last week

On Tuesday, Cole and I attended storytime at the local library for the first time. Cole has always enjoyed books, and I thought it would give him some practice sitting still with a group of children. He was visibly nervous at first and he sat on my lap in the chair closest to the door. The librarian started with some dopey Raffi song, which did nothing to soothe Cole's jitters. She then invited the kids to sit on the floor close to her, and about half the kids did, but Cole chose to cling to my neck.

One little boy stood out as the troublemaker in the group, and thankfully his mom removed him pretty quickly. He stole the librarian's props and even ripped a horse puppet off her arm and later took away her book. He was a real treat, but at least he left quickly before he inspired others to follow along.

After 2 stories about apples, the librarian set up a simple craft of construction paper trees and pom-pom apples with glue for the kids to decorate. Cole leapt from my lap to take his place on the floor and it was clearly his favorite part of storytime. Once I take a picture of his creation, I'll add it to this post.

As for me, I had a check-up on Thursday, and I'm still at 2 cm, but the Bean has dropped down. I don't look any different though because there just isn't enough space in my torso for it to be noticeable. I'm battling swollen feet again, but I'm otherwise fine. It could be any day now, and since I'm on borrowed time, everything has more urgency. I've been working harder and planning ahead as much as I can.

After my doctor appointment we went to the party store to pick up supplies for Cole's birthday next month. Since his big day is only 2 weeks after my due date, and the nearest party store is an hour away, I'm trying to do what I can now. Cole's chosen a Spongebob theme and he was excited to pick out his invitations, plates and decorations. Today I ordered the rest of the decorations and goodie bag stuffers from Oriental Trading Company. I want his birthday to be an extra big celebration for him since he'll be adjusting to life as a big brother.

On Friday, we had a playdate at the park with a mom Tony had met and her 2 girls. Her oldest is the same age as Cole and they had a blast together. She's a sweet girl and they played pretend games and followed each other all over the playground. Her other daughter is 3 months, and Cole played with her in her stroller too. It was so sweet to watch. He tickled her and played with her toes, and he jiggled her mobile for her to make her smile. I think he's ready for his new role.

Making progress

Quick update: I'm currently at 37 weeks, 2 cm dilated, and 70% effaced. This is new for me because I didn't dilate at all with Cole until I was in active labor. I'm trying not to get too excited because I've heard the stories of women walking around at 3+ for weeks, but it is progress. I finished packing our bags this weekend.

Back in July during a week of 100 degree temperatures, a friend asked if I had reached the uncomfortable stage. I replied that I thought that I had. Now I realize there's a second uncomfortable stage...one where I make other people uncomfortable. 2 weekends ago, we went out for lunch and then to the grocery store. Upon entering the store, a clerk offering soup samples greeted me with "Whoa!", and then ran over to ask me when I was due and what I was having. He was nice about and wished me luck, but it was more attention than I would have liked. People openly stared while we shopped and in case you think I'm paranoid, Tony noticed it too. While looking for a check-out line, a young mom with a 3-6 month old in a car seat carrier, announced loudly, "I didn't stick out that bad when I was pregnant." Yeah, thanks for sharing.

I don't know if people are afraid I'm going to go into labor within seconds or where the fear comes from, but there's no reason for the rudeness.