The Final Stretch

T minus 12 hours and counting. I've been counting in hours since yesterday around 4:00 p.m. I swear Saturday had about 40 hours in it. This has been the longest week. Ever.


Lately Ellie loves to help Grandpa stretch after a workout. She will sometimes drag me or Brady over by the treadmill and insist we get down on the floor with her to stretch. As I am facing the final hours of pregnancy, I am allowing myself to indulge in thinking of all the things that I can look forward to once I am no longer pregnant. Being able to get down on the floor to play with Ellie again is one of them. Seeing my ankle bones again after all the swelling goes away is another. And maybe eventually doing a little exercise and stretching.

Several weeks ago the doctor determined that I was going to need a C-section to deliver this baby. When it came to scheduling we found that hospital policy would not allow us to schedule any earlier than Nov. 15--Brady's birthday. We had hoped to go for a nice 11-11-11, but I wouldn't have been 39 weeks along yet, so it was a no go. At the time I had asked Brady if he wanted me to wait until the 16th, since we couldn't go earlier, but he said it would be just as well to share a birthday as to have them back to back. A couple months ago, one extra day didn't seem that big of a deal. (Eight months ago I would have paid someone to put me into a coma until this week, but that wasn't an option.) This afternoon as I dosed out another round of nausea and headache medicine, I thought of grateful I am that he is willing to share his birthday and not make me go through an extra day of this difficult pregnancy. Nov. 16th seems a million years away.


Saturday we had what will likely be Brady's last solo birthday party for a while. (This picture is actually one my sister took at Ellie's family party, but I couldn't resist stealing it and I forgot to take any that night and this is about what it looked like.) He spent most of the party making amazing pizza for everyone else. He's been a pretty good trooper through this pregnancy, taking on more than his share of parenting duties, keeping me supplied in whatever comfort food seemed to help at the time, and putting up with my general misery. The end of this pregnancy will likely be the best present he could get this year. Hopefully in the midst of all the exciting events tomorrow he will get a nice break too and maybe even a little birthday nap. Happy birthday, Brady! Just 11 hours and 45 minutes to go!