week 40 // due date

cravings:  all of the baby cuddles I can get. And I'm very much enjoying the milk-coming-in diet of heavy creamy cheeses, dark beer, and rich calories. I also now require enough water to fill a small pool.

aversions:  I'm still not ready to try eggs again.

symptoms:  Soreness in my shoulders and back from hard labor, burning stitches, general tenderness, and an overwhelming sense of joy and love.

movement:  Its so weird to not feel her. I find myself rubbing my empty belly a lot remembering what it was like..

fears:  That I'll miss a moment, or that I'll forget these precious days.

general mood:  So overwhelmed by this indescribable love.

sleep:  The sleep situation varies night to night. She left through the night on Thursday (hallelujah), but woke on the our for three hours in a row last night.

surprised by:  How much weight she lost in the first few days before my milk came in (she lost about 6 ounces) and by how fast she's gotten her double chin back. Looking forward to pinching on  fat rolls soon.

looking forward to:  writing and sharing her birth story! And watching her grow (just not too fast please!).

best / worst moments:  Seeing her first real grin (with dimples!) just this morning was the greatest and melted my heart! We've both gotten frustrated when she gets gassy and worked up and we can't please her, but those are tiny in comparison to how incredibly blessed and humbled we are by this experience.

bobby is:   Such a great daddy. After watching me birth our daughter, he thinks I'm super woman. He takes incredible care of the two of us, and can't wait to watch V grow and learn.

week 39

cravings:  Not much, feeling a bit nauseated.

aversions:  anything heavier than Gatorade and toast

symptoms:  very unsettled tummy, contractions every 5-7 minutes increasing in intensity, exhaustion, excitement

movement:  She let me know she was still there in between every contraction. And those kicks were hard on my tender belly!

fears:  I almost asked for an epidural thirty minutes before she was born. But my amazing natural birth nurse talked me down and helped me focus and I'm so so grateful.

general mood:  excited and very emotional.

sleep:  Pretty good for being in labor!

surprised by:  My labor stalled after my water broke and I ended up needing Pitocin, but even though that made contractions get serious really fast, it led to a faster labor than I would have expected.

looking forward to:  writing and sharing her birth story! And watching her grow (just not too fast please!).

best / worst moments:  The best moment was meeting our girl, and then watching Bobby hold her for the first time. I won't get into the worst moments yet, so look out for my birth story post.

bobby is:   Wrapped around her tiny skinny fingers. He loves to hold her on his chest and listen to music, and he's blown away by how beautiful she is.

week 38

This is very very late. I was so frustrated the entire week that I just could not sit down and focus on my lack of progress. So, I'm sorry it's late, but here it is...

cravings:  so much food! I've been eating a lot of protein and too much ice cream to be proud of.

aversions:  none, give me all the food.

symptoms:  pretty much nothing, which sort of sucks when you're really really ready to have a baby already.

movement:  lots of movement way down there and sharp kicks in the ribs. She's trying hard to escape! She also hiccups a ton now and you can see my shirt ripple with each one.

fears:  I think she's going to stay in there forever. But really, I can't have an elective induction until my cervix is "favorable" and it is far from and I can't have a medical induction until 41 weeks. That's basically forever. And if she has an impossible-to-birth-big head, she won't come naturally. So Violet, you really need to hurry things up.

general mood:  highly emotional and very frustrated. On top of that, I feel guilty for being so impatient and frustrated which makes me even more emotional. ugh.

sleep:  lots of bathroom breaks, but decent sleep in between and good naps every day.

surprised by:  My abundant labor signs just disappearing. Calm before the storm?

looking forward to:  being admitted to the hospital. Once they take you in, you basically get 24 hours to have a baby.

best / worst moments:  The best moment was finishing my to-do list of things I wanted done before company starts to arrive. The worst moment was being told I'm no closer (physically) to having a baby. Sigh.

bobby is:   Very ready for her, but less expectant of her arrival. Last week he thought I'd call him home early every day. This week, he knows not to raise his hopes.

nursery progress:  Done, done, and done. Our room is also ready with the cradle next to the bed and a second changing station set up on our dresser.