Every little girl dreams of being a mother one day. It's in our nature to nurture—we dress our dolls, comb their hair, and pretend to feed them. But even with years of "practice," you don't know what you have in for yourself til you see that life-changing pee stick. And it's crazy how much your life changes even before your little baby makes its grand entrance.

So now I bring you 9 tips for 9 months:

1. Make some time for sleep! 

I know eeeeveryone says that once the baby is born, you should nap when the baby naps. But let's be serious; that doesn't happen. You'll probably be showering, stuffing you face, and conquering mountains of dishes and laundry when your baby is napping!

2. Don't waste your time reading baby books. 

To my husband, the father of my unborn child,

I wanted to say thank you. I feel like husbands are often unappreciated when wives are expecting. But there's no way I could have done this without you. I really can't comprehend how unmarried women go through 40 weeks of pregnancy on their own. I'm so thankful that God designed pregnancy to fit so seamlessly together with marriage.

Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for being there for me constantly.
Thank you for giving me a baby.
Thank you for praying for me and with me.
Thank you for praying for our baby.
Thank you for wanting to be a good, godly daddy.
Thank you for being sympathetic when I'm uncomfortable.
Thank you for not expecting too much from me.
Thank you for letting me have lazy days.
Thank you for doing favors for me.
Thank you for helping me with jobs around the house.
Thank you for washing dishes for me.
Thank you for rubbing my back on demand.
Thank you for helping me put on my socks.
Thank you for helping me put on my shoes.
Thank you for picking things up from the ground for me when I don't feel like bending.
Thank you for carrying things for me.
Thank you for helping me get up when I'm stuck on the sofa or on a chair.
Thank you for helping me get out of the car.
Thank you for letting me fulfill my random food cravings.
Thank you for being flexible and eating whatever I can bring myself to cook.
Thank you for being flexible with our schedule.
Thank you for still finding me attractive and always telling me that you do.
Thank you for the extra kisses.
Thank you for the belly rubs.
Thank you for the foot massages.
Thank you for pampering me.
Thank you for being there for me when I feel needy.
Thank you for being the best husband in the entire world.

I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Forever, for always, no matter what.

I can't believe we're literally in the home stretch. Today marks 39 weeks of pregnancy. Seven days left. Just seven. I'm hoping and praying that Baby decides to make his debut sometime within the seven days. I really don't know if I can handle being overdue. Haha! My mom comes in five days, and I think the most ideal would be if baby decides to come right when she does...but I wouldn't mind if he decided to come earlier either. :P 

38 weeks today! C'mon Baby! We are ready for you! Although my mom would prefer that you wait for her (she comes in 12 days), I definitely wouldn't mind if you decided to come a liiiiittle early. Hehe. 

So many of my friends have been having early first babies lately. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous. I'm super uncomfortable and it's getting harder to fight against that all too famous pregnancy waddle. But all the annoyances seem to diminish when I stand in front of our little baby's wardrobe and look at all the adorable clothes he'll soon be wearing! I can't wait!

Today was Craig's first day back at work after the Christmas holidays. I assumed I'd be productive, but my assumption couldn't have been further off. I've done nothing today. My brain wont focus. I tried to read; that didn't work. I have a whole list of things I need to do around the house; I've done none of them today. Something about this waiting game, waiting for baby to arrive who knows when, is making my brain feel like mush. I am so excited, nervous, and anxious! I want Baby to come early because, let's face it, no woman is comfortable at 36+3, but I also want my mom's wish to come true and Baby to wait til she arrives in England. Thank God I'm not in control of the timing! But, my goodness, how slow this month feels already! 

I thought the start of this week would be considered "full term" but I just learned that it's the end of the week! So here's to aaaalmost being full term! My friends keep having first babies [really] early though so I wouldn't mind if my baby decided to come now. They house is clean, the baby bag is packed, and my hospital bag is packed...so I'm as ready as I'll ever be!

