The time is drawing nigh!

Well, I am a very bad blogger. I just never seem to find the time to be online long enough to write anything. I am 35 weeks pregnant now. Gee, looking back it's gone by really fast. Actually it feels like I've been pregnant forever. I think it's because Eli's birth was still so fresh in my mind when this baby was conceived.

Last month Matthew was left at home while Eli and I visited my sister hoping to be there for the birth of her 4th baby. However, Trace was born the day before we got there. It was nice to be there for 2 weeks with a beautiful new baby boy. I had a really great time, but I think that Eli's cousins were ready to get rid of us after about a week. They loved us being there at first, but decided that having a toddler around wasn't always fun. They just aren't used to having to keep their little toys up and out of his reach. But everything worked out and I think that they will recover eventually. Maybe it was good practice for when Trace starts moving about.

I just had my home visit from our midwife, Carey. It was great! I love having people over and I love to show off a clean house. Everything seems to be in order. The birth kit is together, I have a bag packed for "just in case" hospital transport, and we were able to borrow a Softub pool for the birth. I'm not quite sure how to do the water chemicals. I read the directions, and we have some of the chemicals, but we need to purchase a few of them. I have the website to get the ones that are specially made for this brand of spa, but they're kind of expensive. Carey said that pool chemicals from Wal-mart would be the same thing and a lot cheaper. She is going to send me an easy to follow sheet that lists what we need to get and just what to do. So, after we get all that taken care of, all we have is the waiting. We are officially able to have a homebirth at 36 weeks. Eli was born at 37, but all babies are different. I may even go late, although Matthew doesn't think so. He's actually been worried that I won't make it to 36.

My biggest concern at this point (Carey's too) is that they baby will get "too" big. Obviously, I love food. Especially if it's loaded with sugar! Problem is, all that sugar will go straight to baby. I know that I am capable of giving birth to a 10 lb. baby, but why would I want to since it can be prevented? So, I've been cutting sugar out of my diet. No sweets, 1 fruit per day, no white starches, no dairy (although I really don't stick with that one). It's really hard to do. I haven't been great at it, but I'm managing. I just crave all the bad things! Also, I need to be eating more vegetables. I don't get nearly enough, maybe 1 or 2 a day when I really should have 6. I'm just not a big fan of cooked veggies. (Yes, they are supposed to be cooked, just not to death.) I do count raw ones because at least they are still vegetables. It's better than eating a doughnut!

I've been seeing a chiropractor for the past several weeks because my left hip has hurt so badly. He has does great! He specializes in applied kinesiology. (Visit this site for more info. http://www.icak.com/ It seemed to be pretty reliable.) I first had 4 visits really close together so he could evaluate everything and now I go once a week. I will be re-evaluated at my 12th appointment. That will be sometime later this month. I first met Dr. Moss at a Natural Living Expo in Des Moines. (It was such a neat event!) Matthew and I love the idea of natural foods and medicine, but sometime it's just so expensive. We're halfway there-natural birth, cloth diapers, breastfeeding, we're getting into natural medicines and alternative forms of treatment. It really is the food part that's more expensive.

So, for all of you that have read this entire thing...CONGRATULATIONS! Now, leave me a note by posting a comment. Maybe I'll even write back! Keep us in your prayers as the birth draws near.