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The Best Visitors & 38 Weeks Pregnant



Pregnancy log: 38 weeks, 2 days. 12 days until the due date. 19 days until her final, final eviction date.

I just had the happiest week of my pregnancy. Truly. When we landed in England, I was a day shy of 6 weeks pregnant. None of our family even knew I was pregnant until we heard the heartbeat three weeks later. I've spent this entire pregnancy a continent and ocean (since our families are in the western US) away from the organic support system that is family.  And there's just something about siblings. Something about those people who know precisely how to make you squirm in five seconds and laugh in two that are essential for my ultimate mental and emotional health.

For this past week, I got to have my sister. But, she didn't come alone - she brought a sweet friend whose quieter demeanor complemented our obnoxious Manthei socializing style. We are so loud. The loudest. Somehow, M. tolerated us--and even claimed to love us--and our little family of three was honored to host our first visitors in England.


When I told people exactly when my sister was coming, I got quite a few confused looks. Some asked me if I wasn't worried that the baby would arrive then, and I wasn't. Barring an emergency, I seem to be a long haul gestator. Others asked me if I didn't want her to stay for our little girl's arrival. And truthfully, I didn't. I wanted the girls to get to experience England and preschooler Landon and enjoy themselves. Oh, and I didn't want to have to sign them in on any base--including the one that houses the hospital.

So the baby stayed in and we went out and about. Some days our visitors went out by themselves and some days we went with them. And it was perfect. I feel more invigorated today at 38w, 2d than I have for most of my pregnancy. I *highly* recommend playing tourist and walking and climbing all day at this gestation. It's surprisingly energizing, and it makes a person feel as if she's doing something to speed the process along.

I'm currently taking votes as to when our little girl will arrive. She can't arrive later than June 15th, so as of today, there's 19 potential birthdays . Although, in full disclosure, it's noon here and I'm pretty sure she's NOT coming today. ;)

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