Baby girl--come when you're ready!

40 weeks and 2 days

For all my stress and worry about not being prepared for baby, not resting, not taking care of myself...aahhhhhhh-God's given me at least a week off!  Baby girl's due date was Sunday, June 6th. Here I am 4 days post due date, relaxed, comfortable, and excited.  I've not been this way the entire 9 months.  Oh, I'm so thankful for this time!  Naps almost every day, organizing this and organizing that (followed by a nap of course, because I don't have much energy).  Running errands that aren't all that important, but haven't been tended to in months, and neither will I get to them probably in months!  I love being home when Josh gets home from work, and being available to spend time together.  Who knows? Maybe I'll have up until next week off too?  I am so not "done" being pregnant.  I can handle a few more days off of resting and napping, relaxing.  Don't get me wrong, this belly isn't the most fun thing to carry around; my back hurts, still dealing with heartburn (though hyrochloric acid and papaya enzymes have helped tremendously!), I have no energy, and I feel helpless cuz I can't lift boxes or grocery bags or anything heavy without aggravating my back.  I wake up in the middle of the night way too warm, have to open windows, drink ice water, and put a cold wash rag on my head. Still, I'm going to miss my swollen belly and reveling in the mystery of who my daughter will be.  
I am prepared:  birth center-check, doula-check, labor foods packed-check, my bag packed-check, diaper bag packed-check.  I have all her bedding and clothing washed and we even bought her crib mattress.   After much deliberation with doctors, we were finally given the choice to deliver at a birth center.  We are so excited.  I've had two midwife appointments so far and baby is head down and growing just as she should.  So am I--I've put on 35 pounds already!  This last week I put on 3 pounds alone.  It's all that resting and eating I'm doing =)  Oh no, I've not neglected myself the Dairy Queen ice cream cone, or the Starbucks treat.  I don't mind at all. 
Last Friday I had a near melt-down with a couple of my girlfriends, freaking out over how much I still had left to do.  Kindly, one girlfriend came over the next morning and helped me pack away the future baby clothes. Another friend came over that night and helped me organize and move boxes of things to the garage.  How I love my friends.  You guys have given me so much help throughout my pregnancy. You are so appreciated and loved.  It's because of all this help they gave me that I'm at rest now.  
That and the pregnancy massage that I got this morning =)  That helped a lot. 
My midwife has said that first babies often come 5-10 days after their due date.  So no one is worried or rushing me a bit. I'm liking that.  I don't even know yet if I'm dilated at all.  No one's checked, and that's ok with me too.  When my body is ready to go into labor, I'm sure I'll know, and there's not all that much I can do to force my hand in that area.  God knows when her birthday's going to be.  I don't have to plan that.  I just get to relax and be ready. 
Maybe this will be my last post before baby pictures?  Maybe not.  Either way, I'm sure her time will be just the right time.

Oh, and I'm definitely walking the pregnant waddle now--Josh's calling me Big Slow.