Is it hot in here...

...or am I just 9 months pregnant?

During my last month of pregnancy with Daniel I remember that I always felt hot, an interesting change of pace for me given that I'm usually the one who's cold when everyone else is comfortable.  But it was also July in Texas so I thought well, maybe it'll be different having my 9th month in January. 

It turns out it's not.  Oh it's fine when I'm outside, but my desk is inside, where the heater is on.  I've been going to work in short sleeve tops and flip flops just like I was that summer before Daniel.  I wear a heavy coat to walk to and from the car but at my desk I'm always hot.  The other day I overheard one woman telling a coworker that it was so cold at her desk she had to wrap up in a blanket.  I wanted to follow her to her desk and ask if I could sit there to cool down!

Add it to the list of 9th month discomforts.  Between the broken internal thermostat, round the clock heartburn, pelvic, rib, and lower back pain, bladder pressure, and fatigue, this will surely not go down as my favorite month of pregnancy.  But every day that passes is a day that brings me closer to meeting our baby, and fortunately I'm so busy right now that the days are passing pretty quickly.

This is how we nest
It's said that pregnant women often engage in nesting behavior as the due date draws nearer, cleaning, preparing the house, and organizing.  Well, if you're a Type A personality like me, you take nesting to a whole different level:

First the baby-related items:
- getting the baby's room ready
- washing our baby bottles and stripping (deep cleaning) the small sized cloth diapers
- mending some of the diapers whose velcro tabs have worn out
- writing out a detailed "who to call" list for Kevin to follow as labor progresses
- arranging several levels of backup care for Daniel and writing out care instructions for him
- packing the hospital bags (small one for labor and delivery, bigger one for recovery) and putting a bag in my car with towel and change of clothes in case my water breaks while I'm away from home
- meeting with doula and working out our game plan
- lining up birth photographer
- making and freezing extra meals to eat in the weeks after baby arrives
- writing draft "the baby's here!" email so I can just fill in the details and hit send on the day of instead of having to dig around for everyone's email address

But why settle for just focusing on baby-specific tasks when you can also:
- lead your HOA board through a management change
- refinance your house
- shop for new living room furniture
- stay super-busy at work and even do a little overtime (though now that we're full-term I've hopped off that train)

And of course, I'm enjoying my last weeks with Daniel and Kevin while we're a family of 3.

I'm sure some people like to spend their last weeks relaxing, and I certainly plan to do some of that.  But in general I'm happier when I'm busier and it certainly makes the 9th month easier to bear when it is moving quickly.