38 Weeks

As you can see, we no longer have a blank wall for me to stand against for the "bump" pictures. The baby's room is all but complete. Still need to hang those few pictures and we'll be done. I'm also hoping to get our bag packed for the hospital before the weekend ends. I still don't think this baby's coming any time soon, but just in case, I want to be prepared.

As you can probably see from the picture, the baby has not dropped at all yet. That's OK, I suppose. That means he's still really high in my ribs and with him getting bigger & stronger each day, it truly is a test of my ribs' strength. I'm not really sure where I am, dilation-wise, either. My midwife doesn't do routine internal exams and because the baby's so high, I haven't even asked her to check. That information doesn't really tell you much anyway at this point. Perhaps in a few weeks, we'll see how things are going. All that to say, baby's not coming any time soon.

The week playing secretary went well ... it went fast, which is good. I got everything done and besides a few little tasks to finish up, I think I'm ready to be gone for a few weeks. I feel a great weight off my shoulders knowing things will be taken care of. I don't want to have to worry about anything while I'm home with my special little man. I think learning to be a new mommy will be enough of a job for awhile.

37 Weeks

It sure was nice to have a 3 day weekend. I guess it wasn't much different for me, since I normally have Monday's off. But it was really nice to have Chris around. We worked on projects around the house most of the weekend, mainly in the baby's room. Chris painted the crib and set it up. We also put the stroller & car seat together after sitting in a box for almost 2 weeks. All we have to do now is hang a few pictures and the room is complete! Yeah.

Last week was pretty busy with baby stuff. Monday we took a "Caring for your Newborn" class. Then Tuesday was the regular birthing class, and Thursday was the "Breastfeeding" class. Plus a midwife appointment in there too. This week should slow down a little bit. Just the birthing class and midwife appointment. I'm hoping all these classes will actually prepare us for our little guy. I'm sure there still will be quite a learning curve once he arrives.

I'm getting anxious for D-day. I know we still have 3 weeks to go, and since this baby is still sitting really high in my ribs, I'm not expecting him to come anytime soon. But I'm ready to meet our little guy. I'm ready to have my tummy back. And I'm really ready to wear a belt again. Why maternity pants must be so uncomfortable is beyond me. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but everything I put on yesterday either didn't fit or fell down while I walked. (sigh) 3 more weeks.

I'm still working hard to get things wrapped up at church too. And this week all the other pastors are gone on vacation, so I'm here to man the fort. Plus I get to play secretary all week long too. Not too many extra responsibilities with that, but I need to be really diligent to make sure everything gets done. It will be a good week and hopefully it will go fast.

36 Weeks

So I've noticed quite a few changes as I'm nearing the end of this pregnancy, not only physically but also socially. For one, I'm not able to do all the fun things I used to be able to do (ie. go karts, ultimate Frisbee, etc) but I also notice complete strangers staring at me more often. It's like they've never seen a pregnant woman before. I kind of have that "monkey at the zoo" feeling sometimes. "Look honey, there goes a pregnant lady! Let's watch her and see what she does next. Maybe she'll go into labor." And I really enjoy the comments such as "You sure are getting big" or "Wow. You look twice as big as the last time I saw you." I know folks are well meaning, so I try not to take the fat comments personally. But it's not that fun being constantly reminded of my increasing size. On a positive note however, at church the other day a lady was walking by and said with all sincerity, "You look really beautiful". I hugged her!

Chris and I are making final preparations for the baby. We spent most of the day yesterday shampooing our carpets. And boy am I glad we did after seeing how dirty the water was afterward. Yuck. And today we received a crib from church; one that wasn't being used in the new nursery. Chris is spraypainting it to match the room. I'm excited to get it all set up with our new bedding and finish his room. I'll post pictures when it's done.

Chris has been a tremendous help these last few weeks as I'm running out of energy to do a lot of things. He's been grocery shopping with me, cooking more meals, doing the dishes. I really couldn't do this without him. He takes care of me so well and I know he will be an excellent daddy too. 4 more weeks!

35 Weeks

I can't believe how fast this last week went. I'd really be okay if the next 5 weeks went as quickly. I had so much to do with work and baby stuff that before I knew it, it was Friday. The bummer part was that I hardly saw Chris all week, so Friday night we went out on a date to catch up. (Gotta enjoy those while we can.) Then Saturday we slept in until 9:30am (unheard of in our home) and did pretty much nothing all day long. It was spectacular.

The baby is growing, growing, growing. He's still sitting really high in my ribs, but is big enough now to reach both ends of my tummy, so I feel all his little wiggles and movements. And I often find myself out of breath for no good reason. (I mean, other than the fact that there's a baby in my lungs) Chris and I made a quick trip into the grocery store the other day, and after 10 minutes of walking I was ready to take a nap! I feel like I'm reverting back to the first trimester, hungry and tired all the time. But in a few short weeks, our little guy will be here. I don't know if I'll have much more energy, but at least he won't be kicking me in the ribs all day :o)

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I, of course called my mom and sent flowers, but wasn't sure if I should really celebrate it as a mom myself. People told me I should, but I didn't quite feel like I had earned it yet. So I didn't make any plans for the day. But when we came home after church, I was surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter with a note that said "Happy Mothers Day! Love Chris and baby." It melted my heart. Chris and I noted the other day how amazing it is to love another person whom you've never met. I have so much love for this little boy and I have no idea what he looks or sounds like. I can't wait for him to be part of our family.

34 Weeks

Wow! It hardly seems that we only have 6 weeks to go until baby arrives. Some days I feel really ready and others I feel so unprepared. But ready or not, he's coming. Still making final preparations in the baby's room. I'm excited for him to get here.

I believe what people call "pregnancy brain" has fully kicked in. I find myself doing really dumb things or not being able to think of a word in a sentence. Unfortunatley I've been told pre-pregnancy brain never returns. I can just feel my college education slipping away (if only the loans would slip away too). All I can say is that this kid better be a genius with all the brain cells he's stealing from me :o)

Chris and I are still working hard preparing for the labor & delivery. He's already being a really good coach. He's making sure I do my excercises every day and eating vegetables. He'll even cook veggies for dinner if I forget. My husband, who could live off of pizza and pot pies for the rest of his life, is steaming broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. I'm so proud. We're still really enjoying our Bradley classes and learning so much. Let's just hope we're as prepared to actually care for the baby when he comes home as much as we are for the birth of the baby.