The 9th Month!!

It's hard to believe that our little one is scheduled to arrive in about a month! To be honest, physically I'm ready to have the baby now! The last month of pregnancy has been a bit more difficult. Sleeping has become challenging and uncomfortable. I normally sleep on my back but at this stage of the pregnancy I have to sleep on my side so that I get better circulation. I have no problems falling asleep but I always wake up with aches in my neck and shoulders. I get up a couple of times in the middle of the night to switch sides and go to the bathroom. Sometimes my legs cramp up really bad in the morning and I have to use my labour breathing to get through it! My legs and feet swell up throughout the day from water retention. Not only that I have a hard time fitting into most of my shoes, I have trouble walking when my feet are swollen and stiff. I try to put my feet up during the day if I get a chance so that they don't get so puffy and unrecognizable by the evening. Of course then there's the additional weight. Because I retain so much water, my weight can fluctuate 4lbs between morning and evening. I've gained over 40lbs since the start of my pregnancy and I've kind of stopped keeping track. Carrying all that extra weight has certainly slowed me down when I walk. Although Rick did notice that my calves have gotten more muscular from supporting the additional weight!

Despite the physical discomfort, I'm still not quite ready for the baby to arrive yet. Over the last few weeks Rick and I have been spending every weekend getting things ready for the baby. We painted the baby's room and got a crib, changing table and glider. I know that the baby doesn't really need much at first but getting the room ready helps us mentally prepare for the baby's arrival. We just finished our childbirth and newborn classes a couple of weeks ago. The course was 2 hours each week for 7 weeks. Although most of the information in the class could have been found in most pregnancy books, Rick and I found the class useful because it highlighted certain things that we should be thinking about. I have a much better idea now what kind of birth I'd ideally like and I'm going to included my wishes in a birth plan. The instructor showed us a birth video every class so that not only would we know what it looks like for babies to be born we would no longer be shocked by it. Being with a roomful of expectant first time parents and going through the course made me feel a lot less nervous about the upcoming delivery. I'm planning to work up until my due date as long as the baby doesn't arrive before that. I've already started working on a transition plan to hand over my responsibilities to my coworkers. Starting the transition at work has really eased my anxiety because for a while I was having panic attacks about the baby arriving early and me leaving work dangling behind. Deep down, I know I will never be truly, 100% mentally ready for the baby to arrive. The physical discomforts that I'm feeling now is probably nothing compared to the challenges that I'm going to face when the baby is here. At the same time, I'm getting more and more excited about finally meeting the baby. I can't wait to finding out whether we're having a boy and a girl and I can't wait to see what the baby looks like.

Baby Shower Part II

Over Easter weekend, Rick's sister Betsy and Rick's mom Eileen threw me a baby shower in Seattle. The guests included relatives from Rick's family and our Seattle friends. 2007 is turning out to be a big baby boom year, so 4 of the girls at the shower are pregnant: Myra is expecting a boy in May, Trish is expecting her 2nd little girl in July, Arleen is expecting a boy in August and of course me in May. Rick and I actually know about 5 other couples who are also expecting babies in 2007. People have been saying that there must be something in the water in Seattle!

Betsy and Rick's mom went all out for the baby shower. We had lots of yummy food and Betsy made a ton of adorable customized chocolate favours. Taylor and her cousin Michelle organized the shower games. My favourite one was where you had to guess a baby related word by asking only yes and no questions. I received a ton of wonderful presents from everyone. My friend Ivy who lives in New York was so thoughtful as to send a gift to Betsy's house to surprise me. I really enjoyed the shower because it was just such a nice occasion for everyone to get together, catch up, eat and relax.


Presents!!

Pregnant, not fat.