What a difference a year makes

One year ago I started this blog. At that time, it seemed like things were falling apart all at once.

Now, one year later, we're expecting a little miracle to be born any day now. I'm not saying that are free of any worries or concerns, but we really have an awful lot to be thankful for.

Munchkin's due date was yesterday, but like many first babies, he/she doesn't seem ready to make a debut yet. I'm remaining fairly patient. It'd be nice to know when to expect to become a mommy and all, but I expected that Munchkin would likely be a little "fashionably late." My only concern is that Munchkin and I remain healthy.

If the baby hasn't arrived by 41 weeks, we'll go in for what's called an NST (non-stress test). This is where they use fetal monitors to track Baby's movement and heart rate. Passing this test is a good indication that baby is still doing well as an "inside baby" and that there is no need to rush an induction. If Baby still hasn't arrived a few days later, they'll perform a BPP (biophysical profile). This involves an ultrasound where the baby's breathing, muscle tone, and movement are assessed, and where the amniotic fluid level is measured. Passing this is another good sign that the baby is doing well and that the placenta isn't "aging" and causing the baby to be in any distress. 42 weeks is the upper limit, though. If we haven't delivered by then, they'll induce in order to reduce some of the risks that can occur when a baby is "postmature." In most cases, babies born after 42 weeks do just fine when they are allowed to come on their own, but the risks do increase.

So, we'll see. We may meet the baby tomorrow or sometime in just under 2 weeks. Either way, it'll be soon. Our lives are about to change forever.

38 weeks and some change

38 weeks and 4 days...and holding strong. People have been telling me that I'm going to be miserable during this last month and that I'll want this child out...but I still feel pretty darn great. Granted, I'm not sleeping well, and there are some minor discomforts but they're all really not that bad. I haven't even experienced that much in the way of contractions. If I had to guess, I'd say that Munchkin will wait until at least his/her due date, maybe longer. Who knows? "The apple will fall when it's ripe!"

Emotionally, though, I'm a bit all over the place! I will have moments where I suddenly become acutely aware that we're going to have a baby at some point in the next few weeks...and it terrifies me! I mean, it's going to be great. I'm excited, and I'm so very thankful that we're going to be parents. However, knowing that this little person is going to be dependant on us for his/her survival is pretty darn heavy! Ed/Alex, on the other hand, acts as cool as a cucumber. You'd think that we were bringing home a goldfish!

Most of the time, I feel fairly ready to meet Munchkin and I feel exited that we're going to be able to get to know him or her soon. I think we're probably as ready as we can be. We may make a lot of new parent mistakes along the way, but I have a feeling that we'll ultimately turn out to be decent parents for this child.

While we're waiting for Munchkin's debut, we're staying pretty busy. Ed/Alex has been slammed at work. I'm still working and plan to continue doing so until the baby arrives. Since we'll be moving in the next month, we're packing up the house little by little. I've stocked the freezer so that we'll have some easy meal options in those first few days. We've also been looking into childcare closer to the new house. We found a great home daycare that I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll have an opening for Munchkin when the time comes. I'm trying to rest a bit, but whenever I try to just plain loaf around I get ansty and end up at least trying to do some thing productive.

So....it could be any day now, or we may have a few more weeks left to daydream about the young'un. Either way, we'll keep you all posted!

In the home stretch...

...and people seem to be surprised that I'm not in a hurry to get to the "finish line." In all fairness, I've had a very comfortable and easy pregnancy. I still have a few weeks to become really uncomfortable, but for now I'm still enjoying the process.

37 weeks is considered full-term, although Munchkin's due date isn't until 4/22. And first babies often come a little later. So, it could be any day now, but I'm not trying to hurry anything along. Munchkin will come when he/she is good and ready.

When we found out we were pregnant, I made a vow to try to appreciate the journey. Afterall, it took some effort to get here, and there's no guarantee that I'll be able to experience this again. The baby will grow up way too fast once he/she arrives, so why wish the time away now? I've really made an effort to soak up the whole experience of being pregnant...the good, the bad, and the ugly (or at least the good, the not-so-great, and the not-as-pretty). I actually feel a little sad that my pregnancy is coming to an end. At the same time, I know that our lives are about to change forever.

I can't imagine not having a baby in my belly anymore. On one hand, I imagine that I'll miss feeling the little person moving around in there every day. I think I'll miss always knowing where Munchkin is, and that he/she is safe and cozy. On the other hand, I'm sure that I won't be able to imagine what life was like without my "outside" baby once Munchkin is born!

