Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Random Thoughts at 36 Weeks

Here I am in the purple sweater again, five weeks from the last belly post - I'm definitely getting closer to popping!

With less than a month to go until the due date (Jan. 25th), I am starting to really stress about what is to come. A few nights ago, I went to bed and our house was a MESS. I couldn't fall asleep because I kept thinking, what if I went into labor tonight and someone had to come stay with Eli... and our house looked like this?? I would have been so embarrassed. Thankfully we were having Ben's cousin Jamie, husband Phil and his parents over for dinner the next day, so we spent the afternoon cleaning and getting ready for them to see our place. Now it's back to being just slightly messy :)

Though there is one exception to that - Ben started painting the baby's room on Saturday. The prep and first coat took all day, and then he did another coat on the walls last night. He still has the doors and trim left, so it will probably be another couple of days, but it will be fun to post the before and after pictures when he is finished! (the room was an awful, bright yellow before, and now it will be a light green) At the moment though, the baby's room is kind of a disaster area since everything is in the middle of the room and covered with plastic.

I have been busy trying to put together a book for Eli's first year. It has taken a long time to just go through one entire year of pictures and decide which ones to use... as you may guess, I take a LOT of pictures!! I think I've narrowed it down to using about 750 and am organizing them into a book through MyPublisher (an online book printing service). I had grand aspirations of putting his book together w/ fancier digital scrapbooking methods, but I've scaled back a little and am trying to be more realistic with my time.

Overall though, I can't complain too much - I feel fine most of the time. It's definitely harder to turn over in bed, bend down to pick things up, and carry Eli around. But this is all normal stuff for this stage in the pregnancy. I'm still staying up way too late, finishing up freelance projects, and trying to enjoy the last few weeks of one-on-one time with Eli.

I'm excited for the arrival of this baby but am really dreading the labor. I'm nervous about how attempting a VBAC will go. I had such a miserable experience recovering from the c-section that I'm just hoping this time isn't as bad. I had the emergency c-section the first time because Eli was posterior (facing up instead of down) and had fetal distress during labor - the combination of the two made it necessary to get him out quickly. I'm anxious about being away from Eli while I'm in the hospital, but am glad we have family close by and lots of great friends around to help.

Mostly though, I think I'm still in a tiny bit of denial that things are about to completely change! I don't think it will feel real until after the baby is here...

5 comments:

Rachael said...

Megan looked at this picture and said, "she looks kind of different in that purple shirt." I told her you have a baby in your tummy and she said "Ohhhh." I think you should have the baby tomorrow so I can see him this weekend. Good luck in the final days.

Will and Natalie Giddens said...

I was planning on a VBAC with Juliana and she ended up being another emergency C-section. Everyone is different, but I found the 2nd C-section a MILLION times easier to recover from than the first. I knew what to expect, I hadn't labored as long (with Everett I dialated to a 10 and pushed for four or five hours. With Juliana I entered the hospital at 1 a.m. and only dialated to a 3 before they decided I'd need another C-section). Sure, it still hurts, but it just seemed easier. Plus, I was knew the importance of getting up and walking around, so as soon as they let me, I was up.

Either way, I'm sure it'll be a good experience for you. I'm pulling for you and a VBAC, since I'd love to know at least one person who has been able to do that! :-) Good luck!

Unknown said...

i remember feeling so unsure about how having the second child would change my relationship with my first. i had no idea i had the capacity to love the second just as much as the first. but i did... and even the third, too. good luck and enjoy the peace and quiet of the hospital! --jace and shawna

Rachel said...

You look great. It feels good to be so close to the end, huh?

I didn't remember that you had a c-section with Eli. Good luck with the VBAC. I'm sure whatever happens, you will have a beautiful, healthy little boy at the end of it.

Can't wait to hear what you are thinking about names. Happy New Year!

Young Family said...

I hope Eli does better adjusting than Hayden has. I thought he'd do fine. He loves the baby but cries all the time about everything and throws tantrum (not usual for him.)

I hope all goes well. You look great. I hope you see my sister this weekend. If so, give her a hug for me.