October 11th - My due date

Me @ 40 weeks on my actual due date, just hours before completing the final touches on the nursery!

Well, I made it to my actual due date...never thought I'd be able to say that. Not that I've had any real reason to think the baby would come early, but you just never know and I guess everyone around me saying that she was going to come early made me think she just might. No such luck! Honestly, I'm ok with it, but now the anticipation is starting to drive me crazy! I mean, all I have to do is think about labor and delivery and new-mommy-hood now and the more I think, the more nervous I get. I'm sure it's completely normal. And although I'm anxious and can't wait to meet her, part of me is fine with her incubating as long as she wants. It's a strange feeling, really. I guess it just goes back to the whole nervous factor.

So anyway, here's a shot of my pregnancy tickers from today that are on my ivillage.com October Expectant Club message board profile (a website I've been completely addicted to since I found out I was preggers back in February - a bunch of mommies-to-be who are due in the same month and going thru the same stages of pregnancy at the same time...very supportive and informative, despite everyone's warnings to stay away from the internet for fear of putting unnecessary fears in your head at a time like this...you just take it all and filter out the stuff you don't need in your head, but otherwise, I love it!). Ignore the one that says I'm one day overdue...not sure why that one was off, but the others are all accurate.



Every week, babycenter.com sent me an email with stats about a typical pregnancy in that week, including a food (usually fruit/vegetable) size comparison to how big a typical baby is during that stage of the pregnancy. Well, since the day we found out we were pregnant (on Groundhog's day) and calculated our due date to be 10/11/08, we've been calling the baby "our lil pumpkin" (we love Halloween and fall and October!), so the fact that the size comparison for week 40 is a small pumpkin was just too cool (and I guess I should've known I'd be hanging in there til at least this week just so I could compare my lil pumpkin to an actual pumpkin). Anywho, every week I would post a pic of the comparison food on my myspace page in the photos section under a folder "How big is our pumpkin this week" so my family and friends could check and see the current size of the baby, or at least the typical size of one that week. Some of the pics I chose were hilarious (wish I could link the folder here, but my profile is private, so it'd be useless to some of you), but this week's is by far the sweetest...



So I cannot believe I'm teetering on the edge of becoming less pregnant and more mommy...this journey has been amazing for me and a dream come true and I feel so blessed already that I cannot imagine how my heart is just going to be bursting when this little girl is finally in my arms. Pregnancy hormones or not, I am a sensitive person who can usually cry at the drop of a hat, so just thinking about how happy I am opens the floodgates. At this point, I better buy some stock in Puffs Plus because I can only imagine how many tears of joy I'm going to shed during my new life as a mommy. It's something I am completely looking forward to and cannot wait to begin!

Dear Pumpkin,
Come when you want, but you can't stay in there forever, so please just know that when you decide to make your big debut, you are going to be making my life whole complete and making so many dreams come true. You are already loved so much and I am so excited to meet you and spend my life making yours as happy and wonderful as you've already made mine.
Love always,
Mommy