I started getting some unusual pains tonight in the lower belly. I can't tell if it is the start of something or just gas pains. At this point, any pain I feel makes me immediately question if 'this is it'. Well, the start of 'this is it'. I have no doubt that when I'm in the heat of actual 'this is it' that I will most certainly know it. I hope nothing happens for at least another week because our doula is sick with what sounds like the flu. I would not be happy to have her back up for our labour, since I've never met the back up. I'm sure she would be fine, but we've worked to build up an understanding with Charity and a level of trust. I really dislike having to rebuild on the fly as change and I aren't very good friends. Speaking of that - not sure if I mentioned this in the last post or not, but just as I've finally gotten to a state of understanding with the current OB, I find out she's going on vacation from Dec. 30 until the end of January. There is a great chance that one of the locums will be delivering Calvin. First they lose Dr. Barrett (as of the 19th of this month) and then the only other full time OB is going on a month of vacation. This is going to be challenging for the hospital I imagine. Anyhow, the chances are great that I get some doctor whom I've never had the pleasure of shaking hands with, as my caregiver during labour. This kind of thing frustrates me - probably because there is nothing I can do about it.
We discovered last Thursday that I can no longer drive the BMW. It squishes up my belly too much and my feet are too swollen to use the clutch. It's a tough clutch. Besides, it's hard to haul myself out of that car at this stage. So I drive like an old lady in the Volvo, going slow and steady - I even used the four way flashers today on the way to yoga to let the tow trucks speeding up behind me know that I didn't plan on going anywhere fast.
On Sunday we took the last belly outline drawing. What I hope is the last one. We do it once a month to see how much I have grown - was a great idea I stole from Bec and Jeff. If I remember, I will grab a photo of it and post it. It is truly amazing how much a body changes - how your ribs spread apart by inches to make space for your organs that used to rest in your abdomen. How your skin stretches to new and unbelievable proportions to make space for the expanding uterus that grows to over 1000 times its normal size. Tonight I pointed out to Sean how my hips seem to have moved up in the back to a new spot - which explains the pain I've been having for a couple days. I've even had him doing the hip press thingy, which is a good work out for a man by the way. Anyhow, this is really a post about nothing, just keeping up to date. Tomorrow is another prenatal. If there is anything newsworthy, we'll be posting again soon.