One week... Or More :( Or Less :) To Go

I went to the doctor this morning to check in on Anna and she's behaving! She's head down still and I'm starting to be less anxious about her turning back since she's been in that position for 6 days now. Otherwise, the pregnancy is moving on in an uncomplicated manner which is exactly what I want! My initial fear of having another 11+ pound baby doesn't look like it will be an issue since she seems to be closer to average / a little above average size. Now that she's head down, the breech issues are not a concern. So now we wait. And wait. And wait. Waiting on a baby is hard! It's hard because you feel like you have to be ready to go at anytime for a few weeks. While she was breech, I was pretty much in denial that she'd come because I didn't want labor to begin with her in the wrong position. Now that she's head down, I realized I needed to get ready. I finally packed our hospital bag today and got caught up on laundry, so I feel ready in that department. We still need to put the car seat in the car (but that only takes a few minutes), but everything else is easy last minute packing details. It feels good to be ready... But how long are we going to be in this limbo of waiting? My due date is 8 days away. I went past my due date with the boys. For some reason, I've thought that she will come in my 39th week... But I have several friends who went close to 10 days past their due date with their third child (God, please, no. Please don't do that to me). I honestly think she will come in the few days before or the few days after my due date... That's just my gut feeling. 

How am I feeling? Any signs? Since the ECV last week, my body for sure got the message that there was a baby in there wanting to get out. I've had irregular painless contractions at different times through the day and almost always for 30 minutes - 1 hour in the middle of the night. They sometimes keep me awake and get me excited, but they are painless and always go away. I've also had some cramping. So these are great signs of progress... Only God knows when the real deal starts. I think about birth a ton these days... I wonder how it will all unfold. When will it happen? Will it be fast? Will it be slow? Will it be easier or harder compared to the others? And I'm not anxious about these details... Just excited. I text my doula several times a day because as much as Ray appreciates the miracle of birth too, he can only handle so much... I could talk about it non-stop, but he has limits. Bringing new life to the world is such an incredible experience and I can't wait to go through the process again to meet little Anna on the other side. 

38 weeks and 6 days belly shot...

And just as a comparison, here is me pregnant with Luke 9 days from his due date v pregnant with Anna 8 days from her due date. I really hope she is a smaller baby... But I think the drastic difference might have more to do with me gaining half the amount of weight this time around. I can't wait to eat a fancy pizza, hamburger with fries, ice cream sundae, and a peanut butter pie once she arrives! I will still stay healthy overall... But you better believe I will indulge a few times in her first week of life. 

And I finally finished her room over the weekend. The nursery was gender neutral for the boys - teal with giraffes - but when I found out I was having a girl, I decided that I wanted to do something softer and more feminine. I also knew that I only wanted it to be simple with only the necessities and some nice touches on the walls (where kids can't touch them... Hallelujah). I decided to go with mint / pink / coral colors. I'm happy with how it turned out.