Full-term (Anna)

As of yesterday, our baby is full-term. Due date less than 3 weeks away.

Caroline is still working, and coming home exhausted, so I tuck her into bed and give her raspberry leaf tea. And I've spent the evening washing new baby clothes to soften them up. It's a strange feeling - the clothes are unfamiliar and don't really belong to anyone. It's like doing someone else's laundry.

I find it hard to believe that we've spent so long preparing for this baby and now, at full-term, we feel completely unprepared. I don't even mean emotionally. I haven't got to the end of my lists! Caroline has been teasing me that I create lists; consolidate my lists and then lose the new list, so I spend most of my time recreating them. Huumph. I have this insane need to finish things off and get our place ready. Speaking of which...I should get back to it.

P.S. Caroline is frustrated that she isn't blogging more. I figure she's got enough to do, what with growing a baby and everything. So you're stuck with me for now :)

It's like Christmas! (Anna)

(If Christmas this year hadn't been so awful.)

It's been a really good weekend.

Yesterday, we had our "passage to parenthood party". It was wonderful. We feel loved and protected and cared about and a whole lot of other things that we've been needing to feel. Our Vancouver friends spoilt us rotten with pressies, hugs, and gentle words. It feels like now we can go into parenthoood strong, knowing that our baby is being born into a community full of love.

Today was our final pre-natal class (six hours worth) so we are now officially qualified to give birth. We are also exhausted, so we will post more about the passage to parenthood party later in the week when we have the energy.

But for now, we're feeling very grateful and loved.

Out of Gas

[Day. Two women, Anna and Caroline are on their way to their midwife. Caroline is driving, having picked up Anna from work.]
Caroline: My pregnancy brain is getting worse. Today I sent an email to a colleague about a workshop I thought I had talked to him about. He emailed back saying "I don't know what you're talking about." We talked on the phone and I apologized profusely. He was very nice about it and was teasing me: "When are you due again?" (sighs) I keep forgetting things all the time. (pause) I think I'm out of gas.
Anna: (stroking Caroline's back) I know you are. You're really tired. You're ok. We'll get through this together.
(Car makes funny phut-phut sound)
Caroline: No, I mean it. We're out of gas. I meant to fill up earlier. I forgot.
(Car grumbles even more loudly. Caroline pulls into a parking space. Car dies.)

Luckily, we were near the clinic, so we weren't late for the appointment. Afterwards, we went for a very invigorating waddle (well, one of us waddled) to the nearest gas station to buy a can of gas.

Next time she says she's out of gas, I'll think twice before stroking her back and making sympathetic cooing noises.

Crazy busy (Anna)

Hmmm. We're not so good at this blogging thing. I think I'm written out at the moment. I'm trying to write a 100 word summary of my novel. I can write novels, books, theses and write thousands of words a day at work but can I write 100 words when it matters? Of course not!

Things are crazy busy. Caroline is feeling big and sore and very tired. I think her belly grows daily. Her words to the bub have gone from "Awww. Your kicks are so cute. We love you very much" to "Ow...That hurt. Bub! Stop digging into me!" The sentiment's the same, I guess, it's just the words that are different :)

And we're trying to knock off lists of things. So much to do. I think we're both looking forward to reaching the end of the list. But we're almost at 36 weeks, which is kind of profound. Nine months pregnant! In a week, our baby will officially be full-term, which means we can have a home birth. We have the tub; we just need a hose...next on the list...