full term!

today i hit thirty seven weeks of pregnancy, which (at least here in england!) means baby boy and i are full term! ian and i are freaking out (in a good way! – mostly!) that from now on we can wake up each morning and in seriousness say to each other “maybe we’ll have a baby today!” ahhh! we are so excited and just a tiny bit anxious :)

at our last midwife appointment, we learned that baby boy had turned head down! and i am getting better at distinguishing differen body parts as he moves inside me.
we have completed our prenatal course (and one couple from our group had their baby yesterday!).
i have summarized everything i’ve learned - from reading, classes, impressions and advice - on labor, birth, breastfeeding and postpartum recovery/life into one google doc, which ian has been studying.
i am practicing relaxation and pain management techniques, and doing kegels and pernieal massage, and drinking my raspberry leaf tea!
we’ve set up the tiny corner in our living room dedicated to baby stuff (you can see it in the pictures above) – the chest of drawers is filled, the changing pad is ready, and i finished making a little mobile (i’m pretty proud of it…)!
the hospital bag is mostly packed and prepared, and i’m working on stocking the fridge and freezer.
i’ve been able to continue my regular yoga practice, incorporating some classes specifically for pregnancy in mix when i’m tired, and i’ve been squatting, walking, and lifting at the gym.
we’ve finalized our birth plan (with a commitment to be flexible as needed on the big day, of course!) and are genuinely so excited to experience childbirth together.
we are both continuing to learn all we can about the miracle of birth and constantly praying for guidance and remembrance and help from heaven.

this week is my last week at my job, and i have so much to do to get the project i’ve been working on in a good place to leave it for at least a few months. and sometimes i feel like my brain and body are working so dang hard to make a human, leaving such a small amount of capacity for other work!

although each day feels a little more exhausting and uncomfortable than the last, i am still feeling quite sad that pregnancy is almost over for me (this time around). i have really loved being pregnant in so many ways and for so many reasons. i am so incredibly grateful to have had this experience, and that both baby boy and i have been very healthy and active.  whenever i feel melancholy about pregnancy ending, i take a peek inside the baby’s drawers at precious little clothes like these --->> and just get so excited for the next adventure – it’s going to be wildly challenging and crazy awesome.   
^^ our little guy is definitely going to be a london baby! london-patterned outfits turned out to the theme of our baby shower :) ^^

yesterday we had a great time celebrating father’s day together. i surprised ian with his favourite breakfast (sugar cereal!) in bed and loved giving him some little gifts, including this <--- onesie with a list of reasons why he is going to be a super rad dad. i’m so glad i get to be on this parenting adventure with my beloved boy. he’s wonderful in a trillion ways and i love him more than ever.

we’ll see when our baby decides to make his entrance! ian thinks it would be pretty cool to have a fourth of july baby, but we are both also hoping that the timing will work out with my mom’s arrival (she gets here on the fifth). but indeed, every day from here on out is a possibility! we are so, so excited to meet our son.