Monday morning Munchkin was noticably lower, so I think he/she has officially "dropped." At first I took this as a sign that baby was ready to come a bit early and I told Munchkin to "float back up to the top." In reality, first babies often drop 2-6 weeks before delivery, so it doesn't mean that we're going to see any action soon. It definitely feels different. I think I'm starting to understand why the last month can be so uncomfortable for some women, although right now it's still not so bad. Days at work seem a bit longer, and for the first time I actually feel like I need to get off of my feet once in a while. I havne't actually done so all that much, but I think about it!

For the most part, I think we're about ready for Munchkin's arrival. Bags are (almost) packed....

and the cloth diapers are prepped/washed/organized....

and the rocking chair is ready for cuddling and snuggling.

We had to stop preparing the baby room when we found out we had to move, but we have some cute ideas for when we move Munchkin into his/her room in the new house.

No rest for the weary!

Please excuse the formatting. For some reason blogger won't let me separate the paragraphs in this post....more than 2-3 pictures and it freaks out, apparently! We've been awfully busy these past few weeks. I wish we could say that we'll have a chance to relax a bit before Munchking arrives, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards! I guess it's full steam ahead! We did find a great house to rent in Olney, and we signed the lease last weekend. I can't tell you what a relief it was to find a place and sign on the dotted line! We would have eventually found a place if this one hadn't worked out for some reason, but I'm so glad that we aren't still searching. The lease doesn't start until May 1st, and our current lease doesn't end until May 31st. So....we'll be moving after the little one arrives, but at least we have some wiggle-room as to the exact date. Mom and Adria threw us a wonderful shower last weekend, as well. They know that Ed and I are both voracious readers and can't wait to cuddle up and have storytime with Munchkin. They used a Dr. Seuss theme which was absolutely adorable. They also prepared all the food...like I said they put in an awful lot of work! Adria even scrapbooked the cutest invitations. I can't express how touched we were with all the time and effort they put into planning and putting together the shower (especially from out of state), and with all the love and support we were shown. Now, we "just" have to get ready for baby. Mainly, I need to make sure we have what we'll need for baby before the move organized and ready to go, while also packing away what we won't need until after the move. We also need to arrange things so we're not tripping over boxes once baby gets here, while getting a move on all the packing. This weekend I'm washing and prepping a lot of fluff (cloth diaper stash)! We're at 36 weeks today. I'm thinking that it would be great if Munchkin decided to arrive a little past his/her due date (which would be pretty typical of the first baby), but right now I'm just hoping to get to 38 weeks without any surprises! Either way, we're eager to meet the little person and start hugging and squeezing and loving away. .

Baby 101

Being pregnant has taught me:

• that the process of carrying a developing baby will always amaze me. It happens everyday, everywhere around the world, and yet it still feels like a miracle.
• that baby hiccups are endearing and fun, even at 3 am.
• that pregnant women become public domain. People feel comfortable saying things to pregnant women that they would never dream of saying to someone else. They also feel free to touch pregnant women without asking.
• that my husband is more patient than I could have imagined.
• that everything I do becomes about doing what is best for our child.
• that the "pregnancy waddle" isn't necessarily permanent, nor is it always from hauling around a bigger belly. I'll just leave it at that.
• that one day you'll be doing things like you've always done them. Then one day you wake up, and you suddenly have to find new and inventive ways of completing mundane tasks (like putting on socks, tying shoes, shaving legs, bending down to unload a dishwasher....or giving a urine sample).
• that it's possible to be excited and terrified of becoming a parent...simultaneously.
• that "it takes a village"...and we've got a pretty amazing village. Munchkin has an awful lot of folks anxiously awaiting his/her arrival, and they are ready to love on him/her!

My husband calls it a "curve ball"

Disclaimer…this may be more of “venting” post than anything. Feel free to skip it.

Bless his heart. It’s a good thing he’s level-headed and rational. As someone who is more “passionate” (my husband would argue that this isn’t quite the right word to describe my mercurial emotions but I prefer it over the alternatives)….it can be maddening at times to have a partner who doesn’t react similarly. At the same time, it’s awfully helpful to know that one of us will remain strong under a given situation rather than both of us melting down at the same time!

Our landlady called last night to let us know that she was selling the house to her son and his new fiancé. This means that we won’t be able to renew our lease, which ends in May. This blind-sided me because she gave us permission to paint the baby’s room just a few months ago and didn’t mention this as a possibility.

While she’s completely in her rights and has to do what she has to do for her family…it’s quite bad timing for my family. Munchkin’s due date is in 8 weeks, meaning that he/she is most likely to come into the world in 6-10 weeks. We have 12 weeks to be moved into a new place. So….we have to figure out if it’s best to move early (and risk overlap in rent for a bit), or move later (and risk going into labor or having a new baby during the move). Waiting too late means that we may run out of time to look.

