This blog will track the development of our little baby #2, Tara's pregnancy, Mike's journey into fatherhood of two, and our toddler's leap into siblinghood, along the way!
While I still have a belly, something is missing...
Yes, after my post written at 2:30am last Wednesday, Mike and I headed to Stamford Hospital, I had a decent labor (active labor went by really fast, just as my OB predicted), and after almost 2 hours of pushing (the part I was most scared of, but turned out to be pretty amazing, albeit long), our beautiful baby boy was born!
Baby Bouteneff was born a week early (so we have some winners on the guess-the-birthdate-post!) on April 15 at 12:56pm. He was 7 pounds 13 oz and 19 inches long--strong and healthy (although a bit jaundiced in this picture). I will go into details soon in another post, but I had to get something up before too much time passed.
So here are a few pictures in the meantime from when Baby Bouteneff was only a few hours old, and I will post again soon about my birthing experience!
Well, my water just broke! I don't know if I'm officially in labor yet or not, but my doctor wants me to go to get checked out at the hospital. So on with the adventure...and on about 1 1/2 hours sleep...
(This picture was taken for 39 weeks--just hours before my water broke--and yes, I was in labor!)
This morning, I have my 12th OB appointment. Tomorrow, Tuesday, I am officially 1 week from my due date, so I am 38 weeks, 6 days pregnant today.
Mike just posted yesterday about milestones during these past 9 months, moments where the reality of what exactly we're doing here, starts to set in. And today is another one to add to the list!
When Mike and I are in the car on the way to the doctor's, I ask him, "Do you think I'm dilated at all yet?"
"I don't know," he says. "Maybe. Do you?"
"No," I say. "Not yet."
I say this because this is my conservative guess. But inside, I am thinking, "Maybe I am!" But I don't want to say this out loud. So I don't.
The doctor seems refreshed from his vacation and I ask if any of his patients went into labor last week while he was gone. "No," he says. "But I have four who have waited for me and should go this week!"
And while I am not one of the slotted women he's speaking of at this point...
Today, he tells me that he can feel the baby's head again, very low, even lower than before ("You can actually feel the head?" I ask. "Yup."), and again stresses that he is quite surprised I am not complaining about how I feel. I throw him a bone, "Well, I do feel him wiggling a lot down there. And when I pee, I feel a lot of pressure, like the baby is dropping lower and that can be really uncomfortable." He's not too impressed by this 'complaint.' "Yes, but most women would be complaining constantly." So either, I have become accustomed to feeling how I do, or I am lucky.
He also informs me that I am about 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced, and based on this, the descended head, and a few other pregnancy details, he says, "We'll schedule you for another appointment a week from today--but I don't think you'll need it."
WHAT??
Meaning...I'll have the baby BEFORE Monday? But Monday isn't even my due date yet! My due date is...well, Tuesday...
"Really?" I ask him smiling with giddiness.
"I think so. Your uterus is only measuring 37 cm, but it seems to be about a cm behind each week, and it's still growing, so I'm not too concerned about that. I think you have a good chance of having the baby in less than a week."
He also stresses, "When your contractions get to be about 5 minutes apart, definitely call me, and get to the hospital. Don't try to be a hero and stay at home longer, because I have a feeling once you get to 3 cm or so, your labor is going to progress very quickly."
"Really?" I say again--again, all smiles.
"Yup. And you don't need to give Mike a heart attack in the car, trying to race to the hospital. I really think you'll have a short labor. I couldn't have colored a better pregnancy."
