The home stretch...

Waiting for a baby is like being on survivor during one of those immunity challenges where you have to hold up a board with a glass of water or something for an undisclosed amount of time without spilling it until you're the last one standing.  At this point my arms are shaking and I'm losing my balance.  

There are 11 (yes, ELEVEN) women due between now and January at my church.  We see each other occasionally, waddling to the bathroom or after our other kids.  We give that knowing smile like: "Yeah, I feel like shit too.  Isn't this magical and amazing?"  I firmly believe that you have to get so fed up and uncomfortable or be in down right pain at the end of pregnancy so that you're willing to go through labor in order to not be pregnant anymore.  I'm there.  And I'll only be 37 weeks in 2 days.  Sweet.  Oh, I'm going to get in trouble with my doula.  She reads this!  Teresa, I promise I'm in for the long haul!  I have no tricks up my sleeve!

 I'm an impatient person.  Add pain into that and I become a wimpy, weepy, irritable ball of mush.  I remind my clients all the time: "You know the average white woman goes 11 days beyond her due date.  You need to focus on your 'due season,' not the date.  It makes it much easier when the due date comes and goes."  And here I am thinking:  Dec 10th?  Are you sure you didn't get the one and zero mixed up and it's really Dec 1st? And by Dec 1st, I really mean November.  Really?  Have you seen me?  I'm like a science project gone bad.  The size of my stomach is grossly disproportional to my body.  My back going to literally break any second.....  People are staring at me in public.  They are scared.  Especially children.  

Okay, so maybe that's not true.  I went on a walk a couple days ago and this cop was directing traffic and called out across the street: "Have you tried castor oil?"  All I could say was: "No, I'm not a fan of anal leakage.  But thanks!"  

Serenity now.

I guess I'm not very 'inspirational' right now as far as diet and exercise.  I'm thinking I'll be bitching and moaning for the next weeks to come.  I am, however, maintaining my walks.  I've walked 3 days in a row and felt good during them.  They do give me energy and that's worth every step these days.  

A client of mine gave me her Hypnobirthing cds a while back.  I'm not a huge Hypnobirthing fan, but I like to listen to them at night before bed to help me relax and remember my body knows exactly what its doing.  I know God created my body to do this very thing.  I'm not faulty.  Just impatient.