28 weeks, and feeling it:

Also 30 lb up. That’s less than at this point last time, but still. Oy.

Maybe the extreme stress and busyness of the past few months (or really, the past YEAR) finally caught up with me, but I’m suddenly exhausted this week. I find myself craving naps again, or even just some Quiet Time, which is pretty much impossible with two little boys running around. Somehow I need to find stored reserves of energy because the house is still on the market and it’s only going to get harder to keep up.

Most days I’ve taken Andrew for a 1-1.25 mile walk in his stroller while Oliver is at school in the morning, but now I can only walk about half a mile at a time due to increasing Braxton Hicks contractions. I had exercise-induced Braxton Hicks in both of my previous pregnancies, too, but these are more frequent and STRONGER. Even drinking water before/during/after the walks does not help. My doctor said it is normal to feel them more intensely for each subsequent pregnancy, but since I have more than 4-5 per hour when exercising (um, try 4-5 per 10 minutes!), she recommended that I break up my long walk into several short walks from now until at least 37 weeks.

My 32-week appointment will take us into the first week of May, so by then, we’ll need to discuss tentative labor and delivery plans—my favorite part of this whole pregnancy thing, because then it’s OVER! And while I’d love for my doctor to deliver baby #3, we’re still praying we get an offer on the house before then. I even broke down and ordered a St. Joseph statue to bury in the yard. The eco-friendly kind, no less, because being nice to the environment = Good Karma points, right? At this point I feel no shame about sucking up in every way I can! heh.

Sometimes I feel bad that we’re welcoming this baby into such chaos, but in a way, he is what ties all the pieces together. He existed before the For Sale sign in the yard and before my mother died; he is my connection between what I had then and what I hope for in the future. And when I finally hold him, the five of us will bridge the old life and the new, together.

Only twelve weeks to go. Maybe slightly less. I keep joking with George that it will be June 26, because it’s a Tuesday, and the other two were both born on Tuesdays. Any guesses??