Lightening!

Why, hello blog! I haven't forgotten you; it's just that this pregnancy has been blessedly boring. Praise the Lord!

This past Friday, I had one of my boring, quick, bi-weekly appointments. This was with Dr. B, the one male in the practice who I've felt iffy about in the past, but he's actually pretty funny and personable, so I feel better now. Also, he walked in the exam room before I had even had a chance to climb up onto the table! So he gets a bonus for not making me wait. We were leaving the office only 15 minutes after my scheduled appointment time. That's pretty much unheard of! Anyway, when he walked in the room, he studied Erich's beautiful curly locks and asked if he had a perm. "It's too perfect! It must be man-made!" Nope, all natural. :)

After he measured my belly, Dr. B gave the baby a little squeeze and declared that the head is down in the pelvis and will now stay that way. Having a breech baby was one last little fear I had left, so this was a great relief!

The more I thought of it, the more I realized that I had felt Lily drop the day before. After Thanksgiving dinner, I was relaxing in a La-z-Boy at my parents house and had a few Braxton Hicks contractions. I gradually began to notice that my baby, who usually crushes my ribs and crowds my lungs, was being a bit kinder. Now it is unmistakable: my once-high bump has lowered significantly.

I hadn't realized that babies could drop so soon (at 33.5 weeks), but Google confirms that that's okay. And I have found myself pretty excited about this! I know I have a way to go yet, and my bladder is getting abused more and my waddle is out of control, but this feels like the first real sign of the beginning of the end--the first significant step before birthing my baby! It's like this is real!

To be perfectly honest, though, I still get irrational fears. I'm sure I'd have these fears with or without my miscarriage history, but it's still difficult to fully accept that I will be taking home a live baby from the hospital in about six weeks. The more our house fills up with furniture, clothes, and supplies for the baby, the more my nervous level increases. We have to plan for a permanent situation here, and even though I'm 99% sure we will not regret having so much for the baby, I'm still not 100% sure. I think this is a symptom of just general anxiety--normal pregnancy stuff. But I sure don't like it!

Let's just say I thank Lily profusely every time she wiggles, kicks, or presses against my skin. Stay strong, Little One!