36 Weeks!

So 4 weeks to go, or 28 days! And according to the growth ultrasound I had last week he weighs 5 lbs, 13 oz. That means this week he's gotta be closing in on 6 lbs. Unfortunately we got no good pics of him b/c his hands were in front of his face, boooo! He has been moving and wiggling and punching and kicking extra vigorously this past week. I dunno what's up with that since all the books say the bigger he gets the less you'll feel movement b/c there's just nowhere really for him to move. I swear to God I felt his HEEL sticking out a few nights ago when he was moving so much he woke me up! I've been feeling some more round ligament pains as well and it's been a long while since I felt THOSE. But if he's moving and stretching my innards out even more then that's to be expected.

Reg and I started childbirth class at the hospital on Sat. morning. It's with the same instructor we had for the breastfeeding class. I feel for the few couples in there who aren't due til January or even February--hey, I'm getting my hefty tax write-off this year! After class on Sat. we went to eat and then went home and both took naps; we were so tired and we had to be rested for the CD Release party that nite, which went incredibly well! Once again I am overwhelmed by the show of support from our fans, friends, and family. I mean, WOW--the crowd was incredible. I kinda had to hide out before the show b/c I needed to preserve every last ounce of energy I had in order to play the show and it worked b/c I felt somewhat energetic while playing our long, one set and even stood up for about 4-5 songs. I was hoping baby would give me a little break from all the kicking/punching and either he did b/c he was enjoying the music or I was too distracted/hyped up on performance endorphins to notice! But it was a great nite, one of the best ever.

Met with Doula last nite and we did my birth plan (who I want in the room when I deliver, what I'll do for pain relief, plan to breastfeed immediately, etc) and then she showed me and Reg 4 exercises to do for my current aches/pains. She palpated my belly and said baby is still head down (I knew that b/c I feel his head and his little hands down below) but he's still posterior, or facing forward, which is bad, very bad for me so I have to do certain things to try and make him turn around and face backwards so labor goes easier on me and I don't suffer horrible back labor. Mainly I need to spend time on my hands/knees which I can do on the couch/floor/bed and also resting forward on the birthing ball. I watched tv like that last nite for a bit.

Dr. appt tomorrow and now I start seeing him every single week. Looking forward to having a long weekend and looking forward to NOT having to be anywhere on Thanksgiving for the 1st time in years and years b/c my family is all doing different stuff this year. My plan is to REST, let Reg cook for the 2 (3!) of us, and get stuff done around the house that I haven't had time to do. My last official gigs are this weekend, Fri. and Sat. nite too and then I'm pretty much done til January. Doula, Reg, and everyone else says it's FINALLY time for me to slow down and while that's so hard for me to do and feels unnatural, I know I need to do it.

Week 36

35 Weeks!

And that means 5 weeks to go! Last week at the Dr. he confirmed the baby's head has already engaged my pelvic area which does not surprise me b/c I feel baby's head against that left hip bone sometimes. I will have my growth ultrasound tomorrow at the perinatologist Dr. H's office and we'll determine how much baby weighs now and how big he is already. Looks like I've gained another few pounds for a total of 29 lbs. gained although Dr. E said it's the baby who's gained it, LOL! This past weekend I FINALLY got around to organizing the baby clothes received at the baby shower and last nite I did my first-ever batch of baby clothes laundry. OMG these clothes are so tiny!!! I mean, I've never really known any babies before so this whole thing is a trip to me! I only washed sizes newborn-6 months; the larger clothes can wait til later.

Also this past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to make trips to see 2 friends who had baby hand-me-down stuff including tons of clothes, blankets, a high chair, and other awesome and much-needed baby items. I'm just so grateful to save money not buying this stuff and also glad to not contribute to crazed baby supply consumerism and happy to be recycling and reusing! Also my bro's friend sent more stuff, including diapers and a breastfeeding pillow. HELL YEAH!

Today is also a special day b/c it's Reggie's bday. I have another baby shower tonight being given by the Board I serve on and after that I'll take Reg out to dinner wherever he wants. He already received his gifts and loved them and will be using some of them on the golf course today! We had an incredible time on Sunday night. I took him and El Bebe to their first ever Taj Mahal concert and they both LOVED it. Reg and I got to visit a little with Taj afterwards thanks to his bass player, our friend Larry, and I gifted them with my limited-edition koozie which has a special Taj connection b/c Paul put "Well well well" on it which is a nod to one of the Taj songs I perform, "But I Rode Some". (I sing Taj's sassy little "well well well well well" that he sings on the recording, hee hee!) What an unforgettable and beautiful gift of music we all received that night. Baby did not stop kicking/punching the entire time and my latest thing now is to sing "Loving in My Baby's Eyes" to him when we're alone.

This week is the PRB's CD release party and we're all super excited. Saturday morning Reg and I have a Lamaze class at the hospital and I have the goal of packing my hospital bag once and for all by this weekend, and then that night is the CD release. Lamaze class continues on Sunday and the final session the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Hopefully the outfit idea I have in mind for the CD Release party will work! BTW Dr. E said I can continue to gig (although he said the loud volume might send me into pre-term labor! [Was that a joke?]).

Week 35

34 Weeks!

6 weeks to go. 42 days! It's starting to feel more real. People ask me if I'm "nervous" or "ready". Well, ready or not that baby's coming. And nervous, no. I trust in my body, my Doula, my OB/GYN, the miracle of childbirth, the birthin' babies education I've received so far, and the good Lord so why would I be nervous? Reg and I picked up a nice bassinet off of Craigslist on Sunday so the baby finally has someplace to sleep and that was a big weight off my shoulders; now we just absolutely have to go buy a carseat and damn, as far as I'm concerned we'll be totally ready to have that baby home with us. I just have to get my "changing table" (a folding card table) back from Paul as it's currently serving as the PRB merch table! LOL!

I don't have a huge nesting instinct yet (big surprise, my mom was never the nesting/nurturing mother type either) but I did make time on Sunday to organize all the baby clothes we received at the baby shower and I bought some dye/perfume-free detergent to wash them all with. Reg has organized the hell out of my house and moved furniture and cleaned and has been so awesome in that department.

I feel myself gradually feeling more tired and last week I found stretch marks for the first time! My tummy has looked great all along but I finally took the time to really inspect it and held a mirror underneath the tummy and BAM! There are just a few stretch marks hiding underneath there. Waaaah! I hope that's where they'll stay. In other health news, just more heartburn and now having to pop the Zantac 2X/day instead of just once. Pregnancy congestion is still rough on me and I'm short of breath sometimes. My taste buds work some days and some days they don't. But the newest thing is that my pelvis bones are just achy sometimes. I'll get up off the couch/up from a chair/out of bed/out of the car and have to hobble like an old woman b/c they're just SORE... And sometimes the baby's kicking/punching is very uncomfortable and even hurts. I read that's b/c right now he's taking up more space and the amniotic fluid level is lower b/c of his larger size which means there's less cushion for me from his tiny blows. But dammit, otherwise I feel pretty good, considering, and I keep reminding myself it could be so much worse and I'm grateful.

We played our last gigs for a couple of weeks this past weekend, including opening up for Monte Montgomery which was mind-blowing. Also last Weds. was my final "Pinche Miercoles" at the Continental until January and it was a fun Halloween one; I got to wear my costume 3 times this H'ween season and even got a round of applause at work that day, they liked it so much. Now the PRB will take a break until the CD Release party on the 17th. I haven't decided yet if I'll gig in December; it's dependent on if I feel miserable or not. These days I'm merely "uncomfortable". So we'll see.

Week 34