Pregnancy update: 39 weeks

I feel fairly well-rested the past few days, for which I am incredibly thankful. I've been able to fall asleep and get back to sleep quickly when I wake up. I had a few narcoleptic moments recently, though. On Saturday I fell asleep at a birthday party that Zari and Dio were at (it was at a good friend's house and their couch was in a sunny place and I knew they wouldn't mind!). The kicker was at church this Sunday. I was so tired that I laid down right on the pew and slept all through Sunday school. My sister said, "good thing you don't care about social conventions."

Several people have commented that my belly looks different or that I've dropped, although I have never noticed "dropping" during any of my pregnancies. But I am starting to feel like I look huge (for me). When I see my side profile in the mirror, I do a double-take. I'll see if I can get a belly picture tomorrow.

I've gained somewhere between 18-24 lbs this pregnancy (I don't know my exact pre-pregnancy weight since I was in France and didn't have a scale). Pretty similar to my other two pregnancy gains of 26 lbs each time. I haven't seen any new stretch marks this pregnancy, but I also haven't been looking that closely either.

Other than the normal late-pregnancy pelvic looseness, I feel pretty good. Baby is still hanging out ROT, maybe a bit ROP at times because I feel a lot of movement in front. My midwife said the baby's head is tucked in super tight. I still have a hard time envisioning how all the parts fit together into an actual baby! I love seeing the belly mapping drawings like this one. This baby is active during the day and pretty calm at night. No complaints with that, since I've had so many sleep challenges the past few months.

We're supposed to have an unseasonably warm spell of 60 F (15 C) in a few days. If the baby can wait until then, I'd like to strip and refinish--outside and with a respirator of course!--the antique washstand & mirror that will become our bathroom vanity. Otherwise we might not have a bathroom sink for quite a while...

I also wanted to share pictures of a Blessingway tree I received in the mail, along with a pack of beads and their meanings from a group of friends at The Gift of Giving Life project. Some of the women include Felice of TGOGL, Sheridan of Enjoy Birth, Heather of Women in the Scriptures, and Buscanda of Birth Faith. Zari helped me hang the beads on the bonsai tree last night. I added a few beads of my own from Dio's Blessingway and from beads I sent to other women for their Blessingways.

Dio is fascinated with the beads