The Last Few Things

I had the last two days off and it was so wonderful to be able to just relax and get some stuff done.  I have a feeling that Sophia will be here very soon, so I wanted to get things around the house taken care of. I paid our rent and bills for the month yesterday, so that we don't even have to think about them. I also got some grocery shopping, laundry, and house cleaning done. I like to think that running errands and doing housework counts towards all the walking that people keep telling me to do! Our house is by no means what I would consider immaculate though- we've both been busy and it's taken a toll on our house. The way I imagine things going is that on Saturday, I'll get home from work (my last day before maternity leave!) and still have some energy. Stephen will have had a nice relaxing morning, and will be ready to get up and help me finish cleaning the house. Then we'll have a nice dinner and relax in bed for a while. Then some time on Sunday (preferably while I am standing over the easy-to-clean tile floor, and not in the bed!), Sophia will decide that since the house is nice and clean, it's time for her to come see it! That's how I imagine it, anyways!

Whenever she decides to come, at least I've got the basics covered- her room is ready, my toes are painted (although I think I might be wearing the fuzzy socks that Stephen got for me the whole time I'm in the hospital), and the hospital bag is packed. Actually, I think that painting my toes was the most impressive one of those accomplishments! I'm glad I still have some flexibility!

I'm not sure if it's physical or mental, but sleeping (especially at night) has become somewhat difficult. I make up for it with naps during the day whenever I can, though. And yesterday a nice warm bath helped me relax and get some good sleep. I think my body is just pretty tired from all this "being pregnant" business.

37 weeks and beyond

From now on I'm seeing my OB on a weekly basis. I got to see the baby for the first time in a while, and this time I got to count her fingers and see her head. My ob told me that she can see I'm getting close, but she thinks she'll see me for at least 1 more appointment. My Braxton-Hicks are getting more noticeable and I sometimes have to  take breaks at work because I can't breathe or move! I think it scares my co-workers, but I'm fine- I just need to take it a tiny bit easier when it happens. I think I will be able to tell when it's real labor because my body practices the BH contractions so much! I'll know when it's not just pressure.
I think Violet may be clued-in and know that something big is going to happen. I think she can smell it on me- literally.  She's been extra cuddly lately too. I don't want to push her away too hard in preparation for all the attention that the baby is going to be getting, so I am secretly hoping that she kind of knows. It'll be nice when our families come to visit, because there will be more attention to go around. I kind of think that while a baby might be kind of intimidating for Ian, he will LOVE Violet and play with her a lot while my parents are here. She is so sweet with kids, I'm sure they will get along great.

I can't believe that March is almost here. I know that February is a short month, but somehow it has flown by faster than normal. When I was around 4 months pregnant, someone at work asked me if I had just a guess of the day when the baby was going to be born (I guessed March 3), and now we're almost there and I can't imagine where these months have gone. Not that I'm not looking forward to having this baby and not being pregnant anymore, but our lives are about to change in a big way! I really can't wait to sleep on my stomach again, though. And the better part of my closet that I haven't worn in months is calling to me! I know I won't go back to my exact original size (especially not right away), but I know I do have some things that will fit again just because I don't have a bump!

Place Your Bets

Well, today is the first day of Pices, so according to Stephen, I'm allowed to have the baby now. In all reality, I would not be surprised if it happened soon. Yesterday, I was having contractions nearly every hour, if not twice an hour. It also seems pretty safe to say that Sophia has dropped- some of my co-workers have commented that my belly looks different, I can breathe more easily (most of the time), and there is definitely more space between my chest and belly. I've been keeping my eyes open for other signs too, but trying not to get my hopes up. I know that nothing really happens until my water breaks, or my contractions are lasting a minute and are 5 minutes apart. I am just very ready to meet this baby!
We were given some baby clothes and toys by a very kind and generous military family who we know through Stephen's unit, and I am very excited to dress our little girl. I have been debating over what to bring Sophia home in after the hospital, and Stephen is not very interested in helping make this decision. He says it makes him tired. I have a cute outfit from my baby shower back home with a pink striped top and bottom with a sheep on the top and little sheep footsies to cover her toes, as well as a hat that matches the pink. My girls from work also threw me a (surprise) baby shower too, though, and I got a couple more cute outfits from them. One that I'm debating about is a little pink onesie with a zebra, and matching zebra print leggings with a cute zebra on the back. And, of course, the light pink hat to match and pink and white socks to cover her toes. And lastly, one of my co-workers gave me a set of onesies/leggings that I love too- one of them is hot pink and says "I love Daddy" and one is white with hot pink details and says "Mommy loves me" and they came with some leggings with grey animal print and a heart on the back. And Stephen's grandparents gave us a hot pink hat that matches perfectly. I know in the grand scheme of things, this is a very small decision, but I am a sucker for special outfits for special moments!

