January 29, 2021
To my Rainbow Baby,
Today, I am 36 weeks pregnant! Just like that, we only have 4-ish weeks to go until we meet you! I can hardly believe how fast the time has gone, and yet it also seems like a lifetime’s journey to get to this place. We are so eager for your arrival, but we still have so much to do to prepare for you. My nesting hormones are ramped up, and sometimes I feel like a whirling dervish, ramming around the house crossing things off the list. I know that, if you decided to make your appearance tomorrow, we really are prepared for the most part- we have a carseat, a place for you to sleep, clothes to put you in, and essentials like diapers and a breast pump. But I would like to have more things organized and put away, and I’m just not really sure I could ever be fully prepared for the process of bringing you into this world! So your daddy and I are going to use every moment you give us to make sure you are knowledgeable and prepared for what to expect, and then we’ll put the rest of it in God’s hand. He will make sure you come right on time!
I’m also pretty busy with preparations at work. I’m talking with my co-teacher in English daily about what she will need from me to teach while I’m on leave, sending her folders and files of all my materials to make sure she feels comfortable leading the charge in those classes. I’m so blessed to have such an awesome counterpart this year- I do not have to worry about how things will go once I’m on leave, because I know she will crush it! For my speech classes, I’m having to do a little extra prep work with planning and materials because the pandemic has made it hard to find subs at all, let alone subs that want to spend 3 months in the classroom lesson planning and grading in this crazy model we’re running. My long term sub is awesome! She is a permanent sub in our building, so lots of kids know her and she does an amazing job, so I’m confident she’ll do great with both my English and Speech classes. But, she’s certified in Science, so I want to make sure she has everything she needs to handle this content that will be unfamiliar to her. My co-teacher will be able to handle everything in English, so I was busy this week getting everything organized for Speech. I think I have everything all set, which is a huge comfort to me in case you decide it’s time to arrive!
This week, I had my first two non-stress tests. I went to my doctor’s office on Monday and Thursday, sat in a comfy chair with a monitor on my belly, listened to your heartbeat and all the bumps and whooshes of your moving around, and had my quiet time with my devotion apps on my phone. With all the hustle and bustle with preparing for you at work and home, those 20 minutes felt like a vacation!! Monday was easy-breezy. I was on the monitor for about 20 minutes, the doctor saw everything that was needed and I was out the door. On Thursday, you decided to act like your stubborn parents, and I had to sit on the monitor for an hour! At first I was concerned something was wrong, but my doctor assured me everything was great- you were just very active, which made it hard for the monitor to pick up all the activity she wanted to see. At one point, you completely moved off the monitor and they had to reset it. Already being boss and refusing to follow anyone’s lead but your own! Someday, when you’re a teenager, I look back at this story and realize that I always knew you would be stubborn and independent!
Right now, you are the size of a papaya. You measure just over 18.5 inches and you weigh 5.7 pounds. Your wax coating has almost shed all the way and you’re preparing for life on the outside with your blood circulation system fully running. I don’t think you have dropped yet, because my ribs still feel all jammed up and it’s still hard to breath. My back is still very achy and I definitely have a strong pregnancy waddle. I pray that God continues to keep you safe and healthy over the next month, that you stay cozy in there as long as possible! I pray He gives me the strength, energy, and patience to continue preparing for your arrival- to not get too stressed about things at aren’t done and to have patience with Justin when I need him to help me or participate in the preparations. I am so grateful that God has provided me with wonderful people in my life who are supporting me and watching out for me during this journey, and I pray that this will continue to be the case as we enter the world of caring for a newborn soon! I put all of these things into His hands and ask that His will be done this week.
I love you, little Rainbow Baby
Love, Mommy
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