The Final Countdown

Friends... I am 38 weeks! (insert shocked face emoticon)

This means baby boy could be here any day now. And that is just crazy.

Obviously I know the whole pregnancy thing results in a baby, but I've become so used to this belly that it just feels like part of me now. Sometimes I forget it's temporary. And that the little creature stretching me into a watermelon will be a living, breathing, crying newborn baby laying on my chest very, very soon.

This thought brings a variety of emotions. Of course I am excited to meet him! But I am also terrified. Of the labor & delivery. Of keeping him safe. Of never sleeping again. Of learning how to be a mom.

He is due April 17. But as of right now, I'm not dilated or effaced and I have a suspicion he will stay in there as long as the doctors will let him. (At least he is head-down... that's a plus!)

My plans are to try and encourage his arrival with lots of walking, squatting, bouncing on my yoga ball, and eating pineapple and jalapeños. But if he's anything like his mom dad... then he is stubborn and nothing will change his mind.

It's not that I'm impatient. I'm ok if he comes on his own time. I'm just nervous that I'll have to be induced (& I'm hoping for a more natural experience.) I also know that at this point he is considered "full-term" and the only thing left for him to do is grow bigger... which makes a certain body part of mine very nervous.

People often ask us, "Are you ready?"

So I'll say...

We have a pretty good stash of diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets & all the basic necessities.

His nursery isn't completely done, but it's functional. (+ he probably wont even sleep in here for a few months.) I'll post better photos once it's finished.

We took a tour of the hospital: Mount Carmel St. Ann's. They just did a huge renovation of the maternity pavilion and it's really beautiful. I have only heard good things and I'm lucky that it's only about 10 minutes away from our house.

My hospital bag suitcase is packed with way more things than I'll ever need. But that's just me. Feeling prepared eases my anxiety. 

The last big item on our list is a birth photographer / videographer. We went back and forth on this one. It's expensive. But it's worth it. In the end, it came down to thinking about the actual experience. We decided that we wanted to keep it more private and having a stranger there might stress me out. So... we invested in a GoPro Hero3 instead and plan to capture the experience ourselves. We'll see how it goes. But as long as I get a few good shots to remember the day, I'll be happy.  

So overall... I think we're ready!

But like all seasoned parents remind me: "you can never really be ready."