About Baby

I haven't spent much time writing about this pregnancy, so I figured I'd give a little update. Things just seem too busy around here all the time to really sit down and think about our impending five-some!

I'm 29 weeks down, 11 to go (give or take however much time the kid decides works for him/her). And speaking of him or her, we've stuck to our decision not to find out what we're having. Now that the end is approaching, I have to admit there's part of me that wouldn't mind knowing just to help me feel a little more in control of our preparations. But mostly the mystery is fun!

The baby is totally healthy so far as our midwife and diagnostics can tell. If we go by movements alone, it's definitely strong and hearty. Most nights around bedtime I am subjected to serious internal rearrangements, often to the point of real discomfort. Last night, after a minute or so of nearly-painful shifting, it was apparent that the little one had completely flipped over. Up next to my ribs we could actually feel its back pressed against my skin with the heartbeat bouncing against our fingers. The shape of my belly even looks different this morning, believe it or not!

Anna is open to a brother or sister. She's more interested in the baby itself-- how small it will be, how much hair it will (or won't) have, how she'll hold it and all the help she's determined to offer. For instance, she keeps saying that when the baby cries at night she's going to come and take care of it. Riiiight. We'll see how well that one works out!

Silvia, on the other hand, is having a baby sister. She is. There is no other possibility and she corrects everyone in case they might erroneously refer to the baby as a he. She's very excited, too, though. A couple friends recently had babies and she goes nuts with giggles and happiness every time she seems them.

As for ME, well, I've gotten over the shock of it all, too. I'm excited to meet this little person, boy or girl. This pregnancy hasn't been the same as my other two, though. I'm more tired and have a lot more discomfort, just aches and joint pains. My midwife has helpfully reminded me that I am "older and more stretched out" this time, which makes the stresses a little more noticeable on my body. Thanks! That makes me feel WAY better!

Speaking of midwife, we've decided to take a different route with this, our LAST (REALLY!)birth and delivery. From past experiences, I know how much I hate interventions at the hospital, as well as having outside distractions of people popping in and out all the time and the doctor showing up for about 30 minutes of the whole thing. So this time around we'll have a midwife supporting our wishes and privacy. Our goal is to keep the experience very intimate between the two of us and as "natural" as possible. That's not to say I'm not open to all possibilities, of course. I know how things can change at a moment and not follow any textbook ever written. But, hey, the new hospital is fantastic and comes with private rooms and even jetted tubs for labor, gotta give that a try!

Now that the countdown is rolling downhill, Kurt and I have both had some moments of nerves and panic about how much everything is going to change. All our routines with the girls, our day-to-day pace and decisions, our roles and responsibilities-- it's all up for an overhaul. EEEK. But we're an awesome team and have gotten through our share of upheavals before, so in the bad moments I remind myself of this family's resilience. The girls are old enough to be helpers, too, so I'm looking forward to milking that for all it's worth-- at least until they get tired of it!

Besides which, as hard as this could be, you can't argue with the upside, too. Baby Baby Baby!

Next week we've got our just-for-fun 3D ultrasound, so I'll post pictures if we come up with anything normal looking.

Florida vacation pictures!

Here's us living it up at Clearwater Beach, just outside Tampa. There aren't as many pictures as you'd think, but we spent more time just enjoying the moments then we did looking through the camera lens. There's a whole evening of watching wild dolphins play in the Gulf that's completely missing from this montage, but it's still very clear in my head-- especially Anna's delighted shrieks and Silvia getting confused and staring in the opposite direction.

Enjoy! We sure did.