hang in there

Our baby is growing fast and furious now. With only 10 weeks left to go until our due date the time is flying by.

Here are some fun facts:

- she weighs about 3lbs and is fitting in my belly nice and snug

- the baby books refer to her size as a large head of cabbage

- she's 15.7 inches long

- she continues to be very active and rolls more than she kicks

- in just the last 5 weeks she has gained 1.5lbs and I've put on another 4

A few weeks ago Joel and I started going to labor preparation class at the hospital. The class covers everything we will face once I go into labor until delivery. Each week we learn more about delivery and what to expect in addition to different techniques to use during delivery to help ease some of the discomfort. The class is great for us because we have so many questions and this class covers all the details. The doula that teaches the class has lots of experience and stories to share with us.

Just the other week we worked on focus points, distractions, and helpful breathing techniques. I want to preface this story I'm about to share by adding how supportive Joel is in all of these classes. Occasionally he cracks a joke when the room is quiet but it always lightens the mood for us. Anyways, I have no clue when Joel had time to do this because I was sitting right next to him, but somehow when our teacher was going over the next technique for us to try Joel was on his phone up to no good. As I lay on the floor with my eyes closed, focusing on my breathing, Joel came and sat right next to me and started rubbing my back. I kept my eyes closed as Joel repeatedly told me to, "hang in there...hang in there you're doing great." (These are the supportive things you want your husband to say, especially while he's rubbing your back and you're trying to imagine what contractions might be like). I really felt like Joel was connecting with the exercise.

After Joel repeated the "hang in there" line a few more times, I knew something was up and opened my eyes. Here's the image he was holding in front of me on his phone:

A little kitten on a branch with the line "hang in there" hovering in the air. Of course I started laughing but all the other couples in the room were so calm and focused. I had to keep my laughter to a minimum and pretend like we were still practicing. I may never know why he thought of this image at the time but I love him for it.

Although little kittens are cute I know for a fact I don't want to see that image in the delivery room. I made Joel put the picture away for the rest of the class and reminded him a couple more times that I definitely didn't want to use it later.

Joel- I love you more than you know. Your encouragement and support have been more than I could ever ask for. You are the best husband and friend and I'm so happy we are in this together. Thank you for reminding me to take some time to laugh about the silly things.