Baby Blessing: Week 36

It's getting close.  It's really and truly getting close.  At times during the past eight months, I've felt like I have been pregnant forever...and like I will be pregnant forever, just growing and stretching and gaining weight and walking more slowly and getting more clumsy and uncomfortable.  But now suddenly, I see with great clarity that the end is in sight, a baby will be joining our family soon (with "soon" being a relative term, of course!), and I won't always be this big!  Hooray!  :)

As the countdown to the end continues, there are certain must-do things on my mental Before the Baby Comes list; and at the very top was a photo shoot.  Through the past few years, we have been wonderfully blessed by friends who have been in various stages of starting up or developing their photography businesses, and they have practiced by "shooting" us.  Lisa is one, and Misty, and now Emily.  Such talented friends we have!  This time, it was Emily who did the shoot for us; and I've got to brag on her for a minute.  She's only 15 (soon to be 16 though, since she's my birthday buddy and we share the funniest day of the year on which to be born!), but has shown tremendous focus (pun not intended, but appropriate for a budding photographer!) as she has pursued her dream of developing her photography skills.  I know for a fact that when I was 15, I was not nearly so focused on my future business plans as she is on hers!  It's been a joy to watch her go after her dream and develop her talent, and I am so grateful to her for braving the chilly weather (it might look warm in these pictures, but it wasn't in real life!) and capturing these images for us!!  :)

So, the contest!  :)   In this post, I invited guesses about when our baby will be born, with a prize to be given to whoever comes closest to the correct day and time.  The guesses so far are these:
~ April 1, 2:20 AM ~ Michelle (Tim's wife)
~ April 1 ~ Sarah-Anne
~ April 2, 9:58 PM ~ Amy
~ April 4 ~ Lauren from Australia
~ April 5, 7:02 AM ~ Sara
~ April 7, 4:00 PM ~ Valerie
~ April 8, 8:00 PM ~ Emily
If anyone else wants to guess (or if those of you who did not specify a time would like to add that information), please click back to the original post to leave your answer in the comments there.  That way, I'll have all of the guesses in one location; and it will be easier for me to figure out the winner after Little Miss herself reveals the answer!  I know what a mess my brain can be in the early days postpartum, and I don't want to let anyone's guess slip through the cracks, if I can help it!  :)

It was fun to read the name guesses...and the song suggestions...and the verse suggestions, too.  Thanks so much for your input!

I also enjoyed reading your questions, and I want to make sure I answer them now (before the baby fog hits!).  Valerie asked if I wear my babies.  Well, I'm wearing my baby now!!  ;-)  But no, she meant do I wear them in a sling or baby wrap.  To answer that, I'd have to say that if the occasion calls for it, yes, I do wear my babies; but I'm not really a baby-wearing mama like some women are.  Let me explain...  Before Josiah was born, we got a Snugli that could hold a baby in three different positions; and he was often in it.  Especially after we moved to Israel and didn't have a car, we used that thing a lot; even when he got too heavy for me to carry him in it, Jeff used it quite frequently when he and Josiah would go out together.  It was nearly worth its weight in gold during our time in Israel!  David was born in Israel, so we used it quite a bit for him, too, in the early months of his life; but when we returned to the States, life changed.  We had a car again, and used a carseat, of course.   There just wasn't as much need here as there had been in Israel to carry a baby with a sling or wrap.

