I don't know how time goes by so fast. I just realized that I haven't updated in 6 weeks now! Crazy. So, here are the highlights....
Sadie's Birthparents... pled guilty a few weeks ago to the adoption fraud charges. However, the plea was a conditional plea that will be appealed to see if, under KY law, they are really guilty. KY doesn't have the best adoption fraud laws. We will be setting a precedent if they are found guilty by the Court of Appeals. You can read the article about our story
here. We made it to the front cover of the Sunday Metro section in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution a couple of weeks back. Grateful for the coverage as we would like for the adoption community to rally around getting better laws!
Our Florida Vacation... we decided to go ahead and go on our family vacation this past week and just got back last night. My midwife thought it would be a great distraction for me to get away and didn't think I was in danger of going into any pre-term labor, so I went with her advice and went! It was fabulous! My entire family including parents, two brothers and their families were there. Lots of help and playmates for Sadie, which was a huge break in and of itself! Each day consisted of being in the pool and on the lounge chair. And honestly, being in the pool is my happy place right now. I feel totally weightless and every ache and pain seems to disappear in the pool. Lovely! I will have to say that the ride coming home yesterday was torture though. We took the trip in 2 days going down, but came the whole way back yesterday and I am paying for it today. My back is really bothering me, which takes me to the next point.
New Pains... my back has definitely started hurting more over the past couple of weeks. Not everyday, but if I overdo it one day, I pay for it the next. And it definitely seems that I can't do quite as much around the house without my legs, feet, and back hurting. I went and got a prenatal massage the week before we went on vacation. Pure. Heaven. People! The therapist has a table for pregnant women where a hole is cut out for your belly. An adjustable net supports the belly so that your back isn't distended. My midwife recommended this place and they only charge $85 for 1 1/2 hours! No tip! I am going again this Saturday. I also started going to a chiropractor out of the same office. She has a special technique for pregnant women that is easier on the body. I hadn't been to a chiropractor in probably 15 or so years. I was super sore the next day, but definitely felt better after that. I go again tomorrow.
Baby Keller... still loves to move all over the place. I am measuring small, but she is measuring right on track. Because I am so long-waisted, it seems that still has lots of room to do flips. She was literally changing from head down to breech a couple of times a day. I could feel the somersault in my belly. Not too comfortable! One morning I went to see my midwife and she was head-down and a couple of hours later went to an ultrasound and she was breech. It has been a little nuts. Last week, Keller was head-down and I don't think she has flipped at all while I was on vacation. Hopefully, she will stay that way!
Another fun thing with Keller is finally experiencing hiccups! She gets them a couple of times a day. In fact, she is hiccuping as I type this post!
Honesty... One thing that has kinda surprised me is that this pregnancy has surfaced some new emotions of loss that this child is not mine biologically. I think being pregnant makes me "feel" like this child should be mine biologically and so it is sad to me to snap back into reality and realize that it isn't. Please don't misunderstand me - I am SO thrilled to be able to carry my adopted child! It is just so much different than adopting domestically. When you adopt domestically from another woman who just gave birth to your child, there is no room to even remotely imagine the child as being your's biologically. I'd be curious to know if anyone else has had these feelings.
Preparing... for labor and delivery. I still need to pack my bags, practice a bunch of relaxation techniques, and buy a few things. Plus, Keller's room still needs to be completely wrapped up. Our cats had decided to use that room as a litter box over the past year and so we had to have the carpet removed to get new padding. My husband cleaned and cleaned and cleaned the carpet, but after putting the carpet back in, it still isn't smelling perfect. ugh! So, he is going to work on it a little more this week and then we need to put all of the furniture back and get things organized! She will be here soon!
Hope you all are doing well. Can't wait to start meeting our babies!
Tracey
