One Month to Go

The second-most common question I am asked these days, after "When are you due" is "Are you ready?" Until last weekend, my answer was always "absolutely not". Now I am starting to get a little closer to feeling ready. We do have a crib and dresser, and the bookshelves and changing table are on their way. We also have chosen a pediatrician and are in the process of finding at-home child care.

But I think what people most want to know is, am I physically and mentally ready. I'm getting there. Although I have really enjoyed being pregnant, I think nine months is just about the right amount of time, and you get big enough that you're ready to be done. Despite all the warnings we receive about how difficult the first few weeks are, we are trying to stay positive and look forward to that special time.

Knowing that my mom is doing so well has been such a huge relief in the past few weeks. It will be wonderful if this keeps up and she feels this well while she's here with us and our new baby.

My New Favorite Activity

A couple weeks ago, I gave up on going to the gym, going for walks, and weight lifting. My hands and feet are just too swollen, and any type of upright walking position just makes them worse. When I wake up in the morning, it is painful to move my fingers, and when I clock in at work the machine doesn't recognize my fingerprint!

But I have discovered the PERFECT workout for pregnancy. Through my job, I have a pool available to me during my lunch break, and I have been swimming laps for about 40 minutes a day. During those 40 minutes, I don't feel weighed down by my extra 40 pounds--I'm actually more buoyant! Also, I don't feel hot, the swelling goes down, and it gives me energy for the rest of my day. Swimming is also good for getting the baby in a favorable position, as it relieves pressure and allows the baby to move.

Sometimes I go to a senior water exercise class, also available to me through my job. It's harder than it sounds and is a great workout for the entire body. It's a good change-up from the laps.

He's not breech!

As some of you know, a doctor I saw in Cincinnati and the midwife I saw here in Wilmington, upon feeling my belly, both suspected that the baby was in a breech position (head up instead of down). Which worried me because I didn't want to have a c-section, which is pretty standard for a breech baby. We found out through an ultrasound today that he is not breech, but he is in a posterior position, meaning that when I am on my back, he is on his back. He is supposed to be face-down. I have been given some things to try to get him to flip, so if you were to look in my window at night, you might see me doing all kinds of strange movements. I'll be on hands and knees a lot and generally leaning forward. Since a baby's back is it's heaviest part, if I am belly-down that will encourage his back to move down. So I have something to work on. Posterior babies can be delivered normally, but they generally cause extreme back pain during labor.

Chris and I were both a little disappointed by the ultrasound--we expected pictures like we got before. But since he's so much bigger, the ultrasound could only capture small parts of him at a time. But we did get this profile of his face. He is facing to the left, nose in the middle, forehead on top, chin on bottom. Hopefully you can make it out.

More on the midwife--I have decided to switch to the midwifery care at my practice. I still go to the same practice and will have my delivery at the hospital, but from now on I will see midwives there instead of doctors, and the baby will be delivered by a midwife. I was lucky enough to be accepted by them at the last minute.

Want my autograph?

A major project that I have been working on, called the Cross-City Trail, was highlighted in a TV news story on Monday. You can view the story at http://www.wwaytv3.com/video/trail_being_built_to_connect_parts_of_wilmington/06. I have a brief appearance in the video. Not a great shot of me, but I am just happy that this project received some positive publicity.

Go Green!

Our very wonderful friends in Wilmington held a baby shower for us on Sunday. The theme of the party was "Go Green", as in "Save the Environment", not the color green, though some people took it more literally than others. Here we are with the party planners who made it all happen (Holly, Susan, Roseanne, Rae, John Thomas). A special thanks to Warren and Andy for making the cakes (not pictured).

You can see from the spread below that they worked very hard to stick with the theme--the plates, cups, and "plastic" ware were all made from bio-degradable items, such as potatoes and corn! No, you can't eat them. We even got a Sago Palm to take home and plant in our yard.

The guests were instructed to wrap gifts in newspaper or some other re-usable bag. It was a totally guilt-free party--except that we felt guilty being showered with gifts and attention with nothing to give in return!

What can we say except how wonderful it was too see everyone and how grateful we are to have such generous and fun friends. It was a great party!