“Four weeks” to go friends. Today marks nine months. And n one week our little one could show up at any time and be considered full term. Kinda neat, huh?

Last night Matt and I played Mary and Joseph in the live nativity. Matt dressed in about everything he could find and freezing to death – me in two shirts and a couple pair of pants with no gloves and warm as usual. Sometimes the inferno within is beneficial.

Had lunch yesterday with a few old and one current co-worker. Kinda funny how that helps classify me as being old. The career-jobs are the ones where the co-workers do things outside of the office for the sake of having a social life. Outside of college social lives revolve around co-workers, churches and families. And to prove myself old I was the first to show up and the only one to show up unfashionably late. I was hungry. We don’t mess around with the lunch times here. =)

Today marks another obedience training class – second to last – and soon the rush from service to dog social time will be complete. I think Matt and I both are ready for it to be done. Dakota’s done well and we’ve been given tools that we can use. We’ve found some united lingo and learned some of the basics that we were messing up on. But really I think we’ve come to a point where we’re not interested in having a dog-show trained dog and the classes are leaning a bit more toward refining skills that we find unnecessary for our daily lives with our doggie. We just wanted basic training and basic training helps. And those we have received. So now obedience training is becoming a bit more of an obligation than a help. But we only have two more weeks including today so we’ll be good. Never thought 8 weeks could feel so long though. Matt and I look forward to the days of non-2pm commitments on Sundays.

“Are you ready for the baby to come?” I feel like everyone I pass is asking these days and I’m sure it won’t stop until I pop. I’m not exactly sure what to respond. It depends on the person I guess. Afterall, who is defining “ready?” According to the baby magazines Matt and I read in the baby Dr. waiting room to kill the time my house is far from baby-proof and sterile enough. According to other generations we have WELL more than we could ever need. (I agree with them). And yet Matt and I still have a few more things we would like to get before baby comes – a few more spoilers. If baby came home tomorrow, we would have more than enough to survive for a couple of days. But as for the nursery, we would like to get the crib up at some point and some of the odds and ends put in appropriate places prior to the greatest distraction of our attention moving in. So technically we’re good. Non-technically, we’ll get there. And magazine technically, we’ll never be there… EVER (and we don’t want to be). My house will never be a Lysol wiped fortress. Instead, a family will live here. And coffee table corners will still sting and our baby will not grow up wrapped in bubble wrap. =)

Okay, off to church. have a great Sunday all!

Yesterday at 3:45pm ish our nephew came into this side of the world. John Alan weighed in at 8 lbs 6 oz. and 20.5 inches long. He came out with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck so he was blue and had some bruising on his face. But as time progressed his skin turned more and more pink and his heartbeat was strong. Ellen is also doing well. She obviously was exhausted, but really did a fantastic job keeping her cool through the almost 12 hours of labor.

As for us here on the home front, Matt and I are playing Mary and Joseph this weekend at the church’s live nativity scene outside. And we’ll probably end up going to help Rodger at his work Christmas party for all the foster care kids.

When asked last night by the newest Mother in our church how I was feeling, my honesty was revealed. It’s a bit less comfortable now and I look forward to sleepless nights with baby on the outside as opposed to the current arrangement. Ellen and Ron kept making comments that “this will be you soon” while Matt and I were visiting prior to labor. Yes, I can agree with them. But no I don’t really want to think about it. It’s like that marathon run, you really don’t want to think about how much it will hurt at the end, you just know you’ll push through it as it comes. If I would have thought of that time at the end of the tri–athlon when I wanted to puke on the road during the start of the last mile while training I think my motivation would have been altered. So why dwell on the means of childbirth. For pregnancy is not had for merely the roller coaster of labor, but for the joy of holding the child at the finish line.

So yeah, just trying to keep my eyes on the prize with each leg cramp, back ache, nauseous moment, exhaustion, and much etc.

But you know… being able to address our baby as a Rachael or a David and knowing that Matt and I are Mommy and Daddy – the default- for that little one will totally be worth it all.

