33 Weeks

Alright, I'll try to stop saying how fast this pregnancy is going by. But, really, now that the holiday season is in full swing, EVERYTHING is happening quickly, not just the growing bump!! Just on a day to day basis, how did it get to be Thursday this week??? And Christmas is a week from Sunday???? Holy cow!! Luckily, having plenty to do distracts from getting bigger and bigger. I finally got my Christmas cards out yesterday, have gotten almost all of the prep work done for the big day and starting to feel like I can slow down a little. Yeah right, the Christmas pageant is Sunday, (starring a certain VERY cute sheep. okay, 'starring' may be an exaggeration.) I have a few craft projects to finish up, presents to wrap and we are going to see the Big Guy in Red next week.

Pregnancy-wise, I still feel good! Definitely more crowded and feeling bigger, but I don't have too many complaints at all. My appetite is fine and most nights I'm able to get some sleep. He's head down, which is a HUGE relief and we're hoping he stays there!! Our next appointment is Wednesday and then we'll be going every other week and soon after, every week! With a VBAC, I'm technically considered 'high risk', but as long as I know my rights and speak up for myself, we can treat this as a 'normal' birth. Our midwife said that if I'm late, they'll let me go up to 42 weeks if necessary (hopefully not!) but that they won't induce without my body starting to labor on its own. Which means, c-section if no labor begins. Hopefully, this won't be an issue. I just have no idea, since my body didn't go into labor at all with Kalaya. Head down means a new sensation; feet poking my ribs! It is pretty painful, but I can usually change positions and feel better. (does not work in the car, I've discovered...)

We started our childbirth class and love it! We're taking Hypnobirthing, which came highly recommended by other ladies who have had successful deliveries without any pain medications, intervention, etc. It's basically an approach to childbirth that has you practice getting as relaxed as possible before labor so that your body is trained ahead of time. It is also based on the idea that your body is prepared for this; God/Mother Nature knew what to do to prepare you, it doesn't have to be this screaming, painful, agonizing, medical event. It's a natural process that your body was created for. We love it!!

Jakiah is still very active and I love, love, LOVE feeling him move. This is the part of pregnancy I missed the most, so I'm trying to savor each moment. People are asking if I'm ready to be done, and honestly, not yet. For obvious reasons, such as I know that he'd be premature at this point, but also because who knows what God's plan is for us with children?? I don't know if we're stopping after this or not, so I'm enjoying being pregnant while I can. Yes, we're excited to meet this little guy, but I'm loving having my daughter all to myself and her having her parents all to herself for just a couple more months. (eek, more like a few more weeks!!) We're taking everything one day at a time. : )