Here we are! Huge, but happy!

Baby

Imagine my surprise when I got the weekly update emails today and they said that Baby Sister is now almost completely developed in every single way, except for her lungs! I thought that was a 36 week milestone, but I am thrilled that it came 2 weeks earlier than I remembered!

By all accounts, an otherwise medically normal baby would very likely have no long-term issues if born today or later. There would be a NICU stay for short-term issues – probably for lungs, possibly for feeding – but other than that (which I don’t mean to minimize, because any time in the NICU at all sounds absolutely brutal!), Baby should be A-OK!

That being said, I don’t think this little girl is on her way just yet! And I’m happy to be her incubator as long as she’ll stay in. It is just a relief to know that if these Braxton Hicks contractions did turn into the real thing, it mostly likely wouldn’t end in disaster.

Baby Sister’s front-runner name still hasn’t changed. Her nursery is still in the same nearly-completed state. And she hiccups ALL THE TIME!

Mama

I had my 34 week checkup today and my doctor called me “medically boring”. That sounds so insulting, but it was music to my ears! She said it after I revealed that my dizziness is all but gone, my contractions hadn’t changed, and my only other complaints were standard stuff she hears from everyone.

Hooray for being uninteresting!!!!!!!

So what are my run-of-the-mill complaints? Well, the contractions still hurt (boo!), I still feel pressure down in my pelvis, my hips kill me when I sit, stand, or lay down (AKA all the time), I have heartburn, I am so very, very hot all the time, and I’m tired.

Oh. And I’m so damn fat. I’ve gained almost as much as I gained with Lewis (and still with 6 weeks still to go!), plus I started out heavier than I did with him. So I’m a freaking freight train!

But even so, you have no idea how happy it makes me to list out those complaints. Aren’t those glorious?! Nothing on that list is going to send me to the hospital. None of it is special. None of it is novel. I am just a sweaty, uncomfortable pregnant lady. Nothing to see here!

I co-hosted a Baby Sprinkle for a dear friend of mine who is due 3 days before me over the weekend, and that resulted in a very happy heart, and very aggravated pregnancy symptoms. It has been two days, and I think my body is still yelling at me for having “too much fun”, but it was so worth it!

It was so special to celebrate another mama-to-be, especially one whom I’ve shared this entire journey with, literally from deciding to try to conceive all the way until now. The only thing that could make doing this pregnancy/mama thing better than it already is, is doing it parallel to someone else. Sharing this experience has made this pregnancy so exciting for me, and I can only hope that I was able to honor our friendship and show her how special she is to me on her “sprinkle” day.

Sorry, pregnant lady getting a little emotional over here. What else is new?! haha!

Lewis

Oh Lewis. You and your tantrums. And your sweetness. And your stories. And your kind heart.

I’m at a loss as to what to write about this little dude. So instead of writing something, I’ll show you a picture from this past weekend that made my soul light up. Nothing like seeing your kid experience pure joy to make you feel more joyful than you knew was possible.