Yet Another Reason to Wait.

So I got this cold, like, almost two weeks ago, and thought I was getting better. And then yesterday and today I started feeling all lousy again, and now I can't stop the ickyness! Another cold? Sinus infection? Whatever it is, it SUCKS...especially because I had a Chem test today and had to sit there, sniffling and sneezing, while trying to draw molecules and differentiate between ketones and aldehydes. NOT COOL.

Anyway...whatever.

"So, Violet! Heed yo' mama! Hold yer horses and do NOT come barging into the world just yet...it would be nice to get to hold you and snuggle you close without worrying about sneezing into your tiny newborn face. Or bathing in sanitizer for days on end..."

Who Pea?

So more than one person has asked us recently to clarify our "pea" nicknames. Here's the breakdown:

Nicole = Swee
Wilson = small pea born of Swee, therefore, "Swee Pea"
Violet = small pea to-be-born of Swee, but Swee Pea already taken...so, "Wee Pea" then "She Pea" and now "Chick Pea"

Josh is not a pea. Or a swee. Just a he.

Baby Update: 37 weeks.

So we're technically full-term now, which means anytime little baby girl wants to come out, she's free to. Although seriously, she is actually welcome to come a week late because then I could finish my classes and maybe vacuum the nursery first.

We saw the doc on Tuesday, and he gave us some interesting news. First, I have not progressed in dilation or effacement at all this past week. Still 2.5cm, still 50%.

Sad. But oh well.

Second, y'all know how huge I am? Like, as the Safeway checker pointed out to me this morning, I look like I'm carrying five babies in there? Doc says I'm carrying around lots and lots of fluid. Which is good. Maybe I won't give birth to a Thanksgiving turkey after all. And maybe that means some of that 50 pounds gained might disappear faster than I expected... (hey, a girl can dream, okay!?)

So, there you have it. Average-sized baby disguised as holiday fowl and feeling stubborn about coming out too. Lovely. She already takes after her father.

Belly Pictures.

Okay! So! We took belly pictures again. We hope to take some more with Wilson before I pop, but we'll see.

I was 33 weeks when these were taken, and I'm 37 weeks currently. I'm noticeably bigger now...

Belly 2 Pictures

Super In-Law.

Remember weeks ago when I mentioned my [cookie]lust over thin mints? And how all the wretched little girl scouts went into hiding about thirty-six hours after beginning the cookie sale? Well my father-in-law found one of them hiding in the gulches of Helena, Montana. AND he managed not only to wrestle a box of the beloved minty goodies from her (well, actually, from her father, but that's another story), he even delivered them to me personally when visiting this past week.

Many thoughtful gifts have found their way to me in recent history, but few will be as fondly remembered as this one.

Love ya, Paul. *mwah*

Turtle Mode.

So anyone who knows me well knows how much I obsess over organization. (Case in point, my family purchased a virtual buttload of baskets and organizational products for me as shower gifts.) So you may not be surprised to hear that the "nesting" instinct has an exponentially obnoxious effect upon me -- I organize not just the baby's room and things, but anything and everything (and anyone and everyone) that falls into my sphere of influence. It's obnoxious. Avoid me. Really.

Anyway, one of the interesting side effects of this whole nesting thing is how it impacts my socialization. I've noticed this in other pregnant women too, and certainly remember it in myself when I was getting close to having Wilson. That side effect is what I think of as "turtle mode", a time when all focus and energy moves inward in preparation for little baby's arrival, often at the cost of social engagement, even with close family and friends.

I'm not saying I'm going to tuck my head in and not talk to anyone for the next four weeks. But y'all should know that my every waking thought is pretty much dominated by images of plump baby girls and nursing bras and postpartum belly sag and anxiety over when she'll actually arrive and if I bought enough bottles of Desitin and is her coming home outfit the perfect one? (I'm sure I don't need to detail out for you how this is affecting my studies...) It makes it a challenge to be motivated to do much more than daydream and fulfill my basic daily duties.

So if I seem really distracted or disengaged, please don't take it personally. It'll be over soon. I'm just doing what I think that most late-term pregnant people do -- tucking in and making sure our nests are ready for hatchlings!

Baby Update: 36 weeks.

Hello! So little Chick Pea (as I dubbed her recently) is now 36 weeks old, gestational time. Based on the strength of her kicks, she's steadily getting fatter and stronger, and is right on the money with her measurements!

Saw the Doc today. I'm 2.5cm dilated and 50% effaced, which for the uninitiated means I'm a quarter of the way to being ready to push the baby out (literally) and she's halfway down the first leg of the journey. Good baby!

While I would be thrilled to have her arrive at, really, any time, I am resolved to her being on time. Perhaps even late. The truth is I have so much to do between now and early June that if she decided to wait that long, while I would be exhausted from lack of sleep (it's really hard) and barely able to move (I'm that huge), it would be okay. Because then I wouldn't need to take a nursing infant into an organic chemistry final, for example.

Anyway, good news! We're making progress!

Good baby!