catching up

This last week the countdown entered single digits, and as of tomorrow we are at the "eight weeks to go" point. It is strange to find myself, after months of being hyper vigilant about PTL, now starting to not only see the probability that we will make it those eight weeks, but perhaps even go beyond. I now find myself worrying about all of the other things that could go wrong. Since there is no evidence of any of those things I am usually able to assuage my fears fairly quickly.

I saw the Peri this week and all looked great. My cervix is still long (3.5 cm) and closed--no funneling. And based on how well things have gone and still appear to be going, he told me that I don't need to come back! So that felt like a huge milestone--knowing that we are at a point where the Little Guy would most likely be able to breathe on his own should things take an unexpected turn.

Yesterday we went shopping and came home with this:

Mothership is throwing me a shower at the end of the month and yesterday we also picked up invitations and other things for the shower, which are all in my car. Last night I found myself feeling really low, when lately I've been feeling really good. While it is exciting to get good news, move into a "safer" part of the pregnancy, buy things for the baby, plan a (gulp) shower...it is also very REAL, very scary.

Oh, and tomorrow we start a series of childbirth preparation classes. I found the teacher when I was looking for Hypnobirthing classes. She doesn't do Hypnobirthing, but teaches from the Birthing from Within philosophy. I've read the book and while I wouldn't place myself too far to that end of the spectrum (in regards to "natural" childbirth vs. "gimme everything you've got") I like the holistic approach to birthing that it espouses. Something that is really attractive to me is that it will give Mr. C and I an opportunity to honor this time leading up to the birth, to acknowledge our feelings and how our lives are changing. The class will be small, just three couples total, and will be held here at our home. Originally I looked into the classes that the hospitals in our area offer, but they just seemed too clinical to me. Besides, hospitals make Mr. C really uncomfortable and that is not what this should be about.

And speaking of Mr. C, he is still holding out on the name decision. Just when I thought we had come to an agreement, he has thrown another option (perhaps two) into the mix. That doesn't mean that we won't go back to the name we had pretty much agreed upon, but it does mean that it is still up in the air for a while. I think he might be doing this just because he finds the whole process to be fun. Whatever the reason, it does keep me honest when I tell people that we don't know. Since it seems that even if we decide "for sure" he may still change his mind, I won't be disclosing the Little Guy's name until after he is born.