So...when Mike and I leave the appointment, we both are in a mild state of...childlike excitement. This is real. This is happening. And this is happening soon. I will be happy if we have the weekend together, pre-baby, as Mike has Friday-Sunday off, and we have no plans for the first time in months. But if the baby decides to enter the world during the weekend...well, that will be the biggest event we have had ever on a weekend! And we won't even have to cancel plans--
Since the appointment, the baby has been moving and jumping and popping, kicking, gallumping, shaking, in all areas of my belly. I look down and it almost never stops moving (except for my frequent braxton hicks contractions, when the uterus gets rock hard and the baby doesn't move much or at all). He was relatively calm at the appointment (heartbeat 120 or so, which is normal, as the heartbeat gets lower as the pregnancy goes on), but perhaps he got excited by someone touching his head, or he's just reminding me that he's here, energetic, alert. He's still been very active regardless, but today is even stronger and more constant.
So--those of you who have not yet voted on the due date, feel free to check out the poll on the right hand side. So far, only one person has posted an actual guess at a due date, so she is the forerunner for the possible prize! If you want to make it a healthy competition, leave your guess as a comment on this post.
It's funny how with each incremental "component" that makes up the world in which the baby will reside is added to the universe of "baby things" in our apartment, the mental "realization thermometer" that's measuring degrees of understanding/acknowledgement in our heads goes up another degree.
(Strunk and White, the mini "writing" guide, hates long sentences like that last one. So do I. Sorry. I'll try something else...)
The idea of a baby being present in our lives was an elusive one to grasp. With every concrete baby-related object added to our stockpile, and every significant milestone in the baby's development, the whole "we're-going-to-be-parents" thing became more and more real.
Here are some of the biggest eye-openers...events that confirmed, "Yup, we're having a baby!":
* Pregnancy Test. Of course, that was HUGE. It's kind of the "kickoff" for everything that follows. At this point, this is more of a "We're having a baby!" (I'm really writing more about things after the actual "news" is delievered...but had to include this since it's pretty, er, critical.)
* First Sonogram (5 weeks, 8/28). The tests are confirmed by a professional and his fancy-shmancy machines. And we have our first baby photo! (Of our spec-sized baby.) Now it's more of a "Yup, we're having a baby!"
* Second Sonogram. "Look, the mini-doughnut turned into a small brine shrimp! Yup, we're having a baby!" It has a HEAD! Thoughts are sent spinning, as the little person begins to take shape... The realization that "someone" is actually growing in Tara's little womb-home hits home.
* Telling the Family. Now it comes up in conversation more, and our sphere of family and friends joins our little pre-baby world...and it begins to feel like a part of the family. Two individual parents' thoughts grow and spread into other's...
* Third Sonogram. "It's a BOY!! And look, HE's raising his fist up as a sign of strength and power! Omigosh, we're having a baby!" Wow. What a moment. At this point, our fuzzy thought clouds begin to clear up as "boy" stereotypes enter our minds...GI Joe, not Barbie; rough housing, not "house"; blue things, not pink things; short hair, not long hair; and the hundreds of other things that stream through daydreams about girls and boys and the two vastly different parenting experiences they represent.
* The baby mattress. After we first registered for baby shower gifts, one of the first "big" gifts we received was the crib mattress (thanks, Saurabh!). Here, we were staring at what the baby would actually be "sleeping" in for quite a while. "WOW. There's actually going to be a tiny, little baby in that thing. Omigosh!" It'll be his home, where he'll cry, sleep, poop, giggle, and chill for a good chunk of "babyhood". At this point, more and more solid, concrete evidence of the baby's upcoming arrival start coming in.
* The baby himself. Kicking and punching, bungee jumping, hiccuping, dancing around. "There is definitely something or someone moving in that belly of yours. Holy cow, we're totally having a baby!!" I couldn't believe the first time I felt him move. It's kind of like, now HE realizes what's about to come too, and is letting us know. We're all in on it, now.
* The stroller and car seat. "WOW. The baby's going to be chillin' 'n' riding around in this thing!" The space is sized, sculpted, and framed specifically for a little baby. There's no denying it, a baby's definitely on its way. It'll be the baby's replacement-travel-womb after birth. Cool.
* Baby clothes. Tiny shoes with "pretend" laces. Miniature versions of things a full-size guy might wear. A Yankees cap. A onesy. "Holy cow, we're having a baby!"
