The Mom I Want To Be

We're in the endgame now, to quote a very popular superhero movie. Of course, this kind of endgame isn't quite as ominous as the one in Avengers: Infinity War and then Avengers: Endgame . We may be counting down the days until the end of pregnancy, and the end of our lives as a childless couple, but that's not exactly a bad thing. Especially given how badly this child was wanted and how I've officially reached a point in a fairly easy and enjoyable pregnancy where I'm finally just...done. Over it. Ready to get my body back to being my own and starting my new life as a parent. It's mostly because of how hard it's getting to move in and out of cars, up from the couch, and especially in and out of bed on my several bathroom trips each night. The right-side stiffness I mentioned before is now clear hip pain that gets worse when I move my right leg in certain directions or put too much weight on it. My doctor says this is normal, of course, as my body prep...

I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow. I've made it to term and only have about two weeks before my due date. Interesting things happen when you're this far along in the pregnancy. For example, my back aches have finally begun in earnest. I woke up a couple of days ago feeling incredibly stiff on my right side, and it's getting harder to move about without my back hurting today. Not terrible pain, but it certainly doesn't make it easy to do things. Maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't be doing so many things. Of course, at this stage in the pregnancy, there are other things to think about. In the first trimester I spent pretty much every bathroom visit checking for any signs of a miscarriage before I made it to the "safe" mark of 12 weeks. Now I spend pretty much every bathroom visit checking to see if my water has broken. I know most "first" babies come late, but Hubby's cousin's water broke four weeks early. My coworker said both her chil...

It's really not easy to surprise me, since I'm the kind of person who is always looking at details, analyzing, and making predictions (perhaps the "scientist" side of the library science in me). That said, I really LOVE surprises! I try never hard not to get spoilers for my favorite movies and shows, I almost always asked for "surprises" as one of my birthday gifts as a child, and I've had arguments with Hubby over what makes the best gifts (he wants exactly what he tells you and nothing extra, I want something that I didn't tell you since it makes the gift less expected and more fun). So, despite having three previous baby showers already this pregnancy, I was absolutely THRILLED on the morning of May 11, 2019 when I walked into my fourth baby shower, and very first surprise shower. It was a Saturday when I'm not usually on the other side of town, but I had to stop in to work for a presentation in the morning. Afterwards, one of my friends ...

Super pregnant! Hubby let me pose with his new Captain America shield in the dress where three strangers asked about my pregnancy. New old symptoms didn't really appear until after the baby shower when my body finally allowed myself to feel pregnant. As I get close to week 37 and almost "full term," I've noticed something: it's a bit like first trimester all over again! For example, just when I began to feel like I could eat normally, I've now reached a point where I'm hungry all the time again! The cravings for protein (meats and cheeses) are especially strong, as well as a continued craving for soda, which was noticeably absent the first trimester, but did come up a little bit in trimester 2. Also familiar from trimester 2? The occasional tummy ache after eating, which could be caused by shrinking stomach space or hormones making my digestive system wonky, or any number of reasons. It doesn't happen all the time, but again, just when ...

Okay, so pregnancy ain't exactly a "party," but it has its moments! I know I'm pretty lucky. My pregnancy at 32 years old could have been a whole lot worse--I'm talking morning sickness, inability to eat, constant back pain, enormous stretch marks, feeling like a giant blue whale, and worse. I didn't have any of that, at least, not for very long. While I know a positive attitude won't cure all pregnancy ailments, I've tried to maintain a positive attitude in general because, for the most part, I do actually enjoy being pregnant. This is something I've wanted for probably about 10 years and something I actively tried to achieve for about nine months before getting the good news. Now I'm growing a tiny human. I created life with the person I love. There's an adorable little being inside me, which I can occasionally see (via ultrasound) and often feel (through those wondrous kicks, turns, and even hiccups!). This is my family, my le...

A LOT has happened in the past week with Baby. And by a lot, I mean, feeling hiccups, getting poked in the ribs, starting to feel more aches and pains, but especially, TWO amazing baby showers both in the same weekend! My coworkers were giddy with excitement to throw me a Winnie the Pooh themed baby shower in our library building (they told me ahead of time they were "plotting") and it all came together in a perfect afternoon on Friday, April 26. Food included my favorite Capriotti's sandwich, The Bobbie (shredded turkey meat with cranberry sauce and stuffing, just like Thanksgiving dinner!), healthy salads, and a homemade strawberry filling cake! I couldn't believe how many gifts were set out on a separate table, including board books our library employees brought for starting baby's own library. But one of my favorite parts, I have to admit, was the shower games. The clothespin stealing game, "Don't Say Baby" (which my parents, who were also in...