Still Cooking

40 Weeks

She's still cooking away in there (and I'm cooking to stay busy)!

If she doesn't make an appearance in the next few days, the doctor is going to induce labor.  She is running out of room and not moving as much, so she thinks it will be best to introduce her to the world sooner than later.  The nerves and excitement are starting to set in!

Last pregnancy picture!

The Final Countdown

39 Weeks

When you are pregnant, it seems that just about everybody is happy for you. Whether it be a store clerk, long-lost friend, or those closest to you, everybody seems genuinely excited by the thought of a miraculous bundle of joy entering the world.  

With that excitement comes curiosity, predictions and hypotheses.  When it comes to babies we have very little control - aside from being proactively healthy, the path that pregnancy takes really is up to Mother Nature.  Yet we can't seem to help ourselves when it comes to making guesses about certain aspects of the process. 

The first wave of predictions revolves around the gender.  Pretty much everybody has "gut instincts" or "feelings" about the sex of the baby. Who knows what we all base these conjectures on.  Some base it on how you carry the baby, what they saw in a dream, how much morning sickness you have, the direction a wedding ring hanging by a hair swings over the mother's belly....  

This first wave of speculation was actually really fun and entertaining.  I have never been part of such innocent betting and gambling. No matter who is right or wrong, we all win in the end!

The second wave has started to get the best of me though.  As the due date approaches, we have all begun to make guesses about the baby's date of arrival.  Now I truly believe that nobody can actually know when she will arrive, but being the gullible person I am, I keep believing everybody. When somebody tells me they think she will be here early, I think to myself, "Thank GOD, I can't wait much longer!"  I always feel so thankful that I have talked to this wise person and they have shared the amazing news with me.  But when somebody tells me they think she will be late, again I believe them and find myself somewhat depressed, let down and overwhelmed. No matter who is sharing their information about my baby's actual birthday, I will take it to heart. This morning I found a delivery date predictor online - according to the website, I will have a 14 pound boy on a misty morning mid-December.  I think that was a sign that I need to stop over-thinking everything.

I'm guessing it is a bit obvious that the last few days have been a bit tougher.  What it all boils down to is I am struggling to wrap my head around what is happening and what is about to happen, and everything I'm feeling seems so contradictory and disconnected.  I've been told time and time again to enjoy my sleep, alone time and pregnancy but am having a hard time doing that when I am not feeling stellar and just want to meet her.... which of course makes me feel guilty for not enjoying each moment, knowing I will look back on this with a bit of nostalgia very soon.  How I wish I could control the craziness in my head!

Poor Charley.  

39 Weeks

On another note, the other day I saw a picture of a very pregnant Gisele Bundchen on People.com.  For those of you who are similar to me in the sense that any information having to do with sports goes in one ear and out the other, Gisele is the super-model wife of Patriots' QB Tom Brady.  They live in Boston's Back Back which is about a mile from where we live. My first thought when I saw the photo was, "How can you look so freakishly perfect in a bikini while pregnant?!"  Second thought was, "I bet she will have her baby on the same day and at the same hospital as me and we will join the same mommy-and-me group and then Charley and Tom can be best buds." At least wandering around the Labor and Delivery floor looking for them will help pass the time when the time comes!

My most recent pastime has been searching for ways to speed up this process.  It is pretty ridiculous how many ways there are to bring about labor.  Pineapple juice, spicy food, castor oil (yuck!), walking, bouncing, squats, eggplant, raspberry tea...  All of these (amongst many other things) are supposed to bring about labor.  I'm not going to lie, I've started drinking pineapple juice and add a healthy dose of pepper to pretty much everything I cook... which is funny because I absolutely know that this baby's birthday is, without a doubt, determined by the big man upstairs (and not my diet).

I need a hobby.

I need a hobby other than being a cat lady

The other day my doctor told me that things are all looking great with the baby, but my she is still very high.  I can attest to this because I have been using my stomach as a convenient shelf for my sleepy-time tea every night and have yet to spill.  

Now time for the final stretch!

38 Weeks

37 Weeks

37 Weeks

Hopefully sometime soon I will measure life in terms of milestones, events and seasons as opposed to weeks.  It seems that everything revolves around weeks.  It is slightly pathetic that I can't wait to wake up tomorrow and say I am due in two weeks and six days.  


Just recently I was commiserating with Charley's cousins Andrea and Sharon who were also expecting babies.  The three of us tended to flock together at family gatherings (typically around the food) and sympathize with each other over swollen ankles and mood swings while getting lost in baby talk (and complaining).  It has been such an incredible experience to be pregnant with two family members at the same time.  Aside from the fact that it has made us all question if there was something in the water last winter, it has been such a blessing to offer and receive each others' support while dreaming about our kids growing up together.  Andrea's due date was October 7th, Sharon's November 4th, and mine is November 27th.

Sharon, Andrea and I in early September.  
And then there was one...

The autumn wave of baby arrivals finally started. About six weeks ago, Andrea delivered handsome baby James. Yesterday, Sharon delivered beautiful baby Bonnie.  Meeting these babies has been pretty magical - I feel like they are my own kids, and it is heartwarming to think that they will undoubtedly be a big part of my little girl's life.  With each arrival, the emotions run deeper and deeper as reality sets in that our baby will be here very soon.  I am feeling a bit alone now that they have all moved onto the next chapter of motherhood, and also feel like I will be the only one craving Taco Bell... and Pop Tarts... and peanut butter.


I recently asked several of my mommy friends what advice they have for someone three weeks from delivering and the answers have pretty much been the same across the board.  Enjoy your alone time, spend quality time with your husband, enjoy your sleep, and get excited to experience the most incredible love you will ever feel... life is about to become exhausting.


I really should stop complaining about being bored...

Exactly 37 weeks.  My sexy uniform - leggings and stretched out maternity tank tops.

My buddy Wes (or, as we call him, King Tut).  Notice a trend?  I'm curious to see how he'll handle giving up all of these cozy beds when the baby comes.

 

Olivia's mother lives just outside of Boston - it was a breath of fresh air to have my old friend around.

    

I couldn't help myself.  He is just too cute.