Home stretch

I've got about a month to go, give or take, for this pregnancy.  Things are going pretty well.  I had some trouble with my back in the past few weeks, but it's been getting steadily better with regular visits to the chiropractor such that I feel quite functional - which is good!  I had a few really bad days - one where I was nearly immobilized.  I got up from the couch one evening (my back had already been hurting a lot) and I could not even stand up straight.  I had to crawl up the stairs.  I rated that as a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 for pain when I saw the chiropractor, and I'd say the pain is no higher than a 2 now, when it hurts, which is not all the time.  (Yay!)

Over the past several months, I have battled multiple colds and sicknesses.  This is very atypical for me.  I usually characterize myself as one who gets maybe one or two colds per year, tops.  This year, I've had at least six!  (And at least one sickness that was worse than a cold, the one right before Christmas.)  It's been frustrating to fall sick so often.  Pregnancy in general is supposed to lower one's immune system, so it could be partly for that reason (although I never got sick so many times during my other pregnancies.)  Anemia can also weaken one's immune system, so maybe that has had something to do with it too.  Anyways, I hope I can stay disease free until the baby is several months old.  That would be nice!

The only other notable thing right now is that when my iron was checked a few weeks ago, it was low at a 9.8, so I've been dutifully supplementing with Floradix ever since.  As well as several other things I am trying to consume on a regular basis.  I feel as though I spend a lot of time and energy making sure I eat or take this or that so often, but not in conjunction with things that block their absorption, etc etc (especially the iron.)  In addition to drastically cutting back on my grain consumption (I've started eating a few servings here and there to see how it goes), I've started to take in about a cup of kefir (i.e. probiotics) every day - both milk kefir and water kefir, which means making a special concoction at least a couple of times a day b/c I mix them with other tastier liquids.  So it's a bit of a process, rather tedious at times.  I think it is helping my issues and health in general, though, so I am trying to stay motivated and keep up with it all.

As a birth center client, I have to have a medical check up at the end of my pregnancy to get the proverbial permission slip signed that I am in fact a low-risk candidate who may give birth at the birth center.  I've just recently had this appointment, but the P.A. just wants to see my iron levels in the double digits before he signs it, so I'll have to get that checked next time I see the midwife and hopefully it will be satisfactory!

Somewhat aside from pregnancy news, I have been working with some other people to plan a celebration for the Feast of St. Joseph at our parish.  (I can't recall if I mentioned this in the past.)  Given that my due date is so close to that feast day, we couldn't plan to have anything at our house as we have the past couple of years.  And in fact, I cannot even plan on attending this year's event either!  But I am happy to have a part in growing the celebration and devotion beyond a few families that can fit inside our house and I hope that our first year at the parish is a success and that it will become a perpetual tradition at St. Vincent's.

If I am still pregnant, I will most likely attend.  If I've had the baby, I'm hoping Michael will still be able to go with the other kids.  He's supposed to be assembling the St. Joseph's altar, so I really hope that works out!  (We should probably have a back up plan though!)

This also will probably be the first year since Mom's death that I won't be able to lead any Seders for the Faith Formation classes at St. Matthew's.  They usually have them toward the end of March, so I won't be able to make any commitments during that time.  Such is life!

I think some nesting instincts are starting to set in, as well as the simple fact that I have a looming deadline ahead of me to get some important things accomplished! (such as getting all our documents assembled for tax filing.)  I got our home and auto insurance switched last week for what should be almost $900 savings per year!  (Poo poo on you Nationwide!)

Feb 19, 2013  (36 weeks or so)