Getting Closer...

We have less than a week until my due date, and we're still crossing our fingers that this little girl makes a slightly early appearance. Everything is going well, I've made some progress, and my midwife confirmed that she had dropped a couple of stations in the past week. Of course - "progress" in labor terms could mean anything, maybe she'll come tonight, and maybe I'll still be pregnant well into June! Except for extreme exhaustion and the usual aches & pains of being 39+ weeks pregnant, I'm feeling ok. Why is the anticipation and anxiety of The End so unbearable? Not that I'm a particularly patient person to begin with, but you'd think with all of my training in childbirth & labor, I'd be able to surrender to the unknown of this a bit better. Afterall, I'm the one who's been reminding my friends that "babies come when they're ready!" - I'm just really hoping every minute that OUR baby is ready now! We've been trying to keep busy with activities, as much as my energy level allows, and also get some little projects done around the house.
We had another awesome shower thrown by Pete's coworkers this past weekend - it was completely girly'd out, and I just loved it. Everyone was so generous, and we have a ton of new, adorable outfits to deck this little one out in! I never thought I'd be the kind of mom who dressed her daughter in frills & pink...but after having a boy first and struggling with how NOT cute most of the stuff is, I'm all in - bring on the ruffles!
This week I officially gave up working out, I hung in there as long as I could without being completely miserable, and I'm feeling pretty good about my fitness level throughout this pregnancy - which isn't actually that hard since I was pretty much INactive while pregnant with Evan! We have her room set up, although she'll be sleeping with us for a while - the wall decals are my favorite, easy to stick & removable when we're sick of them!
So - send us some good labor vibes, we're ready anytime now!

Happy Mom's Day!

Happy day to all of the wonderful, hard working moms out there!

Mommy & her monster - I mean...adorable, brilliant, idyllic son:

It says a lot about my current state of mind and energy level when my perfect day is as simple as lots of good food, sleep & having help running some errands. I'm actually grateful for the cloudy, cool day today...like many people that live in this perpetually sunny state, it's sometimes nice to have an excuse NOT to go out and be active!

We're down to the final couple of weeks, and OH MY GOODNESS (a favorite Evan saying), am I ready to have this baby! She is extremely low - this according to my midwives who can feel the base of her skull in my pelvis rather than the top of her head, and backed up by the she's-about-to-fall-out feeling I have down there. This gives me hope that a) she'll be early, and b) I'll have a miraculously short labor. I figure after my first birth experience, I pretty much earned that. Here's to hoping!

A pic of the beautiful henna painting on my ready to burst belly:

"Playgroup"

At this point, this word has come to have many meanings for us. Before we had Evan and I heard the word "playgroup", I envisioned (I know this is terrible) a group of dowdy moms sitting around scrapbooking about their babies and eating Doritos. Maybe I'm not the only one, and this is why so many women are waiting longer to become a mother? In any case, what we've searched for/found/created is a wonderful departure from what I used to envision! Our playgroups provide us with grounding, support, exercise & play buddies, friends, a sense of community - and on and on.

Here's what I mean:

Girls Playgroup - outdoor fun & hanging out. Doesn't it appear that our group breeds like rabbits? Neighborhood Playgroup - at "The Cave"

What a pleasant surprise from what I had feared of suburbia living. I never dreamt of hanging out in a setting like this, with a neighbor providing live entertainment, kegs, a chocolate fountain (the hosts must be catering to pregnant ladies), and a fire pit - all in the name of "playtime" for the kids! Pretty much doesn't get cooler than this.

Epitome of Childhood