week 36

       This afternoon at the first of my weekly doctor's appointments, I got the BEST news...

      The painful, regular contractions that I feel for hours a day 2-3 times a week are finally doing something! I'm dilated to a loose 2, the same as when my water broke with Violet!

       So we are looking at any day in the next 3 weeks, haha. It's such a funny thing how this huge life-changing thing has the most vague of timelines. But our bags are (still) packed, and now the nursery is even ready. It turned out perfectly, and I'll post some pictures very soon.

       Lily gave me a bit of scare in the middle of the night on Tuesday by painfully flipping a complete 180 and shoving her head up under my ribs. Not what you hope for this late in the game. She spent hours manipulating herself while I laid as passively as I could to let her figure things out. I went into my appointment today a little nervous about her positioning, because she still feels much different to me than before her acrobatics, but all is well. My PA assured me that she's just perfect.

       I hate having my hopes up that Lily will come on my own timeline, but I feel really good about going into labor soon. I'm not uncomfortable (though I'm to the point that I don't bend and snap when I drop everything), and I'm not even exhausted or tired of being pregnant. I actually feel really good today; full of energy, high in spirits, smitten with our girls. But I'm ready and excited to bring our girl into the world and finally see her sweet face!