Matt and I decided that we’re going to finish our prep for the baby at the start of the year. At this exact moment we have just about everything that we need to bring home baby so we’re in the clear in case baby comes a bit early. But we figured after Christmas we’d evaluate what all we still wanted before baby comes.

Dakota appears to be adjusting well to the baby things as they slowly spread about the house. She’s had some time to smell things and begin to be comfortable with new things. We have 2 last dog training sessions with her before we settle in for the dive into parenthood. Matt and I go to our last childbirth class on Tuesday and we get to have a tour of the delivery/nursery/mother unit of the hospital we’re planning to deliver in. I’m looking forward to the tour – labeling me a dork.

Funny story, when walking through the emergency room after last week’s childbirth class the receptionist in the ER asked with this huge smile on her face, “going to the fourth floor” (Labor and Delivery). “Huh? Oh no, the car,” came my response. Matt and I laughed about it in the hallway after we got out of earshot. So apparently I’m looking a bit larger lately. Or as some may say.. “a bit ripe.” I’ll have to ask Jenney to take a picture this weekend so I can share with Renee and Aunt Yvonne what everyone else sees on a regular basis and says won’t last til January 11.

Baby’s doing well with a consistently strong heartbeat. Baby’s also in the head-down position, which means more pressure on my bladder, but less surprise bladder assaults. So now when anyone pats my belly they’re patting baby’s feet and butt. And for all the medical people I am not effaced or dilated – which is a good thing for one who doesn’t want to be in labor on Christmas. =)

In conclusion – all’s as well as it can be in our home.

How about you?

All of my dreams last night regarded labor. Guess my brain was working out childbirth class. We’re now halfway through Childbirth classes. And my dreams revolved around non-gory thoughts like the beginning hours of mild contractions filled with character and laughs (or so it’s said). And in my dreams Matt and I were unprepared, yet prepared and just waiting in eager anticipation. Last night on the way home from the class we discussed getting the car seat installed in the backseat of my car soon. Just in case… And it hit me that in a few short days I’ll be down to a one-handed count of the weeks left before we are due. “Wow, once we get to five weeks that’s going to fly. I mean 6 weeks feels long, but something about 5 feels quick.” I commented to the Popsicle riding shotgun. “It’s already quick,” said the 6 week-out church planner, “especially when you think of all the stuff we have planned for the next weeks.” “Yeah, after Christmas we’ll be two weeks out,” the words fell out but the reality of that experience still foreign to me. “And Ellen’s due next week (Wednesday),” his words hit the still air.

Matt’s headed to a Spartan (Michigan State) basketball game with his Dad tonight and he’ll return tomorrow some time. I’ve got another late night to put in at work, but I don’t really mind it because Matt’s gonna be gone. It’ll also feel good to be completely caught up with work. Hopefully I won’t be there too late. But thank you cards await me tonight when I get home and I’m hoping those will be enough to keep me from going completely insane from the silence. I may need to get creative tonight. =)

For Jes, Matt’s t-shirts no longer fit well at all. Most of the big shirts I find myself stuffing into with hopes that the tops of my pants that automatically roll down due to my low-rider baby will not be seen due to the centimeter’s hang-over of shirt to the top of my pants. In fact most shirts I am fearful of stretching out due to the “eleven pound baby” that Matt finds to be a funny joke. “Or have it your way,” he said last night after his umpteen joke about us having a huge baby, “seven pounds.” It’s sad to watch my pregnancy clothes that used to be “so big” slowly shrink to an un-fit-able shirt. And that “winter coat” raincoat that I got in it’s oversized and only $6 glory from the thrift store now has a whoppin‘ 2 centimeters left in it before I pop out of that one too. Bummer, man. Bummer.

Yes, world, there is more to my life than pregnancy – for those of you who are getting tired of reading prego posts. But you must know that in the “real world” I don’t talk too much about pregnancy and, therefore, you all get this wonderful forum of uneventful events. Oh lucky you!

Okay, off to work now.
Take care, all.