36 weeks!

I went to H&M over the weekend to pick-up a few last minute tops I can wear as my belly continues to expand. For $5, I should have gotten 2 or 3 of these tops!

Last night we met with our doula and, once again, she instilled in us a sense of confidence and calm.  I was telling Matt that regardless of how my labor turns out, the fact that I'm not stressed about it or fearful, has made Cheryl (the doula) worth every penny.  We keep hearing over and over again that there are 2 things that can really work against you in labor:  fear and fatigue.  I'm not scared.  Fighting fatigue will be the biggest battle.

Beautiful weekend, less back pain! Oh, and the ridiculous daycare situation in this city.

Ever since yoga ended, my back pain has lessened significantly.  I hate to think yoga was the cause because I'm pretty sure it's supposed to work the opposite way.  I ran on the treadmill 4 times this week and once outside and no back pain!  Hmmmm. 

Several months ago I joined two different listservs for mothers in the Seattle area.  One of the listservs is extremely active with dozens of new messages everyday.  The messages range from items for sale to parenting advice to compiles of commonly used services (babysitters, nannies, cleaners, etc.).  Already the community has proven invaluable.  I learned of a new home daycare center a few block from our house on the listserv.  I'd never seen it advertised or mentioned anywhere else.  We plan to take a tour tomorrow and get on their waitlist.  (We ran by today to check-out the neighborhood and the house.) 

We're currently on about 7 daycare waitlists with no guarantee that there will be any availability for us in January 2011 (one year out from when we got on these lists!).  Daycare in this city costs anywhere from $1500/mo on the low end to $2000/mo on the high end.  At this point, we've invested about $200+ getting on these waitlists and it's really frustrating that no one will commit to us.  A couple of months ago, we started considering the possibility of a nanny share.  Earlier this week, I posted a message to one of the listservs asking if there are other families in the area interested in a nanny share. I've received a few responses, which is a great sign.  It means that even if we don't have the situation figured out by the time Tray arrives, there are definitely other families in our situation!  And now I have them on my radar and I'm on theirs!

Another recent benefit of the listserv:  I scored a bag of around 8 parenting/newborn care books for free!  Most of them had never even been cracked open and several were already on our to-buy list!  I love free stuff.  We've given away enough free stuff in the last several years that it felt good when the karma came back around. 

We had a lovely sunny weekend.  It wasn't all that warm, but boy that sun felt good.  Now it's chocolate chip cookie time.  And tacos for dinner.  A perfect ending to a really nice weekend!

Books we're reading

Pretty much the moment we found out I was pregnant, we started investigating pregnancy books. Our OB discouraged us from reading the ultra-popular What to Expect... There's a nurse line at the OB and you can call anytime with questions or concerns. Our OB said that the women who call the nurse line repeatedly freaked out by something they've read are, more often than not, reading What to Expect... So we scratched that one off the list.

We ended up with 2 serious pregnancy books: The Mayo Clinic book and another pregnancy bible titled The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby. Both are totally sufficient in providing straightforward scientific information about pregnancy, labor, and newborns. The Mayo Clinic book is very well-written and does a great job of providing the latest statistics, which we both appreciate. My only complaint about the Mayo Clinic book is that the index isn't very good. For example, you can't look-up simple words in the terms you'd naturally think of. The Unofficial Guide on the other hand has a wonderful index, which partially makes up for what I'd otherwise consider mediocre writing.

We've also picked up some fun books:

• The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy -- I'm not loving this book. I especially dislike how much she discourages exercise during pregnancy! She goes as far as to say that it won't help you during labor when, in fact, there have been many scientific studies that prove that exercise can help during labor. I also get a very distinct vibe that she's a man-hater. :)
• The Pregnancy Countdown -- This is a pocket-sized book full of fun facts and funny anecdotes. It provides the usual information like what's happening to your baby, your body, etc. in a page-a-day format. But it's the random stuff I'm learning that is especially enjoyable. For example, I know it's only a matter of time before I can no longer see my feet. But that should not preclude me from continuing to enjoy a once-a-month pedicure! I just may want to consider toe nail polish in colors I know others will enjoy.
• Nursery Style -- I LOVE decorating so it's no surprise that I can't wait to decorate the nursery. The styles in this book are a little polished for my taste but the advice about color, choosing furniture, etc. is fabulous.
• Babies' Rooms: From Zero to Three -- Another great nursery design book, but this one really focuses on how to design a room and choose pieces that will grow with your child.

In another couple of months, we'll have to dive into books about labor (not looking forward to that) and newborns. If you have recommendations for recently published books (last 3 years or so) on those topics, please leave a comment.