38 Week Update

I had my 38 week appointment with my midwife this evening and all is looking well. She estimated baby girl Liddell to be around 6.5 pounds and said she sounds wonderful. She is still in the head down position, ready for delivery! She "checked" me and determined that my cervix is still "closed." However, she made it very clear that this is just a measure of where my body is at right now and has no bearing on what tonight, tomorrow, or next week will bring! I could go 3 more weeks for all I know. {Let's hope not!}

What I do know is that I am feeling much better this week than last week. The swelling in my ankles and feet has gone down significantly. In fact, I've lost 4 pounds since my appoinment just last week. My midwife attributes the weight change to the extra water weight I was carrying last week! Yuck- thank goodness the swelling has subsided {for now!} Good-bye marshmallow feet! I know most people call them cankles, but these babies were far beyond cankles ~ Just ask Rob ;)

~ 38 week belly picture ~

I have to take a moment to thank a wonderful friend for being so dang thoughtful that it brought me to tears today! Flowers are just the icing on the cake for all that she did for me today. Thanks Jen for making my week! Thanks to Rob for being in on the "little secret" and for not spoiling the surprise even when I threatened you ;)

Peace

As my due date approaches, I am finding that I have days when I feel completely at peace with our baby girl's pending arrival and then I have days when I feel moments of complete panic and anxiety! {As if it really matters if every last onesie or pair of socks is washed!!} :p

Last night as I was prepping for what I hope to be my last full week of school, I began to feel some pretty strong contractions. Although they were totally sporadic, I admit, I felt a moment of panic. Rob and I were just relaxing, watching tv while I was typing up some lesson plans on the computer. At one point I remember looking at him thinking, "This could be it!" followed by "Crap~I don't have all my lesson plans done for this week!" Thankfully, once I got up and moved around, the contractions subsided and the evening proceeded uneventfully. I say thankfully because I'm really hoping she'll hang out in there until her due date! As much as I would love to meet this little girl and hold her in my arms, I know that it's best she stay put for just a few weeks longer.


I know one of these times, this really will "be it" and Baby Girl Liddell will be on her way, whether or not the laundry is washed and put away, the dishes are clean, the floors are swept, the lesson planning is done, or my toenails are polished. {But for the record, my toenails ARE polished ~ just in case} :)


In the meantime, I am enjoying my moments of quiet: my mornings when just the kitties and I are awake eating breakfast, my afternoons of walks and play-time with Annie, and my late nights of chatting with Rob before falling asleep. I know our lives will change in the most amazing way possible, but that at the same time, things will never be the same. That thought makes me kind of sad, but excited at the same time. Rob and I had 6 years together of just him and I before getting married. After living together for almost a year, we decided to add to our family by adopting our two furry cats, Ellie and Macy. Only months after getting married, we added to our family again with our yellow lab, Annie. Now, having been married for a year and a half, we are getting ready to celebrate yet another addition ~ this time, a baby girl, to our lives! So for this moment ~ I am feeling at peace...

My favorite part of this quote is the last sentence:

"it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. "