the expat's wife: August 2006

the countdown begins.

i'm officially 37 weeks pregnant and the baby is now considered "full term." he could arrive any time now, up to three weeks early or even 2 weeks late. i hope it's sooner than later.

to do list: we're pretty much ready for him to come. the nursery is set (actually, we have a loaner crib -- ours isn't due to arrive until the last week of september -- but he'll be sleeping in a bassinet in our bedroom for the first few months so i'm not too worried about it). he has all the essentials -- t-shirts, onesies, blankets, diapers, wipes, toiletries, car seat. it's so exciting! my hospital bag is also pretty much ready to go ... just need to grab the last minute essentials once the contractions start -- toiletries, glasses and husband :)

abuelita: my mom has officially moved from arizona to texas and will be living with us in our guesthouse. so far, so good. we really appreciate her help and she is doing a wonderful job of respecting our lifestyle, preferences and boundaries. i'm sure there will be an adjustment period once the baby is here, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. more than anything, we feel so blessed and lucky to have her support, and her Mexican influence. her home-cooked meals have been amazing and it is going to be great to pass on my Spanish language to my son. during the day, abuelita and i will be speaking Spanish to the baby, and we'll speak English once daddy is home.

excitement: i just love my little guy so much already. he has given me horrible heartburn since day 1 of pregnancy -- i'm looking forward to that going away soon! but, i love feeling him move. he's gotten so strong lately. i can actually see his little butt and back poking out of my stomach -- sometimes i look completely lopsided! and, i can definitely feel his feet in my ribs and lungs. at night, he wakes me up around 3am, completely stretched out with his head in my bladder, butt sticking out and feet in my rib cage. if i get up, hit the bathroom and walk around a bit, then switch sides, he usually settles down for the rest of the night. he's especially active around 3pm-5pm and does a little gymnastics routine for anyone watching.

my body: i feel so heavy and huge, but i keep hearing, "oh, you look so small" or " you must have like 2 months to go, right?" i actually get angry. i have 3 weeks to go, people. i'm a tall woman, so i must be hiding him well or something. also, i now have breasts the size of dinner plates, so i think they camoflauge the size of the belly. i may not look huge, but i feel HUGE. trust me, i can feel all 35+ pounds of weight that i've put on over that past 9 months!! it's actually comical to see me try to get out of bed or out of a chair. seriously, if you want a good laugh, come on over!

favorite time of day: right now, my favorite time of day is when my husband's alarm goes off in the morning and we snoogle and snooze for a few minutes before he gets up to shower. he spoons me and rubs the belly. the baby usually wakes up and kicks him back and it's so cute to hear J giggle and play with his son. then, J goes over to the crib and always says he can't wait to actually see our little man in there.

the baby's name: on the name front -- we are undecided. so, don't ask :) i trust that it will come to us once we meet him and spend a few hours with him.

swelling: around week 33, i started swelling in my hands. i finally had to remove my wedding rings and have developed pregnancy carpel tunnel. my hands are completely stiff in the middle of the night and i need to exercise them for a few minutes in the morning to get them moving. my feet have started swelling a lot this week -- gotta love the summer flip-flops! i'm constantly drinking water, but i have a hard time relaxing and putting my feet up.

okay, time to download some pics and document the belly growth. you better say that i look huge!