And the Countdown Begins

32 weeks! Looking back, the time seems like it's going quickly, but in the moment it feels like, "Are we there yet?"

A couple weeks ago we had a little baby shower/end-of-the-softball-season picnic. We enjoyed a day outside with friends and a barbecue. It's pretty much my favorite kind of day. I'm truly glad my friends indulged my wish for a more laid-back style shower. Being the center of attention is okay sometimes, but I get pretty uncomfortable when a whole event is planned around me. This way we were able to have guys and gals show up, and bring friends, family and pets for a day in the park. I didn't get a chance to hustle anyone with my mad cornhole skillz, but I'll have to save it for another day. Note: It's a lawn game, people. It just has a hilarious name. Sometimes people call it "bean bag toss," but those people would be wrong.  In any case, I have to thank our good friends John and Jenn who really made the party come together. You guys are the best!

Nick's favorite gift

The weekend before Halloween was pretty eventful! On Friday night, Nick played in the last softball game of the season. We've both played with the Ninjas for several seasons, and always ending up in second place. This year we won the championship! It was awesome to see Nick win with all our friends, but a little bittersweet that they did it the one season I didn't play. Nevertheless, the win was well deserved, and worth the absolutely hideous rubber-chicken t-shirts.

After the game, Nick and I went to a Halloween party. Conveniently, Nick was already dressed in his costume: a softball player. What was I? One giant softball. And I pulled it off convincingly. The party had a photo booth so Nick and I finally have a few photos that we're actually together. I swear, by our photo collection, you'd think we show up and leave events separately. I don't even know that we have adequate record that we travel together.

In baby news, we took our baby care classes over the past couple weekends. I admit, at first I was pretty disinterested in the infant care class for myself but figured we might as well see how it goes. I haven't really been seeking out tons of information on child care or reading all the books about all the new methods for behavior. I was surprised to find that the class was really helpful. I mean, changing a diaper isn't rocket science, but I was interested in hearing from the other couples. Nick was great, and I think it did help to ease the initial discomfort of dealing with an infant. The next weekend we had the birthing class which was (most likely) non-relevant information for us this time around. They covered some information about c-sections, so it wasn't a total bust.


We've also made a lot of nursery progress. Our friend (and decorator extraordinaire) Bea came over to help make sense of the space. We have a few key pieces, but so far it was just a room and some possible ideas. She was amazing at seeing what made sense and how to make the room cute and functional. I love that. I wish I had that design skill, but I am so grateful that she was willing to come and hang with me for an afternoon figuring it all out. We moved everything into the room from various places throughout the house (I call them "staging areas" rather than "disaster zones") so now baby Mostek actually has a room with all of his stuff. And we have the rest of our house back! Our furniture is white, and we can't paint the walls since we're still renting, so we're just adding color with bright and bold baby stuff. I really love it!

I'm starting to feel a bit closer to ready. I'm definitely anxious and excited to meet him, but still the overall "raising a child" idea is daunting. One day at a time, right? That's what I'm going with for now. I've been feeling pretty good overall, but the third trimester discomfort has definitely set in. I've had a few appointments and all looks on track, but still taking it VERY carefully so the placenta doesn't become an issue. I have one more ultrasound next Thursday to confirm the need for a c-section.

I'm hoping to meet with an anesthesiologist about my scoliosis next week as well. What I'm finding out from my research so far is that they really can't tell me definitively whether the epidural will work or not. I'll just have to try it and find out if I have "pockets" of feeling left in my abdomen. If so (meaning the epidural didn't fully take) I'll have to go under general anesthesia. So, it sounds like my ultimate answer is probably going to be "wait and see." My favorite. But if that's the answer, then I can deal with it and move on knowing I've been as proactive as I can be.

The next few weeks are so busy, both with baby stuff and just overall holiday festivities. He will probably be here in 4-5 weeks...holy moly.