We're Ready

If you're reading this blog on the day I post, I am a mere 12 days away from my due date!!!

Oh my goodness!!! February 17th will be here before we know it, but at this point, I could have this baby at any time.

My midwives have told me that for a first child, it is normal to go an average of 8 days past your due date, and I'll be "allowed" to go 14 days past my due date before we have to start considering inducing labor. So, needless to say, I'm trying to just be patient and enjoy these last days of pregnancy.
It's perhaps easier for me to be patient (although it's in my nature to be very impatient) because I still feel relatively good. I know that a lot of pregnant women are quite miserable by the time they get to 38+ weeks in their pregnancies. I was worried that because the beginning of my pregnancy was so easy that it would come back to bite me towards the end. But so far, so good. I have some typical end-of-pregnancy symptoms like swollen hands and feet (I'm down to one pair of shoes that sortof fit), and some lower back pain. It's tough for me to get out of chairs and turn over in bed. But really, that's about it. I'm still sleeping relatively well, which is probably the most important thing right now. It makes it so much easier to get through my 8 hour work days. I'm hoping to be able to continue working right up until I go into labor. If anything, I may cut my days down to 6 hours rather than 8. As long as I continue to sleep well, stay restful even while I'm awake, and stay close to home on the weekends and evenings, I hope to feel this good for the duration.

We're definitely feeling like we're ready for Baby Peterson to arrive. My suitcase is mostly packed for going to the hospital. The diapers and clothes are washed and put away. My birth beads are strung.

Brian has been practicing some peaceful banjo melodies (is that an oxymoron?) to play for me during labor and for Baby Peterson once she arrives. The nursery is decorated and organized.

I love how it has turned out. It's peaceful and cheerful and calming.

Some of my favorite things about the baby's room:

The wall full of tiny shoes.... The Broncos mobile....at some point Brian realized that this doesn't really "go" with the decor in the room. But hey, our kiddo has got to be a Broncos fan from the beginning, right? The curtains, made by Brian's mom Chris, which inspired the whole room.... These paintings on the wall....what better messages for our daughter?

Sing, Dream, Imagine...

All the tiny handknit items from my mom....The shelf full of my children's book collection.... and the glider in the corner....but that's a story for another time.... Brian and I talk every day how strange it is to be in this waiting period. Every night we find ourselves saying, "what if it happened tonight...?". We talk about how any day now, we're going to be a family of three and there will be another human being living here with us. We can't imagine what it will be like, but we know that despite the challenges ahead, it will be wonderful. We feel blessed to have family and friends close by to support us and who we can call on when we need it. We feel confident and ready to achieve the birth we've worked so hard to prepare for. And we can't wait to meet our daughter!!!