* The calendar. "What? There are less than 10 weeks left until the baby arrives? Holy smokes, that was fast! I can count that on my toes..!"
* The weekend. This is what hit me yesterday and today. "Omigosh, the baby's gonna be here any DAY. He's practically HERE. Today we had lunch with my parents. Next Sunday, it's possible we might be changing baby diapers!" The due date is still 9 days away, but that really isn't much... My next chiropractor appointment is 8 days away...yeesh!
We're getting incredibly giddy and excited. Tara's birthday is today, and she just turned 32. That will forever be a big age number in our minds, as that'll be the one she'll forever remember as having first become a mother...
"Omigosh, Tara, you're going to be a MOM, in like, DAYS!!!!"
Unbelievable. And so exciting! I'm really getting to the point where I can't wait for him to arrive...and that feeling will get a lot stronger over the next few days. (And that's not just because of the paternity leave I'll get.)
From the beginning of my pregnancy, people have been telling me to enjoy every moment--minus the morning sickness, backaches, mood swings etc. And I have been blessed enough to be able to sail through these 9 months with hardly any of these pregnancy "side effects" that discourage people from enjoying the process. I was talking with my friend the other day, mother to 3 girls, and she tells me her labor for her first child was only around 6 hours and she pushed for maybe 15 minutes (shorter for each subsequent). I tell her she is good at delivering babies! She has always wanted children, comes from a hearty family of farmers, and she is a sensible person--she just seems like she would be good at having babies. I tell her I don't know how I will be in labor and delivery, but I am good at being pregnant.
When people tell me to enjoy every moment, they often follow that up with, "Really take advantage of this time you have where you can do things for yourself. It's the last time you have to be selfish, or for it to be just you and Mike."
And I try.
I have been extremely active these past nine months. I have had a social calendar which is filled to the brim on weekends, and many weekdays/nights (much to Mike's chagrin at times). I continued working for most of my pregnancy, I taught a playwriting class, I taught a theatre class, I have had a few of my plays performed (actually, my full length play, Free Space, opens tonight in Alaska!). I have visited family and planned several large parties. The last few months, in particular, I have taken advantage of seeing plays in NYC, traveling to the Caribbean with my husband, going out to movies and dinners, and nurturing friendships. I feel as though I have been sucking at the marrow of life, as they say, to eek all that I can out of my pre-baby days. Besides taking advantage of doing things without an infant attached to my hip, people also tell me, "Savor the pregnancy itself. Time goes by so quickly. Before you know it..."
My friend, mother to 4 children, wrote me an email a few months ago about this and puts it well: "Today, I think back to the baby years, the toddler years, the days when all it seemed I ever got to 'cook' was Cheerios and rice cereal, and I somehow don't remember how I got to this place? How did my babies change and grow up so quickly? O. is turning 12 this spring and my 'baby' will turn 6. I can't believe the boys are already 8 & 10. Where did the years go? My baby girl (O) is closer to driving cars and getting married than she is to her diaper days now. It is so strange and everyone tells you that 'it goes by so quickly' and you nod and say 'yeah, it does' and you think you understand what they are saying when they encourage you to 'enjoy it now; while you can; while they're babies' and you can't wait until they can walk or talk or tell you what they want and before you know it, they're sharing shoes with you and wondering when you're going to the mall next....Of course, each moment is precious..."
And I think about this, and there is no way I can understand because I do not yet have the experience of years...Although, even now, a few months ago, Mike shares with me how sad he is that our child is going to grow up, go to college, get married, and leave us some day. I tell him to "Stop saying that--you're making me sad too!" So yes, we are thinking in advance already, then looking back in imaginary-hindsight!
Experience or not, I do know, however, that I want to savor each moment, but I also know, there is no way to slow down time.
