Thirty-Nine Weeks

I'll cut to the chase this week: we're still waiting for the baby! We made it through Week 39 without many signs that our daughter is interested in making her appearance, much to my chagrin. I was very hopeful that she'd arrive by or before her due date, so every day that passes has chipped away at my good humor. I find myself increasingly short and frustrated, but am trying hard to stay in the moment and trust that this baby will come when she's good and ready. I said all of that in part to capture my current mindset (there's a not-insignificant part of me that believes I'll go on being pregnant forever), but also to set up the explanation for this week's bump photos... first though, how about some highlights from the week?

• Farewell to Work: The first day of Week 39 was my last day of work! I'm on vacation until the baby comes, at which time my 12 weeks of maternity leave begin. R started vacation this week as well, also until the baby comes, after which time he's taking another couple of weeks to spend with us. It's so nice to have the mental separation from work to really start preparing for this baby. There have been errands to run and things we needed to do around the house, but more than that, we are trying to just soak in these moments and memories before everything changes for good!
• Christmas Cheer: I intended to skip holiday baking this year, but after a frustrating Week 39 doctor appointment, R suggested we collaborate on some sweets to help pass the time. I picked two simple recipes (dark and white chocolate peppermint bark and frosted sugar cookies) and lo and behold, it's beginning to seem a lot more like Christmas around here! (Bonus: it has been a balm to my discouraged soul to have a little sweet treat before bed most evenings - yum!)
• Stocked and Ready: In what is perhaps the truest form of nesting so far, R and I spent hours over the past few days preparing meals for our freezer. We have 30+ servings of various healthy and hearty foods carefully wrapped, labeled and waiting in the deep freezer in the basement. It should make eating foods we like and feel good about easier during the haze of those first few days. It was such a satisfying feeling that I sort of wish we'd started being this organized and proactive a long time ago!
• Capture the Moment: R and I had a casual and sweet maternity photo shoot this week. We have some surprisingly lovely natural morning light in the house, so I was able to be comfortable and enjoy the cozy surroundings in which I've spent so much of the past 10 months growing this baby. R shared a preview with me of some of the images he captured and I'm so glad we took the time to do it. Once he has time to process the photos, I'll be sure to share. It's nice to have a few more sweet and sentimental images to share with the baby someday!
• Waiting Game: And that's it - we're just waiting! I spend much of each day resting, napping, running errands, tackling a project here and there and analyzing every twinge, ache and contraction for a sign that labor is starting. I simultaneously want this baby out immediately and am a little intimidated by how much things are about to change once she's out here in the world with us. That tiny little sliver of fear is what keeps me sane when day after day slowly tiptoes by without any signs of progress... I think that's what they mean when they say "a healthy dose of fear." Anyway, we are trying to take each day as it comes and patiently wait for the day that will forever after be one of the most important days of our life.

Okay, on to the tracker and the aforementioned photos...

Week: 39

Weight: +42 pounds (in total)

Baby is the Size of a(n): a mini watermelon!! My original plan was to use the watermelon for Week 40, but we ran into a few issues: 1) watermelon are hard to come by this time of year, especially of a size large enough to represent a full-term baby and 2) I really did think I would have the baby before we got to Week 40 and we'd miss the chance to do the watermelon photo! Alas, that didn't quite turn out as planned!

Symptoms: frequently hungry, terrible abdominal cramps, really achy pelvis (SPD), breathlessness, outrageously swollen feet, mental lapses, wacky dreams, trouble sleeping comfortably through the night, general moodiness (noteworthy breakdown this week: total sobbing and incoherent meltdown while walking the dogs with R one night because I'm *still* pregnant and was convinced that I might be pregnant forever...), carpal tunnel tingling and numbness in my hands and arms at night, frequent (though not painful) contractions, and a fair amount of pain in response to the baby's strong, emphatic movements

Current Obsession: citrus fruit, milk, fresh vegetables, peppermint and protein, protein, protein!

Current Aversion: the Arby's Reuben sandwich commercials... so gross.

Thinking About: who our little girl will take after; seeing the actual little elbows, knees, hands and feet she's using to poke and jab at me; what labor and delivery will be like; and when our daughter's birthday might be!

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