Single Digits

Today my ticker says that there are just 9 days until my due date. It is hard to believe that this nine month journey is almost over. It seems so long ago that it was July and we started out well into the triple digits. The first trimester was slow, but since then time has gone quickly. Now here we are at single digits!

There are lots of women on the online discussion boards that I frequent who are complaining that they are so over being pregnant. They are tired and uncomfortable. Sure I am tired of heartburn, numbness in my hands, this seemingly pregnancy related cough, an extra small bladder (or so it seems) and not being able to shave my legs easily. But, I actually have enjoyed being pregnant. It has been a far better experience than I originally imagined. Pregnancy has eased my allergies, been great for my hair and skin, and thankfully I have felt reasonably good the whole 9 months! While I am excited that soon I will get to see what Alexandra looks like and hold her in my arms, I am going to enjoy these last few days of being pregnant because I will never have them again. We are one and done and happy about that.

This morning I had trouble sleeping and just lay there feeling Alexandra's wiggles. That is something that I am so thankful to have experienced and will definitely miss. From hiccups to kicks, it has been a truly once in a lifetime experience that I am sad not all people can experience. Every now and then it still seems surreal that those movements come from a little human. I wish I could have the equivalent of a tape recorder to remember how it felt and replay the feeling every now and then.

Taking weekly photos and watching how this bump has grown has also been a joy.  It is so nice that women now are encouraged to emphasize their bumps in stylish clothes rather than the way it used to be - hiding under flowy, loose fitting dresses. I have loved most of my maternity clothes and am happily passing them on to a friend who hopefully will get as much use out of them as I did. I will have maternity photos to enjoy long after Alexandra is here. We have procrastinated on ordering the actual photos, but here is a proof of my favorite photo!

As the days count down, I look forward to starting a new chapter of my life with my daughter and becoming a family of three. Some days I still can't believed how blessed I am.