Take this pregnancy, for instance, as I do have the insight of looking back on 9 months. I have tried to savor each moment. I write in this blog. Mike takes pictures of my belly. We write messages in a baby bottle to our womb baby. We record videos of major events or baby-related activities. We enjoy several showers, feeling the love and support of friends and relatives for our growing family. We read about babies, pregnancy, and attend classes. We sing songs to the baby; Mike writes a song for the baby. We feel our little guy move through my belly, talk to him, coddle him...I really do feel like we are savoring the pregnancy. We are trying to preserve moments, and by preserving, hopefully remembering, and by remembering, hopefully keeping these moments with us and hopefully...slowing down time...
But it does not work this way. We do preserve and try to remember. But it does not slow down time. In fact, I feel it advances time. I have spoken to many mothers who say their pregnancies seem to have lasted forever. When I am 15 weeks pregnant, one of our friends is 7 months pregnant and she says, "I can't even remember what it was like to be 15 weeks pregnant! That seems sooo long ago!" I wonder if I will feel like that at 7 months pregnant.
But now, at almost 9 months pregnant, 15 weeks pregnant still does not seem that long ago to me.
Others say the last month or two goes by slowly. "I couldn't wait to get the baby out of me!" Or "I was so bored!" Even baby websites give ways to encourage labor because, "By the time you're 39 weeks pregnant and within spitting distance of your due date, you're probably willing to do or eat anything to get to that million-dollar prize...more quickly."
But my last month has been busier than ever. Time is racing by like a rocket ship. I want it to slow down. I keep waiting for it to slow down.
The other day, I mention to my friend (the one who is "good at" delivery), "I know this may sound naive, but I wonder if I'll actually have more time to read and watch a movie and relax once I have the baby...I have been running around so much right now, I don't feel I've had the time to do that."
"I don't think it sounds naive," she tells me. "Infants sleep around 18 hours a day. And you'll be nursing a lot when he's awake. You probably will have more time to sit and watch a movie or read a book."
I also know that I am running on a crazy sort of adrenaline right now, which has surprisingly sustained me for 9 months, but it can't go on forever. I still am not sleeping well. This past Monday night, I get 5 hours and 45 minuts of sleep without getting up and realize that is more sleep than I've had my whole pregnancy, and probably for a few months before, as well. Of course, it has not lasted. Last night, I get up, literally, over 10 times in the night. And yet, I am awake by 6:30 every morning, ready to start the day. Yesterday, I work on my "to do" list from 8am to 9pm, almost nonstop and while enjoying 30 Rock and The Office, my body is impatient to start the next day.
The month before my wedding, I was living at my parents' house and not sleeping or eating much at that time, due to excitement/anxiety. Even though I would have only a few hours of sleep a night, I constantly felt wired, buzzed, with occasional bouts of anxiety and stress. I would wake up very early, eyes instantly wide open, completely awake, and ready to work on my next wedding project. But once I finally completed my vows the night before the wedding, and lay my head down to sleep...I relaxed. My part was almost complete.
When I woke up in the morning, I realized I'd had more sleep that night than in months. But this morning, when I woke up, my eyes did not shoot open. I did not feel wired, buzzed, alert. I was tired. I was dragging my feet. I wanted to go back to bed.
Of course, I perked up as the day went on, but that sense of relaxation that I had been missing all those pre-wedding weeks finally came to visit me when I knew there was not much else left for me to do--even though ironically, I was now finally on the day of the most excitement, the day all the preparation had been for. There was no need to be in my heightened stated of awareness, that extra adrenaline to make sure I completed all I needed to. I just needed to participate, love my friends, family, my husband...and that was it. Thankfully, that day did slow down, seeming longer than most previous, and I was blessed to actually remember that day, as well.
Perhaps those days are to come. Maybe I will finish my "to do" list this weekend and have one week before my due date to sink into slow motion (although I do have social plans for almost every day next week...)...Or perhaps this will come post-baby, when I have done my part to make it to that wonderful state of finally having my little baby boy in my arms.
