Finding my zen

This past weekend, my best pal for the last 25 years came up with her two kids to put on a little baby shower luncheon for me - at my house. They stayed the night Friday night and then Saturday morning put together a light lunch and super cute decorations - and then her mom, mother in law, my mom, and my sister all joined us. Then we ate and I opened some really special gifts and we had a lot of fun laughing and just hanging out for a bit. My dad came too, but grabbed food and headed upstairs to watch football:-) It was such a special, but yet still low key event, that I felt relaxed and just happy to be surrounded by all that love. 

My parents just hung out at my place for the afternoon and then we went to dinner with my sister,  b.i.l. and niece. And at dinner, they presented me with a very special gift from my entire family, to help support me through my maternity leave. It was an utter surprise and I cried like a baby for a good while right there at the table. Then another best pal came to visit from out of town on Sunday for the afternoon. We also just hung out and talked for a few hours. It was really nice.

And when I woke up this morning, recognizing that I am now less than a week away from this birth thing, I felt a little more relaxed, and a little more zen than I have for the last 18 months. I know I've done almost everything I can to get ready and whatever is left over, just will be left over. I don't feel like doing much more now, except finishing up my work, and getting ready for my family to start arriving in order to be here for the big event and then Thanksgiving. And resting. I hope this feeling continues to override my impending anxiety. And I'm so excited that I get to meet my boy within this next week. 

17 DAYS 23 HOURS 11 MINUTES 56 SECONDS

I am now less than 3 weeks away from meeting my little guy. To get ready means I have had to push it a bit in the evenings and on weekends, and I am certainly feeling the effects of not taking it easier. Or maybe I'd just feel this way by this point, no matter what. My parents and sister have been super helpful - running errands or helping me clean out cupboards, etc. and I feel almost as ready as I can be. I'm in the position where this could happen on my due date, or anytime before it, and for the last couple of weeks, that has had me on edge in a way that I didn't recognize until I woke up this morning and realized it is Nov 1st, and I can say that I am for sure having my baby this month. And for some reason, this has settled me down a bit. Yes, it could still be a surprise timing, but I'm much more at ease that with every passing day, this bebe becomes stronger and more able and equipped to tackle being born! Soon my people, soon.