20 days to go and I think we are ready!?

It’s hard to believe that we are just 20 days away from our due date.  Like anything else, in some ways, the time has gone by fast, but William pointed out to me that I have been pregnant all year, so I guess it has been a long time 🙂 .  It’s also hard for me to believe that we are actually ready to bring home a baby.  Our “to do” list went from a long list of tasks to a blank board with everything crossed off.  The nursery is ready to go, all the gadgets are put together, the car seat base is installed (in one car… more on this later), all of Laurel’s clothes are pre-washed and put away in drawers or hung neatly in the closet, the diapers and other toiletries have been purchased, my hospital bag is packed (although not in the car… explanation coming), we even chose a pediatrician and paid the deposit for the daycare for when I return to work in October.  My favorite part is that the house is spotlessly clean (including freshly shampooed carpets).  William and I did a major deep cleaning of the house last weekend… carpets, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, closets, drawers… everything.  He has learned that a clean house puts a huge smile on my face and keeps me calm and relaxed.  It was a bit weird Friday night when we kicked back with pizza and Netflix (The King’s Speech… great movie)  and I was looking around the house ready to make a mental list of what I needed to do this weekend and realized there really wasn’t anything to put on the list (except for getting my thank you cards done, which I am terribly behind on, but have plans to finish today).  My biggest task now is getting some projects wrapped up at work, but I don’t feel I can ever feel ready to be away from work for 12 weeks, so I will just have to do what I can.  So….I feel pretty comfortable that we are ready to go.  Of course, we are first time parents, so we have no idea what to expect or how to gauge if we are truly ready, but I feel good with our progress.

So… what’s the deal with the car you ask?  Well…. a little over a month ago, Dallas had some pretty severe storms come through the area.  Prior to my knowledge that this severe weather was coming, I decided to take my car to the dealership for routine maintenance.  Little did I know that my car would be parked outside on the service center lot and get pummeled by hail instead of being parked safely in my garage where the loan car I had was.  The hail left several small dents and a few medium size dents on the roof of my car, and damaged almost all the other cars there as well.  Fortunately, the dealership is covering the costs of repairs through their insurance, but it required me bringing my car back to them a few weeks later (2 1/2 weeks ago to be exact), and driving a rental car (also covered under their insurance) in the meantime.  I was hoping the longest I would be without the car was about a week, maybe 2, but I called on Thursday and it’s still being painted, so it likely won’t be ready until mid week.  Of course I calmly explained to the guy that I am pregnant and NEED my car back before giving birth.  He said they could make arrangements to deliver the car to me if needed (no pun intended), which is great, but I just want my car!!  So, I am hoping it will be ready by Wednesday or Thursday.  I forgot how much I like my car, but driving around in a rental car for 2 1/2 weeks has made me realize just how much I enjoy my car.  It doesn’t give me any problems, it runs smoothly, I love it so much I have already put over 100,000 miles on it in just 4 years (yes… I do a lot of driving).  I should be able to easily get another 100,000 miles on it.  So, that is why we have only installed the car seat base in William’s vehicle and my bag is not in the car.

Anyway.. back to the baby.  Laurel seems to be pretty content in my womb for the moment.  I have had no contractions, only what feels like Laurel stretching her body to occupy as much space as she can.  When I went in for an ultrasound two weeks ago, she was already measuring 6 lbs, 9 ounces according to the machine, and that was at 35 weeks, 3 days!!  So… my doctor feels she is likely going to be a big baby and there is a possibility we may not make it to 40 weeks.  My next ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday, so she plans to look at her growth again and determine next steps, which could include inducing early.  The good news is that I hit the 37 week mark yesterday, which is considered full term, so there is good confidence that her lungs are fully developed and there is a much lower risk of issues if she were to be born.

I have been feeling pretty good also despite our long stretch of 100 degree weather here in Texas.  I am indoors most of the time, so the heat is not really bothering me.  Still no major issues… no nausea, food aversions, food cravings, indigestion (actually… maybe I did once or twice, but it was shortlived), heartburn…. nothing.  Swollen feet and ankles are the one problem I continue to have.  It depresses me a little bit because I can’t really wear any shoes.  I have one pair of work shoes that fit and other than that I wear flip flops.  Any shoes with a lot of straps tend to make the swelling worse, so I am really looking forward to my feet being “normal” again.  I try to keep my feet up as much as possible (they are up write now as I write this post), and it helps, but the swelling always returns once I am sitting without my feet up or up moving for long periods of time.  Sleeping has become somewhat uncomfortable, but I am still sleeping pretty well.

So for now, the preparation includes just a few things: sleep (I have got to go to bed at a more reasonable time) and cherishing these last weeks, maybe even days together as a family of two.  That part is actually a bit emotional for me because although I am so thrilled and excited to welcome Laurel into our lives, I have become so content with it just being William and me, and being able to go anywhere and do anything with little notice.  However, I am ready to embrace the change as I know this moment will be one of the most defining moments in our lives.

So… any predictions on when this defining moment will be?