Journaling

One life changing suggestion I recently received has helped me feel "normal" when I lay in bed. Anna Pow suggested to get a Boppy (I have one from my baby shower, thank you Kristin!) and sleep with it between my legs while pregnant. All this time my Boppy (for those unfamiliar, its a breastfeeding pillow shaped like a C) has been just sitting in Jocelyn's room awaiting her arrival. The first night I brought my Boppy to bed, I put it between my legs and its kind of big, so when I put it there, one end of the "C" actually was under my belly (the other end back by my toosh). I wasn't sure if this is how she meant to "wear" it to bed, sort of like a pillow diaper haha, but it was giving my belly so much support and not making me feel my belly's weight pull down when I lay on my side. It was incredible. Laying there, with the support between my legs relieved my lower back, and also supported my tummy. It feels like I am almost not pregnant, just laying on my side in bed (aside from all the little feet and hand movements sliding around in my belly haha). Thank you Anna! Genius!

Here's a pic of a boppy, and not sure if anyone else uses it this way, but straddling it between my legs, with one end under my belly, is TOTALLY my jam:

So this Monday is my last ultrasound appointment! This is the ultrasound to check to make sure that she is getting ready to arrive and is in the "head down" position (if feet are down that is when a baby is considered "Breech" and most times need to be delivered in a hospital). Luckily for yoga, my baby has been head down for the past month! My last three belly checks (each 2 weeks apart) my midwives have told me her head is down, and since there is less and less room in there for her to move, its very unlikely that she will move and be breech, so that's good news! She's getting ready for showtime! I'm really hoping that this ultrasound we can see her face, the last two times that we got to do ultrasounds, she was barely distinguishable as a lil baby. The first (at 10 weeks?) she looked like a lil gummy bear, and then the second set we did for gender (20 weeks) she was in fetal position and just looked like a curled up little turtle the whole time haha. Technology is amazing! We don't have a 3D machine at our birth center like some of the other moms have told me about, and shared pics of, but regardless, seeing her lil body in there is a magical feeling, and I can't wait!

Last week (perhaps because I had to miss my Tuesday Night Yoga for our dog class), I felt my first pangs of anxiety over my upcoming birth. Up until then, I have had no feelings of fear, no anxieties, or worries regarding labor or delivery. I let the emotions wash over me and when Jason asked me if I was okay, instead of my usual, "yes" I always stubbornly respond, I said, "yes" but shook my head no (haha so stubborn) and started crying out of the blue. He took me in his arms and told me I will be fine, that women have been doing this for thousands of years (repeating what I've been saying and feeling this whole time up until that moment), and that my body is strong and knows what to do. That I will be fine, and there isn't anything to worry about. It was exactly what I needed, and I also let myself just let go and let those emotions run through me rather than locking them away like I usually do. After that I felt back to my usual, confident self, excited about this experience, and ready for whatever comes. I think its also normal to have these last minute stresses, to feel overwhelmed, and nervous to not only go through labor, but to change your entire world and identity from, "Tyler," to, "Mom."

Yoga this last Thursday helped me again focus, relax, and de-stress. Also though Jocelyn has pretty much been a kind dancer in my belly, not a mosh-pitter or boxer so much, I've only had one or two kicks to my ribs, but now her new thing is to stick her feet up under my ribcage. My mom was telling me this was something that she experienced in her pregnancies as well, as they run out of room in there. When she puts her foot up in there its incredibly hard to sit stand or lay down without being uncomfortable. I mentioned this in yoga and we did some modified side-stretching child's poses and some other side stretches that really helped lengthen me out and create more space in there that relieved some of that discomfortable. Glad to have those tools to work with next time it gets truly uncomfortable for me, especially at work. And I am again so incredibly thankful to the birth center's yoga classes. I have said it probably a thousand times, but i don't know how pregnancy is possible WITHOUT yoga. I sure know that I wouldn't be able to work as long as I have, and do as much as I do without it. Mind and body. Looking forward to heading over to class soon today.

As we approach our due date (already next month!), there are a few more things that we need to do to prepare:

• Unbox our carseat (thank you Grammy!) and figure out how to install it in our car (which also involves cleaning dog hair out of our backseat... not fun in this heat, but we have to). 
• Pack up our birth bag to have on the ready (just in case)
• Prepare a bunch of frozen foods to make dinners easy after baby arrives (we plan to do a "Burrito Factory" and make tons of burritos that we can freeze and then pop in the microwave, "Tamale Factory" same idea, and maybe a few vegan casseroles? Lasagna?)
• I need to get the whooping cough vaccine (maybe I can get it this weekend, if not then I have Monday off and will do it then)
• Get a pediatrician for Jocelyn before she's born (I have a meet and greet set up for Monday as well)
• Work on our dog commands (Out) and keep them at a 10 foot radius from me to practice before baby's here, and use the Formula milk as a preparation for breast milk and keep dogs away from it

Also! Today or tomorrow, Jason and I going to go out to his work to pick up our new Stroller! Thank you so much to Mark, Spike, and Andre for chipping in and getting us the stroller on our registry! That was the last, main, big, item that we still hadn't received, and one that we will surely use probably as much as or more than our car seat. So excited! We love you dudes! <3 <3 I'm excited to pick it up and see how it works/folds, and imagine my lil girl in there, as we stroll around the lakes and parks of Austin together. I was telling Jason that I always loved how great and supportive his friends are, and thinking about their awesome gesture of this stroller how it really makes sense to be coming from them - on top of their kindness: Mark, being as into the outdoors (rock climbing, biking etc) that he is, Spike being as into exercise and fitness as he is (get us out of the house and walking with baby!), and of course Andre, being how into wheels he is! haha (mustangs, vespas, motorcycles etc). Again, we love you dudes! Thanks so much!