Right now I am home, sitting at my kitchen table with a bowlfull of watermelon next to me, Lydia flipping and rolling within. All the new clothes she's gotten are in the washing machine and dryer; once they're done, I'll put them in her dresser, in her nursery. No compulsory nesting actions yet, but we hit 36 weeks along on Thursday; the same panic mode that wells up when I have 4 weeks left of a graduate school semester is arising, and I'm paying attention! I can only assume that these last four weeks will go by just as quickly as the rest of my pregnancy; it seems like just yesterday we were reading the "Pregnant" indication on the test with disbelieving eyes.
It's been a busy summer, one of lots of travel, laughs and excitement. The rest of May held packing and moving home from Alaska, which was such a beautifully sad thing. I miss Alaska more than words can say, and yet was relieved to touch down in Minnesota for the final time. My last big trip in Alaska was kayaking down in Seward with Katie, a friend and fellow grad student! We paddled all day on May 16th, watching seabirds, oohing and aahing over scenery, and being chased by two VERY territorial bull sea lions. My transition was greatly facilitated by friends helping me pack and ship my stuff home...I couldn't have done it without them! Once home and back in Charlie's arms things settled down quickly--our house was becoming our own, our daughter growing bigger and stronger with each passing day, our lives melding to become a little family.
June brought my birthday (fishing with Jim and Gaylene, and Charlie...caught two big catfish!) and a trip to NYC to visit my aunt and uncle, the BarMan and Mysterious Chinese Woman. I ate my way through NYC and my new doctor laughed when the pounds appeared on my next weigh-in at the clinic. Altogether, though, I've gained 15 pounds since the beginning! After returning home from NYC, I had a couple of weeks to work and get ready for my brother's wedding in Las Vegas, which was beautiful and fun. Charlie and I had a blast out west, dancing, swimming in the pool, and relaxing on a bit of a romantic getaway. Once Lydia's born I need to start planning OUR wedding :P holy crapola!
August is looking promising. I've already been to Bayfield, WI, and back, my last long-distance hoorah before our little buzzkill, I mean, baby, arrives :) My friend Anne and I rode along with my buddy Ranger D out to Stockton Island one night...such a beautiful treat, to be out on the waters of Lake Superior again. I can't wait to tell Lydia all about the cool things she got to do in utero!
I can't put into words how I feel about Lydia's upcoming arrival right now. It's a mixture of letting go, excitement, curiosity, anxiety and bliss. We've matched ourselves up with a wonderful doula, who has been instrumental in readying us for birth, and bit by bit her little nursery is coming together. Charlie's sister Jess, and my friend Lani, will be coming over this week to help me put the finishing touches on it, namely, sketching and painting an ocean-scene mural on the east wall...pictures to follow :)
Bit by bit. Soon we won't have time for that! If the little blossom has taught me anything, though, it's to breathe, let go, and take each day as it comes. As the saying goes, if you want to make God laugh, tell him what you're doing tomorrow. Charlie and I are still madly in love and madly grateful for this little blessing, and those feelings are at the forefront of our decisions and dreams.
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