Or perhaps this will not come. And perhaps I may not want it to come. I don't know. That is the exciting thing about not having the experience to look back on yet...it is all a mystery to me, an adventure...
So I guess we'll just have to see where the infant car seat takes us!
Our little womb baby has been very active right from the start. At 17 1/2 weeks, I was first able to feel the baby move from the outside, and at 18 1/2 weeks, Mike felt him move for the first time. From then on, he has been fairly consistent, with his movements growing stronger and more frequent. Even though the baby movements are supposed to be slowing down at this point, due to the fact that there is less room in the womb, I have not noticed this yet with my little guy, although every now and then I will notice a different sort of movement, or realize he hasn't moved in a way he used to for a while.
So I have put together a little list of common movements I can think of and what might be their meanings. Of course, I can feel a movement one day and say, "Oh, he's scared by that loud sound!" And then feel the same movement the next day and say, "Aw, he is so happy to hear your voice, Mike!" And I genuinely feel that the same movement means different things at different times.
I also have the ability to "call the baby" over to me, as Mike and I say. If I put my hand on my belly, within 30 seconds (usually much less), the baby will start moving right under me. I interpret that to mean that the baby comes to me, loves me, and wants to be close to me. Of course, it could mean that the baby wants to push me away or that I'm blocking his light! And there have been times when I feel the baby does want me to move. This usually happens when I am resting my arms on my belly somehow. The baby will sort of kick at the arm in a hard way, and I feel he's trying to tell me to move my arm. So I do, and then he calms down.
I realize that I do not actually know what any of these movements mean, but if anyone would have an idea, it would be the mother, right? Right now, the baby and I are so close--we are sharing the same body after all! I don't know why I attribute certain meanings at certain times, but I do know that I feel those explanations at the moment, and that's all I can say. Having said that, most of the time, I have no idea what the movements mean, or I believe the movements just mean that he is moving because that's what humans do!
First off, here is a short video of the baby moving. This is from a month ago, at Week 34. He moves in a similar way still, although the body parts look bigger now. Anyway, check it out if it doesn't freak you out!
And here are his main movements and some of the meanings I have placed on them:
The Womb Baby Wave: He'll start on one end of my belly and glide across it to the other end, like a little ocean wave. This is a fun one because it's very easy to see if you stare at my belly.
The Womb Baby Punch/Kick: He may jab me in the ribs, which might be slightly less than a few weeks ago. Occasionally, he has startled me so much, by being so high in my ribs that it almost takes my breath away for a second. But most of the time, his legs just flutter up there. --He kicks or punches in other areas of my belly. I have read that kicks should be diminished at this point, and replaced with more gentle movement, since there isn't as much room to kick. He still seems pretty capable of walloping a good punch, but I do think this has diminished some.
The Womb Baby Quick Stretch: This is interesting because I will feel the same movement at the exact same time on the left side and the right side. It's as though he is stretching out his body as much as he can and jabbing me with his elbow on one side and his legs or knees on the other. This is a fast stretch, almost like a kick.
The Womb Baby Slow Stretch: This is fun because the baby will push out one body part and simply hold it there. I can see the little round ball or long rectangular shape pushing out the skin on my belly. Sometimes I hold the little body part with my fingers or gently rub it. I think he's just stretching and holding the position for a beat before bringing the body part back in the womb more.
The Womb Baby Cuddle: I can have my hand on my belly and a big part of the baby (the back or butt) will rub right into the palm of my hand. I feel like he is trying to cuddle with me, as my hand envelopes him. He'll do this for a little while, sort of pushing up into me, holding it, releasing, then pushing up into me again gently.
The Womb Baby Flutter/Swirl: The baby will make lots of little calm flutters or swirling type movements. These will be constant, sometimes for well over an hour. I can have my hand on my side, feeling him, maybe watching tv or something. And he will continue to make lots of these tiny rhythmic movements as though a little body part is swaying to music, or as though I were feeling his back rise and fall when breathing.
