On Pregnancy at 40

So by now you know I’m all preggers and we’re expecting a baby girl in April. That puts me at 29 weeks “gone” today and I have to say this has been a fantastic experience.  I feel absolutely fabulous!  Yes, I’m a bit uncomfortable at times and I’ve bulked out and not in the muscular way gymaniacs go for. I’ve experienced the achy back, finger welling, heartburn, sleeplessness and the occasional crankiness that comes with the territory of growing a baby, but the rewards have been amazing. 

I’m so excited to have been given the chance to start a new life.  Derek gets to be a Daddy for the first time and I know he’ll be the BEST. He’s already a great step-dad.  Nigel will get to experience being the big brother instead of the baby of the family and I know he’ll be a hero in his little sister’s eyes.  Jacob gets to participate on a level his 17 year old self doesn’t really care about or appreciate right now, but maybe, just maybe he’ll think about his actions and not end up a teenage daddy himself.  There’s nothing like a squalling infant to make a teenager think, right?

At 6 & ½ months our little girl is a real presence already.  We can all feel her move, kick, squirm and hiccup.  She tells us what she wants for dinner (through Mommy, of course… she loves pad thai and ice cream!)  We have great pictures from the 3-D ultrasound that give us a real chance to visualize how she looks.  We can tell she has her daddy’s hairline!  And hair…hence the heartburn I’ve been experiencing if the old wives tales are true. 

This pregnancy has been the easiest of my three…no morning sickness, no anxiety or fear, no edema, no crying jags, good energy, a wonderfully supportive husband, family and friends…hell, I can’t even go the grocery store and unload my own cart.  Even total strangers have been super nice to me.  People I barely knew have gone out of their way to reach out to me and give me super useful things like maternity clothes and baby equipment FOR FREE.  I am completely overwhelmed by the kindness I’ve received and plan to pay it forward when I get the chance.

Just 2 & ½ months left, 11 weeks or so if the due date is right, and we’ve painted the nursery PINK, of course.  We’ll be putting the crib together this weekend and getting everything set up, registering for baby party gifts (no cake and mint SHOWERS thank you, this is my 3^rd child after all, but we will celebrate with friends and family… beer and wine WILL be served even if I don’t partake!)  We can do what we want, how we want…that’s one of the nice things about having a baby later in life….we really don’t care what we’re “supposed to do”.  It’s liberating! We’re almost there, entering the home stretch and have nothing but good thoughts, eager anticipation and happiness in our hearts ready to welcome her into the world.

I sure can’t wait for little miss Kensley to get here and to introduce her to all the family and friends who are eagerly awaiting her arrival.  We’ll see you soon, sweetie!

 

I'm not just getting fat....

So being knocked up at 40 is a bit intimidating.  We had hoped it would happen a couple years ago because 37 or 38 seems a lot younger than 40, but there it is.  It didn’t happen then and I really had gotten used to the thought that it wouldn’t.  I was sort of planning a ski trip this winter (well, they can ski, I’d shop, sightsee and drink hot cocoa), and toying with a scuba diving excursion this fall or early spring.  Those plans have gone right out the window, right along with our sanity. 

My boys are 16 and 12 respectively, and that’s a long time in between siblings, not to mention a long time since I changed a diaper, had to get up every couple of hours to nurse a baby, deal with bottles, diaper bags, teething rings, belly gas, spit up, stepping on toys and all that jazz.  Derek’s never done it, so we’re both in for a bit of a shocker.  The kids’ reactions were priceless.  I got a, “holy shit, mom….oh, uh, sorry…wow” from my 12 year old, Nigel, followed by an incoherent “uhhhhhhhhh, ohhhhhhhhhh, hmmmmmmmm, uh, that’s great, Mom” from my 16 year old son, Jacob.  Nigel then told me he would teach him how to skateboard “really good.”  When pointed out his brother might actually be a sister, he said he’d teach her anyway and he was happy about it.  He was all grins as he was sheepishly and tenderly handling the ultrasound pictures.

The ultrasound we had on Tuesday really made this pregnancy real for us.  A picture is worth a thousand words, especially a moving picture showing a strong heartbeat, arms and legs and hands and feet, tiny little eyes and a great big head.  An ultrasound really is a miracle of science.  I kind of half believed this was true until I saw that little baby in making with my own two eyes.  It’s still amazing at 40. I’m glad I’m not that jaded, yet.

Everything is looking great. So far, so good!  I’m 13 weeks along and Baby Conrad, whom we have dubbed “the pickle”, will make his or her appearance sometime around April 6, 2012. I haven’t had any morning sickness; only some slight 4pm nausea, and I’m tired and draggy, but otherwise I feel fine.  I miss wine and sushi. My Weight Watchers/dieting is on hold for now, so don't think I'm just getting fat. I'm getting fat for a reason!