Pizza and a Movie

Well, tomorrow is Valentines Day. It seems like it sneaked up so quickly! I met my deadline though- the nursery is completely done to my satisfaction! I unfortunately have to work tomorrow, so Stephen and I are keeping the holiday very low key. I think that with the baby so close at hand, it's harder to make a big deal about anything else. (Which is probably alright with Stephen since yesterday he half-admitted to me that he forgot that the holiday was only two days away!) I had yesterday and today off, however, so I got to spoil myself a little bit instead. I took a nice long nap yesterday, made some cookies today, and got myself a treat or two when I went to the grocery store. It's been really nice to have two days off in a row! Tonight is when Stephen and I will do our Valentines Day tradition of getting our favorite pizza and watching a movie. In past years it has been a movie marathon (think every Star Wars movie...in order) event, but I think this year it'll be a one-movie deal. And for Stephen, we will get pizza from this straight-off-the-boat Italian guy who runs this little place on the other side of town. Last time we got pizza from him, there was so much garlic and other smelly deliciousness on the pizza I was glad I was already married so I didn't have anyone to impress with my breath!

Valentines Day Cookies!

Today I am 36 weeks pregnant, and it's so funny to me how I am having trouble thinking about how I am going to get through the next few weeks, when I have already gotten through 36 weeks of this! To be fair, the third trimester had definitely been the most uncomfortable for me. I know that for some women, it's probably the first trimester, but mine was extremely reasonable. It's just getting comfortable and breathing that really are issues for me now. There's all these stiff muscles and pinched nerves and sore areas that just never seem to give up. And to top it all off, taking a bath is only somewhat helpful now, because it doesn't fill up high enough to completely let me get all covered in water! Stephen thinks the whole thing is pretty funny, along with watching me bend over to pick up things I drop, and watching me try to get out of bed. But to be fair, he's not always giggling at me. He has started doing things like making dinner more often, and came with me to a baby preparation class that my OBGYN recommended. We're all just getting used to the idea that a baby is coming into our lives.

Hurry up and Wait

Stephen tells me that "hurry up and wait" is pretty much the army's running motto, and I feel like it's pretty accurate when having a baby too. There's a lot of things that you want to have prepared before the baby comes, and at the same time, there's a lot of things that you can't know until the baby comes. Like for instance, can someone tell me how long my baby is going to be wearing her newborn clothes? And can I get an approximation on how many diapers I'm going to need in each size? How long is that bottle of soap or tube of diaper ointment going to last?

And for me, I have just as many questions. There's a well-priced pair of shorts I really want here at work for this summer, but what size will I be this summer? What kind of bathing suit is going to be appropriate for me in the coming months? Did that woman I talked to at the park really start working out that soon after giving birth? And if not, how in the world did she look that good?

People sometimes ask me if I'm eager for the baby to be born, and I have to try and not get too sarcastic with them because OF COURSE I am eager to meet Sophia. Instead of "No, I'd rather go on being pregnant forever!" I usually say something like "Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to being a mom instead of a pregnant woman!" I'm so lucky that my manager just had a baby 4 months ago and she knows what it's like. She saves my sanity on a regular basis! I'm looking forward to my maternity leave a lot though. I know that having a baby will be hectic at times, but not driving to and from work every day sounds really nice. And relaxing at home, and not having my days crammed full of things that need to get done, too. I can't wait to put little Sophia in her bathing suit and sun hat and just go sit in the shallow end of one of the pools on post and let her splash her little feet in the water while I just relax a bit.  Stephen and I are talking about taking a little mini vacation down to San Antonio to see the River Walk and the Alamo towards the end of my maternity leave too. We probably won't plan it out a lot, and just take it easy and walk around to see the sights. I really like the idea and as long as we have the stroller I think it'll work nicely.