39 Weeks

Here we are....39 weeks. I'm always optimistic that the baby will come early but they never do. They never do. Still I keep holding out hope that this little guy will come out just a few days early, mostly for convenience's sake since there's a lot of coordinating of children and childcare and David's crazy work schedule to contend with before we can even get to the hospital.

I find myself trying to remember what I did in the days preceding the girls' births. I remember the feeling of doneness and anticipation, anxiety and expectation, the fear and the hope, but I don't remember the day-to-day reality of waiting and what I did to not lose my mind.

The last week my days have been filled with lots of errand running and shopping. I wanted to stock up on food and household items which meant two large Costco trips this month. (I normally only go once.) And since Zara starts kindergarten at the beginning of August, there's been lots of running around to buy uniforms and school supplies, which I think is done now.

Zara's school has also been doing a half-day "kindergarten camp" to help prepare new kindergarteners to the school and routine. I think Zara has been pretty bored with most of it and I haven't made her go every day, but it's admittedly been a nice break for me. Today is the last day and then we'll have 2 weeks to sit around, waiting for the baby to come or surviving with 3 kids once he does arrive.

In the meantime, I've been trying to get the girls out of the house when I can, even though my energy levels are pretty low. Plus it's summer in the South so it's been very hot and humid. There's been several trips to the pool, parks, and the indoor play area at the mall. There's also been a healthy dose of TV. Right now, the girls are on a My Little Pony kick.

My nesting impulses have also finally kicked in which has meant even more shopping for baby clothes, boy things and decor. It's my last baby and first boy....I may be going a little overboard. I've been attempting to clean the house and get everything prepared for the baby's arrival but I'm not making much headway in that regard. I don't really need the nursery set up right now since the baby will sleep in our room for at least the first several months and my mom will be staying in there when she comes out to visit. (She's coming to help for 2 weeks and I couldn't be more relieved. I'm seriously stressed at the idea of 3 kids and my mom cooks and cleans and watches the other kids and is all around awesome and why can't she stay forever?)

In any case, we're mostly ready for this boy to join our family anytime he wants. Sooner rather than later would be preferred. At the very least my hospital bag is packed and I'm at least 75% convinced that I can do this whole labor thing one more time. I even painted my toes a sparkly blue to encourage the little guy to come out. We're 85% ready for him. I think.