35 Weeks

Tomorrow, I will be 35 weeks pregnant with ARH.  Everyone says that every pregnancy is different, and at this point, I'd day I agree.  There are some major similarities, but this pregnancy is definitely different than my pregnancy with Juliet.

Similiar:

• Nausea
• Very active, very strong baby in terms of movement
• Braxton Hicks fairly early
• Perks: nicer nails and better hair than my non-pregnant self

Differences:

• I still have nausea and vomiting - at 34/35 weeks.
• I think ARH might actually be stronger than Juliet in terms of her movement.
• Less severe heartburn
• In addition to the tightening BH, I also have strong contractions
• I'm way more tired this time around. 
• My fingers haven't swollen. 

At 35 weeks, I'm feeling pretty good (most days) about how prepared we are. We've gotten most of the things that I felt like we needed to purchase for ARH, and I've washed everything in Dreft for her.  Her nursery is almost completely done.  We're reusing Juliet's nursery items that Aunt Stacey helped me make, and I really love that both of the girls will have had that.  The BowStern crew threw me a very bizarre but very sweet and totally appropriate (given who they are) surprise shower and stocked us up on wipes and diapers.  And then a group of my girlfriends threw me a wonderful "sprinkle" that really just reminded me how fortunate I am to have such an amazing group of women in my life and in the lives of my girls.

I'd be lying if I said I was feeling great about Ray deploying so soon after ARH comes.  There is a part of me that hopes she will arrive late July / early August to give him more time with her (and with me).  But, at the end of the day, she will come when she is ready.  And I read in a yoga book I've been reading that stress is a lack of trust.  I think that's a pretty accurate statement.  When I'm stressed about things, it's typically a lack of trust in myself to be able to handle it without him. Will it be hard?  Of course.  But it's always hard without him.  We've been together for almost ten years, though, and I've got plenty of experience in finding a good groove when he's gone.  The same will happen this time.  Other times, I feel anxiety and stress about Ray not having enough time to bond with ARH before he leaves.  But that is ultimately a lack of faith in him as a dad, and I know that's simply wrong.  He is the most amazing dad I've ever seen - this will  not change just because he has to leave quickly.

Juliet's vocabulary is expanding daily, and we've been working with her on her pronunciation of both "sister" and the name we'll be using for ARH.  It's not perfect, but she's only 21 months old.  I think it's excellent considering her age.  Given how much she loves other children and babies, I think she will be a good big sister.  She sometimes indicates that she knows that her sister is in my growing belly, but other times, she seems utterly clueless, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I talked earlier about how both of the girls were very active and very strong.  Juliet had her own way of moving around - sort of the same type of movement on a frequent basis (usually stretching her legs out in an L-sit fashion).  ARH also has a standard sort of movement, but it's different from Juliet's.  ARH kicks big kicks on my right side, kind of towards my back.  These kicks are strong enough to be very visible to others, to knock my cell phone or the remote I've set on my side off (if I'm lying down), and to move my arm (if it's resting at my side) so much that others think I've flinched.  She also pokes her baby butt out just under my left ribs and then sort of rotates around.  I feel very much like she's got her own personality already based on how she moves and responds to me.  Maybe that makes me Crazy Pregnant Lady, but I can live with that.  I love her so very, very much already and can't wait to meet her.  Well, yes I can.  I can wait a couple more weeks so that she'll be "done cooking" when she arrives. We're almost there!