The Womb Baby Shake: Every now and then, the baby will feel as though he is literally shaking through my belly. Like a dog "shaking off" after he comes in from the rain. I'm not sure what this means.
The Womb Baby Jump: Occasionally, the baby will be fairly calm, then suddenly make a huge jump. It doesn't feel as though a small body part is kicking me, but rather his whole body is jumping or twitching. Two examples: 1) A little personal, but hey. A couple weeks ago, Mike slaps me on the butt and suddenly, the baby jumps on all sides of my belly. "Do it again!" I tell Mike, and he puts one hand on my belly and slaps my butt again. The baby jumps again instantly. I need to see it a third time to make it scientific, so I tell him, "Do it one more time!" He does, and again, the baby immediately jumps. Of course, then I feel bad and coddle the womb baby, gently touching where his body is and telling him sweetly that "it's okay. We were just playing." My poor baby at the whims of his curious parents! In this case, the meaning seems clear--he is startled by an outside force, so he jumps. 2) The baby will be calm, not moving at all. I think he's asleep, then suddenly, he'll make a big jump, a jolt almost, then I'll feel tiny movements for a minute or so, then it seems he settles down and is still again. I think this is the baby sleeping, then having one of those sleeping-twitches, which wakes him up. He stirs for a minute, then falls back asleep. Mike does this a lot, so I think he is taking after him. It's cute.
The Womb Baby Hiccups: He tends to get the hiccups several times a day. For the past two months (since when he probably turned), I have been feeling them originate from the same spot--very low on my left side, where his back begins from his head. It is cute because I can see the hiccups when I look at my belly, and funny to imagine he is doing that. This started around Week 28 and has been extremely consistent since then. It feels like a little irregular heartbeat. Sometimes this happens for no apparent reason, sometimes after I eat, and sometimes when he is startled (like a gun shot in a play, or people in a play or movie yelling). His hiccups usually last at least 10 minutes each time. Sometimes, I sing to him, and it will calm him down for 30 seconds or so, but then they will start up again (sometimes less frequent though).
The Womb Baby Jerks: This is very common. He will sort of jerk his body parts around in a haphazard sort of way. It's not smooth, but it's as though he keeps getting his foot caught on something and then just keeps plugging away, trying to move the body part somewhere else.
The Womb Baby Snap: I don't know how to really describe this other than, it feels like the baby is snapping something inside of me, and that maybe there is a bubble of water around the snapping feeling, or that he rolls a body part then it sort of "clicks." Mike has noticed this too and called it "snapping" first, so I think that is the closest way I can describe it.
The Womb Baby Flip: This is one the baby has not done in several months (there isn't enough room for it now). But he used to make a giant movement, all across my belly. It felt like a little sudden earthquake. I always imagined it was the baby flipping his whole body over, as it felt like someone plopping down into bed and shaking the whole bed.
The Womb Baby Rest: He is quiet and still sometimes. There are days when I feel as though he's moving nonstop for 10 hours straight, but other days, I find he rests more frequently (still more active than I feel a lot of babies are). At night, he will move a great deal once I lie down (and more so if I am on my right side). Once I fall asleep though, he seems to rest, as well. When I wake up (which is very frequent in the night), I will notice that he is still. I'll then get up to go to the bathroom or eat or whatever, trying to make as little movement as possible. When I return to bed, I must continue to lie on my left side, and 70% of the time, I will not wake the baby up, and we'll lie there again. Sometimes, I will wake him up, and then he'll squirm for a few minutes to an hour. However, if I come back to bed and switch to lying on my right side, 90% of the time, he will wake up and start squirming and moving until I move back onto my left side. I feel bad that I am the one waking him up!
People say that when the baby is born and you hold him, you can often feel the same movements that he was making in the womb, and realize what they are now. I'm not sure how this works exactly, as the baby is upside down in my womb, but I am excited to give it a try (and hold him...)!
