Waiting Game

Well,....I am officially considered full-term now.  My due date is less than three little weeks away.  We are both nervous and excited.  I think we are both just really curious as to how it is all going to pan out.  I just have so many questions that I wish I could have answered ahead of time.  Like when am I going to go into labor?  Where will we be?  How long will my labor last?  Will I be able to handle the pain?  And most importantly, what is little Baby Love going to look like?  It's times like these I wish I had a crystal ball to look in and see the future!  Or the Ouija board I had in 6th grade.  (I swear that thing moved all by itself!  Although I guess it wasn't exactly correct since I didn't end up marrying my 6th grade crush.)  But I'm trying not to think too much about these things and just reassure myself that it will all go how it is supposed to go, whether or not it's according to our plan.   The most important thing is that our little girl arrives safe and sound.

I've definitely been slowing waaaaaaaaay down the last week or two.  This past weekend in particular was quite a wake up call.  We were out almost every day shopping around at some garden nurseries for some plants and pots.  It was really hot and that made me really uncomfortable.  I had to sit down a lot and let Phil do most of the looking.  In other words, I have pretty much become useless!  And the heat also gave me the most lovely plump little sausage shaped toes and fingers.  I finally had to ditch the rings for fear that they just might cut off my circulation and have to be cut off.  All I can say is thank goodness I don't have to be pregnant all summer long.  If I did I think I would just have to become a hermit and hole up in the house.  Needless to say I've been trying to take it easy the last few days.  Of course I still have many things on my "to-do" list but I think I've finally come to terms with the fact that they will definitely not all get done.  And I'm actually okay with that.  Don't have a heart attack Phil!  (Me being so calm about something like this is highly unusual.)  But I think I've realized that once little baby girl arrives there are a lot of things that just aren't going to get done when I want them to, so I might as well get used to it now.

Overall, I'm somewhere in between ready to have this baby and not be prego any more and not quite ready to leave the pregnancy behind.   If that makes any sense at all.  For the most part I have thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant.  (Besides the "bad" food list and the wicked heartburn that can be triggered by something as benign as a bowl of cereal these days.)  The first trimester was a little nerve racking while we waited out the most delicate time of the pregnancy and waited to be able to share our good news.  But having had no morning sickness what-so-ever, means it was relatively a breeze.  And considering that I have had no complications and that I am just now starting to feel really uncomfortable, I have to say that I have been really lucky and that part of me will really miss being pregnant.  I know a lot of women at this point who are just completely done and cannot wait to no longer be pregnant.  But I think I will miss it in some ways.  I certainly will miss feeling her move inside me and the excitement and newness of everything as we watched my body change.  And of course all the special treatment one gets when pregnant!  I've had more offers from people to help me to my car with my groceries in the past month then I have probably had my whole adult life.

But that being said, I definitely feel like I am ready to have my body back.  Although once I see that new post pregnancy body, I may not want it anymore!  I may want to go back to looking pregnant!  I'm not so much looking forward to the whole having to get back into shape part, but I am really looking forward to being able to move easier and more freely.  And food!  I can't wait for all those forbidden foods!  Thankfully there is no absolutely off limits foods when one is breastfeeding.  You are free to eat what you want unless you suspect that something is causing a problem for your LO.  (LO=Little One....all these things you learn on on-line pregnancy and baby forums!)  Even an occasional but well timed glass of wine is acceptable.  But what I really, really want most of all is just a freakin' deli sandwich!  Of all the things I can't have that is the one thing that I crave most.  So Phil just might have to run out and get me a sandwich after Baby Love is born.  And if you could top that sandwich with an over easy egg and a medium rare steak, that would be great.  Thanks. 

So mostly it's just a waiting game for now.  I had another appointment with the midwife today.  Everything is still great.  Our bag is almost packed, the car seat is installed and Baby Love has a place to sleep for the first several weeks right next to our bed.  Meanwhile Pumpkin is already feeling neglected and is trying to make sure we know that she was our original baby!

And here is the outcome of all those hot hours spent wandering around the nurseries!  Some new plants in our front yard and a nice big pot of flowers on our front step.  I arranged the flower pot and Phil planted the plants in the front yard.  We had several that had died, so overall he put in 7 new plants (2 of which had to be replaced right away because they sadly succumbed to the bunnies and wind.)  We particularly like the large purple bush in the very front right corner.   Yes, we know the one in the front left looks a little sad.  We debated replacing it too but first we are going to see if it can rally!