Preggers Update

Heather is doing well. She's still going to work these days and still feels great. As I've said many times, she's doing an incredible job making Ava Tallulah!

We're both having some trouble sleeping lately. Heather's trouble is understandable... she's a few weeks away from giving birth. Mine isn't as understandable. With the summer months the air conditioner seems to be working all night and not necessarily maintaining the correct temperature. Heather and I have always been sensitive to night temp. We've thrown out a number of comforters because they just didn't create the right sleeping conditions. We have huge mounds of pillows in the bed to help Heather get comfortable, although those didn't bother us over the last few months. I think we're both just a little anxious and ready to meet Ava.

Heather hasn't felt any large Braxton-Hicks contractions yet. She thinks that maybe she's felt some minor ones. BH contractions are involuntary and train the muscles that will be involved in birth. They generally start a few weeks before the baby is delivered but, like everything with this pregnancy thing, it's individual.

She has experienced some "dropping" of the baby. Or "lightening." This is where the baby begins to descend slightly in the womb, setting up for delivery. The great thing about this is that it gets Ava off of Heather's lungs, heart and stomach. She's able to breathe a little more easily now. Last night she was able to eat a bunch without getting that painful feeling that she's been getting for the last few months.

Heather looks great. Her skin glows and she is clearly excited about having Ava Tallulah. She spends time getting the nursery in order and going through baby catalogs... both things she would have probably sworn to never do. She's been going to the now-weekly doctor's appointments and checking out as perfect.

I'm not on Baby Watch yet... I'll probably start late next week. We still haven't packed the delivery bag or the post-delivery bag. Need to do that. Once I go on Baby Watch I'll need to know where Heather is at all times and have a cell phone on me.

How am I doing? Thanks for asking. I'm still feeling like I'm not providing a solid enough financial base for the new fam. This doesn't dissuade me from my entreprenurial ways as I expect them to pay off in the end. But it does raise much concern for the next few years while the business grows into itself.

There's a good bit of trepidation on my part regarding my parenting skills. On the one hand I know that by being a good person and setting a good example I'll be a good parent. On the other hand I fear the notion that a parent can make decisions that dramatically affect the quality of life of their offspring. I want the best for Ava and don't want to make those big mistakes. On the rational side I know we'll be great parents and that a child is the culmination of years of leadership, not single events. On the emotional side I worry.

So that's the preggers update for today.