Dear Alex,

I can’t believe how close we are to the end of the pregnancy… you are over 38 weeks along now, the size of a pumpkin, with 12 days to go until your due date! As I said last week, at this point you really could come any time. We are more than ready, and of course with each day that passes I find myself more & more often questioning various pains/twinges I feel– “Could this be an early sign of labor?” “Is today the day?” 😉 And I have started feeling more and more of those sorts of pains that indicate my body is getting ready for labor… most recently menstrual-like cramps that, according to my midwife, indicate that the cervix is lengthening & softening. But honestly I have a feeling that you will not be early… babies in our families tend to come late, and statistically most first-time moms give birth at 41 weeks, so I think you’re most likely going to be at least a little bit late. And that is okay, since more time in-utero generally makes for a healthier baby…. and certainly a bigger baby:

I am large and in-charge these days! Haha. And I will say that I’m glad I took those bare belly pictures when I did… stretch marks are definitely a bit of an issue these days, despite all the cocoa butter. But I’m okay with it, since I know they will fade with time.

Dad is starting to get a little anxious too, I think (although I doubt he’d admit to it!). Whenever I do anything out of the ordinary, from “getting weird looks on my face” to being out of bed for too long during the night, he has started going “Are you okay?!” Poor guy. Haha. Anyway, I thought that now might be a good time for another quick interview with Dad to cap off this last trimester. Here goes!

1. What has third trimester been like from your perspective?

Dad says from his perspective it hasn’t really been that different… just a lot of waiting! However, he said that it’s been very hard to watch me become increasingly uncomfortable and not really be able to do anything about it. I’ll add here, though, that Dad has been great about catering to my every need– rubbing my back for me at night, helping me get around, etc.

2. What was the most interesting thing you learned in the infant care & child birth classes?

From the infant care class, Dad says he enjoyed doing all the practice exercises & is proud to say that he is a “natural pro swaddler.” LOL. This is very true– I was absolutely terrible at swaddling, but Dad picked it up right away! In the child birth class, Dad was surprised to learn about the effects an epidural can have on mom & baby, and how limiting it can be to the labor process.

3. Do you think Alex will be early, on time, or late? Any guesses on what he’ll look like?

Dad thinks you will be right on time because “we are punctual people!” Hahaha. I should add that Nana has an interesting theory to support this guess also– apparently the next full moon is right on your due date, and babies are supposedly more likely to be born on full moons. 😉 As for what you’ll look like, Dad said “he’ll be handsome, just like me.” I think Dad is right on that one!

4. How do you feel about the pregnancy coming to an end– are you getting nervous about labor/birth, etc.?

As usual, Dad claims to be Joe Cool and says that he is not at all anxious or nervous about the labor & birth process. He says that he’s really excited to move past pregnancy and into our new lives as parents. And he added (jokingly of course), that he’s tired of hearing my complaints. Haha, I’d love for him to be this pregnant for a few days and see what his tune is then! 😛

5. If you could say anything to Alex right now, what would it be?

“Hurry up!” 😀 (Agreed!)

All my love,
Mom (& Dad!)