39 & 40 weeks

Another 2-in-1, since I didn't get it done last week. I just want to talk for a moment about where we took these photos. (I mean, look at that beautiful red rock! *scroll down*)

We were on a Sunday drive, on 89-A through Oak Creek Canyon between Flagstaff and Sedona (it's a seriously gorgeous drive). We kept looking for somewhere to pull over, and were getting a lot further than we'd planned, but finally I spotted it. Encinoso Picnic Site. The green, the red rocks, it was so beautiful.

It kind of became a goal as I got into taking these weekly photos to also show some of the natural beauty of where we've been living. Because usually, when people think about Arizona, they think of extreme heat, huge cactus, scorpion-filled desert. But there is so much more to this state. Maybe I haven't done the best job at showing it, but I hope I've shared  bit more of what this state has to offer.

So, the due date has come and gone. S was 4 days early, C was born on his due date, N was born in the early morning of the second day past his date. Z was 10 days late, and E was 16 days past her date. Who knows how long this little lady will wait. My hope was to make it, at the very least, to the official first day of autumn. We're so close!

I'm still feeling pretty good, for the most part. Except, we took the kids to get shoes recently, and I was squatting to feel where their toes were in the shoes they tried. I've been sore ever since. It started out as the upper thigh, then moved to the inner thighs and hips.

I'm still sleeping well, haven't been waking up as early as I had been - which is bitter-sweet. I loved my quiet mornings, but I'm also loving the sleep. It's just rough when is time to get up, because my soreness makes me so stiff first thing in the morning. I zombie-stumble from bed to the bathroom and through the first part of my morning. It's uncomfortable, but also kind of hilarious. I'm sure I look ridiculous. Ha ha.

I finally got around to pulling out and washing some baby laundry, so little lady won't be naked. I just packed my bag to take to the birth center last night. It had been a work in progress for most of the last week, but it wasn't until last night that I managed to finish it. 

I still feel like there's more I need to get done, so I find myself hoping for some last-minute panic/burst of nesting energy to help me get the last little things done. At the same time, I'm feeling like we're as ready as we'll ever be. All the big stuff is done. The house is mostly tidy  (that's a mix of tidy and lived-in), I've installed the car seat, my bag is packed. I think the biggest thing left to do is a shopping trip to fill our fridge and cupboards, and I'm planning to do that today, after my midwife visit. 

It kind of feels surprising, to realize were basically ready for this little lady's arrival. It felt so daunting to prepare, and it always felt so far away. But here we are, at the point where she could come literally any day. It's surreal. And the truth is, despite all my attempts to work through my fears, I'm feeling terrified. I guess I've still got some work to do, after all.