discomfort and baby things

For most of my pregnancy, people have told me how small I seem for how far along I am (not that I'm complaining...I'd much rather hear that than how huge I am). And really, I have felt great the entire time (minus the four days of being sick in Mexico, which I don't think was pregnancy related). But alas, this time must come for every pregnant woman...the home stretch that everyone told me would come....the final month where you're ready for the baby to be here and not inside anymore. Mostly, I'm just excited to see and hold my baby and to know if it's a girl or boy! But today I had the first thought that I may be ready to not be pregnant anymore, which is a big deal for me because I have loved being pregnant. But the belly feels bigger (which is good) and it seems to be in the way. I need to lean back when I sit, I can't really get out of bed very easily or bend over, breathing has become more difficult, and the heartburn is pretty painful (until I pop a couple Tums). Overall, I'll take these minor discomforts, considering I've had 36 weeks of joyful pregnancy before this.

Most of my family and friends are on the edge of their seats, waiting for the phone call that I'm heading to Good Sam Hospital. I am also on the edge of my seat. All of the baby things are assembled and ready to go. Now we just need a little one to use them all!

Assembling all these battery operated, vibrating and music playing things for our baby does make me think of Maribel, my friend who lives in the Neza garbage dump outside of Mexico City. She's raising 3 kids without a crib, a pack n play, a bouncer, a changing table, and enough onsies for weeks. And believe it or not, without all this stuff, her kids are still healthy and happy. I'm not thinking of selling it all and moving to Neza, but it just makes me think. And believe me, I am incredibly thankful for all of these gifts and the people who so generously gave them to us because we could no way have bought all of it ourselves. And they will be a huge blessing to our baby as well. It just makes me reconsider the word "needs"...it gives perspective. And it makes me wonder if it is possible to live simply and raise my kids living simply while living in such a society of abundance.

On the Soapbox

Today I spent a while organizing the nursery, not to be confused with decorating or painting. If you haven't heard me on my soapbox about the nursery, here's a summary: I'm rebelling against the need to have the cutest nursery ever. I think having a crib in the room makes it cute enough. So I don't have blankets that match light switches that match lampshades that match cute patterns handpainted on the wall. Nope, it's just as neutral as the rest of my house. Here's the disclaimer...in no way am I against the idea of other people creating a cute nursery. I love seeing people's different ideas for their babies' rooms. I just know that it's not my passion and if I were to paint the room yellow with ducks on the wall I would only be doing it to keep up with the Jones and not because I really wanted to put hours into creating this little wonderland.

From the beginning of my pregnancy, people wanted to know two things: 1. Are you finding out what you're having? (we're not) and 2. What are you doing with the nursery? I felt pressured to think of something cute, even though I had no desire to do it. So finally I came to the conclusion that it is okay if I don't paint the walls and have a "theme"... it's just not who I am. So there you have my soapbox. Therefore, the hours I spent washing clothes, taking toys out of the boxes, and putting things in drawers and on shelves was simply organizing. And I think my nursery looks pretty cute.

The Countdown

My google homepage has a countdown feature. Assuming this baby comes exactly on August 20th at noon, I have 45 days and 2 hours left. The crazy part about waiting is that I'm fairly certain that it won't be August 20 at noon, so my attempts to be totally prepared may fail when it comes early or when it's September and I'm still waiting...evidence that control over my schedule has already begun to shift from me to this tiny person inside of me.