Not much more than a month left until William's due date! It's really hard to believe that 8 months have flown by so quickly already. I feel like we hardly have any time left at all to get things ready and to really prepare ourselves (as much as possible) for being parents!

We didn't accomplish much more on the nursery this past week. What we have left to do now, though, consists of: one coat of trim inside the closet (trim), one coat of trim on a small part of one window, two coats of trim on some knobs (for the guest room cupboards, actually), taking down the painter's tape, putting up the wallpaper border, and putting up the blinds. I guess someone will need to finish sanding that chest of drawers too....

The rest of it--setting up furniture, getting baby clothes washes and put away, etc. etc.--I don't consider "work" and I'm really looking forward to all of that!

This past weekend, Darryl bravely came with me to the breastfeeding preparation class. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect, but I had asked if it was okay for my husband to come along ("yes"). I wasn't sure if we'd be baring our breasts or what, but it was really more of a class type session. The class lasted took place at EAMC (East Alabama Medical Center--the hospital where we will be delivering) and lasted about 2 hours. We got info on: tips for positioning the baby to breastfeed, the hospital's routine (regarding breastfeeding and rooming in), pumping milk, storing milk and bottles, nursing bras, when/how often to feed the baby, how to tell if he's eating enough, etc. I enjoyed it and I think Darryl did too; we both learned new things.

I'm quite relieved that they have a lactation consultant on-staff at the hospital and she was really friendly and made us comfortable enough that we would not hesitate to call her anytime with questions. Also, the other maternity ward nurses are all trained to answer breastfeeding questions as well, and help out with that process after delivery. I don't feel nearly as intimidated now as I did before and I have every confidence that, with practise, I will be able to breastfeed successfully.

In other news: my body is starting to get a bit worn down by this whole pregnancy thing! This weekend my joints (mostly my hips, my knees, my ankles, my feet) have been achy and sore, especially in the mornings when I first wake up. When I walk, I definitely can't walk quickly and I think I'm developing a sort of waddle. My pelvic joints ache! I read up in my pregnancy book that my body is producing (more of) a hormone, relaxin, that will stretch ligaments and cause joints to become more loose. This will be a good and helpful thing during William's birth, but for now it's just a bit uncomfortable. It probably doesn't help when I walk around in flip-flops for hours or squat down to paint in the nursery! Otherwise, though, things are going well.

Some ladies at church are hosting a shower for me next Saturday at 12:30. I think they invited all of the church women because 42 invitations were sent out! This is a bit intimidating for me, who doesn't know most of the women very well, but it is really wonderful to see how much support there is in the church community for Darryl and me and William. We are really blessed to have found this congregation; they have been so welcoming and open. I recently joined the CWA (Catholic Women's Association) and I think it will be a wonderful opportunity for social interactions with the other women in the parish and also to help do good deeds for the church and for others. This past Sunday, Terry and her family gave us some diapers and a cute blue hippo bath set (towel, mitt, rattle) for William, since they will be visiting family for Mother's day next weekend. Thank you!!!!

Week 35

"Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds (think bag of sugar) and is just over 18 inches long from head to heel, and it's getting so snug in your womb that your baby isn't really floating anymore. But tighter quarters don't mean less-frequent movement — your baby should still be kicking at the same rate he always has. Your baby's kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — the next few weeks are all about putting on weight."

-- from: www.babycenter.com