dear little son,

today, you are seven months and 12 days old. your mommy has been really bad at updating the internet with pictures and news to your development and all of the wonderful ways that you’re growing.
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last night was really nice.

mark’s dad and stepmom debbie offered, and even insisted, to watch august so that we could go out on a date on them. yes, on them. instead of paying them to babysit for us, they watched him for free and also paid for our date. shoot. not a bad deal, huh? mark’s parents are nice. <3
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today was one of the tougher days i’ve had with august. it came after a good night, however, no matter how good the nights can be, mark and i still aren’t getting much sleep…so, i’m seeing a good night doesn’t really balance a tough day out very well if we aren’t very rested and don’t have much energy to take on feisty baby days.
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a friend of mine, who was due around the same time as me (we were due within a day of one another), went into active labor yesterday. her husband is keeping a labor log going at their site (great idea we might have to steal) and i have been keeping tabs on them.

even though slightly envious that they’ll be meeting their bug soon, if they haven’t already!!!!, i am overwhelmed with excitement and happiness for them.

it’s so crazy and beautiful to be experiencing and witnessing life created and now being born into the world. and not just experiencing it within me, but all around me.

i know quite a few women who have recently become pregnant or just had babies…and have gotten to know women, through the journal community i am a part, who are all experiencing similar things or are having their babies. i can’t even describe how beautiful and exciting it all is.
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How far along are you?
39W5D.

What symptoms are you experiencing?
- itchy belly/chest.
- contractions.
- occasional sharp pains from down below.
- losing my plug. (sorry guys– shouldn’t read if you don’t want tmi!)
- fun bathroom issues!
- moodiness.

How are you feeling?
the past two weeks i am finding that i’m reeeally uncomfortable even though i’m not noticing much of a difference in size. this past week i have been really moody and quick to freak out (ask mark!). as i’m nearing august’s due date and fearing that he’s going to come late, i can’t help but worry that he’s not going to make his due date. it’s not so much that i am worried because i am being impatient and needing to have him right now. i actually don’t want to be annoying and seem selfish of my little bug’s time to develop within me. i want him to come when he’s ready. but i also really want him to come in time so that mark and i can meet and spend a day or two with him before all of our guests come in town. even more important than that is i want all of the guests that have spent a good amount of money on plane/hotel tickets to come visit us to actually get to meet little one before they head back across the country/world. if august comes two weeks later than his due date, there are going to be people missing him and that concerns me a little even though i am well aware that that pressure is not mine to take on considering i have chosen to not do a planned c-section and do not plan to get induced unless there are complications that warrant an induction or he is two or more weeks late.

Any doctor’s appointments this week and how did they go?
had one last week. wrote all about it here. we’ll have another appointment with a midwife this wednesday around 4 PM PST. hopefully, my body and baby have shown some progress!

Anything big going on in your personal life (family, work related, moving, etc)?
not so much. mark and i have been pretty on top of preparations for baby. baby clothes/blankets/etc. have been washed and put away, baby’s section of the room is all ready, bags are packed and in car, car seat is installed, house is ready for guests, we’re just waiting for baby! the fact that, within a couple of weeks, we’ll be holding our little one is a pretty big thing in itself!

Any questions?
no.

Any belly pictures?
yes.
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a couple of weeks ago, while walking around safeway, we were offered a free sample of cinnamon vanilla walnuts. mark, of course, hated them (we don’t really have the same tastes as far as sweets go) but i loooved them and had to get a little cone of them.

they were even freshly roasted. YEHM.

now, i’m craving some.

cinnamon vanilla walnuts. and i wouldn’t mind something with some cool crab in it, too.

strange.

it’s not even 11 in the morning yet.
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i’ve been sparatically craving bazooka joe bubble gum. remember that stuff?? i can’t even remember the last time i saw it in the store!!

according to countdown, little man should be here in nine days. NINE DAYS. crazy to think of the possibility. and yes, yes, yes, i’m fully aware, dreading, and even preparing myself for the possibility that he could (and will more than likely, considering my luck) come later than nine days but i’m really hoping that he doesn’t!!!

dear august:

love,
mommy

How far along are you?
37W5D.

What symptoms are you experiencing?
- heartburn if i don’t eat something every three-four hours.
- swollen feet/ankles if i sit on my legs the wrong way or am on them for too long.
- stretch marks!

How are you feeling?
i am actually feeling pretty good. mark and i have been spending LOTS of time together trying to do little things that we know won’t be as easy to do once august is born. yesterday, he took me to the santa cruz boardwalk which was really, really fun. we had a great time just being “silly kids” before we have our own silly kid.

