Munchkin's Shower & Eviction Notice

Before I get to munchkin's eviction notice part, lets talk baby showers. When I first started sharing my journey with everyone a few months back, I had a coworker come to me and ask if she could throw a baby shower for the intended mother (IM), munchkin and in some ways for me as well. It was such a thoughtful thing for her to offer, and the IM said that she would love it, so my wonderful coworker set to work at creating a one-of-a-kind baby shower for us.

Here is the adorable invitation:

With the beautiful hostess, "B", and munchkin's mama...

The shower was a lot of fun! We played a few games (none of which I was any good at), they guessed how big around my belly was (some apparently think I am HUGE), and we ate some yummy snacks and cupcakes. Munchkin got presents and... so did I! I surely wasn't expecting to get gifts, but it was so nice to be thought of. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life. Some of who even made a two hour drive to attend a shower for a baby that is not even one of my own. :) They rock! 


Five days after the shower I had another doctor's appointment, which munchkin's mama made it to as well. Everything looked great, as usual, with both munchkin and myself. I only gained a pound since my last appointment, the week prior, hooray! Total weight gain so far is 40lbs. My uterus was measuring on track. The doctor also explained that because the baby's weight at birth is also based on the parent's DNA, munchkin may not be as giant of a baby as my own two children were at birth. The thought of delivering ONLY a 7lb-ish baby sounds GREAT to me! We did have an ultrasound right after seeing the doctor, to get munchkin's measurements. But of course, the tech can never reveal the results to you right there, so we have to wait for the doctor to review them and get back to us. Also, I was 3cm dilated last week at my appointment, but my cervix was still very, very thick and high. I see my doctor again this afternoon and hope to be progressing a little bit more. We shall see. 

Another big surprise at this doctor's appointment was that my doc offered to induce me EARLY, at 39 weeks. My official due date is still Sunday, February 17th, and my doctor happens to be on call at the hospital on Sunday, February 10th. Although there is no medical reason to induce munchkin early, my doctor offered so I said, "You want to take him 7 days early? Well, you don't need to tell me twice, sign me up!" So yea, purely for convenience purposes and to be able to have it be MY doctor who delivers the baby are my reasons for going in early. I was induced with my 2nd child, though he was 5 days late and needed to get the heck out of dodge! His induction went very well, and my labor was about the same length as my first, about 12-13 hours. So I am hoping for another smooth labor and delivery with munchkin, and that despite evicting him a few days early, that he is ready to meet his parents and cooperates with the medicine. I know his parents are VERY ready and excited to meet him! 

Here's our last shot of munchkin at 37 weeks, 5 days:

  
Physically I am also very ready for munchkin's arrival. I'm still working, so sitting for 8 hours at a computer takes its toll after a while on your back. I also learned that you can apparently develop temporary carpal tunnel symptoms during the last few weeks of your pregnancy as you start to retain more fluids. Which explains why my left thumb and hand have been hurting for the past couple weeks. Luckily, it's not too bad, and I only experience moments of pain - turning door knobs, typing, etc. For the most part all three of my pregnancies have been fairly identical, but this was a new surprising symptom for sure.  

Emotionally I am so excited to meet munchkin and even more thrilled to see his parents expressions has they meet their son for the first time. They are two of the most loving, caring, wonderful people I have ever met, and they deserve every ounce happiness that munchkin will bring them.  

This journey was not something that I had known I wanted to do for very long. The idea came very quickly to me, and the whole process went fast. Hard to believe it's only been 13 months since I first signed up with CSP! But the fact that the journey was so smooth, and that we were successful on the very first transfer, makes me feel as though this was meant to be all along. 

And as the journey comes to an end, I do have moments of sadness. My part is over. The excitement of something to look forward to will be over as well. But I am hopeful that my IPs will remain in contact and that I will get to watch munchkin grow and be very well taken care of by his amazing parents. That gives me more joy than anything. And to keep myself busy, for my next "project", I plan to start training for a 10K race in the fall. I can get my pre-baby body back and keep busy at the same time. Win win! 

Up next: I hope I am not being an awful landlord, but munchkin's receiving his early eviction notice on Sunday at 7am!!! :) Fingers crossed for a restful nights sleep on Saturday, and for an easy labor. Thank you everyone for your support, it means so much to me. More to come after munchkin's arrival. 

~The Baby Fairy