Home Stretch

With Gabe's estimated arrival only 19 days away I thought I would reflect on the ups and downs of the pregnancy to this point...

Week 4: We're pregnant!!!! We were sooo excited, but Andy wouldn't believe it was true until we had undergone two home pregnancy tests and a doctor's visit.
Week 7: After feeling very healthy for two weeks a general sense of 'yuck' settled in.
Week 8: Having lost 4 lbs. over the weekend the Dr. recommended I stay home to put some weight on, also begin taking a nausea medicine, originally intended for Chemo patients, 4 times a day.
Week 17: The nausea has left the building!!! What a relief, teaching while feeling human was an experience that has helped me rejoice in the simple experience of good health that I so frequently take for granted.
Week 18: Andy and I received the great news that a little boy was being woven in my womb, only days later we also received news that he appeared to have club feet.
a. Andy and I made an early morning appt. with a Peri-natologist who confirmed that little Gabe had club feet but any issues were isolated to just this.
b. After an emotional day I attempted to take a relaxing bath, at which point I felt Gabe move for the first time. I understood it as Gabe telling me "I'm okay mommy, don't be so scared".
Week 25: The Braxton Hicks contractions began, and would continue for the remainder of the pregnancy. I honestly considered naming Gabe Braxton in a moment of extreme irritation.
Week 26: A serious bladder infection resulted in a weekend stay at the hospital. Followed by another week spent home attempting to calm my body and uterus. Again, I was a wreck but Gabe was a gymnast inside, showing off with lots of movement and assurance the the chaos was just part of the outside world.
Week 32: Let the swelling begin. What started as mild edema in my feet has progressed quite nicely into full blown puffiness.
Week 34: The fluid in my body chose to linger in my wrists causing numbness in my fingers and hands. Needless to say I dropped countless items which my stomach made difficult to collect. My sweet students retrieve countless items off the ground without batting an eye.
Week 37: The swelling has moved to all areas of my body, including my face...sweet. I now experience numbness in my ankles and back.

This week also marked the end of teaching for the year! Andy and I have spent the week at my parents home in Lincoln, we assume it might be the last visit we're able to make for many weeks to come. While here I've enjoyed the general sense of only needing to focus on one thing, making and preparing for a baby. Missing sleep and the ails of pregnancy are much easier to bare when I know I don't have 120 9th graders counting on me, an alarm clock making demands, or a schedule that simply doesn't allow for solitude, naps, or extra house work to prepare for Gabe's arrival.

Overall this experience has been a lesson in God's sovereignty and grace, as well as a lesson in learning to laugh at myself and the extremes of pregnancy. Andy has been patient throughout, though it's clear he wants his 'old sane' wife back as much as I do.