The Countdown BEGINS

Three weeks left until my scheduled c-section date on March 31st! I'm 36 weeks now and by next week I'll be considered 'full term,' which basically means that the baby can safely arrive anytime between then and my delivery date. Everything is ready - including ME - to have this boy meet the world! Mira helped me re-arrange her room to make space for her baby's brother's clothes. We had the baby shower last weekend (thank you mom for hosting and to Carla, Brigitte, Maryan and Mommy Malu for helping organize!). Thank you to everyone who came to join in celebrating our new special arrival!

I attended a hospital tour since I will be delivering at a different hospital than where Mira was born. The hospital also had a sibling tour where I took Mira. They showed a video of being an older brother/sister and brought out dolls to have the kids carry, diaper change, feed and swaddle. I've been talking to Mira about Mama staying at the hospital for a few days while the nurses and doctors make sure that me and baby brother are ok before we come home. I think she is as prepared as she can be at this point. Of course, the real test will be when the baby actually arrives and how she will handle the shift in attention.

Mira also had her first real dental appt. She did great and loves her new light-up Barbie toothbrush. She even brought it to school to show it off to her friends and teachers!

She's still as girlie as ever and loves wearing her Belle dress when she comes home from school.

As for me, I've been on maternity leave as of last Friday, which was a big relief since I've gotten more and more uncomfortable with each passing week. At times, he sits on my sciatic nerve where the pain shoots from my lower back down my right leg when I go from sitting, or bending, to standing. I also get horrible, painful cramps in my calves (charley horse?) in the middle of the night. He sits on my bladder, so bathroom breaks are very frequent during the day, which I guess is better than having them that frequent at night. I've also discovered that the tightness I've been feeling on my belly are Braxton-Hicks contractions. I don't remember experiencing any of these symptoms with Mira, even though these are very normal during pregnancy. My pregnancy with her seemed much easier than this time around. Not sure if its just me, or maybe my age, or if its the difference between carrying a boy versus a girl. Or maybe I just feel like complaining... blame it on the hormones. :)