The Pope Kiddos: 35 weeks

35 weeks down only 35 days to go (or even fewer than that now). I caught a glance of myself in a mirror in a department store this weekend and I didn't recognize my belly. Looking down it doesn't look so big, but from the side I look pretty large. I'm starting to get comments from people about my size:

"Wow, that must be a big baby, if you still have another month."
to Lily: "Looks like you're going to have another baby around REALLY soon!"
And I've noticed women sympathetically (I hope) touching their stomachs as they walk past me. I guess I'm getting large.

I've gained 30 lbs so far. It's about average to gain 1 lb/week at this point which would put me right at 35 lbs, which is what I gained with Lily and what's the upper limit of the normal range the experts tell you is OK to gain. So I guess I'm OK with that. I wouldn't feel terrible if I gained a little over the 35 lb "limit". I've been going to my prenatal yoga class every Saturday pretty religiously lately. There was a stretch where I didn't go for a while because I was really congested and then a few classes ended up being canceled. I find yoga difficult if I can't breathe normally or it doesn't end up being enjoyable anyway. Although I can say it's getting pretty difficult overall at this point. The poses that are inverted at all (like downward facing dog or dolphin) are particularly uncomfortable because they get my heartburn going. I found myself ended those poses earlier just because I can feel the stomach acid start to rise--not pleasant. Other than that my exercise is limited to chasing Lily, which is a workout many days. I find that after her weekly gymnastics class I'm just as tired as she is and ready for a nap. Lifting 30+ lbs up on balance beams, up to bars, doing the hokey pokey and honestly just being on my feet for 45 minutes is pretty cardiovascular. Doing anything with an extra 30 lbs on my frame plus a 30 lb toddler is pretty tiring actually.

My body is definitely preparing for birth. I feel contractions frequently, probably hourly and sometimes more. If I'm out running errands to multiple places they start up. If I drive over a bump in the road=contraction. Last night I thought I might need to call the doctor because they actually started to get painful. I followed one of the midwife's recommendations and peed, drank a lot of water and laid down on my side and they went away pretty quickly. I had been sitting so I didn't think it would do much, but it seemed to work. I can also feel the aches and pains of my ligaments and bones loosening up to let this baby out. I guess I should be thankful, especially since the pains I'm feeling now aren't anything compared to actual labor, and this loosening should make the delivery easier. It is weird to feel actual pain in my pelvic bones though.

The baby is extremely active. Her head is down and ready to go so her legs are up in my ribs pushing around. She also gets the hiccups pretty frequently so I get simultaneous, rhythmic bumps in the top and bottom of my uterus for a couple minutes. I also feel elbows and knees sticking out frequently. I feel like she's very antsy and just can't get comfortable so she keeps adjusting and adjusting trying to get everything just right. You can see this all from the outside too. Lily is very concerned about what her little sister is doing. She likes to bring up everything she knows about a topic whenever it comes up, so when we talk about the baby she always says, "Baby kicks mommy's tummy. Owie. Baby born soon."

I realized recently that I haven't done a lot to prepare for the baby's arrival. I haven't bought a lot or gotten things organized much. We did purchase a new double-stroller that I'm pretty pleased with. It's one of the "sit and stand" varieties (although not that brand), where there's a little jump seat on the back where Lily will be able to hitch a ride sitting or standing when the car seat isn't installed. So the plan is that Lily will sit in the front seat when the baby is small and still in the infant car seat and when the baby is bigger it will sit in the front and Lily will have the back seat. It's a pretty cool design and it should work well for what we need it for. The side by side strollers are just too wide and the regular double strollers are super long; this is a good compromise for us.

Everything else is in progress. I have a list I'm working off of, which is a first step I guess. I've cleared space in Lily's dresser for some baby clothes and I'm pretty sure I know where all the baby items are in the basement. Now it's just a matter of getting things washed and put away and pulling out all those baby items to make sure there isn't anything we need to buy that I'm forgetting. There are a few minor things, like a baby monitor, that we never had for Lily but we saved all of her things so there's not much we need to get this time around. There's plenty of organizing to be done though. But at least the baby (and now Lily too) have a pediatrician all lined up (appointments and everything) and we're scheduled for a hospital tour so we know where to go and can get pre-registered.

I'm very much looking forward to my sister, Melody, and niece, Bella, arriving in less than a month now so I don't have to worry about going into labor without someone here to stay with Lily. Lily isn't allowed into the Labor and Delivery rooms so if we all have to go to the hospital, I'm on my own. Remembering back to Lily's birth, that wouldn't be a good thing. Thankfully we know people we could call if we were in a bind, but once my sister gets here everything will be much easier.

There are good parts, although as I approach the eventual birth, they seem less clear. I love being the only one that really knows this baby and that her and I share something that no one else can. That's the best part of pregnancy. I mostly enjoy feeling her move inside me and remind me that she's there waiting to meet us face to face. I often feel like she's tapping on my stomach just asking to come out. I love feeling like I'm shielding her from the outside world but I still often worry about her as I learn more about pregnancy and loss and know that nothing's certain at any stage of pregnancy. But I have these worries about Lily too, and Scott and myself, so that never really goes away. I am looking forward to this baby's birthday very much though. I'm definitely ready to meet her and find out who she is. I'm becoming less scared and nervous about the actual birth and even a little excited about it. I'm a little excited to labor again. It feels a little insane to even think that but I'm curious how it will be different or the same. I'm constantly amazed by women and how our bodies work and I am excited to experience that again--how (when given the chance--usually) everything just works. I hope that happens again this time and medications and interventions aren't necessary.