95% Baked

We made it to September! 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant today! Which makes today the middle of B-Day week!! Since Banner was a C-section, my doctor's policy is to do a repeat C-section for subsequent pregnancies. He schedules them at 39 weeks, so a week from today, I will officially not be pregnant anymore. I'm both saddened and excited about this. So much to look forward to, so much to miss. I'll miss my baby kicking inside me, I'll miss feeling him move and groove. I'll miss knowing that I'm the only one who knows anything about him at this time, and I'll miss having him all to myself. I felt this way with Banner, too - that I'll have to share him with the world, with his doctors, with his friends and his family starting in just a few days. And, as a friend recently reminded me, I'll miss not having to deal with a period!

But, I'm so excited to welcome this little one into his family who already loves him so much. I'm ready to hold him and kiss him. I'm ready to introduce Banner to his baby brother and watch the two of them interact. And, I'm more than ready to just make sure he's healthy and to make sure he arrives here safely.

I'm definitely anxious about a new normal coming our way. While I know we will adjust and things will fall into place, just like they (slowly) did after Banner's birth, I'm always a little frightened of the unknown and the uncontrollable. I'm not sure what life with 2 young boys will be like, and I'm never in love with change. I feel so comfortable with our "family of three" lifestyle, just like I was comfortable with my "no kids" lifestyle. It took a lot of time and patience to adjust to having Banner - and I think that's totally normal - so it's just a little scary to be changing our family dynamic yet again. But, like I said, I have no doubt we will adjust and find our new normal. And, I'm sure one day soon, I'll be unable to imagine a life without my second-born.

Today I had my last exam with my OB. Still no change, but definitely growing! My doctor made a guess that this baby will weigh around 7-7.5 pounds - pretty much what I've been guessing, too. But, there's no telling. It was once predicted that Banner would weigh over 8 pounds, but he was only 6 pounds, 13 ounces, so I don't give much credit to these estimates. My blood pressure has been normal this entire pregnancy, and my weight gain has been on track, which I'm thankful for.  We're set and ready for our C-section on Monday morning!

So, what else can I tell you?

Days to go: I have 12 days left until my actual due date, but my C-section has been scheduled for September 9th, so assuming Baby doesn't make an appearance before that, there are only 6 days left!

Size of baby: I haven't had a sonogram since 28 weeks, so I'm not sure what this particular kid is weighing or measuring now, but I'm told that babies at this point are about 19.5 inches long and about 6.8 - 7 pounds - about the size of a pumpkin.

Total Weight Gain: 29 pounds (my goal was 28 like with Banner... eh, close enough!) :)

Sleep: Still sleeping great, but turning over is a bitch. I need a forklift to transition from one side to the other with the weight of my belly. I am exhausted by Banner's nap time and try to nap when he does - but with the feeling of needing to get things done, that's a hard thing to really let myself do.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks like no other! Friday night, they were coming pretty consistently around 6-7 minutes, but they weren't painful (just uncomfortable), so I just went with it and tried to sleep through it. Luckily, I did, and they were back to being more unpredictable throughout the next couple days. Reflux with a vengeance, but that should disappear as soon as Baby appears. Hip pain during the night for the past couple months, although I'm not sure if that's RA-related or pregnancy (probably pregnancy since RA symptoms have disappeared!). Oh, and leg cramps down the outside of my calf in the middle of the night - but usually goes away if I stand up.

What I'm most anxious about: RA returning, breastfeeding, Banner's reaction and possible regression, keeping Baby healthy when Banner brings home germs from school, massive sleep deprivation, and pain after C-section

Prep for Baby: Baby's room is ready to go! All clothes, burp clothes, bibs, blankets, sheets, Boppy covers, bumpers, etc are washed, folded, and put away. Bottles are unpacked and put away in cabinets, Banner is all set in his big boy room, and the infant toys are slowly making an appearance back in the house. Mom and I baked and cooked an assortment of freezer meals to have around after we get home from the hospital. A maid service is coming tomorrow, thank goodness! Bag is packed, Banner's gifts "from the baby" are wrapped, baby book is bought and ready for hand/footprints! The only big thing to do is put the Pack-n-Play together in our room, but I won't do that until Baby comes home. And, then of course, we'll need to put up the baby's name letters on his wall...

Baby's Name:  HA! As if I'd tell you! ;) But yes, he does have a name, and you'll just have to wait until B-Day to find out! Lucky for you, that's not very far away now!