The Landry Family Odyssey: 35 weeks

35 weeks pregnant - 5/21/12

Okay, now I finally feel like Cora's arrival is getting close. I think she'll be here in about 4 weeks and when I think back 4 weeks (just as we left for our trip), I realize that is NOT that much time!

This week was pretty difficult. After five months of being well, Jack came down with 3 different sicknesses: an ongoing cold that we think is actually a sinus infection, some type of virus that gave him ulcers, and a stomach bug. We started the week with the first two and the bug hit on Wednesday, though it took me until Thursday to think his Wednesday upchuck wasn't just a fluke. I had to juggle a busy week at work with a child who couldn't go to school and a husband who was out of town for a night. Somehow, it actually all went really well and Jack and I had some very special 1:1 time this week.

I got a big surprise on Saturday when the doorbell rings and my MOM is standing outside...with my sister Kristen in the driveway! (Both live in SC.) I feel like I'm a hard person to surprise, but the two of them + Jacob completely kept this visit from me and it was such a great surprise. I abandoned my boring weekend plans of cleaning and we went out to lunch and then they babysat Jack while Jacob and I went out on Saturday night (combination of porch furniture shopping and dinner at Tamarind).

On Sunday we went to breakfast and then Jacob and I went to church. When we get home, Jack and mom/sister are gone, but I assume they are at the park. Then they pull up...with my sister Claire in the car! Claire who lives in Jackson, WY (but happened to be in SC this week). Double surprise for me! Mom, Claire, and Kristen all came to go to my baby shower.

So to cap off a great weekend, I had a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. Nash Crewes, Maya McLaughlin, Emily Steffan, and Julia Dezen: thank you for such a nice afternoon! Cora's closet has a lot more pink in it now and Jack is temporarily adopting 4 new "friends", the giraffe, doll, elephant, and kitty cat that Cora got as gifts. (Seriously, he calls them "his friends" and took all 4 (PINK) stuffed animals to the park with him yesterday - I may have made them ride in a plastic bag :) )

Week Thirty-Five Stats:

How it feels to be pregnant at 35 weeks:I can't figure it out but as soon as I lay down, I am SO uncomfortable. Every position seems to make my back seize. During the day I feel pretty good unless I stand for a long time and then my back hurts. I just ignore the contractions now, but still have them every day.

My healthy pregnancy intentions for last week (how I did):

1) Be healthy! Eat well, go to prenatal yoga, gym, and do my Bradley exercises 4 times this week. (Um, no, no, and almost - I drank a lot of (homemade) strawberry lemonade this week, ate okay, chose deep cleaning my kitchen over going to prenatal yoga, didn't make it to the gym, and did an okay job with the Bradley exercises)

2) Finish Bradley book and do at least one relaxation practice with Jacob. (yes and no)

3) Focus on being in the present even as I'm working a serious to-do list at work and for baby - I know this is a special time and I don't want to squander it focusing too much on getting ready. (Yes! This was a surprising achievement bc this week did not go as expected with Jack sick, but the time home with him really helped me slow down and pay attention to how precious he can be - it made me look forward to the slower speed of my maternity leave and summer in general!)

My healthy pregnancy intentions for this week:

1) Midwife appointment on Tuesday

2) Eat healthy, go to prenatal yoga, and do Bradley exercises 4 times

3) Continue deep cleaning my house to satisfy my nesting instinct and so I can bring baby home to a dust free house!