The Realities are Starting to Sink In Even More!

So I am 24 weeks or 6 months (if you are counting the traditional way, which most people do) today.

I am definitely wearing maternity clothes or bigger-than-normal regular clothes at this point (mostly just shirts in that category) and feeling the baby move all the time.

Aaron's cousin and his wife had a baby last week and, looking at the pictures, I was very excited to know that was going to be us soon--and a little jealous that they were already there. Although, I have so much to do before the baby is born, I'm not that worried about it.

One thing I realized this week, though, was just how infrequently I will be able to go and do fun things with just my husband. We won't really be able to just take off and go do something me and him. I started to get a little scared and worried about it because we don't have family around, so we don't even have the option of dropping off the baby with the grandparents and going to do something together or with other people, if we are invited out. Our options will instead be: 1) One of us goes, 2) We pay for someone to watch the baby, or 3) we bring the baby. For most situations in the evening, #3 really won't work... Not in a nice restaurant or in a bar, anyway. On the plus side, I'm compiling lists of fun things we can do with the baby during the day and reminding myself we can still do some evening things with the baby--just not as many and not as often.

But, I'm mourning my loss of freedom a bit right now and realizing that I must LIVE IT UP NOW! While I still can...

Other new baby developments include:
* We start the Bradley Method birthing class next week and I'm reading The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. That part I've been thinking about for awhile, but realizing that if the baby was accidentally born early, like right around now, she might be able to survive, is putting it into perspective.
* My cousin also sent us a big box of baby toys--overwhelming!
* We bought our plane tickets back to the Midwest and the South for Christmas where we will have baby showers and such.
* I scheduled a new parenting class and a breastfeeding class
* I'm starting to think about meal planning for after the baby is born so that I can still eat healthy and hopefully do so without breaking the bank.
* We learned about our new benefits coming out in January and I learned what it will cost me to have a baby and had to think through what will happen to add the baby to our insurance when she is born.

The realities of all the Dr's appointments the baby will need and that I'm going to be giving birth a short 2 months after the new year and that my maternity leave starts in just 3 months or less is starting to make it all seem real. Really real. I just hope I can get everything ready in time!