Nearing the End

We are coming very close to the end of this pregnancy.  The work in our basement was completed last week, and then I finished out my teaching term after that.  The only thing we are left waiting on is Baby!  For quite some weeks in April, we weren't sure which of the above 3 items was going to occur 1st, 2nd, and then 3rd.  Our contractor was incredibly slow, Baby seemed to be coming incredibly fast, and I still hoped to finish out my commitment to my students. Of course, we would have adjusted had things worked out in a different order, and even had people lined up to take over.

But it was all unnecessary.  I'm done with work, so I've just been at home this past week resting and taking it easy. We've also slowly been moving things back in and getting our basement/house in order from the chaos of construction.  This extra time before Baby arrives has really been a gift we didn't expect to have based on my stats from our 36-week appointment.  We just had our 39 week appointment this week and Monday is our official due date according to the doctor's records (I think my due date is actually May 10th).

With my free time, I've been doing a lot of reflecting on these past 9 months as well as our journey to get to this point because truthfully, I wasn't sure we'd ever carry a pregnancy to full term.  These are some of the things I'm going to miss:

• the baby movements- the kicks, punches, rolls, and shifts at all hours of the day.  I seriously love it and don't mind being woken up or kept awake at night because of Baby's movements.
• baby hiccups in utero
• the weekly OB appointments and heartbeat checks
• trying to imagine the different body parts moving around inside
• the planning, dreaming, and praying for our child with Scott
• the little back or bum that will sometimes stick out and fit in the palm of my hand
• the funny belly contortions- square belly, lopsided belly, point belly, kidney bean belly
• the amazing support, encouragement, and prayers from so many family and friends.

There are also some things that I won't miss nearly as much as the above points.  They are:

• sleeping on the side (I'm much more of a back and stomach sleeper)
• the 9 month pregnant waddle
• the aches and pains in new places (hips, down the sides of my legs)
• the every increasing waist size and weight gain
• two shots twice a week for 33 weeks (that equals 132 shots given by Nurse Scott!)
• the grunts and groans required to roll over or get out of bed
• the hourly trips to the bathroom each night and not dreaming or sleeping deeply as a result

All in all though, this pregnancy has been "textbook perfect" as Scott calls it.  From the beginning, things have seemed to be right on schedule with baby's growth and my pregnancy symptoms.  I get weekly emails that correspond with how far along I am in pregnancy and usually the symptoms they describe are exactly where I'm at or what I'm feeling.  I truly feel fortunate that everything has gone so well.  We have much to be thankful for with this little life.  Even the doctor remarked this week that things have gone just perfectly through this pregnancy.  We're praying that's the case with labor and delivery as well!  We'll keep you posted.