*36 weeks

Vera took this of me on Christmas day at 35 weeks.  I have to say this pregnancy is so so much easier than the previous two! I would never have expected that but take it as a huge blessing.  By the end of the day I do usually have excruciating back/rib pain, crazy water-retention induced sock lines, feelings of claustrophobia, occasional shooting pain down from my hips and a short reserve of patience, but on the whole I'd say I still feel decent. I'm even sleeping pretty well - well except for the cold.  I've had this crazy cold the last week which made for some comically miserable moments - like when I was battling through back pain while reading bedtime stories and the dry heat from the fire Ben started just didn't agree with my sinuses. My whole head seized and I could barely take a breath. I just sat there and started crying while Edie put her arms around me and tenderly gave me little butterfly kisses on my shoulder. I want to remember that - something about being mothered by your own children.  It's also pretty comical when I have to put on my snowboots - holy cow, I get a huge contraction every time.

I can't wait to meet this little one!  We all tap my stomach and tell it to kick once if it's a boy and twice if it's a girl :)  I had an ultrasound yesterday and the technician guessed [yes they are often way off] that the baby is only in the 42% right now - kind of excited that I may have a baby smaller than 9 lbs!  We are starting to narrow down names - something we had settled much earlier with V and E.  It's crazy thinking I may never [most likely stopping after this one] feel a baby moving inside me again - one of my most favorite things ever. Such a sweet, happy secret you carry :)  Anyway, I took out the bin of "little baby things" for the first time today and made a little stack of burp cloths and receiving blankets. We haven't set up the crib yet or assessed what we need.... I borrowed a lot in Utah and many hand-me-downs have run their course. Thankfully I've learned you don't actually need much.  I'm actually thinking pretty positively even about the new baby stage.. I feel like just maybe I will be able to handle it better this time?  I'll know the crying phase will end, the other child will eventually adjust, that I do not need to get any projects done or feel pressure to do anything but hold and nurse the baby and love my big girls [they'll eat too].  Maybe I'm in denial. I will say I am a little nervous about labor .... yikes. At least that one is over relatively quickly!

Anyway, those are my thoughts in these last weeks.