Wednesday, October 23, 2013

It's been too long...

First, I'd like to apologize for not posting on here recently. I'd love to say that I've been out of the country, but mostly I've just been chasing my almost 3yo while feeling very, very pregnant.

I do love being pregnant, which might come as a surprise to some people. My mom had great pregnancies, and I apparently got that special gene passed on to me. I think this annoys most other women though. I often get asked, with wide, concerned eyes, "So, how are you feeling?" This reminds me of just after my mother was killed. I got asked that a lot. I'm not sure why being almost 9 months pregnant evokes the same response from people as having just suffered a terrible tragic loss. It makes me laugh, honestly.

My husband also gets asked how I'm feeling. He desperately wants to respond with something highly sarcastic like, "She's been put on bedrest for the next 6 months." And then when people ask, "Really?" Just respond with, "No." Thankfully, he refrains from angering all the truly concerned people we have in our lives. We know that these questions are asked with love and concern and not just to drive us both batty.

I have less than 2 weeks until my estimated due date. I like to refer to it as my guess date because really, who delivers on their due date? With DinoMan, I was six days "overdue". I knew in my heart he would come around a week late. I know this one will come around his due date or a bit after. I'm good with that.

I had friends, when I was pregnant with DinoMan, who didn't understand why they didn't go into labor on the first day of week 38. Then they spent the next 2-4 weeks being miserable because they had expected to already have a baby by then. I know myself well enough to not create my own suffering this way. I assume we will have past date babies. Then, if one comes earlier than expected, it's a pleasant surprise.

We've been really focused on getting ready for this birth for the past two weeks or so. Our homebirth midwives gave us a list of things we needed for the birth. We only have one more item to get before everything is checked off the list! Now I am organizing all our supplies and making sure the house is clean, just in case our little guy does come earlier than expected.

Every invitation we receive these days comes with the caveat that we'll be there, "as long as we're not in labor." My husband even joked that he told a work colleague he could meet him in five minutes, "as long as my wife doesn't go into labor." This is a fun time, I think. There is a blog article out there about the "in-between" time, referred to as the zwischen time in German. This is probably my favorite time of pregnancy, when I'm forced to slow down and be present with this baby who still resides in me. Unfortunately, my toddler is less keen on slowing down than I am, so it's a delicate balancing act.

Me wearing Great Grandma Attie's apron while I bake. Definitely nesting! 

As one of the highlights of this pregnancy, my husband and I had belly pictures made. I have finally come to a place of acceptance about my body and it's many unique attributes, so we decided to do nude maternity photos with both of us. I won't be posting those to the Internet any time soon, but it feels good to feel good about my very pregnant body right now. I love that I love myself, as that makes everything else in life easier.

And on a completely unrelated note, I have suddenly realized Christmas is just 2 months away and I haven't bought any gifts yet! We are going mostly homemade this year to save money, so I will have to get with it soon, "as long as I'm not in labor."

No comments:

Post a Comment