Slow

36 weeks and 4 more to go. I have found myself slowing down considerably in the last few weeks. I seem to be able to handle one major—or minor—activity a day and then I’m pretty well ready for bed. Homer and I spend hours upon hours snuggled up. He seems to relish my laziness because it means more ear scratching and belly rubbing. I've taken to pleasure reading (imagine that!). Occasionally we waddle out for a walk, though he quickly grows impatient at my pace. I try to explain to him that almost 50 extra pounds hasn’t been so easy on my joints (nor my psyche). Note to self: if there’s ever a next time, LAY OFF THE BEDTIME CEREAL.

This weekend my Berea friends gathered for a lovely celebration for the baby. The members of my knitting circle gifted me terrific creations: felted moccasins from this talented lady (oh my are those incredible!), leaf green overalls (coming home from the hospital outfit?), a striped pull-over that needs some last minute touches, those dear stitched giraffes. We feasted on delectable treats and watched the three babies from last year attempt their first crawls. It was intimate and lovely and I felt blessed to have found such a remarkable group of new friends. And Armistead drove in from Nashville and Mom from Michigan, so old and new were able to come together for the first time. Mom and Don will be back in a few weeks and hopefully they'll find their perfect winter nest in Berea.

My to-do list has shifted and shrunk for the coming weeks. I’m still feathering the little guy’s nest, but now I need to think about birth plans and hospital forms. We need a dog-sitter and I’ve promised myself to clean the closets before labor begins. Next week I’ll know if I have to schedule a c-section and if so, that will be two weeks later. And I suppose that I should stop teaching at some point, but who knows, maybe I’ll just keep showing up until the very end.