I can't believe it is all almost over. Here we are, at 36 weeks already. It feels like just yesterday we were waiting to find out what we were having, and not too terribly long since we found out we were having the little guy. But in less than a year, which has seemingly flown by, we've been through so much. 2013 was definitely a huge year for us, and I know 2014 will be just as monumental with the arrival of the Little Man less than a month away.
Less than a month... and I keep going back and forth between being totally overwhelmed and feeling under-prepared (OMG we don't have enough burp cloths!) to feeling calm and relaxed (he's got a place to sleep, and he's healthy, and head-down, so he's fine). But as easy as this pregnancy has been - and I'm definitely NOT complaining because I know how lucky I've been - the third trimester has been really hard for me. Heck, not even the whole trimester... things didn't really start "getting difficult" until maybe last week. But more on that in a bit.
The main highlight since 20-weeks was at the beginning of December when we had a lovely little baby shower. I was so happy that my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and all my best girlfriends from Minnesota were able to come. We definitely had a full house for a few nights! The shower was absolutely adorable - my dear friend Megan (who just had her little boy in June 2012) did the most amazing job with her hosting duties. The decor was the cutest, and she had delightful little treats and things... I was so tickled by it all. A lot of friends from town attended as well; it was good to see some friends we hadn't seen in a long time. And our little guy decided to show up as well - I was finally sporting an actual "baby bump" at 30 weeks. But it was so good to see everyone, and to be honest, it was really nice to be fussed over for a few days :)
But other than that it's been business as usual. All our appointments have been going well. At my 34-week appointment I met with a doctor I hadn't met before (I use a practice rather than an individual doctor, and since deliveries are handled by whichever doctor is on call it was recommended I try to meet as many of the practice doctors as possible) and when she asked me how I'd been feeling and I said Fine (as I've said in pretty much every appointment) she commented, "Well, the only things written on your chart are your measurements and vitals, so I can see it's been a pretty uncomplicated pregnancy!" I think "uneventful" is the name of this whole experience.
Work's been work, as usual. We're finally interviewing people to take over for me while I'm on leave this week. Now we just have to hope that we don't go into early labor so that I have time to train whoever we hire! Honestly I'm pretty sure that, even if we hired someone tomorrow, they wouldn't be able to start for two weeks, then I might have a week of training. And if he decides to come early - even a week or less - we're going to be pretty screwed. I'm trying not to stress about it because it really won't be my issue for much longer - not trying to be rude or anything, but we've all known that this was happening for nearly 6 months ago, and as usual no one did anything till the last minute. I've got a few other, much more important things to worry about.
But like I was saying earlier this last month has already been a struggle. The tiredness has hit me hard. I am lucky if I can get myself out of bed by 7:00 each morning, and I spend 90% of my day trying to keep my eyes open. There are some days my eyes are achy and I'll get a headache like I haven't slept in days. I am up usually once, sometimes twice every night to pee. I just ache all over - my hips and back, which have always been a bit weak anyway, are super sore. Now that I actually have a belly I'm in this constant state of uncomfortableness. And this kid is active. I mean, he's moving all day and all night. Since I'm pretty short he's taken up all the space I have, and he's not moving out much, so he spends the day poking and prodding my ribs or rolling around under my sternum and ramming his head into my bladder. He starts kicking around as early as 8:00 am and doesn't stop until after I fall asleep at night. I know I'll miss it when it's gone, but it's making me so terribly uncomfortable that I can hardly stand it. Not to mention all the stereotypical "pregnant lady problems" like trouble getting off the couch, bending over, etc. It's been the most bizarre feeling of "ready to be done being pregnant" while at the same time enjoying it and being apprehensive about actually having a newborn to bring home. But knowing that we're at the mercy of some little man we have yet to meet is a little unnerving... I hate not being in control of things!!
So, that all being said, I'm sure we'll be new parents by the next time I'm able to write here. We're nervous, excited, terrified... there are so many feelings rocking through my brain that I can't even describe it all. I have no idea what to expect in the next four weeks, but I'm sure that no matter what happens it's going to be one hell of an experience.
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