35 down, 5 to go

Will has belly envy. Do you?

Home again, home again

After 8 nights away - 3 in Lake City and 5 in Escanaba - we're back in Milford. The vacation, from work, baby-prep and the blog, was much-needed. But tomorrow, it's back to business. Week 36 commences on Wednesday and Will and I are ready for our final four weeks, Baby S cooperating, as a duo.

Stay tuned for posts on the Greatest Fourth in the North, my Family Tree Escanaba baby shower, adventures in strawberry picking, cloth diaper purchases and further baby room prep. 'Night!

34 Weeks and Miss Independent

♥ U.S.A. ♥
♥ U.S.A. ♥
♥ U.S.A. ♥

Happy Fourth of July!

Shot at 34 weeks, 2 days, 43 inches.

Baby Dropping

Last Tuesday, the morning of my shower, I think my baby dropped. Not to be confused with dropping my baby, Britney Spears-style. Just one of the many symptoms that is making her "real" (and inspiring grinding wheel thought sessions at 3:24 a.m.).

After I walked the dogs, I noticed pressure in my pelvis (Miss S dropping sign one). I took a deep breath (Miss S dropping sign two), looked in the mirror and was surprised to see a belly slope where a shelf used to be (Miss S dropping sign three). I turned to ask Will what he thought and felt a twinge in my lower back (Miss S dropping sign four). And then I went to my shower and everybody commented that my belly looked lower.

Other symptoms that have cropped up in the last week or so?

• Bigger feet. Shoes that I wore at the HOW conference last weekend no longer fit comfortably.
• Hiccups. Hers, not mine. She gets them in the morning, when my alarm goes off. During vacation this week, when I don't use an alarm, it will be interesting to see if I still feel her little jumps at 4:45 or 5:45.
• Lots of movement. Again, hers, not mine. Though her head is in proper position, deep in my pelvis, her back, butt and legs just won't quit. Lots of poking and prodding happening. From the inside.
  
• Crying. For now, mine, not hers. I cried a lot in the beginning, and then I was fine, and now, I am just an emotional wreck. Erin, from the cloth diaper store, asked if I was ready. I started crying.
  
• Slight incontinence. Basically, "PLEASE. DON'T. MAKE. ME. LAUGH."
• Waddling. The back pain I experienced following "the drop" put me into a real hobble. I'm better now but don't have high hopes for the next six weeks.
• Veins. The inside of my calves and across my mid thigh are patterned by a network of teeny tiny little spider veins. They don't protrude, but they're there.
• Decision-making paralysis. Like the crying, it was something I experienced at the beginning, took a break, and is now back. Great timing as we try to finish up the baby's room.
  

That's all I can think of for now, but as August 10 approaches, I'll be sure to check in and add to the list. My friend Jen told me about online services that will turn your blog into a book, so to ease my "I didn't journal" guilt, I've decided to use the blog as my journal. That means more details. Goody.

Showering at Work

On Tuesday (June 28), my oh-so-kind and spectacularly savvy party planner/boss Betsy, put together a marvelous shower for me and Miss Spurgeon at The Village Club in Bloomfield Hills. All the ladies from my office attended, and Superintendent Rob, as well as my old friend Lucy, my mom and Grandma Katie. 

 (And yes, I do look like a pirate, but it's a good shot of the grannies.)

Held in the Library, it was the perfect setting for a traditional, elegant baby shower. 

 The place settings, bird details and cake were spot-on and in my yellow and grey "theme."

Of course, we played a game. A slight spin on the traditional shower game though - run by my pal Brenna. Each person chose two crayons, then Brenna gave a direction as to what baby body part to draw on a provided sheet of paper. 

Once that part of complete, the paper was passed. The resulting Built-By-Committee Spurgeon babies were quite the lookers, and will be assembled in a book that I can use to give Baby S nightmares.

Speaking of books... a majority of the gifts I received were from my Amazon.com Caldecott Medal winners registry. I was thrilled! Honestly though, I was thrilled with all of the gifts. Baby food processor, anyone? Though I always dubbed myself the anti-traditional shower gal, I truly enjoyed this gettin' clean scheme.

I work with amazing ladies (and a man), a fact that was screamingly obvious as we relaxed outside of the office. I'll miss them during my maternity leave.

It was a great afternoon. Just don't ask me about the valet, the Bug and Betty-Roo! 

Feeling real

Today my friend Karyn sent me this photo. She prefaced it by saying it was the freaky, lasts-forever, organic stuff, but still. Her milk and my tenant have something in common. They'll be overstaying their welcome, one in a fridge, one in a uterus, after August 10.

In numerous posts, after various experiences I've chronicled, I've made statements alluding to the "realness" of this pregnancy - that I have a baby inside me who will join the world around the second week of August. But in the past few days, "real" has stepped up its game.

I can't pinpoint why it's happened. Might be that the baby's room is coming together and filling up with a variety of gear and clothing (care of my two showers), on Wednesday I tried on my first piece of nursing-specific clothing (a tank top) and purchased our cloth diaper starter set, nursery chair and a variety of mid-wife recommended herbal remedies to help withdelivery and recovery. We are taking our labor class tonight. This weekend we make our last trip to Lake City and Escanaba as a duo. And then we have have 4 Saturdays before the baby is supposed to arrive. Though at times it seems I've been pregnant forever, these days it seems like only yesterday I was announcing it to my friends.

Though I know I'm not alone - that many women start to feel a titch panicky at this point in their pregnancy - the "we're all in this together" phenomenon is doing little to quiet my brain. In the middle of the night or the early early morning, when I can't sleep but am too tired to get up, my noggin's wheels start to grind. And as we all know - sleepy thinking is not the time for rational thinking. The baby is almost here - all those things that I put off or said I'd do closer to the due date now have to be done. Not to mention the regret and guilt.

...I haven't taken enough photos or written down enough details. I haven't taken enough time to relax and savor my relationship with Will. I haven't gotten enough sleep. I registered for all the wrong items. I still need to choose art for the nursery walls. Will I remember how to launder her cloth diaper? What drawers should things go in? When should she start a bottle? Solid food? What about vaccines? Did I read the right books? Did I read too many books? Will I be a good mom?

Eventually I drift back to dream land. And though I wake remembering my late-night musings, in the light of day, during my 17 mile, 45 minute commute to and from Bloomfield Hills, it all seem less daunting. There are people all over the place, who were all born and who all had moms who did the best they could. I'm simply joining their ranks. Did I take enough photos or absorb enough details? I don't know - but what I can I do about it now? Now, I can relax. I can savor my "just the two of us" relationship with Will. We'll figure the rest of it out.

Right?