I am so glad it’s almost October! I haven’t been around much lately, mainly due to the fact that I worked 4 days each of the past two weeks while coworkers were on honeymoons—and at 8½ months pregnant, being on my feet all day and lugging around this Huge Belleh is no easy task. However the extra work WILL provide a big paycheck, which is good considering I’ll only be getting three more paychecks before I quit working again for a few months (GULP).

Being at home requires only slightly less time on my feet since it involves a certain superactive 3-year old. I’m really treasuring the time with Oliver, though, because pretty soon he’ll have to share my attention. We took him to my dad’s high school football team’s game two weeks ago, and he had a blast! I grew up going to my dad’s games every Friday night and it’s still very much a part of my life, a part that I love sharing with my husband and son now. We’re going to this Friday night’s game too (weather permitting). Oliver is totally his mother’s child when he tries to get the crowd around us fired up: “GO FALCONS, EVERYBODY! TOUCHDOWN, EVERYBODY!” But if there’s one person who loves it more than I do, it’s the Coach, aka Grandpa. And next year, he’ll have two little guys cheering for him!

I also took some senior photos for my brother-in-law’s younger son Nick last weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately due to his job and social obligations (*AHEM* such a stud! hehe), he requested we take the photos between 1:00-3:00pm, and it was really hard to work around the bright glare and dark shadows while the sun was almost overhead. But we still managed to get a nice selection of shots that he really likes. I’m still processing them, but his favorite turned out to be a goofy out take, of course:

Somewhere in the middle of all that busy-ness, I had a coworker (who used to work at a salon but now works part time out of her own apartment) trim and highlight my hair. She had already done this for two of our other coworkers and their hair turned out great, so I trusted her, and she did an awesome job! She put caramel highlights throughout the front and top, and then used some sort of glaze afterward that has left my hair feeling AMAZING ever since. Then she dried/straightened my hair, cut an inch off the bottom layer (to even the layers as I grow it out), and shaped it up all over. I never had my hair cut “dry” before and it made a huge, huge difference. Eventually I might quit being lazy and actually do my hair so you’ll get to see it.

Otherwise things are pretty much status quo with me. My doctor’s appointment last week went well: at 34 weeks, I “measured” to be 33 weeks. The funny thing is that I am carrying Andrew entirely differently than I carried Oliver. Last time I was more like a vertical “watermelon” shape and carrying high; this time I am much more of a round “basketball” shape and carrying right in the middle. I guess that’s how it goes after all the muscles and skin have been stretched out once before!

We’ll have a better idea about Andrew’s size/position and possible induction timing after my first internal exam on October 6. I can’t believe it’s finally getting so close! I am going to be SO happy when he’s here in my arms. I remember having such a postpartum “high” after Oliver was born because I was relieved to be done with pregnancy, and this time I’ll surely feel a hundred times higher.

A baby-related conversation with a patient sort-of threw me last week. After the usual When are you due? What are you having? questions, she asked, “Have you had an easy pregnancy?”

Easy? It took me a second to realize she was asking about morning sickness and stuff like that.

I mustered a smile. “Yeah… No complaints.”

Easy? Maybe physically. Minimal first trimester nausea, minimal discomfort even now. Emotionally, though, not easy at all. Every day has been a struggle. I worry half of the time, and the other half of the time, I’m using all my strength NOT to worry. And the closer I get to my due date, the more intensely I worry. I want him to be 100% healthy and I’ve done everything in my power to ensure that he will be. So my only complaint, I guess, is that I am tired of being afraid.

I bought myself an early Christmas present last week, a necklace with two tiny hearts: a smaller heart bearing the initial “A” overlapping a slightly larger heart bearing the initial “O.” I put it in a safe place until Andrew arrives and I can wear it at last. Oliver and Andrew. My children. My heart, times two.

Andrew’s crib and dresser arrived last week. We rearranged our bedroom to make space for the crib. I’m starting to wash Oliver’s former newborn clothes (they look SO TINY now!), blankets, bottles, etc. Just a little over a month to go!