getting ready for baby

My cute SIL asked if she could throw me a baby shower.  It’s not my first baby so I wasn’t sure at first.  But this baby is our first boy and it’s been four and a half years since the last.  So we decided to celebrate.  My mom and my two sister in laws threw a great party.  The amazingly cute invite announced a popcorn theme, “Ready to Pop”, and we ordered six foot sub sandwiches.  One of my sisters made lots of adorable cake pops in a variety of flavors and another made a TON of gourmet popcorn in favorite flavors at her family’s popcorn store.  My mom put together a few activities including a “wishes for baby” note that guests could fill out and a diaper station for guests to write notes on the diapers to give been a smile during late night changes.  And she surprised me with a game.  She made up a poster covered in baby pictures and I had to guess which pictures belonged to me or my three daughters.  I didn’t do as well as I would have hoped!  But actually got the same score as husband.  The shower was open house style with a handful of good friends that came at the beginning and stayed through the whole thing.  Other friends and family drifted in and out, open house style.  It was perfect.  It was fun and relaxed and I absolutely loved it.  I opened gifts at the end and was spoiled with tons of adorable baby clothes and diapers, exactly what we needed.  I put the gifts back into the bags as I went and then had the girls open them again later that day, much to their delight.

The next night, the girls found the “Wishes for Baby” game and filled them out as well.  They are so sweet and sincere and I absolutely loved it.

A week later, I went to my monthly Bunko party.  I love this group of ladies and had so much fun chatting and catching up over dinner.  We played our game with the usual teasing and talking.  And then as we finished, I realized the “prize table” was actually all wrapped gifts.  My super cute Bunko friends had done it as a surprise baby shower.  So I got to open all the gifts to find more adorable baby outfits and other necessities.

When I got home that night, Husband had been busy rearranging E’s room and setting up the crib.  So I’ve been washing clothes and organizing gear and getting SO excited.

Baby has 3 weeks left and I’m huge!  4 weeks til my due date but I won’t make it that far.  L was induced two days past her due date but she was so big that it prompted the doctor to recommend inducing A and E a week early, especially given the difficulty of my last trimesters.  So baby 4 has been tentatively given an eviction notice, if he doesn’t come within the next three weeks, we get to induce.  Of course I can’t help but hope he will come sooner but continually have to remind myself it’s unlikely.  I suspect that just like the girls, he will tease and threaten with plenty of contractions but wait until we actually kick him out.  I would love to experience labor without pitocin but it really just is up to him.  I am increasingly uncomfortable though so I continue to hope. I don’t remember being quite so uncomfortable so early with the girls.  I keep thinking that I must have forgotten just how those last few weeks feel.  I feel the baby low in my hips, causing pressure and sciatic nerve pain that makes walking difficult by the end of the day.  I’m still having contractions, sometimes regularly for hours, especially at night.  But fortunately, I’ve been through this before and recognize them as being prodromal labor instead of the real thing.  They tend to stay in the front of my belly, rather than the low cramping indicative of progressive labor.  I get out of breath easily and stuff like rolling out of bed is sadly difficult.  I'm SO big.  My belly, which has been growing straight out like a torpedo, is now sinking lower and lower.  He is literally hanging off the front of me.  My weight gain bothers me more than I’d like to admit but I’ve resigned myself to acceptance.  I haven’t eaten as well as I should of but neither has it been particularly unhealthy.  I’m just always hungry!  And often too tired to cook something I should eat, instead I grab the quick and easy stuff.  So now I currently weigh as much as I did with my first daughter (my heaviest weight), and I still have weeks to go.  Undoubtedly, he’s going to be big.  I was restricted from exercising weeks ago and have to really limit my activity.  But lately, I wouldn't trust my body enough anyway with how my hips regularly give out on me and how something seemingly insignificant can trigger hours of contractions.  I’m trying to organize and de-junk every room but my energy is fading fast so I’m not as productive as I’d like.  After the baby shower, I got to go on a little shopping spree and fill in the gaps for his wardrobe.  I refrained until then and honestly, haven’t bought much for the baby.  But that shopping trip was SO fun and we had a great time picking out cute things for our boy.  And I spend a lot of time reading my pregnancy books and websites to help myself mentally prepare for his arrival.  I really like reading other people’s birthing stories and the wide variety of experiences that are part of this crazy adventure. 

He still doesn’t have a name.  With the girls, we settled on a top three choices, with a favorite, but wanted to wait until her arrival to make it official.  So it really hasn’t surprised anyone that we haven’t announced a name yet.  (that doesn’t stop them from asking though!)  But for this little guy, we are having a much harder time deciding.  Even our “short list” is still changing.  We still stick to traditional, classic names but don’t have a favorite yet.  The girls occasionally offer suggestions but so far, the reigning favorite is the same as it has been all along: “Jellybean”.

I really will miss this.  As hard as pregnancy is, it's simply incredible.  I love the closeness and marveling at the miracle we are experiencing.  I love feeling him move, there's nothing in the world to describe it.  Yes often uncomfortable, sometimes even painful as he stretches pushing his head into my hips and pushing his feet so far I swear there are going to burst right out, but amazing.  I like watching his feet wander across the top of my belly, or sometimes can even see a whole limb raised up and moving across my belly.  He's definitely more active in the evenings and I'm grateful because that means Husband gets to feel him move too.  I love curling up around him at night just to enjoy feeling him move, knowing that this intimacy is comparatively brief before I have to share him with the world.  I love him so much already.

And this pregnancy has made me love and appreciate his daddy even more.  He is so good about helping me with girls, making an extra effort with the house and in taking care of me.  He spoils me with massages and doing my "honey-dos" or cooking meals whenever he can.  I love talking with him, planning and anticipating.  He's sensitive to my discomforts and does everything he can to help.  Recently, that even includes sending me to bed or at least lay down while he juggles everything else.

I’ve tried to think what has been different about this pregnancy than with the girls and in retrospect, can find differences.  I wasn’t as nauseated-sick, especially in the first trimester (which is why I immediately began gaining weight instead of losing—although I’ve always made up for it by the end).  But I definitely felt completely worn out and depleted.  With the girls, I couldn’t eat anything sugary or rich and the boy has been much more forgiving.  I still don’t really crave sweets though.  I have consistently craved a good turkey sandwich.  Another difference has been in my complexion (especially in the first half) and constant itching (especially in the second half), both of which can be blamed on hormones.  My least favorite difference (or at least I don't remember it being so bad with the girls) is that I'm always hot!  Especially when I start having contractions, I get so hot and sweaty and uncomfortable.

But one of the sweetest differences that I’ve enjoyed this pregnancy is involving my girls.  They love feeling him kick!  E loves to play with my belly and sings to him.  She's fascinated that my belly button is basically gone, having stretched out to be totally smooth.  A has been especially helpful.  At an early appointment, doc told A it was her job to help me drinks lots of water and she has been so sweet about bringing me drinks and refilling my water bottle.  L has probably had the least opportunity to feel the baby kick since she’s often at school or dance practice, but has been most excited about helping get baby gear ready or shopping for baby clothes.  She gets a huge kick out of when the baby has hiccups.  So we are slowly getting ready and eagerly anticipating his arrival.  Ready or not, I can’t wait to meet him.