Yes, it has been a while since I've written or posted any pictures. I think I'm going to put a stop to the pregnancy glamour shots. My figure is beyond startling, and I just can't bear to hear anyone else remind me of how enormous I am. I've begun to avoid eye contact with people when I make my weekly rounds to the grocery store or gymnastics. I'm either met with gushing expressions of sympathy or shameless gaping. I can't quite believe that I'm the most massive pregnant Mama who ever was or that I'll be the only one to endure an eternal pregnancy, but that's sure how I feel...
Yesterday (at my 38/39 week checkup) I told the doctor that I've been finding it very difficult to sleep. Similar to my first pregnancy, I have been having frequent, severe contractions whenever I lie down. She acknowledged the difficulty of this and told me that I should wait to give her a call until I've had an hour's worth of contractions that are so severe that I can't speak. It wasn't until I shared this tidbit with Stephen later that evening that the absurdity of the comment truly struck me. I realized that, if I waited that long to head to the hospital, I'd be stuck cleaning up my own afterbirth! With my last natural delivery, I only experienced about 15 minutes of contractions that were so severe I couldn't speak. Then Buddy made his hasty entrance into the world. My sister's response to the doctor's advice was priceless. She said, "...so if your doctor picks up the phone and there's silence on the other end, she can assume that it's you in labor?!"
On a more postive note...we have been so blessed by recent help and encouragement from family. Stephen's parents fixed our plumbing so we could enjoy showers once again. My mom has sacrificed many of her days off teaching to help us with our walls and surprised me with a freezer full of scrumptious meals last week. I could barely hold back the tears when I called to thank her. My brother in law, Tom, skillfully patched our nursery walls for us, and my other brother in law, Mark, just called to offer us yet another one of his Saturdays to help with our bedroom floor. These demonstrations of love (along with the encouraging e-mails, phone calls, prayers for our baby's safety, hand me downs from friends...) remind me of how much I have to be thankful for. This Little One is truly blessed to be born into such a gracious circle of extended family and friends...
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