39 weeks

Holy Moly! We are down to the last 4 DAYS of pregnancy! Lucielle will be born at the very latest around noon on Tuesday Aug 6th! She could come early, if I go into labor, but I wouldn't mind skipping that part this time around haha. Ow! While I do wish I could do a VBAC, I trust when my OB recommends a repeat cesarean section since we got pregnant again only six months after Viv's birth. At least I know what to expect this time when it comes to the surgery and recovery. It will be different to have a toddler AND a newborn to care for while recovering, but that's why I'm even more thankful for family coming in town to help! Speaking of family, my Mommy is here! She came from CA to help out the last week before Lucielle is born and of course for a few weeks after. Yay! We've had fun grabbing coffee, shopping, and laughing at Viv's newest "tricks" and phrases. She's a hoot! My Daddy will fly out about a week after Lulu is born.

I feel like I've had a relatively emotionally stable pregnancy. I haven't had too many extreme highs and lows. But these past couple days have felt a bit like a whirl wind of emotions. On the one hand, I am SO READY to not be pregnant anymore! I haven't slept more than a couple hours at a time in weeks, my back/hips hurt constantly, I have contractions all day long, and practically live in the bathroom with how tiny my bladder has gotten. On the other hand, I LOVE that Lucielle is safe and protected in my tummy. I love feeling her wiggle and kick. And although it may be selfish, I love that I don't have to share her with anyone. We still don't know any update on her echogenic bowel that was found in her 18 & 22 week ultrasounds. So there is the added "mystery" of what her health will be like at birth, although the Lord knows completely and has knit her together exactly how He see's fit. And on top of those conflicting emotions, I spent all morning yesterday in tears as I realized that Vivienne won't be the baby anymore! Don't get me wrong, she will ALWAYS be my baby! But she won't be THE baby anymore. She's going to be this huge walking, talking little person in comparison to Lulu. Then I spent all afternoon in tears thinking about how excited I am to see her become a big sister. Wow! So much is about to change! And I think she totally knows it. She has gotten really clingy this week and always needs to have me in sight or be "up" in my arms. Not an easy feat while this pregnant. She is also teething and possibly sick as she's had a low grade fever for a few days (hoping that's from the teeth!). She wants a "gug" (hug) every 10 mins and even took a snuggle nap with me yesterday in her new big girl bed (!)... something she hasn't done since she was an infant! It may break my heart to leave her home with my Mom while we are in the hospital, but I'll just have to keep in mind what Pastor Kempton from our church told us once: The best gift he could ever give his daughter, was a sister. Yay!

These next 4 days are going to be a crazy combo of tackling the last tasks of the to-do list, cherishing every last moment as a family of 3, and attempting to prepare physically, emotionally and spiritually to have a second child. Any tips on that last one are more than welcome!

At out last OB appointment, my doc has changed her mind from thinking that Lulu was going to be big. She is now estimating 7.5-8 lbs. Maybe she hit an early growth spurt and has slowed down at the end. My stretch marks confirm that theory. Yikes! At last weeks appointment, my uterus measured 38 cm at 38 weeks pregnant. I think that's the first time EVER with either girl that I measured on track instead of ahead haha. So who knows??? According to Baby Center: "Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, about the size of a mini-watermelon. The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath"

See you soon Lucielle!!!!!