36 Weeks & Counting

On Tuesday I officially hit 36 weeks!  Our li'l guy seems to be doing just fine--he's certainly an active boy.  I had an OB appointment this morning and took a tour of the (new to me) L&D facilities--they have moved since we were stationed here last. (This is where both Tobin and Arden were born.) 

I also received the happy news (no one had mentioned this before!) that there is a "Daddy Cam" available, so Ted can receive a link via email to click on and watch the birth!  We just have to let them know when we're coming in to set up the camera and give them his email address...and of course get word to Ted that we're on the way to the hospital.  This was happy news indeed.  I confess I had shed a few tears last night just thinking about not being able to share such a precious time with my love, and lo and behold, God sent me comfort about it the very next day.  What a gracious, loving Heavenly Father.

Mom and Dad arrived here Wednesday evening, and I lost my mucous plug Thursday morning.  No contractions to speak of though, and I'm only dilated 1-2 cm at most, so who knows how long it will be!  Dad has to leave in the morning to head home, and Mom will stay here...however long we need her!  Hopefully Dad will be able to get several days in a row off when he comes to get Mom to take her back.  The kids haven't quite had enough Grandpa time yet!  Lucan especially will miss his buddy Grandpa.  I'm thankful Dad was able to do all kinds of little jobs around the house for me, like changing out our air filter (ugh--it was NASTY!), replacing light bulbs all over the basement, and other little fix-it things that Ted normally would take care of.  I overheard Charis telling him, "Thank you, Grandpa, for helping Mama!"  :-)

It's also been nice to be able to take naps and not worry about what may be happening outside my bedroom door, LOL.  We've all had a relaxing couple of days, just hanging out together.  We've played some games, put a puzzle together, read lots of books and played with the little ones, and tonight we went out for an ice cream treat and then watched Black Beauty after we put a tired Lucan to bed.

I'm very thankful for the time we've had together and especially thankful that my mom has the freedom and flexibility to be here for a good long while.  Though we hope Baby J will arrive before too much longer, my due date isn't until the 30th, so I'm trying to be prepared for another month of discomfort.  I'm feeling like I'm carrying around a bowling ball in my belly these days; it's extremely hard to put on my walking shoes anymore!  And I simply can't get comfortable in any sort of sitting or lying position.  I know this will pass and it will all be worth it, but I'm reminded of how impatient I get at the end of each pregnancy, just wanting to get my body back to "normal" and hold the baby OUTSIDE my body rather than inside.

A few pictures with the grandparents...