Baby Update

Marissa has said some really funny things lately.

One day as she was putting on her shoes I said, "Marissa, you have more shoes than any of the kids in this family." She responded, "Yeah, and more friends too." This is probably true. She is a very social creature and happens to have swarms of 4 year old girls living around her. Lucky duck.

Then the other day she was sounding out some "at" words that Alex had brought home from school. "f-a-t, FAT! That's just like you mommy!" I love the brutal honesty of kids this age. This, in fact, is very true as well.

I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant fat. Just an update on the pregnancy. I have been feeling pretty good, all things considered. That being said, I definitely feel the effects of being this pregnant. First and foremost, I am at least 20 degrees hotter than any other normal human and can't wait for the cooler temperatures to hit. This is bad because 1) summer has been sooo hot and 2) I only have two pairs of maternity shorts that I rotate and occasionally wash. And if anyone thinks I am buying any clothes while I'm pregnant, they'd be dead wrong. Luckily, Jared installed 3 ceiling fans in the upstairs bedrooms so at least I have some relief at night. Then there's all the other little pregnancy issues:  heartburn, having to pee all the time, waddling, leg cramps, being uncomfortable, not being able to bend over (shave, put on shoes, etc.) and just being extra tired. I can handle it for a few more weeks. But I have decided that the only purpose of the 9th month is to make you so miserable that you will do anything, even labor, to end it.

At 34 weeks I confirmed my suspicions about the position of the baby--breech. While I could feel her moving, I knew that she hadn't changed position in over 5 weeks. She was definitely head up. Even though I was only 34 weeks, I have always been more paranoid about it based on my past experiences. I found out Erin was breech at 37 weeks (they never checked before) and had to have a C-section. Alex was breech at 32 weeks (they did check) but turned by 34 weeks. Marissa was breech at 32 weeks and still breech at 34, so they did an eternal version--and she turned! The doctor I see now would do an external version, but not until 39 weeks (which in my opinion is too late because of how big the baby would be by then). To say the least, I was freaking out about it. I know lots of people have multiple C-sections and they survive, I just really, really didn't want another one if I could help it. My experience between the two have been night and day.

I did some research and found that one reason for breech babies is a misaligned pelvis, which I totally have! Anyway, at that point I started doing everything I could to turn her:  laying upside down on an ironing board, rocking back and forth, blah blah blah, and going to the chiropractor for a special Webster technique that is supposed to turn breech babies (but did nothing for Erin when I tried it then). I was willing to try anything this time. Finally, Jared and I fasted about it and even though I still didn't know her position, I finally felt completely calm about the whole thing. By my next appointment, she was head down and is still very much so (as my bladder can attest). I am so happy about it!

I don't feel ready at all to have a baby. I was so concerned about getting the kids into school that I didn't give myself time to think about it until now. And for some reason I have the urge to work on a million other house projects besides things that might actually prepare me for a baby. How does getting new pillows for the living room prepare me, for example? It's like nesting gone haywire. Hopefully I will be prepared when it finally does come. And also, I hope I can survive with 5 kids.