36 days.

The countdown has begun and I'm ready to knock a few days of the clock. Back in the early days of our family planning discussions, Dave and I agreed without much ado that we would have more than one child. But there the discussion stopped. There is a little sadness knowing that these may well be the last days of my life that I will experience pregnancy. Simultaneously, I'm also extatic about the prospect. It seems as though, after two years of this "condition," my body is throwing in the towel. My legs have gave up by throwing in fun muscle spasms that keep me from sleeping. My arms seem to be following in the exodus of body parts that refuse to cooperate with the same tingles and bug-crawling sensations. Unfortunately this leaves the rest of my body sorely without rest and without rest, everything goes to pot.

Needless to say, I've quickly gone from feeling ready to be finished with pregnancy but nervous about having an early baby, not to mention a newborn in the midst of toddler tantum-dom, to just plain ready to be done. I'm anxious to meet our little one and even more anxious to feel as if I get some say in how my body behaves. Without going too far into the ever-growing list of complaints, it's fair to say that I hope to hear at our Tuesday ultrasound that the baby is ok to go and that any delivery would be a safe one. My great fear at this point is that they will tell me he's not fully cooked and I'd have to be pregnant well into October. In such a case, I really think I would completely loose any sanity I have remaining unless they prescribed significant sleep aid that would stop the bugs from crawling all over my body.

Today some of my girlfriends threw me a fabulous baby shower during which I recieved some last minute must-haves. No, it didn't include a margharita, but I'm sure those will be offered in droves once this little bun is out of my oven. After leaving the shower and returning to my toddler's home (yes, I've given up ownership), I realized that ready or not, this baby is almost here. And by almost here, I mean, I'm ready for him to come. I'll never be ready for what faces us with a 14 month old and a newborn, but I'm ready to pick up my coattails and walk straight into the challenge as it means the battle of a 14 month old and an unweildy pregnant figure will end. Sure, I'm nervous about the unknown, but I'm even more nervous at the possibility of remaining here, in ultra-pregnant land, for more than is absolutely necessary.

That's all I've got in me tonight. Unfortunately it's a bit of a downer post... but I guess that's what you get from an author who'd really rather be sleeping but who's body refuses to cooperate.

For my silver lining, I'd like to throw out a truly heartfelt thank you to those of you who have been so supportive in the challenges of the last few weeks. As always, I hope never to need to ask for help, but am honored to have such great friends who come to my side despite my pride. You mean the world to me and I hope you know how much you are appreciated.