One Week Away...

LESS than one week, actually. 

Induction is scheduled for 5 short days from now. (This means if I am still laboring in a week, that will be a LONG labor...so let's hope it is less than one week.)

The feeling is excitement to meet the little nugget, for sure, but also anxiety and a bit of terrifying fear.

This is, apparently, common to feel under 'normal' baby's coming circumstances, but there is still the whole added layer of uncertainty with the final decisions to be made about just what will need to be done to fix Baby G's heart, namely are there any other issues that arise once my body is not keeping everything going, and is the left ventricle big enough to sustain itself without intervention?

Baby is definitely growing, happy, and active. 

Also a fan of peace.

And, apparently, the terrible reflux I developed DID actually signal the presence of baby hair. 😂 

(What color will it be? I'm guessing blonde, and hoping for a strawberry tint. Red hair would be a bit of a long shot, but I ended up with it, so stranger things have happened. Like UCLA making it this far in the NCAA tournament. So they tell me. I know nothing about basketball but was doing shockingly well in E's pool with his friends.)

The most recent ultrasound technician said there is some science to this reflux/heartburn and hair connection, and it is likely due to a hormone. 

I did not do an exhaustive search for that study, unlike with the "Bonding with Books" research related to reading to babies in the NICU, which I did request through the university library. I also made sure to bring a bunch of books about resiliency and positivity and general love (and also Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, as it is E's progeny) to read to Baby G when it's time, even though they say it doesn't matter WHAT you read, just that you are reading.