Wow, time really seems to be flying by. It seems like I was just writing the post about being 37 weeks, and now here I am at 38 weeks and 1 day!
Hello, Nesting!
I’ve been having a huge nesting urge lately. I made myself a list of things I’d love to accomplish at some point in the near future, and I’ve gotten a ton done.
I spent 2 hours (and had help from all of the other 5 members of my family) completely cleaning out my van, putting all of the miscellaneous items from there back in the house or the trash or recycling, and hubby even vacuumed for me. I’ve never seen it so clean except maybe when we bought it!
I also moved my 5 year old into my 7 year old’s room (per his request and his older brother’s initially reluctant agreement), which meant moving over a dresser. I also had my hubby put together one of those cube shelving structures and we put 8 little fabric bins in there for toys. Then I went through and we sorted through ALL of the boy clothes sized 18 months and up. I moved my 2 year old’s clothes from my room to his room upstairs (finally), moved the 5 year old’s clothes to his brother’s now-shared closet, and we sorted through all of the 7 year old’s clothes, too. I rebagged (yes, we use trash bags for clothes organization when not being worn) and relabeled everything and got everything weeded through. This took about 4 hours.
I’ve also cleaned an office, cleaned and sorted a ton of kids’ toys, vacuumed quite a bit, cleaned toilets, and done a ton of laundry. This should all have me exhausted, but the fact is that these tasks haven’t exhausted me.
The exhausting thing here is pregnancy insomnia. I don’t even know if you could call it that, but at about 1AM every night (yes, I’m still up then), the baby decides it is time to play. Every.single.night. If I’m asleep or still awake, he chooses these moments to do all sorts of kicks and jabs. I start getting retched heartburn, my cervix feels like it is being pinched, my hips ache, and I have to pee. By have to pee, I mean every 10 minutes during these active times. This make sleeping next to impossible.
Add that to the fact that my 2 year old loves to wake up and bug me in the middle of the night. Yep, he’s at it again. At least he knows to go to the little blanket and pillow pallet I’ve made him on the floor at the foot of our bed. I simply have to remind him to lay there, and not with me, and he happily lays down. The problem is that this generally is enough stirring to wake me up, and then I have to pee, and then I have trouble falling asleep, and the cycle of terrible sleep continues!
My Achin’ Back!
For pain and swelling, I’ve been taking almost daily Epsom salt baths. It’s been uncomfortable lately to lay on one side or the other while in the tub, so most of the time, I’m just sitting in there. It’s still relaxing, though. Without these baths, I’m pretty sure my pelvis would break apart and I’d be in horrendous pain, especially after all of the cleaning and tidying I have been doing.
Meme is coming!
My grandma is coming into town today to hang out with us until the baby is born. This is amazing and I am SO excited! See, she did this before Charlie’s birth, and it was so fun. First of all, she and I are both night owls and talkers. I have had such an awesome time getting to know her more and spend quality time with my Meme. Also, the kids are getting to know one of the most special people in my whole world, and she’s getting to know them more. One of the best parts about having her here these last few weeks is that if I go into labor at a weird time, she is here to watch the kids and I don’t have to scramble to find childcare.
This came in handy last labor! She stayed with them while I went walking off and on all day the day I decided I was in early labor, and then was here when it was time to head off to the hospital in the middle of the night. I didn’t even have to wake anyone up, because she was still awake when we left and the kids were sound asleep. 🙂
The whole arrangement is very relaxing and comforting. I feel really blessed to have a sweet Meme to spend time with. It’s also such a wonderful feeling to have the stress taken away of dealing with the uncertainties and mechanics surrounding the kids and the upcoming birth.
The Countdown is ON.
The earliest I have delivered was with my 2nd child (a homebirth VBAC) at 39 weeks, 6 days. The rest were 12, 4, and 3 days past my due date. That said, I’d love to be surprised with an October baby. I seriously have everything ready.
My bag is packed. Important information has been compiled and dispersed, everything has been washed, and even the car seats are installed and ready to go. I’m ready for you, Baby!
Katie Harding says
I feel like I was 38 weeks just yesterday, time does fly! Your little one will be here before you know it, hang in there, you are in the final stretch!
Katie Harding recently posted…10 Tips for Traveling with Young Children