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