This week has proven to be the most memorable week of pregnancy thus far. Sunday afternoon, I started feeling some lower back pain. I didn't suspect anything because I know random aches and pains are common during pregnancy. But then by the time I went to bed, they had gotten a lot stronger. I took some Tylenol and managed to get about an hour and a half of sleep but then woke up with an unbearable pain. After what felt like only a few brief moments, I was on a stretcher in an ambulance and on my way to the hospital with a suspected kidney infection! The paramedics gave me some Paracetamol, but the pain relief only lasted for about an hour—the drive to the hospital was the best I felt! Before I knew it, I was sitting in the hospital getting pricked and poked, waiting for some answers, and then the pain returned. All I wanted was some relief!

The answer I received was different than what I was expecting. Actually, I don't even know what I was expecting. But after being given some codeine (thank the Lord for strong painkillers!), I was told I'd be admitted into a room and would most likely have to stay overnight. What a day of firsts! I rode in an ambulance for the first time and then I was staying overnight in a hospital for the first time. I was also spending my first night away from Craig since we got married. That was the part I was most sad about.

By the end of the day, I was hoping they'd change their minds and let me go home. After all, I had already had my kidney scan and was told the results were in. All that was needed was a doctor to go over the results with me. But by 7pm, visiting hours were over, Craig had to leave, and no doctor was available. The more I sat there, the more I had time to think, and after a bit of moping over missing my husband, I had a realization that I was blessed. God has been SO good to me. Being in the hospital ward in a room with sections separated by curtains, I was able to hear a lot. It was a humbling experience.

The lady to the left of me was diagnosed with preeclampsia. She was only 34 weeks pregnant but was scheduled for an emergency cesarean on Thursday because her baby was measuring small and wasn't very active. By the time I was discharged on Tuesday, her cesarean had been bumped up and she had already been taken to pre-op. The lady across from me was an even sadder case. She was an epileptic so she had delivered her baby reeeeeally early. The whole day, she was crying because she wanted to be with her baby. The midwives kept telling her she needed to pump her breastmilk so they could feed her baby human milk which is crucial when a baby is as premature as hers. But, of course, when a woman delivers a baby as early as she did, her body won't produce the necessary amount of breastmilk. Because of this, the midwives told her that they'd have to resort to donor milk if she couldn't pump enough. This only made her cry more and more saying things like "I don't want another woman to feed my baby!" in the midst of her sobs.

As I laid there in my bed hearing all these sad stories that surrounded me, I felt out of place. My problems seemed far too minimal compared to the other women. It was then that I began counting my blessings. Blessing #1: Craig. The biggest blessing in my life. The perfect answer to all my prayers. My lover, my best friend, my helpmate. Blessing #2: Baby Walker. A true joy already—even before his arrival! Alive, healthy, active. If I made a exhaustive list of all my blessings, the list would be too long to read! God has truly been good to me. 

I was discharged from the hospital at noon yesterday. Rather than the suspected kidney infection, it was only fluid retention in the kidneys caused by the growing uterus pressing on the tube between my bladder and my kidneys. Rather than a foreign infection caused by a bacteria, it was a more minor infection caused by fluids already in my body. I don't fully understand the science behind it, but the doctor explained to me that it was the reason for my extreme pain and placed me on antibiotics to hopefully fix the problem. He also explained to me that this was quite common in pregnancy especially for women my size and gave me a box of the magical pain killers to take home along with my antibiotics. Thank the good Lord for modern medicine!

I am praising God that the problem was so minor. I am so thankful that our baby is fine and doesn't even seem to be phased by this! I am thankful for doctors that know what they are doing and for the medicines they provide. And I am thankful to be back home with my wonderful husband!

The speed that time flies will never cease to amaze me. I cannot believe our baby will be here within 15 weeks. That seems like the blink of an eye!

This week was a productive one in the Walker home! We did A LOT of work on the baby room. (Doesn't "baby room" sound wayyy cuter than "nursery?" I sure think so.) We finished painting, we put up an adorable lamp from Ikea, we got new carpet, AND we bought our baby room furniture and started assembling it all! I can't wait to show everyone pictures. But in the meantime, you'll all have to wait because I am one of these perfectionists that refuses to show people pictures of the incomplete (hence, I will never be a "proper" food blogger).

Anyways, here's this week's pregnancy log!