Another letter

Dear Elle,

I have decided that my new favorite thing is to relax in the pool. I think it is really relaxing, especially after the last few months full of class and work and with your approaching arrival. With our growing size, it is nice to float around and not feel the weight of my belly, or just be able to stretch out and let my back relax. I also love getting a little bit of fresh air and some sun while at the pool - and you will soon find out that the only way to enjoy any kind of fresh air in Florida from about May until October is to be in the water. (Readers, if you haven't been to Florida in the summer, think of the hottest, most humid day you've ever experienced, add sun and then imagine no break from that heat for about six months straight. There might be a thunderstorm every day, but it will just make things steamier, not bring any kind of relief like storms in the Midwest do.) I've also read that working out in water can help reduce swelling, and since I seem to be experiencing more of that as the weather heats up, I'm allll for it. The maternity swimsuit that I purchased a few months ago has proved to be an invaluable investment. Elle, you seem to be oblivious to the fact that we're both surrounded in water - maybe I've only been going during your nap time.

I have had some nasty heartburn lately, too. I had to take some Tums last night, something I had been avoiding recently by not eating too late and trying to drink milk or eat ice cream or yogurt to help with the mild heartburn. I guess as you are getting bigger there is less room for things to digest and so it sits, burning away at your mother's poor throat. I'll prevail, though - and it could be much worse! After a long stretch with decreased appetite, I feel like the last few days have been a complete reversal - I'm hungry a lot and am still trying to eat balanced meals.

We started our childbirth education classes last week. We've had two classes, and our class is really small, so we get to ask a lot of questions and things are really relaxed. I thought the classes would completely freak me out - and trust me, I'm still freaked out - but I think instead of looking at labor and delivery with terror, I now see it with a lot of fascination. (The fear is starting to set in for when we actually bring you home and are solely responsible for you, but that's for another post another day.) There is so much that will be out of our control, and in the end, no matter how long it takes although hopefully not TOO long, in the end, you will be here and the scary stuff will all be over. I've always tried to look at labor and delivery as a necessary part of this whole process - since I can't avoid it (trust me, I asked) and can't control it, I might as well just accept it and move on. I don't expect it to be pleasant, but it won't last forever. My current worry is that I will start to go in to labor at work and then have a lengthy labor. If you could take note, I'd prefer to start contractions at a time when I am home - and preferably while your father is there, too, but at least he works closer to home and the hospital than I do - and have plenty of time to labor at home and get to the hospital, making good progress the whole time so as to not be in labor for days. Okey dokey? Next week we have a childbirth education class (which will include our hospital tour) and a basic infant care class, so we will be at the hospital a lot getting educated. One of your grandmas and your Uncle Doug will also be joining us for a third trip to the hospital when we have our second ultrasound. (It will actually be the first time Grams has been at an ultrasound since one to see Uncle Doug in utero!) I hope you're feeling social, because you'll be on camera! And then we'll have a busy few days of entertaining our out-of-town guests, so I hope you are up to the task.

Your kicks and squirms are getting a little more uncomfortable, but it is still fun to feel you moving around. I asked the doctor about the pain I was feeling near my belly button (and it has since returned, although not as severely) - he said it was completely normal and it's just from stuff going on inside, adding that it could even be a bruise from my dear daughter. I've been having some Braxton-Hicks contractions for the last few weeks, but thankfully, no other signs of labor. I've been working extra hard to stay hydrated, too. My coworkers have been busy making plans for covering my shifts while I'm on maternity leave. That and the fact that realistically you could come in July, which would be NEXT MONTH, has made this whole "we're having a baby" thing more real. I've still got plenty of stuff to do before you get here, though, so please take your time in there. Thankfully, I'm still physically pretty comfortable, and while I'm sure your father would like an end to the ride he's on with my emotional rollercoaster, I think it is best if you don't come too early. I'll keep you posted if those plans change :)

It seems that pregnancy is in the air right now, too. In addition to the countless people I know who are currently in their second and third trimesters, within the last four days I've found out that three friends from various stages in life are newly pregnant, too! I love the idea of pregnancies coming in threes, and I'm over the moon excited for the mommies- and daddies-to-be. It seems weird that to some of them, I'm a sage pregnancy expert - as I relate early symptoms to them or my adventures in nausea, it is hard to believe that it was about 5-6 months ago that I was going through what they are experiencing now.

All five of your senses are functional now. I fear that you are going to be up a lot at night because even though you can sense light and dark, you don't seem to care. Even when I get up to go to the bathroom 80 times at night, you start to stir. The e-mails I get and tickers I have say you're between 14-17 inches long and weigh 2.5-4 pounds. Basically, right now you are filling out (chubby cheeks!) and things that have been developing for the last few months (lungs, sucking and swallowing reflexes, etc.) are just getting the final touches. If you were to arrive right now (see above paragraph for why I would you prefer that not happen), you'd be in decent shape, but as our childbirth education instructor says, "One day in the womb equals two days in the NICU." So the longer you stay in me the better!

I have about a dozen other blog posts to write, so I should return to them, but I wanted to let you know I was thinking about you and all of the changes both you and I are going through!

Love,
Mom