But baby whales are cute, right?

I hope so, because I'm the size of one. Here's a picture of me at around 38 weeks; I'm now 40 weeks and counting! (I will say, this photo is deceptive...my belly is really much bigger than it looks!)

Anyway, truth be told, I've temporarily lost interest in blogs--my blog, other peoples' blogs, the whole deal. My computer time's been slashed, so I've been going behind the blogosphere's back, and getting my "fix" over on Facebook. I don't consider myself to be an instant gratification person, but for a busy mom who only gets a few minutes at a time to hop online, FB gets me the quick updates. It doesn't give me the writing outlet I need, though, so I'm sure I'll be back to blogging once things get settled in with the new baby.

Speaking of which, you may have noticed I'm a couple of days past due. Oddly, I'm perfectly fine with that. I think the fear of impending pain outweighs any anxiety I have over wanting to get it over with. I've never been one to want to hurry labor along; they'll come when they're good and ready. Every extra day is just additional time to cash in on the unusual productive streaks that hit me as birth approaches. I'm wondering if my hubby's ulterior motives for wanting a big family have anything to do with knowing that his wife is suddenly uber-efficient on projects that I've been procrastinating on for months (or years)?

Our first two kids were a week early, and our third one was ten days late. So we'll see what this little guy does. This pregnancy has had some differences from the first three:

*The worst of the "morning" sickness was far more intense, but also shorter, this time.

*Even after the vomiting, etc. ended, I've felt a somewhat constant sense of indigestion throughout the pregnancy.

*My round ligaments have brought some really fun excruciating pain at random times, usually during the night.

*Varicose veins have made their debut on my legs, but I've been told they can disappear again after birth? We'll see.

Whoa...that list sounds like a whine-bag wrote it! So here are some good things:

*The timing of the pregnancy was new, and I got to be over the sickness just in time for the holidays, which made me really enjoy them.

*I've had no anxiety whatsoever this time about adding another child to the mix. I guess by number four, you realize the logistics will all work themselves out, and the new baby factor doesn't seem as daunting. I think it will be fun!

*The kids are all really looking forward to the baby. Even the youngest, who's not quite 2.5, loves to talk to him, tell me how cute he is, and says she can't wait to hold him and love on him.



My doctor just left town for a few days, and Garfield secured some work that he'd like to complete this week, so we'll be very happy if the baby decides to stay put until at least this weekend. But of course, whenever the Lord says it's time to meet our newest one, we'll be thrilled to do so! In the meantime, I'll just keep resting and nesting, and enjoying the other three.

Here are some random pics of the last month:

My birthday dinner date at The Vineyards


Garfield and the kids, having a blast in the kiddie pool