When She's Ready

39 Weeks, 39 inch belly.

They say my baby is the size of a small watermelon. Carrying a small watermelon on your internal organs all day is quite a task yet I am not sick of pregnancy... many people keep asking me some variation of the question "Are you ready to get that baby out of you or what!?!?" Quite honestly I am in no rush. Chuck has been really encouraging me in the home stretch, "You've almost made it!" he said the other day, but he reminds me that She will come when she's ready.

Last night I had a dream that I was hugging my midwife and we were having a good cry about how wonderful the birth was. Naturally I woke up thinking, "Is today the day?" But I think that every time I wake up in the middle of the night and each morning when I heft myself out of bed (accompanied by some large grunt)

Now for some picture show and tell

This is a cross stitch that a women made for Chuck and I. My mom framed it all fancy like, and gave it to us last week. You see the Robin and it's nest are very symbolic to Chuck and I. Robins egg blue and red (the color of the Robins breast) were the colors of our wedding reception. Our center pieces were nests filled with little blue robins eggs. It was to be a symbol of our building a new life together.

Interestingly enough during my birthing preparations I was encourage by my "Birthing From Within" book to select an animal to look to for strength during labor. They suggested picking something strong and ferocious... like a bear, tiger or wolf. (LOL Joyce didn't you write something about finding your inner birth tiger awhile back?!) Well it just so happens that I have a brother in law who specializes in the healing arts (and just started a blog about it) who through muscle testing and meditation can determine which animals you closely connect with in nature.

I asked him if he would find my birth animal, instead of me just picking one out of the air.

And you know what, I am a Robin.

So when I received this picture just shortly after learning this... I felt an added sense of strength to approach what lay ahead. I know that when things seem overwhelming I can think about the Robin building her nest and feel comforted. It is one of those things that reminds me hat God knows who I am and looks out for me. In the scriptures they say that you should not seek for signs (because that is not how faith is built) however Signs follow those that believe.

This picture to me is a "Tender Mercy of the Lord" (watch video for further explanation)

I also finished my first crochet piece of baby clothing. You can't see from the picture but the white yarn has a little shimmer to it. I think I am going to find two cute little buttons to put on the front for some flare (maybe little lady bug buttons).



This is the lamp that Chuck and I picked out at Ikea to put above the rocking chair in the baby's room for late night feeding, rockings and what not. We liked how soft the dim the light is, and that it is so super girly! The cord is green to look like a stem running down the wall.

I just finished reading my book on breastfeeding by Ina May. It was a GREAT read. I really recommend it to anyone who desires to or is considering breastfeeding their baby. There are lots of really practical tips and a few chapters on our cultures view of breastfeeding and "Nipplephobia" as she calls it (America's fear about seeing a nipple in a public setting). Some of you may remember the Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction at the Superbowl a few years back and the huge controversy that was.

Chuck was telling me that on his mission in the Philippines that was one of the cultural differences he had to become comfortable with. Women openly breastfed their babies in public and at church. To come from our culture (where breasts are overly sexualized and not often looked at for their main function which is to feed and nourish babies) this sudden exposure to public breasts took some getting used to.

I am NOT on some crusade mind you to seek to cure nipplephobia by exposing myself in public. I do however want to be able to feed my baby when she is hungry and not feel like I have to hide myself from the world. I know some establishments in our country ask women to use the bathroom to breastfeed. Ina May makes a great point that we do not ask anyone else in our society to eat in the bathroom... so why should babies be pushed into such a circumstance. I don't even like sitting by the bathroom at restaurants let alone being in one to enjoy a meal.

Anyway... I feel I have gone off on a tangent (about nipples none-the-less).

That's when I wrap it up.

I hope to return to this blog a new mommy... we shall see what the coming days will bring :)