35 weeks...and i'm growing out of my maternity clothes

okay, now we have a problem. even my maternity clothes are getting snug! they have these great panels for your belly, for those who don't know. however, they do not have panels for your hips or thighs! that's becoming a bit of a problem!

i went on a tour of the maternity ward today. yeah, talk about a dose of reality. i have committed to quit using the phrase "i might go into labour". as in, "well, when we go to brighton this weekend i might go into labour". although technically correct, i need to get to grips with the fact that i am really going to go into labour at some time. anyway, it helped relieve some of my anxiety of giving birth in this strange health care world! they have these cool balls, like the ones in vogue at the gyms now, i guess it is some new fangled "labour without drugs" thing. they also have birthing pools, which look like a cross between a bathtub and a jacuzzi. right now i am definitely leaning in that direction! but i think it could just be that i have watched one too many cribs episodes and am picturing sipping cristal (i mean sparkling cider...of course!) while chillin...somehow i don't think that is what the birthing pools are about! anyway, it all seems fine.

have i mentioned that i keep my own medical file? that is actually very cool. it makes me feel very much in control, which i really like! today at the hospital they said we should be carrying them with us all the time...when i go shopping, to the movies, work, church...whatever! so, like, i have to take my notes when i go for a check up, they don't keep them at the hospital. the idea is that way if anything happens, i have my own info and can go in to the closest hospital and get help immediately, they won't have to track down my info. it felt a little strange at first, but now i really like it, it helps me feel better prepared. i also think it promotes an ownership of your own medical care by putting the responsibility back on you, rather than the old school way of just blindly following whatever your doctor says.

in nursery news, we have made big progress! yea, us! we have a room almost completely painted. that is all tim, he didn't seem to want my help. something about the fact that i don't bend well, shouldn't really be standing on ladders and such, plus the fumes and the two of us trying to paint in the smallest bedroom you have ever seen in your life...i think he thought he could work faster without me! anyway, it is khaki and cute! we were able to commit to painting because we committed to curtains. okay, we definitely got stuck on that step! we got these cute green curtains with dragon flies and dotted lines tracing they have flown. we did not cope well with the limitless selection of baby decor available! plus i think we fell a little bit into the whole "how well we do this room shows how much we love our baby" syndrome. but, i am happy to say, we have returned to normal, rational thinking...for a bit anyway! we bought a new chest of drawers (to be stained to match the crib). we decided that is something she will need the rest of her life, so we kinda made that a priority. we also bought this bouncy chair. it's kinda like a rocker but takes up much less space and it is possible to sit upright in it (which, it seems, is better for feeding), unlike a rocker where you automatically lean back. so, our next steps are touch up painting (tim!), hem curtains (tailor!), and stain the chest (probably also tim). then we can start putting it in the room and getting the detail stuff (sheets, mobile, storage, pictures) to put in there plus the real stuff (diapers, wipes, clothes).

i go back for another scan and non-achievement test this week...so here's hoping sheniqua and i do great (i am hopeless!).