God must’ve known i needed an afternoon/evening like that because even though i was wearing some normally uncomfy flip flops, my feet and legs didn’t bother me AT ALL…and we were there for over four hours just walking around and eating foods that aren’t so good for us!

we’ve also got to spend lots of time taking advantage of the peace and quiet that we know might be harder to come by in the coming weeks. and we’ve just spent that time talking about our marriage, soon to be growing family, and life.

even though i am so excited to have this baby, it has made this one-on-one time with mark pretty bittersweet in knowing that the spontaneity we share won’t be as accessible and not for awhile once august is born. but i am so overwhelmingly thankful we’ve been given this time to just enjoy and know one another. i know that there are going to be things that come up that we are totally unprepared for but i am feeling pretty confident about this foundation that God has formed and is still forming between mark and i. it makes me feel pretty good and at peace about whatever may come our way.

Any doctor’s appointments this week and how did they go?
i had an appt. with the midwife last wednesday. it went pretty well. i wrote all about it here.

i’ll be going back in for another visit next wednesday. and, after that, they say will be when they’ll have me coming in every week. of course, by then, there hopefully won’t be more than one “every week” visit seeing as i would be 40 weeks by then, but oh well. i guess it’s not a bad thing that they don’t see it necessary to see me as often.

Anything big going on in your personal life (family, work related, moving, etc)?
haha, THIS. my belly. aside from the pregnancy, not really. we’re just enjoying being able to take it easy these last few weeks.

Any questions?
not so much a question as a prayer request for patience and peace as we make this transition. i am confident that God has readied us for this and know He wouldn’t put anything in our life that we couldn’t handle, BUT it doesn’t mean that i am not nervous. not even so much about the birthing process…it’s just the not knowing when it’s going to happen…and not sure how i am going to feel once it begins.

i also feel excited but a bit anxious because we have a few loved ones coming in through out the month of august and at very random times…when august can come at any random time. as much as i want to be the perfect host that can be energetic, spontaneous, and accomodating so that everyone feels comfortable and like they had a good visit, i feel somewhat overwhelmed because i feel like it’s so out of my control and i am battling with feeling responsible and guilty for that. i guess prayer that i am able to just find peace in this area would be really, really appreciated.

Any belly pictures?
yes.
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How far along are you?
35W6D.

this is pretty freakin’ crazy to me:

What symptoms are you experiencing?
- swelling and aching in my feet and ankles. the swelling’s thankfully gone down some but there’s still some aching and tingling if i’m on my feet for too long.
- braxton hicks contractions pretty constantly. lately, i get them so frequently that i’m kind of worried that i might not be able to tell the difference between one of those and a real contraction!
- a bit of lower tummy cramping.
- peeing all of the time.
- i think i got a little stretch mark on my hip but mark is insisting it’s a vein.

How are you feeling?
despite the crazy symptom list, i feeling pretty good. a lot better emotionally. been a little bit funny and anxious about seeing people i know. i just kind of want to coop myself up in the apartment where i’m comfortable and wait the rest of this pregnancy out! of course, i don’t mind escaping for a late night trip for ice cream or a late showing at the movie theater as i know that is something mark and i won’t be able to do spontaneously for a long tiiiiiiiime but, yeah, i’m kind of ready to have this baby already. one more month!

Any Dr. appointments/ultrasounds/tests this past week and how did they go?
not this week but i have an appointment to meet with our midwife in exactly one week.

Anything big happening in your personal life (moving, work related, family, etc.)?
not so much. we’re trying to keep activity to a minimum.

Any questions you want to ask?
this morning i woke up and my right hand felt swollen. whenever i try to make a fist, it gets all numb and tingly. i’m not one of those people that are constantly popping their knuckles but i do so every one in awhile, and when i tried to today, i couldn’t even do it! i guess, my question here is, is this common? i’ve heard of common feet/ankle swelling that i’m experiencing now and attributing to being on my feet a lot this week, but i am not sure where the sudden swelling/tingling in my hand is coming from. so strange.

Any belly pics from this week?
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so, yesterday was our pre-natal appointment. it went really well. i’m measuring at, what the midwife said was a a good size (34″), my weight gain is at 20 lbs, and the baby is head down! he also seems to favor facing my left side. when we asked the midwife how he’s positioned, she felt around and explained what was where. from that, it feels like skittle likes to stick his little bum up against my rib cage on my top right-hand side (does NOT feel nice) and likes to be cradled along that side of my stomach. this makes sense because i frequently feel a huge mass in there and haven’t been sure if i’ve been feeling a head, butt, or back. i’ve also noticed A LOT of movement all over my left-hand side. turns out, i’ve been feeling little hands and feet pushing and kicking!
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