ONLY 3 Weeks to go!!!

How is this happeneing so fast? In only THREE short weeks baby #4 will make his arrival....It could be any time now actually!!!! I think with all of the chaos of Christmas and big-kid related activities, that the reality hasn't actually hit me that I'm going to have a baby in a few weeks! It is INCREDIBLY exciting to think about, but still seems so unreal to me! Pregnancy-wise it has perhaps been my easiest physically. I'm only having the odd contraction here and there and have been very mobile and active lately with only moderate physical discomfort. It is only when I REALLY over-do things that I pay the price (and trust me I've done that a few times!). I'm TRYING to take it a bit easier these days, but that doesn't seem to happen! I like things the way I like them and that is that! Christmas is SUCH a busy time...but I'm glad to say that I think things will be slowing down here for awhile. ALL of my gifts are wrapped and ready to roll. Dinner menus are made, shopping is up-to-date and I'm generally feeling VERY ready for Christmas! I'm just praying that I can make it to January...and January 9th and beyond to be specific. My Mom will unfortunately be leaving her on the 28th and we will have a gap of time from then until January 9th when Toomas' Mom arrives. We have 2 alternate babsitters set up in the event I go into labor earlier, but HOPEFULLY I'll make it until January 10th. On my OB records my estimated due date by my new doctor is January 10th-15th, but my old doctor only said 16th-19th. So...we'll just have to wait and see :) January 14th sounds like a lucky day to me so I'm hoping for that!

Last week Toomas and I went on our "romantic" hospital tour together. It is only our 2nd pregnancy related outing together this pregnancy. With Krista we had WEEEKLY classes at the hospital and with each progressive pregnancy we've done less and less together. Usually it is Toomas who is babysitting while I have an appoitnment, but with Mom here we were able to go together to visit the new hospital! It was actually pretty fun..but VERY tiring. In all the tour and presentation by the mid-wife was TWO hours! I have the clinic where I delivered Kaitlyn as my 1st priority, but when I heard that there are 200 women scheduled to deliver in the month of January I got worried! The clinic where I want to deliver only has 11 single rooms and only 25 rooms in total! They have an AWESOME natural labor and delivery room and I'd LOVE to be able to repeat my wonderful labor experience with Kaitlyn. Our plan as it stands is to go there and if this birthing room isn't available or if there aren't single rooms available for my stay, then we will go to this alternative hospital. The tour was very imformative and the hospital is very equipt. They recently renovated this hospital, but it is a public hospital and a lot larger than the private clinic setting. They have 54 rooms and 46 are singles so I would almost be guaranteed a single. They also have THREE natural birthing rooms and 7 medical delivery rooms. Two of the 3 natural rooms are much smaller, but there is one large room with a round jacuzzi that I would definately be interested in if my clinic's natural birthing room is not available when I go into labor. LUCKILY the hopsital and clinic are only within 5 minutes of each other so we will have time to decide where to go. Tomorrow I will go back to the hospital to meet with a doctor for a quick exam and pre-registration. Once I see the hospital doctor I will be "pre-registered" and can go there or to the clinic if I choose.

My stomach is BIG now. It basically shoots straght out and feels a lot like it would if you shoved a soccer ball under your shirt. Just compact and BIG! It is low too so there isn't any problem breathing. Overall I'm actually doing o.k physcially. I have had quite a bit of evening heartburn though, but the TUMS aren't far away from my bed so I manage alright!

My next OB appointment with my clinic doctor is in one week from today. Hopefully he'll tell me I still have a few weeks to go! I'm really wanting to enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy. I'm feeling generally organized now and our bags are packed. I KNOW I have way too many things for the hospital stay, but I'm such a stickler about my ammenities. I want to have all the comforts of home. It will look like I'll be moving in for 2 weeks but who cares, at least I'll be happy! :)

For now the only big item on my to-do list is make a music CD for delivery. I have the one I used for Kaitlyn's birth ready, but I want a special one for this pregnancy too.