In one month today, my parents will be arriving to visit Matt and me for a few weeks. 31 days! I know the time will fly by with all the appointments, nesting projects and outings we are hoping to enjoy in the meantime in our final weeks as people-without-kids. There is also a little bit of suspense whether my parents will arrive before or after the Truck, since Feb 7 (the day they arrive) is my due date. Personally, I’m hoping they’ll beat the Truck by a couple days, but it’s not really up to me, and I trust that the Truck will come when (s)he is ready.
It’s nice for me to have a reason to count down to my due date other than expecting my baby to arrive on that day. I definitely feel like I’m in the home stretch of this pregnancy, and Matt and I are getting lots of “not much longer” comments, but it is very surreal not to know how much longer we have to wait, whether two weeks or four or six, whether my parents will meet their first grandchild days or seconds into its life, whether I’ll need the hospital bag I keep meaning to get around to packing. In the next 2-7 weeks I will know my child’s name and birthday, and I’ll be able to poke it in the ribs 200 times to get even for the last few weeks. Honestly, sometimes it feels like a jazzercise class is going on in my belly, and this baby is getting strong!
In the meantime, I’m getting better at asking Matt for help, I’m doing my best to keep a good attitude through the physical discomforts and challenges, and I’m celebrating the small, determined accomplishments: I painted my own toenails today!