8.days

Wow!!  I can't believe that a week from tomorrow we'll be having this baby!  He or she had given me a major break during the last week or so and barely moved at all.  Well, I believe that my rest time is over.  We're totally back to moving all over the place again (both of us, really!). 

After my second stay in the hospital, my legs swelled up like stovepipes.  They.were.huge.  I went to the doctor after being in the hospital, and I had gained 8 lbs. in two weeks.  Yikes.  Then, the following week I went to the doctor, and I had lost 4 lbs.  Not surprising since my legs actually looked like legs again instead of having to sport that stovepipe look (just not very practical for this momma that has to move a lot). 

In honor of my loss of weight, I bought a (small) bag of bite-sized twix and consumed them in about 12 hours.  (Shhhhh...don't tell Josh.)  In my defense, I did share a few with my kids.  Who really wants to claim that they ate an entire bag of candy themselves (even if it was the smaller bag)? 

Anyway, then, I had another doctor's appointment this week (one week after the 4 lb. loss), and I lost another 2 lbs.  Typically, they frown on 9-month preggos losing weight 2 weeks in a row, but believe me...I was losing all that fluid that I had swimming around in my thighs, calves, and ankles.  In honor of this weight loss, I decided to skip the bag of candy (sigh) and have a strawberry milkshake instead.  Much healthier, don't you think?! :)  (It was even a small...made with real strawberries.)

My ankles and feet are still swollen to the point that I can't wear my own shoes (thank you Kristi for letting me borrow yours!).  But they don't ache like they did for the first week.  They feel bruised, but all is well as long as no one touches them!  I can handle that for 8 more days. 

So, here I am with 8 days to go.  I'm ready.

• I have my bag packed.
• I have gifts for the girls (thank you dollar store!). 
• The pack-n-play is set up in the family room.
• The swing is set up in the kitchen.
• The sheets are washed.
• I have boy outfits and girl outfits ready to go.
• The house is in decent shape. 

So, bring it on!  I have mixed feelings on whether or not I'd prefer this baby to wait all the way to the 18th.  I've said over and over again that I think he or she will come early.  My original guess was March 11 (which is tomorrow!).  However, I've gotten to the place where I've got childcare set up for the dates following my c-section (the BEST part of having a c-section).

It would be nice to not have to scramble, but then again, I love surprises! :)  Either way, I'm definitely ok with it...actually, I don't really think I have a choice.  I'm just in it for the ride at this point. 

So, does anyone want to make any predictions?  I had my friends on facebook predict the baby's sex/date/weight.  I must say that based on the guesses, people think we're having a boy and most people think we're going early.  Out of the 25 people who guessed, 19 think it's a boy. 

I'm not spilling the beans, of course, but it seems to be getting harder and harder not to slip up.  I told Josh last night that we must be referring to the baby (between the two of us) more and more as what we're assuming it is!  I almost slipped up to my mom on the phone yesterday...wow...that would have been crazy! :)  I just find myself speaking more slowly and thinking so far ahead in my conversations...not the worst thing in the world!! 

Anyway, if you'd like to make a guess, please feel free!  I'd love it! :)  And I can't wait to introduce you to our newest little critter (as Josh likes to call all of them) once it makes its appearance!