Hullo again, here I am at 41 weeks (287 days pregnant – but who’s counting?):

Quick update on the O’s:

We slept a long time last night, woke up too late for church so we did some walking this morning, which wasn’t quite as easy as it was a week ago. The head of Verity is soooo low and has been that way for at least 7 weeks now. My joints and inner thigh ligaments are pretty sore and weak by now, so the waddling is fairly ridiculous at this point

I have another midwife appointment tomorrow afternoon, after my second acupuncture session. I might ask her to check my cervix just for the sake of seeing if anything has changed since 34 weeks, my last exam. But I have decided not to ask for any invention (sweeping membranes, breaking waters, etc) until their is a medical reason to do so. I also plan to ask that we not talk about scheduling a sonogram until I am beyond 42 weeks, or if there is something abnormal about mine or Verity’s check ups. I want to give myself this last week to let nature take its course, rest, and see what happens. No more herbs or oil shakes on my part- just my good ol’ fashioned uterus and as much r&r as I can.

I haven’t gained a pound in the last few weeks, likely due to my lighter appetite and lots of walking, though my belly itself has exploded in stretch marks (disheartening–> Ethan, an 8 1/2 pounder, produced no belly scars). I am feeling in general pretty good, though it took a 7 hour stretch of alone time in my dark bedroom yesterday to sort through some of my fears/sadness/anger, finally getting to something like surrender, related directly and indirectly to this pregnancy. Surely have a ways to go still, though.

Well, I am in the middle of cooking Cuban night to introduce our roomies to good cuban food. Sad that I can cook that better than Cajun, lol. I’m doing a pulled pork shoulder (slow cooked and then broiled) with lots of garlic, adobo, salt, lime and citris fruits (homemade mojo – J pronounced like an H for the rest of you gringos). With it some soaked black beans and rice that has been simmerin’ all afternoon, sweet fried plaintains (maduros), and homemade sangria (I’ve used a cheap, spicey spanish red wine, tonic water, a bit of brandy and puerto rican rum, citrus fruits, strawberries, blueberries, and raw honey). As Dora the Explorer’s backpack would say: Que delicioso!

More tomorrow, after all my appointments (unless, you know, my pregnancy ends sooner!)