Week 36 - Almost There

We made it through the week without too many more contractions. In 36 hours, she'll be officially full term and I can take a deep breath and welcome any signs of labor. (Oh hell, who am I kidding? I would welcome any and all signs of labor right now, but it's better for Brianna to get all the cooking time she deserves.) There were definitely some overly emotional moments over the weekend where I let anxiety get the better of me. It wasn't so much the fear of going into labor early that got to me. Rather, it was the emotional roller coaster of constantly looking for signals, reading into everything when I should just take it in stride and keep on living, and the tension between wanting to be done with the difficult side of pregnancy and knowing that it will be healthier for Brianna if I just give it time. A lot of it reminded me of the stress of infertility, the constant struggle of hoping everything works this time and the minor complaints like upset stomach and achy boobs will finally mean something great. It's nice to know that there is no disappointment with this though, just the anticipation of finally meeting our baby girl.

I finally feel ready for all of this to happen. Our bags are packed for the hospital and patiently waiting in the trunk. The bassinet is set up and waiting for her arrival. Tiny outfits are folded and stacked on the changing table while we wait to get the dresser built (and waiting with good reason, since the box weighs over 100 pounds and will probably get upstairs by being opened up and carried piece by piece). If we make it to Friday, we'll have the car seat inspected by the Sheriff's office for some extra piece of mind to be sure it's installed correctly. Plus, I have a nice work-from-home set-up that's letting me stay comfy while not burning any leave waiting for this to happen.

I have been informed by my family that some of my Monty Python references on here haven't come across all that well. Which just confirms my belief that I should entertain myself before going to the hospital by watching Eddie Izzard and other British comedy so Brianna will be quite familiar from an early age with all the material I will use to be an embarrassing mom when she's a teenager. Anyone want to join me for a marathon of Dressed to Kill, Holy Grail, and Coupling? We can even watch the Circus of the Epidural just to keep it labor related.

Brianna is probably seven and a half pounds now. She had hiccups earlier, and it took FOREVER for them to go away. Kind of unnerving to feel that rhythmic little bounce over and over so many times. She still hates extremely warm water, since every time I tried to get a hot shower to relieve hip pain, she got squirmy and unhappy and I got contractions. So, we'll probably avoid that one since it's just generally uncomfortable for everyone.

My belly button is flat now. It probably won't ever pop since I carry some extra "cushion" around my waist, but there's definitely nothing to it anymore. I guess this means I'm done, even without the turkey timer popping. The earliest signs of spring have arrived in DC, like buds appearing that will become cherry blossoms in a couple weeks and tiny leaves of green on the weeping willows along the Parkway. It's one of the prettiest times of year around here (impending tourist invasion aside), and now I just want a baby to complete it.