9

36 weeks - July 22

Baby Estrada is already in the 9th month of growth and I am over now 25% more Kate!  We are starting to get more prepared for birth, with a carseat, half-packed beg, and discussions about labor in birthing class.  The birthing videos make the men cringe!  I am doubting that I will go past my due date; at my midwifery visit last week I surprised the provider.  The baby is definitely in place between my hip and my body had already progressed through some of the early labor stage.  Plus, the Midwife did not think I would have a large baby, but ours was bigger than average already!  This week at work, I was holding a baby that weighed under 4 pounds, and it was strange to realize that the baby inside of me is bigger than that!  Physically, it has become harder, with the baby compressing my sciatica nerve (it has no room in there) and my feet are always too swollen to bend.  The swelling makes activity and work hard, but I have been trying prenatal yoga.  The first week of August sounds like a great time for the baby to see the world.
We have nearly finished the furniture for the nursery and are ready to look for a gliding chair.  We purchased patio furniture and can't wait to eat on our deck!  I am trying to figure out when my corn is ready in my garden, while the peas are starting to dry out.  We have even had a handful of raspberries grow (but I still went picking at the local farm to get MUCH more).  I am having some trouble cleaning, due to the bending, but have more to do, as I keep dropping and breaking dished and jars.
We had a wonderful time this month with friends from Boston and Nashville when we rented a cottage at a lake near our house.  We had great BBQ food, beach and kayak time (the water was soooo nice on my sore body), reading, and card games.  It was a great get-away weekend, nice and close to the hospital.
I have had a long week of work and am looking forward to putting my feet up a bit more in the last 3 weeks of work.  I am still trying to figure out my schedule for returning; the daycare I love is not likely to have an opening on Mondays.  Brian is still working very hard on school projects, and has a big work weekend at the end of the month.  I know he has a list of activities and projects that he would like to get through before the baby is born, and I have to remind him that the baby could come anytime!