Boundary Lines

6 days until my EDD. Excitement and mild panic all mixed up together. Feeling really pretty well most days, other than crazy sleeping patterns and the aforementioned soreness. Nothing that feels insurmountable, or like I couldn't handle it another week or more. Met another midwife today ... I liked her, but LOVE the one I've been seeing. Saying many prayers that she'll be on-call when the time comes and also that the OB on call will be super cool. Trying to find time to practice my Hypnobabies. Have been so tired at night, I've really slacked on it and need to really focus on it until the baby is born. I highly, highly recommend it if you have any interest in it at all. It is simply AMAZING.

In One Word ... OOUUUUCH!!

Oh my word, am I SORE. My pelvis has been one big owwie for quite a while now, but apparently I hadn't experienced the full measure of owwiness. Something's changed in the last 24-48 hours. I don't know if the baby has dropped down more, or changed position, or if my body's just more sensitive, but good heavens is it uncomfortable to walk around! 

That being said, as supremely uncomfortable as it is, I really do hope the baby has dropped a bit. At this week's midwife appointment, he was still "floating". I was a little discouraged to hear that, as Ronan STAYED floating and never engaged in my pelvis at all, even after laboring for quite a while. It would be great if this baby was making a little progress and heading more and more in the right direction. Go, baby, go!

I actually had two appointments this week, both of which were very encouraging. Both my midwife and OB are very pleased with how everything's going. Certainly the fact that I've had NO issues with my BP or any signs whatsoever of pre-eclampsia/HELLP Syndrome is AWESOME. A "boring", full-term pregnancy is such an answer to prayer! (If you remember, I was pre-eclamptic for a couple of weeks with Ronan too, and headed towards delivering him a couple of weeks early.) Everyone is totally onboard with letting my body and the baby do what they know to do, and going into labor whenever the baby is ready. 

I continue to be more and more encouraged by the attitudes toward birth that everyone supporting me has. I have no idea how this baby's birth will turn out, but I am SO confident that I am in the right place, surrounded by the BEST people, and I will be given the absolute BEST chance to have a VBAC this time around. (A much, much better chance than last time, btw. 100% better than last time, without a doubt.)

I'm also faithfully drinking Emergen-C every day to help strengthen my bag of waters. No stupid leak this time around! And Red Raspberry Leaf tea will be added to my regimen as soon as I can get my hands on it. Those two things, plus lots of protein for the baby and carbs to store up some energy for the big day. And lots and lots and lots of rest. This body ain't taking me much of ANYWHERE these days, so I'm trying to enjoy these last few days of being able to rest and sleep whenever I can.

Showered

My SIL (with help from Mom and my MIL) threw me the loveliest shower this afternoon. It was informal but beautiful, fun but relaxing, casual but poignant. In other words, it was perfection from start to finish. I had the best time with the awesome women of our church and my family. We talked and talked and enjoyed a yummy lunch together ... and of course gifts were opened too. Two of my favorites were this (not necessarily a typical baby gift, but something I've had my eye on for over a year and figured why not, ha?!) and this. 

One friend also gave the baby a blanket that I'm sure is going to be my new favorite. I don't have a picture of it yet, but it's very stylish and masculine, with awesome dragons on one side. Another friend MADE a cloth ball for the baby to play with and soft blanket, which she placed in a super cute little bag that she ALSO made. I seriously have the most talented friends ever! 

Another highlight was having our long-time family friend Annie with us. Her husband babysat my brother and I before they got married, I later spent many happy hours babysitting their five (!!) awesome children, and now their kids babysit ours. I hope this continues forever. 

THE highlight, though, was realizing that I am once again surrounded by a group of women whom I feel deeply blessed to share such a momentous time in our family's life with. Each of our boys has been born in a different City, and into a completely different community of friends. You'd think that would be hard, or sad. It hasn't been, though. It's only made me feel like we have a huge extended family. People who've loved us and walked with us through the ups and downs of life. It makes me very excited to see all that we will share with THIS community. Especially since we're not going anywhere for a long, long time.

Showered, indeed. 

"MERRRR-dy KISS-mas" * 2009

I almost hate to write this, as there's no way to say it without sounding like I'm complaining, but ...

Christmas vacation this year STUNK!!!

Now, please notice I didn't say that CHRISTMAS stunk ... Christmas Eve evening and all of Christmas Day were glorious, beautiful, fun, delicious and everything we could have hoped for. But the week preceding, and much of the week following were AWFUL!

The reason for said stinkiness is nothing to complain about either. It's just that it made for an exhausting, un-relaxing, rather stressful and decidedly un-FUN vacation. 

Oh. You want to know the reason.

The reason is that we were able to remodel the incredibly old and dirty, completely un-functional eyesore of a kitchen in our church building.

See? Nothing to complain about! It's wonderful, really. The new kitchen is GORGEOUS, and will be used for many years to come to serve our church family and especially the community around us (I would seriously love to start a soup kitchen someday).

However, it meant that this year's Christmas vacation was full of day-after-day-after-day-after-day of 16+ hours of intense, back-breaking physical labor on Toby's part, and no time with Daddy for the rest of us, when we'd planned to be ice skating and sledding and taking long walks on the beach and cookie baking and eating together as a family, amongst other things. (Toby and a few other guys from the church were helping our contractor-friend who was volunteering his time and services, God bless them all!)

I don't think it would have mattered as much any other year. Normally, I would have packed the boys into the car and done all of those things just the three of us. But I am SO big and often uncomfortable, my energy level goes down the drain without a moments notice, and I have a lot of Braxton Hicks if I'm not careful to stay hydrated. So my poor boys were often stuck inside, watching TV or driving each other up the wall. It was cooped up city around these parts! Oh my word, were those weeks loooong. 

So it was rough, but we got through it whole and relatively unscathed (the mental scars might never heal though, ha!). The really good part of the whole thing was that I was reminded over and over again what the season is REALLY about. Yes, time with family is incredibly important, and all the festivities of the season are wonderful to enjoy. But remembering that we were looking to the birth of Christ and honoring THAT gave me much peace and joy when I was tempted to complain through those two weeks. I think I might have been tempted almost to despair if I hadn't been reminded of it! I feel like I came away with a priceless lesson-learned in that regard. 

Still, I kinda hope that we never have another Christmas vacation like it again. Heh. 

* Ronan wishing all of you a belated Merry Christmas. =D

Coming up next: My awesome Midwife, OB and hospital and how I've FINALLY found people who really believe that birth is normal!