In early November, we made our last long car trip of my pregnancy. We headed to Georgetown because my mother- and sister-in-law were throwing me a shower. It was the first time (but certainly not the last) that we were overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and loved ones. The baby was given some amazing stuff at this shower, and everyone had a great time. Back in Ottawa, my friend Tania threw me a book-themed shower, Martha Stewart-syle; it was a blast. And the ladies in Almonte threw my Mom a 'Grandma' shower. Not to mention the gifts from neighbours, our work colleagues and other friends and family. And my parents - my Mom in particular - kept (and keep) scoping out bargains in terms of baby clothes and toys. We are incredibly blessed.
December...well, December wasn't my favourite month. Work got incredibly stressful (through no fault of my own, which was SUPER FRUSTRATING), and OC Transpo went on strike. Dave and I commute in by bus, but no buses were running. Ottawa was effectively paralyzed for TWO MONTHS while the union and the city squared off. Spending hours and hours in the car in traffic wasn't a lot of fun for me, 34 weeks pregnant and up. YUCK.
All of this combined to bring some of the more comical notes of my pregnancy - Braxton Hicks contractions in the office. In order to quell them, they tell you to lie down for AN HOUR. Um...not quite possible. So, I'd grab my HUGE coat, and lie down on the floor of an absent colleague's office for 15 minutes, praying that no one would walk by and think I'd collapsed. GOOD TIMES.
The Christmas long weekend was great, and because I had a few personal days to burn, I only had 2 days in the office after Christmas before the official start of my maternity leave. I was off 2.5 weeks before my due date, and it was great. I had a few baby-related tasks to do -- laundry, pictures for his room, etc. and I started to SLOW DOWN. Water retention got me in the end, and I started sporting some uncomfy cankles. I was still spry, but I was ready to no longer be pregnant.
All this time, the baby continued to measure EXACTLY on for dates. Each week, we'd measure my uterus and it would have grown 1 cm (the textbook rate). The baby had been head down and left occiput anterior for ages, the prime position. And I met with a naturopath to get some remedies for a birth kit. I no longer had pj pants that fit, but I'd been practicing on the birthing ball, drinking my red raspberry leaf tea, and stretching. I'd cleared my 'To Do' list. By the 18th of January, I was ready.
Stay tuned for info on the 19th and 20th...aka the Birth story!
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