes, but overall I feel like she is pretty calm. Maybe it is just wishful thinking? It is amazing how different her movements feel from when I first started feeling her. It is amazing how much my belly has grown since then! I found my first belly stretch marks last week. It seems like new ones pop up every day. I have a bad feeling there will be many more to come in the next 10ish weeks. Wow, that is crazy to think about! Only 10 weeks to go! I'm (secretly) hoping for less. Like somewhere between 36-38 weeks would be nice :) Not only because I am so excited for her to be here, but, as much fun as pregnancy is, I will be glad when it is over!