Back to "normal".

The last 2 weeks have been a complete blur. Today was the first day that things were mostly back to normal. Chris went to work. I got up with the kids and watched our typical Curious George episode. We did our normal errands. Had a quiet afternoon at home. It was quite refreshing.

I had my 37 week checkup today. Only 2 1/2 weeks to go! As I left my appointment, I had a moment of overwhelming thankfulness for my situation with my births. Because of a birth class that Chris and I half heartedly took because our friends recommended it when we were pregnant with Micah 4 years ago, we crossed paths with one of the most incredible women I've ever known. Sharon has been my midwife for each of my births. We've grown to be good friends and I can't imagine going through a pregnancy and birth without having her by my side. She is more than just a care provider to me; she is like a sister. Between her, Irene, Kristin (Sharon's assistant and now good friend of mine), our Moms, and of course, Chris, I have the most incredible group of people present at the births of our kids. And to top it all off, we get to do it all in the comfort of our own home. I couldn't ask for anything better.

On another note, it's supposed to be 14 degrees tonight. In Florida? That's crazy. Maybe I'll actually get to sleep with some covers on tonight. I've been so hot at night that a little cool weather would be welcome.

Ouch.

The end of this pregnancy has definitely been more uncomfortable and exhausting than my other two. It could have something to do with having to chase two kids while being pregnant. Just a guess. For me, weeks 15-30 are generally great. I feel great, have energy, don't feel sick, I'm not sore, etc. But, I think if I felt that way the whole time though, I'd neer want to give birth! So, in a wierd sort of way, I'm thankful I feel this crummy. It just means the time is drawing near. My denial is ending - I'm feeling more ready to accept the inevitable labor and birth process ahead. And more importantly, I'm looking forward to meeting the newest addition to our family.

I heard some great news yesterday - one of my best friends from childhood is expecting her first child! I'm thrilled to death for her and I know she will be an awesome mom. When she told me, it dawned on me that we have known each other for almost 25 years. And even though I have 3 kids already, it just doesn't seem like we're possibly old enough to be having kids of our own. From the day we met in kindergarten, I still have tons of memories of the experiences we shared together. Like standing at the end of her dock in the freezing cold to pour Magic Shell chocolate in our mouths and let it solidify, spying on the boy next door to her house, our rollerblading club, playing soccer together for 10 +/- years, and the list goes on. It just doesn't seem like it was that long ago. I guess we're growing up. :)

Nesting?

One of the common signs of the end of a pregnancy for many women is the "nesting" urge. Probably much to the disappointment of Chris, I haven't really had this urge with either of my two kids. I've just had my typical responses to any upcoming event of just feeling like I need to get a lot of different things done. Chris has grown accustomed to my "project list before the baby comes" that I give him during the first 8 weeks of pregnancy. But, those are mostly things for him to do, not me. :)

I think this time might be different, though. I'm not sure what to make of it yet, but I've begun feeling a little overwhelmed with a spring cleaning urge. Last week, I found myself on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen floor, bleaching the toilets, washing cloths that weren't even dirty, wiping down walls, sorting all of the kids clothing, cleaning out the filing cabinet and shredding papers. ..and that was just in one day. Today I have been searching the entire house for any possible thing we can throw away and was caught on camera by Chris doing touch up painting on the ceiling in our living room.

So, is this nesting? The problem is that I still have 9 weeks left! I'm going to be exhausted if I keep this up for 62 more days. Or, maybe I'm just being affected by this episode of Oprah Chris recorded last week on the topic of hoarding. I'm not an Oprah fan at all (in fact, I'm anything but a fan -- I usually hate that show), but I do have to admit.. if watching that episode doesn't make you want to clean your house and throw a bunch of stuff a way, nothing will.