Baby #2 - 39 Weeks

39 weeks! Holy smokes. I realize that you have nine months to get ready for this last week, but somehow it seems to have snuck up on us. I can hardly believe that sometime within the next week or so we'll be bringing home a sweet baby boy from the hospital to join our family forever. 

I'm so excited. I'm also nervous. Will I be able to take care of Lydia as much as she needs while still taking care of my darling baby boy? Will I be able to love him as much as I love her? Will she be okay while we leave for the hospital for two days? Will his birth go well and will he be healthy? So many thoughts and emotions are swirling around in my head all the time. But, I look around me and I see the support system we have in place and I know that everything will be okay. All I have to do is think about David, and I immediately calm down and my worries start to subside. Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend the first session of the Ogden Temple Re-dedication through satellite. Sister Wixom's talk touched my heart, and I basically cried like a baby. (My eyes are welling with tears just thinking about it.) She spoke of the blessings of the temple, and told a story about a family and the different moments in their lives that their temple blessings meant the very most to them. She spoke of the big (and little) events in their lives when they paused and let their temple blessings take hold in their hearts. I feel like we are about to take a big breath and pause in our own little life together as we meet this little boy who already means so much to us. Today I can feel the blessings of our temple endowments and temple sealing and am grateful to know that no matter what happens, this little boy is ours - forever. 

It's hard not to compare this pregnancy to Lydia's. Things are so similar, but also so different. The other day I went back and read my pregnancy letters to Lydia (you can read them here) and it was interesting to remember how I was feeling and what we were doing last time we hit this point in our pregnancy. I hadn't dilated at all at my appointment, I wasn't feeling any early signs of labor at all and we were convinced that she wasn't going to come for another week at least! (We sincerely thought that she would come on the 12th - three days after her due date.) This time around I have been definitely showing signs of my body getting ready; not really contractions, but definite changes. I had my 38 week appointment last Thursday and I was dilated to a 2 (which is where I was when I went to the hospital with Lydia for the first time). I was shocked! I have my 39 week appointment on Wednesday so we'll have to see what Dr. Cloward says then. But obviously, my body is starting to get ready to deliver this little boy. I feel really good during the day still, but I can't do much at night because I'll start having pain in my back or because he's moving around so much that it hurts to do anything but lay down. It's funny because there are some different things going on this time around - but we still have no idea if that means he will come early, or on his due date, or late!

Dr. Cloward (who I absolutely adore), asked me if I wanted to schedule an induction. I was a little surprised, but I guess after your first baby - they are happy to induce you anytime after 39 weeks. In all honesty, as excited as we are to meet this little boy, we are happy to let him stay put as long as he needs to. I feel great, and although I know that this isn't the case for all (or maybe even most) pregnant women - I'm enjoying these last few weeks. I'm just soaking in everything about our little family of three. He'll come when he's ready, and then everything will change. We are excited for those changes, but we are also happy to let them come on their own. I don't know if that makes sense. Also, David will be in Logan for Eide Bailly recruiting/interviews tomorrow and he has a big training/dinner on Thursday, so really we are hoping that baby boy waits until then. Have I mentioned that the 28th is exactly half way between my birthday and David's birthday? We think it would be kind of cool to have him on that day. (So even if we scheduled an induction - it would be the day after our due date.) I feel pretty strongly (for myself) that I'd rather wait for him to come than induce labor, but I'll be honest - sometimes it would be nice to just know what day he was planning on so that I could get everything situated for Lydia. The most stressful thing is knowing the best thing to do with her while I am in labor/in the hospital. It would be nice to be able to make solid plans! Ah, well. Such is life I suppose. Regardless of what happens, I just pray it will go well. 

Oh, also - last week we took a few pictures to memorialize some of my favorite/biggest pregnancy cravings. We were eating donuts (which I have been loving) and I said something like "we should take a picture of me and this donut so we remember how much I liked them" followed by
"too bad we don't have any pepperoni." David started grinning, walked over to the fridge and pulled out a package of pepperoni that he'd picked up at the store. We laughed and decided that we really should do it. I know it's silly, but I think that the pictures turned out so fun! 

  

Because, let's be honest - both Lydia and I have eaten more than our fair share of donuts and cold pepperoni over the last nine months. (My only regret is that we didn't include spaghettios.)

  

So baby boy - you like donuts and cold pepperoni. We can't wait for you to arrive so we can learn even more about you! We already love you so much and are so excited to meet you.