One Day Closer

We spent our Sunday in Buckeye, AZ which is halfway to California. Seriously. It's far. But it was SO worth it because our teeny tiny nephew, Jack, lives in Buckeye. This was Aravis and Judah's first time meeting Jack. He's been around for three weeks now, but we keep getting sick and definitely didn't want to expose a newborn to our germs. We are now happily germ free and spent our day snuggling the cutest little man.

One more bonus was hanging out with Joe's sister Melanie. Now that they live so far away we rarely get to see her and it was SO fun to sit and talk with her again. I keep hoping they will move closer to us so the cousins can all grow up next door to each other. Sounds perfect, right? ;)

I am also on day six of hard and painful braxton hicks contractions. I'm having a lot of pre-labor stuff going on in my body and it's been exhausting. As of Monday I wasn't dilated at all, but Daisy's head was good and low. Since Tuesday I've been waking up all night long with pressure and hard contractions (which don't progress - they just keep me awake) and spending every day exhausted and contracting.

This is my third pregnancy so I know by now that this is NOT labor, just my body preparing for labor. It's taking it's toll on me though. I've finally realized that my job between now and Daisy's arrival is to intentionally rest and nourish my body. I remember how terrified I was to birth Judah simply because I hadn't had anything to eat. I KNEW I didn't have the energy to push him out and was so scared to even attempt it. So, for now, I'm going to eat and rest. :)

I'm so thankful for how supportive my family is right now. This is such a fragile time for all of us. All of the processing over the past 8 months have brought me here to these last few days/weeks. The most traumatic part of my pregnancy with Judah was the birth, so I am really aware of how easily turned I am right now. One moment I am so at peace and ready to softly bring my girl into our family, and the next I am reliving the circumstances of my last pregnancy.

In THIS moment though, I am relaxed and ready. I am watching Daisy's little limbs roll under my belly and I can't wait to hold her - no matter what the price. She is the promise at the very end of this long pregnancy. She is the reward. She is worth every painful braxton hicks contraction. She is worth all of the uncomfortable pelvic pressure. She is worth every backache. She is worth tired feet and migraines. She is worth it all.

One more day down. One more day closer to holding Daisy.