I’m sure that it will all work out. It’s not like the house we were renting was perfect in every way…it’s older, small, and has some quirks. But it’s been home for 2 years and it was the home I was imagining when thinking about Munchkin’s arrival. The baby’s room was mostly set up and starting to look like a nice place for a baby to hang out. Ed/Alex had painted the walls and assembled the furniture, and we were starting to put everything in it’s place. I had plans to finish some wall hangings and get everything ready for baby in the coming weeks. Now, I have to channel the nesting instinct into packing.

I was becoming anxious enough about how soon the baby was coming and all the changes that we’d be facing. Adding this into the mix hasn’t exactly made me feel serene. It also makes me feel like a horrible mom to not know for sure where my baby will lay his/her head. I realize this isn’t necessarily a realistic view, but I think a lot of hormonal women would feel this way towards the end of their pregnancy.

I’m really not looking forward to all the unsolicited advice to “just buy a house” which I’m sure is inevitable. I’ve grown weary of all the well-meaning (but often incorrect) advice to do or not do certain things because I’m pregnant. I took this in stride at first, but it’s really becoming annoying. It’s as if people don’t realize that a) I have a medical background, common sense, and plenty of factual references at my disposal if needed and b) I’m really not going to do anything that would harm me or my baby. Now, I’m sure we’ll be criticized for renting in the first place, as if a) we aren’t intelligent adults who are able to look at our financial situation and figure out what’s best for our family at a given time and in a given market, or b) that we are just happy to be nomads without a place to call our own.

In the end, I’m sure it will seem like a “curve ball” and it will all work out for the best. Right now, though, it just plain stinks. I’m trying to focus on counting my blessings, though. I have a calm-in-the-storm husband. We have a healthy baby on the way, and loving friends and family who can’t wait to meet him or her. We’re starting a new chapter in our lives. All in all I think we’re pretty fortunate.

31 weeks (and some change)

31.5 weeks along...8.5 weeks until our due date...5.5 weeks until baby is considered "full term." I absolutely can't believe that we're going to meet our baby so soon. Granted, first babies often come a bit later than 40 weeks, so I'm gearing up to go to 42 weeks if that's what it takes for Munchkin to be ready to meet the world. Even counting those extra weeks, it seems like it's just around the corner.

Recently, Mom was in town for a visit before she attended a conference nearby. She (very generously) wanted to get us the crib, so we went furniture shopping. I really enjoyed having my mom in town. I always miss her (and the rest of my family), and it was nice to have someone to gab about all-things-baby-related for a few days.

Ed/Alex put together the crib and dresser last weekend, and the rocking chair and nursing stool arrived this week. It's so strange to think that we have a crib in our house. And soon we'll have a baby in the house. It's absolutely blowing my mind.

Physically, I'm starting to feel somewhat uncomfortable at times. A good night's sleep is harder and harder to come by, and I can tell that I'm becoming fatigued more easily. Munchkin seems determined to burrow up under my sternum or to wedge his/her bottom deep into my liver...so I have random bouts of shortness of breath. On the flip side, I haven't had a problem with a lot of the other issues that tend to plague pregnant women. I've been relatively free of heartburn and I've yet to experience constipation, swelling, or incontinence (sorry). I'm still trying to stay as active as possible. I haven't had to slow down at work, and I'm still exercising regularly. All in all, not a lot to complain about. I've been very fortunate during this pregnancy. And, as odd as it feels to have the baby trying to climb into my chest cavity, I love that I feel him/her moving around so often. At this piont, it's usually easy to identify a pattern of sleep/wake cycles. Munchkin, however, does not seem to sleep. Ever. We may be in for it!

Emotionally, I'm feeling a bit more anxious about our impending initation into parenthood. I'm hoping for a birth involving as few interventions as possible, and terrified of a c-section. While I know Ed/Alex and I will do the best we can and have a lot of love and support to help us along, I also know that suddenly becoming parents will be quite an adjustment. I'm already worried about how I feel the first day I go back to work and have to leave Munchkin at daycare. I worry about how fast he/she will grow up (the teenage years terrify me). You get the picture (if not, imagine a snowball rolling down a mountain...at the end it's a very large snow boulder).

Lastly, we had another ultrasound to look at the baby's kidneys today. The tech was showing me the baby's profile and he/she was making little suckling movements with it's mouth. It was something so simple, but it was such a typically baby thing to do, and it really moved me to see it. I think I'm in love!