new sensations

so here we are...just about 11 days to go until the due date. i think it's going to be this week, but i am not holding my breath. learned that with JG, this is definitely one thing that i have no control over at all. so i am just going with the flow, and feeling quite happy and content. at my check-up last week, the good dr. said everything is progressing like textbook, and bebi2 should be joining us out here very shortly. woo hoo!

new sensations galore, though. since i never experienced "imminent birth" with my first pregnancy, i am going through brand new physical and emotional sensations. i definitely have been feeling some of those "baby is coming" symptoms, like a dropping sensation where you feel the baby way down lower, more pressure...a new burst of energy that was not there just a week ago, and a sense of happiness and calm. maybe because it's the second time, i feel no stress, fear, impatience, or uneasiness. it's all good. don't get me wrong though - i do indeed feel huge and heavy and READY. i want with all my heart and soul for bb2 to come this week! and i think s/he will.

been feeling really nostalgic about us3 becoming us4. like it's never going to be just the three of us ever again, as it has been for the past 4 plus years. yesterday, we realised it may possibly be our last sunday with just us3, so went out on a date. we took the yamanote line to ueno park in the rain, and spent some dinosaur time at the national museum of nature and science. then after yummy thai food for dinner, we took the yamanote line circling the other way back home to meguro, making full circle. we ate onigiri and sandwiches for lunch on the ride there, and donuts for dessert on the ride back. it was a perfect day. but who knows, we may have another weekend still, just us3.

samma has been keeping tabs on the *chie-fisher baby pool*, and the bets are in:

francis: girl, july 3
allan: girl, july4
patchan: girl, july 9
samma: boy, july 9
timmy: girl, july 6
timo: boy, june 30
jason: girl, july 7

looks like uncle timo is going to lose at this time. if you want to place your bets, send samma an email, or just post a comment on this blog. bet price has been set at 500 yen (that's roughly 5 bucks, or 2 quid) by the bookie, samma.

going back to the dr. on wednesday, so when i write again, i will hopefully no longer be pregnant! cannot wait to meet this baby. keep sending us those positive vibrations and all the love. we feel it.

getting really ready now...

so here we are, 36 weeks. they call it ringetsu in japanese - your last month. this is the month when the baby can come any day, and "it's ok", since they consider a baby is full term at 37 weeks. had our check up yesterday with the good dr, and she says everything is on track, and that bb2 is doing very very well ("what an active baby!" all the midwives say happily - and to that i want to say, ya, i know, duh, like i'm the one being kicked and poked ALL DAY LONG...). i caught a little cold that settled into my lungs last weekend, and am finally feeling better now. but all that hacking and coughing seems to have done some good, and bb2 is now dropped a bit lower, and my cervix is starting to do its thing, effacing and dilating a little bit. so let's just sit back and see what happens! i am hoping a couple of weeks, as soon as we hit july - maybe the 4th? but either the 7th or 8th would be grand. been talking to bb2 about it, since it is completely up to her/him, and i think all options are being considered carefully.

the other day, i was coughing up my lungs, tired, and making dinner in the afternoon. then major braxton hicks contractions came on, for like an hour. like it hurt enough to need to have a lay down. JG was all, "mama, me think baby is coming out today! or maybe tomorrow!" and promptly started getting us ready. he packed our suitcase for the hospital that evening - underwear and pajamas for everybody, books for him, bebi2's bits..."toiletries!" he shouts, and runs off for the bathroom. i am getting more and more and more excited to see his big brotherhood in action. oh ya, he also recorded his first "track" the other week with A., called "Donut Store". he composes original songs all the time, but this was the first time he went into the studio to record one. it's an awesome track, great lyrics, with JG on vocals and harmonica, A. playing drums and piano. he absolutely loved recording, and was a natural.

speaking of JG and A., they cooked me dinner tonight! we had pancakes, scrambled eggs, thyme and garlic sausages, and a fruit salad of mango, bananas, and kiwis with lime. YUMMERS. haven't had breakfast for dinner since we left california 4 years ago. JG was all flipping pancakes like an old pro.

***bedroom move was hellish, but successful! we are now all happily settled into our new rooms - JG's room is fantastic looking, with lots of play space, and the crib looks good in there. our bedroom is super cozy (literally), but A. and i are both sleeping better than ever in there! i think it's thanks to the fact that our heads are now pointing north. studio is slowly but surely coming along, and looking like it is going to be fab. mission accomplished!***

happy birthday to nigh nigh carin, tio ryder, and my maternal grandmother baaba. we love you, and hope your days are super special.