pregnancy: the final act

the third trimester seemed to come very quickly, then once it hit, moved at a snail's pace. by this time i was anxious to meet our little man to the point of hysteria (exaggeration! kinda.). really though, i was so excited to meet and hold my baby that i was counting down the days, instead of the weeks. i was also super uncomfortable, not sleeping, and beyond stressed with trying to get everything ready. nesting is a beast. i don't care what anyone tells you.

3rd trimester, about 33 weeks

emily left on her mission during this time, which was difficult but also such a sacred experience and one i would never give up. thankfully, she was able to feel the baby move before she left. shay kept trying to feel him, though every time he would put his hand on my tummy, the baby would stop moving. it was like he knew his daddy's touch every single time! cute but...frustrating. i have a feeling it won't be the last time we feel that way about this little man!

then one night, shay was resting his hand on my belly as he fell asleep next to me on the couch during a movie. the baby all of the sudden kicked his hand super hard and fast, making me laugh and waking shay up. shay poked my belly to see if he could get another nudge, and it worked! so, father and son played their first game together: poke and kick. daddy poked, baby kicked. momma got away without any bruises, thankfully. :)

and so we waited the days away. i worked, tried to sleep, cleaned/organized when i could, and prayed for the health of our little one. and some days we just had to stop at sonic for a rootbeer slushy.

by 37 weeks, i was progressing pretty well but the baby hadn't turned into the correct position yet. we tried a few things, but in the end decided that if he was going to turn, it would have to be something he did during labor. speaking of labor...i took a labor and delivery class and it was TERRIBLE! no woman who is close to giving birth should have to watch a video of a live birth/labor pains/etc etc etc! this is one case where the phrase "ignorance is bliss" is 100% true. because...gross.

i was also having regular - and sometimes constant - braxton hicks pains, which were increasing in strength by the day. because of the extreme swelling i was experiencing i had been checking my blood pressure (yay ridley's pharmacy!) every few days, and it was rising. because of this and other factors, the midwife opted to try and encourage the baby to come by 38 1/2 weeks, and gave us the go-ahead to  help things along as well. i will never forget waddling around the park path at 10:30 at night with shay, my belly as big as a planet, and getting alllllll sorts of looks from the other park patrons: smirks from teenagers on their bikes, curiosity from the two girls walking their dog, and understanding/pity from the older couple walking the opposite way. i can only imagine that i was a hilarious sight. all i knew was, i wanted that baby out!!! in the best way possible, of course. :)