If you've been keeping track, you know that this week officially means this baby is full term! This means that at 37 weeks, the baby is considered fully cooked and the doctor won't do anything to stop it if I go into labor. It also means that if I doesn't answer the phone, people immediately call my cell phone. And if they don't receive an answer on the cell phone, they immediately assume I'm in labor. This is also the time I intentionally stop answering the phone.
It also means I get to neglect the blog and fall weeks behind, and no one has really called to give me a hard time about it (besides Aunt Jenni). And when I do start to catch up I get to write a really long self-indulgent post about my reflections on this pregnancy. Get your reading glasses out.
Here I am at 35 weeks. Like I've said before, this pregnancy has been much different. Due mostly to the fact that I've continued working out regularly and continued taking afternoon naps (with much more regularity), I think my spirits have been much better (though papa may tell you otherwise). But now that I'm only 3 weeks away, all bets are off, and I've entered what Aunt Jenni lovingly refers to as the "Grumpy Gertie stage." So I apologize in advance to anyone who might be unintentionally inflicted by a bad mood in the next few weeks.
The biggest difference has been the fact that this kid never stops moving! Sensitive Dr. Hearn again told me that it's because my body has been stretched out so many times, I'm essentially a worn-out rubber band that can't go back to its original shape. (Big self-esteem booster!) Thus, this baby has free range of my insides. It's proven rather uncomfortable as I often get a foot stuck in my rib cage. Or worse, it feels like the baby is reaching it's hand around my side and trying to pat me on the back. GG Parsons even told me that he's seen a lot of pregnant ladies, but he's never actually seen a belly move from across the room like mine does. The good news is that the baby must be big enough that it's stopped moving quite so much in the past week. But it still does a number on me when I lay down at night. Who needs sleep anyway?
When we were up in Columbus for Soldier Day, I actually thought I was going into labor for a while. My back hurt, I couldn't breath and I thought I was having contractions. As it turns out, the baby had decided to turn over. It stayed head down but went from facing right to facing left. It was pretty uncomfortable, but once it got flipped, I felt fine and it actually felt good to have my other side kicked and punched. The next day, we went through it all again when the baby flipped back. Now it's back to abusing my internal organs on my right side. That weekend, the baby also pushed so hard with a hand or foot that Aunt Jill was able to feel all the the bones in it's fingers (or toes) through my skin. That's pretty cool (and a little weird).
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You might remember that with Henry and June, my worst complaint was the constant gall bladder pain. Something about being pregnant (probably the little feet kicking all the time) makes my gall bladder swell up and throb mildly, but nonstop. I'm glad that this baby is carrying so low that I haven't had as much pain. There were a few weeks it hurt, but overall, nothing like the last two.
Grandma took this picture at 36 weeks. We stole the idea from our friend Juliet's blog. It was too clever not to copy.
After Henry and June were born, I remember thinking immediately, "I can't wait to have more kids." And while I do enjoy being pregnant and love me a good baby, I'm certainly not feeling the same sentiment this time around. I think three may be our limit. (And Brandon has started yelling it from the rooftops that three is him limit.)
My body is starting to tell me that it has done its job and is done carrying around babies. I'm exhausted all the time, but can't ever seem to sleep (which is why it's after 1am and I'm still up). And chasing two other kids doesn't seem to help either.
Then there's the guilt for the two other kids. I've really got to give it to Henry and June. They've hit a great age and have spent all summer being so good to me. It's so darn hot that we rarely go outside. (I actually yelled at Henry for taking too long to get the mail because I thought i was going to pass out after two minutes in the afternoon heat.) So the kids are cooped up in the house all day, trying not to go too stir crazy. June is very good about playing by herself and Henry has engaged himself in a variety of projects (there's a post coming up about that soon). They generally play together without any major arguments. Henry is very good about distracting June from whatever major car parking endeavor he's working on and June is learning to leave his toys alone when he's playing with them.
But sitting inside all day, every day does tend to get boring and kids need to burn off their energy. Brandon has been great about getting the kids out of the house or just giving me a break so they can run, scream and wrestle the energy out.
My last guilty feeling for Henry and June is that we've largely left "baby mode." It didn't feel this way when June was born, even though Henry was just a couple months younger than June is now. Now we're going to have to go back to morning naps and nursing and carrying enormous diaper bags full of supplies. I didn't realize how independent we've become in the past months. Skipping an afternoon nap isn't preferred, but both kids can survive without one. I don't know if our new baby will be that flexible.
Up until a few weeks ago, we've barely done anything to prepare for the baby. I do have some diapers and the car seat is out in the garage. Last week I cleaned out the kid side of the attic and washed all the baby clothes that work for a South Carolina summer. Not surprisingly, most of our tiny baby stuff is fleece and corduroy, not our top choice for 100 degree days. But we've got enough little t shirts to get us through until we find out if we need boy or girl clothes. We also pulled down bouncy seats, bath tubs, and our massive collection of bibs and receiving blankets, though June has claimed everything as a toy for her baby dolls. The supplies often get pulled out of their temporary storage place in the guest bedroom for playtime. And since June is still in her crib (I'd like to keep her there until she starts to climb out-hopefully forever), this kid is sentenced to sleeping in a bassinet in our room until a bed opens up.
My doctor says that he expects labor to go fast with this baby (hooray for my old, worn-out body!). With a 35 minute drive to the closest hospital, that should make things exciting, especially because we've going to have to take the time to pawn the kids off on our friends. (Luckily, we're up to 4 families that have offered their babysitting services. You better not all be busy on the night I go into labor!) Don't worry though, I don't expect this baby is coming anytime soon, as much as I'd like it to. I'm expecting this baby will go right up to its due date, if not over, just like its older brother and sister.
