Happy Easter

{Who wanted more pictures??}

I think I'm at the point where Baby and I are noticing things are getting a little crowded. Every morning I wake up and my belly feels even bigger and heavier than the day before. Baby no longer likes me sitting upright, but would rather I be standing or sitting, leaning back. And do you know what I would do for a recliner these days?? ANYTHING!! With the exception of a couple days, I've still had a normal amount of energy. Its more motivation I lack right now. I thought surely I'd be nesting with full force right now. Hopefully that'll kick in soon.

We start our childbirth classes on Tuesday at the hospital. We are looking forward to the time together and possibility of meeting other soon to be parents. But, I'm not sure how much we'll learn. Because of my obsessive reading over the past... umm... six years and my nanny experience with infants, I feel pretty comfortable with my level of knowledge. And even Nathan probably knows more going into this than most dads. He's heard a lot of "Hey did you know that..." and "Hey do you know what ___ means?" He knows the stages of labor, terminology, newborn procedures, etc. You should hear him while watching 16 and Pregnant! The comments that come out of his mouth tell me I have trained him well. I'm hoping to learn more about coping with pain during labor and the whole breathing stuff.

And even the role of the father in the delivery room... during IVF I saw a new kind of support from my husband. While I was in the most pain of my life during the HSG... Nathan stood beside me holding my hand. He kept constant eye contact and had the most calm, comforting smile on his face. He didn't say much, but he was the calm I needed to get through that. Afterwards he said how hard it was to see, but in the moment... he was seriously my rock. Same thing during the transfer... I was really scared because that procedure was very similar to the HSG and the other IVF procedures I was under anesthesia. Again, Nathan got me through it. That wasn't something he was told or taught. I think after being together ten and a half years, we have that natural understanding of each other's needs. Even if we don't learn a ton in our classes, I think it'll still be fun.

Overall, I'm feeling very good about labor. I've done a lot of reading about the mind-body connection and how fear and anxiety can have a dramatic effect on the progress of labor. I'd like to take the approach of intense relaxation and submitting to my body to do what it was created to do. And I know that I have two midwives who will be great allies in this attempt. Even if my understanding or ideas of labor are naive, it doesn't matter. I think the most important thing is that I go into this feeling optimistic and without fear. I know to be flexible and take each minute as it comes. And I am confident in my midwives and their support during labor.

OK. I think I've done enough rambling about labor.

Tomorrow is Nathan's birthday and Easter!! We'll be celebrating his birthday with dinner and a movie tonight, then watching the Mountaineers win and make it to the championship (I HOPE!) Tomorrow we'll go to church, then have our traditional Easter pizza. That's right... no Easter ham here. Since its been just the two of us for the majority of Easter Sundays, I somehow got into the tradition of having Easter pizza. I make homemade whole wheat pizza crust topped with lots of veggies. And we'll also color Easter eggs tonight as well. Tomorrow we'll also celebrate Nathan's birthday with a birthday coffee cake per his request.

I hope you each have a wonderful Easter as we reflect on the greatest sacrifice ever made by a parent in the history of our existence. Just like I looked at Mary in a whole new light at Christmas, thinking about Easter comes with an entirely different perspective this year.

Happy Easter