The belly is rippling as we write this....

This weekend we enter our 40th week! Jade feels like she's waiting on line for a huge roller coaster and she's just a few people away from her turn. She knows everyone does this, and despite how scary it seems, it's going to be safe and fun and really intense. But the anticipation is dizzying! (pictured here: Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure. Jade dreaded it for months... then rode it twice in a row!)

During the hurricane weekend, our good friends Morgan, Emily, and Dalia threw us a Baby Book Shower. We sat around eating biscuits and stew, drinking homemade punch, and reading children's stories while the rain poured down. It was just perfect. We're so grateful to be part of such a supportive community—a big thank you to all those who contributed to our collection.

Last weekend we created our plaster belly cast, documenting the big 39 cm belly in all its glory. Jay had never worked with plaster gauze before, but he was a pro, and Jade was patient, though it got pretty uncomfortable by the end. But any pregnant woman who is feeling huge and heavy should wear an extra 15 pounds of hot wet plaster on her body, then take it off. You feel light as a feather! She played with the baby as the plaster hardened, drumming a resonant rhythm that it would then go after with vigorous kicks! Once the cast dries we'll decoupage flowers we dried from our gardens during the pregnancy this summer, and find a spot on a wall to hang it.
Jade's been having little contractiony-cramp sensations on the bottom of her belly for a week or so. They're irregular and mild, but definitely a signal that something is cooking. Last night she had a dream that her belly was very taught and almost transparent. The baby pressed its face against it and she could see every feature, and thought its eyes might be blue. Suddenly the belly turned clear and she could see everything. The baby's eyes were wide open and she thought to herself, "it looks so much like us!" She woke up with the longest, most intense crampy sensation she's had yet, and really wondered if labor had started. She chugged a glass of water (the uterus will cramp if it's at all dehydrated) and nothing else happened.

It's certainly keeping us in excited suspense!