Mike and I attend my 11th prenatal OB appointment today, and all is well. Mike is peppy and energetic, so as to dissuade any negative thoughts the doctor may have had with Mike's little catnap at the last visit. And I'm sure the doctor was excited to be working his final day before his vacation to Key West!
Today, he does an ultrasound to take measurements of the baby. We haven't seen the baby on the screen in 17 weeks, and naturally, he is quite a bit bigger now! We can only recognize little bits of him at a time, but see his head, his spine, some fingers, his femur, his back, his neck, and his testicles ("You do know what sex the baby is, right?" The doctor asks before pointing this out. Phew! He's still a boy! Good news, since I have washed all the boy baby clothes and put them away already!)
It's neat to learn exactly how the baby is positioned in my belly, although our previous guess seems to be correct. His head is still very low, and when the doctor does a cervical exam, he even says, "I'm surprised you're not more uncomfortable given how low the head is in your pelvis." And of course, I do feel the baby down there, occasionally pressure at different points and lots of squirming, but I'm fairly used to it at this point, so I don't think of it. He emphasizes how it is great the baby's head is this low already in preparation for delivery.
The baby's back is on the left side, as it has been for at least a month or so (the nurse at our birthing class told me that is where his back was when she felt my belly as a demonstration for something), and this is where I feel the hiccups the strongest--on the left lower side of my belly. The butt and testicles are very high between my ribs (good to know!), and his knees/feet are on my right side, which is where I feel the most movement, and probably why the baby squirms like crazy when I lie on my right side.
He assures me that he expects I have a couple more weeks to go. Later, I tell Mike, "I assume we have a couple more weeks to go! I'm still 3 weeks from my due date! Actually, I'm surprised he didn't say 'a few weeks' instead of 'a couple weeks!'" Then I realize, I am only 2 1/2 weeks from my due date...so 'a couple weeks' is becoming more accurate...
After taking the measurements of the baby, he says the calculations bring my baby's weight to 7 pounds 4 oz, with a margin of error of 1 pound. I am surprised since last week, the doctor guessed the baby would be between 6 and 7 pounds at delivery, based on my size, and now the computer is estimating he is 7 pounds 4 oz at present! The doctor says, "Yes, you're hiding him in there quite well." But he points out the baby is in the 55th percentile, so he is still just about average.
We go over my simple birthing preferences, ask a few more questions, and we are off. I won't see him next week, as he's on vacation, but will the following Monday. It is hard to believe that when I see him next, I will be just 1 day shy of 39 weeks!
So my little ticker at the top of my blog says I have 19 days to go until my due date. How the number managed to sneak into the teens is beyond me...I have been receiving many emails lately of friends checking in on me, and giving me encouragement that the last month drags on, but the baby will be here before I know it...I almost wish I felt that way, but the last month (and the whole pregnancy, to be honest) has flown by! I still have so many things to do that I feel I will be lucky if I have one bored day before the baby comes...I hope I get one bored day! I guess we shall see...it might depend also if I go into labor early, on time, or late...
Speaking of which--cast your vote on my due date poll to the right! And feel free to leave comments on this entry of what exact day you think the baby will be born on. If you are right, you just might receive a prize of some sort...As for me? I feel the baby is going to come fairly on time. Everything seems to be progresses exactly on track for the week I'm in, so I am just assuming the baby will come around his scheduled due date. Again, we shall see...
(Man, I am really overusing the ellipsis in this entry!)
One of the fun things I've done is choose a "coming home" outfit for the baby--an adorable outfit from Mike's family and a cute baby bunting my mom made (we'll see how cold it is). We also have several beautiful blankets to choose from, a car seat swaddler (from my sister-in-law), a baby book (from my parents), and a handprint book (from friends). The nurses have mentioned several times to bring a baby book and they will happily put the baby's prints into it.
So here is my brave belly shot at 40 weeks...
the part I was most scared of, but turned out to be pretty amazing, albeit long), our beautiful baby boy was born!
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