35+ Weeks

I’ve been reminded that it’s past due for a new belly photo. So here you have it:

Yes, I’m huge. I hear some version of that nearly every day, along with “you look tired.” It’s very inspiring. After Husband took this photo I said "how does it look?" and he said "fat." That's what I get for asking, I guess. :)

Overall I am still feeling pretty good, just getting a little more tired from carrying this medicine ball around, and little more emotional when I watch Extreme Home Makeover or occasionally when Husband simply asks me a question (I feel a little bit sorry but considering my physical state, not that much). The swelling of the hands and feet/arms and legs is a bit annoying but I knew that was coming. The volume and urgency of urination has also increased, but that’s par for the course. Otherwise everything else seems to be going well. At my last doctor visit everything was looking good and the baby’s head was down. This Friday I start weekly appointments with checks to see how things are progressing.

After our baby classes, and realizing we are going on about 4 weeks until the due date, I’d say we’ve reached that “holy crap” stage of pregnancy. Husband has been a little more active in his suggestions (i.e. you should really pack your bag) and is obviously thinking more about how everything is going to work out. His point of pride lately is that he had the foresight to knock me up at just the right time so I could have my summer off.

My thoughts are more I should really get a chair ordered for the nursery and I should really get a mattress for the crib, and a car seat (all accomplished this weekend) and I should really figure out WHAT THE HELL I AM DOING (not quite resolved just yet). The classes helped us a lot with knowing how to recognize the start of labor, and what to expect in the hospital. So although I am not entirely comfortable with the prospect of delivering a human from a space that seems proportionately undersized, I know that many women have done it before me, and that all the pain is working toward the goal of bringing a healthy baby into this world. The “holy crap” comes more from the realization that we have to bring the baby home and are completely responsible for him or her once the stay at Chateau Hospital is over. Soon our lives are going to change forever. That, my friends, is wonderful and terrifying all at once.

Stay tuned.