38 Weeks

 Considering the fact that I only have 2 weeks to go til' my due date, I am feeling pretty fantastic.  Yes, I need regular naps and I usually sleep late and I have a little waddle in my walk, but I can take care of my family!  I feel very blessed that I can still run errands, tidy my home, work on projects and make dinner each night.  It is a tremendous blessing.  With how big my belly is, you would think my back hurts, but it doesn't.  My nutrition and supplements and water intake all seem to have a tremendous effect on the way I feel.  I feel so blessed that I found a care provider who has helped me so much!

My parents are flying in tomorrow, so this baby is free to come anytime after that!  I really hope he will come at least a few days early, and I do think he will.  2 weeks isn't really that long to wait, before we know it, he will be in our arms.

We've been so blessed this winter that our family has stayed so healthy. I like to attribute it to the fact that our nutrition has improved (eating a lot more veggies, especially dark leafy greens)and I no longer buy filler snacks for the kids to eat.  We don't really keep junk food in the house, so they just eat what's there and its been such a blessing not to be sick. (My grocery bill has gone up significantly, though, but it's worth it not to get sick) 

However, as I have been rejoicing in that the last few weeks, Amalie stayed home today with a cold- she doesn't seem too bad though, just a little more tired than usual and a little stuffy.  So, I am hoping that a day of rest will help her recover quickly.  We have stayed so well this whole winter it would be so sad if the family was sick when the new baby was born!

I know that Amalie especially would be heartbroken if she couldn't hold her little brother when he is born- she is the one who expresses the most excitement- constantly feeling my belly and talking to my belly.  One time when she came home from school I was napping.  When I woke up, she climbed in bed beside me and said, "Mom, I felt your belly when you were sleeping and the baby was moving all around.  Didn't you feel that?"

I answered that I did not and she was just astonished.  I chuckled to myself that she was feeling the baby while I was asleep.  She just loves him and can't wait to take care of him and give him all the love she has in her big heart.  It's so sweet!

Noah is excited too.  He likes to talk to the baby as well.  Gabe has gotten a little bit more excited and when people ask what the baby's name is, he says, "We are trying out 'Andre', Grandpa Clayne and 'Sweetie'.

I thought that last one was cute. He doesn't have the patience to wait to feel the baby kick, so he often will quickly pat my belly and exclaim, "Oh, he kicked!"  I am wondering what the dynamic will be between those two as Gabe is my at home buddy and we will add another buddy to our ranks, so I'm curious what Gabe's reaction will be.

We are all so excited and ready for this little guy.  I am actually able to sleep during this pregnancy, so I feel grateful that I will have sleep reserves under my belt for the months of sleep deprivation that will come.  With Gabe, I could hardly sleep the last 2 months of his pregnancy and that was so frustrating, knowing that it wasn't going to get better when he was born- it took me a good year to recover from the sleep deprivation of baby Gabe.

So, I am grateful that I am going into this one with a lot of nights of good sleep.  Of course, I still wake every hour or two to change position and take a drink, but I am almost always able to go right back to sleep.

Feeling grateful, excited and so very blessed!

Just for fun: My guess is that if the baby is born within a few days of his due date, his weight will be 8lbs 3 oz.