TICK TOCK TICK TOCK...

I am officially nearing the end of this pregnancy. I hit 37 weeks on Friday, which means that I am full term . If I were to have Isaac now he would be happy and healthy. We are out of the woods to a certain extent and have hit yet another milestone. The next one is BIRTH! I have to say, I am really going to miss looking down and seeing my baby bump.

Beginning the day that I found out I was pregnant, I have nurtured, caressed and loved this belly in such a new way. Before that discovery I would look at my little round pudge of a tummy and try to figure out which diet or type of exercised could make it finally flatten out. Now I see it in a whole new light. It is Isaac's protection, his home, it has stretched to accommodate his growth. I love watching it undulate with his movements. To feel his back push out beneath my hand as I rub my side, like he enjoys my massages. Soon this safe barrier will be gone and I will be able to hold him in my arms. He will not be protected in the same way that he has been. Marc and I will have to provide that safe haven for him in our home.

I have three weeks until my due date and there are a few things that are left to be done... the list is much shorter though. I am officially working from home starting next Monday and then my last day of work will be April 18th, my due date... if I go that long. Marc has started saying that he thinks that I will go into labor early. I am not as sure... He is definitely head down and at times it feels like he is burrowing into my pelvis. I have just recently been noticing Braxton Hix contractions. As anxious as I am to meet him, I really want to savor these next few weeks before I become a mom. Maybe I'll even get that prenatal massage I have been threatening to book for the last few months!

Suess Shower

I have to give HUGE props to my sister-in-law Shefa and my friends Lea R. and Lea S. for the most AMAZING baby shower. I really could not have imagined a more perfect event... The two Lea's creativity is inspiring. I am also so incredibly grateful for my friends and family who made this shower so meaningful for me.

For those who attended in spirit, I wanted to share these pictures from the party with you.

Lea R. made an amazing spread, showing off her skills as cater (she also performs a mean wedding ceremony folks!)

Lea S. setting up the party favors for the guests...
Everyone got a vase with a Seuss flower as well as a Dr. Seuss lollipop made my Lea R.

The guest mingling...

The mom-to-be throughly enjoying herself...

My Soap Box

I warn you now, this is a hormone infused rant...read at your own risk.

As my pregnancy winds down I have found that my once thick skin has gotten a little thinner in places. It amazes me that people feel so free to offer their 2 cents about my body and what I should do when I give birth. Specifically the comments have centered around my decision to have natural child birth. I have lost count at the number of times people have told me that I have to have an epidural. One person this week actually told me that I wouldn't last an hour with out one! Surprisingly the majority of these comments have come from MEN!!! What the f... do they know about giving birth?!? I think some men should be seen and not heard at this stage of pregnancy... it is a world they know nothing about.

This week I have also been told or asked:

"Wow...you are as big as a house!" Umm... in a way I am temporary housing.

"Are you about to pop?"

"How much weight have you gained?" None ya

"Are you having twins?" Give me a break!!!

Lastly, I feel like I need a t-shirt that says...I'm due April 18th, it is my first pregnancy, it is a boy, and yes, we have picked out a name. I was actually asked the corresponding questions to these answers 28 times in one day. I know that people are curious and are trying to be courteous. I'm just getting tired of answering the same questions over and over... bitchy huh?

Okay... I'm done... for now!

Dooce... my blogging hero

My friend Karen turned me on to this blog a couple of years ago and she has become by blogging hero/mentor. I love the honest way that she writes as well as her slightly twisted sense of humor. Now I especially appreciate the fact that she is a mother, with a slightly twisted sense of humor. For example...check out this link from her site.
http://www.dooce.com/2008/02/22/yeah-oops-one-too

Previous Bolg Effort...

I started another blog while we were on our honeymoon in Maui. Rather than maintain two separate trains of thought I decided to just consolidate the two. So, here are some of my thoughts before becoming a mom was even a possibility in my head...



We've arrived in Maui and I think have found my favorite spot in the world. I know that there are a million other beautiful places on this planet, but for this minute, sitting on the lanai looking out over the calm blue ocean, listening to the birds chirping and cooing, a faint breeze grazing my shoulder...I am relaxed and content. I couldn't be happier with the B&B we chose, it is beautiful and serene. Besides my spot on the lanai I am really enjoying the outdoor shower. There are two papaya trees flanking the right and left side and I love watching the fruit ripen with each passing day. Marc and I have been taking each day at a time, not planning too much. Yesterday I took my first surfing lesson and had a BLAST! I'm thinking about trying it again while we are here or checking into lessons when I get back. The water was so warm, it made flopping off the board a lot more palatable. We've also been enjoying the convertible...so perfect for drives along the coast and capturing the breathtaking sunsets.

Time

Time has moved so quickly since our wedding in June. We will have been parents for almost 2 months before we even reach our 1 year anniversary! Mind boggling... seriously. So, to put this in to a bit of perspective I put together a slide show to document the last nine months.

Enjoy!

Baby Music Poll

I'm putting together an iTunes play list of music for Isaac and need some input. If you had to choose just three songs from any music genre to share with a child what would they be?

The Count Down Has Begun! 6...5...4...3...2...1

I have to say that after going back and rereading my first post has really made it hit home how quickly this time being pregnant has passed. I'm in my last 6 weeks of this adventure and before I know it our son will be in my arms. Free of his snug, warm and safe cocoon. Out in this crazy mixed up world. I have more thoughts on that...but I'll save them for another rant, I mean post.


The process of being pregnant has been an interesting one. It took me a few months to get used to the idea that I was really pregnant, it doesn't sink in right away. About the time that I started to feel the baby move and I began feeling like a human being again (albeit a human with a dancing alien growing inside me) I really started to feel connected to this child. The 12 and 20 week ultrasounds gave me a peek at my progeny and the last one revealed that it was a boy. The whole experience was like making eye contact with a stranger across a crowded room. You remember a split second of connection and the rest is fiction and imagination. Unless you get one of the 4-D ultrasounds, where your child looks like yellow play dough, you are left with this x-ray image of your child. It is not easy to tell if he/she has their father's nose or mother's eyes. Trust me, I understand that this is still way more information than my parents ever had about me before I was born. I am grateful that I got to take a quick look at least.

My last 16 weeks have been spent talking to, playing music for, and enjoying the incredible undulations of this rapidly growing human being. I have logged more hours contemplating my belly button (from inny to outty to flatty) then I ever did in my entire life. My pipa (what my husband affectionately called my round pre preg tummy) was something that I was always self conscious of. Now I cannot get enough of my expanding midsection. I poke, prod, caress, and rub it trying to guess what body part may be moving under my skin. Some days I think it is his round little tush that I'm feeling, but it could be his head. The other day I swore I felt a foot right between where my rib used to be.... though it might have been a hand or an elbow.

So, as the count down continues I will log more time on here and try to document some of the highlights of the past few months before they are completely wiped from my memory by pregnancy hormones and sleep deprivation. I will also post a few new pictures as "the belly that ate Manhattan" continues to expand to ginormous proportions.

Nighty night!