Having no wish to ignite a firestorm of controversy, I'll simply say that I don't hold to the opinion that a baby that I've conceived, carried for nine months, given birth to, breastfed, snuggled, hugged, kissed, etc. has to be worn next to me most of the hours of the day in order to feel safe and secure and to form a great attachment to me.  I think in a "normal" setting, attachment happens naturally between mother and child, and I dislike seeing young moms feel pressured to always be wearing the baby or co-sleep with the baby (especially if it disrupts her sleep, or creates distance between her and her husband) or what-have-you.  If they want to do those things, great!  (Unless hubby has a problem with it...then those issues need to be addressed.)  But I almost feel like "attachment" has been promoted to this elusive, celestial goal for new mothers; and I want to reassure them that the attachment will happen!  Let me clarify this by saying that in certain situations (particularly adoption!!!), attachment does not naturally occur; and extra effort needs to be given to develop it.  I'm not denying or downplaying that at all.  But I've never felt like I had to wear my babies in order to bond with them or have them bond with me.  I'll add to that the fact that I've never had a colicky baby; if I had and if the only thing that soothed that baby was being in a sling or wrap, you'd better believe I'd do it!  ;-)  The other thing that factors into my own situation is that there hasn't been a shortage of arms willing to hold babies around here.  (Like Jeff holding baby Tobin...or Grandma holding him...or Grandpa holding him...or Josiah lovin' on him...or David snuggling with him--and letting him suck on his pinky!...or all of the boys showering baby Shav with love...or Josiah having one-on-one time with Shav...or David with him...or Grandma rocking him...or Grandpa holding him...or Jeff, of course...I could go on, but my point is clear, I'm sure!)  So, Valerie, does that answer your question?  Probably more than you wanted to know.  :)

Let me reiterate that I am NOT in any way saying that it's wrong to wear your babies or that moms shouldn't do it or anything like that!  Just sharing what my experiences have been...  I hope that came through clearly enough.  :)

Sara asked how I handle homeschooling with a newborn.  Well, I'd have to say that it's different every time. This will be my third baby that I've given birth to during our homeschooling season of life, and each time things went a little differently.  In the case of this baby, however, I feel very blessed by the timing of her birth because we will actually be done with almost all of our official school for the year by the time she is born.  When I was planning out our school year (which is always a very rough schedule for me, not a rigid one by any means!), I purposely tried to arrange things so that the bulk of our work would be done by the time the baby is born; and so far, we're on track to accomplish that goal.  I hope to do some posts about homeschooling sometime soon, and maybe I'll give more specifics then.  But to answer Sara's question, yes, we will take some extended time off (although I do have high hopes for using the summer for some "extra" educational stuff--fun stuff)...and yes, my boys (Josiah and David) are pretty good independent learners--particularly Josiah who is very self-motivated.  Just to give one example, Josiah set a goal to finish his fourth-grade math by Christmas, which he did; and in January he started his fifth-grade math which he hopes to complete by the time the official school year starts in the fall.  That would put him a full grade ahead in math, so I anticipate him continuing with his math lessons, even after the baby is born.  (We use Teaching Textbooks math for him, and he does very well doing that by himself.)  In the fall, I anticipate using the baby's morning nap time for our most focused portion of schoolwork together, but we'll see if that goes as planned or not!  ;-)

Moving on to other things...  Does anyone have a tent I can borrow?  Oh, not to use for a camping trip, but just to use as a garment.  I've got to find something to keep myself covered, and I seem to be growing out of all of my other clothes!!!  ;-)  Fortunately, I remember from previous pregnancies that here at the end, I do hit a phase of feeling like "ack! argh! oh no! what am I gonna do? even my maternity clothes are too small for me!"  But then I remember that really, it's only a few short weeks left until my body (slowly!) starts returning to its "normal" size, and eventually I'll actually be able to pack away these maternity clothes and wear my regular clothes again.  But during the next few weeks, I might have to wear the same clothes every few days...just because they're the ones that still fit.  :)  Today, for example, I had to keep tugging the front of my shirt down, to try to keep it over my belly.  Several times, one of the boys squealed, "I see your tummy!"  They think it's hilarious.  ;-)

Speaking of the tummy...here it is...  These are the pictures that would make my grandparents blush if they could see them...

My stretch marks right above my belly button always show up, and this pregnancy is no exception.

The stretch marks don't bother me, and my back has--for the most part--been treating me well and not bothering me either.  The terrible muscle soreness from my sprint to catch Shav has almost completely gone away, so physically I'm actually feeling rather good.  Except for one thing...  A few weeks ago, I wondered if I was catching a cold because of the congestion in my nose and head.  I didn't really think it was a cold, but I wasn't sure so I waited and kept track of my symptoms until I finally realized that what I'm experiencing is more than likely a consequence of allergies.  Our winter has been exceptionally mild, and one of the results of that has been an early start to the high pollen of spring with its accompanying allergy-causing properties.  Boo.  :(  I am grateful that the only way in which I've been affected is basically in nasal congestion.  I haven't suffered from a sore throat, or itchy eyes, or sneezes, or headaches, etc.  But I really miss being able to breathe.  ;-)  With my nose so clogged, I have to breathe through my mouth; and I'm sure I snore terribly at night.  A few nights, I have even had trouble sleeping because I would fall asleep very quickly, then actually wake myself up with my snorts--over and over!  Very frustrating, to say the least...and not a bit dignified!  ;-)  Sometimes when I'm reading to the boys, I'll feel so congested that it seems like I can't even get a breath and read at the same time.  I've heard, somewhere along the way, that the hormones in a pregnant woman's body can make nasal congestion worse, and ya know, I'm inclined to agree with that!  But even this troublesome condition is really not worth complaining about.  Overall it's been another easy pregnancy, and I feel so blessed by that!

When I went to last week's appointment at the midwives' office, I had already set up the next few appointments (because the schedule there gets full, and it can be difficult to get an appointment that suits me if I wait until the last minute), and one of those appointments landed yesterday.  But Ann, who is wonderfully practical and laid-back and easy-going, said, "Well, you can come in for that appointment if you want to; but you don't really need to.  You can cancel it if you want."  So I did...and was very grateful to not have to spend my Wednesday morning in town.  As much as I love the midwives and enjoy my visits with them, I'm glad to be able to use my time to get other stuff done, too.  :)  And speaking of that...it's been difficult recently to know what to focus on.  As much as I want to nest and get everything in order for Baby Girl's arrival and finish some household projects and take a day to prepare freezer meals for after the birth, etc. I'm finding that, if I'm going to get our school work done like I previously mentioned, I've got to spend my time on that--no question about it.  But sometimes, like when I have a box of delightful girl clothes to sort through (given to me by my friend Ceci), it's difficult to make myself read to the boys about Julius Caesar or go over spelling words with Josiah!  As eager as I am for this girl to be born so I can meet her face to face and begin the process of getting to know her more fully, I am actually quite content for her to stay put for a while.  I feel the tick of the clock, and I know my pre-baby time is limited, and there is so much more I want to do before she comes!  However, I'm also fully aware that, when all is said and done, it doesn't matter a bit what I have to let slide in order to have and nurture this baby.  Even if she came today, with my to-do list barely touched, it would be OK.  Really, it would.  :)

One more thing to mention about this stage of the pregnancy...  I have somehow lost my appetite, which wouldn't be such a big deal, except that it makes it terribly difficult to decide what to make for dinner each day.  Without my desire for food as a guide, I find myself scratching my head and wondering what in the world to cook.  I'd be perfectly content to set out a bag of tortilla chips and make a smoothie and call that dinner, but I have a feeling the other seven people who gather around our table wouldn't be so thrilled with that...especially if I did that every night for the next three weeks!  ;-)  I just feel completely uninspired in the food department.  I suppose I should get out some cookbooks tomorrow and try to get a little revved up about food again!  Maybe some new recipes would help.  But actually, the only new recipe that I have even the tiniest desire to search for is a smoothie recipe that uses strawberries.  David told me the other day that he would like a smoothie recipe named after him, so I need to find a good one for him.  But that doesn't solve the supper dilemma.  :)

At Josiah's group violin lesson yesterday, one of the other moms (well, she's a friend, too--not just a violin mom) asked me if I was counting down the days yet.  As a matter of fact, I'm not yet; instead, I'm still thinking in terms of weeks.  It's three and a half weeks until my due date, right?  But then I realize that actually, it's only three weeks and one day.  Because we're still in the month of March and my due date is in April, I have the feeling that her birth is a month away.  It could be, of course; but it could also be much closer.  I'm trying to prepare my mind for both possibilities; and meanwhile, the anticipation builds...

...and builds...

...and builds...

:)